Day 23: Genesis 46:1-50:26 “Incredible Egyptian Favor & A Question About Eating Grain”

Israel and his sixty-six descendants set off for Egypt. On the way, he stopped at Beersheba to make sacrifices to God.

2-4 God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

God’s presence is a comfort, but it’s also protection. The only one greater than the angels (which includes the devil) is God himself. Israel was the promised line of Jesus and he trusted God, but in love, God didn’t ask Israel to walk by faith, believing in God’s protection; he assured him in a vision that he would be with him.

God cares about our peace. I believe if we seek God and ask Him for comfort and peace, then He will give it to us.

28 Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen.

When Joseph met up with his family there, he told them what to say to Pharaoh since all shepherds were detestable to the Egyptians. He chose 5 of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh.

6 “Settle them in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.”

Obedience can bring favor to one’s entire family.

The famine continued. People eventually ran out of money to buy grain, so Joseph allowed them to trade their livestock (horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys) for grain.

This is where I’m curious. Were the Egyptians vegetarian? It seems like there would have been plenty of livestock for them to eat, so I wonder what the livestock were used for if not food. If anyone knows, please comment below.

The people eventually ran out of livestock, so they asked Joseph if they could sell themselves and their land for food.

47:20-22 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. They Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, and Joseph moved the people into the cities. However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had enough food.

Joseph gave the people seed to plant with the agreement that they would give a fifth back to Pharaoh.

Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years until he was 147. As his final days approached, he asked Joseph to swear that he would not bury him in Egypt, but rather where his father was buried. A while later, Joseph brought his two sons to introduce them to his father. Jacob told Joseph about the Lord’s appearance and blessing to him in Luz. He also told Joseph that his two sons would now be reckoned as Jacob’s, but that any born later would be Joseph’s. (I’m unclear about why/how they changed fathers, but it seems to be the same concept which Judah’s second son died to avoid.)

Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh, gave Joseph an inheritance, and called the rest of his sons to prophesy about their lives.

Rueben was told that although he was firstborn and excelled in honor and power, he would no longer do so since he slept with Jacob’s wife and defiled his father’s bed.

Simeon and Levi were rebuked for their violence and anger (they killed all the men in Shechem). Jacob told them they would be scattered.

Jacob told Judah that his brothers would praise him and that the scepter and ruler’s staff would never depart from him. This was a considerably better word than the one for Reuben, though Judah had thought he had slept with a prostitute, but it was really his daughter in law.

The remaining sons primarily received good words. Jacob told them all to bury him in the same cave as Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah.

33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

Joseph had him embalmed and asked Pharaoh’s permission to go bury his father as he had promised to do.

Joseph went to bury his father and all of Pharaoh’s officials went with him- the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt. When they returned, Joseph’s brothers became fearful that Joseph would finally take revenge so they said that Jacob had instructed the brothers to ask for mercy and forgiveness (thinking that he would be favorable if he thought it was as a favor to their father.) Joseph reassured them that God had been the one to orchestrate everything and that he was not angry.

Joseph reassured his brothers that God would come to their aid and take them to the land promised to Abraham. Joseph made them promise that when that happened, they would take his remains with them at that time. They agreed, and Joseph died at age 110.

Lord, thank you for Joseph. Thank you for his trials at an early age which helped shape the rest of his life. Thank you for his heart and understanding. Let me walk with the same faith, patience, and respect for others. 

 

Day 22: Genesis 43:1-45:28 “Joseph’s Big Reveal & Unimaginable Mercy And Forgiveness”

Unfortunately for Simeon, Joseph’s brothers didn’t return quickly. Jacob stayed adamant that Benjamin remain with him, fearing for his life. That all changed, however, when they ran out of food again.

Judah pleaded with his father to release Benjamin into his care. He vowed to take personal responsibility for his brother, but Jacob still refused. Finally, Jacob realized that his entire family would die without more provisions, so he sent Benjamin back to Egypt with his other sons.

When Joseph saw his brothers, he had them taken to his house for a feast. The brothers were afraid though.

