Numbers 14-15, Psalm 90

I have a highlighter that I keep with my Bible, and I use it when a certain verse or passage jumps out at me. When I find myself lingering on a particular verse, I'll highlight it and make a note. I haven't used my highlighter in quite a long time. Since the beginning of Exodus actually. But this day's reading had me using my highlighter again.

Numbers 14 describes the event of the people rebelling against God. Remember in Numbers 13, the 12 leaders of the tribes of Israel went into Canaan to see what the Israelites would have to face. And they found other peoples in the land, and 10 of the tribe leaders were scared. They didn't believe they could overthrow these peoples, and they spread negativity throughout the Israelites so that they wouldn't have to invade. Joshua and Caleb were the only two tribal leaders to have faith in the Lord, and they tried their hardest to convince the people of Israel to have faith, too.

Numbers 1-13

The Books of Numbers is exactly what it says it is - a book of numbers. Chapter 1 begins with a census of the Israelites, and the subsequent chapters are just more and more numbers. So far, I'm seeing that Numbers is all about logistics. How the Israelites, in a very mathematical way, managed their camp. Who was responsible for what. Which tribes were to camp next to each other. When the camp moved, the order in which the tribes would leave camp. There's not much else to say other than it's all about the numbers.

We still get a little bit in the way of rules and regulations - how the Israelites are to govern themselves. But all in all, it's about the numbers of the nation of Israel. But with its dullness, I still kinda like the Book of Numbers. We're given a much more concrete idea of what Israel looked like before entering Canaan. We get a clearer picture of everyone's responsibilities. I've always kinda liked logistics. I enjoy planning things. I enjoy finding logical ways to solve puzzles or to make the seemingly impossible, possible. Numbers indulges that side of me.

Leviticus 19-27

Today I finished the Book of Leviticus, which means I've now read four books of the Bible - Genesis, Job, Exodus, and Leviticus. I started reading the Bible seven and a half months ago, and I'm proud of myself for continuing with it all this time. This has been something I've wanted to do for several years, and I'm glad that I've finally started this journey.

In these last chapters of Leviticus, the chapter that sticks out to me most is Leviticus 22 - particularly the section entitled "Unacceptable Sacrifices." Y'all know that I keep up with an additional commentary website along with my readings, and I've kept repeating what that commentary says in my posts here on A Coffee Date with God - that Christians need not be bound by Mosaic law. And though I've struggled somewhat with accepting that thought due to the fact that I haven't read any of the New Testament, I'm still reading with that idea in mind.

But even though Believers don't necessarily need to worry with Mosaic law, the introspective side of me is convinced that there are plenty of lessons to be learned from the Israelites. There are still relevant messages within the laws and rules and regulations that God gave to the Israelites. And in Leviticus 22 I happened upon a lesson all on my own. This lesson isn't necessarily new news. I've known it pretty much my whole life, but one of the reasons I'm reading the Bible is to understand the religious teachings I've been fed all growing up for myself. I want to see where they are located in God's Word; I want to read Biblical stories and understand their messages first hand. I want to, in a sense, discover them for myself. (Or I guess "rediscover" might be a more literal way to put it.)

Leviticus 16-18

I was excited when I got to the Book of Leviticus because it's been quoted a lot lately - particularly in relation to homosexuality and gay marriage just recently becoming legal nationwide. If y'all remember, one of the big reasons I'm reading the Bible is because I'm tired of not having my own opinion on my religion. I've been told long enough what to think based on what other people believe the Bible says, but I think it's about time I find out for myself. So with a lot of references to this particular book - and even more specifically, to Leviticus 18 - I was excited to really get my own handle on what the Bible says on this matter.

