The Barnyard Bible Study

A place to discuss the Bible and its implications on life as we know it

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Location: Sacramento Valley,Ca., United States

Just an every day American countryboy, constitutional federalist and God-fearing Patriot.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

A New Start

I am reopening this blog with the intention of discussing Judeo-Christian history as based in the Old Testament, specifically the Torah and the various philosophies that abound. I am a reborn Christian, atheist/agnostic with many grumbles with the modern church dogma. We will restart from Gen.1.1 since I am unable to recover it, my apologies, I ain't a techie. Bar Kochba will provide the Jewish side and hopefully a few friends in Israel will chime in. I look forward to the discussion!

Friday, December 01, 2006

Genesis 12
1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

7And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

8And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

9And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
10And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

11And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:

12Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.

13Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

14And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.

15The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

16And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.

17And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.

18And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

19Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

20And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
..........

God calls Abram, and blesses him with a promise of Christ.

God made choice of Abram, and singled him out from among his fellow-idolaters, that he might reserve a people for himself, among whom his true worship might be maintained till the coming of Christ. From henceforward Abram and his seed are almost the only subject of the history in the Bible. Abram was tried whether he loved God better than all, and whether he could willingly leave all to go with God. His kindred and his father's house were a constant temptation to him, he could not
continue among them without danger of being infected by them. Those who leave their sins, and turn to God, will be unspeakable gainers by the change. The command God gave to Abram, is much the same with the gospel call, for natural affection must give way to Divine grace. Sin, and all the occasions of it, must be forsaken; particularly bad company. Here are many great and precious promises. All God's precepts are attended with promises to the obedient.

1. I will make of thee a great nation.
When God took Abram from his own people, he promised to make him the head of another people.

2. I will bless thee. Obedient believers shall be sure to inherit the blessing.

3. I will make thy name great. The name of obedient believers shall certainly be made great.

4. Thou shalt be a blessing. Good men are the blessings of their country.

5. I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee. God will take care that none are losers, by any service done for his people.

6. In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

Jesus Christ is the great blessing of the world, the greatest that ever the world possessed. All the true blessedness the world is now, or ever shall be possessed of, is owing to Abram and his posterity. Through them we have a Bible, a Saviour, and a gospel. They are the stock on which the Christian church is grafted. (Ge 12:4)

Abram departs from Haran.

Abram believed that the blessing of the Almighty would make up for all he could lose or leave behind, supply all his wants, and answer and exceed all his desires; and he knew that nothing but misery would follow disobedience. Such believers, being justified by faith in Christ, have peace with God. They hold on their way to Canaan. They are not discouraged by the difficulties in their way, nor drawn aside by the delights they meet with. Those who set out for heaven must persevere to
the end.

What we undertake, in obedience to God's command, and in humble attendance on his providence, will certainly succeed, and end with comfort at last. Canaan was not, as other lands, a mere outward possession, but a type of heaven, and in this respect the patriarchs so earnestly prized it. (Ge 12:6-9)

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Genesis 11

Chapter 11

1

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

2

And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

3

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.

4

And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

5

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

6

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

7

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

8

So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

9

Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

10

These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

11

And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

12

And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:

13

And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

14

And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:

15

And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

16

And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:

17

And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

18

And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:

19

And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

20

And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:

21

And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

22

And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:

23

And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

24

And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:

25

And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

26

And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27

Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

28

And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.

29

And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

30

But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31

And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

32

And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
Genesis 12
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Here is the story of Babel , when one tongue was made many, verses 1-9 are interesting in many ways. This was clearly the separation of peoples and cultures and support for, while the Children of God, the Jewish faith, were led to Canaan.May I remind muslims this was almost 4000 years before Mohammed's (may he suffer God's will) birth.It also shows the Lord's love for independant thought as he seperated the people and forced them to become themselves. His word is there to be had by those that seek it and lost to those that don't thus the language barrior. It seems Christ the Lord has a way to cross those lines and bridge the gap without violence, perhaps an early prophesy, who knows?

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The Generations of Adam

Chapter 10

1

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

2

The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

3

And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

4

And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

5

By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

6

And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

7

And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

8

And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9

He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

10

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11

Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

12

And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

13

And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

14

And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

15

And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth,

16

And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,

17

And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

18

And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

19

And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

20

These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.

21

Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

22

The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.

23

And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.

24

And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.

25

And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

26

And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

27

And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,

28

And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

29

And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

30

And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.

31

These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.

32

These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.Genesis 11
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Their is little theological here other than pure written history as to the descendants of Eden.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

The Three Sons Of Noah, of Japheth, of Ham

The sons of Noah, of Japheth, of Ham.

