25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.”26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.
(Chapter 5)
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. 7 Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.
9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. 10 Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.
12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.
15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.
18 When Jared had lived 162 years he fathered Enoch. 19 Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years.24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
REFLECTION
There are at least three purposes for the inclusion of this genealogy.
It shows the development of the human race from Adam to Noah and bridges the gap in time between these two major individuals.
It demonstrates the truthfulness of God’s word when He said that people would die as a result of sin (cf. 2:17). Note the recurrence of the phrase “and he died”.
It contrasts the progress of the godly line of Seth culminating in Enoch who walked with God and experienced rapture (5:6-24) with the development of the ungodly line of Cain. Cain’s branch of the human race culminated in Lamech who was a brutal bigamist (cf. 4:16-24).
Although “death” is the destiny of humankind no matter how long a person may live, there is one person – Enoch who never faced death. Enoch is an example of one who found life amid the curse of death.
The finality of death caused by sin, and demonstrated in the genealogy of Genesis, is in fact not so final. Man was not born to die; he was born to live, and that life comes by walking with God. . . . Walking with God is the key to the chains of the curse. One can find life if one “walks with God”.
The lifestyle of Cain’s family can be seen as a picture of humanity—technical progress matched by moral decline. How do you see this trend reflected in our own society? In our own families?
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
REFLECTION
The sin of Adam and Eve upset the intimate relationship between humankind and God. Sin also had a direct effect on their children.
Adam and Eve could not avoid observing this evidence of the spiritual death they unleashed on their descendants. What a heartrending experience for Adam and Eve that one dearly loved son killed by another. Adam and Eve knew that they themselves introduced into history the sin that expressed itself in Cain’s hostility and murderous act.
Why did God reject Cain’s offering? Some have suggested that Abel, in making a blood sacrifice, followed a prescription that God had given Adam and Even when He first clothed them in skins. Therefore, in offering produce Cain suggested that his best was good enough to offer God. Another suggestion is that the text specified Abel had offered his “firstborn” to God, whereas Cain simply offered whatever that was available. Either way, God’s reminder to Cain, “If you do what is right” (v7), suggests that Cain knew the right way to approach God, but was unwilling to do so.
God told Adam and Eve that death would follow disobedience. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). We all live with the tragic consequences of Adam’s fall.
Reflect on your own family relationships and ask God to reveal to you how sin has upset some of the close relationships. Confess before God and ask for forgiveness. Allow God to show you how He may use you to amend broken relationships.
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
REFLECTION
The first two chapters of Genesis speak of God’s amazing Creation. Chapter 3 speaks of the rebellion of humankind. This rebellion against God is called sin. As sin entered the beauty of creation, destruction followed. Though we see judgement from God, we are see His mercy in sparing the lives of Adam and Eve. We know that it is from this point, that the Bible details God’s intricate and loving plan to redeem, restore, and, reconcile creation back to himself after what happened in this chapter.
God knows everything and yet He still called out to Adam asking, “Where are you?” Do you hear God calling you today? When are the times you most tempted to hide just like Adam? Is it comforting or dreading that God’s calling you at such times? Why?
PRAYER
Lord, I realize that though I have not sinned as Adam and Eve has, however, there have been numerous times in the past where I actively disobeyed you just as Adam and Eve have. I have sought to experience life on my terms. By Your grace, I acknowledge this sin of pride and ask you to be the Lord of my life. Cleanse me of all that is contrary to Your purposes and character so that Christ may be all in all. Amen.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
The Creation of Man and Woman
4 These are the generations
of the heavens and the earth when they were created,
in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
REFLECTION
In chapter one of the book of Genesis, we see the description of the overall process of creation. In chapter 2, we see God’s love and care for his creation, the most important of which, humankind. We see God here creating a helper for man, a woman.
God put man and woman in the garden where they could be safe and rest. It is also God’s intention for them to have continual fellowship with God (cf. 3:8). God gave Adam the freedom of choice. Adam received clear instructions about how he ought to behave in the Garden of Eden. If he ate from the tree of life, he could hope for eternal life. But once he tasted of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he faced the terrible threat of death.
God did not plant the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” to trap Adam, but He gave him a choice to obey Him or disobey Him. Adam and Eve were free to do anything they wanted, except eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This is to give them the opportunity to choose that which was right and good, even as God chooses to do good.
Has there been a time in your life where you experienced a “slice of heaven” moment?
Has there been a time where your choice led to undesirable consequences?
How has this impacted the way you make your choices in your daily life, your work, your rest, and your entertainment?
PRAYER
Father, I pray that I am able to learn and understand you better. I pray that I may have discernment and guidance from you. Teach me to read the bible and grow in wisdom so I may learn more about your will in my life.
Genesis is the first of five books written by Moses during the Exodus period, about 1450 – 1400 B.C. Moses used direct revelation from God and the written and oral traditions of his people as sources. He surveyed history from the creation to his own day.
The Book of Genesis is divided into two parts. Genesis 1-11 tells of God’s dealings with the whole human race from creation to the time of Abraham, about 2100 B.C. Genesis 12 introduces a vital theme. God makes a covenant with one man and with his descendants. God will work through this man, Abraham, and his family, Israel, to reveal Himself to humanity and ultimately to provide a salvation available to all.
