Day 5: Tower of Babel

 Today's reading: Genesis 10 & 11; Psalm 2.

In today's reading in Genesis, we get a listing of the descendants of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Through Shem, the "eponymous ancestor of all Semitic peoples" (10:21; p. 71), we can note that his grandson Eber becomes "the eponymous ancestor of all Hebrew peoples," from which Abraham is descended (14:13). The last will obviously take a prominent role in Genesis. What I did find interesting is the descendants of Ham, who may not have cursed directly by Noah for some kind of sexual deviancy, but his progeny certainly were. As the Ignatius Bible states in the footnotes:

Ham is depicted as a progenitor of Israel's traditional enemies: the Egyptians (10:6), the Canaanites (10:6), the Babylonians (10:10), the Assyrians (10:11), the Philistines (10:14), and the Jebusites (10:16). (p. 71)

 Next, we have the story of the Tower of Babel. This explains how man came to spread all over the earth and how languages came to differ from one another. It should be noted, though, that it is a story of the effects of sin. As the BIY Companion, Vol 1, notes:

Ambition for excellence rather than power is a truly great thing. Ambition for excellence is what makes us strive to be great saints. God puts this desire in our hearts... Nimrod's people could have created a beautiful structure to honor God, but they chose to build a tower "to make a name for [themselves]" instead. They chose to glorify themselves instead of God. (p. 14)

We are then given another list of descendants, down to Abram, with his wife Sarai, and Lot (11:27-31). It is here that today's reading in Genesis ends.

In Psalm 2, we have another short psalm. It is one, though, which speaks of the Davidic covenant, which Jesus would later fulfill.

With this, what Bible in the Year calls the Early World ends and we move into the Patriarchs tomorrow.

Day 4: The Flood

 Today's reading: Genesis 7-9; Psalm 1.

In today's reading, we get the story of the Great Flood and the immediate aftermath. Noah and his family, along with the animals he had brought in the Ark, were all saved, but God "blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth" (7:23). So basically, total destruction and the survivors had to begin everything anew once they left the Ark. 

An ancient nonbiblical account from the Sumerians also survives, the Epic of Gilgamesh, which has many similarities but also notable differences from the Genesis account. Scholars have argued over these since it was discovered in the late 19th century. While it is entertaining, one of the biggest differences is that in Genesis, God makes a covenant with Noah after the Flood, the Noahic Covenant (8:20-9:17), which is not found in Gilgamesh. God promises that "never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth" (9:11). He establishes that man can eat animals, but murder is prohibited. The rainbow becomes a sign of this covenant (9:12-16).

As the BIY Companion, Vol 1, notes:

God's prohibition of murder reminds us of the gift of human life and the dignity of the human person. There is a distinction between animals and human beings: animals may be killed and eaten, but human lives - because of our distinct dignity - may not be taken. Our dignity comes from being made in God's image and likeness. (p. 12)

So sorry, vegan activists, but meat is definitely remaining on the menu!

The last part of today's reading in Genesis is an odd one on the surface. Noah gets drunk and Ham is said to "saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside" (9:21-22). Shem and Japheth enter the tent and "covered the nakedness of their father (9:23). After this, Noah curses Ham's son Canaan, while blessing Shem and Japheth. What are we to make of this? The Ignatius Bible states in the footnotes:

Variously interpreted to mean that Ham looked perversely upon his naked father (voyeurism), that he emasculated his father (castration), or that he sexually abused his father (homosexual incest). More likely, the expression is an idiom for maternal incest... So understood, Ham is guilty of having sexual relations with his mother, and this explains why a curse falls, not on himself, but on his son, Canaan, who would seem to be the child conceived of this sinful union. (p. 70)

The last does seem to be a reasonable explanation, though it does seem unfair that Canaan, even if he were the product of an incestual union, would bear the curse for his father's sin. Different times, different culture, I guess. And with this, today's reading in Genesis ends.

