Month: September 2019

Through Genesis – shedding light on the journey

Riding in the dark

Why am I still reporting on the ride through the ominous tunnel? Because it took forever to ride through it! But I had to go through it to reach the rest of the route. And I eventually discovered that the rest of the route was worth the inconvenience, hassle, and distress of riding through the tunnel. Reading through Genesis provides insights on other areas of the Bible, so let’s shed some light on this first book of the Old Testament.

Attempted a Bible read through?

Ever tried to read through the Bible? Or even just the first few books of the Bible? Many a good intention has begun at, “In the beginning,” and stalled out before the Israelites reached the Promised Land. If that’s you, too, don’t feel bad, even the Israelites grew impatient and grumbled at the length of time their journey took and the meager fast food offerings along the way. More manna anyone? (See Exodus chapter 16 to be in the know on this heaven sent bread).

Permissions when reading the Bible

Remember as we begin, we gave ourselves some permissions on reading the Bible. Here’s a quick review:

Don’t worry about not understanding everything the first time you read it – learn in layers

Review a children’s version for a simple summary of a Bible story

Read at your own pace, also, know it is OK to read quickly to catch a glimpse of what’s going on

Ask Jesus to help you – yes, that simple, “Jesus, help,” prayer can also be applied to seek understanding of what we are reading

At the beginning

Let’s take a look at the first book of the Bible, Genesis, which means “beginning.” Much of the info we read in Genesis will come up again somewhere else in the Bible. Like reading the first of a trilogy, if you know what’s in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, you’ll have a better chance of recognizing the references along the way.

The purpose of this first pass through Genesis will be to provide just enough info for us to have a reference point, kind of like knowing where the trailhead is or where we parked our car in the parking lot. Knowing where we are gives us something we can come back to.

Flip and find through Genesis

So if you have your Bible handy, flip through the chapters in Genesis to make a tangible connection to where these stories and people are physically located in your Bible. Doing this simple flip and find can provide us with one layer of information retention. So find Genesis and let’s begin.

Genesis 1-5 Creation, Adam and Eve, the Fall (the first big mess up), Cain and Abel (sibling rivalry), all in the family line

Genesis 6-9 Noah, the flood, the family

Genesis 10-11 More relatives and the Tower of Babel

Genesis 12-20 Abram, his nephew Lot, Abraham (name change Genesis 17:5)

Genesis 21-36 Isaac, Jacob (one of Isaac’s sons)

Genesis 37-50 Joseph (one of Jacob’s many sons)

Whew, that’s a bunch of names. One way to categorize the information in Genesis is to remember who’s in the storyline in the passage we are reading. This also gives us a way to tackle sections of Genesis. If you want to read related sections of the book, you can skim or focus on a main character. (And trust me, many of these players are quite the characters).

Recall Genesis

In summary, we can recall Genesis based on some of the main people who are in it:

Adam and Eve, and their descendants

Noah and his descendants

Abram/Abraham and his descendants, which includes:

Isaac, his son Jacob, and one of his sons Joseph

Is this making sense? Welcome to the beginning of Bible comprehension.

Recognizing the first five books of the Bible

Beginning a journey into the Old Testament can feel like a ride into a dark tunnel. However, recognizing the first five books of the Bible sheds some light on the path.

How much longer in this dark tunnel?

Riding through the tunnel alternately pedaling and praying, I scooted to the side and wondered how much longer we would be traveling in darkness.

I was so grateful for the other riders, even if the sheer numbers and chaos was unsettling. I certainly benefited from the additional light in the tunnel and was grateful I was not alone.

The return journey

Some people were headed in the opposite direction up through the tunnel, as it was the only way back to the parking lot. Did I mention the return journey? At the end of the trail, riders caught a shuttle bus back to the entrance of the tunnel, but they still had to ride back through the tunnel in the opposite direction to arrive once again at the trail head and the parking lot.

So this crazy ride through the tunnel would happen one more time! I’m so glad I developed some coping skills to make it through the first time.

Whether this is your first time through the Bible or another pass through, I’d like to provide some big picture references along the way to help us with perspective, retention, and comprehension.

Old and New Testament

The Bible is divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus arrives in the flesh in the New Testament, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t in the Old Testament. Huh? We can let this concept remain unsettled for now.

The idea that Jesus is in the Old Testament even though he doesn’t arrive on scene until the New Testament is one of the amazing aspects of the Bible. The more we familiarize ourselves with the contents of the Bible, the more we will start to see some of these really cool references.

First five books of the Old Testament

For now, we can orient ourselves to the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, or the books of Moses. These are also referred to as the books of the Law. Don’t worry if any or all of these terms is confusing. They’ll make sense later in the process.

Genesis – Exodus – Leviticus – Numbers – Deuteronomy

Memorize the names of these five books in order. Review the “Books of the Old Testament” from Wee Sing Bible Songs if you need to. Knowing these five by name will help us find some solid ground in the Old Testament.

