Podcasts about Pishon

Transcript:Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective. Our God is a God of abundance and generosity. This is seen in who He is and in all that He does. Just consider something as common as the earth God created, the ground we all walk on. It's made of dirt and rock. It's so cheap and mundane we trample it underfoot without thought. It's just “dirt”! Yet, that dirt is so rich and diverse in its elements that we can dig into it and draw out materials to produce stunning works of art and powerful supercomputers. We can fashion its elements into cars and smartphones. We can use it to construct buildings so tall they literally reach the clouds. We can split the atoms of some of these elements to create power for modern civilization. We can use other elements to make spaceships that explore the outer reaches of our solar system. This inherent abundance is why in Genesis, God commanded humans to “cultivate” the earth (Genesis 2). The word cultivate implies a generous potential hidden in the dirt under our feet—that God created the earth in such a way it can be developed and fashioned into something greater than it is. In this we see we need not have a scarcity mindset with the resources God has given to us. We can have a generosity abundance mindset, giving our stuff away to the glory of God, “cultivating” it, knowing God is able to return it multiplied to meet our every need. Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective. “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.'”~Jeremiah 32:16-19 (ESV) “Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.”~Genesis 2:10-15

Genesis 2:4-17 English Standard Version The Creation of Man and Woman 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field[a] was yet in the land[b] and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist[c] was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat[d] of it you shall surely die.” Footnotes Genesis 2:5 Or open country Genesis 2:5 Or earth; also verse 6 Genesis 2:6 Or spring Genesis 2:17 Or when you eat  

1/ TALIB KWELI & J. RAWLS. Breath, eyes, memory. 2/ ELCAMINO. Stash house legends. feat ESTEE NACK. 3/ GODFATHER DON. Definite. 4/ COMMON AND PETE ROCK. Everything’s so grand. feat PJ. 5/ MELO 5. Davinci. Prod. GSPOT. 6/ ERGO PRO. Uh Baby. Prd. Lowlight. 7/ L-MENTAL. Learnin’ Lessons. 8/ POLECAT & JAUH. Mix it. 9/ CRES. Alevines. feat Casta Diva y DJ SWET. 10/ SIRIO & SUPERIOR. 12 Trabajos. 11/ LL COOL J. Murdergram Deux. feat EMINEM. 12/ RANSOM, CONWAY THE MACHINE & V DON. Shell Fish. 13/ BLU AND EVIDENCE. LA Tourists. feat MED. 14/ 16 PADS & PISHON. Golpes. 15/ASPID. Stretch y Bobbyto. 16/ MUJA AND DUB SONATA. Badge of honor. 17/ Your Old Droog. Care Plan. feat. YASIIN BEY.Escuchar audio

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (English Standard Version)

Genesis 2:8-14 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

July 5, 2000. Seabrook, New Hampshire. Curtis Pishon, a 40-year old former police officer suffering from multiple sclerosis, is working the graveyard shift as a factory security guard when his car suddenly catches fire. The fire department shows up to handle the situation, but less than two hours after they leave, Curtis inexplicably vanishes from the premises. Years later, a former factory worker allegedly brags about causing Curtis' disappearance and even though it is theorized that Curtis was killed after interrupting a theft, there is no evidence to arrest anyone. Did Curtis Pishon become the victim of foul play? On this week's episode of “The Path Went Chilly”, we explore the odd unsolved disappearance of a security guard who went missing during the middle of his shift.Patreon.com/thetrailwentcoldPatreon.com/julesandashleyAdditional Reading:http://charleyproject.org/case/curtis-pishonhttp://www.unsolved.com/gallery/curtis-pishonhttp://findcurt.comhttps://patch.com/new-hampshire/hampton-northhampton/missing-seabrook-man-case-still-hauntinghttp://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20120629/NEWS/206290326https://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20150709/news/150709069http://www.wmur.com/article/15-years-after-man-s-disappearance-family-seeks-answers/5201660https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-unsolved-case-file-curtis-pishon/22039680https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/curtis-pishon-burning-questions

July 5, 2000. Seabrook, New Hampshire. Curtis Pishon, a 40-year old former police officer suffering from multiple sclerosis, is working the graveyard shift as a factory security guard when his car suddenly catches fire. The fire department shows up to handle the situation, but less than two hours after they leave, Curtis inexplicably vanishes from the premises. Years later, a former factory worker allegedly brags about causing Curtis' disappearance and even though it is theorized that Curtis was killed after interrupting a theft, there is no evidence to arrest anyone. Did Curtis Pishon become the victim of foul play? On this week's episode of “The Path Went Chilly”, we explore the odd unsolved disappearance of a security guard who went missing during the middle of his shift.Additional Reading:http://charleyproject.org/case/curtis-pishonhttp://www.unsolved.com/gallery/curtis-pishonhttp://findcurt.comhttps://patch.com/new-hampshire/hampton-northhampton/missing-seabrook-man-case-still-hauntinghttp://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20120629/NEWS/206290326https://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20150709/news/150709069http://www.wmur.com/article/15-years-after-man-s-disappearance-family-seeks-answers/5201660https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-unsolved-case-file-curtis-pishon/22039680https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/curtis-pishon-burning-questions

The Garden of Eden's location is found by finding where the four rivers meet and where the Pishon river and Gihon river are today historically. Joe Kirby from Off the Kirb Ministries on finding Eden and the rivers of gold.

1/ TITO SATIVO. Lumbre. 2/ Fire & BeltranBeats. Viva Villablanca. feat. Marenkarma. 3/ CHICOLISTO & JAZZY O. Don’t drop it. 4/ DOCTOR MUSITO. Digitalis purpurea - Carlos Magdalena Freestyle. 5/ FIVEFINGERS. Esquejes. 6/ LAIRA. Moreno. 7/ASPID. Clandestino. 8/ CRIFATEMII. Bocabajo. 9/ ALEX NEF & HIGH GAMBINO.Feedback. feat Callejo Serial. 10/ UNCLE DOC. Cash Rules. 11/ LUCK. Del Show al hotel.12/ ANDRÉ GS. Hustler. 13/ ILL Pekeño. UN DÍA CUALQUIERA. feat ERGO PRO & ELIO TOFFANA. Prod. Dano.14/ SR WILSON y GRIFFI. Carbonara.15/ Kunta K. Dueño ft. Christian Crisis.16/ YEREH YEBADI. Ponle un cero+. 17/ 16 PADS & PISHON. Golpes.Escuchar audio

1/ MSECO & N-WISE. Quien lo trae. 2/ OMAR MAYA. Our Contribution. Feat. 40-40. 3/ YEREH YEBADI. Ponle un cero+. 4/ SOFIA GABANNA. Kamikaze. Prod HUGSOUND. 5/ MADRID SOUTH GREEN. 30 monedas. 6/ FEMAZ & GIRO CRUEL. Terrier. feat. Viti Nosabefingir y Dj X-Yeah. 7/ LIL AIDEN. LABIA Y MIEL. feat. CANCHALERA, 2SHORTY. 8/ SR WILSON & GRIFFI. Acuérdate. 9/ SHOOT EL SUTIL. No me hace falta. 10/ FALCONETICS. Spam. Prod. Zoobliminial. 11/ 16 PADS & PISHON. Golpes. 12/ YOUR OLD DROOG. Mercury Thermometers. 13/ ILL Pekeño. QB Players. feat. Ergo Pro.14/ FREEWAY AND JAKE ONE. Ringin. feat. JADAKISS. 15/ N. HARDEM. Fly Gamuza. feat LUIS7LUNES. 16/ K.A.A.N. Can’t help it. 17/ FEVERRISE. Voz. 18/ NAS AND DJ PREMIER. Define my name.Escuchar audio

1/ ILL Pekeño. QB Players. feat. Ergo Pro. 2/ 16 PADS & PISHON. Golpes. 3/ SFDK. Pichón Break. feat. Sho-Hai. 4/ SR WILSON y GRIFFI. Tu sabes como. 5/ PUTOLARGO. Word up. feat. LAIRA. 6/ LA RETAHÍLA. Golpes en el techo. 7/ Kunta K. Dueño ft. Christian Crisis. 8/ Elio Toffana. Glow. 9/ KALI NINMAH. Beelzeboo. 10/ FOYONE. Smoker. 11/ ToteKing. Entrar aquí. feat HARD GZ. 12/ SÓRDIDA. Suqui. 13/ LOCUS. Rojo. 14/ DELARUE. Automatic. PROD. BIGLA. 15/ MIDAS ALONSO. PÁJARO PÁJARO. PROD BY DELSON ARAVENA. 16/ CRIME. Crime 12. Pro. TITO. 17/ CHACHEBLACK. UNDERTAKER. GSPOT PROD. 18/ N. HARDEM. Córcega. feat SD KONG.Escuchar audio

doing Torah time III - Genesis of AnthropologyWebsite: http://www.battle4freedom.com/studio/?dtt-creationNetwork: https://www.mojo50.comStreaming: https://www.rumble.com/Battle4FreedomRomans 1:18-2218 What is revealed is God's anger from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who in their wickedness keep suppressing the truth; 19 because what is known about God is plain to them, since God has made it plain to them. 20 For ever since the creation of the universe his invisible qualities — both his eternal power and his divine nature — have been clearly seen, because they can be understood from what he has made. Therefore, they have no excuse; 21 because, although they know who God is, they do not glorify him as God or thank him. On the contrary, they have become futile in their thinking; and their undiscerning hearts have become darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they have become fools!https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%3A26-27&version=CJBGenesis 1:26-2726 Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth." 27 So God created humankind in his own image; in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.Genesis 1:28-3128 God blessed them: God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth." 29 Then God said, "Here! Throughout the whole earth I am giving you as food every seed-bearing plant and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. 30 And to every wild animal, bird in the air and creature crawling on the earth, in which there is a living soul, I am giving as food every kind of green plant." And that is how it was. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.Genesis 2:1-3Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, along with everything in them. 2 On the seventh day God was finished with his work which he had made, so he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy; because on that day God rested from all his work which he had created, so that it itself could produce.Genesis 2:4-64 Here is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created. On the day when Adonai, God, made earth and heaven, 5 there was as yet no wild bush on the earth, and no wild plant had as yet sprung up; for Adonai, God, had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no one to cultivate the ground. 6 Rather, a mist went up from the earth which watered the entire surface of the ground.Genesis 2:7-97 Then Adonai, God, formed a person from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so that he became a living being. 8 Adonai, God, planted a garden toward the east, in 'Eden, and there he put the person whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground Adonai, God, caused to grow every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.Genesis 2:10-1710 A river went out of 'Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided into four streams. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it winds throughout the land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The name of the second river is Gichon; it winds throughout the land of Kush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it is the one that flows toward the east of Ashur. The fourth river is the Euphrates'. 15 Adonai, God, took the person and put him in the garden of ‘Eden to cultivate and care for it. 16 Adonai, God, gave the person this order: "You may freely eat from every tree in the garden 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are not to eat from it, because on the day that you eat from it, it will become certain that you will die."Genesis 2:18-2018 Adonai, God, said, "It isn't good that the person should be alone. I will make for him a companion suitable for helping him." 19 So from the ground Adonai, God, formed every wild animal and every bird that flies in the air, and he brought them to the person to see what he would call them. Whatever the person would call each living creature, that was to be its name. (S: iii) 20 So the person gave names to all the livestock, to the birds in the air and to every wild animal. But for Adam there was not found a companion suitable for helping him.Genesis 2:21-2421 Then God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the person; and while he was sleeping, he took one of his ribs and closed up the place from which he took it with flesh. 22 The rib which Adonai, God, had taken from the person, he made a woman-person; and he brought her to the man-person. 23 The man-person said, "At last! This is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. She is to be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." 24 This is why a man is to leave his father and mother and stick with his wife, and they are to be one flesh.Genesis 2:25They were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not ashamed.

Reading through the first few chapters in Genesis introduces us to, well, everything. But most of all we start getting to know God, especially in his role as Maker. The first Maker objects, Maker catalogue, Maker store, filled with Maker craft, Maker intention, Maker invention, Maker ideas. All of creation Spoken.Formed.Fashioned.Made. For Glory.4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,“This at last is bone of my bones    and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman,    because she was taken out of Man.”24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.Man and things made from the dust, made from the ground, or grown from the dirt of the ground. Earth earthy earthiness.Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, Baker's man. But then the first "not good" thing: the man had no coresponder. No match. No like. Single sock. One shoe. Pants with only one leg.So God made:WomanNot from the ground.Not from the dirt.Not from the dust.But from the Maker-stuff, the Maker-clay, the Image-imbued divine spark-enlivened foundations. Fashioned. Formed. Made.Into the beauty, the intentioned, the purposed, the recognizable sharer-coresponder pinnacle of God's created worshipping glory reflectors.The entirety of all creation wonders with the Psalmist: "What is man that you are mindful of him?"And we all bow before you, Our LORD God, Our Creator Maker King.Love, to my West Coast WillseasWillsea About...Many Things! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnwillsea.substack.com/subscribe