But first, Leviticus 16, which describes the Day of Atonement. Basically, it's a ritual performed once a year to make atonement for all the sins of the Israelites. After a little more research, I realized that this day is known as Yom Kippur for Jews nowadays. I have a handful of Jewish friends, so whenever Jewish holidays come around, I'm happy for them, but that's been the end of it. I've never really known these holidays' significances. But now I see why Yom Kippur is such a big deal. Reading the Bible is not just teaching me about my own religion, but it's giving me some enlightenment into the religion of so many others.

Leviticus 1-15

This may seem like a lot to cover in one post (and I guess it is because that's over half of the book of Leviticus), but I promise it's not. Everything up until this point is all rules and regulations and sacrifices for the Israelites, and it's all incredibly repetitive.

The first seven chapters cover the different sacrifices the Israelites have to give depending on what they've done. We've got a burnt offering, a food offering, a fellowship/peace offering, a sin offering, and a guilt offering. And the priest must be used for all of them. No more making sacrifices on your own. And as I was reading the details of these sacrifices, the argument the commentary I use makes about Believers not having to obey the Law of Moses anymore starts to make more sense. Part of some of these offerings is eating. There are 7 billion people on this planet. If we still had to do these sacrifices, our priests would literally eat themselves to death. Like, the rules are clear; the food cannot be stored and hoarded and eaten whenever you want. You got one day. The impracticality of Mosaic Law alone is enough to suggest that Believers don't really need to worry about it.

Exodus 25-40

Um, hello! How long has it been?! I actually finished these chapters back in July, but I'm only just now deciding to discuss them. I've now completed three books in the Bible, and I've decided that I like taking a few days after finishing a book to not continue reading but to relax and give myself time to reflect on the message before moving on. (And it also gives me time to catch up on blogging in case I've gotten behind.) So that's exactly what I did. But a few days turned into a few weeks, and now here we are nearly two months later. Awkward...

But I've kinda put off blogging about these chapters for one reason, and that reason is.... these chapters, all in all, are pretty darn boring. I hate saying that about the Bible, but like, it's true. I'm just being honest. The vast majority of these chapters are simply God giving instructions to Moses about building the Tabernacle and how to make Aaron and his sons priests. And then it's all repeated when Moses (and a bunch of other people) actually follow through with God's instructions.

Exodus 19-24 & What to Think About All of It

So we get to that incredibly well-known moment in the Bible when God gives the Israelites His 10 Commandments. I've never been into learning about my religion until now, but I still remember learning the 10 Commandments in Sunday school when I was a little girl. And I feel like the 10 Commandments might just be the one part of the Bible that all Christians actually know. But I feel like most Christians don't realize that the 10 Commandments are accompanied by an assortment of other laws, too. And this gives me a whole new perspective on the whole story of Moses going up Mount Sinai and bringing down the Commandments on stone tablets.

In Sunday school and pretty much every learning environment I've ever been in, I was taught the 10 Commandments, and I was taught to keep them. Simply enough, not keeping the 10 Commandments was bad. But of course, I've struggled with keeping the Commandments just like every other person on Earth. I've taken the Lord's name in vain. I've never kept the Sabbath. I've lied, and I've had thoughts of "the grass is greener over there." But you know, I've always thought that if I truly made the honest effort, I'd be able to keep these particular Commandments that I've struggled with.

Exodus 13-18 & Capitalizing on Time to Prepare

Out of these six chapters in Exodus, chapter 18 stuck out to me most. It's when Jethro visits Moses and the Israelites out in the desert. And Jethro basically helps Moses to create some sort of structure to help manage the people of Israel - like a court system, a way to help settle disputes and disagreements and whatnot. What really stood out to me was the kind of men Jethro told Moses to "hire" basically.

"But select capable men from all the people - men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain - and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens." (Ex 18:21)

I'm not sure if I should really look into that super deeply, but it got me thinking... Imagine the good in the world if the public officials we elected were the "capable men" who Jethro describes - if they actually feared God and were trustworthy and were completely transparent with no hidden motives, no personal agendas. That's some good food for thought...

