We are moving to the end of the book of Genesis, the foundation of the whole Bible story of God’s redemptive plan. This also means that w are moving towards the end of Jacob’s life story. Remember that whilst our focus has been on Joseph, this is really the story of “what became of Jacob… Continue reading Signposts to home
Tag: Covenant
The dreamer
God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3). Although Abraham and Sarah, his wife were childless, God had promised them a son. When the boy finally arrives, he is named Isaac which plays on the idea of laughter. Isaac has twins, Esau and Jacob but although slightly younger by… Continue reading The dreamer
Calling on the name of the Lord
One of the standout points in the story of Abraham is the statement that “Abraham called upon the name of the Lord.” We find it in Genesis 12:8 and 13:8 with particular connection to the altar between Bethel and Ai. When Abraham first goes into the land, he builds the altar and then when he… Continue reading Calling on the name of the Lord
Binding
Crucial to Paul’s argument in Galatians is that God does not change his promises or go back on his word. The idea that Gentiles can be admitted to the covenant is not a novel one or plan B but has always been God’s purpose. A look at the text (read Galatians 3:15-18) Covenants are binding… Continue reading Binding
Father Abraham had many sons
In Galatians 3:6, Paul has taken us back to the example of Abraham, the ancestor of God’s people, to whom, through whom and in whom God’s covenant with his people was made. He has demonstrated, as he will again when he writes to the Christians in Rome that Abraham was justified by faith. In other… Continue reading Father Abraham had many sons
Shame and curse
Has The Flood dealt with the problem of sin and evil? Lest we are tempted to think that righteous Noah has brought an end to sin, guilt, shame and curse, there is a follow up to the Flood narrative. Read Genesis 9:18-29 We are reminded again of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, all humanity… Continue reading Shame and curse
Signed, sealed, delivered
How can we be sure that we have peace with God and are safe through and from judgement. Ultimately our assurance and security are found in what the New Testament teaches us about being justified with God (Romans 5:1-2). However, there are some important clues in the Old Testament pointing towards this. Read Genesis 9:9-17… Continue reading Signed, sealed, delivered
Patient obedience
Waiting is hard, even when we are waiting for God’s word to be fulfilled. Perhaps you are waiting for the fulfilment of a personal promise or to commence a ministry calling. You can’t wait to get on with it but wonder whether it will ever happen. We are all waiting for Christ’s return and the… Continue reading Patient obedience
The missing verse of Christmas
I wonder what the preacher will preach on today at the Christmas Day service. There’s a good likelihood that he will pick up on the account in Luke 2. If they do, I suspect that the reading will focus on v1-20. We’ll hear about the census, the journey to Bethlehem. We may well hear quite… Continue reading The missing verse of Christmas
Not without hope
Genesis 11 paints a pretty hopeless picture. The new, post flood humanity have in effect squandered the blessings and privileges of the covenant with Noah. Their hubristic rebellion against God has been crushed, they are divided by language and scattered across the world of the day. However, at the end of the chapter, we are… Continue reading Not without hope
Faithroots 