--personal thoughts--
ok...so before you start reading, i have to explain a bit. i just finished writing what you are about to read and came back up to the top to add these thoughts...i hope this meets your expectation! some days will be pretty simple. some will just simply outline what we've read. some blog-days will be packed full of information/history and background, etc. that you may have never read before. but i'm thinking that those of you who have responded to join this study have had so so much interaction with His Word that some days may not really contain anything enlightening at all for you...let those days simply be accountability/reading the bible together with friends kind of days. :) (i'm writing some of this simply to give overview and background as if someone had never picked up the Book before. :) ) thank you so so much for joining me!
Father, please speak to us through Your Word as we read daily. thank You so much for Your Word.
as i have taught my children about the bible, i have compared it to a library. it has a lot of books in it that go under different categories. some are historical. some are poetic/etc....but they are all included in the bible because they were inspired by God.
the first five books of the old testament make up the "Pentateuch." the jews call this beginning section of the old testament the "Torah." the pentateuch contains much instruction including laws and regulations and such but also includes historical narrative describing the beginning/creation, God's relationship with His creation and His promise and deliverance as we will read much much more about.... the pentateuch has also been referred to as the books of the law.
genesis, being the first book in this section, outlines the seven days of creation, records the actions of adam and eve resulting in mankind's fall into sin, and God's relationship with man in the beginning and how that changed. genesis 1-11 has been described as one of two main sections in the book, the primeval history. genesis 12-50 has been described as the second of these two sections, the patriarchal history.
the first three chapters describe the creation of our world and of man in chapters 1 and 2, and of man's fall in chapter 3. these three chapters give such a sound foundation to our theology and our understanding of man's relationship with God/his Creator. there is a hebrew word (bara) that is used six or seven times in the creation account meaning "to create" that has God as its only subject in the old testament. there is no reference to materials out of which nature or man were created. our Creator God is sovereign.
--more personal thoughts--
man's fall to sin in the garden as described in chapter 3 had/has devastating effects. as i have gotten older and have experienced more and more in my life, my heart breaks and has felt like it is hopeless to heal sometimes.... however! God had a plan for redemption...for everyone born into sin. (and that means everyone...everyone but Jesus Himself who was sinless)....
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