Comments on: Reflections on the first week http://thehandwrittenword.com/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/ Sun, 20 May 2012 01:47:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Nathan Clark http://thehandwrittenword.com/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-18 Nathan Clark Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:35:07 +0000 http://thehandwrittenword.com/blog/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-18 Interesting that God's promise is to “never again kill off every living thing” and NOT ‘never again will I kill off every human’. I wonder if there were Sodomites familiar with the story of the flood musing the similarity of their demise. That's not likely, but perhaps Abraham and Lot saw the similarities. That's probably a good part of the reason Lot was so sure to run, and Abraham so quick to protest God's plans for destruction. Interesting that God’s promise is to “never again kill off every living thing” and NOT ‘never again will I kill off every human’. I wonder if there were Sodomites familiar with the story of the flood musing the similarity of their demise. That’s not likely, but perhaps Abraham and Lot saw the similarities. That’s probably a good part of the reason Lot was so sure to run, and Abraham so quick to protest God’s plans for destruction.

]]> By: Sarah Lynne http://thehandwrittenword.com/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-16 Sarah Lynne Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:40:29 +0000 http://thehandwrittenword.com/blog/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-16 Ok lots of errors in the above response... we need an editing option. I hope what I said made sense. I basically would've expected God to think that the new generation of humans, though bad, were better than the last, but God never says that. He just says that men are still evil, which is why I don't understand the purpose of the fresh start/flood. I also don't understand why God would regret His own work, and it almost feels like Him saying to Himself "I will never again curse (dishonor?) the ground because of man," is like saying that I'm not going to demolish my work again (creation) just because humans suck so much, which then sounds something weirdly similar to regret for flooding the earth because of the wickedness of men. That is what I thought was strange. From now on I'll re-read my post before I submit :) Ok lots of errors in the above response… we need an editing option. I hope what I said made sense. I basically would’ve expected God to think that the new generation of humans, though bad, were better than the last, but God never says that. He just says that men are still evil, which is why I don’t understand the purpose of the fresh start/flood.

I also don’t understand why God would regret His own work, and it almost feels like Him saying to Himself “I will never again curse (dishonor?) the ground because of man,” is like saying that I’m not going to demolish my work again (creation) just because humans suck so much, which then sounds something weirdly similar to regret for flooding the earth because of the wickedness of men. That is what I thought was strange. From now on I’ll re-read my post before I submit :)

]]> By: Sarah Lynne http://thehandwrittenword.com/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-15 Sarah Lynne Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:34:15 +0000 http://thehandwrittenword.com/blog/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-15 It didn't really bother me, but God's thoughts seemed a little strange. I still don't fully understand that back and forth between flooding the earth and not flooding the earth. The Bible says that He regretted making man, and then after the flood it says that God "said in his heart, 'I will never again curse (subscript- "dishonor" which is an interesting word) the ground because of man, (here's the weird part for me) for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth (end weirdness). Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done..." So what did God accomplish by ridding the earth of the previous humans. Were they really so incredably worse than us? I'm surprised God doesn't finish this up with something more like "I will never again flood the earth because those other guys were the worst and though these guys deserve it at least they are more awesome enough to be in a covenant with me" or something like that. God seems to just say... "ah well, people are still going to be evil, no point in doing that again" or something like that... I know He didn't say there was no point, but I just don't see what the point is in the thought of God after the flood being "the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth." In fact I got the impression that He was somehow saying "I'm not going to dishonor my creation again by cursing it." Like, He didn't want to keep having do-overs because that would dishonor the works of His hands... but why do it the first time? and then later He makes this big deal to Abraham that all the earth is under humans, which seems inappropriate given what the Lord said in his heart just a few verses prior. It doesn't really bother me that this is all so strange to me. It's way more interesting than if it had been the neat little bible story from Sunday school, but yeah... God is pretty inexplicable to me sometimes. It didn’t really bother me, but God’s thoughts seemed a little strange. I still don’t fully understand that back and forth between flooding the earth and not flooding the earth. The Bible says that He regretted making man, and then after the flood it says that God “said in his heart, ‘I will never again curse (subscript- “dishonor” which is an interesting word) the ground because of man, (here’s the weird part for me) for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth (end weirdness). Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done…”

So what did God accomplish by ridding the earth of the previous humans. Were they really so incredably worse than us? I’m surprised God doesn’t finish this up with something more like “I will never again flood the earth because those other guys were the worst and though these guys deserve it at least they are more awesome enough to be in a covenant with me” or something like that. God seems to just say… “ah well, people are still going to be evil, no point in doing that again” or something like that… I know He didn’t say there was no point, but I just don’t see what the point is in the thought of God after the flood being “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” In fact I got the impression that He was somehow saying “I’m not going to dishonor my creation again by cursing it.” Like, He didn’t want to keep having do-overs because that would dishonor the works of His hands… but why do it the first time? and then later He makes this big deal to Abraham that all the earth is under humans, which seems inappropriate given what the Lord said in his heart just a few verses prior.

It doesn’t really bother me that this is all so strange to me. It’s way more interesting than if it had been the neat little bible story from Sunday school, but yeah… God is pretty inexplicable to me sometimes.

]]> By: Nathan Clark http://thehandwrittenword.com/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-7 Nathan Clark Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:21:03 +0000 http://thehandwrittenword.com/blog/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-7 Count be bothered, but open. I keep thinking of Deep Impact, the Armageddon rival actiony film from the ‘90s. At first the world didn't believe, but the finally starting buying in at impact and so many perishing fleeing for higher ground. Of course the divergence is that the asteroid was happening regardless whereas I wonder if a few other believers would have stayed God's hand. But I keep playing back the limited scenes of Deep Impact I remember from the fleeing when I think of the flooding. Count be bothered, but open. I keep thinking of Deep Impact, the Armageddon rival actiony film from the ‘90s. At first the world didn’t believe, but the finally starting buying in at impact and so many perishing fleeing for higher ground. Of course the divergence is that the asteroid was happening regardless whereas I wonder if a few other believers would have stayed God’s hand. But I keep playing back the limited scenes of Deep Impact I remember from the fleeing when I think of the flooding.

]]> By: Meghan http://thehandwrittenword.com/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-6 Meghan Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:59:49 +0000 http://thehandwrittenword.com/blog/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-6 So does it bother anyone else that all the inhabitants of the earth were destroyed? I don't really know what to think of the story from their perspective. So does it bother anyone else that all the inhabitants of the earth were destroyed? I don’t really know what to think of the story from their perspective.

]]> By: Amanda http://thehandwrittenword.com/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-5 Amanda Sun, 13 Apr 2008 06:50:52 +0000 http://thehandwrittenword.com/blog/2008/04/13/reflections-on-the-first-week/#comment-5 I agree. I've read Genesis so many times, and it wasn't until I began to write word for word that I actually saw things-important things, for the first time. I, too, was surprised at how I overlooked the number of pairs Noah took on the ark. It's great how writing forces you to slow down and take in so much more. I agree. I’ve read Genesis so many times, and it wasn’t until I began to write word for word that I actually saw things-important things, for the first time. I, too, was surprised at how I overlooked the number of pairs Noah took on the ark. It’s great how writing forces you to slow down and take in so much more.

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