Focal Passage: Genesis 12:1-5a; 13:11-18 

As a minister, one of my most enjoyable moments is standing before a couple who make promises to each other as they become husband and wife. When these couples come to see me before they get married, I talk about promises each will make to the other on their marriage day. 

I ask them to thoughtfully write what they promise to do for the other as each takes on the new role of husband or wife. “I promise to …” forces the one speaking to take responsibility for their future actions. The one hearing these promises then must decide whether to trust the one giving them enough to believe that these promises will be fulfilled. 

The unifying theme of “promise and fulfillment” found throughout all of Scripture began with the covenant made with Abram, soon to be Abraham. God provided a list of promises that He claimed He would deliver. Land, nation, blessings, greatness and being a blessing were all promises thoughtfully made to Abram by God.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Genesis 11:1-9 

After retirement, my dad served for a year as an interim pastor in Kowloon, Hong Kong, at an English-speaking church. My family went for a visit. Dad wanted to take us out to experience the Hong Kong culture and took us downtown in a taxi to a small “hole in the wall” restaurant for an authentic Chinese meal. 

Dad had help writing down directions and ordering in the proper language. At the end of our night, we were successful. However, we spent most of the night pointing instead of speaking, looking confused and trying to understand a different language and culture. When you don’t speak the same language, it is easy for confusion to reign. 

The story of the tower of Babel showed how God authored confusion to stop His people from their continued ways of being disobedient. The people could no longer communicate with each other, and it stopped their plans. The tower of Babel was a continuation of the Biblical truth: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 6:23).  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Genesis 9:1-15 

Rebranding is a common theme in the business world. Once a product has hit the market and an initial run has met with success, a company will pull the product off the market, tweak it, repackage it, do a new sales campaign, and then re-release the rebranded product to be sold again, often at a higher price. Rebranding takes a worn-out or broken product, reshapes it, and then sends it back to be sold again.  

The flood story allowed a “rebranding” of sorts to take the broken (Genesis 6:5-7) and restore it. Following the flood, Scripture moved from the Covenant between God and Adam to the Covenant between God and Noah.  

The Noah covenant had three components. First, the blessings; second, the responsibility that humanity assumed; and third, the great promise God made when placing the “bow” in the sky.   It is essential to understand that God made these Covenants, and God is the One at work, not humanity dictating the plans.   [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Genesis 8:10-22 

While stories in Scripture detail the actions of various characters, such as Noah during the time of the Flood, these stories always reflect the nature and character of God. 

Two traits of God are revealed during the time of the Flood and the faithfulness of Noah. First, the power of God to unleash the torrents of water to undo the vast Creation that He had made, and second, the personal closeness that God demonstrates to both Creation and humanity as He establishes the covenant first made with Adam, and now, with Noah “to be fruitful and multiply.”

The power of God demonstrated through both Creation, and then the destruction of His Creation, overwhelms the senses.  [Read more…]

Focal Passage: Genesis 6:13-22; 7:20-24 

While working in my office one morning, the FBI came to my door. That got my heart racing. He told me the FBI had received a “credible threat” made by the KKK against an event that I and others were planning at our courthouse for MLK Day. He came to warn us. We made plans because of that warning. The result was lots of police, media and little action. I learned a valuable lesson through that experience. When warnings come, respond to them. 

Noah received a credible warning from God. “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” 

Did Noah know that “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5)? Did Noah believe God could, or even would, bring judgment upon the sins of the human heart?  [Read more…]