Category: Genesis

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 20 before reading the devotional below.

Sometimes the Bible is hard to read because it doesn’t include every detail, nor does it explain the nuance of every cultural situation. Abraham already tried the “Sarah is my sister” line and it backfired, so why he is using that approach again in this chapter is unclear. From later in the chapter we see that he was actually trying to protect himself, and apparently she is technically his sister (complicated, but true). That description of their relationship communicates a certain availability of Sarah to be approached by other men (but without killing Abraham first). Lest you think God is going to have any part of that evil, he shows up in a dream to make sure Sarah is unharmed.

It’s fascinating here that God clearly defines what might have happened as sin, yet he sees that Abimelech was acting in innocence. He was not trying to violate Sarah. We can sin without meaning to, and that doesn’t make it any less evil. In the end, Abraham and Abimelech make peace and Abraham prays for God’s curse on Abimelech’s people (given as a punishment for what happened to Sarah) to be lifted.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God doesn’t let evil go.

As a counselor, I’ve heard a lot of stories of women being sexually assaulted. It’s evil and if that’s happened to you, I’m so sorry you had to experience that. God cares, and even though we know that bad things can happen in this world, God’s not letting it go. He’s working to rescue us out of this place where evil and destruction are rampant. He’s making a new heaven and a new earth where there is only peace and safety. He’s punishing those who choose to remain on the side of evil. He cared about Sarah and never for a moment forgot who she was or where she was. The same is true for you.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 19 before reading the devotional below.

Today we’re going to focus on Lot, the nephew of Abraham who gets rescued from destruction because Abraham pleaded with God. Ultimately, I’m on the fence about whether Lot was “righteous,” but God spared him and his family anyway. They’re a pretty dysfunctional bunch.

Lot tries to warn some of the impending doom, but they don’t believe him. He barely has time to rescue his wife and two daughters, and even then Lot hesitates. Lot’s wife looked back at the life she was upset to leave (which revealed her own love of evil), and she turned into a pillar of salt. Lot’s daughters plot an evil scheme as well, ultimately giving birth to two sons whose descendants become significant enemies of the Israelites. Perhaps things would have worked out better if God had not said yes to Abraham’s prayer.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Staying away from evil is freedom.

Sometimes people think God wants to ruin all their fun with all his rules and demands for perfection. Lot and his family could barely pull away from the evil in their city in time to escape destruction. They wanted to keep their “fun.” In the end, evil ALWAYS is destructive and when we hang on to it we are ruined. God gives us freedom in allowing us a way to turn from evil and come to him through faith in Jesus. Don’t be like Lot’s wife and wistfully look back on all God has called you to leave behind — run for the hills without a second thought!

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 18 before reading the devotional below.

Yesterday we covered the reality that God’s plans are bigger than we can imagine, and we see that here again when Sarah hears about her coming pregnancy at the age of 90. She laughs, God calls her out on that, and then she denies it. It’s always funny when we try to hide things from God. (Spoiler alert: it never works).

The second half of this chapter is a great example of our role in prayer. God tells Abraham he is going to destroy the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Recall that this is the area where Abraham’s nephew, Lot, now lives. Abraham pleads with God and haggles him down to saving the cities if there are only ten good people left there. (Sadly, there aren’t even ten…). But God will spare Lot because of Abraham’s prayer, as we’ll read about tomorrow.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God hears you.

God’s not just listening, he hears you. He sees your heart, he changes his mind when you talk to him. He wants us to give him good reasons to show mercy. When we pray for others, it makes a difference in history. There are many examples of this in the Bible, but this chapter is a fascinating look at how Abraham bargains with God (and it works!). What do you need to wrestle out with God today?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 17 before reading the devotional below.

It’s hard for us to conceive of the longer lifespans of those in the early Old Testament, but at age 99 Abram is just getting started. God changes his name to Abraham, which shifts the meaning of his name from “exalted father” to “father of many.” Interesting how all the way along, Abram has been carrying a father identity despite his lack of children. God now expands Abram’s identity to demonstrate his plans and promises.

For his promise, God has one demand: a piece of flesh from every male. Why would God want such a thing? It’s actually similar to other symbolic and cultural rituals in which a servant would be marked to show allegiance to their master. It also sets up a clear demand for blood as a payment for sin. Circumcision is also a pretty quick way to tell the difference between friends and enemies in battle.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God’s promises are better than you think.

When God continues to tell Abraham that he will bless him with many descendants, Abraham is still stuck on that promise being fulfilled through Ishmael. He never figured out (after 13 years) that God was still sticking to the original plan and he wasn’t going to fulfill his promises through Abraham’s sinful efforts. Sarai (now renamed Sarah) is not going to be left out here — God has blessings for her in perhaps the most significant never-too-late story in the Bible. Even though they lived longer back then, even Abraham is surprised at a 90-year-old woman having a baby. God’s promises will always exceed our expectations, so whatever your imagination can create is just a fraction of all that God has for you.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 16 before reading the devotional below.

Have you ever tried to give God a little help in delivering what he has promised to you? I often like to remind myself that God is not advertising for a fourth member of the Trinity… As we’ve discussed, God invites us to participate with him in his plans. But we have to make sure we just do our part and don’t try to meddle with God’s part.

In today’s chapter, Sarai starts feeling badly that she’s in the way of God’s promise to Abram. Generally, I don’t recommend making decisions out of guilt. We see the result: she suggests to Abram that he have a child with her servant, Hagar. Abram punts on his responsibility (as did Adam in Genesis 3) and doesn’t bother thinking it through. No shock, Sarai is pretty upset when the whole thing actually goes down. Also no shock, God cares about the situation and defends the victim.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God is always on the side of the oppressed.

Lots of people struggle with understanding God. That’s good, because if you don’t struggle with understanding God, your “god” is too small. However, one thing is quite clear because we see it in the Bible over and over: God sides with victims. He had no real reason to care about Hagar. He was busy building a nation for himself through Abram and looking 400 years into the future. We know from later instructions that God forbids adultery. If he’s building a nation for himself, it’s not going to be that way. He sends Hagar back, but with a promise of her own: “I will give you more descendants than you can count.” Sound familiar? Yup, it’s the same exact thing he said to Abram. If you’ve been victimized, God sees you, he hears you, he cares, and he’s going to turn things around for you in the end. He’s on your side.