Have you ever asked God, “Why did this happen to me?”

What would you do if God asked you to surrender the very thing you had waited years to receive?

The story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22:1–19, is one of the most challenging and powerful passages in the Bible. Why would God test Abraham in such a shocking way?

Genesis 22 brings Abraham to the greatest test of his faith—and forces us to wrestle with one of the Bible’s most difficult questions: Can we really trust God to have our best interests at heart?

In this episode of Bible Wisdom Today, we take a deep look at Abraham’s test of faith, Isaac’s role in the story, the Angel of the LORD, the meaning of Mount Moriah, and God’s miraculous provision of the ram. We also explore the literary craftsmanship of Genesis 22 and its four-panel structure, which builds tension toward the story’s dramatic turning point.

Most importantly, we examine the central message of the passage: Our God who sees all, can do all, and who loves all will provide all that we need. God’s provision may not always be what we expect or even want, but He knows what we truly need.

Finally, we’ll consider the connection between Isaac’s sacrifice and the later biblical theme of substitution and redemption.

Episode Chapters

· 05:56 — God’s Call
God tests Abraham with a command that seems to contradict His promises.

· 17:16 — Call of Isaac
Isaac asks the haunting question, “Where is the lamb?” Abraham’s response reveals his developing faith in God’s provision.

· 21:35 — Call of the Angel of the LORD
At the moment of greatest tension, the Angel of the LORD stops Abraham and reveals God’s provision of a substitute.

· 25:10 — Second Call of the Angel of the LORD
God restates His promises to Abraham and connects his obedience with the future blessing of his descendants and the nations.

· 30:46 — Final Comments
Mount Moriah was not simply the place where God provided a ram for Abraham. It points forward to a greater provision—and a greater Son who would carry His own cross and become the source of redemption for the world.

If you are studying Genesis, Abraham, biblical faith, obedience, God’s provision, or the meaning of Genesis 22, this episode invites you to slow down, examine the details, and think deeply about what this remarkable story says about your relationship with God.

Resources

Blog Post: Chart of Four-Panel Structure of Genesis 22

Blog Post: Comparison Chart of Genesis 21 and 22

Send me your comments or questions. I would love to hear from you.

For a complete listing of episodes, visit: https://www.biblewisdomtoday.com/episodes/

Episodes released every two weeks on Monday

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Have you ever failed God?

Has your lapse in judgment completely disqualified you in God’s eyes?

If you’ve ever looked at your own spiritual track record and thought that you must surely have exhausted God’s patience, you are not alone.

In this episode, you will discover a profound sense of relief, as you watch Abraham, our legendary patriarch, step into God’s spiritual classroom as a self-focused schemer and finally graduate as a mature, faithful follower. He is living proof that God routinely transforms our biggest moral deficits into our greatest spiritual assets.

In God’s academy of faith, Abraham learns…

Three distinct lessons:

• 03:19 The Lesson of the Stolen Wife: Focus on blessing others, not just survival
• 17:18 The Lesson of the Promised Baby: Remember the promises God has already kept as a sign of His continued reliability.
• 29:39 The Lesson of the Stolen Well: Root yourself confidently in the ground of God’s faithfulness

Abraham’s initial failures could not disrupt the spiritual curriculum God designed for him. Neither will yours.

Join me as we learn how God, our patient teacher, uses our failures to train us for future successes.

Send me your comments or questions. I would love to hear from you.

For a complete listing of episodes, visit: https://www.biblewisdomtoday.com/episodes/

Episodes released every two weeks on Monday

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Have you ever looked at the world around you—or even at your own life—and quietly wondered, “Is God always fair?”

When we read ancient biblical stories about entire cities being wiped out by fire and brimstone, or when we face unexpected, undeserved heartbreaks in our own lives, it is easy to feel like justice is blind, harsh, or completely random. Our story today, one of the most terrifying tales of divine judgment in the Bible, was written to answer that very question. “Is God always fair?”

