Some of my thoughts on Job
Job's friends were really unhelpful! I read a comment on another day about this, they really didn't understand the complexities of God in the way that Job did - he understood that you cannot fully comprehend God, until we're in heaven we're not going to understand everything that God does. We really do find it hard to see the bigger picture, because we don't get to see all the pieces.
I think we really have to be careful about what we say to others, and whether we're actually saying something that is right. Also, we need to be careful who we surround ourselves with - who we listen to, particularly when we are in times of trouble.
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
I must say, I did struggle with this a little at first, because when you first read it, you think 'Well, the ones who worked longer were right! It was unfair!', but then I remembered that they were only promised 1 denarius in the first place, so really it wasn't.
I find it hard because of verse 16 where it says "So the last will be first, and the first will be last". In this context it really does seem unfair and unjust, but when upon re-reading the story, I realised that the landowner was not really putting the later workers first, but instead just making them equal to the earlier ones.
I have no problem thinking about this in terms of God's grace - he is gracious to we who do not deserve it. His grace and mercy mean that it doesn't matter how bad we've sinned, or how long we've been Christians, because as long as we come to him, and believe in Christ, we will all have eternal life.
I liked this comment:
Posted by Emma
God is big enough to deal with our rants and I know that sometimes I need to rant at someone and the one person I know will understand completely is him. So yes, if you need to rant, go to God – always :) x
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Tuesday 28 September 2010
Day 28 - BIOY
Well, today the blog post itself was about 'the rich man' and how we are all 'rich' really, we have everything we need, and more in many cases - not everyone in the world has that. We need to remember that it is difficult for us to enter the kingdom of God when we value this too highly...
Some really interesting comments:
Posted by Kim
I think its also about using what we have for God. So it’s like God says “give me all your riches – car, house, money, job etc. but then he says here you can keep them, but as long as you use them to further my kingdom and use them for my glory. So if someone needs food – we use “God’s money” to buy it for them, if someone needs a ride we used “God’s car” to give them a lift, if someone needs a place to stay we use “God’s house” to help them out etc. In that way they are ours no longer and we don’t hold onto them like our precious pocessions or ‘idols’ – they are God’s.
Posted by Sarah
I love how Jesus doesn’t just tell the rich man to follow the 10 commandments, he shows him how. When I was reading what Jesus said today, I was thinking ‘hold on a minute, that’s only 7 commandments he’s mentioned there’. But then I realised the 3 he left out are summed up in what he asks the man to do.
We are not to take the Lord’s name in vain- I normally just think of that as swearing, but maybe it’s also a heart thing: this man believed he was holy and righteous in front of God, when actually he was pretty far from it- and needed a little more respect.
We are not to covet our neighbours’… [fill in the gap here] and most of all we are not to have any other gods than God. I don’t see any way the rich man could act out these two commandments better than by giving all he had to the poor and following Jesus.
Talk about a challenge!
And one about Job - posted by Tim
Job is a tricky book to read, but in this morning’s reading there was one of my favourite verses in the book. Job is struggling with his pain and suffering, his friends don’t understand him and are giving him a hard time, Job feels that God doesn’t understand him either. Then in Job 9:33, he says this “If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both.” In a dispute an arbitrator understands both parties and will do his best to bring them together. Job longs for such a person who will understand him and who understands God, and can bring both together. He was longing for JESUS! In a life that sometimes is confusing and we feel people, and even God, don’t understand us, Jesus came into our world, he understands us and now is the perfect go-between!
A verse I liked: Job 9:10
'He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted'
Some really interesting comments:
Posted by Kim
I think its also about using what we have for God. So it’s like God says “give me all your riches – car, house, money, job etc. but then he says here you can keep them, but as long as you use them to further my kingdom and use them for my glory. So if someone needs food – we use “God’s money” to buy it for them, if someone needs a ride we used “God’s car” to give them a lift, if someone needs a place to stay we use “God’s house” to help them out etc. In that way they are ours no longer and we don’t hold onto them like our precious pocessions or ‘idols’ – they are God’s.
Posted by Sarah
I love how Jesus doesn’t just tell the rich man to follow the 10 commandments, he shows him how. When I was reading what Jesus said today, I was thinking ‘hold on a minute, that’s only 7 commandments he’s mentioned there’. But then I realised the 3 he left out are summed up in what he asks the man to do.
We are not to take the Lord’s name in vain- I normally just think of that as swearing, but maybe it’s also a heart thing: this man believed he was holy and righteous in front of God, when actually he was pretty far from it- and needed a little more respect.
We are not to covet our neighbours’… [fill in the gap here] and most of all we are not to have any other gods than God. I don’t see any way the rich man could act out these two commandments better than by giving all he had to the poor and following Jesus.
Talk about a challenge!
And one about Job - posted by Tim
Job is a tricky book to read, but in this morning’s reading there was one of my favourite verses in the book. Job is struggling with his pain and suffering, his friends don’t understand him and are giving him a hard time, Job feels that God doesn’t understand him either. Then in Job 9:33, he says this “If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both.” In a dispute an arbitrator understands both parties and will do his best to bring them together. Job longs for such a person who will understand him and who understands God, and can bring both together. He was longing for JESUS! In a life that sometimes is confusing and we feel people, and even God, don’t understand us, Jesus came into our world, he understands us and now is the perfect go-between!
A verse I liked: Job 9:10
'He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted'
Monday 27 September 2010
Day 27 - BIOY
Why did God 'suggest' Job to Satan?
Response posted by JonLegacy
God can seem pretty harsh in this story, almost like he starts the whole thing by bragging about how good Job is, but there is another way of reading it, by looking at Job 1;8 and 2;3 differently. When Satan turns up before God, God asks him “where have you been?” and the Accuser replies “Just looking around the Earth”. One of the root words for ‘Satan’, the ‘Accuser’ is ‘S’ut’, the ‘roving eye’ – Satan has been looking for someone to tempt or accuse or destroy, and he has found Job. Knowing Satan’s heart already God says with resignation “Have you really set your heart on my servant Job? There is no-one like him etc…”, and then Satan accuses God of mollycoddling Job, calling Job’s faith into question in the heavenly court, and so the matter has to be proved – it is Satan looking to destroy Job that starts the story, and not God setting Job up as a target. Our enemy hates us, and looks to destroy us, especially those who choose to live in the love of God that he rejected – we are all targets, “but shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
What's a eunuch?
Posted by BornToBeWild
Eunuchs were castrated men, generally given important positions because their castration made them supposedly more trustworthy. And you’re right that they wouldn’t have been married, for obvious reasons. =P
An interesting quote commented:
Posted by CP
‘Looking back, I have learned that the wilderness is as much a part of the landscape of faith.
Every bit essential as the mountain top. On the mountain top we are overwhelmed by Gods presence.
In the wilderness we are overwhelmed by his absence.
Both places should bring us to our knees.
The one in utter awe, the other in utter dependence.’
Response posted by JonLegacy
God can seem pretty harsh in this story, almost like he starts the whole thing by bragging about how good Job is, but there is another way of reading it, by looking at Job 1;8 and 2;3 differently. When Satan turns up before God, God asks him “where have you been?” and the Accuser replies “Just looking around the Earth”. One of the root words for ‘Satan’, the ‘Accuser’ is ‘S’ut’, the ‘roving eye’ – Satan has been looking for someone to tempt or accuse or destroy, and he has found Job. Knowing Satan’s heart already God says with resignation “Have you really set your heart on my servant Job? There is no-one like him etc…”, and then Satan accuses God of mollycoddling Job, calling Job’s faith into question in the heavenly court, and so the matter has to be proved – it is Satan looking to destroy Job that starts the story, and not God setting Job up as a target. Our enemy hates us, and looks to destroy us, especially those who choose to live in the love of God that he rejected – we are all targets, “but shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
What's a eunuch?
Posted by BornToBeWild
Eunuchs were castrated men, generally given important positions because their castration made them supposedly more trustworthy. And you’re right that they wouldn’t have been married, for obvious reasons. =P
An interesting quote commented:
Posted by CP
‘Looking back, I have learned that the wilderness is as much a part of the landscape of faith.
Every bit essential as the mountain top. On the mountain top we are overwhelmed by Gods presence.
In the wilderness we are overwhelmed by his absence.
Both places should bring us to our knees.
The one in utter awe, the other in utter dependence.’
- David Drecky
And a song...
Someone posted the lyrics to this song, so I thought I'd add the video here - hadn't heard it before today, but I rather like it.
And a song...
Someone posted the lyrics to this song, so I thought I'd add the video here - hadn't heard it before today, but I rather like it.
Sunday 26 September 2010
Day 26 - BIOY
Teehee, Andy dressed as Mike...
Why was Satan with the angels, coming to talk to God?
A suggestion from the blog:
Posted by Calum
When Job was written, the name ‘Satan’ was not seen as the devil or anything like that. That’s a much later development in Judeo-Christian theology. Here, whoever Satan is is just portrayed as a particularly cunning member of the heavenly court.
Some comments I found interesting:
Posted by Mummy Snuggs
There is an old saying, which I think may be of Jewish origin, “God never gives you a problem you can’t handle”. And today’s reading from Job seems to agree, as God knew that Satan was going to give someone a load of grief and cause a load of trouble, and he knew that Job, being “upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” would be able to bear the suffering that was coming. As a little girl I thought God, for some reason, had to let Satan put a certain amount of suffering in the world at any one time, so if something bad was happening to me, it made someone else’s suffering less. And as I grew up, I chose to look at it this way – if God is allowing me to have this much trouble in my life, he must think I am strong enough to deal with it, he won’t let it get too much for me so long as I lean on him, and this much aggravation must mean he thinks I’m awesome! People who appear to have trouble free lives are that way because God knows they couldn’t handle real problems.
I got my pastor really worried when I was becoming a Christian at 23, because the first book I read was Job. He asked ‘why?’ and said I should rather read John. “Well,” I said, “If I’m going to get into this thing, I need to know how bad it can get.”
Some Matt Redman songs I remembered when reading these passages...
Job 1:21 - "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be saved."
Reminded me of: 'Blessed be your name'
Psalm 16:8 - "I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken."
Reminded me of: ' We shall not be shaken'
Why was Satan with the angels, coming to talk to God?
A suggestion from the blog:
Posted by Calum
When Job was written, the name ‘Satan’ was not seen as the devil or anything like that. That’s a much later development in Judeo-Christian theology. Here, whoever Satan is is just portrayed as a particularly cunning member of the heavenly court.
Some comments I found interesting:
Posted by Mummy Snuggs
There is an old saying, which I think may be of Jewish origin, “God never gives you a problem you can’t handle”. And today’s reading from Job seems to agree, as God knew that Satan was going to give someone a load of grief and cause a load of trouble, and he knew that Job, being “upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” would be able to bear the suffering that was coming. As a little girl I thought God, for some reason, had to let Satan put a certain amount of suffering in the world at any one time, so if something bad was happening to me, it made someone else’s suffering less. And as I grew up, I chose to look at it this way – if God is allowing me to have this much trouble in my life, he must think I am strong enough to deal with it, he won’t let it get too much for me so long as I lean on him, and this much aggravation must mean he thinks I’m awesome! People who appear to have trouble free lives are that way because God knows they couldn’t handle real problems.
