There’s a deep connection between Genesis 35:9-11 and Matthew 11:20-24. In Genesis we read: “God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name…
Posts Categorized: Israel
Matthew 10:25 – Rejecting Jesus
Upon Jesus calling His disciples, He soon sends them out to the towns and cities of Israel so as to gather her “lost sheep” (Matthew 10:6). He instructs the men to proclaim the Good News by telling everyone that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7). Jesus gives them the power and authority…
Genesis 28:8-9 – Rebellion’s Legacy
In today’s reading, along with several prior passages, we see the root of the everlasting animosity between the Jews and Arabs. Jacob with the help of his mother Rebekah deceived his father Isaac to receive the first-son blessings in place of his brother Esau (Genesis 27:36). Previously Jacob had negotiated with Esau and stolen his…
Genesis 24:6,8 – Old Life Before Christ
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…
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…