Episode 272 - "Nothing is impossible for the LORD" - Genesis 18:1-15

Gen. 18:1 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

Gen. 18:9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 10 The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13 The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

In my opinion, this is a fascinating story in this section of Scripture. Notice that verse 18 begins with “the LORD appeared to him.” The “him” is Abraham, as is evident from the context of chapter 17. Our English translations spell “LORD” with all capital letters it represents the divine name God gave to Moses later in Exodus. In verse 1, Moses tells the Israelites whom God has led out of Egypt that the God who delivered them had appeared to their ancestor Abraham. We do not have evidence that Abraham knew that name. So, when we read “Lord” with lower-case letters, as in Abraham addressing the three men as Lord in verse 3, the Hebrew word is different, and Abraham is simply addressing them with a term of respect. The text does not help us much concerning whom Abraham thinks he is addressing. Abraham simply did what was culturally normal and sought to offer hospitality to these “men.” In fact, he offered to give them a little bread, but actually gave them much more.

Before I move forward, I caution against reading too much into the identity of the three men. One of them could be a “Christophany” (a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus) and two angels or something else. I think the textual insinuation of these three men representing the LORD’s appearance to Abraham serves to inform the reader that these three figures have the authority from the LORD and this helps prepare us to listen to and accept the message and actions that come from them.

When they accept Abraham’s invitation, Abraham instructs Sarah, who is in the tent, to make the bread. The rest of the paragraph gives us details about the meal and how Abraham stands by while they eat. Perhaps he’s just being a good host. Maybe he suspects these three men have a divine purpose in his life.

In verse 9, they ask, “Where is Sarah your wife?” We could make a few observations about this question. First of all, how did these three unidentified men know the name of Abraham’s wife? Second, if one of them is the pre-incarnate Jesus or even if all three of them were angels, don’t they know where Sarah is? I believe these men not only know the name of Abraham’s wife, but also know where she is. They are not asking this question in order to gain information. They are asking this question to indirectly let Abraham know that they have knowledge any average traveler stopping by would not. This question gets Abraham’s attention that these men are not normal men. Furthermore, asking this question draws the reader's and perhaps even Sarah’s attention, as their visit directly involves her, and it’s not just about Abraham.

When Abraham tells them that she is in the tent, the text reads, “The LORD said” (v.10). Notice the all-capitalized “LORD.” It’s God’s message that he would return in a year, and Sarah would have a son. Moses tells us that Sarah was at the tent door listening to this conversation. This supports the idea that their question of where she was got her attention, and she wanted to know why they were asking.

It was now Sarah’s turn to laugh. We can certainly empathize with such a response from a 90-year-old lady who has never been able to have children and has reached menopause.

Verses 13-14 reveal the key theological point of this text. The LORD questioned Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh?” Then, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (v. 14) There it is. I must confess that there have been some occasions where my limited faith revealed that I thought some things might be too hard for the LORD. Then, the LORD chose to demonstrate that it wasn’t too hard for the LORD, and he exposed my weak faith and impatience.

This message needed to be heard by these Israelites who had witnessed the LORD do amazing things that would normally seem impossible, yet struggled to trust him in all things. They would need to trust the LORD’s promises to give them the land he’d promised in the Abrahamic covenant. For the sake of Abraham and Sarah, he repeated the promise that she would have a son within a year.

Our lesson is that there is nothing too hard for the LORD. The LORD may choose to say “no” to our requests. But we should never avoid making a request believing the LORD can’t accomplish some great miracle that seems otherwise impossible. The LORD has made promises to us that seem impossible, namely, resurrection from the dead and eternal life. But that is not impossible for the LORD because he has already proven he can do it. We can trust in the power of the LORD.