Exodus 1-12

I've clearly slowed down with my reading. I actually read these chapters of Exodus back in April, but I obviously haven't blogged about them until now, and I haven't continued reading either. I assume anyone who reads A Coffee Date with God also keeps up with SS Jess, and I made mention there that once I got a full-time job at the beginning of May I basically stopped making time for myself and the things I enjoy. A big change in your day-to-day routine takes some getting used to. But my one goal for the month of June was to make time for me again. So before the month is over in a couple days, I'm getting my Bible reading back on track.

So here we are...

Genesis 48-50

The thing that jumped out at me most in chapter 48 was Jacob's blessings to his two grandsons, the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh was the older, and Ephraim was the younger. But in Jacob's blessing he said that the younger brother would be greater than the older brother. This is becoming a theme - the younger sibling being blessed better than the older. First there were Isaac and Ishmael. Then Jacob and Esau came along. Then we learn about Judah and Tamar's twin boys; they struggled with each other in the womb to be born first. Now we see what happened with Joseph's sons when they were blessed by Jacob. Then in the chapter 49, we see Judah receiving the first born blessing despite being the fourth born. Everything's just really messy, and I can't help but wonder what might have happened if blessings were done according to protocol with the first born receiving the first born blessing. Obviously, things worked out how they were supposed to, but just imagine how different this world would be had blessings been given out differently.

So then we move on to chapter 49 when Jacob blesses all of his sons. I swear I read this chapter a dozen times because of verse 10.

Genesis 42-47

During these chapters, Jacob and all his sons end up in Egypt. (God actually tells Jacob to go to Egypt in order to make it through the famine, which is opposite from what he told Abraham and Isaac earlier in Genesis.) And Joseph reveals himself, and basically, the whole family is reunited. And since Joseph is in good with Pharaoh, Joseph's family gets dibs on the best land in all of Egypt - Goshen. Overall, it's obvious that all of them are pretty pampered living in Egypt. They make it through the famine just fine; Joseph forgives his brothers for selling him off, and that's all fine; life is just good.

Genesis 37-41 & A Lot of Foreshadowing

So Joseph, Jacob's favorite son and first son by Rachel, is eventually sold to the Egyptians, and chapter 37 tells how that happens. Basically, Joseph has a dream that he rules over his brothers, and he's so arrogant that he actually brags about it to his brothers. Remember, Joseph's brothers already hate him, so this little stint just made them hate him even more. Well, while they're all tending to the flocks out in the field, the brothers end up selling Joseph to the Midianites. And they fake his death so they don't have to tell their father, Jacob, the truth. Then the Midianites end up selling Joseph to the Egyptians.

The big thing here though is that Reuben, the oldest son, isn't around when Joseph is sold, so he also believes Jacob is dead. He thinks his brothers killed him. And Judah, the fourth son, is the one who convinces everyone that it's better to sell Joseph than kill him. All the other brothers wanted to kill Joseph, but Judah stepped in and at least spared his life. This event and the time Reuben slept with Jacob's concubine in chapter 35 end up determining the blessings Jacob gives his sons when he's on his deathbed at the end of Genesis.

And this is all a huge deal because this selling-of-Joseph event is the first step leading to the Exodus. Just think, had the brothers simply settled for eye rolls and gossiping behind Joseph's back, the Exodus would have never happened.

Genesis 30-36 & Learning the Meaning Long After Hearing the Lesson

UPDATE: So it's been a little quiet over here this past week. Don't worry, it's been quiet on SS Jess, too. I've been wrapped up in life. But I'm super excited to say that I have finished the Book of Genesis! That's two books of the Bible I can confidently say I've read and understand (or at least as much as a first-time reader can say she understands the Bible). When I first started this journey, I thought I would struggle with actually seeing this process through to completion. I was motivated when I started, but I know me, and I thought I'd lose that motivation at some point and struggle to make it through the Bible. But so far, that hasn't been the case. I thought I wouldn't read so often which would lead to not posting very often, but I'm actually reading so quickly that I put off posting so I can continue reading the Word. I guess that's a good problem to have, right? But here I am to get all caught up before starting the Book of Exodus.

