Concerning Sin Offerings

As I said yesterday, the Book of Leviticus deals with the activities of the Levites in their Tabernacle responsibilities. In today’s Bible reading*, Moses spells out how sin offerings are to be handled. One thing that glaringly stood out as I began today’s reading was that even if you did something that you didn’t know…

First-Hand Knowledge of God is Far Better than Hearsay

In today’s Bible reading* we see the final word from God and Job. God’s statements involve two mighty creatures, Behemoth (a hippopotamus?) and Leviathan (a fire-breathing dragon-like sea creature that must have become extinct since Job’s story was written). Although both of these are creatures, God reminds Job that he can’t even get his own…

The LORD was with Joseph

Several times in today’s Bible reading*, Moses brings out that the LORD was with Joseph. Moses uses God’s Covenant-making, Covenant-keeping name Yahweh to emphasize that even though it seemed that Joseph’s world was falling apart, God was right there with him in the midst of it all. God was with Joseph when he was put…

Returning to Bethel: The House of God

In today’s Bible reading*, Jacob (now named Israel) returns to Luz, which he had named Bethel (Bethel means House of God). You may remember that previously (Genesis 28), Jacob/Israel had an encounter with God and dreamed of a stairway to heaven with God’s angels ascending and descending the stairway. Jacob/Israel was so moved by this…

Abraham Offers His Only Son — His “Only” Son?

Abraham offers his only son in today’s Bible reading*. Yes, you read that correctly: “his only son”. But didn’t Abraham have a son by Sarah’s servant Hagar? Yes, he did. Ishmael was born fourteen years before Isaac. So why does Moses refer to Isaac as Abraham’s “only” son? Elsewhere we’re told that Isaac was Abraham’s…