Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Genesis 4, 6-9
In the story of Cain and Abel, the conversation between God and Cain uses
words in a pun, to explain the nature of Gods words. I believe when God asked
Cain "Where is Abel your brother?" he knew the answer to the question
of which he just spoke. With the sarcastic phrase Cain responds with "I do
not know; am I my brother's keeper?" he acts as if he has not seen or done
anything to his brother Abel. God knows this response is not true, he asks Cain
what he has done, and tells him "Your brother's blood cries out to me from
the soil." The connect between Gods statement and Cain is the word
"soil" for Cain is a farmer and spends his days in the field where
his brother's murder took place. The theme of very distinct human passion related
to this society is linked in the story of Cain and Abel to the relationship
between siblings. The connection comes from the jealousy and anger Cain felt
against his brother Abel when God accepted Abel's offerings but not Cain's.
These strong feels lead Cain to murder his own biological brother. In the story
of Noah's Ark and the destruction of all living things on the earth, other than
one male and one female of each species of animal, bird and every creeping
thing on the earth. The time period that the flood takes place is 40 days and
40 nights, a discussion or argument needs to be made about how long the flood
actually took place. Noah explains sending a dove out to see if the waters have
subsided on the face of the earth, which took three weeks for the bird to not
return. I don’t understand how the number of 150 days comes into the story. Did
it take 150 days for the water to completely drain, or did it take from the
second month of Noah's six hundredth year to the first month of the six hundredth
and first year?
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Genesis 1-3
The text presents the first man and the first woman as curious and rebellious. The thought of a forbidden tree, makes the sweet fruit growing from it much more desirable. You’re curious of what makes this fruit off limits, what taste would land upon your taste buds as you take your first bite but knowing you’re not allowed makes you want it even more. They are rebellious sinners as they disobey the Lord God and take their first bite into the fruit growing from the forbidden tree. Adam and Eve's punishment is inevitable which reflects human experience by showing how we all as humans will sin in our lives. The nature of sin is not accepted but it is a trait known to every human. The knowledge tree being described as “lovely to look at” then links vision to desire and knowledge. This tree being so attractive in sight makes Adam and Eve crave desire and knowledge from the fruit this tree grows. They then disobey the Lord God and allow their desires to take over. This story describes the creation of all living and nonliving things that make up the world we live in. With the sin of Adam and Eve it shows the irresistible craving for things we know are so forbidden, leaving the rest of the human on earth as responsible for the sin of the first woman and man on earth created by Lord God.
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