Genesis 12-17

Abram goes through Egypt, tells everyone his wife is his sister so that they won't kill him, and Egypt is plagued because Pharaoh apparently took Sarai (Abram's wife) as his own wife in exchange for decent treatment. Anyway, after they Abram receives a land of inheritance from the Lord and splits up with Lot (his nephew) due to some issues among their cattle herdsmen. Lot gets captured in battle and Abram and his men rescue him and take spoils. Melchizedek blesses Abram and Abram pays tithes to Melchizedek, who is "the priest of the most high God". The king of Sodom suggests Abram take all the spoils of the rescue but Abram refuses on what seems to be an attempt to not be later called into debt by the king of Sodom (since they were originally his riches, apparently). Abram laments that he has no offspring, and the Lord comforts him. Sarai lets Abram one of her handmaidens since Sarai does not suppose she is fertile. Hagar, the handmaiden, conceives and is told that her son Ishmael will be "a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." Abram is given a new name, Abraham, by the Lord, as a symbol of his covenant with the Lord. Abraham is promised that his seed will prosper and cover the face of the land. They must be circumcised as a part of the covenant. Sarai receives a new name as well, Sarah, and is promised a son who will be named Isaac, with whom God promises to establish His "everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him."

Noah

Genesis 5-11

Some passages that stick out to me

6:3 - Before people even start to be wicked on a worldwide scale, God explains that His spirit will "not always strive with man". Why would He say that at this point?

6:4 - Giants, "mighty men which were of old, men of renown" live on the earth. Only mention in all of scripture of this. Dinosaurs? Children of God of whose creation and existence we know (almost) nothing about?

6:6,7 - God is sad that He created man on the earth. Didn't He know this was going to happen? Being sad that they are sinful makes sense to me, but sad that they were created in the first place?

6:15 - Noah's ark = 300 x 50 x 30 cubits. Surely there weren't nearly as many species on the earth then as there are today. Also, this story may be symbolic to some degree.

8:3 - After 150 days, the waters abate and Noah's ark rests on the Ararat Mountains. It seems to be the only dry ground available at the moment, since he still sends the dove to find the olive branch.

9:6 - God establishes an "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" law. Why didn't God reveal everything to them, or at least more, like the whole law of Moses? Yet they seem to accept this new revelation.

10:25 - "And unto Eber were born two wons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan." Breaking up of Pangaea?

11:1-9 - Tower of Babel. Hints at the importance of communication in a working society

First and Second Reading: Genesis 1-4; Moses 2-5; Abraham 4-5

First Day: God creates light and separates it from darkness; calls the darkness Night and the light Day.

Second Day: God creates Heaven and separates it from Earth, both referred to as "waters" divided by "a firmament".

Third Day: God separates the land from the water (on Earth), identifies Seas and Earth (land). On God's word, Earth brings forth plant life.

Fourth Day: God sets up the revolutions of Day and Night, allows the lights in heaven to shine on earth, and creates the stars. Question: God doesn't create the cycle of day and night until day four?

Fifth Day: God creates sea life, bird life, and all other life "which the waters brought forth abundantly". If I understand correctly, modern evolutionist theories speculate that life formed first in water and then evolved into land-dwelling species.

Sixth Day: God creates land-dwelling creatures. Man is created, both male and female, and commanded to "multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it". Man is given power over the whole Earth. All creations are seen by God as good.

Then God rests and sanctifies His day of rest. Then, God plants the Garden of Eden and makes a man who he names Adam and places him in Eden. Then, finding it not good that man should be alone, he makes Eve, a woman. Question: didn't Got already make men and women during the 6th day?

The Serpent comes and tempts Eve to eat the fruit. His method reminds me of so many criticisms to the "limitations" of the commandments of God:

2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

 3But of the fruit of the ^atree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

 4And the serpent said unto the woman, ^aYe shall not surely die:

 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your ^aeyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, ^bknowing good and ^cevil.

 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for ^afood, and that it was ^bpleasant to the eyes, and a tree ^cto be desired to make one wise, she took of the ^dfruit thereof, and did ^eeat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did ^feat.

 7And the eyes of them both were ^aopened, and they knew that they were ^bnaked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves ^caprons.

-God told me not to do this. -He told you what? That's ridiculous, it's just holding you back from reality.

They partake, are cast out, and have children. Cain and Abel offer sacrifices, but Cain apparently didn't do it quite right, while Abel did. God rebukes Cain for his attitude and reminds him he can do better. Cain gets angry, kills Abel, and is cursed.