A lady once told me she had fallen out of love with her husband. "I think I've realized he's not the one for me that God intended," she said. In this easy, flippant way, she dumped her own failing marriage on the Lord! So many are searching for "Mr. Right" or "the wife who completes me in every way." Is it true God arranges for two specific people on earth to be matched together in such a perfect way? Does He expect each of us to go out searching for the one who will complete us? Might we make mistakes and marry the wrong person first and discover it years down the road?

Perhaps some of the support for this idea might come from Biblical stories like Genesis 24 - a true match made in heaven. Abraham sent his servant back to the city of Nahor, his brother, to find a wife for Isaac. The servant prayed for divine direction in picking a woman, and God immediately answered his prayer pointing him to Rebekah. Rebekah was beautiful, Read More »

Abraham observed his fairness doctrine among the sons of Heth in Canaan (Genesis 23). Sarah had died and Abraham wanted to bury her. He asked to buy a plot of land on which was a cave - the cave of Machpelah. Ephron, the owner of the property, said, "In the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you; bury your dead" (Genesis 23:11). Abraham replied that he wanted to give him the full price of the property. Ephron's response has always made me laugh: "My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? So bury your dead" (Genesis 23:15). It says that "Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ep Read More »

Many point to Romans 4:2-5 as proof that Abraham was saved by "faith alone" apart from works.

"For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness."

In Romans, Paul was building a case against salvation by the works of the Law of Moses. In chapter 4 he showed Abraham was not saved on the basis of law-keeping but on the basi Read More »

Genesis 22 is another chapter that always takes me by surprise. God is certainly against murder, but He commanded Abraham to offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering before the Lord! We might say, "But God never wanted Abraham to go through with it!" That's true. But Abraham did not know that. Abraham was quite serious the next morning when he loaded his donkeys with wood and fire and slipped his knife into its sheath.

Can you imagine the lump in Abraham's throat as he walked up the mountain with his sweet boy next to him? His son was carrying the wood which would soon be burning his own flesh.

My first reaction might be: "God, that's a completely unfair demand to make!" How could God demand a man kill his child? I need to understand several things:

1. God has every right to demand anything He pleases. In fa Read More »

Genesis 20 blows my mind. I cannot understand why the story unfolded the way it did. Abraham lied (AGAIN!) about Sarah being his sister so he would not be killed because Sarah, apparently, was still good-lookin' at age 90 (Gen. 20:11)! But the story is not about how God reprimanded Abraham for his lie, but how God punished Abimelech for taking Sarah. Let us consider the following points:

1. This does NOT mean Abraham was in the right. This story does not deal with Abraham's guilt in the matter. In fact, it is Abraham's bold-faced lie that causes Abimelech to sin.

2. Abimelech was convicted of sin EVEN THOUGH he didn't know it was sin in the first place. God appeared in a dream to him and said, "Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married" (Gen. 20:3).

< Read More »

The story of his birth is revolting. How depraved is the woman who makes her father drunk in order to conceive by him? That is the story of Moab's beginning. His mother was Lot's firstborn daughter. Lot's younger daughter also committed fornication with her father to give birth to Ben-ammi, who became the father of the Ammonites (read the full, sordid story here: Gen. 19:30-38). The Moabites and Ammonites became a strong influence for evil throughout Israelite history.

Balak was the Moabite king who summoned Balaam to curse Israel as they came from their wilderness wandering towards the land of Canaan. He eventually discovered (thanks to Balaam's council) that he could send Moabite women into their camps to commit fornication, which caused God's wrath to come upon the children of Israel. Of course, it also caused God's wrath to come upon Moab! In Deut. 23:3-9 we find God instructed that "No Ammonite or M Read More »

The angels had come to Sodom to destroy it. Lot pressed them into spending the night in his house because he knew they would receive an unhappy welcome from the morally-bankrupt men of Sodom. I expect it was to his surprise when he found out they were sent by God to destroy the city. The two men told Lot to get out of town, take his wife and two daughters, and DON'T LOOK BACK! They fled to the little town of Zoar, but Lot's wife looked back. She was turned into a pillar of salt for her disobedience!

We might toss around ideas of what "looking back" might symbolize or represent. I fear that might be an empty discussion, for we are not told this was symbolic in any way. The lesson is one of obedience. She simply failed to obey the command of the Lord, and she received immediate punishment for her crime. "But," we might counter, "how could a simple thing like looking back be enough to justify killing her by turning her into a pillar of salt? Shouldn't Read More »

When God told Abraham he was going to have a child by Sarah, his wife, he laughed. After all, he was almost 100 and Sarah was almost 90 (Gen. 17:17)! He was just sure that God could do something with Ishmael, instead: "Oh that Ishmael might live before You!" But God assured Abraham Ishmael was not the son of promise. Sarah would have a son and they would call his name Isaac.

The name Isaac means "he laughs." No doubt this would remind Abraham not to doubt God's word on anything. But it also signified the JOY God brings sometimes in seemingly impossible situations. In the very next chapter, three men (angels) came to Abraham and Sarah and prophesied that Sarah would give birth to a boy within the year. It was Sarah's turn to laugh (Gen. 18:12). God did not seem to hold anything against Abraham or Sarah for their doubts. And, to their credit, they continued to trust in the Lord despite their doubts.
Read More »

Abram, father of the faithful, friend of God, still wrestled with his faith. He was like you and I. He was a man who could not see the end from the beginning, as God can. God made him promises that kept him wondering for a good part of his life.

God promised, "In you all the families of the earth will be blessed" (Gen. 12:3).

Abram wondered. How would God bring this promise to reality? He did not doubt that God WOULD keep His promise, he just wondered HOW God would do it. Those who lack faith wonder even if God WILL keep His promises. Abram did not lack faith.

First, Abram thought his heir would be a servant born in his house (Gen. 15:2-3). Abram was childless. Sarai had not born him any children, and they were both getting on up there in age. Sarai was past the point of child-birth. So Abram came to a logical conclusion: it couldn't be a child of his f Read More »

There may be a lot more to Abram than I usually think. When I think of Abram, I think of an older man, a nice man, who lives in a tent and has a few servants to watch his flocks for him. I suppose if I thought about it hard enough, I might start putting some clues together and realize this Abram was a powerful man in his day.

1. Why would the Egyptian Pharaoh take any notice of Abram, even to the point of taking Sarai into his harem? Surely Pharaoh wouldn't be on a first-name basis with everyone who comes in to town. (Genesis 12)

2. Abram and Lot could not coexist because of the great numbers of their flocks and herds. I have to conclude there were a LOT (no pun intended) of animals out there. Abram was a wealthy man. (Genesis 13)

3. But the clincher for me was when Abram heard his nephew, Lot, had been taken captive by four invading kings. He did not rally forces from the surroundin Read More »