Noble, R.

(2020)
1. Environmental degradation (Gen 1, the 1st creation story)
WORLD OF THE TEXT
The creation story is known to be a myth in both Judaism and Christian studies (ZA Blog,
2018). For us Christians, there are two versions of creation story that we all know. The first
version is recorded in Genesis 1 and basing from the stories written on the chapter, it can be
classified as a world-centric version of the creation story. The seven day concept is told here in
Genesis 1 where it was said that God created everything in the world in a span of seven days.
Written below is the sequence of how God created the whole world:

 Day One – God said to separate the “Light” from the “Darkness” (There are also
instances that this is interpreted as “Day” and “Night”). Then we has an evening and a
morning that passed by.
 Day Two - God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the
firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. Then another evening and
morning passed.
 Day Three – What God did is he separated the “waters below” from the dry land while
the “waters above” are still left in place somewhere above the firmament. On the very
same day, God commanded that the earth would be seed and tree bearing allowing the
ground to have different kinds of plants and trees. Then, another night and day passed by.
 Day Four – God then created the sun, the moon, and the stars in this day and another
night and day passed.
 Day Five – God created different creatures – water, land, and air. Then, God said to
them, 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the
earth.' Another evening and morning passed by.
 Day Six - God said: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and
creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.’ Terrestrial creatures were then
created in other terms. In this day too, God created men, us humans, with in his own
image and likeness. Then another evening and morning passed by.
 Day Seven – This this the last day and God decided to rest after the labors that he have
done.
 The second version of the creation story is recorded on the succeeding chapter of the first
version which is Genesis 2. The second version is quite different with the first one. If the first
version is world-centric, the second one is more on human-centric one. Human-centric because it
can be seen in the passages that the life of the first pair of human beings is being discussed more
as the story goes on. God formed a man from a dust where he breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life, and man became a living being. The first pair of human beings are called Adam (a male)
and Eve (a female). The first man was called Adam – Hebrew word for humanity – because God
made him through adamah, which means ground or dust in Hebrew, referencing the way God
created man. Instead of forming different men with several women simultaneously, what God
did here is he extracted a rib from Adam and formed Eve out of Adam’s body without breathing
his essence directly into her. God created men because of the passages depicted that God needed
“helpers” to tend all his creations unlike in Genesis 1 that he created men on the sixth then rested
the following day. There are quite a lot of things different from Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 and it
follows here:

 The creation story in Genesis 1 was divided in seven days while in Genesis 2, no days or
any sense of time was mentioned. Although most of the story was set in a specific place
which is the Garden of Eden.
 Unlike in the first that it is more on a world-centric side where even cosmic scope in
creation is included, in the second, the creation mainly focused on the earth only.
 Different creatures and animals were created first in the first one but in the second,
human beings were first created by God.
 Animals are part of life, the cosmic design of the universe in the first version but in the
second, animals are just merely “helpers” or just some things that can keep men
company.
 Man is known to rule the world in the first version but in the second version, man is in-
charge of the Garden of Eden where it is assumed that he should never ever leave it.
 The first female human being is created through the man’s body in the second while in
the first one, they were created simultaneously.
  The story in the first version was very vague where the things created were not properly
named but in the second version, all things were named including the name of the first
human beings – Adam and Eve.
 In the first version, only God was talking in the passages but in the second version, four
creatures were exchanging dialogues with each other – God, Adam, Eve, and a serpent
(often portrayed by a snake in other versions).
 The story of Adam and Eve is quite controversial where it became the most popular story
of creation. God entrusted the whole garden to both Adam and Eve and told them they
can do anything but one, which is to eat the fruit in the tree (which is often represented by
an apple in stories). In that tree, a serpent appeared and urged them to eat the forbidden
fruit. Adam refused and told Eve not to be tempted. Soon enough, Eve was tempted and
ate the forbidden fruit which resulted to a lot of chaos right afterwards.

In terms of how both versions are written, it was also presented in different styles. The
first version can be seen in a more poetic type style while the second one is more on the prose
side. The first one is poetic because it uses a meter, rhyme and other things that are important
contents and components of Hebrew poems like repetition, chiasmus, parallelism, and other
rhetorical schemes and tropes. This version is also seen to use “high style” of writing citing that
it uses artistic devices that are also common to Hebrew poetry like catachresis, anaphora, and
parallelism. In the second version, it does not use any fancy styles or any poetic style instead it is
written in a text to a paragraph style.

