Category: Genesis

Blessings

Genesis 48-50

At the end of their lives the patriarchs bless their children.  The ancients believed words matter.  If you asked them, “What’s wrong with the world?”  or “Why is the world broken?” they would answer, “The curse.”  What’s wrong with the world is that God cursed it–using words.  So, how should we expect the world to find healing and redemption?  How does God plan to undo the consequences of our first parent’s rebellion?  He blesses.  First he calls Abraham and blesses him.  Abraham calls Isaac and blesses him.  Isaac calls Esau, but Jacob impersonates him to receive the blessing.  Even so, now Jacob has come to die and he wants to pass on the  blessing to his twelve sons who will become the twelve tribes of Israel.  Somehow or other, God is going to use this dysfunctional Abrahamic family to initiate his master plan of redemption that will one day culminate with making everything wrong with the world right.  Jacob is here playing his part in God’s agenda.

What’s interesting about how he blesses his children is that for several of them, the blessing sounds more like a curse.  For example, to Levi and Simeon he says, “Cursed be their anger…I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.”  Through Jacob’s words, God is prophesying about the future.  Indeed Levi was scattered throughout the tribes and Simeon was absorbed into Judah.  What’s so fascinating about the blessing is that Israel passes over his first born, Reuben, as well as his second and third born, Simeon and Levi, and he jumps to boy number four–Judah.  He compares Judah to a lion and then says, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet” (Genesis 49.10).  This prophesy is rather staggering as we look forward to the rest of the bible.  The great king David and his successors were from Judah.  Ultimately, Jesus, himself, descended from Judah.  So, how did Jacob know which of his children would hold the scepter?  The odds of guessing it right are only one in twelve–about 8%.  God was working with this man of faith to know what to say and whom to say it to.  Jacob might be old, but he is still walking with God, right up until his last breath.

After Jacob dies, we learn about how Joseph forgives his brothers rather than taking vengeance into his own hands.  Ultimately, Joseph himself arrives at death’s door.  We read in the New Testament hall of faith the following about Joseph:

Hebrews 11.22
By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

Out of everything that Joseph went through, his heroic perseverance and faith in God, this is what he is remembered for.  When he came near to death, that same Abrahamic promise that had burned in Israel’s heart, blazed in Joseph’s as well, even while he came to the end of his life.  He expressed his faith by this last request:

Genesis 50.24-25
24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”  25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”

Look at the faith of this man!  He’s suffered so much in the course of his life and yet he never gave up on God.  He had been elevated to the highest office in the land, next to Pharaoh, and he still retained his faith.  In the end, God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would not die.  One day he would return to the land of his childhood.  It would be centuries, but eventually, when the Israelites came out of Egypt, they carried Joseph’s sarcophagus with them through the desert and laid him to rest in the promised land.  Whether you experience hardship or prosperity, be like Jacob and Joseph and keep faith your in God’s promises to bring the kingdom.

-Sean Finnegan

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove – back when it was Grow16BibleReading – on August 8, 2016 – our first full month of daily devotions!)

Reflection Questions

  1. What can we learn from Jacob and his blessings for his offspring? What part of Jacob would you like to display in your life?
  2. What can we learn from Joseph and his relationship with his family, with Egypt and with God? What was important to him? What part of Joseph would you like to display in your life?
  3. Why is “the land” important? What have we seen happen throughout the book of Genesis in regards to the land?
  4. What have you learned from the book of Genesis about God and how He works? What characteristics does He have? What is important to Him? What is God’s agenda? How has He interacted with His people? What has been a genesis/beginning in your relationship with God? What blessings are awaiting God’s children?
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The Big Reveal

Genesis 45-47

Next to the greatest story ever told, the story of Joseph is by far my favorite Bible story. There are so many valuable lessons one can learn from reading it. Some lessons that stand out to me are the sovereignty of God, the importance of trusting God even in the midst of tragedy and suffering, and the beauty and power of forgiveness. 

