The Blessing of the Beginning
The Prosperity of the King (Genesis 49:1-28)
Since that is the case, the descendants of the brothers, who align with the descendants, and ultimately, the descendant of Judah, experience this prosperity associated with this ruler. Of course, we see the prosperity in Israel under David and Solomon. But ultimately, we experience this prosperity only in the ultimate ruler, the king of Kings that John refers to as the…
Faithfulness in Divergent Circumstances (Genesis 46-47)
…God proved faithful to his word. He dwelt with his people. He attended to them. He provided for them, even as their circumstances changed, and diverged from the expected. The promise of God’s presence, which coincides with his provision, gives us confidence for living. If we believe that God…
Clinging to the LORD (Genesis 32:22-32)
We are nearing the end of Jacob’s exile narrative, that occurred over the period of 20 years, and began back in chapter 28. On that day, Jacob, a greedy, deceitful, conniving man, fled empty-handed and alone from the promised land to the pagan land of Haran. On his way out, the LORD appeared to him at Beth-el with a promise to return him to the land. Upon receiving this…
The LORD’s Unseen Faithfulness (Genesis 29:1-35)
(NOTE: The audio track is a bit muted, so it may be difficult to hear) And unbeknownst to her (though understood by the first readers of this passage, the nation of Israel as they set their minds to leave the desert and enter the promised land), the LORD was working in her circumstances to fulfill…
Scheming for What Has Been Promised (Genesis 26:34-28:9)
God’s covenant declarations are not influenced by human schemes and deception. Amidst all this scheming and deceiving, what God declared, came to pass. Because of God’s faithfulness, Jacob received the covenant blessing even as the family faithlessly schemed contrary to God’s declaration It’s as…
Because God is With Us, Part 2 (Genesis 26:17-35)
…The very day Isaac makes peace with his enemies, the well springs forth water, showing God’s bountiful provision to Isaac in the context of peace. It’s one thing to have a well when your enemies quarrel over it. It’s another to have a well in a land of famine while at formal, certified,…
Because God is With Us, Part 1 (Genesis 26:1-17)
THE CHARGE: Meet the conditions of the covenant. And then, having met the conditions of the covenant, day by day, actively reckon as true the promise of God’s presence in your life. Hold fast to Jesus’s closing words from the Gospel of Matthew, given immediately following his charge to the…
Grace Comes Contrary to Convention (Genesis 25:19-34)
Inheritance of God’s blessings is not determined by human convention such a birth order…it is determined by God’s intention. Neither Jacob nor Esau would gain the promised inheritance by virtue of being Isaac’s children. Esau would not gain the inheritance by mere virtue of being the first-born. To…
Protected Covenant Blessings (Genesis 25:1-18)
God’s covenant people live in surety of God’s covenant promises even in the presence of many enemies Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; David’s enemies are powerless to prevent David from experiencing the bounty of God’s overflowing blessings. This was the case…
Servants of God’s Covenant Faithfulness (Genesis 24:1-67)
This morning we come to Genesis 24. Abraham, the man of faith nears the end of his life. The promises of God have proven true. But there remains an obstacle to the Lord’s plan to produce a nation from Abraham, a people numerous as the stars, and as the sand: the matriarch has died. No more children…