A Bride for the Promised Son: Providence and Prayer in the Search for Rebekah (Gen. 24:1–67)

Loved ones, Genesis 24 is the longest single chapter in the book of Genesis. It reads like an ancient romance, full of well-side encounters, extravagant gifts, and a dramatic journey. Yet, its length and detail tell us something vital: the Holy Spirit wants us to pay close attention to this specific event. Why? Because the… Continue reading A Bride for the Promised Son: Providence and Prayer in the Search for Rebekah (Gen. 24:1–67)

A Burying Place of My Own: The Purchase of the Patriarch’s Hope (Gen. 23:1–20)

Loved ones, death is the great interrupter of human life. Up to this point in Genesis, we have seen Abraham navigate famines, fight wars, and endure the agonizing test on Mount Moriah. But in Genesis 23, the drumbeat of the narrative pauses for a quiet, solemn, and tearful reality: the death of the matriarch of… Continue reading A Burying Place of My Own: The Purchase of the Patriarch’s Hope (Gen. 23:1–20)

The Providence of Posterity: News from a Distant Land (Gen. 22:20–24)

Loved ones, whenever we read the Bible, it is incredibly tempting to skip over the genealogies. Coming right off the heels of the breathtaking, heart-stopping drama of Mount Moriah in the first half of Genesis 22, the sudden pivot to a list of unpronounceable names feels like hitting a theological speedbump. Abraham has just offered… Continue reading The Providence of Posterity: News from a Distant Land (Gen. 22:20–24)

The LORD Will Provide: A Father, a Son, and a Sacrifice on Moriah (Gen. 22:1–19)

Loved ones, we have arrived at one of the most agonizing, breathtaking, and theologically profound chapters in all of Scripture. After decades of waiting, failing, and trusting, Abraham finally has his promised son, Isaac, safely at home in Beersheba. Ishmael is gone. The treaty with the Philistines is signed. Abraham is resting under the shade… Continue reading The LORD Will Provide: A Father, a Son, and a Sacrifice on Moriah (Gen. 22:1–19)

“The Everlasting God”: Covenants and Worship at Beersheba (Gen. 21:22–34)

Loved ones, the life of faith is not entirely made up of dramatic mountaintop experiences or agonizing crises. Much of our walk with God happens in the ordinary, dusty realities of everyday life—navigating relationships with unbelieving neighbors, resolving property disputes, and finding a place to quietly put down roots. Following the intense emotional highs and… Continue reading “The Everlasting God”: Covenants and Worship at Beersheba (Gen. 21:22–34)

“The Son of the Free Woman”: Isaac’s Birth and Ishmael’s Banishment (Gen. 21:1–21)

Loved ones, for twenty-five years, Abraham and Sarah lived on nothing but a promise. They endured famines, wars, self-inflicted detours, and the agonizing, slow decay of their own physical bodies. The promise of a son had often seemed impossibly distant, sparking both the staggered laughter of faith and the cynical laughter of doubt. But God’s… Continue reading “The Son of the Free Woman”: Isaac’s Birth and Ishmael’s Banishment (Gen. 21:1–21)

A Prophet and His Prayer: Abraham, Abimelech, and Providence (Gen. 20:1–18)

Loved ones, one of the most frustrating realities of the Christian life is the stubborn persistence of our old sins. We like to think that spiritual maturity means we completely graduate from our earlier weaknesses. But Genesis 20 shatters that illusion. Decades ago, when Abraham first entered the Promised Land, a famine drove him to… Continue reading A Prophet and His Prayer: Abraham, Abimelech, and Providence (Gen. 20:1–18)

The Bitter Fruit of Compromise: Lot and His Daughters in the Cave (Gen. 19:30–38)

Loved ones, the story of Lot is one of the most tragic biographies in all of Scripture. We first met him as Abraham’s wealthy nephew, a man who “lifted up his eyes” and chose the fertile Jordan Valley, pitching his tent near the wicked city of Sodom (Gen. 13). We then saw him sitting in… Continue reading The Bitter Fruit of Compromise: Lot and His Daughters in the Cave (Gen. 19:30–38)

“Look Not Back”: Righteous Judgment on the Cities of the Plain (Gen. 19:1–29)

Loved ones, in Genesis 18, we stood on a hillside with Abraham as he pleaded with the Judge of all the earth to spare the wicked city of Sodom for the sake of ten righteous people. He returned to his tent confident in God’s perfect justice. Now, in Genesis 19, the camera descends into the… Continue reading “Look Not Back”: Righteous Judgment on the Cities of the Plain (Gen. 19:1–29)

“Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?”: Abraham’s Plea for Sodom (Gen. 18:16–33)

Loved ones, in the first half of Genesis 18, we saw the Lord visit Abraham’s tent to bring a message of life: Sarah would have a son. It was a scene of intimate fellowship and miraculous grace. But as the afternoon wanes and the visitors turn their faces toward the valley below, the tone shifts… Continue reading “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?”: Abraham’s Plea for Sodom (Gen. 18:16–33)