A Chapter A Day

The Tower of Babel

2010-06-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

That is why it is called Babel - because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Genesis 11:9

I find the story of the Tower of Babel fascinating because of my love for languages - etymology and philology - I took History of the English Language as an upper level elective in college, just for fun. Being a bit of a rebel at a conservative Christian school, I wrote my culminating research paper on the history, usage and etymology of curse words. The paper was called "Dirty Word, Dirty Word, Cursing Fit" because that is what one of my friends in high school used to say in place of obscenity. George Carlin would have been proud. But I digress . . .

God's reasons for muddling the languages are odd - but what I would give to see that! What did that first language sound like? Was this Indo-European root language one of the ones created at the Tower?

Babel of course lends it's name to Babel Fish, the online language translator, and even more famously to Babylon. Yes, Babel became Babylon, the evil empire - still relevant today, as ancient Babylon is very near modern Baghdad in Iraq.

Oh, and here they come again - more begats! But this time we are begatting someone who is very important to the rest of the book of Genesis, and indeed to the rest of the bible - because it is at the end of this long list of begats that we are introduced to Abraham. Yes, Abraham. As in Father Abraham (he of many sons . . . if you ever went to Sunday School or VBS at an evangelical church then you probably know exactly what I'm talking about). Only, this descendant of Shem is, at the moment, still going by his bisyllabic "Abram".

Abram, his father Terah, and his brothers Nahor and Haran (father of Lot) call Ur of the Chaldeans home. (Not to be confused with Caledonia, which is part of Scotland). It seems that Terah too escaped the age limit restrictions of chapter 6, as he survived to 205 years old. He died in Haran, which I'm guess was named for his son at a later date, since that is where his family settled, and which I am also guessing is somewhere between Ur and Canaan, as it was to Canaan that the family (including Abram and his wife Sarai) were headed.

This chapter doesn't raise many questions for me, it's more just a straight history . . . so it is in Haran where we will pick up on the story of Abram in our next installment of As The World Turns . . . I mean, um, A Chapter A Day.

The Nations

2010-06-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japeth, Noah's sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.

Genesis 10:1

If you don't have any appreciation for genealogy, then the Bible, and Genesis in particular will kill you stone dead. The Jews love them some family history. This is the second chapter chock full of begats and it is only the 10th in the book. One fifth of this book so far has been genealogy. The producers of Who Do You Think You Are? would be at once proud and put to shame by this.

My favorite part of this chapter, Nimrod. He was a mighty warrior and hunter, and of course gave his name to a mid-90s Green Day album.

And that's really about all that is exciting about this chapter. Next up Chapter 11, Oooo, now we're getting to the good stuff!

Covenant

2010-04-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

I establish my covenant with you: Never again will life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.

Genesis 9:11

I remember this chapter from Sunday School as the chapter about rainbows. They represent God's promise to not destroy the world in a flood ever again. Guess he felt bad about how things went down, or at least, decided it was not worth doing a second time - once was enough.

But the second part of the chapter might be more culturally important - because it establishes the enmity that the nation of Israel would later feel towards the Canaanites.

You see Ham, father of Canaan, stumbled upon his daddy, Noah, drunk and naked . . . and then proceeded to go giggle about it with his brothers. His brothers, on the other hand, decided the prudent thing to do was not make fun of their dad, but to sneak into his tent and cover him up to help him avoid any more embarrassment. For this, Noah curses Canaan. Why did he curse Canaan when it was really Ham that did the pointing and laughing? Why didn't Noah curse himself when it was his own dumb fault that he got wasted and passed out in the buff? I haven't the foggiest of notions.

Nevertheless, Canaan is cursed and Israel has an enemy - before Israel even existed as a separate nation! (Seeing as how Israel doesn't really hit the scene as a tribe until Jacob and by then Canaan is already well established and not really hurtin' despite ole Noah's pox upon them.)

