Are You Curious -- The Plague of Plagues -- How Stubborn and Prideful Are You?

Okay! We are on the last two plagues. The past couple of weekends we’ve been covering the plagues and reading it inquisitively. It’s okay to ask questions for which you may not receive an answer, but at least ask.

Ninth Plague: Darkness

• There was no warning for Pharaoh regarding this plague. God told Moses to stretch his hand toward heaven, and the darkness was so thick in Egypt that one person couldn’t see another. For three days they didn’t move from where they were, but the Israelites had light. It says the darkness was so dark, it could be felt. How does darkness feel? Not depression, fear or sadness, but actual darkness.
• Is keeping someone in complete darkness considered a form of torture by the US?
• This plague had no warning and wasn’t removed “tomorrow.” The magicians weren’t called either. Even if they were, they couldn’t find their way to the palace. Why was this plague so different from the rest?
• How did they take care of their babies? You know those babies had to be scared.
• So did they not eat?
• If they lit something, the darkness with its weight would snuff it out. So how did they take care of natural body functions?
• It was as if the Egyptians had all gone blind. Why not leave them to it? It would have given the Israelites a 3 days lead.
• Pharaoh summoned Moses. Once again, was there a light about Moses that followed him into the darkness? How did Moses see to respond to Pharaoh’s summon?
• Did Pharaoh even think the Israelites might have run away?
• Pharaoh attempts to negotiate again. Does he use the same tactics as before? Are you curious?
• Pharaoh also delivers a death threat to Moses. What was it?

Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn

• God tells Moses this is the plague which will cause Pharaoh to force the Israelites to leave. Why didn’t God just start with this plague?
• Why did God choose this order for the plagues? He didn’t randomly choose these plagues or there order.
• God’s over-the-top promise from Exodus 3:21 is fulfilled in Exodus 11:2-3. Do you know what it was?
• Even after the death threat Pharaoh made to Moses and without being summoned, Moses goes to Pharaoh to deliver the message regarding the last plague. What amazing courage.
• God reveals another purpose for the plagues in verse 9. Are you curious to find out what it is?
• God gives complete instructions regarding the first ever Passover. One thing that caught my attention was in Exodus 12:2. God tells Moses this is to be the first month of your year. God was in control of the timing of the plagues and their sequence, and God was in control of their calendar year. He is in control of time and sequence with the Israelites. Is He any less in control of your life, the timing of things and the order of things?
• The Passover is a passage with its own series of questions which we won’t address here.
• God’s timing was specific this time. It wasn’t tomorrow which meant any time that day. God told them around midnight, and it happened as He said. Did they have any reason to doubt Him? Had He shown Himself to be true?
• Pharaoh tells them to leave and take their livestock and families with them. He didn’t attempt to negotiate. How long does it take for us to get the picture when it comes to God’s will, His plan?
• God had proved Himself in the past 9 plagues. He proved He was a God of His Word. So my questions are for Pharaoh – Why was he willing to gamble the life of his firstborn son? Did he love his pride and ego more than his own son? Did he value control and power of the Israelites more than the life of his own son? What did he think would happen to his son when midnight came? Then the questions come more close to home. What do I put ahead of my family? Is my career more important than leading my family to Christ and taking them to church? Do my hobbies, my pride, my ego, my interest come before the welfare of my children? In Proverbs it says pride goes before a fall. This fall brought grief and heartbreak.
• The Israelites asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and clothing (Exodus 12:35-36). This is how the Israelites plundered the Egyptians without raising a sword.

What does it take for God to get your attention? How much of His power does He have to display to get your attention? What are you willing to risk and gamble in denying His authority in your life?

Time after time, Pharaoh was warned, and time after time, God delivered what He said He would do.

I hope learning to ask questions regarding the plagues has opened your mind and heart and that you’ve learned something new, observed something in Scripture you hadn’t seen before. I pray that it awakens a hunger for the Word like it has for me.

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Are You Curious - Plagues Six - Eight

Last weekend’s blog, we covered the first five plague, and we noticed just how useless those magicians were to the cause. We also saw how “tomorrow” was the preferred day to remove whatever plague was present. Personally, I’d want the gnats, the flies and the frogs gone immediately, but maybe the Egyptians had more tolerance for that kind of thing.

Today, let’s be curious about the sixth through the eighth plagues. We say farewell to the magicians, and we see some of God’s purposes for these plagues. Are you curious?

