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2nd Timothy 3:16 - "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
"Quick Study"
2nd Timothy 3:16 - "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
Don't Miss "BIBLE INVESTIGATORS" Live On Listed Sunday Nights At 8:30 PM Eastern Time!
The following teaching is from "Passion For Truth Ministries" and if your anything at all like I am, you'll want to watch even more teachings after this one! So the URL for where you can find two pages worth of great teachings is: http://jim-staley.podomatic.com/. There's also a Passion For Truth Ministries website that you can go to, to find out more information on the pastor, Jim Staley, and his ministry at: www.passionfortruth.com. The description for this weeks teaching is as follows:
THE HEBREW ALPHABET: (Part 14) "Shin"
Jim continues to "Discover the Depths of the Hebrew Alphabet". In this message he focuses on the 21st letter "Shin". This was filmed at Passion For Truth Ministries on May 5th, 2012.
To see more of this series, you may view these particular teachings at: http://www.youtube.com/user/PassionForTruthVideo?feature=watch#g/c/44C17DEBA8EE5B22
Please visit and subscribe to our YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/PassionForTruthVideo
For more great teachings and more about this ministry, go to: "www.passionfortruth.com"! Enjoy!
THE HEBREW ALPHABET: (Part 14) "Shin"
Jim continues to "Discover the Depths of the Hebrew Alphabet". In this message he focuses on the 21st letter "Shin". This was filmed at Passion For Truth Ministries on May 5th, 2012.
To see more of this series, you may view these particular teachings at: http://www.youtube.com/user/PassionForTruthVideo?feature=watch#g/c/44C17DEBA8EE5B22
Please visit and subscribe to our YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/PassionForTruthVideo
For more great teachings and more about this ministry, go to: "www.passionfortruth.com"! Enjoy!
"An In-Depth Audio/Slide Show Study Of Exodus"
Session 13
Session 13
One of the MAJOR lessons I've been learning myself these past few months, is that to study and know the Old Testament sheds MUCH LIGHT on the New Testament! I found an amazing audio/video Bible Study Commentary that goes through the Bible in such a thorough way that it actually includes the most recent scientific, archeological, physics, astronomical, biological, and geological discoveries as well! In fact, it even shows you all the prophecy that's contained in every single book of the Old Testament, tying it to the New Testament verses for you! I just finished watching all 24 sessions of Genesis myself, and I have to say, it's the most profound, illuminating and exciting Bible study I've EVER seen! So I'm going to start sharing these with you right here in this section every week! We'll start with the Book of Genesis and work our way through. These studies go through each book verse by verse, so they're very thorough! Some will be in video format, others in slideshow format, and others in audio. Genesis, Session 1 will be in video format. You'll be AMAZED at how MUCH information is taught in each session! I know I was! If you like these great teachings, you can actually purchase any Book of the Bible with an in-depth, verse-by-verse, video commentary just like this at http://www.khouse.org! Here you'll find other great free commentaries and if you want to do like I'm doing, which is attempting to go through the entire Bible with these great commentaries, just click on the "Online Store" under the "Shopping" tab on the left column! The Description of this series is as follows:
EXODUS: SESSION 13 - Chapters 29 & 30
The Book of Exodus is the bedrock of God's plan of redemption and is seen as a 'type' of the early church. It is also an adventure of discovery, since the dramatic narrative is laced with numerous hidden messages in the form of microcodes and macrocodes, each anticipating the New Testament climax.
This study will contain 20 hours of verse by verse teachings in 16 total audio/slide slow presentations. These studies are audio only, so I've added pictures for those of you who enjoy watching something while you listen. Enjoy & God Bless!
EXODUS: SESSION 13 - Chapters 29 & 30
The Book of Exodus is the bedrock of God's plan of redemption and is seen as a 'type' of the early church. It is also an adventure of discovery, since the dramatic narrative is laced with numerous hidden messages in the form of microcodes and macrocodes, each anticipating the New Testament climax.
This study will contain 20 hours of verse by verse teachings in 16 total audio/slide slow presentations. These studies are audio only, so I've added pictures for those of you who enjoy watching something while you listen. Enjoy & God Bless!
This week, we'll be studying Hebrews, Chapters 4 through 6 on the Quick Study program; along with providing you with a Scripture video of these chapters so that you can watch something while you listen to these chapters in their entirety.
We'll also be moving on with our studies of the Hebrew Alphabet with Pastor Jim Staley to Part 13- "The Hebrew Letter Resh". Under that, we have Session 12 of our Commentary on the Book of Exodus with Chuck Missler; covering Chapters 27 and 28.
