Genesis 4:23-26

Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah,
Listen to my voice,
You wives of Lamech,
Give heed to my speech,
For I have killed a man for wounding me;
And a boy for striking me;

 

If Cain is avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

 

Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.”

 

To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD.

 

I had a good friend of mine to point out to me that I missed something important last time.  Music is introduced through the line of Cain.  Somehow I missed it!  How God provides!  Should have read those begats a bit more thoroughly.  I went back to re-read the section and found it, easily.  I was just distracted.

 

Three generations later, men began to call on the name of the Lord.  Why not til now, or how differently now than the three generations prior?

 

I wonder what God thinks of Lamech assuming that Cain's protection covers him?  Was He displeased, or was that okay with Him? 

 

Not much in the way of deep scripture understanding today.  Just the wondering of a curious mind in the Word of God. 

 

Lord, please forgive me for not desiring to read Your word like I should in light of who You are.  Thank You for giving me a renewed desire to seek You here as well as in our conversation.  Please give me Your wisdom to find what You would have me find in Your word.  Help me to set apart from man's opinion to seek Yours.  Help me to see what You desire me to see.  Teach me Your ways, O Lord and edit me into the person You would have me be doing the will of You, Father.  In Jesus name, amen

 

Genesis 4:17-22

Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.

 

Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech.

 

Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah.

 

Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

 

His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.

 

As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

 

 

I always just LOVE the begats!  I am kidding, I haven't met anybody who loves the begats.  There must be importance to them or they wouldn't be in there.  I still find it funny that folks are still noted by their job.

 

I also see that it didn't take long for men to begin to take more than one wife.  There is no statement about it from the scripture other than that it happened.  Interesting.

 

The big question that most people have about now is:  "Where did Cain's wife and all of these people come from?"  I would love to spend time spewing out the answer to that question.  Can't.  Sorry!  I just have to say that somehow there were wives and sometime God might reveal how that was.  Until then, just putting that on a shelf, and moving on learning more about my Lord!

 

That is all the commentary. 

 

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 4:13-16

Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear!

 

“Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

 

So the LORD said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.

 

went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

 

 

I wonder if this would all be less funny to me if I wasn't in the middle of parenting.

 

I think it is funny that after Cain kills Abel, he is crying out to God to protect him from being killed.  While life and death is not a funny matter, two year old arguing is - from a distance.  With the babies all visiting at the same time, I have seen Asher scratch Elijah's face at least 30 times.  That is not an exaggeration.  Now, I love them both.  I am frustrated at Asher for harming one of my babies, but as he IS on of my babies I am not ready to send him to the firing squad either.  But, finally the other day, the tables turned and Elijah was after Asher.  Asher was heartbroken!  All of a sudden he was worried that his face was going to be as painful as Elijah's had been.

 

So, although the consequences were less permanent, we see Cain and Abel.  (Obviously, this is a loose analogy, can't take it too far)

 

What I find interesting here is that Cain cries out to God, as any teenager would when being grounded.  He complains that it is too much, and God hears him and makes allowances for his fear.  I think it is interesting that even after Cain committed a very large sin, God still loved him enough to make allowances for him within the punishment.  Also, it reminds me as a parent to meter my punishments with some degree of grace and not be so rigid that I can't consider the heart of the one at the other end of the punishment.  (Not that Cain wasn't still sent away, his punishment still stood)

 

One more slightly less spiritual observation - what kind of sign was it that Cain was given.  Did God tattoo a sign on his chest that said "better not kill Cain or it will come back on you 7 fold".  Just a wandering thought.

 

Love y'all

 

 

Genesis 4:8-12

Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

 

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

 

He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.

 

“Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

 

“When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”

 

 

I wonder if Adam pulled Cain to the side at any point and said, "Hey, son.  Let me explain this whole sin thing.  It has bad consequences, you really want to continue to walk with God."  I wonder if Adam shook his head back and forth at Cain for trying to hide his sin much like his father had done.  I guess some kids really have to figure things out for themselves.

 

God is not soft on sin.  He is ready immediately to punish this sin. 