This chapter shows concerning the three sons of Noah, that of them was the whole earth overspread. No nation but that of the Jews can be sure from which of these seventy it has come. The lists of names of fathers and sons were preserved of the Jews alone, for the sake of the Messiah. Many learned men, however, have, with some probability, shown which of the nations of the earth descended from each of the sons of Noah To the posterity of Japheth were allotted the isles of the gentiles; probably, the island of Britain among the rest. All places beyond the sea fr
om Judea are called isles, Jer 25:22 (22.And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,)
. That promise, Isa 42:4 (4He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.)
, The isles shall wait for his law, speaks of the conversion of the gentiles to the faith of Christ. (Ge 10:8-14)8.And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9.He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

10.And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11.Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

12.And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

13.And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,

14.And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

Monday, May 22, 2006

More On Noah In Ge chapter 9

God blesses Noah, and grants flesh for food.

The blessing of God is the cause of our doing well. On him we depend, to him we should be thankful. Let us not forget the advantage and pleasure we have from the labour of beasts, and which their flesh affords. Nor ought we to be less thankful for the security we enjoy from the savage and hurtful beasts, through the fear of man which God has fixed deep in them. We see the fulfilment of this promise every day, and on every side. This grant of the animals for food fully warrants the use of them, but not the abuse of them by gluttony, still less by cruelty. We ought not to pain them needlessly while they live, nor when we take away their lives. (Ge 9:4-7)

Blood, and murder forbidden.

The main reason of forbidding the eating of blood, doubtless was because the shedding of blood in sacrifices was to keep the worshippers in mind of the great atonement; yet it seems intended also to check cruelty, lest men, being used to shed and feed upon the blood of animals, should grow unfeeling to them, and be less shocked at the idea of shedding human blood. Man must not take away his own life. Our lives are God's, and we must only give them up when he pleases. If we in any way
hasten our own death, we are accountable to God for it. When God requires the life of a man from him that took it away unjustly, the murderer cannot render that, and therefore must render his own instead. One time or other, in this world or in the next, God will discover murders, and punish those murders which are beyond man's power to punish. But there are those who are ministers of God to protect the innocent, by being a terror to evil-doers, and they must not bear the sword in vain,

Ro 13:4. Wilful murder ought always to be punished with death. To this law there is a reason added. Such remains of God's image are still upon fallen man, that he who unjustly kills a man, defaces the image of God, and does dishonour to him. (Ge 9:8-17)

God's covenant by the rainbow.

As the old world was ruined, to be a monument of justice, so this world remains to this day a monument of mercy. But sin, that drowned the old world, will burn this. Articles of agreement among men are sealed, that what is promised may be the more solemn, and the doing of what is covenanted the more sure to mutual satisfaction. The seal of this covenant was the rainbow, which, it is likely, was seen in the clouds before, but was never a seal of the covenant till now it was made so.

The rainbow appears when we have most reason to fear the rain prevailing; God then shows this seal of the promise, that it shall not prevail. The thicker the cloud, the brighter the bow in the cloud. Thus, as threatening afflictions abound, encouraging consolations much more abound. The rainbow is the reflection of the beams of the sun shining upon or through the drops of rain: all the glory of the seals of the covenant are derived from Christ, the Sun of righteousness. And he will shed a glory

on the tears of his saints. A bow speaks terror, but this has neither string nor arrow; and a bow alone will do little hurt. It is a bow, but it is directed upward, not toward the earth; for the seals of the covenant were intended to comfort, not to terrify. As God looks upon the bow, that he may remember the covenant, so should we, that we may be mindful of the covenant with faith and thankfulness. Without revelation this gracious assurance could not be known; and without faith it can be of no

use to us; and thus it is as to the still greater dangers to which all are exposed, and as to the new covenant with its blessings. (Ge 9:18-23)

Noah plants a vineyard, is drunken and mocked by Ham.

