Sea III

Dark Days:

From the beginning humans arrogantly asserted their independence from God. Though it broke God’s heart, he let them go. By rejecting the source of life and peace, they opened the door for evil to infect God’s world. Life gave way to death, and conflict came to dominate God’s world. Every human since, including you and me, has been caught up in this. We have all sought to live independently of God. We have all experienced enslavement to Evil. And consequently, we all know the anguish of dealing with death and conflict in our lives. As for the Sea, it too could be said to be now in conflict with humanity. Originally humanity was to exercise dominion over the Sea, but now from the Sea came judgment on humanity. What God had declared was’ very good’ he now regretted making. So “the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” And the waters rose. Through the Sea, an end was almost made of humanity and all of God’s creation. Yet for the sake of his creation, God acted through Noah and his family to redeem creation. However, the Sea would continue to be a place of dread for the people of God.

10 points for naming the Sydney beach in the picture.

Sea II

Have previously pondered the place of the sea in the bible, I decided that I might quickly run through the sea using the God's World formula: First Days, Dark Days, Israel, Jesus, Last Day, Today. So here is the First Day post.

"This is God’s world. He made it and continues to sustain it. He made it to reflect his nature by being a place of life and peace. He made humanity to enjoy his world and to live in thankful obedience and dependence on him. When God created the heavens and the earth, it was tohu mobohu – formless and void – covered in the ‘waters of the deep’ and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. God separated these waters and formed out of them the sky, the seas, and the land. God saw what he had made, and it was good, including the Sea, which was teeming with life (Gen. 1:21). And humans, created to live in obedience to and dependence on God, were to exercise dominion over the living creatures of the sea."

10 points if you can name the beach.

The Sea in the Bible

I was able to go to Bondi Beach today with Alison (aka Spally), and whilst worrying about being attacked by sharks and the salt water sting in my throat, I managed to find time to ponder upon the sea in the bible. We're often told that the Israelities did not like and viewed it as a place of evil; the beast in Revelation comes from the sea, and the Leviathan is spoken about as being a sea like creature. However, the people of God also pass through the sea in a proto-type of baptism.

So what is the bible's view of the sea. My next post will be on this very question, so if ANYONE has any thoughts, let me know.