The Bible

 

Genesis 1

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1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first Day.

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Commentary

 

Genesis 1 - Synopsis

By Bradley Sheahan, New Christian Bible Study Staff

Genesis 1, in its literal sense, tells the story of creation.

This is an ancient, ancient story of humankind. It was written down by Moses some 3300 years ago, but it’s far older than that. It was part of the “Oral Torah”, an oral tradition among Abraham and his descendants, and it’s a remnant from the Ancient Word, which dated back perhaps 5000 years in written form, and, again, far earlier in stories told around the campfires of countless peoples.

It’s not just ancient; it’s scientific! The sun and moon are out of sequence, but on the whole, it’s a pretty sound telescoping of what we know from astrophysics and geology and archeology.

And... here’s the main thing: It’s sacred. In its literal sense, it’s the story of God creating a world that can support life, and then living souls, and then human beings who can receive His love, and return it freely.

It is also a story that’s incredibly rich in symbolic meaning. At a deep level, it's telling us how people are born into a life focused on the world and its material distractions, but in time can be transformed by God into spiritual people. Each day described in the chapter refers to a new stage in the regeneration or rebirth of a human being, until we finally become heavenly in nature.

Here’s a brief chapter outline (and see Arcana Coelestia 6 for further reference!):

  • (Genesis 1:1-2) God creates the heavens and the earth. All is formless, and empty, and dark, but the spirit of God is brooding over the waters. This refers to a stage of life when we're still living in spiritual darkness. We haven't yet started to turn towards God. (See Arcana Coelestia 7)
  • (3-5) God creates light, on the first day. Here, we're at the stage where we understand that God really exists, and the light he's giving us represents our dawning understanding.
  • (6-8) God creates an expanse in the midst of the waters, and calls it the Heavens, on the second day. This represents some knowledges about truth that God is beginning to establish in our minds. (See Arcana Coelestia 8)
  • (9-13) On the third day, God separates the land and the seas, and causes herbs and fruit trees to grow. This represents a spiritual stage when the truths we know and the good loves we're cultivating are beginning to bear fruit. (See Arcana Coelestia 9)
  • (14-19) On the fourth day, God creates the sun and the moon, to rule the day and the night. The sun represents love, and the moon represents faith. The light of truth and the warmth of good loves are beginning to rule our lives. When evening comes, we have periods of doubt, and need to rely on our faith to pull us through. (See Arcana Coelestia 10)
  • (20-23) On the fifth day, God creates fishes and whales and birds – “every living soul” – and they are told to be be fruitful and multiply. Now, we're bringing forth deeper, better understandings of truth and good, and living and speaking from conviction. (See Arcana Coelestia 11)
  • (24-31) On the sixth day, God makes land animals, and then, in verse 26, he makes man, in His own image, male and female. He blesses them, and tells them, too, to be fruitful and multiply, and gives them dominion over the plants and animals. This day represents a state where we're reaching our human potentiality -- being spiritual people. The animals represent our affections for spiritual truth and good. We are beginning to be an image of God, when we're reflecting the good that flows into us from God. (See Arcana Coelestia 12)

As the chapter ends, God rests from His work. This describes a heavenly state of being, in which we have learned to love what's good and true, and we have learned how to live by these loves.

Not all people reach the seventh day in their spiritual development. Most people stay at the first state; some make it to the second; a few others the third, fourth and fifth; and very few the sixth. People today, as throughout history, are over-focused on their sensory knowledge and the pursuit of worldly aims including money, status, power, and comfort. But... God is brooding over the waters; he's waiting for us to say, "OK, let's get started on living a better life."

In the pages and verses that follow, you’ll gain a greater insight into the life we are actually meant to live.


Key spiritual lessons from this chapter: The Lord is always calling us, inviting us to walk the path that leads to a close relationship with Him. He gives us life, and then leads us through the steps of regeneration. It is up to us to listen, to follow His truths, and to turn our life over to Him. As we learn and grow, He will transform us into a spiritual person in His image and likeness.

The Bible

 

2 Kings 14

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1 In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel began Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah to reign.

2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.

3 He did that which was right in the eyes of Yahweh, yet not like David his father: he did according to all that Joash his father had done.

4 However the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

5 It happened, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he killed his servants who had slain the king his father:

6 but the children of the murderers he didn't put to death; according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as Yahweh commanded, saying, "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin."

7 He killed of Edom in the Valley of Salt ten thousand, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel, to this day.

8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us look one another in the face."

9 Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, "The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as wife. Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by, and trampled down the thistle.

10 You have indeed struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Enjoy the glory of it, and stay at home; for why should you meddle to your harm, that you should fall, even you, and Judah with you?'"

11 But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah.

12 Judah was defeated by Israel; and they fled every man to his tent.

13 Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

14 He took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of Yahweh, and in the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

16 Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.

17 Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.

18 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

19 They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there.

20 They brought him on horses; and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.

21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.

22 He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.

23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, [and reigned] forty-one years.

24 He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh: he didn't depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin.

25 He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of Yahweh, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath Hepher.

26 For Yahweh saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was there any helper for Israel.

27 Yahweh didn't say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under the sky; but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, [which had belonged] to Judah, for Israel, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

29 Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.