This episode is our first podcast exclusive holiday special.  This is a rerecording of a teaching that I gave at a local Shavu’ot / Pentecost gathering in Greenville, SC. What is this holiday all about and how can we practice the principles of Shavu’ot in our lives?

We usually think of prophecy as foretelling the future, but that is not completely accurate. Prophecy is so much more than telling what is going to happen. This chapter contains a sequence that reveals, not only the truth of what prophecy is, but what our response to prophecy should be as well.

Circumcision is one of those topics that everyone has an opinion on. Is it necessary? What are the implications? The complications? What’s the point? Does it matter? Let’s explore the circumcision and see what the Bible has to say about circumcision from the very beginning.

It has been 10 years since Abram arrived in Canaan. 10 years since God made a promise to him. 10 years of waiting and disappointment. Have they missed something? Is there another option? The temptation to take charge is overwhelming. They aren’t completely out of options….They’ve waited long enough. Time to do something.

What exactly is faith? We all think that we know what faith is, but do we really? Faith is something that is both intangible but at the same time produces a very real and tangible result. Abram models this for us, as do so many others. What is faith, and how do we live lives of faith?

As the scope of the narrative of the Bible goes from world shaping events to the life of a single man, so too does the topics and themes of Scripture change from vast to intimate. In Genesis 14 we see a contrast of two kings. One a king or righteousness in relationship to the world. The other a king of righteousness in relationship to God. This dichotomy should cause us to wonder. Do we really understand righteousness in the first place?

Here begins the story of Abram. A man of faith. A man of righteousness. A man of dedication. Abram is traditionally held up as a model for all who come after. He obeyed God when asked to do the inconceivable. He obeyed even when it hurt. In order to obey, he paid a cost.

The Tower of Babel episode closes off for us the end of the Noah cycle. As it does, it returns to the topic that it began with, but this time around, we get a new take on an old topic. What is it that CS Lewis called “The Great Sin,” and what can Babel teach us about it?

Something happened in Noah’s tent to cause Noah to curse his grandson. This story has confused and confounded generations of scholars and laymen alike. Likely what caused the curse is not what occurred in the tent, but what occurred outside of the tent. To discover the truth, we must first learn about Honor and Shame.

Once new creation has been started, relationship begins.  Not simply any relationship, but a covenant relationship.  What elements are needed to enter into a covenant relationship with another?