It didn’t take long for me to find something in the Genesis that bothered me just a little: Gen 1:16 God creates two “great lights” — referring to the sun and the moon. The sun is certainly a source of light… but the moon? It only reflects light. And yet… God calls it a “great light.” So… is this a poetic thing? Is it a case where the ancients wouldn’t have understood the truth? Is it a broader definition of “light” than the one I am accustomed to? I’m not sure.
The story of Cain and Abel also struck me this time. Adam and Eve had a unique relationship with God — and even after they fell, they had a unique understanding of good vs evil. Yet… apparently, this understanding was not passed on to their kids. It took one generation to go from face-to-face with the Almighty to a jealous murderer. Interesting…
The story of what happened to Noah after the flood also caught my attention. Basically… Noah gets drunk and embarrasses himself by laying around naked in his tent. One of Noah’s sons, Ham, sees Noah in this compromising position and decides to tell his brothers about it. The brothers carefully cover up their father’s nakedness without looking at him. When Noah wakes up, he’s not happy about what Ham did… so he proceeds to curse Canaan, Ham’s son. This certainly seems like a case where the punishment does not fit the crime — all that cursing and relegating to servitude — just for seeing someone drunk and naked? After all, doesn’t the person who got himself drunk and naked bear any of the responsibility for what happened? And why curse Canaan, not Ham, the guilty party?
Just a few things that make me go “hmmmm” as I begin this journey 