18 They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”

It’s always interesting how people can fear the very thing happening to themselves that they have done to others.

The brothers explained to Joseph’s steward what had originally happened with the silver. They were assured of their safety so they prepared the gifts which they had brought for Joseph.

26-28 When Joseph came home, they presented to him they gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?”

They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed down, prostrating themselves before him.

Joseph’s prophetic dreams had just come to fruition.

As Joseph met his full-blooded brother, Benjamin, he became very emotional and ran out looking for a place to cry. After he had washed his face, he came back out had the food served.

33 The men were seated in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked  at each other in astonishment.

Joseph commanded his servant to fill the brothers’ bags with all the food they could carry. He also instructed that their silver be returned and that his silver cup be placed in Benjamin’s sack. The next day after he sent the brothers on their way, Joseph sent his servants after them, accusing them of taking his silver cup. (On a side note, verses 5 and 15 mention Joseph using divination and one mentions the cup as a tool for this.) The brothers defended themselves, declared their innocence, and said the guilty one would become a slave. After Benjamin was found to have the silver cup, all the brothers returned with him to Joseph’s house. Judah pulled him aside, explained his vow to protect Benjamin, and asked if he could take his place as a slave.

Judah was the one who had originally talked his brothers out of killing Joseph. It’s interesting to see him now standing up to honor his commitment to protect his brother at his own expense.

45:1 Joseph could no longer control himself before all of his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!”

No one else was there when Joseph made himself known to his brothers, but the Egyptians heard him weeping and told Pharaoh’s house about it.

3-8 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 

Can you imagine the fear when realizing that the person you betrayed and considered killing has now become one of the most influential and powerful people in the world? It would be normal to assume that the wronged person would use that power for revenge, but not Joseph.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 

For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 

So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

This story shows that not only does God use people’s bad for good, but that maybe sometimes it’s all part of the big plan. The Lord knew what would happen and he forewarned Joseph about it when he was younger. In fact, his warning is what helped provoke his brothers in the first place.

Joseph told his brothers to send for his father and all that he had. He told them to bring his entire family to Goshen so that he could provide for them.

Pharaoh and all of his officials were pleased to hear about Joseph’s brothers, and Pharaoh even instructed him to have his brothers take animals to help them move.

18-20 I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.

“You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.'”

Again, God’s mercy, grace, and love are unfathomable. He forgives and shows kindness. How much more should we do the same?

I love the Bible for being transparent and relevant.

24 He sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”

The brothers went home and told Jacob about Joseph and his spirit was revived.

Lord, thank you for your unending mercy and grace. I can’t even understand your goodness, yet sometimes it’s easier to see in stories when your’e not having to also experience things like the famine and being sold into slavery. Joseph and Simeon both spent time in prison as innocent men and Jacob thought his son was dead, but I can see your good surrounding them. Help me to see the good surrounding me at all times. Let me have peace that anything which may come upon my life will be used for good. Grant me peace and patience and help us all love you and each other today.

 

 

Day 21: Genesis 39:1-42:38 “What’s Meant For Harm, God Can Use For Your Good”

God is so good.

39:1-4, 6 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. With Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Although it’s not mentioned, I think Joseph had to have a good attitude. He had just been rejected and betrayed by his brothers and sold to strangers never to be seen again. He had every justifiable reason to feel victimized, wounded, betrayed, depressed, and to fall into a physical and emotional slump because of it. But he didn’t. The Lord was with him, and Joseph prospered. He worked. He was trustworthy. He obviously got along well with others to be completely entrusted with Potiphar’s belongings. He kept his head high and went from checking on his brothers in a field to living in a palace. We see a glimpse of his good character in the following verses.

Joseph was described as handsome and well-built, and eventually Potiphar’s wife approached him.

7 “Come to bed with me!” she said, but he refused.

9 “My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

10 Though she spoke to him day after day, he refused to sleep with her or even be with her.

One day, Joseph went inside and she came after him. She caught him by his cloak, so he took off his cloak and ran out of the house.

