I've recently started on my new Bible project! [There is a Youtube channel with this name and they make awesome videos! You should check them out.] This project consists of reading from the Bible's first book to the last. I've longed to start on this project since early this year as advised by my small Christian life group.
However, I struggled. There are some books that I don't want to read because they seem so foreign and confusing. I've also reasoned out before... Why read the Old Testament books if Jesus had already fulfilled the scripture of the O.T. ? But then, I've forced myself to start and to see what God has in stored for me.
I just finished Genesis and I am now on the early chapters of Exodus. And, it was a blessed experience. There were things that I just noticed or realized now that I've read it chronologically (without skipping anything). So, I am sharing them with you!
First
Nothing is mysterious to God. From the start, it is clear that if one wants to follow God, one will have to deal uncertainty with peace. God called Abraham and he left everything behind to follow Him. That was Abraham's bold leap of faith.
There were times, I would just be alone in a creepy silence and I wonder if God will speak to me like how He speaks to the people in the Bible (at least to how it is written). It is as if they heard God's (literal) voice and they right away knew it was God. I would be super duper terrified if that happens...
We hear God's voice in our hearts. We remain sensitive to Him when we nourish our spirits with His Word. It is a discipline to guard our hearts and to always remain that strong bond with God through mediation and prayer.
Moreover, we also see how God planned everything out so beautifully. They were stories of bitterness and betrayal. Things happened out of evil but God pleasantly twisted the events so that the result may be of good. I think this is best seen in the story of Joseph. If he wasn't sold to slavery, their family may have starved and died due to the 7 year famine.
Second
The family is central to God's plan. God's offer of salvation and blessing to all mankind happened through a family: Abraham's family. Genesis is their family storybook. Of course, it is not an ordinary one because God is the main character! We see it in how events unfolded aligning to God's will.
I also just realized that the whole Bible is like a very long genealogical book. There's a lot of lists of sons and their wives and their children scattered all throughout. My first impression is: Why do we all have these lists?
But then, Our God is a God who values relationships. That's why He has given us free will and we're not like robots. [There were times I would imagine what a good, orderly, perfect world would it be if God has created us just like robots; that we just do His will no matter what and we can't decide for ourselves.]
And where are relationships strongest (if that's the right term) and most central? Yeap, yeap! I know you're guessing it right! It is in the family! :) So, the family is really sacred and it is super close to God's heart. I think it has brought God lots of anguish and grief to see families' disintegrate in our society.
Third
God listens. God knows. There is nothing we can hide from God. I reflected this in Leah and Rachel's story. They are sisters and wives of Jacob. For a long, long time, their story has made me sad and angry at the same time. I feel pity and compassion for Leah because she was not loved like Rachel. Maybe, it was partly because of her appearance. She was stuck being a wife with someone who won't give her affection and love. That is really sad. It is a complicated thing which resulted from her father, Laban's, deception.
She might be involved in this deception too but it is not stated in the Bible. But probably, she is. Most probably, she know all along that Jacob was supposed to marry her younger sister after 7 years. There would have been preparations for the wedding night too and I don't think that fact would be hidden from her. And why hasn't she revealed her identity to Jacob on their wedding night? Well, but I don't know their customs at the olden at a foreign culture so all of these are mere speculations.
But no matter if Leah is involved or not , it's not the point which is why I believe the author of Genesis did not bother to explain it. The point is: God is compassionate. He heard Leah in her downheartedness and made her fertile. God was with her and showed her affection even if Jacob, her husband, didn't. That tells us of God's character. Even if God is not in our hearts and we do not seek him, he hears us. He knows our pain and sorrows.
Fourth
This is my last gold nugget from Genesis. All humans sin. God is the only one perfect. We know that that Our God is a God of Justice and we have to take responsibility of our choices. We have seen that a lot of times (Adam and Eve evicted from the garden, Cain becoming a restless wanderer, the Great Flood, the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, etc).
Also, when we think of Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we automatically imagine that they are perfect, blameless people. But in this book, we see their mistakes and faults too. Each one of these people of faith have their individual down times. Even, Israel's family was distraught by deception (Rebekah and Jacob deceiving Isaac), bitter comparison (Leah and Rachel) and betrayal (Joseph).
But despite that, God blessed them. I think it is not really about them and their faith to God because it can falter at some times. I think Genesis is really about God's faithfulness. He does not give up. He gives second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and many more chances. He is slow to anger and super compassionate. The bad, He makes good. That made me teary eyed, just thinking of that.
And so, I am really blessed to read Genesis. God has allowed me to see these truths. And the truth sets us free.
I think that's all for now. Tonight is our Prayer Soaking and I'm looking forward to it!
Event: Prayer Soaking
Date: August 16, 2018
Time: 7pm to 12mn
Venue: Shepherd of the Lord of Promises, 3rd Floor of the Bldg in cor. San Pedro Street and Ilustre Street, Davao City.
