Genesis

Theology of Wine

Genesis 49:10-11 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples, he ties his foal to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine and his robes in [...]


Genesis 39, Psalm 51 – Sin, A Godward Thing

When we sin, there is a horizontal and vertical element. The horizontal aspect is the more obvious one, but to think only of the horizontal is to see only half of the picture. In other words, when we sin, we not only sin against people but also God. In Genesis 39, Joseph gains the favor [...]


Genesis 32 – Jacob Wrestles with God

Jacob is afraid and for good reason. His whole life he has swindled people and he has gotten away with it. For example, he stole his brother’s blessing in collaboration with his mother (Genesis 27), and he deceived his uncle, Laban, out of his flocks (Genesis 30:25-43). It is no wonder that his name means, [...]


Genesis 15 – Oath to one’s hurt

God knows the limitations of our faith. Even Abram, the man known for his faith (Romans 4) wavered at times. Genesis 15 is such an instance. God, instead of rebuking him by reminding him of his faithfulness thus far, shows great patience and offers another sign. God tells Abram to get a number of animals [...]


Genesis 8, Psalm 13-14, Isaiah 9, Matthew 8 – Wonder of grace

Five chapters for today at least according to the schedule. They may seem like random texts, but there is internal harmony, because in the end they are a part of one story, the story of redemption. Genesis 8 speaks of the outcome of human depravity (the flood), and God’s promise of faithfulness. God explicitly says [...]


Genesis 18

God and Abraham negotiate over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. Will God save Sodom and Gomorrah on account of 50 righteous people? The answer is yes. Abraham, a good negotiator, lowers the number to 45, 40, 30, 20 and then finally 10. God agrees to save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, if there [...]


Genesis 3:1-7

“Your eyes will be opened, you will know good and evil, and you will be like God,” are the promises of the serpent to Eve. There is something plausible about this train of thought, especially in our modern world. How will you know what is wrong or right, unless you experience it? Experience is the [...]


Genesis 15 – Sermon

8.19.2007 NYC  Introduction Tonight we will discuss the theme of promises. This theme is familiar to all of us. Our lives are filled with them from our childhood even to the present. Families promise, friends promise, corporations promise, politicians promise, society promises, and we too promise. In many ways, we live in a society filled [...]


Genesis 32:22-31

One of the more interesting stories of Genesis takes place in Genesis 32 where Jacob wrestles with God. This passage is filled with wonder. If the figure Jacob wrestled was God, then in some sense Jacob defeated God. Or to change the perspective just a little, we can say that God allowed himself to lose. [...]


Genesis 12:1-9

5/5/10 There are few passages in the Bible that are as sweeping as Genesis 12:1-9. In this text, we read not only of God’s intention to bless Abram, but also what he intends to do through him, namely, to bless the world. We can say that God promises to bless Abram and to make him [...]


Genesis 8:13-22; 9:1-17 – Sermon

8.2007 NB “A Genesis of Genesis” Introduction I am rather excited today to give this message. The reason for this is that the theme of this passage is something that I have been thinking about for a long time. More importantly, I have derived much comfort and encouragement over the years from this theme and [...]