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| Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian |
The Readings in Week One cover the narratives in Genesis of the Israelite people before they became enslaved in Egypt. It reads like a family history right down to the geneaologies.
Some are very familiar and often-told Bible stories: the
Garden of Eden, Noah and the Flood, Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and his children,
Joshua and his colorful coat.
These passages are filled with authentic human emotions and
experiences. (And some of the ways they are expressed would cause this book to
be rated R if the whole thing were made into a movie.)
Through every passage these ancient people attempt to
understand and explain their understanding of God and God’s relationship with
them.
It has been said that the Bible is filled with examples of
people’s authentic experiences of God, and Genesis certainly fulfills that
description.
Here are some things to notice along the way.
Consider this a scavenger hunt through the scriptures.
1. Throughout scripture, when humans have encounters with God or angels of God they are almost always first reassured with the words: Do Not Be Afraid or Be Not Afraid. This week's readings have the first example of that.
2. Throughout scripture, a frequent response to an encounter with God is: Here I Am. This week's readings have the first example. Who is it first?
3. Some biblical stories of dreams are well known, like the way Joseph interpreted Pharoah's dreams, but God is revealed in dreams in many places in Genesis.
1. Throughout scripture, when humans have encounters with God or angels of God they are almost always first reassured with the words: Do Not Be Afraid or Be Not Afraid. This week's readings have the first example of that.
2. Throughout scripture, a frequent response to an encounter with God is: Here I Am. This week's readings have the first example. Who is it first?
3. Some biblical stories of dreams are well known, like the way Joseph interpreted Pharoah's dreams, but God is revealed in dreams in many places in Genesis.
Bonus: Find the Pistachios
As you read, may your time with scripture be holy, and may
the very act of reading scripture provide a new encounter for you with God’s
loving presence.
Exodus
More than 400 years have passed since the families we read about in Genesis settled in Egypt in the land of Goshen under the political favor Joseph enjoyed working for the pharaoh. The Hebrew people now live as slaves to the Egyptians with little communal memory of the days of favor.
3. Watch for the many ways God is revealed or depicted. Which ones would get your attention?
Exodus
More than 400 years have passed since the families we read about in Genesis settled in Egypt in the land of Goshen under the political favor Joseph enjoyed working for the pharaoh. The Hebrew people now live as slaves to the Egyptians with little communal memory of the days of favor.
Into this setting God calls an unlikely leader: Moses. Exodus contains the epic story of the plagues brought upon the Egyptians, the Israelites fleeing from Egypt through the parted waters of the Red Sea, the wanderings in the desert, the delivery of the 10 Commandments, and the continuing struggles of people in relationship with one another and with God.
Again, these passages are filled with authentic human experience and emotion – right down to grumblings and murmurings.
Here are some things to notice along the way.
1. Early in Exodus, we have scriptural evidence of unanswered prayer. Can you find it? Have you ever prayed a similar prayer?
2. As the Isrealite people are led by Moses, they are most noted for their grumblings and complaints. Where do you first notice their grumbling?
3. Watch for the many ways God is revealed or depicted. Which ones would get your attention?
Bonus: What is the expiration date of manna?
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