Potiphar’s wife called her servants and told them Joseph had tried to sleep with her, but she had screamed for help. She said he ran, but left his cloak. She told Potiphar the same story when he came home, and he locked up Joseph in the prison.

20-21 But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

Some time later, the chief cupbearer and baker were imprisoned and put under Joseph’s watch. One day, Joseph asked why their faces were sad, and they told him about their dreams.

After he interpreted the cupbearer’s dream, he said, “When all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”

I wonder if the prison was just the safest holding place for Joseph, out of reach of Potiphar’s wife.

Joseph’s interpretation for the baker was a bit less favorable. “Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”

Everything came to pass as Joseph said within those three days.

40:23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

After two years had passed, Pharaoh had dreams that troubled him. He called for all of the magicians and wise men in the country to interpret his dreams, but he could find no one. The chief cupbearer was reminded of Joseph and told the Pharaoh about him. Joseph was summoned at once and interpreted the dreams successfully. Pharaoh immediately put Joseph in charge since the spirit of the Lord was with him.

41:40-41 “Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”

From a disliked brother to a slave to Potiphar’s house to a prison to Pharaoh’s house in charge of the whole nation. The path is not always pleasant or as we would want it to be, but God is good.

42 Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him a wife. He was thirty at the time. Over the next seven years, he had two sons- Manasseh and Ephraim. He also stored up grain beyond measure. After the years of abundance came the years of famine, and all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.

Jacob sent ten of his sons to Egypt to get food, keeping Benjamin at home. When they came before Joseph and bowed down to him, Joseph recognized them, but they did not recognize him. Joseph remembered his dreams and demanded that they call the other brother. He accused them of being spies and locked them in prison. Three days later, he told them they could take the grain back to feed their households, but needed to leave one brother as ransom until they brought Benjamin. The brothers started talking about how they were getting paid back for what they had done to Joseph, not knowing that Joseph could understand what they were saying.

24-25 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes. Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give provisions for their journey.

As they told Jacob all that had happened, they saw that their money was still in their bags. Jacob got angry, accusing them of taking Joseph and Simeon and trying to take away Benjamin.

36 “Everything is against me,” he said.

It wasn’t, but it appeared that way.

Reuben told Jacob that he would kill both of his own sons if he didn’t return with all the brothers, but Jacob refused to let Benjamin go.

Lord, thank you for acting beyond my understanding. Your ways are good.  Thank you that I do not have to travel to a different country to get a bag of grain! Thank you for your abundance! You want the best for me, even when it means I suffer for lack of knowledge or understanding. Be with me and bless the work of my hands. Heal past wounds of betrayal. Be with me on this path that I have not chosen for myself. May your favor be around me so that I can help others.

 

Day 20: Genesis 36:1-38:30 “The Stories of Joseph and Tamar Getting Pregnant By Her Father-In-Law While Pretending To Be A Prostitute”

Chapter 36 is entirely an outline of Esau, also called Edom, and his descendants. It is also the first chapter to mention chiefs and give the chronology of the kings in Edom.

Chapter 37 starts by telling about Jacob’s son, Joseph.

3-4 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

When Joseph was 17, he had 2 dreams about his family bowing down to him. He told his family about the dreams and his brothers despised him even more. Jacob rebuked him, but “kept the matter in mind.”

One day, Jacob told Joseph to go check on his brothers and flocks near Shechem. When he arrived, someone told him they had moved on to Dothan. As Joseph approached, his brothers saw him and plotted to kill him.

19-20″Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

Reuben stepped up and told the brothers not to kill him, but just to put him in the cistern. They did so, and as they were eating, a group of Ishmaelites approached with loaded camels on the way to Egypt. Judah suggested that they sell Joseph instead, and the brothers agreed. They sold Joseph for about half a pound of silver, and the men took him to Egypt. When Reuben returned, he found that Joseph was gone. The brothers slaughtered a goat, dipped Joseph’s robe in it, and gave it to their father, saying they had found it. Jacob was heartbroken, went into mourning, and refused to be comforted. Meanwhile, Joseph was sold again to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials in Egypt.

