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Genesis⁷ 33&34

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Genesis 33 and 34 end with two strong closing statements. In one, Jacob builds an altar and calls it El Elohe Israel. In the other, Jacob’s sons ask, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?” Two endings—one full of worship, one full of anger—but together they bring us back to a very important question: Who is God? As we’ve read Genesis, God keeps showing up with different names. These names are not random—they reveal who He is and how people experienced Him. So far we’ve met: * Elohim – Creator God (Genesis 1:1) * YHWH – LORD (Genesis 2:4) * El Shaddai – God Almighty (Genesis 17:1) * El Elyon – God Most High (Genesis 14:18) * El Olam – Everlasting God (Genesis 21:33) * El Roi – The God who sees me (Hagar’s name for Him, Genesis 16:13) * El Elohe Israel – God, the God of Israel (Genesis 33:20) Some of these names God reveals Himself while others are names people gave Him after personal encounters—real moments where they understood a new part of His character. In today’s pa...
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Genesis⁶ 25-34

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There is something quietly surprising about this part of Genesis. As we've been reading, we instinctively treat men like Noah, Abraham, and others before Jacob as though they were Israelites. Yet the truth is almost the opposite: there were no Israelites on earth during their lifetimes. The name “Israel” had not yet been spoken. No nation had yet been formed. Instead, the world at that time was organized around families, not nationalities. People drew their identity from the name of their father or the leader of their household. Communities were not built by borders or governments but by bloodline, memory, and a shared story. That is what makes Jacob so important. When God renames him Israel, something entirely new begins. He becomes the first person to carry this name, and his children become the first community to carry that identity. In reality, we should imagine their names like this: Reuben Israel, Simeon Israel, Levi Israel, Judah Israel… and so on. Israel becomes their famil...
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Persecution - By Charity Mutie

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Persecution has been on my mind a lot lately. The stories we keep hearing—people losing homes, losing safety, yet still worshipping God boldly—have humbled me. What surprises me every time is the love these believers show for God even when they are threatened or forced to flee. They keep standing. They keep worshipping. They keep saying, “God is worth it,” even when danger is right in front of them. I often think about Daniel when I hear such stories. In the first story, Daniel’s friends refused to bow to the giant statue the king had set up. The king was furious and threw them into a blazing furnace. But what they told him still shakes my heart today: “Our God can save us. But even if He doesn’t, we will not bow.” Their faith wasn’t based on whether God would stop the fire. Their faith was based on loyalty. They trusted God with their souls, even if their bodies burned. Then there is the story from Daniel 6. A law was passed that everyone had to pray to the king. Daniel didn’t even fl...
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Ishmael is not Islam (Genesis 16)

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When we read the story of Hagar and Ishmael, it’s easy for people to mix things up — especially because “Ishmael” and “Islam” sound like cousins. But once you look closely at the story and history, you discover they’re not cousins at all. They’re not even neighbours. Let me explain. When Hagar had Ishmael, what was born was a people group, not a religion. These were real human beings — families, clans, tribes — the kind of people who share food, land, jokes, and family drama. And God looked at this child, Ishmael, and did something very important: He blessed him. He promised to make him a great nation and He kept His word. These descendants of Ishmael are not “bad people” or “wrong people.” They are simply people — and they are included in God’s kindness and mercy. You’ll find kind, honest, warm-hearted people among them just as you will among any other group. Think of it as a child born out of wedlock, rape or unplanned pregnancy. God doesn't look at the child as a mistake or a ba...
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Genesis⁵ 16-25

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In this week's reading we go through Genesis 16–25. This section becomes very interesting once we stop reading only to “get a revelation” and instead ask, “What is actually happening here?” These chapters start with the birth of Ishmael and end with Esau giving away his whole birthright for a bowl of soup. Yes—soup. Not pilau, not nyama choma… just supu ya ndengu. In between these events, the story is full of real people, real mistakes, and a very real God whose character is continually revealed. It all begins with a tough situation. Sarai cannot have a child, so she gives her servant Hagar to Abraham. Today, this whole arrangement would be the plot of a very dramatic TV show. Ishmael is born, and God BLESSES him. But even with all the drama, jealousy, and complaints, we see something important: Abrams mistake did not interfere with God’s plans. Even when he took a shortcut, God still stuck to His plan. As the story continues, Abram now has two key women in his home, and instead of...
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Genesis⁴ 12:1

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As we transition to another key personality in the history of the Church, I hope you noticed something interesting (and slightly shocking) in the genealogies: one brother married his niece, another married his half-sister. One married the daughter of his brother, while the other married the daughter of his father. These kinds of unions will later be clearly prohibited when we reach Leviticus—but at this point in the story, they were part of the early human experience. Now, as we move into the life of Abram, we encounter a new and unique trait of God. Earlier in Genesis, we saw God naming things—light, day, night, creatures—but now He begins renaming people. This pattern continues into the New Testament, though somewhere along the way, the Church ended up misusing the idea by giving people new names during baptism, as though the name itself was the source of holiness. But here, renaming is God’s work, tied to purpose, identity, and calling. Come to think of it, remember this promise tha...
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Genesis³ 10&11

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Genesis 10 reads like the UN 😁 — nations, families, languages, territories. After the flood, with only eight survivors, it is natural to imagine Noah calling for a meeting immediately they left the ark and found everyone dead and insisting on unity, family, umoja, togetherness, a strong communal spirit. Humanity had nearly been wiped out; unity felt necessary, even urgent. But Genesis 11 shows us how that unity went too far. Under the leadership of one of their heroes (10:9), the people decided to build a direct path to heaven. They were united, determined, and ambitious. I doubt they even knew how high heaven was, but stamina was not the issue. Determination was not the problem. This were real gym buddies who never missed on a leg day. The real question is: Mungu ni nani? God’s kingdom is not accessed by physical effort, architectural genius, or collective ambition. The standards of His kingdom have nothing to do with how far you can walk, how high you can climb, or how strong your l...
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