Genesis Chapter 12

Genesis Chapter 12:

Preface:

Up to this point Genesis has been recounting the history of the entire world.  The Creation Hymn, Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood, and the Tower of Babel relate to the entire world. However starting with Chapter 12 the historical time line shifts to focus on the history of the Hebrew Nation, God's chosen people.  

In the generations following Noah, the human race had fallen back into idolatry and worshiping false and multiple gods.  With the human race turning once again away from God, the history of salvation and the messianic promise is narrowed to one man, Abram, the son of Terah from the line of Shem.

 Abram's father had adopted heathen superstition and idolatry, but Abram had remained monotheistic and loyal to God.  Therefore God seeing Abram to be faithful called him to become the Patriarch of God's people, the Hebrew Nation.  Through Abram, later known as Abraham, God begins to fulfill the promise he made in the Garden of Eden, the promise of redemption through sin, which was fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus Christ.  So in many ways Abram's calling is a shift from God's focus on the world to the focus on God's people and a story of redemption, a redemption which through one nation would in turn allow redemption to the entire world with the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ.

Summary:

The Call of Abram (12:1-9)

Chapter 12 starts off by the Lord calling Abram  to "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you."

God then promises Abram "And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

It's important to note that previously in Chapter 11:30 we learn that Abram's wife Sarai was barren and they had no children.  This makes God's promise all the more miraculous.  With both Sarai and Abram in their 60s and 70s at the time God called them, the idea of the couple having children would be miraculous and blessing God could only offer.  

"in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." In this verse, God is foreshadowing the coming of Christ who came into the world through the line of Abraham and the Jewish people. Through Jesus, God's grace would be offered not only to the Jewish people, but extended to the entire world. 

Abram agrees to follow God's instruction.  He leaves home with his wife and nephew, Lot and moves southwest into a land God has promised to give Abram's descendants, Canaan.  Abram takes up residence there and erects a number of altars throughout the land as symbols of his devotion to God.

Abram and Sarai in Egypt (12:10-20):

Sometime after initially settling in Canaan there was a famine in the land forcing Abram, Sarai and Lot into Egypt to sojourn there for the famine to pass in Canaan.  Because Sarai was beautiful, even at age 65; and powerful princes had a practice of confiscating beautiful women for themselves; and killing their husbands.  Afraid for his life, Abram told Sarai to say that she was his sister.  

"I know that you a woman beautiful in appearance, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say,  'This is his wife.'  Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.  Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake."

His claim that Sarai was his sister was not exactly a lie as she was Abram's half-sister.  Back then there was much less of a population base and it was not uncommon to intermarry between family members due to the available population pool.  As the earth's population grew this became unnecessary and inappropriate.  

When Abram entered Egypt, the Pharaoh's princes praised Sarai's beauty.  She was brought into the Pharaoh's house as one of his wives, which went against God's will.  Abram had faltered in faith by misleading the Pharaoh of Sarai's true identity.  He was afraid of what could happen to him, versus trusting the promises God had made to him. 

"But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.  So Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me?  Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?  Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife?  Now then here is your wife; take her, and go"  

Abram leaves Egypt a wealthy man and then returns to Canaan in Chapter 13, which we will discuss in my next entry.

I think the story of Abram and Sarai in Egypt shows that sometimes it takes time for God's plan for us to be set in motion, but if we are faithfully patient his promises will be fulfilled.  Although Abram was met with trials, making it easy to doubt God, God always fulfills his promises.  In the next few chapters of Genesis we'll see God's promises to Abram fulfilled and a covenant established, establishing a binding contract with God and his people.

God's promises are always fulfilled, with his promise of salvation and redemption for our sins being fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.  We like Abram can have a personal relationship with the Father through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Running Behind

I hope everyone is doing well.  I'm way behind on posting.  I'm finishing up my new novel and although I'm continuing my devotions, posting my entries regarding the scripture is behind.  I'll catch up by the end of May.  In the meantime I am posting a few important prayers, that can be helpful. 

Prayer for Unbelievers:

O God, the everlasting Creator of all things, remember that the souls of unbelievers were made by Thee and formed in Thine own image and likeness. Remember that Jesus, Thy Son, endured a most bitter death for their salvation. Permit not, I beseech Thee, O Lord, that Thy Son should be any longer despised by unbelievers, but do Thou graciously accept the prayers of holy men and of the Church, the Spouse of Thy most holy Son, and be mindful of Thy mercy. Forget their idolatry and unbelief, and grant that they too may some day know Him whom Thou hast sent, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Salvation, our Life and Resurrection, by whom we have been saved and delivered, to whom be glory for endless ages. Amen.

Prayer for Pets by St. Francis of Assisi- so many animals are abused, I pray for the innocent creatures and I believe God's love is great enough to help innocent pets and wildlife as well :)

Our Heavenly Father, 
You created the world
to serve humanity's needs
and to lead them to You.
By our own fault
we have lost the beautiful relationship
which we once had with all your creation.
Help us to see
that by restoring our relationship with You
we will also restore it
with all Your creation.
Give us the grace
to see all animals as gifts from You
and to treat them with respect
for they are Your creation.

