PAULA WISEMAN

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Posts that reference the book of Genesis

Choosing Peace over Rights

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title graphic Choosing Peace over Right featuring a sunrise over sand dunes

So Abram said to Lot, ‘Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.’ – Genesis 13:8-9

Prosperity brought problems.
Too many flocks.
Too many herds.
Too little land.

Conflict erupted between herdsmen,
Tension threatened family bonds,
And Abraham faced a choice:
Assert his rights or pursue peace?

He was the elder.
The one God called.
The one who received the promise.
He had every right to choose first.

Yet he surrendered his rights,
Offered Lot first choice,
Trusted God’s provision
More than his own selection.

Lot chose what looked best—
The well-watered plains of Jordan,
Like the Garden of Eden,
Like the land of Egypt.

Abraham took what remained,
The seemingly lesser portion,
Yet walked away with something greater:
Peace that comes from open hands.

How tightly we grip our rights,
How fiercely we defend what’s “ours,”
How quickly relationships fracture
When we insist on having our way.

Today may bring opportunities
To choose between being right
Or making things right.
Which will you choose?

When Fear Leads to Compromise

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When fear leads to compromise title graphic with sand dunes

As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, “This is his wife.” Then they will kill me but will let you live.’ Genesis 12:11-12

The famine was severe.
The need was real.
Egypt seemed the only option.
But fear crept in.

Abraham—the man of faith,
The one who followed God’s call,
Now calculating risks,
Now crafting half-truths.

“Say you are my sister,”
He told his wife.
Not a complete lie,
But far from the whole truth.

One compromise led to another.
Pharaoh took Sarah.
Abraham gained wealth.
God sent plagues.

How quickly our faith falters
When survival seems at stake.
How easily we justify
What we know isn’t right.

The man who built altars to God
Now built walls of deception.
The one who trusted divine promises
Now trusted his own schemes.

Yet even in our failures,
God remains faithful.
He protected Sarah.
He preserved His plan.

This week may bring pressure to compromise.
Remember: God’s protection doesn’t require your deception.

Altars Along the Way

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Altars along the way title graphic featuring sand dunes at sunrise

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. Genesis 12:7

Strange land.
Unfamiliar terrain.
Canaanites all around.
Yet here, God appears.

And what does Abraham do?
He builds an altar.
Not a fortress for protection.
Not a house for comfort.
An altar.

From Shechem to Bethel,
His journey marked not by monuments to self,
But by stone reminders of divine encounters.

These weren’t grand temples or cathedrals.
Simple stones stacked in reverence,
Visible markers saying:
“God met me here.”

What if we built altars
Along our own journeys?
Not physical stones perhaps,
But moments of sacred pause.

Places where we stop,
Remember,
Worship,
And acknowledge:
“God met me here.”

Today
ordinary as it seems
Could be holy ground for an altar moment.
What stones of remembrance will you stack today?

The Call to Go

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The Call to go title graphic featuring sunrise over desert dunes

The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’ – Genesis 12:1

Leave what you know.
Leave who you know.
Leave the familiar comfort
Of everything you’ve built.

And go.
Not to a mapped destination,
Not with a detailed plan,
But simply to “the land I will show you.”

Abraham packed his possessions,
Gathered his household,
And stepped into the unknown
All on the strength of a promise.

No GPS coordinates.
No five-star reviews.
No guarantees except God’s word: “I will show you.”

How many blessings remain unclaimed
Because we refuse to leave?
How many promises unfulfilled
Because we demand to see the whole path?

Faith isn’t knowing every turn ahead.
Faith is taking the next step
When God says, “Go.”

Your Monday may feel like uncharted territory.
But the God who guided Abraham
Is showing you the way too.

STT: People as Types

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Study tip Tuesday People as Types title graphic

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction.” – Romans 15:4a

This week, let’s focus on how specific people in the Old Testament serve as “types” of Christ, revealing different aspects of His character and work through their lives and experiences.

What Makes Someone a Type of Christ?

