Don't mess with the Ark

Tumors and Rats!!!! O my O my!!!

Not only does it bring devastation on the Philistines but also on our good-old buddy Eli who literally keels over and dies. The Ark was a powerful force to be reckoned with. No wonder why back in the 1920's Hitler was so interested in finding the Ark (side note) when Hitler was found dead he had the Spear of Longinus, which is supposedly the spear that pierced Jesus side. One of the reasons why Hitler defeated Austria was so that he could obtain that Spear which was in the Hapsburg Museum. It was believed that one of the Caesars and Napoleon had possession of this same spear as well (reference: Psalms, the Journey Continues by Mark E. Correll, Mark, E Correll). They all thought the spear would bring them power. I'm sure the Philistines thought the same thing when they took position of the Ark; little did they know that the power of God only works when you have a relationship with Him. Isn't that still true to this day?

Yesterdays reading...

I wanted to write yesterday, but i got so tied up all day that i couldn't get to a computer until after 11pm and at that time i was exhausted... Please forgive me =(

I was traumatized by yesterdays reading... I mean, this is a mirror of the story of Sodom and Gamorah... The one thing that makes it worse is the fact that these people were "Gods Own People" - This was the tribe of Benjamin of the Isrealites... It just shows how quickly our own wickedness can take control and push us to do crazy things...

We all read the passage, we all know the grusome details of the story... The thing that made me think was the fact that the people of the other tribes of isreal decided to let those who survived the routing of the Benjamite tribe go and figure out a way to marry other women... It was deceptive to say "well anybody who lets their daughter marry any of these people will be cut off from their people - Then to go and figure out a way to get these guys wives again... Someone help me understand why this was ok!! I'm having a hard time with it...

1. God Kills Several Birds W/ One Stone.

God Answers prayers! I love the fact that our God has such compassion & blesses those with faith! I felt like he heard Hannah's cry out to him (just like he hears ours), and blessed her because he not only loved her, but also because Hannah prayed with faith. I couldn't imagine not being able to bare children and thinking that God could somehow change his mind and allow me to do so. That definitely takes a lot of faith and Hannah had that when she pleaded with God. That is so awesome because he clearly answered!

Furthermore, I love how God also used the situation for his own glory! By blessing Hannah, she was given the opportunity to be a woman of integrity by keeping her promise to God; therefore, Samuel was later able to become one of the prophets.

2. Hannah's Integrity.

I admire Hannah's integrity. When she made the promise to God, and he answered her prayers, she had no idea that he would allow her to bare more children. For all she knew, Samuel could have been her only child. Yet, she followed through with her promise to God, and as soon as he was weaned, she brought him to Eli to be brought up to worship the Lord. I couldn't imagine not being able to raise a child that I had longed for for so long. Definitely takes a lot of integrity to follow through with that! What a great example of putting God first!

Weaned: to cause (a child or young animal) to become accustomed gradually to food other than its mother's milk, to cause to give up suckling; now, often, to cause to give up drinking milk from a bottle with nipple)


1Samuel 1:21-28

Hannah Dedicates Samuel

When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always."

"Do what seems best to you," Elkanah her husband told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD make good his word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, "and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there."

Samson's lack of self control

March 23rd reading: Judges 13 - 16

Judges 14 - 16 Samson's lack of self control

1) Self Control is a fruit of the Spirit (See Galatians 5:22-23)

2) Samson's Background: Nazirite: set apart for service to God (See Numbers 6), "to begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines". Judges 13:5

Nazirites (Numbers 6) should not eat or drink grape based food and drinks. They also should avoid dead bodies and not cut their hair. Samuel and John the Baptist where also life long Nazirites.
(I used to get Nazarite confused with Nazarene: someone from Nazareth)

3) Samson was lead astray by his relations with Philistine women, which went against his parents wishes and God's commands. (See Deutronomy 7:3-6).

4) Samson lacked control in what he ate. Eating honey from a lion's carcass in a vineyard, and offering it to his parent's would seem to go against Leviticus 11.

5) Samson lacked self control in what he said. (Judges 16:17) This allowed the Philistines to capture him.

There are alot of scriptures about be careful of what you say.
Here are some from Proverbs that use the word tongue: Proverb 6:17, 10:19, 12:18, 15:4, 17:20, 21:23, 25:13, 26:28, 28:23, and 31:26.

Ruth... a fav among the SISTERS :)

For sisters who love fairy tales and happy endings, Ruth was cool to read :)

It's def cool that Jesus came from Ruth and Boaz's family line, but the story of Ruth is also cool because it's an example of what it means for us to be redeemed...

Boaz was an older, avuncular, bourgeois landowner who, though related to Ruth, had no reason to take notice of her... but he actually fell in love with this poor alien peasant girl. The point of the story is that this is exactly how our Lord feels toward us; though there is no reason why the King of the universe should look twice at us, mere specks of dust, we have stolen His heart (Song 4:9) and He has slayed the dragon of evil and death to win our hearts!

Jesus, our Redeemer... sighhhhhhhhhhh :)

The Trees

March 20: Judges 9:7-15
I like the talking trees parable in Judges 9:7-15, which gets explained in Judges 9:16-20. It reminds me of the talking trees from "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Lord of the Rings". The band Rush also has a song called 'The Trees" which has talking trees in it. I wonder if any of these where influenced by this parable.

Gideon brings Israel peace, Abimelech, not so much

Gideon turns out to be a real man's man. We always here of the story about his faithlessness but today's reading really shows a different side to Gideon. And why is it that the one who should be king always ends up refusing kingship.

Abimelech on the hand is a piece of work. You have to be a real sick person to kill all seventy brothers on the same rock. I bet that rock was permanently stained red. It seems like the bible is getting more and more graphic, or I should say that the people are getting more and more violent. Abimelech life ends on a very comical note, almost like something you would see out of Monty Python's movie. Some lady drops a rock on his head and then he tells his armor bearer to kill him.

my 2 cents

thought questions for the SISTERS :)

Even after seeing and speaking directly with the angel of the Lord, Gideon was still insecure about leading the Israelites and asked for not one, but THREE signs from God before he would take action. Now THAT'S audacious insecurity! (hmm oxymoron) Gideon reminded me of Moses. When God asked Moses to lead the Israelites, Moses responded with doubt (Exodus 3:11, 4:10), and so did Gideon (Judges 6:15). Both men felt inadequate for the job, and the fact was, they WERE inadequate! But God promised them the most powerful weapon they would ever wield, God Himself... "I will be with you." And that is true for us as well sisters :), God is with us, He has given us the Holy Spirit! He is with us through every hardship and heartbreak, every conquest and victory.

• What are you insecure about that prevents you from doing what God would want you to do? Are you asking for a sign? And suppose He did give you a sign, do you still doubt and ask for another sign?

The Ephraim leaders were offended that Gideon did not call them to join the battle earlier because joining later meant that they were more like the "clean up crew" who did the less recognized job of cleaning up the already begun battle. Fortunately, Gideon was able to provide a diplomatic response that appeased the leaders' concerns. As sisters, we are called to play a less than recognized role in the church compared to our brothers; we are to be our brothers' helpers (Gen 2:18) and we are specifically instructed to not lead our brothers (1 Tim 2:12 and 1 Cor 14:34).

• How are you doing in this area? Are you content with playing the supporting role in the church?

Sorry...

If anyone didn't like what I posted, I apoligize. I guess I got too excited when I was reading the Chrono and gone off another direction.


Next time, I'll try to keep that to myself.

Fearless Women!!

Man! After reading this today I'm kinda disturbed honestly!! Not because of anything other than the graphic nature of this passage! It says "She took a tent peg and hammer and drove the peg thru his TEMPLE INTO THE GROUND"!!! I mean, come on!! That's crazy right??

There's a lot of really interesting things going on in this scripture... First is that there is a Prophetess named Deborah leading Isreal right now... This is the first time we see a woman leading the Isrealites - and of course she had the Lord with her because she predicted that Barak would not be given the glory for killing the king of these people; a woman would...

