Tag: Abram

Posted in Advent devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

We’re going to need more chairs

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Juliette F on Unsplash

Pretty soon you don’t enough space for everyone at the table. You don’t have enough chairs. You blinked, and the family got a lot bigger. It began with the two of us. We had three children. Now we have ten grandchildren. We don’t have everyone together very often, but when we do, it’s a houseful. That huge dining room table must have shrunk. There’s always more than one conversation going on at a time, filling the room with voices.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “I will make of you a great nation…and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3).

It’s a powerful promise for a childless couple who have just moved into a new home. But you have to start somewhere, right? Plus, nothing is too hard for the Lord.

A little later, when Abram is wondering how God is going to do this, “[The Lord] brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5).

Not only would Abram father a son named Isaac, but one of his descendants would be Jesus, who came to save his people from their sins. Jesus would be a blessing to all, for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

More importantly, Jesus is a blessing to me. I am one of those innumerable stars Abram saw in the sky. So are you.

So we hang a tent on the Jesse Tree to remind us of Abram (aka Abraham), to whom God made a wonderful Advent promise.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

It’s getting crowded in here

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 4.

You begin as two. You have a few kids. Before you know it, they’ve grown up. They get married. They begin to have children.

Suddenly, you hardly have room for everyone for a birthday or holiday get together. You don’t have enough chairs for everyone to sit at the dinner table. There isn’t enough room in the driveway for everyone’s cars.

What a wonderful problem to have!

As the writer of 1 Kings describes Solomon’s staff and wealth, he adds this amazing update:

“Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance” (1 Kings 4:20).

This is exactly God promised Abram in Genesis 13:16. It takes a while (about 800 years) but God did it.

I guess that’s a good reminder that many good things don’t happen overnight. Or in the course of a year. Or maybe in a lifetime.

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

It’s different when you’ve got some skin in the game

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 17.

Corporate offices often announce changes throughout the company that affect everyone from managers to minimum wage employees. A rebrand means new polo shirts for everyone. Changes in medical insurance mean a larger paycheck deduction. It’s one thing when new products fill the shelves. It’s another when staff reduction means you’re looking for a new job.

God announces some big changes in Genesis 17. He changes Abram’s name to Abraham, to remind him of the promise that he will father a great nation. Plus, the covenant will now require something of Abraham. You could say he now has some skin in the game. Go read Genesis 17 if you need more information.

It’s one thing to trust God when you’re on the receiving end of things. Trust him to provide food and clothing. Trust him to lead you to green pastures and still waters. Trust him when he says he’ll protect you.

It’s another thing when God puts a price tag on your trust. What are you going to do when it’s going to cost you something? Jesus said, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). There are some things you have to let go of if you’re going to hold onto him. It could be pride. Self-sufficiency. Possessions. Bad habits. Bad attitudes.

I wonder how Abraham’s household reacted when he announced the provisions of the covenant. In the moment, I’ll bet they were unhappy. But you know what? They got over it. They healed. And they were thankful to be a part of the plans God had for Abraham and his family.

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

He sees you

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Rainier Ridao on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 16.

Then [Hagar] called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13)

I love how characters in the Old Testament narrative come up with names for God that reflect their experience with him. Hagar, Sarai’s servant, comes up with a great one: El-roi. “The God who sees me.”

No one knows Hagar. She is Sarai’s Egyptian slave woman, commanded to be the surrogate mother of Abram’s child. Sarai’s not having any children. How else will Abram become the father of a great nation?

Once Hagar conceives, Sarai becomes jealous and abusive. Hagar has to run for her life. God meets her in the desert and sends her back home. She matters. She is not simply an asterisk in the history books. Her descendants will be a great nation too.

No one remembers the person who finished second. Few remember Super Bowl or World Series losers. Winners get their name on the Stanley Cup. Losers are forgotten.

Except when it comes to God, who sees you and I and Hagar. And Jacob, the younger twin. And Gideon, the youngest member of the least important family of his tribe. And David, the youngest of eight brothers. Or Paul, the foremost of sinners.

Whether you like it or not, God notices you. For better or worse, you’re on his radar. He’s in the stands, cheering on your team, even if you’re on the bench. He’s your biggest fan.

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

A sure thing

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Abhishek Singh on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 15.

When I bought a house, I signed a mountain of documents assuring the mortgage lender that I was who I said I was, knew what I was buying, and understood how much I would be paying each month for the next thirty years. It was intimidating to say the least.

But that’s nothing compared to what Abram has to endure as God confirms the covenant.

So God says to Abram, “You will have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky” Abram believes. So far so good.

The God says, “I brought you here so you can possess this land, too.”

But this time Abram asks, “Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?” (Genesis 15:5-8)

If you only knew what you were asking, Abram! God instructs him to round up a cow, a goat, a ram, a dove, and a pigeon. Abram has to slice the big animals in two, and then he has to chase away circling vultures from the carcasses. When Abram falls asleep, he has a nightmare about God himself, appearing in the darkness as a smoking oven and a flaming torch, moves between the butchered animals to say in ancient covenant language, “I guarantee it.” Anyone else might have added, “I swear to God.” But I guess that doesn’t work when God is the one who is speaking.

Everything comes with a guarantee, right? At least for the first thirty days after a purchase. When I bought a cheap toaster, the Walmart cashier asked if I wanted the extended warrantee. It cost nearly as much as the toaster. No thanks.