So in these chapters, we start to learn about Jacob's descendants, and everything really starts to become about Jacob's line. He has a bunch of sons - 12 total - and we learn about one of his daughters, Dinah. But before I get into the whole Dinah thing, let's talk about Gregor Mendel and genetics!

Genesis 29 & Why I wish I'd known about it when I was 17

Genesis 29 might just be my favorite chapter in the Bible to date, and it's main star, Leah, has become my absolute favorite person of the Bible. Here's what happens.

Jacob makes it to Paddan Aram and ends up meeting this beautiful girl, Rachel. Come to find out, Rachel is his cousin, and she takes Jacob to her father, Laban, who is also Rebekah's brother. Laban is ecstatic to see Jacob, and he is happy to give away his daughter for marriage. The catch: Jacob has to work for him for seven years first. So Jacob works those seven years because he's, like, madly in love with Rachel and wants to marry her so, so bad. 

Well, on the wedding night, Jacob ends up marrying Leah instead of Rachel. Leah is Rachel's older sister, but she's not near as beautiful as Rachel. I'm under the impression that she's kinda homely and plain. After Jacob realizes he's married the wrong girl, he's pretty irritated and let's Laban know about it.

Genesis 27-28 & Deception

In these chapters, God's promise to Rebekah while she was pregnant really comes to fruition, and the selling of the birthright comes into play.

So we get to the point where Isaac is really old and on his deathbed. He wants to bless Esau (because he's the firstborn), but it winds up that Jacob steals Esau's blessing. And Rebekah is in on it, too. She overheard Isaac telling Esau that he wanted to bless him, and Rebekah said "oh, hell no" and managed to wiggle Jacob into the blessing instead. (She liked Jacob better anyway, and when Esau married two Hittite women many years earlier she was livid.) Basically, just a whole lot of deception. What I don't understand: why can't everyone just tell the truth? (This question seems to be recurring.) Also, Genesis 27 makes it seem like Rebekah and Jacob were the big liars, but Esau is right up there with them, and so is Isaac.

Genesis 25-26

In these chapters we really start getting into the dynamics of Isaac's household. In chapter 25, Abraham dies and Isaac and Ishmael bury him with Sarah. We then get the lineage of Ishmael's side, which is where the twelve rulers come from whom we were told about in Genesis 17.

One question about a possible difference in Bible translations - in my NIV, Ge 25:18 says, "His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them." The phrase "hostility toward" has a footnote that reads, "Or lived to the east of.'

I don't know about y'all, but living in hostility and living to the east just don't mean the same thing, and obviously living in hostility is much worse than simply living eastward. This footnote was also used back in chapter 16, but it just now really jumped out at me. Which translation do you tend to use or lean toward? I'm leaning toward the hostility translation considering what it is happening in the Arab world today, but I also like to look for the best in people, so I'd like to go more with the living to the east. But I really just don't know.

Genesis 22-24 & Having Full Faith in God

I feel like a lot us believe in God and have faith in Him. We trust that He will take care of us, and we speak of how good He is. But do we really trust Him? Before I started reading the Bible I believed in God and knew He would take care of me, but I know I doubted Him. I didn't realize then, but now that I've started reading God's Word I see just how little faith I had in the Lord.

For example, in Genesis 22 God tells Abraham to go sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Now, God had already told Abraham that he would prosper through Isaac, so Abraham knew that regardless of what he did to his son, Isaac would live to have children. So Abraham takes Isaac to the mountain where the sacrifice is supposed to happen, and just before Abraham kills his son God stops him and provides a lamb to take Isaac's place. Talk about full trust and faith in God!

