Tag: bsf genesis

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 4, Day 5: Genesis 3:14-24

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  God curses the serpent for his beguilement of Adam and Eve to crawl on his belly and eat dust and God put enmity between the serpent and man for all time. Literally, this is humans not liking snakes (especially women).  Figuratively, this is humans not trusting Satan and having an inborn wariness of him.

God punished woman by greatly increasing her pains in childbirth; woman will desire her husband who will rule over her.

God punished Adam by cursing the ground so painful toil is now required to eat of it.  The ground will produce thorns and thistles.  And now death is introduced since “for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Adam names Eve and God makes them clothes and banishes them from the Garden of Eden so that he won’t be able to eat from the tree of life.  He places cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

Questions:

13a)  “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals!  You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

b)  “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.  Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

c)  “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

14a)  The serpent is Satan and her offspring will be Jesus.  Jesus will ultimately defeat Satan (crush his head) even though Satan will wound Jesus (strike his heel).  “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet”  (Romans 16:20)

b)  With garments of skin

15a)  Everyone dies.  We are all sinners through Adam.  Jesus was sent to redeem his people, bring grace, and offer justification through his death so that we may have eternal life.

We were born sinners.  But Jesus can redeem us.  The results and consequences for us today are we have a choice:  to choose or reject Jesus.  Choose Jesus=life.  Reject Jesus=death.

b)  Jesus.

Conclusions:  We see here that God never abandoned us, even when we sinned.  He always had Jesus planned to save us.  It’s hard to comprehend:  why would God create us if He knew we would Fall?  Only God can answer that.  He must think we are worthy in some way.  Sometimes I wish I believed but a piece of that worthiness.

I had never thought of us being born with a wariness to Satan before.  So we’re born with a natural rebelliousness towards God but a natural distrust of Satan.  Again, we must choose.  Naturally, we gravitate towards serving ourselves (like children).  But we learn to choose and no choice in life is more important.  The outcome of our life depends upon this choice.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 3, Day 5: Genesis 1 & 2 and skim Genesis 3:1-10

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passages:  Genesis 1:  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was formless and void but the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

1st Day:  God made light and He saw it was good.  He separated light from dark.  He called light “day” and dark “night.”

2nd Day:  God separated the waters to create sky.

3rd Day:  He let the dry ground appear, which He named “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas”.  Then the land produced vegetation–all of which God saw was good.

4th Day:  God made the sun, moon, and stars to be used as signs to mark the seasons, days, and years; to give light on the earth; to govern the day and the night; and to separate light from darkness.  God saw that it was good.

5th Day:  God created the great creatures of the sea as well as every winged bird.  He blessed them to multiply and fill the earth.  He saw it was good.

6th Day:  God created living creatures on the land and all the wild animals and He saw it was good.  He made man in His own image to rule over all the earth and its creatures.  God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and rule.  He gave man every green plant for food and everything that has the breath of life in it.  God saw that it was very good.

Genesis 2:  By the seventh day, God had finished his work so he rested and blessed the day as holy.

After God made the heavens and the earth but before plants had sprung and only streams had watered the earth, God made man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into his nostrils and man became living.  He put the man in the garden of Eden.  He made all kinds of trees for food and in the middle were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  A river watered this garden.

God put man in charge of the garden to work it and take care of it.  He warned the man not to eat from the tree of knowledge or he would die.  He brought the animals to Adam to name.  When God did so, He noticed no helper was found for man; so He created woman from Adam’s rib while he was sleeping so man would not be alone.

This is why man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and become one flesh.  They were naked and felt no shame.

Genesis 3:1-10:  The crafty serpent said to Eve, “Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?”  Eve said, “We cannot eat from the tree in the middle or we shall die.”

The serpent says they will not die but they will be like God, knowing good and evil.

Desiring wisdom, Eve ate and gave some to Adam so he would eat.  Their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked.  They covered themselves with fig leaves.

Adam and Eve hid from God when they heard him in the garden.  God called to them and Adam said he was afraid because he was naked.

Questions:

12)  It addresses before man was made that God had not yet sent rain so streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground (Genesis 2:5-6).  Genesis 2:10 does mention a river that waters the garden flowed from Eden after man’s creation.