We also see a level of deception that the scripture doesn't really go into or address. Jael was from a Kenite tribe who supposedly had "friendly relations" with the King of Hazor. So the king went there seeking refuge - but all he got was his head fixated to the ground.

But above these interesting things - the one thing that stood out to me was that even though God was displease with the people because they did evil in his sight - he still had mercy and forgave them when they cried out to Him. He delivered them in an incredible way, by destroying 900 chariots and using the wife of a supposedly friendly tribe to kill the king. And once again, isreal was relieved from the oppression...

I'm so glad God has that kind of grace on us ya know? What are your thoughts??

Dean

Not finishing the job

It makes me sad to see that the Israelites didn't finish conquering the land.  They would've had God with them.  Why didn't they keep going?  Did they just get comfortable and forget like Moses warned against?  

The maps Craig posted are great.  What did you guys think about Judah getting such a large part of the land?  Some of the tribes had really small areas. 

God choses a women to lead

Sisters, today's reading is for the women. I woke up this morning to start reading the chrono when I usually read at night. I like how Deborah was so brave enough to lead after all of the corrupt when Moses and Joshua died. She reminds me of Joan of Arc. I have a book about her and protrayed her for a history project in JR. High. I really like how God appoints people to lead and it is a variety of men and women. This time, two women pick up where Moses and Joshua left off with God's commands and carry on. Yes! Is that amazing or what?

Map: Land of the Twelve Tribes

Map: Land of the Twelve Tribes

Map of Exodus and Conquest of Canaan

Map of Exodus and Conquest of Canaan

Joshua

Not sure if anyone noticed this.  Joshua and Jesus are the same name in different languages.  Joshua was also the leader after Moses.  Moses then Joshua, The Law then Grace, OT then NT, The Law then Jesus.  Jesus comes after the Law just like Joshua came after Moses.  It's also interesting that Joshua is the one who conquers all the land.  It's like how Jesus is the fulfillment of everything and how he's 'conquering' the world.  Joshua is an OT example of Jesus.  

Thanks for all the great NYC posts.  Come on OC, would love to hear your thoughts/questions.

Jesus in the OT - Part 2, Exodus

(Compiled by CRAIG ASHLEY for the OC Feb breakfast discussion.)

EXODUS: A BOOK OF REDEMPTION

Definition of Redemption from Holmen Bible Dictionary
Redeem, Redemption, Redeemer: To pay a price in order to secure the release of something or someone. It connotes the idea of paying what is required in order to liberate from oppression, enslavement, or another type of binding obligation. The redemptive procedure may be legal, commercial, or religious.

OLD TESTAMENT:

• Ex 6: 2-8
  God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’

NEW TESTAMENT:

• Eph 1:6-8
  …to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
• Gal 3:13
  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
• 1 Pet 1:18-19
  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Jesus in the OT - Part 1, Genesis

(From OC's Feb breakfast discussion lead by Craig)

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Gen 22:6-8 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. God did provide an animal for the sacrifice (Ram substituted instead of Isaac): Gen 22:13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice/substitute for us and our sins: 1 Pet 1:18-20 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

Getting acquainted with some fo the NYC Chrono's

Hi, OC!

Just wanted to post some pics of our last meeting of some of our peeps.

We just had our 3rd meeting and a really good discussion, which I'm sure Justin will blog about.

While I'm on the topic, I'd like to hold Justin up for doing a great job in keeping us tied together and motivated.

I'm looking forward to seeing more posts and hopefully writing some more of my own.

Thanks so much for all your input in the blog. Even though I don't get a chance to write a lot I do get a chance to read and am always edified.

Take care and enjoy the pics!

Allikat

Justin & Kathie/Felicia & that guy
Inga (in orange)/Donette & Luis

Health Regulations

Okay, in Leviticus 13 it talks about people suffering from different skin infections and how the priest should handle them.

When they are put in isolation for seven days, where do they go?

And what happens to the infection during those seven days? Does the priest give the infected person something to help the infection or do they just wait to see if it will go away?

Marrying a Captive Woman

So what did you all think of Deuteronomy 21:10-14?  

Who is the 'enemy' that is listed?  Other Israelites or some other people?  

Can you imagine 'dating' someone for a month and then marrying them?  

This is a crazy scripture.  

The Law in the NT

We had a good discussion about 'turning the other cheek' tonight in Bible Talk.  Not to getting into the meaning of that scripture, but one sister mentioned what if I killed someone by accident.  Would I still be held accountable?  She also wished that God had been more clear about what would happen in specific situations.  I guess she was referring to the NT because as we've been reading the Law the last few days and sometimes God gets VERY specific about what is done in situations.  Sometimes he even gives direction about where to go if this happens to you.  So my question is this:  

Do you think OT scriptures like this apply also in the NT?  

Question....again...hehe

In today's reading, when a brother does not marry his deceased brother's wife, one of the consequences is that his line shall be known as "the family of the unsandaled." Does anyone know why that was particularly dreadful or unbearable to be called that? Because it doesn't seem like much of an insult to me since I wear flip flops allll the time! ha.

Thanks. love youguys. =)

OC Feb Breakfast

OC had our Feb breakfast today yaaay :) a BIG thanks to Craig, Dean, and Mitch for leading our thoughts! We will be posting Craig's lesson on the blog soon (he linked a lot of the details we have been reading thus far to Jesus and the NT, it was GREAT). Below are a couple of pictures from today :)

.......

trivia :)

Who were the 3 men in the bible who took the Nazirite vow?

(the third one was partcularly difficult n I had to cheat hehe)

Feasts

I know this is a little behind, but I noticed these parts and haven't had a chance to post them.  On Feb 20th, I like how they explain the feasts.  Knowing that there are 5 feasts gives me some clarity to the law.  I think now I'll know what its talking about later.  I also liked how Feast of Harvests comes after Passover.  The editor also noted that Pentecost also happens on the Feast of Harvests.  It reminds me of when Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds."  Jesus died and then the 'harvest' was when everyone was baptized.  It was the beginning of the church.  Pretty cool how God planned that out.  I think the Jews might've understood that alot more.  It probably would have been faith building.  

Also on Feb. 20th, when it talks about the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, it says several times "deny yourselves."  The note at the bottom of the page says deny yourself means "must fast."  I wonder if these are the same words Jesus used when he told us to "deny yourself and take up your cross daily."  It be interesting to know if they are the same Hebrew or greek.  Maybe we are supposed to deny ourselves in a fasting-type of way in this world as Christians.  Maybe we are not supposed to indulge in this world too much.  I get frustrated when the world doesn't give me what I want, but then if I go to the other extreme, I'm like if this world is going to do it for me then lets just get on with it and go to Heaven.  It's hard to be in the middle.  We might want husbands or wives, houses, careers, wealth, etc in this world, but then we know how meaningless it is, but God doesn't just take us to heaven right away when we are baptized.  We are left here to help others make it.  Anyway I think there's some connection because if that is done on the day of Atonement and we are constantly saved and renewed while in Christ, then maybe we are sort of always having days of Atonement.  I'm not sure, let me know your thoughts.  

I hope everyone keeps going.  Keep having discussions among yourselves.  I think that will help you stay on pace.  

Questions

Hey family,

With all the laws that we have been reading, and it looks like we will be reading it through mid March, here are my questions..

1. Should I read every detail word for word?

2. What should I take away from reading these details?

Thanks for your help!!

"The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn His face toward you
and give you peace." Num 6:22-27

I like that :)

some Tera thoughts :)

Thank God for Jesus who was the ultimate sacrifice and offering (as the bros mentioned in previous posts) and we do not have to follow the provisions we have been reading about... "but now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Rom 7:6

There were a lot of "dry" details today, and in Leviticus overall. I typically glance over the details (and hope that one day when I am older I will study them out, make correlations with the NT, etc. hehe), and I usually read another part of the bible or another book so that I could have something spiritual to chew on for the day. I wanted to share something I read today that I found intriguing :)...

