While the Israelites were in the desert they could not find food and water. Many complained to Moses and Aaron saying "at least in Egypt we had food and water!" Then God said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from Heaven for you. Have the people go out and collect enough for each day and on the 6th day gather enough for two days." The people still grumbled for meat. So the Lord said "at twlight you will eat meat and in the morning you will be filled with bread." In the evening wuail came and covered the camp, in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. The Israelites were confused until Moses said it is the bread from the LORD. Take enough for each in your tent. No more or less, none is to be saved (except for the sabbath day). The bread was called manna and tasted like wafers made with honey. Moses had Aaron take some and put it in a jar to keep for future generations.
Manna meant "what is it?" and quail migrate around the sinai penisula resting on the ground or in bushes making them easy to capture. It is amazing how God provided for the people even after their grumblings. Also his system eliminated greed. Just a heart warming story.
God Bless,
your sister in Christ, Erin
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Chronological Order
I think sometimes the wordiness of the old testement gets us confused so i decided to try and abbreviate the things we generally highlight through the Exodus.
Creation
Adam and Eve
expelled from the garden
Cain and Able
Noah and the flood
Abrah and Sari- Abraham and Sarah
Hagar - Ishmael
Sarah - Issac
Issac and Rebeka
Jacob and Esau (Jacob gets the blessing)
Jacob has 12 sons - youngest being Joseph
Joseph gets sold to Egypt
becomes adviser to the king
when Jacob dies, Joseph brings his family into Egypt (about 70)
350 years later a new Pharoh (unaware of Joseph) decides to enslave the Hebrews in fear of a revolt
Murder of the boy infants
Moses, escape, grows up in palace, goes into wilderness, burning bush, exodus
40 years in wilderness
10 commandments
then we come up to Leviticus
so that is my overview of Genesis and Exodus covering the main stories, but sometimes we get confused of how they all relate to each other
God Bless,
your sister in Christ~Erin
Creation
Adam and Eve
expelled from the garden
Cain and Able
Noah and the flood
Abrah and Sari- Abraham and Sarah
Hagar - Ishmael
Sarah - Issac
Issac and Rebeka
Jacob and Esau (Jacob gets the blessing)
Jacob has 12 sons - youngest being Joseph
Joseph gets sold to Egypt
becomes adviser to the king
when Jacob dies, Joseph brings his family into Egypt (about 70)
350 years later a new Pharoh (unaware of Joseph) decides to enslave the Hebrews in fear of a revolt
Murder of the boy infants
Moses, escape, grows up in palace, goes into wilderness, burning bush, exodus
40 years in wilderness
10 commandments
then we come up to Leviticus
so that is my overview of Genesis and Exodus covering the main stories, but sometimes we get confused of how they all relate to each other
God Bless,
your sister in Christ~Erin
Monday, March 20, 2006
Dinah
Interesting story. . . ( found in Genesis 34)
So Dinah was one of Jacob's and Leah's daughters. (Abraham- Issac- Jacob)
When Jacob and his family were in Shechem in the land of Cannan. They had been traveling around and Dinah went out to meet some of the other women in the area. While she was out a guy named Shechem saw her and fell in love with her. He violated her and then asked his father to get her as his wife. Jacob found out and soon did Dinah's brothers. When Shechem's father came to ask for Dinah as a wife for his son they agreed only if the men of the city would be circumcised. They agreed and all became circumcised. 3 days later, while all the men were still in pain, two of Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, went into the city and killed every male. The looted where their sister ad been defiled and took flocks and herds, donkeys and anything else they could find out to the fields. They carried off all of their wealth and their women and children as they left. Jacob yelled at his sons for bringing him trouble in this new land knowing that those left in Cannan could band together and kill him and his family. His sons replied, "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?"
So family revenge? We aren't really told how Dinah feels about this whole mess. . . just that he charmed her. So alot can be see in this story. . . even without God's view on the story. We see alittle more of humanity here. . . we get angry, we do things we may regret later. We are protective of our family members.
Then I always try to think with a little historical perspective. Think towards the end, the brothers looted and took the animals, wealth, and women and children. Women and children and just thrown in their like donkeys, someones property to be taken. Yet the whole story brought about because of a woman.
These are the stories that i find facinating. . . why is it here in the bible? What does it offer us today? or even. . . how much has been exaggerated over the years until someone wrote the story down? Is it possible that the two brothers killed every male in a city? I'd love to know what you think.
God Bless,
your sister in Christ~Erin
So Dinah was one of Jacob's and Leah's daughters. (Abraham- Issac- Jacob)
When Jacob and his family were in Shechem in the land of Cannan. They had been traveling around and Dinah went out to meet some of the other women in the area. While she was out a guy named Shechem saw her and fell in love with her. He violated her and then asked his father to get her as his wife. Jacob found out and soon did Dinah's brothers. When Shechem's father came to ask for Dinah as a wife for his son they agreed only if the men of the city would be circumcised. They agreed and all became circumcised. 3 days later, while all the men were still in pain, two of Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, went into the city and killed every male. The looted where their sister ad been defiled and took flocks and herds, donkeys and anything else they could find out to the fields. They carried off all of their wealth and their women and children as they left. Jacob yelled at his sons for bringing him trouble in this new land knowing that those left in Cannan could band together and kill him and his family. His sons replied, "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?"
