The 9th sub-book of Genesis covers approximately 10 chapters. I have broken these up into two parts in an effort to shorten the length of each post and provide a continuous stream verses one large ending summarization. So, Part I covers Genesis 25 to 30 and compiles the past three days of our reading plan.

We begin with the birth of Esau and Jacob who were born to Isaac (son of Abraham). Starting off, we see God’s work within the lineage of Isaac through His words to Rebekah in verse 23. God reveals to Rebekah that she is to bear twins and something of greater importance: “… the older shall serve the younger.” Up until now, the first born has been the heir and as we’ll see throughout this section, it was customary for the first born to be the one to carry the family heritage. This little fact is of great importance because within the family heritage are the promises God made with Abraham. As we’ve seen throughout the Scripture, God promised Abraham and then subsequently promised Isaac. Here, we see that God has already chosen Jacob to receive these promises and the remainder of Chapter 25 solidifies this. As we conclude Genesis 25 we read the story of how Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for some stew. In essence, Esau traded God’s great blessings and promises for a worldly item of temporary, yet immediate, personal satisfaction. [Something that rings true for a vast majority of us]

As we move into Genesis 26, we see a reiteration of the promises God has made with Abraham, and now Isaac. God promises that Isaac and his descendants shall inherit the land, multiply their offspring into a great nation, and lastly they will be a blessing to all the nations. Interestingly enough, though God just reiterated His promises to Isaac, we see also that Isaac succumbs to the same belief of his ability for self preservation and protection. Isaac performs the very act Abraham had when he encounters Abimelech and references his relationship with his wife as one of siblings. Again we see God’s amazing grace and love as He continues to bless Isaac by multiplying his crops a hundredfold. One last thing of particular interest to me in chapter 26 is that Abimelech approaches Isaac and says “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you.” I find it refreshing to know that in both the case of Abraham and Isaac, they radiated their faith in the Lord in such a manner that the Lord blessed them and it was clearly evident to the whole region that the Lord watched over them. I pray that I radiate my faith in my Lord in such a manner that it is without question who I serve.

So we reach the heart of Part I of the 9th Sub-book of Genesis. Through an odd series of events, Jacob secures the blessing of his father Isaac. It seems interesting that Jacob would perform a very deceptive act to obtain the blessing that God had already proclaimed would be his. I had a good conversation this afternoon that centered on this very story and why God would have such a series of lies and deceptive acts be performed to ensure His plan is followed. During that discussion there were many things discussed which may provide some insight into the reason behind these seemingly moral-less actions. It may be that God was leading Rebekah to have Jacob perform these functions, ensuring God’s plan and Jacob could have merely been following God’s commandments of obeying one’s father and mother. It may be that through Rebekah and Jacob’s understanding of the cultural customs, this was the only way to ensure God’s proclamation in Genesis 25: 23 would come to fruition. Though either of these may be true or it may be something completely different, I feel that the story gives some early indication that God has a plan and that God’s plan will come true. The birth of Esau and Jacob through to the conclusion of their blessings shows us that even before they were born, God knew these men and knew which would serve Him and which would stray. Throughout the life of Esau (thus far) he demonstrates how Godless he is and how much weight he puts in his own abilities and personal pleasure. Just before the blessings occur, Genesis 26:34, Esau takes two wives which, as stated before, is directly in contrast to God’s commandments. What’s even more interesting is that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all defy God’s commandments but yet they are blessed by God while Esau is not. The disparity demonstrated here indicates that there is a predetermination of God’s will in each of our lives. Had Jacob not performed these deceitful acts, how God would have ensured His plan was carried out we do not know. What we do know for certain is that God’s plan will have been fulfilled. The last item to note in chapter 27 is that there are two distinct parts of Isaac’s blessings to Jacob and Esau that did come true. These predictions are another indication that God’s hand was involved in the lives of these individuals. The first is that Jacob was the father of a great nation which dominated over many nations of the time (Genesis 27:29) while Esau and his descendants did escape the yoke of his brother (Genesis 27:40). Only God would have known these events were to happen.

