Day 5 Bible Reading

Genesis 9 & 10, Matthew 4:23-25, Psalm 4       

Psalm 4: 8 (ESV)

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord make me dwell in safety.”

I thought I wanted to right about the God’s rainbow and his promise to us, because I love rainbows and still experience childlike excitement whenever I see a rainbow. I grew up seeing a ton of rainbows so they are very familiar to me, but seeing a rainbow still fills me with such joy. But I was struck by the last verse of Psalm 4. If I have complete trust in God and Christ and I keep that knowledge at the forefront of my mind, I feel safe and in peace. But there were times in these last few years where my anxiety was palpable, and I could not get a good night sleep. I was only ever to calm myself down and finally sleep, when I remembered God’s promises to me and his faithfulness and how he has never let me down. My life has never been perfect, but I can honestly say my life has been what I would call “charmed” since I started believing in Christ. 

Day 4 Bible Reading

Genesis 7 & 8, Matthew 4: 1-22, Proverbs 1: 1-7

Genesis 7: 6 (ESV)

“Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters came up on the earth.”

I’ve read the Noah story many times, but this is the first time I noticed Noah’s age. In Genesis 5, we find out that age 500 he fathered, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. We never find out when God ask Noah to build the ark. All we know is Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters started. It struck me that Noah was building ark for perhaps 80 years or more, if one assumes that his three sons were old enough to help him. That’s a long time to work on the ark project. I’ve been brainwashed by the Hollywood depictions of the Noah story, where we get the impression that Noah built the ark in 10 years, maybe less. Noah is the first example of an obedient follower of God. I have a hard time imagining working on a project for that long. Did Noan not doubt? He had to wait, and let’s be generous, maybe 50 years or more for God’s word to come true. I am shamed by Noah’s patience. I pray for God for things and I expect it to happen fairly quickly. I think I need a sign that says “Remember Noah’s patience. His ark project took over 50 years, And he literally saved the world.” I need to meditate on Noah’s patience and remember his faithfulness and obedience to following God’s mission for him in his life.

Day 3 Bible Reading

Genesis 5 & 6, Matthew 3, Psalm 3

Genesis 5: 28-29 (ESV)

“When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.””

This passage from Genesis 5 stood out to me today because I think it means that God will use ordinary people to do his work. Noah came from cursed ground. He wasn’t great or special in any way. In Genesis 6, all we know of Noah is “was a righteous man, blameless in his generation”. He followed God’s law, but he was a sinner like anyone else. Lamech was also prophesying when he said Noah will bring relief from the painful toil of our hands. The toil of our hands I believe is referring to sin. God chose Noah and he made a covenant with Noah to protect him and his family from the flood waters. The arc that Noah built I think can also be seen as a symbol for the coming of Jesus Christ. Christ will be the one to save us from our sins, protecting us from the flood of the sins that have the ability to destroy not only our world but our life itself.

 Day 2 Bible Reading – Getting Caught Up

Genesis 3 and 4, Matthew 2, Psalm 2

Genesis 3: 1 (ESV)

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?””

This first line from Genesis 3 struck me. I have read this line many times but after watching a commentary on YouTube on Genesis 3, I now see this line as the beginning of sin. And how does sin begin? Sin begins with doubt. Doubt that what God has told is true. I reflected back on my life when I started down a dark path, and I believe it did start with doubt. I doubted whether my life was on track, whether I was doing the right thing in my life, doubt about everything and anything in my life. And when the seed of doubt is planted in your mind and you don’t put a stop to it, it grows. Doubt becomes like a rabbit hole that you fall down into, and it’s dark and disorienting. You become like Alice falling into Wonderland. You start to question everything and if you go too far, you must fight your way back to the light. I really need to read Alice in Wonderland and compare it to Genesis 3. I bet I’ll be able to find many similarities between how the Serpent framed his argument to Eve to eat the apple from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good an Evil. And yes it was Eve’s fault that she at the apple, but then Adam knew the rule and could have said something but he didn’t. And when God asked them what happened, Adam and Eve took no responsibility for their actions. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the Serpent. So in Genesis 3, sin is born.