Bible Journaling - Genesis 20 & 21

Genesis 20 challenges us if we believe that it fits chronologically into the rest of the story, for we would then need to believe that a ninety year old woman was still so desirable that her ninety-nine year old husband felt the need to conceal the fact that she was his wife from Abimelech,  a ruler, in order to save his own life. Whether it is chronologically correct or not, is not really at the heart of this story, though. What is more important to take note of, is the fact that Sarah was true to Abraham, making him,without a doubt, the ancestor of the bloodline God chose to reveal Himself through. We look at this story, as well as the birth of Isaac and the start of the friction in the Middle East, in today's Bible Journaling blog.

Genesis 20 and 21 look like this in the Inspire Praise Bible.

I coat the pages with Zellen Clear Gesso.

When the pages are dry, I begin to develop the illustration in the right margin.

I colour the background.

I use Giotto markers to colour the flowers.

When I use the fine point on the Giotto Turbo Dobble markers, I find that they bleed into the background, making the writing appear differently from what I had hoped to achieve. This is a disappointment, but fortunately I will still be able to work with this. Most of the problems I encounter in my Bible Journaling journey, seem to centre around the Giotto markers. I am not sure whether blame belongs with the markers or the gesso that I prepare the pages with, but the combination certainly does not appear to be a good one.

My pages now look like this.

Sadly, when I turn the page over, I find that the Giotto markers have bled through to the reverse of the page. This is a problem that I continuously encounter with the Giotto markers and I am now seriously considering banning them from my Bible Journal mediums, unless I can find a better surface protector than the Zellen Clear Gesso.

I manage to cover the bleeding with white gesso.

When I return to these pages, I have already journaled the previous chapter and my pages now look like this.

I am uncertain if chapter 20 can truly fit chronologically into the story. This is almost harder to believe than it is to believe that Sarah fell pregnant and gave birth at the ripe old age of ninety. Still, the rest of the story of Genesis is told in chronological order, so we would have poor excuse to simply make this chapter off as being 'out of order,' despite our misgivings. That Sarah must have possessed rare beauty and attributes to be desired is undeniable. Twice, Abraham felt the need to conceal the fact that she was his wife. Was it because he trusted her impeccably, or was it because he did not care for her? Taken in context, their relationship rather hints at the first suggestion being the case. Certainly, it is confirmed to us that Sarah never cheated on Abraham with another man - not even with his permission. The same can not be said for Abraham. Though, I am bringing modern values and thinking to an ancient text when I reason like this, and it may not be fair to the characters at the heart of the story. What we do know, is that God appeared to King Abimelech in a dream at night and warned him not to take Sarah as his wife. This was the woman who carried the seed of God's promises in her body. There should be no hint of suggestion that perhaps Isaac was born from another man. God Himself guarded jealously over the fulfillment of His promises. I draw a man sleeping in bed, with a dream bubble protruding from his head. I use a fountain pen to make this drawing.

I then draw the figure of a woman, with a definite cross drawn over the figure, to indicate that she was off limits.

I use Sharpie Markers and Mont Marte Adult Colouring Duo Markers to colour the illustration. I add sun rays shining through a cloud, to indicate God's intervention in the matter.

In the first lines of chapter 20, we find out that Sarah did indeed give birth to a boy and that she named him Isaac, as instructed by God. I draw a baby swathed in a blanket, using a fountain pen.

I use the Mont Marte Duo Markers to colour the illustration.

Hagar and Ishmael made fun of Isaac and Sarah demanded that Abraham send them on their way. This was the birthplace of the conflict in the Middle East which rages to this day. Ishmael's descendants believe that the land of Canaan was promised to them, as Ishmael was Abraham's firstborn son. However, God has often disregarded birthright when I came to the fulfillment of His promises, and the blessings He announced. Isaac, was the one He chose for His salvation plan. When I was traveling in England a number of years ago, I bought a sheet of rub-on stickers that I had never used. These stickers included a beautiful well. When Hagar and Ishmael was expelled from their home, they found themselves wandering in the desert, thirsty and on the brink of dying. God intervened and provided a well to nourish them. I am sure it looked nothing like the one in my sticker, but I like the idea of including my travel memories in my Bible and disregard the accuracy of the depiction completely.