In Chapter 28 we see that Esau, out of vengeance and disobedience, takes another wife. Only this time, his wife is from the lineage of Ishmael. This is similar to when Seth’s sons took the daughters of Cain to be their wives. We see a cross between the chosen lineage of God and the lineage of man. Of course, something of much greater importance is the dream that Jacob had which depicted a ladder or staircase to heaven. From this ladder God makes His promises to Jacob (the same series of promises referenced before). I like Jacob’s reaction when he awoke for this reminds me of how I feel each and every day I dedicate my life to the Lord. An interesting note made in the Halley’s Bible Handbook is that this ladder could be a hint or sign that God’s promises will “culminate in something that would bridge heaven and earth.” I think this is very interesting as Jesus likens himself to a ladder and the bridge between God and men. Again, as was performed by Abraham and Isaac, Jacob builds and altar to God and worships Him. The last statement (Genesis 28:22) also indicates Jacob’s desire to continue the custom performed by his forefathers: “And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

We finish out Part I with Jacob in Haran. Through a turn of events, Jacob receives some of the deceit he had sown when securing the blessing of his father through the receipt of his first wife (Leah) by a deceitful manner. Over the course of several years, Jacob finally garnered the one he truly desired for his wife (Rachel) and ignited a fiery battle within his own family. Through two wives and their servants, Jacob violated the Lord’s commandments and reaped an ancient polygamous family contrary to God’s call. God did, however, show grace and mercy upon Jacob and continued to bless his family. Jacob had 12 sons who would be the foundation of what is known as the Messianic Nation. These twelve tribes yield the nation that will bring our Savior into the world according to God’s plan.

ESV Daily Reading Bible Halley’s Bible Handbook

The 8th sub-book of Genesis is a rather small one and covers the remaining story of Ishmael whom settled in the land of Arabia thus yielding the title of Arabians.. It is merely six verses long and there are only a couple things to note.

The continuation of Ishmael from Abraham provides insight into the fact that Abraham is not only well revered in the Christian and Jewish community but he was also the father of what is known today as the Arab world. Following the genealogy of Ishmael, and as God had proclaimed (Genesis 17:20), Ishmael had twelve sons who were princes according to their tribes. This is yet another instance which reiterates how reliable God’s word is.

Lastly, Genesis 25:18 states that the descendants of Ishmael “… settled over against all his kinsmen.” This verse shows us that there was a clear rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael that we can see has persisted over many millennia and throughout many generations. This rivalry is still evident today (as Natalie pointed out in a comment on the last post) throughout the present day Middle East where we see the persistent fighting between Jews and Arabs.

Though short and to the point, this sub-book of Genesis has some profound indications of how one simple disobedient act (Abraham violating God’s commandment of one man and one woman becoming one flesh, as well as his disbelief/lack of trust in God’s promise to him) has impacted every generation since. I see a very clear similarity between the strife and discontent that existed between the descendants of Cain and the descendants of Seth (that lead to the wickedness of the world and ultimately it’s destruction by God through the flood) and the progression of wickedness that exists today (initiated by the rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael). I believe it is clear in Genesis 25:11, as well as supporting information in subsequent books of the Bible, that Isaac (and his descendants) are the chosen lineage of God. It is through this lineage that Jesus is born (by the work of the Holy Spirit) and through God’s work in this lineage that leads ultimately to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This work, enacted by God and performed by His faithful servants, leads to our salvation and the gift of grace for those who are called by God and choose to receive Him.

ESV Daily Reading Bible Halley’s Bible Handbook

Continuing on with our journey of reading the Bible in a year, we have come to the story of Abraham (whom was originally named Abram until chapter 17 when a covenant is made between God and Abram). In an effort to make these a little more readable and fruitful, I am going to try and limit the length. This will result in more posts but perhaps will make it easier for you to keep up with this blog as well as the Scripture readings. If you haven’t noticed yet, I have added a link with the opportunity for you to subscribe to this blog for easier notification when a post is made. Feel free to subscribe or check back periodically.

Now, as the first six sub-books of Genesis come to a close, we are introduced to the genealogy of Terah. Though there were many offspring of Terah the Bible focuses on three: Abram, Nahor, and Lot (who is the son of Haran, son of Terah). Though it is not clear here, later verses indicate that Abram was not the firstborn but through the beginning of the seventh sub-book we see that Abram is a very important man. It is here in the seventh sub-book of Genesis, approximately 400 years after the flood, that we see a realization of God’s plan for the redemption of humankind.