When we identify a person as a type of Christ, we’re not suggesting they were sinless or divine. Rather, certain aspects of their lives and roles prefigured Jesus in meaningful ways. These parallels were divinely orchestrated to prepare God’s people to recognize the Messiah when He came.

Five Significant People as Types of Christ

1. Adam – The Representative Head

Paul explicitly identifies Adam as a type of Christ in Romans 5:14, calling him “a type of the one who was to come.”

Parallels with Christ:

  • Both are heads of humanity (Adam of the first creation, Christ of the new)
  • Both’s actions affected all their descendants
  • Both underwent a period of testing

The Greater Reality in Christ:
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Where Adam brought death through disobedience, Christ brings life through obedience.

2. Joseph – The Rejected Savior

Though not explicitly identified as a type in the New Testament, Joseph’s life contains remarkable parallels to Christ.

Parallels with Christ:

  • Beloved by his father (Genesis 37:3)
  • Rejected and betrayed by his brothers
  • Sold for silver (Genesis 37:28)
  • Unjustly condemned yet innocent
  • Exalted to rule after suffering
  • Provided salvation during crisis
  • Forgave those who wronged him

The Greater Reality in Christ:
Joseph saved his family from physical famine; Christ saves us from spiritual death.

3. Moses – The Deliverer and Mediator

Moses himself prophesied about Christ: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me” (Deuteronomy 18:15).

Parallels with Christ:

  • Rescued from death as an infant
  • Called by God to deliver His people from bondage
  • Performed signs and wonders
  • Mediated between God and the people
  • Interceded for the people when they sinned
  • Established God’s covenant

The Greater Reality in Christ:
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Moses delivered from physical slavery; Christ delivers from sin’s bondage.

4. David – The Shepherd King

David is frequently connected to the Messiah, who is often called “Son of David” in the New Testament.

Parallels with Christ:

  • Born in Bethlehem
  • Worked as a shepherd before becoming king
  • Defeated God’s enemies (Goliath/Satan)
  • Established a kingdom promised to endure
  • Composed songs of worship

The Greater Reality in Christ:
“He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33). David’s earthly kingdom eventually fell; Christ’s kingdom is eternal.

5. Jonah – The “Resurrected” Prophet

Jesus Himself identified Jonah as a type: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

Parallels with Christ:

  • “Buried” for three days
  • “Resurrected” to new life
  • Brought a message of repentance
  • His experience led to the salvation of Gentiles

The Greater Reality in Christ:
Jonah’s “resurrection” saved one city temporarily; Christ’s resurrection offers salvation to all people eternally.

Study Application

When studying an Old Testament figure:

  1. Look for explicit New Testament connections – Does Jesus or any NT writer connect this person to Christ?
  2. Note significant parallels – Are there meaningful similarities in their experiences, roles, or character?
  3. Recognize how Christ is greater – How does Jesus fulfill and exceed what this person represented?
  4. Avoid forced connections – Not every detail needs to be typological; focus on significant patterns.

These Old Testament lives weren’t just historical figures but divinely orchestrated “living prophecies” pointing to Christ. By studying them, we gain a richer understanding of Jesus and God’s consistent redemptive plan.

For reflection: Which Old Testament figure helps you understand an aspect of Christ’s character or work more clearly? How does seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of these “types” deepen your appreciation of God’s redemptive plan?

In the Beginning

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In the Beginning title graphic wit ha dramatic spacescape

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1

First words.
First actions.
First light breaking through darkness.
Before anything else existed, God was already there.

The canvas blank,
The void empty,
Until His voice echoed across nothingness
And something answered back.

We often rush past these opening words,
Eager to get to our part of the story.
But pause here with me.
Feel the weight of this moment.

Everything we know,
Everything we see,
Everything we are,
Began with God’s creative word.

And in your life today
Your blank pages,
Your empty spaces,
Your waiting darkness
God is still creating.

He who spoke galaxies into existence
Is speaking purpose into your Monday,
Your week, your year.

Your story doesn’t begin with you.
It begins with Him.