Genesis 35 God told Jacob to go back to Bethel.. the place where he met God before.  So, this time Jacob prepared his family.. " Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and has been with me wherever I have gone." 

God met  Jacob once again and gave him the promise of a nation and "a company of nations".. the land that was promised to Abraham and Isaac would be his.  Jacob set up a pillar to commemorate this encounter with God.  But then.. he left.  He traveled towards Bethlehem... and on the way, Rachel went into labor and Benjamin was born.. but Rachel died. Things did not go any better after he arrived at a place called "Eder"... for Reuben, his oldest son, took Bilhah, his father's concubine/wife and slept with her. 

 Jacob and his family traveled on to Mamre, where his father Isaac still lived.  Isaac was 180 years old when he passed away. Both Esau and Jacob buried Isaac in the same cave where Abraham and Sarah and Rebekah were buried. 

Chapter 36 tells of Esau's decision to move his family and belongings away from Israel. He became the "father of the Edomites".. The nation of Edom was located to the south and east of Israel. Most of this chapter names the descendants of Esau, those that ruled over many generations in that land.  In our day, this land is within the area we know as Jordan. 

Father in heaven,  You chose Jacob and You blessed him greatly.. but his life was not easy. It seems that every time things started to settle down.. something happened that caused more grief.   The trials would continue through the rest of Jacob's life.. and yet, we know that You were with him til the end.  Did he count it all joy?  Did he draw nearer to You through those times?  Thank You for his testimony of Your presence in his life and for Your answers to his prayers.  May we learn from this.. how to persevere and how to keep on trusting You through the difficult times in our lives. Be with us.. wherever we go.. we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. 

This is the text for the podcast aired earlier this month.. hope you don't mind a repeat!

  Psalm 9 is a song of Thanksgiving.. in particular, David is thankful that God is just.  His justice will not ever be thwarted.. it will never be perverted.. it will always be perfect in every way.  Like David we can say, "I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart." 

On this Thanksgiving Day holiday, many people will sit around a table and tell what they are thankful for.. family, jobs, a great meal... maybe some will go further and say are thankful for their "blessings" and some will be thankful even for their struggles.  But, what will be missing from many of these statements of gratitude will be the  Person that these thanks should be addressed towards.. We give thanks to the Lord!  For all things come from Him.. every breath, every heartbeat, and yes, every blessing. 

David tells exactly what he is thankful to God for... "I will tell of all Thy wonders.. I will be glad in Thee.. I will sing praise to Thy Name, O Most High.” (v1)    What he is most thankful for is God, Himself.  God, who is worthy of praise and exultation, for He:

Turns back the enemies.. (v3)

 He maintains the righteous cause..(v4)

He rebukes nations..(v5)

 He destroys the wicked..(v5)

 He blots out the names of those who do evil. (v5)

The Lord "abides forever".He has established His rule of justice.He will judge "the world in righteousness;"His judgement will be done with equity. (v8)

The Lord makes Himself a shelter for the oppressed.He is a stronghold when there is trouble. He is trustworthy. He will never forsake His own. (v9-10)

For all these reasons we give thanks. We will never be alone, never forgotten, and never too far away from Him that He will not hear our cries.  Our God is gracious and loving and just. 

Father, we give thanks to You with all our hearts!  Yes, we are thankful for the things right before us.. our homes and families and blessings, but, even more, we are thankful for You, the Most High God, who never fails, Who is perfectly just, and Who has provided such a great salvation for those who call upon the name of Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, who rose again, and who sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high forevermore! Glory and praise and thanksgiving to You, our Savior and King.. the righteous Judge ..  amen. 

Genesis 33  Jacob "lifted his eyes and looked and behold, Esau was coming and four hundred men with him.."   Jacob was still unsure of Esau's reception.. he had done all he could to provide a way.. but seeing Esau and his 400 men had to be intimidating.  But, when he came before his brother, humbly.. the reunion was so much more than either of them could have imagined.. " Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept."  ( v4) 

Both sons of Isaac were able to put the past behind them to some extent. Yet, Esau went back to Seir and Jacob ended up in Shechem. 

Ch 34  Things did not go well in Shechem. The prince of that area saw Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, and took her by force.  He wanted to marry her but he went about that in a violent, ugly way.  When her brothers, Simeon and Levi,  found out what had happened they were angry.  They practiced some deception of their own.. convincing all the men of the city to be circumcised so that they could intermarry, but then when their defenses were down, they went in and killed all the men of the city, took everything they could, and rescued their sister from Shechem's house.  

Jacob knew that this was going to stir up all kinds of problems from the Canaanites. So, under the Lord's directions, he moved his family to Bethel.. back to the place that he had met the Lord when he first fled from Esau. 

Jacob's life and the life of his children were far from perfect.. they were a mess, frankly.  Kind of like the rest of us... Yet, the Lord chose to continue his covenant with Abraham through Jacob.. now Israel.  A new nation was coming into existence through these messy, imperfect people.  This nation, God would call His own. His plan had not changed.. His purpose would still be accomplished.  So thankful for a God who deals with us in our messes and still works His will through our lives.. He is so good to us!