So family revenge? We aren't really told how Dinah feels about this whole mess. . . just that he charmed her. So alot can be see in this story. . . even without God's view on the story. We see alittle more of humanity here. . . we get angry, we do things we may regret later. We are protective of our family members.
Then I always try to think with a little historical perspective. Think towards the end, the brothers looted and took the animals, wealth, and women and children. Women and children and just thrown in their like donkeys, someones property to be taken. Yet the whole story brought about because of a woman.
These are the stories that i find facinating. . . why is it here in the bible? What does it offer us today? or even. . . how much has been exaggerated over the years until someone wrote the story down? Is it possible that the two brothers killed every male in a city? I'd love to know what you think.
God Bless,
your sister in Christ~Erin
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Tower of Babel
Many of us have heard many different stories with pieces resembling the story of the tower of babel. Many dismiss it as a simple legend however I believe that the story was kept because it has a good lesson to learn. (The tower of Babel occured after the great flood. )
Genesis 11
The Tower of Babel
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, [a] they found a plain in Shinar [b] and settled there.
3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel [c] —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
So, challenging. The idea that we as humans are capable of working together is a warming idea, but the idea that God didn't want us to work together. . . is harder to swallow. Granted the intent of the tower was prideful. . . showing God that we something. Any thoughts?
Genesis 11
The Tower of Babel
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward, [a] they found a plain in Shinar [b] and settled there.
3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel [c] —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
So, challenging. The idea that we as humans are capable of working together is a warming idea, but the idea that God didn't want us to work together. . . is harder to swallow. Granted the intent of the tower was prideful. . . showing God that we something. Any thoughts?
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Cain and Abel
Well I thought we better get an overview, maybe understand a little bit more about biblical history along with stories. I know this is late, but forgive me, college life is crazy.
I thought we could start with Cain and Abel, seeing as most of us are roughly familiar with their parents, but not so much them. Cain and Able were the children of Adam and Eve. The story is found in Genesis Chapter 4.
Genesis 4
Cain and Abel
1 Adam [a] lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. [b] She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth [c] a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? 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."
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." [d] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so [e] ; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, [f] east of Eden.
Sibling rivalry, something many of us can relate to. . . but here in an extreme. Other things brought out in the story are jealousy, anger management, and punishment. Abel brought to God the best of his labors while Cain simply brought "some fruit". God was pleased with Abel for sacrificing his best for him, but not so much with Cain who just kinda gave God some stuff because he was suppose to. The intent, not the quantity, was the problem. God knew their hearts. He didn't plan on punishing Cain for not sacrificing the best of his crop, he just wan't very happy with him. Because of this though Cain gets angry.
This is the ironic part. Cain doesn't do his best but Abel does, so who suffers? Abel. His brother is jealous that God is pleased with him and blames it on his brother, not his lack of effort to please God. So he does his worst, he kills the object that he sees as an obstacle between him and God. To me this says something about conquering our fears, not simply destroying them. Learning to work with the problems in life. The punishment that Cain recieves brings this idea home. He gave him a new challenge. Cain wasn't able to be killed and wasn't able to work the land, and as much as this may seem like a terrible thing the Lord gave him mercy. And protection.
So all in all, an interesting story which has much to tell and teach about. Jealousy, sibling rivalry, and mercy.
God Bless you and yours,
your sister in Christ~Erin
I thought we could start with Cain and Abel, seeing as most of us are roughly familiar with their parents, but not so much them. Cain and Able were the children of Adam and Eve. The story is found in Genesis Chapter 4.
Genesis 4
Cain and Abel
1 Adam [a] lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. [b] She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth [c] a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? 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."
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." [d] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so [e] ; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, [f] east of Eden.
Sibling rivalry, something many of us can relate to. . . but here in an extreme. Other things brought out in the story are jealousy, anger management, and punishment. Abel brought to God the best of his labors while Cain simply brought "some fruit". God was pleased with Abel for sacrificing his best for him, but not so much with Cain who just kinda gave God some stuff because he was suppose to. The intent, not the quantity, was the problem. God knew their hearts. He didn't plan on punishing Cain for not sacrificing the best of his crop, he just wan't very happy with him. Because of this though Cain gets angry.
This is the ironic part. Cain doesn't do his best but Abel does, so who suffers? Abel. His brother is jealous that God is pleased with him and blames it on his brother, not his lack of effort to please God. So he does his worst, he kills the object that he sees as an obstacle between him and God. To me this says something about conquering our fears, not simply destroying them. Learning to work with the problems in life. The punishment that Cain recieves brings this idea home. He gave him a new challenge. Cain wasn't able to be killed and wasn't able to work the land, and as much as this may seem like a terrible thing the Lord gave him mercy. And protection.
So all in all, an interesting story which has much to tell and teach about. Jealousy, sibling rivalry, and mercy.
God Bless you and yours,
your sister in Christ~Erin
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