 

Being a child of grace, so to speak, I must remember that sin requires a consequence.  It requires payment.  The wages of sin is really death.  I soaked up the idea of grace very early, so sometimes I don't quite let the actual penalty for my sin sink fully into my mind.   I was more than 20 before I had a full on "smack in the face" understanding of grace.  Without God's grace, Jesus' sacrifice, there is nothing but condemnation, nothing but tough consequences for our sins.

 

That is all for tonight folks.

 

Lord, thank You for Your word.  Thank You for grace.  The more I read about the law, the more I am relieved that You have written Your law on my heart and have entered a new convenant with me.  Thank You Lord for allowing me to be raised being taught of Your ways.  Thank You making a way when there was no other way.   Please help me to see people through Your eyes and show them Your love. 

 

In Jesus Name

Amen

Genesis 4:3-7

Hey, I know we are missing a few verses here.  Sorry, I'll try to find the ones I'm missing or do them later tonight.  But, gotta keep going.

So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground

Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering;

 

but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

 

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?

 

“If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

 

 

So we begin the tale of Cain and Abel.  It is familiar, but I have never considered verse 7.

 

First of all, God asks Cain why he is angry.  I wonder if He can't comprehend it because it is conceived in sin, or he just wants Cain to consider it for himself.  Either way, he noticed that Cain was not happy with things.

 

Because he was not doing well, God says that sin is crouching at the door.  He basically tells Cain not to nurse his feelings of "ugliness" so to speak lest he give sin an opening to the door of his heart.  God is warning Cain not to give in, but to master himself and not allow sin to get in.

 

How did I miss this?  I always felt a bit angry that God didn't accept Cain's gift myself.  Asked, why not?  I didn't dwell on it, of course, but I was a bit tripped up by it.  But, when people tell this little story, they don't talk about verse 7 where God says "Hey Cain, if you keep allowing yourself to think like that, you are going to give too much power to sin, it's waiting to devour you".  God warned him and Cain ignored the warning. 

 

One more observation.   (This is to help myself improve my parenting skills)  God didn't remind him over and over that he was giving in too much to sinful thinking.  He just stated it and let Cain do with it what he was going to do.  Which, sadly was not listen.  Again, I see more of myself than I would ever want to admit in Cain and not Abel.  Not that I would kill my brother, but sometimes I don't listen the first time God says "Hey Tamela, if you keep down that path, don't put that game down, don't stop yelling, you will be giving sin too much power in your life."  How many times do I ignore God's warning.      Too many.

 

Lord, please help me to listen for Your still, small voice leading me and guiding me, teaching me and warning me when I am headed down the path of destruction.  Thank You for loving me enough to warn me, and loving me even when I ignore You and do the wrong thing.  Thank You for Your mercy and Your grace that abounds.  Thank You for Jesus who paid my price for sin.  I could never have paid the debt, I could never have made it.  My righteousness is as filthy rags, Yours is all that matters.

 

In Jesus Name

amen

 

Genesis 3:14-19 Adam and Eve get grounded

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The LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;

 

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

 

To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you."

 

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.

 

“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;

 

By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”

 

Well, I just have lots of things to say and questions about this! 

 

First:  I cease to feel bad when I punish my children.  In retrospect, should have given a little stiffer punishments.  God sure didn't go lightly when he was punishing Adam and Eve concerning their sin.  He didn't kill them either, just made life difficult. 

 

Second:  I have a heard a rather "different" doctrine concerning the enmity between Eve and the serpent's seed.  I understand where it came from, but don't see it playing out all the way through the rest of Genesis.  Just a personal observation.

 

Third:  I see where the verse comes from that we use at funeral services.

 

Fourth:  I see where the beginning of the "man's the head of the house" comes from.   We are not even out of Genesis yet.  I know it has been abused, I know it has been misunderstood, I know it has been misrepresented - often; but it does say that the man will rule over the woman.  Do with that what you will.

 

Fifth:  I know who to fuss at when I am wading through poison ivy attempting to trim my hillside or weed my flower bed.  I know who to fuss at when I am sweating, which I don't like to do at all! 

 

None of this is terribly spiritual, just observation.  God is not soft on sin, we should not be either as parents.

