Gen 38 Jacob’s son Judah recalls his part in selling Joseph to Ishmaelite traders, and every time he was in the presence of Jacob, he remembered his part but failed to acknowledge it. Unconfessed sin tears at our hearts, and if we fail to acknowledge it, we seek ways to avoid it, which is what […]
Gen 35 to 37 “Even what God hates He can use for His purposes” Abraham’s family tree reveals several sordid traits: favoritism, jealousy, envy, and hatred. It began with Abraham, who fathered Ishmael and begged God to make him his legacy, but God told him that Isaac would be the blessing. Isaac’s twin sons were […]
Genesis 32 Feigned Love. There is a little bit of Jacob in all of us. For example, you are invited to someone’s home or some fellowship outside but feign illness or busyness not to attend. That is where we find Jacob—and ourselves. Again we return to the truth of Prov 29:25 “the fear of man […]
Gen 32:10 Unworthiness except for God’s Love Jacob has struggled since he left home. He has struggled with his uncle Laban and his wives in their childbearing years. He has struggled with his cousins over the sheep, and it goes on and on. He finally has had enough of Laban’s treachery and decides to leave. […]
Gen 25-27 Reading this is like seeing dominos lined up, just waiting for the first one to fall. When it falls, the rest fall behind it, and that is what happened in these people’s lives and happens to us if we are not discerning because the heart is deceitful, and only God knows it. [Jer […]
Gen 21-24 We all face these at one time or another, but it is our response that catches the eye of God. How do you face car problems or rats in your attic? These are our everyday challenges, but Abraham had a much bigger test, and it was to see how much he would trust […]
Gen 19-21 God established boundaries for the land and for the people. In fact, after the colossal blunder of Adam and Eve and their compromise regarding God’s established boundary, He graciously put angelic forces at the entrance lest they seek to return. Fast forward to these chapters in Genesis, and we see that men often […]
Gen 16 to 18 Take a walk in the sand and then try to retrace your steps, and you will find it nearly impossible. The stories of these biblical characters are like our steps in the sand. Abram follows God to Canaan but fails to trust Him in a famine. In Egypt, Abram lies about […]
Genesis 12 to 15 God told Abram to leave and go to a land He would show him, and Abram obeyed. He “went forth as the Lord had spoken to him.” [Gen 12:4] However, Abram did not leave his relatives or his father’s household as God had said to do. How often does God say […]
Job 42:7-17 There is a principle to glean from these last verses in the book of Job: faithfulness is rewarded. It may not be in this life, but God remembers, and He rewards. Remember what God told Satan at the beginning? Job was righteous, and now He will affirm that statement. Sometimes God rewards […]
