Through the Bible in 2012

Day 6 Readings:

Genesis 9
Genesis 10
Genesis 11
Psalm 9

Comments:

In our readings it is not that important that we match up with the day of the calendar (you will notice I didn't start this until January 2). If you fall behind, don't sweat it. The important thing is to develop consistency in reading and studying the Bible. But we don't need to beat ourselves up for missing a day or not staying on track. If you miss a day, just pick back up where you left off. This reading plan and the comments by me are to be read at your pace. We want to dig into God's word rather than be concerned with calendar dates or never missing a day.

In Genesis 9 we have the details of the covenant that God makes with Noah. God tells Noah and his sons to be fruitful and multiply. This is the same as he told Adam and Eve. Now Noah's family is responsible for filling the earth. We also see that God gives them permission to eat everything. Some believe that prior to this, people did not eat meat or they did not have God's blessing to eat meat. Now they do. However, we do see the value God places on human life: We are not to kill another human being. If we do, there will be consequences.

The sign of the covenant is a bow in the sky. Traditionally this has been interpreted to be a rainbow. That makes sense in the context of rain and floods. However, recent scholars have shown us that the "bow" may in fact not be a rainbow but a bow like a hunter would use. What word does your Bible use for "bow"?

Unfortunately we see that very quickly, humans blow it again. Noah becomes drunk and lies naked. Ham, one of his sons, sees this and tells the other two sons. They cover him and see embarrased and ashamed by this. When Noah awakes, he is upset. A curse results. How quickly we humans go from the highs of mountain top experiences to the lows of our humanity.

Chapter 10 gives us some genealogy. Chapter 11 is the story of the tower of Babel. How quickly we stop relying on God and start relying on our own devices. "Let us build a tower to heaven... let us make a name for ourselves..." The rest of chapter 11 is more genealogy. The important thing to notice here is that it ends with a man named Terah and his son Abram and his grandson Lot and Abram's wife Sarai. Abram and Sarai are to become key figures in the story of God's people.