We pray for all animals
who are suffering as a result of our neglect.
May the order You originally established
be once again restored to the whole world
through the intercession of the Glorious Virgin Mary,
the prayers of Saint Francis
and the merits of Your Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ
Who lives and reigns with You
now and forever. Amen.

Prayer to St. Michael

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

Genesis: 9-11 and The Tower of Babel

In today's entry we will be discussing the scripture found in Genesis Chapters 9:18-28 to Chapter 11.  

Chapter 9:18-28: This scripture picks right up after the flood and God's covenant with Noah.  It discusses Noah's immediate descendants in his three sons: Ham, Japheth, and Shem and specifically revolves around an instance of Noah's drunkenness and how his son Ham further shames his father, resulting in the "Curse of Ham/Canaan."

"The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth (Ham was the father of Canaan).  These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed."

The first portion of this scripture explains that the three sons of Noah repopulated the earth after the flood.  A specific reference to Ham being father of Canaan alludes to the origin of a land and people that would become immoral in future generations.  This is also setting up the next passage and the "Curse of Canaan."

"Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.  He drank of the wine and became drunk ad lay uncovered in his tent.  And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.  Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father.  Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness.  When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said, 

     "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers."  He also said, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.  may God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell i the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.  After the flood Noah lived 350 years.  All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

Let's dissect this passage of scripture.  Essentially Noah had a little too much to drink and was naked when his son Ham found him in the tent.  Instead of respectfully covering up his father's nakedness, Ham went and blabbed about the incident to his brothers.  In our modern world, this doesn't seem like a crime worthy of a curse on Ham's descendants. I researched this on several Biblical sites and read the Study Bible notes on the passage, and what it boils down to is the fact Ham probably saw something more indecent than alluded, and he probably didn't tell his brothers about their father to say 'hey we need to help Dad, he's drunk,' but Ham was probably joking about his father's state, which was disrespectful.  The scripture is very vague so it's hard to know exactly the extent of Ham's actions, but it is apparent that whatever he did was not right, and sinful in the eyes of God and his family. It is also made clear that both Shem and Japheth took extra measures to avoid further disgrace of their father.  

Why would an entire line be cursed because of the actions of Ham?  The Curse of Canaan alludes to the fact that like Ham, his descendants would fall into sin and become immoral - therefore they would become cursed, not simply because of Ham's actions, but the repetitive immorality of his generations.

Genesis Chapter 10: Nations Descended from Noah.  This chapter focuses on how the nations of the earth can be traced back to Noah and his sons.  This Table of Nations describes the origins and interrelationships of many nations of the world.  This is the only list in existence demonstrating the common descent of all human beings from Noah.  Descendants of Japheth settled along and north of the Great Sea.  Each had their own country, language (after Chapter 11 and Tower of Babel) and tribal divisions.  Descendants of Ham were located in southwestern Asia and northeast Africa. Shem is the promised line the Hebrews can trace their ancestry to and it is the line in which would eventually produce Abraham, Jacob, and in the New Testament Christ, and therefore Shem's ancestry is detailed further than Ham or Japheth in Chapter 11:10-31.  

Genesis Chapter 11:1-9 - "The Tower of Babel."  This is a well-known Biblical story telling how man, in the generations after Noah decided to built a great city and within that city they built a tower that would reach up to heaven so man could be on the same level as God.  The tower was not built to magnify God or worship him, but simply to show how great man on his own, without God could be.  It was a structure to glorify man and not God.  At this time all men spoke one language, and instead of using the gift of communication to work to do good, man used the gift of language and speech to go against God and work toward man's own prideful ambitions.  In order to curtail man's pride and force men to desist from their evil purpose, God intervened by "confusing" the language into multiple languages so men would have a more difficult time coordinating their evil plans and also to encourage men to settle various areas of the earth.  The word "Babel" means to confuse.

"Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.  And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.  And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly."  And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.  And they said, "Come let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth."  And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.  And the lord said "Behold they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do.  And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.  Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech."  So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth and they left off the building the city.  Therefore its nme was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth.  And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

Here is a link to an interesting article I found about archaeological history of the

Tower of Babel

Genesis 6-9 The Flood

In today's entry we'll be discussing the story of Noah and the Flood.  This is one of the most popular Biblical stories, detailing how God seeing the wickedness of mankind and corruption filling the earth decided to destroy the earth with a flood.  However God saw one man to be righteous in Noah, and in His mercy decided to save mankind through Noah.  

Genesis 9:11-13: "...Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation.  Noah walked with God.  And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.  And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them.  Behold, I will destroy them with the earth."

God commanded Noah to build an ark for when the floods came.  The Ark was about 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, forty-five feet high.  It had three decks, divided into compartments, with a window course around the top.  

