Genesis

So, I finished reading Genesis.  I didn't really stick completely to the one chapter a day - I missed a couple days - especially while on vacation.  Then, about halfway through the story of Joseph I found myself really wanting to see what would happen and so I finished reading the book. I looked things up a lot more at the beginning and kind of fizzled out with that as I went on due to time constraints - but I hope to do more in-depth research later. 

One of the things about Genesis - and maybe about Matthew and Mark so far - is that I find the chapter divisions to be kind of odd sometimes.  Since the chapter divisions are not original - I would like to here note how I think I would instead divide up Genesis - this helps me see the unfolding of the pivotal stories and perhaps will help for the purposes of future study.  Mostly it seems to me that Genesis is a series of stories about particular individuals and their relationship with God (that's probably true of most of the Bible).  While there is certainly a lot of overlap and so not an easy thing to do - I would generally divide it by the stories of each person.

So - here are the stories as I currently see them:

Creation in general (Chapter 1, and the first three verses of Chapter 2)
Adam and Eve (Chapter 2 beginning with verse 4 through Chapter 3)
Cain (Chapter 4 through verse 16)
Between Cain and Noah (Chapter 4, verse 17 through Chapter 5, verse 27)
Noah (Chapter 5, verse 28, through Chapter 9)
Between Noah and Abraham (this one is particularly difficult since the Tower of Babel story is put in here for some reason I don't understand -- but generally I'd say it is Chapter 10 through Chapter 11 -- as I think about what I just wrote below about the story of Abraham being the first that seems like a true to life story - I guess the Tower of Babel story had to be put in no later than here since it definitely has the feel of an introductory kind of story - more to learn from rather than a story that is literally true)
Abraham (Chapter 12 through Chapter 25, verse 11 -- it is with Abraham that the feel is different for me - as if now the Bible is telling stories of real people - Adam, Cain, Noah etc all seem more like composites - like stories that we're supposed to learn from but not necessarily really believe that these specific individuals actually lived -- but with Abraham it seems like the portrayal of an actual individual)
-- It seems to me that really at this point it mostly becomes Jacob's story - although Isaac's story is certainly there it seems more like a bridge between Abraham and Jacob - so...
Jacob (Chapter 25, verse 12 through Chapter 35)
-- I don't really get what Chapter 36 is doing - so I'll leave it out -- it maybe it's own thing or it may relate to Jacob or Joseph and would end or begin those -- 
Joseph (Chapter 37 through Chapter 50) 


Interesting - I found seven central stories!  Providence?? 



(as to Abraham's story -- the story of Lot is mixed in -- but he seems to be a secondary albeit important character -- more there I guess to contrast Abraham.  The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is in here which is for me more part of the Lot story than it's own story -- I would note here since I don't know if I'll ever bother with it elsewhere -- I really don't see the Sodom and Gomorrah story as anti-homosexual at all.  The sexual immorality of Sodom as told in the story is such that men from every part of the city - young and old - came to Lot's house to rape his male (well angels - so male seeming) visitors!  This is nothing like people living in a life long monogamous homosexual relationship.  To say this story shows God's disdain for all homosexuality is a gross misrepresentation of the story.  I don't know at this time what the rest of the Bible says about the subject - but this story is usually one that is cited for anti-gay comments and I just don't see it here at all)