A Very Good Place to Start
Please read Chapters 1-11 of Genesis. Pick out a key verse from the assigned chapters and do one of the following:1. Explain why you think this verse the key to understanding what the selection is about.
2. Explain why you think this verse is the best/most memorable in the assigned reading.
3. Explain why you think this verse is the most difficult/hard to understand in the passage.
posted by Ancient Art at 7:51 PM
7 Comments:
I think Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." is a key verse to understanding creation and really who we are as people.
God wanted someone to rule over what he had created on Earth - someone like him. So therefore he created mankind in his image. This does not only mean that he created people to look like him but also to think and act like him. He gave mankind the power to speak and acquire knowledge, skills that are needed to take care of creation. He created them male and female so that they could multiple and become rulers over his creation, the whole Earth. The thing that seperated us from God was sin, which he later took care of.
Sometimes I know people struggle with creation. Why would God create the world and everthing in it? I do not have a clear cut answer and I do not think there is one other than the fact that he could. He could create so many wonderful things and he could create a creature in his image to take care of everything in the world. He also could take care of people by providing for them everything that they would need to live a happy life.
After reading the assignment, the verse that stuck out in my mind was Genesis 6:6, where God states that it was mistake to create humankind because of their evil hearts and intended to wipe them out through a great Flood. However, Noah found favor with God and God decided to spare him and his family from the wrath of the Flood.
After allowing Noah and his family to survive, God realizes in Genesis 8:21 that the human heart is evil from birth and vows not to wipe out humanity again through a flood. Noah redeems humankind through his devotion to God.
I picked Gen 4: 6-7, "So the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are so resentful and crestfallen? If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.'" I picked this verse because it applies to everyone of us everyday of our lives. Cain is jealous of his brother Abel because God accepted Abel's sacrifice and not Cain's. Cain has a right to be a little upset, but he lets his jealousy take control of him. Jealousy can lead to anger and as Yoda says, anger leads to suffering. Also anger can cause us as human beings to commit an act that we may later regret. God knew what was in Cain's heart and warned Cain to not let his jealousy consume him. God tells cain that sin is always lurking just around the corner waiting for a chance to convince us to obey it. However, God infrms Cain that as Human beings we can overcome sin and be its master; that we do not have to give into to sin, and everytime you say no to it, you have become lord over it. Basically, God is telling Cain to let go of his envy before it consumes him. But, cain refuses to listen and gives into his anger and murders his brother, Abel.
The story of Cain and Abel is a warning to all of us. There are going to be times where we become jealous or angry, but we should not allow anger to rule our actions, like Cain did.
I think one of the most significant passages is the conversation between Eve and the serpent. Gen 3:1-7
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
This is the first time we encounter doubt in the Bible and in the world! Eve doubted what God had told her about the tree. You see in Gen 3:3 Eve exaggerates God command by saying that they shouldn't even TOUCH the tree (God said only not to eat the fruit). When offered the possibility that God was holding back on her and Adam, she felt betrayed and thus wanted to be "like God".
From these verses comes a downslide of doubt in God's judgement and wisdom (Cain and Abel, the men of Noah's day, the tower of babel). It also brings us such daily necessities as clothes and meat(Gen. 3:7. 3:21) and others (child pains- Gen.3:16, toiling - Gen 3:17).
You see, if Eve hadn't doubted God in the first place, it wouldn't be a pain to give birth, we'd all be vegetarians, walking around naked, and understanding everyone regardless of where the lived!
-Amber Eich
I really like Genesis 3:19 because it has a meaning that has applied to everyone and will continue to apply to everyone. The beginning of the verse says that 'By the sweat of your face shall you get bread to eat.' This is saying that the harder you work the easier life will be. To survive you have to work hard. This is hard work is what separates us as people. The hardest working people are always on the top. The key to a successful life is to work hard.
The other part of the verse says that you were created from dirt and from dirt you shall return. This was because Adam and Eve could not live forever after eating the fruit from the tree. God created the earth and created people from the earth. God's saying from the dirt you were created and when you die you will be returned to where you came from. So I think after you are returned to where you came from you are also returned to God. You will have eternal life with your creator if you follow Him and His ways.
If there are lies in the Bible then there would be no reason to believe any part of the Bible. I Thessalonians 5:21 states to “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” which means that believers have a responsibility to prove what is being taught is true or not. If what is being taught is wrong then we need to be able to change our beliefs.
How many individuals were in the beginning? In John chapter 1 it states that there were two: the Word and God. John 1:3 states “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Why is the word “God” used for Genesis 1 and “Lord God” for Genesis 2? The word used in Genesis 1 is Elohim, which is a uni-plural word that can mean one or more than one. In most areas I have checked, when Elohim is used for the Christian/Jewish God it is translated as singular but when this word is used for pagan gods it is a plural. Since, as shown above, there were two individuals in the beginning, then Genesis chapter one is referring to both the Word and God. This also explains why Genesis 1:26 God states “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:…”
In Genesis chapter 2 we encounter “Lord God”. The word “Lord” is Jehovah in Hebrew so this phrase would actually be translated “Jehovah God”. The phrase “Jehovah God” is used to select a particular individual in the God family. Who is being referred to in the phrase “Jehovah God”? Jehovah God is Jesus (see the first paragraph above).
Can it be proved that Jesus was Jehovah God? Yes. Exodus 33:20 states “And he said, Thou canst not see my face, for there shall not man see me, and live.” And John 1:18 states “No man hath seen God at any time;”. Genesis 3:8 states that the “Lord God” walked in the garden, Genesis 5:22 states that Enoch walked with God, and in numerous other verses which show men seeing God indicates that they were meeting and speaking with Jehovah God (Jesus). If this were not the case then Exodus 33:20 and John 1:18 would be lies. If Exodus 33:20 and John 1:18 were lies then there would be no reason to believe anything else that is written in the Bible.
Are there any other places in the Bible that indicates that there are two individuals in the God family? Yes. Daniel 7:9 “…”the Ancient of days did sit,…”; Daniel 7:13 “…one like unto the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” These verses clearly show that there were two individuals: the Ancient of days and the Son of Man. The Son of Man is Jesus as shown in Matthew 8:20, 9:6, 10:23, 11:19, 12:8, Mark 8:31, and many other verses.
The verse that stands out to me and has a sense of where we stand in the world as humans is where god created all other aspects of the earth then he created man. And it says that man is to be in control of all of the livestock and etc that has been created. So animals aren't equal to humans huh?
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