So we know there was water and the plants grew.  I’m imaging at some point the water cycle kicked in but in the beginning the earth was so new the water cycle probably didn’t have time to evaporate and form clouds so God watered where He needed to.

13a)  God did it all.  He created everything.  He created.  He said.  He blessed.  He made.  He controls.  In Genesis 2, I see God caring for his creation.  In Genesis 1, the focus was on making everything.  In Genesis 2, God cared for and perfected his creations.  He gave man a companion because man needed one.  He watered the land so it would grow.

Genesis 1:  Created & controlled

Genesis 2:  Cared for

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  I threw in control because I think a lot of us suffer when we try to take control instead of allowing God to be in control.  I know I do this often.  Praying “God, you take this” is one of my frequent prayers.

Knowing in my heart God cares for me is something also I need to rejuvenate.  I know God is in control and he cares about me but having that in the forefront of my mind is hard.

Something I need to pray, “God you created me, you are in control, and you care for me.  So please help me sow this into my heart and remember this in my daily walk so you will be in control.”

14a)  The definition of ashamed according to Webster’s Dictionary is, “feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace; feeling inferior or unworthy”.

Man did not feel inferior or unworthy before the Fall.  Man and God seemed to me to be best friends.  God made man in His image and they walked in the Garden together.  As equals?  Probably not.  But as a proper Father/son/daughter relationship should be–full of respect and admiration.

God made man worthy of him.  Man then sinned and brought unworthiness into the world.  So Jesus had to make it right.

They didn’t know they weren’t supposed to be naked.  They didn’t have the knowledge of being naked until they ate from the tree.  The first thing God asks them in Genesis 3:11 is “Who told you that you were naked?”

[Makes me wonder if this is why we wear clothes today.  Because we are ashamed of our bodies when we shouldn’t be.  Especially since originally man wasn’t ashamed. Interesting.]

b)  I like this idea of light as clothes (never heard this before).  Could I get some of this light?  It would probably be much prettier than what I wear!

Seriously, answer is sin.  When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and partook of the fruit, the knowledge and sin removed the light.

c) Romans 3:23 “for we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.  Not sure what “this” is in this question.  Naked?  Ashamed?  The light being removed?  The light being the clothing?

Because of sin we fall short of the glory of God.  Since the Fall we all sin so we all fall short. Thus, we are inferior and unworthy of God unless we have Jesus who makes us worthy.

Conclusions:  Not sure of 14c.  Not sure what the point is that we haven’t already concluded from the Fall.

Great reminder that God is in control and He cares.  Even when we don’t want Him to.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 3, Day 4: Genesis 2:9-17; John 4:14; 6:29-63; 10:28

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passages:  Genesis 2:9-17:  God made all kinds of plants for the Garden of Eden that were pleasing to the eye and good to eat.  In the middle were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge.  A river watered the garden, two of which we know still exist today:  the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

God took the man and put him in the garden to work it and take care of it.  He commanded the man to not eat of the tree of knowledge or man would die.

John 4:14:  Jesus says whoever drinks the water he gives will never thirst and the water will well up into eternal life.

John 6:29-63:  Jesus explains that the work of God is to believe in him (Jesus).  The people ask for a miraculous sign like Moses received in the form of manna.  Jesus explains that God gave them the true bread from heaven, which is him (Jesus) who brings life to the world.

Jesus says he is the bread of life.  Whoever believes in him will never hunger nor thirst. Jesus has come to do God’s will and God’s will is to raise up those he has given (or who believe in Jesus) on the last day.  God’s will is whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life.

The people do not believe Jesus is the Son.  Jesus says only the Father will send believers to him to raise up.  Everyone who listens to the Father will come to him.  And those who believe in Jesus will have everlasting life.

If you partake of Jesus and eat of him, you will not die.  You will live forever.  Jesus repeats himself again to these skeptics that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood will have eternal life and be raised on the last day.  For then Jesus will be in them and vice versa.

God sent Jesus.  Jesus lives because of the Father.  Those who feed on Jesus will live because of him.

Jesus says the Spirit gives life and his words are the spirit and therefore life.

