Genesis 14 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Thus far in the patriarchal narrative we’ve seen that Abram is a humble shepherd who dwells in tents and moves from place-to-place building altars unto God. For the most part he keeps to himself and minds his own business. But when his nephew Lot is suddenly taken captive by foreign enemies, Abraham is drawn into an international war. A coalition of four kings from the north, in the modern-day…

Genesis 13  Pastor Mark Hudson Reading Gen 13, you can see the themes that struggle and separation (vs. 9, 11, 14).  Then we find the second statement of promise (vv. 14-17). “Just as the first statement of the “promise” was preceded by Abraham’s separation from among the nations (10:32) and his father’s household (12:1), so the second statement of the “promise” is put in the context of Abraham’s separation from his closest kin, Lot (13:14)). …

Genesis 12 by Pastor David Groendyk Chapter 12 is a major turning point in Genesis. The story of Abraham dominates the next 14 chapters of the book as the unfolding story of God saving his people begins to focus in on one single family out of the entire human race now scattered over the whole world. Genesis 12 quite naturally breaks down into two sections. Verses 1–9 tell us of God’s call to Abram and…

Genesis 10 Pastor Mark Hudson In Genesis 10, we read another genealogy.  This is fashioned as somewhat of a second creation.  Since everything was destroyed by the flood, God is, from the living beings on the ark, populating the earth.  We saw how in chapter 9:1ff, the phrases echo the account of creation in Gen. 1 and 2.  That theme continues in chapter 10.  But there is a narrowing of the focus from animal, birds,…

Genesis 9 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Noah’s drunkenness may come as a shock to many of us after hearing the Bible’s description of his life thus far. Moses told us back in Genesis 6:9 that Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time; he walked with God and did everything that the Lord commanded him to do. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Noah was a man of faith who…

Genesis 8 Devotional Pastor Mark Hudson In Gen 8 when Moses says that God remembered Noah, there is special significance to that word ‘remembered.’  In fact this portion of Scripture points us to another passage in Exodus 2.  In vs. 24, God also remembers.  His remembering means acting on behalf of His people.  In Ex 14:21, God sends a strong east wind  like 8:1. In Ex 14:21-22, the people fleeing Egypt walked on dry ground…

Genesis 7 by Pastor David Groendyk After preparations for the great flood of judgment are complete, God sends Noah and his family into the ark and closes the door behind them. They were in the ark for approximately one year, and chapter 7 mentions the first half of that year while the waters on the earth were at their deepest and all living flesh died. Chapter 8 begins with a great hope in just the…

Genesis 5 Devotional Pastor Mark Hudson The Bible is full of genealogies, a literary form that we are not familiar with.  We begin with a description of what will follow.  God is viewed as the Father who creates in His likeness.  The author emphasizes male and female, His blessing and naming.  Naming is an expression of authority.  The blessing is a constant theme throughout the entire Bible.  How God longs to bless His children and…

Genesis 4 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence In the previous chapter, God brought immediate judgment upon the human race because of Adam’s sin and rebellion in the garden. And yet, even in the midst of this judgment, the Lord has shown mercy. For, although the ground was cursed because of sin and man is frustrated in his labor of bringing fruit from the ground, he is still blessed with food to eat and air to breathe.…

Genesis 3 by Pastor Mark Hudson I suppose we can this about every chapter in Genesis: this is a significant chapter for the rest of the Bible, Biblical theology, and a Biblical worldview.  But this is especially true of this chapter.  There is so much in this chapter that we will concentrate on just the first 13 verses of the chapter.  The serpent was more crafty (arum) than any of the other beasts.  This term…

Genesis 1 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence In Hebrew, the very first verse of the Bible contains exactly seven words, the number of perfection. They are not large and complex words nor are they difficult to understand, yet they speak volumes, and many volumes have been written in order to try to explain them. They speak of God and of His first great work of creation. These words don’t try to prove the existence of God;…

2 Chronicles 36 by Pastor Mark Hudson In 2 Chronicles 36, we arrive at the last chapter of the Hebrew Bible that our Lord read – probably.  We don’t know for sure, but this ends the Bible since the order of the Old Testament was different.  For us it is Malachi.  This provides an interesting perspective if we keep this in mind. Josiah dies in chapter 35, so the people make Jehoahaz king.  He didn’t…

2 Chronicles 35 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Like Hezekiah prior to him, King Josiah once again removed all the abominations from the land and “made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God.” After finding the Word of God in the temple that had been closed down by his father, Josiah desired to renew God’s covenant with the people of Israel by celebrating the Passover meal. He didn’t just encourage his people…

2 Chronicles 34 by Pastor Mark Hudson When we see ‘kings’ who are 8 years old begin their reign as king, this is not a good thing.  Clearly, a pre-teen or teenager is not equipped to be a king.  But the person is not chosen because they are the best candidate but because they are the son of a king.  If a child is the king, some adult or adults are behind the scenes.  II…

2 Chronicles 33 by Pastor David Groendyk The cracks we started to see in Judah at the end of Hezekiah’s life deepen when his son Manasseh takes the throne. It’s interesting to see how Hezekiah’s reign began as one of the greatest in Judah’s history but ended in disappointing fashion with great pride, whereas Manasseh’s reign began as one of the most putrid and wicked in Judah’s history but ended with radical repentance and humility.…

2 Chronicles 32 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence This chapter serves as a study in contrasts between the strength of a man when he is walking with God and the weakness of that same man when he is not. Thus far in the Chronicler’s description of the reign of Hezekiah, it seems as if the king could do no wrong. Clearly, he is like his father David in seeking the Lord with all of his heart…

2 Chronicles 31 By Pastor Mark Hudson As you read chapter 31, remember that II Chronicles is written for the post-exilic community.  As they return to a rundown Jerusalem, face opposition, and begin to organize their lives after the exile, the author of II Chronicles is teaching them by carefully choosing his material from Judah and her Kings.  In this chapter, the author underscores a number of themes that are needed for the returning exiles.…

2 Chronicles 29 by Pastor Mark Hudson The coverage of Hezekiah’s reign begins in 2 Chronicles 29 and goes through chapter 32.  Hezekiah is given a large portion of this book.  One observation we will make is that Hezekiah’s father was Ahaz, who was not a godly king, rather Ahaz provoked “to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers” (28:25).  Yet, Hezekiah was a godly king, for the most part.  In fact Hezekiah reversed…

2 Chronicles 27 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Just like the corresponding account in 2 Kings, this is a very short passage concerning the reign of King Jotham. Of the sixteen years of his reign, a number of them likely occurred while his father was still living but cooped up in a house of isolation due to his leprosy. In summation of Jotham’s reign, we are told merely that he did what was right in the…

2 Chronicles 26 by Pastor Mark Hudson In our chapter we have another king who starts well but ends poorly.  These are sad stories to read but not new.  Uzziah was made a king and served as co-regent starting at age 16.  Uzziah accomplished some spectacular feats in the area of military, building projects, and agriculture. He was helped by Zechariah who tutored him “in the fear of God.”  A simple declaration reminds us that…

2 Chronicles 25 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Clearly there is something rotten in the state of Judah at this time. The previous king Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord but only during the days of Jehoida the priest; afterwards, he had a change of heart. Now his son Amaziah is said to have done what was right in the eyes of the Lord yet not with his whole heart. So,…