The second course, Old Testament Survey, began this past Saturday, the first of seven 8-hour Saturdays, at the Santa Barbara church.
Once again, four churches participated, and the attendance was similar to the first hermeneutics class, 45 people total.
During this past Saturday we learned a bunch about three books…Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus. Among many other things, I personally learned:
1. Moses wrote these books for a specific reason. His audience was the nation of Israel coming out of an extended captivity in Egypt. The stories related in Genesis were selected by Moses for a number of different reasons.
2. Genesis details a spiraling decent in the overall moral condition of humankind. Every generation got progressively worse. The Law was instituted to put the brakes on sin. Laws governed nearly every aspect of the human existence. The #1 question in the mind of the Israelite was–is this acceptable to God? Am I clean or unclean? In big and seemingly insignificant ways, God’s holiness was put in juxtaposition to man’s sinfulness and propensity to evil.
3. Feasts and ceremonies reminded both adults and children of what God had done for the nation. Over and over again, children heard about and even re-enacted God’s past acts, and remembered future promises.
Once again, a big thank you to John and Frank, and our friends at Still Water Community Church.
In family news, we’re happy that daughter Cathy completed her CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) Course recently. My mom and dad, as well as Daniel and girlfriend Angie were able to attend her graduation. Congrats Cathy!