Chapter 7 of Genesis commences by God instructing Noah,

"Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.  Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth."

So what is the significance of the 'seven clean animals' versus the 'two unclean animals?'  The seven pairs were animals likely to be used for sacrifice, an exception to the general rule regarding pairs.  The law distinguishing between clean and unclean animals would be clearly established at Mount Sinai, but the difference between clean and unclean animals was known long before Moses, by Noah.  

God then told Noah that:

"(4-5) Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made. And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him."

It's amazing to think that Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came to the earth, and he lived one-third of his life after the flood.  Why did people in the Old Testament live longer?  Most likely because each generation of man sinned more and more, which leads to death and shortening of man's life span.  

"Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth.  And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons ives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.  Pairs of clean and unclean animals of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.  And after the seven days the floodwaters came to the earth."

Noah, his family and all the living creatures on the ark were shut in for the duration of the flood. Noah's family comprised of eight humans, who would survive the flood. The rain, which fell from the sky wasn't your typical spring or summer shower, it was heavy ferocious Class 5 Hurricane rain that didn't let up.  For forty days and nights rain fell upon the earth with extreme intensity. The extent of the flooding was great:

"For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth.  The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.  They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered.  The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet.  Every living thing that moved on the earth perished - birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind.  Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.  Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth.  Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.  The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days."

A common numerical theme in the Bible is the use of the number forty.  It shows up in key areas of biblical history: The Flood, Moses and the Hebrews in the desert for forty years, The Temptation of Jesus in the desert was for forty days, etc...In the Bible the number forty typically signifies a period of redemption of going through trial as to come back to God.  At the close of the period of forty, the redemption process has brought the person or group closer to God.  

In the case of Noah, the forty days and night of rain signified a period in which, God both destroyed and cleansed the world of the evil, which had corrupted it.  Many skeptics or even Christians look at this bit of scripture and wonder how God could have been so harsh as to destroy every living creature on the earth, other than those on the ark.  Why would he create something that would turn evil and need to be destroyed in the first place?  This is one of those times it's easy to discount God as loving and compassionate, but I invite you to read the scripture closer...

God created man, giving us as a race free will, something he didn't have to do.  However He knew that we wouldn't be truly in communion with him if we didn't have the choice to turn to Him and obey him, because we trusted in His infinite love.  Unfortunately the early generations went against God to the point that only evil was on the earth, corruption that couldn't be redeemed.  However instead of just destroying a creation that had betrayed God by turning to evil, God realized that their was one man, Noah and his family who were righteous.  God could have just said to 'heck with Noah, righteous or not,' instead God showed mercy on Noah and spared him from the flood.

We are here today because instead of wiping out our race entirely, God had mercy on the righteous, Noah and therefore allowed his generations to continue and our race to survive so that we may have a chance to redeem ourselves.  This can be seen fully in God's covenant with Noah, which we will discuss momentarily.  

So at the close of the forty days of flooding the rain stopped, but it took an additional 150 days before the water began to recede.  In Chapter 8 of Genesis it is explained that God used the wind to help the waters recede quickly at the close of the 150 days.

"(Chapter 8) But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.  now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed and the rain had stopped falling from the sky.  The water receded steadily from the earth.  At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, an on the seventeenth day f the seventh month the ark came to a rest on the mountains of Ararat.  The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.  Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground.  But the dove could find no place to set its feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark.  he reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark.  He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark.  When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!  Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth."

With the waters receded, God tells Noah to "Come out the ark, you and your sons and their wives.  Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you - the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground-so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it."

*Archaeological note: Mount Ararat: Is a mountain located in eastern Turkey on the borders of Armenia and Iran.  It is one of the largest single-mass volume mountain in the world.  It rises 17,000 feet from the surrounding plains, standing at 2-3,000 feet. Mount Ararat has been a hub for archaeologists for years, who are always searching for clues in the historical history of the flood and remnants of the ark.  I will try to post a feature on Mount Ararat and the Search for Noah's Ark in the coming months...

Chapter 8:15-22 -9 details the Third Dispensation: Human Government and God's Covenant with Noah.  This is the first time I'd really heard about dispensations, which are divisions of scripture by time.  These periods are marked off in Scripture by some change in God's method of dealing with mankind, or a portion of mankind, in respect to sin, and of man's responsibility.  Each of the dispensations may be regarded as a new test and each ends in judgment.  Because man has a propensity to sin each of the dispensations in the Biblical time line show man failure in every dispensation, however God continues to forgive and offer us a new chance at redemption.  We can now find the promise of redemption through the promise fulfilled of God's only Son, Jesus Christ - who died on the cross to forgive us of our sins and to offer mankind salvation.

8:20-22: Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.  The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.  And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.  "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never cease."

Those are powerful words and a direct promise from God, which is further fulfilled in the subsequent Chapter, in the Noahic Covenant.  God promises that he will never again destroy all living creatures through a flood, giving the human race another chance at redemption and once again, God showing his love for us in spite of our sin.  Normal succession of times and seasons will continue until the Day of judgment.