Passages like this seem to have been thrown in by Moses (if he did in fact right the first 5 books of the Bible) to justify the Israelites sack of Canaan and taking over the promised land as their own. It is funny the way we justify wars . . . and I'm a firm believer that some wars need to be fought, sometimes you just don't have any other options left . . . I just think it odd that we have used the same tactics for eons - it appears the human race will never learn.

The Mountain

2010-02-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease

Genesis 8:22

Before I begin this post, I must confess I am a slacker. I started this project as something to keep me accountable to finish - I thought if I was putting my thoughts out there for others to read that I would be compelled to follow through on my mission to read the Bible through, cover to cover, a chapter a day.

Now this is a long project. I did the math.

There are 929 chapters in the Old Testament
There are 260 chapters in the New Testament

There are 1189 chapters in the whole Bible (Thank heavens I'm not including the Apocrypha!)

Which means that reading a chapter a day it will still take me just over 3.25 years to finish the book. I can't let myself slack like that! In the same amount of time I also hope to finish grad school and, God willing, get married - this might be a tremendous undertaking in terms of time span - but reading just one chapter a day is not a big deal, so I have no excuse for being a slacker about it.

And with that . . . Genesis, Chapter 8:

. . . . . . .

But God "remembered" Noah? Had he forgotten Noah? I thought God was omniscient - all knowing, how could he forget that he put an old man, his whole family, and several thousand species of animals adrift on a boat for 40 days and 40 nights? I guess, maybe I shouldn't feel so bad when I feel like God has forgotten me, because apparently he forgot the only humans left on the planet for a time! Though it does blow holes in the omniscient idea - and what good is God if he isn't above everything, all powerful and all knowing?

Now after 150 days the ark comes to rest on Mt. Ararat (in Turkey? Maybe.), but it stays there for another 3 months while the waters continue to recede. And at that time Noah starts sending out birds to look for evidence of other dry land. First a raven, then a dove. On the dove's second trip out it comes back with an olive branch in its mouth - and at that moment becomes a world wide symbol of peace and favorite graphic for holiday cards.

But it doesn't stop there - nope, Noah sends Mr. Dove out a third time and this time he just doesn't come back. Finally, almost a full year after this whole mess started, the Earth has dried up and Noah and his family open up the ark to walk on dry land - and set the animals free to roam and do what animals do. (I think there is a Bloodhound Gang song about that).

The first thing Noah does after everyone is out of the ark is to build an altar to God, then he takes some of the clean animals and birds and sacrifices them. "Thanks for taking the trip with us guys, I know you thought I'd saved your lives, but psyche! I'm gonna sacrifice you and eat you. Thanks again."

But God likes this display of devotion and vows never again to curse the ground because of man, even though humans are incredibly wicked, he will never again destroy all the living creatures. He also takes this time to reestablish the patterns of the seasons.

I don't understand the whole sacrifice thing. It is so vital in primitive societies that there be blood sacrifice, but I don't understand why. It is pretty universal, though the gods receiving the sacrifice are different. Does its universality make it something that is likely a true way to communicate with God? Afterall, I think that the universality of the flood epic story makes it more likely that a major flood did in fact happen in the ancient past.

I feel this exercise often leaves me with more questions than answers.

The Flood

2010-02-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

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.

Genesis 7:23

Wait? Noah was 600 years old when this happened? Last chapter we learned that humans would no longer live longer than 120 years . . . looks like Noah was grand-fathered in on account of being born before (Chp. 5) that rule took effect.

Moving on . . .

Noah, his family and pairs of animals large and small (except, of course, for unicorns and dinosaurs) board the boat and rains begin, for 40 days and 40 nights, not just rain but also water from within the earth: the ground water, geysers, etc. rises and adds to the deluge. Every animal with the breath of life dies (I assume this excludes fish) including all the humans but Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives. The water remained at peak flood stage on the surface of the Earth for 150 days.

