Genesis 6

Genesis 6

The beginning of this chapter is very confusing for the text is not clear on who these “sons” of God are. My thoughts want to lean to the idea that they are just human beings, and that this passage is just illustrating how the world was becoming more and more evil. But this passage has received lots of criticism with many applying a more spiritual nature to the sons mentioned here. I do not wish to offer an opinion on this test for I have not done adequate research to offer an educational guess. But I do feel that one of the purposes of these first few verses is to show how the world was continuing to get worse due to the effects of sin. This is further clarified in v5-6 when God states that He is sorry that He ever created man.

I know that we tend to think that our culture today in the 21st century is far from the ways of God, and we are completely right in thinking that. But isn’t it interesting that humankind was so bad in Genesis 6 that God’s desire was to wash them off the face of the earth? I dare say that He probably should have that same feeling today with the way the world is going, but it does not appear as if that is the case. This is mainly due to the fact that God promised never to destroy mankind as He was about to do in Genesis 6. But still this passage should be a reminder to us that God has His limits as well, and although He may not wipe us all off the face of the earth in one catastrophic event, He can still take us out of this world if we drift too far from His ways.

Instead of even getting close to that danger, we should really learn something from the life of Noah, the man that chapter 5 predicted would bring relief. What kind of relief was Noah to bring through his birth? It appears as if v8 gives us that answer. Noah found favor in God’s eyes, something that no one else on the planet had done. Maybe the relief that Noah was to bring was for God. Noah was a man that God could depend on, a man who had decided that despite what the crowd told him, he was going to follow the ways of God.

Because of Noah’s obedience, God knew that He could depend on Noah for one enormous task. To preserve all that He had created, God chose to use Noah to store every kind of animal and food on an ark that would survive the coming storm. After a very specific set of instructions, v22 states that Noah did all that God had commanded. Despite the almost absurd claims that God made about rain and floods (two things that the earth had never experienced) and the almost impossible task of collecting all of these animals and foods (which would take weeks or months to complete), Noah defied all odds and got busy. He knew that God was trustworthy, and because of his trust in God, Noah completed the task.

Once more we are not given all of the details of Noah’s life. We do not know whether Noah argued with God. We do not know if he accepted this task right away or not. We do not know if he ever had doubts as to whether the storm would actually come or if what he was doing was worth it. I dare say that some of these thoughts crossed his mind at times for he is human. But the point is that despite anything else that might have crossed his mind, Noah did not falter from the commands of God. That is an example that we should follow. We may not always understand why we are being called to certain tasks in life. We may not understand why some of the hardest storms come at us in life. But if we handle them like Noah did, then we will learn that when we follow God’s commands, we will always be kept safe. That safety might not be physical safety, but with God as our shield, what else do we need?

Matt

Genesis 4-5

Genesis 4-5

The story of Cain and Abel is the beginning of the story of the consequences of sin. Genesis 3 introduced the idea that when we sin, there will always be consequences, whether they are immediate in our lives or in the lives of others. In the case of Adam and Eve it was both, for their children, Cain and Abel, were cursed with the sin nature just as they had been. Although we tend not to think of Abel as being a sinful man, Scripture clearly states that all have sinned. We only get a glimpse into Abel’s life in these few short verses and see some of the godly choices that he made.

The contrast is clear between Cain and Abel. Whereas Abel gave up the best of what he had for the Lord, Cain gave an ordinary gift that did not appear to be much of a sacrifice for him. For this reason, God chose to bless Abel and the offering that he had given and chose to turn away from Cain’s offering. This causes me to reflect on what I give. Do I always give the Lord my best? This does not only apply to the area of money. In my time, with my talents, in what I invest in, in how I live my life, do I keep it all to myself, do I only give what I feel comfortable with, or do I take that chance and give the best that I can trusting that God will take care of the rest? The latter choice is what Abel did, and he was clearly blessed.

As for Cain, God tells him to always do well or his best. It seems as if God is telling him that when we decide not to give our all, sin will be there waiting for us. So when we choose to be all about self, we let our defenses down. That allows a small crack, just like Adam and Eve had in the garden, in which Satan can crawl in and begin his work of deception. Sin is inevitable at that point, and the whole cycle of sin and consequences begins again. This is exactly what happened to Cain, for his choice to give less led to jealousy, and his jealousy over his brother then led to murder, and finally that murder led to a lie. This is almost a mirror image to Adam and Eve, and further points out that what we may think of as only one little sin can lead to something much worse. Cain’s life is yet another example of the consequences of sin as he too is exiled to a distant land.

