The NET Bible

I would like to introduce you to a new translation of the Bible that I have discovered, called the NET Bible. The website for it states:

"The NET Bible (New English Translation) is a completely new translation of the Bible with 60,932 translators’ notes! It was completed by more than 25 scholars – experts in the original biblical languages – who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Turn the pages and see the breadth of the translators’ notes, documenting their decisions and choices as they worked."

"The translators’ notes make the original languages far more accessible, allowing you to look over the translator’s shoulder at the very process of translation. This level of documentation is a first for a Bible translation, making transparent the textual basis and the rationale for key renderings (including major interpretive options and alternative translations)."

"This unparalleled level of detail helps connect people to the Bible in the original languages in a way never before possible without years of study of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. It unlocks the riches of the Bible’s truth from entirely new perspectives."

According to Brian H. Edwards in his book, From Vulgate to Vulgar, "It is constantly updated from input by scholars and others on the latest research results in linguistics and interpretation. The notes are intended both at a technical level for pastors, teachers and students of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek who are interested in the grammatical, syntactical and text-critical details, and for general readers."

"The NET Bible aims to be ‘accurate, readable, and elegant’ and strives for ‘faithfulness to the original biblical texts while at the same time seeking to attain accuracy in terms of current English style'. One of its general principles is to indicate in the notes a more literal rendering, and to be gender-accurate rather than gender-inclusive."

As with any translation, it is not without its flaws. One thing I do not like about it is that it uses the expression "bad luck" in Ecclesiastes 5:14, where it says, "Then that wealth was lost through bad luck; although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him." They have translated the Hebrew word "inyan" as luck, but luck is not taught in the Bible at all. In fact, luck is connected with lucifer, which you can easily verify if you do some research. I find that many believers are accustomed to using the term luck, even though it is unbiblical. I prefer instead the way the NIV translates this verse with the expression, "some misfortune", or even the NASB that translates it as "bad investment." I have not read the entire NET Bible, but this was just one point on which I disagree with the translation, and I want to be clear that I do not promote the use of the term "luck." Nevertheless, the translation gives the alternate English words for "inyan" in the notes, so this helps to address the issue I have with it.

Therefore, I still recommend it overall. Let me encourage you to investigate this new translation, which is available at the following sites:

http://netbible.org
https://lumina.bible.org/bible/
http://netbible.com

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page, such as The Bible is the Word of God, Read the Bible for All Its Worth!, All Scripture must be fulfilled, The Uniqueness of God's Word, The Bible Never Fails, and Bible Reading Plan. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Uniqueness of God's Word

Unlike any other book, the Bible is unique, since it is the Word of God. Let’s look at some of the unique characteristics that make the Word of God different from all others.

As our main text, let's consider Hebrews 4:12-13, which says: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

It is Living and Active
First, we know that “the Word of God is living and active” (Heb 4:12). Here are some examples of what it means for the Word to be living and active.

It is alive! The words of men are merely dead words, whether they are found in a newspaper, history book, political speech, comic book, or legal contract. They are not alive. But the Word of God is alive. It is called “the word of life” (1 Joh 1:1).

It speaks. It is not just black words on white pages. It actually speaks. It comes forth from God’s mouth. Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" (Mat 4:4).

It is what God says, not only what He once said. It remains in the present tense, so that thousands of years after it was spoken, it is still speaking to us today.

“He again fixes a certain day, Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ (Heb 4:7)

It convicts, judges and penetrates deep within us “…piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

It bears fruit after its own kind, just as any organic seed or organism does. Jesus said, "Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.” (Luk 8:11). He said, "The sower sows the word…And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." (Mar 4:14,20).

If you want to have good fruit in your life, then read lots of Scripture, believe it, and put it into practice. When you do that, the very things you read in Scripture will be seen coming forth in your life. Whatever you put into your mind and your heart, that is what you are going to become. The seed of the Word that you heard will take root inside of you and bear good fruit.

