Tag: Abraham’s family tree

January 8, read the Bible in a year in PowerPoint; commented.

At first glance there is not much that combines the New and old Testament readings selected for today. In John 6:1-24. Jesus performed miracles 4 and 5 recorded by the Apostle John, feeding five thousand (plus women and children), and then during the night walking on water.

Then in the Old Testament Genesis 11 it tells about the Tower of Babel, and how different languages arose, all by being disobedient to God.

Then again in Psalm 3 David prayed earnestly when he fled from his son Absalom.

The common thread is we always seek to get some favors from God, and thus be able to control the outcome. But God may have other plans for us. In the feeding of the five thousand it is important that they had to start with a ridiculously small amount and end up with much more leftovers than when they started. Sometimes miracles happen and we don’t even notice, but when we participate things sink in.

With the building of the tower of Babel the people started thinking they could do very well without God. They started to have globalist thinking and be able to build the perfect society without God. They started to produce the first money and in so doing they facilitated the “oldest profession” and the goddess Ishtar was worshiped. God decided to confuse their language so they could no longer understand each other globally. We know that happens all the time. Nearly every family has a few words or expressions that are unique to that family. In a city you can hear the different accents in different parts of the city, dialects differ in every valley, and so on.

January 14, read the Bible in a year in PowerPoint; with comments.

In John 10:1-21 Jesus told that he is the good shepherd, the gate for the sheep, there will be one flock and one shepherd, and the sheep hear and know his voice.

After Sarah’s death, in Genesis 25 Abraham married his concubine Ketorah, who had already borne him six children. Before his death he sent them all away with ample gifts and provisions but his inheritance he gave to Isaac. Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham, and then Ishmael’s genealogy was written down. Finally is told the story of Jacob and Esau, and how Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew and some bread.

Genesis 26 tells of Isaac and Rebekah, how Isaac too said Rebekah was his sister, like father, like son. In spite of that lie God protected them, and the rest of the chapter deals with the eternal Mideast dispute: Water rights.