Father in heaven, thank You for all the grace that You continually pour out upon Your people.. even when we mess up, even when things don't look so good.. You work all things for our good.. for us that are called according to Your purposes.  Keep us in all holiness and righteousness, Lord God. Help us to walk in truth and in love, to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.. for it is in His name that we come before You. Amen. 

 Genesis 32   Jacob and his family traveled from the north back to the place he was born.  The journey was similar to Abraham's journey from Ur.. bringing him to the place that God chose for him.  Jacob knew that he would need to face his brother Esau, so he prepared for that, not knowing what kind of reception he would have... Jacob's prayer shows us his heart.. " O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who didst say to me, 'Return to your country and to your relatives and I will prosper you.' I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to Thy servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan and now I have two companies. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother.. " 

This side of Jacob we have not seen before this.. his humility, his vulnerability.. his dependence on the Lord.  Jacob sent gifts before him to appease Esau.. and he separated himself from his family, so that they might be spared, even if he was not.  When Jacob was alone, he had another encounter with the Lord.  This one was called a wrestling match. Jacob was desperate for the Lord's blessing, so he would not let go until a blessing was given.  Here his name was changed from Jacob.. to Israel.. "striver with God".

Father in heaven, You keep moving Your people back to the heart of Your land. You moved Abraham, You moved Jacob, and later You  moved a nation of people out of Egypt.. and later on the exiled back from Babylon.   In our day, You are stilling moving Your people.. out of the dominion of darkness and into the Kingdom of Jesus... into the place of Your heart's desire.  Move us deeper in and further up.. as C.S. Lewis wrote.. into the Tableland of Your Presence.. the Higher place which is solid ground, as the old hymn reminds us.  Lord lift me up! Draw me closer. Come and fill Your church with Your Spirit so that we are ready for the journey set before us. Thank You that You will not leave us alone, but You are faithful in all Your ways, to bring us to the eternal dwelling place.. Home.. with You forever. Amen! 

 Genesis 30-31  Jacob had 4 sons by Leah.. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.  Then, Rachel, jealous and barren gave her maid Bilhah to Jacob to provide children for her.. Dan and Naphtali were born from this relationship.  Then, Leah gave Zilpah, her maid to Jacob to produce more children and she had Gad and Asher. Leah was able to have 2 more sons and a daughter.. Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah. Finally, Rachel was able to have a son and named him Joseph.  11 sons and 1 daughter later.. Jacob is ready to leave Laban's house and go back to Canaan.  

But, first he needed to work out his wages from Laban.  After 20 years he had nothing of his own, so he made a deal with Laban that he would take all the striped and spotted goats and all the black sheep.  He separated his flocks from Laban's and managed to gain much wealth.. "so the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys." 

All this lead to difficulty with Laban and his relatives. So, Jacob took his wives and his children and his flocks and left when the Lord said, "Return to the land of your fathers and your relatives and I will be with you."  The Lord spoke to Jacob and he also spoke to Laban, so that they ended up parting ways.  They established a covenant at Mizpah.  

20 years away from home.. away from Esau...  Jacob returns a wealthy man with 4 wives and 12 children. Is he a changed man? Perhaps not yet, but he will be. "Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him.. "( 32:1) God was orchestrating all of this according to His plan and purposes.  Jacob clung to God's promise to be with him.  

Father in heaven, we also cling to Your promises to be with us and to keep us.  You are our help and our strength. You bring us into families and provide for our welfare just as You did for Jacob.  May we not be afraid of what lies ahead, but remember that You know where we come from and where we are going.. and You are with us all the way! Thank You for the grace of Your Presence and guidance in our lives. Let Your will be done as we walk along the way that You send us.  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

 Genesis 29  Jacob met and fell in love with Rachel.. so much so that he worked 7 years for Laban so that he could marry her.  Yet, when it came time for the wedding, Laban deceived Jacob.. by putting Leah in Rachel's place.  Jacob did not even know until the next morning.  

Leah was the oldest daughter and Rachel was the beautiful one.  Leah was unloved compared to Rachel, but she also was able to produce sons for Jacob.  Reuben, "because the Lord has seen my affliction" ;  Simeon, " Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved"; Levi.. "Now this time my husband will become attached to me"; and then Judah.. "This time I will praise the Lord".   

Although Leah was not favored by Jacob, she was favored by the Lord. Grace.. poured out on an unloved wife... brought her to a place of favor as she was seen, heard, and comforted by the God who loved her.  

Father in heaven, sometimes life seems so unfair. But, even when things do not go as we want.. You have a plan and You are good.  May we learn from Leah.. to persevere.. to know that no matter what.. You see us, You hear us.. and Your plan for us is good.  May we join with Leah in praise to our God who loves us more than we can imagine!  If only Leah could have seen back then.. Jesus, the Lion of Judah!  How much more would she have rejoiced! Thank You for the kindness that You show even to the least of us.  Amen!

