Online Bible Institute | Noel Card | Activity

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:42:38 -0400

Thank-you for this post. I have long struggled with Leviticus, finding the lengthy descriptions of sacrifices and rules for clean and unclean as challenging. Your post points to the meaning behind those details.

In reply to - Shawnta Jacobs posted an update

What stood out to me while reading Leviticus was how intentional God was about everything. At first, all the laws, sacrifices, offerings, and instructions felt like a lot, but […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:39:23 -0400

Welcome to OBI! I am also an ‘experienced’ user myself!😀 I hope you enjoy the courses and the site-wide activity feed – it is a great community.

In reply to - Jerry BRUCE posted an update

Today I’ve completed the introductory course. It showed me how ‘experienced’ I am.(i.e. old) Course work here will be a lot different than anything I have done before. Scheduling […]

Noel Card posted an update: This session continued from the previous, considering […]

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:36:43 -0400

This session continued from the previous, considering the three elements of imagery of disorder in Genesis 1 – tohu va-vohu (wild and waste, or formless and empty), darkness, and deep abyss. In this session, the instructor considers these imageries in Jeremiah (which is prophecy before and after the destruction of Jerusalem). In Jeremiah 4:23,…

Noel Card posted an update: This session focused on Genesis 1, considering various […]

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:53:38 -0400

This session focused on Genesis 1, considering various ways of thinking about ‘creation’. I drew two main points from this.

First, the instructor highlighted the Hebrew word ‘reshit’ as commonly translated as ‘beginning’. However, it is not always the same meaning as we (at least I) think of beginning. In Jeremiah 1, it refers to the…

Noel Card posted an update: This session considered ancient Babylonian cosmology, […]

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:43:44 -0400

This session considered ancient Babylonian cosmology, as described in a text called the Enuma Elish. This story describes a water being, Tiamut, who took the form of a giant sea dragon. The Babylonian pantheon was led by Marduk, who engages in a violent battle resulting in Tiamut bursting into the waters above and the waters below. The…

Noel Card posted an update: This session began with a focus on Genesis 1:1-2, with […]

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:43:48 -0400

This session began with a focus on Genesis 1:1-2, with an in-depth focus on some of the Hebrew words – the rhyming of “tohu va-vohu” (translated as “wild and waste” by the instructor, or “without form and void” in ESV); the similar root words of “tohu” and “tehom” (which are more similar in Hebrew letters than English; deep abyss connected to…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:39:04 -0400

@lerataraphaelmokoteli Thank you, Lerata. Your words of how this reframes our pastoral task are a wonderful reminder and inspiration.

In reply to - Noel Card posted an update

This session focused on the creation of light in Genesis 1:3-5. The class prompts us to consider what the emphasis on “light” should be – is it about the material being created […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:45:44 -0400

Great post, Maria! The contrast between Saul and David carries a lot of wisdom.

In reply to - Maria Gruda posted an update

“Tried and Failed?”

A chapter answering the question “what if I tried to follow God on something and then failed?”

It lists multiple people from the Bible who did just that who […]

Noel Card posted an update: This session focused on the creation of light in […]

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:42:13 -0400

This session focused on the creation of light in Genesis 1:3-5. The class prompts us to consider what the emphasis on “light” should be – is it about the material being created (photons) or about the meaning / purpose of light? The answer becomes evident (if not immediately) that it is the latter, and the light being called “day” denotes…

Noel Card posted an update: This first module, and the associated preface and […]

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 17:40:19 -0400

This first module, and the associated preface and first chapter of the book (by the instructor of this course) focused on Hebrew and Greek words that are translated into English as lord, Lord, and/or LORD. The Hebrew word “adon” can refer to either people of power or influence (e.g., patriarchs, Moses, foreign kings), or it can refer to God…

Noel Card posted an update: This session was the first of Module 2, which […]

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:08:35 -0400

This session was the first of Module 2, which begins focusing on Genesis 1. The session described the Hebrew words used in the account of creation, especially ‘erats (earth or land) and raqia’ (blue dome above the land, beyond which are the “waters above”). The consideration of the raqia’ holding back the waters above led to an…

Noel Card posted an update: This short session began by stating two obvious, but […]

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 15:13:58 -0400

This short session began by stating two obvious, but often forgotten, facts about the Bible. First, it is an ancient text. Second, any communication can only convey meaning in a particular language and historical / cultural context. These seem obvious, but I don’t think we should rush by them. When we read something now that is 50 to 100…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 15:10:46 -0400

Very good post. Your note about the divine guidance of Moses during this first half of Exodus as a reminder to lean on God is a great message. Thank you!