Finally, our Feature Movie of the Week is "Close To Jesus - THOMAS". We'll then be studying an overview of the Book of Genesis for our Bible Study. Enjoy and until the new year, May YHVH Bless You All Abundantly!
We'll also be moving on with our studies of the Hebrew Alphabet with Pastor Jim Staley to Part 13- "The Hebrew Letter Resh". Under that, we have Session 12 of our Commentary on the Book of Exodus with Chuck Missler; covering Chapters 27 and 28.
Finally, our Feature Movie of the Week is "Close To Jesus - THOMAS". We'll then be studying an overview of the Book of Genesis for our Bible Study. Enjoy and until the new year, May YHVH Bless You All Abundantly!
FREE BOOK: "301 Proofs The Bible Is True"
Just click on the picture of it below! I'll also be adding this to our "FREE BIBLES & MORE" page!
Just click on the picture of it below! I'll also be adding this to our "FREE BIBLES & MORE" page!
Numbers 22
PRAISE & WORSHIP
PRAISE & WORSHIP 9
Featuring the Songs: "He Has Made Me Glad" & "Shine Jesus Shine/Here I Am Medley"
Featuring the Songs: "He Has Made Me Glad" & "Shine Jesus Shine/Here I Am Medley"
PRAISE & WORSHIP 7
Featuring the Songs: "Purify My Heart" &
"Make Me A Servant"
Featuring the Songs: "Purify My Heart" &
"Make Me A Servant"
DESCRIPTION: Mathieu Carriere plays the Apostle Thomas, who doubted news of the resurrection of Jesus and said he would not believe it until he placed his fingers in Jesus' wounds. This release is part of set that also includes the uplifting New Testament stories of Judas Iscariot, Mary Magdalene and Joseph of Nazareth. (2001)
Length: 91 minutes
Length: 91 minutes
"Close To Jesus - THOMAS"
"Overview of The Book of Genesis"
From the Lexham Bible Dictionary: (NOTE: I will put my own research along side of what's written in this Dictionary like this throughout this study.)
Genesis, Book of (γένεσις, genesis). The first book of the Hebrew Bible. Narrates events starting with creation until Jacob’s death after his family settled in Egypt. Sets the stage for the book of Exodus. Outlines God’s relationship to the world and the whole created order, most notably through the people of Israel—the benefactors and bearers of the divine promise in the world. Also provides a genealogical backdrop for the people Israel, the main subject of Exodus and the rest of the Hebrew Bible.
Introduction
The book of Genesis is the beginning of the Bible. It is foundational and necessary for understanding the larger biblical canon, both Old and New Testaments. Within the Hebrew Bible, Genesis belongs to the Torah (which means “teaching, instruction”). It is the start of a textual unit that runs through Deuteronomy and traces “history” from creation to Israel’s arrival on the outskirts of the already inhabited promised land.
The name of the book derives from the Greek translation in Gen 2:4a: “This is the book of the generations/origins (γενέσεως, geneseōs) of heaven and earth.” This is an appropriate title, as Genesis contains many genealogies. The Septuagint picks this up as the name of the book. The Vulgate gave it a transliterated form of the same word, and it has come to identify the book. Within Jewish tradition, the book takes its title from its first word, בְּרֵאשִׁית (bereshith). This is traditionally translated as “in the beginning,” but this fact is heavily debated—the traditional interpretation is incorrect. Genesis is thus a book of origins and beginnings—of entire created order, but also of sin, God’s relationship with humanity, blessing and obedience, and conflict and disobedience.
Narrative Summary
The Genesis narrative is traditionally divided into two large blocks:
1. The Primeval History (Gen 1–11), which narrates creation and its subsequent corruption;
2. The Ancestral Narratives (Gen 12–50), which begin with God’s promise to Abraham and describe the stories of Israel’s ancestors, the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
Several attempts have been offered to determine the central organizing theme, concept, or pattern for these two blocks. There are many possibilities for Gen 1–11 (see Clines, The Theme of the Pentateuch, 66–84):
1. The spread of sin followed by the spread of grace (von Rad, Genesis, 24);
2. The diversity of ways humans sin (Westermann, Genesis 1–11, 53);
3. The tension and distinction between human and divine (Oden, Transformation in Near Eastern Myths, 30–33);
4. Creation, uncreation, and re-creation (Blenkinsopp, Creation, Uncreation, Re-creation, 16–19).
However, the narrative seems not to have a single dominant theme—instead, it shows a theological complexity that weaves all of these themes together in innovative ways.
