Enstoried

E17 - Genesis 15 - Cutting a Deal

After having gone several years without Sarah getting pregnant, Abraham is needing some assurances that God will indeed make good on his promise to give them a child. God could just ask Abraham to continue to take him at his word, or he could choose to commit himself to Abraham by making the strongest type of agreement that people made with one another in the Ancient Near East - cutting a covenant.
 
Referenced resources:
 
Introducing Covenant Theology, Michael Horton
https://amzn.to/3Jk1Nw5
 

E16 - Genesis 13 & 14 - A Lot of Trouble

Abraham rebounds from his lapse of trusting God down in Egypt by defeating an enemy against all odds in order to rescue his nephew Lot. Afterwards, he is greeted and blessed by a mysterious king named Melchizedek, a worshipper of God living in the land of Canaan. 

E15 - Genesis 12 - Dishonest Abe

God begins the long road of drawing all peoples back to himself, and he chooses to work through an unlikely pair - a 75 year-old man and his wife who will have to learn to trust God more than themselves. 

E14 - Genesis 10 & 11 - Stairway to Heaven?

Genesis 10 foreshadows trouble as humans start to increase again after the flood, culminating in the Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11. Why do the people build it, and what does God think when he see it?

E13 - Genesis 9 - Rainbows and Arrows

God's covenant with Noah introduces two big changes for life in a post-flood world and paves the way for greater things to come. 

E12 - Genesis 7 & 8 - Trial by Water

Humanity survives the flood through the one man and his family who pass safely through the waters. But can Noah be the faithful covenant partner God is looking for to restore what was lost in the garden?
 
Referenced resources:
 
Genesis 1-15 (World Biblical Commentary), Gordon Wenham
https://amzn.to/43qkCGX
 
Old Testament Theology, R.W.L Moberly
https://amzn.to/43qkCGX
 
These are Amazon affiliate links (i.e., Enstoried earns commissions on purchases made through links provided in these show notes)
 

E11 - Genesis 6 - God's State of the World Address

Problems in heaven start to mirror problems on earth as things go from bad to worse. All humanity has chosen to go their own way, except for one who chooses to walk with God.
 
Referenced resources:
 
The Bootstrap Fallacy, by Robert K. Hudnut
https://amzn.to/3IuOng7
 
These are Amazon affiliate links (i.e., Enstoried earns commissions on purchases made through links provided in these show notes)

E10 - Genesis 4 & 5 - Two (Family) Trees

Familial patterns of the past are often powerful enough to shape the future. But do they have to? Which of the two family trees of Genesis 4 and 5 will change the course of a world on the brink of ruin?
 
Referenced resources:
 
The Pentateuch, Interpreting Biblical Texts, by Terence Fretheim
https://amzn.to/49R1V1o
 
These are Amazon affiliate links (i.e., Enstoried earns commissions on purchases made through links provided in these show notes)
 

E9 - Genesis 4 - Falling Farther from the Tree

Cain and his brother Abel live in cursed world as a result of their parents' decision. But when Cain is presented with the same choice - to trust God or his own wisdom - how will he choose, and how will his world change as a result?

E8 - Genesis 3 - Oh, Curses!

What makes for a curse? We look at baseball and the Bible to find two very different stories about curses. The curse from Genesis chapter 3 is the explanation for why our world is the way it is, but also hints at a reason to hope for something far better.