The Word is the seed by which we have been born again. In our natural birth we were conceived from human, perishable seed. But in the second birth, the seed is the imperishable Word of God. While natural seed may perish, this seed will never pass away. Peter said, “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1Pe 1:23)

It does not return to Him empty, void, or without results. God spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it  without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Is 55:10-11, NIV). It accomplishes God’s desires and achieves His glorious purpose.

It is eternal. “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” (Ps 119:89, NIV). Peter quoted the prophet Isaiah saying, “For all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word which was preached to you” (1Pe 1:24-25).

It gives light. The psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path…The unfolding of Your words gives light.” (Psa 119:105,130a). Peter wrote, “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” (2Pe 1:19)

It generates faith. Paul said, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17).

It originates from God. Speaking of the Scriptures, Peter wrote, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2Pe 1:20-21). The inspired writers of Scripture spoke from God as the Holy Spirit carried them along.

It IS God. The Scripture is very clear about this. It’s an indisputable fact.” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Joh 1:1). It cannot be denied that the Word is God.

The Word is a divine Person, not merely a set of letters and punctuation arranged together and printed on a page. That is why the Scripture refers to the Word as “He.” It says, “He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Joh 1:2,14).

Therefore, the Word of God is interactive. These days interactive websites and software are very popular, because we like to interact with what we are seeing and reading. Likewise, we can interact with the Word. God speaks and we respond, and this process continues back and forth between us through His Word and by the Spirit.

The Word is God’s Son. As I have just quoted, John said, “as of the only begotten from the Father” (Joh 1:14). The apostle Paul wrote, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” (Heb 1:1-2). While God spoke through the prophets in the past, now the Word has come to us through His own Son.

The Word sustains and upholds all things. “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…” (Heb 1:3)

These examples I have just cited illustrate how the Word is living and active, making it one of a kind.

It is Sharp!
Secondly, we know that “the Word of God is… sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow…” (Heb 4:12). Here are some examples of what it means for the Word to be sharper than any two-edged sword.

It penetrates right through anything. A two-edged sword is sharpened on both sides of the blade, and a sharp one can easily cut through a person’s flesh. But even the sharpest two-edged sword cannot pass through everything. For example, it cannot penetrate through steel or thick rock. Yet the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. It divides soul from spirit, and joints from marrow.

When a surgeon uses a sharp scalpel to cut a patient open, he can do open heart surgery with it, whereby the chest is opened and a saw is used to cut the breast bone, so that the heart can be operated on. But even the sharpest scalpel cannot divide the human soul from the spirit. This is something that only the Word of God can do, cutting easily through even those things that are invisible.

We know to be careful when handling sharp knives, such as those used in the kitchen, because we respect sharp knives and understand they can easily cut us badly. However, the Word of God must be handled even more carefully that any sharp knife.

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” (Heb 2:1)

“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.” (Heb 12:25)

Total Exposure
Finally, since the Word of God is living, active, and very sharp, it exposes everything. Nothing is hidden from it. “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (Heb 4:13). It doesn’t matter if you go to the bottom of a deep mine shaft and hide there, God will still know every thought you have and every word you speak, as well as the motives and intentions of your heart. In other words, He even knows the attitude behind your thoughts and words.

“For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths.” (Pro 5:21, NIV).

Putting it All Together
Based on what we have learned from Scripture about the Word of God, we know it is alive! It speaks. It convicts, judges and penetrates deep within us. The Word is the seed by which we have been born again. It bears fruit after its own kind. It does not return to Him empty, void, or without results, but accomplishes God’s desires and achieves His glorious purpose. It is eternal. It gives light. It generates faith. It originates from God. It IS God. It cannot be denied that the Word is God. The Word is a divine Person. The Word of God is interactive. The Word is God’s Son. The Word sustains and upholds all things. It is so sharp that it penetrates right through anything, dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow. The Word of God exposes everything. In light of all these wonderful, unique characteristics of the Word, it is truly unlike any other word or message or book. Therefore, it must be handled even more carefully that any sharp knife.

