Tag: Genesis

Simple strategies for navigating scripture

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Christmas might be all packed away, but the search for ornaments on the tree may offer some strategies for navigating scripture.

Have you ever wondered how the Bible all fits together or how to find anything in it? Like locating each ornament on the tree, I’m all about understanding where to find content in the Bible. I think one of the biggest obstacles I faced when first trying to read it was how much time it took to find anything. Then when I did open it, many times the information felt a bit random. I didn’t know how it connected to the rest of the Bible.

As I was putting away Christmas ornaments, I saw similarities to scripture navigation which could prove useful.

All you have to do is find it

Most of the ornaments on our tree don’t have specific boxes they go in. Much of packing up Christmas is about making a space to store all of the holiday decorations. But some do have a specific box they go in, and a handful of those boxes have a picture of the ornament on the front so you know what’s supposed to go inside. Truth be told, those are the easiest ornaments to put away, because a particular ornament goes into a specific box – all you have to do is find the ornament on the tree.

Search becomes a treasure hunt

With the picture on the front of the box, you know what you’re looking for. Now the fun begins as the search becomes a treasure hunt.

I’ve seen that before

Next comes, “I know I’ve seen that somewhere before,” and you try to remember where on the tree you recall having seen the ornament nestled in among the fir branches, lights, and garland.

Sometimes I’ll remember I saw it when I was sitting on the couch looking at the tree, which helps narrow the search area.

How I find it

During the search one of several things generally happens:

I find the ornament right away.

I realize when and approximately where on the tree I remembered catching a glimpse of it.

I do a grand sweep of the whole tree (which rarely unearths the sought-after object).

My husband finds it, but that’s only if I let him know what I’m searching for.

I momentarily stop looking and find a box for another ornament. Eventually the one I was looking for appears.

The process

This year while engrossed in this process, which in some ways is like a game, I noted the similarities to navigating scripture, whether looking for Jesus or another connecting point in the Bible.

Sometimes Jesus’ presence in scripture is obvious, like in the Gospels when He’s with His disciples, and all those red letters highlighting what Jesus said if your Bible references Jesus’ words in red.

Other times His appearance or what I’m looking for isn’t obvious, but I’ll remember that it’s somewhere in the vicinity of or related to another story or passage I’m familiar with.

In other instances, I think about where and when I saw a particular scripture reference last.

What else was I reading at the time?

What other aspect of a passage of scripture do I remember?

Storyline

For example, the book of 1 Samuel begins with Samuel’s mother Hannah, hoping desperately for a child. Her fervent prayers are answered in her son Samuel who grows up to be a servant of God. He anoints the people’s king, Saul and eventually God’s choice for king, David. If we remember Samuel’s role in God appointing a ruler, we have clues to place people like Saul and David in the line up to help us find their stories in the Bible.

Other times I’ll release the search, keeping the concept I’m looking for in the back of my mind, knowing the Holy Spirit will catch my attention at the right time.

Name recognition

Genesis is another great place to establish some name recognition. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are a multigenerational trio that shows up throughout the Bible. Their storylines start in Genesis, but they continue to be mentioned from Exodus into the New Testament. Remembering these three goes a long way to keep us in the know as we read and see them reappear in various places in scripture.

Also, when we see something like “city of David” we can remember that’s connected to the David mentioned in the book of Samuel.

Connecting concepts

Leviticus holds some of the biggest treasure in the Bible, but for now, we’ll just focus on the offerings. In this third book of the Bible, we read about several different types of offerings. Just remembering the reference to these offerings in Leviticus goes a long way toward connecting other concepts in scripture.

Grand sweep

The grand sweep. This works well if you have a Bible with subheadings. It’s also helpful if you’re getting your bearings. You can skim the contents of a few books of the Bible, like all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, located at the front of the New Testament. A skim of the beginning of these four books of the Bible helped me find the missing manger. I also began to notice the similarities and differences between the Gospels, noting which stories and aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry are covered in each.