John 10:28:  Again, Jesus says he give them eternal life and no one can snatch them from him once they are his.

Questions:

10a)  God and everlasting life through Him.

b)  No.  God said “you are free to eat from any tree….” Genesis 2:16

c)  Yes.  Jesus is the tree of life.  Revelation 2:7:  “I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”  Revelation 22:2:  On each side of the river stood the tree of life…”  Revelation 22:19 also mentions the tree of life.

11)  In Genesis, all that is recorded is that God only said don’t eat from the tree of knowledge or you will die.  Jesus says you will die in your sins if you don’t believe in him. John 14:6:  Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I’m wondering if Adam even had a concept of death like we do today.  Probably not.  I picture him like a child who disobeys because they don’t think the consequences are that bad.  So in Adam’s case, he thought eating the apple would merely be like a slap on the wrist or a time out.  This doesn’t excuse his behavior but Adam probably thought, “Die?  What does that mean?”  He wasn’t afraid of death like we are today because fear did not exist in the Garden.  Fascinating, isn’t it?

Jesus, speaking to Fallen man who completely understands an eternal death, explains he is the way to eternal life in heaven–not on earth like Adam had been promised.  Jesus makes it crystal clear:  either you believe in Him and are saved or you don’t and you are condemned.  Period.  Both still lead to a physical death.

Conclusions:  It all comes down to trust, faith, and obedience.  Trust in God when He tells you what to do.  Have faith He knows what’s best.  And obey.  Same with Jesus. Trust in Jesus.  Have faith in who he is.  And obey Jesus’s commands.  Because the Father and the Son are one in the same.

For one split second, Adam and Eve lost all of those.  And they paid the price.  So it is today.  We must decide: do we have trust, faith, and obedience in our life?

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 3, Day 3: Genesis 2:8-17

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  The Lord planted the garden of Eden where he placed the man He has formed.  God made all kinds of plants for this garden that were pleasing to the eye and good to eat.  In the middle were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge.  A river watered the garden, two of which we know still exist today:  the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

God took the man and put him in the garden to work it and take care of it.  He commanded the man to not eat of the tree of knowledge or man would die.

Questions:

6)  It has been known by many names:  Mesopotamia (which is Greek for land between the two rivers), Assyria, Sumer, Babylonia, Persia.  Both run through modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.  The region was known as the “Fertile Crescent” because so many civilizations thrived there.  It was also called the “Cradle of Civilization” since the civilization that developed there was the first on earth (namely, Adam and Eve).

7)  A garden with all kinds of trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.  In the middle were the tree of life and knowledge.  A river watering the garden flowed from Eden that was separated into four headwaters.  Animals and birds lived there.

8 )  He told them they could eat from any tree in the Garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  If they did, they would die.

9a)  Personal Question.  My answer:  As an American, everything is pleasant to be honest.  I have all the basic needs and then some.  I have a house, cars, a dog, my family, extra money to buy things I want, money for the kids’ activities, etc.  I drink coffee in the morning.  I have flowers on my kitchen table.  I have a kitchen table.

Currently, there is nothing really “hard” in terms of living conditions in my life.  Now, it hasn’t always been that way (those of you who’ve been here long enough remember the time I lived in a camper when my husband lost his job(s).)  I enjoy where I live and my life.  I am blessed.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Resisting my human nature.  I fight against selfishness, loving others, caring for others, potty mouth, being ungrateful for my blessings, letting bitterness and anger consume me and influence my actions, submitting to authority, and being kind and compassionate to others.  I got a ways to go to be more like Jesus.

Conclusions:  Simple questions with a powerful reminder of how pleasant our life is and yet we sin anyways like Adam and Eve did.  Adam and Eve led the dream life:  talking and walking with God every day and having all their basic needs met without even thinking about it; yet they still thought they were missing something so they sinned.  They thought there was something better out there and they wanted to “know” about it.  Like most of us do.

Contentment with life is one of the hardest things to achieve.  Partly because we as humans are driven to do better and be better.  Which gets us into trouble.  But also brings about some of the greatest inventions.

Great reminder to be content with where we are at in our journey as we continually strive to know Him.