So don’t envy those who seem to have almost ‘blessed’ lives, pray for them to grow stronger so they can join with the rest of us, showing Satan that faith in the Lord can overcome what ever troubles the Lord allows him to put on us.
Posted by FionaI got my pastor really worried when I was becoming a Christian at 23, because the first book I read was Job. He asked ‘why?’ and said I should rather read John. “Well,” I said, “If I’m going to get into this thing, I need to know how bad it can get.”
Some Matt Redman songs I remembered when reading these passages...
Job 1:21 - "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be saved."
Reminded me of: 'Blessed be your name'
Psalm 16:8 - "I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken."
Reminded me of: ' We shall not be shaken'
Saturday 25 September 2010
Day 25 - BIOY
Favourite bit from today's readings: Matthew 17:20
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Something I'd never noticed before!
Bit of a random miracle in Matt:17:27 - and interesting way to get tax money ('so that we may not offend them').
"Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."
Promises of God - Phillipians 4:19
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
My favourite promise: Jeremiah 29:11
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Something I'd never noticed before!
Bit of a random miracle in Matt:17:27 - and interesting way to get tax money ('so that we may not offend them').
"Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."
Promises of God - Phillipians 4:19
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
My favourite promise: Jeremiah 29:11
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
Friday 24 September 2010
Day 24 - BIOY
What's all this 'put your hand under my thigh' business, when making a promise?
It was a way of swearing by the family line.
One person mentioned that 'under the thigh' is a euphemism for the genitals (and another said "I was so hoping no one was going to mention that!").
Also they had the idea that it may also be to do with Joseph wrestling God - "because when the ‘man’ wrestles with Israel he ‘touches him in the socket of the hip, and it was wrenched’ – its another euphemism… the angel hits him below the belt! God fights dirty with Jacob to show him what it feels like to be on the receiving end of dirty tricks…"
I don't understand, was Elijah actually John the Baptist?
No, Jesus was linking them by referring to them in that way.
Response posted by Calum
One of the last prophets in the Old Testament (Malachi 4.5) talked about Elijah coming to prepare people for the ‘great day of the LORD’, suggesting that after that, only the Messiah would be left to come. By linking John the Baptist to Elijah (I don’t think there’s enough in the passages to say whether it was literally Elijah, or whether Elijah stood as a symbol which John the Baptist fulfilled), Jesus is suggesting that John the Baptist was the prophet after whom only the Messiah would come – and so implicitly claims to be the Messiah through the passage.
Why would Joseph have 'bought' the people in return for giving them food? Surely slavery isn't the way...
Joseph was in charge of Egypt's resources, and couldn't just give away the grain for free. However, he did not use these 'bought' people in a way that would mean they were in horrible conditions or anything like that. Instead, they had land to farm, and were to give a fifth of their harvest to Pharoah - in this way, he still served Pharoah, and made profit for him, but he also save the lives of the people, and allowed them to live well despite their poor circumstances.
Really good bit: Proverbs 3:1-2
"Keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity."
And of course: Proverbs 3:5
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"
I also liked how one person mentioned that the 'and' is significant - suggesting that we can trust in the Lord with all our heart's and still lean on our own understanding. It is an interesting idea, and we should strive to follow this passage...
It was a way of swearing by the family line.
One person mentioned that 'under the thigh' is a euphemism for the genitals (and another said "I was so hoping no one was going to mention that!").
Also they had the idea that it may also be to do with Joseph wrestling God - "because when the ‘man’ wrestles with Israel he ‘touches him in the socket of the hip, and it was wrenched’ – its another euphemism… the angel hits him below the belt! God fights dirty with Jacob to show him what it feels like to be on the receiving end of dirty tricks…"
I don't understand, was Elijah actually John the Baptist?
No, Jesus was linking them by referring to them in that way.
Response posted by Calum
One of the last prophets in the Old Testament (Malachi 4.5) talked about Elijah coming to prepare people for the ‘great day of the LORD’, suggesting that after that, only the Messiah would be left to come. By linking John the Baptist to Elijah (I don’t think there’s enough in the passages to say whether it was literally Elijah, or whether Elijah stood as a symbol which John the Baptist fulfilled), Jesus is suggesting that John the Baptist was the prophet after whom only the Messiah would come – and so implicitly claims to be the Messiah through the passage.
Why would Joseph have 'bought' the people in return for giving them food? Surely slavery isn't the way...
Joseph was in charge of Egypt's resources, and couldn't just give away the grain for free. However, he did not use these 'bought' people in a way that would mean they were in horrible conditions or anything like that. Instead, they had land to farm, and were to give a fifth of their harvest to Pharoah - in this way, he still served Pharoah, and made profit for him, but he also save the lives of the people, and allowed them to live well despite their poor circumstances.
Really good bit: Proverbs 3:1-2
"Keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity."
And of course: Proverbs 3:5
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding"
I also liked how one person mentioned that the 'and' is significant - suggesting that we can trust in the Lord with all our heart's and still lean on our own understanding. It is an interesting idea, and we should strive to follow this passage...
Thursday 23 September 2010
Day 23 - BIOY
Sorry, I've been really busy with CU stuff so haven't managed to blog about BIOY recently - trying to do a major catch up today...
Joseph - Signpost to Jesus
Andy was talking about how there were many parallels between the lives of Joseph and Jesus:
Amused...
Lots of people had made references to Joseph, the musical. I've only seen it once, but it was excellent
Really liked: Genesis 45:24
"Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, 'don't quarrel on the way!'"
Joseph - Signpost to Jesus
Andy was talking about how there were many parallels between the lives of Joseph and Jesus:
- When he was young, Joseph had dreams of being a ruler, and there were hints of this in his early life - There were also many signs in Jesus' early life, including the magi.
- Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver, and Jesus for 30, this was the price of a slave (by Jesus time it had gone up)
- They were both tempted - by Mrs Potiphar and Satan - and both stood their ground so as not to disobey God and ruin what he had for them.
- They were both falsely accused and unjustly sentenced.
- During their sentences, both were with 2 other men, and spoke words of life to 1 of them.
- They both had hugely significant elevations - Joseph went from prisoner to prince, Jesus went from dead to being at the right hand of God.
- After becoming in a position of power, they both did not kill/punish those who did wrong to them, but instead forgave them.
Amused...
Lots of people had made references to Joseph, the musical. I've only seen it once, but it was excellent
Really liked: Genesis 45:24
"Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, 'don't quarrel on the way!'"
Wednesday 22 September 2010
Day 22 - BIOY
Main thing from today?
Well, the main thing I kind of noticed from today, was that people were being pushed to show things - e.g. Joseph pushes his brothers/tests them, to see if their hearts have actually changed, and it is clear that they have because Judah pleads with Joseph to take him instead of Benjamin. Also, Jesus seems to test the Canaanite woman by ignoring her, saying that he just came for the Israelites and comparing Canaanites with dogs - it seems very un-Jesus-like, but this pushes her to show her strong faith by still pursuing healing for her daughter, and her faith gives her the outcome she desires.
A joke posted today that made me giggle!
Home visit
A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door.
Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote ‘Revelation 3:20′ on the back of it and stuck it in the door.
When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, ‘Genesis 3:10.’
Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.’
Genesis 3:10 reads, ‘I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked.’
Well, the main thing I kind of noticed from today, was that people were being pushed to show things - e.g. Joseph pushes his brothers/tests them, to see if their hearts have actually changed, and it is clear that they have because Judah pleads with Joseph to take him instead of Benjamin. Also, Jesus seems to test the Canaanite woman by ignoring her, saying that he just came for the Israelites and comparing Canaanites with dogs - it seems very un-Jesus-like, but this pushes her to show her strong faith by still pursuing healing for her daughter, and her faith gives her the outcome she desires.
A joke posted today that made me giggle!
Home visit
A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door.
Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote ‘Revelation 3:20′ on the back of it and stuck it in the door.
When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, ‘Genesis 3:10.’
Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock.’
Genesis 3:10 reads, ‘I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked.’
Tuesday 21 September 2010
Day 21 - BIOY
The main message I got from Crofty's video:
God can do amazing things where you are right now, even when you're so used to 'how things work' there and it just seems rather unlikely.
This reminded me of the whole 'dream big' thing - it's not at all a bad thing to dream big, and to pray big prayers.
We need to be radical Christians, and begin to understand God's nature more - expect him to do great things! :)
A comment I really liked (about the Matthew passage):
Posted by Charlie C:
The Pharisees were preoccupied with washing the hands (verse 2), yet they missed out on the most important thing – the cleansing of the heart. They were obsessed with ‘correct’ religious ritual, yet they sent Christ to the Cross. They honoured God with their words, yet in their hearts they were far from Him (verse 8). We must pray for the cleansing of the heart: ‘Purify my heart, Cleanse me from within And make me holy. Purify my heart, Cleanse me from my sin, Deep within’ (Songs of Fellowship, 475).
God can do amazing things where you are right now, even when you're so used to 'how things work' there and it just seems rather unlikely.
This reminded me of the whole 'dream big' thing - it's not at all a bad thing to dream big, and to pray big prayers.
We need to be radical Christians, and begin to understand God's nature more - expect him to do great things! :)
A comment I really liked (about the Matthew passage):
Posted by Charlie C:
The Pharisees were preoccupied with washing the hands (verse 2), yet they missed out on the most important thing – the cleansing of the heart. They were obsessed with ‘correct’ religious ritual, yet they sent Christ to the Cross. They honoured God with their words, yet in their hearts they were far from Him (verse 8). We must pray for the cleansing of the heart: ‘Purify my heart, Cleanse me from within And make me holy. Purify my heart, Cleanse me from my sin, Deep within’ (Songs of Fellowship, 475).
Monday 20 September 2010
Day 20 - BIOY
Something I liked from the Genesis passage:
Joseph was very straight-forward and truthful. He didn't just tell people what they wanted to hear, but what was right. He did not claim to be some amazing guy who could interpret dreams, but instead told others straight off that it was God.
A good comment, that reflects what I was thinking about!
Posted by Nathan
It just really struck me how long Joseph was left in prison. At the start of chapter 41 we read that another “2 years passed”. I think that once we really understand the time scale we realise that in our lives God isn’t going to necessarily act straight away. But he waits and waits until the time is right for us and for him. For us today I think that’s really difficult where everything is just being done quicker and quicker whilst God is still the same and he just wants us to be patient with him and just wait!
Something I found interesting from the Matthew passage:
Jesus withdrew to a solitary place after he was told of John's execution - even he wanted some time alone! But unlike how we might act, when this plan was thwarted by people coming to see him, he did not get angry and tell them to leave him alone, but instead was full of compassion and spent time with them, talking and healing etc.
Compassion for others is important, and I really liked this example of it - even when it inconvenienced him and meant he didn't get to do what he planned, Jesus didn't just force himself to be civil, he actually had compassion and lovingly spending time with the people.
Just reading Andy's post - he also mentions this, and expands - saying:
Even when Jesus had an excuse to get rid of the people (so they could go eat) he didn't, instead he, himself fed them.
