There are many principles that God illustrates to us through the lives and actions of the people who populate the Old Testament. In Genesis 24:6,8 we see one of these principles enacted through Abraham’s servant Eliezer when Abraham sent him to the place of his extended family in Ur to seek a wife for his…
Matthew 7 – Destruction or Safety
The statement by Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 is one of the hardest in the Bible for people to wrap their minds around. He tells us: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate…
Matthew 6:24 – Believing Loyalty
When Jesus speaks about the problem of serving two masters in Matthew 6:24, His teaching goes to the heart of our relationship with God: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot…
Genesis 15:4-5; 16:7,10 – Angel of the Lord
The ancient Israelite understanding of God was different from what it is today. Religious Jews since the time of Jesus have actually rejected what their ancestors believed and knew about Yahweh. Since Jesus came, the Jews have clung to the Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” and…
Genesis 12:2-3 – God’s Promise to Israel
The prophetic Word that God gives Abram in Genesis 12:2-3 is one of the most significant in the entire Bible: “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him…
Genesis 11 – Babel
The typical Christian thinking is that sin is the only problem in the world that Jesus came to overcome. In fact, the ancient Jewish concept of what’s wrong provides a much bigger picture, and it actually paves the way for all that Jesus has done and will do prophetically so as to redeem the earth….