Gen 27:4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.”
I often find myself seeking God’s will for my life by using the words of Acts 9:6 … “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” … But this family already knew God’s will. In Gen 25:23, the LORD told Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” Yet even with His word on the situation, they schemed.
Gen 27:6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau….”
Isaac schemed to bestow his blessing on his favorite not God’s chosen. Rebekah schemed to be sure her favorite received the blessing (even though God had already said it would be his). Esau schemed to gain his father’s blessing, especially in material goods, knowing that he had sold his birthright for a bowl of stew (Gen 25:34). Jacob schemed to not get caught deceiving his father so as not to call down curses on himself instead of blessings. In the end, despite all the scheming and dysfunction, the LORD’s will was achieved.
Gen 27:11-12 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, … “I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this example of how not to act as a family and of how You can act even through dysfunctional families. Thank You that even in the midst of scheming and dysfunction, You can still accomplish Your will. Help me never to get so caught up in what I want, what I think should happen, that I disregard You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 27:13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say….”
Have a blessed day.
More faithful still tomorrow…. (devo reflection)
Gen 26:5 …because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.
Genesis 26 fills me with great hope. God found Abraham, who didn’t always obey fully or immediately, who didn’t always tell the truth, who didn’t always put God first, to be faithful because God grew him as a man of faith. He took that human, fallible being and gave him time, love, and opportunity to obey. Abraham was never perfect, but he came to a place of trust and obedience that allowed him to proceed confidently toward the sacrifice of his chosen son, knowing that God was calling him to it and would be faithful to His promises, even if Abraham couldn’t fathom how it would happen. The story of how God grows Abraham into a man of faith is a beautiful illustration of Psalm 103:12 He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west.
Gen 26:7 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.” ….
Isaac’s behavior in this chapter illustrates Matt 26:41: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Isaac makes many of the exact same mistakes as his father. But God is patient. He remembers the strength of Abraham’s eventual faith and trust. He sets out to build the same faith in Isaac one experience at a time.
Gen 26:15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You know exactly how human and fallible we are. Thank You that You ask for and look for progress in our faithfulness, not for perfection. Help me to be more faithful today than yesterday and more faithful still tomorrow. Help me to quit battling with my deeply fallible humanity and focus instead on my progress in faith. Draw me closer to You. Amen.
Gen 26:24 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; I will bless you….”
Have a blessed day.
Strength of purpose…. (devo reflection)
Gen 25:23 The LORD said to her “…the older will serve the younger.”
This morning finds me still in Genesis 25, learning from Esau and Jacob. God told Rebekah before they were even born that the older would serve the younger, but it still is rather a shock to see how carelessly Esau gives away what is by birth his right all for a simple bowl of stew that will only satisfy his hunger for a little while. But how like Esau I can be.
Gen 25:26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob.
I am struggling with lack of good, renewing sleep. Though probably technically not exhaustion, I certainly feel exhausted. There is a part of me that craves just a little more sleep this morning, but I know it comes at too high a cost—my prayer and devotional time. Still, I have to stay vigilant that my mind stays focused during my time with my Savior this morning.
Gen 25:32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this understanding of the importance of our time together each morning. Give me strength of purpose and focus, even if I am struggling with lack of sleep. My spiritual inheritance, my relationship with You, is more important than sleep. Help me to fix my eyes only on You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
Have a blessed day.
Drawing closer…. (devo reflection)
Gen 25:19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac….
Genesis 25 has a lot going on—Abraham’s remarriage, additional children, death, and burial; Ishmael’s descendants; Isaac and Rebekah’s infertility, pregnancy, and birth of twins, and Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew. It’s a lot, but I want to focus for a moment on Isaac and Rebekah.
Gen 25:20 …Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah….
Isaac, 40 years old when he married Rebekah, was 60 (according to commentary) when he finally became a father. Verse 21 is all that we have of those 20 intervening years. “Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife became pregnant.” Twenty years of prayer. Twenty years of feeling the ache of a promise unfulfilled. Twenty years of faithfully drawing closer to God while waiting for His will and His way. May we all be as faithful.