The Creation of Man and Woman 4These are the generationsof the heavens and the earth when they were created,in the day that theLordGod made the earth and the heavens. 5When nobush of the field[a]was yet in the land[b]and no small plant of the field had yet sprung upfor theLordGod had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no manto work the ground,6and a mist[c]was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground7then theLordGod formed the man ofdust from the ground andbreathed into hisnostrils the breath of life, andthe man became a living creature.8And theLordGod planted agarden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.9And out of the ground theLordGod made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.The tree of life was in the midst of the garden,and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.11The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land ofHavilah, where there is gold.12And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there.13The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush.14And the name of the third river is theTigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15TheLordGod took the manand put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.16And theLordGod commanded the man, saying, You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evilyou shall not eat, for in the day that you eat[d]of it youshall surely die.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:1-3:24 (we won't read it again, but we will discuss it) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.2 Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. 3 God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light! 4 God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day.6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” It was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so. 12 The land produced vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.14 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years, 15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. 17 God placed the lights in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” It was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”27 God created humankind in his own image,in the image of God he created them,male and female he created them.28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has living breath in it—I give every green plant for food.” It was so.31 God saw all that he had made—and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.1 The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them. 2 By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. 3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation.4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created—when the Lord God made the earth and heavens.5 Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 Springs would well up from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.8 The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)10 Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it. 16 Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.” 19 The Lord God formed out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam no companion who corresponded to him was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man's side and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,“This one at last is bone of my bonesand flesh of my flesh;this one will be called ‘woman,'for she was taken out of man.”24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become one family. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.1 Now the serpent was shrewder than any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard'?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; 3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.'” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 And the Lord God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.” 13 So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”14 The Lord God said to the serpent,“Because you have done this,cursed are you above all the cattleand all the living creatures of the field!On your belly you will crawland dust you will eat all the days of your life.15 And I will put hostility between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring;he will strike your head,and you will strike his heel.”16 To the woman he said,“I will greatly increase your labor pains;with pain you will give birth to children.You will want to control your husband,but he will dominate you.”17 But to Adam he said,“Because you obeyed your wifeand ate from the tree about which I commanded you,‘You must not eat from it,'the ground is cursed because of you;in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,but you will eat the grain of the field.19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat fooduntil you return to the ground,for out of it you were taken;for you are dust, and to dust you will return.”20 The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God expelled him from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. 24 When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.Main ThemesInitial RemarksLet's Come Together (Finally!)If the last two weeks of the Bible study have been divisive, I hope that this week brings us all back together. During those two sessions, I suggested the possibility that the early chapters of Genesis are figurative. Nevertheless, I asserted repeatedly that they are true. Today, I want to focus on those truths embedded in the narrative. What is Genesis teaching us? And here's the surprising part: even if you adamantly disagree with me and believe the text is meant to be taken completely literally, or if you land somewhere in between, I think we will agree on the main lessons taught by the text. They stand mostly independently of the figurative versus literal debate.A Minimum Facts PresentationBefore we jump into the substantive portion of our discussion, I want to make one important clarification. The purpose of my dive into Genesis is to establish a Christian worldview. We are not engaging in an exhaustive exploration of every textual and theological issue. So, the discussion today will be a sort of “minimum facts” presentation. That is, I want to highlight the most basic lessons in the text with which virtually every Christian agrees. I will not delve into every possible conclusion that can be drawn from the text, although that would be very interesting. And, as always, participants are free to discuss anything I did not include in my presentation. So, again, the list below is not an exhaustive list of the points made by the first three chapters of Genesis, much less by the entire book. It is more of a “top four.”Genesis v/s Enuma ElishI think that a good way to explore the worldview presented by Genesis is to compare the biblical text to the Enuma Elish, the ancient Babylonian creation myth. (You can find it here.) The Enuma Elish is fairly representative of many Ancient Near East myths, so it provides a great backdrop against which Genesis shows its distinctive outline. (I am not necessarily embracing or rejecting the view that Genesis is a polemic against other Ancient Near Eastern myths. I simply find the comparison to be helpful.)One God—No Theomachy, No Theogony, No Deicide Listen the words of the Enuma Elish:1 When the heavens above did not exist,2 And earth beneath had not come into being —3 There was Apsû, the first in order, their begetter,4 And demiurge Tia-mat, who gave birth to them all;5 They had mingled their waters together6 Before meadow-land had coalesced and reed-bed was to be found —7 When not one of the gods had been formed8 Or had come into being, when no destinies had been decreed,9 The gods were created within them:10 Lah(mu and Lah(amu were formed and came into being.11 While they grew and increased in stature12 Anšar and Kišar, who excelled them, were created.13 They prolonged their days, they multiplied their years.14 Anu, their son, could rival his fathers.15 Anu, the son, equalled Anšar,16 And Anu begat Nudimmud, his own equal.17 Nudimmud was the champion among his fathers:18 Profoundly discerning, wise, of robust strength;19 Very much stronger than his father's begetter, Anšar20 He had no rival among the gods, his brothers.21 The divine brothers came together,22 Their clamour got loud, throwing Tia-mat into a turmoil.23 They jarred the nerves of Tia-mat,24 And by their dancing they spread alarm in Anduruna.25 Apsû did not diminish their clamour,26 And Tia-mat was silent when confronted with them.27 Their conduct was displeasing to her,28 Yet though their behaviour was not good, she wished to spare them.29 Thereupon Apsû, the begetter of the great gods,30 Called Mummu, his vizier, and addressed him,31 "Vizier Mummu, who gratifies my pleasure,32 Come, let us go to Tia-mat!"33 They went and sat, facing Tia-mat,34 As they conferred about the gods, their sons.35 Apsû opened his mouth36 And addressed Tia-mat37 "Their behaviour has become displeasing to me38 And I cannot rest in the day-time or sleep at night.39 I will destroy and break up their way of life40 That silence may reign and we may sleep."41 When Tia-mat heard this42 She raged and cried out to her spouse,43 She cried in distress, fuming within herself,44 She grieved over the (plotted) evil,45 "How can we destroy what we have given birth to?46 Though their behaviour causes distress, let us tighten discipline graciously."47 Mummu spoke up with counsel for Apsû—48 (As from) a rebellious vizier was the counsel of his Mummu—49 "Destroy, my father, that lawless way of life,50 That you may rest in the day-time and sleep by night!"51 Apsû was pleased with him, his face beamed52 Because he had plotted evil against the gods, his sons.53 Mummu put his arms around Apsû's neck,54 He sat on his knees kissing him.55 What they plotted in their gathering56 Was reported to the gods, their sons.57 The gods heard it and were frantic.58 They were overcome with silence and sat quietly.59 Ea, who excels in knowledge, the skilled and learned,60 Ea, who knows everything, perceived their tricks.61 He fashioned it and made it to be all-embracing,62 He executed it skilfully as supreme—his pure incantation.63 He recited it and set it on the waters,64 He poured sleep upon him as he was slumbering deeply.65 He put Apsû to slumber as he poured out sleep,66 And Mummu, the counsellor, was breathless with agitation.67 He split (Apsû's) sinews, ripped off his crown,68 Carried away his aura and put it on himself.69 He bound Apsû and killed him;Notice how this ancient myth sounds nothing like Genesis. It immediately greets us with multiple gods (Apsû, the first in order, and the demiurge Tia-mat). Other gods are subsequently created. A genealogy of gods is called a theogony, and it was common to ancient myths. Genesis, however, has no genealogy. At most, in Genesis, when God speaks he uses a plural form—like maybe he is addressing a crowd. This has led some scholars to posit a heavenly council. But there is no god other than God—Yahweh.The Enuma Elish tells the story not only of multiple gods but of their animosity. A conflict between the gods arises. A war between the gods is called theomachy. This is also common to ancient myths. Finally, the gods' quarrel ends in the death of a god—deicide. If we continue reading, we would learn that creation itself is the result of this rivalry between the gods and their death.What do we find in Genesis? None of that!In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1In the beginning there is no two anything. There are no two gods opposing one another. There is not even an impersonal dualism like a ying and yang. There is no good and evil. There is only good. And this good is not some mystical goodness, like a force or energy or “waters,” but a good God—a personal being.This is one of the most shocking and powerful lessons from Genesis—monotheism! And, if we are willing to take more of scripture into account, we could go as far as to say that it is “perfect being monotheism.” This means that there's not only one God, but that God is perfect. He is all powerful and morally perfect. I think that this “perfect being theology” is key to a robust conception of “good.” A theology that includes multiple gods will generally fail the Euthyphro Dilemma: “Is the good good because God approves it, or does God approve it because it's good?” A theology with no gods (atheism or some form of dualism) makes goodness accidental—it is a robust fact that could be different—and cannot account for moral duties. It is only when goodness is grounded in a necessary being that what is good could never be otherwise and goodness becomes personal such that it can give moral duties to others.God is Not Like NatureAgain, hear the words of the Enuma Elish:49 [Marduk] gathered [Tia-mat's foam] together and made it into clouds.50 The raging of the winds, violent rainstorms,51 The billowing of mist—the accumulation of her spittle—52 He appointed for himself and took them in his hand.53 He put her head in position and poured out . . [ . . ] .54 He opened the abyss and it was sated with water.55 From her two eyes he let the Euphrates and Tigris flow,57 He heaped up the distant [mountains] on her breasts,58 He bored wells to channel the springs.59 He twisted her tail and wove it into the Durmah,61 [He set up] her crotch—it wedged up the heavens—62 [(Thus) the half of her] he stretched out and made it firm as the earth.In the Babylonian story, the clouds, the wind, the rainstorms, the rivers, the mountains, and much of creation is a part of or physically connected with Tiamat's body. Notice the connection between the gods and creation—they might not be entirely the same but they are not entirely distinct either.What do we find in Genesis?God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.” Genesis 1:6God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” Genesis 1:9God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” Genesis 1:11God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years . . . .” Genesis 1:14I could quote more verses, but I think the point is clear. God is not like creation. Creation is not made of God. It is made by God. God simply speaks creation into being. God transcends it. The creator who makes things good exists even if nothing else exists and would exists if all stopped existing. He is the beginning and the end.Nature is Not SpiritualAlthough the Enuma Elish story does not contain as many spirits of nature as other Ancient Near Eastern myths, we still have a clear example. Listen to this:11 He placed the heights (of heaven) in her (Tia-mat's) belly,12 He created Nannar, entrusting to him the night.13 He appointed him as the jewel of the night to fix the days,14 And month by month without ceasing he elevated him with a crown,15 (Saying,) "Shine over the land at the beginning of the month,16 Resplendent with horns to fix six days.17 On the seventh day the crown will be half size,18 On the fifteenth day, halfway through each month, stand in opposition.19 When Šamaš [sees] you on the horizon,20 Diminish in the proper stages and shine backwards.In the Enuma Elish, night is a personal god. Night does not behave according to some natural principle. Night only comes and stays for as long as it does because the god of night is following orders. Presumably, the god of night could be enticed to disobey. Is all of nature like this? (For purposes of this discussion I am not including animals or humans in the definition of nature.) Is there a spirit of the waters? Is there a spirit of the sky? Are the flowers sprites and the trees dryads? Does everything around us behave as it does because a personal being—a spirit—is choosing to behave a certain way? The implications of these questions are staggering.Perhaps we scoff at the idea that nature is personal and spiritual, but we shouldn't. Not because I think that it is true but because it is the worldview that was held by nearly everyone in the ancient world and many (perhaps most) people still hold it today. If anything, the idea that nature is “non-spiritual” is not the rule but the exception. If to the belief in a non-spiritual natural world you you add the belief that nature was created by a mind—a mind not entirely unlike ours—then you have an entirely peculiar worldview. That is the worldview of Genesis.The Christian, non-spiritual, intelligible understanding of creation is distinctive and has shaped the modern world. For example, it is foundational and necessary for science. This is the reason that many historians (Christian and non-Christian alike) agree that science is an outgrowth of Christian theology. Here's how an article explains the connection between Genesis and science, which, if overly simplistic, gets the point across:1. Laws Up AboveThe ancient Chinese had incredible technology, but not science as we know it. Why? Because while they were intelligent, they did not believe in a Higher Intelligence—not in the Bible's sense. They didn't think there were ever-present, always-applicable laws of nature that governed the universe. They went out into the world and tamed it through technology, but they didn't seek to press into the deeper laws of the universe.That's because they didn't have Genesis 1. They didn't believe that “In the beginning, God.” They didn't believe that through his Word an ordered cosmos was created that shows all the hallmarks of dependable regularities—seasons and spheres with boundaries and signs in the sky, all going round and round, evening and morning, evening and morning. . . .2. World Out ThereThe ancient Greeks were smart cookies. All philosophy is a footnote to Plato, as they say. Philosophy, mathematics, art, and literature were all spheres of excellence for the Greeks. Science? Not so much, because science requires you to believe in a stable and predictable world out there that's open to investigation. Science occurs when you make repeatable observations and check your theories against the cold, hard facts. But Greeks didn't believe in cold, hard facts. They believed in minds and reason and laws but not in empirical investigation. For them, study entailed a journey within the mind, not a venture out into the field. So, no science.3. Minds In HereIf human minds are the product of mindless operations that only honored survival, not intelligence (the two aren't at all synonymous), then why should we trust our minds to understand the laws up above and the world out there? If we're the product of the cosmos and part of the cosmos with no higher calling than to pass on our genes, why trust a brain that whirs away according to its own survival imperative?If you really want confidence in the scientific endeavor, turn to Genesis 1, where humanity is specially created in relationship with the Orderer above and the world out there. . . .Another website summarizes the same principles as follows:Nearly all scientists today, regardless of their religious beliefs, believe a certain set of foundational principles which make it possible for them to do science. Some of these common basic beliefs include:(1) Human beings can understand the natural world at least in part.(2) Nature typically operates with regular, repeatable, universal patterns of cause and effect so things that we learn in the lab here today will also hold true half way around the world a week from now. (3) It's not enough to sit and theorize how the world ought to work, we actually have to test our theories; science is a worthwhile pursuit.These beliefs seem obvious today, but for most of human history, many people did not hold all those beliefs. For example, animists who believe that gods or spirits inhabit many aspect of the physical world might doubt that nature operates on regular, repeatable, universal patterns of cause and effect; instead they would believe that nature is controlled by gods and spirits who need to be appeased or manipulated by ritual. Or for a very different example, some of the most brilliant philosophers of the ancient world did not see the need to do experiments because they thought it was possible to derive from logic and first principles how the world ought to behave.Allow me to explain the last statement in the quotation above. The Greeks, for example, believed that the universe had to be modeled by elegant abstract principles, such as geometry, which were discoverable only through thought. So, they assumed that the orbits of planets had to be circular. The Christian worldview recognizes that the universe was made by a mind—a mind that could have created the world this way or that way. Because the creator had options, much like an artist does, we can not simply assume that the world is a certain way. We must discover what that mind decided.Man in the Image of GodThe Enuma Elish is one of the least outrageous Ancient Near Eastern myths when it comes to the creation of mankind, but it repeats a common theme:1 When Marduk heard the gods' speech2 He conceived a desire to accomplish clever things.3 He opened his mouth addressing Ea,4 He counsels that which he had pondered in his heart,5 "I will bring together blood to form bone,6 I will bring into being Lullû, whose name shall be 'man'.7 I will create Lullû—man8 On whom the toil of the gods will be laid that they may rest.In the Babylonian creation myth, why is man created? So that the “toil of the gods will be laid” on him. You might remember that last week I mentioned an Egyptian myth that answers the question similarly. Here is how scholar John Walton discusses that Egyptian myth within the broader context of Mesopotamian myths:[I]n Mesopotamian traditions people are created to serve the gods by doing the work that the gods are tired of doing. Turning again to KAR 4, "the corvée of the gods will be their corvée: They will fix the boundaries of the fields once and for all, and take in their hands hoes and baskets, to benefit the House of the great gods." The labor that had been required for the gods to meet their own needs was drudgery, so people were expected to fill that gap and work to meet those needs.In Genesis, why is man created?Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”God created humankind in his own image,in the image of God he created them,male and female he created them.God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! (Genesis 1:26-28a)This is shocking and remarkable! Man is created to be like God (at least in some sense), to rule the earth, and to be fruitful and multiply. I will discuss each of these points in reverse order.Be Fruitful and MultiplyAccording to Genesis, to marry and have children is integral to being human. Marriage is the very reason that God has made us male and female.So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man's side and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. Then the man said,“This one at last is bone of my bonesand flesh of my flesh;this one will be called ‘woman,'for she was taken out of man.”That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become one family. The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:21-25)To be clear, there are several New Testament verses that make clear that marriage is not a moral duty—one has not sinned for remaining single. However, sadly, this caveat has started acting like the exception that swallows the rule. The Apostle Paul, the one who spoke of marriage and singleness this way, did not suggest singleness as a mere alternative to marriage. Listen to the following verses from 1 Corinthians:I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that everyone was as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one this way, another that.To the unmarried and widows I say that it is best for them to remain as I am. But if they do not have self-control, let them get married. For it is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire. (1 Corinthians 7:6-9) And I want you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the things of the world, how to please his wife, and he is divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband. I am saying this for your benefit, not to place a limitation on you, but so that without distraction you may give notable and constant service to the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:32-35)He who is single can focus exclusively on ministry. This is a gift. This does not override the fact, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18)! I know that much more can be said about this topic and forgive me if I am painting with too broad a stroke, but the fact that marriage and childbearing is part of God's plan for us is unmistakable in the Genesis narrative.Rule the EarthOur modern, egalitarian, environmentalist sensibilities are sure to be offended by the idea that we are to rule and subdue the earth. However, this idea is not as ominous as it sounds. As a website explains:God's command to subdue the earth and the animal life in it is a command to have the mastery over all of it. A true mastery (of anything) cannot be accomplished without an understanding of the thing mastered. In order for a musician to master the violin, he or she must truly understand the instrument. In order for mankind to attain mastery over the animal kingdom, we must understand the animals.With the authority to rule comes the responsibility to rule well. There is an inherent accountability in the command to subdue the earth. Man has a duty to exercise his dominion under the authority of the One who delegated it. All authority is of God (Romans 13:1-5), and He delegates it to whomever He will (Daniel 4:17). The word subdue doesn't have to imply violence or mistreatment. It can mean “to bring under cultivation.”Man is to be the steward of the earth; he is to bring the material world and all of its varied elements into the service of God and the good of mankind. The command to subdue the earth is actually part of God's blessing on mankind. Created in the image of God, Adam and Eve were to use the earth's vast resources in the service of both God and themselves. It would only make sense for God to decree this, since only humans were created in God's image.The Imago DeiWe are made in the “image of God”—which in theology is often referred to by the Latin phrase imago Dei. What does that mean? I could spend an entire session of our study answering this question. Different theologians give different answers. But, because this is a primer in Genesis, I think that presenting the mainstream position is sufficient. Besides, and rather ironically, it is the mainstream position that is often most misunderstood. Fair warning though, I will go a little beyond the text in Genesis to discuss this topic.What makes a person a person? Even Christians will answer with something like the ability to reason. That is not entirely wrong, but I am sure you can immediately think of examples that work as counterarguments. What about a human being that is in a comma? What about a fetus? What about someone who is asleep? Neither of these three humans can reason, so they are not persons. Taken to its logical conclusion, killing a human in their sleep is not murder. No person was killed.So, what gives? Can we give a better explanation of the imago Dei? I think so. To be a person is to be a rational soul. To explain this further, I will quote extensively from a 2003 paper by Dennis Sullivan (emphases are my own):Empirical functionalism is the view that human personhood may be defined by a set of functions or abilities. Such abilities must be present in actual, not potential form. The classical expression of this view is that of Joseph Fletcher who in 1972 outlined twenty criteria for human personhood. These included such hallmarks as minimum intelligence, self-awareness, a sense of time, and the capacity to relate to others (Fletcher, 1972). In response, Michael Tooley weighed in with the idea of self-awareness (1972), and McCormick with the concept of “relational potential,” based on the ability to interact socially with others (1974). Fletcher then decided, based on feedback from these and other writers, that the sine qua non for human personhood was neocortical functioning (Fletcher, 1974). Neocortical functions are those “higher brain” processes of the cerebral cortex necessary for active consciousness and volition. This should be contrasted with whole-brain functioning, which includes activities of the brainstem as well as the cortex.…Functionalists would extend the above argument to deny personhood to the unborn child, since she lacks rationality or self-awareness. However, by this criterion, one could argue that adults also lack self-awareness when asleep or under anesthesia, yet no one questions their personhood during such moments. One way to circumvent this objection is to use Tooley's idea that only “continuing selves” have personhood, which includes both self-awareness and a sense of the future (Tooley, 1983). This would nonetheless deny personhood to the unborn and justify abortion on that basis.Michael Tooley, and more recently, the Princeton philosophy professor Peter Singer, have both advocated the next logical step: infanticide (Veith, 1998). If the fetus has no right to personhood because it is not yet self-aware, then neither does the newborn: “Infanticide before the onset of self-awareness . . . cannot threaten anyone who is in a position to worry about it” (Singer, 1985, p. 138).…Ontological personalism states that all human beings are human persons. On this view, the intrinsic quality of personhood begins at conception and is present throughout life (O'Mathuna, 1996). Such individuals are not potential persons or “becoming” persons; they are persons by their very nature. There is no such thing as a potential person or a human non-person.In order to understand this it will be helpful to reflect on the worldview assumptions that underlie both personhood views. Since the Enlightenment, society in general has been dominated by a high regard for science and the secular tradition of naturalism. Naturalism is the concept that only observable data has reality. A scientist who adheres to this view is free to have any metaphysical or philosophical opinion he would like, as long as it does not influence his practice. In other words, he need not hold to naturalism as a philosophy, but he must adhere to it in his methodology (Plantinga, 1997). However, the Christian scientific community should not be bound by the constraints of methodological naturalism. Herein lies the tension between the two ideas of personhood. The influence of naturalism has led secular science away from a reverence for life, replacing it with a reductionism that claims the human organism is no more than the sum of its chemical parts. The empirical functionalism idea of personhood is compatible with this view, which makes man simply a collection of parts and functions, or a property-thing. Put together enough chemical molecules in the right way, and you have a human being; put another set of parts together, and you have a 1957 Chrysler. Philosophically, it makes no difference.Ontological personalism, on the other hand, is based on the premise that a human being is a substance. A substance is a distinct unity of essence that exists ontologically prior to any of its parts. This traditional concept dates back to Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. This view has been well summarized by the Christian philosopher J. P. Moreland (1995), and is discussed in great detail in the book Body and Soul (Moreland & Rae, 2000). For this review, I will focus on two implications of the idea of substance: the parts v. whole distinction, and continuity.To expand on my earlier illustration of a classic automobile, consider a nicely restored 1957 Chrysler. Many of the original parts have rusted away and have been replaced, so that this vintage car is a collection of old and new. Although many will refer to it as the same car as when it was new, intuition tells us that this is not the case. In fact, as stated earlier, remove the wheels, the motor, the seats, and the body, and the result is no longer a 1957 Chrysler; it is not even a car. To go still further, imagine adding other parts to the original chassis, such that the result(God forbid) is a1972Volkswagen Beetle! There was no continuity of essence between the two vehicles; each is nothing more than a collection of parts (my apologies to VW lovers).Try to do the same kind of thought experiment on a human being. Remove an arm or a leg from John Doe, and he remains a person, in fact, the same person. You can amputate all of John's extremities and even remove many internal organs; as long as he remains alive, his substance will never change. You can even “add new parts,” by transplanting organs from other persons, yet John Doe will never become James Smith; his substance is not defined by his component parts. He will always remain the same person.…Naturalism has its greatest difficulty here. To hold to a property-thing view of persons is to deny the commonsense understanding of personal continuity, with a host of attendant problems for law and morality.…I might add that this view is also compatible with biblical teaching on the image of God. It allows us to explore the way human beings resemble the Divine (rationality, volition, social nature, etc.), while helping us to avoid the dangers of a strictly functional definition. On this view, the image of God is intrinsic to the nature of persons. Thus, Scripture teaches the value of man from the womb, whereas intuition and philosophy help us to affirm that such valuation begins at conception.The philosophical idea of a human being as substance arises out of a broader philosophical principle, that of substance dualism. Substance dualism holds that there is an entity called a soul, and that the mind is a faculty of the soul. Body and soul (mind) are functionally holistic, which means that the two entities are deeply integrated and functionally interdependent. Yet they are ontologically separate, which means that the soul can exist independently of the body. This allows for a personal existence after death (Moreland & Rae, 2000). Another implication of this idea is that if personhood begins at conception, then that is when the soul originates as well.The Original Plan Was Good but then…the FallAuthor Sandra Richter in The Epic of Eden describes God's original intent by pointing out that the creation narrative is not complete in six days—there is a seventh day. On that day God rests. Creation is as intended so God may stop to rule overall. With that in mind, Richter concludes:In sum, Genesis 1 tells us of God's first, perfect plan—a flawlessly ordered world infused with balance and productivity. Here every rock, plant and animal had its own designated place within God's design, a God-ordained space in which each could thrive, reproduce and serve the good of the whole. And we see from the structure of Genesis 1 that the force that held this peaceful and productive cohabitation in balance was Yahweh's sovereignty over all. But as Day 6b makes clear, God chose to manage this creation through his representative ʾAdām. Thus humanity is given all authority to protect, maintain and develop God's great gift under God's ultimate authority. This is who Yahweh is, who humanity is and how both relate to the creation. And regardless of how you choose to harmonize science and Bible, this message is clearly part of the intent of Genesis 1. I would say it is the primary intent.Then Richter makes the connection to the repeating theme of the entire book of Genesis: covenant.You may have noticed that my description of Genesis 1 sounds a lot like the relationship between a vassal and his suzerain; a relationship in which the vassal is given full autonomy within the confines of his overlord's authority. When this reading of Genesis 1 is wedded to Genesis 2, the profile of covenant becomes even clearer. Here the suzerain (Yahweh) offers his vassals (Adam and Eve) the land grant of Eden with the stipulation that humanity care for it and protect it.Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate [ ʿābad] and keep it [šāmar]. (Gen 2:15)In addition to this perfect place, Adam and Eve are given each other (Gen 2:18-25), and as is implied by Genesis 3:8, they are given full access to their loving Creator. The only corner of the garden which was not theirs to use and enjoy was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil:From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die. (Gen 2:16-17)In essence, Adam and Eve are free to do anything except decide for themselves what is good and what is evil. Yahweh reserves the right (and the responsibility) to name those truths himself. (Emphasis added)This was Adam and Eve's perfect world. Not just fruit and fig leaves, but an entire race of people stretching their cognitive and creative powers to the limit to build a society of balance and justice and joy. Here the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve would learn life at the feet of the Father, build their city in the shadow of the Almighty, create and design and expand within the protective confines of his kingdom. The blessing of this gift? A civilization without greed, malice or envy; progress without pollution, expansion without extinction. Can you imagine it? . . . This was God's perfect plan: the people of God in the place of God dwelling in the presence of God. Yet, as with all covenants, God's perfect plan was dependent on the choice of the vassal. Humanity must willingly submit to the plan of God. The steward must choose this world; for in God's perfect plan, the steward had been given the authority to reject it.But then the fall came. And, surprisingly, then redemption came too.God's perfect plan (and humanity's perfect world) was a matter of choice. Did ʾAdām want this world? Or one of their own making? The ones made in the image of God could not be forced or coerced, but instead were called upon to choose their sovereign. And choose they did. Whenever I think of this moment, the lyrics of Don Francisco's old folk song echo in my mind: “And all their unborn children die as both of them bow down to Satan's hand.”16 God's original intent was sabotaged by humanity, stolen by the Enemy. ʾAdām rejected the covenant, and all the cosmos trembled. Genesis 2:17 makes it painfully clear what the consequences of such an insurrection would be: in that day, “you shall surely die.” But amazingly, mercifully, even though Yahweh had every right to wipe out our rebellious race, he chose another course—redemption. In a move that continues to confound me, God spared the lives of Adam and Eve (and their unborn children) by redirecting the fury of the curse toward another—the battered flesh of his own Son. This is the one the New Testament knows as “the last Adam” (Rom 5:14; 1 Cor 15:22, 45). And although the first Adam did not die, the second surely did. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.Conclusion—A Personal NoteWhen I read Genesis, I am astounded. I am not attempting to be overly dramatic or sentimental, but Genesis is so true I can hardly believe it. It paints a picture I cannot deny: Nature is just that. Yet it is curiously intelligible. But it is not divine. The divine things, like goodness, seem to transcend nature but not be less real than it. If nothing else, goodness seems more real. Whereas nature could not exist, goodness seems necessary. Man seems to be like nature but also somewhat divine. Something about man is not like the animals or anything else. Man and nature seem beautiful, yet both seem broken. Is this not truly our experience?