When you open the Bible to read it, pray first and ask the Lord to speak to you through it, and expect Him to do so. As you read, listen to what He is saying to you, believing and accepting it. Interact with Him, praising Him for what He says to you, responding to Him, claiming His promises to you, and repenting for sin whenever He exposes it to you.. May we once again have a reverence for the Word of God, instead of treating it so casually as is so common these days. Let's humble ourselves and tremble at His Word. The Lord declares, "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word." (Isa 66:2b).

Attributions: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, unless otherwise noted. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page, such as The Bible is the Word of God, Read the Bible for All Its Worth!, All Scripture must be fulfilled and The Bible Never Fails. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Bible Reading Plan

The psalmist said, "How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." (Ps 119:9-16, NIV).

Let me encourage you today to read lots of God's Word. But it won't happen accidentally. You will need to plan to do so. A good starting point is to read 25 to 30 chapters per week. In order to do this, you will need to pace yourself and ensure you read at least 4 to 5 chapters per day. Delight in God's Word and hide it in your heart. Seek Him with all your heart. Stay on the path of purity by living according to His Word.

There are 929 chapters in the Old Testament and 260 chapters in the New Testament for a total of 1,189 chapters in the Bible. If you read 4 to 5 chapters per day, you will easily finish reading through the whole Bible in around 264 days or about 37 weeks, which is around 8 to 9 months. It's about 100 hours of reading, if you take about 5 minutes per chapter, but I encourage you to take as long as you need to meditate on it, so the Lord can speak to you.

Please find the Bible Reading Chart at this link, which you can download and print, in order to help you mark off the chapters in each book of the Bible as you read them. I gave this to my children, and one of my daughters used it to help her read through the Bible in about two months. Therefore, it doesn't have to take you 9 months to a year to read through it. Depending on how motivated you are, and how much time you spend at it each day, you can finish it much sooner. Don't neglect His Word.

Attributions: Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page, such as The Bible is the Word of God, Read the Bible for All Its Worth!, The Uniqueness of God's Word, All Scripture must be fulfilled, and The Bible Never Fails. I also recommend Keeping a Prayer Journal, Life Transformation Groups, How to Start an LTG, Doulos Training School, and Scripture Alone.You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Unidentified Descendant of Jacob Who Went to Egypt

Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

Let's take a look at a very interesting passage found in Genesis, which initially appears to have an error or contradiction, but upon further examination, it reveals the miraculous involvement of God's hand in preserving His people Israel.

According to Gen 46:8, “These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt.” If you count the names, you will arrive at a different number than the totals indicated at the end of the passage. It is off by one person. In order to reconcile this, we need to identify that person.

I suggest reading Genesis 46 before reading the rest of this article, since it will make more sense to you. Now let me explain the apparent discrepancies and the questions they raise.

Females Included?
You may be wondering if the females were counted or not, since the passage refers to these listed people as “the sons of Israel” (Gen 46:8). The designation of "sons" seems to exclude females. However, Asher’s daughter Serah is included in the biblical count of sixteen children born to Jacob by Zilpah (Gen 46:17). That makes it very clear that females were included.

The question of whether Dinah (daughter of Jacob) is counted requires a bit more explanation. She is listed as a direct descendant of Jacob, and at first glance, she does appear to be counted as one of the thirty-three sons and daughters of Jacob from Leah (Gen 46:15). But then if you count up only the male descendants of Leah, they come to thirty-three, which seems to agree with the count of thirty-three in verse 15. However, since Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan (Gen 46:12), they are not counted among those who “went to Egypt” with Jacob (Gen 46:8). Moreover, since verse 15 specifically states that the thirty-three descendants of Leah include both “sons and daughters of Jacob,” it is certain that Dinah was included. By adding Dinah to the count of those who “went to Egypt” with Jacob, the total of Leah’s descendants only comes to thirty-two, not the stated thirty-three! Who is the missing person? This is the missing piece of the puzzle, and the crux of this article, which I will come to in a moment.

Having proven from Scripture that both Serah and Dinah were included in the count, we know that females who were direct descendants of Jacob were certainly counted. Therefore, we can easily deduce that the counts in this passage included both male and female direct descendants of Jacob, who went to Egypt, even though the passage opens by describing them as “the sons of Israel who went to Egypt” (Gen 46:8). I have also proven that the missing person is a descendant of Jacob through Leah.

