ReDiscovering God

We consider the 5th of the ways to understand this unusual story. We wrestle with the statements in Jeremiah that make it very clear that it never crossed God's mind to command someone to sacrifice their child. So how can we resolve the dissonance that this verse creates? If God was not asking Abraham to do this, how is it that he proceeds to take Isaac and some servants on several days journey to the mountain where he believed he was to sacrifice his son?

As we wrestle with the moral issues of this story we consider four of the five options for understanding this story that places God in a very challenging light if it is understood simply as it is written. There are many passages where God is clear he would not even think of encouraging someone to sacrifice their child. Join us as we continue to prayerfully understand this story.

We take a close look at the difference between tempting and testing in this episode. We discover that while at times God may test he never tempts us to do wrong. That comes from within our selves. This is important to understand as we look closely at what Abraham believed he was asked by God to do. Join us in part one of this careful and prayerful look at this challenging story where Abraham attempts to sacrifice Isaac the son of promise.

In this second part to Genesis 21 Abraham is confronted by Abimelech, who has been generous to allow Abraham and his tribe to live on his land, and asks him for a covenant that he will not turn on the Philistine people and overpower them. We suspect that Abraham's tribe and flocks have become rather large and could become a substantial threat to the people who live in the land.

Finally the promise of 25 years ago is fulfilled and Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham is 100 years old and Sarah is 90. There is no doubt this is a miracle child come to fulfill the promise of God. But there is trouble in the camp. Sarah is aware that Hagar's son, Ishmael has been mistreating her child, the child of promise, and she will have none of it. She demands that Abraham send him and his mother out of the camp to ensure that he will not share the inheritance with her son. Abraham must now send them out into the wilderness. His heart is breaking as the next morning he sends them out on their own to fend for themselves. God promises Abraham and later Hagar that Ishmael will be the father of a nation. He ends up having 12 sons to match the 12 sons of Isaac.

Abraham and Sarah have to move and find themselves in a compromised situation where they lie thinking they will protect Abraham's life. But God intervenes and comes in a dream to the pagan King Abimelech and saves him from violating Sarah who had already been brought to his palace. Apparently she is a very attractive woman at the age of 90 that would prompt the king to send for her. This is a very fascinating story of God's intervention on Sarah's behalf. Notice how the innocent seem to get the punishment and the guilty are not reprimanded.

We conclude our study of Genesis 19 as we review the Principle of prediction does not mean causation as it relates to this story and realize that God was aware of what would happen and so warns Lot and his family so they could escape. Even though the Bible writer attributes the cause to God it was most likely an event that was a result of natural causes.

In this episode we address the challenge of seeing God as non violent, and Jesus taught us, in the light of this story where the Bible is very clear that God sent the fire to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. The template we talk about in this episode can be used to explain all other situations in the Old Testament where God is described as violent. It is becoming more and more obvious that Moses, David and the other writers of the Bible describe God in their own image. David was a warrior so he describes God as a mighty warrior. It finally becomes necessary for Jesus to come and give us the most accurate picture of God we have. Join us as we discuss this critical topic in light of this story. You will find our pdf document on the website www.rediscoveringgod.com.

Two angels arrive in Sodom and Lot invites them to his home. He knows it is not safe for them to spend the night in the city square. Sure enough a group of men from the city come to his home demanding that he give them the strangers he had taken in. We discover that this verse that has been used through the recent years to support a condemning stance against homosexuality actually is focused on greater issues that are condemned throughout scripture. Join us as we take a closer look at this story.

A son is promised to Sarah who is by well passed child bearing age. It brings laughter to a mother's weary heart who had given up believing she would ever become a mother.

Abraham urges three guests to stop and take a rest while he prepares a meal for them. In time he realizes he has been visited by God and bargains with him for the lives of those living in the cities of Sodom.

God has reaffirmed the covenant with Abram and changed his name to Abraham. Now he establishes a sign of the covenant with the practise of circumcision to remind him and future generations that God does not need our help to fulfill what He has said He will do. He then gives Sarai the new name of Sarah. The thought of becoming a father at the age of 100 and with his wife Sarah at the age of 90 brings laughter to Abraham as he thinks of the complete impossibility of such an event.

Abraham was circumcised at 99 years old. Ever wonder who performed that ceremony on Abraham? You will need to listen to discover who it was.