Scripture Reading (for the next three weeks): Genesis 1:1-3:24Last week I attempted to make three simple points:(1) Simply assuming that a text should be read literally is not a “safer” approach than being open to figurative understandings—that is, that assumption runs the “risk” of forcing a wrong interpretation of the text.(2) Texts that are meant to be understood non-literally can convey information—they are not so open to interpretation that they can mean anything at all. Even in cases when the message lacks specificity or clarity, the message still has a limited semantic range. Put simply, non-literal text can have meaning, be interpreted correctly, and be interpreted incorrectly.(3) Finally, the early chapters of Genesis have been interpreted non-literally since the dawn of the church (and before). The accusation that only modern Christians, yielding to the pressure of modern science, have conveniently interpreted the text figuratively is simply false. To interpret the text non-literally is not a departure from established church (or Jewish) tradition.All three points can be summarized as follows: genre is key to reading a text. Reading poetry like historiography or historiography as poetry is dangerous. Neither approach is likely to reach truth.I am well aware that, so far, I have not offered a shred of evidence that the early chapters of Genesis should be read literally or otherwise. That has been intentional. All I have attempted to show is that considering a non-literal interpretation is not offensive in itself and foreclosing that interpretation a priori may force a reader to reach the wrong conclusions.So, with all that in mind, the time has come to read the text. 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.2 Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. 3 God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light! 4 God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day.6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” It was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so. 12 The land produced vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.14 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years, 15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. 17 God placed the lights in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” It was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”27 God created humankind in his own image,in the image of God he created them,male and female he created them.28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has living breath in it—I give every green plant for food.” It was so.31 God saw all that he had made—and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.1 The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them. 2 By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. 3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation.4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created—when the Lord God made the earth and heavens.5 Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 Springs would well up from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.8 The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)10 Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it. 16 Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.” 19 The Lord God formed out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam no companion who corresponded to him was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man's side and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,“This one at last is bone of my bonesand flesh of my flesh;this one will be called ‘woman,'for she was taken out of man.”24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become one family. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.1 Now the serpent was shrewder than any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard'?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; 3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.'” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 And the Lord God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.” 13 So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”14 The Lord God said to the serpent,“Because you have done this,cursed are you above all the cattleand all the living creatures of the field!On your belly you will crawland dust you will eat all the days of your life.15 And I will put hostility between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring;he will strike your head,and you will strike his heel.”16 To the woman he said,“I will greatly increase your labor pains;with pain you will give birth to children.You will want to control your husband,but he will dominate you.”17 But to Adam he said,“Because you obeyed your wifeand ate from the tree about which I commanded you,‘You must not eat from it,'the ground is cursed because of you;in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,but you will eat the grain of the field.19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat fooduntil you return to the ground,for out of it you were taken;for you are dust, and to dust you will return.”20 The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God expelled him from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. 24 When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.Does Genesis Belong to the Literary Genre of Myth?We must face the million-dollar question: are there clues in the text of Genesis that would lead the reader to believe that it is not to be taken literally? Notice that the question focuses and begins with the text itself. The endeavor is to read the text the way it “wants” to be read. This interpretive exercise is not starting out with modern beliefs and reading the text the way a modern reader may want to read it.However, before we start this conversation, I want to address why we are having this conversation at all. Spoiler alert—the ending of the story is this: when we focus on the potential concordance between science and Genesis we are asking the wrong questions. Not only will this result in wrong answers, it will keep us from asking the right questions! Ultimately, that is what I want. I want to take Genesis seriously—dead seriously. I believe in Genesis. I believe it is scripture. I believe it is true. My view of everything is shaped by it. So I am eager to discuss the truths that Genesis truly means to convey. An yes, I believe Genesis is historical just not historiography. It conveys real world truths in figurative language.Ok, back to the myth discussion. (Most of the discussion in this week's blog comes from William Lane Craig's In Quest of the Historical Adam: A Biblical and Scientific Exploration. Sometimes the discussion is a summary of his work, sometimes it is a straight copy. I would certainly fail for plagiarism if this blog were a paper.)Before You Stone Me—A Definition of MythThe word myth is nowadays used to refer to a false fact, statement, or story. If I told you that chewing bread while chopping an onion will prevent teary eyes, you might respond, “That's just a myth.” If I were calling Genesis a myth in that sense—well, go ahead and stone me. It would be well deserved.When I use the term myth in this discussion, I mean something else entirely. I am using the term as another element in the set containing poetry, epic, biography, and historiography. I am not using myth as a synonym for lie, fiction, wives' tale, or falsity. Explained differently, I am using myth the way a folklorist would.In the field of folklore, a myth is a sacred narrative explaining how the world and man came to be in their present form. Let's break down this brief definition. First, a myth is a linguistic composition, either oral or literary. Second, it is a narrative; that is to say, it is a story, which involves characters and a plotline. Third, it is a sacred narrative—it has religious significance in the culture in which it is embraced. This implies that it will have something to do with a deity as one of its principal figures. Fourth, (and this is implied) it is a traditional narrative, one that is handed down over the generations, not a recent, free composition.Myths are narratives that, in the society in which they are told, are considered to be truthful accounts of what happened in the remote past. They are to be believed and may be cited as authoritative. They are the embodiment of dogma and are often associated with theology and ritual. Their main characters are not usually human beings but deities, heroes, or animals, whose activities are set in an earlier age, when the earth was different than it is today, or in another realm such as the sky or underworld. Compare this to, for example, legends. Legends are similar to myths, but they take place in the current era, not in the remote past, and are not considered sacred. Compare myths also to folktales. Folktales are narratives that, in the society in which they are told, are regarded as fiction. The events they relate may or may not have happened. They are not to be taken seriously as dogma or history.Finally, myths are often highly metaphorical rather than literal. Let's focus on Ancient Near Eastern myths to provide evidence of this point. The first example we can examine is the Mesopotamian myth Enuma elish. As a scholar put it, “[n]o one but a lunatic . . . could ever arrive at the theory that [the earth and sky] were originally formed by splitting the body of a dragon in half.” We can be confident that no ancient Babylonian looking to the sky expected to see the desiccated flesh and bones of Tiamat overhead, nor did he expect to find the Tigris and Euphrates flowing out of Tiamat's eye sockets. These are figurative images. The same could be said for Egyptians and their myths. In Egyptian mythology, for example, the sky could be depicted as the goddess Nut arched over the earth with hands and feet touching the ground. No Egyptian looking at the sky expected to see the body of a naked woman arched above him. Sadly, when we refer to ancient peoples as believing these things literally, it is us who do not understand and impose an overly literalistic interpretation of their myths. So, are the early chapters of Genesis a myth? To determine what is a myth, one can look for certain elements that are shared by most myths (i.e., “family resemblances”). We can summarize these family resemblances as follows:(1) Myths are narratives, whether oral or literary.(2) Myths are traditional stories handed down from generation to generation.(3) Myths are sacred for the society that embraces them.(4) Myths are objects of belief by members of the society that embraces them.(5) Myths are set in a primaeval age or another realm.(6) Myths are stories in which deities are important characters.(7) Myths seek to anchor present realities such as the world, mankind, natural phenomena, cultural practices, and the prevailing cult in a primordial time.(8) Myths are associated with rituals.(9) Myths express correspondences between the deities and nature.(10) Myths exhibit fantastic elements and are not troubled by logical contradiction or incoherence.By the way, these characteristics of myth come from folklorist, scholars who study myths of many different cultures and religions—not from biblical scholars. In other words, this is not an attempt to draft a definition of myth that will conveniently fit the Genesis account.Application to Genesis 1-11Let us apply the list of elements above to the early chapters of Genesis and see if Genesis might belong to the genre of myth.(1) Myths are narratives, whether oral or literary.Not only the individual units of Genesis 1-11 work as narratives, but the first 11 chapters as a whole constitute a narrative as well. These chapters tell the story of primaeval events in roughly chronological succession. For example, the fall of mankind occurred after the creation of mankind, the flood occurred after the fall, and the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel occurred after the flood.(2) Myths are traditional stories handed down from generation to generation.Genesis 1-11 is universally recognized as comprising traditional stories. That is to say, the author of Genesis (traditionally held to be Moses), wrote down the traditions passed down to him. Most scholars adopt what is termed the “documentary hypothesis,” which explores the potential sources upon which the Genesis author relied.(3) Myths are sacred for the society that embraces them.Again, there is universal agreement that the narratives of Genesis 1-11 are sacred for Israelite society. Not only do these stories tell the acts of the God of creation, but more particularly they tell the acts of Israel's covenantal God, Yahweh. Sabbath observance and animal sacrifice, so central to Israel's cult, are already grounded in the early chapters of Genesis. Moreover, Genesis 1-11 provides the prehistory and foundation for Yahweh's call of Abraham to establish the nation of Israel in order to achieve the blessing of all mankind that was forfeited by Adam and Eve.(4) Myths are objects of belief by members of the society that embraces them.We see this fact clearly when later passages in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) reaffirm statements in the primaeval narrative. For example, in Exodus 20:8-11 we have a recapitulation of the creation week: “Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. For six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, . . . . For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”(5) Myths are set in a primaeval age or another realm.The stories of Gen 1-11 are set in a primaeval age. The primaeval age in Genesis runs right back to God's creation of the world “in the beginning” (Gen 1:1). Moreover, the Genesis account narrates the creation of humankind as well as of plant and animal life. The origin of civilization and several of its inventions, such as metallurgy and music, are related. The origin of the world's languages is described. The period described is thus truly the primal age of mankind and the world.(6) Myths are stories in which deities are important characters.This element is controversial, but not for the reason you might think. Many folklorist do not consider the Genesis account to be myth because it does not involve many gods. In their view, monotheism is antithetical to myth. This seems to be a mistake, however. There is no reason that a monotheistic society could not use the genre of myth.(7) Myths seek to anchor present realities such as the world, mankind, natural phenomena, cultural practices, and the prevailing cult in a primordial time.This is the very heart of myth. In grounding present realities in the primordial past, the narrative functions to establish Israel's worldview. Notice, it does not ground the founding of Israel as a nation, at least not merely that. More fundamentally, the Genesis myth is universal in that it explains the origin of the world, the origin of humanity, and natural phenomena. All three of these ideas will be explored later.(8) Myths are associated with rituals.The narratives of Gen 1-11 do not seem to be associated with rituals, despite the motif of animal sacrifice. But inclusion of this eighth family resemblance probably reflects the influence of the so-called myth and ritual school, which is now widely rejected. While some myths have ritual associations, such a connection is missing from many myths.(9) Myths express correspondences between the deities and nature.The primaeval narratives of Genesis likewise do not express correspondences between deities and nature. But the absence of such correspondences from Genesis 1-11 is due to Israel's monotheism, in contrast to the polytheism of its neighbors.(10) Myths exhibit fantastic elements and are not troubled by logical contradiction or incoherence.Does the Genesis narrative exhibit fantastic elements? Is it untroubled by logical contradiction or incoherence? It seems that on both counts the primaeval narrative shares this family resemblance of myths, even if to several orders of magnitude less in comparison to Ancient Near Eastern polytheistic myths.(a) Anthropomorphisms. Despite God's transcendence so dramatically declared in Genesis 1, God is portrayed in the story of man's creation in Genesis 2 as a humanoid deity worthy of polytheistic myths, as he forms man from the dirt and breathes the breath of life into his nostrils. The same is true of the story of the fall in Genesis 3, where God strolls in the cool of the day and searches for the man and woman hiding among the trees. One must wonder whether the author meant these anthropomorphic descriptions of God to be just part of the storyteller's art or serious theology.(b) Narrative Inconsistencies. The author of Genesis seems untroubled by the apparent inconsistencies that occur in his narratives. It would have been easy for him to bring the account of the creation of man in Genesis 2 into accord with Genesis 1, rather than leave the apparent inconsistencies concerning the order of creation of man, the vegetation, and the animals. In Genesis 1, vegetation is created in the third day (Genesis 1:11-13):God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so. 12 The land produced vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.Also, in Genesis 1 man is created after vegetation.Man is not made until the sixth day (see Genesis 1:28-30). However, in Genesis 2 we read the following (Genesis 2:5-7):Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. Springs would well up from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.(c) Fantastic Elements. Before we can determine whether Genesis contains fantastic elements, we must explain that term. Miracles and fantastic elements are not the same. I believe in miracles! Fantastic means events that are so extraordinary or odd that, on their face, seem palpably false to the audience. I am not saying these events seem palpably false to us in light of increased knowledge of the world. Fantastic means palpably false to the original audience. Put another way, these are elements that both the original author and original audience understand to be figurative. Allow me to provide modern examples. If I told you I was diagnosed with cancer but after my church prayed for me I received a healthy diagnosis, I have not narrated a “fantastic element.” I have narrated a miracle which, even if you disbelieve it, you and I both understand that I mean for you to believe it. On the other hand, imagine that before you announce your wife's pregnancy I somehow find out, and when you ask me how I learned of it, I respond, “A little birdy told me.” That is much closer to a fantastic element. Both you and I, the speaker and the audience, understand that the statement is too odd to be taken as anything other than a literary device.So, are there fantastic elements in Genesis? I think so. The best example is the snake. The snake may very well represent Satan, but notice the actual description in the text, “Now the serpent was shrewder than any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made.” In the story, the snake is a snake—just a snake. And no one is surprised by the talking snake! And the implication that the snake is shrewder than other animal is that other animals are like the snake (presumably they can also speak), just a little less clever. In fact, an ancient Jewish interpretation explains the reference to the serpent precisely in this literal manner, attributing the capacity to speak to all the animals in the orchard (Jubilee 3:28).Other great examples of fantastical elements are the trees of life and of knowledge of good and evil. Notice that in regard to the effect of eating the fruits of these trees there is no hint of miraculous action on God's part. The trees seem to be “magical.” God does not bestow eternal life if one eats from the tree of life. The tree does it. Man could event subvert God's punishment if he could simply get his hands on that fruit. “And the Lord God said, ‘Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever'” (Genesis 3:22).Conclusion and CliffhangerOk, there's my abbreviated argument that the early chapters of Genesis are myth. Now, allow me to return to the definition of myth and the entire reason I am spending time on this topic: Myths are narratives that, in the society in which they are told, are considered to be truthful accounts of what happened in the remote past. They are to be believed and may be cited as authoritative. Sure, the fact that they are truthful does not mean that they are literal—but they are truthful! So, what are these truths that story conveys? We won't have time to explore this until next week, but let me give you a brief taste of what is to come:Themes and Etiology(1) Origin of the World. Genesis 1 is obviously an etiological account of the origin of the world through God's creative activity. As such it is spectacularly different from the cosmic etiologies of Israel's neighbors. In contrast to Babylonian and Egyptian myths, there is neither theogony nor theomachy in Genesis; rather, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). All of physical reality is brought into being by an unoriginate and transcendent Deity.(2) Origin of Humanity. In Genesis 2 we have an etiological account of the origin of humanity that supplements the brief notice of mankind's creation in 1:26–27. In other myths in the Ancient Near East, humans are often treated as later creations of the gods for the purpose of relieving the minor deities of backbreaking labor. For example, in the Atrahasis Epic the minor deities are said to have labored for thousands of years before finally rebelling against their overseers, necessitating the creation of man to take over their labors.Scholars have often asked why the Pentateuch does not begin with the call of Abraham and the founding of Israel in Genesis 12. Commentators seem widely agreed that the reason the author prefixes the prehistory to the patriarchal narratives is his universalizing interest. He wants to show that God's original plan was to bless all mankind and that this aim still remains ultimately in mind through the election of Israel, which is now God's means of fulfilling his original intent. Moreover, Ancient Near East myths share an etiological interest in telling how mankind in general came to exist. For example, as cited above, in the Atrahasis Epic, in response to protests and rebellion of the lesser gods over their burdensome labors, the mother goddess decides to create man to take over the labor for them. Humans were created basically as slave labor for the gods. Such stories seek to answer the question of human origins in general. When read against this backdrop, Genesis 2 is seen to share a similar etiological interest—but with a very different answer!Finally, etiology comes explicitly to the fore in the closing comment on the story, “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed” (Gen 2:24–25). The man and the woman are now man and wife. Marriage is thus God's plan for man and woman and is grounded in the primordial creation of man and of woman as his helper. The marriage relationship is taken to be the proper sphere for human sexual activity. This etiological note confirms that the author takes his story to be universal in scope, for marriage is not plausibly taken to be merely God's special provision for this specially created couple but his intention for all humanity.(3) Natural Phenomena. Etiological motifs concerning natural phenomena are also evident in Genesis 1-11. Such motifs are especially obvious in the account in Genesis 3 of the primordial couple's disobedience to God as a result of their seduction by the serpent. In the punishments pronounced by God on the serpent, the man, and the woman, etiological motifs abound. For example, the toil of farming is attributed to the fact that the land is cursed because of the man's disobedience. Thus, natural phenomena with which later Israelites would have been all too familiar are explained in terms of our primordial parents' fall into sin.Next week I want to explain these ideas further. I hope you give me the chance.