 

I don't know if this helps anyone else, but it is helping me.  I learn this way, so if I can help someone else - great! 

 

Love y'all

 

Lord, please help us rightly divide Your word and apply it to our lives.  Please teach us Your ways and give us Your wisdom.  In Jesus name - amen

Genesis 3:8-11

They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool 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 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from 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 from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

I couldn't find this in the archives, so I am redoing it today.

This probably isn't supposed to be funny, but it totally is!  Well, for anyone who has kids, it is so familiar that it is funny!

Have you ever caught your kid red-handed.  I mean, it has to be while they are young enough to still think you don't already know what happened before you start asking them questions. 

When Lindsay was 4 years old, she wanted a piece of birthday cake before dinner.  We said no.  Imagine that.   So, we went along making dinner and talking amongst the adults, setting the table and whatever.  Jim thought to go look for her.  She was hiding.  Hmmm.   So, after a few minutes Jim finds her behind the couch, with red icing all over her nose.  So, he asks her - "Did you eat a piece of cake after I asked you not to?"  And she replies, "nope".   She had no idea that her face gave her away.

How like this are Adam and Eve.  They sin, then they hide.  They didn't lie, but they did play the blame game.  That isn't any less funny if you have more than one kid.  "That girl YOU gave me told me to eat it"
"HE lied to me". 

Since this is the first sin, I use it to highlight the sin in other areas of my life or my children's lives by making the parallel clear.  If you want to blame someone else, it's probably sin.  If you want to hide to do it, unless it's a surprise party, it is probably sin.

Not super spiritual, but definitely helpful for life.

Lord, help us to see sin as sin immediately so we can flee from the temptation.  Please help us to run TO You to ask forgiveness instead of trying to hide it or blame it on someone else.  Help us to accept responsibility for our own behavior, then accept the grace that came because really Jesus is accepting the blame for sin He did not commit.  Thank You for Jesus who covered our sin, and made a way for us to come back to relationship that we can talk to You through the day again. 

In Jesus name
amen

Genesis 3:6-8

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 desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

 

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

 

They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

 

Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

 

He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

 

And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

 

The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”

 

Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

 

 

When the Bible says that Eve saw that the tree was good for food, I am not sure if it means she understood it because it was - or that she saw in her own mind, apart from what was reality because of the deception.  But, either way, she made the choice to disobey God.

 

I think it is funny that we are no different from Adam and Eve.  I guess is it part of the sin nature to try to hide from God when we are walking the wrong direction.  How complicated that makes our life!  I always used that as a guide for my kids - if you feel as though you have to hide to do it, it is more than likely wrong - unless it is a surprise party.  We think that if we just don't go to church this week, we won't ever have to 'fess up to the sin in our lives and we can continue in it - because it looks good to us or feels good to us.  We think we can hide from God.  How silly!

 

Then, it gets funnier!  God calls Adam, not that He didn't know where Adam was, I am sure.  Adam comes to talk to God and, right off the bat, blames someone else for his error.  See, people are the same from the beginning until now!  So, Adam blames Eve - and God, if you look close.  "The woman YOU gave me"  I bet none of us parents have seen that little tactic before.  Ha ha ha!  Then Eve blames the serpent, which honestly does make sense, but doesn't show real responsibility for her own actions.  6 kids, I can't tell you how many times I have seen this little scene play out with different characters!

 

God knows from their actions that they have disobeyed.  I give Adam and Eve one compliment here - they didn't lie.  They didn't say, "no Lord".   Maybe sin just hadn't been around long enough yet.

 

 

Lord, please help us to see sin as sin and run TO You father for forgiveness and healing instead of hiding from You.  In Jesus name - Amen

Genesis 3:1-5

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"
The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"

The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!

"For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."


Did the animals talk before the fall, other than the serpent?  No one seems surprised by this serpent talking?

That was just a sidenote. 

What really strikes me is how satan has not changed tactics, just venue.  Have you ever sat back and listened to a kid try to talk another kid into doing something?  It sounds just like this. 

"Your mother doesn't know what she's talking about, of course we won't get hurt by doing .. . . . .  She just doesn't want you to have any fun."  