Episode 271 "Sarai get a new name and a crazy promise" - Genesis. 17:15-27

​​​​Gen. 17:15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

Gen. 17:22 When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

This part begins with God changing another name. He had just changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and now he has changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. The difference is that the author explains the meaning of Abram and Abraham but does not explain the difference between Sarai and Sarah. Sarai means “Princess.” It’s possible that there is no significant difference in the meaning of the name change. Rather, the LORD changes it to signify her part in the covenant as the one who would bear the promised seed. It would be Sarah’s son who would inherit the covenant given to Abraham and not the son Ishmael born to Hagar. The LORD’s message to Abraham regarding Sarah echoes the promise the LORD had made to Abraham. It emphasizes that Sarah is the one through whom kings and nations would come and, more importantly, the descendants who would inherit the Abrahamic Covenant.

Verse 17 gives us Abraham’s response. He fell on his face and laughed. What a natural and appropriate response to being told that you would be able to beget a child at 100 years old and your wife would bear that child at ninety years of age. His thoughts, best summarized as “Is this really possible?” might make us wonder if he’s doubting the LORD. The LORD does not challenge him. So, I believe this is just a reasonable pondering in his mind of “How could this be?” Then, Abraham responds to God, suggesting that Ishmael fits the bill just fine with him.

It’s at this point that the LORD corrects him and tells him that he will have a son by Sarah, and they will name him Isaac. The meaning of this name is not given directly in the text. However, a word study reveals that this name may be associated with laughter. Since Abraham laughs at the thought of this child in their old age, and Sarah later laughs when she hears that she will have a son in her old age, the name may serve as a reminder of their response to the LORD’s providence in bringing about this miracle in their old age.

In verse 20, the LORD reveals that he will also bless Ishmael and bring nations through him. But Isaac is the son of the promise and will inherit the covenant God made with Abraham. We must see God’s mercy toward Hagar and Ishmael in these Scriptures.

Verses 22-27 can be summarized in one word, “Obedience.” Despite the illogical possibility of Abraham and Sarah having children at such an old age, Abraham responds to the LORD’s revelation by obeying the LORD and having every male in his household circumcised according to the LORD’s requirement for their participation in the covenant.

It seems to me the most evident lesson we can learn is to obey the LORD even when what we are doing may seem contrary to what we want to do or think. Maybe that is giving something to a homeless person. We think, Oh . . .they’ll just sell it to buy drugs or alcohol.” The LORD may not speak audibly to us or communicate through a dream. Yet, there may be a sense that we need to do something good, yet one part of us resists. If we know it’s not in conflict with God’s word, we’re free to step out on faith and act. We may laugh and wonder to ourselves if it’s worth it. But we can trust the LORD can use it however he wants.

Episode 225 - "God said, 'Let there be light!' - Genesis 1:3-5

Gen. 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Before I begin engaging the text of this first day of Creation, I’d like to make a few things clear. First, the Bible is not a science book. Secondly, the scope of science is limited to the natural world. Science can neither prove nor disprove the existence of God because God is supernatural. My goal is not to attack or begin to address scientific arguments about the beginning of life. I believe there is a Creator God, and I believe the Creator God described within the Bible is God. What follows then is a somewhat limited interaction with the story of Creation and the beginning of the story of God, which, I hold, extends throughout the Scriptures within the Bible. Not only do secular scientists mostly disagree with Creationists and Intelligent Design advocates, but even Christian scholars have different views about how one interprets these early chapters of Genesis. My desire is simply to share with you observations about what is happening in this story and its significance.

We left off last week with the earth formless, void, and dark. Who would want to live on that earth? It’s the crisis in the story that we want and expect to be resolved. Furthermore, we read that the Spirit of God was “hovering over the face of the waters.” (Gen 1:2). That statement creates an excitement or expectation that something is about to happen.

In verse 3, something happens. What? God spoke. God said, “Let there be light.” What follows God’s command is what appears to be an immediate fulfillment of that command. Light came into existence. With nothing but expressed will, God created light. What’s the point? God is powerful. Furthermore, God has a mind and is not just a force in the universe. God can and does express His will and has the power to cause whatever He wills.

In verse 4, God does two more things. First, God “saw that the light was good” (v. 4a). We can draw a few things from this statement. One is that the light was complete- it was just the way God wanted it. God didn’t need to practice making light. This statement begs the question, “Good for what?” Did God need to create light? Was God incomplete before He created light? I don’t think so. I think this suggests that God saw or made sure that light was good for the earth and for the living things that He would put on the earth. In other words, this should give us a sense that God wants good things for His creatures and has the power to make it happen perfectly. I find that encouraging.

