Genesis chapter 1 1:1 "In the beginning GOD..." how MARVELOUS it is that even before the start, God was there. He was present right from our start - KNOWING what He knew, yet still He began us, knowing us as He did - He still began that long sad journey with us - already willing to be with us even with our SIN so clearly stamped upon our future... v3 - BEFORE there could be anything else, sun or moon or stars, 1st God had to create the REALITY of light! Darkness is only the absence of that light; God is NOT "light" - He TRANSCENDS even light and dark - He is ABOVE them all! But we cannot grasp what that is, being essentially dichotomous creatures, so God has shown Himself through this creation of His; v28 - He said to "rule", NOT to "eat..."? v29 Plants He said for them to eat, but also for all the animals! Were "carnivores" originally "grazers"? chapter 2 v4 - the author goes from the general to the specific...; chapter 3 v6 - Adam was WITH her and yet he let her talk to the snake, he did not intervene with accurate truth when she misspoke God's words nor stop her from sinning - he just stood by like a BONEHEAD! Walking with God "in the cool of the evening" tells me that He desires that to be with Him to be a time of restful pleasant comfort, a time of joy and to be looked forward to - just as men even now anticipate with joy the cool of the day - a time that REFRESHES; v22 - Eternal LIFE withOUT eternal SALVATION is HELL; Chapter 4 v8 - PREMEDITATED murder! Chapter 18 20ff "...I will go down..." God is omniscient and omnipresent, He did NOT do this for HIS benefit, but for the poor ignorant men who heard the story - He is giving S&G ALL possible benefit of the doubt, no man in his ignorance can accuse God of acting out of ignorance or of being too distant or removed to appreciate S&G might not have been all THAT bad...for God to degree the abliteration and annialation of a nation HE would make a PERSONAL inquirey to PROVE He was fair to them... God knew ABe had family there and understood his bargaining for their lives; HE did not get angry with His servant, but was patient and kind to him, knowing Abes hurt and fears for his family down in S&G; Chapter 19 1ff many have critisized Lot for moving into Sodom and ending up a leader at the gate, yet Lot genuinely sought to save these strangeres from a terrible fate he must have struggleed to cope with; he was a righteous man, struggling to live in a wicked city - at least he tried to make a difference there...but apparantly he instead should have fled with his family, leaving Sodom to rot; this raises the kind of question that Francis Schafer raised once: What should Christians do? Should they stay and fight for righteousness in their country, or flee it, separating themselves from it; Schafer argued that the decision depended on the circumstances, that there WERE circumstances in which the answer is to stay and fight; I do not know if THIS was one of them, but I CAN say it sure looks like he stayed TOO LONG by this time; 4-5 Satan stirred the WHOLE CITY into a frenzy of lust and death and sadistic debauchery; 8ff appeasement of sin does NOT bring acceptance, only thier distain and hatred; 9 it sounds just like the rage of indignation homosexuals pour out today at ANYone who even HINTS that what they do is wrong; They saw NO problem or sin in their plan and were furious when it was implied that THEY were in the wrong - furious enough to cause them to decide to tear apart Lot and all his family as well; 16 how GOOD is our God - when we are too overwhelmed by our own foolishness and limitations to act, He WILL MAKE us SAFE! 18 a familial trait - always bargaining! 