Sixth Plague: Boils

• After Moses threw soot from the furnace into the air and boils appeared on man and beast in Egypt. Guess who was called! The magicians. Does anyone want a double ration of painful, oozing, stinking boils?
• But the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils. If they had been able to stand, would they have tried to duplicate the plague again?
• In Exodus 9:8-12, it does not say the boils ever ended. Maybe God struck them with boils only once, and the endurance of the plague was however long it took for the boils to heal. Could that be it? Let’s just put it this way, tomorrow came, and they still had boils. Not all plagues are here today and gone tomorrow.

Seventh Plague: Hail

• God’s message to Pharaoh was, “By now I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague and you would have been obliterated from earth.” Exodus 9:15   There was a purpose, God’s purpose, for these plagues. There was a purpose for Pharaoh and his people, and there was a purpose for God’s people. Are you curious about the purpose for Pharaoh? Read verse 16
• Tomorrow the plagues comes, and guess who was never called. The magicians. Could magicians not change an event before it happened? Do they not control the future?
• Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder, hail and lightning. How loud was that storm knowing God’s wrath was being poured out?
• Once again, it didn’t hail in Goshen. Did the Hebrews watch the hail and lightning hit the Egyptians? There was a clear division of where the hail fell and where it did not. They had to have heard the thunder and seen the lightning. Right?
• Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. People in the fields had been killed by the hail. How did Pharaoh get the message to Moses and Aaron?
• Then when Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh, did the hail not fall on them but all around them? That would be pretty impressive too.
• This time not only did Pharaoh harden his heart, but his officials hardened their hearts. Hardening of the heart appears infectious, doesn’t it?
• Did you notice the magicians weren’t called?

Eighth Plague: Locusts

• God’s purpose for the plagues for the Hebrews is found in Exodus 10:2. You think you probably know, but do you really?
• Pharaoh and his officials try negotiating terms with God again. What tactic did they use this time? Was it different from the first?
• Moses stretched his hand over the land, and locusts came up eating everything that was not destroyed by hail. God is systematically removing everything the Egyptians hold dear, value and need to get their attention and the Hebrew people’s attention. How far does God have to go to get your attention?
• Pharaoh admits he’s sinned, but does he ask for forgiveness? Are these two different things?
• God sends a west wind to blow the locust into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left. Pharaoh does not let the Hebrew people go. How hard does a heart have to get before it shatters?

It’s good to step into the shoes of the Hebrews from time to time. Think about going to the edge of your city or your state, and right across the line all of these plagues are taking place. There is a visible clear line that the plagues do not cross. Wouldn’t that be impressive?

Also, if you were living on the side where the plagues were occurring, wouldn’t you try to get your family to the side where there were no plagues? What kept the Egyptians where they were? My guess is pride. It didn’t matter where they lived so long as they didn’t have to live in the same neighborhood as the Hebrews. That’s just my speculation, mind you. The Egyptians probably felt they had the best houses, best schools, and best land.

What does it take for God to get our attention? Does He have to strip away our food, our supplies, our income/jobs, what?

Eventually, God strips away part of the Egyptian families. God has a purpose for all He does and all He allows. Sometimes He spells it out like He did in these verses. Other times, we have to trust.

Next weekend, the Are You Curious blog will wrap up the plagues. Maybe you should read ahead and see what questions you can come up with AND if you come up with the answers.

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Are You Curious -- What Good Are Magicians?

Are you tired of telling your kids the same story about Moses and the plagues?

Maybe you’re tired of the same story of Moses and the plagues?

Been there. Done that. But after I began reading the Bible inquisitively, I began to see things in a different light. We will break this down into several “Are You Curious” segments. Today’s post is for the first five plagues.

Every time I read through the Bible and I get to this story, something new always pops up. Last year when I read through the plagues, I made an excel spreadsheet documenting who God told the information to – Aaron or Moses, the plague, the length of the plague, and the results. It was very interesting to see the plagues laid out analytically.

This year, I’m wondering if you are curious enough to read the story about Moses and the plagues. See if you have some of the same questions I do.

Plague #1 – Water to Blood

• After Aaron turned the water to blood, the magicians of Egypt were brought in, and they replicated the plague. Why would anyone want to make more water turn into blood? Wouldn’t it have been more advantageous if they could have reversed the plague? Wouldn’t that have been more helpful?