Seventy Names Listed?
The passage concludes by stating, “All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.” (Gen 46:26-27). This is one of three passages in the Old Testament, which states that seventy of Jacob's descendants went down to Egypt (cf., Ex 1:1,5; Deut 10:22). Let's look at the names listed in this passage:

1.    Reuben
2.    Hanok
3.    Pallu
4.    Hezron
5.    Karmi
6.    Simeon
7.    Jemuel
8.    Jamin
9.    Ohad
10.   Jakin
11.   Zohar
12.   Shaul
13.   Levi
14.   Gershon
15.   Kohath
16.   Merari
17.   Judah

Er (died in Canaan, not included in count)
Onan (died in Canaan, not included in count)

18.    Shelah
19.    Perez
20.    Zerah
21.    Hezron
22.    Hamul
23.    Issachar
24.    Tola
25.    Puah
26.    Jashub
27.    Shimron
28.    Zebulun
29.    Sered
30.    Elon
31.    Jahleel
32.    Dinah (daughter of Jacob)
33.    Gad
34.    Zephon
35.    Haggi
36.    Shuni
37.    Ezbon
38.    Eri
39.    Arodi
40.    Areli
41.    Asher
42.    Imnah
43.    Ishvah
44.    Ishvi
45.    Beriah
46.    Serah (sister)
47.    Heber
48.    Malkiel
49.    Benjamin
50.    Bela
51.    Beker
52.    Ashbel
53.    Gera
54.    Naaman
55.    Ehi
56.    Rosh
57.    Muppim
58.    Huppim
59.    Ard
60.    Dan
61.    Hushim
62.    Naphtali
63.    Jahziel
64.    Guni
65.    Jezer
66.    Shillem
67.    Joseph (already in Egypt)
68.    Manasseh (already in Egypt)
69.    Ephraim (already in Egypt)
70.    (Unidentified person)

As you can see, there are only sixty-nine names listed, and one seems to be unidentified, because there were supposed to be seventy, according to verse 27. Yet here are the total number of descendants reckoned to each of Jacob's wives in the passage:

Sons and Daughters from Leah = 33 (Gen 46:15)
Children from Zilpah = 16 (Gen 46:18)
Sons from Rachel = 14 (Gen 46:22)
Sons from Bilhah = 7 (Gen 46:25)
______________________
Subtotal = 70

Subtract Er and Onan (Leah’s descendants), who did not make it alive to Egypt = - 2
______________________
Subtotal = 68

Add Ephraim and Manasseh born in Egypt = 2
______________________
Total = 70

Who is the unidentified person that brings the total of Jacob's descendant's to seventy?

If you look at my subtotal above, the names of the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt came to sixty-eight, before you add Ephraim and Manasseh. So why does verse 26 state “sixty-six persons,” when sixty-eight names are listed after omitting Er and Onan? If we remove only the name of Joseph, who is one of the sixty-eight names listed above in the passage, we arrive at the odd number of sixty-seven, not the sixty-six stated in verse 26. So who is the missing person that must be omitted to bring the number to sixty-six? This person would have to have been in Egypt already, and yet be a descendant of Jacob when he arrived there.

Riddle Solved
We arrive at the only possible answer to this when we more closely consider Asenath, Joseph’s wife, as a possible candidate for the missing person. While Scripture refers to her as “daughter of Potiphera, priest of On” (Gen 41:45; 46:20), could she have been a direct descendant of Jacob? Hebrew tradition held that she was born to Jacob’s daughter Dinah when Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite raped her (Gen 34:2). It was believed that an Egyptian priest adopted Dinah’s baby, similar to the way that Pharoah’s daughter adopted Moses.

While the versions of this legend do not agree with each other, and some versions contradict the Bible on certain details, one thing the various Hebrew versions have in common is that Asenath was the daughter of Dinah and Shechem. There is also a Christian version recorded in an apocryphal book that depicts Asenath as an orphan and Potiphera as her foster father. Of course, the basis for our faith must be the Word of God alone, not the traditions of men, so we cannot put our trust in traditions.