Honestly, if I had been in that situation I don't know if I could have led my only child to sacrifice. I don't know if I would have trusted God enough to follow through with His commands. And that made me think. How can I say I know and have faith in the Lord if I'm not willing to do all that He asks of me? Walking with God has so many layers, and it truly is a lifestyle. It can't be turned on and off at our convenience; we have to be walking with the Lord at all times. We can't choose when we want to trust God and when we don't. That's not how it works. It works by trusting in Him 100% of the time - no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Women of the Bible: Collector's CBS Edition

I've been visiting home for the past few days, and while I was home, my mom saw this magazine in the grocery store and picked it up so her and I could read through it. I find it so funny that I just had this little breakthrough in Genesis 21 when Sarah is given some approval by God, and then this magazine almost literally falls into my lap.

Genesis 21 & The Woman is Finally Right

In Genesis 21, Abraham's seed is finally born - the seed through whom God's promises would be fulfilled. This is a big moment! So Isaac is born, and after he's born, Sarah demands that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away. And surprisingly enough, God agrees with Sarah.

This moment really stuck out to me because this is the first time that a woman suggests something/makes a demand that God backs up. See, after Sarah demanded that the slave woman and her son be sent away, Abraham asked God if that's something he should really do. And God said, "Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." (Ge 21:12)

Genesis 20 & Sinning through Ignorance

The big, overarching story of Genesis 20 has to do with Abraham and Sarah lying about being married, once again, to a king. The couple tells Abimelek that they are brother and sister, which is technically half true, but they mention nothing of being married. Then God appears to Abimelek in a dream and reveals to the king that Sarah is a married woman, and he's as good as dead for taking her. Consequently, all of Abimelek's female slaves aren't able to conceive once Sarah comes into the picture. The happy ending: Abimelek apologizes to Abraham and gives Sarah back to him.

What confuses me the most is that God faulted Abimelek for taking Sarah as his wife even though Abimelek had no idea of the truth about Sarah and Abraham. He hadn't a clue that Sarah and Abraham were actually married. He clearly states that he did this with a clear conscience, and God agrees. So why is he to blame? Now, Abimelek had yet to actually touch Sarah, which apparently means he never actually sinned. But again, why does God say that had he touched Sarah he would have sinned? I'm not sure why Abimelek got all the grief here.

And for that matter, why is it okay for Abraham and Sarah to lie? Why is it okay for them to hide their marriage? We learn in this chapter that Abraham is, indeed, a prophet. (Ge 20:7) And it's my impression that he's the first prophet. Again, why is it okay for a prophet to lie? And why is God backing him? This all seems so backwards to me.

Genesis 19 & Being Totally Confused about the Definition of "Wicked"

So day 18 of my reading plan takes me through Genesis 19-21, and since I have so many thoughts about each chapter I've decided to split up my posts about them over the next three days. So today it's chapter 19 when we learn about the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

One thing I noticed was this is the first instance of homosexuality in the Bible. The angels make their way to Sodom where they are greeted by Lot whom convinces the angels to sleep at his home instead of in the city square like they had originally planned. When the angels are inside Lot's home, all the men in Sodom demand Lot to give them the angels for sex. I find it really interesting that homosexuality, in this particular story, is associated with wickedness.

One of the reasons I'm reading the Bible is to gain an opinion about topics that I'm currently unsure about, and my views on homosexuality fall into that category. I've struggled with how I think of it. From what I've heard from super religious people is that homosexuality is a sin, "and it says so in the Bible." I've never been sure if I really believe that; I'm reading the Bible to find out for myself. And I want to believe that the Bible says nothing about hating a person for their sexual orientation, but this first mention of it is giving me a negative view. I don't like it either; I want to believe that God doesn't hate the gays despite what people say. I'm eager to read more about the Bible's stance on homosexuality, and I'm praying for understanding about this heated topic that is a huge part of today's society.