"The facts of Satan need to be faced. His power is breathtaking. He can take the brightest mind and the most cheerful heart and fill them with thoughts of perversion and violence. He can turn faith into a pack of lies and nonsense. He can twist Scripture or make its words swim meaninglessly before the eyes. One touch from him, and the stoutest believer will barely be be able to whisper a prayer."

Thank goodness for God who is more powerful than Satan "...the very majesty of His sovereign power, which by a mere word created the universe, and which by a mere word will at the end of time cast the Devil and all his demons into the lake of fire."

I love the goal of Chrono; that we don't allow ourselves to be food for Satan but rather, we find a way to stay connected to God, His word, and each other. Thanks for connecting with me through His word!

Love ya :)

P.S. The OC Feb breakfast is Saturday Feb 28th, yaay! Hope to cya there. And a SHOUT OUT to BRIAN MASHANEY, our fellow Chrono participant who's fighting the war in the middle east :)

10 Things I Love About God

Here are ten things I love about God just from reading day 16-18 of February. :D

1- I don't have to be afraid, The Lord himself will fight for me!

2- I am fortunate to have a God that is near me when I pray.

3- God does not tolerate idolatry...He is a consuming fire...he rids anything that comes in his path that separates me from him! Wow!

4- He blesses my life and constantly reminds me not to forget Him and to be thankful. To live life w/ much gratitude.

5- God is jealous for me. That's cool. He doesn't like competition. He fears being displaced by another and wants me all to himself.

6- I am considered a holy people. He chose me out of this world be his treasured possession. *** Sparkle Sparkle *** ^_^

7- He tests me to find what is in my heart and whether I will keep his command. He keeps me pure, sincere and in touch w/ my true heart.

8- He causes me to get to my low points to teach me that I shouldn't rely on worldly things but on His Word!

9- He humbles me so that in the end, it will go well w/ me. Keep the refining coming! It is for my own good. :)

10- Worshipping God is the best thing ever! It feels amazing! Don't be deceived by others...even those closest to you who secretly enticed you to follow other gods. Stand firm!

Gosh, I am so in love w/ God!!! He is waaaayyyy toooooo cooool. He is good to us.

<3 you guys,
Tina

Judgement Belongs 2 God

Judging has always been a touchy subject...even as disciples. We are taught not to judge. We are told that we shouldn't judge because with the measure we use, it will be measured against us. It's true that we are not ones to say that somebody's heart is not right before God, we are all accountable before God. Jesus said that he didn't come to judge but to save....however it is the word that judges us. I believe w/ the word we can discern if one is living in the truth and disciple them. The word calls us to test the spirits of those among us to be sure they are walking in God's truth and light. We have the ability to speak in truth and love, iron sharpen iron, and admonish one another. What's very cool is that God gives us a distinction between two types of judgement: the one we make and the one God makes. In Deut 1:17-18, it is written, "Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgement belongs to God." This passage talks about disputes among brothers and sisters. They have internal problems w/ each other and have been given a role to judge the situation. I love how it talks about listening and gathering input from all people who is able to give input, before you set a judgement on someone. We have the ability to judge those inside the church w/ what the bible clearly speaks of that is not godly. In the end, we shouldn't be afraid to come to an understanding of the truth and speak up for it...because ultimately God knows our hearts and the final judgement of eternity belongs to God. Amen!!!

Blessings

"Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and posses the land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers."

-Deuteronomy 8:1

I thought today's reading was encouraging.  It was a reminder of the blessings that happen when we obey God's commands.  It's good to see the benefits of following God.  I'm looking forward to increasing and living in the land of milk and honey.  I liked the detail in Deu. 7, "none of your men or women will be childless."  

Also, it talks about marrying people from other groups.  So if you need something more than "don't be yoked with unbelievers" read here.  

This passage is interesting because its written to a people, not just a record of events or a list of commands.  It's like reading one of Paul's letters only its by Moses.  I can't think of another part of the OT where this happens.  Pretty cool.

Hey Phamster, I tried to answer your question.  Sorry I didn't see it for a while.  

And I just wanted to encourage anyone who feels intimidated by posting.  Just sharing your thoughts or what you're learning, how it relates to your life is a great thing to post on here.  I think everyone likes that and can do that.  New people posting certainly livens it up.  Thanks to all who've been posting!

NYC February Chrono Meeting

So we had our first Chrono meeting since we started reading and it went well.  An awesome, core group of  6 of us were there.  More could've made it, but the time and place didn't work.  But we had a good trivia time and some discussion.  Kathie shared about how she didn't think it was fair to Hagar and Ishmael to be sort of cast aside and become something lesser when really Abraham and Sarah were the ones not trusting in God.  For me the best part was all of us flipping through the pages to find answers to our questions.  It's amazing how we could find the truth and it clarifies things.  It was great to see disciples really thinking and talking about parts of the Bible.  It was different from a Bible talk, which is more based on how each of us relates to something, but more about understanding the Bible and God.  I don't know that I've ever had a discussion like that in such a formal setting.  Maybe with a friend here or there, but not in a group.  Anyway, I really hope our groups and the reading raise our Bible intelligence and helps us understand God more so we can build the church with our minds too.  Sorry, we had some pics of us, but they got lost.  Next time we'll post some.  

Quail Given for meat question

Why did God provide the quail....enough to feed for a month, but struck them w/ a severe plague before they had to even swallow the meat? Was it because they had been complaining and did not consecrate themselves before eating? Thanks.

Tabernacle (Visual)

First, check out this site: Tabernacle

Hello everyone! I was having mixed feelings reading the story of how the tabernacle was built...though the reading has passed I figured I share a bit of what I have learned. I had a difficult time finding it...interesting. Yes, I admit, I was a bit bored reading through it. I am a visual learner at times and thought this study and visual can help you see the importance and value of this precise building of God's dwelling in the OT. God chose the best (skilled workers and materials) to build a place to worship Him. It wasn't just any tent, a very unique place for Moses to meet God.

Top left: Ephod and all the cool gems. This was what the priest wore. Talk about designer clothing...this tops Versache or Louis Vuitton or Abercrombie & Fitch any day!! :)

Mid-right: scarlet yarns (various colors)

Bottom: Goat hair (made into a pillow) but imagine it spread over the entire tent.
Bottom: Acacia Wood. Why this type of wood? Acacia wood was a strong, resilient wood that grew up in desert climates. It could survive the harsh environment because its rood grew very deep. The tree itself never grew tall. In fact, most acacia trees only grow to a height of 15-30 feet. This tree was not affected by disease nor animal infestations because of the strong odor in the fiber of its wood.

Alright, hope you enjoyed just a glimpse of God's holy dwelling. There are so many other intricate details, such as the gold clasps, oil, turbans, ram skins...and much much more.

Thou Shall not whine, lol.

When I read Tera's post and reading about how the Israelites were complaining all the time, I remembered a memory from the 5th grade! Gosh, I going that far, lol. Anyways, my 5th grade teacher had this sign that said, "Thou Shall Not Whine" by her desk. She wasn't too strict about it but I would always see it and not whine in class. It could of been an 11th commandment, hmmm...

Everytime I read about how much the Israelites complained to Moses, I just wanted to pull my hair out. Why weren't they grateful for God's blessings? And they kept complaining for the same things over and over.

MIA

Hey all. Sorry to have been Missing In Action for so long. I have been struggling with fatigue from anemia and writing taxes my energies. Anyhow, It has been hard getting through all of the ark building and instructions but I did take note that God instructed that Aaron wear symbols representing the twelve tribes across his chest close to his heart-perhaps to keep the people close to his mind and heart during service. God also had something representing the people on Aarons headpiece-perhaps to remind God of the people he would have to forgive over and over again.
I thought it great that God took such pride in external beauty that was simple yet elegant for the structure in a masculine form but chose beautifully ornamented designs for the priests. Maybe God showing some of his feminine flair?
That's about all I have the energy to write about today. As you can tell, I'm a little bit behind in my reading. I've also been reading books on gender communication, anger management, the Languages of Apologies and learning about them all as well as forgiveness. I'm a busy camper. heehee. til next post

talking donkeys!!!