The Noahic Covenant:

(Genesis 9:1-7) Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fll the earth.  The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground and upon all the fish of sea; they are given into your hands.  Everything that lives and moves will be food for you.  Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.  And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting.  i will demand an accounting from every animal.  And from each man, too.  I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.  

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for the image of God has God made man.  As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."

The first portion of God's covenant with Noah details several important points.  First it blesses Noah's family to repopulate the earth.  It also gives humans permission to hunt or tame the animals, and humans are allowed to eat animals.  However they are to eat the blood of any creature, as this was a pagan practice.  Blood is a symbol of life, and humans could only eat animals that were dead and properly killed.  

9:5 shows that killing animals for food would be permissible, but not the killing of humans-by man or beast.  God will demand an account is a clear proclamation that human life is different from animal life.  That doesn't mean that we should not treat animals well, however we are allowed to kill animals for food and dietary purposes, whereas killing humans is morally wrong and will be accounted for by God. (6) God also gives the instruction that a court system should be established to try those who have killed another.  

Verses 8-17: 

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you-the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you - every living creature on earth.  I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."

And God said, "This is the sig of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.  never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.  So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."  

The Noahic Covenant can be divided into seven parts:

The Noahic covenant[Gen 8-9] applies to the whole of humankind. In this covenant, God:
(1) blesses Noah and his sons, and tells them to populate the earth[Gen 9:1]
(2) places all plants and animals under human command[Gen 9:2-3]
(3) forbids eating meat with the blood still in it[Gen 9:4]
(4) forbids murder[Gen 9:5]
(5) commands humankind to shed the blood of those who shed blood[9:6]
(6) promises that he will never again destroy all life on earth by flood[Gen 9:11]
(7) creates the rainbow as the sign of this covenant for all ages to come[Gen 9:12-17]

God's covenants are amazing because they are unilateral and won't be broken.  In human terms we have a contract and if one party doesn't do what they are obligated to in the contract them the contract or covenant is broken.  This is not the same with God.  When he made his covenant with Noah - it was bound forever.  God obligates Himself to observe the terms of His own contract no matter what humans might do, this is a reassurance that God will never destroy the earth through flood again.   The rainbow emerges as the sun lifts the rain, acting as a reminder, a clear sign of God's promise to Noah and to us and his mercy upon mankind.  

So if God promised never to destroy the earth by flood - how come we still have floods and other natural disasters?  It's a question we as humans face as natural disasters continue to plague our planet. 

This covenant doesn't promise that flooding or other natural disasters won't occur on the earth every again, but he doesn't promise that never again will such a catastrophe wipe out the world.  It's also important to understand that some natural disasters come from the natural world.  God created the world to have seasons and to function in scientific means.  Sometimes with nature of the earth, disasters occur - but they are not always a result of God and not a symbol of his wrath.  God will never let natural disasters destroy man, and out of any disaster of the natural world, God will work good and show his infinite mercy in times of peace and times of catastrophe.  God will never abandon us in our time of need.

~

I'm sorry it's taking me so long to post my entries.  I'm in the process of finishing a follow-up to my thriller "Burden of Proof" and I haven't wanted to post unless I have the attention to fully concentrate on the scripture.  I now plan to have Genesis completed by May 1st.  Keep reading the lectionary readings as set forth in the Journey Scripture outline.  Thanks for your patience as I continue to embark on this biblical journey!

 

Genesis 4-6

Today our Journey Through the Bible continues as we focus on Genesis Chapters 4 through 6, and the stories of Cain and Abel, Adam's Descendants to Noah, and Increasing Corruption on the Earth leading up to the Flood.  I'll break down each section and attempt to shed light on key themes within this section of scripture.

Genesis Chapter 4: 

This chapter focuses in on Cain and Abel, the two sons of Adam and Eve who were born after they left the Garden of Eden, following the fall.  Of the two brothers Abel was the keeper of sheep, which is the first time domestication is first specifically mentioned in the Bible.  Cain worked the ground and tended farming and things of that nature.  Although it's not mentioned in my Bible's notes - I think this once again shows God's direction of giving man dominion to take care of the earth and it's 'beasts.'  Cain was tending the earth and Abel caring for creatures of the earth.  

At some point in the adult life of Cain and Abel each of the brothers offers an offering to God.

"In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.  And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Can and his offering he had no regard.  So Cain as very angry, and his face fell.  The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door.  Its desire for you, but you must rule over it."

So why did God prefer Abel's offering over Cain's?  In this instance we have no textual information to suggest that God instructed them of what offering to give and Cain gave the wrong offering.  Scripture seems to indicate they were spontaneous offerings of thanks or that God's command was not recorded.