The central organizing theme of Gen 12–50 is the ancestral promise (Gen 12:1–3; also see most recently Anderson, Jacob and the Divine Trickster, 40–44).
Genesis, Book of (γένεσις, genesis). The first book of the Hebrew Bible. Narrates events starting with creation until Jacob’s death after his family settled in Egypt. Sets the stage for the book of Exodus. Outlines God’s relationship to the world and the whole created order, most notably through the people of Israel—the benefactors and bearers of the divine promise in the world. Also provides a genealogical backdrop for the people Israel, the main subject of Exodus and the rest of the Hebrew Bible.
Introduction
The book of Genesis is the beginning of the Bible. It is foundational and necessary for understanding the larger biblical canon, both Old and New Testaments. Within the Hebrew Bible, Genesis belongs to the Torah (which means “teaching, instruction”). It is the start of a textual unit that runs through Deuteronomy and traces “history” from creation to Israel’s arrival on the outskirts of the already inhabited promised land.
The name of the book derives from the Greek translation in Gen 2:4a: “This is the book of the generations/origins (γενέσεως, geneseōs) of heaven and earth.” This is an appropriate title, as Genesis contains many genealogies. The Septuagint picks this up as the name of the book. The Vulgate gave it a transliterated form of the same word, and it has come to identify the book. Within Jewish tradition, the book takes its title from its first word, בְּרֵאשִׁית (bereshith). This is traditionally translated as “in the beginning,” but this fact is heavily debated—the traditional interpretation is incorrect. Genesis is thus a book of origins and beginnings—of entire created order, but also of sin, God’s relationship with humanity, blessing and obedience, and conflict and disobedience.
Narrative Summary
The Genesis narrative is traditionally divided into two large blocks:
1. The Primeval History (Gen 1–11), which narrates creation and its subsequent corruption;
2. The Ancestral Narratives (Gen 12–50), which begin with God’s promise to Abraham and describe the stories of Israel’s ancestors, the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
Several attempts have been offered to determine the central organizing theme, concept, or pattern for these two blocks. There are many possibilities for Gen 1–11 (see Clines, The Theme of the Pentateuch, 66–84):
1. The spread of sin followed by the spread of grace (von Rad, Genesis, 24);
2. The diversity of ways humans sin (Westermann, Genesis 1–11, 53);
3. The tension and distinction between human and divine (Oden, Transformation in Near Eastern Myths, 30–33);
4. Creation, uncreation, and re-creation (Blenkinsopp, Creation, Uncreation, Re-creation, 16–19).
However, the narrative seems not to have a single dominant theme—instead, it shows a theological complexity that weaves all of these themes together in innovative ways.
The central organizing theme of Gen 12–50 is the ancestral promise (Gen 12:1–3; also see most recently Anderson, Jacob and the Divine Trickster, 40–44).
Genesis 12:1-3: (Hebrew Roots Bible - "HRB") 1 And YAHWEH had said to Abram, Go out from your land and from your kindred, and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you.
2 And I will make of you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great; and you will be a blessing.
3 And I will bless those who bless you, and curse the one despising you. And in you all families of the earth shall be blessed.
2 And I will make of you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great; and you will be a blessing.
3 And I will bless those who bless you, and curse the one despising you. And in you all families of the earth shall be blessed.
NOTE: I'll be using my "Hebrew Roots Bible" for these studies where indicated. The reason for this is because this Bible has the MOST & BEST up-to-date, "accurate" translation of the Bible based on the original Hebrew & Aramaic languages in which these documents were originally written in. I've found that we get a much fuller understanding of Scripture with this particular Bible since it keeps the translations SO MUCH closer to the originally written names and ideas penned by the original authors of these Scriptures. I pray you enjoy this particular translation and that it enlightens you as much as it has me!
However, these themes are not exclusive of one another—Gen 12–50 contains more than promise, and Gen 1–11 contains more than sin and mitigating grace. The structure of the book contains plenty of overlap.
Within these two broad units, the traditional interpretation divided the book by character—especially in the Ancestral Narratives. For example, Gen 12–25 treats Abraham, Gen 25–36 Jacob, and Gen 37–50 Joseph (see Brueggemann’s Interpretation). However, these divisions are arbitrary and pay little attention to markers within the text itself for how the book should be divided. The text of Genesis itself shows a consistent outline marked off by a 10-fold pattern repetition of the Hebrew word תוֹלְדוֹת (tholedoth, which means “origins, generations”—five times in the Primeval History and five times in the Ancestral Narratives). The structure for the book is therefore as follows (derived from Blenkinsopp’s The Pentateuch, 59, 99).