Sadly, as soon as I had rubbed the sticker into place, I discovered to my horror that it was not nearly as transparent as I had believed it to be. This meant that I had now covered a large part of my text, something I had determined not to do in my Bible Journaling ventures.

I contemplated removing the sticker, but decided against it, as I thought I might do even more damage to the Bible in the process. It was a rather sad outcome though, which left me less than thrilled with myself.

The chapter continues on the next page with a covenant, or agreement, reached between Abimelech and Abraham. These were two powerful men living in the same region and friction arose between them. They needed to find a way to live alongside each other in peace and harmony. They concluded a peace treaty of sorts to make this possible. This was an official acknowledgement of Abraham's presence in the region. We see that he concludes this occasion by bringing praise to God. I decide to focus on the attributes of Abraham's character that would make him God's chosen one, and that would bring him to this point in life.

I find a sticker that summarizes some of these attributes. Be prayerful. Be humble. Be grateful. Be Clean. Be true. Be positive. Be still. Be smart. Be involved.

The addition of the sticker has not altered the next page much.

The previous pages have been altered quite dramatically.

You can watch a short compilation video of the steps above on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/_n-GSbQtYKw

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2005,2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

Inspire PRAISE South Africa edition copyright 2017 by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA. All rights reserved.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.

Bible Journaling - Genesis 19

Genesis 19 is yet another low point in the morality of society. We saw a low point in the story of Cain, reaching an all time low with his descendant Lamech. Then the flood followed in Noah's time, and God committed Himself to never again allow such a total destruction. Now, we see yet another low point in morality and ethics among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. I once heard someone disregard the Bible as reliable because it wouldn't deal with 'real issues' such as rape. I was amazed. The Bible deals with these serious issues on more than one occasion. Genesis 19 has gang rape, rape, homosexuality, and incest in the pages of its short chapter. We explore the deplorable state of these cities in today's Bible Journaling journey.

There is also a short overflow onto the next page, which we will look at when we get to it.

Genesis 19 looks like this in the Inspire Praise Bible.

I treat the pages with a coating of Gesso.

This is what the pages look like once the gesso has dried.

I use a variety of pens and markers to colour the image in the right margin. For some reason, the Giotto Turbo Glitter markers, especially the red and blue, seemed to gather into deeper colours in some places. I suspect this may be as a result of the gesso I have prepared the pages with. The results leave me very nervous about using these markers in my Bible again, as the gesso is still the only Clear Gesso I have been able to find on the market.

I then turn my attention to the journaling. I use a metallic pen for this.

I continue to develop the illustration.

When I turn the page over, I discover to my horror, that the Giotto markers had bled through to the reverse side of the page, despite my having sealed both sides of the page with gesso before I started.

As the page has been treated with gesso, I decide to paint over the left margin with white acrylic paint.

When the paint dries, I find the mark is still slightly visible. I paint the margin again, but this time with white gesso.

When I next return to these pages, I have already journaled the previous chapter and my layout now looks like this.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is familiar to most readers of the Bible, I believe. Having said that, whenever I read the story anew, I am once again dumbstruck by the level of sheer wickedness and violence that people seem capable of reaching. I am sure there must have been a good dose of mob hysteria involved in the unfolding of this story as well. Yet, as much as I wish to believe this is not true and part of human nature, newspaper headlines prove me wrong. Not even in Lot do I find a redeeming character. He offers his daughters to be gang raped in order to save the 'men' with him. I can not help but to be reminded of Abraham, who knew not to take matters in his own hands, but to rather take it to God in prayer. Lot stood in the physical presence of God (or His angels/representatives) and still forced his own solutions on the problem. And then, just as I am getting ready to condemn him for doing so, I am reminded of how often I do the same thing, with the Living God alive inside of me, in the form of the Holy Spirit. I do not wish to be too graphic in my depiction of the people who were destroyed. I use a fountain pen to draw an outline of figure in agony. The figure 'melts' into the bottom of the page. This figure represents the people who were destroyed, as well as Lot's wife, who was turned into a pillar of salt. I use Mont Marte Adult Colouring Duo Markers to colour the figure in shades of grey.