Scripture Reading (for the next three weeks): Genesis 1:1-3:24 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.2 Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. 3 God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light! 4 God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day.6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” It was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.” It was so. 12 The land produced vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.14 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years, 15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. 17 God placed the lights in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” It was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”27 God created humankind in his own image,in the image of God he created them,male and female he created them.28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has living breath in it—I give every green plant for food.” It was so.31 God saw all that he had made—and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.1 The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them. 2 By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. 3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation.4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created—when the Lord God made the earth and heavens.5 Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 Springs would well up from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.8 The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)10 Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it. 16 Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.” 19 The Lord God formed out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam no companion who corresponded to him was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man's side and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,“This one at last is bone of my bonesand flesh of my flesh;this one will be called ‘woman,'for she was taken out of man.”24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become one family. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.1 Now the serpent was shrewder than any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard'?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; 3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.'” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 And the Lord God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.” 13 So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”14 The Lord God said to the serpent,“Because you have done this,cursed are you above all the cattleand all the living creatures of the field!On your belly you will crawland dust you will eat all the days of your life.15 And I will put hostility between you and the womanand between your offspring and her offspring;he will strike your head,and you will strike his heel.”16 To the woman he said,“I will greatly increase your labor pains;with pain you will give birth to children.You will want to control your husband,but he will dominate you.”17 But to Adam he said,“Because you obeyed your wifeand ate from the tree about which I commanded you,‘You must not eat from it,'the ground is cursed because of you;in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,but you will eat the grain of the field.19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat fooduntil you return to the ground,for out of it you were taken;for you are dust, and to dust you will return.”20 The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God expelled him from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. 24 When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.Introduction to the Bible StudyWelcomeWelcome to “season 2” of the Bible study. The fact that we got through an entire book of the Bible, went on break, and are now starting a new book certainly has that “season” feel to it. I'll use that terminology of seasons, but please know that I do so only tongue-in-cheek. This study is not a show or even a podcast—it is meant to be a group of people getting together to study the Bible in an interactive forum. Sure, “episodes” are published as a podcast for anyone who would like to listen afterward, but my main interest is the community. There is enough Christian content being produced for general audience consumption (which is great!); that is not my goal here. So, if you are a new participant, I am glad you are here. If you are a returning participant, I am glad you are here.I would like to begin this second season with some introductory remarks. Inevitably, some of these comments will sound redundant to returning Bible study veterans, but I hope they will bear with me for just a minute. I think that clarifying the scope of an engagement goes a long way in setting the right expectations, avoiding misunderstandings, and ultimately preventing disappointment and conflict. So, with that in mind:(1) Who I Am. I'm just a guy. I'm a fan of Matt and Blonde's show, and I feel extremely privileged to get to lead this Bible study. Professionally, I am an accountant and an attorney. I also have a degree in math. More importantly, I have been a Christian for a couple of decades. I went from outspoken atheist to committed Christian. Ever since, I have spent much of my time studying the Bible, theology, church history, and so forth. My hope is to think just as rigorously and precisely about my faith and the Bible as I do about matters in my profession.(2) What I Hope to Do. Here are the characteristics and goals of this study:a. Scholarship Based. I honestly attempt to base what I teach in solid scholarship. I read scholarly sources and check their citations. I try to say only what I know to be supported by scholarship and no more. I am sure I will fail at times, but luckily there are many brilliant participants who can set the record straight when I make a mistake.b. Nondenominational. I try to remain “nondenominational.” When different Christian traditions offer different interpretations of a passage, I try to present those options and let the participants decide. I worry that the longer we do this study, the more my theological leanings will become obvious. To the extent that outcome is unavoidable, I will try to remain respectful of other theological bents.c. Christian. I believe the Bible is inspired by God and is reliable. I take the facts presented in it to be true facts. If you are a skeptic, you are still very much welcome in this study. You are also more than welcome to add the word “allegedly” before any claim made in the Bible. Feel free to push back on anything I say. All that notwithstanding, I will present the text of the Bible as true.(3) What I Hope We Do. I teach for about the first 45 minutes of each session, and then it is open to questions and comments. Feel free to say whatever you think is appropriate. I only ask that you wait your turn and respect everyone's time.(4) A Quick Note on Bible Translations. For this study, I will use the NET (New English Translation). It was originally published in 2005; it was composed by a committee of 25 scholars; and, it was meant to be a free online English translation of the Bible. As far as I know, this translation does not have a theological bias (i.e., reformed, Catholic, modern, etc.). I particularly enjoy it because of the thousands of translators' notes that are provided along with the English text. However, feel free to use whichever translation you prefer. If you want my advice on Bible translations, I discussed translations at length during an early episode of season 1. Long story short, ideally do not use a paraphrase like The Message, a “modified” Bible like The Passion (the quote-on-quote translator claimed to receive additional divine revelation that impacted his rendering of the English text), and choose a Bible that you can understand. Different translations use different levels of language (i.e., 8th grade level, college level, etc.). There is no shame in reading at your level. In fact, the NIV uses 8th grade English level, and I really like it. I guess my low I.Q. is showing.Season 2: Three Weeks(ish) in Genesis then ActsWhen we finished the first season, we asked the participants which book they wanted to study next. Nearly every response was in favor of studying Exodus or Acts. Since the votes were about equally split, the choice came down to me. I selected Acts for a couple of reasons. Chronologically, it comes right after John. So, studying Acts will feel like a continuation of our last study. Also, Acts was written in Greek, and it takes place in the more familiar Greco-Roman world. Exodus was written in Hebrew, and its action takes place in the much more foreign Ancient Near-East. For most people, myself included, studying Acts is a bit simpler. (However, I am not opposed to studying Exodus in the future. I do hope we have that opportunity.)Then why are we taking a few weeks to talk about Genesis? I have two main reasons:(1) One of the Biggest Objections. Think of the objections that skeptics level against Christianity. Nearly at the top of the list, if not truly chief among them, is the claim that believing in Christianity requires a rejection of modern science. At its worst, the accusation says that to be Christian entails believing that the universe is 6,000 years old, and one must disregard evolution, astrophysics, geology, linguistics, and history. I want to address this objection head on, and that inevitably involves a discussion of Genesis.(2) A Christian Worldview. The first few chapters of Genesis, regardless of whether they are taken literally or figuratively, establish key beliefs of the Christian worldview. Before we get deeper into studying the expansion of the church and nuanced doctrinal issues (i.e., Acts), I think we should stop and discuss those more fundamental points first.(Important clarification: From here on out, when I write about Genesis, I am referring to the first few chapters of it—particularly the first eleven often just to the first three. I did not want to type “the early chapters of Genesis” every time. Everyone agrees that after chapter 11, Genesis is intended as history, so the following discussion would clearly not apply to the entire book or those later chapters.)So, what will our study of Genesis look like? Well, it won't really be a study. It will be more of a primer that hopefully presents some exciting possibilities. That's the key: possibilities. I am not interested in convincing everyone to believe exactly like me. However, I want to give a good-faith, well intentioned “spoiler alert.” Many Christians are deeply committed to a literal interpretation of Genesis. I intend to present a competing alternative, and I know that will be controversial and perhaps even offensive. I respect that. If you do not wish to hear it, that is no problem at all. Simply skip the first few weeks of this study and come back when we are discussing Acts. You can also stay and disagree with me the whole time—totally fine.Ok, ok, let's be practical. Here's the plan to tackle the two goals described above:Genesis: Literal or Not and Its Interaction with Modern Science(1) Read chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Genesis.(2) Discuss some important literary concepts, particularly (a) what it means to read a text “literally” and whether it is more “conservative” to do so, (b) the importance of literary genre, and (c) how these concepts apply to Genesis (and any other text).(3) Discuss whether a non-literal reading of the first few chapters of Genesis is plausible based on the text itself (not on modern science).(4) Discuss the interaction between Christianity and science given the different interpretations of Genesis.Genesis: What It Says About God, Us, and the World(1) Recall chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Genesis.(2) Discuss features of God.(3) Discuss features of creation.(4) Discuss features of man.(5) Discuss the effect of sin and the Fall.I hope we can get through all that material in the next two weeks, but it might take an additional week. After that, we will start covering Acts verse by verse. I intend to delve heavily into the cultural and historical context of the text. For that purpose, I have been reading Craig Keener's obscenely lengthy, four-volume commentary on Acts.Questions? Comments?Since this is the introductory session to season 2 of the Bible study, I want to stop for questions and comments before we proceed. If questions and comments run out with time remaining, I have prepared additional material. If Time Allows… Otherwise I Will Move this Content to the Next SessionSince I want to present a nonliteral interpretation of Genesis, I will begin the discussion by addressing some of the concerns that are sure to come up. My hope is that by addressing these concerns at the start, I will bring the “temperature down.” The debate on Genesis can get quite fiery, after all.The More Conservative Way to Read a TextConservative: Minimizing RiskIs reading a text literally generally (or always) the most conservative approach to interpreting that text? First, I need to define my terms. What do I mean by conservative? Conservative can mean different things in different contexts. In politics, it generally means the position held by those right of political center. In scholarly disciplines, conservative can take at least two meanings. It can mean the traditional (i.e., the historical) position or the one held by the most scholars.As I using the term conservative in this discussion, I am not referring to any of the denotations above. There is another possible meaning for conservative, which we use in daily life and in disciplines such as accounting and law. Conservative refers to the attitude, interpretation, or action that minimizes risk. Imagine that you are planning a backpacking trip in a dry area. You need to pack your drinking water. You think that you will need 4 gallons of water. However, you may choose to be conservative and pack an additional gallon. Or, imagine that you are preparing your tax return. You are wondering whether you should deduct a certain travel expense. Since you are not sure whether the deduction would hold up in case of an audit, you choose to be conservative and not deduct it.With that definition of conservative in mind, is reading a text literally rather figuratively a more conservative approach? That is, does reading a text literally minimize the risk of misinterpreting a text? My contention is that the answer is no.Consider the well-known expression: “I love you to the moon and back.” (Apparently this expression originated with Tom Topor's 1979 play Nuts. It grew in popularity in the 90s and 2000s.)Let us interpret this expression literally and consider the outcome. Literally, there are two ways to interpret it. The first would be that I will love you only throughout the duration of a trip to the moon and return to earth. Although not logically entailed in the statement, if I am specifying that I will love you specifically during the voyage, one could infer that I will not love you before or after.The other literal interpretation is that love can be measured similarly to distance. At first glance, this would mean that I love you extensively since the distance from Earth to the moon (and back) is extensive. But notice that the distance from Earth to the moon is infinitesimal compared to other distances within our solar system, not to mention our galaxy or the whole universe. Really what I am saying is that I love you a nearly incomprehensibly small amount in comparison to the vastness of true love.Of course, we know that the two literal interpretations are wrong. Moreover, those interpretations reach nearly antithetical conclusions to what the expression “love you to the moon and back” is attempting to convey, which is the vastness of the affection felt by one person towards another. What this example is meant to show is that assuming a text should be read literally is not conservative—it does not minimize or eliminate the risk of misinterpretation. Proper interpretation of a text requires that one considers the genre of the text.If It's Not Literal then It Doesn't Mean AnythingI think a concern that Christians often have regarding the possibility of reading Genesis non-literally is that doing so neuters the text—it renders the text meaningless. Perhaps the argument is that the text would no longer have any meaning because non-literal texts are subject to so many different interpretations that one can no longer be certain of any one of them.Again, I think we can dispel this concern with some examples. Notice that the expression “I love you to the moon and back,” although non-literal, clearly means something different to, “My love for you is like a flame that has gone out.” Even if both expression have semantic ranges, those ranges do not overlap. They convey distinctly different ideas—and they both do so non-literally.Let's use a more sophisticated example. One of the most popular English poems is Robert Frost's “The Road Not Taken,” written in 1915. Ironically, this is also one of the most misinterpreted English poems.Before we read it, try to recall what the poem is about. I bet you thought the poem was called something like “The Path Less Traveled,” and the point of it is that taking a harder, lonelier path leads to better, more fulfilling outcomes in life.Now consider the actual text of the poem.The Road Not Taken by Robert FrostTwo roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference. What is the poem saying? First, let's begin with the title (one of the most important contextual clues when interpreting poetry). The poem is about “the road not taken.” Notice, it is not about the road actually taken—the one less traveled. It is about the other road.The first stanza tells us that the traveler runs into an intersection, and he was sorry he could not travel both paths. The second stanza tells us that as far as the traveler could see, both paths seemed about the same. (One of the paths does not seem more adventurous than the other!)Then, in the third stanza, the author copes with his choice of selecting one path by lying to himself. He tells himself that one day he will return and traverse the road not taken, but he knows that is not true. He will probably never come back.The last stanza, the one everyone remembers, tells us how that lie will grow in time. The traveler will deal with the pain of never knowing what the “the road not taken” was like by telling himself and others that surely he chose the boldest path and it made all the difference—something he could not possibly know since both paths looked nearly identical (“worn . . . about the same”), and his whole regret is not knowing the outcome of taking the other path.What's the point of this exercise? Notice that poetry is a genre of literature that is not meant to be interpreted literally, unlike historiography or technical writings, yet it has a discernible meaning. And people can get that meaning wrong! Robert Frost's poem is not about the positive outcomes from following the “path less traveled” but about the regret of not being able to take all paths in life.Similarly, if we interpret Genesis figuratively, we are not rendering the text meaningless. It can still have a correct interpretation and, by extension, incorrect interpretations. A nonliteral interpretation means that the way the text coveys its message is not direct, not that it has no message.Conservative in Other Ways?There is one last roadblock I wish to remove before we get into the text. Oftentimes Christians will claim that a literal interpretation of Genesis is the conservative interpretation in the sense that it is the historical interpretation of the text. The claim may also add that the only reason we (modern Christians) are attempting to re-interpret the text is because of our desire to accommodate modern science. We are straying from Christianity's historical beliefs, and we are compromising our view of scripture—is the accusation.So, is a literal interpretation of Genesis a more conservative interpretation given that meaning of the word conservative? Put another way, is it true that a literal interpretation of Genesis is the traditional interpretation of the church? Has the church held to a literal interpretation as a crucial matter of faith? Surprisingly, the answer is no. To make my point I will give one example, although many could be provided.Short of Jesus and the Apostle Paul, no one person has had a bigger impact in the western church than Augustine of Hippo. He lived in the late 300s and early 400s—centuries before the advent of modern science. Did he—literally the patron saint of theologians (according to some traditions)—take Genesis literally? No. Augustine wrote extensively on the book of Genesis (five commentaries!) and after thinking long and hard about the early chapters, he admitted that understanding what the writer of Genesis meant by days is a hard thing. This is already instructive. An early church father, reading nothing but the text without pressure from modern science, could already see that the text does not seem straightforward.Augustine concluded that God created all that exists in an instant. Therefore, the days in Genesis are not (and cannot be) literal. The days are an accommodation to human understanding. They are like a metaphor. They put creation in terms of a human work week so people can understand it.Why would Augustine conclude such a thing? For many reasons, but chiefly among those are three peculiarities in the text. First, light appears in day one but the luminaries (e.g., the sun, moon, and stars) are not created until day four. Second, the dischronology between chapter 1 and chapter 2:4-6. In chapter 1, vegetation is created early on. In chapter 2, there is still no vegetation. Finally, the idea of God literally resting. Augustine argued that God cannot grow weary (there are verses in the Bible that explicitly state this) so the idea that God would literally rest, if taken literally, is nonsensical. The language must be figurative, he concluded.Other church fathers, such as Clement (c. 35-99), Origen (c. 185-254), Didymus (c. 313-398) and Athanasius (c. 296-373), also understood the Genesis creation story as non-literal to different extents.The point I am making is simple: to claim that to interpret the early of chapters of Genesis non-literally is an unprecedent deviation from the church's historical interpretation of those chapters is simply not true. Of course, this says nothing of which interpretation is correct. The point is merely that non-literal interpretations of Genesis are not heterodox per se.There is a related conclusion that one can draw from Augustine and the other church fathers. They were not influenced by modern science. They came to their conclusions by simple observation of the world and from the text itself. So, the accusation that modern Christians are reinterpreting Genesis merely because of their concordist desires (between modern science and the Bible) loses much of its bite.

Creationtide III - Trees 1st Lesson: A Reading from the Book of Genesis (Gen. 2:4b-22) In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no vegetation of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground, but a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole face of the ground— then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold, and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle and to the birds of the air and to every animal of the field, but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 2nd Lesson: A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 17:22-28 ) Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely spiritual you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all peoples to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps fumble about for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we, too, are his offspring.' The Gospel Reading: John 3:1-16 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

Preaching Text:   Genesis 2:4b-25 4These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; 6but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— 7then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. 8And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9Out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches. 11The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” 18Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” 19So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. 21So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.” 24Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 2:4-25 (NASB)   4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person. 8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there as well. 13 The name of the second river is Gibbon; it flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it. 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.” 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” 19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 And the Lord God [q]fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, “At last this is bone of my bones,And flesh of my flesh;She shall be called ‘woman,'Because she was taken out of man.” 24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed. Sermon Theme: God has prepared human beings with all the spiritual and physical resources needed in order to glorify and enjoy Him. Last week: 1)Mankind was made with the capacity to serve and worship God (2:4-8; 15) 2) Mankind was given the responsibility to obey God in order to flourish in life (2:8-17) This week: 3) Mankind was blessed with complementary help to serve, worship, and obey God together (2:18-25)      

Genesis 2:4-17 (NASB) 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8 The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." Sermon Theme: God has prepared human beings with all the spiritual and physical resources needed in order to glorify and enjoy Him. Outline:1) Mankind was made with the capacity to serve and worship God (2:4‑8; 15)2) Mankind was given the responsibility to obey God in order to fourish in life (2:8‑17)

Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden and from there it parted and became four riverheads 11 The name of the first is Pishon it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah where there is gold 12 And the gold of that land is good Bdellium and the onyx stone are there 13 The name of the second river is Gihon it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush

2023-04-16 Created in God's Imageby Pastor Chris BergScripture Reference: Genesis 2:4-254 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person. 8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there as well. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it. 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.”18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” 19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,“At last this is bone of my bones,And flesh of my flesh;She shall be called ‘woman,'Because she was taken out of man.”24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.

