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It’s Biblical

It’s Biblical – 18th June 2022

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Joseph is now leader of Egypt, and his own brothers will bow before him without knowing who he is (Genesis 42). Joseph’s brothers will humble themselves when Joseph forces them to return with
Benjamin (Genesis 43), and—when Benjamin’s safety is, they fear, threatened (Genesis 44)—they will plead for grace before this powerful man, whom they see as “like Pharaoh.” In the end, when Joseph reveals his identity, they will understand that, despite what they have done, God has brought good out of it all.

Interestingly, this whole next sequence of events, which were supposed to be about Joseph’s success, are more about his brothers’ repentance. Their back-and-forth journeys from Joseph to their father, and the obstacles they encounter, make them remember their wicked acts toward Joseph and their father, and they realize their iniquity toward God. Joseph’s brothers live that whole experience as a divine judgment. And yet, the moving emotional conclusion, which brings everyone to tears and joy, also contains a message of forgiveness for them, despite their unjustifiable acts of evil.

Panel: Lorraine McDonald, Mark Larman, Beverley Brown, Clive Ferguson

Bible Texts:
Genesis 41:41 Genesis 41:37–46 1 Kings 3:12 Genesis 42 Romans 5:7–11 Genesis 43 Genesis 44 Genesis 45


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Hosted by: Lorraine McDonald
Aired: Saturday 18 June 2022 9am-11am
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It’s Biblical – 4th June 2022

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Jacob is now free from Laban. Under God’s blessing, Jacob has become rich. It seems that he is at last happy. He has reached his goal and is heading home to Canaan. Yet, Jacob is profoundly worried about his future in Canaan and the threat posed by his brother. It is precisely at this moment that God chooses to approach Jacob. This extraordinary confrontation will radically change the character of Jacob. As a result, Jacob is renamed Israel. Jacob’s encounter with God at Peniel corresponds to his Bethel encounter. The two accounts echo each other in words, structure, and themes. While Bethel begins at sunset, Peniel ends at sunrise, with the prospect of a glorious future. After a night of wrestling, Jacob emerges from his encounter with a blessing and a new name. He has had a personal encounter with the God of love and lived. In turn, Jacob is able to look upon the face of his enemy, his brother, Esau, in humility and love. Then Jacob turns to his family and confronts iniquity—the rape of Dinah, the murders committed by his sons, and, finally, the idolatry that was still prevailing in his household.

Panel: Jeffrey Nicholson, Clive Ferguson, Lorraine McDonald

Bible Texts:
Genesis 32:28 Genesis 32:22–31; Hosea 12:3 4; Jeremiah 30:5–7; Genesis 33; Genesis 34:30–35:29


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Hosted by: Lorraine McDonald
Aired: Saturday 4 June 2022 9am-11am
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It’s Biblical – 28th May 2022

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In this weeks discussion we now pick up on the continued family history of Isaac, the miracle child and early ancestor of the promised Seed. The story doesn’t start out particularly well, however. The flawed character of his son Jacob will be manifested in the rivalry between the two brothers over the birthright (Gen. 25:27–34) and consequently over the right to obtain the blessing of Isaac (Genesis 27).

Because Jacob deceives his father and steals the blessing from his older brother, he will have to flee for his life. In exile, God confronts him at Bethel (Gen. 28:10–22). From then on Jacob, the deceiver, will experience some deception himself. Instead of Rachel, whom Jacob loves (Genesis 29), Leah, the older daughter, will be given to Jacob, and he will have to work 14 years to earn his wives.

Yet, Jacob also will experience God’s blessing, for in exile he will have 11 of his sons, and God will increase his wealth.

Thus, whatever else we can see in this story, we can see how God will fulfill His covenant promises, one way or another, regardless of how often His people fail.

Bible Texts:
Genesis 27:36 Genesis 25:21-34 Genesis 28:10-22 Gene 11:1-9 Genesis 29:1-30 Genesis 30:25-32


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Hosted by: Mark Larman
Aired: Saturday 28 May 2022 9am-11am
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It’s Biblical – 21st May 2022

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This section takes us to the climax of Abraham’s religious journey: the sacrifice of Isaac. This sacrifice is the “test” of Abraham’s faith. This intriguing event marks the center of the structure of the book
of Genesis, a literary device utilized to alert the reader to the chapter’s importance. A number of questions will be explored: What is the meaning of this test? Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son in contradiction to His promise? How will God provide? Why did the sacrifice change from Isaac to the expectation of a lamb and finally to the ram? What is the theological and prophetic significance of the failed sacrifice? After this dramatic incident, no significant event happens in Abraham’s life. The next major story is Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah. Then Abraham marries
Keturah and eventually dies “well advanced in age.”

Panel: Lorraine McDonald, Beverley Brown, Mark Larman, Clive Ferguson

Bible Texts:
Genesis 24:1 Genesis 22 Hebrews 11:17 Leviticus 18:21 John 1:1–3 Romans 5:6–8 Genesis 23–25 Romans 4:1–12


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Hosted by: Lorraine McDonald
Aired: Saturday 21 May 2022 9am-11am
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It’s Biblical – 7th May 2022

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We have now reached the center of the book of Genesis. This central section (Genesis 12–22) will cover the journey of Abraham, from God’s first call, lekh lekha, “Go!” (Genesis 12:1), which leads Abraham to leave his past, to God’s second call, lekh lekha, “Go!” (Gen. 22:2), which leads Abraham to leave his future (as it would exist in his son). As a result, Abraham always is on the
move, always a migrant, which is why he also is called a “stranger” (Genesis. 17:8).