In reply to - Pieter van der Merwe posted an update

The lesson covered Exodus 1 – 18, and the things that stuck in my mind was how Moses, despite receiving the finest education that Egypt had to offer the adopted son […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 15:07:43 -0400

Very well said, R. C.! The complex interweaving of subplots into this overarching narrative is indeed divinely inspired.

In reply to - R.C. posted an update

Design patterns serve as the foundational method biblical authors use to unify the vast array of stories throughout Scripture. Each pattern develops a core theme that weaves through […]

Noel Card posted an update: This session showed a somewhat short (15-20 […]

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 15:06:16 -0400

This session showed a somewhat short (15-20 minutes) continuation of the previous, focused mostly on student questions. One response I found interesting was this: Our language has limitations. The language of the Biblical authors has limitations. Most of us read translations of Scripture, and all translations have limitations. However, we…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:50:40 -0400

@keithlinden Hi Keith, Thanks for your comment. The term “chronological snobbery” comes from C.S. Lewis and was mention in session 2 of this course. We live in a time that benefits from thousands of years of technological advancement beyond the Biblical authors’ times, so we have a better understanding of the physical nature of the… Read more

In reply to - Noel Card posted an update

This third session picked up on the meanings of “heaven(s)” and “earth” as God’s space and human’s space. Dr. Mackie drew an amazing visual image – of these two circles coming […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:54:43 -0400

Great post! The practice of deliberately under-describing details allows the Biblical stories and characters to have relevance for readers across time and cultures – as you wrote, “it forces us to participate”. It is so fun to catch glimpses of the divine genius behind the Bible.

In reply to - Leah posted an update

This session on Characterization & Setting higlights that Biblical narravite tells stories of people with minimal details often, so that we will fill in, so that we take our time and […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:48:58 -0400

Very good post! This course is wonderful in teaching us to read slowly, contemplating the meanings (plural) of the words of scripture. As you mentioned, habits of ritual can lead us into the trap of superficial rather than deeper understanding.

In reply to - Lerata Mokoteli posted an update

Bringing all the pieces together, Dr. Mackie demonstrates that the Bible is a collection of texts penned by different authors from vastly different backgrounds, contexts, and […]

Noel Card posted an update: This third session picked up on the meanings […]

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:44:55 -0400

This third session picked up on the meanings of “heaven(s)” and “earth” as God’s space and human’s space. Dr. Mackie drew an amazing visual image – of these two circles coming together and overlapping in Jesus – then citing New Testament scripture stating exactly this image. Once again, I am amazed at the new depth of understanding…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:55:58 -0400

Very good post, R.C.! You made great points. I agree that we can gain much by reading the Bible in different ways, and understanding the ways of reading taught in this course allows us to experience a new way of receiving the message.

In reply to - R.C. posted an update

The message of biblical texts is deeply connected to their literary form, with form itself being an integral part of the message. Like biblical poetry, biblical narrative is carefully […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:52:54 -0400

Congratulations Kevin!! I think that the more we learn through these courses, the more we love to learn more. Yes, OBI is a blessing.

In reply to - Kevin posted an update

Just finished up my 1st class for the Associates program and I’m so excited to continue on. Thank God for OBI. 😇

Noel Card posted an update: In this session, Dr. Mackie read several passages of […]

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 21:49:01 -0400

In this session, Dr. Mackie read several passages of Hebrew Bible scripture in which the words “heaven” or “heavens”, “earth”, and “water” or “waters” were used. In each passage, there seems to be a different interpretation or meaning to these words. For example, the “heavens” might refer to the physical sky above us (e.g., Psalm 24:1-2),…

Noel Card posted an update: In this first session, Dr. Mackie began by sharing […]

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:58:27 -0400

In this first session, Dr. Mackie began by sharing his childhood fascination with space. He showed several images, moving from a view of earth from space, the solar system, the milky way galaxy, then the Hubble deep field image showing hundreds of galaxies in a minuscule area of space where it seems nothing exists. The students in the…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 19:30:21 -0400

When we learn to appreciate the artistry of the Old Testament, it becomes more and more evident that God is the lead author.

In reply to - Leah posted an update

For me, this session about repetition in Hebrew poetry answers the question I’ve always had but never really articulated – WHY was the Old Testament written in poetic form? I’ve never […]

Noel Card posted an update: The final session of this class on the Hebrew […]

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 19:28:16 -0400

The final session of this class on the Hebrew Bible describes how the overarching photomosaic of the Old Testament creates a silhouette of Christ. The Gospels of the New Testament then ‘turn up the lights’ to allow us to clearly see Jesus as the silhouette created by the Hebrew Bible.