However, if there is any truth at all to these legends with regard to Asenath's true parents, and if the priest of On was merely her foster father, then it resolves two questions in Genesis 46. In addition to identifying the seventieth descendant of Jacob who went to Egypt in verse 27, it also solves the puzzle I mentioned in the previous section as to who the missing person is among the thirty-three “sons and daughters of Jacob” through Leah that went to Egypt. By subtracting Er and Onan from the list of thirty-three sons, and then adding Dinah and Asenath, we get the total of thirty-three “sons and daughters of Jacob” through Leah in verse 15. Who else besides Asenath could be the one missing person who meets all the criteria in both verses 15 and 27?

Furthermore, it cannot be that Asenath was merely included among the seventy people in verse 27 merely because she was Joseph’s wife, if she were not one of Jacob's descendants. Otherwise, Jacob’s wives and his son's wives would have also been listed. But they were explicitly excluded, according to verse 26. The count in Genesis 46 specifically includes only the male and female direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt.

Putting it All Together
Therefore, the sixty-six direct descendants of Jacob who went with him to Egypt did not include Joseph and his wife Asenath, along with their sons Ephraim and Manasseh, who were already in Egypt when he arrived. By adding these additional four people (pictured in the above illustration) to the other sixty-six, it brings the total to seventy people. This provides a strong case to substantiate the Hebrew belief that Asenath was one of Jacob’s direct descendant’s. It also proves that there is no error in this passage of Scripture.

Finally it shows the amazing providence of God, who preserved Asenath in Egypt, so that no member of Jacob’s family would be lost. God moved the heart of Pharaoh to give her to Joseph as his wife (Gen 41:45), when he promoted him to ruler of Egypt. Not only did it ensure that none of Jacob’s offspring was lost, it also enabled Joseph to marry within his family, thus fulfilling the strict orders that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been given to marry within their own family, and not take a wife from among the Canaanites.

If Joseph had actually married a true Egyptian woman, then his sons Ephraim and Mannaseh, who were born to her, would not be legitimate heirs of the Promised Land. But they were in fact listed among the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen 48:5-6; Dt 34:2; Num 1:32-33; Rev 7:5-8), and Jacob blessed them and Joseph on his deathbed before he blessed his other eleven sons (Gen 48:9-22). And when the Israelites possessed the land of Canaan, Ephraim and Manasseh received their own territories as directed by Jacob and Moses (Josh 14:3-4). Truly God’s miraculous hand was involved in enabling Joseph to marry his niece.

[1] Graves, Robert & Patai, Raphael, Hebrew Myths (New York: Greenwich House, 1964), p. 237. See also Ginzberg, op. cit., II: 38.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Painting of Jacob blessing Ephraim and Manasseh while Joseph and Manasseh look on is used here merely as an illustration for educational and commentary purposes only, according to the FAIR USE Act. No copyright violation intended.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page, such as The Bible is the Word of God, All Scripture must be fulfilled, and The Bible Never Fails. You may also access other articles on the Home page for this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Oral Account of Creation from Adam to Abraham

In this study, I would like to show how the true account of creation was accurately passed down by word of mouth from Adam to Abraham.

Let's begin by looking at the relationships between Adam and his family line. In doing this, you will be able to draw many conclusions, as well as see how the true and accurate account of the creation was preserved by Adam up until the time of Noah. 

Adam lived to be 930 years old (Gen 5:5). The flood occurred 1,656 years after Adam was created, so Adam died 726 years before the flood.

Noah was born 1,056 years after Adam was created. Since Noah was 600 years old when the flood began (Gen 7:6), that means he was born 126 years after Adam died.

Since Noah was born when his father Lamech was 182 years old, Lamech would have known Adam or at least been alive during Adam’s lifetime.  In fact, Lamech would have been 56 years old when Adam died.

Since Lamech was born when his father Methuselah was 187 years old, then 56 years later, at the time when Adam died, Methuselah was 243 years old. 

126 years after the death of Adam, when Noah was born, Methuselah was 369 years old.  Since the flood came 600 years after Noah’s birth, that would make Methuselah 969 years old when the flood came.

