This helped because being a math teacher my heart skips a beat for a tree diagram.
What I couldn't wait for, was to see where the term "Nimrod" got its meaning. When I saw it I just assumed he was going to be a big giant moron! But as of yet, he's done nothing of great stupidity.
I also didn't know where we got the word babel, as in "Last night I had a few too many and babbled to Jamie foreva!". If anyone is reading and does not know Babel was the place where God decided that he didn't want everyone to speak the same language and so he confounded their language and made it so they could not understand one another. interesting right?
I found this passage interesting "And the whole earth was of one language and of one accent and mode of expression" and here's why I find that interesting. I once took a sociology class in college and remember absolutely NOTHING from it other than this: There have been studies where people from all over the world, from the most remote of places, all ages, all cultures are shown pictures of various facial expressions. They are asked to tell what emotion the person is exhibiting and no matter where they came from or what type of life they had lead, they all recognized the emotions the very same way we would. For some reason I found that amazing, and this passage may show why that is.
I liked this and was drawn back to read it a few times "...and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible to them." How many times as a teacher do I tell my kids some version of that. The ole' "if you can believe it, you can achieve it".
I also kept going back and reading and re reading the story about Abram, Sarai, and the Egyptian Pharaoh. I understand why he did what he did, although it was a pretty crappy thing to do. What is to be learned from it, though?
Then we get to chapter 14 and I get completely lost, to this my dear friend Jamie would say "what? no pictures?" in a sad attempt to call me stupid. But yes, no pictures, I am a visual person I need to SEE stuff. I found this which helped me.
OK so I've read chapter 14 a few times and what I can't figure out is who this priest of God Most High is and why I've never heard of him. Also I'm assuming that this is where "tithing" comes from. I think I was expecting more, something like " .....and God said give 10% of all you have to him" (please read that in a James Earle Jones voice)
It's a source of turpentine as well as lots of other stuff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistacia_terebinthus
8 comments:
First of all, let me say that I, too, being a math nerd, LOVE all of the charts and visuals and what not. Some of this is stuff I've never seen. The genealogy tree was fascinating. I was taught at the Christian highschool I graduated from that from Noah's three sons came the three races of people - caucasoid, mongoloid, and negroid (negroid being the descendants of the one that was cursed (Ham)).
Now, I don't think what Abram did was crappy at all. In fact, trying to look at it from his perspective in his lifetime, I totally understand it. Although, it does seem a little kinky. And he didn't really lie about her being his sister because she was his half sister. They had the same father, but different mothers. Again, kinky (or sick), but "normal" in their lifetime. I think what's to be learned from that passage is that Abram obeyed God in faith, and God took care of him, blessed him in fact. Afterall, he went to Egypt cuz of the famine. During the famine, Abram not only survived, but became rich. Even after Pharoah found out about Abram's and Sarai's real relationship, he sent him peacefully on his way. Why didn't he just kill him? God's faithfulness was already beginning to shine. Pay particular attention from now on that whenever one of God's faithful seemed to be going thru a period of trial, God turns it around for their benefit, and they come out better than if they had not have gone through it. This is a recurring theme/happening throughout the Old Testament. In fact, later, God will even say directly that's what He will do for us.
This book was written by Moses, not one of Jesus' disciples. I find it very compelling that even though there was no desire amongst people of that time for an explanation of how the Earth was populated, and how/why people migrated through the Bering Strait, etc. Moses explains it. Why would someone from so near the beginning of time (or at least recorded intelligent human history if you're an evolutionist or skeptic)have eluded to such details, thousands of years before anyone would ask such questions?
Melchizedek was a priest of God Most High. Probably means he was a believer and worshipper of God, Yaweh (or Jehovah as hillbillies translated it), who is of course, the God of Abraham. I think it's just making the point that he treated Abram kindly becuz of their shared belief in God. The Bible often refers to staunch believers as priests; they're not necessarily priests in the same regards as we think of them today, although I'm not saying Melchizedek wasn't.
This is not yet where tithes come in. God just wanted it to be known, both to Abram and the world, that it was God who blessed Abram and made him prosper in abundance, and not by an earthly ruler. Abram's main idea behind warring with the kings was to rescue his nephew, not for financial gain. He knew that God would provide for him in all His riches and glory (forshadowing, and a pun, and a quote).
The theme of this chapter is becoming faithfulness and obedience to God, begets (staying with the Biblical venacular(sp?)) faithfulness and blessing from God. You'll notice that this doesn't happen from a lifetime of complete and total bliss. There are hardships and tragedies, but God can turn them around for our good; and in fact will, if we allow it and do our part in staying in (patient)faith.
Almost forgot. On the History Channel a couple months ago. They tested a theory to see if the methodology they had back then for making bricks would have been able to support a tower of Babel. They found unequivocably that it could have supported a tower tall enough to be a sky scraper. This was all based on methodology of making the bricks, stacking them in a certain way, relative to their psi strength, etc.
The reason I say it was crappy is I guess I would think an honorable man would say "This is my wife/ half sister and you can't have her" and when they threatened to kill him for her, he would fight to the bitter end!
Is that just the romantic coming out in me?
I totally see the faithfull get rewarded aspect of the reading. I recognized it when Pharoah just let him go.