Gen 25:21a Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife because she was childless….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this example of faithful waiting. No matter what trials I am facing in life, no matter how much waiting and prayer are required, help me to draw closer to You through the journey, help me to realize that drawing closer to You IS the journey. Help me to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Rom 12:12) Amen.
Gen 25:21b …The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.
Have a blessed day.
Earnestly seeking…. (devo reflection)
Gen 24:12 Then he prayed, “LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.”
I am trying to be mindful as I read through Genesis not to just get caught up in the Biblical history. It is rich and fascinating, and I think God definitely has a purpose in my reading it, but I truly sense He also wants to reveal truths about His character, about His faithfulness, about His sovereignty, not just generic “Biblical truths,” but specific, “Beth I want you to understand and hold on to this as you walk this path” truths about who He is and what He promises.
Gen 24:15 Before he even finished praying….
I have gleaned, repeatedly, His reassurance that He is with me, that He doesn’t expect perfection, that He can use me in spite of all my flaws if I’ll let Him. I have understood in a new way that He loves me deeply, loves the children He’s entrusted to me, expects and intends to be an active presence in their lives as well as my life and my marriage. I have come to trust anew that He hears me when I call, responds before I even finish praying, that even if I cannot yet perceive it, He is making a way.
Gen 24:50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this enlightening journey through Genesis. Thank You for revealing more of who You are as I earnestly seek to know You better. Thank You for hearing me when I pray and for answering before I even finish. Thank You for Your overwhelming love, grace, and mercy. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 46:7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Have a blessed day.
Believing through faith…. (devo reflection)
Gen 23:1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old.
This morning finds me reading both Genesis 23 and Hebrews 11. Genesis 23 talks about the death and burial of Sarah while Hebrews 11 talks about the many faithful, including Sarah, who went to their deaths not having seen the fulfillment of God’s promises but believing through faith that He would fulfill them. Sarah only had the one child, Isaac. When she died, he had no children. Yet she trusted God would fulfill His promises, and “And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars….” (Heb 11:12).
Gen 23:2a She died at Kiriath Arba…in the land of Canaan….
As I ponder what message He wants me to see today, I am left with hope in His promises, even when we can’t see how He might accomplish them, even if we don’t live to see them accomplished. He has promised a way in the wilderness. He has promised beauty from ashes. He has promised to be our shield and our very great reward. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. And He is faithful.
Gen 23:2b …and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the hope that can only come from You. Thank You for Your faithfulness and for the fact that we can trust You and Your promises, even when we are afraid, even when we don’t understand, even when we can’t fathom a way out of our wilderness. You are making a way, even if we can’t yet perceive it. Thank You for hope, grace, and mercy. Amen.
Gen 23:19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre…in the land of Canaan.
Have a blessed day.
God Himself will provide…. (devo reflection)
Gen 22:2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there….”
Genesis 22 has always been troubling to me, and while it still is, I am able to see it through slightly different eyes this morning. God has been building Abraham into a man of great faith. It has been at times a slow and painful process, but step by step, Abraham has become more faithful until we reach this chapter and Abraham doesn’t even balk at God’s direction because he knows that somehow God will make a way.
Gen 22:3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey….
The example Abraham seems to be providing me here is to trust that God will provide. Even when He seems to ask the impossible, trust Him. Even when what’s occurring has the power to rip out your heart, trust God—His love for you, His love for those you love, His sovereign plan, His eternal promise. Even when the way is dark and frightening and you feel utterly helpless, trust God. He will provide.
Gen 22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for new eyes to see Abraham’s response to Your call. Thank You for Your fierce love and for making a way where there seems to be no way. Thank You that I can place my loved ones in Your hands, knowing You will provide a way and that I don’t have to see or understand Your ways in advance for You to work. I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9:24). Amen.
