Headings matter. The New International Version titles this text, “Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away.” The English Standard Version titles this text, “God Protects Hagar and Ishmael.” The first heading emphasizes Abraham’s duty. The latter heading emphasizes God’s care. In this text we see both severity and grace in God’s choices. God cares for the outcast […]
Use one or both of these questions to introduce the lesson: 1. How have you heard this sentence completed: “There are two kinds of people in the world . . .”? 2. What types of cliques are found in a typical high school? Which one were you a part of? Which would never have accepted […]
Banished. Isolated. Pushed away. Trying to survive in a lifeless desert. That’s what happened to Hagar and her son Ishmael, according to Genesis chapter 21. Deserts, though, aren’t as lifeless as they appear. God does interesting things in deserts. According to an online article I read recently titled, “127 Stunning Desert Plants,” an amazing array […]
Have you ever noticed how we measure, quite literally, everything? I suppose it is because we are contained within time, so time becomes our point of reference. We know everything in terms of what is now, what has been, and what may be. It’s how we gain a sense of control over our lives. We […]
MONDAY Reading for Today: Matthew 17:14-27 Acts 24 Psalm 39 Leviticus 5–7 Leviticus 5–7 The guilt offering: atonement made for an unintentional sin. I marvel at the details regarding the sacrifices offered at the tabernacle and later, the temple. Even accidental sin made a man guilty before God and therefore needed to be covered. As […]