God calls Abraham to prepare the foundation of a nation that will see to mankind’s redemption and through Abraham’s faithful submission to God, God promises three very significant items. These same items are repeated in several locations throughout the Bible, to several different people within Abraham’s genealogy. God promises that Abraham’s descendants will inherit the land of Canaan, they will become a great nation, and they will be a blessing to all nations. This very promise is repeated approximately 10 times in the Bible and further forms the foundation for the rest of the Bible. It is clear through these scriptures that God is revealing to us what He is up to and what He has planned for us through the life of Abraham and his descendants.

It is important to take note of Abraham’s actions as he travelled from Haran through the land of Canaan. Abraham was called to found a nation free from idolatry. Abraham (in chapter 12) is called to go “… to the land that I (God) will show you.” Here, out of faith, Abraham leaves a well settled land (Haran) with well developed roads to Babylon, Assyria, Syria, Asia Minor, and Egypt to a new land that God would show him. In every location that Abraham came to rest (Shechem, Bethel, Hebron) he built an altar to the Lord and worshipped God. Abraham continuously acknowledged God as his Lord and demonstrated his faith to the people he came in contact with. Abraham continued to journey on until we see him travel to Egypt due to a vast famine.

It is through Abraham’s journey to Egypt that we see the first inclination of Abraham’s human nature. As Abraham enters Egypt he indicates to his wife Sarai (whom becomes Sarah) that they shall proclaim their relationship as siblings rather than husband and wife. I find that this instance is the first location where we see Abraham take matters into his own hands for the sake of his own survival. Though the scripture doesn’t indicate one way or the other whether Abraham did so under the guidance of God, it is hard to believe that God would lead Abraham to be deceitful. In this instance it is important to note that Abraham did not fully lie, as Sarai was his half-sister, but Abraham did so in a deceitful manner. Of course, it was customary in this time period for rulers and powerful people to confiscate beautiful women and kill their husbands. We can surely understand why Abraham would do this but it is evident that even a man of such great faith, as Abraham, still has weaknesses and shortcomings in their faith. I believe this to be imperative in the demonstration of God’s great plan for mankind’s redemption.

Abraham and Lot (Abraham’s nephew), along with their families and herds, returned to to the Negeb. Both had extensive herds and there was strife between each others’ herdsmen. Abraham gave Lot the choice of land and they separated. At this time, we see clearly from chapter 13, verse 13, that the land in which Lot settled (“… as far as Sodom.”) were “… wicked, great sinners against the Lord.” On the other hand, we see that the Lord again blesses Abraham and reiterates the promises He made to Abraham as chapter 13 concludes. As chapter 14 begins, we see a customary action, reaffirmed from cuneiform documents during the patriarchal period, that various kings often made alliances in fighting against others. Not much sticks out to me here other than the fact that Abraham defeated these kings with their alliances leading only 318 men. Though I am not sure how significant 318 men is at this time, I can only imagine that this is small compared to the men of kings who have alliance with one another. It is by the hand of God that Abraham could have defeated these kings at the time with only 318 men. After this defeat is actualized, a priest-king came to Abraham and blessed him. Here in verse 20 of chapter 14 we see that Abraham responds to the blessing of this priest-king by providing him (Melchizedek) with “… a tenth of everything.” It is this custom that many christians follow today in tithing one tenth to the church. As a side note, Hebrew tradition says that the priest-king who blessed Abraham was Shem, the son of Noah. During this time Shem would have been alive and if this is in fact true, it would indicate that God had already chosen this land (now known as Jerusalem) to be the scene of human redemption (side note taken from Halley’s Bible Handbook).

In chapter 15 we again see the promises God made to Abraham. It is here that God also makes a covenant with Abraham and declares that Abraham shall have his own son as his heir. Two important notes is that God indicates Abraham’s offspring will be afflicted for 400 years (living as foreigners in a foreign land) and that in the fourth generation they shall return making reference to the Amorites. This covenant is done using an ancient custom of passing between the pieces of sacrificed animals which signified that if either party did not uphold their oath the same shall be done to them. Unfortunately, Abraham again shows his human nature when he and Sarai demonstrated their disbelief in the son God promised by participating in a custom of the day to ensure a male heir. Sarai gave Abraham her Egyptian servant as his wife. As indicated in my previous post, it is in times like these that we see the demonstration of how listening to and placing our faith in those other than the Lord, we can be lead astray. In this case, the disbelief and disobedience of Abraham lead to separation and anguish between Abraham and Sarai as well as between Sarai and her Egyptian servant Hagar. This is the point in which the unholy line of Ishmael begins.