 Genesis 27-28:9  Jacob, the deceiver.. the supplanter.. took the birthright of his brother Esau for a bowl of soup and now would take the blessing of his father Isaac by deception.   Jacob and Esau would have been in their 40's when this happened. Esau already had two wives, but Jacob had none.  Isaac was blind and thought that he would soon die, so he sent Esau to hunt and bring back some wild game for him to eat.  It would be a special event.. to bless the oldest son. 

But, Rebekah had a different plan and commanded Jacob to impersonate his brother.  He willingly took part in this scheme and received the blessing of the oldest son.  

This whole idea of the blessing is interesting.. . Was it like a last will and testament?  Legally binding? The blessing spoke of abundance and power and authority over the family..  When Esau came back and attempted to get a blessing, Isaac had no more to give... Esau realized that he would lose everything and he wept.  He swore to kill Jacob after their father had died. 

So, Rebekah begged Isaac to send Jacob back to her family in Paddan-aram, so that he could find a wife from her family.  And so, this is what happened.  Before he left, Isaac said to him, "And may God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you; that you may possess the land of your sojourning which God gave to Abraham."   

Isaac accepted the fact that Jacob would be chosen to inherit the land.. even though he had always preferred Esau.  God had told Rebekah before the sons were born that this would be the outcome. Isaac finally knew it to be true, not by his choice, but by God's will. 

28:10-22  Jacob headed north towards Paddan-aram and spent a night at a place that he would call Bethel.. "the house of God". Here is the place that Jacob meets God.  He has an amazing dream of angels coming up and down from heaven on a ladder.. and the Lord standing above the ladder.  The Lord says to Jacob.. "I am the Lord the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants..." The Lord promises to be with Jacob and to bring him back to this land.. " I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you." 

Jacob built and altar in Bethel.. a pillar that he anointed with oil.. "And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God's house; and of all that Thou dost give me I will surely give a tenth to Thee."  

Father in heaven, we see You grace extended even to one like Jacob who deceived his own father and ran from his brother.  You had a plan for Jacob from before he was born.. and You alone could bring him to be the man that he would become.. the father of a nation.  Thank You for showing us this place where Jacob met You, where You reached him and he came into a true relationship with You.  Thank You that You do the same for each of us who come to faith in Jesus.. You reach out to us and draw us into a true relationship through Jesus Christ, Your Beloved Son.  How marvelous is Your grace!  How wonderful Your works. Be glorified in our lives, Lord God, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Genesis 26  Isaac and Rebekah lived by Beer-lahai-roi,  the same place that Hagar met the Lord when she had run away from Sarah. "Thou art a God who sees".   When there was another famine in that land, Isaac moved his family to Gerar in the south... an area where Abimelech, king of the Philistines ruled.  There, the Lord spoke to Isaac and established His covenant as He had made with Abraham. 

Isaac had the same insecurities as his father.. and made the same false statements.. saying his wife was his sister, so that they would not kill him.  When he was found out by Abimelech, he was promised safety.  Isaac was very blessed in his sojourn there.. " Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundred-fold. And the Lord blessed him, and the man became rich and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy." 

But, there was a problem..  every well that he needed.. wells that Abraham, his father had actually dug, was being stopped up by the Philistines because the envied him.  Finally, Abimelech asked Isaac to move away and he did.. 3 times!  "Then he went up from there to Beersheba".   It was here that the Lord appeared to Isaac and spoke to him again, " I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you, I will bless you and multiply your descendants, for the sake of My servant Abraham."  It is here that Isaac built an altar and "called upon the name of the Lord.. " 

It was very evident to Abimelech that Isaac was blessed by the Lord.  He came to Isaac to establish an oath or covenant between them, that Isaac agreed to. Things were going well.. until Esau decided to get married.  He chose not one but two Hittite women.. Judith and Basemath.. " and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah." 

Oh, the grace.. the unmerited favor.. of our God.  He showed grace to Isaac.. just like He had to Abraham.. just as He does to us.. moving us to the places that He chooses and doing what He chooses to do in our lives.  We are not told much about Isaac's faith except for this one time when he builds and altar and calls on the name of the Lord. But, we see God's blessing on his life and know that God had a plan for his descendants that were far beyond anything Isaac could imagine... or had the power to do! 

Father in heaven,  You are a great and mighty God.. the God who sees and hears and forgives and blesses! You are the infinite grace Giver and we praise the glory of Your Name!  Thank You for the blessings that You have bestowed on us today. Thank You for comfort and peace in hard times.  Thank You for answered prayers and unexpected gifts!  May Your will be done in each of us today, Lord God.. and may the name of Jesus Christ be praised and exalted in our homes, in our churches, and in our communities. We pray this in His great Name. amen. 

 Genesis 25  Here at the halfway mark of the book of Genesis, we read about Abraham's death at the age of 175.  Abraham took another wife or concubine, Keturah, and had 6 more sons after Isaac. All of these sons were sent eastward, away from the land that Isaac received from his father.  It was Isaac and his brother Ishmael that buried Abraham in the cave of Machpelah.  Ishmael had 12 sons who were considered "princes".. and established 12 tribes...  away from the land of his brother Isaac.  Ishmael was 137 when he died. 

Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah and 60 when Esau and Jacob were born.  He prayed for his wife to have a child and she had twins. Nothing about this was expected or easy.. the twins struggled with each other from the womb to the tomb!  Esau was red and hairy.. an outdoors man who was a "skillful hunter". This made him Isaac's favorite for they both loved wild game.  Jacob was "peaceful" and stayed home, which made him Rebekah's favorite.  But, he was manipulative and deceitful.  What a pair to carry on the legacy of their grandfather, Abraham. 

The issue of the "birthright" is an important part of this story.  Esau was the firstborn.. by a few minutes at most, since Jacob had hold of his heel..  but, according to the custom of the time, he was the rightful owner of the birthright.  However, he was more than willing to give up his right to it.. for a bowl of soup. It did not mean anything to him, showing that he "despised his birthright".  Jacob, on the other hand, desired the birthright and used an opportune moment to take it from his brother in exchange for the soup.  Not only did the birthright mean that the oldest son would receive the majority of the inheritance from their father.. but there was, in this case, a spiritual dimension to this position.  Rebekah knew from before the birth of her sons that the older would serve the younger.. God told her this.  It was God's plan all along for Jacob to be the one chosen to carry on the covenant promises. There was no need for manipulation or deception... 

Father, sometimes we take things into our own hands that would have worked out much better in Yours. Help us to learn from the lessons of Your word.. to value what is right above what it is that we want.  You know the desires of our hearts.. You know our spiritual, physical, and emotional needs.  May we rest in You.. wait on You.. and trust You to accomplish what is Your good and perfect will.  Thank You for being so patient with us. Thank You that even when we fail.. You still bring about Your good purposes. How marvelous is Your mercy, Lord God!  How great Your grace!   Take our hearts Lord, and make them wholly Yours.. in all things.. we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Genesis 23  Sarah died at the age of 127.  Abraham bought a field with a cave from Ephron the Hittite so that he could bury Sarah there.  This burial site would later be the grave of Abraham, Isaac and Rebekah and Leah.  When Jacob died in Egypt, he made Joseph promise to bury him there too. So, Joseph and his brothers all traveled back to Canaan, along with many Egyptians, to bury Jacob there at the cave purchased from Ephron the Hittite.. "the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre" which Abraham bought. ( Genesis 50) 

Genesis 24 Abraham "was old, advanced in age"  when he sent his servant back to his home country to find a wife for his son Isaac. He did not want his son to marry a Canaanite woman.  So, this faithful servant went back to Mesopotamia and found "Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor."  God answered the prayer of this servant so that he found Rebekah immediately.  The family allowed her to make the decision to go to be Isaac's wife. She returned to Canaan with the servant, met Isaac and married him that same day. .."and he loved her". 

It is really an amazing story of how God works in the lives of his people.  His is a grand story.. building a nation that he would call His own.. from Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and  Rebekah.. normal, imperfect, and yet chosen people who would be the beginning of Israel.. the family from which the Messiah would come. 

Thankful for the way God takes care of us.. bringing us together in families.. in communities.. to accomplish His plans for nations.  He brings us together in churches.. to build up one another in faith, that we might accomplish His will in our own hometowns.  We need to trust Him to lead us in every decision, knowing that He has a plan.. and it is good!

Father in heaven, as we remember the way You moved Abraham, Isaac, and their descendants, we see that You always brought about Your perfect will.. We know the nation of Israel is here today, because of what Abraham did in obedience to Your commands.  We know that You are not finished with Your grand story.. and that we have a small part to play. Help us to be faithful and patient.. obeying Your Word and doing Your will.. so that Your glory will be seen in all the earth.   Bring Your Kingdom Lord Jesus! Come and reign over all the earth we pray. Amen. 

Genesis 20-22  Abraham moved away from Mamre and stayed in Gerar.  Once again he told Sarah to say she was his sister and not his wife.. and once again she was given to another man, this time Abimelech.  Once again, the Lord intervened and the truth came out. And, once again, the Lord takes Abraham out of the situation and blesses him through it. 

It is after this that Sarah becomes pregnant with Isaac and at 90 years old, she becomes a mom. "God has made laughter for me.. " she proclaims.  When Isaac was weaned Abraham held a feast. At the feast Ishmael mocked  Isaac and this made Sarah angry and she demanded that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away. So, they were. Once again, God intervened in Hagar and Ishmael's lives, rescuing them from certain death in the wilderness. 

After this, Abraham moved again, to Beersheba and made a pact with Abimelech. "And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days." 

Then, "God tested Abraham.."  This had to be the greatest test of all.. for God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering.  Abraham did not hesitate, but prepared and took Isaac with him to the place he was told to go.  We know the story.. Abraham prepared an altar, started the fire, bound his son and raised his knife.. and only then did the Lord stop him and provide the ram.  "By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld you son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of your enemies. And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." 

Father in heaven, we wonder at the way You worked in Abraham's and Sarah's lives.  We are amazed at Your command to Abraham to offer Isaac.. and that he obeyed without hesitation.  We wonder at our own lack of willingness to sacrifice things that mean a lot less than a son!  Help us Father, to hear Your voice and obey with all our heart.. laying down everything at Your feet.  You have a perfect plan and You are faithful in all Your ways.  I will trust You, Lord, in all things.. big or small.. as You help me to do so by Your gracious Spirit. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. amen. 