Also it is important throughout the Old Testament, God looks with favor on offerings of grain and other produce, just as He does on offerings of animals.  God favored Abel's offering not because Cain's wasn't good, but because Abel's was given in true faith, while it seems Cain was just going through the steps of the offering without the spiritual offering as well.  Although the outward appearance of his offering was good, it's the inner intent of the heart God looks to, which was in the throws of sin.  

Cain is very upset by his rejection.  Many of us can relate to this feelings.  I for one don't handle rejection well, whether it's a bad review of my book, or I fail a test or I just make a poor mistake I think it's easier to get angry from that rejection versus analyzing the root of the problem and trying to learn from the experience and gain a good moral.  However it's easier to hold onto that anger and give into sin and project our angry onto others.  

God urges Cain to accept his rejection and not take out his anger on his brother.  God tells Cain that if he does well he'll be accepted.  I take this to mean that he did not offer the fruit with a faithful heart and Abel did, so learn from his mistake and to not be jealous of his brother, for God will accept Cain as well if he does what is right.  God repeatedly reminds His people that He will be gracious to whom He will be gracious and will show Mercy upon whom He will show mercy (Ex 33:1)

Despite God's warning to Cain to let go of his anger, as it will only lead into sin, Cain goes against God.  Jealous of his brother, Cain murders Abel.  Two sins, jealousy and murder from not letting go of his anger and trying to work to please God.

"Cain spoke to Abel his brother.  And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.  Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"

God knows that Abel is dead, but gives Cain the opportunity to admit wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness, instead Cain lies about his actions and tries to deceive God.

And the Lord said, "What have you done?  The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.  And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield you its strength.  You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer of the earth."  Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.  Behold you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden.  I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."  The the Lord said to him, "Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold."  And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.  Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of nod, east of Eden.

Cain's punishment is twofold: expulsion form the land and life as a wanderer, but more importantly separation from God.  Instead of feeling repentance in his actions, Cain's response indicates selfishness - complaining that he has this fate and no remorse or guilt of sin.  Kind of like a teenager - who's not upset he did something wrong, but just upset they got caught and have to face the consequences.

Despite his anger at Cain's actions and reaction, God continues to care for his creation, Cain.  He ensures that he will not suffer the fate of Abel - and won't be murdered, by putting a mark on Cain.  This mark shows God's continued protection it also firmly instructs that no matter how badly you want revenge - vengeance only belongs to God.  We need to turn justice over to him and not try to enact revenge or justice, especially rooted in sin.  Killing someone because they murdered someone else is a sinful cycle.  

The next portion of the chapter briefly discusses Cain's line through Lamech, who is also a sinner.  The line of Cain's descendants is terminated with a brief genealogical summary because he does not inherit the promise of his parents - that promise comes through Seth who is introduced in verse 25, the final verse in Chapter Four of Genesis:

"And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, "God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel for Cain killed him." To Seth also a son was born and he called his name Enosh.  A that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord." 

Chapter 5 recounts the subsequent generations of Adam up to Noah

Chapter 6: in this section of primeval human history, humans as they begin to multiply fall into a extreme sin and wickedness.  Seth's descendants increasingly participate in the evil that overwhelms God's creation, preferring their own focus on worldly desires versus acknowledging God's will.  Recognizing that the human heart is a continual source of evil, God's patience is about to give way to judgment.  He decides to destroy the inhabitants of world in a flood, however in this apparent wrath, God shows of all things - MERCY.  He knew Noah to be a righteous man and spares his family and commands him to build an ark and fill it will all kinds of living creatures so when the flood had ceased, life would go on and rebirth through Gods mercy is shown.

More on the Flood and Noah in my next entry.  I'm running a little behind on my timeline for posting.  Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy my entries.  

Genesis: "The Fall"

In today's entry we'll discuss one of the most pivotal and dismal moments in the turn of human history: The Fall, in which we as a race first choice to turn away from God, and fall into sin.  Adam and Eve's decision to go against God's will and do something they knew to be wrong sets up the rest of Biblical history.  It is at that moment God chooses to lead us in a path of redemption.  Genesis, Chapter 3 is the reason for all subsequent chapters and books in the Bible. In spite of man's disobedience and sinful nature God promises salvation for death.  This comes in the New Testament in the form of Jesus Christ, God's only son who died on the cross without sin, so we may come back to God and find redemption in Him.

Before summarizing Genesis Chapter 3 it's important to revisit key scripture from Chapter 2, which explains why Adam and Eve's actions are sinful.

Genesis 2:15-17 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

So may ask 'why is it such a big deal that Adam and Eve chose to eat a piece of fruit from a tree?'  It's a simple answer: Because God commanded Adam and Eve NOT to eat of that tree - this wasn't just an arbitrary command with no purpose.  God wasn't simply trying to exert his authority just to be authoritarian, he had a purpose in commanding Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree.  God knew that the tree was of the seed of sin and would show them both good and evil.  He knew that with this knowledge comes temptation and a propensity to fall into sin, which leads to death.  God knew that eating from the tree would lead us down a dark path.  His instruction wasn't out of want to deprive humans, but out of love and want of fellowship with us.