Genesis 12-18

It's been a while! This past week has been super busy, but even though there hasn't been a post I've still been reading. After finishing the Book of Job, my reading plan took me back to Genesis, and I think I'll be going in order for the next few months. So anyway, on to the rest of Genesis...

This is when we start to learn about Abram, who eventually has his name changed to Abraham. Long story short, he settles in Canaan, and after a short stay in Egypt during a famine, Abram is doing pretty well. The only thing he's really missing is an heir. He ends up having a son with his wife's slave, and the son is named Ishmael. But God isn't totally excited about all of this, and He promises that Sarai, Abram's wife whose name is changed to Sarah, will have a son to be named Isaac.

Job 32-42 & The Moral of the Story

I finished Job! The Book of Job is the first Book of the Bible that I've actually read all the way through. It's one Book that I feel like I can speak on with some authority now. I feel accomplished. For someone who's never read the Bible - maybe only 10 verses at most throughout my whole life - having one Book under my belt feels so good. But anyway...

The Book of Job ends with Elihu speaking first. I have no idea where Elihu came from, but regardless, he's there, and he's got some things to say. Elihu is younger than Job and his friends, but he makes it clear that he needs to speak. Oh yeah, and Elihu thinks he is the end-all-be-all of godly wisdom. So Elihu speaks, and he pretty much repeats what EBZ have already said. Elihu, too, is convinced Job has sinned and that he needs to repent.

Job 29-31 & Pride

These chapters include Job defending himself one last time. I mean, as if he really needs to. All I've read for the past week and a half is Job defending himself, but nonetheless, for the last time Job is making his final speech in defense of his actions.

Chapter 29 is all about Job reminiscing on the good ole days. He reflects on life before his trial. He was respected. Younger men felt that they couldn't be seen in his presence, and older men stood when he entered the room. And he helped the needy - providing clothes to the naked, giving food to the hungry, standing up for the meek. There's no denying the Job is a standup guy. And Job is very proud of himself for all the good he's done.

Job 24-28 & An Epiphany

These chapters of Job take us to the end of the long monologues between Job and his friends. Hallelujah! Okay, that might sound bad. But you can't deny that all those monologues seem to go on and on and on. I'm ready to get to the meat of the Book of Job, and it's finally coming.

So in these chapters, Job and his friends wrap up their monologues. Bildad is the last of Job's friends to speak, and then Job gives one final speech to his friends where he pretty much curses them. Job describes all the bad things that will happen to wicked people, and it kinds seems like Job is aiming all of these descriptions at his friends - as in this is what will happen to them because they have given such awful advice and just been terrible.

Job 17-23 & 2 Lessons I've Learned

I'm combing multiple days worth of reading into one post again. For this post, the readings are Job 17-20 and Job 21-23.

The stage for today is very similar to yesterday's stage. These chapters are a continuation of the long conversational monologues between Job and his three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Basically, Job is still pitying himself and wishing for death. He's so confused as to why God would put him through such misery despite Job being a righteous man. And Job's friends are still convinced that Job is lying about his righteousness. They are begging Job to repent for the sins they assume he's committed. They also become more and more bold with their accusatory statements about Job, and it's gotten to the point of just downright meanness. They're definitely "kicking the man when he's down" so to speak. 

I said yesterday that the Book of Job is very repetitive, and I'm standing behind that. I'm sure that the final chapters in Job are full of insight and "ah-ha" moments, but it's taking a lot to get to that point. I can't help but wonder why there is so much talk before "the meat" of the story. My only guess is that, through repetition, we are supposed to get a better understanding of the severity of Job's frustrations and how detrimental bad counsel from friends can be to a person experiencing struggle. I'm trying to remain focused, but I'm not going to lie, the bulk of the Book of Job is kinda boring. I really liked the beginning, but now I'm just ready to get to the end.

