There definitely seems to be something to the idea that numbers have special meaning. At least, dates and numbers are used in ways that we don't use them in our culture. In fact, there seem to be no dates at all. Which is especially odd given how important it seems to be to tell us how old someone was when they died, how old they were when they became the father of this or that person, and sometimes even how old they were when a specific thing happened. In order to know those things, one would need to have a calendar of some sort, and so you would think they could give the dates things happened.
For example, Genesis 7:11 - "In the sixth hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventh day of the second month - on that day..." (the flood began). Why tie it to Noah's age like that - why not give us a date? A cynic might say this was done in order to avoid having anyone question the event - to stop people from showing other historical events on that date that show it couldn't be true. But I'm pretty sure this lack of dates continues into the New Testament - where many of the events would be unquestionable facts. For example, Christ is a historically documented person. He had a specific birth date and a specific date of death. I don't see how anyone would think there was any harm in giving those dates. But I'm pretty sure the Bible never does. Why?
As to the use of numbers - Genesis at least - at least so far - seems to be using numbers in ways that we would not. Not only with regard to ages of people (although that stands out the most) - there are also other numbers - such as the specific dimensions of the Arc, the number of animal pairs (one and seven - which is thus also two and fourteen), number of years warring, etc. And, the creatures are divided into three groups - clean animals, unclean animals, and birds. In the New Testament - in Matthew at least - in the lineage of Christ we have 14 generations between various people - divided into three groups.
I should also note that numbers certainly have power outside the Biblical context. There is for example the number Pi, which apparently ties into many mathematical formulas. There is a number (or formula?? - I can't remember it's name) that describes many natural forms - such as a nautilus or the branches of a tree. Science is full of important and powerful numbers. We like to think this is a modern phenomenon - the unlocking of the power of these numbers, but so often the ancient people surprise us with what they knew. It seems very likely, even, that they knew things that were since forgotten and modern man has not figured out. So, there could well be power in many of the numbers of the Bible.
But beyond that, clearly numbers have power culturally in the Bible. In our culture, it is widely agreed that there is a lot of power in the number three. It is powerful, when giving lists of things, to list three. Two or four or more just doesn't pack the same punch. I get the distinct impression from what I've read so far that understanding the numbers of the Bible would likely increase my understanding of what is being told, and, although I'm not normally a numbers guy, I definitely want to pursue this further.
A work in progress - as always comments are encouraged during the progress -
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Timeline
I've noticed some very odd things with the timeline -- there are so many it has to be a difference in culture with regard to how to tell a story or a linguistic difference. I'll probably have to research it to understand it - but for now here are some examples (I should go back and see if I can find more -- and is this just Genesis? Just Old Testament? Or throughout?)
The examples for now are:
Genesis 7:12 -- "And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights."
Then, Genesis 7:13 -- "On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark."
Then, Genesis 7:17 -- "For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth and as the waters increased..."
Another example:
Genesis 8:6-9 -- "After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; "
In English, when we tell a story like this, we would probably never have a sentence with a goal being sought, then reached. Then in the next couple sentences that goal is again not yet reached. But is there something about the way you order the chronology of the Bible, or parts of it, that follow some kind of linguistic rule in the Bible?
(work in progress -- but comments while in progress are very welcome)
The examples for now are:
Genesis 7:12 -- "And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights."
Then, Genesis 7:13 -- "On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark."
Then, Genesis 7:17 -- "For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth and as the waters increased..."
Another example:
Genesis 8:6-9 -- "After forty days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; "
In English, when we tell a story like this, we would probably never have a sentence with a goal being sought, then reached. Then in the next couple sentences that goal is again not yet reached. But is there something about the way you order the chronology of the Bible, or parts of it, that follow some kind of linguistic rule in the Bible?
(work in progress -- but comments while in progress are very welcome)
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Animals
Genesis 1:30
"'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."
Ok - this is the first time I've ever heard of this. I even missed it the first couple times that I read through the creation story. But God not only gave things to man in this section, he also gave to all animals "every green plant for food". I've seen where people use God saying man was to rule over every plant and animal as an excuse for man ruining the environment. You don't have to read the Bible to know that man rules over plants and animals in ways that no other creature on earth even comes close. There is, however, the fact that ruling over does not mean you have license to destroy. In fact, rulers are supposed to be taking care of that which they rule over. But then here we also have God gifting green plants to every thing that breaths, which tells me that at least as far as green plants go we definitely need to take care since they weren't given to just us, but to all living creatures.