Joseph was very straight-forward and truthful. He didn't just tell people what they wanted to hear, but what was right. He did not claim to be some amazing guy who could interpret dreams, but instead told others straight off that it was God.
A good comment, that reflects what I was thinking about!
Posted by Nathan
It just really struck me how long Joseph was left in prison. At the start of chapter 41 we read that another “2 years passed”. I think that once we really understand the time scale we realise that in our lives God isn’t going to necessarily act straight away. But he waits and waits until the time is right for us and for him. For us today I think that’s really difficult where everything is just being done quicker and quicker whilst God is still the same and he just wants us to be patient with him and just wait!
Something I found interesting from the Matthew passage:
Jesus withdrew to a solitary place after he was told of John's execution - even he wanted some time alone! But unlike how we might act, when this plan was thwarted by people coming to see him, he did not get angry and tell them to leave him alone, but instead was full of compassion and spent time with them, talking and healing etc.
Compassion for others is important, and I really liked this example of it - even when it inconvenienced him and meant he didn't get to do what he planned, Jesus didn't just force himself to be civil, he actually had compassion and lovingly spending time with the people.
Just reading Andy's post - he also mentions this, and expands - saying:
Even when Jesus had an excuse to get rid of the people (so they could go eat) he didn't, instead he, himself fed them.
Sunday 19 September 2010
Day 19 - BIOY
Note - Crofty put up some really good answers to various previously asked questions on the blog today, definitely worth a look if you haven't look already.
There wasn't a huge amount to say for today, the video was really good and I don't want to just go repeating all the stuff Andy said! So I'll just add a few things...
Something I found interesting about the Genesis passage:
No matter where Joseph went, he never seems to leave his talent for leadership and responsibility behind. Yes, God blessed him and it was through him that Joseph was able to be blessed in all of these different situations, but God gave him these talents and used them in how he blessed Joseph. Just like this, God blesses us when we use our giftings wisely, and we work hard at things, not just expecting everything to come our way.
Mentioned quite a lot:
The idea of the evil ones burning - the weeds from the harvest, the bad fish from the net etc.
Also, there is a lot of repetition of "he who has ears, let him hear" - this is emphasized strongly!
What was all this about Perez and Zerah and the scarlet ribbon?
Gathered from various answers on the blog
I think that at the time, they would tie a scarlet ribbon on to the baby who came out first because that is the baby who would get the birthright (but once they came out it would be hard to tell them apart), however in this case, the other baby then ended up coming out first. It seems that Perez (the baby without the ribbon, that came out first) was the one that got the birthright, and is mentioned as the ancestor of Jesus.
There wasn't a huge amount to say for today, the video was really good and I don't want to just go repeating all the stuff Andy said! So I'll just add a few things...
Something I found interesting about the Genesis passage:
No matter where Joseph went, he never seems to leave his talent for leadership and responsibility behind. Yes, God blessed him and it was through him that Joseph was able to be blessed in all of these different situations, but God gave him these talents and used them in how he blessed Joseph. Just like this, God blesses us when we use our giftings wisely, and we work hard at things, not just expecting everything to come our way.
Mentioned quite a lot:
The idea of the evil ones burning - the weeds from the harvest, the bad fish from the net etc.
Also, there is a lot of repetition of "he who has ears, let him hear" - this is emphasized strongly!
What was all this about Perez and Zerah and the scarlet ribbon?
Gathered from various answers on the blog
I think that at the time, they would tie a scarlet ribbon on to the baby who came out first because that is the baby who would get the birthright (but once they came out it would be hard to tell them apart), however in this case, the other baby then ended up coming out first. It seems that Perez (the baby without the ribbon, that came out first) was the one that got the birthright, and is mentioned as the ancestor of Jesus.
Day 18 - BIOY
I do love it when they do videos :). it's more enjoyable than reading a long section, particularly when I'm going to go and read through all the comments too!
What I particularly got from today's passages/Andy's video:
Don't be afraid to keep dreaming, and when those dreams don't seem to be coming true, it doesn't mean they won't. I liked how Andy kept commenting that this is just 'the story so far'. I find it hard to dream big sometimes, because I'm afraid of failing, as are we all at times, but I need to remember that with God at my side, all things are possible.
I don't understand, how do I 'hear' from God?
An answer I thought was really good - posted by Thelma:
I went to one of the seminars at Soul Survivor about hearing God and it was really helpful in saying that most christians only ever ‘hear’ from God directly about once or twice in their lives, but the rest of the time God uses whatever sort of person you are to speak to you eg. if you are the sort of person that reads, then God may use the Bible to tell you things, if you are a social person God may use a friend to give you an idea, if you are a person who listens to music the words may speak to you. Also, as you grow in your christian life, God trusts you to do things without hearing so much from him. I have found it useful to pray ‘God, I’m not quite sure what to do about this…I think you would want me to do ***, but please stop me if I’m wrong’. I think He is quite able to show you, and as long as your heart attitude is right, you won’t go too far wrong!
An interesting comment:
There are echoes of Jesus' journey in the passage from Genesis, about Joseph. Don't know if this was intentional or not.
The cistern was empty when Reuben went back to find him (the tomb was empty), the jewelled robe - alluding to the royal connection (Jesus is the King of Kings, and came from the line of King David), the slaughter of an animal (the blood Jesus shed for us), the deceit for payment of silver (like Judas), and the brothers who plotted to kill him.
Don't forget...
Even something that seems so small and insignificant, like a mustard seed, can grow into something huge and amazing.
What I particularly got from today's passages/Andy's video:
Don't be afraid to keep dreaming, and when those dreams don't seem to be coming true, it doesn't mean they won't. I liked how Andy kept commenting that this is just 'the story so far'. I find it hard to dream big sometimes, because I'm afraid of failing, as are we all at times, but I need to remember that with God at my side, all things are possible.
I don't understand, how do I 'hear' from God?
An answer I thought was really good - posted by Thelma:
I went to one of the seminars at Soul Survivor about hearing God and it was really helpful in saying that most christians only ever ‘hear’ from God directly about once or twice in their lives, but the rest of the time God uses whatever sort of person you are to speak to you eg. if you are the sort of person that reads, then God may use the Bible to tell you things, if you are a social person God may use a friend to give you an idea, if you are a person who listens to music the words may speak to you. Also, as you grow in your christian life, God trusts you to do things without hearing so much from him. I have found it useful to pray ‘God, I’m not quite sure what to do about this…I think you would want me to do ***, but please stop me if I’m wrong’. I think He is quite able to show you, and as long as your heart attitude is right, you won’t go too far wrong!
An interesting comment:
There are echoes of Jesus' journey in the passage from Genesis, about Joseph. Don't know if this was intentional or not.
The cistern was empty when Reuben went back to find him (the tomb was empty), the jewelled robe - alluding to the royal connection (Jesus is the King of Kings, and came from the line of King David), the slaughter of an animal (the blood Jesus shed for us), the deceit for payment of silver (like Judas), and the brothers who plotted to kill him.
Don't forget...
Even something that seems so small and insignificant, like a mustard seed, can grow into something huge and amazing.
Saturday 18 September 2010
Day 17 - BIOY
Genesis 34:1-35:29
Some interesting comments on chapter 34:
This chapter is about sin – the name of God is not even mentioned!
It is important to note that this is not shown as an example to follow - it was a terrible thing for Dinah to be raped, but that did not give her brothers licence to go and murder all the men there! (After getting them all to be circumcised!)
We must remember that God is the only one who has the right to judge others, and pour out his judgement upon them. This is reflected in Jacob when he rebukes his sons for what they did, in Gen 34:30. By this time, Jacob had learnt to better rely on God, and understood that it was not right for them to have taken matters into their own hands.
And some from chapter 35:
Rachel named her son 'Ben-Oni', meaning 'Son of my Sorrow', just before she died. However, Jacob (Israel) renamed the child 'Benjamin' meaning 'Son of the Right Hand'.
Matthew 12:46-13:17
Why did Jesus seemingly ignore his mother and brothers for his disciples?
Well, we don't know what happened after he made his point, but basically, all he was doing was using that moment to point out that we are all now part of a much large family, we are brothers and sisters, and they too are important. After that he may have actually gone out to see his family, we don't know!
You gotta love: The Parable of the Sower
Ah yes, this is a classic parable which I like very much. I remember learning it in Sunday school and it was very good. Something I hadn't noticed before which really amused me today was that it says "He who has ears, let him hear" (13:9) while using an agricultural parable where he was speaking about crops (ears of wheat)! This may or may not have been an intentional pun, but I like it...
Other
This is a topic that is not related, but came up in the comments today, and I thought there were some really interesting views displayed so I wanted to post a few here
My friend is a Christian, but also thinks he's homosexual, I'm not sure how to respond, any thoughts?
Response from 'Mummy Snuggs':
I once asked a Catholic priest about this, and his answer did seem to make sense, so here we go. We have little control over our feelings, but we can control our response to those feelings. For those unmarried, celibacy is the Christian way, regardless of what your feelings, emotional or physical, make you want to do. As a general rule (but correct me if I am wrong) the Christian church does not recognise same sex marriages, therefore someone who feels attracted to the same sex in the physical sense must remain celibate, and do their best to resist any temptation. Don’t let it make a difference to how you see your friend, because Jesus loves us all, as does God. And if your friend has been given this extra challenge in the Christian life, then the Lord knows their faith is strong and they can handle it.
He is a fantastic Priest, very devout but modern, and any questions on Catholocism, he’s your man!
Another comment:
I once had a conversation about this and my friend said having the feelings for the same sex is not the sin, it's if you act on those feelings that then its a problem…
A response to the above comment
This is quite a difficult subject, as I think we all agree with. I think scripture is quite clear that even if you purposely look at someone lustfully (whether think in your head or see physically), then this is sin. Matt 5:29-30, looks at this (the vision of removing your eye/hand is more of a expression, than what you should do). Also I feel Matt 6:22-23, covers this by showing, what you look at, can lead you to how your body reacts.
This is quite hard for me to write at the mo as the enemy is battling against me in regards to lust (not same sex) and it was something I overcame about 6 months (lust was a major factor in my life before I got saved).
What we must do, is follow these scriptures, and really dig in when it hurts. IF a person fails at this, then we all know forgiveness is possible but I think this is granted if there is true repentance.
Disclaimer: This post is made up of various people's views, including my own, but not all necessarily reflecting my own, though I may have found them particularly interesting.
Some interesting comments on chapter 34:
This chapter is about sin – the name of God is not even mentioned!
It is important to note that this is not shown as an example to follow - it was a terrible thing for Dinah to be raped, but that did not give her brothers licence to go and murder all the men there! (After getting them all to be circumcised!)
We must remember that God is the only one who has the right to judge others, and pour out his judgement upon them. This is reflected in Jacob when he rebukes his sons for what they did, in Gen 34:30. By this time, Jacob had learnt to better rely on God, and understood that it was not right for them to have taken matters into their own hands.
And some from chapter 35:
Rachel named her son 'Ben-Oni', meaning 'Son of my Sorrow', just before she died. However, Jacob (Israel) renamed the child 'Benjamin' meaning 'Son of the Right Hand'.