1. The Primeval History (Gen 1–11)
1. Heaven and earth (2:4a–4:26, but inclusive of 1:1–2:3 typically as well)
2. Adam (5:1–6:8)
3. Noah (6:9–9:29)
4. The sons of Noah (10:1–11:9)
5. Shem (11:10–26)
2. The Ancestral Narratives
1. Terah (11:27–25:11)
2. Ishmael (25:12–18)
3. Isaac (25:19–35:29)
4. Esau (36:1–37:1)
5. Jacob (37:2–50:26)
The “absence” of key figures such as Abraham may seem surprising—it emphasizes seemingly less significant characters like Terah, Ishmael, Isaac, and Esau. However, this structure shows that Genesis is not concerned primarily with one particular segment of the family tree or only a handful of main characters. An outline marked by “these are the generations” leads to a more inclusive reading of the book. The focus is not on Terah, but on Terah’s “generations”—his family tree. Abraham dominates this section, but the תוֹלְדוֹת (tholedoth) structure prevents readers from focusing too narrowly on one character. It is the larger family—inclusive of women and children, slaves and their children—that forms the focal point of each of these narrative segments.
Heaven and Earth (Gen 1:1–4:26). Genesis opens with two distinct accounts of creation—Gen 1:1–2:4a and Gen 2:4b–25—and there are many differences between them. These two stories function as twin introductions to the book and introduce the main character of the narrative: "God", written in Hebrew as "Elohim". Paradise is quickly corrupted when the trickster serpent convinces the woman to eat the fruit from the only prohibited tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3). The result is a curse of the soil, pain in childbirth, and the first couple’s exile from the garden. The effects of this first sin are seen in the next chapter when Cain, angered at God’s inexplicable preference for Abel’s offering, kills his brother.
(Note: It's not thought at all that this preference by God was "inexplicable". It IS thought that God's preference for Abel's offering was because this is what God had already instructed was acceptable for an offering and that Cain's offering wasn't taken from the "best" from the "fruit of the ground" [see Genesis 4:3]; whereas Abel's offering was "from the firstlings of his flocks, even from their fat" [Genesis 4:4]. God strongly points to this as the problem with Cain's offering in Genesis 4:6-7 wherein He says to Cain: "And YAHWEH said to Cain, Why have you angrily glowed, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, is there not exaltation? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is toward you; but you should rule over it." This is something that many seem to miss, but it seems obvious that God is correcting and then telling Cain what he needs to do to correct the problem. This is something that was understood by the original readers of Genesis and even by the first century readers of Yahshua's (Jesus') day! We find this happens a lot not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament as well; which is why there is so much misinterpretation of the New Testament Scriptures today. Things that were common knowledge to the first century hearers are simply "not" common knowledge to us anymore today. I've found that the more I study the culture and practices of the people during the times of Yahshua (Jesus) and the Apostles, the more I'm understanding what's actually being said or taught. It's something that "every" Christian alive today should also be studying in order to understand our Bible's in a much fuller and deeper way. If we all did this and let the Bible define itself (which it does), we wouldn't have all these thousands of different denominations that we have in the world today. It's become a major problem within Christianity itself. The good news is that Yahweh is correcting this today and bringing His children back to a true understanding of Scripture! He's getting us all ready for Yahshua's (Jesus') return! : ) We'll go into this in more detail in following Bible studies however, since it's such a huge topic! To learn more about all these problems with misinterpretation of our Scriptures today, and how to let the Bible interpret itself so that your really understanding what Scripture is actually teaching us, watch any of the video teachings provided at Passion For Truth Ministries at http://www.passionfortruth.com/messageplayer.aspx?parentnavigationid=18867. These teachings helped me to see for myself that I'd been taught things that were COMPLETELY WRONG and AGAINST God's Word all my life; and, over the past five years of intensive study, I really feel as if I went from reading the Bible in black and white to watching it in color! I'm still thanking Yahweh/Yahshua every single day for opening my eyes and teaching me what His Word is really saying in all the different places I had not understood, completely missed, or just plain misunderstood it because I was reading it with a 21st Century mind-set! His Word has SO MUCH MORE to offer than we've been taught! OK, back to our Overview of Genesis!)