It is in chapter 17 that God instituted circumcision as the symbol of a new covenant with Abraham. It is in chapter 17 that God gives Abram his new name: Abraham. Again, we see the promises God has given to Abraham in verses 5 through 8. This is also where Sarai receives her new name: Sarah. Lastly, God declares that Sarah shall bear a son by the name of Isaac. Out of faith and obedience, Abraham gathers all the males of his household and has them circumcised. Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised and committed to circumcising all males of his household on the 8th day after their birth. God returns to Abraham in chapter 18 and Abraham knows it is God. God shares his declaration of Isaac once again and in doing so, we see God’s great power and knowledge as He knew Sarah had laughed. Abraham’s faith is also clearly demonstrated for he did not believe Sarah’s false statement but rather believed the Lord in that Sarah did laugh. Out of this entire section (chapter 17 and 18) I believe one of the most significant points is that God makes it clear that He will not punish Ishmael but He will also not establish His covenant with Ishmael. Instead, God clearly states that He will establish His everlasting covenant with Isaac and Isaac will serve the Lord instead of Ishmael.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah are a reminder of God’s justice for the wicked of the world. God does, however, show us how He listens to our pleas and has mercy for us through the conversation with Abraham about saving the righteous. God also shows that He has mercy by saving His servant Lot. Interesting note is in verse 14 of chapter 19, Lot pleads with his sons-in-law but they do not listen (demonstrating their lack of faith) and thus perish under the fury of God. God also demonstrates how just He is when Lot’s wife disobeys the Lord and looks back as He had commanded them not to. She instantaneously turns to salt. Subsequently, Lot’s daughters sin against God by causing their father (Lot) to drink wine and become drunk. Then both Lot’s daughters lay with their father (Lot) so as to become pregnant and preserve offspring from their father. This sin leads to separation and anguish through the lineage of the Moabites and Ammonites (each from the son of both daughters) who become bitter enemies of Abraham’s descendants (later in 1 Samuel and 2 Chronicles).

Again, we see Abraham and Sarah’s lack of faith in the protection of the Lord when they deceitfully share their relationship as siblings with Abimelech. The Lord, however, maintained His promise and brought a son to Abraham and Sarah whom they named Isaac, as they had been commanded to do. Abraham maintained his part of the covenant by circumcising Isaac on the eighth day. We see here that God also maintains His promise that He will bless Ishmael when God protects Hagar and Ishmael during their journey after being cast out from the house of Abraham.

God tests Abraham’s faith by calling him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Though it had been demonstrated many times over that God maintains His promises, here we see God call Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac before Isaac had any children. How then, can Isaac be the father of nations as God had promised? In either case, Abraham follows the order of God out of unwavering faith. We know that this command must have been from God for no man would have set out to sacrifice his own son if he was not certain of the divine calling. It is extremely interesting that here we see a father offering his only son as a sacrifice just as God offers His only son as a sacrifice. It is also interesting that it is after three days that Abraham is shown the place the sacrifice is to be performed. Just as Jesus Christ was dead for three days. Additionally, it is interesting that there is a substitution for Isaac, just as Christ was a substitution for us. Lastly, there is an actual sacrifice (of that provided by God) that took place on Mount Moriah, the very place that God’s son Jesus Christ is offered 2000 years later. This is extremely important, that the events of the birth of the nation of Israel (the Hebrew nation) foreshadows the very purpose this nation was to bring about.

We close out the seventh sub-book of Genesis with the death of Sarah and the purchase of a burial cave by Abraham. This very cave, known as the cave of Machpelah, is a sacred place. There, three pairs of cenotaphs (above ground monuments) can be found and it is believed that one pair is for Abraham and Sarah, one pair is for Isaac and Rebekah, and one pair is for Jacob and Leah. To date, the underground chambers have not been completely investigated but the stone work is believed to be Herodian which is consistent with the time. The descendants of Abraham begin with Isaac and chapter 24 is explicitly to find a suitable wife for Isaac, one who would maintain the lineage of Abraham free from idolatry and therefore not from Canaan. Personally, I take great stake in the story of how Rebekah had come to be Isaac’s wife as I believe the Lord to call us to each other and shall we listen to His calling and follow His guidance, we shall find the mate of which God intends for our life. Abraham died at the age of 175. Thirty-eight years after Sarah’s death Abraham married Keturah and she bore him six sons. One of these sons formed the Midianites whom five hundred years later Moses would marry a Midianite woman. In verse 11 of chapter 25, “… God blessed Isaac his (Abraham’s) son.”