Growing up I always thought, 40 days and 40 nights, done. Land the boat, hop out, send dove, dove comes back - repopulate. But it actually took almost a whole year to flood and then dry out the land.

Could you imagine the smell? Dead roting corpses of all animal life floating around in the water with Noah and his family? Ewww.

Humans must have been very evil and violent indeed to deserve that fate, especially considering how violent our race has proven to be in the centuries since.

An Ark

2010-02-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.

Genesis 6:17

In Sunday School we learned a song

The Lord told Noah to build him an arky, arky

But I digress. The first part of this chapter is interesting, as it doesn't concern the ark, Noah or the flood at all. It's about how the "sons of God" mated with human women. Were they angels? Does Jesus have heavenly brothers? (Which would be weird, would his brothers also be included in the Trinity?)

It reminds me a lot of the stories of the demigods we read about in Greek mythology, like Hercules and Achilles.

I also find it interesting that at this point, God puts a limit on human years at 120. No more Methuselahs. Still today, with all of our medical advancements and increasing life expectancy - we don't exceed 120 years. I looked it up. The oldest man on record, and his age is disputed, lived to be just over 120 years old. The oldest woman ever, 122.

Here the Bible appears to be spot on, despite the many thousands of years between then and now, and all of our modern technology - man's life is limited to 120 years.

Which, come to think of it, is still really old. The woman who lived to be 122 died when I was in 7th grade, but she was already the age I am now (24) at the turn of the last century. Wow! In 1900 she was my age, and she was still around when I was 12. The things she must have seen . . .

Now on to that Ark.

It seems that man had grown violent, I guess Cain's descendants were doing as much if not more murdering than their forbearers. This makes God sad, so he decides he needs a do over with humans. He picks the lone righteous guy, Noah, and tells him to build an Ark out of cypress. It's several hundred square cubits. Definitely large for anything man made at the time - but big enough to hold all of the animals, in groups no smaller than pairs? Doubtful. Still, he needs that Ark to protect the animals and Noah's family who will have to repopulate the Earth, because he is going to flood it and drown all the rest.

Of course, there are flood stories from all around the ancient near east and some beyond dating back to a similar time period (probably even earlier if there were any reliable way of tracing oral history). So I feel here the Bible is starting to move more from legendary/parable history and in to history that really happened. Was there actually a Noah? Was there actually an Ark? Maybe. It seems fairly certain at least that there was a catastrophic flood in ancient times that left a mark on the collective memory of the people, that got passed down and passed down until it became the flood stories we know today - Noah, Gilgamesh, etc. Much like Paul Bunyan was based on exaggerated stories of real lumberjacks who cleared the land for westward expansion; or the way King Arthur was probably based on one or two real life figures in the history of early Britain.

The Begats

2010-02-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

Altogether, Adam lived 930 years and then he died

Genesis 5:5

If you liked the begats at the end of chapter 4, then you'll love chapter 5!

Wow, people lived for a long time back then!

Or years were calculated much differently

Or the years aren't really the age of a person, but more a representation of a dynasty of sorts - like the Chinese or ancient Egyptians.

I think that the later is probably the most likely - dynasties/tribal leadership named after the specific patriarchs which founded them. And when it says they died, it means that line died out and another heir took over. Granted, I have no evidence to support this theory - it's just what makes the most sense to me straight from reading the text.

It seems highly unlikely that these are real ages or that they should be used to calculate the age of the Earth back to Adam, as some people have used them for.

The First Murder

2010-02-03T17:17:00.000-08:00

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" - "I don't know," he replied, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Genesis 4:9

Something about this story bugs me. Why was Cain's offering unacceptable? He brought the fruits of his labor to give thanks to God for providing the land and the water that grew them and yet that was somehow unacceptable. Why? What was wrong with his offering or gratitude and hope for plentiful crops to come? Why does God like Abel's lamb but not Cain's fruits?