Yesterday was kinda funny with the talking donkey. Kinda reminded me of Shriek.

I thought that Balaam "the soothsayer" was an interesting dude. He was a performer of divination. Apparently he didn't know that the people who came out of Egypt where God fearing people as well. Which brings up a interesting point. Gods people at that time where in different location. Apparently all of God's people where not slaves in Egypt.

How did all the Jews end up in Egypt in the first place? And why wasn't Balaam there with them, in Numbers 24:14-25 it says that he's going back to be with his people

Any who, the talking donkey was funny

Slow to anger, abounding in love...

The Israelites wavered a lot... they complained about so many things and wanted to give up so many times since they left Egypt. I can totally be like that; I usually give up and run away when things get too messy or difficult :(. THANK GOODNESS God is slow to anger and abounding in love :).

THANK YOU to all who have been sharing their thoughts, you have def encouraged my faith by allowing me a glimpse of yours :). Hope you are doing well, esp those who I have not heard from yet or have not heard from in a while.

Love ya, have a GREAT week! :)

I'm with Tera...

The last few days of reading has had me asking God... "Why did you require this..." and "what was the purpose to require that"... Things like having all the population counted the way it was, or having certain processes and procedures in place... And if certain things weren't upheld, the outcome was to either be put to death, or struck down and killed... I mean, that's pretty intense...

Kinda like the other day when we read that Aaron's sons were struck down for using unauthorized fire in the sacrifices... I mean, that's pretty intense... I know that one thing that has always remained the same, from the old covenant to the new covenant, is that obedience to God's instructions is necessary...

I'm so thankful that Jesus came and became the perfect sacrifice once and for all... Our bible talk has been studying out the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews makes a great comparison between the old testament and the new testament...

One thing it talks about how the tabernacle was created to be a shadow of what is in heaven... That is one reason that God was very particular about how it was built and the materials used... And it talks about the role of the high priests and all of the sacrifices... It's awesome that Jesus came as the great high priest and gave himself as the perfect sacrifice once and for all... Otherwise there would be a whole lot of animal sacrifice and bloodshed still today... That and as you read the OT, you will see that no one sacrifice made anybody "perfect"... That is just what the blood of Jesus did; it purified us once and for all and made us perfect in the eyes of the Lord our God...

Tabernacle road trip and the circle of trust

Tabernacle road trip!!!! Moses are we there yet???





So how do you move 625,850 pp? I'm glad you asked, here is a diogram I made for you all

East – Camp of Judah
Judah 74,600pp - Issachar 54,400pp - Zebulun 57,400pp = Total 186,400pp (sent 1st)

South – Camp of Reuben
Reuben 46,500pp – Simeon 59,300pp – Gad 45,650pp = Total 151,450pp (sent 2nd)

West – Camp of Ephraim
Ephraim 40,500 – Manasseh 32,200 – Benjamin 35,400 = Total 108,100pp (sent 3rd)

North – Camp of Dan
Dan 62,700 – Asher 41,500 – Naphtali 53,400 = Total 157,600pp (sent 4th)

TOTAL = 603,550pp

Question: Why does God give Moses orders not to count the Levites then later he tells him to count them? Any who here are some Names, Numbers and Responsibilities

Center – Camp Levites
West - Camp of Gershon - 7,500 males
Tabernacle Responsibilities: care of the tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, 26 the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes—and everything related to their use.

South - Camp of Kohath - 8,600 males
Tabernacle Responsibilities: care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use.

North - Camp of Merari - 6,200 males
Tabernacle Responsibilities: care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use, as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes.

East – Camp of Moses / Aaron & sons - # of males not mention
Tabernacle Responsibilities: care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

Total = 22,300 (bible says 22,000 in Number 3:39 and 22,273 in Numbers 3:43) Interesting?!?!

Question #2

Also, a sister and I were reading and we were wondering what ordination means; like in the phrase "Ram of ordination".

thanks!

Question

So bros, I was wondering...

When we are reading about all the sacrifices & preparation details, etc from our readings, what should I be taking away from them since we are no longer under the old covenant??

Israeli army looks a lot different today

Today I read about the 603,550 fighting men back in Moses time. Now a days the Israeli Army, also known as the IDF "Israel Defense Forces" allows women and Homosexuals

National military service is mandatory for Jewish and Druze men and Jewish women over the age of 18, although exceptions may be made on religious, physical or psychological grounds

Men serve three years in the IDF, while women serve two. The IDF allowed women who volunteer for several combat positions to serve for three years because combat soldiers must undergo a lengthy period of training. Women in other positions, such as programmers, who require lengthy training time may also serve three years. Women in most combat positions are also required to serve as reserve for several years after their dismissal from regular service.

In 1983, the IDF permitted homosexuals to serve, but banned them from intelligence and top-secret positions. In 1993, an IDF reserves officer testified before the Knesset that his rank had been revoked and that he had been barred from researching sensitive topics in military intelligence, solely because of his sexual identity. Since then, homosexuals have been allowed to serve openly in the military, including special units.

Yay for Jesus

I confessed my sins to my discipler today and it was great to pray with her, easy peasy... but gosh imagine if I lived in the days of Moses! The preparation of the animals (and the animals prolly smelled), putting blood all over, even on the ears of Aaron and his sons! (and the blood prolly smelled) and ALL the details we have been reading... and all that just so I could be forgiven for my sins, sheesh. And, if I had to confess my sins tomorrow... uggghhhh we would have to clean everything up (not like they had antibacterial soap and running water, or sponges and stuff... I'd want disinfectant and air freshner hehe) and imagine putting forth all that blood and guts effort again and again. OMGS yaaaay for Jesus and the new covenant!

And poor Aaron, gosh losing 2 of his sons in one day :(. I'm glad he didn't get bitter and resent God (and hopefully he doesn't later)... I'm glad Moses was there to counsel Aaron :(.

Aaron Denies Responsibility

As I was reading, I was quite shocked about the denial Aaron had on the calf. I was thinking to myself, God knows everything Aaron, are you that foolish to have the audacity to lie to Moses, much less God?? And then it made me realize, there have been many times when I have lied. How foolish am I?! I definitely need to have that same reminder to myself that God IS reading my thoughts and will know my every lie, just as he knew Aaron's. Reading what Aaron did makes me feel fearful of ever telling a lie again because I know that God must be so appalled by the fact that he not only knows I am doing it, but because he also knows that IIII know that he knows I'm doing it; and yet still have to the nerve to do it!

(Hope that wasn't too confusing! ha)

Moses' Humility

I liked how Moses was humble before God about his leadership.  

Exodus 33:15-16

Then Moses said to him, "If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.  How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?  What else will distinguish me and your people from all the people on the face of the earth?"

He could have taken pride in his strength, confidence, intelligence, past victories, but he knew things would only be great if God was with him.  He didn't trust in anything else as his reason for being great.  

I just realized this too as I'm reading; at the end of today's reading, Moses' face is radiant.  That is part of the evidence that God is with him and them.  

Wow, thank you so much for everyone's insight!! It definitely helps me get SO much more out of my daily readings. Reading all the different comments & perspectives everyone shares really helps me to contemplate & dig deeper into Gods word. I really appreciate that! Muchos gracias!

God's blueprints and designs: hmm, fascinating.

It is truly amazing how descriptive God was on how he wanted the Israelites to build the tabernacle and how to make the Priest robes for Aaron and his sons. How did the people find material to do all this? I don't know but I think that God created all of these items: gold, silver, bronze, materials in the colors of blue, purple, gold, etc. The measurements. You can actually picture the tabernacle in your own mind reading in Exodus 25-28. I can't wrap my mind around how the Israelites had the ability to build and make curtains or distinguish colors. It doesn't say who God actually chose to do all of this. It just says, "the skilled workers" but who were they? Men? Women? Perhaps both genders. What to you all think?

