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 […]
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 […]
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). As an 8-year-old child, while reading Bible verses that explained God’s love, my sin, Jesus’ sacrifice, and my need to repent and accept God’s grace in faith, God spoke to my heart. Although not audibly, he called, “Trust me. Follow me. Never will […]
We sometimes use the expression, “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” when we want to emphasize that good is on the way and that soon our “tunnel experience” will end. But sometimes we add to that secular proverb the phrase, “But the light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming […]