Plague #2 – Frogs

• After Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt and the frog came up, the magicians were called again. The magicians replicated the frogs. WHO WANTS MORE FROGS!? Why not perform some act that would take away the frogs? Wouldn’t that have been wiser?
• Moses asks Pharaoh when he would like the frogs to be gone. Pharaoh’s answer in Exodus 8:10, “Tomorrow.” Who waits 2 hours, 8 hours, 10 hours, 12 hours or 24 hours to want frogs to be removed? Pharaoh, that’s who. He wants his people, the Egyptians to endure the frogs for just a little bit long. Why on earth?
• And just so we’re clear, the frogs didn’t just go away. They died! Exodus 8:13. Can you imagine the smell? Everywhere you stepped or sat was a dead frog. Dead frogs in your bed, in your shoes, in your pantry. Dead frogs everywhere.

Plague #3 – Gnats

• After Aaron stretched out the staff and struck the dust, the gnats swarmed. Then the magicians were brought in. Were they brought in to reduce the number or gnats or get rid of them? NO! They were once again trying to replicate God’s plague by producing more gnats. Isn’t that helpful? More gnats? Thankfully, the magicians could not duplicate this plague. The magicians said this was the “finger of God.”
• Open your mouth, and gnats would fly in. Open your eyes, and gnats would fly in. Try to drink a glass of water, gnats were floating. How would they eat or drink anything?

Plague #4 – Swarms of Flies

• Guess who was NOT called! The magicians.
• Exodus 8:23 states the flies did not enter Goshen where God’s people lived, but they would swarm against Pharaoh, his officials, his people and his houses. And God told Pharaoh it would happen “tomorrow.” And tomorrow came, and the flies swarmed just like God said. Why did God choose tomorrow? Why not right then?
• Tomorrow comes, and the swarm of flies enter so thickly they ruined the land. Then Pharaoh begins trying to negotiate a settlement, and when he finds out God does not negotiate to Pharaoh’s terms, he rescinds his offer. How often do you try to negotiate with God for God to change His will to conform with your’s?
• God removes the flies “tomorrow” as Moses requests. Pharaoh wasn’t asked when he wanted the flies gone this time. Moses told Pharaoh when the flies would be gone. If Pharaoh was in no hurry to get rid of the frogs, why would he be in any hurry to get rid of the flies?
• This time God removes the flies and not one is left. Why does he choose to leave some plagues for the Egyptians to clean up but removes the others?

Fifth Plague: Death of Livestock

• Guess who was NOT called. The magicians. Apparently there was no livestock left to kill, and they were unable to breathe life into the livestock they did have. Was this because they could not undo what God decreed to occur?
• Nothing the Israelites owned died. Only the animals owned by Pharaoh and the Egyptians died. God has the authority and power to delineate between not only people but their possessions. Why are we so worried with what’s mine?
• Think about the carcasses of all those dead animals, the smell, the bloating. Who would want to live in Egypt around all of that stench?

So, have I asked any questions or made any points that has made you look at this story differently? What questions have come to your attention?

http://blueletterbible.org/

Are You Curious -- A Dash of Salt

I love studying women in the Bible, and Lot’s wife is no exception. I actually think more women today relate to her than any other woman in the Bible…which is rather sad. Her testimony is found in Genesis 19, and here are a few of the questions that came to my mind while reading and studying.

1.       She had to have observed her husband going out to confront the gay men in their community and see the angels pull her husband back into their home for safety. What did she feel? What were her thoughts on what was going on?

2.       When she heard the angels say they were going to destroy their city, did she start packing anything? Was she confused?

3.       Had she become blind to Yahweh’s values and accepted the sin going on in her city? Overlooked it? Did she accept it because she thought it didn’t affect her?

4.       Was she ever burdened for the lost in her city or had she acclimated to living in the city and being of the city?

5.       When the angel grabbed her hand and the hands of her family members and walked them outside the city walls, was it an uncomfortable grip because they had hesitated to be obedient to God?

6.       When she was told to run for her life, what were her first thoughts? Mine would be, “I am so out of shape, and you want me to run?”

7.       “Run for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere on the plain!” Instructions are important. We already have seen how Lot hesitates in obedience. Was she wondering what was going to happen to all her things she left behind? Was she thinking about the lost friends she was leaving behind?

What was she thinking?

8.       “Run to the mountains you will be swept away?” How did she process that? Be swept away by what? Did she want to know details?

9.       Was she relieved when her husband negotiated terms with the angels to run somewhere closer?

10.   They had been forced to leave early in the morning. Had she grabbed anything to take with her? OR did she think she would be home in a couple of days? What would I have grabbed?

