I Can See Clearly Now the Rain is Gone

Up till now in the account of Noah, judgment and punishment have been theStory. Then chapter eight of today’s reading opens with the heart warming phrase, “But God remembered Noah…”

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

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).

Faith and the Impossible

Do you sometimes find it hard to believe that anything is possible with God? Abraham did, but today we see that his lack of faith didn’t cause God to withdraw his promises. God’s response was patience. That’s good news for us!

Father Abraham Had Many Sons, Sir

Actually, Abraham had only two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. One arrived through human conniving, the other through God’s promise. Isaac. The youth who as good as died on an altar built of wood his father had laid on his back. The son whose life returned to him when God provided a ram instead (22:9-19).

The Land of Goshen – God’s Provision

In this part of the narrative, we see how God uses Joseph to save the lives not only of his family but of all of the people of Egypt. As a wise governor, he had stored up all the extra grain in the years of plenty, and now it was available to the people in the years of famine.

God is Faithful

After 400 years of waiting, after 40 years of wandering, teaching, and preparing, the day has arrived. The promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is kept. The promise to Moses, that God would use him to lead the people out of Egypt to a promised land, is now kept.

God keeps his word. God’s promises come true. These verses tie up the story and declare again that God is great and good.

It’s About Time

If you had to diagram history, what would you draw? Endless circles – history repeating itself? Or a line snaking downward as the human gift for technology intertwines with the human appetite for destruction?

The map drawn in Psalm 75 follows a different trajectory than any we might sketch based on current events.

Harsh Measure for Harsh Times

Try to find a sermon or bible study on this passage. Google it! You will find it almost impossible. Nobody wants to preach it simply because the harsh brutality of those times is reflected once again. The consequences and defeat are final. A city is destroyed and a whole people annihilated by the Israelites. Once again for some of you, this offends your modern sensibilities. But you shouldn’t be surprised. We live in brutal times.

Bargaining with God

Have you ever bargained with God? “Dear God, if you help me with _____ I promise I will ______.” In this passage we meet a woman who does just that.

Hannah is a married woman who has no children. In her day, being barren was a humiliation, often believed to be a punishment from God. Her barrenness was also a social embarrassment to her husband. But Elkanah loved her so much that her inability to have children didn’t matter to him.

‘If’

Years ago Christians used to have things called promise boxes in their homes. They were small containers that held little cards in them on which were written promises from the word of God. Sometimes on the back of the promise card would be a saying or some writing or quote that applied to the promise. Here is what they missed. All of the promises of the Bible are true but God looks for a response from us.