God, Faithful Lover

Concubinage and circumcision. As odd as it might initially seem that these two foundational chapters of the Bible (Genesis 16-17) focus on ancient customs, these two chapters are full of instruction for everyone of us. They especially teach us about possibility of a believer's failure, they disclose the beauty of God's grace to outcasts, they demonstrate the powerful motivation of God's assured love, and they encourage us to get back up after falling.