So, in the beginning God made a deal with Adam. He told him to have kids, to cultivate fruits and grains in order to rule over and feed the animals, and to expand the garden of Eden. If Adam did these things faithfully, in the end the garden would fill the whole earth and earth […]
Last week we saw Noah begin his life on the New Earth by planting a garden. He was the new Adam, and his job was to work the ground and protect it. So he did that — and for a brief moment we wondered if, perhaps, this would be the New Garden of Eden: a […]
So we’re catching up to Abraham here at the very highest point of his life. After camping for more than twenty years in the mountains, waiting for God to sort out the situation with Sodom and Gomorrah, now he has moved down to the plains, where he has finally begun the actual task of claiming […]
Last week Paul finished teaching his course on How to Establish a Church. Now, he initially wrote this Church Establishment course for Titus, a younger pastor who was like a son to Paul. But it is obvious, from the way the course is written, that it was meant for all the Christians on the island […]
When we last saw Abraham, it was late in the afternoon on the last day before Judgement Day. The countdown has begun, there are less than 14 hours left on the clock, and Moses — the writer — has carefully set the scene for us: for the last twenty plus years, Abraham has been living […]
About 3500 years ago, a whole nation of slaves — about 2 million people — got up in the middle of the night and escaped to freedom. They walked away eastward, into the deserts of Arabia. Men, women, children, old people: everyone, carrying everything they owned on their backs. They were led by a man […]
Paul was a pastor who planted a bunch of churches in Asia 2000 years ago. Today, that part of the world is called Turkey, but back then it was part of the Roman empire, and it was known as “Asia Minor”, which means “Small Asia”. And about fifteen years after Paul planted those churches, he […]
So we arrive now, finally, where we thought we were going to arrive back in Chapter 22: it is time for Isaac to get married, like his brother Ishmael did back in Chapter 21. And you may have noticed, during the scripture reading, that this felt like a very, very long chapter. And there is […]
About 3500 years ago, in the middle of the night, a prophet named Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. He had promised to lead them home, to the land God had promised to their ancestor Abraham. But instead of leading them north into the fertile country of their homeland, Moses […]
Last week our story began with an introduction: we met a man from Bethlehem, from the Ephrathite clan, a well-respected man from a well-respected family. And the writer showed us how this man used his wealth and good social standing to flee his home country when trouble came. And we saw how this led to […]
So when we last saw Jacob, he had escaped from his uncle, he had crossed the Euphrates River, he had left the lands of the east, and was driving westward and southward as fast as he can go. If he can make it to the Jordan River, and cross it, then he will be back […]
Really, we’re in the business of providing water for thirsty travellers. But that means digging wells. So what do we mean by “digging wells”? For us, the water of life is Jesus Christ himself. And we believe that the best way to meet him is through the ancient collection of writings now called the Bible. […]
Well…here we are: at a rather devastating passage in the Book of Exodus. If you recall, some weeks before this point, God signed a marriage contract with the people of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai. He promised that Israel would be his treasured possession, his first-born son, his only bride; and Israel promised […]
The Book of Exodus began in the mud beside a great, enslaving river on the plains; it is ending today at the foot of a mountain on the far side of the wilderness. And when we compare the Book of Exodus to the Book of Genesis, we see that Exodus is the literary mirror image […]