I think that is why it irritates me so much for someone to try to manipulate me or someone I love.  Sounds too much like the conversation in the garden.  When I feel like I might be being manipulated or purposefully turned to a person's conception of what is right, I just want to run full speed in the other direction. 

And, later on in the Bible we will hear plain out that satan is a liar.  Pretty clear here.  Not to Eve, but to us.  Hindsight is 20/20.  I used to get mad when I was little that these mighty men/women of God messed up so big, didn't they know who God was?  Now, I see how it's more complicated, but my 5 year old mind could not understand how they wouldn't obey God first, he was God. 

Temptation, always around til satan is not.  Lord, help us to see temptation for what it is and remind us that You will give us a way out.  Please help us to take the way out and remain as close to You as we can.  In Jesus name, and thank You for making that way for us to have relationship with You.  Amen

Genesis 2:18 and 21-25

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."


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.

The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.


The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called  Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.


Just like I think it is notable that God breathed only into Adam the breath of life, I think it is notable that woman was made so differently.  It must be important.  We were taken from man to be given to man as a companion.  I do not think for a second that it takes away my importance or narrows my ability to serve or give into the kingdom.  I just think it defines some of our priorities.  Adam was made for a purpose, Eve was made for a purpose.

It is also important that before Eve had even been alive for very long, much less had a child, God was talking about wives and mothers.  It must be important.  I will enjoy watching through the whole scripture what women do.  I know certain stories through the Bible, certain verses that expand the role for women, but I am excited to read with that in mind this time.  I have never read it that way before.  We shall see what we find.

Also, I remember as a very young child reading this and wondering what was so important about telling us that they were naked and unashamed.  I am not sure I ever got the answer to that question, but there must be some purpose in it.

Lord, help us to discern Your word and find You in it.  Please help us to be a living sacrifice to Your will daily.  Help my heart to be willing to do Your will and not by own. 
In Jesus name
Amen

Genesis 2:9 (cuz I missed it somehow) and 16-20

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.

 

 

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “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.”

 

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

 

Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast 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.

 

 

The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

 

 

Lord, please give us Your wisdom and not our own to discern Your word.  I ask in Jesus name, amen

 

 

 

There are people much smarter than I am that discuss the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  I think as a parent, I tend to expect myself to repeat over and over what kids shouldn't do and why.  I feel the need to explain it to death.  Don't get me wrong, in my particular family that does increase the likelihood that the rule or request will actually be heeded.  I think we are particularly rebellious in nature needed to know why for everything.  Makes for rebellious children but good scientists.  God designed us, it's just what we deal with as a part of who we are.  But, God said it once.  He just laid it out - if you do this, you will die.  My kids and I have always had difficulty with blind obedience.  (One or two rounds of flawed authority will do that to a person)  And I seemed to pick up the idea somewhere that God requires blind obedience of us, and He does - kind of.  God did not require blind obedience here.  He flat out shared the consequence when he laid down the rule.  He didn't fancy it up like I might, explain it to death, wait for the face to register understanding etc.  But, he did explain.  If you eat of this tree you will die.  As a parent I understand the underlying love in that statement.  "I don't want you to die, I want you to live because I love you.  Do you understand?  Now, look at me and promise not to touch the tree."  As a kid, I would have just thought my dad was trying to hide something fun from me.  I firmly believe we never fully grow up.  We are that way with God.  If He says no, he is just trying to steal our fun! 

 

So, I don't think God always requires blind obedience, He usually gives us things along the way that make that obedience reasonable at least in our spirit, even if it ticks off our flesh.

 

My second point:  God made all the animals, but He brought them to Adam to name.  I think that is such a beautiful thing, an act of love.  By all rights, God would name what He had created.  Don't we all like to label our own handiwork?  God brought them to Adam to name them.  Whatever he called them is what they were.   So far in Genesis I have already seen so much of God giving.   Before sin has entered, there is so much giving, so much hands on relationship between Adam and God.  God sharing his creation with His created.  This is amazing to me.

 

All this giving, one rule, and even that rule was borne of love for man. 

 

 

 

Genesis 2:11-

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.


