Vanity Fair

Genesis 30

Like Vanity Fair, this novel has no hero. Or perhaps its like a Michner novel, where you have to read a long time to see heroism take shape.

Why should God bless Jacob? What's good about Leah and Rachael? Who would want to be part of this screwed up family anyway?

Good questions. I'm hoping God has a plan here. I guess I'll keep reading ...

Mama Mia!

Genesis 29

It's a little hard to comment on this chapter, being, as it is, the middle act of a long drama. One lesson? Live by the sword, die by the sword. Jacob the trickster may just have met his match in good old Uncle Laban. What a family!

Here's my question. Can we draw any general conclusions from the fact that God blessed Leah with children because she was unloved by her husband? Does God always give people what they deserve?

God Bless You

Genesis 28

Generation number three, right here. The blessing continues from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob, and from there to the world.

It's quite a thing to stand in this line of blessing. If we, as the church, are grafted into this family tree (as Paul says we are), then we have been blessed by God in order to bless the world.

Simle question: How do you do that? In what way does your life bless those around you?

It's Me, It's Me O Lord

Genesis 27

This may be the ultimate dysfunctional family. Well, penultimate counting Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. Well, propenultimate counting Adam and Eve.

Either way, they're a mess.

God doesn't merely work through ordinary people; he chooses absolute jerks. Or did God choose Jacob? Another reading of this story would be that Jacob chose God's blessing--or at least that of his father.

You have to wonder if Jacob really knew what he was asking for. Does anybody really know what they'll get when the beg God for some good thing?

Nature or Nurture?

Genesis 26

Well, the old apple doesn't fall very far from the tree, does it? Isaac is a chip off the ol' block in just about every way. He sins like Abraham, and he believes like him too.

It is fascinating to watch the transmission of faith through these three generations. Abraham received the blessing because he responded to God's call in faith. Isaac receives the blessing because he's Isaac.

What about you? Are you a believer in God because you chose him? Or because he chose you?

What's Your Beef?

Genesis 25

Conflict is woven into every strand of every story in the Bible, none more so than the story of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There is conflict between Abraham and God, Isaac and Ishmael, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau.

I'm never sure if that makes me identify more fully with these people--or less. They were "real" all right. Too real, in many ways.

Where is the conflict in your life? Between you and your spouse? You and a sibling? You and yourself? You and God?

Here's the thing: you work out what it means to be blessed by God in the midst of--not in the absence of--conflict.

The Next Gen

Genesis 24

Genesis is like a novel by James Michner. It goes on for generations and the old family feuds keep coming back. More on that later.

For now, marvel again at the faith of Abraham. The only place he owns in the whole land is his wife's cemetery. Still, he's optimistic about the future. He arranges a marriage for his son so the promise of God will continue into another generation.

Do you believe God will bless you? Your children? Their children? And their children? How are you passing that promise along to the next generation?

So This Is It?

Genesis 23

The first little patch of ground Abraham owned in the land of promise was a graveyard, and there he laid his wife to rest.

When you get what you want, it may not be what you want or as you would like it.

Patience is a great virtue. Without patience, it is impossible to have faith.

Faith above Reason

Genesis 22

Well, I'm not Abraham, that's for sure. This is a test I would certainly have failed. I love my son, but that's not why this would be so difficult. It is becuase I want him around for my sake. I suspect that many of the things we beleive we do for others are really done with our own good in mind.

Abraham trusted God more than anything--love, reason, justice, anything, even himself.

I don't know that anyone can promise that kind of trust in God or that kind of obedience. You only find out that you have it when, like Abraham, you're called upon to use it.

I pray that I may have that kind of faith--and never need it.

Count Me In

Genesis 21

There's a lot of covenantal theology in these early chapters of Genesis. Here's where we learn what it means to be one partner in a promise with God. For one thing, God keeps his word in an absolute sense. God promised a blessing on Abraham's offspring, and that means all of them, even Ishmael, whom nobody wanted.

God is faithful even when you're not.

Think about the whole story--Genesis to Revelation. What has God promised to people? Are you included in that promise?

Fool Me Once

Genesis 20

Some guys never learn. I could maybe understand Abraham pulling this stunt once. Twice? We're talking about a first class lamebrain here. Yet even from a lamebrain, we can learn something.

1. Don't marry your sister.
2. Don't lie to manipulate the actions of thers. Or for any reason, really.
3. Don't assume that other people are all bad.
4. Don't do all of that a second time.
5. Trust God to keep his promises to you.

Are we clear?

I Need a Hero

Genesis 19

It's really hard to find the good guy in this story. Who is it that acts heroically here? Lot? His wife? His daughters?

If you're looking for a hero in the Bible, you'll have a hard time finding one with no flaws. In fact, you'll have a hard time finding one whose strengths outnumber his weaknesses. People are rotten.