I have often asked myself if I would have had Joseph’s attitude in the midst of a seemingly unending chain of absolutely horrific events. In spite of the terrible hand that he continued to be dealt, we don’t see him being consumed by anger, self-pity or a quest for vengeance. There’s something very powerful about Joseph’s unwavering faith in God that inspires me. He seems to possess a quiet assurance that everything is ultimately going to be okay. 

In this 45th chapter of Genesis, we see Joseph revealing his true identity to his brothers. We know he had risen to a very prominent position of power as second in command of Egypt. The stage could have been set for him to get the “perfect revenge” against his brothers. We read in verse 5 right after Joseph reveals his identity to his brother: “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.” I find it especially poignant that not only does Joseph not want to exact revenge in this situation, he actually chooses to comfort his brothers in this moment rather than “giving them what for.” We know from earlier scriptures that Joseph was clearly hurt by their previous actions, but he wants to spare them the hurt of being angry with themselves or beating themselves up because of their actions. He points them to an understanding of God’s sovereignty and that they were players in God’s plan. 

How differently that 45th chapter of Genesis could have played out if Joseph had been bent on vengeance. Instead, we see the true beauty and power of forgiveness and a reminder that God is in control even in the midst of our darkest hours. 

If we choose to be consumed with anger or self-pity, we miss the important lessons God is trying to teach us. We read in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Perhaps the answer in those dark times is to focus on loving God even more deeply and purposely than ever before.

-Kristy Cisneros

Questions for Reflection and Discussion


1) When you encounter hardships and tragedies, does your attitude reflect one of unwavering faith in God? If not, how can you further nurture and strengthen that faith so that it is at the ready when life’s storms come your way?

2) What action can help us love God more deeply and purposely than ever before?

3) What other lessons can you learn from the story of Joseph?

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on February 6, 2020)

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Who Hurts?

Genesis 42-44

Joseph, from the Old Testament, was a very godly man.  He endured many hardships, but held onto his faith. But along the way, he picked up some bitterness and resentment toward his brothers.  When he had the chance, he tormented them, exacting some measure of revenge.  At that time there was such severe famine that Joseph’s brothers were forced to go back to Joseph a second time and buy grain.  This time, Joseph started by being kind to his brothers, and then he veered off, continuing to emotionally torment them.

In Genesis 44, everything finally came to a head.  Joseph deceived his brothers further, and made it appear that he was going to force the youngest brother, Benjamin, to stay there with Joseph in Egypt.  This plan may have seemed like another fine way to punish his brothers, but there was a huge problem.  His brother Judah approached Joseph, and said, “If you keep the boy Benjamin here, our elderly father will die from sorrow.”  Perhaps Joseph hadn’t considered the pain he was about to cause his own father–or the pain he had already caused him.  At this point, Joseph just about had an emotional breakdown (in tomorrow’s reading in Genesis 45).  All along Joseph had been trying to hurt his brothers, but he was the one who was hurt the most.  The pain he wished for them turned out to be the pain he felt.

At some point in your life, you may have someone really hurt you.  Maybe you already have.  And maybe at some point you will have a chance to hurt them back.  Maybe even hurt them back really bad.  Consider this: it will come with a huge cost to you.  You may want to hurt them back, but it will cost you something very real and something very big.  It would be better for everyone involved if you can somehow forgive them, and not pay them back in the way they deserve.

-Jason Turner

(Originally posted Oct 26, 2018 for SeekGrowLove)

Reflection Questions

  1. When have you seen “Hurt People Hurt People” in action? When have you seen someone rise above their hurts to forgive and show compassion?
  2. What emotions do you think Joseph is feeling in today’s reading? Are there any that ought to win? Are there any that you want to see him overcome? What does it take to overcome an emotion?
  3. Who has hurt you in the past? Are you still hanging onto pieces of bitterness and resentment? Can you see any evidence in your life that this bitterness is hurting you? Who else could be feeling the effects? What would it take to let it go?
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A Prosperous Slave and a Successful Prisoner