In this episode we will step directly into the smoke and burning asphalt of Sodom. We will look beyond the simple children’s stories of Abraham’s bold bartering with God and Lot’s harrowing rescue out the city gates. When we do, we will discover a raw, ancient story which still answers our deepest contemporary questions about divine justice, human frailty, and God’s priority for mercy.

Whether you are struggling with the idea of a God of judgment, or trying to make sense of your personal unwarranted suffering this episode is for you.

Just a quick note: due to the historical realities of the text, today's episode contains some mature themes and adult content, so you may want to use headphones if little ears are nearby.

Timestamps

00:00 Podcast standard intro

02:13 God reveals his plans for Sodom

16:05 God investigates Sodom

27:07 God rescues Lot and destroys Sodom

35:32 Incest in the cave

40:14 Final comments

Now, join me in the Judean hills, where God makes a bombshell announcement to Abraham; and Abraham then confronts God with a question which still reverberates in thinking minds today.

Send me your comments or questions. I would love to hear from you.

For a complete listing of episodes, visit: https://www.biblewisdomtoday.com/episodes/

Episodes released every two weeks on Monday

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Where is the most important point in a story? In the beginning? At the climax? During the resolution? In ancient literature, the most important point was often in the very center.

Ancient writers frequently used a skillful writing technique called chiastic structure. In this form, the second half of the story mirrored the first half, but in reverse order. Each half of the story converged on that all-important central point.

In this episode, we come to Genesis 17, the dramatic epicenter of Abraham’s life story. God appears to him, changes his name, tells him to mark his body by circumcision, and promises to bring a new baby boy from his wife’s barren womb. He will do it within one year. Then with those dramatic words God makes a dramatic exit. He simply vanishes.

The title of this episode is Marked at the Middle: When God reorders your identity and guarantees your future. This reflects the middle of Abraham’s life story, the middle of Abraham’s body, and the middle of Abraham’s identity. But this episode is not just about an ancient writing technique, or a personal story from long ago. God also wants to meet you and me right in the middle of our life, in the home of our secret thoughts and deepest motivations. He wants to reorder our identity and guarantee our future. The apostle Paul refers to this when he challenges us to be circumcised in the heart.

Time Stamps

00:00 Opening Comments

02:39 God announces his everlasting covenant

09:48 Literary Structure of the Abraham Story

12:42 Circumcision: Marked at the middle

23:48 Birth of Isaac Announced

36:08 Final Comments

Join me in this episode as we discover how we too can be marked at the middle.

Resource

Blog Post showing the chiastic structure of the Abraham story

Send me your comments or questions. I would love to hear from you.

For a complete listing of episodes, visit: https://www.biblewisdomtoday.com/episodes/

Episodes released every two weeks on Monday

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Why does God seem to move so slowly? You pray, you trust, and you continue waiting—but the answer never seems to come. In those long seasons of silence, it's easy to wonder, has God forgotten me? Should I just take matters into my own hands?

Today we explore Genesis 15–16, where Abram and Sarai model two very different responses to God's delay. Abram brings his questions honestly to God and discovers that God is not threatened by sincere doubt. Instead, He strengthens Abram's faith through powerful signs and promises. Sarai, however, can no longer bear the weight of waiting. She devises her own solution but only succeeds in making a mess of her life and all those around her.

What do these ancient stories teach us about waiting for God to show up? How can we trust God's timing when His delay seems impossible to understand?

Join me as we discover why when God keeps you waiting, your best response is to keep waiting.

Timestamps

• 02:05 How to Wait for God
• 20:25 How NOT to Wait for God
• 35:44 What to Do While You Wait (Practical tips to draw near to God)

Make sure to stay with me until the end when we will discuss what to do while you wait. I want to share some practical tips from my own experience showing how we can draw closer to God through these waiting seasons.

