Genesis

Genesis / chapter 50 (read the chapter)

What a vulnerable and moving picture of God in this chapter! “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?’ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father left these instructions before he died: “This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.” Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.’ When their message came to him, Joseph wept.” (vs 15-17) Continue Reading »

Genesis / chapter 49 (read the chapter)

I love the title of this blog. It makes it sound as though God has read Emily Post and knows which gifts to give for which wedding anniversary. Obviously, however, I’ve got something a little different in mind.

In this chapter, Jacob gives his final blessings to his 12 sons. Much has been written about the blessings, each so different, some surprising. I’m sure there have been umpteen parallel studies done to research how the “blessings” played out in history. For instance, Jacob told Reuben that he would “no longer excel” because of the sin he committed when he slept with his step-mother. Quite literally, the birthright was taken away from him for his actions. And, when we look into the history (future) of the tribe of Reuben, we find that no king, no prophet, and no one of significance to the nation of Israel ever came from Reuben. Continue Reading »

Genesis / chapter 48 (read the chapter)

So, we come to the story of Jacob blessing the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim. And as he goes to bless the grandkids, Joseph gets upset because his right hand (apparently the hand of “greatest blessings”) is on the wrong boy’s head. He is getting ready to give Ephraim (the younger and, consequently, the lesser) the better blessing. Continue Reading »

Genesis / chapter 47 (read the chapter)

So, what do we do when confronted with the reality that we are “not our own”? We were created by a God who rules over the entire universe. Everything came from Him, and everything belongs to Him . . . even our very lives. Every breath we take is a gracious gift from His hand. Without Him, nothing would be. That can be a somewhat daunting reality, huh? Continue Reading »

Genesis / chapter 46 (read the chapter)

Perhaps a short one, but a good one, for today. There is no other god like God. We can learn this from Scripture even before we read God’s various declarations to that effect. Genesis 46 is a good example. First, God calls to Jacob in the night, telling him not to be afraid to go down to Egypt. God renews His promise to make Jacob (Israel) into a great nation there. Continue Reading »

Genesis / chapter 45 (read the chapter)

What a remarkable chapter! Joseph finally has a reunion with his long-lost brothers. He reveals to them that he is Joseph, and it’s pretty apparent that he doesn’t harbor any grudges against them for what they have done. He embraces and kisses each one of them, eagerly telling them how wonderful everything will be for them when they move to Egypt. Continue Reading »

Genesis / chapter 44 (read the chapter)

One of the central tenets of Christianity is that Jesus is the mediator between God and man. Since the root of “mediator” is “media,” we can see that there is an element of communication involved in such a role. But often, Christianity gets confused about what Jesus is communicating and to whom. Continue Reading »

Genesis / chapter 43 (read the chapter)

One of the things this chapter does so well is draw a big distinction between the way our mind works and the way God’s mind works.

I see an awful lot of God in Joseph, particularly in this point in the story. He knows now that his older brothers and father are still alive. He’s not so sure about his younger brother. Certainly, he hasn’t forgotten about being sold into slavery. Yet, Joseph never harbors any ill will toward his brothers for what they have done to him. He treats them kindly, though he must wonder if they have tried to get rid of Benjamin (Rachel’s other child) as they got rid of him. Continue Reading »

Genesis / chapter 42 (read the chapter)

Chapter 42 of Genesis is illuminating in what it tells us about how people in Joseph’s day perceived God. In verse 25, it says, “Joseph gave orders to fill [his brothers'] bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey.” So, Joseph basically gave his brothers grain for free by putting their payments back in their sacks. Continue Reading »

Genesis / chapter 41 (read the chapter)

It’s difficult to read Genesis 41 and not just see God in charge all over the place! He’s sending dreams to Pharaoh. He’s got His ready-made interpreter (Joseph) in place. He’s gearing up to save the whole world from a terrible famine, and He knows just how to do it. Continue Reading »