The remainder of this chapter, along with Genesis 5, lists the genealogies of Cain and Adam (through Seth). These lists are commonly skipped when reading the Old Testament, and I must admit that I have done that very thing. But reading through them this time, I am reminded that nothing is put in Scripture without a purpose. For one, many of these names are mentioned later on, and if you do not recognize some of the family ties, you will miss some of the connections that Scripture makes. But these lists also give us insight into how some of these people lived. For instance, in the line of Cain we are told what certain people were known for, whether it be tools or music.

As for Adam’s line, we learn other tidbits of information that we would have never known had the genealogies been left out of Scripture. For instance, we are told that Enoch did not die, and that he was taken up from this earth because he walked with God. Although Enoch’s story only receives two verses in the midst of a genealogy list, his life is a great example of how we should live. He truly followed God, and that is what we should desire and strive for in our lives as well. Finally, we are introduced to Noah in this listing. One thing I had never noticed, possibly because I had skimmed through these verses so many times, is that Noah was born as one who would bring relief for his people. Important attention to detail is important, and I have once again been reminded to pay close attention to what the text actually says.

Matt

Genesis 3

Genesis 3

Isn’t it interesting that Eve adds to God’s original command when she speaks to the serpent? Looking back at Genesis 2, God never told Adam not to touch the tree. But when put to the test, Eve forgets what the original command was, which ends up being her first real mistake. So when the serpent appeals to her desires, the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, etc. she takes the fruit and eats. All it took from Satan was one little push, and Eve went the rest of the way. Just like Adam and Eve, we only need that little push as well. When we open up a small hole in our lives and allow Satan through, it only takes that one small crack for him to begin to work his ways of deception. If we are not careful, we will soon find that we too are caught up in sin, possibly in a place we would have never expected to find ourselves.

Furthermore, we must also be careful for we never know who else we might affect with our decision. In Eve’s case, she immediately affected Adam, who was also deceived. But she in turn allowed that sin nature to continue on to their children and eventually to the rest of mankind. In the same way, there are always people watching us, either through admiration or condemnation. There are those who want to mimic what we do, so we must be careful to offer a positive example for them. But there are also those who want to catch us in a sin in order that they might take a strike against us or Christ Himself. One reason sin is so deadly is because it never just affects us. It will begin to reach out to others as well.

Not only does sin reach out to others, but it also leads us further into sin. David found this when he lusted after Bathsheba. For David, the sin of adultery led to murder and so on and so on. For Adam and Eve, one act of disobedience led to lying and blame. They did not want to take responsibility for their actions, so they passed it off on to someone else. Sin’s consequences are far reaching, and we must always be aware of how one mistake can alter the rest of our lives.

God had created a perfect world for Adam and Eve. Their only responsibilities were to follow God’s commands and tend to the things that they had been given. But after the Fall, their entire lives changed. Their consequences included a much harder child birth for women and a much harder time working for the men. Since God cursed these two things it appears as if they had been intended to be enjoyable, peaceful, easy aspects of life. But again, all of that can change with one wrong decision.

But if that were not enough, God finally cast them out of the perfect garden into a land that was much harsher. It was there that Adam and Eve had to begin anew, start a new life, and decide whether they would follow God or continue to follow their own selfish desires. It is interesting that one reason God cast them out of the garden was to keep them from the tree of life. Twice in the closing verses, the text says that they were sent away so that no one would be able to access the tree. It says that the tree would cause them to live forever, but it intrigues me to know that that small detail was thrown in at the end of the chapter, and I am not entirely sure why.

Matt

Genesis 2

Genesis 2

This chapter continues to tell the creation account, only now, on the seventh day there is nothing left to create. So God rested, thus creating another aspect of our lives, a day of rest. The seventh day, whether it is Saturday or Sunday it does not matter, is set aside even today for such purposes, or at least should be. Just as God provides an example for our lives through His actions in other portions of Scripture, God gives us an example with His seventh day of rest.

I have heard that Genesis 2 is the second account of creation in the Bible, but to me it appears as if it is only retelling, or further telling, what happened on the sixth day. It does offer a review of what the world was like after six days, but it then goes into a detailed discussion on how God created man, Adam. It is also interesting to note that when God created Adam, He created him to work. He was immediately placed in the garden to tend to the rest of creation. God did not create us to be lazy, or to expect our well being from others. He created us to maintain His creation, something that we have failed to do. Maybe the “green” people go too far with many of their claims, but biblically, we should seriously consider doing our part in protecting our planet, those things which God has given us.