Chapter 38 tells of Judah. He left his brothers, married a Canaanite woman, and had 3 sons. Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn.

7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.

8-10 Then Judah said to Onan, “Lie with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so he put him to death also.

After that, Judah told Tamar to go live with her father until the youngest son was old enough to be with her. He also was trying to spare his last son’s life.

Judah’s wife eventually died, and one day after he had recovered from his grief, he went out. Tamar was told about her father in law’s whereabouts. She also knew that her brother in law was now old enough to be with her, but had not been given to her. Tamar took off her widow’s clothes and put on a veil to disguise herself. She then sat at the entrance to Enaim. Judah saw her and thought she was a prostitute because of her covered face.

16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”

He had no way to pay her at the time, so she asked for his seal, cord, and staff as a pledge until she got payment. He gave them to her, they slept together, and she got pregnant. After she left, she put her widow’s clothes back on again.

Judah sent a man with a goat to pay her and get his stuff back, but he couldn’t find her. When he asked around about the shrine prostitute, the people said there wasn’t one. He went back to Judah and told him these things.

23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughing stock.”

3 months later, word came to Judah that his daughter in law had become pregnant by prostitution. He demanded that she be brought out and burned to death.

As she was being brought out, she sent a message to Judah with his belongings saying whoever owned them was the father.

Tamar gave birth to twin boys- Perez and Zerah.

This chapter is definitely different. I like it though, because it’s about real life. We have a God that doesn’t pretend like our forefathers were perfect. He tells it like it is. He made sure to include the parts that Christians might now have omitted if it were written today. The Bible is honest about dishonesty and sin. It doesn’t pretend like real issues don’t exist. God meets us where we are, in the midst of ourselves, and I love that. I love Him for that. Do you know that God of the Bible? The God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever? Or do you know a version of Him that has been spoken about?

Today, pursue a real intimate relationship with the Creator. Come as you are. He already knows you and already loves you.

Lord, thank you for this word. Thank you for being Almighty, but still approachable. Thank you for your Word that doesn’t hide real life or pretend that people were perfect. Thank you that your word shows the difference between someone who makes dumb decisions and someone who is wicked. Help me to make better decisions. Thank you for always working for the good of those that love you. Let us walk with you today. 

 

Day 19: Genesis 34:1-35:29 “Rape, Revenge, and Sleeping With His Father’s Wife. And Yes, This Is The Word Of God.”

Once the family settled, Leah’s daughter, Dinah, went out to make some girlfriends. Verse 2 tells us Shechem “violated” her, but the next verse says his heart was drawn to her, he loved her, and he spoke tenderly to her.

In verse 4, Shechem told his dad to get him Dinah as his wife.

Jacob and his sons found out what happened, the Bible clarifies that they had slept together, and Shechem’s father came to talk to Jacob. Hamor, Shechem’s dad, asked Jacob for their families to intermarry- for their daughters to marry each other’s sons. Shechem also asked Jacob and his sons for permission to marry Dinah, and he asked them to name any price for her.

Dinah’s brothers were upset by Shechem’s actions with their sister, so they lied and told Shechem they could all marry between their families on one condition- that Shechem and ALL of their family got circumcised.

Shechem agreed and went to go tell the men in the town and his family. They all agreed as well, and so all the men got circumcised.

25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male.

Jacob replied by telling them how much trouble they had brought upon the family, saying that the people in the land could easily band together and destroy his entire family.

31 But Simeon and Levi replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

God told Jacob to go settle in Bethel and build an altar there, so Jacob told his people the plan and told them to get rid of their foreign gods, to purify themselves, and to change their clothes.

5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.

It’s amazing how God can protect His people. I definitely don’t understand his mercy and grace. Lot’s wife looked back and got turned to salt, but Dinah’s brothers killed all the men in a town. I’m just reminded that at the end of the day, we can’t lean on our own understanding.

Once in Bethel, God appeared to Jacob again to reaffirm his promises of Abraham and also to redeclare his name change to Israel.