In Chapter 3 we see the worst aspects of man's free will, the propensity to sin and fall into temptation.  The chapter starts off by showing the manipulative power of evil, as Satan poses as a snake.  "Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made."  Satan as the snake wants to turn man against God and does so subtly, by playing on Adam and Eve's emotions and rationality of thought.  It appears friendly, helpful even, while really this is a guise in an effort to force man to commit sin and disobey God.  

"He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?'

Temptation starts off as doubt, doubt in God's word and HIS command.  When the serpent (Satan) approaches Eve, he implies that God has selfish motives and forced humans to focus on their own motivations versus following the will of God. 

"We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden neither shall you touch it, lest you die." But the serpent said to the woman, "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."

This shows that Eve knew that she would be going against God if she ate from the tree. However the serpent tempts her not by asking her if she wants to eat from the tree, but rather by directly contradicting God 'surely you will not die...' So temptation comes by first planting doubt and then to rejection of God's Word and then progressing to tempting Eve to become like God.  The serpent does not challenge the woman's understanding of God's instructions, but calls God's integrity into doubt, suggesting that the real reason God doesn't want them to eat the forbidden fruit that He wants to keep them from becoming like Him. The serpent offers Eve the power to establish her own standard of right and wrong and to define truth for herself - putting her own self interest before the will of God.  Ironically the selfish nature of sin, and turning against God isn't good for us - and ends up costing a high price - death.  

Even subsequently gave into temptation, as God made man to have free will, and gave a portion of the fruit to Adam as well.

"She took of its fruit and ate, and also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.  And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths."

 It should be noted that in Genesis 2:25 prior to eating the forbidden fruit, scripture states: "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."

The fruit made them immediately slip into a self-consciousness resulting in their union with God.  They felt a feeling of separateness produced a sense of shame from breaking with God and falling into sin.  

So it's bad enough they went against God's Will, however to top off, Adam and Eve hid from God, knowing what they did was wrong and self conscious without their clothing. 

"...the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" and he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and i was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."  he said, "Who told you that you were naked?" Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"  The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."

Okay so I know Eve didn't exactly help stop Adam from eating the forbidden fruit, but Adam knew it was wrong despite her tempting him and chose to eat the fruit anyway.  I think as humans we do this a lot, we do things we know are wrong just because others egg us on or we are trying to do what others do.  However in the end it's our decision whether or not to sin or stay true to God, and in trying to absolve oneself of blame like Adam did in the face of judgment is another sin in itself (in my opinion - and one we're all guilty of).  Interestingly enough, Eve won't accept full guilt either:

"The serpent deceived me, and I ate"

Okay so the serpent was manipulating and tempting Eve, but we have the power to overcome temptation through faith in God and our own personal moral compass of right and wrong.  The old adage "would you jump off a cliff if someone told you to?" has been overused, but it rings true here.  Adam and Eve both knew they had gone against God and done something wrong, and yet they chose to do so anyway and then worked to absolve themselves of guilt by blaming third parties, temptors, but not the decision makers for the choice to sin.

God is obviously upset, not simply because they deceived him, which is a major reason within itself, but more importantly because he knows what pain and suffering knowledge of both Good and Evil can bring.  God is good in his very nature.  He has no evil within his make-up, however he knows of evil and its destructive nature.  For once your know of evil the temptation of choice to do evil things over the morally right and good is always there, and a struggle for mankind.  

In the final portions of this chapter, God curses the serpent, along with Adam and Eve for their sin.  The ultimate punishment of sin is death.  God promises immortal life if we obey him, sin is disobedience against God.  Therefore in sinning, Adam and Eve will eventually return to the earth as dust, in death. This punishment is to teach Adam and Eve a lesson, and is out of love.  God was betrayed by his own creation, however like a good father he punishes them for wrong, but starts to lead man back on a path of redemption.  Although open to interpretation, many scholars think that 3:15 refers to the promise of Christ, who will be born through a descendant of Eve, and in living a life without sin, HE will defeat the serpent, Satan and allow man to find his way back fully to God and the hope of eternal life.

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this,
"Cursed are you above all the livestock
and all the wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring [a] and hers;
he will crush [b] your head,
and you will strike his heel."

16 To the woman he said,
"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you."

17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return."

The chapter ends with Adam and Eve being banished from the Garden of Eden as punishment for their sin.  For sin keeps us away from God and therefore they could not remain in the Garden.

One major question readers of this portion of scripture ask is "Why?" Why did God create man to sin and why did he put the Tree of Good and Evil in the Garden of Evil.  It's not an easy question to answer however it all comes down to free will.  God knew that we had the propensity to sin, but in free will he also gave us the choice to chose Him and good.  Sure God could have created us to be immune to sin, but would that really be right?  How can one be truly moral when they don't have the power to Choose?  Freedom is God's gift to us: Freedom to Think, Freedom of Conscience, Freedom to follow God and Freedom, unfortunately to disobey him.  What virtue is there in following God, if in our make-up there is no other inclination, but to do so.  God wants fellowship with us, but he didn't want us to not have the choice to be with him - that love would be false and forced on our parts.  He wanted us to choose good and follow him.

