Sreedhar's Journey

Marriage is an important part of culture. The problem with the western world and in cultures where the women are not well honored is that people get in and out of marriage like buying and selling an asset. In many cultures a dowry is needed. Lee Yen and I had an interesting situation when we were getting married. In the Indian custom, the bride's family needs to give a dowry to the bridegroom's family. In the Chinese tradition it is the reverse. We won't tell you how we resolved it unless you buy us meal. Jacob had to give dowry as well. He gave 14 years of labor to Laban (his uncle) for Leah and Rachel. Genesis 29:20, So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. Genesis 29:25, So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?” Genesis 29:27, Fulfill her week, and

I am third generation Malaysian of Indian descent. I have nothing against my Indian roots but I have little "heart connection" to India, though I enjoy all the different Indian foods. The main reason for this is that I have had minimal personal experience with the people and culture. I am sure a few extended visits there would help. The same is true with our relationship with God. Jacob needed his own personal encounter with God. Genesis 28:4, And give you the blessing of Abraham, To you and your descendants with you, That you may inherit the land In which you are a stranger, Which God gave to Abraham.” It is clear that the Abrahamic promise was passed down to Isaac and now Jacob. The oldest manuscripts continue to show this clearly. In fact, as a side statement, Esau is recorded as trying to please his parents by marrying Ishmael's daughter. But it only helped partly because Ishmael is half Egyptian. Jacob was going back to Haran to find a wife as instructed. God mee

I love food and I need to be careful about over consumption. I am Indian by descent, born and raised in Malaysia, spent 7 years in Canada, and have traveled to many countries of the world. This has contributed towards my ability to appreciate many foods and love them. But Isaac had a special meal that he loved and in his dying years he wanted that served. Genesis 27:4, And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” Isaac knew he had to bless his son and had doubts as to who was before him that he was about to bless. He had fading eyesight and could not only feel and smell his son. Once he was satisfied that it was the "right son" he proceeded to bless him. This resulted in Jacob being blessed. Genesis 27:29, Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless yo

Water is such an important commodity. It is life. Wherever there is no water, there is no life. This is basic need has driven the civilisations of old and some of present day struggles. Where there is no surface water, underground water is harvested. It was either streams and rivers, or wells. It was distributed using irrigation canals or pipes. The need for water was no different in Isaac's days. Genesis 26:1, There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. Isaac was told clearly that he is not to go to Egypt. I suppose it was not time. He is promised blessing by staying. Genesis 26:3, Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. Sure enough he was not only blessed with much water but his business prospered and became very wealthy and powerf

If you have more than one child, do you have a favorite? We have 4 children and we do not have a favorite. Instead, we have 4 favorites. We pray that our children will always view us as giving each one unique opportunities to be blessed and succeed. But this was not the case in the Isaac household. Genesis 25:28, And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Abraham had died a good old age and all he had was passed on to Isaac. Ishmael came for the funeral and he is mentioned to be occupying large areas with his 12 sons. But Isaac is to carry the Abrahamic blessing. Isaac was anxious because Rebekah was barren. But, Isaac prayed and Rebekah bore twins and God spoke to her about how Jacob would be the leader. Esau had seemingly poor sense of responsibility and in a silly and light manner sold his birthright to Jacob for food. He will become a nation called Edom but it appears that the blessing of the stars from Abraham will go with Jacob. You may not be

Ever sat on a camel? The hardest thing to do are getting on and off the camel. The camel will need to take turns on its front and hind legs to get up. While it does this you will be rocked hard and need to hold tight on its reins and back. Reading this chapter you know that the camel was the best mode of transport for Abraham and the people of his day. Genesis 24:10, Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and departed, for all his master's goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. Abraham's servant was about to embark on a journey of faith to get Isaac a wife. There were many things making the trip complex and difficult. One is the criteria for the right bride. Next, the need for the bride to leave home for a foreign land. Finally, for the family to release her. Perhaps, you are can find others but these are tough enough. But, through the prayer of Abraham, the servant, and possibly Isaac, this prayer was answered. Gene