Elders see God's Glory???????

I was encouraged to read about the promises and blessings God give his people (although we know they don't live up to their end of the bargain) But the one thing that kind of threw me off was the part about the elders seeing God's glory Exodus 24:9-11.

• It said that the elders went up to see God, was that on Mount Sinai?
• "under his feet was pavement made of sapphire" Does that mean God walked up to them?
• "God didn't raise His hand against them" For what sin would God raise his hand against the elders?
• "they saw God, and they ate and drank" back in Exodus 20:18-20 it says that the people were afraid of God. Now they are able to see him and eat and drink with him, what changed?

I found a commentary and this is what it says, I still have questions, maybe we can discuss

"The elders saw the God of Israel; they had some glimpse of his glory, though whatever they saw, it was something of which no image or picture could be made, yet enough to satisfy them that God was with them of a truth. Nothing is described but what was under his feet. The sapphires are the pavement under his feet; let us put all the wealth of this world under our feet, and not in our hearts. Thus the believer sees in the face of Jesus Christ, far clearer discoveries of the glorious justice and holiness of God, than ever he saw under terrifying convictions; and through the Saviour, holds communion with a holy God".

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on Exodus Exodus 24:9-11

Exodus - Movement of the People

I really enjoyed the reading today.  I had lots of thoughts (maybe it was the Starbucks).  

I've seen attempts at scientific explanations for the plagues, like there was a volcano far away..., but they fall short because they happened when Moses did something (put the staff in the sea).  With the Manna today there's not really a scientific explanation for it.  I've thought maybe it was sand and it froze, but that would not taste like honey.  Also it's kind of miraculous too.  It lasts for 2 days when it's supposed to, but rots when it's only supposed to last one day.  And the one that stays before the testimony never rots.  

The people were still learning God's laws and boundaries.  Some had to disobey to learn the consequences.  They were not used to having to obey specific laws.  

I didn't realize this, but Zipporah, Moses' wife, completely missed out on all the plagues and miracles.  Can you imagine Moses saying, "Guess what honey..."

I liked in Exodus 18:9 how Jethro "was delighted to hear about all the good things."  Moses grew up without his true father, but it seems like he was kind of adopted by Jethro.  To see this older man caring and supporting Moses is encouraging.  Later Jethro gives Moses some good advice too.  

When Moses is judging all the situations with the people, how did he know God's laws?  He hasn't been up on the mountain yet.  There are a couple of mentions of him knowing other things, like laws in today's reading.  I wonder what that is about.  

Finally today, Jethro tells Moses to divide up the work.  Great advice.  I wonder if in our church we have a good division of labor.  Should we have more, capable men?  Do we depend too much on our main leader?  What effects could that have on him and us?  

Just my thoughts for today.  Thanks for all who've been posting.  

God is prevalent

I love the NT cuz the gospels allow me to hear Jesus, but in the OT it's sooooo cool to hear God... His thoughts, His reasons, His love... it's amazing :). Gosh the pillar of fire mustv been ginormous to give enough light for 600,000+ men not counting the women children and animals! And my fav scripture from today: "the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Sighhhhh I love God... love you all, have a GREAT week! :)

Gosh Pharoah was a brat! Sheesh :) Ya know how God had Moses ask Pharoah to let the Isrealites go to the desert to worship God, well isn't that sorta misleading cuz Pharoah seemed to think they would come back to Egypt? Why didn't God have Moses directly ask that Pharoah let His people go back to their land?

Older serving the younger...

(Sorry if this has been previously discussed, I've only read through the last 8 or so posts recently). There seems to be such a repeated theme with the scriptures and the older brother serving the younger. We saw Abel's sacrifice preferred over Cain's, Ishmael becoming less because of Isaac being the son of promise, Jacob ruling over Esau, Joseph ruling over all his brothers - and then even in today's reading - Jacob gives Ephraim the blessing of the firstborn although Mannasseh is the elder.

With all of the important factors tied to birthrights and family, it seems that God over and over again is making a point. My thought would be that it enforces humility in the elder, and as the younger learns his own inadequacies - hopefully humility in him as well. What are your thoughts?

Personally, I'm liking being the younger sibling in my family right now... ;-) Although I'm older than most of you - so I guess if the analogy fits, I should be serving all of you, right? Amen to that. Hmmm... I'm thinking "out loud" right now - but it makes a lot of sense and is definitely scripturally supported: "... the last will be first...", "he who is the least will become the greatest..." and on and on.

1 book down 65 more to go

Genesis is such a great book. Lots of lessons learned. I’m looking forward to Exodus and the ups and downs of Moses life. Here are some pix from our Chrono dinner the other night. I’d like to give special thanks to Tera, Lisa, Rebecca and Jackie for cooking and decorating. And thanks to all of you who came. Looking forward to next months breakfast.

His name..?

I wonder why when God spoke to Isreal in the vision he called out the name Jacob instead of Isreal (Gen 46:1-4)? Anyone have any thoughts, perspective?

Man of Integrity

For those of you who were at the "Chrono Dinner" tonight, this is just a repeat of what i shared then...

I was really inspired by Josephs heart... If you take a step back and look at the big picture here, you'll be reminded that at this point in time, there was no 10 commandments, no "law", no teachings of Christ... Just man and God... The commands that existed at this time were handed down from generation to generation... We have seen nations created, and we've seen nations destroyed.. We've seen people obeying God, and we've seen people living in perversion and sin... We've seen the world created, and we've seen it destroyed by the hand of God... We've seen those who had hearts to please God, and those who had hearts to please themselves...

Joseph was a prime example of a man who lived and loved to please God! He may not have been the most tactful when it came to sharing his confidence (look at how he approached his family about his dream), but at a heart level, he just wanted to please God... When Potiphar's wife came onto him, look at what his response: "How then could i do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" Joseph wasn't concerned with losing his "status" in Potiphars household, being arrested, getting her pregnant, becoming unemployed, or anything else... His main concern was that he didn't want to sin against God... How many of us base every one of our decisions in life about whether or not we will please God?

When we go onto read about everything Joseph went thru - being conspired against by his brothers, being sold into slavery, thrown into prison, and falsely accused - you never see him losing faith in God... The text doesn't go onto say "but Joseph had faith in God", however his actions speak louder than any words... God went on to use Joseph in many powerful ways because of his pure heart to please God... Joseph had integrity, not before man, but before God...

The same goes for us... God desires to do so many powerful things with our lives, but our faithlessness and sin prohibit Him from using us to our full potential... The flip side of that coin is that God can use us in a powerful way if we live solely to love him and please him... To live a righteous life; not before man so that we "appear" to be great. But before God; so that He sees our "Joseph-like" heart and allows others to see the great things His Spirit within us can accomplish. I think it's awesome to know that as we're led by the spirit, we can have a pure heart to love and please God and that God will use us for noble purposes...

Imperfect People

Sheesh, lots of character flaws in God's people. For a long time I think I only liked Jesus and Enoch; Jesus because He was perfect and Enoch because there is so little info on him that he seemed perfect too hehe. Now of course I've grown to love David and other characters because of books and stuff. But perhaps I should not read the bible as a fairy tale full of perfect people, but a story of a perfect God and His unfathomable love for His imperfect kids.

My question: How is it that some people in the OT were able to pray to God if Jesus was not around yet? Also, Lisa N. and I were wondering why Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other people were able to "bless" people so powerfully, was the blessing sort of like a prayer too?

