Noah...

This week's reading is from Chapter 6:9 to 11:32.

To get the general feeling for the section,
here is my humble summary:

Chapter 6: God tells Noah to build an ark. Noah obeys.
Chapter 7: God judges the earth with the flood.
Chapter 8: The water dies down, and everyone disembarks the ark.
Chapter 9: God blesses Noah and family. One of Noah's sons, Ham dishonors Noah.
Chapter 10: The listing of the descendants of Noah's sons.
Chapter 11: Tower of Babel. Genealogy from Noah to Abram.

My focus in this section: Chapter 9:8-17

That is, God's covenant with the rainbow.

During the last 4 months of residence in Hawaii, I've seen more rainbows than I've ever seen living elsewhere put together. Many of the times, they're doubled up, with the colors inverted on the outside.

Initially, I was like "oooh." These days, it's more like, "oh, hey..."

It's definitely a novelty, and like any other novelty, I suppose there probably will come a time not too distant in the future when the novelty has long faded into something less significant.

Call me a lame romantic, but I think that is kind of sad. But also being a realist, I see it as a part of the human nature.

Although I may sound as I may be digressing, the point here is that the covenant was made by God, who sees all the rainbows that appear on the face of the earth, including Hawaii, and remembers His promise.

God is good.


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In the beginning

This section covers Genesis 1:1 to 6:8.

Chapter 1 is the creation for the first 6 days;
Chapter 2 goes into the details of the garden;
Chapter 3 is the temptation and the fall;
Chapter 4 is Cain and Abel, and the birth of Seth;
Chapter 5 is the genealogy from Adam to Noah;
Chapter 6 to v.8 tells of the wickedness on earth;

There's a lot to be said even in the first chapter, especially in the first two verses, but I suppose one can look that up in commentaries and such...


The thing that stuck in this reading for me was in Chapter 4, from v.9-15, where God/Yahweh/Jehovah asks Cain about Abel, and Cain feigns innocence, and Yahweh judges Cain. Cain is cursed and as a result, he goes straight to whine mode; Yahweh has mercy on Cain, and promises safety.

Cain was rightfully cursed, and when he was punished for it, God was still willing to look out after him. When I first looked at it a couple of days ago, it was like, "wow, that's nice, God cut Cain a break..." Completely viewing it in the third person.

Now that I'm back on it, I'm seeing myself feigning innocence, so I can see the need in identifying myself with Cain... I think it's an easy trap for me to see myself more as the one bestowing the grace and mercy, and I become less aware of my need for mercy and grace (i.e. start thinking I'm already perfect).

In fact, I was going into whine mode (too recently) for something trivial, and my feeling of entitlement was completely ruining my day; kind of like shooting myself in the foot and hating myself for it... Then God sweeps in with His grace and mercy, and straightens up my day.

God is good.


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Before the beginning...

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Perhaps some disclaimers:

My intention of starting this other blog is to encourage and edify the body of Christ by sharing some thoughts from meditating on God's Word.

I don't claim myself to be a teacher of the Bible, I just deem myself as another guy who likes to talk about his hobbies, like many others in the world, in my case, the hobby happens to be the Bible.

Anything I may say, please take it with a grain of salt, as with the Bereans in Acts 17:11...

Numbers 6:24-26.


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