Inspiring to see you take Bible study so seriously. And the approach is similar to what we have been doing here. Engage directly with the text first, multiple translations and languages if possible, write down your own questions and answer them before consulting commentaries. Honestly, taking this course has raised the bar on how I study the Bible, or anything else worth studying. For that, I’m grateful.
Thanks, Michael!
Almost 600 pages—that’s quite a drop. That’ll give me plenty to read for a while. I look forward to seeing your insights.
On my last trip through the Bible, I was focusing on its theodicy. Practically every story in Genesis involves God making something good out of circumstances that are not good (often due to human sin, though not always). That’s true of most of the Bible, really, but I was struck by how early and often the theme comes up. I thought the stories in Genesis seemed particularly suited for the Israelites, who I’m sure were demanding to know the reasons they had been left to suffer centuries of slavery.
I’ve looked to heaven and cried out “Why?” more than a few times myself, and I don’t think there could be a better answer than the story of Joseph and his grace filled words, “What you intended for evil, God intended for good.” That may be near the end, but I now find it to be the spiritual center of the book.
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