Big Idea: Heaven version 1.0. Genesis 2: 4-14 TGIS- Thank God it's Saturday. 1. Heaven is eternal. Genesis 2: 4-7 These are the records of the heavens and the earth, concerning their creation. At the time that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, no shrub of the field had yet grown on the land, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground. But mist would come up from the earth and water all the ground. Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. 2. Heaven is fruitful. Genesis 2: 8-9 The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed. The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 3. Heaven is beautiful. Genesis 2: 10-14 A river went out from Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became the source of four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon, which flows through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. Gold from that land is pure; bdellium and onyx are also there. The name of the second river is Gihon, which flows through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris, which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. Next Steps: I will live for heaven and here this week. I need Jesus to set me on the path to Heaven today.

Moses says that the river originating in Eden separated from there and turned into four headwaters—the Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. Where were they?Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

With family: Genesis 2; Matthew 2 Genesis 2 (Listen) The Seventh Day, God Rests 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The Creation of Man and Woman 4   These are the generations  of the heavens and the earth when they were created,  in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field1 was yet in the land2 and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist3 was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat4 of it you shall surely die.” 18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for5 him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed6 every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam7 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made8 into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,   “This at last is bone of my bones    and flesh of my flesh;  she shall be called Woman,    because she was taken out of Man.”9 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Footnotes [1] 2:5 Or open country [2] 2:5 Or earth; also verse 6 [3] 2:6 Or spring [4] 2:17 Or when you eat [5] 2:18 Or corresponding to; also verse 20 [6] 2:19 Or And out of the ground the Lord God formed [7] 2:20 Or the man [8] 2:22 Hebrew built [9] 2:23 The Hebrew words for woman (ishshah) and man (ish) sound alike (ESV) Matthew 2 (Listen) The Visit of the Wise Men 2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men1 from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose2 and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6   “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;  for from you shall come a ruler    who will shepherd my people Israel.'” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. The Flight to Egypt 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Herod Kills the Children 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18   “A voice was heard in Ramah,    weeping and loud lamentation,  Rachel weeping for her children;    she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” The Return to Nazareth 19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. Footnotes [1] 2:1 Greek magi; also verses 7, 16 [2] 2:2 Or in the east; also verse 9 (ESV) In private: Ezra 2; Acts 2 Ezra 2 (Listen) The Exiles Return 2 Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 3 the sons of Parosh, 2,172. 4 The sons of Shephatiah, 372. 5 The sons of Arah, 775. 6 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812. 7 The sons of Elam, 1,254. 8 The sons of Zattu, 945. 9 The sons of Zaccai, 760. 10 The sons of Bani, 642. 11 The sons of Bebai, 623. 12 The sons of Azgad, 1,222. 13 The sons of Adonikam, 666. 14 The sons of Bigvai, 2,056. 15 The sons of Adin, 454. 16 The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. 17 The sons of Bezai, 323. 18 The sons of Jorah, 112. 19 The sons of Hashum, 223. 20 The sons of Gibbar, 95. 21 The sons of Bethlehem, 123. 22 The men of Netophah, 56. 23 The men of Anathoth, 128. 24 The sons of Azmaveth, 42. 25 The sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. 26 The sons of Ramah and Geba, 621. 27 The men of Michmas, 122. 28 The men of Bethel and Ai, 223. 29 The sons of Nebo, 52. 30 The sons of Magbish, 156. 31 The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. 32 The sons of Harim, 320. 33 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725. 34 The sons of Jericho, 345. 35 The sons of Senaah, 3,630. 36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973. 37 The sons of Immer, 1,052. 38 The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. 39 The sons of Harim, 1,017. 40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74. 41 The singers: the sons of Asaph, 128. 42 The sons of the gatekeepers: the sons of Shallum, the sons of Ater, the sons of Talmon, the sons of Akkub, the sons of Hatita, and the sons of Shobai, in all 139. 43 The temple servants: the sons of Ziha, the sons of Hasupha, the sons of Tabbaoth, 44 the sons of Keros, the sons of Siaha, the sons of Padon, 45 the sons of Lebanah, the sons of Hagabah, the sons of Akkub, 46 the sons of Hagab, the sons of Shamlai, the sons of Hanan, 47 the sons of Giddel, the sons of Gahar, the sons of Reaiah, 48 the sons of Rezin, the sons of Nekoda, the sons of Gazzam, 49 the sons of Uzza, the sons of Paseah, the sons of Besai, 50 the sons of Asnah, the sons of Meunim, the sons of Nephisim, 51 the sons of Bakbuk, the sons of Hakupha, the sons of Harhur, 52 the sons of Bazluth, the sons of Mehida, the sons of Harsha, 53 the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah, 54 the sons of Neziah, and the sons of Hatipha. 55 The sons of Solomon's servants: the sons of Sotai, the sons of Hassophereth, the sons of Peruda, 56 the sons of Jaalah, the sons of Darkon, the sons of Giddel, 57 the sons of Shephatiah, the sons of Hattil, the sons of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and the sons of Ami. 58 All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon's servants were 392. 59 The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers' houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: 60 the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652. 61 Also, of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). 62 These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. 63 The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim. 64 The whole assembly together was 42,360, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers. 66 Their horses were 736, their mules were 245, 67 their camels were 435, and their donkeys were 6,720. 68 Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. 69 According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics1 of gold, 5,000 minas2 of silver, and 100 priests' garments. 70 Now the priests, the Levites, some of the people, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants lived in their towns, and all the rest of Israel3 in their towns. Footnotes [1] 2:69 A daric was a coin weighing about 1/4 ounce or 8.5 grams [2] 2:69 A mina was about 1 1/4 pounds or 0.6 kilogram [3] 2:70 Hebrew all Israel (ESV) Acts 2 (Listen) The Coming of the Holy Spirit 2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested1 on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” Peter's Sermon at Pentecost 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.2 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17   “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,  that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,  and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,    and your young men shall see visions,    and your old men shall dream dreams;18   even on my male servants and female servants    in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.19   And I will show wonders in the heavens above    and signs on the earth below,    blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;20   the sun shall be turned to darkness    and the moon to blood,    before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.21   And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—23 this Jesus,3 delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,   “‘I saw the Lord always before me,    for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;26   therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;    my flesh also will dwell in hope.27   For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,    or let your Holy One see corruption.28   You have made known to me the paths of life;    you will make me full of gladness with your presence.' 29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,   “‘The Lord said to my Lord,  “Sit at my right hand,35     until I make your enemies your footstool.”' 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. The Fellowship of the Believers 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe4 came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Footnotes [1] 2:3 Or And tongues as of fire appeared to them, distributed among them, and rested [2] 2:15 That is, 9 a.m. [3] 2:23 Greek this one [4] 2:43 Or fear (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 1 Psalm 1 (Listen) Book One The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked 1   Blessed is the man1    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,  nor stands in the way of sinners,    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;2   but his delight is in the law2 of the LORD,    and on his law he meditates day and night. 3   He is like a tree    planted by streams of water  that yields its fruit in its season,    and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.4   The wicked are not so,    but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5   Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;6   for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,    but the way of the wicked will perish. Footnotes [1] 1:1 The singular Hebrew word for man (ish) is used here to portray a representative example of a godly person; see Preface [2] 1:2 Or instruction (ESV) Pentateuch and History: Genesis 2 Genesis 2 (Listen) The Seventh Day, God Rests 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The Creation of Man and Woman 4   These are the generations  of the heavens and the earth when they were created,  in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field1 was yet in the land2 and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist3 was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat4 of it you shall surely die.” 18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for5 him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed6 every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam7 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made8 into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,   “This at last is bone of my bones    and flesh of my flesh;  she shall be called Woman,    because she was taken out of Man.”9 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Footnotes [1] 2:5 Or open country [2] 2:5 Or earth; also verse 6 [3] 2:6 Or spring [4] 2:17 Or when you eat [5] 2:18 Or corresponding to; also verse 20 [6] 2:19 Or And out of the ground the Lord God formed [7] 2:20 Or the man [8] 2:22 Hebrew built [9] 2:23 The Hebrew words for woman (ishshah) and man (ish) sound alike (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: 1 Chronicles 2 1 Chronicles 2 (Listen) A Genealogy of David 2 These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 3 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death. 4 His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all. 5 The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul. 6 The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. 7 The son1 of Carmi: Achan, the troubler of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing; 8 and Ethan's son was Azariah. 9 The sons of Hezron that were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. 10 Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah. 11 Nahshon fathered Salmon,2 Salmon fathered Boaz, 12 Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse. 13 Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, 14 Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, David the seventh. 16 And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three. 17 Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite. 18 Caleb the son of Hezron fathered children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. 20 Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel. 21 Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub. 22 And Segub fathered Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. 23 But Geshur and Aram took from them Havvoth-jair, Kenath, and its villages, sixty towns. All these were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead. 24 After the death of Hezron, Caleb went in to Ephrathah,3 the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa. 25 The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. 27 The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28 The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur. 29 The name of Abishur's wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. 30 The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; and Seled died childless. 31 The son4 of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai. 32 The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died childless. 33 The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel. 34 Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, but Sheshan had an Egyptian slave whose name was Jarha. 35 So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha his slave, and she bore him Attai. 36 Attai fathered Nathan, and Nathan fathered Zabad. 37 Zabad fathered Ephlal, and Ephlal fathered Obed. 38 Obed fathered Jehu, and Jehu fathered Azariah. 39 Azariah fathered Helez, and Helez fathered Eleasah. 40 Eleasah fathered Sismai, and Sismai fathered Shallum. 41 Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered Elishama. 42 The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mareshah5 his firstborn, who fathered Ziph. The son6 of Mareshah: Hebron.7 43 The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema. 44 Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem fathered Shammai. 45 The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon fathered Beth-zur. 46 Ephah also, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez. 47 The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 48 Maacah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. 50 These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons8 of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim, 51 Salma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader. 52 Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth. 53 And the clans of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. 54 The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites. 55 The clans also of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab. Footnotes [1] 2:7 Hebrew sons [2] 2:11 Septuagint (compare Ruth 4:21); Hebrew Salma [3] 2:24 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew in Caleb Ephrathah [4] 2:31 Hebrew sons; three times in this verse [5] 2:42 Septuagint; Hebrew Mesha [6] 2:42 Hebrew sons [7] 2:42 Hebrew the father of Hebron [8] 2:50 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew son (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Luke 1:26–56 Luke 1:26–56 (Listen) Birth of Jesus Foretold 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed1 to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”2 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”3 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born4 will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant5 of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Mary Visits Elizabeth 39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be6 a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat 46 And Mary said,   “My soul magnifies the Lord,47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,48   for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;49   for he who is mighty has done great things for me,    and holy is his name.50   And his mercy is for those who fear him    from generation to generation.51   He has shown strength with his arm;    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;52   he has brought down the mighty from their thrones    and exalted those of humble estate;53   he has filled the hungry with good things,    and the rich he has sent away empty.54   He has helped his servant Israel,    in remembrance of his mercy,55   as he spoke to our fathers,    to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. Footnotes [1] 1:27 That is, legally pledged to be married [2] 1:28 Some manuscripts add Blessed are you among women! [3] 1:34 Greek since I do not know a man [4] 1:35 Some manuscripts add of you [5] 1:38 Greek bondservant; also verse 48 [6] 1:45 Or believed, for there will be (ESV)

Old Testament: Genesis 1–2 Genesis 1–2 (Listen) The Creation of the World 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse1 in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made2 the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven.3 And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth,4 and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants5 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,6 and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds7 fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man8 in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27   So God created man in his own image,    in the image of God he created him;    male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. The Seventh Day, God Rests 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The Creation of Man and Woman 4   These are the generations  of the heavens and the earth when they were created,  in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field9 was yet in the land10 and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist11 was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat12 of it you shall surely die.” 18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for13 him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed14 every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam15 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made16 into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,   “This at last is bone of my bones    and flesh of my flesh;  she shall be called Woman,    because she was taken out of Man.”17 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Footnotes [1] 1:6 Or a canopy; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20 [2] 1:7 Or fashioned; also verse 16 [3] 1:8 Or Sky; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 [4] 1:10 Or Land; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 [5] 1:11 Or small plants; also verses 12, 29 [6] 1:14 Or appointed times [7] 1:20 Or flying things; see Leviticus 11:19–20 [8] 1:26 The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam [9] 2:5 Or open country [10] 2:5 Or earth; also verse 6 [11] 2:6 Or spring [12] 2:17 Or when you eat [13] 2:18 Or corresponding to; also verse 20 [14] 2:19 Or And out of the ground the Lord God formed [15] 2:20 Or the man [16] 2:22 Hebrew built [17] 2:23 The Hebrew words for woman (ishshah) and man (ish) sound alike (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 1 Psalm 1 (Listen) Book One The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked 1   Blessed is the man1    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,  nor stands in the way of sinners,    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;2   but his delight is in the law2 of the LORD,    and on his law he meditates day and night. 3   He is like a tree    planted by streams of water  that yields its fruit in its season,    and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.4   The wicked are not so,    but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5   Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;6   for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,    but the way of the wicked will perish. Footnotes [1] 1:1 The singular Hebrew word for man (ish) is used here to portray a representative example of a godly person; see Preface [2] 1:2 Or instruction (ESV) New Testament: Matthew 1–2 Matthew 1–2 (Listen) The Genealogy of Jesus Christ 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,1 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,2 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos,3 and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,4 and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. The Birth of Jesus Christ 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ5 took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed6 to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23   “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,    and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. The Visit of the Wise Men 2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men7 from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose8 and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6   “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;  for from you shall come a ruler    who will shepherd my people Israel.'” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. The Flight to Egypt 13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Herod Kills the Children 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18   “A voice was heard in Ramah,    weeping and loud lamentation,  Rachel weeping for her children;    she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” The Return to Nazareth 19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. Footnotes [1] 1:3 Greek Aram; also verse 4 [2] 1:7 Asaph is probably an alternate spelling of Asa; some manuscripts Asa; also verse 8 [3] 1:10 Amos is probably an alternate spelling of Amon; some manuscripts Amon; twice in this verse [4] 1:12 Greek Salathiel; twice in this verse [5] 1:18 Some manuscripts of the Christ [6] 1:18 That is, legally pledged to be married [7] 2:1 Greek magi; also verses 7, 16 [8] 2:2 Or in the east; also verse 9 (ESV)

Morning: Genesis 1–2 Genesis 1–2 (Listen) The Creation of the World 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse1 in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made2 the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven.3 And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth,4 and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants5 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,6 and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds7 fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man8 in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27   So God created man in his own image,    in the image of God he created him;    male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. The Seventh Day, God Rests 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The Creation of Man and Woman 4   These are the generations  of the heavens and the earth when they were created,  in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field9 was yet in the land10 and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist11 was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat12 of it you shall surely die.” 18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for13 him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed14 every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam15 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made16 into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,   “This at last is bone of my bones    and flesh of my flesh;  she shall be called Woman,    because she was taken out of Man.”17 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Footnotes [1] 1:6 Or a canopy; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20 [2] 1:7 Or fashioned; also verse 16 [3] 1:8 Or Sky; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 [4] 1:10 Or Land; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 [5] 1:11 Or small plants; also verses 12, 29 [6] 1:14 Or appointed times [7] 1:20 Or flying things; see Leviticus 11:19–20 [8] 1:26 The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam [9] 2:5 Or open country [10] 2:5 Or earth; also verse 6 [11] 2:6 Or spring [12] 2:17 Or when you eat [13] 2:18 Or corresponding to; also verse 20 [14] 2:19 Or And out of the ground the Lord God formed [15] 2:20 Or the man [16] 2:22 Hebrew built [17] 2:23 The Hebrew words for woman (ishshah) and man (ish) sound alike (ESV) Evening: Matthew 1 Matthew 1 (Listen) The Genealogy of Jesus Christ 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,1 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,2 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos,3 and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,4 and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. The Birth of Jesus Christ 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ5 took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed6 to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23   “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,    and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. Footnotes [1] 1:3 Greek Aram; also verse 4 [2] 1:7 Asaph is probably an alternate spelling of Asa; some manuscripts Asa; also verse 8 [3] 1:10 Amos is probably an alternate spelling of Amon; some manuscripts Amon; twice in this verse [4] 1:12 Greek Salathiel; twice in this verse [5] 1:18 Some manuscripts of the Christ [6] 1:18 That is, legally pledged to be married (ESV)

Genesis 1–3 Genesis 1–3 (Listen) The Creation of the World 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse1 in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made2 the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven.3 And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth,4 and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants5 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,6 and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds7 fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man8 in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27   So God created man in his own image,    in the image of God he created him;    male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. The Seventh Day, God Rests 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The Creation of Man and Woman 4   These are the generations  of the heavens and the earth when they were created,  in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field9 was yet in the land10 and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist11 was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat12 of it you shall surely die.” 18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for13 him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed14 every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam15 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made16 into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,   “This at last is bone of my bones    and flesh of my flesh;  she shall be called Woman,    because she was taken out of Man.”17 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. The Fall 3 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, ‘You18 shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,19 she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool20 of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”21 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 The LORD God said to the serpent,   “Because you have done this,    cursed are you above all livestock    and above all beasts of the field;  on your belly you shall go,    and dust you shall eat    all the days of your life.15   I will put enmity between you and the woman,    and between your offspring22 and her offspring;  he shall bruise your head,    and you shall bruise his heel.” 16 To the woman he said,   “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;    in pain you shall bring forth children.  Your desire shall be contrary to23 your husband,    but he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said,   “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife    and have eaten of the tree  of which I commanded you,    ‘You shall not eat of it,'  cursed is the ground because of you;    in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;18   thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;    and you shall eat the plants of the field.19   By the sweat of your face    you shall eat bread,  till you return to the ground,    for out of it you were taken;  for you are dust,    and to dust you shall return.” 20 The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.24 21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. Footnotes [1] 1:6 Or a canopy; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20 [2] 1:7 Or fashioned; also verse 16 [3] 1:8 Or Sky; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 [4] 1:10 Or Land; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 [5] 1:11 Or small plants; also verses 12, 29 [6] 1:14 Or appointed times [7] 1:20 Or flying things; see Leviticus 11:19–20 [8] 1:26 The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam [9] 2:5 Or open country [10] 2:5 Or earth; also verse 6 [11] 2:6 Or spring [12] 2:17 Or when you eat [13] 2:18 Or corresponding to; also verse 20 [14] 2:19 Or And out of the ground the Lord God formed [15] 2:20 Or the man [16] 2:22 Hebrew built [17] 2:23 The Hebrew words for woman (ishshah) and man (ish) sound alike [18] 3:1 In Hebrew you is plural in verses 1–5 [19] 3:6 Or to give insight [20] 3:8 Hebrew wind [21] 3:9 In Hebrew you is singular in verses 9 and 11 [22] 3:15 Hebrew seed; so throughout Genesis [23] 3:16 Or shall be toward (see 4:7) [24] 3:20 Eve sounds like the Hebrew for life-giver and resembles the word for living (ESV)