As the family traveled on, Rachel died while giving birth to another son. With her last breath, she named him Ben-Oni meaning son of my trouble, but Jacob renamed him Benjamin meaning son of my right hand.

As a side note, Genesis 35:21 is the verse where the Bible starts referring to Jacob as Israel.

The next verse tells of Reuben, Leah’s first born, sleeping with his father’s wife, Bilhah, who was Rachel’s concubine that she gave to Jacob when she was barren. I guess this would have been his step-mother?

Jacob went home to Isaac, and at age one hundred and eighty, Isaac died.

God, I don’t understand your ways or your mercy, but I know You are good. Please have mercy on me where I have failed you and help me to follow you. Since we have been given these promises through faith in Christ, I come before you and ask also for your blessing upon my life and those reading this. Thank you.

 

Day 18: Genesis 30:25-33:20 “A Father-In-Law, Wrestling With God, and A Brother’s Reconciling”

After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob asked Laban if he and his family could return to his homeland. Laban insisted that they stay, saying that he had learned by divination that his blessings had come as a result of Jacob being there. Jacob felt that Laban’s attitude towards him was different. Also, the Lord told Jacob to go back to his relatives and that He would be with them.

This part is interesting because I have definitely seen this scenario in my own life. I think God sometimes prefaces a shift or move by decreasing the hospitality around us.

Jacob told Rachel and Leah that the Lord had instructed him to go back.

31:16 “Do whatever God has told you,” they said. At the end of the day, these women trusted their husband to hear from the Lord and lead their family.

Perhaps because of her own faith, Rachel stole her father’s household gods before she left. Since Laban had not approved of them leaving, Jacob took his family and left one day without his knowing. Laban found out about it 3 days later and pursued them, catching up with them a week later in Gilead.

24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

Laban confronted Jacob, asking why he had run off without even letting him kiss his daughters and grandchildren goodbye. He also asked why Jacob had stolen his gods.

31-32 Jacob answered, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. But if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live.”

Rachel had put the gods in her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them.

35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.” 

Jacob got angry with Laban’s accusations since he had no idea what Rachel had done, and Laban and Jacob made an agreement to keep peace between them. The next morning, Laban kissed his daughters and grandchildren and went home.

Jacob had been gone for 20 years, but he had originally left to escape Esau’s anger. As he approached his homeland, angels of God met him. Jacob sent messengers to Esau to assure peace, but they returned announcing that Esau and 400 men were coming to see them. In great fear and distress, Jacob divided everything and everyone into 2 groups so that at least 1 group could survive.

Jacob prayed to God, fearful, but remembering what the Lord had said about prospering him. The next day, he selected goats, ewes, rams, camels, cows, bulls, and donkeys to be sent ahead as gifts to Esau. Jacob instructed his servants to go in individual packs with distance between them. He hoped these gifts would make it possible for Esau to receive Jacob.

That night, Jacob sent his wives, children, and possessions across the stream, but he stayed back. A man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled the man.

26-28, 30 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” 

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

“Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, so he divided his children, putting his maidservants and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the back. Jacob went ahead and bowed to the ground as he approached Esau.

4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.

Esau wanted to accompany Jacob back home, but Jacob insisted that they go more slowly because of the children and young animals. Esau insisted that some of his men accompany Jacob, but Jacob insisted that he would come to him in Seir. Esau agreed and went to Seir, but Jacob went to Succoth where he bought some land for 100 pieces of silver and built a place for himself and his livestock.

Lord, I don’t understand your ways. Thank you for showing that your grace and mercy cover our failings. Your ways are bigger than our sin. If I am prone to judge Jacob for the way he treated his brother and wives, I’m sure I am prone to judge others as well. Forgive me and help me to love and accept all without finding fault or judgement. Help me to follow your ways.