The practical purpose of Genesis is to encourage the reader to trust and obey God. Originally, the purpose was to encourage the Israelites to trust and obey God. Moses may have composed Genesis before the Israelites left Egypt in the Exodus, but he probably did so during the wilderness wanderings. In any case, this was his obvious purpose, as is clear from what he wrote. He wanted to prepare the Israelites for the future by reminding them of the past. This is its function for us today too. As we read the text, we should continually ask ourselves, “What did this mean to the original readers?” That is what God intended it to mean to us today.
Moses’ main point was that the same God who created Israel had created the universe. His word was the key instrument in creating both entities. As He had brought order, fullness, and rest to the material world, so He could do for His chosen people. He is the sovereign of the universe, its ultimate authority. Therefore mankind should trust and obey Him.
Outline
God’s Dealings with the Human Race (Gen 1-11)
Creation (Gen 1-2)
The Fall (Gen 3-5)
The Flood and aftermath (Gen 6-11)
God’s Dealings with Abraham’s Family (Gen 12-50)
Abraham (Gen 12-25)
Isaac (Gen 22-27)
Jacob & Esau (Gen 25-36)
Joseph (Gen 37-50)
Genesis 1English Standard Version (ESV)
The Creation of the World
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
REFLECTION
Get yourself acquainted with the story of the Creation, again, by reading through this very first chapter of the first book of the whole Bible. Or you may listen to it online.
God created the heavens and the earth. In three days, God made the uninhabitable earth productive by dividing light and darkness, waters and dry land, the world above from the world below. Then in three more days, He filled the uninhabited earth with life. The orderly process of creation moves from formation of a unique setting for life, to populating earth with animal life, to the creation of beings in God’s own image. Man, the crown of the completed creation, is destined for dominion.
The creation account reveals that God is the origin of the order, beauty and harmony that we see in the universe today. In what areas do you need to trust God to produce these qualities in your life (think about school, work, family, and etc.)?
Do you find this account to be problematic with your understanding of science?
PRAYER
Lord, I am thankful to be a witness to your glorious creation. I pray that I may learn to appreciate your workmanship and I pray that you will also shape me to be the new creation that I am meant to be.
150 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Reflection
All prayer finally, in one way or another, becomes praise. Psalm 150 is placed as the concluding prayer of the church’s book of prayers. No matter how much we suffer, no matter our doubts—everything finds its way into praise, the final consummating prayer.
The final, jubilant psalm in this great Old Testament book pictures a people who gather before the Lord to praise his works and character with every resource they possessed, until all living things join in with shouts of joy.
What circumstances or feelings in the last year, however momentarily, have made a praising person out of you? Reflect on that again in joy, celebrating with Christ.
Augustine claimed that a “Christian should be a hallelujah from head to foot.” What needs to be done to get to that point?
Gather the reflections and insights that have come from you study of the Psalms for the past few months and turn them into a time of concluding and celebrative praise.
149 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the Lord!
Reflection
God’s people have two callings, each of which are aspects of worship. First, God’s people are called to sing his praises, and rejoice in the one who takes such delight in them.
Second, God’s people are to take a stand on this earth against evil. Israel praised and glorified God, not just in word but also in deed, by carrying out His will for her. While in Old Testament times, Israel literally went to war against pagan peoples in their land, today we are to be engaged in spiritual warfare, doing all we can to uphold righteousness and do justice in our society.
This psalm is a helpful reminder, to us who are believers, that praising God does not just involve praising Him with our lips. It must also include obeying Him with our lives.
Invite the Holy Spirit to examine your life. How are you with the two callings – to praise God, and to carry out God’s will in your community?
148 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
6 And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
Reflection
Nature does more than reveal God’s wisdom and power. All the splendor of Creation joins Israel in exalting God’s name, and thus offers praise.
The psalmist summoned everything above the earth to praise God including the angels, the stars, planets, sun, moon, and clouds, as well as all of the earthly multitudes for God created them all by his command. This is a huge choir of the universe!
What is the closest you have come, this side of heaven, to experiencing a worldwide worship service such as this psalm announces?
Imagine what it would be like to have every man, woman and child—young and old alike—participating in your church’s choir. Pray (and practice) toward that end.
147 Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.
Praise the Lord!
Reflection
Praise God the Sustainer! The hallelujah chorus continues with praise to God for maintaining the universe he created, and caring for all who put their trust in his unfailing love.
God’s greatness, as seen in his control over nature, and his graciousness, as seen in his dealings with his people, call for praise. God sustains both the creation and his creatures with his Word.
How do you respond to such a great and gracious God?
146 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Reflection
This, first of the five Hallelujah psalms that close the palms, focuses our attention on who Israel’s God is and what he does.
God is our only real source of help and deliverance. This is the God who bound himself by covenant oath to be the God of Israel. We celebrate him for this God is the maker of all, faithful forever, sustainer of the oppressed, who frees the prisoner, heals the infirm, loves the righteous, watches over the alien, sustains the helpless, and frustrates the ways of the wicked.
“The Lord will reign forever”, this is the capstone. The one we know and celebrate is sovereign in this universe. In him we are safe and secure.