My first thought here is that I am surprised that there isn't some Indiana Jones movie aimed at seeking the location of Eden.  Totally Biblical thought of course, but what can I say.

Second, I think it interesting how early in history gold is important enough to mention.  I wish I knew what bdellium was. 

Next, I want a map.  I might google this after I am finished.

Ok, now seriously my lesson for myself today is:  Even in the perfection of the Garden of Eden, man had something to do.  Man was supposed to cultivate and keep up the Garden of Eden.  I know later, when they were banished, the ground was cursed and the work was increased - but even before, work was being done.  So, however guilty I occasionally feel because I ask my kids to work and do, I can relieve myself of that right now.  We have always had a job.  We were not designed solely for enjoying our relationship with God, we were also purposed to DO something.  I wasn't feeling terribly guilty, but this reassurance will help me to continue to build a good work ethic, or begin to build one - depending on which kid we are discussing.  he he.

Lord, please help us to discern Your word and see Your face in the things we read.  Please help me to continue and not quit.  I feel like this is important and I ask for Your help to continue.  I pray for each person who is helped by this, even if it just me.  I pray that continually I would give up myself to Your will and seek to show others Your mercy and grace and teach my children Your ways.  In Jesus name - amen

Genesis 2:7-10

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.

The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.

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.

Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers.


I think it is cool that we are made from the dust of the ground.  You would think that that thought alone would keep people from being too arrogant and proud.  We are but dust.  Adam was just a dustball before God breathed into him the breath of life.

That first breath is a pretty significant and magnificent occurrence.  God spoke all the other stuff into existence - Adam he breathed into existence.  He put into Adam a part of himself that wasn't in any other thing created to this point. 

Although Adam's first breath was unique to him, it makes me think of the miracles that occur when every single newborn baby takes it's first breath.  How incredible life is, how amazing that God must be to design all this stuff in.  A newborn baby has so many miraculous things that happen with the first breath that you can't see.  You can check out of this biology lesson if you want, but sometimes the miracles are in the fine details!  

Before a baby is born, it isn't necessary for the blood to go to the lungs to pick up oxygen.  At that time mommy is supplying the oxygen through the placenta.  So, while the lungs may need blood to stay alive, they don't have to do their job yet.  So, guess what!?  The blood from the heart doesn't go to the lungs to pick up the oxygen.  (God is so smart isn't he?) The blood actually sloshes back and forth between the top two chambers of the heart via a small to mediumish hole. 

But, as soon as that baby leaves mommy, his whole world has completely changed!  Within seconds (when all is right with the world) this baby exits and takes his first big deep breath of cool air.  The oxygen in that first breath triggers a response in the heart and lungs to start sending blood by way of the lungs to start taking in that oxygen.  Oxygen rich blood circulating through the lungs causes the blood vessles to dilate and the lungs begin to do their job.  The hole between the upper chambers of the heart closes (when all is right with the world) and over the next several minutes the whole entire way that the blood circulates changes to now use these lungs for what they were designed to do.  There are so many changes that happen that it is actually impossible to explain it without diagrams and textbooks, but you get the point.

I don't know if I am more in awe that God breathed into Adam or that God designed babies so cleverly, but it all comes together for me that He is amazing!  We are blessed and we miss a lot of wonder around us if we don't take time to just ponder God a bit in all areas of life.

Lots of commentary, hope it was helpful. 

Love y'all.

Genesis 2:1-6

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.

By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

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.

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.

But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

Lord, First please give us Your wisdom to discern Your word.   Thank You for packaging it up so nicely and allowing us to own our very own copies in our homes.  Thank You for providing for us the beginning, the middle and the end.  The creation, the law, the new covenant and for making a relationship with You possible again after the fall in the garden.  Thank You for Your patience and longsuffering with Your people, and then later Your children.   In Jesus Name amen

OK, it really totally escaped my attention for many years that there had been no rain.  That the mist rose from the earth instead of rain from the air.  Find it funny that I missed that seeing as how it has it's own little verse!

Genesis 1:24-31 day 6

Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so.

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.

God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.



First thing that strikes me is that we are made in HIs image.  We are created either to look like God or to look as God desires us to look.  Either way, that is special.  He loved us enough to make us look like Him or how He desired us to look. 