Adam (Gen 5:1–6:8). Genesis 5 is a genealogy of Adam’s descendants. Genealogies seem uninteresting, but they provide the framework for the book. This particular genealogy expresses a theological point—the first human couple is obeying God’s first commandment: “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen 1:28). However, the resulting population explosion has dire consequences. The “sons of God“—some form of heavenly beings (NOTE: these are the "fallen angels")—mate with the “daughters of men” (Gen 6). This act appears innocuous as narrated in the biblical text itself, yet this intermingling of the divine and human realms appears to be the cause of the flood that follows.
(NOTE: It actually WAS the cause for the flood. This is something else that was commonly known back in the first century and, of course, also at the time that this book was written. The Book of Enoch [which was considered an inspired text back in the first century as the New Testament clearly tells us in Hebrews 11:5 and Jude 1:14] tells us a lot about these fallen angels and what they did here on earth. In short, they corrupted not only human DNA, but also the DNA of all the animals. This was why Yahweh had to destroy all living creatures and man with the exception of Noah, his family and the animals that Yahweh chose to go onto the ark with Noah. A word study into how the word "righteous" is used in describing Noah in Genesis 7:1 gives us a picture of this also. Genesis 7:1 says: And YAHWEH said to Noah, You and all your house come into the ark, for I have seen you righteous before Me in this generation." If you go to the Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary, you find that Strong's #H6662 is the definition for "righteous" as follows:
H6662: צדּיק, tsaddı̂yq, tsad-deek', From H6663; just: - just, lawful, righteous (man).
Because the root of Hebrew words is so important in understanding a words meaning, we need to go back to H6663 as referenced to see what that definition is also:
H6663: צדק, tsâdaq, tsaw-dak', A primitive root; to be (causatively make) right (in a moral or forensic sense): - cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just (-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be, turn to) righteous (-ness).
Here we find that the Book of Enoch is giving us the right information as the word "righteous" is actually defined, in this sense, as "to be right in a forensic sense"! We find that everything written about this situation in Genesis matches up perfectly with the information that Enoch gives us.
Furthermore, Genesis 6:9 tells us: "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." The Strong's definition for "perfect" here is as follows:
H8549: תּמים, tâmı̂ym, taw-meem', From H8552; entire (literally, figuratively or morally); also (as noun) integrity, truth: - without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright (-ly), whole.
H8552: תּמם, tâmam, taw-mam', A primitive root; to complete, in a good or a bad sense, literally or figuratively, transitively or intransitively: - accomplish, cease, be clean [pass-] ed, consume, have done, (come to an, make an) end, fail, come to the full, be all gone, X be all here, be (make) perfect, be spent, sum, be (shew self) upright, be wasted, whole.
Again we see a definition being used here for Noah as: "without blemish, without spot, undefiled, be (make) perfect, whole". Yet another clue and confirmation of the book of Enoch that all flesh [DNA] had been corrupted with the exception of Noah who was "perfect in his generations".
Now for the common sense part: We know that ALL men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, so how could Noah have been "perfect" in the sense of his actions or not sinning? We also know that Yahshua (Jesus) was the ONLY man who ever walked the face of this earth without sin. So we know that Noah couldn't have been "perfect" in the moral sense. However, when we put that knowledge together with our in-depth study into the original meaning of these words written about Noah in the Bible along with what we're told in the Book of Enoch, which again was considered to be an inspired text (and Enoch himself is spoken of as prophet in Jude 1:14: "And the seventh from Adam, Enoch, also prophesied to these men, saying, Behold, the Master comes with ten thousands of His saints,"); it seems we get a pretty full picture of exactly what was going on in the days of Noah and why Yahweh HAD to bring the flood. Had He NOT stopped all that corruption of man, the animals and all the DNA, our Messiah wouldn't have been able to be born because by that time, ALL flesh WOULD have been corrupted! This was satan's plan from the get-go; only Yahweh put a stop to it with the flood, keeping alive the only man who's DNA hadn't been corrupted so that mankind could go on and our Messiah could be born in a clean line of human DNA! There's so much more to it, but that's pretty much the short of what happened back in the days of Noah. It's one of those cases where we need to let the Bible interpret itself if we really want to understand what was going on there between the fallen angels, the "sons of God", and the "daughters of men".
OK, let's get back to our overview of Genesis!)