24-28 a perfect description of a nuclear holocost - even to the charring into "salt" of Lot's wife; the Lord Who holds ALL existnace together "let go" and all that existed in that area was annialated (Col 1:17) 31-32 Oh MY! Sodom continues to wreck the lives of all who come in contact with it, even after it is reduced to ashes! Chapter 22 v1-24 - the Sacrifice of Isaac v2 - God sometimes calls us to be or do something that makes absolutely NO sense; Abraham KNEW God was NOT like all the other gods - gods who DID have human sacrifice, and yet, here was the call... Abe learned somethign about God this day - He may not make sense to us, but He will ALWAYS >remain consistant< in His character. When we can't be sure of or understand His >call<, we CAN >always< be sure and trust in His CHARACTER, and know that He will NEVER deviate from WHO He is; Abe believed that God could/would resurrect Isaac - something NO other god dared claim (cf Hebrews 11:17-19), SO, the call to sacrifice Isaac did NOT make sensed except that Hod called for it and Abe knew that he could comply DEPENDING on GOD to remain true to His promise to Abe that THIS PARTICULAR child was THE child of THE promise; Abe knew the plan would >hurt< even WITH a subsequent resurrection - >Isaac< knew it would hurt TOO and HE trusted God as WELL; Perhaps for Abe this plan meant that although God WOULD multiply his seed through Isaac, >he< (Abe) would NOT be allowed to SEE it, to particiapte IN it, THIS TOO is a "giving up"; to not be able to >enjoy< his son as only a Father should/could. God promised Abe's seed would expand to the world THROUGH Isaac, BUT HE >never< promised to Abe that he would be allowed to share and participate IN it... v8 - "God will provide the Lamb..." ABe >believed< this, but was totally >prepared< to SLAY his son to GET there; Abe was prepared to give up his son - regardless of HOW that would happen; Like ALL of God's tests, ABE (and we) learned >far< MORE about GOD than vice versa, eh?! Chapter 42 v21 even after 25-30 years the memory of their sin was fresh and cold upon their hearts - the memory of his terrified child's pleas to not do such a horrible unthinkable thing NEVER left them; v36 Poor Jacob! NOTHING seems to come easy for this guy! V38 he never COULD REALLY trust God, he always had to run and hide and try to avoid the inevitable chapter 43 v14 oh well, resigned at last - and yet, truly sometimes God's best can hurt, even if only for a season; v30 Ben was the only close family he had left; Chap 44 v1ff what is Joseph trying to prove? He remembers all too well how trecherous his sibs can be - and certainly he wonders of they have learned any kindness and selflessness in the ensuing years - have they learned to love, have they become capable of self-sacrifice? Or are they the same bunch of cold-blooded fratricides, willing to sell a brother child of thiers into slavery, ignoring his horrified cries of terros and pleas for help - all hidden behind their fear of his power as #2 in Egypt? SO, he has to force the issue to tear away th eveneer and reveal what they have become before HE reveals what HE has become; Perhaps he insisted on seeing Ben to be assured that they hadn't killed HIM too in some conspiracy to eliminate all heirs NOT born of THEIR mothers...? v5 Joseph does NOT prective divination but he knows such os expected og him as a world renown "wizard" and reader of drreams! it ALOS enhances the value of the cup further worsening thier "crime" v15 same as in vs 5; v17 here it was - the TEST; what would they do? here was their chance to say Hey! Great! Only ONE of us and HE ain't even MY mother's son! Let's get OUTTA here! But NO... v18-34 Judah finally tells the truth - and begs to make the sacrifice himself; Chap 45 v1 the tears of a lifetime finally able to be shed...a man of brilliant intellect and leadership - yet passionate, his cry heard all the way to Pharoh! v13 somewhere in all that, the boy still wanted his father to know he had made good; v16 Pharoh was a good leader - he knew how to pick good men and rather than envy them, was genuinely pleased at Joe's good fortune; v24 YIKES! what a wicked sense of humor! as if to say - try not to sell anyone ELSE on the family into slavery while you're gone! Chap 50 v7ff how right they were to honor the man who's leadership had saved their very nation from destruction; v15ff how sad! they reveal their character by their suspicions - they worried he would be like they would have been if the tables were turned! v17 Joseph wept - perhaps all he had wanted all along was to have a family, to be part of a family again; and now, by their crummy small snivelings they once again set him apart - treat him as a stranger; v19-21 WHAT an ANSWER! He alone understood clearly what it meant to love and be loved by a sovereign God; For the believer, this has GOT to ALWAYS be our answer when men do us wrongly;