Shortly after Adam was put to work, he was given his first command. God did not allow Adam to roam freely on the earth doing whatever he saw fit, and God does not allow that for His children today. Boundaries are set up for a reason, for our protection. Thus, God warned Adam about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This tree would bring about certain death for Adam, and the command God gave was not to be mean or overpowering but to be protective, as a parent. This says a lot for the boundaries given to us by our parents, bosses, and governments. Most of the time, and I do realize that this is not always going to be the case, these boundaries, rules, or laws, are given for our protection. We must discern how they line up with Scripture of course, but in general, we are expected to adhere to them just as Adam was expected to obey this first command.

Finally, this chapter offers the picture of marriage. When thinking of marriage, many will gravitate to either Genesis 2 or 1 Corinthians 13, both appropriate passages. In this chapter, it becomes clear that God intended for marriage to be between a man and a woman, and there were no other options. It does not matter what our culture tells us or how many times that we are told that we are being intolerant, Scripture is clear. We must turn to this passage and follow God’s ways. Again, He is the creator, and we are to mimic Him. If God intended for marriage to be between a man and a woman, and if that is the way He first performed the ceremony, then we too must not falter from this command. At this point in the story, there are two people on the earth, Adam and Eve, and everything is still going according to God’s plan. This is the world that God had created, and Genesis 1-2 is the picture of how God had intended that it stay.

Matt

Genesis 1

Hopefully I will keep this going as the year progresses. This is the start of just a simple walkthrough of Scripture. As I read a passage each day, I am going to attempt to record my thoughts, whatever comes to mind at the time. By December, I would have hopefully worked through much of the Bible. This will not be the only posts for the year. I will continue to post updates of my life, book reviews, and anything else that comes to mind as always. But hopefully 2010 will be a much better year than 2009 on this blog.

Genesis 1

This chapter contains the Creation account that I have heard countless times over the last 22 years. I know this story by heart, and yet I always seem to make new connections with every read. Looking at the basics, it becomes obvious that God is the creator of all that we see around us. He is the one who first thought up the idea of creating living beings and a place in which they can live. Of course, my belief in God as a creator comes through faith, which is what the Bible is centered around. I have faith that God does not lie, that God always keeps His promises. Therefore, if He says that He is the creator, the one who made the universe, and constructed every small detail there is to be found, then that is what I believe.

This chapter is also somewhat vague as to what God did. It gives us the basics. God does not tell us how He made these objects, other than through His spoken word. We do not get to know the process that He went through, and we do not know exactly how long it might have taken Him. The text says that it took 6 days to create it all. To us, that would seem too short of a time period. But I think that the problem is that we tend to attempt to squeeze God into our understanding and into our possibilities. Of course, it would be impossible for one of us to create all of this in 6 days, and many will argue that if it is impossible for us then it must be impossible for God. But that is far from true. Maybe a day to God is like a thousand years, and maybe it did take God 6,000 years to create the universe. But if that be the case, then think of this. If it takes that long for God, then how much longer would it take us? No matter the argument, He is still one step ahead of us at all times.

But the main point is that it does not matter how God created the universe or how long it might have taken Him. The point in this chapter is that God is the creator, the one who began this world with a purpose. He created a perfect place all for His glory. His intentions were that it remain that way, thus giving Adam dominion over all that he saw. It was up to him to maintain this world, but his story comes later. Several times within these 31 verses, God says that what He made was either good or very good (in reference to man). God was not the cause of what was to come. He never intended for sin to enter the world. Of course, He was prepared and had a plan if things changed, but God intended for our world today in the year 2010 to be exactly as it was then during the first week.

Finally, God created man in His image (v27). So many times we try to create God in our image. As I noted previously, we try to limit God to what we can do, forgetting that He is the more powerful being. We must always remember that we are nothing without Him. We exist only because He allows us to. We would not be here if it were not for His will. We must never forget that we are God’s children, put on this earth to do His service, so that He might receive all the glory. If we do, then we must quickly repent and learn to submit to God as our ultimate authority in life.

Matt

2000-2009: A Decade Gone By

As 2009 comes to a close in less than 10 hours, it is not only a new year that will begin, but also a new decade. We will say good-bye to what has been most commonly been referred to as the 2000's and enter into the 10's. What will 2010-2019 bring us? So much has changed in the last 10 years, and it appears as if society is only going to continue to expand and get more complicated as time continues.