In the same way you can have professional wedding planners, you also have funeral planners. I know some of you who are superstitious will be saying "touch wood". I have written something on this before and you can read it here. Have you planned your funeral? I have not and neither did Abraham plan his wife's funeral until her death. Don't get me wrong. Nothing wrong with planning your funeral but there is something interesting here in this chapter. Genesis 23:6, “Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.” Abraham is recognized as a Mighty Prince. He is about to have his first big funeral, and it is for his wife. The people of the land were ready to give whatever Abraham wanted. He gained huge respect because of the favor that God had given him. He insisted on paying full price for the burial ground and he paid in cash. G

In about a week the Muslims worldwide will celebrate what we call in Malaysia Hari Raya Haji and worldwide is called Eid al-Adha. The core part of the celebration is the test of Abraham to sacrifice his son. The older manuscripts recording this event (about 4,000 years ago) mention that the son is Isaac, but the Muslims insist that it was Ishmael based on the Quran whose oldest manuscript is about 1,500 years ago. Abraham is recorded in the older manuscripts as demonstrating obedience in this matter. Genesis 22:2, Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” But before Abraham can sacrifice his son with the knife God intervenes and blesses Abraham and Isaac with not only an alternative sacrifice, but exponential blessing. Genesis 22:16-17, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not wi

Sometimes in life you have to make difficult decisions. It may be the better of two decisions where the end result for both are painful. There is a phrase that aptly describes this situation. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Abraham faced this predicament when Isaac was born and Ishmael watched with a terrible attitude. But God gives a promise to Abraham. Genesis 21:13, Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.” Abraham had to send Hagar and Ishmael away. But, it is mentioned here that Hagar and Ishmael had a visitation from an angel. They got water to drink in the middle of the desert. He takes on an Egyptian wife and starts to become the great nation as promised. Eventually his descendents also had visitations and the gospel was shared to them. This video may surprise many but the Arabs, who are descendents of Ishmael, also received the gospel but they seem to have gone wayward after accepting the truth . Back to Abraham. He cont

A friend of mine recently discovered that the customer that he has been dealing with for the last 10 years is a billionaire and world famous. His biggest asset is a satellite TV network. Sometimes we could be spending time with some significant individuals without realizing it. This is what happened to Abimelech. Genesis 20:9, And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” When Abraham entered a new country he mentions that Sarah is his sister, as he did in Egypt. Sarah is then taken by Abimelech to be one of his wives and later realizes in a dream that there is more to Abraham than can be seen or heard. Abraham is called a prophet and was called on to pray for deliverance of this king. Like Abraham, we have a holy calling. We walk with authority to speak with God and see Satan defeated. Our fight is not physical, but spi

There are many things under the sun that are not new. One of them is sin. It includes many things. Among them is the pursuit of unnatural sexual pleasure between two people of the same sex. Based on what happened in Sodom, it seems to predate Abraham. Genesis 19:5, And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” They were trying to have sex with these 2 angels that were visiting Sodom. The men of Sodom certainly picked the wrong people or beings. It says here that there were young and old from every quarter of the city. Which means this was an acceptable part of the culture of Sodom. We have similar conditions today. However, what happened in Sodom I would not wish on any city today. Genesis 19:24, Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. This was the first recorded instance of such a disaster. Everything was gone, including the living pl

When you were growing up do you remember being continuously reminded to do things by your parents, especially your mother? I was there and I am sure my children would say the same. God had to do the same with Abraham and Sarah. This time He sent angels. Genesis 18:14, Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” Sarah was unconvinced when the angels said Sarah would be with a son the following year. She laughed in her heart. But the angels knew and confronted her. She needs help to understand God's ways. We all do. God said it again. Abraham is going to be the father of many nations. He will be a blessing. However, it appears that the angels had another task and that was to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 18:20, And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave. It is amazing that Abraham, full of faith, pleads his case

Ever had a situation where your boss walked into your office and gave you a new plan that would have wasted everything you did for the last 13 years? Perhaps for not that long, but that was the case for Abram. Genesis 17:1, When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. Genesis 17:18-19, And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. Abram now called Abraham is told that he is being blessed with a son through the wife of his youth, Sarah. Even the name is given. Abraham was still trying to revert to his plan that he accepted from his wife. But God said no. Isaac was to be the one. All this happened way before the Arabs came into being and the days of the Muslim prophet. We must also r