Adam's Generations
In the table below, I have shown the generations from Adam to Noah (Gen 5:1-32), along with the year of birth and year of death for each person, according to the number of years from the creation of Adam (Hebrew years).

Name	Age at First Son's Birth	Year of Birth	Age at Death	Year at Death	Age at Adam's Death
Adam	130	0	930	930	930
Seth	105	130	912	1042	800
Enosh	90	235	905	1140	695
Kenan	70	325	910	1235	605
Mahalalel	65	395	895	1290	535
Jared	162	460	962	1422	470
Enoch	65	622	365	987	308
Methuselah	187	687	969	1656	243
Lamech	182	874	777	1651	56
Noah	500	1056	950	2006

Adam to Noah Chart
The chart below displays the data from the table above. Each yellow bar represents the life of the person named to the left, beginning with Adam at the bottom. Notice how all the bars above Adam's bar run concurrent with his life, except for Noah, showing that all these men except for him were contemporaries of Adam. You can see that the bar for Adam's life ends before the line that marks the year 1,000, and the bar for Noah's life begins after that same line. This shows that there was a gap between Adam's death and Noah's birth.

Conclusions about Methuselah
Methuselah was alive for 243 years of Adam’s life.  He and Adam were contemporaries. During that time, he would have heard the story of creation perhaps directly told by Adam. Methuselah’s father was Enoch, who walked with God for 365 years and was no more (Gen 5:24). We know that Methuselah died at the age of 969, so he died the same year the flood happened. He was the oldest man that ever lived and he died right before the flood came. He was alive for the entire period that Noah was building the ark.

Conclusions about Lamech
Lamech was 187 years old at the time of his son Noah’s birth and he died 590 years later at the age of 777, just 5 years before the flood.  Lamech would have been alive for most of the period when Noah was building the ark. Since Lamech was 56 years old when Adam died, he too would have heard the true account of creation perhaps directly told by Adam. Noah would have heard the creation story in stereo from his father Lamech and grandfather Methuselah, who both heard it directly from Adam. Methuselah and Lamech provided an unbroken, dual connection between Adam and Noah. Thus all things were established by the testimony of two witnesses. This preserved the true and accurate account of the creation, so that Noah was able to carry that with him and pass it on to his sons into the new world after the flood.

Incidentally, it is also hard to imagine how Lamech and Methuselah would not have been encouraging Noah as he was building the ark, since they were alive at that time.

Walking with God
I would like to highlight those who walked faithfully with God. One of them was Enoch. Scripture says, "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." (Ge 5:24). It does not say he died, which is how it describes the end of life for all the others in Adam's line. He did not die. God took him! In the book of Hebrews, it says, "By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God." (Heb 11:5). What a glorious witness he obtained! He was pleasing to God.

"Noah's Preaching Scorned" by Harry Anderson

The other person that Scripture says walked with God was Noah. It says, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God." (Gen 6:9; 7:5).  It also says, "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (Gen 6:8). Noah did all that God commanded him (Gen 6:22). When God said to build the ark, Noah obeyed and built it according to the pattern God gave him. When God said to gather the animals, Noah gathered them. When God said to enter the ark (Gen 7:1), Noah obeyed and entered the ark (Gen 7:13). When God said to go out of the ark (Gen 8:16), Noah went out of the ark (Gen 8:18). The book of Hebrews says, "By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." (Heb 11:7). I hope this encourages you to walk by faith with God, too, and to do what God says in Scripture.

Noah's Generations
In the table below, I have shown the generations from Noah to Abraham (Gen 11:10-32), along with the year of birth and year of death for each person, according to the number of years from the creation of Adam (Hebrew years).