In verse 4, God also judges what is good and what isn’t good. God separated the light from the darkness. The author has told us that God saw that the light was good. Yet God separates the light from the darkness. Why? It’s God’s judgment that darkness is not good. We are not given any more details concerning that. But as we read through the Scriptures, we find that light and darkness are often used symbolically for good and evil or knowledge and ignorance. At the end of the Scriptures, the eternal scene of God’s realm is continuous light.

Finally, in verse 5, God names the light “day” and the darkness “night.” Thus, the first day of Creation is complete. The importance of this verse is God’s authority over light and darkness. At the end of God’s creative work, He will give humans the authority to name the animals.

So, what is the story revealing to us? God is powerful, thoughtful, and good and has the authority to determine what is good and what is not good. The story informs us about God’s character, doesn’t it? These truths about God’s character are essential for the people we will read about in the Bible and important in our walk of faith.

If an aspect of God in this text stands out to you, give God thanks for that, and pray that God impresses these truths upon your heart.

Episode 63 - "That the works of God might be displayed" - John 9:1-7

John 9:1   As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

The entire chapter nine of John’s gospel gives us a detailed story of Jesus healing a man who had been blind from birth and the events that unfold related to it. We are not told how Jesus’ disciples knew the man had been born blind. Perhaps one or more of them knew him. They’d heard about him whenever they would come to Jerusalem and perhaps see him in a familiar location. Regardless of how they knew this detail, they had a question for Jesus. They wanted to know who fault it was that he was born blind; a sin of the man’s parents or sin that somehow the man had committed prior to birth. Perhaps they are thinking that God gave the man blindness for a sin God knew he would commit later in his life. However, one takes their question, their assumption is that his condition is a judgment from God for sin. From our perspective, these disciples might seem to have a view of God that is very harsh. We would not like to think of God punishing an unborn child with blindness for something his parents did or something the child could not consciously do in the womb. 

Jesus tells them that neither of their assumptions is correct. But, our English translations of Jesus’ response may actually engender a similar theology of God if we’re not careful. Jesus’ response “may” be interpreted as though God caused the man to be born blind for the purpose of receiving glory. This is tough because I understand that God is good in everything He does and God is just in everything. Furthermore, God is in control. At the very least, if we affirm those things, we must believe that God could have prevented the man from being born blind, but didn’t. This age-old question of how could a loving God allow bad things to happen to “good people” faces us all at one time or another.

In this particular situation, the phrase translated to read “but that the works of God might be displayed in him” appears to be causal for his blindness. But, that phrase in the Greek can actually introduce what follows instead of serving as the cause for the man’s blindness. In other words, it could read, “But so that the works of God might be displayed in him, we must work the works of him who sent me while it is still day.” 

Do you see the difference here? Jesus is saying “It’s not what you think.” But, then instead of answering their question directly by still “blaming God,” his response is to communicate that God is more concerned with revealing His glory, His power, His goodness, and mercy than He is about revealing His wrath. I would suggest that when tempted to question or blame God’s goodness, that we remember the many times in Scripture that reveal God’s goodness and resolve to trust that He knows what He is doing and we cannot possibly understand why everything happens the way it does. 

Then, without even asking this man, he makes the mud, applies it to the man’s eyes, and instructs him to go wash in a specific pool named Siloam which means “sent.” In this gospel, the word “sent’ occurs numerous times, often speaking of Jesus being “sent” by the Father. Jesus obeys the Father by going and doing the works he was sent to do including to heal this man who had been born blind. This man obeys Jesus’ command and receives his sight when he obeys Jesus’ words. Do you see the connection? Jesus obeys the Father’s words. We must obey Jesus’ words. That is “abiding” in Jesus’ words, isn’t it? God is glorified when we obey Jesus’ words. 

When the man obeyed Jesus, he came back seeing. But, his healing was only beginning. We’ll read the rest of the story in the coming episodes.