Last January 1, I shared that one of my goals is to finish reading the Bible this 2018. I have been wanting to complete this goal for several years now but I have failed each time. This year, I intend to successfully complete the goal. Thus, I decided to share my learnings every week with you.
Please note that I am having difficulty understanding most of the things written in the Bible. But I’m really doing my very best! So please correct me if you think that what I have written here is wrong. I might have possibly understood the readings wrongly. Nevertheless, I will continue to strive and make time to read. I feel like my life struggles can only be overcome if I deepen my relationship with the Lord.
So here goes…
Week 1 (January 1-7, 2018) covering the following chapters: Genesis 1-11 and Job 1-16
- First day – God created the heavens and the earth. Then He created light that separated light from darkness. He called light ‘day’ and darkness ‘night’.
- Second day – God separated the waters and called the expanse heaven.
- Third day – God let the dry land appear below the heavens and called it earth. God called the gathering of the waters as seas and He let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seeds and fruit trees bearing fruit with seeds in them.
- Fourth day – God created the lights to separate day from the night. The greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He made stars as well.
- Fifth day – God let the waters with swarms of living creatures and the earth above with flying birds. He blessed them and said “be fruitful and multiply!”
- Sixth day – God created the cattles, creeping things and beasts of the earth plus He made man in His image and asked man to rule over the fish of the sea, birds of the sky, cattle, beasts and creeping things of the earth. God also mentioned that the plant yielding seed and fruit yielding seed will be food for man while green plant is good for beasts, birds and everything that moves on earth.
- Just by reading Genesis 1 alone made me think that we should just eat plants and fruits. It didn’t say that we can eat beasts and castles’ flesh. Maybe that’s why a lot are vegetarians?
- Genesis 2:
Seventh day – God blessed the 7th day and sanctified it coz this is the day that He rested from all His creations/work.God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden. There He placed the man He has formed (Adam). In Eden, there are beautiful trees good for food, tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Four rivers flowed out of Eden to water the garden (Pishon where there is gold, Gihon, Tigris & Euphrates).
God commanded Adam to eat freely in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil as he will surely die if he do so.
God asked Adam to give names to all the cattles, birds and beasts of the field.
Then God created woman (to be a helper to Adam) out of the rib taken from Adam.
Adam said, “This is the bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
This is the reason why a man is expected to leave his parents and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh.
- The serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field. The serpent tricked Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil telling her that she will surely not die and be like God if she eats from it. Eve took the fruit from the tree and have also to Adam and they ate. After, both their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked.
- God, upon knowing this, told
(1) serpent – “because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go and dust you will eat all the days of your life”
(2) Eve – “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you will bring forth children; yet your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you”
(3) Adam – “by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. - God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve and clothed them. He drove them out of Eden. He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
- Adam and Eve had Abel and Cain as sons. Abel was a keeper of flocks while Cain was a roller on the ground. Abel brought firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions while Cain brought fruit of the ground. God has high regard for Abel and no regard for Cain. Cain became angry and killed his brother Abel.
- Now Cain is cursed from the ground but the Lord appointed a sign for Cain which says that whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold. Cain and his wife had more descendants and one of them is Lamech who killed 2 men. Lamech said to his wife that if Cain is avenged sevenfold then Lamech seventy-sevenfold. Eve gave birth to another son named Seth. She said “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him”
- Genesis 5 is all about the descendants of Adam.
Most men lived about 700-900 years.Here are names that were mentioned:
Adam ➡️ Seth ➡️ Enosh ➡️ Kenan ➡️ Magalalel ➡️ Jared ➡️ Enoch ➡️ Methuselah ➡️ Lamech ➡️ Noah ➡️ Shem, Japheth & HamIt is worth noting that Lamech called his son Noah, saying, “this one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.”
- Genesis 6 is all about the corruption of mankind.
Men began taking in wives for themselves. Then God said, “My Spirit shall not arrive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.”
Then the Lord saw the wickedness of man was great on earth and He was sorry that He made man on earth but Noah found favor in the yes of the Lord.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
Then God said to Noah that the earth is filled with violence because of men and He is about to destroy them with the earth. God gave specific instructions to Noah on how to make an ark where Noah will take his family and 2 of every kind (make & female) of every living thing of all flesh, birds, animals and creeping things of the ground. God also asked Noah to gather food for himself and for everyone in the ark.
