Podcast Summary: Don’t Miss This Study

Episode: GOD WILL BE SEEN
Hosts: Dave Butler & Grace Freeman
Date: February 15, 2026

Overview

This episode dives deep into Genesis 18-22, exploring God’s fulfillment of promises in the stories of Abraham, Sarah, Lot, Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac. The hosts focus on God’s relentless rescuing heart, the power of hospitality, and the lessons of trust, provision, and forward-looking faith. The week’s theme is the God who is seen and the God who provides—Jehovah Jireh.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Ongoing Story of Fulfillment and Rescue

• The Bible is seen as “one big story of salvation and rescue” (01:00), with today’s reading a specific fulfillment of God’s earlier promises.
• The Abrahamic Covenant is revisited as a reminder that God gives promises we “can anticipate, that we can expect” (01:20).

2. Radical Hospitality (Genesis 18)

• Abraham’s encounter with angelic visitors demonstrates “radical hospitality” as a reflection of the heart of God.
• Dave: “If I were to describe Him, I would say He lives with radical hospitality, with open arms and welcomeness.” (03:10)
• The story unfolds on an ordinary day (“Wednesday at 3pm”) to emphasize that God can show up in the most normal moments (03:32–04:23).
• Abraham’s enthusiastic service—running, hastening, offering the best—models how to open our hearts to God.

3. The Difference between Abraham & Lot’s Hospitality (Genesis 18–19)

• Grace: “That is what He does. The Lord appears on ordinary days. That is a promise in scripture to me.” (04:23)
• Abraham eagerly invites, serves, and welcomes God; in contrast, Lot hesitates, lingers, and wishes his visitors would quickly leave (10:40–13:54).
• The marked difference in how the two families respond to God’s presence leads to different levels of miracles and blessings.

Notable Segment:

• Abraham’s “hurry to help” is celebrated, while Lot’s “lingering” becomes a warning to not delay when God calls (13:54–17:29).

4. The God Who Rescues — Even in Our Sin (Genesis 19)

• The story isn’t about shaming Lot’s slowness, but about God’s commitment to rescue, even “in our houses of sin and mistake” (17:49).
• The language of rescue—“get up and get out” (18:16)—shows that God keeps offering salvation, no matter how late or reluctant we are.
• Grace highlights, “Wherever you are in your house of sin, the call is, you can still get up and you can be rescued.” (18:16)

5. God’s Negotiation with Abraham — Finding Goodness

• Abraham’s negotiations with God about Sodom (esp. Genesis 18:24–32) show God’s willingness to save for the sake of even a small measure of goodness.
• Dave: “When God examines the human heart, I think He looks at it in the same way. Peradventure, is there 50 measures of goodness inside this heart?...I’m certain...for the sake of one, I would save that entire city.” (19:44–22:54)

6. The Lesson of Lot’s Wife: Looking Forward in Trust

• The command: “Look not behind thee”—and Lot’s wife’s failure to obey—serves as a metaphor for trusting that God’s future is better (22:54–25:46).
• “Maybe the reason He said don’t look back isn’t because of anything other than, like, trust that God has something better. Stop looking back and you’ll get trapped in the past.” (24:00)
• Grace shares: “Believing that the only reason God will ask you to leave somewhere is because He’s promising something better.” (25:10)
• Obedience and willingness to move forward are rooted in trust in God’s character.

7. God Provides for the Marginalized and the Mainstream (Genesis 21–22)

a. Hagar & Ishmael

• Hagar, a marginalized outsider, receives God’s attention and provision in her wilderness (27:10–34:32).
• God hears Hagar’s cry, reveals a well, and promises greatness for Ishmael—evidence that all are seen and loved.
• Dave: “She gives Him the name El Roy, which means the God who sees, the God who sees me, who saw that boy where he is. I know the situation you are in is what this story reminds us.” (33:22)

b. Abraham & Isaac

• The story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22) is explored as a slow, emotional, powerful portrait of God’s provision and trust (34:32–37:10).
• The ram provided as a substitute sacrifice is emblematic of God giving what is needed “right now,” while promising “a lamb later”—pointing toward Christ (37:10–39:40).
• Grace: “We believe in a God that provides...The Lord will see or provide...He will be exactly who you need Him to be.” (40:08)

8. God’s Provision—Jehovah Jireh

• Abraham names the mountain “Jehovah Jireh”—the Lord will provide, or be seen—connecting the place to later pivotal events in salvation history (41:26–43:03).
• Reflection: Where are the moments God has provided wells in your wilderness?
• “Where are your moments that the Lord provided for you? Where are the moments that He gave you exactly what you need?” (40:30)
• The walk to Mount Moriah ties to the temple and eventually to Calvary and Gethsemane, places where God’s provision is eternally manifest (41:26–43:03).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Ordinary Days:

• “The Lord appears on ordinary days. That is a promise in scripture to me.” – Grace (04:23)

On Hospitality:

• “I just wish to live with that kind of radical generosity and hospitality—that whoever it is that shows up at my front door, I would treat as if they were the Queen of England.” – Dave (05:20)

On Rescue and Lingering:

• “In our moments in our houses and our cities of sin...when we are in the worst...the message from the Lord is, you can still escape, you can still get out of here. There is still a chance to be rescued.” – Grace (18:16)

On Trusting God’s Future:

• “Believing that the only reason God will ask you to leave somewhere is because He’s promising something better.” – Grace (25:10)

On Provision for All:

• “This story corrects that misunderstanding about who He is.” – Dave, about God providing for Hagar as an outsider (34:15)

On God’s Commitment:

• “They went, both of them together...a shadow and a foreshadow to how committed the Father and the Son are that they look at each other and say that we’ll do this together. We will provide, we will rescue together.” – Dave (43:23)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction & Timeline Tool: 00:00–02:31
• Radical Hospitality Introduction (Genesis 18): 02:31–06:00
• Abraham’s Running vs. Lot’s Lingering (Genesis 19): 10:40–17:29
• God Rescuing in Sinful Places: 17:49–19:26
• Abraham’s Plea for Sodom—God’s Willingness to Save: 19:44–22:54
• Lot’s Wife and Looking Forward: 22:54–25:46
• Hagar & Ishmael—Provision in the Wilderness (Genesis 21): 27:10–34:32
• Abraham & Isaac—Provision on the Mount (Genesis 22): 34:32–41:26
• Culmination—Jehovah Jireh, Past and Future Provision: 41:26–43:03

Conclusion

This week’s study paints a vibrant portrait of a God who shows up in the ordinary and the painful, who invites all to miracles through radical hospitality, offers rescue without shame—even in our reluctance or sin—and provides abundantly both now and eternally. The stories of Abraham, Sarah, Lot, Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac invite listeners to trust, to run toward God, to expect provision, and to believe there is always something better ahead.

Key Reflection:
“The Lord has heard your voice exactly where you are...Where has the Lord provided for you?” (40:30)

For more:

• Download study timelines & devotionals at dontmissthisstudy.com
• Follow on Instagram: @dontmissthisstudy
• Discuss: “How has God provided a well in your wilderness?”