Noah (Gen 6:9–9:29). God selects the one righteous man (who had NOT been corrupted as we've seen above), Noah, and commands him to build an ark. Noah is instructed to save his family and to preserve every type of animal and every type of food that existed. Once he builds the ark and stocks it, Noah enters it with his family and the other animals. The text then tells that the flood obliterates the entire created order—this is an act of uncreation (see Blenkinsopp, Creation, Uncreation, Re-creation). Once the flood waters subside, Noah leaves the ark, erects an altar to God, and offers up sacrifices. The odor of these sacrifices pleases God, who promises never to flood the earth again. He repeats His first commandment to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen 9:1; compare 1:28). In the remainder of this narrative, Noah plants a vineyard, becomes intoxicated, and passes out naked in his tent. Ham “uncovers his father’s nakedness,” and Noah curses him. This unit ends with the death of Noah.
The Sons of Noah (Gen 10:1–11:9). The Table of Nations provides another genealogy, this time of Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Gen 10). It functions in the same way that Adam’s did in Gen 5: God commands that the human race “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth,” and the genealogy shows this occurring. This is a necessary for the act of re-creation.
The Tower of Babel story in Gen 11:1–9 appears chronologically out of place after the Table of Nations in Gen 10. It appears as though the Table of Nations is meant to describe what the situation will look like after the Tower of Babel. This story explains origins of the diversity of peoples that inhabit the earth. The Babel story continues a repeated theme within the book of Genesis—humanity’s attempt to bridge the divide between the human and divine spheres. This was also the case with the eating of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Gen 3 and the mating of the sons of God and daughters of men in Gen 6:1–4.
Within these two broad units, the traditional interpretation divided the book by character—especially in the Ancestral Narratives. For example, Gen 12–25 treats Abraham, Gen 25–36 Jacob, and Gen 37–50 Joseph (see Brueggemann’s Interpretation). However, these divisions are arbitrary and pay little attention to markers within the text itself for how the book should be divided. The text of Genesis itself shows a consistent outline marked off by a 10-fold pattern repetition of the Hebrew word תוֹלְדוֹת (tholedoth, which means “origins, generations”—five times in the Primeval History and five times in the Ancestral Narratives). The structure for the book is therefore as follows (derived from Blenkinsopp’s The Pentateuch, 59, 99).
1. The Primeval History (Gen 1–11)
1. Heaven and earth (2:4a–4:26, but inclusive of 1:1–2:3 typically as well)
2. Adam (5:1–6:8)
3. Noah (6:9–9:29)
4. The sons of Noah (10:1–11:9)
5. Shem (11:10–26)
2. The Ancestral Narratives
1. Terah (11:27–25:11)
2. Ishmael (25:12–18)
3. Isaac (25:19–35:29)
4. Esau (36:1–37:1)
5. Jacob (37:2–50:26)
The “absence” of key figures such as Abraham may seem surprising—it emphasizes seemingly less significant characters like Terah, Ishmael, Isaac, and Esau. However, this structure shows that Genesis is not concerned primarily with one particular segment of the family tree or only a handful of main characters. An outline marked by “these are the generations” leads to a more inclusive reading of the book. The focus is not on Terah, but on Terah’s “generations”—his family tree. Abraham dominates this section, but the תוֹלְדוֹת (tholedoth) structure prevents readers from focusing too narrowly on one character. It is the larger family—inclusive of women and children, slaves and their children—that forms the focal point of each of these narrative segments.
Heaven and Earth (Gen 1:1–4:26). Genesis opens with two distinct accounts of creation—Gen 1:1–2:4a and Gen 2:4b–25—and there are many differences between them. These two stories function as twin introductions to the book and introduce the main character of the narrative: "God", written in Hebrew as "Elohim". Paradise is quickly corrupted when the trickster serpent convinces the woman to eat the fruit from the only prohibited tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3). The result is a curse of the soil, pain in childbirth, and the first couple’s exile from the garden. The effects of this first sin are seen in the next chapter when Cain, angered at God’s inexplicable preference for Abel’s offering, kills his brother.