 

Day 17: Genesis 28:10-30:24 “Competitive Women and Sex For Mandrake Plants”

Jacob left Beersheba. One night, he had a dream that there was a ladder extending from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending on it. In his dream, the Lord told him that He would bless him with the blessings of Abraham, give him the land where he was laying, and be with him through his journey. When Jacob woke up, he took the rock which he had been resting on and set it up as a pillar to the Lord. He also made a vow that if God would be with him and provide for him, the stone would become God’s house and the Lord would be his God.

One day, Jacob arrived at a well with flocks and shepherds. He asked them if Laban was alive and doing well, and they said he was. They also pointed out Laban’s daughter, Rachel, who was a shepherdess. Jacob went over to Rachel and his uncle’s sheep. He rolled the stone away from the well so the sheep could be watered.

11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.

He told Rachel who he was, she went to go tell her father, and Laban brought Jacob into his home.

14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

Jacob continued to work for Laban. A month later, Laban asked him what he would charge for his work.

18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”

20-21 Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. Then Jacob said, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her.”

Laban brought everyone together for a wedding feast, but when evening came, he gave Leah to Jacob instead. Jacob lay with her.

25 When morning came, there was Leah!

Jacob asked Laban why he deceived him, and Laban replied that it was custom to give away the oldest daughter first. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jacob had done to him something similar to what he did to his own father. I believe that as we plant, so shall we reap.

Laban told Jacob to finish the bridal week with Leah, and that if he worked another seven years,  he could have Rachel too. Jacob agreed to work, finished the week, and then took Rachel as his wife.

The Lord is compassionate.

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

Leah gave birth to 4 sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, and hoped that with each child, Jacob would become attached to her and love her.

Rachel became jealous of Leah, so told Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

30:2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

Rachel followed in Sarah’s questionable footsteps and gave Jacob her maidservant to be his wife and have a child for him. The first son was named Dan, and the second son was name Nephtali “since I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.”

It’s amazing how jealous and competitive women can get with each other over a man. If these heroes of faith were dealing with such things, I think we should be more accepting of the humanity that arises in similar situations. In todays world, we may not have multiple spouses at once, but this definitely arises when there have been multiple spouses or partners.

Leah saw that she had stopped having children so she gave her maidservant to Jacob to be his wife, and that woman gave birth to a son named Gad. Then the servant had another son, and he was named Asher.

14-16 During wheat harvest, Reuben went into the fields and brought Leah some mandrake plants. Rachel asked Leah for some, but she replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant. She named that son Issachar. Leah bore another son and named him Zebulun. Later, she gave birth to a daughter, Dinah.

Rachel finally had another son and named him Joseph.

I have often heard men wonder why “they could have multiple wives in the old testament, but can’t now.” Let this story serve as a reminder of the struggles and trials that can arise in these kinds of situations. God is big enough to bring peace and harmony to any complex family situation, but I think there is also something to be accepted and expected from these situations as well.

Lord, thank you for your faithfulness. If there is any jealousy or bitterness, let it be released right now. Please give joy and contentment and patience to all reading this. Let us know that You are good and sovereign. 

 

Day 16: Genesis 26:12-28:9 “Blessings, Deception, and A Mother-In-Law’s Grief”

12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.

Isaac had just decided to obey the Lord and not go to Egypt, even though there was a famine. Isaac was rewarded for his faith and probably ended up with more than if he had done the logical thing and gone to Egypt.

People can feel threatened and jealous when God blesses someone. The Philistines envied Isaac’s wealth and filled in all of the wells which his father’s servants had dug. Abimilech eventually asked Isaac to move away since he had become too powerful, and he did so.

Isaac moved to the Valley of Gerar and reopened all of the wells. His servants began to dig new wells there, but the people argued that the water belonged to them. Isaac moved on until he dug a well where no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

Blessing and prosperity can come with the destructive jealous person as well as the complainer. Isaac didn’t seem concerned about trying to make the haters happy, he simply moved on. Isaac knew that blessing was going to increase and he would need room for it. If the Lord has emptied out some area of your life or told you to move beyond your past or present, be encouraged. If we obey and provide the space, God can provide the increase.

24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

Meanwhile, Abimilech and his head officials came to visit Isaac.

“Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?”

