Yesterday, I received "The Complete Bible Experience" from Amazon. Over 400 actors, singers, personalities, "perform" the bible as never before on 79 cds. I popped in the cd corresponding with my daily reading plan, which was in Genesis. I expected each actor would be reading a book of the bible. But it is more like a movie soundtrack, with the dialogue of each "character" spoken by a different person. The background sound effects and music add to the experience. I followed along in my study bible as I heard "God" speak.
It's just different than reading a page. There is inflection. There are dramatic pauses that are otherwise missed. It just brings it to life and keeps my mind from wandering. love it.
This morning I put the first cd in on the way to the gym to catch up on what I've already read.
Some points of interest:
In Genesis 1, God created creatures of the sea, birds of the air, and then animals of the land, then man. Science teaches that organisms evolved in this same order.
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Who is "us"? God & Jesus? God & the Holy Spirit? All three? God and the angels? Was God talking to his reflection in the water? Hmm...
In Genesis 3, after eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve hide from God when they hear him coming. He asks, "Where are you?". Does he seriously not know? He's GOD!
In Genesis 8 when the flood water recede from the earth, where did they go? Formation of polar caps? Back into the atmosphere? cool.
Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. 2 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers."
Holy cow. What do you say to that? God APPEARED to him. Was it kind of like when Morgan Freeman showed up in Steve Carell's driveway in "Evan Almighty"? They chat. Then in verse 22, "When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him."
I'm just trying to picture this. God appears out of nowhere, tells Abraham to "nip the tip" and then up, up, and away's back to his holy throne.
18: 1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.
How cool is this relationship? You're sipping some lemonade on your front porch and God comes strolling up the sidewalk. The next thing Abe knows, he's bargaining with the LORD over saving Sodom from destruction. And GOD gives. WOW.
Maybe Abraham had it easier than the rest of us.
He didn't have to rely on faith that his prayers would be heard.
Or that God even existed.
He could ask his LORD face to face.
Kind of a "Deal or No Deal" situation.
The Howie Mandel God.
At what point did he decide to stop coming to earth in flesh? Or was this Jesus?
No, it couldn't be.
Jesus is played by a different actor.
3 comments:
I'm reading through Genesis right now and really seeing things for the first time. Kinda neat.
One part I thought was interesting is when Eve ate, she was to be forever burdened by pain. (I read two versions, a worrying pain and a childbirth pain) But now everytime I don't feel 'ok' or I get 'hurt' I just say, "thanks Eve".
In a historic christian belief class I took, the "us" in Genesis 1:26 is debated as either God speaking to the heavenly hosts, or as a precursor reference to the idea of trinity since the Hebrew word normally translated "God," Elohim is in plural form (found in Gen 1:26, 3:22, 11:7). My prof, a scholarly dude, and the writer of the text both leaned toward the plural form meaning simply a "plural of majesty" as opposed to an allusion to the Trinity.
Food for thought nonetheless!
thanks for the insight!
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