How to live with the mystery of God’s election? (Gen 49:1-7)
Gen 49:1-7 Randolph Churchill, the son of the war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill, was a gifted communicator, bright, handsome, and well-connected. His father indulged him and allowed him at a young age to participate in dinner conversations with politicians of…
Depending on God’s mercy (Genesis 48)
Gen 48:1-22 When I ponder my life and the opportunities I have been given compared to my parents’ generation, I feel humbled. They spent most of their lives under a Communist system that restricted travel and isolated people from the…
Is Joseph exploitative with the Egyptians? (Gen 47:13-31)
Gen 47:13-31 Our reading continues the story of God’s provision that focused earlier on Jacob’s family and hinted at God’s larger concern for His entire world. However, Joseph’s measures to provide sustenance for the Egyptians may seem rather harsh and…
The secret to renewing our walk with God (Psalm 103)
Ps 103:1-22 The New Year is traditionally a time of stocktaking and making resolutions, but so often these peter out within a few weeks. Our determination for a renewed walk with God (more Bible reading, prayer, becoming more loving, humble,…
Happy Christmas and New Year!
Wishing you all a peaceful and joyful Christmas and God’s presence with you in the New Year! Thank you for reading along this year. I shall be back next week with the usual schedule.
Christmas: The King whose power can be trusted
Dan 7:13-14; Mk 10:32-45 Western secular culture seems obsessed with the question of power today. Young people are often suspicious of authority and refuse to submit to it and want to make their own way, irrespective of authority figures and…
Advent: Waiting for the King (Dan 7:1-12)
Dan 7:1-12 As Christmas is approaching, the world is in turmoil. Wars and fighting have always been with us, but the war in Ukraine and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza feel more acute and closer to home to…
The significance of genealogies and Jacob’s family tree (Gen 46:8-27)
Gen 46:8-27 Genealogies are possibly the most boring parts of the Bible for us, modern readers, but they have an essential function for ancient people. We tend to think of family trees as purely information about who relates to whom,…
Can it be God’s plan, if things go wrong later? (Gen 46:1-47:12)
Gen 46:1-34; 47:1-12 An Old Testament lecturer of mine once suggested that Jacob should have returned to Canaan after the famine and never have settled in Egypt. While I felt that this interpretation was mistaken, it does touch on an…
Trust in the overruling providence of God (Gen 45:1-28)
Gen 45:1-23 Few narratives in the Old Testament have the same emotional appeal for modern readers as that of Joseph and his brothers. Although the story is well known, it can still move us as it explains a tragic, even…