God isn't, however, and that's the point. It is God who acts with justice and mercy, God who is always faithful, God who never succumbs to his own temper or impatience or lust or even poor judgment.

Don't worry about Lot; think about God.

For That Price, I'll Give You Free Delivery

Genesis 18

It was pretty audacious of Abraham to bargain with God over the city of Sodom. Isn't that what we're always told not to do? You can't make God do what you want. You have to accept God's will. Etc., etc.

Mostly, we bargain with God over things that concern ourselves--or try to, anyway. We want more money, less pain, fewer hassles, just a couple more vacation days. "Would you let your servant suffer for want of a measly 3 percent raise? How about 5 percent?"

Abraham asks not for himself but for the unsuspecting righteous people who may be caught up in the holocost. He's motivated by justice and compassion for others. The very thing God has just said will be his passion (see verse 19).

What about you? What brings you to the barganing table with God?

I'll Do It My Way

Genesis 17

You can't make God's will what you want it to be. It is what it is. Abraham wanted Ishmael to be the child of promise. But he wasn't.

Asking God too bless our plans is always easier than waiting for God. Many people give up on God because he takes so long. Some even conclude that he doesn't exist.

If we never faced these times ,we would need no faith.

When was the last time you said, "Aw, c'mon God. Try it my way?"

I Can Do It Myself

Genesis 16

Nobody likes to sit still when there's good work to be done. We pride ourselves on being resourceful and productive. To do nothing but watch the sun set on their dreams must have been grueling for Abraham and Sarah.

Patience is a great virtue, or perhaps a great gift. Abraham and Sarah both lacked it, along with good judgment. Nothing good comes form trying to work around God.

When was the last time you did that? How did it turn out?

Where's My Rose Garden?

Genesis 15

I would like to think that the most basic meaning of blessing is an absence of pain. Certainly, if God intends to bless us, he will do so by making our lives better, not worse.

That is not the case, as Abraham demonstrates.

Being blessed by God did not preclude, but in fact guaranteed, suffering on a grand scale. So whatever it means to be blessed, it does not mean, necessarily, to be healthy, wealthy, and free from pain.

Abraham could see that. Can you?

Money Talks

Genesis 14

I think of God's people as being poor and humble. Aren't those synonyms? If you follow Jesus, you have no extra tunic and no place to lay your head, right?

Abram was rich. I'm talking about super-rich, Bill-Gates rich. And powerful, like an oil company exucutive or Columbian drug lord, but not so nasty. How many people do you know who have the personal wealth and power to mount a military operation against a coalition of five governments?

What was Abram's attitude about money? What is God's attitude? What's yours?

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Pick Your Spot

Genesis 13

If you own the entire world, it doesn't matter where you choose to be. This was the confidence that Abram had. He looked out on the earth the way I survey my backyard. There is great freedom in that sense of ownership. As a result, he quarrelled less with Lot about rights, not more.

I wonder if the reason we so often get chapped about ridiculous things like parking spaces, office sizes, and neighborhood covenants is that we already feel small and any restriction makes us feel smaller still.

When you believe that your old man owns the cattle on a thousand hills, you don't get put out about having to share your lunch.

Do you feel large, or small?

It Ain't Me

Genesis 12

God never blesses us except to bless others. In our childish, lottery-ticket view of God, we imagine that he hands out things like money or influence or power so that we can live like trailer trash--never working, wasting what we have, existing by the sweat of others.

That is never the case. Never.

God gives to us only so that we may give to others. If we are enlarged, it is so that we may enlarge others. And the converse is ture. If we are blessed and fail to bless others, we do them active harm. You notice that Abram's deception harmed others long before he was able to enrich them.

In what ways has God blessed you? Money? Charisma? Influence? Talent? Power? And what person or persons do you suppose God intends to enrich by so doing?

Here's a hint: It' isn't you.

Que?

Genesis 11

Babel was a fascinating movie starring Brad Pitt and that woman who always stars in movies with Brad Pitt. It depicts a bizzarre chain of international events, mostly miscommunications or misunderstandings, that culminate in the senseless accidental shooting of an American tourist on vacation in Africa.

The point: We really don't understand each other very well after all these years.

In what way have the differences between people--geography, language, culture, customs--affected your life? According to the Bible, who is responsible for those seemingly intractable differences?

Think twice before you answer that one.

And Lawrence Begat Uriah

Genesis 10

Everybody I know finds it hard to stay awake while reading Genesis 10. And remember that some of the people I know are Hebrew scholars.

Yet there must be a value in recording these names. To show where we came from. To remember the world as it was so that we may understand the world as it is. To locate ourselves within the great river of time. To know who we are.

I am the son of Norman, the son of Lawrence, the son of William, the son of I know not whom. But I, too, have a place within this river of time. And so do you.

Whose child are you?

