SCRIPTURE: Genesis 28 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Jacob goes through life as one blessed by God. This is not because he is such a good person, but because God decided even before he was born to work out His plan of salvation through Jacob. Unfortunately Esau doesn’t understand that blessing comes from God. At first he flaunts his firstborn…
Category: daily meditations
the problem with shortcuts
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 27 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: The heal-puller (the meaning of Jacob’s name, also means deceiver) is at it again. Jacob tricks his father, lies about his own identity and about God (‘the Lord put the animal in my path’). But as we saw with Isaac and his father, Jacob is imitating his mother. This is her scheme, her…
a role model for trusting God
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 26 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Is there a pattern here or what? Isaac has been shaped by his father on earth, but needs to be shaped by his Father in heaven. God warns him not to go to Egypt, like his father did when there was an earlier famine. God will take care of him, and will give…
cool bible maps online
Here is a cool resource that can help you visualize the chapters of the Bible you are reading, using Google Maps. It is www.biblemap.org. All you have to do is select the Bible book and the chapter, and it will give the map with symbols identifying the locations in the passage. You can zoom in…
God of surprises
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 25 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: It seems that God likes surprises – He seems to prefer going against normal expectations. He takes Abram, a nobody from somewhere else, and plants him as a stranger in Canaan, with the promise that one day he will have the land and a big family. Then He waits forever and ever…
what God is up to
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 24 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: The Bible is not primarily a collection of stories with morals (be like this, don’t be like that) – though there are stories with morals. The Bible is not primarily a collection of principles and commandments, though there are principles and commandments. The Bible is primarily a story, or The Story, of…
living with integrity
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 23 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: The line that stands out in this passage is “you are an honoured prince among us (v.6). This speaks of Abraham’s integrity and good reputation. And the way he handles this land transaction demonstrates this as well. He insists on paying fair value for the land he purchases. As I read this,…
the Lord has provided
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 22 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I can’t explain how God could do this, from my point of view it is pretty harsh. Sacrifice the miracle child? The test in this was whether Abraham could believe that God would deliver on His promise to build his family through Isaac. And Abraham seems to know this. He tells his…
miracle child
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 21 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Isaac is a miracle baby, born after Sarah was past child-bearing age. Isaac was the result of God’s gracious intervention. Ishmael was the result of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar’s creative scheming. He was the result of human attempts to accomplish God’s promise. Isaac represents being helped (saved) by God’s grace; Ishmael represents…
God uses us despite…
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 20 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Though Abraham is God’s chosen servant, blessed to be a blessing, he is a flawed servant. He still needs to learn to trust God for protection. It seems that Abraham was lying about his wife often, and not even his bad experience in Egypt changed this (Genesis 12:10-20). What is striking here is how…