Psalm 1 is a short one, more like a meditation on the way of the righteous and that of the wicked than a hymn of praise like the previous ones. It's a brief, good read.

Day 3: Noah's Ark

 Today's reading: Genesis 5 & 6; Psalm 136.

We get a listing of the descendants from Adam to Noah, about 10 generations. Adam himself is said to have lived for 930 years total (Gen 5:5). His descendants are said to have had slightly lesser lifespans, but still far greater than our own today. The "sons of God" (either the godly line of Seth or possibly rebel angels) married "daughters of men" (6:2), and we see the mysterious Nephilim who were mighty warriors of old (6:4). God ends the extremely long lifespans of man and fixes his years to no more than 120 (6:3). It's honestly difficult for me to know what to make of all this. I enjoy a good myth, but how this figures into Scripture is beyond me. It's enough, I suppose, to accept what was passed on, and perhaps I'll gain a better understanding in the future or in the hereafter. 

Next, we see that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth" (6:5), with it only getting worse. God decided to end all life through a Great Flood, save for Noah and his family, along with a selection of animals, to begin anew. He instructs Noah to build an ark to carry them all in during the coming Flood, and Noah "did all that God commanded him" (6:11-22). We know from St. Paul that all of Creation was corrupted by the Fall (Rom 8:19-22), which means that Adam's sin not only impacted humanity but also affected nearly everything in this life. Given the low state of man at this time, along with the corruption of Creation, all of this may have influenced God's decision about the Flood.

At this point, today's reading in Genesis ends.

In Psalm 136, we have a beautiful hymn of praise. As the Ignatius Bible states in the footnotes:

It is a litany of the Lord's marvelous works in the past, all of which reveal his goodness and mercy and love... Its dominant theme, which gives hope to the People of God in all ages, is repeated 26 times in the refrain: "his mercy endures forever," which was probably an antiphonal response sung or chanted in the Temple liturgy... Psalm 136 is known in the Talmud as "the Great Hallel" and is sung today at the Jewish feasts of Passover and Hanukkah. (p. 947)

This Psalm closes with:

O give thanks to the God of heaven,

    for his mercy endures for ever.

Day 2: The Fall of Adam & Eve

 For today's reading: Genesis 3 & 4; Psalm 104.

In today's reading, we learn of the Fall of man, when sin entered the world, and death first began to stalk us all to end our lives in this world. Whether what is told in Genesis is meant to be taken literally or not, it is notable that the eating of the forbidden fruit by our primeval parents is about more than just a tree or fruit. By their sin, Adam & Eve bought Satan's deception and broke their covenant with God, and, ignoring His authority, put their will above His.

As the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible notes in the footnotes for Genesis:

Satan was driven by envy to rob man of his blessings and bring death into the world... Jesus thus refers to him as "a murderer from the beginning" (Jn 8:44)... Notice that Satan uses half-truths to seduce and mislead: he claims that the couple will not die (3:4), that their eyes will be opened (3:5), and that they will become like God (3:5)... However, in light of God's intentions, these promised gains turns out to be painful losses (CCC 392, 2847). (p. 62)

A somewhat amusing episode is related where Adam & Eve try to hide from God, as if He wouldn't know where they are at all times (Gen 3:8). I suppose this shows their innocence even after the Fall because in this act, they are rather like toddlers.

We do see the immediate effects of the Fall, with the first murder when Cain slew his brother Abel out of jealousy. We still deal with this curse of Cain to this day, with life being cheapened and murder seemingly being a favorite pastime of ours. It has been said with good reason that the most dangerous predator of man is his fellow man. Cain began this vicious cycle ages ago, but why? Jealousy, to be sure, but over what? This from the BIY Companion, Vol I, is a good possibility and a note of caution for us:

One possible explanation for why God accepts Abel's sacrifice but not Cain's is that Abel offered God the firstfruits (that is, the best) of his flock. We should also ask ourselves if we are offering God our best. When it comes to prayer, do we offer God the "firstfruits" of our day? (p. 8)

 With this, today's reading from Genesis pretty much ends.