11.   We know Lot’s wife turned around, but let’s think about why. It was raining sulfur, so the smell of rotten eggs had to have been overwhelming to the point of gagging her. There were asphalt pits all around and could have been ignited by the sulfur. Everyone and every living thing being burned alive. The sounds of their screams could have reached her ears. Ash would have risen worse than what was produced by the chimneys of Auschwitz. Then there were her thoughts. What was the first thing to penetrate her senses? What was the one thing that drove to make the decision to look back?

12.   In the split second she turned around and saw Sodom and Gomorrah, what did she see?

13.   The judgment for her disobedience was being turned into a pillar of salt, but in this judgment maybe there was also grace. What if the sight of what she saw would have haunted her for the rest of her life? She would have had no peace, no rest.

Do you see how doing a little research can change how you experience God’s Word?

Do you see how putting on the sandals of a woman in the Bible and walking in them might actually change the way you think about her?

So here are some questions, so you can apply this Scripture to your life.

1.       How blind are you to the sin going on in your community? Have you bought into the idea of “acceptance?”

2.       How concerned are you with those who are lost and going to burn in a sulfur based fire in hell?

3.       How absorbed are you with the materialistic things in this world? Does it override your desire to tell others about Yahweh?

4.       When God speaks to you, do you take Him at His Word or are you resistant and try to negotiate so you can be in your comfort zone? God has a way of making our comfort zone an unpleasant place.

5.       What would you have done if you had been Lot’s wife hearing the screams of burning people and animals, smelling rotten eggs, seeing the ash fall from the sky like snow? Do you have the discipline to stay focused on what is ahead or would you look to what was behind?

One of my favorite verses is

“I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on paths they have not known. I will turn darkness to light in front of them and rough places into level ground. This is what I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.”

— Isaiah 42:16

Leading, guiding is done from in front which is why there is light in front of you not behind you. If you want to go back to where you once were, then you will be going without God’s leadership. God was leading Lot and his family forward and the cost of looking back was her life. Are you like Lot’s wife living in the past or are you being obedient and moving forward?

http://biblegateway.com/

Are You Curious -- Planning and Preparing to Feed 3 Sons during a Flood

Recently, there was a storm passing through our area, and we were bunkered down in the hallway while it passed. My son who hasn’t fully reached puberty had prepared a backpack of things – a flashlight, his Bible, and snacks filled the rest. By the time the coast was clear less than 30 minutes later, Pearce had eaten most of his snacks.

Noah had three sons. They were born when Noah was 500 years old which leads me to believe they were either triplets or a set of twins with another one born separately. They would have been 100 years old when the flood came.

God told Noah it would rain for 40 days and 40 nights. He never told Noah or his wife, for that matter, just how long they would be contained in the ark. Did He? How does one prepare that many meals for that many men? YIKES.

After reading about Noah, here are some of my questions or wonderings:

1.       How many meals did Noah’s wife plan on serving in the ark?

2.       What was her meal plan?

3.       How do you cook in an ark that is made out of wood!?

4.       Did they assign a balcony to each son and his wife to maintain? If so, I’d hate to have been selected for the lowest balcony.

5.       But before even getting to the ark, what were Noah’s wife’s thoughts and concerns regarding her husband building an ark for a “flood” – which had never happened before?

6.       Did she make an itemized list of what she would need to take on the trip? 100 pounds of grain, 50 pounds of lard, 6 chairs, bedding, clothing, shoes, pots, pans, etc.

7.       How long did she stock up on supplies and where did she keep them? Remember, she had to have supplies for the animals as well as her family.

8.       Had she ever even been in a boat before to realize this ark didn’t even have a rudder in which to steer this ship?

9.       What was it like to see animals voluntarily and orderly come to Noah and his family to be placed in stall in the ark?

10.   What did the town people think when they saw a pair of giraffes pass by their home? Did they follow them to see where they were going?

11.   Did the town people think it odd all these wild and tamed animals walking on their own will to load up onto Noah’s ark? How did they explain that phenomenon?

12.   Was it an eerie feeling when God closed the door, knowing you were stuck in that contraption for at least 40 days and nights?

13.   It rained for 40 days and nights like God said, but then it surged for another 150 days. At what point did they start wondering when were they ever going to get out? Were they ever going to see dry land again because God hadn’t told them anything about what would happen AFTER the flood?