Job 6-16: Three Days of Reading in One Post

Maybe you're wondering why I'm combining three whole days worth of Bible reading into one post. Well, the Book of Job is predominately conversation between Job and his three friends: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. There's a ton of back and forth and repetition. So to spare y'all a bunch of repetition here on A Coffee Date with God, I've decided to combine the readings.

Like I said, in these 11 chapters Job is having a big conversation with his friends. Basically his friends are convinced that the reason Job has all these nasty boils all over his body is because Job has sinned. And to their defense, this is all they know - that God punishes sinners. They don't understand the concept of trial, which I touched on in my last post.  

Job 1-5 & Testing Faith

I've read only the first five chapters of Job, but I am LOVING this book already. It's written in a very poetic way, and it's just great. I never would have thought that I would have a favorite book of the Bible or anything like that, but Job might be changing my mind. So now that I'm done gushing...

Here we've got the story of Job. He was a righteous and blameless man. And he was pretty wealthy because he has, like, a million different animals in his flock. He's also has a bunch of kids, and his kids are a bunch of partiers. But Job is so righteous that he constantly praises God; he even offers sacrifices to God on his kids' behalf just in case they're sinning while they're partying. Job is basically just an all around good guy. And he's a pretty stellar dad, too.

Useful Commentary

So I officially started reading the Bible on February 13, and I've been moving along steadily since then with my readings. If you'll remember in my post covering Genesis 1, I had an "oh crap" moment and realized I had no idea what I was doing as far as reading the Bible and interpreting it. So I ended up scouring the internet for advice on how to properly analyze God's Word so I could correctly apply it to my life. Well, during that scouring I came across a website full of incredibly helpful commentary, and I've been using it to help me understand my readings. I wanted to share it with y'all since I've found it to be so useful.

The website is called BibleTrack. It has a very plain and basic layout, but the information I've found is awesome. And what I love is that the different commentaries are grouped to follow my chronological reading plan. If you follow that link you'll notice that "day 1" says to read Genesis 1-3. Then, on BibleTrack, chapters 1-3 of Genesis are their own commentary. So I'm not having to read commentary from one chapter then having to go find another chapter's commentary. It's set up so that I can click on my chapters for the day's reading, and I have everything I need on one page.

BibleTrack is maintained by Pastor Wayne D Turner, and I really like how he writes his commentaries. They're conversational in tone, and they have a touch of humor. I feel like it's pretty similar to how I write (or at least try to).

Anyway, I've just found this website to be super useful, and I wanted to share it so it can help y'all with your own Bible journeys, too. I've also added it to my navigation bar so you can find it easily if you end up using it as much as I have been. If you do check it out, let me know what you think!

Genesis 9-11

This is when we start to learn about Noah's sons and how all the different nations come from these three men. We then get to the story of the Tower of Babel and are introduced Abram.

To be totally honest, the genealogy in chapter 10 is super confusing. It's easy enough to follow, but it's not as easy as learning the descendants of Cain and Seth. There are so many words in this chapter that I just can't pronounce. So this chapter was a struggle to grasp. But at least I understand the big picture and that's that Shem, Ham, and Jepheth repopulated the earth with the help of their wives (and probably a bunch of other women, too).

Genesis 8-9:17

The story of Noah is wrapped up in Genesis chapter 8 and the first half of chapter 9. And I think some of my favorite verses so far come from this section. I also had a morality question of mine answered.

Chapter 8 discusses the end of the flood when God stops all the rain and the flood waters recede until the earth is dry again. This chapter is another one of those things that I knew nothing about before reading the Bible. We're always told about Noah and the Flood - how it rained for forty days and forty nights then Noah sends out a dove to see if the coast is clear. (LOL, pun might have been intended.) But little did I know that Noah and everyone and every animal were on the ark for over a year. That is a long time to be on a boat, and it's just further proof of how strong Noah's faith was in God. Even after the dove never returned, Noah waited for God to give the all clear. 