Map that shows possible location of Garden of Eden with the 4 rivers:  http://www.israel-a-history-of.com/old-testament-map.html

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 3, Day 2: Genesis 1:26-2:25 with Psalm 8 & Hebrews 2:6-9

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passages:  Genesis 1:26-2:25:  Finishing up the sixth day, God made man in our image (our being God the father, Son, and the Holy Spirit) and let man rule over the fish, birds, livestock, and all of earth and its creatures.  He created both male and female.  God blessed man and told him to be fruitful and multiply.

God gave man every seed-bearing plant and every fruit for food.  He gave all the other living creatures green plants for food.  God saw all He made and it was good.

By the seventh day, God had finished his work so he rested and blessed the day as holy.

After God made the heavens and the earth but before plants had sprung and only streams had watered the earth, God made man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into his nostrils and man became living.  He put the man in the garden of Eden.  He made all kinds of trees for food and in the middle were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  A river watered this garden.

God put man in charge of the garden to work it and take care of it.  He warned the man not to eat from the tree of knowledge or he would die.  He brought the animals to Adam to name.  When God did so, He noticed no helper was found for man; so He created woman from Adam’s rib while he was sleeping so man would not be alone.

This is why man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and become one flesh.  They were naked and felt no shame.

Psalm 8:  David sings God praises, saying how majestic He is. God set His glory above the heavens.  The praises of children silence God’s enemies. David asks the question many of us ask:  when we consider all you have made (the heavens, moon, and stars), why do you care for insignificant man so and crown him with glory and honor by making him ruler over everything?

How majestic is your name!

Hebrews 2:6-9:  Psalm 8 is quoted, “what is man that you are mindful of him…a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.”  Everything is subject to man, even things we do not see.  Jesus, who himself was made a little lower than angels, is crowned with glory and honor (the same as man’s) because he suffered death for everyone.

Questions:

3a)  Adam:  The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (2:7)

Eve:  The Lord God caused the man (Adam) to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.  Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man (2:21-22)

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  We wouldn’t exist without Him.  And He made us companions for one another so we wouldn’t be alone.  I couldn’t make it in this Fallen world without help from God and humans.

4a)  God took Adam in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.  (2:15)

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Yes.  We are the top of the food chain, the pyramid, the most intelligent beings, and we are formed in God’s image.  It is our responsibility to take care of our planet Earth and everything in it and to work it as God intended.

c)  In putting everything under him (man), God left nothing that is not subject to him.  Yet we do not see everything that is subject to him.  But we do see Jesus who has come to defeat death.

Main truth from these passages:  God originally gave man dominion over this earth (and the one to come) NOT angels even though man is a little lower than angels.  Man was created to rule earth.

This brings up the question:  how can Jesus rule and reign if he is not human?  Thus, Jesus became human so he (and we while Jesus is gone) can rule and reign over this world.

Thus, God gave man dominion over the earth; however, when man sinned and brought death (Romans 5:12), he gave up that power (but not the right) to rule.  The sin and death took away that power.  Thus, Jesus was sent to conquer death and restore God’s promise that humans will have dominion over the earth (Romans 5:21).  Because through Jesus man reclaims the dominion that God had originally intended for Adam (Revelation 5:10; Matthew 25:21).

Credit given to Enduring Word for explaining this to me!

5a)  To work and take care of Eden.  Basically, to care for God’s creations.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  To care for my family and husband; raise my kids in God’s ways.  For the world, I hope it’s through my novel.  But that’s just a hope.  At times, a very discouraging hope.  Something in my heart I can’t shake.  But one I believe is from God.

Conclusions:  Question 4c needed more background information.  I wouldn’t have been able to answer it without reading commentaries.  Piecing together the fact that one reason Jesus came as a man is to fulfill God’s promise of man having dominion over the earth is one I’ve never considered or heard of before.

In church, it’s all about how Jesus came to save us from our sins; to take them upon himself.  But this implication goes far beyond that.  Jesus came for us to rule.  Because God deigned us to (for some unknown reason).  Again, as in Psalm 8, I feel like David:  “what is man that you are mindful of him?”.

We are so little and insignificant.  But only in our eyes.  To God, we must be 10 feet tall!

