Just as Jacob deserved a lot worse from his brother Esau after the way he treated him, we see something similar in the story of Joseph and his brothers. Here, again, we see brother hating brother because of one being shown favor over the other (Gen. 37:3-4). The tunic of many colors was not just … Continue reading –>
The struggle between God’s purposes and individual rebellion makes further progress in the story of Jacob and Esau. It was customary in antiquity for the firstborn son to receive the father’s blessing (the birthright) before the death of the father. This included most of the family’s wealth; so, the eldest son became responsible for the … Continue reading –>
While Abraham (first called Abram) is known for his faithfulness, his life experiences are more about God’s faithfulness to him. Twice God has assured Abraham that he would have a son. He first told him when Abraham was about 75 years old (Gen. 12:2 & Gen. 12:4) , then about ten years later (Gen. 13:16) … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 6:1-13. In what ways do we see the great controversy between good and evil expressed here, only now even more intensely than before? In the Flood we see a partial reversal of the special acts of Creation; many of those things that God had separated are now brought back together. The waters above … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 4:1-15. What does this tell us about how deeply ingrained sin had become? At the birth of Cain, Eve was ecstatic. She fully believed that she had just given birth to the Deliverer promised in Genesis 3:15. “I have acquired a man from the LORD” (Gen. 4:1, NKJV) . The text, translated literally … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 4:1-15; Gen. 3:9-10; Gen. 4:9; Gen. 6:1-13; Ps. 51:1; Gen. 22:1-19; Gen. 28:12-15 Memory Text: “‘Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken … Continue reading –>
Though we are a long way away from Eden, from the original Creation, there’s still so much in creation that speaks to us of the goodness of God. Look around: we can see not only incredible beauty but incredible design, as well, all of which testifies to our Creator’s love. For instance, think about things … Continue reading –>
We may be well into eternity before we understand fully how much damage was caused by that one incident at the tree. All that God did during Creation week started to unravel. Relationships that God established were fractured: between people and God (they hid from Him) , between each other (Adam blamed Eve for his … Continue reading –>
When God decided to create Adam and Eve, He stated that they would be made in God’s image and according to His likeness (Gen. 1:26) . The bait on the tempter’s “hook” was that if they ate the forbidden fruit, they would become “like God.” The reality is that they already were like God. They … Continue reading –>
Described as more “crafty” than any other animal (Gen. 3:1, NIV) , the snake became a powerful symbol throughout Bible history. Moses lifted up a bronze serpent on a pole to stop people from dying in a plague of deadly serpents during the Exodus (Num. 21:5-9) . The same bronze serpent became an object of … Continue reading –>