(Note: It's not thought at all that this preference by God was "inexplicable". It IS thought that God's preference for Abel's offering was because this is what God had already instructed was acceptable for an offering and that Cain's offering wasn't taken from the "best" from the "fruit of the ground" [see Genesis 4:3]; whereas Abel's offering was "from the firstlings of his flocks, even from their fat" [Genesis 4:4]. God strongly points to this as the problem with Cain's offering in Genesis 4:6-7 wherein He says to Cain: "And YAHWEH said to Cain, Why have you angrily glowed, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, is there not exaltation? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is toward you; but you should rule over it." This is something that many seem to miss, but it seems obvious that God is correcting and then telling Cain what he needs to do to correct the problem. This is something that was understood by the original readers of Genesis and even by the first century readers of Yahshua's (Jesus') day! We find this happens a lot not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament as well; which is why there is so much misinterpretation of the New Testament Scriptures today. Things that were common knowledge to the first century hearers are simply "not" common knowledge to us anymore today. I've found that the more I study the culture and practices of the people during the times of Yahshua (Jesus) and the Apostles, the more I'm understanding what's actually being said or taught. It's something that "every" Christian alive today should also be studying in order to understand our Bible's in a much fuller and deeper way. If we all did this and let the Bible define itself (which it does), we wouldn't have all these thousands of different denominations that we have in the world today. It's become a major problem within Christianity itself. The good news is that Yahweh is correcting this today and bringing His children back to a true understanding of Scripture! He's getting us all ready for Yahshua's (Jesus') return! : ) We'll go into this in more detail in following Bible studies however, since it's such a huge topic! To learn more about all these problems with misinterpretation of our Scriptures today, and how to let the Bible interpret itself so that your really understanding what Scripture is actually teaching us, watch any of the video teachings provided at Passion For Truth Ministries at http://www.passionfortruth.com/messageplayer.aspx?parentnavigationid=18867. These teachings helped me to see for myself that I'd been taught things that were COMPLETELY WRONG and AGAINST God's Word all my life; and, over the past five years of intensive study, I really feel as if I went from reading the Bible in black and white to watching it in color! I'm still thanking Yahweh/Yahshua every single day for opening my eyes and teaching me what His Word is really saying in all the different places I had not understood, completely missed, or just plain misunderstood it because I was reading it with a 21st Century mind-set! His Word has SO MUCH MORE to offer than we've been taught! OK, back to our Overview of Genesis!)
Adam (Gen 5:1–6:8). Genesis 5 is a genealogy of Adam’s descendants. Genealogies seem uninteresting, but they provide the framework for the book. This particular genealogy expresses a theological point—the first human couple is obeying God’s first commandment: “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen 1:28). However, the resulting population explosion has dire consequences. The “sons of God“—some form of heavenly beings (NOTE: these are the "fallen angels")—mate with the “daughters of men” (Gen 6). This act appears innocuous as narrated in the biblical text itself, yet this intermingling of the divine and human realms appears to be the cause of the flood that follows.
(NOTE: It actually WAS the cause for the flood. This is something else that was commonly known back in the first century and, of course, also at the time that this book was written. The Book of Enoch [which was considered an inspired text back in the first century as the New Testament clearly tells us in Hebrews 11:5 and Jude 1:14] tells us a lot about these fallen angels and what they did here on earth. In short, they corrupted not only human DNA, but also the DNA of all the animals. This was why Yahweh had to destroy all living creatures and man with the exception of Noah, his family and the animals that Yahweh chose to go onto the ark with Noah. A word study into how the word "righteous" is used in describing Noah in Genesis 7:1 gives us a picture of this also. Genesis 7:1 says: And YAHWEH said to Noah, You and all your house come into the ark, for I have seen you righteous before Me in this generation." If you go to the Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary, you find that Strong's #H6662 is the definition for "righteous" as follows:
H6662: צדּיק, tsaddı̂yq, tsad-deek', From H6663; just: - just, lawful, righteous (man).
Because the root of Hebrew words is so important in understanding a words meaning, we need to go back to H6663 as referenced to see what that definition is also:
H6663: צדק, tsâdaq, tsaw-dak', A primitive root; to be (causatively make) right (in a moral or forensic sense): - cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just (-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be, turn to) righteous (-ness).
Here we find that the Book of Enoch is giving us the right information as the word "righteous" is actually defined, in this sense, as "to be right in a forensic sense"! We find that everything written about this situation in Genesis matches up perfectly with the information that Enoch gives us.
Furthermore, Genesis 6:9 tells us: "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God." The Strong's definition for "perfect" here is as follows:
H8549: תּמים, tâmı̂ym, taw-meem', From H8552; entire (literally, figuratively or morally); also (as noun) integrity, truth: - without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright (-ly), whole.
H8552: תּמם, tâmam, taw-mam', A primitive root; to complete, in a good or a bad sense, literally or figuratively, transitively or intransitively: - accomplish, cease, be clean [pass-] ed, consume, have done, (come to an, make an) end, fail, come to the full, be all gone, X be all here, be (make) perfect, be spent, sum, be (shew self) upright, be wasted, whole.
Again we see a definition being used here for Noah as: "without blemish, without spot, undefiled, be (make) perfect, whole". Yet another clue and confirmation of the book of Enoch that all flesh [DNA] had been corrupted with the exception of Noah who was "perfect in his generations".