As for why the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was in the Garden, well it goes back to free will and design.  By omitting it, God would have created a situation where man could not choose to follow him, but rather have no alternative.  God knew that man might be tempted to eat of the tree, however he hoped we would choose to follow His instruction to eat of the seed of sin.  It was not God who forced us to sin by placing the tree in the Garden, but by our own choice to allow ourselves to give into temptation and go against God.

Did God know we would fall into sin when he created us?  Why create us if he knew that we would disobey him?  God loves us, and wants fellowship with us.  God knew the consequences of man disobeying him.  He knew sin creeps in and shuts down happiness, and causes suffering and despair, but through it God also designed to lead man back to him and eventual work to offer eternal salvation and redemption of the world through Jesus Christ.  Throughout the Old and New Testaments one theme is prevalent - man is tempted and goes against God, God uses his authority when needed to instruct man why his actions were wrong, but continues to edge us closer to redemption.  God is the only way we can absolve ourselves of sin.  God is the only way we can have the strength of disposition NOT to give into temptation and to turn away from sin.  

It's important to realize that God does NOT cause the world's suffering, that comes from evil, and our nature to fall into sin.  However we have the choice and the ability to turn to good and God is purely Good.

In the next few days I will examine Cain and Abel and Noah.  I'm running a little behind on my readings, but will post ASAP. 

Upcoming Posts:

- Cain and Abel, Noah and the Flood

- Feature on Episcopal Relief Development

- Weekly Lectionary readings

Weekly Readings (5th Week of Lent)

In this post we'll focus in on the three weekly Bible passages for the 5th week of Lent.  Lent is the period of the liturgical (church) year leading up to Easter.  In most Christian denominations it lasts for forty days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.  In the Bible and in Christian faith the number forty represents a time of trial, chastisement, and trial.  It usually comes to a head in redemption or better understanding of faith in God.  The forty days in lent symbolizes the time that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry. While in the desert, conditions were hard and Christ was tempted in the worst possible way as Satan did everything to try to make Christ sin, but Jesus did not give in.  The fact he faced every temptation and feelings that we as humans feel, and did not cave into that temptation - is how Christ was able to conquer Satan on the cross and in turn forgive use of sin. 

Today's readings include Ezekiel 37, referred to as The Valley of Dry Bones - an Old Testament account of Israel's strife, but God's promise of redemption for the nation of Israel and all nations through Christ.  The Epistle is a letter to the Romans (8:1-11), and The Gospel comes from John 11.

Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 "The Valley of Dry Bones."  

Background: Ezekiel was an Old Testament priest who prophesied for twenty-two years in the 6th-century B.C.  The Book of Ezekiel recounts his visions while exiled in Babylon.  Contextually The Book of Ezekiel takes place in a time of turmoil for the nation of Israel as Judeans have been exiled from their home by the Babylonian Empire. Given the strife and uncertainty surrounding the Judean nation.  With a power so strong in Babylon, who worshiped false gods and idols, and yet had power it was easy to be tempted away from the one true God.  Ezekiel's prophesies reaffirm God's covenant with Israel and promise that they will be restored again and alludes to the coming of Christ.

Passage:

"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley, it was full of bones.  And he led me around among them, and behold, there were many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.  And he said to me, "Son of man, 'can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord God, you know."  Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.  Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter your and you shall live.  And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord."

So I prophesied as I was commanded.  And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.  And I looked and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them.  But there was no breath in them.  Then he said to me, Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.  Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and 'our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people.  And I will bring you into the land of Israel.  And you shall know that i am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves.  O my people.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land.  Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord."

Okay so let's dissect the Valley of Dry Bones.  I don't know about you, but when I first read this passage I was confused.  It reminded me of a fantasy or ghost story as I visioned the dead, dried out bones suddenly rattling and coming to life.  It took me a few reads before I began to understand the meaning of the this scripture, and once I did I was in awe of it's message of hope and the promise of God's commitment to use, even when we stand clinging to life in the desert.

In this passage the Lord appears to Ezekiel in a vision.  In the vision the Lord puts Ezekiel into the middle of a dry, dismal valley where a pile of human bones were baking dry and white on the valley of the desert floor.  The valley is a symbolism of Israel's despair, exile and the belief they were destined to die as a nation and 'indeed cut off."  The bones symbolism the house of Israel.  

God asks Ezekiel if he believes the bones can come to live, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel by this point in the scripture had previously witnessed the miraculous hand of God and had  a strong faith in God's abilities.  So instead of answering the way you and I would, "No bones cannot live," Ezekiel's responds with faith: 'O Lord God, you know.' 