Also - I wonder if this indicates that there were no flesh eating animals at this time? Or is that too much reading into it?
Genesis 3
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman..."
I've heard it said that the serpent was Satan - but it doesn't look like that here. The serpent clearly seems to be an animal - not a supernatural being. Especially since God then curses it by saying "Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals, you will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel." (and the serpent is cursed first, I note) This sounds much more like a snake than like Satan.
Genesis 7:2-3 -- God has Noah save the animals -- but very odd -- I note that he has Noah save 7 pairs of every clean animal, 7 pairs of every bird, and 1 pair of every unclean animal. I can get my mind around the clean versus unclean animals - the clean are to be eaten and also sacrificed to God. But why 7 of each bird? I also can't quite reconcile the 7 pairs of this section with the 1 pair in the proceeding Genesis 6:19-20.
(I've since seen at least one other Bible with a slightly different translation - where my Bible has it as one pair at one place, and 7 pairs in another, the other translation has it as 7 pairs - but then the animals board the arc as couples - so no real conflict there)
Genesis 9:8-17
Although the publishers of the book give this chapter a title of "God's covenant with Noah" - remember chapter titles come from the publisher - they are not in the original - it should more accurately include God's covenant with every living creature. Repeatedly from line 8 through line 17 God again and again says he has a covenant with not only Noah and his descendants, but also with all living creatures.
So - God first gifts green plants to all living creatures, then after the flood he has a covenant with all living creatures. Clearly he isn't only interacting with us - he seems to be interacting with all living creatures - and in ways that I've never heard anyone discuss before (especially as to entering into a covenant with them - which is another way of saying God has self imposed limits to his options with regard to how he will interact with animals - not just with humans)
---
I haven't seen much on this subject - but in this morning's reading of Exodus 20:8-11 I note that in the verse about not working on the Sabbath it lists everyone who should not work - to include "neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns." Interesting that it includes animals! I never knew that they get a day of rest - (and a day to remember the Sabbath?)
---
Again, yesterday morning, Exodus 23:12, "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed." So this is reinforcing Exodus 20:8-11.
But we also have something new - Exodus 23:11 - "but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove." Nice support for the poor, but notice also for the wild animals. At first I was thinking the wild animals might be helping with the process of the fields fallowing - in other words that God was saying let them come in and eat the plants and they'll help fertilize the fields. But then I realized this could just as easily be done with farm animals - so it must be something more. When coupled with creating the wild animals in the creation stories, then saving the wild animals in the Noah story, I think this might be another bit of environmentalism - showing God's respect for his creation - so don't try to chase the wild animals off - let them eat what they may.
(work in progress - but please feel free to comment at anytime)
"'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."
Ok - this is the first time I've ever heard of this. I even missed it the first couple times that I read through the creation story. But God not only gave things to man in this section, he also gave to all animals "every green plant for food". I've seen where people use God saying man was to rule over every plant and animal as an excuse for man ruining the environment. You don't have to read the Bible to know that man rules over plants and animals in ways that no other creature on earth even comes close. There is, however, the fact that ruling over does not mean you have license to destroy. In fact, rulers are supposed to be taking care of that which they rule over. But then here we also have God gifting green plants to every thing that breaths, which tells me that at least as far as green plants go we definitely need to take care since they weren't given to just us, but to all living creatures.
Also - I wonder if this indicates that there were no flesh eating animals at this time? Or is that too much reading into it?
Genesis 3
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman..."
I've heard it said that the serpent was Satan - but it doesn't look like that here. The serpent clearly seems to be an animal - not a supernatural being. Especially since God then curses it by saying "Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals, you will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel." (and the serpent is cursed first, I note) This sounds much more like a snake than like Satan.
Genesis 7:2-3 -- God has Noah save the animals -- but very odd -- I note that he has Noah save 7 pairs of every clean animal, 7 pairs of every bird, and 1 pair of every unclean animal. I can get my mind around the clean versus unclean animals - the clean are to be eaten and also sacrificed to God. But why 7 of each bird? I also can't quite reconcile the 7 pairs of this section with the 1 pair in the proceeding Genesis 6:19-20.
(I've since seen at least one other Bible with a slightly different translation - where my Bible has it as one pair at one place, and 7 pairs in another, the other translation has it as 7 pairs - but then the animals board the arc as couples - so no real conflict there)
Genesis 9:8-17
Although the publishers of the book give this chapter a title of "God's covenant with Noah" - remember chapter titles come from the publisher - they are not in the original - it should more accurately include God's covenant with every living creature. Repeatedly from line 8 through line 17 God again and again says he has a covenant with not only Noah and his descendants, but also with all living creatures.