Genesis 6-7 & The Importance of Family Above All Else

Chapters 6 and 7 explain how the world became so wicked that God destroyed it with a flood but not before sparing Noah and his family and commanding Noah to build an ark. I think these stories will always be part of my favorites because of a big message I got after reading chapter 7.

Genesis 6 - The Wickedness of the World; Genesis 7 - Noah and the Flood

I had two main questions after reading this short chapter. Why are they sons of God but daughters of humans? And who are the Nephilim?

After learning that part of Eve's punishment in The Fall is to desire her husband, I've been a little confused about my role as a woman in the eyes of God. Then in Genesis 6:2 I feel even further confused when it says, "the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose." Why are the sons of God? And why are the daughters of humans? To me, the word choice there is like saying daughters (or women) aren't good enough for God. But I just can't bring myself to believe that. I'm sure I have to be misinterpreting something, and it's really driving me crazy.

Genesis 4-5 & Controlling My Temper

"Day 2" of my reading plan consisted of Genesis 4-7. And like "day 1" I've decided to cover this day's reading in two posts, so today I'll talk about chapters 4 and 5, and tomorrow I'll cover chapters 6 and 7.

Chapter 4 is the story of Cain and Abel, and chapter 5 is From Adam to Noah. I actually did not realize that Cain and Abel were the direct sons of Adam and Eve. Like, I knew the story - Cain kills his brother, Abel - but I thought it was more in the middle somewhere. I had no idea it was like right after Adam and Eve. So here's another example of my complete lack of Bible knowledge. Also, I did not realize that the story of Noah and the Flood happened so soon after Adam and Eve. Again, I thought it was a little later. It's embarrassing to admit this stuff, but it just makes me glad that I've decided to follow a chronological reading plan. Knowing the order in which things happen is a huge factor in my ability to learn new things, and I truly feel like I'm understanding what's going on. I feel like I have a grip on these first 7 chapters of the Bible.

So anyway, the story of Cain and Abel...

Genesis 2-3 & Gender Roles

"Day 1" of my reading plan included the first three chapters of Genesis. Yesterday I wrote about Genesis 1, and today I'm finishing up with my thoughts on Genesis 2-3. These chapters explained the stories of Adam and Eve and the Fall.

Genesis 2 - Adam and Eve

Observation

In chapter two, we learn how God created Adam "from the dust on the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (Ge 2:7) We also learn about Eden - what it looks like and its geographical location. God also gave Adam one commandment: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Ge 2:16-17)

My "Oh, Crap" Moment & Genesis 1

"Day 1" of my Bible journey started on Friday. And as I began reading Genesis I quickly realized I had no idea what I should be looking for. I spent so much time researching "how to read the Bible" before ever opening the book. I looked up reading plans and the difference in translations. Yet I completely overlooked the most important part of all - how, exactly, do I read the words on these pages? How do I properly interpret what I'm reading? How do I analyze what has been written here, and what am I supposed to take from these readings to apply to my own life? Basically, where do I begin?

The whole purpose of my wanting to read the Bible was so that I could properly interpret God's Word for myself and so that I could properly apply his teachings and messages to my own life. But as soon as I read "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" I had an "oh, crap" moment. I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for.

Why I'm Reading the Bible and a Few Other Things

Hello and welcome to A Coffee Date with God! I'm assuming nearly all of y'all reading this post came here from my main blog, SS Jess. And I'm going to assume that you've noticed an aesthetic difference between this blog and my main. When creating this blog, I decided to keep it very simple. No need to purchase a custom domain name; no need to have a fancy layout design. Unlike SS Jess, I have no interest in really advertising A Coffee Date with God. I don't care to have a huge following or eventually monetize this little space. This is purely for my own benefit, and it's simply an added bonus if others want to follow me on my journey. And I hope you will despite the lack of wow factors.

So now that I've gotten that little disclaimer out of the way, read on for all the explanations that may be striking your curiosity. Fair warning, this is a long post.