Genesis 38-41

In the beginning of Genesis 39, Joseph has just been sold to a new master named Potiphar.  During the course of the chapter, Joseph is falsely accused and thrown into prison.  The chapter ends as Joseph goes from being a slave to being a prisoner.  Sounds pretty bad, right?  Strangely enough, the chapter starts out by saying of Joseph the slave, “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.”  The chapter ends by saying of Joseph the prisoner, “The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.”  So God was with Joseph and gave him success and prosperity even as a slave and a prisoner.  Sounds very strange to me.  It would seem to me that success would be not being a slave and not being a prisoner.  But Joseph understood some things that many of us never understand.

We can learn a lot of good things from Joseph.  Whatever happened in his life, he kept on trying to live for God.  He continued to have a good attitude and he continued to work hard.  He didn’t pout, become discouraged, depressed or cry out, “Why me?”

How about you?  When you go through tough times, do you continue to seek God and discover His will?  Do you try to keep a positive attitude?  Would you keep working hard if you were in Joseph’s shoes?  We will soon see how God’s plan unfolded in Joseph’s life.  Feel free to read ahead in the Bible on this story of Joseph.  It is way more interesting than a TV show.

-Jason Turner

(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on October 23, 2018)

Reflection Questions

  1. How about you?  When you go through tough times, do you continue to seek God and discover His will?  Do you try to keep a positive attitude?  Would you keep working hard if you were in Joseph’s shoes?
  2. What do you think about the phrase, “God was with Joseph”? What might that look like to others? What might that feel like to Joseph? What does it cause Joseph to do?
  3. Do you feel like you can say the same thing about “God was with (your name)” during your hardest trial thus far? Can you say it today? What might that look like to others? How does it make you feel? What does it make you do?
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When Struck by Jealousy

Genesis 34-37

Today we are going to start on the beginning of the story of Joseph and I am pretty pumped for Joseph. He is a really awesome character of the Bible. There are a ton of lessons that you can learn from his life.

Have you ever caught yourself being jealous of another person? It may not even be their whole life but just like parts of. I know I totally have areas where I’m jealous. My personal areas are intelligence, athletic abilities, leadership style, their writing ability or musical talent.  Here is the thing I like about me. I do. I think God made me great and I think through God’s grace and patience he is continually making me better in the characteristics that he will use to build his kingdom. You are great too and God made you with the strengths that you have for a reason; to build his kingdom and glorify him. Yet, 99% of us still have issues with jealousy and the other 1% have pride problems. Hahaha.

Let’s get started on Joseph though. The first mention we have of Joseph is Genesis 37 and it starts out with his dreams. You definitely should go read this chapter. It will help out tremendously with understanding this devotion. Joseph was the one of the last born of Jacob’s children and because of that Jacob loved him more than his other sons. To demonstrate his love for his son, Jacob gave him a robe of many colors. His brothers noticed that their father loved Joseph and hated him because of it.

When Joseph was older he had a dream that said that his brothers will bow down to him. Remember, Joseph was the younger brother. After a half second of contemplation you would totally understand why Joseph’s older brothers would not be blessed by this dream. This made them hate him even more. Then another night he had a dream that his whole family including his mother and father would bow down before him. In verse 11 it says “And his brothers were jealous of him…”.

I can empathize with his brothers at this point. I have totally been jealous of some people that I have seen being used by God. I don’t think this is the worst thing in the world. I just want to be able to glorify God like they are and that is not a terrible thing to want. What Joseph’s brothers choose to do next is definitely not good.

Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery when he was out in the field one day and then lied to their father and said that he had been killed by a wild animal.

Now, why do you think that his brothers did that? I am going to make a huge leap and say they were probably jealous. I know I am way out there on this one.

They were jealous of him for something small back in the beginning of the chapter and now their jealousy grew and grew and grew until they were selling their brother into slavery. They let it build and simmer under the surface until they did something crazy and harsh. I will go out on a limb here and say that if you were to tell the brothers that they would sell their brother into slavery at the beginning of the chapter they would have called you a liar.