I could maybe understand him liking the lamb better, but despising Cain's offering altogether, that just seems all kinds of wrong to me. That doesn't sound at all like the just God I grew up learning about in Sunday school, that sounds a lot like an arbitrary and vengeful God. God's ways may be higher than our ways, but if we were created in his image then one would think our sense of justice comes from him - so it bothers me that the foundation work for this story seems so unjust.

Nevertheless, Cain, in a jealous rage, kills Abel.

Perhaps that is the lesson of the story - not to be jealous of the blessings of others. I suppose that lesson is a good one.

Anyway, the chapter ends with one of those begat sections that the Bible is so famous for. Cain begat a son who begat another son and so on down the line. And it was during this time that men began to call on the name of the Lord, so I suppose that this chapter signals the beginning of prayer as well.

The Fall

2010-02-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

Genesis 3:11

It took me a few days to get around to writing my response to this chapter, because it's left me with far more questions than answers.

If the story of Adam and Eve is a legend or parable to explain the beginnings of humanity on our planet - then was there really a fall? And if there wasn't an actual fall then do I really need God as a source of salvation?

I definitely believe that none of us live a life free from wrong-doing (or sin), but maybe that's just part of being human - not a result of my great-great-great10 grandmother's choice to eat fruit from the tree of knowledge (which was, by the way, not an apple).

This is such a doctrinally/theologically important chapter and it disturbs me that it leaves me with so many unresolved questions.

A Helper

2010-01-28T21:20:00.000-08:00

The Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone, I will make a helper suitable for him

Genesis 2:18

Genesis 2 starts with rest. It's actually the final stanza of the poem from chapter 1. Right now, rest sounds really good to me. I like that even God takes time to rest from his work.

But most of the chapter focuses on Adam and Eve. First man and first woman.

The first thing that strikes me is that this version of the creation story is a little out of order from the version in chapter 1. In chapter 1 man is the crown of creation, the final addition to the firmament. But in chapter two Adam is created from the dust before there are even shrubs, and definitely before the animals - as they were made (in chapter 2) as an initial attempt by God to provide a suitable helper for Adam, though none were to be found amongst them.

It's these varying creations stories that gave rise to the myth of Lilith, who some believe was the woman created in chapter 1, as opposed to the Eve of chapter 2. Lilith is a popular legendary character for feminists (hence Lilith Fair), and also rumored to be the first succubus by others.

My favorite part of this chapter however is the creation of Eve.

It is not good for man to be alone. That much is certain. The animals of the fields, seas and skies were not adequate company for Adam - he needed an equal partner and true helper. Enter woman.

(In elementary school a church friend told me the joke: "Why did Adam call Eve woman?" "I don't know, why?" "Because when he first saw her his reaction was 'Whoa, man!!'")

I read somewhere (sorry, can't remember where, no sources cited here, please don't sue me) that Eve was created from Adam's rib, as opposed to a finger tip, knee cap or ear bone, because the rib was close to his heart - symbolizing his love for her; out of his side - symbolizing their equality, she was neither from his head to be above him or from his foot to be trampled by him; under his arm - symbolizing his role as her protector.

I like that idea. I like that imagery. Some women would probably balk at the idea of being protected by a man, but I like it. I don't need a man, I like to think I'm a self-sufficient and independent modern woman, but I want a man. I want to share my life with another human being, and for him to protect and provide for me and our family . . . and for me to be his helper, his cheerleader, his strongest support.

Overall, I like the second chapter of the Bible and it's establishment of marriage as the cornerstone of social relationships.

Will I ever find my own Adam? Even though the institution of marriage is clearly important, does that mean it's for everyone? What if I never find my Adam, does that mean God loves me less? Am I valuable as a woman only if I am the helper to a man?

In The Beginning

2010-01-27T18:56:00.000-08:00

God saw all that he had made and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning - the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31

I've got to admit, this is feeling tedious already. I cannot tell you the number of times I have read Genesis through from beginning to end, often at the start of undertaking yet another attempt to read the Bible from cover to cover. Usually I gave up somewhere near the end of Exodus or beginning of Leviticus.