ESV Daily Reading Bible Halley’s Bible Handbook

As stated in the introduction to the Bible, there are three major groups of books known as Historical, Poetic/Letters, and Prophetic. As the Old Testament begins, there is a sub-group of books that many recognize as the books of law or the Pentateuch. These five books, though they fit within the Historical group, are very important to understanding the Bible as they contain many of the keys to reiterated and quoted statements later on. Within these five books – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy – we see the revelation of God to man in creation, the fall of man in sin, the genealogy of man from Adam to Abraham, and through Abraham’s family we see the unveiling of God’s plan of salvation. These books also proclaim the numerous laws God gave to man as His chosen people – namely this exists within the nation of Israel and the Jewish people.

The Pentateuch is also called the Torah and these five books are believed to be written by Moses on his (and the people of Israel) journey to Canaan, the Promised Land. Though we do not know for certain, it is thought that Moses composed Genesis from a number of other ancient documents handed down from his forefathers as Genesis ends approximately 300 years prior to Moses. What we do know for certain, however, is that whether Moses wrote the Pentateuch from prior historical records or completely through direct revelation from God, the composition and complete work was without mistake the wish of God and breathed out by God.

Genesis itself is composed of 11 sub-books (a.k.a: accounts, generations, documents) that begin with what is known as the Creation Hymn and extend through three generations after Abraham. The first six sub-books (Genesis 1:1 – 11:26) cover the period from creation to approximately 2000 B.C. The last five sub-books cover the time period from approximately 2000 B.C. until about 1800 B.C. Genesis follows the existence of Humans on Earth from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden through to Abraham’s descendants in Egypt. In following the reading plan of the ESV Daily Reading Bible, to date we have completed the first set of sub-books within Genesis and are ready to discuss this section. Assuming you have read through these sections according to the reading plan (and if not, I highly encourage you to do so), I will not reiterate all things stated but identify some of those that stuck out to me. I will also encourage you to post a comment with the items that stuck out to you and we can engage in any discussion related to the given section of each post.

The first two chapters of the Bible describe how God created all things – “… the heavens and the earth.” Within these two chapters we see that God created all things according to their kind and clearly defines the principle of creation by God refuting the belief that all living creatures morphed out of one another through evolution. We see that from the very beginning God was present in all of the world and the existence of a God and a spirit are evident in verse 2 where it states “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” This also lends to the belief that the whole earth was covered with water and is reinforced through verse 9 where the “waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” As we have read and most have been taught for many years God created all things in seven days with the seventh day being the Sabbath. An interesting note is that each of the six days of creation are comprised of the same structure in which there is: an announcement where “God said …” followed by the command “… let there be …” followed by a report “… and it was so …” followed by an evaluation “… it was good …” followed by an indication of the time “… there was evening, and there was morning – the Xth day.” Another interesting note about the six days of creation is that they exist in pairs in which the first of each pair is created and later populated by the second day in the pair. Day one is the creation of light and dark and then populated by day and night (the great lights – greater light to rule the day and lesser light to rule the night) on the fourth day. Day two is the creation of sea and sky which is then populated by the creatures of water and air on day five. Lastly, day three is the creation of dry land and fertile earth followed by the creatures of the land and humans who populated it on day six. Again we are reaffirmed in the existence of God in varied form when He says in verse 26 “let us make man …” (emphasis added). Through these passages it is well documented that God gave His blessing with His command to “… be fruitful and increase in number …” and that God was pleased with His creation. They are wonderful examples of how God demonstrates His image and divine characteristics in all of His creation.

Some find it difficult to wrap their heads around the first two chapters of Genesis as they seem to contradict themselves or lend to confusion. I find it to be supplemental and not in contradiction to the first chapter as it begins with a reference to the earth and the desolate nature of the earth expressed in the early part of the third day (1:9). I believe the second chapter of Genesis then provides us some details about the creation of Man that were omitted in the first chapter. Why this omission occurred I am not sure but I believe that God wants to demonstrate how great of a creation man and woman are as a separate account rather than it being buried in the first chapter among the creation of the world. In the creation of man (from the dust of the earth), God says “… Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created us in His image, He granted us the ability to think, to feel, to choose (free will). God created man in His image and granted man the power to create and to rule which is demonstrated in the commandment of Adam to name the animals and to be fruitful and multiply. Clearly demonstrated, we as humans have been created in God’s image and share a relationship with Him that no other animal does. This in an of itself lends to the responsibility of how we should treat each other but that may be for a later discussion.