14.   How loud was it when the sources of watery depths burst open and the floodgates of the sky were opened? Genesis 7:11

15.   Did any of them including the animals get sea sick?

16.   Once stalls were mucked, where did waste go?

17.   Did they notice when the rain stopped? After hearing a noise for so long it can become white noise, and we can ignore it.

18.   What were their thoughts when the ark finally came to rest, and they stopped rocking?

19.   How many times did they ask Noah, “Are we there yet?” “Can we get out now?” “When will we get out of the ark?”

20.   When they exited the ark, was it as orderly as it was entering the ark? Personally, I’d probably be shoving the hippos out of the way to kiss the solid ground.

These are just a few of the things I’ve wondered while reading this story. Feel free to post your questions or what you have wondered about the flood.

So, what comes out of my asking all these questions?

·         I discovered that no matter how little or how much Noah and his wife brought into the ark, it was just the right amount because none of the animals died, and all the people survived.

·         God did not provide all the details regarding the flood, and yet He carried His chosen people through every step of the way.

·         Noah may not have known all the details, but God did. Noah’s faith and trust in God was richer than most have today.

·         A rudderless boat in the hands of God will carry the cargo to its final resting place without assistance from man. If God can do that, He can certain navigate my life.

There’s really so much more, but I want you to discover God’s truth for yourself. What did God reveal about Himself to you by reading this story inquisitively?

This is our third installment of “Are You Curious?” When you see posts under this heading, you know I’ll be going through a story in the Bible and asking questions which make me wonder. The goal is for you to start reading your Bible inquisitively, asking questions. Please explore these stories and post questions you have. There are no dumb questions.

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Would You Share Your Husband Just to Become a Mom

I am reading Genesis 13 – 20. It’s the story of God, Abram, Sarai and Hagar.

As I’m reading through this story, I have questions. I’m curious. Because as an infertile woman, I’ve known the desperation, heart ache, and need to get pregnant and have a baby, I’ve wondered how Sarai could give her servant to her husband. This step in becoming pregnant takes things to another level.

So here are a few questions:

1.       Abram was around 75 years old when God called Abram and promised to make him into a great nation (Genesis 12). How soon did Abram and Sarai think this promise would be fulfilled?

2.       In today’s age, women take their temperature and even use ovulating kits to determine when they are the most fertile. Did Sarai use what was popular in their time like mandrakes once she heard the promise from God?

3.       Sarai did not take documented steps in controlling her family’s future until God had made a “Sands and Stars” (Genesis 13:14, 15:5) promise to Abram. My questions are: Had Sarai come to grips with her infertility until she heard about this promise from God? Had she accepted the fact she and Abram would not have children? This is a huge step to get to in a woman’s life. The custom of giving a servant to a husband to bear a child was nothing new to Sarai or her generation, but she hadn’t selected to use this option. As an infertile woman, we went through so many options, but there were some we were not willing to consider. Why did Sarai change her mind to consider Hagar as a valid option?

4.       God prevented Sarai from getting pregnant, but He allowed Hagar to become pregnant. Why? What was the point?

5.       Did Sarai resent her slave whom she gave as a wife to her own husband? I can’t imagine enjoying sharing my husband with anyone.

6.       Sarai had to have insecurities about not producing an heir for Abram. How were the escalated when Hagar became pregnant so easily?

7.       How could Sarai think that giving her husband another woman to sleep with was a good idea?

8.       I wonder what the full conversation was like between Abram and Sarai when she blamed Abram for the mess she found herself in.

9.       When we read Abram gives Hagar back to Sarai, we see a side of Sarai that is very unbecoming. What was Sarai’s desired outcome for mistreating Hagar? What did she hope to attain? Did she feel better about things once she paid Hagar back?

10.   Then there’s Hagar. The rise from servant to wife was a brief rise to power. She didn’t seem to exercise her position too well. What did she think was going to happen when the number 1 wife told Abram what Hagar had been doing?

11.   How humiliating it must have been for Hagar to go from slave to wife then be demoted again to slave. What was the final thing that happened or was said which convinced Hagar to run away?

12.   When the Angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar who was on the run, his message to her was to return to the mistreatment. This would be another blow for Hagar, but where else could she have gone?

13.   The God named Hagar’s son, and the angel gave a prophesy and promise regarding Ishmael. How did she take hearing her son would be like a wild donkey, his hand would be against everyone, and everyone would be against him (16:12)? Did she wonder what it meant? Did she worry about her son’s future? Did she receive notices from school saying her son had been in another fight? When did she first see this prophesy coming to life?

