Genesis 1-9 (January 16)

Summary: God creates exsistence and Adam. Out of Adam, he creates Eve and God gives them everything to enjoy. They disobey God and are removed from Eden. They have two children, Cain and Abel. Cain kills Abel. The geneology is then traced to Noah. God finds favor with Noah and calls him to build the Ark. God destroys the everything in the world, except what is in the Ark. God then makes a new covenant with Noah and promises He will never again destory the earth.

Response: Throughout the story of creation, God's power is the main theme. He commands and things happen. There is no hesistation or mistake. In 1:26, I love how God says, "Let us make man in our image". This refers to the Trinity being present at the beginning of time. This is very cool to me. I also find it so facsinating that God made man from dust. We are such intriquite beings, made of complicated organs and systems. It is so neat to think that God made all of that from dust. He breathed His own breath into man. Later on after Cain kills Abel, the Lord put a mark on Cain. I find this interesting because it already shows the forgiving character of God. I am not sure that I am interpreting this part right. After God promises Cain that no one will kill him, Cain leaves the Lord's presence. Is this God's physical presence at that moment, or God's living presence that exsist all around?

It is hard to fathom that God would look at the world and only find favor in one man. Living in post-Jesus days, I have the mindset that God looks His children and is pleased because of His Son. Chapter 6 can always be confusing because it seems that God is regretting what He has done. Then again, I know that God has a plan, and flooding the world was apart of that. Chapter 9 is a refreshing chapter to read. The promise of the rainbow shows God's creativity and commitment. Even though Chapter 9 shows the beauty of God and His promise, it does not end on a good note. Noah shows his fallen humanity and Hem and Canaan do even worse. This reminds me again of God's justice and wrath of the earth.