The situation in the world is very tense. While the United States is very distracted by internal conflicts on religion, politics, civil war history, abortion and immigration, the world is headed to total chaos and uncertainty. I heard someone say that there are 65 million refugees in the world today. The biggest contributor to this are middle east terrorists and those influenced by them. The Bible predicted this would happen. Genesis 16:12, He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man's hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Who is this wild man? None other than Ishmael the first born son of Abraham. As I read this chapter it is clear that an innocent Egyptian maid acted under instruction to be Abram's wife and conceived. The rest is history, and prophecy is fulfilled and being fulfilled. For Abram this looks dire. He is promised that he will have many descendents and be a blessing. But, his only son at this

If someone was to tell you what is going to happen in the next over 500 years would you believe the person? A little difficult. It is easy to say something that would be beyond your lifetime. No one would be able to raise an issue if it did not come to pass. But it would be different with God (who is there from eternity to eternity) and when everything is recorded. This is what happened with Abram. Genesis 15:5, Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Abram had just defeated 4 kings with 318 men with God's help and he remarks that God has not blessed him with an heir. Here God promises him an heir and much more. While he promises something good, he also shares some challenges that are forthcoming. Genesis 15:13, Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will

Anybody reading this belongs to the military or was in the military? I commend you if you were. Whatever reason you were part of the military, it takes great courage to perform your role. If you are protecting the sovereignty of a country and you go beyond the call of service, your work is beyond anything money can pay. Such a person that acted in this manner was Abram. Genesis 14:14, Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. Abram had 318 men and he was going after 4 kings who just defeated 5 kings. He was rescuing, among others, his nephew Lot and his family. He is acknowledged and blessed by Melchizedek . Genesis 14:18-20, Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who

The eye can only see so much. When you look into the sky you are limited by what  you can see with the naked eye. Beyond that you need a telescope. When you look at an organism again you are limited by the strength of your eyes to see small objects. To look closer you need a microscope. What about surveying a country for possible investment and relocation. It looks green. It looks beautiful. But do you see everything? Lot thought he made the right choice. Genesis 13:9-10, Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. God in His sovereign way knew Lot's plans and had already prepared to gift Abram the land to the west of the Jordan. Undulating and rug

Living in different countries is not easy. There are many adjustments needed to be made. Food, a place to stay, your livelihood, and the most important thing is your friendships and other relationships. My family and I have experienced this having lived on 3 continents. Abram experienced this as well. Genesis 12:1-2, Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. However difficult the move, God had a reason for it. Abram was given a promise and he left Haran. He left his father's house and went to a foreign land. Was it going to be easy? We see Abram seeking God in the midst of this. Genesis 12:7, Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. Abram was surrounded by the Canaanit

Lee Yen and I got married in our late twenties. I was 30 when Sharmaine was born. Many in our culture would consider that as being late. But I am amazed at the ages at which our forefathers had children. Genesis 11:10, This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood. With time the chapter records that they had children earlier starting to match our current day situation. The other dynamics that was happening is that the population was increasing and greater demand was made for housing everyone in one big city. But God did not approve of this because man may fall again and so He confused their languages and they started to create separate communities. Genesis 11:7-8, Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. God then continued to have strong inte

Have you ever wondered if there was a time in human history when we were all monkeys and apes? Don't think too hard. It is not true. Have you ever wondered if our existence on earth is devoid of a loving and faithful God? Don't wonder to long. The loving and faithful God exists and is involved in human history and future. Noah is clearly documented in this chapter and special care is taken to include all names. This is another God lead effort. Genesis 10:1, Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood. Everyone that exists today is a descendent of Noah and one of his sons, Ham, Shem and Japeth. More information is given about Shem's offsprings because of the special place his family has with God. This is probably the reflection of Shem's faithfulness in his early days. Especially his heart. Nevertheless, all are important and mentioned in the Lord. You are special in God's eyes and he will show

How many colors does a rainbow have? If you said 7, you are correct. Anything less would be incorrect. There is a large activist group that uses 6 colors of the rainbow for their flag.  The six colors are meant to represent 6 values of their group. Their problem is that they are missing the 7th color. Scientifically, it would be incorrect to say you are having a rainbow with only 6 colors. So what is missing? Genesis 9:12-13, God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. The rainbow first appeared in the days of Noah. It is a sign of a covenant. It is made up of 7 colors. It is not complete without God. God desires that we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Yes, there is deformity and sickness in the world. A doctor is unable to deal with your sickness unless the sick pers