Now for the common sense part: We know that ALL men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, so how could Noah have been "perfect" in the sense of his actions or not sinning? We also know that Yahshua (Jesus) was the ONLY man who ever walked the face of this earth without sin. So we know that Noah couldn't have been "perfect" in the moral sense. However, when we put that knowledge together with our in-depth study into the original meaning of these words written about Noah in the Bible along with what we're told in the Book of Enoch, which again was considered to be an inspired text (and Enoch himself is spoken of as prophet in Jude 1:14: "And the seventh from Adam, Enoch, also prophesied to these men, saying, Behold, the Master comes with ten thousands of His saints,"); it seems we get a pretty full picture of exactly what was going on in the days of Noah and why Yahweh HAD to bring the flood. Had He NOT stopped all that corruption of man, the animals and all the DNA, our Messiah wouldn't have been able to be born because by that time, ALL flesh WOULD have been corrupted! This was satan's plan from the get-go; only Yahweh put a stop to it with the flood, keeping alive the only man who's DNA hadn't been corrupted so that mankind could go on and our Messiah could be born in a clean line of human DNA! There's so much more to it, but that's pretty much the short of what happened back in the days of Noah. It's one of those cases where we need to let the Bible interpret itself if we really want to understand what was going on there between the fallen angels, the "sons of God", and the "daughters of men".
OK, let's get back to our overview of Genesis!)
Noah (Gen 6:9–9:29). God selects the one righteous man (who had NOT been corrupted as we've seen above), Noah, and commands him to build an ark. Noah is instructed to save his family and to preserve every type of animal and every type of food that existed. Once he builds the ark and stocks it, Noah enters it with his family and the other animals. The text then tells that the flood obliterates the entire created order—this is an act of uncreation (see Blenkinsopp, Creation, Uncreation, Re-creation). Once the flood waters subside, Noah leaves the ark, erects an altar to God, and offers up sacrifices. The odor of these sacrifices pleases God, who promises never to flood the earth again. He repeats His first commandment to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen 9:1; compare 1:28). In the remainder of this narrative, Noah plants a vineyard, becomes intoxicated, and passes out naked in his tent. Ham “uncovers his father’s nakedness,” and Noah curses him. This unit ends with the death of Noah.
The Sons of Noah (Gen 10:1–11:9). The Table of Nations provides another genealogy, this time of Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Gen 10). It functions in the same way that Adam’s did in Gen 5: God commands that the human race “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth,” and the genealogy shows this occurring. This is a necessary for the act of re-creation.
The Tower of Babel story in Gen 11:1–9 appears chronologically out of place after the Table of Nations in Gen 10. It appears as though the Table of Nations is meant to describe what the situation will look like after the Tower of Babel. This story explains origins of the diversity of peoples that inhabit the earth. The Babel story continues a repeated theme within the book of Genesis—humanity’s attempt to bridge the divide between the human and divine spheres. This was also the case with the eating of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Gen 3 and the mating of the sons of God and daughters of men in Gen 6:1–4.
TO BE CONTINUED NEXT BIBLE STUDY.......
This week, we'll be studying Numbers, Chapters 22 through 24 on the Quick Study program; along with providing you with Scripture videos of these chapters so that you can watch something while you listen to these chapters in their entirety.
We'll also be moving on with our studies of the Hebrew Alphabet with Pastor Jim Staley to Part 14 - "The Hebrew Letter Shin". Under that, we have Session 13 of our Commentary on the Book of Exodus with Chuck Missler; covering Chapters 29 and 30.
Finally, our Feature Movie of the Week is an 8-part series called "Ezekiel And The MidEast Peace Process". We'll then be continuing with our study on the overview of the Book of Genesis for our Bible Study. Enjoy and until our next study, May YHVH Bless You All Abundantly!
We'll also be moving on with our studies of the Hebrew Alphabet with Pastor Jim Staley to Part 14 - "The Hebrew Letter Shin". Under that, we have Session 13 of our Commentary on the Book of Exodus with Chuck Missler; covering Chapters 29 and 30.
Finally, our Feature Movie of the Week is an 8-part series called "Ezekiel And The MidEast Peace Process". We'll then be continuing with our study on the overview of the Book of Genesis for our Bible Study. Enjoy and until our next study, May YHVH Bless You All Abundantly!
Numbers 23-24
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TO BE CONTINUED FROM THIS POINT ON, 3-18-2013.....