Name	Age at First Son's Birth	Year of Birth	Age at Death	Year at Death	Age at Noah's Death
Noah	500	1056	950	2006	950
Shem	100	1556	600	2156	450
Arphaxad	35	1656	438	2094	350
Shelah	33	1691	433	2127	315
Eber	34	1724	464	2188	282
Peleg	33	1758	242	2000
Reu	32	1791	239	2030	215
Serug	32	1823	232	2055	183
Nahor	29	1855	148	2003
Terah	70	1884	205	2089	122
Abraham	100	1954	175	2129	52

Noah to Abraham Chart
The chart below displays the data from the table above. Each yellow bar represents the life of the person named to the left, beginning with Noah at the bottom. Notice how all the bars above Noah's bar run concurrent with his life, showing that all these men were contemporaries of Noah.

Inspiration and Transmission of Scripture
While it is true that all Scripture is inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16), and that the writers received what they wrote through supernatural, divine inspiration, the accuracy of biblical history was preserved by eyewitness testimony. The Gospels are another example of this in that the apostles, who accompanied Jesus all the time He went in and out among them, until He was taken up from them into heaven, were reliable eyewitnesses of His resurrection (Ac 1:21-22). Matthew and John, who wrote the gospels that bear their names, and Peter, who is believed to be the source of Mark's gospel, saw the majestic glory of Christ firsthand, and heard the voice that came from heaven when they were with Him on the sacred mountain (Joh 1:14; 2 Peter 1:16-18).

Luke, who was not one of the Twelve apostles, began his gospel by saying, "Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught." (Luk 1:1-4).

Even though Luke was inspired by God to write the gospel, he also investigated everything carefully from the beginning, compiled eyewitness testimonies, and wrote out the exact truth in consecutive order. Likewise, when he wrote the book of Acts, he did the same thing, except that he himself was also one of the eyewitnesses to the things he wrote, regarding the apostle Paul's ministry, since he was one of his traveling companions. Therefore, we know that God's supernatural work of inspiration is also accompanied by the supernatural way he oversees the accuracy of the transmission process through eyewitness accounts.

Putting it All Together
Through this study, we have seen that the ancient men of old who lived before the flood were contemporaries of Adam, except for Noah, who was born after Adam died. It helps us to see that Adam would have had a relationship with his descendants up to the ninth generation.

Noah began a new generation separated from the life of Adam that would bring hope and the knowledge of God into a new world. He also carried with him the true account of the creation from Adam, as well as his own eyewitness account of God destroying all of creation, because of the wickedness of mankind, and graciously saving Noah and his family -- eight in all -- just as God said He would do. All that God said He would do was fulfilled, just as all Scripture must be fulfilled.

Likewise, after the flood, Noah lived to see his descendants in the line of Shem up to the eleventh generation -- all the way up to Abraham. He was a contemporary with all of those, and they all lived to see his death, except for Peleg and Nahor.  Abraham's father Terah was 122 years old at the time of Noah's death and Abraham was 52. So they may have heard the account of the creation and the flood directly from Noah, along with all the other key events that happened before and after the flood. 

Ancient history was carried forward for 2,000 years primarily by two main persons with firsthand, eyewitness accounts, namely Adam and Noah. That's excellent record-keeping on God's part! And all of the descendants of these two men, who lived contemporaneously with them, provided an excellent backup of that information, along with their own valuable contributions of what they personally witnessed.

Moreover, like Noah, Shem his son lived before, during, and after the flood. Just like his father, Shem helped to bridge the generations of Adam across the flood and he lived to the ripe old age of 600 years old! He was 450 years old when Noah died. And he outlived all of his descendants up to and including Abraham, except for Eber (Shem died in 2156 and Eber died 32 years later). So just as Noah, Shem was able to transmit to all of these descendants of his the accurate accounts of the creation and the flood, as well as all of the other events before and after the flood up until his death. He died 27 years after Abraham died! His blessed family line became the one through which Abraham and all the Hebrews descended, and the line through which David and his Son, Jesus Christ came (Lk 3:21-38).

This shows the amazing care that God took to preserve the accurate accounts of those important events from early human history, so that they could be passed down to us later by Moses in what has come to be known as the first book of Moses or Genesis. Don't ever doubt God's supernatural ability to preserve His Word.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "Noah's Preaching Scorned" by Harry Anderson.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page, such as All Scripture must be fulfilled, The Bible Never Fails, and The Evil Nephilim Giants. You may also access other articles on the Home page for this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.