Matthew 12:46-13:17
Why did Jesus seemingly ignore his mother and brothers for his disciples?
Well, we don't know what happened after he made his point, but basically, all he was doing was using that moment to point out that we are all now part of a much large family, we are brothers and sisters, and they too are important. After that he may have actually gone out to see his family, we don't know!
You gotta love: The Parable of the Sower
Ah yes, this is a classic parable which I like very much. I remember learning it in Sunday school and it was very good. Something I hadn't noticed before which really amused me today was that it says "He who has ears, let him hear" (13:9) while using an agricultural parable where he was speaking about crops (ears of wheat)! This may or may not have been an intentional pun, but I like it...
Other
This is a topic that is not related, but came up in the comments today, and I thought there were some really interesting views displayed so I wanted to post a few here
My friend is a Christian, but also thinks he's homosexual, I'm not sure how to respond, any thoughts?
Response from 'Mummy Snuggs':
I once asked a Catholic priest about this, and his answer did seem to make sense, so here we go. We have little control over our feelings, but we can control our response to those feelings. For those unmarried, celibacy is the Christian way, regardless of what your feelings, emotional or physical, make you want to do. As a general rule (but correct me if I am wrong) the Christian church does not recognise same sex marriages, therefore someone who feels attracted to the same sex in the physical sense must remain celibate, and do their best to resist any temptation. Don’t let it make a difference to how you see your friend, because Jesus loves us all, as does God. And if your friend has been given this extra challenge in the Christian life, then the Lord knows their faith is strong and they can handle it.
He is a fantastic Priest, very devout but modern, and any questions on Catholocism, he’s your man!
Another comment:
I once had a conversation about this and my friend said having the feelings for the same sex is not the sin, it's if you act on those feelings that then its a problem…
A response to the above comment
This is quite a difficult subject, as I think we all agree with. I think scripture is quite clear that even if you purposely look at someone lustfully (whether think in your head or see physically), then this is sin. Matt 5:29-30, looks at this (the vision of removing your eye/hand is more of a expression, than what you should do). Also I feel Matt 6:22-23, covers this by showing, what you look at, can lead you to how your body reacts.
This is quite hard for me to write at the mo as the enemy is battling against me in regards to lust (not same sex) and it was something I overcame about 6 months (lust was a major factor in my life before I got saved).
What we must do, is follow these scriptures, and really dig in when it hurts. IF a person fails at this, then we all know forgiveness is possible but I think this is granted if there is true repentance.
Disclaimer: This post is made up of various people's views, including my own, but not all necessarily reflecting my own, though I may have found them particularly interesting.
Friday 17 September 2010
Day 16 - BIOY
Hey, sorry this is late, I'll try to be better from now on! (Still dating it for the 16th just for archive reasons)
Things I found interesting...
Jacob wrestling with God reflects of how he wrestled his whole life with leaning on God and not on his own wits. In the passages we've read recently you can see where Jacob has been deceitful or manipulative in order to come out on top, rather than totally relying on God.
Can anyone explain why Jesus said “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be fogriven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”?
This was something I was also curious about, I've just taken this answer directly (with some added paragraphing) because I thought it was really good.
At Momentum this year me and my pals found this verse and were confused by a seemingly un-Jesus thing to say, when all the way through He was saying about grace and forgiveness, no sin is to great for God if we give Jesus our lives, and then comes the “unforgivable sin” – how can that be?
We spoke to some more mature christians and discussed together, from what we studied it seemed that the verse is not a condemnation from Jesus but a warning of how we can curse ourselves. If we look at the context of saying this, Jesus has just cast out demons but the pharisees all around are disbelieving and in their hearts believe the power is coming from demons, not from God’s holy spirit. From what I understood Jesus is warning that they can blaspheme against him, but anyone who curses the Holy Spirit actually curses himself. So if these pharisees will not let the Holy Spirit do it’s work and do not allow God to work in them then they are effectively stopping themselves from having God in them, and thus will never be able to be forgiven because they are not allowing God in.
I know a lot of people struggle with this verse and it can cause anxiety that what if we have done this once before when perhaps our faith wasn’t strong enough, does this overule the grace and forgiveness we have from Jesus? My understanding is that it is not a one off thing, it is about your heart. Those who harden their hearts and do not accept the works of the Holy Spirit and will not allow him to do the work in their lives throughout their life are cursing the holy spirit and not letting God in. I do not think that these pharisees who Jesus was talking to where then never forgiven, if they had later accepted the Holy Spirit and allowed him into their hearts i believe they still would be forgiven. Look at saul/paul, I imagine you could accuse him of cursing against the Holy Spirit before he let him into his heart.
Also, here is a bible notes answer someone posted that was really useful:
“The Pharisees had blasphemed against the Holy Spirit by attributing the power by which Christ did miracles to Satan instead of the Spirit. The unpardonable sin is the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God’s power in Christ. It indicates a deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart. Sometimes believers worry that they have accidentally committed this unforgivable sin but only those who have turned their backs on God and rejected all faith have any need to worry. Jesus said they can’t be forgiven not because their sin is worse than any other but because they will never ask for forgiveness. Whoever rejects the prompting of the Holy Spirit removes him/herself from the only force that can lead him/her to repentance and restoration to God.” (NIV Life Application Study Bible)
A great verse: Matthew 12:35
"The good man brings good things, out of the good stored up in him."
Proverbs 2:1-11 (I loved the passage, so am just posting it!)
Moral Benefits of Wisdom
1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
Things I found interesting...
Jacob wrestling with God reflects of how he wrestled his whole life with leaning on God and not on his own wits. In the passages we've read recently you can see where Jacob has been deceitful or manipulative in order to come out on top, rather than totally relying on God.
Can anyone explain why Jesus said “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be fogriven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”?
This was something I was also curious about, I've just taken this answer directly (with some added paragraphing) because I thought it was really good.
At Momentum this year me and my pals found this verse and were confused by a seemingly un-Jesus thing to say, when all the way through He was saying about grace and forgiveness, no sin is to great for God if we give Jesus our lives, and then comes the “unforgivable sin” – how can that be?
We spoke to some more mature christians and discussed together, from what we studied it seemed that the verse is not a condemnation from Jesus but a warning of how we can curse ourselves. If we look at the context of saying this, Jesus has just cast out demons but the pharisees all around are disbelieving and in their hearts believe the power is coming from demons, not from God’s holy spirit. From what I understood Jesus is warning that they can blaspheme against him, but anyone who curses the Holy Spirit actually curses himself. So if these pharisees will not let the Holy Spirit do it’s work and do not allow God to work in them then they are effectively stopping themselves from having God in them, and thus will never be able to be forgiven because they are not allowing God in.
I know a lot of people struggle with this verse and it can cause anxiety that what if we have done this once before when perhaps our faith wasn’t strong enough, does this overule the grace and forgiveness we have from Jesus? My understanding is that it is not a one off thing, it is about your heart. Those who harden their hearts and do not accept the works of the Holy Spirit and will not allow him to do the work in their lives throughout their life are cursing the holy spirit and not letting God in. I do not think that these pharisees who Jesus was talking to where then never forgiven, if they had later accepted the Holy Spirit and allowed him into their hearts i believe they still would be forgiven. Look at saul/paul, I imagine you could accuse him of cursing against the Holy Spirit before he let him into his heart.
Also, here is a bible notes answer someone posted that was really useful:
“The Pharisees had blasphemed against the Holy Spirit by attributing the power by which Christ did miracles to Satan instead of the Spirit. The unpardonable sin is the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God’s power in Christ. It indicates a deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart. Sometimes believers worry that they have accidentally committed this unforgivable sin but only those who have turned their backs on God and rejected all faith have any need to worry. Jesus said they can’t be forgiven not because their sin is worse than any other but because they will never ask for forgiveness. Whoever rejects the prompting of the Holy Spirit removes him/herself from the only force that can lead him/her to repentance and restoration to God.” (NIV Life Application Study Bible)
A great verse: Matthew 12:35
"The good man brings good things, out of the good stored up in him."
Proverbs 2:1-11 (I loved the passage, so am just posting it!)
Moral Benefits of Wisdom
1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
3 and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds victory in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.
Brand New Blog!
Well, this is technically the first ever post on my new blog!
I created this blog for the purpose of putting my 'Bible in One Year' (and related things) posts on as they are currently swamping my normal blog.
I'm very much enjoying the BIOY and hopefully will be putting up posts everyday for the entire year. After that, I'll probably find a new purpose for this blog.
It's actually day 16 already, but I'm just transferring all of my previous BIOY posts across and dating them appropriately. I have also added the comments that were on the previous blog to the bottom of the appropriate posts. I accidentally deleted the posts before I could do this, but salvaged them from the 'Comments' feature, but had to retype them, hopefully haven't missed anything!
Anyway, I hope it's still all good!
Enjoy :)
I created this blog for the purpose of putting my 'Bible in One Year' (and related things) posts on as they are currently swamping my normal blog.
I'm very much enjoying the BIOY and hopefully will be putting up posts everyday for the entire year. After that, I'll probably find a new purpose for this blog.
It's actually day 16 already, but I'm just transferring all of my previous BIOY posts across and dating them appropriately. I have also added the comments that were on the previous blog to the bottom of the appropriate posts. I accidentally deleted the posts before I could do this, but salvaged them from the 'Comments' feature, but had to retype them, hopefully haven't missed anything!
Anyway, I hope it's still all good!
Enjoy :)
Thursday 16 September 2010
Day 15 - BIOY
There wasn't really a whole lot to say from today, so I thought instead I would post some things that amused me...
Someone commented "What's with the multi-patterned sheep?"
Genesis 31:35 - Rachel uses 'ladies problems' as an excuse - classic.
There's a guy who comments on the BIOY blog called Jamie, he puts various Christian jokes on there most days, which really makes me smile. Here are a couple I liked from various days.
At the Wedding
Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, “Why is the bride dressed in white?”
“Because white is the colour of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life.”
The child thought about this for a moment, then said “So why is the groom wearing black?”
Instruction About Church
A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”
Annie replied, “Because people are sleeping.”
The Ten Commandments
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to “honour thy father and thy mother,” she asked,”Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?”
Without missing a beat one little boy answered, “Thou shall not kill.”
Someone commented "What's with the multi-patterned sheep?"
Genesis 31:35 - Rachel uses 'ladies problems' as an excuse - classic.
There's a guy who comments on the BIOY blog called Jamie, he puts various Christian jokes on there most days, which really makes me smile. Here are a couple I liked from various days.
At the Wedding
Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, “Why is the bride dressed in white?”
“Because white is the colour of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life.”
The child thought about this for a moment, then said “So why is the groom wearing black?”
Instruction About Church
A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”
Annie replied, “Because people are sleeping.”
The Ten Commandments
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to “honour thy father and thy mother,” she asked,”Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?”
Without missing a beat one little boy answered, “Thou shall not kill.”
