Commuter Bible

Jacob and his father-in-law Laban simply don’t get along, and let’s be honest, it’s not because they are morally upstanding people with a difference of opinions, it’s because they both practice deception to their own advantage. The daughters of Laban aren’t too dissimilar, and their pettiness is made apparent in today’s text. As a means of trying to gain flocks for himself, Jacob practices strange husbandry, proving not only that he has no idea how breeding works, but that it is by the grace of God, not by Jacob’s skills, that his flocks increase. He and his father-in-law get into an argument and go their separate ways. Later, Jacob wrestles with a man who is also somehow a representative God, and the Lord renames him “Israel” b/c he has wrestled with both man and God and won.

Today, Jacob the deceiver lives up to his name. With the help of his mother Rebekah, he goes to great lengths to disguise himself from his blind and aging father, tricking him into thinking that he is older brother Esau so that he might receive his father’s blessing. Jacob and Rebekah come up with a way to trick Isaac yet again, and Isaac sends Jacob to another country to get a wife for himself, thereby escaping the wrath of Esau. Later, Jacob gets a taste of his own medicine when Laban tricks him into marrying his oldest daughter Leah when he had intended to marry Rachel.

Today, God calls Abraham to do something that most of us would consider unthinkable, especially because we have the privilege of knowing God’s character through the whole counsel of Scripture: He asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as an offering to the Lord. Abraham trusts the Lord, and as the author of Hebrews later notes, “He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.” As you listen, consider the parallels between this sacrifice and the sacrifice of Christ, who did not have a ram to be His substitute, but who, instead, was the sacrifice Lamb who became our substitute.

In today’s episode, the Lord visits Abraham by sending three messengers to his home. He reveals that in a year’s time he will give Abraham a son through his wife, Sarah. He also reveals that he is sending his messengers to Sodom and Gomorrah, because the wickedness of the people has grown so severe that it calls for complete annihilation. Before they are sent out, Abraham pleads with the Lord to spare the righteous and the Lord finally agrees that if even ten righteous people are found there, he will not destroy it. The angels rescue Lot, but as we will soon see, sin continues to flourish. Later, a son is born to Abraham and is named, “Isaac,” which means, “He laughs.”

Today we get to see the Lord’s faithfulness to a sinful man who doubts, who wavers, who makes poor decisions, but who ultimately responds to the Lord’s instruction. It would be hard to argue that the Lord chose Abram because of his upstanding moral qualities, however, as his flaws aren’t covered up or diminished. Instead, in God’s own kindness, He makes promises to Abram, promises that will last from one generation to the next, on and on through the ages. The Lord makes these promises, not because Abram deserves it or because His holy hands would be tied without Abram’s cooperate; instead, through his work in Abram’s life God will show the world his steadfast love and sovereign provision.

After we wade through genealogies of Noah’s sons, we encounter the tower of Babel, a monument to man’s rebellion against God. Being made in the image of God, these men imitate their creator by creating, which is all well and good, except that they defy God’s command to fill the earth and attempt to rob God of glory by making a name for themselves. God graciously uses language to scatter them so they can see the expansive majesty of His Creation rather than stare at the cute little tower they’ve made. In time, Abram is born, and God makes great promises as He calls Abram to follow His commands.

Noah is often portrayed as a cartoonish old man surrounded by cute animals all smiling happily from their little boat; but the reality of the flood was far more grueling than the nursery murals suggest. Imagine what it would be like to survive an apocalyptic flood where almost everyone you know is destroyed and you’re stuck in a crowded, floating menagerie. Noah is rightly credited as brave and faithful to the Lord, but the Bible doesn’t allow us to think that the flood has solved the problem of sin. Even faithful Noah, who diligently constructed a massive vessel and survived destruction, was imperfect and flawed.

So much could be said about these first four chapters as Genesis 1-4 lays a foundation for the rest of Scripture. We learn about a God who creates all things out of His own volition in a way that is well-ordered and executed simply by proclamation. Special attention is given to the creation of mankind in God’s own image and God’s generous provision for man both before and after sin. Here, too, we see man’s relationship with God fall from one of peace, unity, and harmony into one of disorder and division as man rejects God’s good design and sins against His Maker.

Advent is at an end and Christmas is upon us. We have anticipated the birth of the long-awaited Christ, and now we celebration his incarnation. For centuries, Israel anticipated the coming of the Messiah, the one who would establish an eternal kingdom where men would be reconciled to God. While many passages in Scripture point forward to His coming, these passages give us details about his incarnation and birth. In an effort to make this reading seamless and meditative in nature, I won’t be announcing Scripture references as we go along. May the Lord bless you through the reading of his Word.

JOHN 1:1-18

LUKE 1:5-56

MATTHEW 1:18-25

LUKE 2:1-33

MATTHEW 2:1-23

COLOSSIANS 1:11-20

JUDE 24-25

On today’s episode, there is celebration in heaven over the just destruction of Babylon, the great prostitute. By contrast, the marriage supper of the Lamb is announced, and His bride is dressed in fine linen, representing the righteous acts of the saints. The beast, the kings of the earth and their armies, and the false prophet are all thrown into the lake that burns with sulfur. Satan is bound in the abyss for a thousand years, then released in order to deceive the nations and gather them for battle against the saints, but they, too, are handily defeated. After the great white throne judgment, John sees the New Jerusalem, a city of glorious prosperity and security, illumined by the glory of God.