Noah did according to all that God had commanded him.
- Genesis 7 is about the flood.
God told Noah to enter the ark together with his family since he alone have been righteous before God in this time. Noah would take every clean animals by sevens (male & female), not clean animals by two and birds of the sky by sevens, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
After seven days, God will send rain on the earth 40 days and 40 nights and He will boot out from the face of the land every living thing that He has made.
When the flood came upon the earth for 40 days, the water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.
Only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. The water prevailed upon the earth 150 days.
- Genesis 8 is about the flood subsiding.
Upon remembering Noah & all the beasts and cattle with him in the ark, God causes a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.
Noah sent out a raven to check if the water was dried up from the earth and sent out a dove to check if the water abated from the face of the land.
Then God told Noah to get out of the ark with everyone & everything with him.
Noah then built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
The Lord then said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”
- Genesis 9 is about the covenant of the rainbow.
God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I have the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”
And God made a covenant between Him and Noah and every living thing that He will never again create flood to destroy flesh. The rainbow will serve as remembrance of that promise.
Meanwhile, 1 day, Noah got drunk of wine and he got naked inside his tent. Ham (his youngest son) saw him and told his two brothers. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and covered their father. When Noah woke up, he knew what Ham did and he cursed Canaan (son of Ham) to be a servant of servants and that he shall be a servant to his brothers.
- What confused me is the statement about us being able to eat anything that is alive BUT only we cannot eat flesh with its life (blood). My friends told me that as long as it’s not blood, we are okay to eat.
- Genesis 10 is about the descendants of Noah.
Specifically about the generations of Shem, Ham & Japheth (sons of Noah) who had sons born to them after the flood.
Names of their descendants were enumerated in the chapter. Out of these genealogies, the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.
- Genesis 11 is about the universal language, Babel & the confusion + the descendants of Shem.
The whole world used to have the same language but men built themselves a city and a tower whose top would reach into heaven and made themselves a name so they won’t be scattered abroad over the face of the earth.
Then the Lord confused their language and scattered them abroad and they stopped building the city. Its name was called Babel.
Regarding descendants of Shem..
Familiar names were Lot, Abram & Sarai.
- Job 1 is about Job’s character and wealth as well as when Satan was allowed to test Job.Job, in the land of Uz, was a blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.
He’s blessed with lots of possessions. However, Job would continue to offer burnt offerings to the Lord depending on the number people who feasted. Job said, “perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”
One day, Satan questioned Job’s faith to the Lord and He was given permission to test Job. On the day when his sons and daughters were eating & drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, Job was informed by messengers that he lost his possessions including his family.
Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshipped. He said, “naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.
- Job 2 is about Job losing his health.
Satan again challenged Job’s faith to the Lord saying that skin for skin -!: that a man will curse the Lord is He touches their bone and flesh. Thus, Satan was given permission again to test Job but sparing his life.
Satan smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job’s wife told Job to curse God but Job continued to not sin with his lips. He said to his wife, “you speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”
Job’s 3 friends (Eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite & zophar the naamathite) came to Job to symphatize & comfort him. They sat down with Job for 7 days and 7 nights.
- Job 3 is all about Job’s lament.
I guess he was on great pain that he cursed the day of his birth.
- For Job 4 is about Eliphaz saying that innocent do not suffer.
Eliphaz answered back Job’s laments by saying that Job’s words have helped strengthened weak people and now that he has experienced weakness and he has become impatient. Isn’t Job’s fear of God His confidence?
Eliphaz then reminded Job that there are no innocents that are perished, only those who sow trouble harvest it
- Job 5 is about God being Just.
“But as for me, I would seek God, and I would place my cause before God; who does great and unsearchavke things, wonders without number.”
“Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, so do not despise the discipline of the almighty. For He inflicts lain, and gives relief; He wounds, and His hands also heal.
- Job 6 is about Job’s friends not being of help.
Job says that his grief were actually weighed and laid in the balances together with his calamity. That the arrows of the Almighty are within him and their poison his spirit drinks. The terrors of God arrayed against him. His soul refuses to touch them. They are like loathsome food to him. Would that God were willing to crush him, that He would loose His hand and cut Job off? For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; so that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty. He said, “teach me, and I will be silent; and show me how I have erred. Do you intend to deprive my words, when the words of one in despair belong to the wind?”