This is the first of two episodes on this chapter. Abram is now 99 years old and invites him to be faithful and live a blameless life. The word blameless is not the same as what we understand as perfect. It is to be understood in relational terms rather than transactional terms. God declares a covenant or promise with him that he will be the father of a great nation with countless descendants. As a result he changes his name from Abram to Abraham meaning father of many. God assures him that He will be his God and the God of his descendants.

As Abram and Sarai struggle with the reality that they have no children to carry on their legacy, they devise a plan that involves their servant girl, Hagar. In this lapse of faith in God's ability to provide, they head down a path that will not only bring pain and sorrow to them, but is still felt today in the unrest between these descendants in the Middle East. In this story we are introduced to the first mention of many references to the Angel of the Lord who we discover to be the presence of Jesus in the Old Testament.

In this episode God comes to Abram and reaffirms his promise that he will become a great nation even though he is without a child and is a wonderer in a country that is not his own. God "cuts" a covenant with him and promises that if he is not faithful to this covenant He will be cut in two. This is a fascinating ritual that they practiced in Abram's day to show the seriousness of the agreement they were making. And so God makes this covenant with Abram to demonstrate the seriousness with which God is making this promise.

As Abram rescues Lot who has been captured by an army from the north, he acquires vast wealth as he takes the spoils these 4 kings had take in their mission to plunder the inhabited cities. He also meets Melchizedek. And meet Melchizedek, a King and a Priest. Jesus was also a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

In the conflict between Abram and Lot we discover some important insights into conflict resolution and the cost of being a peacemaker. Having completed the 7 signs of John we are now back in Genesis and pick up the story of Abram the 13 the chapter.

In the last sign we discovered a principle that enables us to understand the book of Revelation. When Jesus does exceptional miracles there is a response that reveals the wickedness of mankind. This happens many times in the gospels and then again in Revelation when the 7 bowls are poured out and the response is recorded that casues distruction. Without understanding this principle people conclude that it is God sending the destruction when it is the response to His goodness. 

The last of the seven signs is the capstone of them all as Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. This sign was a definite statement that He was the Messiah.

In the second part of this story we discover a God that is eager to open our eyes and discover the joy of being in a relationship with Him rather than being shackled by the rules surrounding the Sabbath.

In this sixth sign Jesus heals a man that had been born blind. Follow closely and you will discover that most translations would lead you to believe that God made him blind so that Jesus could heal him and bring good into his life. Is that what God does? Listen and find out.

John shares this fifth miracle of Jesus walking on the water and Peter asked to join Him to be sure it was really Him. How reassuring of Jesus to respond to their fear and uncertainty of seeing this form walking on the water in the midst of the storm that is threatening their lives with the words don't be afraid. These are the words we need to be reminded of as we encounter the storms of life. Don't be afraid.

The Fourth Sign in the Gospel of John is the feeding of a great crowd of people who had shown up and interrupted Jesus time alone with the disciples when they wanted to process the news about John the Baptists death. Jesus is concerned about these people and their need for food while they are still in the distance. The abundance that Jesus provides is consistent with he abundance of wine for a wedding and grace for all who desire it.

The third Sign that reveals Jesus as the Messiah is in John 5. Here Jesus "violates" the Sabbath and heals a man that has been an invalid for 38 years! What an amazing story of deliverance as Jesus does for this man what he cannot do for himself. Just as He does for us all as our Saviour - doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

The third Sign that reveals Jesus as the Messiah is in John 5. Here Jesus "violates" the Sabbath and heals a man that has been an invalid for 38 years! What an amazing story of deliverance as Jesus does for this man what he cannot do for himself. Just as He does for us all as our Saviour - doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

We review the four series of four that we find in John's Gospel. Then we take a closer look at the second miracle as Jesus heals a man's son who was dying. As a result the man moves from believing in Jesus's power to believing in his word to eventually he and his whole family come to believe in Jesus. It is a journey of faith that we all must take.

John's gospel focuses upon seven signs that Jesus performed that would enable people who had never seen Jesus to believe he was the Messiah. The first of those signs was the turning of water to wine at a wedding in Cana. It was something that would save the couple and their family from tremendous embarassement but also legitimize Mary's story about his miraculous birth and help her regain credibility in the community.

We now begin the story of Abram. His family's story comprises the remainder of the book of Genesis. What we have covered up to now has set the stage for the family of Abraham, the Hebrew people. Already we find God making him a promise and not changing that, even when he is unable to trust in God's protection and lies about his relationship with Sarai. Yet God remain faithful.