Have you ever noticed that if you are jealous of someone, you have a hard time being friends with them? Maybe there is a little extra hostility in your voice that you didn’t intend or you secretly wish they would make a mistake or some sort of small harm would derail them.

I don’t think that what happened to Joseph’s brothers was all of a sudden. They had been jealous of Joseph for a while and because they didn’t resolve this jealousy, they did something that they would come to regret. Love leaves no room for jealousy. It is impossible to love God, love people and be jealous of them. These feelings of envy and jealousy when unkept turn into anger. That is why it is impossible to love someone and be jealous of them.

So how do we keep jealousy from building into anger like what happened to Joseph’s brothers? None of us want unkept jealousy that will ruin our joy and make us do things that we don’t want to do. I am not the authority on this but I can tell what has worked for me. I have found it to be really hard to compliment people I was jealous of. So, I went ahead and complimented them and bragged about them and became a supporter of them. I would tell other people how great I thought they were and it did something weird in my heart. I was no longer jealous of them but I was happy for them and rooting for them.

Another thing that you will need to do is find your strengths, the good things about how God made you, and talk yourself up. Remind yourself that you are made in the image of the maker of heaven and earth and all good things dwells inside of you. If you need help finding your strengths ask a friend what they are and then ask God to help you find your value and worth in Him.

I do all of these things on a semi-regular basis. Let’s keep an eye on that jealousy and remind ourselves of who we are in God, so that we can stay joyful and love others.

Daniel Wall

(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on Jan 24, 2020)

Reflection Questions

  1. When has jealousy stolen your joy and love for others? How did you treat the object of your jealousy?
  2. Who would you like to work on complimenting and becoming a supporter of?
  3. What are your God-given strengths? How can you work at remembering them and growing them?
  4. What would you suggest to a friend or child who has been struck with jealousy?
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What’s in a Name?

Genesis 31-33

“What’s in a Name?” This famous quote from Romeo and Juliet implies that a name is simply and solely a name, that the true value lies in the person who bears the name – and, in the case of Shakespeare’s tragic play, that the person should be loved for who they are rather than hated merely for their family line. While I agree that the person who bears the name is more important than the name itself, I would also argue that names are very powerful and personal, as one thing that a person deeply owns forever. Referring to someone by name can have a profound effect on them. When we go to a restaurant, my husband makes a point to always speak to our servers by name as a way to connect with and respect them as a person rather than simply a service provider. 

What does your name mean? Mine (Rachel) means “ewe,” which seems appropriate since the biblical Rachel was a shepherdess. Rachel was the second – but favorite – wife of Jacob, who was known to be a trickster. While there is some discrepancy about the true meaning of his name, Jacob is commonly accepted to mean “supplanter,” and when you read his life story, you will see him live up to his name many times over. In today’s reading, we observed Jacob and Rachel duping her father (who had also deceived them! It must be a family trait on both sides!). Jacob gathered his family for the journey back to his homeland to reconcile with his brother Esau, from whom Jacob had swindled the birthright blessing many years before. Then Jacob found himself alone during the night, thrust into a wrestling match with God (or man or angel, as some translations indicate). Jacob persevered through a fierce fight, but before he would let his mysterious competitor raise the white flag, Jacob demanded to be blessed. 

The Wrestler’s response: “What is your name?” 

Full stop. Don’t you think this being knew Jacob’s name? Of course. But remember, Jacob had assumed a false identity when he masqueraded as Esau to hoodwink his father into giving him Esau’s birthright, and Jacob had continued in his shifty ways. Maybe Jacob needed to be reminded of who he was so he wouldn’t continue to swim aimlessly in the pool of his own deception. Perhaps the Wrestler wanted Jacob to ponder his delusive choices (which, frankly, had caused a concatenation of unfortunate events) and be a willing participant in God’s bigger, better plan despite his sketchy past – a fresh start as a new man changed by God’s grace. 