They told Isaac that it was clear the Lord had blessed him, and they wanted to make a peace treaty with him.

“We did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”

Isaac made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other, and they left in peace.

The leaders of the land were right. Although the people of the land had behaved immaturely, the leaders had always acted with dignity and respect towards Isaac. How many people have walked away from church because of the immature mean actions of people? Perhaps some encouragement can come from this story. These actions were never a reflection of God.

Chapter 26 ends with Esau marrying two women- both daughters of Hittites- who were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Chapter 27 begins with Isaac asking Esau to go hunting so that he can prepare his favorite food. Isaac is old, blind, and seemingly about to die, so he asks for this meal before he gives Esau his blessing.

Rebekah had always liked Jacob better, but Esau’s new wives probably didn’t help the situation. Rebekah had overheard Isaac’s conversation, so she called Jacob and instructed him to get two choice goats from the flock so that she could prepare them just the way Isaac wanted.

10 “Take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.”

11-12 “But my brother is hairy. What if he touched me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse instead of a blessing.”

13 “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”

Rebekah prepared the food and had Jacob put on some of Esau’s clothes which she had in the house. She even covered his hands with goatskins.

Jacob went into deceive his father. Isaac knew it was the voice of Jacob, but his hands felt like Esau and his clothes smelled of him too. Isaac asked how he had returned so quickly, and Jacob said the Lord had given him success. He asked one final time if it was really Esau, and Jacob said yes. So Isaac gave him his blessing.

Esau and Isaac were both furious when they found out what had been done, but Isaac said it was too late.

Esau decided to kill Jacob after Isaac died. Rebekah heard of this and sent Jacob to live with her brother Laban until his anger subsided.

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, my life will not be worth living.”

Isaac called for Jacob and commanded him not to marry a Canaanite woman, but to go at once to get a wife from Laban’s daughters. He also blessed him with the blessings of Abraham.

When Esau heard about all of this, he realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; so he went to Ishmael and married his daughter.

Esau realized the importance of his wife selection at this point, but it’s not clear if he had always known the importance of who he married, or if he just finally decided to make it a factor in his choices.

I also don’t understand how Isaac’s blessing was still valid after he found out it had been made through Jacob’s deception, but I think it shows the incomprehensible power of our words.

Lord, thank you for blessing our obedience. Give us the faith to obey you as Isaac did. Please guide and direct us in all of our ways. Help us to move past trouble makers into the land of blessings.

 

Day 15: Genesis 25:1-26:11 “Medical Miracles, Conditional Blessing, and History Repeating Itself”

Abraham married another woman, Keturah, and had more children. He left his entire inheritance to Isaac, but gave gifts to his other sons while he was still alive. Abraham died at age 175, and Isaac and Ishmael buried him with Sarah in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre.

11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived new Beer Lahai Roi.

Ishmael had many children and died at age 137.

20-21 Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah. He prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.”

I love these verses because they show that God is able to provide medical miracles and even medical counsel.  He answered a prayer for infertility, and then He gave her wisdom about her babies in utero. God is the great physician and the same yesterday, today, and forever.

26-28 Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah gave birth to Esau and Jacob. Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

One day, Esau came in as Jacob was cooking some stew. He was very hungry and asked for some food. Jacob responded that he would give him some food, but only in exchange for Esau’s birthright, or inheritance. And so, Esau ate, and Jacob was given his older twin brother’s birthright.

Chapter 26 begins by telling of a famine.

2-6 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your seed all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees, and my laws. So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

“through your seed all nations on earth will be blessed…” As a random aside, there are many places in Genesis  that reference Abraham and his “offspring”, having a footnote that says this word also means “seed.” I’m not sure why Bible translators have put the word offspring instead of seed, because in Galatians, Paul teaches on the purpose of the Old Testament Law, saying that it was to act as a guardian until the seed, which is Christ, came into the world. Paul teaches that the promise was made to Abraham and his seed, singular, meaning Christ, so that through Christ we would have the promises. It is because of Paul’s clarification of the Old Testament that I think it is important to use the correct word, rather than “offspring” which translators have chosen here.

