Between Adam and Noah

I didn't read any further in the Bible yesterday, but today I read the rest of Genesis 5. It seems the entire point to the chapter was to follow the specific lineage from Adam to Noah. I must admit I am typically bored by these chapters of one guy with a strange name “begot” a son with an often even stranger name, and I seldom come away with any divine enlightenment. Of course, these were very real people and it’s a very real lineage, so that makes the history much more interesting (if you like history, anyway).

Could you imagine living for over 900 years?


While yesterday I didn't read any further, I did spend a significant period of time listening with my wife to a couple series by Ravi Zacharias: The Search for Absolutes in a Pluralistic Society and Christ’s Answers for Man’s Questions. They were part of a Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) radio broadcast, Let My People Think.

Dr. Zacharias, originally from India, is pretty much a modern philosopher and Christian apologist and is extremely adept at taking an academic, objective, comprehensive, and faith-filled approach to Christianity in a fallen world. I cannot speak to every aspect of his ministry, but when put to the test, so far he holds up as a man of the one, true God.

If you get an opportunity, I would suggest exploring his ministry and listening to some of his messages. Below is the link to get to the series we listened to; I’ll post the link to RZIM in the sidebar.

http://www.rzim.org/radio/archives.php?p=LMPT

The other children of Adam and Eve

In reference to the first comment for the previous post, Brotherly Hate, Genesis 5:1-5 demonstrates plainly God’s strategy in telling us about the children of Adam and Eve.

“After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.” (Gen 5:4)

I’m sure that Adam and Eve had plenty of children and grandchildren over the course of Adam’s very long life. Adam may have even had other wives. Of course, even after pointing out that they had sons and daughters, the Bible continues on to focus only on Seth.

We don’t need to know everything; God tells us all we need to know. The real issue isn’t what we know or don’t know, but whether or not we trust Him.

Brotherly Hate?

I read Gen 4 today. I am always saddened to read the account of the two brothers. It didn’t have to be that way.

While it was Cain’s fault that his offering was not pleasing to God, he didn’t listen to God’s guidance and fix the problem. Instead of adjusting his own heart and submitting to God, he murdered his own brother. Did he actually think murdering Abel was going to solve anything, or did he just want to hurt God?

It reminds me of a lot of the violence of the inner city where I grew up. There are specific, proven, and available ways to improve your situation in life, but violence and crime are often chosen instead, and then others are blamed for the situation and the choices that led to the situation. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Starting the Fall

Yesterday I only read Gen 3:1 (actually, only the first sentence). I noticed for the first time that the Bible seems to distinguish between the serpent and the animals which God made. Things that make you go “hmmm.”

Today I read the rest of Gen 3. It reminded me of a woman who once told me that she had rejected Christianity in exchange for some form of paganism worshipping a goddess. The reason she gave was that Christianity was oppressive to women, and she cited the “blame” that Christianity attributes to Eve in Gen 3 as proof.

I thought it was ironic that a serpent had crawled into her life and cunningly convinced her that God had mislead her and did not have her best interest in mind, and she would be better served by following a different path rather than obeying God; in her pride…she believed.

Sound familiar?

Creation Concluded

I decided to begin the day with my Bible reading and blog entry today. I finished reading the rest of Genesis 2, concluding all accounts of creation.

I forgot to pray again before I started. That might explain why instead of being awed by the power and creativity of God, all I could think about was inconsistencies and contradictions. People always claim the Bible is filled with inconsistencies or contradictions, but I have yet to have anyone point them out, and I cannot find them myself.

What are these alleged flaws?

Sometimes these arguments remind me of politics. It’s not uncommon to hear an objection to policy (just as many object to God), only to discover later that the person objecting has never searched out the claims and issues, or they base their objections on false assumptions.

Don't waste your breath.

I only read Genesis 2:4-7 today. I was going to read more, but I got sidetracked by the fact that God breathed the breath of life into Adam (and obviously Eve).

The greatest mystery for man is life…the consciousness and sentience of man…we cannot explain it. We can’t explain it because it is of God. We, all of us, have the breath of life, the breath of God Himself, within us.

Now, consider the expression “wasted breath.”

Pastor Joe Wright at the Kansas House of Representatives

My wife’s grandmother, GG, sent us an email chain (don’t ya just love those) about a prayer offered at the opening of a government session. Whenever I get email chains, I either delete them or research them and delete them, but make no mistake…I delete them. This was different; the claims in the email were such that I actually hoped it to be true. I researched the event and discovered the truth was even more impressive than the email.

Here’s a link for you, so you can familiarize yourself:
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/wright.asp

One thing that struck me about the prayer was how all inclusive it is. Rightfully, there isn’t one people group that doesn’t fit into the prayer as having sinned and needing God’s grace. It’s a very convicting prayer, and I can see how it might evoke either humility (submission to God) or pride (rebellion against God…man’s original sin).

The other thing that struck me was the outrage against the prayer, calling it a “message of intolerance,” and an “extreme, radical” view held by “right wing extremists.” Are we supposed to tolerate anything and everything? If so, how does the liberal intolerance of the Christian value system figure into liberal “tolerance?” And what’s so extreme about not wanting a human child to be killed, wanting to protect and preserve our culture (not just Christian culture) and children from the obvious and unavoidable damage of pornography, or wanting to be free to engage in the religion that believes homosexuality is one of a countless number of sins committed by all human beings instead of being forced to practice the religion that believes homosexuality is moral because there is no such thing as sin?

This whole situation is a wonderful example of how our pride - assuming to know better than God what is right or fair or “good for us” - blinds us to the peace and grace that God offers equally to us all. And if you don’t think that’s the issue, explain how the vast, overwhelming majority of Americans believes and votes one way, but the law (elected alleged representatives and nine judges) sends us in a completely different direction.

This prayer was right on target except for maybe one thing; instead of asking God to “give us clear minds to accomplish our goals,” we should pray for Him to give us contrite hearts to submit to His will.