Treaty- talking of peace with Jacob and Laban

I noticed how these guys each justified their deceitful actions by the wrongdoing of the other person. Each man never admitted to their own wrongdoing yet saw things as they saw fit whether it was reality or not. They deceived themselves by practicing deceit with others for so long. I guess since they had both been surrounded by deceitful practices growing up that they believed that this was the best way to get ahead. Neither sought God's view of truth and righteousness because their environment did not support it. Laban never owned up to cheating Jacob out of flocks and insisted that they were his. Jacob never owned up to acting on fear and trickery. Whenever we lie to others, it seems that it necesitates that we lie to ourselves on some level in order to carry it through with conviction. It blinds us to God's view of things. So in a way, when we lie to others, we harm ourselves by closing our eyes and hearts and minds to God. No one wins.
I also found it interesting that Jacob was able to endure the hard toil for 20 years persistantly by focusing on personal achievement and by blocking out unproductive emotion to get what he wanted- true to the Curse of Adam to toil but also Man's ability to endure such toiling more obediently for selfish gain. Rachel and Leah both sought in vain for Jacob's love but both took a back seat to his personal pursuit of wealth and accomplishment. Rachel and Leah both suffered from a desire to control who Jacob loved and cherished more through relationships (childbirth) and attachment- part of Eve's curse to suffer from emotional neglect because of Adams priority to rule and conquer the world as opposed to her priority for relationship control through attachment and emotion. Powerful stuff. Nobody wins in this situation unless they turn to God's ways for personal contentment. It is also interesting that Leah finally got the point that her joy should not rest on Jacobs affections for her solely, but that she should be grateful to the gifts of sons the Lord himself had given her as a consolation. Relationships to her sons were to be her consolation. It is no surprise that Judah would be the one through whom David and Jesus would come because of the difference in attitude Leah had when she was pregnant with him as evidenced by the name she gave him and its spiritual significance. I like this commentary book.

Jacob wrestled

Thank you for all who've posted on the blog so far.  There are some great insights and I appreciate people sharing what has stirred their hearts.  The female perspective has been great because not being one myself it helps me understand how you gals think.  

Who do you think Jacob wrestled with?  Was it God, Jesus, an angel, a robber?  

I know he "wrestled with God," but was it really God or something Godly?  Could God really be beaten by a man?  Jacob changed part of his character while wrestling.  He's a deceiver and crafty in the way he gets things, but while he is wrestling I think he works and earns the blessing.  I wonder why he fights so much too.  Was he tired of taking it from Laban?  Was it to protect his wives and children?  

I think when Jacob leaves Laban it's a major point in his life.  He's established himself with his wives and kids and he's crossing over the river not just to go to a new land, but really to start a new era of his life.  He's given a new name which is symbolic of a new beginning.  

I like reading about Jacob because, just to go back a few days, he asks God to be with him on his journey.  When I read about Jacob I feel like it's the story of a young man on a journey.  When he leaves his parents, he really has very little going on for him (no home, no job, no wife.)  He works for many years and God blesses him and he becomes wealthy.  He goes from being a mama's boy (he was Rebekah's favorite while Isaac liked Esau) to wrestling with God and the father of a nation.  

Names

I just wanted to point out that names are important.  I know sometimes there are lists in the Bible that will name names that you'll never read again, but some are repeated.  Since we are in the beginning of the Bible some of the names of people will become nations and groups of people.  I wanted to say this today because we've just read about Jacob having his sons.  Each one of his sons will become one of the tribes of Israel.  So when it talks about the Danites or the Reubenites you'll know where they came from.  

My roommate Luis actually discovered that there are 2 Lamechs.  One is from Seth and other is from Cain.  One was the first to have 2 wives and the other is in the line of Noah.  

This is also something else to point out about the bible in general.  There are many people/characters in the bible.  A man may have many sons, but the bible will talk mostly about one or two.  For the most part the stories we'll be reading will be about the righteous sons.  But it doesn't mean that if someone isn't given attention in the scriptures they were righteous.  For example we just read several chapters about Abraham, but there was hardly anything about his brothers Haran and Nahor.  I think for the most part there is a line through the bible that follows God's people.  The righteous ones are connected.  I'm not sure I'm communicating this well, but I hope this makes sense.  

I find it interesting that during Leah and Rachel's marriage to Jacob, at least up until this point, both women have only one main focus: to bare children for Jacob as an attempt to "win" his love. However, I noticed that after Jacob finished his work for Laban & married Rachel, the story in my opinion, doesn't depict Jacob's attention being directed to Rachel any longer. Unlike both women, who clearly obsessed over him. If anything, I picture Jacob being more concerned about deceiving Laban to expand his flock than "securing" the love his wives had for him.

This just comes to show how God's curse for Adam & Eve obviously was being carried out.

Jacob and Laban- Deceit

Abraham's deceit certainly ran down the line in his family. What a tangled web we weave when we attempt to deceive. All prompted by selfish ambition on both parties end. I'm guessing there was also a lot of self deceit going on as to the ends justifying the means. Deceit winds up blinding the deceiver as well as those they attempt to deceive. After awhile,the person doesn't really know who they are before God and the motives of the heart are polished up and paraded as noble to the self even though God and man sees that it is nothing of the sort.
I am always looking at the motives of my heart to make sure that i am not deceiving myself as to why I do or don't do things. It keeps me humble before God and tells him that I am aware that my sinful nature is there but that it is not what I want to follow. So asking God for the truth and loving it whether it is favorable to me or not is what I do in order to show God that my heart and mind want to obey Him. Even with all conscious effort to do this, things can slip past and my actions may not bring forth the intentions of my heart or mind. Imagine how much more could slip past us if we are not deliberately monitoring our motives and hearts desires? whether they are delighting in God or in selfish wants?

Following PT's suggestion... hi I'm Tera, I invented post-its... haha jk (that's from an old movie).

Today's reading: I thought it was cool to read that Abraham's servant relied a lot on prayer and Isaac too (if his meditation involved prayer); it probably isn't too far fetched to assume that Abraham's faith in God impacted the 2 men that were closest to him :)

Adam and Eve - The Fall

Hey guys. I posted this on the NYC facebook discussion board awhile back and have only now just had a chance to copy and paste it here. Just pretend you're on day 1-3.

I have been studying out the bible on the role of men and women and how each gender reflects the image of God differently. Recently I have been reading and studying out the curse resulting from Adam and Eve's sin & its resulting effect the genders for all ages to come. The punishment God cleverly chose for their individual sins are specifically different and relates to the root cause of Adam and Eve's core sin of their hearts. Adam's sin was lack of Love for Eve and Eve's sin was lack of respect for Adam's role as the leader. Sound like a familiar struggle to any of you. Eve would now desire to control her husband as sin desired to have Cain. God used the same word desire in both instances. She and all women would always want to have ungodly control over the relationship. Adam would rule over Eve in an ungodly and dominant way and woud resist her. His rule would now be contentious. God's original plan was for both to be equal in value but that Adam would bear the role of leadership and overall higher responsibility for Eve. Originally, both would work together and Eve would be his Helper -translated a Strong Warrior Helper and also the same word used for God himself when he said he was Israel's helper. Adam was supposed to lead with love and respect but would now rule and man would dominate and sin against woman in a way never intended.But... the curse laid upon each gender already had the elixir solution in God's plan of salvation with Jesus' blood as prophecied by God Himself when cursing the snake. In order for each gender to overcome their curse, they would have to look to God to learn how to master their core sin and be restored to a mature understanding of right and wrong through repentence.There are several books i have been reading: Wild at Heart, Captivating, The New Eve, Love and Respect. all great eye openers to the opposite gender and God's design. Has anyone else read the last two books? lemmie know. I plan to start book discussion club on biblical Gender Topics. Im gonna call it Gender Role Specifics 101. heehee

Icebreaker...

I know this has nothing to do with the reading for today(I'll write about that later) but I was looking at the list and I don't know a few of you. I was hoping to start what I like to call an "icebreaker", where you can write a little about yourselves. =)

I'll go first: My name is Priscilla Marie Trespalacios (people call me PT), I am 25 years old, from Orange County, California, I've been a disciple for 4 months, and currently going to college studying drama/theater arts. I started acting and singing when I was 5 years old and want to use the talents God gave me to praise and follow him.

You don't have to write a novel, lol. Just something brief. =) I'll be back on later to comment about today's reading. Bye,bye.