Jacob answered honestly with his given name and then was granted a new name with a new  meaning: “Your name will no longer be Jacob. Your name will now be Israel, because you have wrestled with God and with people, and you have won” (Gen 32:28). The Wrestler chose to keep his own name a secret, but he did leave Jacob/Israel with the requested blessing – and a bum hip, probably so he would be sure to never forget the experience. 

The meaning of the name “Israel” is disputed; some possibilities are, “he wrestles with God,” “a man seeing God,” “God perseveres.” Whatever the meaning, Israel indicates a closeness with God and a promise for a new nation. In recent chapters, we also read about Abram and Sarai receiving name changes to Abraham and Sarah to symbolize their new relationship and covenant with God. 

God is in the business of changing lives AND names! Did you know that we, too, will be given new names in the Kingdom? Passages in Isaiah (62:2, 65:15) and Revelation (2:17, 3:12) indicate that our names will be changed when we receive our inheritance of eternal life! How awesome will it be to bear names especially chosen for us by our Creator as we live with Him forever! 

-Rachel Cain

Reflections:

When you committed to join God’s mission, your name was written in the Lamb’s book of life. Enjoy this song about God changing us and writing our names on the Kingdom roster! (or click here if you want to see some of our own youth perform the same song in ASL at Ohio’s camp!)

Think of who you used to be, and how God has changed you – and continues to change you – into who He wants you to be. What areas of your life do you need to give over to him to allow that to happen? How can you use your story to encourage others? 

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Purpose in the Waiting

Genesis 27-30

Today, I’d like to zero in on just one verse: Genesis 30:22, “Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.”

Let’s break this down.

Then God – When I read these two words together, I think that other events had to take place first, before God took action on Rachel’s behalf. The ten sons born to Leah and the two maidservants had to be before Joseph and later Benjamin were born to Rachel. There was a purpose to the waiting. If Joseph had been born before his brothers, he would have had more clout in the family and probably wouldn’t have been sold off as a slave by his brothers and ended up working in the house of Pharaoh.

Remembered Rachel – According to my Bible notes, “remember” doesn’t imply that God forgot. It implies that God expresses concern and He acts with loving care; He shows favor.

He listened to her – Apparently, Rachel never stopped asking God for a son. She believed that it was possible for God to grant her this request, even though many years had gone by.

So what does this mean to us?

  1. God’s timing is perfect. More than likely something needs to take place before our heart’s desire becomes a reality. Maybe it’s a sequence of events or maybe it’s a change in attitude. Whatever it is, we have to trust that God knows what He’s doing.
  2. God hasn’t forgotten about you. “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
  3. Have Big Faith and keep talking to God. Keep seeking after Him. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

Many Blessings,

-Bethany Ligon

(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove August 1, 2016)

Reflection Questions

  1. Looking back on your life can you think of a time when you discovered purpose in the waiting?
  2. When have you experienced God’s perfect timing?
  3. In what area are you working on having Big Faith?
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Love Your Kids – Obey God

Genesis 24-26

Abraham was a man of incredible faith.  God made astounding promises to Abraham, and Abraham believed God – and this was credited to him as righteousness.  Abraham lived a long and faithful life of service to God, then, as recorded in Genesis 25, Abraham died.

We’re picking up the story in Genesis 26 – after Abraham was dead and gone.  Genesis 26 starts by telling about a famine in the land that was so bad that Isaac (Abraham’s heir) had to move to have enough food to eat.

Then we find this amazing encounter in Genesis 26:2-6, “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 offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.’ So Isaac stayed in Gerar.”

God promised:

  • To give Isaac and his descendants all these lands
  • To confirm the oath God has sworn to Abraham
  • To make Isaac’s descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky
  • To bless all nations on earth through Isaac’s offspring (Jesus)

And did you notice why God extended all of these promises to Isaac?  “Why” is recorded in verse 5: “because Abraham obeyed me and did everything (emphasis added) I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.”

