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 […]
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 […]
Long ago Jewish prayers often started, “Blessed be he . . .” Prayer began with blessing God. The irony is that God, who deserves all the blessing, has blessed us (Ephesians 1:3-14). Surely we experience difficult days on this sin-stained planet. But often day after day after day we experience God’s special presence in blessed […]
The word closer sums up much of the Bible’s content. God is always wanting to get closer to people. Even in our text today God is pictured as walking in the garden (near Adam and Eve) in the cool of the day. The promise of God’s “withness” is scattered throughout the Bible (Exodus 3:12; Joshua […]
Faith in God is like a muscle in the body. It has to be stretched to be strong. Each of the Old Testament people we have studied this month had their faith stretched. Abel stretched his faith with his sacrifice. Enoch and Noah stretched their faith in their daily walk. Eleazar stretched his faith is […]
