“O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, Please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that IContinue reading “Prayer for Rebekah”
Category Archives: Genesis
Hagar’s Naming Prayer
The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” The angel of the Lord said to her further, “Behold, you are pregnant,And you will give birth to a son;And you shall name him Ishmael,Because the Lord has heard your affliction.But he will be a wild donkey of a man;His hand will be against everyone,And everyone’sContinue reading “Hagar’s Naming Prayer”
Asking God to be God: The Lifeblood of Prayer in Genesis 4
Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord. Genesis 4:25-26 Genesis 4:26 is widely understoodContinue reading “Asking God to be God: The Lifeblood of Prayer in Genesis 4”
God’s Weaker Vessel, the Woman with Tender Eyes
One of the delights of the Bible is the abundance of its irony. I’ve talked about this before, when considering the principle of proportion, where God positions various contrasting elements within the redemptive story next to one another, highlighting His own attributes and through them, the subversive power of the Gospel. And among the Bible’sContinue reading “God’s Weaker Vessel, the Woman with Tender Eyes”
The Daughters of Job: An Inheritance Among Our Brothers
This morning, I finished reading the book of Job. I had already planned to begin rereading it from tomorrow as the richness of this book’s symbolic use of the natural world is utterly breathtaking. I don’t feel ready to leave it yet! But it is instead the book’s end – Job’s daughters specifically – whichContinue reading “The Daughters of Job: An Inheritance Among Our Brothers”
The Donkey and the Colt
I’ve started creating short video meditations on Biblical themes, and I now have a YouTube channel. My first video focused on the theme of sparrows, and now here is one on donkeys. Having studied donkeys closely, I have a new appreciation for them. And how interesting that donkeys carry a cross on their back. WhenContinue reading “The Donkey and the Colt”
Adam and His Adversary: Israel’s crossing of the Jordan
After Adam’s headlining appearance in Genesis, his name is hardly mentioned for the rest of the Hebrew Bible. We find him mostly in genealogies and very occasionally in the books of the prophets (see Hosea 6:7). Still, Adam returns in other ways, many times after Genesis, in stories recounting his (and our) fall from glory.Continue reading “Adam and His Adversary: Israel’s crossing of the Jordan”
Gender, Apologies and the Bible
In 2010, psychologists Karina Schumann and Michael Ross published research based on reported behaviour among Canadian university students (age 18 to 44) which suggests that on average, women apologize more than men. Not only did women document more apologies, but women also reported committing more offenses than men reported. And when presented with imaginary andContinue reading “Gender, Apologies and the Bible”
A Tent with No Idols
During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ never utters the words for “idol” and “idolatry.” My friend Rev. Bill Dennison pointed out this omission a few days ago. What makes it so intriguing is that idolatry is mentioned many times and in many ways throughout the Hebrew Bible. And idolatry comes up again later, repeatedly, asContinue reading “A Tent with No Idols”
The Word of the Lord came
In Genesis 1, the Triune God speaks the world into existence as His Spirit hovers over the surface of the waters. King David brings the Creation account into sharper focus, declaring, “by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host” (Ps. 33:6). I’ve written already about the breathContinue reading “The Word of the Lord came”
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