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 2, Day 5: Genesis 1:26-31

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  Finishing up the sixth day, God made man in our image (our being God the father, Son, and the Holy Spirit) and let man rule over the fish, birds, livestock, and all of earth and its creatures.  He created both male and female.  God blessed man and told him to be fruitful and multiply.

God gave man every seed-bearing plant and every fruit for food.  He gave all the other living creatures green plants for food.  God saw all He made and it was good.

Questions:

10)  1)  God made man in His own image

2) God created both male and female

3)  God let man rule over the fish, birds, livestock, and all the earth and its creatures

4)  God blessed man

5)  God told man to multiply

11a)  God gave man food:  every seed-bearing plant and every fruit.  Not until the Fall did God give man animals to eat (Genesis 9:3).

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Basic needs are food, clothing, and shelter, all of which I have thanks to God.  Everything else I have would be “beyond”, again all of which God has provided.

How?  By making me human, with a brain, the ability to work and grow into His purpose for my life.

12)  Personal Question.  My answer:  The gist of this passage for me was God making us in His image.  This is huge since nothing else on earth is.  So wrapping my mind around how God is similar to me (but definitely not the same).

Psalm tells us God created me and I am wonderful.  Always good to hear.  Especially when you don’t feel such.

Acts tells us that I belong here and now so I could find Him.

Great passages if you are questioning your place in this world.

Conclusions:  It’s always a good reminder that God provides everything we need.  This is His promise.  Not everything we want (as some claim and then get frustrated when they don’t receive).  It’s a good day to thank Him for the basics, which we often forget to do.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 2, Day 4: Genesis 1:20-25

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  God created living creatures in the water and birds to fly in the skies.  He saw that it was good and blessed them to multiply and fill the earth–the fifth day.

Sixth day:  God created living creatures (both domestic and wild) to fill the land.  He saw that it was good.

Questions:

8a)  Orderly process.  He fills the seas with living creatures and the sky with birds  (He separated these first so He fills these first).  The He populates the land with creatures, which follows since He separated dry land after He separated out the sky.

b)  Here BSF mentions evolution but does nothing to explain the the term.  BSF assumes everyone knows what evolution is which I can tell you right now my kids have no clue what evolution is.  They kind of do from all the dinosaur books we read but could not explain the theory.

Evolution is a complicated theory and even scientists have different definitions.  There is also the evolution of the universe and biological evolution (the evolution of life forms).

So this question I think would be best answered keeping it as general and as simple as possible.  Since we are talking about life forms on the fifth and sixth day of creation, we will stick with biological here.

Biological evolution is the process that results in changes in a population spread over many generations.

To me, I define evolution as the idea that all life evolved from a single-celled microorganism over billions of years.  Obviously, Genesis states God created every kind of plant and animal–nothing evolved over time.

God created; not time.

9a)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Ephesians tells us to be filled with the Spirit.  I don’t think me life is right now.  It’s pretty chaotic around here.  So much going on: caring for and teaching my kids, running my household, kids activities, meeting husband’s needs, working out, carving out a niche of time to be with God (bible study) and do His will (my novel).  This is my typical day.

I need to pray more.  Give more.  Reflect God more.  Love more.

b)  Personal question.  My answer:  He has reinforced old ideas and desires, not necessarily new.  Refocused I guess.  I gotta get my query letter done and get it out to agents.  I gotta quit cussing.  I gotta be more grateful and thankful for all that I have.  I gotta be a life-giver, not a life-drainer.

c)  Personal question.  My answer:  Watching my tongue more.  Being more encouraging.  Praying more and thanking more.  Caring for others more than myself.

Conclusions:  To be honest, I didn’t really like this lesson.  8b seems obvious if you are a believer what the answer should be.  But it just seems out of place and presumptuous–to throw in the theory of evolution without discussing it first.  It’s like assuming everyone knows what “pop” is.

Question 9 is a good reminder of what I should be doing.  But I don’t have any new ideas. God’s word is timeless.  How you should live has not changed and never will change.  Nothing should be “new” unless you just learned it.  I know how I should be filling my life and I’m not.  I guess that’s why I don’t like it.  I don’t want to change.  But I know it’s time.  And re-prioritizing is never easy.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 1, Day 4: Genesis 1:1

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Passage:  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Questions:

9a)  The heavens and the earth

b)  After creating the heavens and the earth, God fills both with more creations.  Genesis Chapter 1 is all about what God created.