14.   Hagar is the only one in the Bible I’ve found who has given God a name. She named Him, “The God Who Sees.”

15.   Did Sarah give up on God keeping His promise or at least wonder if He was going to keep it? Abram left out for Promised Land at 75. He was 100 when Isaac was born. Every day, every week, every month, every year getting older and older.

16.   Then there’s chapter 20. Sarah was around 90 years old, and King Abimilech found her beautiful and took her for his wife because Abraham told her to claim him as her brother. She was 90 and still beautiful and desirable. What kind of night cream did she use!? LOL

My mind can wonder into some weird questions, but the point of all this is to ask questions. By being inquisitive, God reveals Himself to us through His Word. It also makes me hunger for the Word even more.

What other questions did you have when you read these chapters?

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Are You Curious -- Did Adam and Eve Have Bellybuttons and Other Questions

When my sister and I were growing up, we were not “plugged in” like so many kids are these days. We didn’t have Atari, Pac-Man, or any of those things. As a matter of fact, during the summers as soon as we ate our breakfast and did our chores, we were ushered outside. As a result, I think my sister and I may be more curious and maybe even a little warped in our perspective.

For example, when my sister was in elementary she would pose all kind of off-the-wall questions. After a while, mom (who was an educator) would tell Lori to go ask her teacher. But one of the questions Lori asked was interesting, I thought, and it provoked some conversation. Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons? Now, before you spit out your answer think carefully.

There are so many interesting things about Adam and Eve’s story, but too many times as adults we gloss over them because we’ve heard the story for as long as we can remember. The story never changes. This is true, but your perspective can change when you read it inquisitively. Ask questions as you read the story. Ask questions a child might ask like, “Did Adam and Eve have bellybuttons?” You might even want to ask a child. Maybe that will help get your creative juices flowing.

Here are some other observations I have wondered about:

1. What were Adam and Eve’s thoughts when they saw each other the first time? Keep in mind they were naked, or as some of us in the South say “nekked.”
2. What did they say to each other?
3. How old were they when God created them? Were their bodies adult bodies, teens, kids?
4. God had to probably explain how to live as husband and wife, but they had no role models and no mentors to talk to when there were disagreements.
5. Mark Twain wrote about Adam and Eve, and one of the questions he could hear Adam ask God was, “What is a headache?” Because obviously Eve had used it as an excuse to not be intimate.
6. Eve’s first pregnancy. She didn’t have a mother or girlfriend to tell her what she was experiencing was normal. There was no normal. This was groundbreaking reproduction for humans.
7. Eve may have seen other animals nurse their young, but she had no one to help her teach her baby to attach and nurse.
8. Watching her babies develop, Eve had no way of knowing if Cain and Abel were within the normal limits. There were no charts or immunizations.
9. Eve watched her body change with each birth and as she aged. No one had done that before her. There were no magazines to tell her to do these certain exercises, take a multi-vitamin, and stay out of the sun.
10. Both Adam and Eve had never seen a human age. I wonder if it was frightening or more perplexing for them to watch each other grow old.
11. When Abel was killed, the grief these parents shared over losing both children. No one was there to tell them the different stages of grief. How did they deal? How did they cope? Did they have any hope they would see Abel again?

So many things changed in their lifetime right before their eyes with no library or internet to search to find out what a certain rash meant or what to do when someone had a stomach virus.

We are bombarded with information and data, but Adam and Eve were data-less.

The fact is God still spoke to them outside of the Garden of Eden, but we don’t know the extent of information He provided.

How was fire discovered? They couldn’t eat the meat raw.

I bet they did a lot of experiments trying to figure out what would work and what wouldn’t. I bet there were a lot of failures, and when there were successes, it was sweet victory.

Do any of the questions make you stop and wonder a little more about Adam and Eve? They were real people with real emotions living in a new world without any prior exposure to living life.

Why should we read the Bible inquisitively? If we don’t read the Bible inquisitively then we miss the awe of who God is. We miss out on the realness of those who are in the Bible. We miss out on being able to relate to those in the Bible because we fail to identify the depth of their situation. We also miss out on those AHA! and OOHHH! moments. It is okay to ask questions for which you may never receive an answer this side of heaven. The important thing is you ask, you dig, and you share your curiosity with others.