names

Prayer for Rebekah

“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”

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”

Ruth and Esther

Ruth and Esther are the only two Biblical books bearing the names of women. This alone draws our eye to them, asks us to consider them together. By the time we get to Ruth, God has already primed us many times over to watch closely for women, to trace their place in the Bible’s storyContinue reading “Ruth and Esther”

Names and No Names

Bible readers have at times wrestled with anxious thoughts about the presence of so many unnamed people in the Bible. Why is Noah named but not his wife? Why doesn’t God give us the name of the Levite’s concubine? Who are the widows in the books of Kings? What is the name of the womanContinue reading “Names and No Names”

The Boy(s) with Two Names

In Genesis 35, a boy with two names is born. He is a boy we don’t often talk about. His brother Joseph gets most of the attention, with his coat of many colours and the saga that is his story. Well, you know. But what of this other boy? In the account beginning in GenesisContinue reading “The Boy(s) with Two Names”