This is an invitation to get deep into God’s word in 2025. You may have done or heard of a Bible-in-One-Year reading plan. I’ve done several of these and they are wonderful! However, about 5 years ago, I revised the reading plan and spread it out over 3 years instead of one. This was such a beautiful time, because it gave me space and grace not just to read God’s word, but to go deeper and explore commentary about it. And so - this year, I invite you to join me in this journey.
I will also be reading the CEB translation (https://www.commonenglishbible.com/explore/passage-lookup )
And I will be using the Common English Bible Student Edition commentary. (https://a.co/d/5InyJdD )
(If you have not gotten the email with the readng plan, please contact me)
The animals and people started as vegetarians!
ReplyDeleteGen 1: 29 Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food. 30 To all wildlife, to all the birds in the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s what happened. 31 God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good.
Feminists theologians interpret Gen 2:21 differently than traditional theologians. In the original Hebrew language of the creation in Gen 2, the human is not male or female, but perhaps both. הָאָדָ֖ם (hā·’ā·ḏām) is a generic term for "human." And is not just male. In addition, Gen 2:21 could be interpreted as God took "one side" of the "human, "not just one diminutive rib, but a whole half! I like this interpretation 👍🏽
ReplyDeleteGen 5:1-2 reinforces this notion. Here's how the CEB version reads:
Delete1 This is the record of Adam’s descendants. On the day God created humanity, he made them to resemble God 2 and created them male and female. He blessed them and called them humanity on the day they were created
Gen 4:10 in the CEB says, ". . . the voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground . . . . " It's almost as if the blood is a life force because the blood has a voice! This lines up with the belief and practice of later Israelites who God commanded to eat Kosher food, that the blood should not be consumed because it has life.
ReplyDeleteThe Psalms are often mispercieved as calm and joyful. Just praising God jubilently. Psalm and calm even rhyme. And they do have that effect - sometimes. However - sometimes the Psalms can be ROUGH!! Today's reading, the Psalmist imagines God's "son" smashing the nations like pottery. And then says God's anger is easily ignited. Oh my 😳!!!
ReplyDeleteGen 6:1-4 is very mysterious. "Divine" beings having sex with human women and procreating. How is this possible? Who were these beings? Is this the basis for Greek Mythology?
ReplyDeleteGen 6:5 -6 - We (sinful humanity) didn't have even one thought that was not evil (umps!!) It just broke God's heart :-(
ReplyDeleteExcept for Noah. (It must have been very lonely being the only God-fearing person on the earth 🤔. A congregation of one)
DeleteGen 11:14-16 is very disturbing when looking at it from our modern context. It says that Abram pretended his wife was his sister in order to make sure he was safe. But then Pharaoh brought her into the palace to be his wife. And it says Abram got paid and became rich from it . Was this human trafficking 😳?!!
ReplyDeleteCorrection: Genesis 12:14-16
DeleteMatthew 5:1-26 is the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon is both comforting and convicting at the same time!
ReplyDeleteCEB Student Commentary says "God promises flourishing contentment and well being if we have the courage to feel compassion."
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