WORLD BEHIND THE TEXT

Since it is the creation story, a story how the world and everything around us was formed,
there is no concrete explanation or root on where it all started. However, according to ZA Blog,
the author learned the story from an ancient oral tradition. He could have imaginatively adapted
his narrative as a polemic against an ancient written account like the Babylonian creation story,
Enuma Elish. Perhaps he offered his own interpretation of how it might have happened based on
his understanding of God, humanity, and creation. Or, perhaps God revealed it to him in a special
way, such as through an oracle or vision (2018).
WORLD BEFORE THE TEXT
I have always believe that most sickness in this world is not something that will suddenly
arise without any and I believe that we people are the main cause of it. Recently, a deadly virus
caused a chaotic stir in the whole world where more than a million people already been killed by
this. If I am asked how is the pandemic, a warning of humanities’ abuses of the environment, I
will answer that this pandemic has been a reminder for all of how important our environment is.
According to the article written by Gilpin (2020), a lot of indigenous people in Canada has been
saying for “thousands” of years now that if we don’t protect our environment, our biodiversity,
we will face even worse and deadly threats in the near future. Most sickness has a cure and it is
through medicines but where do we get our medicines – through different trees and plants too.
Also, this coronavirus is just one of those viruses that our world has but this coronavirus is just
one proof of the destruction of the forests and the climate. It is a wake-up call for every one of us
to stand up and protect what God has entrusted us.

Reference:
Gilpin, E. (2020). COVID-19 crisis tells world what Indigenous Peoples have been
saying for thousands of years. Retrieved from https://www.national
observer.com/2020/03/24/news/covid-19-crisis-tells-world-what-indigenous-peoples-
have-been-saying-thousands-years?fbclid=IwAR
0TOKwjTzqx7ItbTvt9NuAdNpNcjbnkKssWC4_rkpy_bcAKTn1hvFQhnoA
Treston, K. (2010). The Creation-Centred Christ Story. Retrieved from https://www.
bne.catholic.edu.au/formationandleadership/Mission%20and%20Formation
%20docs/Readings/The%20Creation-Centred%20Christ%20Story%20-%20Kevin
%20Treston.pdf
Wheeler, L.K. (2018). What Are the J, E, and P Texts of Genesis?. Retrieved from
https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/Genesis_texts.html
ZA Blog. (2018). Understanding the Creation Story from Genesis. Retrieved from
https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/understanding-the-creation-story-
from-genesis
2. Cycle of Sin (the book of Judges)
WORLD OF THE TEXT
According to Nelson (2019), Deborah is one of the most influential women of the Bible
as she is well known for her wisdom and courage and is the only woman of the Old Testament
who is known for her own faith and action, not because of her relationship to her husband or
another man.
Deborah’s part in the book of Judges is located in chapters 4 and 5 where both chapters
were presented in strikingly different way. Deborah’s story was told in a prose manner in Judges
4 while Judges 5 was presented in a more poetic manner.
Deborah, the first female judge, and perhaps the only judge to be named a prophet, is a
decisive figure in the defeat of the Canaanites, a victory recorded in two sources, a prose
narrative in Judges 4, and an ancient song known as Deborah 's Song, probably written not long
after the original events, likely by Deborah herself, and preserved in Judges 5. In Judges 4,
Deborah was named and identified as eshet lappidot which means “woman of [the town]
Lappidoth,” “wife of [the man] Lappidoth,” or “woman of torches” (“fiery woman”) (Kensky,
2009).
According to Branch (2019), the Chapter 4 highlights the conflict between the Israelites
and Canaanites. Tribes assemble under Barak’s order. Sisera hears and takes his chariots to the
Wadi Kishon. Making good his word, the Lord throws Sisera and his forces into panic. Seeing
that the battle goes against the Canaanites, Sisera flees on foot. Exhausted, he arrives at Jael’s
tent. She brings him milk, covers him with a rug, and while he sleeps, hammers a tent peg
through his head. The assassination incorporates multiple erotic images. Barak, coming shortly
thereafter, views the corpse. While the poetry in Chapter 5, the Song of Deborah, smacks of
realism and emphasizes the role of women. The ballad tells a gripping story, ringing with
eyewitness details. Like the Book of Lamentations and the Gospel of Mark, it leaves a reader
feeling breathless. One easily imagines Deborah strumming and beckoning Barak to walk and
sing with her among their victorious countrymen. Her leadership style favors a team approach;
she willingly recognizes those who joined and served. She not only praises others but also
thereby encourages them to ongoing service and development as leaders. Deborah sings about
the Lord but to the Israelites. For example, the earth trembled, the clouds poured water, the Lord
marched, and the mountains quaked “before the Lord.” Indeed, the stars in heaven fought against
the doomed Sisera and the Canaanites. Credit for the Holy War and inevitable victory goes to
Yahweh.

