Logos, Genesis 1-11

Here is a summary of what I've learnt during session 2 of the teen timeline, based on Genesis Chapt 1-11.

Gen 1-3
1. The first half of Gen 1:6 can be contrasted to an event that happened to Jesus. What is the event? How are they contrasted?

- Jesus's testing at the desert. 1) He was tempted to turn stones into bread. (If Jesus feeds all of us, then we will be happy and worship him.) 2) He was tested to jump off and let the Angels catch him. (If Jesus dazzles us with his tricks, we will worship him) 3) Worship the devil and rule over all nations. (To have power over all things, including political power)

2. The following translation is from the Douay-Rheims translation (the oldest Catholic english translation): Gen 3:15 – “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” Can you spot a difference with modern translations? What do you think about this difference?

- Modern translation says that thou shalt lie in wait for his heel. Seed is Jesus. Serpent is Satan. The seed will crush the head of the serpent. The person bearing the seed who crushes the heel. On the statue of our Mother Mary, we see Mary stepping on the head of the serpent.

3. In Gen 3:16-19, God imposes some “punishments” on man and woman but that they are really lessons on love. How are they lessons on love?

- Love means suffering, pain and truth. During childbirth, the tears of pain becomes tears of joy. To work is a sancitfying thing. We have joy in the production of work.

Gen 5:32-7:10
4. How old was Noah when the floods came? 600 years old

Gen 11
5. From which descendent of Shem, do we get the name “Hebrew” from? Eber

In Genesis, I learnt about God's divine design of creation and how much he pays attention to details. God, the timeless, gave us time. He created separation from day and night and gave decoration to earth. The process of creation gets more and more complex. Man gets intellect, free will, rules over all creatures and the capacity to live in the image of God.

The first time God said 'not good' in his creation, was when he needed to create something to accompany Adam. Man is created to give and woman to receive. We are a mystery to be held. Man protects the garden and his wife, Eve. Shamar means to guard. Adam is 'Man' in Hebrew. Eve is 'Female' in Hebrew.

Matrimony means the way of making a mother. Sabbath is a sign of God's covenant as a day of rest for all of us. Just let God love you and dont do anything on that day. Covenant is a sworn oath, sacramentum.

The serpent in the garden is like a Nahash ( a large, forbidden, scary, huge sea creature) Adam was all along beside Eve, and he said nothing when Eve ate the apple. Adam failed to protect Eve and because of his pride, he exercises his will for himself, not for God. They are proud and wanted to be like God, then they ate the apple. Because of greed, fear, they disobeyed God.

The first covenant with Adam and Eve was broken and the 2nd covenant is with Noah. Noah built the ark, that is 450 feet long, that is one and a half football fields. Noah is a portrait of faith and trust. Even though he is a farmer and not a boat builder, he did what God has told him to do when the weather was bright and sunny. How often do we pray and is mindful of God when it's sunny? "My thoughts," says the Lord," are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours." (Isaiah 55:8)

The rainbow is the sign of God's covenant with Noah, that he will never send a flood to destroy all living things on earth again. God is a giver of love, perfect love.

We only follow the timeline of Jesus' family tree, as the gospel says "Now, there are many other things that Jesus did. If they were all written down one by one, I supoose that the whole world could not hold the books that would be written." (John 21:25)