So - God first gifts green plants to all living creatures, then after the flood he has a covenant with all living creatures. Clearly he isn't only interacting with us - he seems to be interacting with all living creatures - and in ways that I've never heard anyone discuss before (especially as to entering into a covenant with them - which is another way of saying God has self imposed limits to his options with regard to how he will interact with animals - not just with humans)
---
I haven't seen much on this subject - but in this morning's reading of Exodus 20:8-11 I note that in the verse about not working on the Sabbath it lists everyone who should not work - to include "neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns." Interesting that it includes animals! I never knew that they get a day of rest - (and a day to remember the Sabbath?)
---
Again, yesterday morning, Exodus 23:12, "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed." So this is reinforcing Exodus 20:8-11.
But we also have something new - Exodus 23:11 - "but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove." Nice support for the poor, but notice also for the wild animals. At first I was thinking the wild animals might be helping with the process of the fields fallowing - in other words that God was saying let them come in and eat the plants and they'll help fertilize the fields. But then I realized this could just as easily be done with farm animals - so it must be something more. When coupled with creating the wild animals in the creation stories, then saving the wild animals in the Noah story, I think this might be another bit of environmentalism - showing God's respect for his creation - so don't try to chase the wild animals off - let them eat what they may.
(work in progress - but please feel free to comment at anytime)
Born with Sin?
I've heard it said that we are born sinners - full of sin. But this so contradicts my experience with my children. One of the most spiritual experiences of my life has been looking into the eyes of my newborn children. I really can't explain it - but it felt like their eyes were truly windows into the infinite - as if I was looking in the eyes of some creature fresh from heaven - as if I could still see the reflection of God therein. I spent many many hours just holding and looking at Clark- getting lost in his eyes (I didn't have as much luxury of time with Juno - but I also did some staring into the infinite of her newborn eyes too).
I did some internet research on this in the past - but was relying on others finding passages for and against the notion that children are born sinners - as opposed to being born destined to become sinners. Now, I want to record here any passages I see that weigh in on this --
The first is:
Genesis 8:21
"The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: 'Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done."
I note that God says every inclination of the human heart is evil - from childhood. I think this means after childhood - but I have to admit it ambiguous as to whether this could include childhood. But it clearly does not say from birth. I would think that if God wanted to say we are sinners from birth he would have said that - as it would be a more powerful statement. But instead it is from childhood.
(work in progress - but comments welcome anytime)
Friday, August 03, 2012
The Nephilim - and other supernatural beings among us
(I'm not sure that beings in dreams count as being among us - but for now I'm including them. I'm not including them when only in prophecies, or in parables, etc)
Angels - Old Testament
Angels - New Testament (I note that an angel was significantly involved at the beginning of Matthew, and at the end)
Unspecified: Matthew 1:20 - But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Unspecified: Matthew 2:13 - When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
Unspecified: Matthew 2:19 - After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead." (Question - how long later was this? How old was Christ by this time? Insight - I notice Christ thus parallels the Jews in a backwards kind of way way - escaping to Egypt - then going to Israel.)
Unspecified/Plural: Matthew 4:11 - Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (this was after the devil tested Jesus in the wilderness)
Unspecified: Matthew 28:2-3 - There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
Unspecified/Plural: Mark 1:13 - and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
Demons:
Sorceress -- Exodus 22:18
Genesis 6:1-7
Hebrews 13:2
(work in progress - but comments welcome any time)
Angels - Old Testament
Angels - New Testament (I note that an angel was significantly involved at the beginning of Matthew, and at the end)
Unspecified: Matthew 1:20 - But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Unspecified: Matthew 2:13 - When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
Unspecified: Matthew 2:19 - After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead." (Question - how long later was this? How old was Christ by this time? Insight - I notice Christ thus parallels the Jews in a backwards kind of way way - escaping to Egypt - then going to Israel.)
Unspecified/Plural: Matthew 4:11 - Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (this was after the devil tested Jesus in the wilderness)
Unspecified: Matthew 28:2-3 - There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
Unspecified/Plural: Mark 1:13 - and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
Demons:
Sorceress -- Exodus 22:18
Genesis 6:1-7
Hebrews 13:2
(work in progress - but comments welcome any time)
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