The Collins dictionary defines "olive branch" in this manner, "If you offer an olive branch to someone, you say or do something in order to show that you want to end a disagreementor quarrel." What an interesting concept and symbolic way of expressing your offer of reconciliation. It's roots are from the record of Noah's story. Genesis 8:10-11, And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. God remembered Noah and his family. When the flooding was stopped and the earth dried up, the first indication that it was safe to leave the ark was an olive leaf. I love olives. Malaysians do not have this in their diet because we do not grow them. But this is native to the place where the ark came to rest. This is a significant way to remember a time and place where God reconc

I just got an emergency alert for flash floods in my area. Looks like no outside walking today. I have only experienced severe flooding when I was a child. I remember having to clean the mud out of the front of the house and nothing inside the house was badly damaged. But there are many that have been badly affected by flooding. But nothing compares to the 40 straight days of water in Noah's days. Genesis 7:11-12, In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. The flood waters remained for 150 days after that. Everything was covered and the ark floated above all that. The devastation was great. No modern day flooding can compare with this. The earth was shaken and the climate and environment changed forever. Many earth formations that we see today, including rock for

Ever been on a cruise? I have never been on one. I remember as a teenager watching a TV show called Loveboat. It gave me the only understanding of what a cruise ship is like. Multiple decks and the funny character Gopher. Well, we have another boat called the Ark with 3 decks and made out of gopherwood. Genesis 6:14, Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. Genesis 6:16, You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:9, This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. I have been told that at the time Noah received instructions to build an ark from God, no one ever saw one or a boat for that matter. There was never a need to use one because the land was one continuous piece and the earth was covered by a ca

Many people have a strong interest to check out their family tree. It could yield some great surprises. Both good and bad. There are also services that do DNA testing to establish what combination of ethnic backgrounds you have. It may change your perspectives on certain races if you do that. No, I know you don't have any racial prejudices. This chapter gives the official genealogy of the initial human race. It starts with Adam and ends with Noah. Genesis 5:3, And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. Genesis 5:32, And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth. In the middle there is mention of Enoch that did not die but ceased to be on earth after he walked with God 300 years. Amazing story about how a man can walk so close to God and be "taken up" from there. Genesis 5:21-24, Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch wa

In many countries today the death penalty has been stopped. In the US, because of the nature of the Republic, each state decides on these matters. One of the common crimes that results in the death penalty is murder. Murder happened early in human history. Genesis 4:8, Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. What prompted this? It was jealousy. Are you jealous of anybody? You could be dangerously close to taking the person's  life. Sin can come in subtle and quiet ways. Before you know it, you could be so deep in something wrong that it appears to be difficult to take an about turn. It is truly time to stop. This is easier said than done. Paul says in the New Testament, "I do the things that I ought not to do, and don't do the things I ought to do. Sound familiar. Much happened in Adam's time. God allowed him and his family to make choices. Some chose well. Ot

Have you ever had to present something and only told half the story? Or, you watched a movie and part way through you felt you already know the full story but the rest of the movie reveals some new twists that you would never have imagined. That is what happened to Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:1, Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Genesis 3:6, So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Sin entered the world through this half truth coming from the serpent that was cursed to crawl on its belly after this terrible deception. We accept many things around us without the complete truth. We make investment choices without considering all risks. We are blinded by the immediate retu

Yesterday I wrote about how the bible is a great source of learning for science. Today, let me say that it is also a great source of information about the history of the world. The Pentateuch is great source material to speak about the origins of the world and the early history of mankind. I believe the only reason it is not used in the schoolroom is that God is mentioned. The concept of the day of rest came from history. Genesis 2:3, Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Geography is also covered. Places and what resources they have are mentioned very clearly. Genesis 2:10-14, Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon;

Back to the beginning. How many of you like to start from the beginning after you had a long journey. It seems like a waste of time. We have been there before. Why do we need to do it again? We have seen it all. But that is what I am going to do. Go back to the beginning of the bible. I need to catch what I have missed the previous times. Genesis 1:3, Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Ever wondered how we all came into being? The bible, written thousands of years ago, tells us exactly how. Of course, men through the course of history attempt to come to some personal hypothesis about how we came to be. Everyone of these theories remain a theory looking for more proof. God had the perfect plan put into action. If man could understand God's plan completely, it would be like the machine understanding the engineer who designed and built it, or the computer software understanding the software developer. We can never fully understand, but the bible gives us some