In our Old Testament reading, we’ll continue through the book of Genesis with Abram as the central character. Even through he is called the Father of Faith, we’ll see the struggle he had to take God at His Word when circumstances didn’t make sense. And in the New Testament, we’ll continue reading through “The Sermon on the Mount” and talk about what we treasure and what Jesus had to say about worry.

Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day.” Why not make the coming year the best ever when it comes to your understanding and enjoyment of Scripture by signing up for these daily devotionals or subscribing to the YouTube version? (If you are already signed up, you will automatically continue receiving them.)

And now on to the Word …

Today’s Readings:

Genesis 15 & 16
Psalm 5.1-7
Proverbs 2.6-9
Matthew 6.19-34

When Faith & Circumstances Collide

Genesis 15 & 16:

Starting to Wonder

When God called Abram (Abraham) to leave his homeland, He told him that He would make a great nation from his descendants. But here in chapter 15, Abram is starting to wonder. He and Sarai are getting old, too old to have children.

15.¹ After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” ² But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 

This has obviously been nagging at him. He knew what God had told him … but it seemed to clash with reality.

³ And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” ⁴ And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” ⁵ And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ⁶ And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Notice that even in the Old Testament, people were saved by faith.

God’s Reminder … I Am the Lord

⁷ And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 

⁸ But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” ⁹ He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. ¹¹ And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

This was often a part of ancient covenant ceremonies. Cutting the animals in two spoke to the seriousness of a covenant. They were saying, if I fail to keep the terms of this covenant, I’ll be cut in two like this animal.

¹² As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. ¹⁴ But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. ¹⁶ And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

¹⁷ When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. ¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, ¹⁹ the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

Sarai’s Solution

But Abram’s struggle to believe was not over. One chapter later, God still hadn’t given them a child, so Sarai came up with her own solution and Abram went along with it.

16.¹ Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. ² And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. ³ So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. ⁴ And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. ⁵ And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” 

According to the custom of the time, She gave him her handmaiden Hagar as his wife so they could get the child they so desperately wanted. They got a child, but their relationships with Hagar and one another turned sour.

How like us they were! How many times do we complicate our lives by trying to help God out? Sometimes again and again. Instead, we should learn to trust Him, trust that He knows better than we do what we need and when.

It doesn’t matter what the customs are in the world around us, God’s Word in the truth.

More about Abram, Sarai, and Hagar tomorrow.

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 5.1-7:

God Hates Evil

⁴ For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
⁵ The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
    you hate all evildoers.
⁶ You destroy those who speak lies;
    the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

⁷ But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
    will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
    in the fear of you (ESV).

For those of us who are grieved by the evil in the world around us, it’s good to know that God hates evil and will deal with it in His time. But we should keep our eyes on Him and serve Him with all our hearts.

Proverbs 2.6-9:

His Wisdom for the Upright

And from Proverbs. Verses 6-7:

For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly.

Let’s be sure to ask for it. 

Matthew 6.19-34:

Eternal Treasure

Now to our New Testament reading. This section of Scripture begins by encouraging us to store up eternal treasure, rather than treasuring the things of this world (Matt. 6.19-21).

What we treasure tells us a lot about our hearts. Sometimes, even good things can become far too important to us.

Wanting our children to be obedient is a good thing, but if we’re willing to sin (yelling, manipulating) to get it, we may desire it for the wrong reasons or want it too much.

Wanting our husbands to lead the family and grow spiritually is a good thing, but if we’re willing to nag, criticize, or become sinfully angry, we treasure it more than pleasing God (2 Cor. 5.9-10).

It wasn’t wrong for Abram and Sarai to want the child they were promised. Just as it isn’t wrong for any of us to desire a child. But when they took matters into their own hands and responded sinfully, they revealed their lack of trust in God to do what He had said he would do.

It’s not wrong to want our nation to get back to its roots but it’s wrong to take matters into our own hands in sinful ways.

Instead, we need to make pleasing God and bringing Him glory our greatest treasure. When we do, everything else will become lesser treasures and we can hold them in an open hand trusting God to give us what we need.

Don’t Worry, Seek His Kingdom

Finally, Matthew 6.25-33 contains one of two great passages about worry. The other is Philippians 4.6-8. If you struggle with the sin of worry, spend time meditating on these two passages. Instead of worrying, verse 33 says:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

What things? The things He’s been talking about in the previous verses: food, shelter, clothing—provision—the things we need. And what does it mean to seek the kingdom of God? It’s seeking His right way of doing things; it’s what it’s like to have God as our King, as our Lord!

Coming Up:

As we continue through Genesis, we will read more about our spiritual ancestors, people so much like us. We will, also, talk about those things we need to put on the altar, knowing when it’s time to go, how we hide who we really are, and consider those scary words, “I never knew you!”

I hope you’ll join us.

What Is Your Plan for Bible Intake This Year?

I hope you’ll prayerfully consider reading through the Bible with me again or for the first time. The readings only take 15-20 minutes a day and the commentary will help you think more deeply about what you’ve read. So, don’t forget to sign up for my daily email or subscribe here for the YouTube version. 

Following along with me can help you stay on track. And I believe you’ll benefit from the additional information I share and grow as you learn to apply God’s Word to your own life.

Here’s a short video about what we’re doing on YouTube. 

If this post spoke to you, I hope you’ll share it on your favorite social media platform.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Here is today’s “Bible in a Year” video on YouTube. 

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.