In looking at the Tower of Babel story we are reminded that even though the bible says that God did the confusing of the languages we realize that all supernatural events were attributed to God because of a lack of understanding of the devil. Jesus opened our eyes to that reality and so we can attribute this event to the devil who is the one that brings confusion. It is interesting to see how the ancestors are mentioned for the purpose of highlighting Abraham who what the friend of God and the Father of the Hebrew nation. His life and that of his descendants, will be the focus of the remaining book of Genesis.

In this episode we take a close look at the descendants of Noah and discover that although he had many descendants only 70 are mentioned. We discover the interesting use of the number 70 throughout Scripture and are reminded that this is a history of Abraham and his ancestry as God reveals the beginning of the Hebrew people.

This episode looks carefully at Noah's sons and a rather perplexing incident that happens between Noah and his sons that results in a curse being placed on a descendent of one of those sons. As a result a disturbing fable has developed from this story that for centuries was given as justification for the enslavement of people of colour. This was used by many to justify the mistreatment of people for a very long time. Eventually there was a change and slavery was abolished. Join us as we conclude chapter 9.

In this podcast we review the many covenants that God has made with his people. We discuss the importance of blood as well as the rainbow that God used to assure his people that he would never again destroy the world with a flood.

As the flood waters recede and Noah and his family are able to leave the ark he makes a sacrifice to God in an attempt to prevent God from destroying the earth again and God assures him that no matter how evil the people may become he will never again destroy the ground or strike down every living creature. What an amazing covenant God makes with Noah and the rest of mankind.

As we move now from Noah to the story of the Flood we discover that the author of Genesis, understood to be Moses, tells the story three times in this chapter, adding more detail with each telling. We note that this was a typical part of a verbal society. We also make note of the many references to 40 days in scripture and realize it is not to be understood as a literal number but a figure of speech. Given this destruction of the inhabitants of the earth God in mercy manages to save all who chose to be saved.

As we continue with the story of Noah we discover the principle of Prediction does not mean Causation which becomes critical to understanding this story and the Bible. Join us as we endeavour to make sense of the story of Noah and the flood in light of the life and teachings of Jesus.  

We usually attribute the destruction of the flood to God as His attempt to deal with the violence that pervaded the world at that time. However, a closer look at the character of God we discover that is virtually impossible because it is so contrary to who He is. Join us as we consider who the real destroyer actually is. The pdf document is available at www.rediscoveringgod.ca.

In Genesis 5 are the genealogies of Adam and Cain. Be amazed with us with the many nuggets of insight we discover hidden in what is usually a very boring chapter. Methuselah lived longer than anyone else has ever lived with an age of 969 years. His name means "When he dies it will happen". Sure enough the year he died the flood came. The fact that he lived so incredibly long suggests that God was restraining the catastrophic flood from happening as long as he could, hoping that more than just Noah and his family could be saved.  Check out our pdf at www.rediscoveringgod.ca.

In Genesis 4 we discover a God that is lonely for his child, Abel, who has just been murdered by his brother Cain. My how rapidly the venture with the devil away from God results in such a tragic event. It is hard for us to imagine what this was like for people who have yet to experience the death of another human being. Yet God puts a mark on Cain to protect him from further danger. God's mercy rises above the tragic results of sin. check out the pdf and link for the Youtube dialogue at www.rediscoveringgod.ca. 

As our series in Genesis continues we look at chapter 3 where the story takes a sudden twist. Adam and Eve transition from following God to following Satan and the tragic consequences that come as a result. How this sad turn of events must have broken God's heart as His children, his creation, have been deceived and no longer understand and trust Him. He has a problem to which Jesus is the answer. What Good News He was when He arrived and revealed the true character of God once again. The pdf of our podcast is available at www.rediscoveringgod.ca.

The second account of creation is amazing, as God gets His hands dirty forming Adam and then also the animals from the ground. It just becomes so real as we  discover things that were not good. The intimacy of God "kissing" Adam into life - breathing or inspiring him to come alive just like Jesus did as he breathed on the disciples and as God is doing for all mankind, today and every day. What a beautiful summary of the account of creation. Join us on this journey as we see a very intimate picture of our Creator God. The pdf is available at www.rediscoveringgod.ca.

