Month: November 2019

Gen 38:1 At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. 
I’m a bit at a loss for today’s reflection. The focus of the chapter seems more on Tamar than Judah. Judah gets her as a wife for his oldest son Er. Er is judged wicked in the LORD’s sight and killed. Judah gives her to his second son, Onan, as is the custom of the time. Onan does not want to provide offspring for his brother, so he deliberately takes steps to avoid that, is judged wicked in the LORD’s sight, and killed.
Gen 38:6-7 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight.
Judah tells her to live as a widow in his house until his youngest son grows up. Tamar has little choice but to obey. But Judah is afraid the youngest will find the same fate as his brothers and never fulfills his promise to her. Tamar eventually takes matters into her own hands and becomes pregnant with twins by Judah. One of the twins, Perez, is a direct ancestor to Jesus.
Gen 38:10 What [Onan] did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. This chapter is hard for me in that no immediate revelations come after the reading except that You, in Your infinite wisdom, grace, and mercy, continue to make a way where there is no way. Help us to persevere through our trials in life, knowing that You have a plan for us, for our good and Your glory, and that You are sovereign and in control. Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I would not give her to my son Shelah.” …
Have a blessed day.

Gen 37:21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.
Genesis 37 is a rich chapter. Today, I want to take a look at Reuben, firstborn of Leah and Jacob, Reuben, who back in chapter 35 had relations “with his father’s concubine Bilhah.” On the one hand, he seems to have come a long way. He is not of one mind with his brothers about killing Joseph. In fact, from the beginning, he seems to be trying to figure out a way to keep Joseph alive and get him back to his father. On the other hand, he doesn’t call his brothers out on their evil behavior. Commentary says: “Reuben wanted to be merciful to Joseph, but he also wanted to please the other brothers who hated Joseph.”
Gen 37:22a “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.”
How often have I been or seen others in a similar position, wanting to stand up for someone but not wanting to draw the ire of the group. Perhaps Reuben rationalized his partial action by telling himself that if he just flatly spoke up, he’d lose the ability to influence the brothers at all. However, he isn’t around when his brothers sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, and while Joseph isn’t physically dead, he is just as gone, so Reuben’s half-hearted attempt to get him back to his father failed. Jesus, Help us.
Gen 37:22b Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder to stand up for others in need. Forgive me for the times I’ve acted like Reuben, trying to navigate doing the right thing without offending those causing the disruption. Help me to shine Your light, Lord, no matter what. Help me to comfort Your people and to bring You glory without thinking of the personal cost. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 37:29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.
Have a blessed day.

Gen 37:5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
I started this trip through Genesis because of a conversation with my pastor. The scripture is always the key component, but reading commentary along with each chapter has been a crucial piece for me as the commentary often gives me cultural history I did not know or understand. Sometimes the commentary points out insights I hadn’t thought of. Sometimes the commentary just doesn’t jive with my core beliefs about God’s love and mercy. Even that can be beneficial as it usually serves to strengthen my personal beliefs about my Savior.
Gen 37:9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers….
One of the observations I found particularly convicting in Gen 37 focused on Joseph and his dreams. “A focus on our life dreams can be dangerous, because we make the fulfillment of our dream the most important thing….We think of Jesus as a way to accomplish our dream; we make Him an actor in our life story.” I find this observation to be incredibly profound, and I am left wondering how many times and in how many ways have I inadvertently tried to make Jesus an actor in my story instead of trying to lovingly and prayerfully discern and fulfill my part in His? Jesus, help me!
Gen 37:19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the insights and revelations You have led me to as we journey together through Genesis. Every chapter, every page, every word brings me closer to You, and I am eternally thankful for this journey. Open my eyes and my heart as You show me Your truth, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 37:20 “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.”
Have a blessed day.

Gen 37:2 …Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers.
I am so thankful God is taking me on this journey through Genesis. Taking it chapter by chapter, along with reading commentary on each chapter, is allowing me to make connections I hadn’t seen when reading a chapter out of context. Today, among many other insights, He seems to be reminding me again to trust Him with my imperfections and the imperfections of those whom I love. He CAN—He WILL, He DOES—use those imperfections for our good and for His glory. He IS making a way, where there seems to be no way. He IS sovereign. Thank You, Jesus.
Gen 37:4 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.
Commentary on this section states: “God’s word to everyone is this: Your messed-up family—past, present, or future—does not mean God has forsaken you or that some cloud has come over you that will never pass. God works in and through difficult and messed-up families.” Pretty much everyone I know needs to be reminded of that hopeful truth: God’s got us. He sees us. He knows us and our situations. He IS making a way, where there seems to be no way. He IS sovereign. Thank You, Jesus.
Gen 37:5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that You can use ALL things—even difficult family dynamics—for our good and Your glory. You can make a way through the seemingly impenetrable barriers in our lives, and You are already working it out. Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace. Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 37:8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
Have a blessed day.