About half of the time of this session involved the…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:42:35 -0400

Yes, slowing down to appreciate the depth of the Bible is well worth the time. I have done many bible-in-a-year readings; while there is value in those also, this class is definitely teaching how much more we can gain through slow, careful contemplation.

In reply to - Leah posted an update

I loved listening to Tim read verses in the original Hebrew! Hearing it in the original language, with the cadence of the poetry as it was originally meant, was exciting! It’s […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:34:12 -0400

Well said, Jeff. Isaiah 1:18 is a beautiful expression of God’s mercy!

In reply to - Jeff Jacinto posted an update

Robert Alter rightly observes that when God speaks through the prophets, He almost always speaks in poetry. The beauty, emotion, and depth of poetic language allow God’s message […]

Noel Card posted an update: The session continued the idea of using words and phrases […]

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:32:15 -0400

The session continued the idea of using words and phrases to draw links between narratives of the Bible, here making more distant connections of the Jacob subplot to earlier chapters in Genesis. Rather than analyzing just one or two word phrases linking portions of the narrative together, the instructor points out many connections. Genesis…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 21:02:34 -0400

One workaround is:

(1) Go the the search (magnifying glass image) at the top of the page, and type part of your course name.

(2) Click the “courses” tab of all the matches.

(3) Click your course to access.

It is not as convenient as accessing from the student dashboard, but it is workable until changes are made. Thanks to all of the OBI folks…

In reply to - Frank Bertinchamps posted an update

Unfortunately I don’t like the site ” improvements” so it looks like I will not be finishing my schooling.

The courses are no longer user friendly as I can not figure out how […]

Noel Card posted an update: This session continued focusing on repeated words […]

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:48:46 -0400

This session continued focusing on repeated words and phrases in Genesis, here noting links within Genesis 12 (beginning of Abram / Abraham subplot). The first linkage is to Genesis 11 (makers of tower of Babel desiring to make a name for themselves) and part of the Abraham covenant (God will “make your name great” Genesis 12:2). The…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:45:09 -0400

@kevinlisboa Hi Kevin, You ask a good question. My brief answer is that I don’t know yet. Dr. Mackie’s statement that Elohim (which can refer to God, polytheistic gods, or other spiritual beings) appears infrequently supports that his interpretation is correct. My next step down this path would be to use something like Logos software… Read more

In reply to - Noel Card posted an update

This session continued focusing on repeated words and phrases through Genesis 6 (beginning of the flood narrative). Here, Dr. Mackie continues to point out repetition of the […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:14:45 -0400

I liked your post. This is the next class I will take, and your description makes me look forward to it!

In reply to - R.C. posted an update

Our understanding of the universe, its origin, and our place within it deeply influences how we interpret the Bible. Whether consciously or not, these foundational views shape our reading […]

Noel Card posted an update: This session continued focusing on repeated words […]

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:10:22 -0400

This session continued focusing on repeated words and phrases through Genesis 6 (beginning of the flood narrative). Here, Dr. Mackie continues to point out repetition of the words “saw” and “good” to argue that Genesis 6 continues in the same pattern: here the sons of God saw the daughters of humanity as good. An interesting aside was Dr.…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 18:22:52 -0400

Very good post. This sounds like a great class.

In reply to - sheep posted an update

It is taught in this chapter that prayer is not as a monologue of requests, but as a two way conversation that involves listening as much as talking. When you pray, expect God to speak […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 18:21:37 -0400

Good post Jeff. Learning the Joshua and Jesus are names derived from Yeshua is enlightening.

In reply to - Jeff Jacinto posted an update The literary seams of the TaNaK reveal Israel’s expectation of a prophet like Moses (Deut. 34:10–12). Although Joshua succeeded Moses, he was only Moses’ faithful successor, not the […]

Noel Card posted an update: This session continued talking about repeated words […]

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 18:18:58 -0400

This session continued talking about repeated words and phrases, focusing on lead words (leitwort in German; session 23) as words or word-roots that a repeated in order to give a structure to the text. Here, the focus was on the word “good” (Hebrew “tov”) in the early parts of Genesis. In Genesis 1, God saw aspects of His creation as…

Noel Card posted an update: This session continued talking about repeated words […]

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:01:23 -0400

This session continued talking about repeated words and phrases, and how this creates patterns of design. In this session, the instructor analyzed the story of Elisha having a widow gather vessels to pay a debt, pointing out a pattern of A, B, C, C, B, A caused by the repeated phrases. He also analyzed Genesis 39 as an example of a much…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:37:23 -0400

Wonderful post! I agree entirely both about the changing of important traditions (sports over Biblical education) and how studying the Bible is a “the more we put in, the more we get out” situation.

