Contemplative Bible Reading

Genesis 2: 8 (New Living Translation) Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. As the (hi)story of the creation continues, we read that God the Creator planted a garden and put Adam in that place. We see earlier in verses four […]

[Read more →]

Genesis 22:18 (New Living Translation) And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me. Abraham had just acted faithfully towards God. He had followed God’s command to sacrifice his only son Isaac. As a result of Abraham’s faith, his descendants—one of whom was Jesus of Nazareth—would […]

[Read more →]

Genesis 39:6 (New Living Translation) So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! This is the early part of the (hi)story of Joseph, his owner Potiphar, and Potiphar’s wife. Potiphar had put Joseph, a slave, in charge […]

[Read more →]

Genesis 3:7 (New Living Translation) At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Adam and Eve had just eaten the forbidden fruit. They now knew both good and evil. They knew they were naked. They were embarrassed and felt […]

[Read more →]

Genesis 26:28 (New Living Translation) They replied, “We can plainly see that the Lord is with you. So we want to enter into a sworn treaty with you. Let’s make a covenant. A King named Abimelech came to visit Isaac, one of Israel’s patriarchs. His statement above tells us that Abimilech knew that: God the […]

[Read more →]

Genesis 31:14-15 (New Living Translation) 14 Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway. 15 He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us. Two sisters, Rachel and Leah, are speaking […]

[Read more →]

Genesis 39:3 (New Living Translation) Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This is a simple sentence that sets the stage in the (hi)story of Joseph in Egypt. Joseph is a slave. No rights; no anything. Potiphar owns Joseph. Take that in: he OWNS […]

[Read more →]

Genesis 18:13-14 (New Living Translation) 13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Of course not. There […]

[Read more →]

Genesis 24:62-63 (New Living Translation) 62 Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi. 63 One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming. How do I spend my evenings? Here is how Isaac spent his. He walked and meditated in […]

[Read more →]

Genesis 24:12 (New Living Translation) “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham…” The person praying is a nameless servant of Abraham sent to find a wife for Isaac. (Consider that task for a while.) It is not arrogant or selfish […]

[Read more →]