- Job 7 is Job seemingly looking at his life as useless.
“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and come to an end without hope.”
“Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. If I say, ‘my bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,’ then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me by visions; so that my souls would choose suffocation, death rather than my pains.”
“Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself? Why then do You not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust; and You will seek me, but I will not be.”
- Job 8 is about Bildad saying that God rewards the good
“If you would seek God and implore the compassion of the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, surely now He would rouse Himself for you and restore your righteous estate. Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will increase greatly.”
“Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, Nor will He support the evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting. Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no longer.”
- Job 9 is where Job says that there is no judge/referee between God and man.
“In truth I know that this is so; but how can a man be in the right before God? Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, “What are you doing?’
“If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty”
“For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, that we may go to court together. Let Him remove His rod from me, and let not dread of Him terrify me. Then I would speak and not fear Him; but I am not like that in myself”
- Job 10 is about Job’s despairs if God dealings.
Job said the following:
“I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, ‘do not condemn me; let me know why you contend with me.”“Remember now, that You have made me as clay; and would You turn me into dust again?”
“You renew Your witnesses against me and increase Your anger toward me; Hardship after hardship is with me. Why then have You brought me out of the womb? Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!”
- These words from Job is very familiar as this is almost the exact words I always tell God. I have always felt that God has been too unfair giving me such a painful and hard life. Even until today. When all I did is to be a good person…
- Job 11 is about Zophar rebuking Job.
He said, “can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. If He passes by or shuts up, or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him? For He knows false men, and He sees iniquity without investigating. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness dwell in your tents; then, indeed you could lift up your face without moral defect, and you would be steadfast and not fear. For you would forget your trouble, as waters that have passed by, you would remember it. Then you would trust, because there is hope; and you would look around and rest securely. But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and there will be no escape for them; and their hope is to breathe their last.”
- Job 12 is where Job chides his accusers and speaks of the power of God.
Job said the ff.:
“I am a joke to my friends, the one who called on God and He answered him; the just and blameless man is a joke. He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, as prepared for those whose feet slip. The tents of the destroyers prosper and those who provoke God are secure, whom God brings into their power.”“With Him are wisdom and might; to Him belong counsel and understanding. Behold, He tears down, and it cannot be rebuilt; He imprisons a man, and there can be no release. With Him age strength and sound wisdom, the misled and the misleader belong to Him. He makes the nations great, the. Destroys them; He enlarges the nations, then leads them away.”
- This really sounds like me talking, hehehe! I always question why God gives good lives to people who are bad in nature. I also question why God would create us then takes everything away from us. It is always a mystery to me.
- Job 13 is about Job saying that his friends’ proverbs are ashes and Job is sure that he will be vindicated.
Job said the ff.:
“What you know I also know; I am not inferior to you. But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue with God. Will you speak what is unjust for God and speak what is deceitful for Him? Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God? Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, your defenses are defenses of clay.”“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless, I will argue my ways before Him. This also will be my salvation, for a godless man may not come before His presence. Behold now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated”
- As I understand it, Job will continue to have hope in the Lord and will argue his ways with God. Job knows he will be vindicated.
- Job 14 is about Job speaking about the finality of death.
“Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil. Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.
For there is hope for a tree, when it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and its shoots will not fail.
So man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no longer, he will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.” - Seems like Job thinks that our lives are numbered and if we are dead, we are done. There is no way to resurrect or be saved from death. Not like trees when we put water, it becomes alive again.
- Job 15 is about Eliphaz saying Job presumes much and He also shares what he has seen of life.
“Do you hear the secret counsel of God, and limit wisdom to yourself? What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that we do not? Are the consolations of God too small for you, even the word spoken gently with you? What is man, that he should be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in His sight; how much less one who is destestabke and corrupt, man, who drinks iniquity like water!”
“The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, and numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless. For the company of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tents of the corrupt”
- Job 16 is about Job saying his friends are sorry comforters and that God shattered him.
“I have heard many such things; sorry comforters are you all. Is there no limit to windy words? Or what plagues you that you answer?”
“I was at ease, but He shattered me, and He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His target.”
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