Elections happened in the United States on November 3rd. Leading up to elections, passions ran high in all political camps. For some, their candidates won and their hopes were realized. Others are singing the election blues. For everyone, the election is over but the angst continues. Our ideologies are sleepless and are already planning for…
Category: Old Testament
Divine Nature Ancestry (DNA)
Genesis 24 finds Abraham getting on in years. He asks his head servant “who managed all he owned” to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Abraham insists his servant not find a wife for Isaac among the Canaanites; he asks him to return to the land of his family to find a wife for…
Terror and Darkness
After promising Abram descendants, the Lord restated His promise to give Abram the land of Canaan. Abram asked, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?” (Gen. 15:8). The Lord answered by telling Abram to sacrifice a three year old cow, a three year old female goat, a three year old ram, a turtledove, and a…
One Seed
Just before telling us about the tower of Babel, Genesis provides Shem’s genealogy. Just after the tower of Babel, Shem’s lineage is repeated. Why? There is an important difference in the way Shem’s lineage is stated the second time. Here’s a sample: “These are the family records of Shem. Shem lived 100 years and fathered…
Trajectories
Genesis 11 tells of the tower of Babel. Mankind had one language and was united in building a city. The city’s main attraction would be a tower reaching to heaven. They planned to use fired bricks held together by mortar. It was to be an impressive, impregnable structure. By building such a tower, the people…
Re-imaging
God created man in His image. His original command to His image was, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). Man fell from this purpose. God’s image in man was marred. As a result, man multiplied his own image and likeness (Gen. 5:3). Man’s image filled the earth. All things…
Image
“Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). We see from this verse that, from the beginning, God’s purpose was for us to be in His image. God’s image was to be fruitful, multiply, fill the creation, and subdue it (Gen. 1:28). This purpose was frustrated and delayed at…
Who Told You?
Today’s post is by an old friend from Bible school, Judith Brown. Judith emailed this to various friends in the Lord and was good enough to let me share it. *** “Who told you that you were naked?” Genesis 3:11 God asked Adam and Eve this question after they had eaten the forbidden fruit. Their…
Seeing the Son Within
When Jacob met Joseph’s sons, he said, “Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do” (Gen. 48:5). Joseph regarded Ephraim and Manasseh’s sons in the same way (Gen. 50:23). Jacob and Joseph saw their grandchildren as their children; they saw no difference between them when it came to affection, status, and…
An End in Itself
Jacob’s death revives fears among his sons that Joseph will retaliate because of their cruelty towards him (Gen. 50:15). Although Joseph already reassured them he held no grudge, they don’t yet trust this. Once again, they appeal to Joseph for mercy (Gen. 50:16-18). Joseph replies, “Am I in the place of God? You planned evil…
The Voice of One 