Be Still…

Read Genesis 12:10-20

Did Abram question God when famine struck the land he was just led to by God? No. But he did take his wife, Sarai to Egypt to wait it out. I’m not sure he thought through this decision all that well.  So what happened when Abram realized his wife was so beautiful that his  own life would be in danger as her husband? Abram stopped trusting God at the moment, and he asked Sarai to lie about her identity. Well, it wasn’t a complete lie because she was his half-sister, but clearly his wife, too. She was not “available.”

Didn’t Abram believe God would protect them? Maybe the thought didn’t cross his mind? We might be guilty of that, too. When obstacles get in our way we often try to use our own means and strength to overcome them. Rather, we should rely on God to provide our solution. Especially when we are sure we are on the path God intends for us. We need to be confident that God has it all worked out. But it’s easy to fall into the trap of doubt. The evil one is counting on it. Continue reading “Genesis 12:10-20 – My Way”

Read Genesis 12:1-9

In our last reading, we heard that Abram and his wife, along with his father and nephew, Lot had left to settle in Harran. That was just the first step. Now God is about to use Abram in a mighty way! The word Abram received from God in today’s reading must have rocked his world. Time to go again. Leave your father and all that is familiar, God said, and I will bless you. And Abram was, in turn, to be a blessing on all peoples. What do you think Abram thought? Do you think his wife, Sarai, had anything to say about it?

Certainly, in our day and age. we are not surprised by people packing up their belongings and moving away. For someone like me who lived in the exact same house for my whole childhood, it could seem strange, but I have moved plenty since, including a move abroad! Listening for a word from God is always a confirmation that the move is what God wants. God blesses what he approves of. Continue reading “Genesis 12:1-9 – Time to Go”

Read Genesis 11:10-32

In case you were wondering what happened to Shem’s family – your wait is over. It is through Shem’s line that Abraham is born, and thereby the genetic path to Jesus. David pointed out to me that Shem’s brother’s children, while I couldn’t begin to pronounce or remember their names, were the family lines that started many nations, including Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon (to name a few). That was a super cool realization for me–something I had missed because I wasn’t a Bible scholar! So glad we have him to shed insights into this blog!

When reading the Bible we need to read it with the appropriate eyes. I remember sharing this when I taught a Bible Exploration class with 3rd graders after they were presented their Bibles. I’ll use an example to explain. When you read a history book, you expect to read about a historical account of some major event. When you read poetry, you don’t read it with the same “eyes” as you would historical book. You can throw in fiction, non-fiction, news articles, gossip column stories, etc. You read each of those with different “eyes” or perspectives. You don’t put expectations on a history book to rhyme, etc. Continue reading “Genesis 11:10-32 – Open My Eyes”

Read Genesis 11:1-9

Have you ever wondered why there are so many languages? According to Google there are 6,500 spoken languages in the world. Some of these have very few people speaking them, but that is a lot of different languages. This account in our reading today is how and where it all started. Of course, the family on the boat all spoke the same language, and as they populated the earth, the same language was spoken.

So what did God see in the people that made him want to change that? He saw the people were united. I would think that a unified group is a strong group. That comes from my experience with seeing the ill effects plaguing churches and organizations who are not unified. But God saw what their mission was. While they were unified on their mission, it was not the mission he had given them. Continue reading “Genesis 11:1-9 – Say What?”

Read Genesis 10:1-31

What did you think when you read this passage today? Did you marvel at the different names people used back then? Did you wonder, boy, I wonder what Dana is going to say about this one? Did you wonder why Dana included this reading and didn’t just pass it by?

I need to admit the names are quite something. I’m not sure I can remember but a few. And I’d have to draw out a chart to ever remember them and who belonged to who and what they did, etc. But I don’t think that’s what I was supposed to get out of today’s reading. Continue reading “Genesis 10:1-31 – What Do You Think?”