The drunkenness of Noah is recorded in the Bible, with that fairness which is found only in the Scripture, as a case and proof of human weakness and imperfection, even though he may have been surprised into the sin; and to show that the best of men cannot stand upright, unless they depend upon Divine grace, and are upheld thereby. Ham appears to have been a bad man, and probably rejoiced to find his father in an unbecoming situation. It was said of Noah, that he was perfect in his

generations, ch. 6:9; but this is meant of sincerity, not of a sinless perfection. Noah, who had kept sober in drunken company, is now drunk in sober company. Let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. We have need to be very careful when we use God's good creatures plentifully, lest we use them to excess, Lu 21:34. The consequence of Noah's sin was shame. Observe here the great evil of the sin of

drunkenness. It discovers men; what infirmities they have, they betray when they are drunk; and secrets are then easily got out of them. Drunken porters keep open gates. It disgraces men, and exposes them to contempt. As it shows them, so it shames them. Men say and do that when drunken, which, when sober, they would blush to think of. Notice the care of Shem and Japheth to cover their father's shame. There is a mantle of love to be thrown over the faults of all, 1Pe

4:8. Beside that, there is a robe of reverence to be thrown over the faults of parents and other superiors. The blessing of God attends on those who honour their parents, and his curse lights especially on those who dishonour them. (Ge 9:24-29)

Noah curses Canaan, blesses Shem, prays for Japheth, His death.

Noah declares a curse on Canaan, the son of Ham; perhaps this grandson of his was more guilty than the rest. A servant of servants, that is, The meanest and most despicable servant, shall he be, even to his brethren. This certainly points at the victories in after-times obtained by Israel over the Canaanites, by which they were put to the sword, or brought to pay tribute. The whole continent of Africa was peopled mostly by the descendants of Ham; and for how many ages have the better

parts of that country lain under the dominion of the Romans, then of the Saracens, and now of the Turks! In what wickedness, ignorance, barbarity, slavery, and misery most of the inhabitants live! And of the poor negroes, how many every year are sold and bought, like beasts in the market, and conveyed from one quarter of the world to do the work of beasts in another! But this in no way excuses the covetousness and barbarity of those who enrich themselves with the product of their sweat and

blood. God has not commanded us to enslave negroes; and, without doubt, he will severely punish all such cruel wrongs. The fulfilment of this prophecy, which contains almost a history of the world, frees Noah from the suspicion of having uttered it from personal anger. It fully proves that the Holy Spirit took occasion from Ham's offence to reveal his secret purposes. to ?Blessed be the Lord God of Shem. to ? The church should be built up and continued in the posterity of Shem; of him came the

Jews, who were, for a great while, the only professing people God had in the world. Christ, who was the Lord God, in his human nature should descend from Shem; for of him, as concerning the flesh, Christ came. Noah also blesses Japheth, and, in him, the isles of the gentiles that were peopled by his seed. It speaks of the conversion of the gentiles, and the bringing of them into the church. We may read it, to ?God shall persuade Japheth, and being persuaded, he shall dwell in the tents of

Shem. to ? Jews and gentiles shall be united together in the gospel fold; both shall be one in Christ. Noah lived to see two worlds; but being an heir of the righteousness which is by faith, he now rests in hope, waiting to see a better than either.
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[This is a wonderfull post Karen, thanks, and a must read. ed...goat]

Noah's faith and obedience

Noah's faith triumphed over all corrupt reasonings. To rear so large a building, such a one as he never saw, and to provide food for the living creatures, would require from him a great deal of care, and labour, and expense. His neighbours would laugh at him. But all such objections, Noah, by faith, got over; his obedience was ready and resolute.
Having begun to build, he did not leave off till he had finished: so did he, and so must we do. He feared the deluge, and therefore prepared the ark. And in the warning given to Noah, there is a more solemn warning given to us, to flee from the wrath to come, which will sweep the world of unbelievers into the pit of destruction. Christ, the true Noah, which same shall comfort us, hath by his sufferings already prepared the ark, and kindly invites us by faith to enter in. While the day of his patience continues, let us hear and obey his voice.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Onward in Study

Much thanks to Karen for her brilliant posts, a much better student than I as we work our way through the Torah. I will add a must read article and resource though a little out of context.
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Chapter 9

1

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

2

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

3

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

4

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

5

And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

6

Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

7

And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

8

And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

9

And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

10

And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

11

And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

13

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

14

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

15

And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16

And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

17

And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

18

And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.

19

These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

20

And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

21

And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

22

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

23

And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

24

And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

25

And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

26

And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

27

God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

28

And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

29

And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

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There is a tremendous amount of metaphoric symbolism and truth in this powerful chapter with much dealing with the basic tenets of life as Moses would elaborate on and consolidate later. Most of the chapter is easy to understand till the end and the curse on Canaan. When they covered him was it taken as the covering of Adam?
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I believe my mind is made up as to my church, I have been Anglican most of my life but their doctrine left me so I have been in limbo. I will return to St. Peter's Church and the doctrine and dogma of the Catholic faith, I used to know it in Latin: All roads lead to Rome. To think I used to be a major basher of the Catholic church, I guess most of us grow up eventually.