I then wish to illustrate the fire and sulfur that rained down on the cities. I use Sharpie Markers to do this. I start with yellow dots.

I add orange and red to develop these dots into flames.

My page layout now looks like this.

The chapter continues on the next page, which looks like this.

In the last verses of the chapter, we learn that Lot's daughters became concerned that they would now not find men to procreate with. They take it upon themselves to get their father drunk and then they have sex with him. Again the moral decay hits me between the eyes. Two nations are born from this incest, namely the Moabites and the Ammonites. It is interesting to follow their stories as it unfolds in the Old Testament. I find this part of the story so abhorrent, that I almost wish to not journal it at all. At last I decide to concentrate on the wine, rather than the people. I draw a wine bottle and glass with a fountain pen. In an attempt to restore some beauty to my troubled thoughts, I decorate the illustration with twirls and swirls.

I use metallic pens to add a bit of colour to the illustration.

The second page looks like this when I am done with chapter 19.

Turning back, the layout looks like this.

You can watch a short compilation video of the steps above on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/GFRHTLXKc5E

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2005,2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

Inspire PRAISE South Africa edition copyright 2017 by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA. All rights reserved.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.

Bible Journaling - Genesis 17 & 18

We have reached Genesis 17 and 18 on our Bible Journaling journey. These are chapters filled with covenants and promises, as well as renewal of promises. It is also the first time where we encounter serious intercession in the Bible, when Abraham intercedes with God on behalf of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. I have to wonder if this was not the reason that God called Abraham His friend. Here was a man who carried the lives of others at his heart. He prayed for them and wished them good, even though they were what we would call 'the scum of the earth,' as we learn in the following chapter. I use a lot of symbols and cartoon style illustrations in today's journal entry.

The chapters continue onto the next page, and so will our journaling for these chapters.

When we first encounter Genesis 17 and 18 in the Inspire Praise Bible, the pages look like this.

I seal the pages with Zellen Clear Gesso.

This is what the pages look like once dry.

I use Faber-Castell Artist's Pitt pens to colour the illustration in the right margin.

I continue building up the colour.

I stick to a monochromatic colour scheme.

Depth is created by using darker colours.

Further development of the picture.

I finally move slightly away from the colour scheme, although still sticking very close to it. This time I use a ProMarker.

When I return to the pages, I had already journaled the overflow from the previous chapter and my layout now looks like this.

When we start reading in chapter 17, we discover that Abraham is now 99 years old. God reaffirms His covenant with Abraham, promising to make ancestor to many descendants. He again confirms that the land of Canaan is to belong to Abraham's descendants. During this conversation, God also changes Abram's name to Abraham. I draw a papyrus scroll to represent Abraham's ID document and write both names on the scroll. I then draw a line through Abram, to illustrate the name change. I use ProMarkers for the illustration.

A couple of verses on, we discover that Sarai's name is also changed. She will now be called Sarah. It is at this time that God reveals to Abraham that the blessed child is to be born from Sarah, not any other woman, such as Hagar. I draw a second scroll with two names and once again cross out the old name.

Wedged in between these name changes, is the introduction of the circumcision of all of Abraham's male descendants, as a mark of the covenant that God had made with him and his descendants. This rather awkward to illustrate, yet so important that I do not wish to shy away from it. I finally decide to simply draw a baby with a very concerned expression on his face. I start my drawing in pencil.