10)  John 1:1-3:  Christ was with God in the beginning

Colossians 1:15-19:  Christ was born before creation in order to be supreme above all things

Colossians 2:3:  Christ holds all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge

Colossians 2:9:  For Christ is God in bodily form

Hebrews 1:3:  Christ is God’s glory

All of these support the idea Christ was there from the beginning (Creation).

Conclusions:  Easy day.  Not much here to conclude we didn’t already know:  God created the heavens and the earth and Jesus was with Him.  Makes sense since God is Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 1, Day 3: Psalms 8 & 90 with Genesis 1

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passages:  Psalm 8:  David sings God praises, saying how majestic He is. God set His glory above the heavens.  The praises of children silence God’s enemies. David asks the question many of us ask:  when we consider all you have made (the heavens, moon, and stars), why do you care for insignificant man so and crown him with glory and honor by making him ruler over everything?

How majestic is your name!

Psalm 90:  Moses says before you brought forth the earth there was only everlasting God.  For a thousand years in your sight is like a day.  He says our days fly by quickly under God’s wrath so teach us (man) to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Moses asks God to relent his anger and have compassion on man so man may sing for joy and be glad.  Show man your deeds and rest your favor on man.  Give man work.

Genesis 1:  HERE

Questions:

6)  Psalm 90 speaks to how God’s time is not our time (verse 10).  In 2 Peter 3:8 the author says the Lord’s day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day.  I am leaning towards saying it IS a 24-hour time frame.  It would be presumptuous to say that God could not create the world in 6 days and in 24-hour time frames since God can do anything so I would think He’d only need 24 hours in a day.

God created the sun and the days and the length of the days specifically for man to mark time (Genesis 1:14) and I would like to think His Sabbath is the same as today.  If you take what 2 Peter says then that would be a case for Evolution.  That the world was created gradually.  That it took 6000 years and that God needed 1000 years to rest.

Nope, don’t buy it.

I agree that God’s time is not our time.  But I think in the case of Creation, God didn’t need thousands of years.

7)  For His glory (Psalm 8) and because it was very good (Genesis 1:31).  He created us because He wanted to.  For His purposes.  And God can do whatever He wants.

I personally think he created the earth with the intention it be a home for man.  He created man for companionship.  The first days of the Garden show us this:  that God walked in the Garden, expecting to see man (Genesis 3:8).  Can you imagine?  Walking next to God in Paradise?  This is heaven now but back in Genesis.

God is the Father.  We are His children.  Most of us would say we cannot live without our children.  I think God feels the same way.  That’s why He sent Jesus after the Fall–to be with us.  Not separate from us.

David seems to be thinking the same thing in Psalm 8.  Why would God go to so much trouble of creating the universe if not for us?

We don’t know all of God’s reasonings but I do think the creation of the world has something to do with man.  You can call this presumptuous as well.  But having God in my life makes my life.

8 )  This question is confusing.  Verse 26 & 27:  God created man in His own image.  God created living from the living.  The dead cannot reproduce.  Thus, God is living.

God made everything (including everything that is alive like plants and animals) so this proves God is living as well.

We also know the Holy Spirit was there as exhibited by Genesis 1:2 so the Spirit is living as well.

I’m hung up on “living person”.  For is God a person?  Or is He God?  I don’t think of God as a person.  I know He is living. I know He was a living person in the form of Jesus Christ on this earth for a time.  But is God Himself a person?

I know we are made in His image so we must resemble Him somehow.  But does that make Him a person?

Calling God a person (to me) equates Him with humans and I just can’t do that.  He is above us.  Always has been and always will be.

My conclusion:  He is most definitely living (as many passages in the Bible attest to).  But is He a person?  No.  Not like me or you at least.

Conclusions:  Great lesson!  It definitely got me thinking.  You?  Thinking about things I don’t normally think about in my daily hum-drums of life.

