
Musty Reflections
Psalm 11:3 “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Observation: This verse, either spoken by David’s friends or perhaps by a whispering enemy seeking to wear down his faith, reflects the stress David experienced as Saul and his army...

Colander of Love
Ecclesiastes 11:2 “Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster might come upon the land.” Observation: In this and surrounding verses, Solomon presses me to be liberal to the poor, generous in meeting the needs of others. Verse 1 tells me...

The Proffered Dandelion
Psalm 20:3a “May He remember all your sacrifices.” Observation: Psalm 20 opens as a prayer for David. We aren’t told who is doing the praying. It may be priests who regularly surrounded David, or perhaps family and friends. But their prayers were the sort of thing...

Me and My Good Friend Cain
Genesis 4:7 “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Observation: God here addresses Cain, who had become “very angry” with God because God...

Heavenly Recliner
Genesis 2:3b “on it (the seventh day) He rested from all His work.” Observation: In six days God had unleashed unimaginable creative powers. Things inanimate that had never before existed…earth and sky, dry land and seas, stars sufficient to fill the eternally...

Stunted Experience
Genesis 15:6 “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Observation: The Lord in verse 1 had come to Abram to assure him that “I…am your very great reward.” Abram’s response was to ask how that was possible since Abram had no heir. When...

Tears in the Driveway
Genesis 12:1 “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’” Observation: The family into which Abram was born had already done one leaving. Genesis 11:31 says that Abram’s father Terah...

To Bed Without Supper
Genesis 11:2 “…they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.” Observation: Thus is introduced the story of the tower of Babel. The previous verse reveals that the whole world had one language and a common speech. This is reasonable, given that the story is set a...

A Prospering Portfolio
Genesis 12:16 “Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.” Observation: God had supernaturally led Abram to migrate to Canaan with his entire household. As famine there became severe, Abram decided on his own to...

Magazine Aisle
Genesis 14:13 “…he was living in Sodom.” Observation: Abram and his nephew Lot had come to an amicable parting once it was apparent that their holdings were too vast for them to live near one another. Large herds needed expansive lands, so Lot had chosen to occupy the...