Resources

Psalms to pray to God while you wait

• Psalms that ask, “How Long?” Psalm 6, 13, 74, 79, 89
• Psalms that encourage you to wait for the LORD. Psalm 27, 33, 37, 40, 46, 62, 130

Send me your comments or questions. I would love to hear from you.

For a complete listing of episodes, visit: https://www.biblewisdomtoday.com/episodes/

Episodes released every two weeks on Monday

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What does it take to live a life that truly matters?

In this special release, we examine this question as we take a metaphorical mountain climb through Psalm 90, a remarkable ancient prayer of Moses. As we reach the summit of our journey we confront the cold, hard truth: life is brief, and then we die. The Journey doesn’t end at the summit, however, On the way down the mountain we discover that God’s endless nature and our fleeting days is the exact wisdom we need to live a deeply meaningful, worthy life.

Timestamps
01:21 Introduction
05:20 Safe Home of Our Endless God
08:51 The Restricted Path of Our Absolute God
10:52 Exposed Slopes of Our Angry God
13:19 The Cold Summit: Life Is Brief, Then We Die
15:24 Exposed Slopes of Our Angry God (2)
17:53 The Restricted Path of Our Absolute God (2)
25:03 Safe Home of Our Endless God (2)
28:35 Final Comments

Listen and discover how your brief life can become a lasting legacy when lived in union with our endless God.

Send me your comments or questions. I would love to hear from you.

For a complete listing of episodes, visit: https://www.biblewisdomtoday.com/episodes/

Episodes released every two weeks on Monday

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Some decisions are truly life-altering. A high-stakes choice made under severe threat, intense pressure, and high uncertainty. How do we face such a crisis decision?

In our episode, today, Abram and Lot, billionaires within the context of their ancient world, face just such a choice. Their massive herds of livestock were pushing the land to its absolute breaking point. They had to split up their operation in order to survive. Lot chose life in the fertile plain of the Jordan, prioritizing economic prosperity and security. He could not foresee the geopolitical trap and spiritual nightmare which lay ahead as he moved his herds toward Sodom. Meanwhile, Abram took a faith-first approach. He chose to remain in the land God had promised, even though life in the rugged highlands was much more difficult, unlocking divine protection and global blessing.

Timestamps:

02:45 Abram and Lot’s Crisis Decision

13:02 Consequences of that decision

22:28 The Meaning of the Story

Listen, as we explore the historical, geographical, and theological background of this remarkable story. We consider how the author of Genesis intended this story to serve as a critical pastoral warning to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, and how it provides a clear blueprint for making Godly choices in our own modern crises.

Send me your comments or questions. I would love to hear from you.

For a complete listing of episodes, visit: https://www.biblewisdomtoday.com/episodes/

Episodes released every two weeks on Monday

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Abraham was always a flawless giant of faith, wasn’t he? The biblical reality is far more shocking.

Abraham’s story begins, not with heroic faith in one creator God, but with pagan beliefs within a culture of moon worship, a barren marriage, fear, failure, and a future that seemed impossible. Yet God’s plan for Abraham never depended on Abraham’s worthiness—it depended entirely on God’s grace.

In this episode we explore the remarkably messy beginning of Abraham’s journey, God’s astonishing promises, his first steps of obedience, and his surprising failure in Egypt that previews the future story of the Israelite nation. Throughout, God remained faithful to his promises

Timestamps

• 01:59 — Abraham’s Background
• 10:07 — God’s Call to Abraham
• 14:24 — Abraham’s Faith
• 19:44 — Abraham’s Fear

If you have ever wondered whether your weaknesses, doubts, or past mistakes can disqualify you from God’s purposes, this episode offers profound encouragement and hope.

Send me your comments or questions. I would love to hear from you.

For a complete listing of episodes, visit: https://www.biblewisdomtoday.com/episodes/

Episodes released every two weeks on Monday

Musical excerpts from "Pour le Piano" by Claude Debussy (Public Domain) performed by your host.