Wednesday 15 September 2010
Day 14 - BIOY
Why was Jacob having sex with everyone?! (in particular, his wives' servants)
At the time, it was not uncommon for a man to sleep with his wife's maidservant in order for the wife to have more children if she could not do it herself (reminded of Abram, Sarai and Hagar). It also said something like 'Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife', so it was not necessarily sex outside of marriage, just the fact that he was married to quite a few people. Also note, this was before the law was passed down through Moses, so it was normal for people to have lots of wives (though I was quite amused at someone's comment "Where did he find the energy?!").
Comments that amused me...
"Loads of deception, loads of sex, who said the Bible was boring?!"
"Eastenders meets Emmerdale meets Songs of Praise"
"Rachel, best chat-up line ever: 'Give me children or I'll die' (don't try this at the local club!)"
More serious comments...
Sometimes we don't think about how hard it must have been for Leah, who really wanted her husband to love her, but never really got her wish. It must have been particularly hard 'the morning after' when Jacob realised he'd married the wrong girl!
Someone also commented on how Jacob seemed to be trying to find his fulfillment in marrying Rachel, and Leah seemed to be trying to find fulfillment in getting Jacob to love her (through having lots of kids). Neither seemed to understand that they needed to find their fulfillment in God, not other people.
How on earth did Jacob's sheep thing work?!
This was one of my questions, I didn't pose it on the blog as someone had already done so, though I don't think there was a particularly satisfactory answer.
Basically, it wouldn't have worked, but God must have helped him. Someone commented about it being 'sympathetic magic', lol, the idea that if the sheep saw striped things while mating, they would then produce striped offspring. Interesting idea, I must say...
I liked: Matthew 11:28
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"
At the time, it was not uncommon for a man to sleep with his wife's maidservant in order for the wife to have more children if she could not do it herself (reminded of Abram, Sarai and Hagar). It also said something like 'Rachel gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife', so it was not necessarily sex outside of marriage, just the fact that he was married to quite a few people. Also note, this was before the law was passed down through Moses, so it was normal for people to have lots of wives (though I was quite amused at someone's comment "Where did he find the energy?!").
Comments that amused me...
"Loads of deception, loads of sex, who said the Bible was boring?!"
"Eastenders meets Emmerdale meets Songs of Praise"
"Rachel, best chat-up line ever: 'Give me children or I'll die' (don't try this at the local club!)"
More serious comments...
Sometimes we don't think about how hard it must have been for Leah, who really wanted her husband to love her, but never really got her wish. It must have been particularly hard 'the morning after' when Jacob realised he'd married the wrong girl!
Someone also commented on how Jacob seemed to be trying to find his fulfillment in marrying Rachel, and Leah seemed to be trying to find fulfillment in getting Jacob to love her (through having lots of kids). Neither seemed to understand that they needed to find their fulfillment in God, not other people.
How on earth did Jacob's sheep thing work?!
This was one of my questions, I didn't pose it on the blog as someone had already done so, though I don't think there was a particularly satisfactory answer.
Basically, it wouldn't have worked, but God must have helped him. Someone commented about it being 'sympathetic magic', lol, the idea that if the sheep saw striped things while mating, they would then produce striped offspring. Interesting idea, I must say...
I liked: Matthew 11:28
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Day 13 - BIOY
Well, the questions on the blog are ever decreasing, though I'm sure there will be more controversial passages more populated with questions to be asked...
Why did Jacob get away with stealing Esau's blessing?
There wasn't an amazing answer for this, people basically just mentioned about how Esau didn't seem to have a particularly respectful view of his birthright - he promised it to Jacob quite flippantly in return for some food. I suppose that God was merciful towards Jacob despite his deceit - and later speaks to Jacob saying he will keep his promise to Jacob and not leave him until he had done so. Also, Jacob was deceived at a later point... (see tomorrow's blog)
Why couldn't Isaac just bless Esau too? (once he'd realised he blessed the wrong one)
The comments have focused on the cultural aspect - it was like appointing a new leader of the 'tribe'/household, and you can't do that to more than one person. Also, he had made particular statements in his blessing, saying things like 'you will rule over your brothers' etc, and he could not just take that back, and obviously couldn't say that to both...
What does Jesus mean when he says 'I do not come to bring peace, but a sword' etc.?
I didn't find a particularly excellent answer to this, but from what I've gathered, people have suggested he meant that he didn't come to smooth everything over and make it all alright, but instead he came bringing truth and light, and as a result of this there would be conflict. Jesus stuck to what was true, and was a revolutionary in the way he did so, causing people to disagree with him (particularly the Pharisees/those steeped in the traditional Jewish ways).
Rather awesome: Matthew 10:40
"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me"
So basically, anyone who we befriend, is befriended by Jesus. Sweet!
I liked: Matthew 10:39
"Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it"
Why did Jacob get away with stealing Esau's blessing?
There wasn't an amazing answer for this, people basically just mentioned about how Esau didn't seem to have a particularly respectful view of his birthright - he promised it to Jacob quite flippantly in return for some food. I suppose that God was merciful towards Jacob despite his deceit - and later speaks to Jacob saying he will keep his promise to Jacob and not leave him until he had done so. Also, Jacob was deceived at a later point... (see tomorrow's blog)
Why couldn't Isaac just bless Esau too? (once he'd realised he blessed the wrong one)
The comments have focused on the cultural aspect - it was like appointing a new leader of the 'tribe'/household, and you can't do that to more than one person. Also, he had made particular statements in his blessing, saying things like 'you will rule over your brothers' etc, and he could not just take that back, and obviously couldn't say that to both...
What does Jesus mean when he says 'I do not come to bring peace, but a sword' etc.?
I didn't find a particularly excellent answer to this, but from what I've gathered, people have suggested he meant that he didn't come to smooth everything over and make it all alright, but instead he came bringing truth and light, and as a result of this there would be conflict. Jesus stuck to what was true, and was a revolutionary in the way he did so, causing people to disagree with him (particularly the Pharisees/those steeped in the traditional Jewish ways).
Rather awesome: Matthew 10:40
"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me"
So basically, anyone who we befriend, is befriended by Jesus. Sweet!
I liked: Matthew 10:39
"Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it"
Monday 13 September 2010
Day 12 - BIOY
Well, I'm back from Forum, I was actually back Friday evening but was too exhausted to do much yesterday.
I kept up with my BIOY readings throughout the week, though unfortunately was unable to access the internet to look at the blog. If I find the time, I will try and do a little catch up of this weeks BIOY posts on my blog, formed from the comments.
Today I've had a look at the comments on the blog, which are sadly few, and there are few questions posed. So I'll just do a little post for today...
Is there significance in the number 12? (e.g. 12 sons = 12 tribes, 12 apostles etc.)
Some people on the blog have suggested:
12 is a perfect number, signifying perfection of government, or of governmental perfection. It is found as a multiple in all that has to do with rule. The sun which “rules” the day, and the moon and stars which “govern” the night, do so by their passage through the twelve signs of the Zodiac which completes the great circle of the heavens of 360 (12 x 30) degrees or divisions, and thus govern the year.
Note - this is not saying that the zodiac/astrology people refer to nowadays is good!
12 is the product of 3 (the perfectly Divine and heavenly number) and 4 (the earthly, the number of what is material and organic).
Another thing I found interesting:
In the Matthew passage for today, it includes Jesus talking about the Lord of the Harvest, and how there are not enough harvest workers - referring to people going out and healing, preaching to and getting to know the people and bringing the word of God to them. I really like how this passage puts it. I also quite liked part of a comment someone put on the blog:
How many times do we sit there praying “Lord, send someone to help” when He is answering “Off you go then…”?!
Finally, I thought I'd repost something someone commented on the BIOY blog - the very well known Footprints poem:
Footprints in the Sand
One night I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
“Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don’t understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”
Transferred comments:
12 is definitely the product of 3 and 4. With you there :) I think there's definitely significance in the number 12, if by this we mean that 12 is deliberately used in the Bible in lots of places for a good reason. I don't personally think that 12 is mystically, eternally a significant number. (In the same way, I think, it is reasonable to say "a murder mystery writer who has 13 guests sit down to dinner and one of them is killed is using 13 as an 'unlucky' number" without thinking that 13 is mystically somehow deadly. The number is symbolic in the text without needing to be symbolic in the universe.)
" How many times do we sit there praying "Lord, send someone to help" when He is answering "Off you go then..."?! "
Definitely liked this!
Posted by: Jingle Bella
I liked the whole 3x4=12 and 3+4=7, and both are significant in the bible thing. I don't necessarily believe in some mystical meaning, but I think it's an interesting exlanation :).
Posted by: Hazelnut
I kept up with my BIOY readings throughout the week, though unfortunately was unable to access the internet to look at the blog. If I find the time, I will try and do a little catch up of this weeks BIOY posts on my blog, formed from the comments.
Today I've had a look at the comments on the blog, which are sadly few, and there are few questions posed. So I'll just do a little post for today...
Is there significance in the number 12? (e.g. 12 sons = 12 tribes, 12 apostles etc.)
Some people on the blog have suggested:
12 is a perfect number, signifying perfection of government, or of governmental perfection. It is found as a multiple in all that has to do with rule. The sun which “rules” the day, and the moon and stars which “govern” the night, do so by their passage through the twelve signs of the Zodiac which completes the great circle of the heavens of 360 (12 x 30) degrees or divisions, and thus govern the year.
Note - this is not saying that the zodiac/astrology people refer to nowadays is good!
12 is the product of 3 (the perfectly Divine and heavenly number) and 4 (the earthly, the number of what is material and organic).
Another thing I found interesting:
In the Matthew passage for today, it includes Jesus talking about the Lord of the Harvest, and how there are not enough harvest workers - referring to people going out and healing, preaching to and getting to know the people and bringing the word of God to them. I really like how this passage puts it. I also quite liked part of a comment someone put on the blog:
How many times do we sit there praying “Lord, send someone to help” when He is answering “Off you go then…”?!
Finally, I thought I'd repost something someone commented on the BIOY blog - the very well known Footprints poem:
Footprints in the Sand
One night I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
“Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don’t understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”
----------------------------------------------------------
Transferred comments:
12 is definitely the product of 3 and 4. With you there :) I think there's definitely significance in the number 12, if by this we mean that 12 is deliberately used in the Bible in lots of places for a good reason. I don't personally think that 12 is mystically, eternally a significant number. (In the same way, I think, it is reasonable to say "a murder mystery writer who has 13 guests sit down to dinner and one of them is killed is using 13 as an 'unlucky' number" without thinking that 13 is mystically somehow deadly. The number is symbolic in the text without needing to be symbolic in the universe.)
" How many times do we sit there praying "Lord, send someone to help" when He is answering "Off you go then..."?! "
Definitely liked this!
Posted by: Jingle Bella
I liked the whole 3x4=12 and 3+4=7, and both are significant in the bible thing. I don't necessarily believe in some mystical meaning, but I think it's an interesting exlanation :).
Posted by: Hazelnut
Monday 6 September 2010
Bye!
Off to Forum in about an hour, so will not be posting BIOY stuff for this week, might try and catch up when I get back if I have time...
Hopefully will enjoy Forum, it looks like it'll be fun :).
Hopefully will enjoy Forum, it looks like it'll be fun :).