 Genesis 19 Lot recognized at once that the two men who came into Sodom were holy angels.  He bowed down to them and insisted that they come into his home.  He knew well enough the wickedness of the people around him. The fact that he stayed in such a town seems to show a lack of wisdom and  lack of a relationship with the Lord.  In fact, besides his willingness to protect the angels.. there is nothing in Lot's story that shows that he even had a relationship with God...

But,  Peter wrote this, " .. and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men ( for by what he saw and heard the righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgement." ( II Peter 2:6-9)

Lot tried everything he could, it seems to me, to stay where he was..  he pleaded with the men that surrounded his home; he offered his virgin daughters in lieu of the angels; he tried to get his prospective sons-in-law to come on his side; and even after the angels warned him again he did not move until they had to physically grab his hand and the "hands of his wife and.. two daughters"  and put them outside of the city!

The angels tried to get Lot and his family to safety in the mountains.. but again, Lot hesitated and asked to go to the small town of Zoar.  Only after Lot saw the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole valley did he wake up.  Sadly, his wife did not. 

Verses 27-29 tell us that Abraham came out the next morning and walked to the place where he had stood with the Lord.  He saw the smoke rising and knew that God had not found even 10 people who were "righteous".  I wonder if he ever learned what had happened to Lot.  "Thus it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot lived." (v29) Only the kindness of God towards Abraham kept Lot from destruction with the others in Sodom. 

Reading the next section of this chapter, I  wonder if God ever regretted saving Lot.  He and his two daughters ended up in a cave in the mountains, where the two girls schemed to get their father drunk, sleep with him, and have children by him.  Their sons were Moab and Ben-ammi.. the father of two nations, Moab and Ammon.. both who became enemies of Israel. 

Father in heaven,  Your ways are far above our ways... Your thoughts so much greater than ours.  All of this that we read about happened for Your purposes and You are working through them to accomplish Your perfect will.  Sometimes we can be like Lot.. hesitating, stalling, and reasoning with You.. instead of immediately obeying and trusting You. Forgive us Lord!  Grab us by the hand and take us where You want us to go, Lord.. We know that Your plan is greater and Your ways are better than our own.  Help us to lay it all down, take up our crosses and follow You, Jesus.  Let the Name of God be glorified in our lives we pray.  Amen. 

 Genesis 18:1-15  The Lord and 2 angels visited Abraham at his tent.. home.. by the trees of Mamre.  They brought good news and bad news.  The good news was about Sarah.  The time had come that the Lord was going to fulfill His promise to Abraham.. Sarah would have a son within the next year.  As Sarah listened to this conversation, she laughed.  She was 90 years old!  She was past child-bearing.  Menopause was way past.. what were the chances of getting pregnant at her age?

But, the Lord saw Sarah and heard her laughter.. "Is anything too difficult for the Lord ?"  He asked her.  She denied laughing but the Lord was gentle with her.. "No, but you did laugh." He said.  Maybe He laughed too!  This event would change the world. The fact that she would give birth to a son was significant.. the fact that she would do so at the age of 90 was miraculous! 

V16-33 Then the Lord spoke to Abraham about Sodom.. the bad news.. He saw the sinfulness of those in Lot's hometown.  He heard the "outcry"... because of the great wickedness of the people.  Abraham tried to intercede for the city, probably because of Lot and his family... but there were not even 10 righteous people in that whole town. In the end only 3 escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his 2 daughters. 

Verse 19 ".. I have chosen him ( Abraham), in order that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice; in order that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him."  The Lord affirmed His plan for Abraham and his descendants, once again.  He was about to pronounce judgement on sin in a powerful way, burning a whole valley with fire and brimstone.. but He stopped to instruct Abraham first. Good news.. Isaac was coming..  Bad news.. Sodom was going to be destroyed. 

Father in heaven, You are righteous and just in all You do.  You have mercy on those whom You choose to have mercy on.. but, You also bring judgement upon those who refuse to repent.  You are an awesome God and we are right to fear You with great reverence and wonder.  We do not see things as You see them, nor are our thoughts like Your thoughts. Thank You that You have compassion on us.. and that You have made a way for us through Jesus, the beloved Son, that we might find salvation and forgiveness from our sins.  Help us to walk in Your ways, Lord.. to teach righteousness and justice to our children and our children's children.  We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Genesis 17 The Lord appeared to Abram once again when he is 99 years old. Many years had passed since the day that He made the first covenant promising the land to Abraham's descendants.  Ishmael is now 13 years old.  Sarai is still barren and almost 90 years old.  Yet, God tells Abram that he will have a son with Sarai.. in fact it will happen within the next year. 

God gives Abram a name change.. he becomes Abraham.. "father of multitudes."  Sarai becomes Sarah.. "Princess"..  Their son will be named Isaac - "He laughs".  God initiates a new covenant with Abraham.. He will bless and multiply Abraham's descendants  and Abraham will circumcise all the males in his household.  God promises to always be the God of Abraham's descendants.. and He will make them a fruitful nation. 