Up until now (in the readings) all was created and all was good and harmonious. In fact, God declares that what He has created is Good (and very good on the sixth day). Also, it is here that we see the first recognition of human relationship in which “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” It is also here that we see a human relationship which causes the disruption and destruction of the harmony created by God. I find this interesting and though there is a little reading between the lines, I believe that it is the moment when Adam chooses to focus on his wife over what God has told him that the fall of man is seen. I think this is true in our lives today. As we focus on acceptance of our friends, accomplishments, material possessions, and all the items used to garner friendships and human power we fail to stay focused on God. In doing so, we compromise the greatness that God created within us as we are in His image. It is through the fall of Adam and Eve that we see the separation of humanity not only from God but from one another. In being cast out from the Garden of Eden we see that we have become separated from the tree of life in verses 22 through 24 of chapter 3. We are shown the tree of life in which implies that immortality is dependent upon something outside of ourselves. From this point forward all life must now end in death and the snowball effect begins.

As we continue through the reading we are introduced to Cain and Abel as the descendants of Adam and Eve. We are told of a story where Cain brings an offering to the Lord and which Abel does as well. In this story we see that the offering brought by Abel is acceptable while Cain’s offering was not. Through this passage I feel that the reason Abel’s offering was acceptable is because is was an offering made in faith and his actions were righteous whereby Cain’s offering appears to have occurred out of a sense of obligation. In either case, it is important to note that Cain, through the murder of Abel, was cast out from the land and allowed to establish a town and multiply. It is shown through this chapter that Cain’s family was corrupt and at odds with God as polygamy soon followed murder (verse 19 in Chapter 4). This is in clear contrast to God’s order that one man and one woman are to become one flesh.

So God blessed Adam and Eve with another son whom they named Seth. We follow the genealogy of Adam through ten generations spanning approximately 1556 years. Throughout this genealogy we see that there is a family of many descendants that are pleasing to God. Some persons of note are Enoch who is the only one to date (in the reading) to have “walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” The only other person in the Bible to have been taken up by God without having to die was Elijah which we’ll get to in 2 Kings 2. Additionally, if you are to do the calculations, we see that Methuselah (whom is the oldest person named in the bible at 969 years) is the only one to bridge the gap from Adam to Noah’s descendants (Shem, Ham, Japheth). This is extremely important in that estimates of the development of writing having been after the time of Adam, we can only assume that the stories of Adam were revealed by God or passed down by word of mouth. Methuselah is the only link from the Garden of Eden to the post flood world and can be the only one to have passed down these stories from Adam to Noah and Shem.

As man continued to multiply and became numerous we see the unspeakable wickedness of the world propagate. It is in chapter 6 that we see the decision of God to bring the flood. Just before the announcement in verse 2 we see that “… the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.” This is an interesting verse in that it clearly separates the “sons of God” from the “daughters of man.” Here it is believed that the sons of God are those that follow the genealogy of Adam through Noah and are pleasing to God where as the daughters of man are believed to be from Cain’s family. Thus the wickedness and destruction has once again permeated God’s blessed line. It is here that God declares the righteousness of Noah and his sons and the Bible identifies their favor in God’s eyes. So God commmunicates with Noah and tells Noah of His plan and commands Noah to build the ark. Here it is noted that 1 cubit is the equivalent of the modern day 18 inches or 45 centimeters and therefore the ark would have been approximately the size of a modern day ocean liner and the largest sea vessel built for at least five millennia (450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high). It is identified that during this time man had been settled along the banks of rivers and seas which may have lended nicely to the trade of boat building. The ark is also estimated by modern day experts to have had the capacity for 7000 species of animals. I think it is important to note that there were seven pairs of all “clean animals” and only one pair of the others taken in the ark with Noah. Though we don’t clearly have a definition of which animals were “clean” or not, it is important to note this for later on in the story of the ark we see that Noah and his sons provide an offering to the lord with the clean animals. Had they only taken a pair, these animals would not have multiplied. Noah, with complete faith and in the face of certain ridicule during the time, built the ark as the Lord had commanded him to. Of course, with such a large task, Noah and his three sons alone may not have completed this task. Instead, it can be deciphered that perhaps due to Noah’s lineage (great grandson of Enoch – who was certainly recognized as favorable to the Lord), Noah may have been a well known and powerful man. It’s possible that Noah was a ruler of some city or maybe he employed many men to help them build the ark and gather all the animals and food. Though this is not clearly noted, we do know that Noah accomplished a great task with unmoveable faith.