Day 5 - BIOY
Genesis 9:18-11:9
What did Ham do that was so terrible?
He saw that his father was naked and drunk in the tent - the reason this was so bad was because of the culture at the time. Nakedness was shameful, and also the fact that he did nothing about it, but instead went and told his brothers. However they showed their father respect by covering him up, and making sure they did not seem him naked.
There is also an intriguing memory in the back of my mind about who it was that was shamed by the nakedness - was it Noah, or was it Ham? I think we did a little thing about this in a youth group a while back and it was suggested that it was Ham who was shamed by seeing the nakedness - I think it was based on the book 'Storylines' - not sure. Any ideas?
Why did Noah curse Canaan rather than Ham when he found out what Ham did?
At the time your descendants were considered very important - they were the ones who carried your bloodline, so by cursing them, Noah not only cursed Ham but his whole line of descendants.
Matthew 4:23-5:20
The Beatitudes
Would be very interesting to memorise these I think, I like this whole series of 'Blessed are those...' it's quite enlightening.
Favourite bit - Matthew 5:13-16
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
This reminds me of a wonderful little boy that I used to know, who sadly died a couple of years ago, aged only 6. His favourite song was 'This Little Light of Mine', and whenever I hear it I think of him. He is an inspiration to me even though I didn't know him for very long. I hope he's enjoying spending time with Jesus :), and I hope he's still singing.
Psalm 4:1-8
Favourite bit - Psalm 4:8
I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Transferred comments:
Something I read recently - possibly in my devotional or possibly n 'Sex God' (Rob Bell) ... anyway, pointed out that salt is an antiseptic as well as a flacouring (and was used as such at the time of Christ). So as well as adding taste to life, it also makes it clean ... which was something I hadn't heard of before. I thought that was something to ponder.
Posted by: Jingle Bella
Ooh, yes, I think I heard that somewhere too. Possibly Momentum. Tis goodly...
Posted by: Hazelnut
What did Ham do that was so terrible?
He saw that his father was naked and drunk in the tent - the reason this was so bad was because of the culture at the time. Nakedness was shameful, and also the fact that he did nothing about it, but instead went and told his brothers. However they showed their father respect by covering him up, and making sure they did not seem him naked.
There is also an intriguing memory in the back of my mind about who it was that was shamed by the nakedness - was it Noah, or was it Ham? I think we did a little thing about this in a youth group a while back and it was suggested that it was Ham who was shamed by seeing the nakedness - I think it was based on the book 'Storylines' - not sure. Any ideas?
Why did Noah curse Canaan rather than Ham when he found out what Ham did?
At the time your descendants were considered very important - they were the ones who carried your bloodline, so by cursing them, Noah not only cursed Ham but his whole line of descendants.
Matthew 4:23-5:20
The Beatitudes
Would be very interesting to memorise these I think, I like this whole series of 'Blessed are those...' it's quite enlightening.
Favourite bit - Matthew 5:13-16
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
This reminds me of a wonderful little boy that I used to know, who sadly died a couple of years ago, aged only 6. His favourite song was 'This Little Light of Mine', and whenever I hear it I think of him. He is an inspiration to me even though I didn't know him for very long. I hope he's enjoying spending time with Jesus :), and I hope he's still singing.
Psalm 4:1-8
Favourite bit - Psalm 4:8
I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
----------------------------------------------------------
Transferred comments:
Something I read recently - possibly in my devotional or possibly n 'Sex God' (Rob Bell) ... anyway, pointed out that salt is an antiseptic as well as a flacouring (and was used as such at the time of Christ). So as well as adding taste to life, it also makes it clean ... which was something I hadn't heard of before. I thought that was something to ponder.
Posted by: Jingle Bella
Ooh, yes, I think I heard that somewhere too. Possibly Momentum. Tis goodly...
Posted by: Hazelnut
Sunday 5 September 2010
Day 4 - BIOY
Well, it seems that a FAQ page is less needed now... Ali answered some FAQ on the main page (day 4) which was rather useful - also reminded me that I forgot to put the thing about Enoch on yesterday's one, but nevermind - you can now find it on the main blog :).
I'd still like to try and keep up the blogging every day that I can, though I think I'll do FAQ when it seems necessary. Other days I might just put up something related, such as a few of my own views on the passages, something that lots of people on the blog mentioned, or just something amusing that relates...
Anywho, for today I just wanted to add a few things...
Genesis 7:1-9:17
What does it mean by 'clean' animals?
Animals that were suitable for eating and sacrificing.
Something I hadn't realised before:
Noah was actually on the ark for something around a year, not just the 40 days and 40 nights we know so well - that's just how long it rained for.
Matthew 4:1-22
Scripture is important:
Jesus used scripture to counter the devil when he was trying to tempt him in the desert. But don't forget, the devil knows the scriptures as well, and tries to twist them, but Jesus saw through his attempts and countered him with other scripture. Sometimes we forget how important it is to know the word of God, but we should remember, it shows us the way and makes us strong :).
Favourite verse from passage: 16
"the people living in the darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned"
Proverbs 1:1-7
Powerful verse: 7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge"
I'd still like to try and keep up the blogging every day that I can, though I think I'll do FAQ when it seems necessary. Other days I might just put up something related, such as a few of my own views on the passages, something that lots of people on the blog mentioned, or just something amusing that relates...
Anywho, for today I just wanted to add a few things...
Genesis 7:1-9:17
What does it mean by 'clean' animals?
Animals that were suitable for eating and sacrificing.
Something I hadn't realised before:
Noah was actually on the ark for something around a year, not just the 40 days and 40 nights we know so well - that's just how long it rained for.
Matthew 4:1-22
Scripture is important:
Jesus used scripture to counter the devil when he was trying to tempt him in the desert. But don't forget, the devil knows the scriptures as well, and tries to twist them, but Jesus saw through his attempts and countered him with other scripture. Sometimes we forget how important it is to know the word of God, but we should remember, it shows us the way and makes us strong :).
Favourite verse from passage: 16
"the people living in the darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned"
Proverbs 1:1-7
Powerful verse: 7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge"
Saturday 4 September 2010
Day 3 - BIOY FAQ
Genesis 4:17-6:22
1. Why is it that they lived for hundreds of years, but now we don't live anywhere near that long?
In the beginning, man was meant to live eternally, but after the fall that all changed. They were living for hundreds of years then, which would have been, among other things, very useful when it came to having lots of kids and populating the earth. In Genesis 6:3, God says "My Spirit will not contend with man for ever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."
And so it is there that he lessens the age.
Other people have mentioned that it is possible that at the time a year was different to our years now, due to the rotation around the sun etc. (I don't know about the science of that, but thought I'd mention that here anyway...)
Also, some have said that age was not necessarily meaning in years, but meaning in wisdom and reputation and so on.
I find this last one less feasible - why would it say exact ages in the bible if this was the case? Surely it would say something more like 'and after he fathered *insert name here* he lived a long full life, and was very wise and well revered' (Well ok, not quite in those words, but you get the idea).
2. Who were the Nephilim?
Several people have suggested that they were the offspring of 'sons of God' (fallen angels) and 'daughters of man', (human women).
What we do know is that they were people of great size and strength.
It was implied that Goliath was descended from this line.
3. God is supposed to love us unconditionally, why did he send the flood?
Basically, the earth had become so polluted with evil that God did as was necessary - it shows just how much God hates evil, that he would go to this extreme. If he had not wiped the earth clean and created a fresh start then the evil would have continued to spread.
I thought there was quite a good answer on the blog, so have pretty much just copied it:
The way I see it is that the flood was in order to protect His people - the righteous (i.e. Noah and his family). The world was over-run by sin and Satan. I don’t think he ultimately wanted to destroy humanity but had to do something about what was happening because he hates sin. Satan did everything he could to destroy God’s people and prevent Jesus Christ coming - which included creating Nephilim to try and occupy Canaan with his seed rather than it go to the people God had promised it to – to the ‘seed’ of Abraham.
So ultimately I think it was to protect the line from which Jesus Christ would be born bringing salvation to all men. So by the flood God was working to bring us salvation through his son which shows just how amazing His love for us is!
Note, I'm not totally sure about the 'protecting the line of Jesus' thing, but I find it an interesting idea.
4. Who were the Sadducees?'
A main Jewish group, separate from the Pharisees due to certain theological arguments between the two. The fact that they united against John shows how revolutionary he must have been!
5. What was the importance of the '7' and '77' that Lamech talked about?
This comes back again to the number 7 being the number of perfection - this would have been emphasizing the 'complete' revenge (7), and then emphasizing how much greater it would be (77).
There weren't so many questions about the other two passages, so I decided not to put any stuff about those...
Some light entertainment from the comments posted:
Adam’s Rib
In Sunday School, they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings.
Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam’s ribs.
Later in the week, his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, “Johnny what is the matter?”
Little Johnny responded, “I have a pain in my side. I think I’m going to have a wife.”
Ten Funny Things To Learn from the Story Of Noah’s Ark
1. Don’t miss the boat.
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
4. Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
5. Build your future on high ground.
6. For safety’s sake, always travel in pairs.
7. Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
8. When you’re stressed, float a while.
9. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
10. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.
Disclaimer: These views are collated from the BIOY blog and do not necessarily reflect my views. I also cannot be 100% certain of historical accuracy etc.
Transferred comments:
Iiiinteresting... I am personally very wary of the whole 'lived for hundreds of years' things... it seems to me that these responses give a literalistic, naive view of Genesis - which as you know I used to hold and no longer do :)
But I know this isn't you, so I won't rant too much. But also anyone who has a pat answer for 'Who were the Nephilim?' is frankly suspicious.
Age a meaning in wisdom and reputation ... that's one I haven't heard before. That could be ... interesting. It could well be true; just because a literary convention seems weird to us now doesn't mean it would've seemed weird to them then. But OTOH you're quite right that it sounds pretty suspicious.
Posted by: Jingle Bella
I have adjusted the Nephilim thingy not - it's just that that was the only explanation offered on the blog, and was offered by several different people, now changed.
Posted by: Hazelnut
1. Why is it that they lived for hundreds of years, but now we don't live anywhere near that long?
In the beginning, man was meant to live eternally, but after the fall that all changed. They were living for hundreds of years then, which would have been, among other things, very useful when it came to having lots of kids and populating the earth. In Genesis 6:3, God says "My Spirit will not contend with man for ever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."
And so it is there that he lessens the age.
Other people have mentioned that it is possible that at the time a year was different to our years now, due to the rotation around the sun etc. (I don't know about the science of that, but thought I'd mention that here anyway...)
Also, some have said that age was not necessarily meaning in years, but meaning in wisdom and reputation and so on.
I find this last one less feasible - why would it say exact ages in the bible if this was the case? Surely it would say something more like 'and after he fathered *insert name here* he lived a long full life, and was very wise and well revered' (Well ok, not quite in those words, but you get the idea).
2. Who were the Nephilim?
Several people have suggested that they were the offspring of 'sons of God' (fallen angels) and 'daughters of man', (human women).
What we do know is that they were people of great size and strength.
It was implied that Goliath was descended from this line.
