No wonder the Hittites were “hit and miss.” They believed their gods were as uncertain as the weather, as uncaring as nature. At the end of Genesis 26, we see that Esau, the man enslaved by his own appetites, has set for himself a downward path. He has already sold his birthright for a bowl […]
Read More… from June 22, 2021 — Esau And Twenty-First Century Hedonism
The world is a fickle lover. It will push you to the pinnacle of success, and then push you over to make room for someone else. Isaac seems like a peaceful, verdant valley between the thunderous heights of Abraham and Jacob. It’s true he has his challenging times, but his life generally is marked by […]
Read More… from June 21, 2021 — A Changeless God And A Capricious World
The old wells are filled with rubble. New wells needed? Or dig out the ones our fathers dug? Abraham was known for his altars. It is said he built them at Shechem (Gen 12:6-7), Bethel (v 8), Hebron (13:18), and Moriah (22:9). Later, Jacob will be known for his four pillars: at Bethel (28:18), Mizpah […]
Does God really “[visit] the iniquity of the fathers on the children?” Is that fair? Every new generation seems to feel superior to the old fogies, don’t they. We’re more tech savvy, they think, and more relaxed about our parents’ old hang-ups. Less judgmental, too (except about the old fogies, of course). But, as my […]
Watch out! Hard times can lead to desperate choices that lead us entirely the wrong way. Genesis 26 begins with a weather and crop report: “There was a famine in the land.” And lest we think this is old news, the Holy Spirit clarifies, “besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham.” […]
Have you ever met people like this, where every interaction ends up a wrestling match? It’s amazing what you can tell about a child’s personality right from the start. Are they neat or messy? Analytical or creative? Quiet or noisy? From the very moment of Jacob’s birth, he let people know what he was about. […]
The red lentil soup tasted pretty good, until it turned really bitter. Would you kill for a bowl of soup? The Bible describes Rebekah’s delivery: “When her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He [had] like a hairy garment all […]
What we are naturally should always be at the service of what we are spiritually. As I write this, I actually have two daughters expecting twins—one is having two boys, and the other identical twin girls! That hardly makes me an expert, but it has certainly inspired my thinking. I particularly want to look at […]
Read More… from June 11, 2021 — “The Older Shall Serve The Younger”
A lesson to remind us that the Bible is constructed in layers—line upon line, precept upon precept. Human gestation takes about nine months, so we still have a little longer to think about Rebekah’s pregnancy and the two boys in her womb! Remember the Lord had explained to her: “Two nations are in your womb, […]
Read More… from June 10, 2021 — The Two Boys And The Two Births