A quick view of the Bible

Another way to get your bearings is with a quick overview of the entire Bible. If you’re not sure how to go about approaching the Bible, I have a handy quick view of the Bible. It’s a tri-fold brochure that doubles as a bookmark, offering a quick overview of the whole Bible.

Bible quick view

What’s important is to simply start the process of looking. You’d be amazed at what you’ll find.

So next time you open your Bible, begin your search.

The trouble of reading the Bible and one possible reason we don’t

Piano books and Bible books – an easy way to learn

Two things that kept me from reading the Bible – and what changed my tune

Connection through contrast – Tower of Babel and Pentecost

Sometime opposites attract. Pairing Scripture passages through contrast, like the Tower of Babel and Pentecost, gives us a deeper meaning and connection between the Old and New Testament.

Scripture pairings

As I’ve spent time reading the Bible, I’ve noticed patterns and pairings of Scripture. Passages that stand well on their own are enhanced when viewed in light of another related passage, even a contrasting one.

I think it’s fun to be able to recognize correlations between the Old and New Testament.

The Tower of Babel in the Old Testament (Genesis) and the Day of Pentecost in the New Testament (Acts) are one such pairing.

Tower of Babel

The story of the Tower of Babel is found in Genesis 11:1-8. To summarize, the people, who at that time all spoke the same language, wanted to build a tower to reach heaven for their own personal gain. This was not such a good idea. The Lord scattered the people and confused their language so they couldn’t understand one another.

“That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 11:9 NIV

In summary,

  • man tried to reach heaven
  • man wanted to make a name for himself
  • God scattered the people and confused the language

Scripture contrast

Another short passage in Scripture presents a different association between heaven and earth. This one’s found in the New Testament.

Day of Pentecost

In the Book of Acts on a day called Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven like a rushing wind upon the apostles who were gathered together.

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:4 NIV

A crowd heard the sound, but not only that,

“Each one heard their own language being spoken.” Acts 2:6b NIV

What words did they hear?

“We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Acts 2:11b NIV

In summary,

  • the Holy Spirit came down to man from heaven
  • people heard their own language and understood
  • God’s name was praised, not man’s

The connection

Do you see the connection? The pairing of these two passages?

Each set of verses on its own is a self-contained story or event. Together they give us a deeper connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

How?

Through contrast

In this case it’s through the contrast of what occurs.

Did you see it?

If not, take another glance back at the two storylines.

Experience the connection

Much like tasting food instead of just looking at it, I think experiencing the connection in Scripture for ourselves leads to a more meaningful and lasting impression from words read.

Expect to see deeper connection

Are you new to making this kind of connection in Scripture? I think seeing them is just a matter of practice of expecting to see a deeper connection than what’s in plain sight or on the surface. The more we open ourselves to the possibility that a passage pulls from another place in the Bible, the more we allow ourselves to see the bigger picture and deeper significance of what we’ve read.

The more times we open our Bible, the more we see in the Scriptures.

The contrast

The people building the tower sought to elevate their own name and status.

The people at Pentecost praised the Lord’s name.

The pattern

We can simplify this into a short phrase:

Man reaches for heaven.

Heaven reaches for man.

The contrast.

Why this matters

Why does this matter?

We see the bigger picture when we recognize connecting points, even contrasting ones. Recognition simply comes from having seen something before. If we train ourselves to consider there could be a more significant correlation, we open ourselves up to being able to see these meaningful connections.

As you may have noticed, I’m a proponent of reading the Old Testament to shed light on the New Testament. Yes, the New Testament gives us Jesus. The Old Testament gives us the backstory and deeper meaning.

Want to see where the Tower of Babel fits into the context of Genesis?

Through Genesis – shedding light on the journey

Want a glimpse at where Acts stacks up in the New Testament lineup?

A bike and the Bible – The Gospels, Acts, and Romans – part 14

A bike and the Bible – Revelation – part 16

Revelation, the last book of the Bible, is where we find comparison to the final stretch of the bike ride. Join me as we shine some light on the path.

Perspective

We had traveled over several trestles on the length of this bike ride. They first appeared far in the distance – I hadn’t even realized they were a part of the route.