Gen 27:34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!
Genesis 36 is another genealogy chapter, this time full of Esau’s descendants. Going back to Genesis 27, commentary posits that one of the reasons Esau was so angry Jacob cheated him out of his birthright was because he wanted the material wealth that came with it. Genesis 36 shows that he definitely achieved the goal of material wealth and numerous descendants.
Gen 27:36 …Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”
But what is missing in chapter 36 is any mention of God, of spiritual or eternal things, of things beyond earthly value. Jacob may have been struggling to claim God as his own, but he often referred to Him as the God of his father and of Abraham. God was a presence in his life, even if he struggled to listen and obey. The glaring absence of God’s presence in Esau’s story makes me very sad for him.
Gen 27:38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the knowledge that spiritual blessings from You are much more important and lasting than any material gain this world has to offer. Help us, always, to seek Your will, Your presence, Your love, grace, and mercy in every aspect of our lives. Draw us closer to You. Amen.
Gen 36:43 …This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.
 Have a blessed day.

Gen 35:22b-23 Jacob had twelve sons: The sons of Leah….
Commentary contained this observation about Gen 35:22b: “This was actually a severely dysfunctional family. God will use this family, but not because they were such great spiritual men, but because He chose them by His grace alone.” I’ll admit, I wasn’t anticipating the level of dysfunction and disobedience I’ve encountered in Genesis. I’ve talked before about the child’s truth I’ve clung to about many of the faithful fathers of Genesis. But the level of fallible humanity I’ve seen in this book has been encouraging in that I see how He has called folks just like me: messy, fallible, human.
Gen 35:24 The sons of Rachel….
I’ve seen how they have disobeyed, mis-obeyed, taken wrong turns and gotten sidetracked, and I’ve seen how God, time and again has been loving and faithful to bring them back to His purpose, to use them in spite of themselves. And I have great hope and confidence that He can do the same with me and mine—all infinitely human and fallible, all deeply in love with our Savior. Thank You, Jesus.
Gen 35:25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reality that You can and will use us in Your service—not because we are perfect but because You are. Thank You for Your steadfast love and infinite grace. Thank You that You can, will, and do use all things for our good and Your glory. Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 35:26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah….
Have a blessed day.

Gen 33:14 “So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly…until I come to my lord in Seir.”
Jacob has made dubious choices for most of his life. He often acts in ways that are much more self-serving than godly. We see him once again deceiving his brother in Gen 33 when he promises to meet him in Seir and promptly heads in the opposite direction. His children see his behavior as well. And yet, God chose him to be the father of nations. Clearly, His ways are not our ways.
Gen 34:13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and Hamor.
In Gen 34, Simeon and Levi seem to have learned the merits of deception from their father. They intentionally incapacitate an entire city, kill the men, enslave the women and children, confiscate the property, and feel utterly justified in doing so. God’s calling, God’s presence, God’s influence seems wholly lacking in their actions and motivations. 
Gen 34:25 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.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the questions it raises. Thank You for the awareness that the moral behavior of the parents affects the moral decisions of the children. Help us to show our children by example how to live a moral life. Thank You for Your ability to use even someone as flawed as Jacob in mighty ways. That gives me hope that You can do the same with me. Help me to put my hope, faith, and trust in You. Amen.
Gen 34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land….”
Have a blessed day.

Gen 33:1 Jacob looked up and there was Esau….

It has been over 20 years since Jacob and Esau have been together. Gen 27:41 reads: Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, ‘The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.’ How many families are touched by this same dynamic of anger and hatred? How many family gatherings are filled with conflict and tension?

Gen 33:4a But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embrace him….

I wish we had some idea of what had occurred internally with Esau in the intervening years. The Esau that embraces Jacob in Gen 33 certainly seems to have grown and matured, moved on from anger and hatred. Commentary suggests that because Esau was granted material blessings from Isaac, he was happy, that he did not care about spiritual blessings Jacob received. I’m not sure his tremendous change in attitude could have come from anyone but God. And the complete turnaround gives us hope for families rife with conflict, no matter the reason. If God can turn around Esau’s murderous attitude, surely He can work in any family.

Gen 33:4b …he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.

Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this change in their family dynamic. As the holidays approach, so many are filled with apprehension about family gatherings and old wounds. Yet in this reunion between Jacob and Esau, You provide us with hope. Thank You. Guard us. Guide us. Draw us closer as we wait in joyful hope for You. Amen.

Gen 33:11 “Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all that I need.” And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it.

Have a blessed day.

Gen 32:7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well.
Jacob’s first reaction, when he knows his brother is coming to meet him, is fear. He knows that he has tricked and deceived his brother in the past and that Esau threatened to kill him the last time he saw him. The first thing he does, in fear, is act. He begins to divide his people and his flocks, hoping that Esau won’t decimate all that he has in his wrath. THEN he prays fervently. Then he goes back to his own action—this time choosing gifts of livestock to hopefully soften his brother’s anger.
Gen 32:9-10 Then Jacob prayed…. “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant.”
How like Jacob I can be. How often in my fear do I try to stand in my own strength, then pray, then go back to trying to do … SOMETHING about my own situation. God says He is my shield and my very great reward (Gen 15:1). As Jacob sees in this chapter, to drop all pretense of self-reliance and wait solely upon the LORD and His promises is so difficult. Just like Jacob, I feel the need to do, to act, not just to pray and trust. Jesus, Help me.
Gen 32:11 “Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that I still have work to do when it comes to letting go and trusting You. I know that You are my shield, my protection. I know that You are my reward, my treasure. Yet, just like Jacob, I often find my fervent prayers couched in my own fearful actions. Help me to pray and trust, Lord. Help me to break the chains of self-reliance. Help me not to be afraid. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 32:24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
Have a blessed day.