This morning we began our journey through the Old Testament Scriptures. Our goal is to work through them in just four weeks of Oasis gatherings combined with House Church studies and discussion. Obviously it is not going to be an exhaustive study of all of the specific stories and details of the Old Testament in just four weeks. But at the end our goal is to have the big picture of how our Creator and God carefully crafted all of the events of this world, and how we fit into His story.
Today we looked at the first section of Old Testament Scriptures, The Books of Moses (click this link to listen). And more specifically we focused in on the book of Genesis. If you would like a copy of the notes you can get them here.
Today the Oasis Fellowship was challenged to read the entire book of Genesis this week as a "homework" assignment. Genesis is a book of 50 chapters, approximately 55 pages, which means you will be reading nearly one chapter per page. When you hold the book of Genesis in your hand it is about half the size of an issue of Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, or People Magazine. If you read 7 chapters (8 pages) a day you could easily read all of Genesis by next Sunday.
Take the challenge.
Next week we will look at the History Books of the Old Testament, and focus on the book of Ruth.
Well it's early on Wednesday and I'm about 37 chapters into Genesis and I think my most compelling thought thus far has simply been this: I love the fact that no matter how many times you read scripture you always have the opportunity to get a fresh perspective on the lives and concepts being presented. I'm freshly struck by the seeming fragility of God's "new" creation. It is fascinating to see humanity in it's infancy with God. The foundation of life, death, covenant, family, community, and a whole litany of other concepts are brought to bear. In a way the mere expanse of time and events seems somewhat overwhelming when you really step back and put this narrative into historical perspective. Yet there are so many valid questions raised by the content of this age old testimony. It seems like I've heard the argument forever that Genesis is full of holes and shoddy foundations. Yet I don't agree. Is there much that Genesis does not explain? Yes. Why? Ask yourself this question: Is the purpose of Genesis to educate us about every little detail concerning the creation of life or is the information presented in this text simply no more than what we needed to know? As I make my way through Genesis I find, not holes and myths, but rather a portrait of the same God that we serve to this very day. Some people say that God is inconsistent. However I believe that God is today what He was yesterday...simply God. That is a fact that I believe existed before "let there be light" and well after "amen". Genesis merely proves all that sits on top of it. Genesis is a rock solid foundation of who God is, where He is taking us, and who He'll always be for us.
Posted by: chad | January 12, 2005 at 11:36 AM