Join us as we explore the very first chapter of Genesis and discover a picture of God that is non-violent. How very fitting that this is the only story of creation that has no violence in it. All the other stories of creation grow out of some kind of violence. It is a consistent picture of God. In this account of creation God is transcendent and merely speaks the world into existence. Next time we will discover the second description of creation where God is intimately involved with His creation. The pdf of our podcast is available at www.rediscoveringgod.ca.

I am sure you have pondered the idea of creation verses evolution. In this podcast we look at it from a very different perspective. Jesus in his miracles actually repeats the miracles of creation as he ministers to people. If He is able to do that, there need be no question he could do it at the beginning of life on this planet. The pdf document is at www.rediscoveringgod.ca.

Join us as we struggle to understand this story recorded in Numbers 5 of how they determined if a woman had been unfaithful to her husband. It raises many questions on how we understand inspiration. Thankfully this is not still in practice. The history is fascinating of the many varieties of trial by ordeal there have been down through the ages. 

When we take a close look at the character of God we realize there is much in the Bible that needs to be better understood. Today we look at a story in the New Testament that when understood in the traditional way, gives a picture of a scary god that will lash out with vengeance over a rather trivial indiscretion. Yet there are many people in Biblical history that are far more wicked than Ananias and Sapphira. Nothing happens to them. They are allowed to live out their lives with no repercussion. So how fair is that? What we discover is that perhaps the one who is the author of death causes more people to die than meets the eye. It would be impossible for the One who is the author of life to cause their death because that simply goes against His very being. You can find the pdf on our website. www.rediscoveringgod.ca

When we take a close look at the character of God we realize there is much in the Bible that needs to be better understood. Today we look at a story in the New Testament that when understood in the traditional way, gives a picture of a scary god that will lash out with vengeance over a rather trivial indiscretion. Yet there are many people in Biblical history that are far more wicked than Ananias and Sapphira. Nothing happens to them. They are allowed to live out their lives with no repercussion. So how fair is that? What we discover is that perhaps the one who is the author of death causes more people to die than meets the eye. It would be impossible for the One who is the author of life to cause their death because that simply goes against His very being. You can find the pdf on our website. www.rediscoveringgod.ca

What does it actually mean when we say "God is in Control?" We take a close look at a series of terms that help us understand if we are experiencing natural consequences or the reward or punishment of someone who is exercising their control over us. We look at inherent law, consequences, imposed law, punishment, power, authority, abuse, control, our will or choice, will power and free choice or free will. We think this will bring clarity to these terms and what is meant by them, as well as clarity to how God functions and how much he is able to control, given that he loves us and is especially fond of us. The pdf document is available at www.rediscoveringgod.ca. 

Have you ever wondered what God's plan for us would have been if sin had not entered this world? In this episode we take a careful look at what scripture says and discover that His PLAN was absolutely amazing. So good that it is hard for us to believe. Imagine, He planned all along to adopt us into the family of God, to become part of the royal family. That will still become a reality in spite of sin not because of sin. One day God will make his dwelling with us and we will be His people and He will be our God. Check out our website to find the PDF for todays episode. www.rediscoveringgod.ca

If all that was needed for God to save sinners was the death of Jesus then why was he tortured to such an extent before He died? This episode reveals the difference between the sacrifice and the slaughter of a victim. In doing so, we understand the reason Jesus suffered so much and what that means to not just us, but to the whole universe. God was dealing with a bigger issue, the controversy surrounding His character, in sending Jesus to this earth to love and serve us and we in turn tortured and killed Him. God's love allowed us to do the unthinkable so the universe would know forever that God is not selfish but loved to the very end. The document for this episode can be found at www.rediscoveringgod.ca

Ever wonder what texts Jesus used in his Bible Study with the two on the Road to Emmaus or the rest of the disciples later? In this podcast we share what we think he showed them because they were blind to what was hiding in plain sight. Makes us wonder what we might still be missing. Come and join us as the adventure continues. The Pdf is at www.rediscoveringgod.ca

Of the many options Jesus had he chooses the sign of Jonah to illustrate what he was about to experience in his death and resurrection. Come on this journey with us as we uncover what is behind this story that sheds light on Jesus and his experience. You will be fascinated as the takes on so much more meaning that it ever has before. Get the pdf at www.rediscoveringgod.ca.

Join us as we take a close look at what it meant for Jesus to die the second death and discover the power of the resurrection. You can find the pdf at www.rediscoveringgod.ca.