Loved ones, in our last study, God broke a thirteen-year silence, reaffirming His covenant with Abraham and instituting the bloody sign of circumcision. Abraham, at ninety-nine years old, responded with immediate obedience. Now, in Genesis 18, the narrative shifts from a formal covenant ceremony to an intimate, personal visitation. God has promised a son, but… Continue reading “Is Anything Too Hard for the LORD?”: Laughter, Doubt, and the Promised Son (Gen. 18:1–15)
Category: Old Testament
“A Multitude of Nations”: The Sign and Seal of Circumcision (Gen. 17:1–27)
Loved ones, as we turn to Genesis 17, we must first notice what is absent: the voice of God. Between the end of chapter 16 and the beginning of chapter 17, thirteen long years of total silence have passed. Abram is now ninety-nine years old. Ishmael, the son of his fleshly compromise, is a teenager.… Continue reading “A Multitude of Nations”: The Sign and Seal of Circumcision (Gen. 17:1–27)
“According to the Flesh”: The Folly of Hagar and Sarai (Gen. 16:1–16)
Loved ones, in our last study, we witnessed the pinnacle of Abram’s faith. We saw God walk through the pieces of the sacrifice alone, taking the full weight of the covenant onto His own shoulders. Abram believed, and it was counted to him as righteousness. It was a moment of profound spiritual certainty. But faith… Continue reading “According to the Flesh”: The Folly of Hagar and Sarai (Gen. 16:1–16)
A Smoking Fire Pot and a Flaming Torch: The Weight of a Divine Oath (Gen. 15:1–21)
Loved ones, we have reached what many theologians consider the “Holy of Holies” of the Old Testament. In the previous chapter, Abram was a warrior-king, defeating eastern empires and receiving a blessing from Melchizedek. He had rejected the riches of Sodom, choosing to rely solely on the “Possessor of heaven and earth.” But as the… Continue reading A Smoking Fire Pot and a Flaming Torch: The Weight of a Divine Oath (Gen. 15:1–21)
The King of Salem: A Priest, a Patriarch, and a Tithe (Gen. 14:1–24)
Loved ones, the life of faith is rarely quiet for long. In the previous chapter, we saw Abram acting as a peacemaker, separating from Lot to avoid strife. He settled by the oaks of Mamre, building an altar in the quiet hill country of Hebron. But Genesis 14 shatters that peace. The narrative camera suddenly… Continue reading The King of Salem: A Priest, a Patriarch, and a Tithe (Gen. 14:1–24)
“Let There Be No Strife”: Land, Legacy, and Letting Go (Gen. 13:1–18)
Loved ones, in our last study, we watched the father of the faithful stumble. Driven by famine and fear, Abram went down to Egypt, deceived Pharaoh, and endangered the promised line. It was a low point. But God, in His severe mercy, plagued Pharaoh and brought Abram out—not empty-handed, but wealthy. Genesis 13 is the… Continue reading “Let There Be No Strife”: Land, Legacy, and Letting Go (Gen. 13:1–18)
“This Is My Sister”: A Test of Faith in a Foreign Land (Gen. 12:10–20)
Loved ones, in our last study, we stood with Abram on the spiritual mountaintop. He had heard the call of God, left his idols in Ur, and built altars in the Promised Land. He was the knight of faith, staking a claim for Yahweh in the midst of the Canaanites. But the Bible is not… Continue reading “This Is My Sister”: A Test of Faith in a Foreign Land (Gen. 12:10–20)
“Go from Your Country”: The Call and the Covenant (Gen. 12:1–9)
Loved ones, we have crossed a massive theological threshold. For eleven chapters, the Bible has painted on a global canvas—creation, flood, nations, and the scattering at Babel. But now, the God of the universe narrows His gaze to a single, childless old man in Haran. Genesis 12 is the beginning of the answer to the… Continue reading “Go from Your Country”: The Call and the Covenant (Gen. 12:1–9)
The Unbroken Line: From Shem to the Threshold of Promise (Gen. 11:10-32)
Loved ones, we have just witnessed the collapse of the world’s first empire. At Babel, humanity shouted, “Let us make a name for ourselves,” and God answered with confusion and dispersion. The camera of Scripture panned out to show us a world scattered and divided by language. It was a scene of judgment and chaos.… Continue reading The Unbroken Line: From Shem to the Threshold of Promise (Gen. 11:10-32)
Let Us Make a Name for Ourselves: The Folly and Fall of Babel (Gen. 11:1–9)
Loved ones, we have reached the end of the beginning. Genesis 1 through 11, often called the “Primeval History,” charts the course of the world from the heights of creation to the depths of the Fall, through the judgment of the Flood, and now to the scattering of the nations. We stand at a critical… Continue reading Let Us Make a Name for Ourselves: The Folly and Fall of Babel (Gen. 11:1–9)