Genesis 13:1-18 Abram vs. Lot: Hearts, Choices, Outcomes

We know from the way Genesis 13 opens that though Abram’s nephew, Lot, was not mentioned in the Egypt narrative, he was nonetheless there. Both men were there. Both came out with hearts that had been changed. And how their hearts had been changed was the basis for their choices in Genesis 13. And eventually, [...]

Acts 12:20-24 God: No Sharer of Glory

Chapter 12 of Acts begins and ends with Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great. As the chapter opens, we find Herod in complete control. He soon discovers that control is not always easy to maintain when God has different plans. As the chapter closes, because Herod accepts the crowd’s praise (“The voice of [...]

Genesis 13:1-18 God’s Promises Over Men’s Agendas

(Please excuse the poor audio quality of this!) We last saw Abram as he was leaving Egypt to come back to Canaan. He had gone to Egypt because of a famine in Canaan, but in so doing he turned his back on the promises of God, put his innocent wife in danger, and brought plagues [...]

Acts 12:6-19 The Hilarity of Hopelessness

The Bible makes it very clear that God loves to work with situations that, from the human perspective, seem absolutely impossible. From an old man named Abraham and his barren wife named Sarah, God creates a nation of faith. From Joseph, being sold as a slave to Egypt by his envious brothers, God rescues a [...]

Genesis 12:10-20 When Fear Trumps Faith

When reading the fourth chapter of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, we find a wonderful summarization of the life of the patriarch Abraham, who came to be known as the “father of the faithful.” However, after reading about the life of Abraham as recorded in Genesis 12, one can struggle with this glowing [...]

Genesis 12:4-9 – Abram Starts for Home?

We are continuing our series, “Genesis: Starting for Home” with a close look at the call and subsequent obedience of Abram as he left his country, his kindred and his very family to follow the promise of Yahweh to a land he did not know. Leaving everything of value with a barren wife and no [...]

Genesis 12:1-4a,7 – Abram’s Calling; Our Calling

There is a tendency, when looking into the narrative literature of the Bible, to view the characters as rather flat and colorless. Thus, when we read in Genesis 12 of God’s calling of Abram, we inadvertently reduce the power and breadth of the account to a microscopic speck treading a distant historical horizon. Abram seems [...]

Genesis 1:1-11:32 Toeing God’s Line

None of us would ever consider going on a trip, investing our money, or even a quick grocery run without having a plan. One saying puts it: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Yet often people think of God as a sort of force hovering over the complexities of societies and history with a “wait and [...]