Genesis 15:1-8 “The word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.’” What overwhelms you? Either for good or ill – what knocks you off your feet? According to the Bible, either life overwhelms you and we call that fear. Or […]
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Glen
Genesis 12:1-9 In Australia, where I’m from, it’s not uncommon to give people joke names. So a giant of a man might be nicknamed “Shorty” or a red-head will be called “Blue.” The LORD seems to have a similar sense of humour. In Genesis 17:5, childless Abram is re-named “Abraham” which means “father of a […]
Genesis 11:1-9 When I was 11 years old I invented a religion. Except that there was nothing new about it. I imagined a god who demanded moral goodness and punished shortfalls. And with a combination of carrots and sticks my god would prod me towards some kind of “better place.” I wasn’t the first to […]
Genesis 9:1-17 Not a rain-arc. Not a rain-wheel. Not a rain-dome. A rain-bow. Why rain bow? Here’s what God says after the flood-waters abate: “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, […]
Genesis 8:1-22 A previously hostile nation offering terms of peace. A business competitor bringing a promising deal. A chastened husband presenting a bunch of flowers. Any of these cases might be called “bearing an olive branch.” There are different views about how the olive branch became associated with peace. But its importance in the flood […]
Genesis 7:1-24 In the “film” 40 days and 40 nights Josh Hartnett has to endure this “unbearable” trial period without sex. It’s a time of dreadful testing and I’m sure hilarity ensures. I wouldn’t know, I couldn’t be forced to watch it – even for research purposes. But we seem to have a cultural memory that […]
Genesis 6:1-22 It’s the name of countless nurseries and toddler groups. We instantly think of a cramped menagerie and a cartoon boat – usually absent Noah and the family. Also absent is any hint that this is a cataclysmic scene of judgement. The context is Genesis 6. Apparently the “sons of God” were uniting with the […]
Genesis 5:28-32 When you think of rest, what springs to mind? If you’re like me you’ll be thinking about an absence of stresses and suffering. The name “Noah” means rest. But the one called Rest does not come in the context of peace and safety. It was in the midst of death and curse that the promised […]
Genesis 5:18-27 If someone calls you ‘Methuselah’ it’s probably not a compliment. He was 969 years old when he died – the oldest man in the Bible. In the midst of the avalanche of deaths in Genesis 5, Methuselah weathers the storm better than most. But actually someone else in the family tree does better […]
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