Abraham's Test of Faith - Thoughts

So since no one else has posted about Abraham yet I thought I'd leave some of my thoughts.  I'm sorry if they are kind of gruesome.  Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering.  That would mean first killing him and then burning the body.  Imagine having to stand there and watch your son's body burning.  That would take time.  It would be horrible.  

Today I also thought about how it says, "early the next morning."  I wonder if maybe the whole process was so tough on Abraham that putting it off would mean making it longer and that much worse.  And I also wondered if since Isaac was born if Abraham had a bigger faith.  Or maybe he was more willing to follow God.  His faith had been validated so maybe that's why he was willing to jump do what God said.  Maybe that's just how I feel.  I think when he put our faith in God and he comes through, we are more likely to do it again.  

And I wondered how it went when they reached the spot.  Before he bound Isaac, did Abraham tell him how much he loved him?  Did he tell him what God said?  Or did he just start tying him up?  It was very important for Isaac to hear God's voice when He stopped him.  Otherwise he'd probably just think his dad was crazy.  There must've been alot of reassuring and encouraging after that.  Or maybe God helped Isaac understand what was going on.  

Sorry for the brutality of the thoughts.  I'm a filmmaker, so I imagine things.  

Human understanding of right and wrong.

Something that I noticed when reading about Abraham and his deceit towards Abimelech and the Pharaoh of Egypt is just the general understanding that people had of what was sin and what was not. Way before God establishes his commandments through Moses, some people already had a certain reverance toward him. For instance, both the Pharaoh and Abimelech want to clear themselves before God once they found out that Sarah was Abraham's wife. Yes it is true that God did send affliction on them to motivate them to let her go, yet still, there was a understanding that something was wrong and this thing was sin. I just think that it is significant because even though individuals may not know fully what God considers right or wrong, I think there is this inner sense that all human beings possess that helps them to see what is. Perhaps this is just the conscience that I am speaking of. I just think it is cool. All the best to you guys. Farewell til next! - Donette

My reward

"Do not be afraid, _____. I am your great shield, your very great REWARD."

God is enough. He is the greatest treasure anyone can want and need. I love receiving gifts, bonuses, incentives, prizes and praise for doing something noteworthy or praiseworthy. It feels good. But no reward can exceed this gift of love and selflessness that God gives. :D

Today, I love how God is a God who confronts our sin head on. I love the example of a very subtle lie. One may overlook it, but God caught it. Sarah laughed to herself and thought that it wasn't possible for her to have a child at old age. He asked Abraham why Sarah responded why she did. Sarah replied quickly that she did not laugh (due to being afraid). But God didn't just let it pass, he replied, "YES you did laugh." I thought that was very interesting. God could have possibly understood her doubt...for it was an outrageous event to occur. But he didn't. He confronted her doubt and her lie. He kept her honest.

So far, what I gather about Eve (being deceived by serpent), Abraham lying about Sarah being his sister and Sarah doubting and lying about her fear stemmed from a lack of trust in God. They did not have the faith to believe that God was able to do incredible things in their lives.

I love God's mercy and how he is willing to work with us. We can change God's mind. I love it when Abraham was willing to spare Sodom if there were 50-40-30-10 righteous people. Abraham was bold to ask and God was gracious to spare. Though the ending was not pretty, I saw a loving God during all this.

May God be feared and praised. Amen.

My heart def felt heavy reading today... there was quite a glimpse into the depravity of man. I was glad there was a more lasting glimpse of God and His angels. It was interesting that God came in the form of 3 men (I wonder if that number represents God, Jesus, and the Spirit... any bible scholars around to provide us confirmation?).

Maps - illustrations - Question

Here is a link to some biblical maps. I know for me I'm a visual person and it helps me when I’m reading about a place to be able to look at a map and try to visually put my self there. Also here are some more visual illustrations like Noah's Ark and the Tower of Babel etc....Hope these tools can add to your reading.

Today’s reading in Gen 16 was interesting. God told Abram that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars. Yet he doesn't say the offspring between Abram and Sarai. So Sarai suggests Hagar bear Abram children, which according to traditions of that time was proper, and then Hagar has Ishmael who is a leader of sorts for the Arab Nation. Then later on Sarai has Isaac who in a sense becomes a leader of sorts among the Jewish Nation. Because of these two children we have, as F. LaGard Smith puts it “conflict in the Middle East"

My question is why couldn't have God told Abram that his offspring would specifically be between him and Sarai (he evidentially does later in Gen 17:23-27). Abram would have still had to trust God. Ishmael would have never been born and we would have no Middle East conflict. Or did he use Hagar as a tool for future reasons, which is now evident in our present Middle East conflict

God's Covenant

Hi All! I'm so glad to be part of this with my family!!! Thanks again Tera, for having such a heart of unity and wanting to see us all built up (Eph 4)! So, I have the privilege of doing the study with a really cool study bible that describes a lot of the historic information that follows side by side with the scriptures. This morning I read about God's covenant with Abram which has ALWAYS been one of my favorite passages of scripture.

The most powerful thing that hit me this morning was the fact that historically in this type of covenant the lesser party is the one that usually has all of the promises to make and things to live up to - but in God's covenant with Abram (and subsequently with ME!!!) HE is the one making all of the promises and the response is simply to love and be faithful. I feel SOOOO humbled and honored by that, and so incredibly undeserving that the God of heaven in deep humility, would treat his side of the covenant relationship as the lesser.

:-)

I was grateful to read about Abram (Abraham) today... I guess every time i think of Abraham I think of a man that was very faithful at times, while also faithless at times... What I read today gave me a whole different outlook on his character - he was also a warrior and he was bold as heck!!

In Genesis 14 Abraham puts together an army of trained men, and during the night, he goes on a mission to rescue his nephew Lot... And it wasn't like he went in and got Lot and rushed... The bible says "During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he ROUTED them, PURSUING them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus"... He went in there with 318 men and routed the armies of 4 kings! Then he chased them into another city!! THEN - he went in and took all of Lot's possessions back, along with releasing all of the other captives... It doesn't say how many people were in the opposing armies, but I'm sure it wasn't just a few foot soldiers ya know?

In addition to all of this, back to my first point, Abram had to have faith and confidence that God was going to be with him in order to carry out this mission... And it wasn't like he sat around and talked to a bunch of people and contemplated whether or not he was going to do this... He saw that his nephew and his family was in need (even though they had argued in Gen 13 and they parted ways) and he immediately met that need...

One more thing and I promise I'll be done! hahaha.. Abram was a man of integrity... Check out the end of Gen 14 when Abram refused any gifts from the kings of Sodom... The people of Sodom and Gomorrah had a reputation of being evil people and I'm sure Abram was not naive to that... He chose to refuse their gifts - "I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say `I made made Abram rich.`"... He made this oath to God and he stuck to his word... He could have compromised in hopes of material prosperity, but he chose to hold onto his integrity before the Lord and allow God to make him prosper... This is an example of all of us to follow!!
okay, I'm done =)

i have enjoyed reading the blog so far. thx all who have contributed so far. very coolio. :D
i find it very interesting how it didn't take very long for mankind to fall short. God designed us in HIS image and likeness. he desires for us to be like him and enjoy everything that he has given us. however, we have one big obstacle...Satan. the devil is the great tempter, deceiver, liar and hates Truth. the biggest battle isn't in the physical realm, but the spiritual realm. the battle starts w/ our mind and heart. satan wants us to believe the lie to be the truth and then we act upon it. "you will not surely die"...."for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." doesn't that sound convincing? well, it is sugar coated and the truth has been distorted. satan is good...he doesn't tell you up front a lie, he manipulates your thoughts. satan spins the truth and leaves false impressions. pretty crafty huh? it only makes me realize that we really need God and stay very close to him all the more. especially because if we let our guards down, we are vulnerable to his schemes. don't let him cause shame, fear and blame in your hearts when you sin....but rather draw close to God and his goodness.
Gen 4:7 "But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must MASTER IT." I love this passage. Sin lurks everywhere, but I am able to master it through God's word, prayer, and help from his people (esp. the Chrono 2009 group!! oh yea!!!)