Genesis 1–3 Genesis 1–3 (Listen) The Creation of the World 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse1 in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made2 the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven.3 And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth,4 and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants5 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,6 and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds7 fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man8 in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27   So God created man in his own image,    in the image of God he created him;    male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. The Seventh Day, God Rests 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The Creation of Man and Woman 4   These are the generations  of the heavens and the earth when they were created,  in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field9 was yet in the land10 and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist11 was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat12 of it you shall surely die.” 18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for13 him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed14 every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam15 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made16 into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,   “This at last is bone of my bones    and flesh of my flesh;  she shall be called Woman,    because she was taken out of Man.”17 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. The Fall 3 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, ‘You18 shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,19 she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool20 of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”21 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 The LORD God said to the serpent,   “Because you have done this,    cursed are you above all livestock    and above all beasts of the field;  on your belly you shall go,    and dust you shall eat    all the days of your life.15   I will put enmity between you and the woman,    and between your offspring22 and her offspring;  he shall bruise your head,    and you shall bruise his heel.” 16 To the woman he said,   “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;    in pain you shall bring forth children.  Your desire shall be contrary to23 your husband,    but he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said,   “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife    and have eaten of the tree  of which I commanded you,    ‘You shall not eat of it,'  cursed is the ground because of you;    in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;18   thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;    and you shall eat the plants of the field.19   By the sweat of your face    you shall eat bread,  till you return to the ground,    for out of it you were taken;  for you are dust,    and to dust you shall return.” 20 The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.24 21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. Footnotes [1] 1:6 Or a canopy; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20 [2] 1:7 Or fashioned; also verse 16 [3] 1:8 Or Sky; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 [4] 1:10 Or Land; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 [5] 1:11 Or small plants; also verses 12, 29 [6] 1:14 Or appointed times [7] 1:20 Or flying things; see Leviticus 11:19–20 [8] 1:26 The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam [9] 2:5 Or open country [10] 2:5 Or earth; also verse 6 [11] 2:6 Or spring [12] 2:17 Or when you eat [13] 2:18 Or corresponding to; also verse 20 [14] 2:19 Or And out of the ground the Lord God formed [15] 2:20 Or the man [16] 2:22 Hebrew built [17] 2:23 The Hebrew words for woman (ishshah) and man (ish) sound alike [18] 3:1 In Hebrew you is plural in verses 1–5 [19] 3:6 Or to give insight [20] 3:8 Hebrew wind [21] 3:9 In Hebrew you is singular in verses 9 and 11 [22] 3:15 Hebrew seed; so throughout Genesis [23] 3:16 Or shall be toward (see 4:7) [24] 3:20 Eve sounds like the Hebrew for life-giver and resembles the word for living (ESV)

Old Testament: Genesis 1–2 Genesis 1–2 (Listen) The Creation of the World 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse1 in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made2 the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven.3 And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth,4 and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants5 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,6 and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds7 fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man8 in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27   So God created man in his own image,    in the image of God he created him;    male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. The Seventh Day, God Rests 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. The Creation of Man and Woman 4   These are the generations  of the heavens and the earth when they were created,  in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field9 was yet in the land10 and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist11 was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat12 of it you shall surely die.” 18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for13 him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed14 every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam15 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made16 into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,   “This at last is bone of my bones    and flesh of my flesh;  she shall be called Woman,    because she was taken out of Man.”17 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Footnotes [1] 1:6 Or a canopy; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20 [2] 1:7 Or fashioned; also verse 16 [3] 1:8 Or Sky; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 [4] 1:10 Or Land; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 [5] 1:11 Or small plants; also verses 12, 29 [6] 1:14 Or appointed times [7] 1:20 Or flying things; see Leviticus 11:19–20 [8] 1:26 The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam [9] 2:5 Or open country [10] 2:5 Or earth; also verse 6 [11] 2:6 Or spring [12] 2:17 Or when you eat [13] 2:18 Or corresponding to; also verse 20 [14] 2:19 Or And out of the ground the Lord God formed [15] 2:20 Or the man [16] 2:22 Hebrew built [17] 2:23 The Hebrew words for woman (ishshah) and man (ish) sound alike (ESV) New Testament: Matthew 1:1–17 Matthew 1:1–17 (Listen) The Genealogy of Jesus Christ 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,1 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,2 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos,3 and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,4 and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. Footnotes [1] 1:3 Greek Aram; also verse 4 [2] 1:7 Asaph is probably an alternate spelling of Asa; some manuscripts Asa; also verse 8 [3] 1:10 Amos is probably an alternate spelling of Amon; some manuscripts Amon; twice in this verse [4] 1:12 Greek Salathiel; twice in this verse (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 1 Psalm 1 (Listen) Book One The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked 1   Blessed is the man1    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,  nor stands in the way of sinners,    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;2   but his delight is in the law2 of the LORD,    and on his law he meditates day and night. 3   He is like a tree    planted by streams of water  that yields its fruit in its season,    and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.4   The wicked are not so,    but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5   Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;6   for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,    but the way of the wicked will perish. Footnotes [1] 1:1 The singular Hebrew word for man (ish) is used here to portray a representative example of a godly person; see Preface [2] 1:2 Or instruction (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 1:1–7 Proverbs 1:1–7 (Listen) The Beginning of Knowledge 1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: 2   To know wisdom and instruction,    to understand words of insight,3   to receive instruction in wise dealing,    in righteousness, justice, and equity;4   to give prudence to the simple,    knowledge and discretion to the youth—5   Let the wise hear and increase in learning,    and the one who understands obtain guidance,6   to understand a proverb and a saying,    the words of the wise and their riddles. 7   The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;    fools despise wisdom and instruction. (ESV)

Study Passage: Genesis 2:4-17 4These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Ross Tenneson Genesis 2:1-15 Work in Eden and Work in Exile Into: Good morning, church. So glad we get to open God's word together and keep walking through the book of Genesis. Last week, Pastor Sam helped us paused and meditate on the phrase, “male and female he created them.” Now we move on to the next part of the story: Sometimes, our jobs can feel pointless or toilsome. I used to manage group homes. On occasion my overnight staff would call in sick. If I couldn't find someone to replace them, I would have to be awake all night suddenly without planning on it. By the morning, I would feel more like a zombie than a human. The toil of our work we all experience prompts us to consider: Why do we work? Are our jobs a good gift God gave us or a result of the fall? We want to answer this question because we spend so much of our waking hours at work. Day after day, year after year, work takes up so much of our adult lives. The story we area walking through will help us to answer these questions. Where we left off God had just finished making humans, the crown jewel of his creation. Creating humans brought his creation to completion. Now, we get to see the first thing God does after finishing his world: Revelation: 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. Heavens and earth = the spaces God made for his creatures to inhabit. Hosts = inhabitants. Verse 2 is going to show us what finishing all these things leads God to do: 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. After God creates; he rests. Rest = “cease/stop.” God stops working. Why is God resting? Is he tired? He didn't get tired! Rest is not a nap. Rather, space for intimacy w/creation and enjoying what he has accomplished. Rest can look like sleep or laying on the couch, or it can look like a holiday w/ family. This is a time to enjoy V.3 shows us more, 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. God does two things because he rests on this day: he “blessed” it and “makes it holy.” God has blessed creatures, now he blesses a day. Blessed = to fill with life. This day especially filled with the enjoyment of God's good creation. God set aside a day to enjoy what he made. “made it holy:” first time in the Bible God makes something holy. When God makes something holy, he sets a boundary around it to fill it with himself (holy ground). What's that saying about this day? On seventh day, God is sharing himself with his world, he's taking time to be fully present. What he did in creation was astounding (making everything); what he does in rest more astounding. When dad works, he does amazing things, but not as amazing as coming home and kids jumping in arms. Something missing? “and there was evening and there was morning…” Why? God designed to be an endless day. Story begins with eternal life.[1] How amazing? So much to learn here! Pastor Scott preached a sermon titled, “Sabbath.” One application: God draws clear boundaries between work and rest. One things we should learn: so should we. In our culture (partially enabled by technology), we rest when we should be working and work when we should be resting. We often escape from our work through the internet and our devices. Then, through those same devices, take work home with us in the form of email and texting. We end up not truly working and not truly resting. We neither produce great things nor feel rested. Makes life feel bluh. God sets an example by dividing work from rest as the final boundary he draws. When we let work be work and rest be rest, both our work and our rest can flourish. We can use our gifts at our jobs to accomplish much, and we can feel deeply recharged emotionally, physically, and spiritually. With that in mind, let's see how the story keeps developing from here in V. 4, 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. How many of you agree this is a strange way to continue the story? That's because it is, for us. Normal for Genesis. Phrase: “these are the generations of…” repeats 11x in Genesis. Introduces new part of the story. Usually parents à children (successive generations frames the story).[2] This one is not about parents/children, rather about what God brough through the earth. In what follows, you might think: “this is a lot of Genesis 1 but from a different perspective.” Bingo. Zooms in and tells the story of the creation of humans in greater detail. It's that important. Gen 1:1–2:3 is like a global view of what God did (into). Gen 2:4 zooms in on the characters locally on the characters we will follow (chapter 1). So let's follow that story, 5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— New information we have not learned yet: there are parts of the earth that are uncultivated. “field” = wilderness. Part of God's purpose is for man to cultivate it. God describes “the field” in terms similar to the earth in 1:2, “without form and void.”[3] Just as God's work consisted of forming an inhabitable place into a good home, so will man's. One clue in the story that work is a high and holy calling. First time “Lord God” in text: introduction to God's personal name as this story and what follows more personally introduces him.[4] 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. “Formed” = potter.[5] God forms man from the “dust of the ground.” Hebrew for “Adam” = “Adam.” Hebrew for “ground” = “Adamah.” Deep connection. “breath of life,” like putting his mouth up to mans and breathing how own life. Deep connection.[6] Could not have humbler or higher beginnings. One hand: dirt creatures,[7] utter dependence. On other: God who spoke universe into existence personally breathed life into us. Something of both earth and heaven in humans. Bridges. We will see more of this as we go… 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. Forming his most special creature prompts God to make a special home. What a home: “Garden” = orchard.[8] “In Eden” = “the happy land.”[9] God places man there to flourish (like a plant). 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Tree “in midst” = “tree of life.” Who gives life? God. Tree represents God's life-giving presence. Garden is also “holy” (God is sharing himself there). Garden meets human need for food and greater need for God's presence. Whether 7th day, or tree of life, story is full if pictures of God moving close to people. Dwelling not distant. Daniel will address tree of knowledge of Good and Evil in future sermon. Further pictures of a place overflowing with life: 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. God makes a river flow through Eden and his garden to water it. God's sustaining his garden. Then he creates four rivers to branch off and water the land around. God makes the life-giving power of water flow out from the garden to the lands around it.[10] The idea of life flowing out from the garden continues in verse 15: 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. God has a purpose: to work and keep it. God is a worker who gives his highest creature a job like him. When God works in Gen 1, it's ordinary word for work.[11] God is the first worker who gives humans the gift of work; so, all work has dignity. Both humans and our work have value because God created both. Whether you have the most menial job, we tend to think of flipping burgers, or the most prestigious job, we tend to think of the CEO of fortune 500, all work has dignity. As long as it's a job that actually helps humans thrive and find life (some industries are destructive). All work has dignity, because all work is accomplishing the same thing God did at the beginning: making this planet an increasingly hospitable and good home for humanity. And that's a good thing. If you help stock shelves are target or provide research for your company, you're helping this world be a better home for people and that's a good thing. Tim Keller: “Work did not come in after a golden age of leisure. It was part of God's perfect design for human life.”[12] All those hours you spend at work are not unimportant. God has great purpose for them. Closer look at Adam's job to work and keep it: Means something along the lines of “cultivate the orchard and protect it from threats.” To what end? Seems like as Adam works and keeps garden, it will expand outward, possibly until it covers the whole world. Mandate God gives humans in 1:28 is to “fill the earth and subdue it.”[13] This seems to be a picture of how that happens: By cultivating a life-giving garden until it spreads it's life all over the world. The garden is the place where God dwells, so covering the world with the garden will cover it with the glory and presence of God. Could God have given Adam a more remarkable job? Adam is a bridge between heaven and earth and he is supposed to bring heaven to earth by spreading this garden where God is everywhere. This was God's heart and vision for work originally. Not how things remained: Adam failed to protect the garden God entrusted him from a lying serpent. It deceives him and his wife and they sin and God removes Adam and Eve from his garden and curses the ground. Garden/ground; Eden/exile. Blessing mixed with curse. Ever since Adam, toil has filled our work. Instead of just sustaining life, work saps and drains life from us. Under the curse, we not longer live in order to work, we have to work in order to live.[14] Do you ever feel beat after a day of work? And moms, just so you know, raising kids full time is included as “work.” Worst of all: sin separates worship and work from one another. In the garden, Adam's job and Adams worship are joined together. He's worshipping as he grows God's garden. In our world, many people who work do not worship the God who invented work. Also, we who follow Jesus often feel like worshipping Jesus is one thing we do over here and working is another thing. Is that the case for you? Do you wear separate work hats and worshipping Jesus hats? Who would want your job to look more like Adam's in Eden? Where worshipping God and work go hand in hand? The good news of Jesus is that he puts back together what sin breaks apart. One thing he puts together for his people are work and worship. When Jesus came, he perfect worker who worshipped God in all his work. John 4:34: 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. When he died on the cross, his words were “it is finished!” (John 19:30). He did the perfect work of rescuing rebels and remaking them into worshippers. Do you want this? The toil you feel in your life is the toil in your soul. Once Jesus rescues you, he wants to transform you from just a worker into a worshipper who works. Apostle Paul: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as if for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.” When you follow Jesus, you are no longer working ultimately for your boss or your company, you are ultimately working for him, joining him in continuing to transform this world into a good place for humanity to live. Being godward in your thoughts and intentions is how you worship while you work. Worshipping while you work includes working hard and doing a good job at your job. Work that's below your ability level does not honor God. When you work with all your heart and become a blessing to your coworkers and your community (doing well includes being a friendly, courteous worker), I believe through God will open up new doors of conversation with coworkers and clients to talk about spiritual things: When our work transitions to worship, we should pray that God also turns our work into witness. You will really make a earth a better place for humans to live not only when you produce a good product, but turn other people from their sin to worshipping and following Jesus with you. To summarize: God invented work, and made us workers like himself, so that we could worship him through our work and become witnesses to others. When we work as worshippers and witnesses, we start to do the same work God gave Adam in the garden: bringing heaven to earth as we lead others to worship God with us. [1] Tim Mackey, Bible Project Podcast. [2] Stephen G. Dempster and D. A. Carson, Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible (Leicester, England : Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2003), 55. [3] John H. Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary, ed. Gary Lee (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 85. [4] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005) [5] Paul Ferguson, “Adam,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, electronic ed., Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996), 10. [6] Stephen G. Dempster and D. A. Carson, Dominion and Dynasty: A Theology of the Hebrew Bible (Leicester, England : Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2003), 64. [7] Tim Mackey, Bible Project Podcast. [8] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005) [9] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 792. [10] Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, Second Edition. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 245. [11] Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1–15, vol. 1, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1987), 35. [12] Timothy Keller, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work, Reprint edition (Penguin Books, 2014), 36. [13] G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church's Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God, ed. D. A. Carson, vol. 17, New Studies in Biblical Theology (Downers Grove, IL; England: InterVarsity Press; Apollos, 2004), 83 [14] “Amazon.Com: Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human. (Audible Audio Edition): John Mark Comer, John Mark Comer, Zondervan: Audible Books & Originals,” accessed September 23, 2022, https://www.amazon.com/Garden-City-Work-Being-Human/dp/B096WBTBMP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5624AC9VCTO2&keywords=garden+city&qid=1663950213&sprefix=garden+city%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-1, 27.

We are wired to ask questions from the time we are little. Where do babies come from? Why is the sky blue? Why is life so hard sometimes? What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything? Most of these questions defy a cookie cutter answer. And so we tell stories. The Bible is full of compelling, multi-faceted stories that make us think and help us see the world with fresh eyes. The Bible includes not just one, but two stories about how and why God created the heavens and the earth and everything in between—including you and me. Genesis 2:4-244 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.23 The man said,“This is now bone of my bones     and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,'     for she was taken out of man.”24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.Here ends the reading.Support the show

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (English Standard Version)

A brief sermon for the 7th Sunday after Trinity. Here are the readings:Genesis 2:7-17, ESVThen the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”Romans 6:19-23, ESVI am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Mark 8:1-9, ESVJesus Feeds the Four ThousandIn those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.” And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. And they had a few small fish. And having blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.Music by JuliusH EVER wonder what I use to record all this stuff?Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Record Your Podcast With Riverside! Samson Q2U MicrophoneInnoGear Boom ArmSupport the show

Today's daf is sponsored by Suri Stern in honor of her son's, Yosef Yeshaya's, marriage yesterday to Rivkah Cohen. "May they be zocheh to build a bayit neeman b’yisrael, a binyan adei ad." Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel disagree regarding mi'un (refusal) on five different issues: Can a girl only do mi'un only from engagement or also from marriage? Can she "refuse" the yabam also if her husband dies? Does it need to be done in her husband's presence? It is necessary to do it in a court? Can she do it to several different husbands or only one? Four different explanations are brought to explain why Beit Shamai holds that one cannot do mi'un after marriage. Is it due to concern that one may think one can do a marriage upon condition? Or because one does not want to engage in intercourse when in the end it will turn out to be znut, as they will retroactively not be married if she refuses him. Or because if he knows she may refuse him, he may use up even part of the principle of her assets she brings into the marriage. Or because he will not want to marry her out of concern that all the expenses on the wedding feast will go to waste if she later refuses. According to Beit Hillel, she can also do mi'un to the yabam. Rabbi Oshaya and Ulla disagree about whether her mi'un to a yabam can undo the zika or can only undo ma'amar. The reasoning behind each approach is explained and a difficulty is raised against each but is resolved. There is a three-way debate regarding the ramifications of refusing her yabam - is she forbidden now to do yibum with him, forbidden also to all the brothers, or permitted even to him? What is the reason behind each approach? Beit Hillel brings an actual case of Pishon the camel driver, who was refused not in his presence in order to disprove Beit Shamai's opinion. But they explain that he dealt with her inappropriately and therefore the rabbis were permitted to deal with him inappropriately and permit refusal even not in his presence. Regarding the debate about whether or not a court is required, what exactly are the different opinions? There is a debate regarding how to understand the last line in the Mishna regarding Beit Shamai's opinion about whether she refuses once, when can she remarry and what does she need to do before she remarries.  