Gen 22:8 Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide….”
Have a blessed day.
One faltering step at a time…. (devo reflection)
Gen 21:22 At the time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.” (NIV)
Commentary on this verse says: “Abimelech noticed this [that God is with Abraham] because of Abraham’s integrity and because of the blessing evident in his life. Abraham had the greatest of all blessings: the presence of God in his life.” Given all I’ve seen of Abraham’s actions in Genesis, this comment really got me thinking.
Gen 21:22 About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. “God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,” Abimelech said. (NLT)
I’ve been with Abraham throughout this journey. I’ve witnessed the disobedience and half-truths that were precursors to this Abraham full of integrity. I know that Abraham didn’t spring, fully formed, as this righteous, obedient man. I witnessed his path to obedience. I saw that his relationship with God was forged one difficult—often faltering—step at a time.
Gen 21:33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. (NIV)
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for my stumbling, fallible, faltering walk that draws me closer to You. Thank You for Your presence in trials and heartache, for Your promise to be our shield and our very great reward, for growing us in Your love through everything we encounter. Thank You for using the trials in my life to bring me closer to You. Thank You for my trust in Your sovereignty, built one faltering step at a time. Amen.
Gen 21:33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the LORD, the Eternal God. (NLT)
Have a blessed day.
His presence and promise…. (devo reflection)
Gen 21:16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.” As she sat there, she began to sob.
My precious Savior has led me to these verses today as a reminder of His presence and promise: “I am your shield and your very great reward” (Gen 15:1). He brought me to this passage as a reminder that as a mother, I can pray and do my best, but I have to turn my children over to God. My resources are limited. My powers are human, weak, fallible. His are sovereign, infinite and eternal. And He loves my children more than I can even fathom. (And given the depth of love I have for my children, that is truly mind-blowing).
Gen 21:17a God heard the boy crying….
I pray every day that my boys will lean into God, will trust Him. I pray that when it feels like the world as they know it is falling apart, that they will feel the peace and security of His arms and know that He is holding them safely in the palm of His hand. I pray that they know they will be ok, no matter what, because they are His and He’s got them securely, eternally. I pray that they will develop their friendship, their relationship with Him so that they KNOW, deep in their hearts, that they can trust Him. Always.
Gen 21:17b …and the angel of God called to Hagar… “Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the comfort only You can bring. Thank You for the strength of our relationship and for the reminder that You hear us when we cry out in the wilderness. Thank You for making a way where there is no way, and for the promises of Your word. You are my shield and my very great reward, Lord. I trust You. Always. Amen.
Gen 21:20 And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness….
Have a blessed day.
Standing firmly on His promises…. (devo reflection)
Gen 20:9 Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom?…”
When I think of the Father Abraham I was taught about in my youth, Gen 15:6 is what comes solidly to mind, when God had him look up at the stars and told him that his offspring would be that numerous. “Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”
Gen 20:11 Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’”
So it is easy for me to sit in judgement of this Abraham that I keep seeing, the one who keeps lying about Sarah being his sister, the one who keeps justifying his actions. But I don’t think that’s why God is bringing me to these passages. He told Abraham not to be afraid because He is Abraham’s shield and his very great reward (Gen 15:1), and yet time and again Abraham lies and takes matters into his own hands. Why? Is he afraid God won’t keep His promise? Is he worried God didn’t mean what He said? Is he anxious about God’s timing? Jesus, Help me.
Gen 20:12 “Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture, as painful as it is for me to realize I often act just as faithless as Abraham in these passages. Thank You for Your fierce love, even in the face of my fears and justifications. You promise to be my shield and my very great reward (Gen 15:1). You promise to never leave me nor forsake me (Heb 13:5). Help me to stand firmly on those promises without fear, worry, or anxiety, regardless of Your timing or the obstacles I face. I know I can trust You, Lord. Wrap me in Your peace. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 20:13 “And when God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ‘ “
Have a blessed day.