Friday Playlist: Genesis 6:5-11:32

Disclaimer: I put this playlist together while doped up on pain medication following my recent surgery. Hopefully it will all make sense!

Track One : Genesis 6:5-22

Today, I want to share with you and extended note from my study Bible that I find helpful. 

In it’s story of the flood, Israel shares a flood tradition found not only among its neighbors in the ancient Near East but also among other cultures around the world.  Two flood stories from the ancient Near East, the Epic of Atrahasis and the story of Uthapishtim from the Epic of Gilgamesh, share many features with the biblical account. The balance between order and chaos appeared fragile in these traditional societies, and their stories or origins contain not only creation accounts in which order is established from primeval chaos, but also accounts of catastrophe in which primeval chaos reasserts itself. Since chaos was so often associated with waters in antiquity, a massive flood was the primary way to portray its onslaught. 

As I read the above quote this morning, I was led to the thought that in the modern world there seems to be a certain amount of insulation that we have created from the idea of chaos. Political and social unrest still happens, but I don’t spend a great deal of time thinking about them. Natural disasters occur, but I don’t leave in fear of them… and I would never immediately connect water with chaos. 

But that wasn’t true for the ancient world. They were constantly aware of the vulnerabilities and weaknesses because the threat of chaos was so real. 

And I began to wonder which way is better… 

Today, I wonder if you would join me in considering these questions.

What are some of the positive and negative repercussions we might experience in our spiritual life if our lives were shaped like these ancient cultures? 

What are some of the positive and negative repercussions we experience in our spiritual life because of our cultures relationship with the threat of chaos? 

Do you agree with my assumptions about our relationship to chaos today? Do you see those assumptions changing? 

When do you most feel like you need God? 

Track Two: Genesis 7:1-9:17

From today’s reading, what do we learn about God? 

What do we learn about the relationship between God and God’s creation? 

Track Three: Genesis 9:18-10:32

What is the significance of the story of Noah and his sons? 

Track Four: Genesis 11:1-9

How does the story of the Tower of Babel illuminate our understanding of humanity? 

Why does God scatter the people? 

Track Five: Genesis 11:10-32

The conclusion of our second week of readings in Genesis places us on the verge of meeting the father of the Jews, Abraham. It is with this desert nomad that God will make a covenant for his descendants to be “as numerous as the stars in the sky.” We move beyond the stories that speak to the beginning of the world and will now turn to the beginning of something else new, God’s people, Israel.

Related posts:

1. Friday Playlist: Genesis 1:1-6:4
2. Friday Playlist: Matthew 11:2 – 16:20
3. Friday Playlist : Matthew ch. 8 – 11:1
4. Friday Playlist: Matthew 16:21 – 22:46
5. Friday Playlist: Matthew 5-7

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