The Chapter-A-Day thread.

[graciesings]

It's February 25th now! Today's chapter is Genesis 9. Here's a link: Genesis 9 NIV - God’s Covenant With Noah - Then God - Bible Gateway

I'll try to post my thoughts later. I need to frost a birthday cake!

God bless you,
Grace

 

[bcmom]

I think building an altar would be an easy task to someone who just built an ark!

Grace, this comment hurt my feelings. I wasn't going to comment for today because I'm not as educated as others in Bible. I've been unable to read it due to vision loss for the past 9 1/2 years and I just started again this month. I only commented because I made a commitment to. Now I'm sorry I did.
Also, I meant his spiritual reasons for building the altar, not physical ability.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Grace, this comment hurt my feelings. I wasn't going to comment for today because I'm not as educated as others in Bible. I've been unable to read it due to vision loss for the past 9 1/2 years and I just started again this month. I only commented because I made a commitment to. Now I'm sorry I did.
Also, I meant his spiritual reasons for building the altar, not physical ability.

I'm not Grace, but I just wanted to say, that being educated in the Bible or not doesn't make your comments not worthwhile. God reveals things to babes.

I would rather hear from someone's honest impressions if they are reading it for the very first time that to hear the "standard" comment and answer that I could get from any commentary.

I'm in the process of trying to "erase" a certain amount of teaching so that I can look at the Bible with fresh eyes for what it really says, instead of what I've been told it says.

You're in a good position. Don't despise a lack of education.

I am sorry to hear about your eyes. I understand ... I have tons of print Bibles in various translations, and all kinds of resources, but I can't see them well. I mostly rely on online, so that I can enlarge the text, but the screen tires out my eyes. I pray your eyes feel better.

(I'm not quite sure the comment was directed at you about the altar anyway though - I actually thought she was talking to Skymist.)

Peace to all - be blessed in the Lord!

 

[graciesings]

Grace, this comment hurt my feelings. I wasn't going to comment for today because I'm not as educated as others in Bible. I've been unable to read it due to vision loss for the past 9 1/2 years and I just started again this month. I only commented because I made a commitment to. Now I'm sorry I did.
Also, I meant his spiritual reasons for building the altar, not physical ability.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings! And I'm glad to have the opinions of people who aren't highly educated. The Bible wasn't just written for scholars, it was written for everyone

I'm glad you can read now! I can't imagine living without reading. I'll be praying for your eyes. If you need to take a break, that's ok.

As for the altar, I see the spiritual reasons - thankfulness. Awe at God's glory. It just struck me reading it, what if Noah hadn't built the altar and made God mad after getting off the ark? But then I realized Noah obviously wanted to serve God and wouldn't have a problem with building an altar! I'm sorry if I stated that in the wrong way, I really didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings.

What if Noah had angered God after the flood, would we even be here?

Oh, well, I'm off topic. I apologize for any distress I caused and will pray both for your eyesight and that God will guide my tongue.

God bless you,
Grace

 

[bcmom]

Thanks for the apology Grace. I will pray God gives me a thicker skin.
Thanks for the kind words Kylissa. I use the internet to read the Bible too. That way I can adjust font size to as large as I need. The internet is a real blessing.
God bless you both

 

[graciesings]

Wow, I was gone all day! Oops.

You're welcome, bcmom, if you have any more problems please tell me.

Looks like this is where God promised to never destroy all life again... It's something to think of God's power in those terms! I sometimes forget that He could just destroy everything like BOOM! And it also shows the magnitude of His love that God hasn't destroyed everyone. He still loves this sinful world!

And the joke... last time I studied Genesis 9 it was with a bunch of math-brained high school students. For anyone who is rusty on geometry, an arc is part but not all of a circle.

NOAH'S ARC

God bless you,
Grace

 

[graciesings]

And I guess it's time to go on to Genesis 10. Here's a link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+10&version=NIV

I found this page very interesting, it ties Noah's story to modern people: http://www.christian-resources-today.com/bible-study-online-12q.html

It raised another question to me too, does the Magog mentioned in this chapter have anything to do with the Gog and Magog that are described in Ezekiel and Revelation? According to the second link I posted, Magog was the one who populated Russia. I'm still chewing on that - any thoughts?

Lord, please guide our discussion today and help us learn more about You.

God bless,
Grace

 

[daughter of man]

Going back to genesis 8 again it does seem incredible that the first thing Noah chose to do on land was sacrifice all those animals to the God who'd just made him spend so long cooped up in a boat with them. I think I'd have wanted to run around in the fresh air a bit first but then that proves why God chose Noah.