Did you catch that?  Isaac was promised that he would receive incredible blessings because his dad had obeyed God and had done everything God required.  

A couple of years later, in Genesis 26:24, we read, “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 and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

Again, God extended blessings to Isaac because of Abraham’s faithfulness.

And oh yeah, most of that obedience to God was before Isaac was even born.

We’ve heard about the blessings for ourselves if we follow God – especially eternal life in the Kingdom of God.  We don’t often think of the blessings for our descendants because of our faithfulness to God. 

When I was young, my dad would have us memorize scripture.  One of those verses he had us memorize was Psalm 37:25 which says, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”

I think the point my dad was trying to make was that we needed to be righteous, and God would never forsake us.  But I remember thinking something like this at the time: “I’m glad my dad is righteous, because in spite of my not necessarily being righteous, I will be blessed because of my dad’s righteousness.”

Now that I’m old, I recognize that the decisions I made, and the example I demonstrated had an impact (for good or for bad) on my kids.  As a result, they have picked up both some of my good traits and some of my bad traits.  I wish now that I had demonstrated more good examples and fewer bad examples – not only for my own benefit, but also for the benefit of my children.

Now let’s talk about you.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a teen, a parent, a grandparent, young, or old.  The most important thing you can do with your life is to obey God, and do everything He requires.  This will guarantee you eternal life in God’s coming kingdom, and may also give you many blessings in this life (not necessarily including health and wealth).  But in addition to your blessings, you may also pass along an inheritance of faithfulness to God to your kids – even those unborn.  And then they too can have incredible blessings.  

So, if you love your kids, obey God.

-Steve Mattison

Reflection Questions

  1. What are all the benefits/blessings you see to obeying God? Which have you already enjoyed? Which are you still looking forward to?
  2. How are you doing in the faithfulness department? Will God be able to tell your descendants that you obeyed Him, did everything He required, and followed His laws?
  3. What did God reveal about Himself to you today?

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove January 16, 2023)

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Family Isn’t Everything

Genesis 20-23

I have never seen a beautiful piece of wall art with the words “Family Isn’t Everything”.  I’ve never seen it on a Mother’s Day mug or bookmark, t-shirt, keyring or tombstone.  Rather, we are all very familiar with the motto “Family IS Everything”.  Whether it’s from the Walmart aisles, Etsy and Pinterest sites or President Biden’s farewell address, we’ve seen it, we’ve heard it, we’ve lived it.  It’s a societal norm or expectation.  Those who can’t say Family Is Everything might have really really bad families or really screwed up priorities.  OR – they just might be listening to and obeying God and working hard at keeping God and God alone first place in their life.  I have a feeling we wouldn’t find Abraham wearing the “Family is Everything” t-shirt.  And God blessed him for it. 

No doubt Abraham loved and cherished the family that God gave to him.  Can you imagine waiting 100 years for the child you could keep?  Today’s reading also describes his heartache over losing/sending away his firstborn son Ishmael.  Being a parent is hard.  Being a godly parent is also not easy.  But I am reminded, perhaps as Abraham was, of the purpose God had in giving Abraham a child which was recorded in yesterday’s reading.  In Genesis 18:19 God said, “For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”  In teaching Isaac to keep the way of the Lord, Abraham needed to live it out himself – not by doing what the world says is right (“family first”), but listening to and following through with what God says, even when we don’t understand why. 

And Abraham did.  When God said “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” – Abraham did – “and he rose early in the morning” and got moving. (Genesis 22:2,3 ESV).  I admire not only his actions but his speed and timing in listening and obeying.  He got going and followed through.  He also had a three day journey in which he could have changed his mind, turned around and decided family is everything.  But he didn’t.  He continued onward to the exact place that God told him to go.  At the start he knew he was heading toward the region of Moriah and God would tell him which mountain to go to.  I read online that some say the mountain God sent Abraham to was Golgatha, in case you are looking for more foreshadowing and similarities between what God was asking Abraham to do and what He Himself (the loving, righteous and just God) would do for us with His only son whom He loved.  Thankfully God did not let His perfect love for His perfect Son keep Him from offering Jesus up to save the guilty condemned, you and I.  God’s t-shirt would not say “Family is Everything” but maybe more along the lines of, “I gave everything for my adopted family”. 

