Utu 4:9

Abel was a good shepherd, who was unjustly murdered by his wicked brother, Cain. After death, Abel's blood cried out to God for justice, and the book of Hebrews specifically cites this fact as evidence of resurrection power. Does the story of a good shepherd, who unjustly suffers death, but speaks through resurrection power beyond the grave sound familiar? Learn how Abel's story points us to the story of Jesus!

In this devotional, we will walk through biblical stories of a few patriarchs who were betrayed. With each word scribed in this devotional, my hope and prayer are that you will find the strength to forgive those who have betrayed you and that you will trust that God has a plan in a plan.

For millennia, God’s people have been carrying out a weekly Bible study plan. Every year, they read through the Torah from Genesis to Deuteronomy. In synagogue each week, they read and study a Bible passage—the weekly parshah. Let’s begin at the beginning of the Bible with the very first parshah of this ancient reading cycle, which Jews around the world will begin again this week on the holiday of Simchat Torah (Hebrew for “Rejoicing in the Torah"). This week’s parshah is called “Bereshit,” which is Hebrew for “in the beginning,” and covers Genesis 1:1—6:8.

Readers are invited to fall in love with Scripture all over again without checking their intellect--or their imaginations--at the door.