Hola from the sunny and beautiful California!!
Here I am studying the Bible for 9 months, and I arrived here just 3 weeks ago, we dived straight into Genesis and learning how to do the homework. We had 3 days of classes for Genesis, looking at history, who wrote the book, who it was written to, significance of certain passages etc. It's been so interesting to see patterns, and just to gain general information like who Genesis was written to (The Israelites). God had to kick out Adam and Eve from the garden because if they ate from the tree of life after the tree of good and evil they would have actually ended up living forever, so God kicking them out was actually a kindness.
I had no idea.
After the first week I essentially wrote a 60 page commentary on Genesis, about the history, about what patterns meant to the original reader and how I can apply the truths to my life. Last week we were studying Exodus and it's crazy to see such personal and specific laws and commandments being given to the Israelites after they've been brought out of Egypt. The Israelites were enslaved in Egypt for hundreds of years, surrounded by Egyptian culture and religions, so going from hundreds of gods to just one God who is relational and personal would have been such a shock for the Israelites.
God also really emphasises that the 7th day of the week needs to be a rest day which after being enslaved and told by Pharaoh (who was God to the Egyptians) that they had to do back breaking work would have been so contradictory. I'm learning so many things because I am studying each passage so in depth, I'm seeing patterns and repetition and things are clicking whereas whenever I read Genesis and Exodus before I never understood anything really.
Now we are studying Leviticus and my thoughts most of the day are 'it just doesn't make sense'..
1. because it takes time to really understand the verses and what they mean..
and 2. because why would God want to come and live with his sinful, unfaithful people? I guess the only logical reason would be because of pure, holy love that seeks relationship and connection. It doesn't make sense.
SBS is blowing my mind. I feel like everything I thought I knew about God before is only a tiny fraction of who he actually is. and we're only 3 books in. I'm learning really deep truths, and I am seeing God in a new light and I respect him so much more!!!
I really know SBS is a crucial time of training and learning for me right now. I am so thankful to be here even though the work is tiring and long. And I want to say thank you again for everyone who helped send me here and who believed in me! I know it's already life changing!!! =]
Here I am studying the Bible for 9 months, and I arrived here just 3 weeks ago, we dived straight into Genesis and learning how to do the homework. We had 3 days of classes for Genesis, looking at history, who wrote the book, who it was written to, significance of certain passages etc. It's been so interesting to see patterns, and just to gain general information like who Genesis was written to (The Israelites). God had to kick out Adam and Eve from the garden because if they ate from the tree of life after the tree of good and evil they would have actually ended up living forever, so God kicking them out was actually a kindness.
I had no idea.
After the first week I essentially wrote a 60 page commentary on Genesis, about the history, about what patterns meant to the original reader and how I can apply the truths to my life. Last week we were studying Exodus and it's crazy to see such personal and specific laws and commandments being given to the Israelites after they've been brought out of Egypt. The Israelites were enslaved in Egypt for hundreds of years, surrounded by Egyptian culture and religions, so going from hundreds of gods to just one God who is relational and personal would have been such a shock for the Israelites.
God also really emphasises that the 7th day of the week needs to be a rest day which after being enslaved and told by Pharaoh (who was God to the Egyptians) that they had to do back breaking work would have been so contradictory. I'm learning so many things because I am studying each passage so in depth, I'm seeing patterns and repetition and things are clicking whereas whenever I read Genesis and Exodus before I never understood anything really.
Now we are studying Leviticus and my thoughts most of the day are 'it just doesn't make sense'..
1. because it takes time to really understand the verses and what they mean..
and 2. because why would God want to come and live with his sinful, unfaithful people? I guess the only logical reason would be because of pure, holy love that seeks relationship and connection. It doesn't make sense.
SBS is blowing my mind. I feel like everything I thought I knew about God before is only a tiny fraction of who he actually is. and we're only 3 books in. I'm learning really deep truths, and I am seeing God in a new light and I respect him so much more!!!
I really know SBS is a crucial time of training and learning for me right now. I am so thankful to be here even though the work is tiring and long. And I want to say thank you again for everyone who helped send me here and who believed in me! I know it's already life changing!!! =]
our really accurate replications of the tabernacle
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