I use ProMarkers, Sharpie Markers and Mont Marte Adult Colouring Duo Markers to colour the baby. I add a white dot to the eyes with a white Artline Paint Marker.

After Sarah's name is changed and God appoints her as the carrier for His promises to Abraham, Abraham laughs in disbelief, for Sarah was already ninety years old. God confirms what He had said and continues to tell Abraham that Sarah would give birth to Isaac. Isaac, God informs Abraham, will be the father (forefather) of twelve princes, or rulers. We also learn that Abraham wasted no time. On that very day, he had every male in his household circumcised, both free and slave, including himself and his son Ishmael. I illustrate the princes that are to be born through this bloodline by drawing a crown. I use a ProMarker and Sharpie Markers to colour the crown.

I then use metallic pens to put some sparkly 'gems' on the crown.

At the beginning of chapter 18, we read that Abraham convinced his visitors, which we now learn are three men, to stay for refreshments. In the ensuing conversation, the men (God?) inquires after Sarah's whereabouts. He then informs Abraham that when they return in a year's time, Sarah will have a son. Sarah overhears this conversation and laughed silently to herself when she heard this, for she knew well that she was no longer able to fall pregnant. At ninety, we can safely assume that she had already passed through menopause. However, the Creator of the Universe had no problem restoring an old woman's ability to bear children and He was adamant that she would bear a son. As a woman, I find this passage particularly endearing. It was not only Abraham who was important to God, but also Sarah. We already saw with Hagar's story that God concerned Himself with the well-being of a woman. Now, He again pays particular attention to a woman, Sarah. He knows where she is and what her thoughts and reactions were. When she denies her own emotions and thoughts, He looks them squarely in the eye. It is not necessary to lie to God about how we feel, or what we think. He already knows. Simply trust Him with your innermost thoughts and emotions and let Him do for you what you yourself can never bring about. I draw a laughing old woman on the page, using a fountain pen. I then colour this picture with the Mont Marte Duo Markers.

My page now looks like this and the rest of the story continues on the next page.

In the last half of chapter 18, we find that the men leave Abraham to go to Sodom and Gomorrah. One stays behind - the LORD. He reveals His intention of destroying the cities to Abraham. In verse 20-21 we read that God said: "I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. I am going down to see if there actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know." God is going to investigate and search for a reason to save them! He wants to know if there is reason to save them. One can easily miss this. We then find that Abraham is of a like mind to God. His nephew, Lot, was living among these people and we know that Abraham had had dealings with them. It can be no surprise to him that these people are wicked. He desperately intercedes for them with God. To illustrate this, I draw a man on his knees in prayer.

I colour the man in shades of grey to illustrate the gravity of the matter, as well as to reinforce the idea of Abraham's age at this point.

I then find a sticker with the words Prayer List on it and stick it in the margin of my Bible. This serves as a reminder that we are to constantly bring people to God in prayer. I also use a fountain pen to write the numbers of people that Abraham had mentioned to God, as he tried to convince Him to save the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He starts at 50 and slowly and methodically works his way down to 10. Even Abraham must not have thought that it was possible that there were fewer than 10 righteous people living in the cities. He must have thought that was as low as a man needed to go, and he stopped praying. I have often heard Abraham criticised for not praying more and lowering the number even further. The truth is that God would not see a single righteous person destroyed. We have no idea whether Lot and his daughters were saved for their own sake, or for the sake of Abraham, but we do know that 'the men' held back God's wrath until the ones He chose to save, were safely out of the city.

I draw a speech bubble with the word Intercede written in it. This is to remind myself that the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, as James 5:16 confirms. We need to pray for the lost and dying, for prayers can save lives, both physical as well as spiritual.

My second page looks like this when I am done.

Turning back, the pages we did look like this.

You can watch a short compilation video of the steps above on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/xta52W8po6Q

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2005,2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

Inspire PRAISE South Africa edition copyright 2017 by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA. All rights reserved.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.