All of these are personal questions and make you think about why we are here on this earth.  For His purpose.  That the world is His and we are mere transients.  We are here for Him.  He is the Alpha and the Omega.  It begins and ends with Him.

As I type this, I am sitting here petting my one remaining dog.  It’s been one week since I lost my female.  I’m remembering how one minute she was here, present on this earth, and the next she was gone.  Lifeless.  A mere shell of what she used to be.  How I miss her!

But I can’t wait to see her in her prime in heaven.  It gives me comfort to know she’s in a better place.

Still, I could never be a vet or a doctor.  Watching someone or something take their last breath in this world takes a special character to do repeatedly.  And that’s not me!

It’s a reminder of how time is precious.  How we need to do God’s work now.  How God has a purpose for us and we must discover it now.  No more excuses or ho-humming around.

Do it NOW!

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 1, Day 2: Genesis 1

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Introductory Note:  Hey all!  It’s great to be back.  Just some information up front. The answers will be found under BSF Genesis on the side bar.  It might take a couple of weeks for it to show up since the side bar is determined by popularity so be patient! Until then, you can use the search in the side bar or scroll down to find the answers.

Summary of passage:  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was formless and void but the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

1st Day:  God made light and He saw it was good.  He separated light from dark.  He called light “day” and dark “night.”

2nd Day:  God separated the waters to create sky.

3rd Day:  He let the dry ground appear, which He named “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas”.  Then the land produced vegetation–all of which God saw was good.

4th Day:  God made the sun, moon, and stars to be used as signs to mark the seasons, days, and years; to give light on the earth; to govern the day and the night; and to separate light from darkness.  God saw that it was good.

5th Day:  God created the great creatures of the sea as well as every winged bird.  He blessed them to multiply and fill the earth.  He saw it was good.

6th Day:  God created living creatures on the land and all the wild animals and He saw it was good.  He made man in His own image to rule over all the earth and its creatures.  God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and rule.  He gave man every green plant for food and everything that has the breath of life in it.  God saw that it was very good.

Questions:

3a)  God is the subject of most sentences followed by an action verb (said, saw, created, called, made, set, blessed).  It’s all about God.  His name is used 30 times in Chapter 1.  He’s the center.  Nothing happens in this chapter without Him.  It’s true now.  He’s the center and nothing happens in this world without Him.

b)  The word let is very common in English.  I sense no pompousness here or a great booming voice–just God casually (yet purposefully) creating all.  Let means “to cause to or make” according to Webster’s Dictionary.  God is causing or making all.

Another meaning of let in Webster’s Dictionary is the imperative (command) form here, meaning to introduce a request or proposal.  It’s a command yet it’s gentle.

“It was so” means everything God spoke was.  He is omnipotent and Chapter 1 of Genesis shows this clearly.

4)  He saw that all He had made was very good (verse 31)

5a)  Jeremiah 10:12:  God made everything by His power, wisdom, and understanding

Acts 17:24-25:  God made the world and is therefore Lord and He does not need anything because He’s the ultimate (and the first) giver.

Romans 1:18-20:  Since God is the Creator His eternal and divine qualities are in everything.

b)  Personal Question.  My answer:  This is a stupid question.  Why doesn’t BSF just come out and say the word “evolution” instead of tip-toeing around it?  Obviously, if you are a believer, then you believe in the Creation and not in Evolution.  It’s the first words of the Bible.  This alone speaks to its significance.

Conclusions:  I felt silly summarizing Genesis 1, the most popular and probably well-known chapter in the entire Bible. But I had never listed out each individual day before so I learned the sequence of Creation.

I think we must be careful not to get too comfortable with this study.  Most of us know the stories in Genesis like the back of our hand.  But do we know the significance of the stories?

I know I don’t.  This is why I am doing this study.

Some fun facts I already learned:  The Bible would not make much sense without the book of Genesis.  Almost every fundamental doctrine begins here:  sin, redemption, the power of God, the purpose of Jesus Christ, and justification.

Moses is believed to have written the book of Genesis (Luke 24:27, 44).

Genesis is quoted in the New Testament over 150 times.

I pray everyone has a deep and meaningful study in the book of Genesis and that perhaps you glean something here.