Today's daf is sponsored by Suri Stern in honor of her son's, Yosef Yeshaya's, marriage yesterday to Rivkah Cohen. "May they be zocheh to build a bayit neeman b’yisrael, a binyan adei ad." Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel disagree regarding mi'un (refusal) on five different issues: Can a girl only do mi'un only from engagement or also from marriage? Can she "refuse" the yabam also if her husband dies? Does it need to be done in her husband's presence? It is necessary to do it in a court? Can she do it to several different husbands or only one? Four different explanations are brought to explain why Beit Shamai holds that one cannot do mi'un after marriage. Is it due to concern that one may think one can do a marriage upon condition? Or because one does not want to engage in intercourse when in the end it will turn out to be znut, as they will retroactively not be married if she refuses him. Or because if he knows she may refuse him, he may use up even part of the principle of her assets she brings into the marriage. Or because he will not want to marry her out of concern that all the expenses on the wedding feast will go to waste if she later refuses. According to Beit Hillel, she can also do mi'un to the yabam. Rabbi Oshaya and Ulla disagree about whether her mi'un to a yabam can undo the zika or can only undo ma'amar. The reasoning behind each approach is explained and a difficulty is raised against each but is resolved. There is a three-way debate regarding the ramifications of refusing her yabam - is she forbidden now to do yibum with him, forbidden also to all the brothers, or permitted even to him? What is the reason behind each approach? Beit Hillel brings an actual case of Pishon the camel driver, who was refused not in his presence in order to disprove Beit Shamai's opinion. But they explain that he dealt with her inappropriately and therefore the rabbis were permitted to deal with him inappropriately and permit refusal even not in his presence. Regarding the debate about whether or not a court is required, what exactly are the different opinions? There is a debate regarding how to understand the last line in the Mishna regarding Beit Shamai's opinion about whether she refuses once, when can she remarry and what does she need to do before she remarries.  

Genesis 2:4-25 ESV These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Sign-up for my free 20 day devotional, The Word Before Work Foundations, at http://TWBWFoundations.com -- Series: The Creator in You Devotional: 4 of 5 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule…God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:26, 28) After the first six days of creation, the earth was still largely empty. As I say in my new children's book, The Creator in You, “while in six days God created a lot, there are so many things that He simply did not— like bridges and baseballs, sandcastles and s'mores. God asked us to create and fill the planet with more.” That's what we see in today's passage. God never intended for Eden to remain a garden. He commissioned human beings to “rule” over it. To “fill the earth and subdue it.” To work the garden and turn it into something far more. There's a beautiful detail in the second chapter of Scripture that helps make this clear. Genesis 2:10-12 says, “Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams. The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there).” We all know what gold and pearls are, but for those of us who are not geologists, what in the world are “lapis lazuli?” Google it and you'll see that it's a beautiful precious stone. Hang on a minute: gold, pearls, and precious stones. Where have we seen that before? In the opposite bookend of Scripture—the second to last chapter of Revelation where John describes the New Jerusalem as having streets of gold, gates made of pearls, and walls “decorated with every kind of precious stone” (see Revelation 21:18-21). You see it, right? This is God's poetic way of telling us that the command to “fill the earth” was the command to turn the Garden into a “Garden City.” In the words of John Mark Comer, "creation was a project, not a product." And of course, we see this reaffirmed powerfully when Jesus spent the majority of his adulthood not preaching, but working as a carpenter to “fill the earth” with tables and chairs. What does all of this mean for you and me today? It means that if our work is good work—if it helps cultivate a world where creation and creatures flourish as God intended—then we are free from needing to justify our jobs. We work and create and rule and fill and subdue simply because it's what God made us to do. It's who we are as his image-bearers. And that is enough. So go and do the God-ordained “filling” of this earth with freedom and joy today! P.S. Want the kids in your life to understand the truths we've explored in this series? Pick up a copy of The Creator in You (https://www.amazon.com/Creator-You-Jordan-Raynor/dp/059319313X/)

Era 1 Beginnings, Episode 3 Show Notes Genesis 2:4-25 – This marks the beginning of humanity NIV When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. 6 Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person. 8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. 9 The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden, he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden, and then dividing into four branches. 11 The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. 12 The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. 14 The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden — 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the opening. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. 23 “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,' because she was taken from ‘man.'” 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame. I. The Point of Purpose a. God has a purpose for every one of us. What is God's will for your life? II.  The Point of Free Will a.  We have many choices, daily… do you ask God for direction before making those choices? III.  Three Questions 1. What is the scripture saying? 2.  What does the scripture mean? 3.  How can I apply what I've learned today to my life?