WORLD BEHIND THE TEXT

Deborah, Israel's prophet and judge, is considered a historical figure, stands out among
women in both Jewish and Christian history due to its power and influence. Deborah’s name
came from Devorah or D’vorah in Hebrew which translates to “bee.”

The Midrash – a collection of teachings on the Torah) – explains that the Hebrew people
are said to be like bees in several ways:
 Just as bees follow their leader in a swarm, the Jewish people follow to teach them
the sages and prophets.
 As a bee sting is very painful, but the honey of the bee is amazingly sweet, God's
Word will sting those who don't obey His commands but bless those who live a sweet
life righteously.
 Bees collect pollen and nectar not for their own benefit, but for the benefit of others,
just as the Hebrews collect mitzvahs for the pleasure and benefit of the Lord (a good
deed done for others or for religious benefit).
 Bees are a lowly insects, which is a sign and reminder for God's children to be always
humble.
WORLD BEFORE THE TEXT
Judges show Israel's failure to conquer their enemies, claim their inheritance, and the
enormous impact this has had on their life and relationship with God. We see a recurring cycle
across this entire novel, one that we will call 'the cycle of sin.'
 It is a repeated cycle of sin, bondage, repentance, devotion, followed by sin and bondage
again. According to researchers by the church, these cycle has been repeating itself for the past
two thousand years. In today’s setting, I think the cycle is still continuing and it is very evident.
There are a lot of times that we lose ourselves, our faith, our principles because of some
things – most of the time conflict with personal situations – that brings us to commit a sin. We
repeatedly commit sin, some even engage in physical activities where someone can get hurt, after
realizing some wrong doings that we’ve done, we repent from it and devote ourselves to our
Lord, our God and commit that we will never do it again. However, there people who breaks this
and go through in the process of repeating the cycle of sin over and over again. I guess people
engage in this because of some unavoidable situations like in dire need of money and because of
temptations. I know that this cannot fully be changed where people would not engage in
committing a sin again but I just hope that people would lessen this and let the world be a better
place.

Reference:
Branch, R. G. (2019). Deborah in the Bible. Retrieved from https://www.biblical
archaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/deborah-in-the-
bible/
Cengage. (2020). Deborah (Fl. 12th C. BCE). Retrieved from https://www.
encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/deborah-fl-
12th-c-bce
Gordon. (n.d). Book of Judges Bible Study Outline: Judges Commentary Part One
– The Cycle of Sin Defined. Retrieved from https://jesusplusnothing.com/
studies/online/judges1.htm
Kensky, T. (2009). Deborah: Bible. Retrieved from https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/
article/deborah-bible
Nelson, S. (2019). Who Was Deborah in the Bible?. Retrieved from https://www.
christianity.com/wiki/people/who-was-deborah-in-the-bible.html
Owens, N. (n.d). Deborah: Power to act. Retrieved from https://activechristianity.
org/deborah-power-to-act
3. Quarantine in the Bible
WORLD OF THE TEXT
We can all agree that Noah is one of the most famous characters that we know from the
old testament especially about the story of his ark and the great flood that occurred. According to
Britannica (2018), Noah is originator of vineyard cultivation, father to Shem, Ham, and Japheth,
and the representative head of a Semitic genealogical line. Noah is often known to be the image
of the righteous man made party to a covenant with Yahweh, the God of Israel, in which nature’s
future protection against catastrophe is assured.
In Noah’s story, God had chosen him to perpetuate the race of man after its evil ancestors
perished in the flood. Because of the wicked and evil doings of man way back, God wanted men
to feel his wrath and is very determined to destroy the earth, he then gave Noah a divine warning
about the flood that’s about to happen where he made a promise to Noah that he will save him
and his family. God then instructed Noah to build an ark where he should take at least a male and
a female specimens of all the world’s species of animals, from which the stocks might be
replenished.
The story of the Flood has close affinities with Babylonian traditions of apocalyptic
floods in which Utnapishtim plays the part corresponding to that of Noah. These mythologies are
the source of such features of the biblical Flood story as the building and provisioning of the ark,
its flotation, and the subsidence of the waters, as well as the part played by the human
protagonist. Tablet XI of the Gilgamesh epic introduces Utnapishtim, who, like Noah, survived
cosmic destruction by heeding divine instruction to build an ark. The religious meaning of the
Flood is conveyed after Noah’s heroic survival. He then built an altar on which he offered burnt
sacrifices to God, who then bound himself to a pact never again to curse the earth on man’s
account. God then set a rainbow in the sky as a visible guarantee of his promise in this covenant.
God also renewed his commands given at creation but with two changes: man could now kill
animals and eat meat, and the murder of a man would be punished by men. The symbolic figure
of Noah was known in ancient Israel, before the compilation of the Pentateuch. Ezekiel (14:14,
20) speaks of him as a prototype of the righteous man who, alone among the Israelites, would be
spared God’s vengeance. In the New Testament, Noah is mentioned in the genealogy of the
Gospel According to Luke (3:36) that delineates Jesus’ descent from Adam. Jesus also uses the
story of the Flood that came on a worldly generation of men “in the days of Noah” as an example
of Baptism, and Noah is depicted as a preacher of repentance to the men of his time, itself a
predominant theme in Jewish apocryphal and rabbinical writings (Britannica, 2018).

