Should This Matter?

I use this page to post some interesting passages that I come across in my Bible reading. These passages don’t necessarily need a lot of explaining, but I find them interesting and want to post them here. Some of the passages are just difficult or fun to think about or brain teasers.

I hope that people with more information can comment on the passages and points listed to add knowledge. I also would like to hear other passages that people have come across that are interesting or maybe confusing/difficult or fun to think about. Add your comments so I can update this page with YOUR thoughts and interesting passages!

Water Cycle Explained in Jeremiah

I love coming across these beautiful sections where we see science in the Bible before we as humans understood it. Today, we know that water goes through a cycle on the earth which creates our weather. The basics of the water cycle is: water evaporates into the atmosphere where it condenses and turns into rain/snow that brings the water back down to the earth to form ground water flowing into the ocean/streams/etc where it will evaporate and begin the cycle again.

Here in Jeremiah 10:12-13, God is contrasting His power to that of the vain idol or graven image worshipped by the people of Judah emulating the heathen nations around them. In so doing, God explains the water cycle.

Jeremiah 10:12-13 (KJV): He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

I find this interesting for two reasons:

1. God explains science to us before we knew this science. Still think the Bible is incompatible to science? No! It complements it! God created the earth! He explains the water vapor and evaporation and that this water brings about the rain/lightning, and wind (our weather).
2. God claims that He is the ACTIVE force controlling this water cycle. He did not create the earth and then sit back with a bag of popcorn to watch it go! He is involved in keeping this process in motion. We understand the water cycle. We can diagram it, but we cannot explain WHY it continues – the force behind it. Now we know the force behind it: God.

Joseph and 3 Days

I am reading through the story of Joseph in the Bible with my son, Elisha. I love Joseph’s story. It is such a beautiful picture of faith and God’s providence! Joseph is certainly a character that we can all aspire to be like.

As I read through the Bible, I pay attention to numbers. I find it fascinating that certain numbers show up a lot: 3, 7, 42, 50, 70 etc. I often find that when these numbers show up, they are an illustration of what is to come or the greater message of the Gospel. Nothing that is in the Word of God is in vain!

Joseph’s story is located in Genesis 37-50. In the story of Joseph, we see the number 3 show up on 2 occasions. First (Genesis 40), when Joseph was unfairly cast into prison, he interpreted the dreams of two fellow prisoners. One prisoner, the butler, was to be restored from prison to his former position in 3 days. The other prison, the baker, was to be killed in 3 days. The interpretation proved correct and the baker was killed 3 days later, and the butler saved 3 days later. Second (Genesis 42:17-18), Joseph was made ruler second to only Pharaoh in all the land of Egypt. He was in charge of storing the corn during the 7 years of plenty and distributing the corn out during the 7 years of famine. At this time, his brothers (who previously tried to kill him) come to Egypt for food due to the famine and stand before Joseph. Joseph doesn’t reveal who he is but requires the brothers to bring back Benjamin to Egypt along with them in order to prove that they are not spies. Before allowing all the brothers, except one, to leave, Joseph puts them in prison 3 days before releasing all but one to retrieve Benjamin.

Why 3 days? We know that Christ was in the grave 3 days before He rose again. The crucifixion and resurrection are essential elements of the Gospel. Is the fact that the men were in prison 3 days before being released/killed an illustration of this?

**7 is another number to look into here: 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine (why 7?). Could this point to the tribulation? We know that the tribulation period will last 7 years.

Wickedness of the People Before the Flood

Genesis doesn’t provide a whole lot of information on the wickedness of the people before the flood. God just tells us that they were very wicked. However, some other places in the Bible do tell us a little more specifics.

Genesis 6:1-4: Believers married unbelievers (sons of Gods married daughters of men) and had children who were “mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”

Joshua 24:2,15: They served other gods.

Matthew 24:38, Luke 17:27: They lived oblivious to the coming flood. They ate, drank, and were married.