Daily Reading

“This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you that you must keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.” —Genesis 17:10 Abram was 99 years old and his wife Sarai 90. They were childless. Nevertheless, the Lord had covenanted with Abram to make him the father of a great nation. After the … Read More

“You are now pregnant and shall bear a son; you shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard you, God has answered you.” —Genesis 16:11 Everyone and everything Abram touched was blessed. Since Sarai was barren, she told Abram to have intercourse with her maid Hagar to raise up offspring. Thereby, Hagar conceived Ishmael. … Read More

“It was on that occasion that the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I give this land.’ ” —Genesis 15:18 As with Noah, the Lord made a covenant with Abram. He would be Abram’s God, make him the father of a great nation, and give him the promised land. As great … Read More

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the Creator of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who delivered your foes into your hand.” —Genesis 14:19-20 Everything Abram did turned out great (see 12:2-3). He rescued Lot from the kings who had captured him. On the way home from this mission, Abram met … Read More

“If you prefer the left, I will go to the right; if you prefer the right, I will go to the left.” —Genesis 13:9 Abram let his grandson Lot take his pick of the land. Of course, Lot chose the golf course and left the desert for Abram. However, Lot’s well-watered land was eventually devastated … Read More

“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” —Genesis 12:2 After the Babylonian exile, the chosen people wondered whether they were chosen for greatness or for destruction. They went back to their roots, to Abram, the founding … Read More

“That is why it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the speech of all the world. It was from that place that He scattered them all over the earth.” —Genesis 11:9 This chapter ends the introduction to Genesis. The 11-chapter introduction is not primarily about creation but about the origins of the chosen … Read More

“The chief cities of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, and Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar. From that land he went forth to Asshur, where he built Nineveh.” —Genesis 10:10-11 Canaan, Noah’s grandson, was cursed by his drunken grandfather. From Canaan descended Babylon and Assyria, the nations that would later destroy the … Read More

“As the bow appears in the clouds, I will see it and recall the everlasting covenant that I have established between God and all living beings — all mortal creatures that are on earth.” —Genesis 9:16 God said to Noah what He had said to Adam: “Be fertile and multiply; abound on earth and subdue … Read More

“Then God remembered Noah and all the animals, wild and tame, that were with him in the ark.” —Genesis 8:1 As in the first creation (1:1), the wind swept “over the earth. The waters began to subside” (8:1), and Noah sent out a dove to see if the waters had gone down. The Spirit renewed … Read More