In his journeying, Abraham is suspended in the void—without his past, which he has lost, and without his future, which he does not see. Between these two calls, which frame Abraham’s journey of faith, Abraham hears God’s voice, which reassures him: “ ‘Do not be afraid’ ” (Genesis 15:1,
NKJV). These words of God mark the three sections of Abraham’s journey, which will be studied in weeks 6, 7, and 8.

Abraham exemplifies faith (Gen. 15:6) and is remembered in the Hebrew Scriptures as the man of faith (Neh. 9:7, 8). In the New Testament, Abraham is one of the most mentioned figures from the Old Testament, and this week we will start to see why.

Panel: Jeff Nicholson, Lorraine McDonald, Clive Ferguson

Bible Texts:
Hebrews 11:8 Genesis 12 Isaiah 48:20 Isaiah 36:6 9; Jeremiah 2:18 Genesis 13 Genesis 14 Hebrews 7:1–10


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Hosted by: Lorraine McDonald
Aired: Saturday 7 May 2022 9am-11am
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It’s Biblical – 30th April 2022

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God’s first commandment to humanity after the Flood was an affirmation of life: He told them to multiply and replenish the earth (Genesis 9:1). The focus of this lesson will be to confront the human attempt to fulfill this commandment. So far, the biblical account concerned individuals (Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Seth, and Noah). In this lesson, the stories concern groups of people and have a universal scope. The survivors of the Flood, the three sons of Noah, will generate three branches of the humanity, which will constitute the nations of the world. It seems that humanity is on the right track to filling the earth and bringing God’s image to the ends to the earth. Yet, the story of the Tower of Babel marks a dramatic break in that momentum. God’s commission of universality is replaced by the human ideal of unity and uniformity. Humans want to be one, and worse, they want to be God.

Panel: L McDonald, M Baker, J Nicholson and D Marasha

Bible Texts:
Genesis 11:9 Genesis 9:18–11:9 Luke 10:1 Matthew 1:1–17 Luke 1:26–33 Psalm 139:7–12 Genesis 1:28 Genesis 9:1.


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Aired: Saturday 30 April 2022 9am-11am
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It’s Biblical – 23rd April 2022

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Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5, NKJV). The verb “saw” (Gen. 6:5) brings the reader back to each step of God’s initial Creation. But what God sees now, instead of tov, “good,” is ra‘, “evil” (Gen. 6:5). It is as if God regretted that He had created the world, now full of ra‘ (Gen. 6:6, 7).

And yet, God’s regret contains elements of salvation, as well. The Hebrew word for “sorry” (nakham) is echoed in the name of Noah (Noakh), which means “comfort” (Gen. 5:29). Thus, God’s response to this wickedness has two sides. It contains the threat of justice, leading to destruction for some; and yet, His response promises comfort and mercy, leading to salvation, as well, for others.

This “double voice” already was heard with Cain and Abel/Seth, and it was repeated through the contrast between the two lines of Seth (the “sons of God”) and Cain (the “sons of men”). Now we hear it again as God differentiates between Noah and the rest of humankind.

Bible Texts:
Matthew 24:37 Genesis 6:13–7:10 2 Peter 2:5–9 Genesis 7 Romans 6:1–6 Psalms 106:4 Genesis 8 Genesis 9:1–17


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Hosted by: Mark Larman
Aired: Saturday 23 April 2022 9am-11am
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It’s Biblical – 16th April 2022

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In Genesis, what follows immediately after the Fall, and then the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden, are mainly births and deaths, all in fulfilment of God’s prophecies in the preceding chapter. As parallel chapters, Genesis 3 and 4 contain many common themes and words: descriptions of sin (Genesis 3:6–8; compare with Genesis 4:8), curses from the ’adamah, “ground” (Genesis 3:17; compare with Genesis 4:11), and expulsion (Genesis 3:24; compare with Genesis 4:12, 16).

The reason for these parallels is to highlight the fulfillment of what went on before, the prophecies and predictions that God had given to Adam and Eve after the Fall. The first event after Adam’s expulsion is full of hope; it is the birth of the first son, an event that Eve sees as the fulfillment of the promise that she heard in the Messianic prophecy (Genesis 3:15). That is, she thought he could be the promised Messiah.

The next events—the crime of Cain, the crime of Lamech, the decreasing life span, and the increasing wickedness—are all fulfillments of the curse uttered in Genesis 3.

Yet, even then, all hope is not lost.

Panel: L McDonald, B Brown, M Larman, C Ferguson and friends

Bible Texts:
Genesis 4:7 Genesis 4 Hebrews 11:4 Micah. 6:7 Isaiah 1:11 1 Corinthians 10:13 1 John 3:12 Genesis 5 Genesis 6:1–5


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Hosted by: Lorraine McDonald
Aired: Saturday 16 April 2022 9am-11am
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