So it’s only natural to ask God for some kind of assurance. That is, until you get to know him. When you look back in scripture and in your own life and see what God has done, you learn that faithfulness is one of his character traits. You can trust him. Plus, it’s not as messy.

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

Be blessed!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 14.

I met George and Marie when they brought their son Isaac to vacation bible school every summer. I would run into them every once in a while, and after a quick conversation, George would always say, “Be blessed!”

After Abram makes quick work of the kings who had attacked his nephew Lot, Melchizedek shows up with a blessing,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Possessor of heaven and earth;
blessed be God Most High,
    who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” (Genesis 14:19,20 NASB)

We don’t know much about Melchizedek, other than that he was a king and a priest. He shows up out of nowhere, and then he disappears. His name will come up again to help us understand Jesus (Hebrews chapters 5 and 7).

It’s great to have people show up in our lives to remind us that we have been blessed and to credit God for those blessings. It’s easy to forget. It’s easy to allow what someone else has or does obscure the view of the good things in our own lives. What a gift when someone lends us their eyes to see what God has done and is doing in our lives!

Maybe I can bring that gift, too. When I celebrate the good things going on in the lives of others, it’s a great day for God, too. After all, every good and perfect gift comes from him.

Be blessed!

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

Faith is hard

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Klemen Vrankar on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 15.

“Proof is easy. Faith is hard damn work.” – Johnny Prentiss

You’ve probably never heard of Johnny Prentiss. He was a character played by Penn Teller in the TV series “Code Black.” Johnny was a magician in the emergency room with a mass in his chest. As he waited for test results, he amazed doctors, nurses, and other patients with a deck of cards.

Over and over again, someone would ask him, “How did you do that?” Johnny answered, “I can’t imagine a world without magic.” For him, magic inspired hope and faith, things that he desperately needed to live.

God told Abram that a son from his own body would be his heir, the first of descendants as numerous as stars in the night sky. Amazingly, Abram believed God (Genesis 15:6).

If Abram had been standing there with his infant son in his arms, it would have been a lot easier to believe that he would be the father of a great nation. But on that night, all he had was God’s word. All he had was a promise.

Aren’t you pleasantly surprised when someone keeps a promise? I think we want to believe, but we’ve been let down too many times. But someone didn’t show up. Or they outright lied. A product didn’t work as advertised. The check wasn’t in the mail.

If someone says, “All you have to do is believe,” they know nothing of faith. Faith is indeed hard work. It means setting aside what you know to be true to embrace what God says is true. Faith is humbling. Faith rarely make sense. Faith is often terrifying. Faith is tough.

But faith is where a relationship with God begins. “God counted it to [Abram] as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

You can watch Season 2 Episode 9 of Code Black on Amazon Prime Video. Thanks for reading this “through the bible” devotion.

Posted in church, Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

Think twice before you mess with Abram or his family

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Joel Moysuh on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 14.

A number of years ago, two men from my church took me out to their gun club to do some shooting. They gave me lots of instruction since I had never shot before. Each had several guns with them they let me try, including some 9mm, a .22 target pistol, and a .357 revolver. I did well, hitting targets and a few bull’s eyes at 15 yards.

As they described the guns and how to use them, I asked, “How many guns do you own?”

“Right now, I have eleven.”

Eleven? Why does someone living in a relatively safe suburban neighborhood need nearly a dozen guns at home? In addition to handguns, their collection included a shotgun and several rifles. Apparently they are like potato chips. You can’t have just one. You need one to carry. You need one in the bedside table. You have a favorite for target practice. You have one you used to use for hunting. And so on.

“When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, numbering 318, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.” (Genesis 14:14)

I never would have guessed Abram had an army. Servants? Yes. Workers who watched the flocks? Of course. But trained men, men ready to fight, men able to rough up four formidable kings that had captured Lot, his food, and his family? Think twice before you mess with Abram or his family!

It’s good to remember that we don’t do this alone. Training ourselves for godliness, we fight the good fight of faith together as a church. And God still gives us the victory.

Posted in Devotions, Through the Bible Devotions

This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Chris Hardy on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Genesis 13.

The cookie was huge, six inches across. Mom told her son, “Break it in half and share it with your brother.” He very carefully bent the cookie in two, to share exactly 50%. Then he held out the two pieces to let his brother choose one, but he held the slightly larger half closer to himself, in hopes that one would be his.

When there’s conflict between their herdsmen, Abram tells his nephew Lot, “This town ain’t big enough for the two of us!”

In an unexpected act of generosity, Abram lets Lot choose which part of the land he wants. Lot chooses the well-watered area of the Jordan which looks like “the garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10). Sounds like paradise. Abram gets the plain vanilla-sounding “land of Canaan.”

But appearance isn’t everything. Lot gets to live in the lovely city of Sodom, where the residents are exceedingly wicked. It’s kind of like having a beautiful home in a wonderful community where you hate all your neighbors. Abram on the other hand gets an expanse of land that will be his and his innumerable descendants forever.

Who do you think got the better deal?

It takes some maturity to realize there’s not just one pie. We’re not relegated to a smaller piece of life just because someone else got more. The “pie” or God’s blessing is much bigger than anything we can ask or imagine. Our slice may not look like someone else’s, but it’s custom made for us by the one who truly knows the desires of our hearts.

Thank you for reading this “through the bible” devotion.