Thank you again for your participation in our journey to read through the entire Bible in 2014.
For Week Three (Monday, January 13th through Saturday, January 18th), please read the following:
Genesis, chapters 12 through chapter 25, verse 11. These chapters tell the story of the Life and Journey of Abraham and Sarah.
How do Abraham and Sarah react when they are told that they will have a son?
What does the name "Isaac" or "Yitzak" mean in Hebrew?
Would you characterize the faith of Abraham and Sarah more as a noun or as a verb?
Last week we read Genesis 4-11 and Psalm 69:
Here's a trivia question based on last week's reading. Where in the Flood narrative does it state how the people made fun of Noah for building the ark?
.... That is something of a trick question, because that detail isn't explicitly mentioned in Genesis but is hinted at in New Testament accounts about the "Days of Noah." (See Matthew 24:36-39 and Luke 17:26-27). As we read through the Bible this year, we will see how later biblical writers reflect upon and build upon the earlier stories.
Did you notice that in the entire account of the Flood, God speaks several times, but Noah doesn't speak at all. Instead, the book of Genesis simply notes that "Noah did as God commanded him." When Noah does finally speak directly near the end of chapter nine, it is regarding a mysterious incident with his grandson Canaan and not in direct response to something that God has said.
Still, in the entire account of the Flood narrative, the primary actor is God. In other ancient accounts of a Great Flood, including "the Epic of Gilgamesh," the Flood is a result of infighting among the gods with humanity caught in the middle. In contrast, the Genesis account focuses on the actions of one God, describing the broken heart of the Creator and the Creator's subsequent promise not to flood the earth again.
Psalm 69 on a first reading may have seemed like something that might have been expressed by a victim of the Great Flood. Traditionally, the 69th Psalm, after the 22nd Psalm, has been one of the Psalms most often interpreted by Christians to be a reminder of Jesus' sufferings during the Passion. I also hear it as a prayer for anyone who might feel flooded or overwhelmed.
Thank you again for joining us on this journey through the Bible.
