After “every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out” in chapter seven, and in chapter eight God “remembering Noah”, chapter nine of theStory begins “then God blessed Noah”, and as at creation, reaffirms to Noah his desire that man “Be fruitful and multiply… and fill the earth.”(Genesis1:28).
Read More promise, covenantAfter observing Abram for another fourteen years, the Lord made a deeper, more detailed commitment by converting his covenant to an everlasting covenant and, to emphasize his promise, changing Abram’s name to Abraham. Abram means “Exalted Father” while Abraham means “Father of a Multitude.”
Read More covenant, baptism, commitmentJacob leaves on his lengthy journey from Beersheba to Haran—an overland journey from the Negev desert in Israel to a southern province in modern day Turkey. Proceeding northward he comes to the region north of Jerusalem’s current location. There he rests for the evening on a stone pillow.In a divine dream he sees a stairway connecting earth and heaven and angels of God moving up and down. It’s no wonder Jacob views this as “the gate of heaven.”
Read More covenant, blessing, God’s presenceThis encounter in the hills of Gilead must come to a clear conclusion. They can all turn back towards Laban’s to live as they were and fight to the finish, or agree to let Jacob and his entourage pursue the direction the Lord has given him. Laban realizes, albeit begrudgingly, that he must let them go. It would seem some of his willingness is created by his daughter’s and grandchildren’s allegiance to Jacob as Laban exclaims “there is nothing I can do to keep my daughters and their children.” A covenant between them is therefore in order (vv 43-44).
Read More providence, covenant, blessing, witnessThese next two chapters are central to the story of the Old Testament. God is coming down to meet and speak with his own people. They are his own because they are descended from Abraham, and he has led them back from slavery in Egypt. God has redeemed them from the might of Pharaoh. He has provided for them in the wilderness and he has been with them in the pillar of fire and cloud.
Read More obedience, covenant, holiness, faithfulnessThis passage tells us about the confirmation of the covenant that God made with the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. It is an important part of God’s progressive revelation of himself to Israel and the world. The account involves three different groups of people: the people of Israel; Aaron and his two sons Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel; and then Moses and his aid Joshua. All of them are part of this confirmation ceremony.
Read More salvation, covenant, holiness, ceremonyEven though David and Jonathan had remarkable chemistry together, their friendship was severely tested by their mutual relationship with Jonathan’s father, King Saul.
Good friends don’t hide their differences and struggles from each other. David and Jonathan put their differing perspectives “on the table”. For David, it was a matter of life and death. They did not argue or debate unnecessarily; instead they decided to invite God to show them the path they should take.
Read More covenant, friendship, commitmentThe oldest of David’s sons, Adonijah, decided to “exalt” himself (KJV) in light of his father’s frailty and proclaim himself king. He began by enlisting the support of several of the nation’s key leaders. Nathan, the prophet, heard about this and quickly plotted with Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, to preempt the coup d’état. He told her to remind King David of a vow he had made to her that Solomon would be his successor to the throne.
Read More covenant, promises
Reading this section helps us to see that Micah’s message is quite clear. He dissects the external and internal crises of Jerusalem and Samaria by speaking to four different audiences about the inner spiritual connection of their crises. The four groups are the political establishment (princes, elders, and military officials), the judicial powers, the religious establishment (including priests and prophets) and the rich landowners.
Read More covenant