Working and Caring: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it..." Why are we here? What is our purpose? So much of our God-given purpose is found in our work. Good work can be paid or unpaid, in or outside the home, in a variety of roles or industries. People were created to do good work. Recorded on Jan 30, 2022, on Genesis 2:4-17, by Pastor David Parks. This sermon is part of our series, The Making of Heaven and Earth. There are few more important chapters ever written than the first three chapters of Genesis. These chapters dramatically shape our understanding of who we are, where we've come from, and the reason why things are the way they are today. More importantly, they introduce us to the God who created and sustains all things. Sermon Transcript All year, we're talking about The Greatness of God. And today, we're continuing a sermon series called The Making of Heaven and Earth from Genesis 1-3. As we've said, there are few more important chapters ever written than the first three chapters of Genesis. The creation narratives of the Bible shape our understanding of who we are, where we've come from, and the reason why things are the way they are today. But more importantly, they introduce us to the God who created and sustains all things. Two weeks ago, Ted kicked off this series looking at the pattern of creation by a God who speaks. Creation doesn't come by chance or by conflict, but by God's word which brings light out of darkness and order out of chaos. And the power/authority of God's word results in flourishing life. Last week, Joe preached on the intent of God in creating human beings, both male and female, and the incredible worth we have as creatures made in the image of God. We've already considered some foundational truths: you are not an accident, but the good intention of a creator who speaks. And you are not left having to create your own worth, but rather, you have infinite worth because of how God made you. Well, today we're considering the creation of work, and this is a story of purpose. We've seen, so far, the stage on which these human creatures, loved and made in the image of God, are supposed to play — a beautiful world, teaming with life. But what have we been created to do? People have always wrestled with this question. Why are we here? Is there some God-given purpose for our lives? The answer, in Ge 2, is absolutely yes. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Genesis 2:4. Genesis 2:4-17 (NIV), “4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth[a] and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man[c] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[d] and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[e] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 2:8-17, 3:1-6 (NIV) 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 3:1–6 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Pastor Andy Davis preaches a sermon on Job 28. This passage is a hymn or poem (possibly spoken by Job) elevating God's wisdom over human ingenuity. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Turn in your Bibles to Job 28. And we come to a magnificent chapter, a poem, or a hymn to wisdom. This chapter will celebrate God's wisdom over against man's science by using an extended illustration of mining. Mining. It will say men know how to mine precious materials from the earth, but we don't know where to find wisdom. Now, the question that's in front of me as I continue to walk through this complex, this deep book is, what function does this chapter have in the book of Job? Why did the Holy Spirit move that this be part of this book here and now? What purpose does it serve? Well, at the simplest level, it gives us all a break. I don't know about you, but I feel a need for a bit of a break in the book of Job. I mean, it's been 27 chapters of sorrow and distress and misery. Of Job, a man, a righteous and a godly man who had wave upon wave of affliction and trial that came upon him, who lost much of his wealth in a single day, who lost all ten of his children in that same single day, who then subsequently lost his health to a terrible disease and was greatly afflicted. And then for all these chapters through chapter 27, we've had a cycle of discussions and debates by his friends who have come to comfort him in some way, and you know what that's been like. One of those “with friends like that, who needs enemies” kind of thing. But it's been very distressing and difficult as again and again, Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad have unfolded the same basic theology. You, Job, are suffering because you are a wicked man. You're suffering greatly because your wickedness is great. If you would just confess and renounce your wickedness, the suffering would go away. And so how does Job 28 fit into that? Well, I think that we should look on Job 28 as part of Job's final defense of his own righteousness. Job 27:1 says, "Job continued his discourse." Job 29:1 says, "Job continued his discourse." So it's kind of right in the middle it seems, of a section of Job's statement. So it's best to just, I think, read it that way. I've said again and again, it really doesn't matter to me who says what, ultimately. I think if we do know we can line it up with what we know about that person and their personality and try to understand their words, but it really is the Holy Spirit that's speaking this book to us and he has a purpose and we have to look to that and understand it. So what does Job 28 say? I've already given you a brief kind of summary. It is, "Man knows how to mine precious materials from the earth, but we don't know where to find wisdom." That's point one. Then in verse 23 and 28, it will say, "True wisdom comes from God alone. God is the only one who knows where wisdom can be found and who can teach it." And he does teach us wisdom and it culminates in a simple, clear statement in verse 28, "This is wisdom: to fear God and to shun evil is understanding." Well, that's the whole book, whole chapter. How does Job 28 fit into the book of Job? Well, it's part of Job's defense because of verse 28. Verse 28, "To fear God and to shun evil is wisdom." But the very first thing we find out about Job at the beginning of the book is that this is the exact description of Job. God says to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him, a man who fears God and shuns evil." That should look very familiar to you. So Job is a wise man. He's saying this about himself. "I am not who you say I am. I'm not a wicked man. I fear God and shun evil." Now I'm going to unfold that and show how clearly it lines up with Job's life in chapter 31. And we're not going to go to 31, but I'll just tell you that is his ethic. That's how he lives his life. Well, how does Job 28 fit into the Bible? And then how does it speak to us? Well, we've seen in general with the book of Job, there's timeless wisdom here, but it's a shadow compared to the full reality we find in Christ. We get the idea of good, better, best in the unfolding revelation of God. And so while it is true that wisdom is to fear God and shun evil, there's a better wisdom than that. That is true, but it's not sufficient. I would say along with that, not either/or, but both/and, along with fearing God and shunning evil is the delight and the joy and the love that comes in a relationship with God where God becomes our treasure. God becomes our gold, worth more than anything we could ever find in this world. The kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he sold all of the material treasures he found on earth and bought that field and the treasure is Christ, and Christ gives us God. And so if you put those together, to fear God and shun evil, plus to delight in God and yearn for him and find pleasure in him, now that's wisdom and we find all of that in the gospel of Jesus Christ. All right, so there's the sermon. You can go rest now or kind of take the rest. I'm going to go into a lot of details. Seems beneficial to do so, but you have the overview. I guess if I could just apply it to you, I want you to know, just look at where we're at, where we live, what our setting is here. We're in one of the smartest places in the country. There are a lot of different ways to measure that, but there's just a lot of PhDs around here. There's a lot of high tech companies around here. There's a lot of intelligent people who take human technology and human wisdom and do amazing things with it. We have high tech companies right near us that are doing semiconductor research. We have software companies. I guess Apple's going to come and build a big campus here and do what they do. You've got pharmaceutical research. We've got all kinds of amazingly intelligent, smart people doing amazingly intelligent, smart things. But those who are not yet converted are not wise. They're not wise. And they need us and the other godly people, other churches in this area, to tell them to flee their foolishness and to find true wisdom in Christ so that we would not be overwhelmingly amazed with human wisdom and human ingenuity and human technology. Not intimidated at all by that, but say, "Can I point you to true wisdom? That wisdom is Christ." And beyond that, I want each of you who are Christians, who came in here today born again, to go home thanking God that he made you wise, that he won you out of your foolishness into a lasting wisdom through Christ. Just thank God for that. I. Human Wisdom on Display in Mining Okay. So now let's look at some details. In Job 28:1-11, this section celebrates the staggering levels of human ingenuity found in mining. Maybe you've never thought much about mining before, but that's what's going on in this chapter. These 11 verses talk about mining. Human technology in general is a stunning marvel. It far exceeds the capacities of even the most extraordinary animals and birds, as we shall see. There's a massive, almost immeasurable gap between the intellectual prowess of human beings and every other creature. Human beings, therefore can do amazing things by virtue of their brain power. Now, the example that Job uses in this chapter is the extreme complexity of mining, but as we shall see human ingenuity, technology, science as we know it, is not ultimate wisdom. We may be able to extract gold and gemstones and other precious things from the depths of the earth, but we cannot trade that gold and those gems and those precious things for true wisdom. "We may be able to extract gold and gemstones and other precious things from the depths of the earth, but we cannot trade that gold and those gems and those precious things for true wisdom." So however far human science, human wisdom, human technology, and ingenuity takes us, it's going to fall far short of the wisdom that God yearns to work within human hearts. And a lot of that wisdom comes through suffering. Suffering makes us wise. Job feared God and shunned evil before any of this happened, but he feared God more profoundly after God showed up and talked to him at the end of the book. And so whatever level of fearing God and shunning evil you may have in your life, you could have more, should have more. Now let's walk through the details of how this chapter celebrates human skill and mining, human ingenuity and mining. So the existence of rare and valuable materials is a feature of planet earth and it was woven into the physical creation that God made and it's described very early in the Bible in Genesis chapter two. You remember how there was a river that flowed from the garden of Eden and it broke off into four headwaters of four rivers, and one of those rivers was the Pishon River. And it says, if you were to follow the Pishon river out from the garden of Eden, you would come to the land of Havilah, where there is gold and onyx. So very early in the book, we've got this idea of precious materials and throughout the history of human society, gold has played a major factor in commerce and in wars and in conquest and all kinds of things because of its attributes. Gold is precious because it's malleable, easily meltable, formable, shapeable, and it's incorruptible, it doesn't rust, and it's rare. So as with any economic issue, you've got the law of supply and demand. It's valuable, but rare. And so Job 28 describes the extreme efforts men have gone to draw precious materials from below the surface of the earth. Now the history of mining must be fascinating. When did people realize that these precious materials could only be brought forth into the light of day by extreme efforts, down into the dark deep, dark recesses of the earth? Perhaps early on men found caves and you know how men are, they just want to explore them. Hey, there's a deep dark hole. I'd like to go into it. I mean, what's up with some people? But that's how they are. And so they would get torches and they would go in there. Maybe they're looking for some water or I don't know what, just that sense of adventure. And in the flickering light of the torch, they see some glitter along the wall, silver maybe, or they find some vein somewhere of silver or gold, and then they kind of chunk it out and bring it out into daylight and start looking at it. In the course of time, they learned how to process it. And so in Genesis four, we have a man called Tubal-cain, who it says in Genesis 4:22, "forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron," forged them. So that's just technology of learning how to deal with different types of materials that come from the earth. Tubal-cain seems to have been the first blacksmith or at least he's the first one mentioned in the Bible. He's learning to work metals like iron and bronze. Given that he's also in the lineage of Cain and a son of Lamech who delighted in being able to wreak vengeance on his enemies, some of this blacksmithing must have been used for forging weapons. Herein lies is a big part of the problem of man's ingenuity. Man is brilliant in science, but then he uses his discoveries to make better and more destructive weapons by which he can kill his fellow man and take over his property, his farms. So mankind learns how to do things, but not why or why not to do certain things. Thus, to man's amazing brain is given a low level of wisdom that makes him vastly superior to all animals and other creatures, but man's essential wickedness and foolishness since the fall of Adam, makes that low level technological wisdom actually often damaging or destructive. Mining is also very dangerous. You could imagine some expeditions going to various hot, dry places where certain things were found and the people have to go down into the depths of the earth and it would be maybe slaves that would be forced to do this. And so you get this economic disparity between the mine owners and the mine workers and all of these kinds of things go on. And it must have been from a very early stage. Under the hard, rocky earth the ground had to be essentially assaulted to pry loose its riches. It was a forceful, violent effort. It was deadly dangerous. In some mining endeavors, a large fire perhaps would be kindled in the shaft or tunnel, which heated the rock to high temperatures. Then cold water was poured on the super-heated rock, causing it to crack. Chunks of rock then fell down and the miners could go down to the bottom of the hole and pick them up and bring those rocks up into the daylight where they could be processed. All right. So that's the nature of mining in general, what we know about it. Let's look at the words, what Job actually says. First of all, he introduces the topic in verse one and two. "There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth and copper is smelted from ore." So those words are why we're talking about mining today. That's what the text talks about. That's what we're talking about. And so it's about mining. It talks about the challenges of the search for precious metals, the need for light, torches, lanterns to push back the darkness. Look at verse three, "Man puts an end to the darkness. He searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness." It stands to reason, it's away from the sunlight. It's deep down in the depths of the earth. There's no light down there and so you need to bring torches. It mentions cutting the shaft in these austere places where no one can live or wants to live and hanging on a trapeze to do the work. Verse four, "Far from where people dwell he cuts the shaft, in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he dangles and sways." It speaks of these trapezes are there because the pit is deep, and halfway down on the wall there's some precious materials they have to get off. So the only way they'll be able to work them is with ropes and platforms. And so they dangle and sway on those platforms. And then verse 5, "The earth from which food comes is transformed below us by fire." You have to do something to the walls, the rocky walls, you have to do something to get this stuff out. And so it speaks of the transformation of the earth, of holes that are dug that weren't there before, by again human ingenuity, and the products are precious, verse 6, "Sapphires come from its rocks and its dust contains nuggets of gold." Now mankind's technology makes them far superior to all other creatures. Look at verse seven and eight. "No bird of prey knows that hidden path. No falcon's eye has seen it. Proud beasts do not set foot on it and no lion prowls there." So these are pinnacle creatures, birds of prey that soar high on the thermals, far above the surface of the earth. The eagles and falcons kind of rule the air. And then lions, the king of beasts kind of rule the jungle. But these lordly creatures never do anything like this. It would never enter their little minds to do this. They're not found there. They know nothing about the subterranean regions of the earth. It is mankind with his relentless thirst for exploration and knowledge, his scientific mind, his sharp eye, his ability to reason and put together technologies that might have seemed to have nothing to do with mining but then it's like, wait a minute, we could use that over here to do this. And so technologies are put together using iron tools, forged in a smith to then mine other precious materials more efficiently. No eagle, no falcon, no lion, no chimpanzee, no really intelligent porpoise is thinking about any of these things. It also speaks of the violence of the effort. Look at verses 9-10, "Man's hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains. He tunnels through the rock." So the earth does not yield its precious treasures easily or free of cost. In later years, explosives, powerful explosives will be used to crack open the Earth's treasure box. So you imagine the 19th century sticks of TNT or other explosives used to open up the rocky mountain. As a result of that, human lives are lost. Mining accidents occur regularly. Massive boulders are broken loose and rolled down and block the escape of miners that are further down below and, little by little, their air goes away and then they die. The discovery of hidden treasures in verses 10-11, that's the whole point of all of this.,"His eyes see all its treasures. He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light." So all of this technology, these amazing efforts are made for treasures, material physical treasures brought up from the subterranean regions of the earth. They were hidden from view, but now the sunlight captures their glory and makes them glitter and shine. But, part two, "True wisdom cannot be mined and it cannot be purchased," verses 12-19. This is an analogy, it's really a parable almost, an illustration. Verse 12-14, this is the point of the chapter, "Where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? Man does not comprehend its worth. It cannot be found in the land of the living. The deep says it is not in me." So we humans know how to mine hidden treasures from the depths of the earth, but we don't know where to find wisdom. II. True Wisdom Cannot Be Mined or Purchased The true treasure is not found in that way. Human science cannot discover it. We are brilliant at technology, but fools toward God and eternity. Now this very point is the point that Paul makes in 1 Corinthians chapter one, where he says, "For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God. For that reason, God was pleased to the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe in Christ." And so we're not going to find it, not even by philosophical reasoning or by inventing our own religions. We will not find eternal wisdom that way, either. God has ordained that he must teach us wisdom or we will never learn it. We don't know where to find wisdom. Verse 12, "Where can wisdom be found?" We can search for diamonds deep in the earth. We can discover sapphires. We can discover their stony fire and look at their faceted brilliance and it's going to captivate our eyes and our hearts. And it'll be the envy of our neighbors. But we are essentially fools because we can't find wisdom on the earth. We don't know where it dwells. Verse 13-14, look at it again,"It cannot be found in the land of the living. The deep says, it's not in me. And the sea says, it's not in me." Furthermore, what is wisdom worth? What is wisdom worth? What's the value of wisdom? We cannot set a market price on wisdom and the things we got up, the glittery shiny things we got up out of the depths of the earth, you can't trade that for wisdom. It's not for sale in that sense. Look at verses 15-19, "It cannot be bought with the finest gold nor can its price be weighed in silver. It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphires. Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention. The price of wisdom is beyond rubies. The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it. It cannot be bought with pure gold." So some rich fool can be surrounded with the rarest gems and gold aplenty, but his restless heart has led him to all manners of corruption and tyranny. His marriage is ruined. His children hate him. He has developed bitter enemies who would love to kill him and take all of his treasures from him. And he's mortal, he's not going to have them forever. When he dies, he'll give them to others. He'll let them go. He is a rich fool and he cannot trade all his gold and jewels that he's so prized for wisdom. Wisdom was far more valuable than all of those things he accumulated all along, but he didn't know it. He was allured, he was deceived by the glitter. He learned how to assault the earth for its hidden treasure but true treasure was truly hidden, because true wisdom comes from God alone. III. True Wisdom Comes from God Alone That's the third point. True wisdom comes from God alone verses 20-27. The hymn reveals the source of true wisdom, and that is God. Again, it asks the same question. Verse 20, "Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?" Then it presses deeper still, verse 21, 22, "It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing concealed, even from the birds of the air. Destruction and death say only a rumor of it has reached our ears." So if you could search every square inch of the surface of the earth, you would not find wisdom openly displayed anywhere. Like gold and diamonds, it starts out hidden from view. It is concealed treasure. But even if you could move all the mountains and probe down to the realm of the grave, the deepest depths of the earth, the place where death and destruction live, the subterranean regions of the earth. If you could probe deeper and wider than any mining enterprise has ever reached, you still would not find wisdom. A rumor of wisdom, a whiff, an aroma of it would be around you the whole time through the whole search. As though tantalizing you, enticing you and tormenting you, but you wouldn't find it. You would know that something called wisdom existed, but it would elude you. So you are smart. You are a genius with all manner of technological achievements, which have enriched you with the rarest gems the earth possessed. You uncovered them all and you have them on display in your dining halls, in your storehouses, but you are a fool. Ruining your life, finding no lasting peace, no joy, no pleasure. You are a rich, intelligent, accomplished fool, and it would be good for you to know it. A rumor of existence, so the existence of wisdom is there, a whiff, but you cannot find it. But God knows where to find it. Look at verses 23-24, "God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells. For he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens." God knows how to find what you're looking for. He understands the way to it. A journey to the place where it exists, where wisdom exists, but it's not a physical journey, it's a spiritual journey. God knows the way to wisdom for he made the earth and sees every part of it, nothing escapes his notice. And God's creation shows his credentials in giving wisdom. We're going to see this at the end of the book. The book of Job is saturated with what theologians called natural theology, the theology of nature, the theology of creation. Look at verses 25-27, "When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters. When he made a decree for the rain and a path to the thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom and appraised it. He confirmed it and tested it." Well if man is wise in science, in studying the earth in its nature and using its attributes, how much wiser is the God who made nature? We're always infinite steps behind him intellectually. He made it, we're studying it, using it. So God is the creator, we are the students of creation. God said, "Let there be light," Isaac Newton studied its attributes. God said, "Let there be gravity and time," Albert Einstein came up with some theories of relativity. God made all life, biologists and botanists and zoologists analyze the species and study their natures and their habitats and genes and all that. But God made it all. The evidence of God's wisdom is everywhere around us. "God is wise," says Job, "in the force of the wind." He knows how much wind to use in every situation. Sometimes the light breath of a zephyr, barely able to cause leaves to flutter, cool the face of the labored at the end of the day and cause the aromas from the flowering trees, the magnolias, the lilac to fill your nostrils and it's very pleasant. But sometimes he unleashes gale force winds that rip and rend and topple and whip the ocean into a frothy frenzy. God wisely decides how to move the air in the atmosphere and what to do with weather. The weather patterns all over the earth, as he alone sees fit and understands. God is wise also says the text in measuring out waters. The waters. There is enough water to cover the entire surface of the earth, so says the Bible. Noah's flood, everything was covered. There's enough water. But God, in his wisdom, when the flood was over, caused the subterranean areas of the ocean, even to sink down and to accept water into itself and then to move the edge of the ocean back. And as another text says, "He speaks to the proud waves and says, this far you may come and no farther." He limits the force of the waves. Here you may go and no farther. God measures out also the fresh water. How much of it that we need to stay alive? How much should be sprinkled down from the heavens as we discussed in an earlier sermon, spritzing it down so that there is a bumper crop. He knows how to give just the right amount of rain for a bumper crop. He also knows how to give rain for not a bumper crop, for crop failure, for drought or for a flood. Either way you end up with crop failure and God wisely chooses how much water in each case. God is wise in directing the path of the storms. The thunderstorms may seem completely random to you. Have you ever seen the flash of a lightning bolt across the sky and you think what causes that jagged shape? Why does it go like that? It's every movement is dictated by the wisdom of God. God made and sustains the entire world by daily wisdom. Not even daily wisdom, instantaneous wisdom. He is flying this planet like a skilled pilot and every moment is ordained by his wise providence. Verse 27 it says, "God confirmed and tested wisdom by creation and by his daily sustaining of creation." Everything in creation, everything in daily providence is the of the wisdom of God. But have you ever driven by some area of the town your whole life? And then one day you had to walk by it and you're like, "Wow, I didn't know that was there. And I didn't know that was there either. And look at that and look." You were blowing by all of these displays of the wisdom of God in providence and you missed almost all of them. It's okay. In heaven, you get to review them and look at God's mighty works and celebrate his providence in creation, in nature and in history. And then you get to bring him the praise and glory he deserved all along. As it says in Psalm 111:2-4, "Great are the works of the Lord. They are pondered by all who delight in them." Another translation says studied. "Glorious and majestic are his deeds and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and compassionate." So we who lack wisdom, we can only find it from one source and that is God himself. Human ingenuity and scientific accomplishment will never result in wisdom. It will only produce arrogance and tyranny and materialism and warfare and agonies, if not tempered by the wisdom that God alone can give. IV. Job’s Preliminary Definition of True Wisdom Now in verse 28, we come to the crowning moment of the chapter, a definition of true wisdom, verse 28, "And he said to man, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. And to shun evil is understanding." This is the beginning of wisdom we're told in another place. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And that leads to shunning evil. Job is going to make this very clear in Job 31. This is his motive for everything he does. He's going to talk about sexual purity in that chapter, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a woman." Why? Well, because God sees my ways and counts my every step. That's why. He also treats his servants, men servants and maid servants with justice and fairness. He is kind to the widow and the orphan and cares for them. Again, why? Because he fears God and he's going to have to give an account to God for how he treated them. As he says in Job 31:13 and 14, "If I have denied justice to my men servants and maid servants when they had a grievance against me, what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account?" He fears God, therefore he treats people well. This is his ethic. This is the way he lived his life. In order to do this, you have to believe that God exists and that God will bring to judgment all of the people who ever lived. That you're going to have to give an account on the day of judgment for everything you've ever done or didn't do. And so this infinite, majestic God should just tower over you at every moment and give you a sense of an appropriate fear of the Lord that leads to a shunning of evil. No book, I think, in the Bible gives such dramatic language of natural theology as does the book of Job. Later, in a few chapters, Job 37:2-5, Elihu says this, "Listen. Listen to the roar of his voice, to the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heavens and sends it to the ends of the earth. And after that comes the sound of his roar, he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back. God's voice thunders in marvelous ways, he does great things beyond our understanding." That's the terror of the Lord. And by faith, we are brought to another place in redemptive history, to the base of Mount Sinai, where God descends in fire and gives his law to mankind and causes the ground to shake beneath our feet. And he speaks with such a mighty voice that the people beg that they never hear that voice again, unless they die. The fear of the Lord causes us, and he says that in Exodus, he says, "Do not fear. The fear of the Lord has come to keep you from sinning." And so it is a healthy ethic though inadequate, I'll say it more in a moment, healthy but inadequate, but it's still necessary, that all of you who hear me today and I who speak these words should fear God and shun evil. Just in your mind, be brought to the base of Sinai and see God descending in fire on that mountain and hear him speak, because God says it to you. And then go in your mind to the darkness of Gethsemane where Jesus, who feared God like no one has ever feared God, fell to the ground in anticipation of drinking the cup of God's wrath and in terror said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," and great drops of blood came out of pores of his skin. No one feared God like Jesus. "No one feared God like Jesus. " That's wisdom. Fear God and shun evil. We need to understand what evil is. The Bible gives us a whole taxonomy of it. Many sin lists, many. Galatians 5:19-21, it says, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious. Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like that will not inherit the kingdom of God." Evil is relentless. It is treacherous. It is devious. It is deceptive. The Bible gives a whole long treatment of what it looks like and how it functions in human society and what happens to the people who do it, like Ahab and Jezebel, dogs licked up their blood. We have whole stories about what happens when you live evil and how God brings judgment. And therefore salvation, in part, consists in the people of God coming to hate evil like God does. We come to that point that we fear the Lord and hate evil, shun evil. As it says about Jesus, that God the Father said about his own Son, "You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness and therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy." Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness perfectly. And you know what's so beautiful? You know what gives me hope? Someday I will love righteousness and hate wickedness as much as Jesus. And so will all of you who are my brothers and sisters in Christ. That'll be the perfection of our salvation, won't it? V. Christ is Gods Eternal Wisdom We need to understand therefore, that God does not, cannot tolerate sin. We need to realize a day of judgment is coming. God is patient. He does not bring judgment immediately, but he does warn us. In this text in the end, Job 28:28, "Fear the Lord and shun evil is a warning” for all of us. Job lived this out. But I want to say to you now, as I already said at the beginning of the sermon, true wisdom goes infinitely beyond that. That negative side is essential, but it's not enough. Christ is God's eternal wisdom and Christ is infinitely greater than “fear God and shun evil.” Christ is the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:23 and 24. "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those whom God has called both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God." And I believe like that parable says, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who found treasure hidden in a field. Kind of links up with our mining theme. He mined it up and found it, put it back in, covered it so no one else would buy it. Runs and sells everything he had and with joy, bought that field and that treasure. So there's a fear and a joy aspect of true salvation. And you know what the treasure is? Christ. Christ is the treasure. Colossians 2:3 says, "In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." He is the treasure of God's infinite wisdom. And the thing that's exciting, what I've learned in my studies about heaven is you have only begun to scratch the surface on the infinite majesty of Christ. You'll be studying Christ for the rest of eternity. That's how infinite this treasure is. So there is a fear and hatred and loathing and negative side of true holiness. And then there's an attractive, alluring, positive, delight, treasure side. Both of those together, are found in Christ and that's true wisdom. Christ is the wisdom of God incarnate. It was wise for God to send his son, his only begotten son into the world to save us, telling us we could not save ourselves. That was wise for God to humble us like that. And it was wise for Christ to be born in humility, born of the virgin, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. It was wise for him to grow up in the normal way. “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” Luke 2:52. It was wise for him to be hidden and concealed from Israel until he was about 30 years old. And it was wise for God to send John the Baptist to announce his coming and point at him and say of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” And then it was wise for Jesus to have his public ministry that consists in perfect words and incredible miracles. Rivers of healings, walking on water, stilling the storm, feeding the five thousand, giving multiple evidences of his deity through these miracles. It was wise for him to do that. And the specific miracles he did were very wise and it was wise for him to talk like no man had ever talked before. It's one of my favorite moments when they send some temple police to arrest Jesus and they go and listen for awhile. That was their first mistake. No, that was a good thing to do. They come back empty-handed and say, "No man ever spoke like this man." It was wise for him to live a sinless life every day under the law of Moses, under the law of God, perfectly fulfilling the righteous demands of the law of God and winning for all of us, a robe of righteousness that he just is willing to give us freely as a gift the act of obedience of Christ, our perfect holiness and righteousness. And it was wise for Jesus, every moment to display all of the attributes of God, the Father. So he can say to his followers, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." But most of all, it was wise for Jesus to die on the cross in our place as a substitute under the wrath of God, that we might not have to face the wrath of God, but would be freed from our sins forever by simple faith. And it was wise for God to raise Christ up from the dead on the third day, triumphing over death in the grave and giving us a hope of eternal life. And it was wise for him to save us in stages so that we are justified, forgiven, made right in the sight of God by simple faith, apart from works instantaneously. All of our sins forgiven, past, present, and future by faith in the blood of Christ. It was very wise for God to do that. And then it was wise for him to call on us to be holy and to be sanctified and to grow in grace in the knowledge of Christ, day by day, and to wrestle with our sins by the power of the spirit and be humbled thereby, and to learn how much we needed a Savior and still do, and to be humbled by this journey of holiness and to yearn for perfection and holiness. And then it will be wise at the end of all things, at the Second Coming of Christ, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, to change all of the children of God instantaneously and give us perfected resurrection bodies to go with our perfected, resurrected souls. The consummation of our salvation will be perfectly wise as well. And then you'll begin your eternal education in the glory of God in earnest. And you'll become wiser and wiser and wiser and wiser for all eternity, but you'll never get, you'll never be omniscient, for God alone is omniscient. So you'll always have more to learn about the infinite majesty of God. Now, where is all of this wisdom found? This wisdom is found in Scripture. It says, and this is a word for you fathers, how it says in 2 Timothy 3:15, how Timothy from infancy, "from infancy have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." The best thing you fathers could do is sit down with your families, gather them around and crack open this book night after night and pour out the wisdom of God on your children. Pour it out. But look again what it says, "wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." You want to know where the wisdom of God in Christ is found? You read about it in his book. You don't see it in nature. You're not going to see it in the wind or the storms or the ostriches or any of that. You find it in scripture, alone. So we have an obligation to the people, the really intelligent, smart PhD people of RDU to tell them what true wisdom is, to lead them to find it through faith in Christ. To be bold, even this week in evangelism. Don't be intimidated by them. Esteem it, great. Be interested in their research, that's fine. But change the subject at some point to true wisdom, the wisdom that's found in Christ. And then I'll finish with what I started with. If you are born again, if you're a child of God, your heart right now should be filled with thankfulness that God rescued you out of dark foolishness, into the wisdom that he alone can give. And that is Christ. "You want to know where the wisdom of God in Christ is found? You read about it in his book. You don't see it in nature. You're not going to see it in the wind or the storms or the ostriches or any of that. You find it in scripture, alone." Close with me in prayer. Lord, thank you for this time we've had to study Job 28. I thank you for the song that we sang earlier in which we begged you, show us Christ. Lord, I pray that the way that this chapter has shown us Christ would stick with us, that we would realize that Christ is the wisdom, the true wisdom of God and that we would give eternal thanks for that wisdom. Lord, I pray for any that came in here as yet unconverted. I pray that now, even now, you would be drawing them by the sovereign Spirit to faith in Christ. It's in his name I pray. Amen.

Ephesians 1:4-5 NIV For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love (agape) (5) he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will (things that pleases/makes happy/satisfies) and will (personal will).  Genesis 1:1 NIV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Psalm 24:1, 10 NIV The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;...Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory. Genesis 1:1-2 NIV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:31 NIV God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. 1.What is known about The Garden of Eden?  Genesis 2:8-17 NIV Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. (9) The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (10) A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. (11) The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (12) (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) (13) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. (14) The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. (15) The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (16) And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; (17) but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Ezekiel 28:13-16 NIV You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.[a] Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. (14) You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. (15) You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. (16) Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 2.The Garden of Eden sounds similar to 'the promised land', doesn't it? Deuteronomy 8:7-10 NIV For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; (8) a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; (9) a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. (10) When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Numbers 13:23-27 NIV When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. (24) That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. (25) At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. (26) They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and

Genesis 2:4-7 NIV   This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. (5) Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, (6) but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. (7) Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Zephaniah 3:17 NLT For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Ephesians 1:4-5 NIV For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love (agape) (5) he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will (things that pleases/makes happy/satisfies) and will (personal will).  1.The joy of forming Adam, the first man. (God as a Master Potter) Genesis 2:4-7 NIV This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. (5) Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, (6) but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. (7) Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 2. The joy of preparing for Adam a ‘paradise' experience (in Garden of Eden) Gen 1:28-30 NIV God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (29) Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. (30) And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. Genesis 2:8-14, 19-20 NIV Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. (9) The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (10) A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. (11) The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (12) (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) (13) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. (14) The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates… (19) Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. (20) So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 3.The joy of having a heart-to-heart relationship with Adam (God as a Good Shepherd) Genesis 1:27 NIV So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them;male and female he created them. Genesis 2:15-17 NIV 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (16) And the...

Genesis 2:1–15 (NIV) Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. 5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Episode 2 - The Second Day of Advent Adam and Eve Genesis 2 - Read by Harry Jones 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. Another Account of the Creation In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; 6 but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” 19 So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones     and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman,     for out of Man this one was taken.” 24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.   Reflection The marriage of a man and woman is a beautiful thing and today's reading is the account of the very first marriage, that of Adam and Eve, performed by God himself. This marriage foreshadows another: that of Christ with his Church. When you see the mutual respect and care God instituted for human marriage you can be comforted in the knowledge that Christ cares all the more for his bride, the Church.  As Christians, we're united with Christ, therefore there is nothing that can separate us; not war, not civil authorities, not sickness, not even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39). Today, Christians experience a spiritual union with Christ, but one day he'll come again, in person, and we'll be united with him in a physical presence forever. This is the hope of our waiting, our Advent.   Our King and Savior is drawing near! O come, let us adore him!

July 5, 2000. Seabrook, New Hampshire. Curtis Pishon, a 40-year old former police officer suffering from multiple sclerosis, is working the graveyard shift as a factory security guard when his car suddenly catches fire. The fire department shows up to handle the situation, but less than two hours after they leave, Curtis inexplicably vanishes from the premises. Years later, a former factory worker allegedly brags about causing Curtis' disappearance and even though it is theorized that Curtis was killed after interrupting a theft, there is no evidence to arrest anyone. Did Curtis Pishon become the victim of foul play? On this week's episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the odd unsolved disappearance of a security guard who went missing during the middle of his shift. Additional Reading: http://charleyproject.org/case/curtis-pishon http://www.unsolved.com/gallery/curtis-pishon http://findcurt.com https://patch.com/new-hampshire/hampton-northhampton/missing-seabrook-man-case-still-haunting http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20120629/NEWS/206290326 https://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20150709/news/150709069 http://www.wmur.com/article/15-years-after-man-s-disappearance-family-seeks-answers/5201660 https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-unsolved-case-file-curtis-pishon/22039680 https://lostnfoundblogs.com/f/curtis-pishon-burning-questions “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon! Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. “The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.