Abraham believed God and obeyed by circumcising himself and all the males in his household that very same day.  

Abraham wanted blessing for Ishmael too.  " Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee!" he asked the Lord. And God promised to bless him and make him into a great nation too. But, the covenant would be kept with those that came from Abraham and Sarah.  Isaac would be the one to receive the covenant and promise. Once again we see God making a distinction between one person and the other.

Father in heaven, You are the Sovereign God, Almighty and Infinite in wisdom and power. You have moved throughout history to bring us to the place we are today... You know both where we have come from and where we are going.. We thank You that we are called by Your Name and belong to You. We believe that You have brought us to this day.. to this place.. for Your purposes.  You have circumcised our hearts.. that we might be fully Yours. May we walk in truth and righteousness before You today and every day. Fill us Spirit of God that we might be a holy people.. set apart for Your glory.  We worship and bow before You, willing to surrender all to You, even as Abraham did so many years ago.  Help us we pray. Amen. 

 Genesis 16  Sarai and Abram were getting older and they still had no children.  Sarai was desperate to have a child but she was barren.  She thought about another way.. she would give her maid, Hagar, to Abram so that he would have a son through that relationship.  It was meant to be a surrogacy, but when Hagar became pregnant immediately, she "despised " her mistress.  Things were not what Sarai had imagined at all..  and so, she blamed it all on Abram. 

Abram didn't take responsibility for Hagar or Sarai.. instead he told Sarai to do whatever she wanted with Hagar.   Sarai treated Hagar so "harshly" that Hagar ran away.  So now she was in an even worse situation.. she was pregnant, alone, a run-away, and without hope. 

But... God.. had another plan.. even for one like Hagar.  He "found" her in the wilderness..."Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?"   He called her by name.  He reminded her of who she was.. not Abram's wife.. but Sarai's maid.  Hagar might have thought she was better than Sarai, since she could have a child and Sarai could not.. maybe she thought she could usurp Sarai's position as Abram's first wife. She had overstepped her position.. forgot who she really was.. an Egyptian slave girl.  The Lord gently reminds Hagar of her need to submit to Sarai.. " Return to your mistress and submit yourself to her authority."  

The Lord asked Hagar where she had come from and where she was going. She confessed that she was fleeing from her mistress.. but she had no answer for where she was going.  She didn't know.. It would have been hard to go back.. but the Lord met Hagar in a personal and powerful way that day.  She called  Him "a God who sees".    He told her that she would have a son and name him Ishmael..( a name that means God hears) ...  so Hagar returned to her home and bore a son for Abram. 

Father in heaven, thank You for being a God who sees and a God who hears.. thank You for finding us when we have run away and don't know what to do.  Thank You for knowing exactly what to do to reach us when we can't find our way out the situations we put ourselves in!  Father, You have promised to draw near to those who draw near to You.. and we are so thankful that You do, but thankful even more that You find us first.. when we don't even know how to seek You or draw near to You. You know where we have come from and where we are going.. even when we don't know that ourselves.  You call us by name.. You bring us home.. Thank you Jesus!  May we submit to Your Spirit's leading and trust completely that You see us and You hear us.. and that You are always willing to draw near! In Jesus' name we pray Amen. 

 Genesis 15  Abram committed himself to the "Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth".   His relationship with his God was growing as he continued to call on the name of the Lord.  In this chapter the Lord makes a covenant with Abram. 

In the first verse the Lord said to Abram, " Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; your very great reward." (NIV).   God proclaims Himself to be a shield for Abram.. a protector; a defense;  He also proclaims to be Abram's reward - his payment, wages, fare, compensation.. These words assured Abram that God was on his side and he did not have to fear anything else.. neither war.. or poverty.  God had a great plan for Abram and his descendants.. 

There was only one problem... in Abram's eyes.. he had no son. The only one who would benefit from Abram's blessings would be his own servant. The Lord made a promise to Abram then.. " one who shall come forth from your own body.. shall be your heir." 

Verse 6 "Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness."  Abram "believed".. he confirmed and established his permanent relationship with the Lord God Most High.  He took God's right hand.. so to speak.. committing himself to Him.  The Lord "reckoned"  or "counted" Abram's faith .. He considered as something of value and esteemed it..  "as righteousness".... justification; salvation; right. Abram took God's right hand..and they shook on it! God valued this commitment and considered Abram just. 

To celebrate and confirm the covenant between God and Abram a sacred ceremony is conducted.  Abram follows God's instructions and brings a sacrifice of "a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove, and a pigeon".  The first three are cut in two and arranged in rows.  The birds were not cut in half.  During the night the Lord comes to Abram and tells him what would happen to the following generations of his family.  Then "a smoking firepot and a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces."  This confirmed God's covenant with Abram. 

Father, You made a way for Abram.. You established a covenant relationship with him.. You pursued him and he called on You.  There is something so precious and comforting in the way You bring us each to faith.. to have this intimate, personal relationship with Yourself.. just like You did with Abraham.  You are so gracious and merciful.. to call us.. to choose us.. to move us into a sacred partnership with Yourself.. our Lord, the God Most High.  Thank You, Lord. For saving my soul.. for making me whole.. for giving to me such a great salvation!  Be glorified in all the earth, Lord God! Let the name of Jesus be proclaimed! Amen. 

