Hello Bible Adventurists,
Welcome to 2025 and the Beginning. Genesis has so much information packed into such a few words. In it we have the story of the creation of the universe, our world, mankind, our societal structure (family), and the plan for our relationship with God. Many skeptics will point to some “scientific evidence” that they claim refutes Genesis, but there were no human witnesses to creation. I believe that science and theology point to the same single (only) truth…and the Truth will set you free. Remember that Genesis is how God explained His act of creation to Moses (who was an 80-year-old goat herder in 1500BC) in a way that Moses could understand, remember, and pass on to others. It is important to understand this story and your beliefs about it because this is the starting point for almost every attack on faith. If someone can cast doubt on the first few pages of the Bible, they can discount the rest of the book.
I know we are or will be reading through long lists of names in family lineage. Don't get too caught up in or distracted by these lists of names. A few will become leaders of nations or cultures (like Canaan, Moab) that you might recognize or come across later in our reading. Most of these people were historically insignificant and did little more than raise children in a family of faith. That allowed the great historical figures like Abraham and Moses to exist to be used by God for His purpose. The fact that their parents and grandparents lived lets us know that the great figures were indeed people and not myth or legend. These genealogies add credibility and validity to those things in the Bible (like conversations) that cannot be verified. Perhaps those insignificant people weren't so insignificant after all.
We do have an online forum for discussion, questions, or just thoughts. The daily readings are also posted there if you find yourself somewhere without your usual Bible. Making comments and asking questions can really help broaden all our understanding of God’s Word. If you would like to participate, please join us at https://immanuel365.net
I got a nifty QR code to get to the forum, but I didn’t realize it was a subscription service and the QR was deactivated. I'm an internet amateur (I feel like an 80-year-old goat herder) so please be patient with my forum admin skills. You will have to sign in and get a username to comment on the forum. It’s the only way I can keep hackers and spam out of the forum. The forum for previous year's adventure is also there if you are interested in those comments as well. If you are not a forum person, but have a challenging question or interesting thought, please share it with our email group.
Please feel free to invite anyone to join our adventure. If you have questions about our adventure or know someone who is reading along and would like to be added to this email list, please contact me at TRTighe@gmail.com. If you would prefer to not be on my list, let me know that, too.
Thanks for joining us.
In His service,
Tom Tighe