In reply to - Leah posted an update

My first observation is that the more we study the Bible in depth and in full context, the more we WANT to study!! I’m also understanding why the Jewish people send their kids to […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:32:38 -0400

Great summary. Definitely looking forward to this session!

In reply to - Shadrack posted an update

The lesson explained how the cycle of “seeing, taking, and giving” described in Genesis 3 is repeated throughout the rest of the Hebrew Bible, even when it comes to the story of […]

Noel Card posted an update: The session focused on repeated words (or word […]

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:29:01 -0400

The session focused on repeated words (or word roots), comparing them to the “thread” that holds the “quilt” of the Bible together (the quilt analogy was from session 11). By repeating these words or word roots, the authors invite the reader to draw connections between ideas. The instructor quotes work by Buber that compares the repeated…

Noel Card posted an update: The session offered two analogies for the […]

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:52:23 -0400

The session offered two analogies for the relationship between small subplot stories in the Bible and the larger plot of the Bible. One is the photomosaic, in which many tiny pictures are arranged to form an overall picture. The other is repeated themes in films, using the example of how different characters respond to the ring in the Lord…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:43:27 -0400

Great post, Ben! As we learn about the brilliance of the Bible, we quickly recognize that it was not written “by man” alone. Instead, as you wrote, the Bible represents God speaking through human authors.

In reply to - Ben Wagner posted an update

This lesson showed how Psalms continued to trust and hope in a savior who would save and redeem the Israelites. The Psalms help give the reader a narrative on Jewish beliefs in […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:40:21 -0400

Wonderful post, Shadrack! Understanding that repetition of key words is intentional, and taking the time to understand why the authors wanted to capture out attention, is a great lesson.

In reply to - Shadrack posted an update

In session 23, we examined the strategic use of repeated key words and root words to form coordinating relationships between literature units, thus helping the reader determine what he […]

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:38:32 -0400

Excellent post, Fabian! I like how you put idea of crossing a cultural border, where our own laws do not apply and our currency is of no value.

In reply to - Fabian posted an update

Session 13 The different Encyclopedias of Authors and readers

This session addresses a fascinating topic: assimilating the narrative of the Hebrew text as if it were a foreign country. […]

Noel Card posted an update: This session focused on characters in the […]

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:35:59 -0400

This session focused on characters in the Biblical narrative. A point made by the instructor – obvious once pointed out but something I had not previously had explicit – is that the Bible typically does not directly state judgment about the characters’ decisions. Instead, the consequences described in the plot illustrate the consequences of…

Noel Card posted an update: This session described the many subplots underlying […]

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:10:04 -0400

This session described the many subplots underlying the overarching plot of the entire Bible (Old and New Testament). The instructor laid out two initial, large-scale subplots: the relationship between God and humanity (all nations) then the relationship between God and the people of Israel. These two plots are brought together with…

Noel Card posted an update: This session is the second in the Module on […]

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 11:23:50 -0400

This session is the second in the Module on interpreting biblical narrative. Here, the instructor offers a seemingly simple definition of plot, and how a plot typically leads toward a climax and resolution. He then performs an analysis of the plot of Jonah, illustrating the multiple subplots. The readily evident ones are in Chapters 1-3: 1)…

Noel Card posted an update: This session is the first in the Module on […]

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 15:28:43 -0400

This session is the first in the Module on interpreting biblical narrative. Here, the instructor described narratives as a form of literature intended to convey the authors’ message to us. This means that not every detail is necessarily recorded, and that we should seek to understand the text in terms of the messages the authors intended for…

Noel Card posted an update: This session continued discussion of repetition in […]

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:41:10 -0400

This session continued discussion of repetition in Hebrew poetry, extending from parallelism / repetition between nearby lines to repetition among more distant lines. The instructor again went in depth into a few smaller chunks before going into an entire poem (Psalm 67). The beauty of this symmetry highlights the quotation made of Robert…

Noel Card posted a new activity comment

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 19:33:58 -0400

Great post, Shadrack! I am also finding this course fascinating, offering a more nuanced and realistic story of how the books of the bible were written and transmitted across time.

In reply to - Shadrack posted an update

The lesson examined the origin of the Bible from a historical point of view. The Bible’s divinity and authority doesn’t negate the human processes that brought it into existence. […]