Hopefully this blog will give me a certain level of accountability to finish what I've started.

I have heard of others who are so hungry for God that reading the Bible through is a complete joy to them. Either they have experienced something I never have, or they are liars. It's hard to trudge through Leviticus and Numbers.

But we'll cross those bridges when we get there.

For tonight, it's Genesis, chapter 1.

I believe in a higher being. At the very least my life experience has shown me that much to be true. And I believe there is some scientific evidence that there is at least the possibility of beings that live in a higher dimensions of space the 4 we know and love (height, width, length, forward moving time), mathematically anyway.

I was always really good at science in school, it was my highest score on the ACT, and I got As in all my college level science classes. I understand the theory of evolution, and I believe in micro-evolution, or the adaptability of species, but I've always had a problem with macro-evolution or speciation. Maybe it is because I grew up learning about Adam and Eve and the Garden and God's creative touch on planet Earth. Maybe. But the more I look at the many species on our planet, from microbes through to humans and giant sequoia, it seems too perfect not to be planned. How did lungs evolve from gills? They, lungs, would have been of little use in the ocean, and would therefore have been a hindrance rather than an evolutionary advantage leading fish to walk on land and become reptiles. For that matter, how did limbs evolve from fins? They too would have made the fish in question less adept swimmers and would therefore have not been an evolutionary advantage. They would have been bred out before they had a chance to become actual arms and legs.

What if the similarity in our genes across species isn't evidence of a common ancestor, but rather a signature of a common creator?

Now that's not to say that I think the world is slightly more than 6,000 years old and God created it in a literal 7 days. He, if he exists and is truly all-powerful, certainly could have. But I am inclined to believe that Genesis 1 is an ancient near eastern poem. A poem that reveals the creative motivations of God, but not necessarily the literal step by step of how he did everything.

So Genesis 1 doesn't shake my belief in a creator, but I still want to know - is this creator a loving God, who cares about every individual person in his creation? or is he a Deist God, who made the world, but more or less left it to fend for itself?

The Void

2010-01-26T20:48:00.000-08:00

The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Genesis 1:2

A lot of things have happened in my life recently that have caused me to question and also have a desire to know and draw closer to the Creator that I believe does exist.

Can I find Him in the Book he supposedly helped write? Will I?

Only one way to find out.

Now I am not coming at this little project as a complete lay person - I was raised in the church, both of my parents are seminary graduates (though not in divinity or ministry fields of study), former Sunday school teachers - and I myself went to a private, conservative Christian school where I had to attend chapel and take courses in Old Testament History, New Testament History and Spiritual Formation (aka Christian Living 101).

While I know my own bias and previous education cannot be totally eliminated - maybe the Bible isn't meant to be read as an objective journalist - but with the heart of a seeker. And I think in that area I certainly qualify.

I recently broke up with my boyfriend because I have a faith and believe the Church has value - he did not. How could a marriage work when the two parties are so vastly different in their religious beliefs, or lack thereof?

But was I right? What if I broke up with a guy, who loved me in spite of all my flaws, for a God that doesn't even exist?

I've been following these beliefs and finding comfort and value as a member of a religious community for my whole life now - but I've never read the Book all the way through. There are gapping holes in my knowledge and I just can't keep on going saying I believe in a book that I haven't even read all of.

So here's the goal, seems simple enough: 1 chapter each day until I finish it. If I'm feeling especially ambitious I might do two - but at least 1, every day. No jumping around either - we're trudging straight through - cover-to-cover . . . from "In the Beginning" to the last "Amen".

I'll be using my NIV Study Bible as my primary reading material, I may consult alternate translations using BlueLetterBible.org - but I will try to avoid using non-Biblical sources like commentaries and apocryphal books - because this is about me getting to know the Bible, not getting to know what other people say about it.

The mission begins tomorrow. A chapter a day.