WORLD BEHIND THE TEXT

For others, the interpretation of the Flood account presented here rejects the text's
supernatural origin and instead renders the narrative entirely a human creation. But it is
important to note that God prefers to express His message through ordinary people,
accommodating Himself to their limited ability to draw upon Him. God did not give scientific
data to the ancient Israelites, nor did He give new genres of literature to the Israelites. Noah, the
Ark, and Flood 's story speaks of an inspired and powerful message of judgment and grace that
has taught the people of God throughout the ages about God's hatred of sin and love of his
creation. Most importantly, we see God's promise never to destroy the Earth again fully realized
in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, where God takes upon Himself the judgment for sin
rather than humanity. Thus the biblical Flood story proclaims the wonderful news of God's grace
and love for his people through the lens of Christ.

WORLD BEFORE THE TEXT

To be honest, it’s good that our government imposed a community quarantine for the
sake of all Filipinos but it’s very saddening that it is poorly planned and a lot of people who have
power in the government abuses it. Thinking about the weeks of being in Enhanced Community
Quarantine or ECQ, a lot of Filipinos suffered, even us were affected but the difference with us
is we have the capability to feed ourselves but for most Filipinos, they could not even afford to
buy a kilo of rice. If the government planned carefully on how this quarantine will be
implemented, a lot of Filipinos will not cry for food. Moreover, with us being in quarantine,
there are rules that were placed for safety purposes but clearly, there are some people who have
the power in our government completely violates it. There are a lot of things that are frustrating
but we have nothing to do but comply for the sake and safety of all and of course, have faith in
God that soon enough, everything will be alright. I can say that this pandemic made a lot of
people anxious and question their faith in God. I do know people personally who question God
why did he let something like this to happen and such. I don’t believe in the saying that God did
this because he wanted to punish us or he wanted to challenge us because this deadly virus is
caused by us humans and not him because we all know that God will never put us in danger and
just want every good to happen to us. This time is a test of one’s faith in God and I’m glad that I
held onto my faith that God is with us and will guide us all through out. I’m very thankful
because God helped me not to be so down of this pandemic as our family became really affected
with it – both my parents businesses were halted resulting us having no income this pandemic
and for our workers who can’t work and earn money to feed their families. God gave me strength
and hope that soon enough, slowly, everything will get better as before.

Reference:
Biologos. (2019). How should we interpret the Genesis flood account?. Retrieved
from https://biologos.org/common-questions/how-should-we-interpret-
the-genesis-flood-account/
Encyclopædia Britannica. (2018). Noah. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.
com/topic/Genesis-Old-Testament
Radford, B. (2014). The Ark: Could Noah's Tale Be True?. Retrieved from https://
www.livescience.com/44442-noahs-ark-true.html