As we progressed further I began to realize they were an integral part of the trail. I started to see them in relation to other sections of the landscape of this trek. We can make a similar connection to the book of Revelation against the backdrop of the whole Bible.

Return to the tunnel

One more book to go. Revelation. Remember that tunnel at the beginning of the ride? The shuttle bus dropped us back at the wrong end of it in my opinion, but that’s the only place it stops. I think it’s really good that I had no clue I would have to ride through this tunnel one more time. I personally think that would have been my undoing had I realized this traumatic tunnel where I had encountered my fears would be my point of escape.

Revelation

For me, the book of Revelation was kind of like that too. The letters of Paul and others were comprehensible and then came Revelation, steeped in imagery. If I had thought the Gospel of John was hard to read with all of its visuals, Revelation came across like a bad dream. Well, it is the vision of the Gospel writer John.

Avoided reading

For years I avoided reading Revelation. Since I didn’t initially get the imagery of the Book of John, I had an even harder time understanding Revelation, penned by the same author.

Like the tunnel at the beginning of the ride, my first attempt at reading Revelation was a plunge into incomprehension and darkness. Nothing made sense.

Connections to the beginning

Once I read through the whole Bible though I saw some connections to the beginning in Genesis. Which is fun since I had to ride back through the tunnel at the end of the ride. And if you recall from early posts about this bike ride I referred to the start of the Old Testament as the long dark tunnel.

Tunnel of darkness

At the start of the ride I ran into the 1.661 mile long tunnel of darkness and unknown obstacles, many of which were internal (fears). Which was the same tunnel I now approached on the return.

Trying to initially read through the Bible I also encountered the long dark tunnel of the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Same issues

The beauty of the similarity of this journey is that in some ways, the same issues I had with getting started with the Bible, were the same ones that prevented me from crossing the finish line with this behemoth book in the first place. This last book of Revelation, this prophecy for the next chapter with Jesus, revealed nothing to me initially, only confusion.

Confidence

So what changed?

Well, for one thing, my confidence to even open it and read what was in it.

When I did, I was astounded. No, I didn’t suddenly have a full comprehension of what was in it. I was still confused. But my Bible was open to Revelation, and I was open to taking a look at God’s Word this far into the Bible – at the end of the book but not the end of the story.

What I noticed

So what did I notice?

I noticed this Revelation was a vision, what God had revealed to the Gospel writer John while he was exiled on an island. (Revelation 1:1,9-10)

I recognized references from Genesis (tree of life, tribes) and names for Jesus – the Lion of Judah, the Lamb, and the Root of David. I remembered reading about Judah in Genesis, the Lamb in Exodus, and about David in 1 and 2 Samuel. And those are just some of the places we find them.

Did I understand everything I read? No. Did I read through it even though I didn’t fully grasp it? Yes. Did I gain more confidence having read through it and opened this book in the first place? Yes.

I recognized more from Revelation because I had taken a chance at the beginning to read from Genesis, Exodus, and further in.

The point wasn’t to comprehend everything, but have a better sense of what was there.

As with the tunnel. The 1.661 mile tunnel was still dark and much too long for my taste. The ceiling still dripped water and the road still slanted toward the gutters. But I knew that now. I was aware of those elements, those aspects of this previously unknown path.

I had ridden the length of the trail. I knew what to expect, even if what I knew was that I would still be traveling in darkness. That revelation provided a level of assurance as I made the return trip through this space that had tripped me up at the onset.

What changed

We raced through the tunnel. Partly because we were hungry and way behind schedule, but also because I had grown a bit on the journey.

It was the same tunnel, but I was changed.

I now had the strength to endure, the tools to continue on this journey in spite of the darkness I would inevitably encounter. And I knew for certain I was riding toward the light.

I knew for certain I was riding toward the light.

Through my experience of the entire ride, the clunky start, the angst, the hesitation, I had gained skills over the course of my journey. And perspective. As I learned more about the route I saw how the pieces fit together. I could see where I’d been and where I was headed. And though I still struggled periodically along the route, I gained skills that helped me as I continued along the path.