The day came for the flood and as the Lord opened the valve for the water to come the Bible in verse 16 of chapter 7 states “And the Lord shut him in.” I think this statement is profound in that it is in line with every other teaching in the Bible that we can not save ourselves but are dependant upon God. Though Noah and his sons and the many men they may have employed could potentially have closed the door to the ark, it is pclear that the Lord shut them in and saved them from the massive waters. The flood waters began on the 17th day of the 2nd month of the 600th year of Noah’s life. This is of importance because it draws a parallel to our modern definition of a day. The waters prevailed for 150 days and then subsided. The Bible indicates that after 150 days it was the 17th day of the 7th month of the 600th year of Noah’s life which would have been a modern day 5 months. 150 days in 5 months gives an average of 30 days per month and therefore gives an indication that one day in Noah’s life is the same as one day in ours. Once the waters had abated or receeded the ark came to rest on a range of mountains and though I do not know the significance, a raven was sent forth and did not return. However, the dove did return and then returned a second time carrying an olive leave. I’m not sure if this has some correlation to whether a dove is clean and a raven is not or what the significance is, however I find it to be significant. It was then that Noah remained in the ark until the Lord commanded him to “Go out from the ark…” which demonstrates Noah’s everlasting faith in the Lord. Noah knew there was land and vegetation but did not leave until told to do so.

The covenant with Noah is shown through a rainbow. The rainbow has then been a sign of God’s covenant with mankind that God will never again destroy all life through a flood. So again, humans were allowed to prosper and multiply. Throughout the remaining text, the descendants of Noah are identified until we reach the birth of Abram. One interesting point during this text is the story of Noah and the encounter of his son Ham with Noah’s nakedness. Through the disparity between the way Ham reacts to his fathers nakedness and that of Noah’s other sons Shem and Japheth we see a little foreshadowing that may relate (in a similar manner to that of previously cast out Cain’s settlement) to how the many and vast nations to form may interact. Noah curses Ham and blesses Shem and Japheth for their behavior. In doing so, we also are introduced to the fact that Ham is the “father of Canaan” and it is important to note that since the book of Genesis was written during the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the land of Canaan (the Promised Land) this is of profound implication. God had cursed the Canaanites through Noah and therefore the Israelites could advance without fear as they encountered the Canaanites. Further comfort was found in the blessing of Noah on Shem and Japheth as verse 26 indicates “Blessed be the Lord, God of Shem!” that God was walking with Moses and the Israelites (as descendants of Shem) on their journey. Shem lived from 98 years before the flood until 150 years after the birth of Abraham.

The last item to note in this post, covering the first six sub-books of Genesis (leading up to today’s reading in the reading plan), is on the “Tower of Babel.” All the people of the land were common to one another, speaking the same language and building their own kingdom. In verse 4 of chapter 11 they begin work on a task of their own choosing: “… Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth” (emphasis added). The purpose behind this tower was similar to Adam and Eve in chapter 4. They wanted to be autonomous and grab divine power. They wanted to transcend their human limitations and this displeased God. God recognized that together they could accomplish most anything and this greived God so God came down and confused “… their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” God “… dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth …” so that the kingdom man was creating would never exclude God’s kingdom.

ESV Daily Reading Bible Halley’s Bible Handbook

Starting off on our journey to read the Bible through in a year, I decided it was a good idea to understand a little bit about the Bible before diving into it. A good friend of mine provided me with a Christmas Present this year that is titled “Halley’s Bible Handbook.” This book has provided me some significant insight into the Bible and how it was written which has greatly enhanced my ability to understand what I have begun to read. As of today, we were to have read three days worth of the Bible. Though I am on the plan that will have me read the Old Testament once, the Psalms twice, and the New Testament twice, for the purposes of this blog, I will post in the order of reading the Bible from beginning to end rather than jumping around.