In Psalm 104, we find a hymn of praise for God as Creator and Sustainer of life. He not only creates everything, but it is through Him that all is nourished and sustained. God is not the "Watchmaker" but is active in His creation and "renewest the face of the ground" (104:30) , as Scripture attests. This is a beautiful meditation upon Creation in Genesis, ending appropriately with praising God.

Day 1: In the Beginning

 For today's reading: Genesis 1 & 2; Psalm 19

In the first two chapters of Genesis, we are given the story of Creation. This is not intended to be a scientific textbook, but rather a basic account of Who God Is and how Creation came about. We see what has always struck me as different from all the other stories of that time: a single God creates us ex nihilo simply by His word alone: "God said". Not from violence, jealousy, or domination, but because of His goodness.

In the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, we see this in the footnotes about creation stories from Near East paganism:

According to the pagan myths, a pantheon of deities existed in the beginning; the gods were embodied in nature and had humanlike needs and imperfections; the world was born out of a struggle between the gods; and man was created only to be exploited by the gods. (p. 57)

Yet, we find something completely different in the Bible. As the BIY Companion, Vol 1 notes: 

Unlike other creation stories, Genesis shows that God did not create human beings to be his slaves or entertainment - he created us to share in his own life. No religion or worldview apart from the Judeo-Christian believes that human beings have been created in God's image and likeness. (p. 6)

Our primordial parents, Adam & Eve, are introduced. With that, today's reading from Genesis ends. 

In Psalm 19, we find the psalmist rejoicing in "telling the glory of God" in what He did by  creation; the will of God as revealed in the Law; and the mercy of God to forgive transgressions against His law (Ignatius, p. 845). 

The last is summed up in this last verse:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of

        my heart

    be acceptable in your sight,

    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Ps 14)

The Sundered Road Rejoined: Introduction to the Early World

Today ends the introductions to the Bible in a Year podcast series with this third, and last,  installment! Fr. Mike Schmitz talks with Jeff Cavins about the early world as it is described in Genesis.

We will see figures like Adam & Eve and their children, along with the Great Deceiver, the Serpent. The Fall of our primordial parents brings sin into the world, and everything changes. We will become estranged from God and Creation by sin. Death also begins to stalk humanity, claiming each one of us at some point in our lives. Growing strife erupts as sin takes hold in the world after Adam & Eve, on up to the days of Noah.

The BIY Companion, Vol I, tells what happens:

The entire world is destroyed by the Flood. Noah, his wife, and his three sons and their wives are saved in the Ark, which is a type (or, figure) of the Church - a place of protection and life-sustaining provision. Finally, due to sin, one language becomes many at the Tower of Babel. (p. 5)

And it all starts tomorrow on Day 1. The Tolkienesque titles will stop, I promise! I couldn't resist for these intro days...

The Fellowship Reforged: Preparing for the Bible in a Year Journey

Today is the second of three(!!!) introductions to this Bible in a Year podcast series. This one is an additional introduction he added a year after the initial one, incorporating tips he learned along the way. It's pretty good. I like the explanation of how the Bible in a Year reading plan was inspired by the work of Jeff Cavins. I liked his work in how it leveraged our cultural preference for narrative in reading. Smart of him to take this from Cavins and apply it to reading the whole Bible. Fr. Schmitz also gives good advice on knowing our motivations for doing this, as well as establishing a daily habit.

One other thing Fr. Schmitz spoke about in this video are the BIY companion books. I've purchased all 3, based on how useful I found the ones for the Catechism when I did that. I'm eager to use them when I start Day One for this journey. This is the first one:

That's it for the prep intros. Tomorrow is the Introduction to the Early World, or the world that existed for the earliest books of the Bible, and then finally on to Day One!