Old Testament key players

Soon we’ll go deeper into the details of Genesis, but for now, here is a high level overview of the first five books of the Bible, based on key players in these books:

Genesis – God and Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

Exodus – God and Moses

Leviticus – God, Moses, and the Israelites

Numbers – God, Moses and the Israelites

Deuteronomy – God, Moses, and the Israelites

Are you still with me? We will dive into more details in subsequent posts. For now, familiarize yourself with the names of the first five. I think you’ll find it useful.

Coping in the darkness – a guiding light

Ask my husband how the ride through the tunnel was and you will get a very different response from mine. He knew some of the history of the railroad. He noticed the markers inside the tunnel that gave clues as to how far we’d traveled or how much was left. He really enjoyed the ride through it.

I was merely focused on not falling.

His start was filled with anticipation. Mine was filled with anxiety.

Grateful for a guide

I was grateful that he rode ahead of me so I had a notion of where I was going. Farther down the trail I realized the light on my bike was pretty dim. Much of the light that guided me through the tunnel came from my husband’s bike light and that of the other riders, even the ones headed in the opposite direction.

The tunnel is 1.661 miles long and not in a straight line. There is no visible “light at the end of the tunnel” for the majority of the ride through it. I was very much “in the dark” on this journey. And it felt that way.

Making room

While trying to stay upright and going much slower than the other riders, they would pass me. Each time a bike neared, its rider would call out, “Left!” That was the signal to move over and make room for someone to sail past, but that meant scooting closer to the dreaded gutter and riding on the slanted portion of the trail. I didn’t know at the time that the path slanted in that section. I just knew peddling and steering on that part challenged me more than in the middle.

I struggled to take in the sights and enjoy this stretch of the ride because I was so focused on not crashing into the gutters or another rider.

Foxhole prayers

At one point I started to hum to distract myself. I’m sure I also started to pray. You know, one of those foxhole prayers in the moment of deep distress and need. Praying and humming was calming. When I’m not struggling to stay upright on a bike, I write worship songs and play the violin with a worship team, often creating a violin part during the service. So I drew on these skills that were comforting and familiar, and made up a melody to draw me into a place of comfort and peace.

Connecting to Jesus

This praying and music making connected me to Jesus. I no longer focused on what was worrisome, but instead on that which brought peace and calm.

I know it’s early to talk about Christmas, but it’s like when we hear the beginning of a favorite Christmas carol. It can transport us to a memory or a feeling that brings comfort and joy. A place or sense that all is calm. That’s what praying and humming did for me.

Do I remember the prayer I prayed? No, though it was probably along the lines of, “Jesus, please keep me upright on this bike and help me make it through this tunnel.” I’m guessing my prayer was even shorter as that probably would have taken too much concentration. More like short bursts of hope to grasp onto. A simple, “Jesus, help,” (which I just noticed is the first word of each of those phrases).

So whether or not you’ve prayed before, I invite you to give it a try. Take a moment and just say, “Jesus, help,” and maybe you, too, will find a place where all is calm.

Riding into the tunnel – setting the pace

So there we were facing the long dark tunnel. (Did you see the photo of it in the previous post?)

There were no lights in this tunnel. The only light came from the one attached to the bike. The ride through the tunnel was on packed dirt with loose gravel on top. (Remember what I said about my childhood experience with loose gravel?)

Inside the tunnel            

This was a recipe for disaster. And the path was flanked by gutters full of rushing water while moisture dripped down from the roof of the tunnel. And there were puddles, (or potholes as I experienced them), ready to knock me off my bike, unless I rode around them, but maneuvering around them added to the wobble. (My husband told me later he could tell I was struggling because my bike light was swerving all over the place).

So all I knew about this tunnel was that it was long and dark and the ground I was riding on felt unstable. As much as I tried to hold steady, my bike kept meandering toward the gutter. (Later I would find out that was because the path sloped on both sides to help the water drain down toward the gutters, which was certainly practical and helpful for the gutters, but not for me).

Other riders

Added to all those unhelpful factors was all the other riders in the tunnel. Some were headed in the same direction as me. I was going slower, (which I later figured out actually made the ride harder). But the lights from the other bikes also illuminated the path, making it easier to see than going it alone.

Entering the Bible

Ever look at the Bible and feel like you’re staring into a long dark tunnel? Ok, so maybe there’s a little light at the beginning of Genesis, after all, God did create light in chapter 1 verse 3. (Genesis 1:3)

But not long after it can start to feel murky and convoluted.  Especially if we go it alone.

But we’re not alone on this journey.

Start anywhere

And with the Bible, as with the path, you can start anywhere. Sure, it may feel more logical to start in some places than others, but remember, the point of reading the Bible isn’t about figuring it all out the first time we read something.

Setting the pace

Sometimes reading a section quickly helps with the understanding of it and makes the journey through a chapter or story a little smoother than plodding over each verse.

It’s fun to go back over verses slowly to catch the nuance of what’s in them and the meaning behind the words, but it really is ok to do a fast skim or read through the first time.

As with the bike ride, slower was actually harder. Once I got the hang of riding, it was easier to stay upright going faster.

So find the pace that suits you and read on.