Next thing that strikes me is kind of a pet peeve of mine.  I have heard some Christian folks quote this - subdue the earth and being given rule over the animals and plants as a reason that we do not have to conserve a given species or be careful with the environment.  I personally believe that if God has given us dominion over it, He expects us to be good stewards.  He doesn't say that here, but in the new testament parable of the talents, He expects the servants to increase the value of the talents and not squander them or bury them.  How much more would He expect us to be good stewards over the world that He created.  How much more the living breathing animals that he gave to our keeping.  So, while I will not be chaining myself to any trees anytime soon (except maybe the one at the high school, still debating that in my head) I do feel like as Christians we are MORE responsible for our planet, our world, the species in it than anyone else.  Our Father is going to expect our "room to be clean and well kept" as it were and we are accountable for whether or not we cared for what He gave us.

One more thing.  He did all this creating, all this time spent - I mean 6 days is a lot of time to spend just speaking things into existence.  Six whole days He spoke this thing, or that thing into being.  Then, He gave it to us.  Now, I don't know about you, but I can't imagine working for 6 days, resting one and giving my kid my paycheck.  It isn't all that God owned, but it was a pretty big gift.  We don't have reach of the stars, but they are there for our enjoyment in the night sky.  All of it speaks to who God is, but it also speaks to how much He loves us.  He made it all to give to us, that we might give Him glory.  He gives, He loves.  Even in Genesis, the giving of God is evident.  His love is evident.  No one explained the love part to me when I was little.  I love finding it over and over as an adult when I read His word.  I thought when I was little that the love part of God didn't show up until Matthew.  Nice to see it in Genesis.

thanks, this one was longer.  Hope you read til the end.  love y'all
  

Genesis 1:20-23 the fifth day

Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens."

God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

Lord, Thank You for the beautiful creatures that You created to live on this earth with us.  Thank You for providing for us and for filling the earth.  Please help us to discern Your word and see Your character through it all.  Please reveal to us Your wisdom in the reading and help us to study for the right reasons.  Thank You for Your word and the people who made it possible for us to have a Bible in our hands freely in our own language.  You are good and YOur mercy endures forever.

In Jesus Name
Amen

Genesis 1:14-18 the fourth day

Then 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 and for days and years;
God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.

God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,

and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

Lord, please give us Your wisdom to discern Your word.  Please reveal Your love and Your character to us as we seek to know You better.  Thank You for prompting me to begin a total read-through of Your word.  Thank You for Your love which is evident from the beginning to the end.  Thank You for loving us so completely and so perfectly.  Remind us Lord, to always act in love. 

In Jesus Name amen

I have read Genesis several times, and I have never understood that God was the one who decided that days and years would be based on the sun and the moon.  Somehow, that escaped me.  I think when I read chapters at a time to "read through the Bible", I miss some important stuff.  One reason I have decided to do things this way.  Thanks for the folks that have given me encouragement and have answered back.  Thanks for the several comments and input. 

In history there was always a struggle between science and "the church".  I know that for many years it was said, probably due, at least in part, to this verse, that the universe revolved around the earth.  And scientists were excommunicated when they suggested that the planets, in fact, rotated around the sun. Now, science has decided, with evidence, that the planets rotate around the sun, not the earth.  But, since it was all put in place by God, and it is clearly stated here that the sun, the moon, and the stars were placed by Him to light the earth, then I would say in that manner the universe revolves around the earth.   As far as God is concerned, the universe was placed here to light the earth.  While physically the planets may circle the sun, spiritually speaking - it all revolves around the earth.  In fact, it is all exactly where God planned it to be. 




discussion from a previous segment:  Genesis 1:6-8  The second day

A thought from a friend:  While studying with Precepts Bible Study, it was explained that the "waters above" were there, above the heavens in the beginning and that is where the waters came from for the great flood.  Therefore, they are no longer there.  They then formed the clouds etc.  Because this idea came from a well-studied friend, I thought I'd share it with the class.  Since I had always been taught that there had been no rain before Noah's time, I find this plausible.  I guess we'll explore that further when we get to Noah.