Another is that when God said in the future there would be cold and heat, summer and winter etc. I think He also means good and evil by this, in other words He won't force us in the same way to repent. Or maybe punishment and mercy.

 

[brinny]

Going back to genesis 8 again it does seem incredible that the first thing Noah chose to do on land was sacrifice all those animals to the God who'd just made him spend so long cooped up in a boat with them. I think I'd have wanted to run around in the fresh air a bit first but then that proves why God chose Noah.

Another is that when God said in the future there would be cold and heat, summer and winter etc. I think He also means good and evil by this, in other words He won't force us in the same way to repent. Or maybe punishment and mercy.

yes, interesting thoughts on Noah and his thinking in all of this...it appears to be a testimony that Noah walked with God, and that yes, that is why God chose Noah.

Never noticed that before. That's a great study in itself.

 

[brinny]

Ok, i just read all those names out loud hahaaaaa and somehow i got through it

verse 19 is interesting....the Canaanites had Sodom and Gomorrah in their borders. Later, isn't that where Lot chose to go and abide?

 

[graciesings]

Oops, I missed a day! Oh well.
So, February 28th's chapter is Genesis 11. Here's a link: Genesis 11 NIV - The Tower of Babel - Now the whole - Bible Gateway

And brinny, I know that Lot and his family came out of Sodom and Gomorrah but I don't remember how they got there!

God bless you,
Grace

 

[brinny]

my memory is vague, but didn't Abraham give Lot a choice as they both stood over two lands, and Abraham gave Lot first choice, and Lot's choice was Sodom and Gomorrah? (i love this reading of the Bible like this, chapter by chapter....)

ok, on to chapter 11.

 

[graciesings]

A thought on the tower of Babel: As a small child, I had a storybook about this and used to think that God confused the people building the tower because He didn't want them to get to Heaven and wanted them to stay on earth where they wouldn't annoy Him.

Now, looking at science and the Gospel (which I understand now but didn't understand then) I don't think these humans could have reached God by building a tall tower. Now, I look at it and I think what annoyed God about the whole matter was the pride of the people building that tower. I've never heard that explained, though. Why do you think God didn't want the people to build the Tower of Babel?

 

[bcmom]

I wanted more insight into the Tower of Babel so I read a few articles. One article suggested that God confused their speech because they were gathering in a city and disobeying His command to spread out on the earth and populate it. So, He confused their speech and they had to gather in groups of people who spoke the same language.
Personally, I've always thought God confused their speech because they were trying to get to heaven by works.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Thoughts?
God Bless

 

[graciesings]

I think you're right, bcmom. That's a good way to explain it, that they weren't trusting God for their salvation!

I guess we build towers like that today, don't we? I've seen a lot of people try to reach God by building towers of good works, towers of knowledge, towers of perfection, towers of growing their church, etc. Same thing as the tower of Babel, when we do that we aren't relying on God! I know I often have to fight building a tower of good works. Has anyone else had times where you've realized you're building a tower of Babel?

God bless you,
Grace

 

[graciesings]

And February 29th's reading is Genesis 12, but since the forum will be closed February 29th (more info here: http://www.christianforums.com/t7807549/) we will need to save Genesis 12 for March 1st. Here is the link in case you need it: Genesis 12 NASB - Abram Journeys to Egypt - Now the LORD - Bible Gateway

And as you look at this one keep in mind that while Abraham does live to be older than a normal person would, life spans steadily decreased through the genealogies given in Chapter 12. Abraham's father, Terah, lived to be 205 years old.

God bless you,
Grace

 

[bcmom]

Yes I've had times in my life when I've created "Towers of Babel". I think it's fallen human nature to try and work for salvation. The concept of salvation being a free gift of God is too complicated for our minds. As the world's saying goes "nothing in life is free". Yet the greatest gift ever given, eternal life through our Lord Christ Jesus, is free. All we have to do is accept it. So, because something for nothing doesn't compute with our fallen human natures, we create as you called them Towers of Babel.

 

[graciesings]

Yes! I think I'm going to use "Tower of Babel" term a little more often. I'd never thought about the tower of Babel as anything more than a story, but wow!

 

[bcmom]

Yes! I think I'm going to use "Tower of Babel" term a little more often. I'd never thought about the tower of Babel as anything more than a story, but wow!

I thinking the same thing myself.

 

[daughter of man]

I thinking the same thing myself.

And me! I mean that's really perceptive and stuff.

About today's reading why does everyone think Abram lied about Sarai and let her be taken by the king? Wasn't it sinful that he did it to protect his own life or was it like a necessary evil especially since Abraham is so important?