With all of that being said, let’s get into what the Bible is, how it was written and organized, who wrote it, and all the generic background that is helpful in understanding the Bible:

First and foremost it is essential to understand that the Bible is the word of God. Now many people understand that the Bible was written by men here on the Earth and have issue with this statement. Additionally, there are many debates over just how accurate the Bible is having been subject to numerous translations, editors, copyists, and the like that bring us this day to our current edition – The English Standard Version. Additionally, many people believe that the Bible is a conglomeration of stories depicting philosophies and that we must merely look at these figuratively and not literally. Let us begin, however, by assuming that the Bible is just that – the word of God. By doing so, we will approach the writings with an open mind and not one of which we strive to find that it is contradictory and confusing and in cases unimaginable the writings that we read. I believe that we will find the Bible to contain such a common thread that there is no explanation other than one author, using the hands of others. With this presumption we take the Bible at its Word. When it states that God said – God really did say. When it states God created – God did create.

So what is the Bible?
The Bible is a compilation of 66 recordings (some call them books, others call them accounts, the term is irrelevant so long as we understand there is separation between them). These “books” were written by more than forty different people (whom we’ll discuss as we encounter them) and vary in length from less than 1 page to ~100 pages. Over the course of two thousand years these authors, ranging from fishermen to farmers to philosophers to kings, wrote from palaces and jail cells the very words we read today.

These 66 books are split up into two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament contains 39 books and was written before the birth of Jesus Christ. Scholars agree that the Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew and was (and still is) the Bible of the Jewish. The Old Testament looks forward to the coming of the Messiah (Christ) who will save us from our sinful nature and reconcile our relationship with God. The New Testament contains 27 books and shares with us the new covenant (the word testament is synonymous with covenant in this context) that God made with all people through the work of Jesus Christ. The New Testament documents the story of Jesus and is largely comprised of writings by His early followers.

Out of all the books in the Bible (Old and New Testament) there are three major groups that each will fit into. There are historical books which comprise 22 of the 66 books and are arranged in chronological order (though separated between the Old and New Testament which contain 17 and 5 historical books respectively). There are then 26 books which fall within two categories: Poetic Books (Old Testament) of which there are 5 and Letters (also known as epistles) of which there are 21 in the New Testament. Lastly the Bible contains 18 Prophetic Books in which 17 are in the Old Testament and only 1 in the New Testament. I’ll go into a little more detail as to what these groups are as we begin each section.

As stated above, the Bible is composed of 66 books which are known as the canonical books. Canon in this sense means rule or standard and the canonical books are those accepted by the church as the ones inspired by God. Of course, there are other books that are not considered part of the canonical books. These books are believed to have been written but not inspired by God and are called the Apocrypha – meaning obscure or secret. A key point is that these books (nor writing within them) were ever recorded as being quoted by Jesus nor any of the writings of the New Testament. Though this disparity has not been clearly defined/explained to me, I am interested in finding out a little more information regarding the Apocrypha. The Canonical books are believed to have been stories shared throughout the ages by word of mouth until the development of writing which is believed to have occurred around 3150 B.C. which was more than 1000 years before Abraham and more than 1500 years before Moses (this is important to know later). Each of these books were documented and written over the course of 2000 years and then through subsequent translations beginning with the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible made in ~250 B.C. This translation changed the order of the books to the order we now have in our Bible and became the basis for the Latin Bible – the Vulgate. It was noted by the Protestant church that the Greek translation was a rather poor translation and they therefore opted to use the Hebrew Bible but maintained the order of the books created by the Greek translation. The New Testament is comprised of sections that appeared in various areas of the now known Middle East (Palestine, Asia Minor, Greece, Crete, Rome). Because of the environment during these days, many of the New Testament books had to be hand written to be copied and hidden. This invariably caused for variations in the New Testament books based upon region and the process of uniting these was extremely slow. Ultimately, the criteria for inclusion as Scripture hinged on whether it was of apostolic origin.

Over the years, there will be diverse interpretations and much debate over the Bible. In our journey, we take these historical notes as an added benefit to the understanding of the Bible. Of course, the teachings of the Bible can weigh on our hearts without this knowledge and ultimately it relies on the work of God within our Hearts and Souls. In my next blog post, I will begin the journey with the book of Genesis. May you open your heart to the Lord and entrust Him with your life that He speaks through you and your deeds as you read through the Bible with me.

ESV Daily Reading Bible Halley’s Bible Handbook