Genesis 43-44

Joseph sets up a series of tests for his brothers. Have they changed? Will they sell Benjamin to Egyptians (just as they did with him)? The story if intriguing! Somehow this dark story is leading somewhere...

Read it here.

Genesis 41-42

Joseph goes from prison to the throne. He's not bitter and doesn't seek revenge. He sees God's hand in it all. Few of us would have that kind of faith. It takes very little injustice or disadvantage to make us bitter and spiteful - even toward God! There's a lot to be learned from God's man, Joseph!

Read it here.

Knowing God - Audible for FREE

If you want to listen to this classic book by J I Packer you can download it for free this month...here. It will be a great tool to grow in your worship.

Genesis 39-40

It must have been obvious that Joseph was a cut above the rest. No matter where he lands, he becomes a favored one. Most of the time that works in a person's favor. Sometimes it makes life more difficult! But whether rewarded or not, Joseph continues to be faithful. God is teaching him a level of humility that will match his giftedness.

Read it here.

Genesis 37-38

Joseph! His incredible story will take up the rest of the book of Genesis. It starts out bad (hated, betrayed, beaten and sold by his own brothers) and gets worse from there.

Would God allow one of His future "heros of the faith" to be treated like this? Yep. God has a cool story to weave through the often-difficult days of Joseph. And God won't disappoint.

The parenthetic ch. 38 (Judah and Tamar) will be one more reminder that God had His work cut out for Him with this clan!

Read it here.

Genesis 35-36

Before Jacob took his family back to Bethel (the "house of God") he ordered them all to "get rid of the foreign gods that are among you" (35:2). Huh?!? Why were they collecting foreign gods? As if the one, true God hadn't made it clear that He was the one and only!!!

But that got me thinking. Maybe this is an appropriate way to enter into God's presence. Maybe we should see if we've picked up any "foreign gods" - allegiances to things that pull us away from worshipping the one, true God.

Let's get rid of our foreign gods and make our way to the house of God!

Read it here.

Genesis 33-34

Rape, revenge, trickery, war ... I guess the Bible doesn't pull any punches. It tells it like it is. Again, GOD is the faithful One and He will get His Story on track despite the shenanigans His people pull along the way.

Read it here.

Genesis 31-32

Mahanaim ... "two camps" (Genesis 32:2). Jacob was given eyes to see that we all live in "two camps." We have the human camp with all of its characters and drama. But there is another sphere that we live in - another camp that is usually veiled to us - the angelic realm. Camp #2 is every bit as real and consequential. We should be praying things like, "God, protect me by your servant-angels" (Hebrews 1:14), and, "God, deliver me from the evil one" (Matthew 6:13).

Read it here.

Genesis 29-30

When you choose a path of deception, often you get stung by deception. So it is with Jacob. Once again you'll want to ask, "Why would God bless such a mess?" I promise you - God's plan is not thwarted because of the sinful ineptness of man. Aren't you thankful for that?

Read about it here.

Genesis 27-28

Here we find the story of Jacob stealing the blessing from Esau. Everybody blows it in this story! How could God bless people like this??

It is another reminder that God is going to accomplish His plan and will often choose to use less-than-perfect people (to put it mildly) along the way. It is only shocking until I remember that He chooses to use me!

BTW ... don't miss the story at the end of ch. 28 and then read John 1:51. The "stairway" Jacob saw connecting heaven and earth has a Name!

Read about it here.

Genesis 25-26

Even the chosen family of God encounters difficulty, conflict and trial. It is all part of the Master Plan. Some of the trouble is brought on by the people's foolish choices. Some of the trials are thrust upon them. Some of them are intentionally designed by God to test and sanctify them. Sound familiar?

Read about it here.

Genesis 23-24

Have you ever had one of those God-moments - where you just KNOW that God stepped in and did something amazing for you? Ch. 24 is one of those! A faithful man prays, waits expectantly, and God steps in.

Read about it here.

Genesis 21-22

God is the uber Promise-Keeper. The first verse we encounter today is: "The Lord came to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised." When you read ch. 22 you will encounter one of the most poignant and memorable stories in the OT. And it is a big arrow pointing to Jesus. Ponder this one awhile today. "The Lord will provide!"

Read it here.

Genesis 19-20

Apparently there were not even 10 God-fearing people in any of the cities in the entire plain (Remember 18:32?). But even in the midst of wrath, God protects and delivers His own. Did Lot deserve it? Did he earn God's salvation? This is a story of God's immense compassion - not a story of heroic faith.

Keep remembering this as you read the stories in the Bible:

• God = faithful
• People = sinners

Good thing God is Who He is!

Read about it here.

Genesis 17-18

God to Abram: "Live in My presence and be blameless" (17:1). Wow, I could meditate on that nugget for a long time! But it wasn't to begin and end with Abram ... "For I have chosen [Abram] so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just" (18:19).

We are called by God and then we are to bring others (our families for starters) along with us.

How are you doing with that?

Read it here.

