When Sarah saw Ishmael, the son of her husband, Abraham, and her slave-girl, Hagar, making fun of her own son, Isaac, she was understandably angry. Parents who have watched some child tease their...
In Genesis 18, Sarah laughed out of disbelief. There was no way she would ever bear a son in her old age, in spite of God's promise. Then, in Genesis 21, Sarah laughed...
In Genesis 12, Abraham sojourned to Egypt to escape famine in Canaan. Because he was afraid that the Egyptians might kill him to steal his wife, he hid her true identity, claiming only...
Several months ago a dear friend, pastor of a large and flourishing church, tendered his resignation because he could no longer live and lead the congregation under the authority of the...
Out of desperation, Lot's daughters got their father drunk in order to trick him into impregnating them. Under the influence of too...
Know any people in your life you can count on just to be there? You never have to check their availability. Paul had a friend like that. “Luke alone is with me” (...
One of our new blogs, Holy Experience, has caught my fancy. Ann V. is a beautiful writer. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. ...
Walking along our small town's main street recently, I noticed a construction company's sign on a renovation work-in-progress. The name of the company, which dominated the sign in bold black...
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various...
Earlier in Genesis 18, the Lord revealed to Sarah that she would bear a son even in her old age. But she knew that women of her age never had children, so she...
In Genesis 17, when God revealed his plan to Abraham and promised to give him a son through Sarah, Abraham laughed in disbelief. Now, in chapter 18, Sarah follows suit, laughing at the prophecy...
Here is the ebb and flow of faith writ large. Only moments earlier Abraham had laughed with disbelief over God's promises of a son through Sarah (v. 17). But then Abraham obeyed God explicitly,...
The story was a classic. I wanted to share its joy with my children. It was about gifts, bought and received. A beautiful story to make a person smile. But when I finished...
In the previous verses, God had promised to Abraham that his wife, now called Sarah, would bear a son. So what does...
God announces to Abraham his intention to bless Sarai beyond her wildest dreams. Her new name, Sarah, from the Hebrew word for princess, points to her becoming a mother of a son. Through...
The numbers fell faster than Superman on Kryptonite.It didn't make sense. I studied. I planned. I invested. My knees ached from sitting. My eyes teared from staring at the computer screen. My back...
Circumcision was a common practice among people in the Ancient Near East, often as a rite of passage for young men in...
The word covenant appears more often in Genesis 17 than in any other chapter of the whole Bible (Hebrew, berit, 13 instances in Genesis 17). In the Ancient Near East, a covenant was a treaty,...
In most pagan religions, human beings initiate relationship with the gods, usually by offering sacrifices in the hope that the gods will respond favorably. But the true God does not wait for us to...
Earlier in Genesis 16, Sarai had suggested to Abram that they solve the problem of her childlessness by having him impregnate her servant, Hagar. When this happened, however, Hagar looked down upon...