Had skills

So by the time I arrived at this tunnel that had plunged me into darkness and confrontation of my fears, I had skills that helped me cope with the darkness and confidence that I was indeed riding toward the light.

Remember that mud stripe I saw on the backs of the ones who had ridden through the tunnel on the way in? That stripe came from riding quickly through the tunnel. When my husband and I emerged from the darkness we discovered that we now had the tell-tale sign of an experienced rider.

I wore my mud proudly. Yes, I rode the route. I pedaled fast. I sailed through the tunnel. I had enough light on the way back. I had confidence to soar through the darkness to reach the light.

And much in the way we were tagged by the trail and our experience with it, so do we, as we dive into Scripture and pursue the length of the journey, emerge as ones who have been with Jesus.

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 NIV

Want a quick review of Genesis?

Through Genesis – shedding light on the journey

Or a few more insights on Revelation?

Beginning with the Book of Revelation

A bike and the Bible – long dark tunnel – part 7

The beginning of the Old Testament can feel like a long dark tunnel. Here are insights to shed some light on the first five books of the Bible.

Tunnel entrance

The moment had arrived. No more stalling. I clumsily made my way to the tunnel entrance. I couldn’t see daylight. This was like the beginning of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. At the risk of being redundant, Genesis means beginning.

Darkness

In the beginning of Genesis the earth is formless and void. Darkness covers all. That’s what this tunnel felt like. Pure black nothingness. I had no idea where I was going, what to expect, what I would find, and all the while I felt like I was going to fall.

Fall

Which is actually a good metaphor for the beginning of Genesis because a fall happens pretty quickly. It’s “the Fall” that gets referenced everywhere. I heard that phrase a lot growing up but wasn’t exactly sure what it meant. What fall? Who fell?

Well, Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. They listened to a voice other than God’s, then questioned what they thought they knew, but more importantly questioned God’s love for them. The resulting consequence was a fall from grace and a boot out of the Garden, not because God didn’t love them, but because He did.

Before God sent them away from the Garden, He clothed them to cover their shame of being exposed.

God wants to cover our shame too.

Grateful for the light

Back in the long dark tunnel I was grateful for the light on my bike though it seemed pretty dim compared to the darkness that surrounded me. I was thankful to have my husband riding in front of me so I had some sense of direction and a little more light to guide my way.

In fact, this tunnel was filled with other cyclists, many who appeared to be experienced with the layout of the tunnel, or at least to me it seemed that way. With all those riders, this really dark tunnel had a constant stream of light flowing through it. This perpetual light may not have been bright but it was fairly steady.

Not alone

We are not alone when we read the Bible. We may know other people who have already read the stories we are just experiencing. I personally appreciate the people who like me are in the process of learning what’s inside.

Connection

The best part of reading the Bible is finding connection to God. When we read the Bible we take a step toward Jesus. The moment we open our Bibles we open our hearts to the possibility of time with Jesus.

Tried to maintain control

It took all my concentration to stay upright and not ride into the gutters that flanked the sides of the tunnel. For some reason the wheels kept leaning toward the gutters. Later I would find out the tunnel was slanted so the water that dripped from the ceiling could run off into those handy water troughs but for me they were reminders of how quickly I could go off course. I gripped the handle bars while I tried to maintain control.

Two-way tunnel

Did I mention this was a two-way tunnel? Yes, not only was I conscious of the riders behind me – who probably wanted to pass – but I had to watch for the ones sailing back up toward the entrance.

Funny, I didn’t grasp what was happening at the time, but some point later in the ride I realized I, too, would have to make the return trip. God was kind to keep me out of the loop at the start of the ride.

Foundation

Reading the Bible has similar characteristics. When I led a group of people through the whole Bible we spent a lot of time in Genesis. So many of the stories in Genesis lay the foundation for other sections of Scripture. If you haven’t read Genesis I encourage you to start there. If you want an overview of what’s in it, here’s a reference point:

Through Genesis – shedding light on the journey

If you read through Genesis you’ll find it flows into Exodus, which also continues with the story concept, though this one focuses primarily on the story of Moses and the Israelites. Here are some tips on how to navigate Exodus:

Find your stride – how to navigate Exodus

After Exodus comes the stumbling block of Leviticus. Most people like to skip this one, but reading with a group kept me accountable and I read through it. Leviticus is worth the trouble if you’re up for it. Here’s some help to survive the ride through it:

How to survive the journey through Leviticus

Much like the tunnel that never seemed to end, Leviticus can feel like a plunge into darkness. But if you even take the time to skim it, you’ll find some content that relates to Jesus in a most profound way.