 Genesis 14 War... kings and armies gathered together to attack other kings and their cities.  In the midst of this conflict.. Lot and his family and all of his belongings are swept up into captivity.  But, Abram hears of this and takes his 318 men, along with his allies from Mamre..  and goes after his nephew.  He divides his forces, goes in at night, and defeats the enemies.  It is a miraculous victory. 

Abram rescues Lot, his family, and all of his possessions.  Then he returns home, meeting along the way two kings.  One, the defeated king of Sodom and the other, Melchizedek, the king of Salem.  One wants his people back and offers Abram the goods he had brought back.  The other brings bread and wine.  One returns to a wicked city filled with sinful people.. and the other blesses Abram, because he "was a priest of the most high God. "

Abram refuses to take anything from the king of Sodom.  But, he gives a tithe to the King of Salem. 

What seems amazing to me at this point is that Lot returns to Sodom.  He doesn't discern the character of this king or of the people that surround him. He returns to a place that would eventually be destroyed because of its wickedness.  Why would he want to stay there?

Abram makes a pledge to the Lord.. "I have sworn to the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong.." from Sodom's king.  He wants no association with the wickedness of the city or its king.  God gave Abram discernment.  He was growing Abram's faith and trust in Him. 

We call Abraham a man whose faith was counted as righteousness.. but that faith was developed over years and through circumstances that Abram lived through.  Just like us.  We hear the Word of God.. we experience the work of God.. and we begin to know the "Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth."   God works in our lives to develop us into men and women of faith. Then, he counts it as righteousness for us too!  Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Father in heaven, have Your way in our hearts and lives today we pray.. in Jesus' name. amen. 

 Genesis 13  Abram, Sarai, and Lot returned from Egypt, back to Bethel.. to the same place that Abram had built an altar to the Lord.  Once again we are told, "there Abram called on the name of the Lord." 

Both Abram and Lot had acquired abundant possessions.. herds and flocks and tents.. They both had herdsmen that worked for them and the groups began to have some conflicts.  Abram graciously offered Lot whatever land he desired so that they could separate their belongings.  Lot chose to go toward the valley of Jordan.. an area that looked "like the garden of the Lord".  He traveled  eastward with all that he had and settled near Sodom.. which, we know, was a place filled with evil men. 

Abram settled in the land of Canaan.. and God once again promised him the land.. and descendants to fill the land.  "And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered." 

Abram once again searched out the land God was giving him and settled "by the oaks of Mamre" and built another altar there.  This became "home" for Abram. 

I'm struck again by the way that God separates one thing from another.. from the start He separated light from dark, day from night.. water from land.  Then, after the flood He separated the 3 sons of Noah and then separated the nations and languages.  Here, we see Him separate Lot from Abram.. He chose to bless this one man over all the others that were filling the earth.  We know that God is not done with separating.. One day He will separate the goats from the sheep.. the wheat from the chaff.. the believers from the world.. Our infinite and unchanging God is at work.. and we wait expectantly to see what He will do next!

Father in heaven, You are the God who is still blessing Abraham.. filling the earth with his descendants.  As Paul wrote in Romans that "not the children of the flesh.. but the children of the promise" who are regarded as descendants of Abraham.. And in Galatians he wrote.. " And if you belong to Christ then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."  We marvel at this blessing.. to be part of the Your promise given those many years ago..children of promise, Abraham's offspring.. because of Jesus Christ who is our Lord and King.  Sometimes we feel so few in number.. outnumbered by those of the world.. but Your promise is true and You are still separating out for Yourself a people to call upon Your Name... a people that are without number! Thank You Lord! amen. 

 Genesis 11: 10-32  This chapter lists the descendants of Shem..  10 generations from Shem to Abram. Each generation produced many sons and daughters and the earth was beginning to be filled with people once again.  Although Shem lived over 500 years each succeeding generation had a shorter lifespan.  Terah, Abram's father lived to be 205.  The passage tells us more about Terah .  He had 3 sons.. Abram, Nahor, and Haran. .."and Haran became the father of Lot."  

Haran had 3 children before he died.. Lot, Milcah, and Iscah.    Abram and Nahor both married.  Abram married Sarai and Nahor married Milcah, who was the daughter of Haran.  Terah took Abram and Sarai and Lot and left Ur and moved to a place named Haran.  It appears that Nahor and his family stayed behind. It was there in Haran that Terah died. 

Chapter 12 Everything that came before this chapter has been background information.. now we get to the point... Abram is in position for what God wants to do in him and through him.  The first thing He wants to do in Abram's life is to move him.. move him further away from Babylon and the influence of the Chaldeans.  He asks Abram to leave.. but to walk in faith.. "Go .. to the land I will show you." 

God makes a promise to Abram.. " I will make you a great nation and I will bless you;  I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed by you." 