Genesis 15-16

Genesis 15 has God reaffirming His covenant with Abram. Some sweet verses! And it contains a very important verse... "Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness" (15:6). This is followed by an intriguing scene ... and through it God is telling Abram that GOD ALONE can be trusted to fulfill the promises. God is not waiting for Abram to do his part - nope, GOD is the covenant-keeper (even when we fail).

BTW ... Abram falters in ch. 16 - but God keeps His promise ... HE always does!

Read about it here.

Genesis 13-14

Lot puts himself first and ends up in captivity. Abram puts others first and is blessed by the priest of God Most High. Hmm.

Don't miss the mysterious appearance of Melchizedek. He'll be referenced in Psalm 110 and then in Hebrews chs. 5-7. God keeps the tapestry of His Story going in some pretty cool and unpredictable ways!

Read it here.

Genesis 11-12

Another example of the Big Story of God being developed in the opening chapters of Genesis: The Tower of Babel/Babylon (ch. 11). God cursed mankind's proud, Godless, self-reliance by confusing their languages and scattering them. Much later, when the Good News of Jesus gets delivered in Acts 2, what does God do? He unites people from every ethnicity to miraculously hear the Gospel in their own language.

And in ch. 12 we have the beginning of the nation of God, Israel. Abram is called out of ignorance and from a distant land to follow God. And he becomes the father of all who follow God by faith (Rom 4; Gal 3, etc.). Ab is imperfect to be sure (as you'll see) - but he trusts God and GOD is faithful!

A great story in about to unfold!

Read it here.

Genesis 9-10

The story today starts out so well. Promises are made. Blessings are given. And then...wham!...Noah totally blows it. What a reminder. Even the most righteous man on earth (at that time) had sin pulsing through his veins. He needed a Savior. So do I.

Read about it here.

Genesis 7-8

Take note of every time Noah is called righteous or the times it says that he did everything God told him to do. Wouldn't that be a great reputation?

There's a beautiful picture of God's future salvation in Jesus tucked into this passage. God provides the only means of deliverance from the coming storm and then shuts Noah safely into the ark (7:17). God delivers His faithful one to the shores of a "new earth." There, safe-and-sound, God is worshiped and promises eternal blessing. Sound familiar?

God drops bread-crumb leading to Jesus throughout His whole Story. Cool stuff!

Read it here.

Genesis 5-6

We'll bump up against some genealogies every now and then (ch. 5). Not exactly nail-biters. But they are part of the Story. God is going to make good on His promise to bring the Messiah (hinted at back in 3:15). These contain the names of the actual people He will use to get His job done.

And then read and re-read (6:5-7). Ever think that our culture today is wicked? It seems that times weren't so great back in Noah's day. God is sure patient! We're still here!

Read it here.

Genesis 3-4

Wow...it doesn't take long before things go south. God is good. The first two chapters explode with His generosity. God made Paradise and handed the keys to Adam. Just one simple restriction. He was kept from one tree among an earth-full. Adam ignores the billboards of God's generosity and only sees God's infinitely small restriction. And the results are disastrous...catastrophic...global...eternal! But read to the end ... there's always hope (4:26)!

Read it here.

Genesis 1-2

"In the beginning God" - what a fitting way for God to begin His story to mankind! This is not a book about you or me ... it is a book about God. And the cool thing is - He welcomes us into His story! So keep your focus on Him and ask, "What is this passage telling me about Him?"

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and He called the darkness “night.” Evening came and then morning: the first day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above the expanse. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” Evening came and then morning: the second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land “earth,” and He called the gathering of the water “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” And it was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 Evening came and then morning: the third day.

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for festivals and for days and years. 15 They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights —the greater light to have dominion over the day and the lesser light to have dominion over the night —as well as the stars. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth, 18 to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 Evening came and then morning: the fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the water swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the large sea-creatures and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water, according to their kinds. He also created every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 So God blessed them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 Evening came and then morning: the fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 So God made the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and creatures that crawl on the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

27 So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.

28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” 29 God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This food will be for you, 30 for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth —everything having the breath of life in it. I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day. So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from His work of creation.

These are the records of the heavens and the earth, concerning their creation at the time that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. No shrub of the field had yet grown on the land, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground. But water would come out of the ground and water the entire surface of the land. Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He placed the man He had formed. The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

A river went out from Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became the source of four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon, which flows through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. Gold from that land is pure; bdellium and onyx are also there. The name of the second river is Gihon, which flows through the entire land of •Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris, which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.” So the Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found as his complement. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.

And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called “woman,” for she was taken from man. This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame. [Genesis 1:1-2:25]

Welcome

Starting on January 2, 2012 I will post a few thoughts for the passage of the day. We will begin by reading two chapters each day (M-F) in Genesis and by the end of two years we will have read through the entire OT.

Use your Bible, your own e-version of the Bible or follow the link each day to the Bible reading of the day.

Ask God to make 2012 a year that we all grow in our knowledge of Him and change as a result.

Jeff