Over the last 10 years we have seen many significant events take place both in our country and across the world, in sports and in entertainment, and even in my own life. We have had 3 presidents: Clinton (for less than a month), Bush (for 8 years), and Obama (for almost one year). September 11, 2001, changed our nation and world forever. Since then airport security has been enhanced, and recently another terrorist attempt has been seen reminding us that we are not done fighting against terror. The decade is ending just like it began.

Before 2000 most people did not use Google, did not have cell phones everywhere they went, did not have fast personal computers, and did not have IPods or other Mp3s. Even gaming systems were different, the N64 being the latest for Nintendo. VHS tapes were still popular as DVDs were just beginning to come out, and now as the decade ends we are shifting to Blue Ray and 3D movies at the theater. Most notably about the decade was Y2K, which never happened. Can you believe 10 years ago today, that was our major concern?

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, and that has not been the only natural disaster of the decade. Typhoons, tidal waves, earthquakes, and tornadoes have killed millions across the world, as we have seen some of the worst of nature over the last few years. 2005 was a record year for Atlantic Hurricanes, and since then tornadoes have come in record numbers across America. 2008 marked my one and only experience with a tornado.

In sports, the Patriots have dominated the NFL this decade, whereas Jimmie Johnson has dominated NASCAR in the second half of the decade. We lost Dale Earnhardt at the beginning of the 2000's along with several other drivers in similar situations. College football has been filled with controversy as the BCS rankings began to become less favorable as the years ticked away, and for Tennessee fans, this decade marked the end of Phil Fulmer in Knoxville. There were 4 Olympic Games as well, think of Shaun White or Michael Phelps.

Celebrities have also made the headlines, but not in good ways, over the last 10 years. Who will forget names like Anna Nicole Smith, Lindsey Lohan, Brittney Spears, Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods, Jon and Kate, Tom Cruise (the couch), and the list could go on and on. Whether it was death or drugs, divorce or child custody battles, celebrities have had their names in the headlines, and that will not change.

This list is far from exhaustive. It would be impossible to list everything that has occurred in this decade. But just sitting here thinking back makes me realize that this decade consists of almost half of my life, and there have been things that have happened in these 10 years that altered my life forever. 9/11 changed us all, but other than that, there are so many personal things that have occurred as well.

I hope you are ready for the new year and the new decade. But take a moment and think about what these last 10 years consisted of in your life. How did the news headlines change your life, and what personal things occurred. It is always good to reflect back on your life, so take a moment to do that before 2010 gets here.

As for the blog, hopefully 2010 will be a new start. December has been a waste on here. With school, work, and Christmas, I did not find anytime to write. So one New Years' Resolution I may have this next year is to get back to writing more. See you next year!

Matt

Construction!

In recent years it seems like when we say the words "Union University," "construction" seems to soon follow. Construction never ends on our campus, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The next few months will see the completion of the Bowlds Commons, which also completes the 4 Quads. Starting next semester, the Commons will be open. Inside, there will be TV rooms, study rooms, a gym, 2 apartments (for the RD's), fireplaces, grills outside, and even rooms that will be used as classrooms. I recently talked to someone who told me that their schedule said that one of their classes would be in Bowlds Commons. So 2 years after the tornado, construction will be completed for the rebuilding process.

However, during our time of rebuilding, our campus did not quit growing. Due to our continual growth over the last 2 years, more dorms are desperately needed. Therefore, construction has begun in another section of campus to build new Quads, slated to be completed by the Fall of 2010. I think that they are only projecting one Quad to be completed by the date, but anything will be helpful at this point.

Finally, the Pharmacy building is moving right along. Construction has come along quickly on that building. Last Tuesday, while leaving campus, I noticed that the roof was being started on this building. This building is also being stated as being completed by next Fall. If this happens, the pharmacy department will be moved out of the PAC (the main building), across campus, and into a new building. Also, I heard that some of the other sciences will have classrooms in this building.

So construction is a good thing, especially when you are growing. It does get old seeing cranes and equipment constantly on campus. I get tired of always having a dirty car due to construction. But it is exciting to see the university continuing to grow. In my 4 years at Union there has not been a time when there was no construction on campus. Since beginning in the Fall of 2006, I have witnessed the construction of White Hall, The Grants Center, The New Dorms, Bowlds Commons, The Soccer Complex, the beginnings of the Pharmacy Building, and the beginning of more New Dorms. Union is not the same place that it was even 3 years ago. And it will probably look quite different in another 3 years.

Matt