Abram and Sarai and Lot left Haran together and traveled to Canaan.  The first place they stop is Shechem.  Here the Lord appears and says, " To your offspring I will give this land."  Abram built and altar and worshiped the Lord there.  Then he went further to Bethel, still in Palestine, and "there he built and altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord." (v8). A deeper relationship with God was beginning to form. 

If only Abram had stopped there!  But, there was a famine and so Abram and all his troop went to Egypt. Abram was afraid that the Egyptians would kill him and take Sarai, for she was a beautiful woman, so he made her say that she was his sister.  Pharaoh did take Sarai, but when a plague struck his household he found out that she was Abram's wife and sent her back to him and sent them all away. 

And that is how Abram ends back in Bethel. 

Father, You order our steps.  We want to walk in faith and trust You to place us where You want us to be and to do the things you want us to do.  Lead us in Your paths of righteousness and truth.  Thank You for the lessons we learn through Your people.  Help us to heed Your commands and continually seek Your face.  We ask this  in Jesus' name. amen. 

 Genesis 11:1-9  As the descendants of Noah multiplied and moved apart they formed people groups and eventually nations.  Up to this point the Bible tells us, "the whole earth used the same language and the same words".   But, that was about to change.  When Nimrod and his clan reached the land of Shinar.. which became Babylon.. they decided to build a great city with a great tower.. one that would "reach into heaven." The stated purpose of their building was to "make for ourselves a name".  Instead of continuing to move forward and keep on filling the earth as they were commanded to do.. they wanted to stay in this place and rule.  

"And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men had built."   That the Lord would intervene here shows us that this was a pivotal time in history.  His intervention would change the "whole earth".  The first thing He did was "confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."  The second thing He did was to scatter "them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth;"  

Just think of that!  One day you are all working together on this incredible city and talking together about the greatness of your project.. and the next you are speaking a language that your brother cannot understand.. and you find yourself in a completely different location than you started out! 

"And they stopped building the city.. " 

God's intervention stopped this infamous tower.. but we know that men went on to build more.  The city was called "Babel" - confusion.  It became Babylon.  Out of this city came a fierce and evil nation...  and an enemy of God's chosen people. 

We read in the book of Revelation that there will come a day when Babylon will  fall for a final time... "for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities." (18:5) Babylon is associated with all that is evil.. with immortality, sensuality, demons, and arrogance.  She wallows in her wealth.. but her fall will be great. 

Revelation also reminds us that God calls His people out from the place of evil. He calls us to Himself and frees us from the dominion of darkness.  He alone can bring us into the Kingdom of His Son... a Kingdom that will never fall!

Father in heaven, we thank You again for making a way when there was no other way!  You have intervened in our lives.. bringing us out of darkness and into the true Light by Your rich mercy and unending grace.  Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord who has purchased us by His own blood, precious blood, shed for our salvation. Lord, lead us ever closer to Your promised Land and deliver us from all evil. We ask this in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 Genesis 10-  Some people hate to read genealogies.. and some find them fascinating.  This chapter is all about the sons of Noah.. Shem, Ham, and Japheth.   It tells us the names of their children and grandchildren.. and the generations that followed. These families became the source of all the nations that we know today.  We all can look back at our ancestors..to some extent.. but if we could go back far enough we would find Noah in our lineage. 

Verse 5 tells us that the descendants of Japheth went to the "coastlands of the nations".  We recognize a few names listed here... Magog.. Tarshish.. Kittites.   These are northern tribes ( north of Israel) and may have extended into Greece and Cyprus.  

Verses 6-20 tell about the descendants of Ham.  Ham had 4 sons and their descendants inhabited the eastern and southern areas of Mesopotamia.  Arabia, Egypt, northern Africa.. are some of the nations that rose up from the sons of Ham.  Verses 8-9 give us a side note on Cush's son Nimrod.. "he began to be a mighty one in the earth."  His name is significant for it can be rendered "rebellion".  Nimrod seems to have established one of the first tyrannical powers.. Babylon is named as a center of his kingdom.  Nineveh was one of the cities that he built. The Canaanites are descendants of Ham.  

Verses 21-31 give us the descendants of Shem. It is from this group that Assyria, Turkey, Lydia, and eventually Israel will come.  Another side note is presented here.. verse 25 "Two sons were born to Eber: one was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan." 

So, what do we learn from this chart of the nations? Once again we see the Lord making distinctions.. separating nation from nation.  He wrote this story and He acted in these lives to bring about His purposes.  Just as He has written our nation's story.. and He works in each of our lives to bring about His eternal purpose.  I was thinking about my own lineage.. to the fact that my parents' parents and their parents' parents.. and back and back and back.. all came together to form a family.. and the end result was "me".  It's really an amazing thing to think about.. God has brought me into this world.. to be part of His plan.  He has a purpose, not only for me, but for my children and grandchildren.. and on and on.. until the day of His choosing.. when all of history will have been written and time will be no more. 

Father, thank You for loving me and making me Your own.  I hope that some day I will meet those who have gone before me.. that they will have known Jesus as their Lord and Savior.. and will tell me their story of salvation.  Oh what a day that will be!  May we all sing Your praises together for eternity! Amen.