This week we continued on our journey through Genesis. We covered a lot of material, so I want to give a brief synopsis for those of you who want to stay on track, but haven’t had the chance to read the most recent posts:
We first addressed the creation of Seth in Genesis 4:25 in a post called Grief, Loss, And The “Replacement” Of Abel. In the verse, Eve states that God gave her Seth as a replacement for Abel, prompting us to ask questions about grief and loss. We discussed how the text is descriptive of Eve’s grief, rather than prescriptive of how we should understand loss. And concluded with a plea to allow people to grieve and find meaning in the ways that are most helpful to them.
Next, we addressed the seemingly awkward text in Genesis 6 that talks about Sons of God, Daughters of Men, and Nephilim, in a post entitled, What Are Nephilim? We looked at the two texts involving Nephilim (Genesis 6 and Numbers 13), and learned that the Bible tells us they’re large and well known, and that’s about it. We debunked some of the interpretations that link the Nephilim to the devil, fallen angels, and other various creatures, and reiterated our need to focus on the information the Bible gives us.
In Sinners In The Hands Of A Heartbroken God we looked at the texts leading up to The Flood. We saw how God was heartbroken and mourned what had happened among humanity, and out of that sorrow how God chose to send The Flood. We debunked the false dichotomy of the angry God of the Old Testament vs. the peaceful Jesus of the New Testament, and discussed how God throughout the Bible craves our reconciliation with Him.
Finally, we moved through The Flood narrative and looked at the character of Noah once the waters subsided in The New Adams. We saw Noah (which means “rest”) resting with God, offering God a sacrifice, and God reflecting that God will never again wash away humanity. We discussed how the covenant that God created with Noah was a reiteration of the relationship he had desired with Adam, and we noted that God continues to use biblical characters to show us the deep and fully reconciled relationship He desires with us. We then celebrated the forgiveness and unfailing love that we get to live within because of Christ’s sacrifice for us.
This coming week we will start by discussing the link between life and blood in Genesis 9, and will move forward from there. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and questions!
Blessings,
Melissa
For those of you keeping up with our Hebrew grammar:
sheth — to place, also the name Seth
atsav — grieved, what God feels before The Flood
arar — to curse
ruwach nichowach reyach — sweet savor, the scent of burnt offerings
Pastor Melissa 