3. God is supposed to love us unconditionally, why did he send the flood?
Basically, the earth had become so polluted with evil that God did as was necessary - it shows just how much God hates evil, that he would go to this extreme. If he had not wiped the earth clean and created a fresh start then the evil would have continued to spread.
I thought there was quite a good answer on the blog, so have pretty much just copied it:
The way I see it is that the flood was in order to protect His people - the righteous (i.e. Noah and his family). The world was over-run by sin and Satan. I don’t think he ultimately wanted to destroy humanity but had to do something about what was happening because he hates sin. Satan did everything he could to destroy God’s people and prevent Jesus Christ coming - which included creating Nephilim to try and occupy Canaan with his seed rather than it go to the people God had promised it to – to the ‘seed’ of Abraham.
So ultimately I think it was to protect the line from which Jesus Christ would be born bringing salvation to all men. So by the flood God was working to bring us salvation through his son which shows just how amazing His love for us is!
Note, I'm not totally sure about the 'protecting the line of Jesus' thing, but I find it an interesting idea.
4. Who were the Sadducees?'
A main Jewish group, separate from the Pharisees due to certain theological arguments between the two. The fact that they united against John shows how revolutionary he must have been!
5. What was the importance of the '7' and '77' that Lamech talked about?
This comes back again to the number 7 being the number of perfection - this would have been emphasizing the 'complete' revenge (7), and then emphasizing how much greater it would be (77).
There weren't so many questions about the other two passages, so I decided not to put any stuff about those...
Some light entertainment from the comments posted:
Adam’s Rib
In Sunday School, they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings.
Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam’s ribs.
Later in the week, his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, “Johnny what is the matter?”
Little Johnny responded, “I have a pain in my side. I think I’m going to have a wife.”
Ten Funny Things To Learn from the Story Of Noah’s Ark
1. Don’t miss the boat.
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
4. Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
5. Build your future on high ground.
6. For safety’s sake, always travel in pairs.
7. Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
8. When you’re stressed, float a while.
9. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
10. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.
Disclaimer: These views are collated from the BIOY blog and do not necessarily reflect my views. I also cannot be 100% certain of historical accuracy etc.
----------------------------------------------------------
Transferred comments:
Iiiinteresting... I am personally very wary of the whole 'lived for hundreds of years' things... it seems to me that these responses give a literalistic, naive view of Genesis - which as you know I used to hold and no longer do :)
But I know this isn't you, so I won't rant too much. But also anyone who has a pat answer for 'Who were the Nephilim?' is frankly suspicious.
Age a meaning in wisdom and reputation ... that's one I haven't heard before. That could be ... interesting. It could well be true; just because a literary convention seems weird to us now doesn't mean it would've seemed weird to them then. But OTOH you're quite right that it sounds pretty suspicious.
Posted by: Jingle Bella
I have adjusted the Nephilim thingy not - it's just that that was the only explanation offered on the blog, and was offered by several different people, now changed.
Posted by: Hazelnut
Friday 3 September 2010
Day 2 - BIOY FAQ
Genesis 2:18-4:16
1. Why did God say Adam and Eve would die if they ate from the tree but they didn't?
Well actually, they did, just not immediately. Some people take this to mean that they died in a spiritual sense - separation from God. Considering that in the garden they could eat from the tree of life, I think that the death was both physical and spiritual - they died physically eventually, when they wouldn't have before, and they died spiritually, due to their sin they could not have eternal life with God. Also, someone commented that the Hebrew word for 'would' (from 'would die') was continuous, and that is why it meant more of a 'would eventually' rather than immediate death.
2. The woman was made as man's 'helper' does this mean women are not equal to men?
No, the word translated as 'helper' is from the Hebrew word 'ezer' which does not mean helper in the sense we think of it as. It was used several times later in the bible to describe God (e.g. helping Israel). One person described it as 'warrior/protector/fearless helper' on the blog, which I thought gives a bit of an idea of how it's not quite what we think of as a helper.
Note - the last posts on day 2 have quite a few on the issue of sexism with the biblical male/female descriptions - worth a bit of a look.
3. Who is Satan?
Lucifer, a fallen angel, mentioned in various places including Revelation 12:7-12.
4. Why did God like Abel's offering and not Cain's?
Abel gave his offering as part of his worship, giving the best - the fat of the firstborn of the flock. Whereas Cain gave 'some' of his fruit, which suggests that it wasn't the best of it, or the first of it. His attitude towards the giving was what God didn't like, he did not have the correct motivation.
I liked what one person said about how people notice our 'worship' more than our 'witness' - sometimes what we do can be like a chore, rather than doing things as an act of praise to God, as they should be.
5. Why did Cain kill Abel?
He was jealous of God's preference of Abel, instead of recognising what he was doing wrong and changing it, he became so jealous that he killed his brother.
6. If Adam and Eve were the first people, then who was Cain afraid would kill him?
Adam and Eve lived a long time (Adam lived 930 years), and in that time they had many children, so it is quite possible that they lived in separate groups, and Cain may have come across other relatives.
7. If his parents were the only people, who did Cain reproduce with?
At the time, the genetic pool was pure, some people on the blog suggested that there were more genes, or fewer genes than humans have now (if there were more, that helps to explain different races). Therefore, it would have been possible to have children with a sibling or close relative and not have problems genetically. Basically, at the time it would have been fine for that to have happened, and Cain would have had children with a sister or niece. One person suggested that God did not condemn these relationships because they were not harmful at the time (due to the genetics).
Other people have suggested that God created people other than Adam and Eve that are not recorded in the bible, this mainly comes down to whether you believe the bible literally or metaphorically.
Personally, the idea of God creating other people hadn't ever crossed my mind before, and now it has, I really don't believe in it, I'm more of a literal bible believer, and this feels too much like picking and choosing...
Matthew 2:1-18
1. What is Ramah?
It is a place, referred to in Jeremiah 31:15.
2. Who was Rachel?
She was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, 2 of the 12 sons who make up the tribes of Israel (her sister Leah was the mother of the others). She was desperate for children, and some consider her the patron saint of children.
Psalm
1. What/Where is Zion?
Zion is generally considered to be 'the ideal place', though at the time, geographically, it would have referred to Jerusalem (which the Jews considered to be 'the perfect/holy place').
2. It says God's 'wrath can flare up at any moment' - doesn't this conflict with the scripture that God is 'slow to anger'?
Several people have said that they think it's more about how God's judgement can rain down on the wicked at any time - his power has no limits.
3. What's this about 'fearing' the Lord? I thought he was supposed to be loving?!
The fear described here is not meaning that you should be afraid that he is going to do something horrible to you or anything, it's more about giving him the respect he deserves and being in awe of him and his amazing power.
Disclaimer: This information was gathered from various people's comments on the BIOY blog and do not necessarily all reflect my point of view. Also, I am not necessarily sure about historical/translation facts quoted here - please let me know if you see anything incorrectly quoted etc.
Transferred comments:
"More genes" / "fewer genes" sounds to me like people don't know their biology. I've heard the fewer gene mutations argument before (which is probably what they mean) though, and that one seemed to make sense (bear in mind I only have biology GCSE), and I think that if you are going that way "incest was not outlawed until Moses because it wasn't genetically problematic until then" is probably gairly logical.
Also, I belive that the biology of "race" (a hard term to define) is interesting and complicated and needs looking at - more genes =/= more races (if we could even talk about what a 'race' is in a sensible genetic way, which I believe we can't).
As you are probably aware I no longer believe in a literal Adam and Eve ... I now think that this part of Genesis brings us truth through its stories of God being reasonable and loving humanity (unlike stories of other gods in the ancient world) and humanity going its own way, rather than God loving two specific human being and two specific human beings messing up and dooming us all.
Given that I believe that (which I think is what people would call the more metaphorical view) I don't really see any reason to say "God made Adam and Eve (two specific people) and some other specific people" - the whole point of my change of view is that I am now seeing it as "God made humanity".
I think that Adam and Eve are pretty clearly used in the Bible to represent us all, so the idea that God made a bunch of specific people of whom two were literal Adam and literal Eve seems to be pretty weird. Why would they represent us and these other specific people wouldn't even get a mention? (I suppose Cain could have reproduced with an alien. But I think this is a bad line of argument to go down :).)
Posted by: Jingle Bella
Note - it wasn't the same people who said 'more genes' and 'fewer genes'. I still don't know whether I believe the literal or metaphorical view. Talked to dad a bit and he seems to be pretty literal about it all... *shrug*
Posted by: Hazelnut
1. Why did God say Adam and Eve would die if they ate from the tree but they didn't?
Well actually, they did, just not immediately. Some people take this to mean that they died in a spiritual sense - separation from God. Considering that in the garden they could eat from the tree of life, I think that the death was both physical and spiritual - they died physically eventually, when they wouldn't have before, and they died spiritually, due to their sin they could not have eternal life with God. Also, someone commented that the Hebrew word for 'would' (from 'would die') was continuous, and that is why it meant more of a 'would eventually' rather than immediate death.
2. The woman was made as man's 'helper' does this mean women are not equal to men?
No, the word translated as 'helper' is from the Hebrew word 'ezer' which does not mean helper in the sense we think of it as. It was used several times later in the bible to describe God (e.g. helping Israel). One person described it as 'warrior/protector/fearless helper' on the blog, which I thought gives a bit of an idea of how it's not quite what we think of as a helper.
Note - the last posts on day 2 have quite a few on the issue of sexism with the biblical male/female descriptions - worth a bit of a look.
3. Who is Satan?
Lucifer, a fallen angel, mentioned in various places including Revelation 12:7-12.
4. Why did God like Abel's offering and not Cain's?
Abel gave his offering as part of his worship, giving the best - the fat of the firstborn of the flock. Whereas Cain gave 'some' of his fruit, which suggests that it wasn't the best of it, or the first of it. His attitude towards the giving was what God didn't like, he did not have the correct motivation.
I liked what one person said about how people notice our 'worship' more than our 'witness' - sometimes what we do can be like a chore, rather than doing things as an act of praise to God, as they should be.
5. Why did Cain kill Abel?
He was jealous of God's preference of Abel, instead of recognising what he was doing wrong and changing it, he became so jealous that he killed his brother.
6. If Adam and Eve were the first people, then who was Cain afraid would kill him?
Adam and Eve lived a long time (Adam lived 930 years), and in that time they had many children, so it is quite possible that they lived in separate groups, and Cain may have come across other relatives.
7. If his parents were the only people, who did Cain reproduce with?
At the time, the genetic pool was pure, some people on the blog suggested that there were more genes, or fewer genes than humans have now (if there were more, that helps to explain different races). Therefore, it would have been possible to have children with a sibling or close relative and not have problems genetically. Basically, at the time it would have been fine for that to have happened, and Cain would have had children with a sister or niece. One person suggested that God did not condemn these relationships because they were not harmful at the time (due to the genetics).
Other people have suggested that God created people other than Adam and Eve that are not recorded in the bible, this mainly comes down to whether you believe the bible literally or metaphorically.
Personally, the idea of God creating other people hadn't ever crossed my mind before, and now it has, I really don't believe in it, I'm more of a literal bible believer, and this feels too much like picking and choosing...