I think it’s also important to note that God’s blessing to Abraham was conditional. “because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees, and my laws.” Many times, we want to use the scriptural promises of God’s blessing without looking at the entire verse which outlines the requirement for that blessing. God’s Word is living and active, and I believe we can hold Him to it if we do our part as well. The Lord made a distinction here between laws, requirements, commands, and decrees. It’s a good reminder and conviction that sometimes I follow a law, but not a command. Sometimes I excuse my resistance to a “decree” because it’s specific to a situation, like Lot’s wife looking back, rather than something in writing that is concrete. This verse is a reminder that obedience is multi-faceted, but I am thankful that God desires to reward us “in every way” for that obedience.

Chapter 26 continues with Isaac following in his father’s footsteps.

7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

Again? Seriously? I wonder if this was one of those things Abraham did and never mentioned to Isaac since he wasn’t born yet. We are our parents’ children, for better or worse, but we do have the power to break natural tendencies through the power of the Holy Spirit.

History repeated itself a little less severely. The king saw them kissing one day and questioned Isaac, upset that he endangered them all by keeping them at risk of taking Rebekah for themselves.

10 “One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

Abimelech, the king, gave orders that anyone who touched Isaac or Rebekah in this way would be put to death.

Lord, thank you for answering prayer. Thank you for being exactly what we need, whether with a barren womb or in a famine. You provide in every situation. I know that my righteousness now comes from faith in Christ instead of the law, but I also know you still reward obedience. Help me to hear your voice and obey you. Strengthen us this day and please bless all those who are reading this word.

 

Day 14: Genesis 24:1-67 “Perhaps We Have Complicated The Process of Finding A Spouse”

Abraham was now old and the Lord had blessed him in every way. He made his servant swear that he would find his son a wife from among his own relatives and not from the Canaanites where he was living.

4, 8 “Go to my country and get a wife for my son Isaac. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine.”

Sounds simple. I wonder where we started complicating marriage requirements.

The servant took ten camels and all kinds of goods. When he came to Nahor, he went to the well where the women were out drawing water. He prayed for a specific sign to know which woman was right.

The servant went searching for a wife to a place where there would be many women gathering, and he prayed. Again, sounds simple.

15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder.

Rebekah was the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.

16-17 The girl was very beautiful and a virgin. The servant hurried to meet her.

After she gave the servant and his camels water in the exact way he had prayed for as a sign, he took out gold bracelets and a nose ring, asked who her parents were, and asked if they could stay the night there.

She said they had plenty of room for him and his camels. Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master.”

I imagine God delights in our immediate praise and thanksgiving.

The servant told Rebekah’s family the entire story before dinner. Her brother and father responded, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”

Rebekah’s family had to have had an intimate trusting relationship with the Lord to feel peace that this was the Lord’s will. I’m sure they didn’t want their daughter moving off, but they were more concerned with God’s ways than their own. Oh, that our trust in God would be so great that our primary requirement in life and marriage would be His leading.

Abraham’s servant bowed down to the Lord when hearing this. Then he brought out gold and silver jewelry and clothes to give to Rebekah. He also gave expensive gifts to her brother and mother.

The next morning, the servant got ready to go back, but Rebekah’s mother and brother asked for ten more days with her before she left.

56 He said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way.”

How often are we on a mission, find our answer, and then try to delay action because we don’t feel ready?

57-58 They said, “Let’s call the girl and ask her about it.” So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” 

“I will go,” she said. 

So they blessed her and sent her on her way.

It speaks volumes that Rebekah trusted God enough to leave her land and family to go marry a stranger.

Isaac was in the field as the camels approached. When Rebekah asked who he was, she took her veil and covered herself.

66-67 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Lord, Your ways may be different than the world’s, but they are best. Thank you for being a God who answers prayers and gives signs. Let me be a person who walks in faith, prayer, and obedience with my life. Thank you for the heritage of faith from Abraham and for making us co-heirs of his blessing through faith in Christ.