The Rat on the Ark

Genesis 9

So it didn't exaclty work. This little experiment to rid the world of evil, that is. For all they went through to make it through on the ark, Noah and his family seem just as dysfunctional after the flood as the world was before.

They brought it with them.

I'm reminded of the many utopian experiments that have been made over the years. They seem to have been particularly popular in the 19th century here in America. Shakertown. New Harmony. Amana. Oneida. There were dozens more.

These little dry-land arks fared no better than the original. They all brought sin with them.

How will we ever be rid of that pest?

Rainy Today, And Tomorrow

Genesis 8

The flood was only half the ordeal. The other half was waiting. Waiting for the rain to stop. Waiting for the water to recede. Waiting for the dove to come back, or not.

Noah & Co. spent 150 days enduring the rain, but 204 days waiting to get off the stinkin' ark.

I don't know anybody who likes to wait or does so patiently.

What about you? How long has it been since God "remembered" you? How long have you been waiting?

The Mother of All Typhoons

Genesis 7

Many people have a hangup about whether this flood literally covered the whole earth or was a regionalized flood or is even a metaphor.

I've never once been curious about that. I take this one literally.

If you believe dinosaurs existed, why would this seem odd?
If you've ever seen a hurricane or tornado, you know the incredible power of weather.

Plus, if you believe in God, isn't that the same as believing that "anything's possible"?

What about you, do you think this really happened?

Ship Ahoy

Genesis 6

Now you see what I mean about the world having been a very different place? Everybody's got a take on Genesis 6:1-6, and yours is as good as anyone else's. The bottom line from a spiritual perspective? Things were rotten.

God destorys. God saves.
God hates sin. God loves sinners.
God is patient. God finally acts.

Speaking as an experienced sinner, I take a lesson from this: Get on God's boat ... while you still can.

A Long Time Ago

Genesis 5

People lived a long time back in the old days. Lots of people think these are just made-up stories and that this proves it. It would be impossible for a human being to live for nearly 1,000 years, as the Bible says Methuselah did.

And they told me in science class that there was a time when ice covered nearly all of the earth.

Ridiculous!

Or. Maybe there was a time when life on this planet was very different than it is today. When dinosaurs and wooly mammoths roamed the earth. And when people lived for 600 or more years.

Why not?

No More Loser Talk

Genesis 4

The whole thing falls apart pretty fast, really. Adam and Eve sinned. One of their sons murdered another. And after that, it was kind of a free-for-all.

Temptation seems to work in Cain's life about the way it did in his mother's, with this addition. While Eve was driven by desire for pleasure and power, Cain was driven by jealousy and a sense of inferiority.

He was consumed by the idea that life would be great if somebody else wasn't keeping him down--the ultimate loser mind-set.

From where you are standing, trace the progress of sin in your life from both directions.

Look back to see where it came from. What are the root ideas that have driven you to do wrong. How did you get where you are (or have been)?

Now look ahead. What will the course of your life be if you do not correct that stinkin' thinkin'?

Remember, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.

Where Does Temptation Come From?

Genesis 3

Where does temptation come from?

For Eve, it began with a question. "What did God actually say to you?"

I was fueled by her own desire--for pleasure and personal gain.

It was justified by her rationalization--Heck, you gotta eat anyway.

Blame Satan if you want to, but he's nowhere mentioned in this scene.

That's how it worked for Eve? How does it work for you?

I and Thou

Genesis 2

Relationships between men and women are a constant source of tension in families, in our culture, and in the world. Oddly, mysogynists often hark back to this chapter (and the one that follows) as evidence that women should have some second-class status.

Yet I cannot think of a more compelling picture of completeness, harmony, and equality than what existed here in the garden.

What about you? Do you think this scripture puts men and women on an equal footing? Or do you see here the seeds of inferiority?

That's What I Call God

Genesis 1

Did you know that the name Genesis, meaning "beginning," is derrived from a Greek word? Genesis is written in Hebrew, and in that language books of the Bible are titled by their first words. In the Hebrew Bible, this book is called B'reshit, which means "In the Beginning."

Genesis has three major divisions (Early History, 1-11; Patriarchs, 12-36; Joseph, 37-50). One of the primary characteristics of Hebrew writing is repetition, so you'll see statements appearing several times in a single passage. And it will be good ;-)

Nearly everything we beleive about God, the world, and human life has its origin in this book, and especially in the first three chapters. Fundamentalists look for literal, scientific meaning behind the account of creation, but I see here an emphasis on completeness rather than technique.

God made everything. Period.

And here's my favorite verse: "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light."

I say, "Get your chores done," and the garbage sits.
I say, "Let's leave on time," and we are late.
I say, "We need a first down," and Peyton is sacked.

When I speak, nothing happens. When God speaks, the world is reshaped according to his will.

Lest you think that you are God, consider these words.