Matthew 2:1-18
1. What is Ramah?
It is a place, referred to in Jeremiah 31:15.
2. Who was Rachel?
She was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, 2 of the 12 sons who make up the tribes of Israel (her sister Leah was the mother of the others). She was desperate for children, and some consider her the patron saint of children.
Psalm
1. What/Where is Zion?
Zion is generally considered to be 'the ideal place', though at the time, geographically, it would have referred to Jerusalem (which the Jews considered to be 'the perfect/holy place').
2. It says God's 'wrath can flare up at any moment' - doesn't this conflict with the scripture that God is 'slow to anger'?
Several people have said that they think it's more about how God's judgement can rain down on the wicked at any time - his power has no limits.
3. What's this about 'fearing' the Lord? I thought he was supposed to be loving?!
The fear described here is not meaning that you should be afraid that he is going to do something horrible to you or anything, it's more about giving him the respect he deserves and being in awe of him and his amazing power.
Disclaimer: This information was gathered from various people's comments on the BIOY blog and do not necessarily all reflect my point of view. Also, I am not necessarily sure about historical/translation facts quoted here - please let me know if you see anything incorrectly quoted etc.
----------------------------------------------------------
Transferred comments:
"More genes" / "fewer genes" sounds to me like people don't know their biology. I've heard the fewer gene mutations argument before (which is probably what they mean) though, and that one seemed to make sense (bear in mind I only have biology GCSE), and I think that if you are going that way "incest was not outlawed until Moses because it wasn't genetically problematic until then" is probably gairly logical.
Also, I belive that the biology of "race" (a hard term to define) is interesting and complicated and needs looking at - more genes =/= more races (if we could even talk about what a 'race' is in a sensible genetic way, which I believe we can't).
As you are probably aware I no longer believe in a literal Adam and Eve ... I now think that this part of Genesis brings us truth through its stories of God being reasonable and loving humanity (unlike stories of other gods in the ancient world) and humanity going its own way, rather than God loving two specific human being and two specific human beings messing up and dooming us all.
Given that I believe that (which I think is what people would call the more metaphorical view) I don't really see any reason to say "God made Adam and Eve (two specific people) and some other specific people" - the whole point of my change of view is that I am now seeing it as "God made humanity".
I think that Adam and Eve are pretty clearly used in the Bible to represent us all, so the idea that God made a bunch of specific people of whom two were literal Adam and literal Eve seems to be pretty weird. Why would they represent us and these other specific people wouldn't even get a mention? (I suppose Cain could have reproduced with an alien. But I think this is a bad line of argument to go down :).)
Posted by: Jingle Bella
Note - it wasn't the same people who said 'more genes' and 'fewer genes'. I still don't know whether I believe the literal or metaphorical view. Talked to dad a bit and he seems to be pretty literal about it all... *shrug*
Posted by: Hazelnut
Day 1 - BIOY FAQ
I suppose I'll stick to calling it 'FAQ', makes it a bit simpler...
So this is the beginning of my BIOY FAQ posts, which will hopefully continue until the end of the year...
Here I will try to compile the most frequently asked questions on the blog and give answers taken from the various answers given on there (and my own opinion, which will probably coincide with various answers from the blog...)
Genesis 1:1-2:17
1. So, was it actually 7 days?
Views on this point differ. Some people believe in it being literally 7 days, and others think of it as 7 periods of time. The best explanation I found on the blog was that the word translated as 'day' was the Hebrew word 'yom' which was used later in the bible to describe longer periods of time, such as the 40 year reign of King Solomon (1 Kings 11:42 - translated to English as the word 'time'). Therefore, the 7 days represent 7 unspecified periods of time.
There are also others who don't really believe in the whole thing, they just emphasize the importance of believing that God was behind creation, however he did it!
2. Why does it say 'let us make man in our image'?
A few people have commented that this was referring to God as the Trinity, which may or may not be true. One point I found that sounds fairly plausible to me is that in the original translation, it may have been used to emphasize God's magnificence. Though this is not to say that we don't believe that the Trinity always existed (generally, we do).
Note: there weren't actually as many repeated questions as I thought there would be here, though there were quite a few repeated statements, such as:
There is evidence that Genesis 1 was written as a poem (hence the style in which it reads in English), while Genesis 2 is more of a narrative.
'Adam' means 'man', in some cases the word 'man' should have been translated as 'mankind' - so did God create 'mankind' then man and woman equally from this?
I think this is something you have to read Day 2's passages to form a full opinion on it
So, there were 2 trees eh, I never realised that...
Yep, 2 trees, explained better in day 2s passage too - God banished Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden to prevent them from eating from the second tree, the Tree of Life.
Matthew 1:1-25
1. What was the significance of the number 14?
The number 14 seems to have been regarded as special in 2 ways:
Firstly, Hebrew letters had numerical values, and ‘DAVID’ adds up to 14, so it was highlighting his significance - saying DAVID DAVID DAVID.
Secondly, in Revelation it puts forward how the number 7 is the number of perfection, and 14=7×2, and someone else has mentioned how when you look at the generations, that means that there have been 6 sets of 7 up until Jesus, so he was born into the 7th set of 7. Though do note that this was from Abraham, not from Adam.
2. Why show this genealogy when Jesus was not technically (biologically) Joseph's son?
Joseph was still the family of Jesus, so it was partly about who Jesus was associated with - and in those times bloodlines were important - someone commented that your family tree was a bit like your CV. Also note that Mary was a distant cousin of Joseph, so also of the line of David, though in those times it was the male line that was considered important.
3. Why does it say 'divorce' when Joseph and Mary were only engaged?
At the time, an engagement would have been legally binding.
4. What was the significance of the women mentioned in the genealogy?
Matthew went out of his way to mention certain women in the genealogy despite it being unusual to do so. We believe that it was to highlight how Jesus was descended from all sorts of people, including foreigners and people of dubious morals - e.g. Ruth was a Moabite, and Rahab was a prostitute, Bathsheba is referenced as 'Uriah's wife' which points out a problem in the first place, as David was the father!
Note - the third passage was Psalm 1:1-6 but there weren't many questions about this...
Hope that was helpful... that is if anyone reads this, which I'm not sure anyone will!
Useful for me to think through anyway, I suppose...
So this is the beginning of my BIOY FAQ posts, which will hopefully continue until the end of the year...
Here I will try to compile the most frequently asked questions on the blog and give answers taken from the various answers given on there (and my own opinion, which will probably coincide with various answers from the blog...)
Genesis 1:1-2:17
1. So, was it actually 7 days?
Views on this point differ. Some people believe in it being literally 7 days, and others think of it as 7 periods of time. The best explanation I found on the blog was that the word translated as 'day' was the Hebrew word 'yom' which was used later in the bible to describe longer periods of time, such as the 40 year reign of King Solomon (1 Kings 11:42 - translated to English as the word 'time'). Therefore, the 7 days represent 7 unspecified periods of time.
There are also others who don't really believe in the whole thing, they just emphasize the importance of believing that God was behind creation, however he did it!
2. Why does it say 'let us make man in our image'?
A few people have commented that this was referring to God as the Trinity, which may or may not be true. One point I found that sounds fairly plausible to me is that in the original translation, it may have been used to emphasize God's magnificence. Though this is not to say that we don't believe that the Trinity always existed (generally, we do).
Note: there weren't actually as many repeated questions as I thought there would be here, though there were quite a few repeated statements, such as:
There is evidence that Genesis 1 was written as a poem (hence the style in which it reads in English), while Genesis 2 is more of a narrative.
'Adam' means 'man', in some cases the word 'man' should have been translated as 'mankind' - so did God create 'mankind' then man and woman equally from this?
I think this is something you have to read Day 2's passages to form a full opinion on it
So, there were 2 trees eh, I never realised that...
Yep, 2 trees, explained better in day 2s passage too - God banished Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden to prevent them from eating from the second tree, the Tree of Life.
Matthew 1:1-25
1. What was the significance of the number 14?
The number 14 seems to have been regarded as special in 2 ways:
Firstly, Hebrew letters had numerical values, and ‘DAVID’ adds up to 14, so it was highlighting his significance - saying DAVID DAVID DAVID.
Secondly, in Revelation it puts forward how the number 7 is the number of perfection, and 14=7×2, and someone else has mentioned how when you look at the generations, that means that there have been 6 sets of 7 up until Jesus, so he was born into the 7th set of 7. Though do note that this was from Abraham, not from Adam.
2. Why show this genealogy when Jesus was not technically (biologically) Joseph's son?
Joseph was still the family of Jesus, so it was partly about who Jesus was associated with - and in those times bloodlines were important - someone commented that your family tree was a bit like your CV. Also note that Mary was a distant cousin of Joseph, so also of the line of David, though in those times it was the male line that was considered important.
3. Why does it say 'divorce' when Joseph and Mary were only engaged?
At the time, an engagement would have been legally binding.
4. What was the significance of the women mentioned in the genealogy?
Matthew went out of his way to mention certain women in the genealogy despite it being unusual to do so. We believe that it was to highlight how Jesus was descended from all sorts of people, including foreigners and people of dubious morals - e.g. Ruth was a Moabite, and Rahab was a prostitute, Bathsheba is referenced as 'Uriah's wife' which points out a problem in the first place, as David was the father!
Note - the third passage was Psalm 1:1-6 but there weren't many questions about this...
Hope that was helpful... that is if anyone reads this, which I'm not sure anyone will!
Useful for me to think through anyway, I suppose...
The Bible in One Year
Well, I started 'The Bible in One Year' yesterday (the Soul Survivor one, going with the academic year). It's been really good actually, I'm loving it :). I've learnt a lot just in these last 2 days, I'm making lots of notes, and I've read pretty much every comment on the blog (I will have missed the ones added while I was reading them (After I've posted something I subscribe, so I've got e-mails for all of the later posts! It's kind of easier to read them that way actually...)
Anywho, I've been reading the bible, rather excitedly, with my brand new notebook (see below)
Technically it's an A5 sketchbook - decorated with tippex, snazzy eh? lol.
I've written up all of my notes from yesterday, and most from today (which I suppose is technically now yesterday as it's after midnight). I need to finish writing up notes from today.
I need to start waking up earlier, so I stop writing notes late into the night!
Prompted by someone on the blog, I'm thinking I might try and do a most FAQ blog post for as many days as I can. I'm sure I'd end up missing a few (in fact I know I'll miss next week due to being in a tent in a field somewhere in Shropshire, but I'll do my best), but I think it'd definitely be good. Also, it would keep me accountable in some ways, to actually remind me to read the stuff.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep it up once uni starts and all that, but I can give it a go :).
So I'll start in a minute...
I need to start waking up earlier, so I stop writing notes late into the night!
Prompted by someone on the blog, I'm thinking I might try and do a most FAQ blog post for as many days as I can. I'm sure I'd end up missing a few (in fact I know I'll miss next week due to being in a tent in a field somewhere in Shropshire, but I'll do my best), but I think it'd definitely be good. Also, it would keep me accountable in some ways, to actually remind me to read the stuff.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep it up once uni starts and all that, but I can give it a go :).
So I'll start in a minute...
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