"Murder comes from the sin-filled heart of man–––deep-seated pride, anger, and jealousy. In Genesis 4 we read that Cain first became jealous of his brother Abel, so he murdered him. The story of Cain and Abel is a remarkable anecdote of how disobeying God can lead to abandoning God by becoming ou...

"The Bible records that early in world history, a great disaster wiped out everything. This event was not an asteroid nor a mere volcanic eruption but a worldwide, catastrophic flood. The Bible says the ground broke open, the sky was darkened, and waters began to flood the earth. All flesh and pl...

"Language is fascinating. Some may pursue an education in linguistics to better understand
how language works, but the question remains: Why are there so many languages in the
world? The Bible says that there was a time on the earth when men and women spoke the same
language. With great pride and...

"Four against five! This was the fight of nations in which Abram had to go in and resolve. He
was not looking for a fight but when he learned how the kings had come to the city of Sodom,
looted it and took his nephew Lot captive, Abram assembled an army of 318 men and traveled
as far as Dan in pu...

"Laughter is a wonderful expression of delight and, in some cases, surprise or disbelief. This is exactly the reaction that Sarah had as she listened in on a conversation her husband Abraham was having with his three visitors. The LORD told Abraham that when He returned in about a year’s time she...

"Fear is one of humanity’s great motivators. When we respond out of fear, it is very easy
to make wrong decisions. Ever since Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and humanity
has lost its place of protection and provision, a main driving force within us is fear. So,
just like his father Abraham did...

"When I was a young teenager, a wise youth pastor suggested that I should begin to pray for my future wife. So I did — even though I did not know her yet, I prayed that God would give her patience, to know grace, and to be able to put up with me. What I did not know during those next few years of...

"When we hear ""have faith,"" many think that means we must become a super-apostle of some kind. Yet God tells us that faith is not something we may have very much of; in fact, we really don’t need to have much to accomplish much. When the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith, He told the...

"The Bible is very clear about dreams. Many times we think of a dream as fictional or make-believe because they are so abstract and unique. But the Bible gives many situations where God has spoken through dreams to believers and unbelievers alike. It seems as though our human thinking is interrup...

"Captured by his brothers, Joseph was mistreated and sold to the Ishmaelites who brought slaves to re-sell to people in Egypt, a rich and well-established nation. Sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, Joseph nevertheless did well because the LORD
was with him. Joseph r...

"Joseph brought his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, before his dying father, Jacob. Joseph was not sure what would happen, but here in Genesis 48 we witness a beautiful scene as Jacob strengthens himself to bless and adopt Joseph’s sons from Egypt to become his heirs and receive the blessings of ...

"God created both male and female in his own image (GENESIS 1:27). But there is no question about it: women are uniquely gifted by God to care for children and keep them safe. That is precisely what happens 400 years after Joseph. A special baby boy was born to Jochebed during a terrible time in ...

"When we believe that the odds of accomplishing a task are insurmountable, God often takes us down a path of impossibility. God moves our lives and actions to do His will. There are many ways we can describe miracles that surround us when we submit to His call. The best way I can describe how I f...

"Many people who argue against God tend to choose not to believe in the Bible. They will live with their choices. We are how we think. When we think, we let everyone know who we are. Faith is a part of thinking. It is what we believe and how we believe, which is partially driven by thought. When ...

"Pharaoh had at least ten chances to avoid the plagues of Egypt, but he refused to bow to the One True God. Pharaoh’s hardness of heart brings us to the final plague of Egypt, the death of the firstborns. God made a promise to the people of Israel that He would free them from the land of Egypt. G...

"The law of God is fascinating. It can be categorized in three ways: (1) Cultural – that would be the case of dietary restrictions and ways of conduct; (2) Ceremonial – involving the laws of the priesthood, offerings, and sacrifices; (3) Moral – the Ten Commandments given in Exodus 20 and the She...

"The ancient priests of Israel represented the people to God, as well as God to the people. This is something that we should learn to understand while reading the Old Testament because Jesus Christ is the High Priest of the New Covenant (HEBREWS 8 ). The priesthood could never truly fulfill the l...

"One day in seven is to be a day of rest for us. That is what God said and demonstrated for us in His Word: ""Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work wh...

"The Hebrew word for holiness is qôdesh, which means “separateness or set apart” (STRONG’ S HEBREW LEXICON H6944). It is also the root word for sanctify and saint. This meaning seems simple enough, yet it is complex in describing a Holy God. Set apart in what way? God’s holiness is defined by His...

"The English word ‘anoint’ is translated from the Hebrew māšaḥ, meaning ""to smear, paint, spread a liquid"" (STRONG’S HEBREW LEXICON H4886). This action of anointing is meant to set apart the common from the divine. When the priest anointed something or someone it was set apart or consecrated fr...

"We often blame God when our hasty choices go bad. But are we willing to live with the consequences of our decisions? How we answer that question depends on what we understand about the character of God. In Leviticus 10, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu made careless decisions in their role as priest...

"In Luke 2:22-24, Mary and Joseph arrive in Jerusalem to bring a purification offering after the birth of their Son Jesus. The offering was made in obedience to the laws given to a woman after childbirth in Leviticus 12. The newborn baby was not born impure, but the mother was
to be purified from...

Corey and Matlock discuss the January 16-22 readings from
Genesis 48 to Exodus 21