As far as hardship and tragedy:
I have a friend who has had almost no hardship or tragedy in her life. She is by far the one in our group who is the most scared of things. She is also terrified of dying. She can't handle much. I've often thought its because she doesn't know that she will be ok. The rest of us have lived through some pretty crazy stuff, and have lived to tell the tale.
I personally know that there isn't much I couldn't live through. My hardship has made me stronger, and I have been "blessed" a thousand times over. I have more in the way of love, support, friendship, creativity, and drive than I could ever have hoped for.
Could I make an argument with myself that this is God's way of saying it sucks, what I went through as a kid.
Am I to look at all of these people and love in my life as a sort of "I'm sorry"?
I wonder...
I do believe that the greater the hardship the greater the reward. But as a non-Christian I wouldn't be too optimistic about where your deliverance/blessings are coming from. That's not to say that God won't bless unbelievers, afterall, Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners; he didn't die just for those who believe. In fact, in his day, there were fewer believers than there are today. There are several times in the Bible where God is asked why he allows evil men to be blessed and have such advantage over Godly men. I don't propose to know the purposes of God's will, but I do believe in the outcome of that will. I am not implying that you are evil, and/or you shouldn't count your blessings as from God, but factually speaking, I wouldn't be overly optimistic about it that's all. As far as your childhood problems, I couldn't venture a guess as to why God would allow that, but I do believe there is a reason. We may never know it on this Earth. Maybe we will I don't know. But I do believe God could or has somehow used that for your ultimate advantage or thru you for someone else's. But, then, I'm the believer.
Just wanted to make it crystal clear (pun intended), that my reference earlier to Crystal's childhood problems werent to insinuate that they were her's in the sense that she was at fault or responsible or deserving of those hardships, simply that they happened while she was a child. After re-reading my comment I was a little worried that it sounded as though I was indicating that she was the source of those problems; although, I'm sure in her own way, she was a problem child. ;)
I would like to preface this by saying, I completly expected the responce I got from Jamie. I even texted him saying I hope he was nice. This is the epitome of our differences. I do believe in God and I think he brings you what you need when you need it. I guess the bottom line is, I don't feel like (as of yet) that Christianity is the end all, what about the Jews? They do not believe Jesus was the son of God. So does God not bless them, look after them?
the good things in my life are the number one reason I have FOR believing in God. So if it isn't God that has brought me such wonderful things, including you, then what is it? Chance? Luck? an accident? If it's any of these things then does that mean there's an argument to be made for the randomness of the world?
If he's not bringing all of this into my life, then can he take it away?
I don't know but his has really confused me. Maybe Im not reading it right. I'm trying to find ways to relate it to me, my life, in order to find a deeper understanding of my purpose here.
I said earlier that the good things in my life are why I believe in God, no one can be THAT lucky. But thats not entirely true. I do also find God in the bad things....back to my childhood (sorry, but it will be a reoccuring theme) I feel like I have an understanding of the reasons I was put through that. I wouldn't take it back for any reason at all. Not even the worst day, would I change. Because I know who I am because of it. Not only do I KNOW, but I LOVE who I am because of it. I am a stronger, more open, understanding, compassionate and empathetic person because of every second I spent crying as a kid.
So maybe God isn't listening to me? Maybe he has no plan for me? If thats the case then people need to rub my belly for good luck, because I may be the luckiest person to ever walk the Earth.
Crystal and I texted some earlier about her comment before I had a chance to read it. This is what I wrote in response to her cliff notes text of her last comment: I'm not disagreeing with that, just saying I wouldn't be so sure. He(God) might be. I do think you're blessed, regardless of why or the source(s). He(God) might ge responsible for some of them.
There are a couple of larger points I was eluding to, that I didn't communicate very well. They are: that I would never want to discourage anyone from thanking God, or being grateful to God, or otherwise giving him too much credit or glory. That's great, even for non-Christians(skeptics). But, by doing so, I wouldn't want them to think they're being rewarded or blessed even though they may not be living a Christ-like life; that might mislead them into thinking it's o.k. i.e., "See, I'm not a Christian or Holy Roller, and God is still blessing me." I don't know where all blessing comes from. For Christians or non-believers alike, some may come from God, some may come from ourselves(i.e. hardwork, etc.), some may be from other people, some may be luck. As Christians we give all the glory to God. The Bible tells us we should. Afterall, even if some of it is from our own abilities or others', God made us in His image; so utlitmately He's responsible either way since He gave us those abilities.
The last point is that although there are certain blessings we may deserve, many, including, salvation we do not and cannot. The Bible explains in the New Testament that "by grace you are saved". In other words it's ultimately God's grace that allows us to be saved; there's no amount of good work, being nice, helping others, faith, obedience, etc. that we can do to deserve salvation. It is soley and completely an undeserving gift from God, possible only because of His grace.
I was reminded that I had forgotten about the Jews. It is true that the Jews denied that Jesus was the Messiah, and in doing so are denying not only God's word in the New Testament, but the prophecy of Him in the Old Testament. The Bible is clear, if you do not acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for their sins, and repent of those sins, then they will not be saved. We'll see more of their stubborness, and of what is, and is not required as we read further; esp. once we get into the New Testament. Once Jesus dies on the cross, all of their sacrificial rituals are no longer necessary....all this will be explained throughout.
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