Fun Fact: Methuselah is the oldest man in the bible. He was 969 yrs old. :P

I like the meaning of Noah's name...He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands. so even though women have been cursed to bear children...God will comfort us through that time. too cool.

In Gen 6, there was a passage that made me feel sad but at the same time..happy because it made me see how God has feelings too. "God's <3 was filled w/ pain. " It helps me see (written down), feel and understand how it does hurt God when I sin. It breaks his heart...and it should break my heart too....in a good way. :( .... :D

I shall not be disgusted when Bear Grylls (from Man vs. Wild) eats those funky insects, sap from the tree or his own bodily fluids. God did say, "He gives everything that lives and moves to be food." :o) yummy!!!

Can't wait to study out more about Abram.......soon to be Abraham.

Blog w/ ya'll later.... good nite!

greetings!

hey guys! hello from new york. my name is donette and i look forward to posting and reading your comments as we continue to read together. all the best and speak to you guys soon.

From yesterday's reading, I thought TERAH was a great name! hehe

From today's reading, I thought it was kinda stinky that Abram (Abraham) was willing to witness Sarai (Sarah) being taken as Pharaoh's wife. I'm glad he redeemed himself through his other actions, and ultimately his faith in and obedience to God.

I just want to say thank you for the group of you who had this on your hearts to put this together for 2009. I find it a great way to be focused on one thing at a time and not just read the Word but understand why things happened the way they did and all in God's perfect timing.

As I was reading in Genesis 6:13 it stood out to me what an impact we have in this lost world. When God says that the world is full of violence because of us, it doesn't just show me how sinful we are. As much impact as we have on this earth with our sin, we can also have by being a light. I would so much rather live out this scripture by God looking down on us seeing that with his power we were able to turn this world upside down for the Good instead of evil.

Although in everyday life it is not always easy to see the good God does during the obstacles we face, this flood is a perfect example of God working for good. He made all things new and we are not always going to understand why He is working in our lives the way He does, but I can be good with that.

Have a great night everyone. :)

Hello OC!  

Just to let you guys know, I'm going to have the NYC group join on here too, so that should be fun.

Noah was what I needed to read today.  It just reminded me of how we are saved.  Christians are like Noah and his family.  What a privilege!  God takes us with the good and the bad too.  Even Noah sins by getting drunk and having too much fun apparently.  We do live after The Fall, but God still loves us and uses us.  God knew what Noah would do and still chose him.  

Also I guess the fish didn't die, but everything else did.  Maybe they ate up some of the animals.  

The beginning of the Genesis just flies by.  so much happens in a few chapters.  I'd love to read a book about Adam and Eve and the effects of the Fall.  It's so tragic and profound.  Anyone know any?

Justin

Hello! Today was another great day of reading! :) I liked Gen 3:21 when God still took care of Adam and Eve after they sinned. God always takes care of us. Gen 4:1-5 talks about Cain and Abel, I noticed how Cain had a bad attitude and it led him into sin. He allowed his emotions to control him. Gen 4:6 is very specific in giving us instruction about doing what is right always or else sin will be crouching at our door, we must master it. Wow! Question...How can we master sin? Hmm??? Gen 5:24 Enoch did not die, he was taken up. God did not want for him to experience death. Why is my question? All of the other men did. I found a scripture in Heb 11:5-6 that talks about Enoch. "By faith Enoch was taken from this life...." He was a man of faith and God was pleased with him. I see that God is pleased when we have faith. :)
Nugget: Did you know that in Gen Chapter 1 the word God appears 30 times? I counted them, God was and is always working. Good night family!

It is funny how six pages of the bible can move us all. SIX! And we just started reading. Wow, I'm with all of you when I say, God is awesome. My favorite part of the little reading in the beginning was when the question was: What would life be without stars, rivers, oceans, and basically land?-well, that part is from my own insight. At the beginning, light is seperated from darkness and every single plant God created is set according to a different kind. Imagine if we just ate apples as a fruit or ate only carrots as a vegetable? And for the first time in a while, I am looking up words in the dictionary, which we all need once in a while for this chrono reading, I think. And I'm not a feminist but When I read about the consequences of the man and the woman in Genesis 3:14-15 & 17-19, it seems like the women suffers more burden than the men. I don't really understand that part if anyone can help me on that. Anywho, on to my second reading. As the Terminator says "I'll be back." Tomorrow that is. Take care and God bless.

=)

GREAT insights Diaz, smartinez, Ronster and hananiah! :)

From yesterday's reading, I LOVED that God was "walking in the garden" (Gen3:8-10), I love the literal sense of that description; personally, I sometimes wish He was more tangible now so I can hug Him and hear His voice and stuff, so I am def looking forward to us humans being able to go back to the garden of Eden (heaven) so we can hang out with God (and ask Him all sorts of questions... I def have a long list hehe).

From today's reading, gosh Enoch was so cool! (and later :) Elijah too)

Hello awesome family of God! Happy New Year to all of you! What a great way to start the new year with God's incredible word! First I want to thank everyone who has put so much work and time into making this happen. I am so grateful to all of you. I will pray for all of you to continue to do great things for God always! :) Well, I read our first reading and wow! Every time I read God's word I learn something new. Something I never saw before, I guess it's the Spirit leading me into a new direction for wisdom and deeper understanding. I have to agree with Dean in regards to having so many questions about the beginning. Hmmm?? I trust that God will reveal it to us in his time. :) The main thing that really stood out to me in this two chapters was God's love for us. It is amazing how he blessed us, (Gen 1:28), he entrusted us with all creation (Gen 1:28), he provided every good thing for us to live (Gen 1:29), we are perfectly made in his eyes (Gen 1:31) question is...why do we doubt? Hmm?. Love, love is what I see from him. Something else that really stood out was the fact that God took time and had a plan to create the world and us. God is a God of order. Wow! We need to imitate him. Everything that is worth fighting for will take time and it has to be orderly. Our characters, the transformation of our minds in becoming more like Christ. Questions that came to mind...Why do we fight God's plan? Why do we run from God when all he wants to do is love us? Hmm??? Looking forward to tomorrows lesson. One more thing....Who can please explained more about the rivers? Where are they located here on Earth? I am not a geography expert. :) I am completely lost. Love you guys.

Does anybody get as frustrated as i do when it comes to trying to wrap your mind around an "eternal" God? I mean... Just reading the opening paragraph, I got frustrated just trying to imagine our God always existing... Even when there was no life, no earth, no nothing - he was there... It's just hard to comprehend something so beyond our piddly little minds... God's eternal... How powerful is that??

There is so much in this first stretch of scripture... I love the story of creation... To see God speak things into creation, and to be humbled at the fact that each and every one of us came from dirt... To see the beauty of the Garden, to try to pinpoint it on a map according to the four rivers... To see that God rested from His work just like we need rest from ours... But I think the one thing that stands out to me was when God created man He said, "Let US make man in OUR image, in OUR likeness"... I love the fact that i get to sit down, crack open Genesis 1 and see a glimpse of Christ... It makes me think of John 8:54-59 when Jesus said to the teachers of the Law, "before Abraham was born, I am!"... And He WAS!! Right there in Genesis 1...

Think about it; God sent His only son to die for our sin... This son which He walked with since before creation... What a gift we have been given! Lets this motivate us to begin understanding the love that God has for us... Not the kind of love that we (or I at least) understand - that if we do good, we get blessings, but if we do bad, we get no blessings - or even curses... God love us PERIOD!! Good, bad, and ugly - God sent Jesus... And lets not overlook the fact that we were created in BOTH of their images... That means that we can be like BOTH of them... As we allow ourselves to be emptied of self, and be full of God's spirit, we WILL be more like God and like Jesus - because that is our origin... We were created in THEIR image... How powerful is that... Let us realize it, and live like it...
- Diaz

Happy New Year!! I'm stoked to start Chrono. Thanks to Tera, Mitch, and Dean for their presentation on Tuesday night. "Yes We Can" read the bible in a year.

;)