And if you survive the journey through Leviticus, you have the reward of Numbers which begins with a mind-numbing census. Here are a few highlights of what can be found in Numbers:

How to find knowledge in the narrative of Numbers

Rounding out the first five books of the Bible is Deuteronomy, the book of remembrance. I personally find it ironic because if I make it this far through the Bible, it’s doubtful I remember what I read up to that point. Here are a few highlights to what’s in Deuteronomy:

Finding reminders in the book of Deuteronomy

If you followed me through this list then congratulations, you just made it through the long dark tunnel of the first five books of the Old Testament.

I want to give you permission to forget what you read. The Bible is always available for us to come back to and open it to remember what we’ve seen. But most of all, God is always available to reach out to – that’s all I need to remember.

Catching up on this series?

A bike and the Bible – an adventure – intro – part 1

A bike and the Bible – reservations – part 2

A bike and the Bible – what I thought – part 3

A bike and the Bible – getting started – part 4

A bike and the Bible – finding a Bible – part 5

A bike and the Bible – before the ride – part 6

Beginning with the Book of Revelation

Book of Revelation

The last two posts focused on the song “Is He Worthy?” which references Scripture from the Book of Revelation. So what is Revelation and how do I read it?

If Revelation is the first book of the Bible you’ve looked at, then congratulations! I’m thrilled you jumped right in. If Revelation is a book you’ve avoided reading for any number of reasons, and yet, you opened your Bible to take a look at what’s in it, then good for you! I’m so glad you took that step.

Perspective

Now that we’ve seen some of what’s in it, how about a little perspective? I’m not going to tell you how to interpret this image-filled book of the Bible, but I will give you some information that will hopefully help you approach it with a bit of curiosity.

Gospel of John

Revelation is the last book of the Bible and was written by the same person who wrote the Gospel of John.

The New Testament begins with the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The Gospel of John, also filled with imagery, refers to Jesus as the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Vine, and the Word, which introduces chapter one:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 NIV

In the beginning

If you’ve opened your Bible at the front before, do you recognize similar wording?

From Genesis, the first book of the Bible:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 NIV

John’s Gospel harkens back to the beginning of the Bible, the Old Testament, with familiar words from the first chapter of Genesis.

 “In the beginning,” bridges the Old and New Testament, and weaves a beautiful connection to this gospel writer who penned the last book of the Bible.

A revelation

The Book of Revelation is exactly that, a revelation, a vision that God gave to John while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. (Revelation 1:9-10)

Read Genesis

When my Bible study read through Genesis, we had no idea how much it would help us with Revelation.

If you aren’t sure how to even start reading Revelation, then first try reading Genesis. You can find some helpful tips on how to read Genesis here.

Correlation between Genesis and Revelation

See if you can find correlation between Genesis and Revelation, landmarks where something comes up again, is connected or includes related content.

Here are some that I noticed:

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life comes up in Revelation 2:7 and Revelation 22.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7 NIV

Genesis 2 and 3 provide the origin of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.

Read Revelation chapter 22 for additional insight.

Lamb

The Lamb is mentioned throughout Revelation, including chapters 5, 6, and 7.

From John’s Gospel, we see John the Baptist proclaiming the Lamb:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 NIV

This post on the song “Is He Worthy?” provides additional insight.

Tribes of Israel

Tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4-8) is a reference to the sons of Jacob (Genesis 35:23-26).

God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel. Genesis 35:10 NIV

Revelation

Whether this is your first time opening your Bible or glancing at the Book of Revelation, may you find connection in the Scriptures to our God who is worthy.

 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.” Revelation 4:11 NIV

Amen