Homework

Yes, I am attempting to read it in Chinese.

It's taking a lot of time for two main reasons.
1. my chinese is extremely poor.
2. the chinese version is overall a poor translation.

Some thoughts for the past week's reading:

Why did God make Eve? Because "那人獨居不好" (it is not good for man to be alone).
It's not good for man to be alone??

Curses for the human race:
1. Man is cursed because of Adam's sin. We have to work our butts off.
2. Pains in child birth, And, "你必戀慕你丈夫". Is that a punishment too??

God asked Joshua to bring his people across the River in the strangest way. There were many ways to cross, but God picked a way which tests very very much the faith and trust of the leader. Being of a strategic mind, Joshua must have thought of a thousand strategic ways to cross. Yet he choose to have faith, and obey against his own judgement.

It seems that the gods are playing around with human lives. Like dolls in a plastic house. How can God let Satan do such terrible things to Job? God doesn't need to prove anything to Satan. What was the purpose of this? To the reader. this book seems very very fictional. I had to sit back and remind myself that "this happened to an actual person called Job." Think Again!

In Isaiah, the people made some very bad choices. Is the problem that they are not turning back? God is very angry with them. I wonder if all the people realised this...

The story of Jesus' Birth is amazing. I heard that the name Jesus is common in those time. I didn't know that. and I found it hard to believe. Is it true?? Out of all the people in the bible, only one person is called Jesus. Doesn't seem to me that it's a common name.

I had a debate in small group about the Jews requiring permission from the Roman Government to Stone people to death. I disagreed that they needed permission. Herod ordered all those children to be killed. I don't think he asked the Romans for permission.

Matthew concentrates very much in matching jewish "prophecies" with what is happening on the person of Jesus. i wonder how the jews over the past two thousand years say about these things.

You can see genuineness in Paul's letters. The language he uses is full of love and enthusiasm and excitment. Man ate from the tree of knowledge. He has the ability to differentiate good and bad. All Man kind knows inherently that they have sinned against God. Can anyone claim ignorance on the day of judgement? If you've heard the gospel. you have no excuse.

(some of the chapters I read in English cos I didn't have time to spend on the Chinese.)