The Curse of Being Certain

Lying. Murder. Sexual Immorality. Disobedience. These are but a few of the sins committed by the Bible's prominent pillars of faith. These were people who made epic failures in their moments of weakness, yet they are also people that God redeemed and used in powerful ways to build His Kingdom. 

Today, we are going to look at the life of the father of Israel, Abraham. A man credited with incredible faith and revered for his place in our heritage. Even so, he was still a man and like us, he made his share of mistakes.

What's interesting is that Abram (as he was originally named) didn’t grow up in a godly home or have a great spiritual influence. He didn’t start with the makings of being the great patriarch of Israel. In fact, Abram came from a godless home in a wicked nation. Not much to start with, which appears in the Bible to be the type of person that God loves to use in a mighty way! 

"Did the Israelites Really Live in Egypt?"

This blog is a reprint of an article written by: Samuel McKoy and Brad Macdonald (Link below to online article)

The Bible describes Israel’s time in Egypt in remarkable and vivid detail. It tells us roughly when the Semitic descendants of Abraham arrived in Egypt and where they settled. It tells us what the Israelites did while in Egypt and describes their interactions with the Egyptians. Finally, the Bible gives us a good indication of when Israel left Egypt and the dramatic events surrounding the Exodus.

Although the biblical text clearly and explicitly documents Israel’s sojourn in Egypt, some scholars reject the idea that the Hebrews ever dwelt in Egypt. One primary reason they reject this biblical account as fiction is because of a purported lack of archaeological evidence. “The Exodus is so fundamental to us and our Jewish sources that it is embarrassing that there is no evidence outside of the Bible to support it,” wrote archaeologist Stephen Rosenberg in the Jerusalem Post (April 14, 2014).

Is that true? Is there really no evidence outside of the Bible to support Israel’s sojourn in Egypt and the Exodus?

I Stand At The Door | by Sam Shoemaker

I Stand at the Door | by Sam Shoemaker 

I stand by the door.

I neither go to far in, nor stay to far out.

The door is the most important door in the world -

It is the door through which men walk when they find God.

There is no use my going way inside and staying there,

When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,

Crave to know where the door is.

And all that so many ever find

Is only the wall where the door ought to be.

Waiting

The Bible is filled with examples of waiting, but that theme is not reflected in the beginning of the first book of the Bible. God speaks and His will is accomplished. But after the introduction of sin and the fall of man, there is now the loss of the eternal to be replaced by the introduction of Time. Which is why I believe one of the few things that remains unchanged from God's original creation is His love. Everything else, from nature to mortality was radically and permanently transformed by that one act of disobedience. When God speaks about the ramifications and destructive power of sin, you don't have to imagine what the ripple effects of sin might look like, we are still living in the consequences of that one moment. In fact, the reality of time, this new dimension in God's creation, reminds us of this fact every second of every day.   

Which brings up an interesting question, since we are now slaves to time, why are there so many examples of waiting in scripture?