God then dramatically shows Ezekiel his power over life and death.  God first instructs Ezekiel to preach to the bones in an effort for the dead, dry bones to come to life once more. Surprisingly the bones begin to rattle and come together in human form, soon flesh is put on the bones and the four winds of the world blow breath into the bones.  Suddenly the valley of dry dead bones is alive because of God and given a new life.

So the desert symbolizes exile of the nation of Israel and a time of trial and uncertainty.  The Bones represent the whole house of Israel and though dead at first they come to live and God offers a promise of a new life and message of hope for his people of better things to come and a new life (eventually in Christ)

Fulfillment of Prophecy: 

1) 50 years after Ezekiel's prophecy the Israelites began to return to Jerusalem.

2) The long-term promise of God's ability to conquer death (death is a result of sin) by salvation in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross.

Epistle: Romans 8:1-11 *Note* And Epistle is a letter, and in this case is a collection of letters the Apostle Paul wrote to people in Rome to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Book of Romans is the longest of the Pauline Epistle books within the New Testament

Passage: Romans 8:1-11 "Life in the Spirit" 
 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.  And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. 

 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 

 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Romans discusses how we struggle with sin and our chance of salvation through Jesus Christ.  God's Law declares that all people who sin, thus breaking the law deserve to die.    Howeer in this Epistle, Paul concisely summarizes God's reverse declaration for those who follow Jesus Christ.  Unfortunately we all become subject to sin and giving into temptation and because of this sinful nature even the best of people cannot fully uphold God's law.  In God's compassion and love he sent his only begotten son Jesus Christ to fulfill the law for us, as we cannot do it ourselves.  

Christ was able to do what we can not.  Lots of people assume that when Christ (God) came down to earth he didn't face the temptations or hardships we face on a day to day basis, but this is not true.  Jesus faced every temptation and had the same emotions and experiences as we do.  However despite being tempted and having the same feelings and emotions we as humans face, Christ did not cave in.  He fully upheld God's Law, and did not give into temptation.  Christ did not sin although we see him tempted in many ways: by Satan in the desert and even while on the cross, Christ held firm and died free of sin, therefore allowing us to be saved and have eternal life.

Gospel Reading: John 11 "The Death of Lazarus, I am the Resurrection and the Life, Jesus Weeps and Jesus Raises Lazarus." 

Chapter 11 of John is one of the landmark stories of Christ's ministry and his miracles.  The miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead directly set the wheels in motion for Jesus unfair arrest and crucifixion.  It once again reinforces the power of God, Jesus as a man with compassion and feeling (when Jesus wept it shows how he felt sadness, pain and emotions exactly as we do).

This is a long passage and one that deserves an entire blog entry so for now I'll run down the basic outline of John 11 and highlight key themes.

The chapter deals with the death and resurrection of Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus and the  brother of Martha and Mary.  Lazarus lived in the small village of Bethany east of Jerusalem.  When he fell ill, word was sent to Jesus of Lazarus's illness.  When Jesus heard of it he said "This illness does not lead to death.  It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, instead of rushing back to save him it was decided to wait an extra two days.  This delay was not out of love or compassion for Lazarus, who was a dear friend, in fact it was the opposite. Essentially Jesus saw this as a good opportunity in his last days to show the power of God over death and Christ's manifestation of power and grace obedient to His Father's will.  Jesus knew that even if Lazarus died, through his father in heaven, he would have the power to raise Lazarus from the dead.

When Jesus arrived at Lazarus's house, he had been dead four days.  This is significant because in Jewish tradition of the time, it was believed the spirit of a person hovered over the body for three days.  By the fourth day all life was gone, so to raise someone from death on the fourth day was a true miracle and something only God could do.  

Jesus met with Martha who said: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died..." Jesus proceeds to tell her: "Your brother will rise again." Martha replies: "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."  Jesus then said to her this famous and important statement: "I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?" Martha said she believed in his words and Jesus proceeded to the tomb of Lazarus. En route he sees Mary and we see how despite being God, Jesus feels human emotion as we do:

"(33) When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he 'was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. (34) And he said, "Where have you laid him?" The said to him, "Lord, come and see." (35) Jesus wept.  So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 

Jesus went into the tomb, a cave, where Lazarus was being held, and it stunk of death and the body was beginning to decompose.  Jesus said a prayer to his Father, God "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I Knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around that they may believe that you sent me." When he had sad these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out."  The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

As we draw closer to Easter, this story is a turning point in Jesus ministry. The miracle of the raising of Lazarus, is the climax of John's "signs". It explains the crowds seeking Jesus on Palm Sunday, and leads directly to the decision of Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin to plan to kill Jesus - and is the first domino to drop so Christ's ultimate sacrifice occurs: dying on the cross to forgive us for sin.

Thanks for checking out my blog.  In the next few days I will be posting summaries from the Chronological readings in Genesis from the time of the Fall to the Flood.  I will also be doing a feature on Episcopal Relief and Development, a non-profit organization headed by the Episcopal Church to help those suffering worldwide.