But, one more point about this mountain that God sent Abraham to…for it was there that God had a great surprise hiding – a ram caught in the thicket by his horns.  And it was there that God provided for Abraham and Isaac in a very big way. If you haven’t read Genesis 22 yet today, please do. I am guessing God didn’t place a ram stuck on every mountain nearby just in case Abraham decided to end up at a different mountain than the one God told him to go to.  Similarly, if we are looking for God to provide – let’s show up on the mountain He tells us to go to. 

-Marcia Railton

Reflection Questions

  1. What does it look like when we live by “Family is Everything” and put family before God? What does it look like when we love the family God gave us dearly and set an example for them of being righteous before God and putting God first?
  2. Is there anything you have tried to withhold from God? What does it mean to you that God did not withhold His Son?
  3. Have you ever been upset God didn’t provide as you wanted Him to – and then realized you were in the wrong place to receive what He had all prepared and ready to give? Does it count to do most of what God says if you aren’t prepared to do all of what God says?
  4. What do you think of Abraham? How do you think he earned the title “Friend of God”? Would you like to be known as a friend of God – could you honestly wear the “Friend of God” t-shirt? What specifically can you do today, this week, month and year to grow more and more like a true friend of God?
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He Sees and He Can

Genesis 16-19

Husbands – don’t always listen to your wife – she doesn’t always know.  Younger sisters – don’t always listen to your big sister – she doesn’t always know.  What trouble we can get into when we follow the advice and direction of those who are trying to solve matters on their own without patiently relying on God’s perfect way and timing.  Our reading today of Genesis 16-19 both opens and closes with women deciding how to take matters into their own hands (or into their maidservant’s hands) when they felt there were no other options available to get what they wanted – a child to carry on the family line and receive the family inheritance.  Perhaps Sarai figured God needed her help to fulfill the promise God made that Abram would have a son.  Maybe she thought she was wiser and knew the best way to get to the desired end result on her timetable.  I don’t even want to guess about Lot’s daughters. 

At the same time, I realize I am sometimes quick to judge and point fingers, when I sometimes don’t know the whole story and I am not chosen by God to be the judge and jury.  For example, Lot’s willingness to offer up his virgin daughters to the lewd and dangerous mob at the door has always bothered me greatly.  And maybe it should.  And yet…in his second letter Peter writes that God, “rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard)” (2 Peter 2:7.8).  Peter is giving Lot a bit (or a lot) more credit than I would have.  And then I just read a study note in my ESV Archaeology Study Bible that “Lot may have been attempting to bring down the law on the heads of the culprits” (p39) as in many cultures of that day the punishment was death for a man caught lying with a betrothed virgin.  I certainly hadn’t considered that possibility before. 

Perhaps sometimes I am not as smart as I thought I was.  Perhaps sometimes I work a little too hard to find a bad guy in the story?  And yet, I DO need to try to be discerning.  I do need to read God’s word to know more and more about who God is and who He wants me to be.  So, what are some take aways that can help me know God and who He wants me to be? 

Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed as an example of what happens to the ungodly.  (Peter says that, too, in 2 Peter 2).  Don’t be Ungodly.  There is a right way and a wrong way to live and there are consequences for both which God will bring about in His time and His way. 

Humble Hospitality is Huge.   Old man Abram is running to get dinner prepared with the finest ingredients for the visitors and then stands while they eat (your guests might think that part is weird – you can sit).  Lot won’t take no for an answer and brings the visitors to his home to spend the night and is prepared to protect them with all he’s got.  How can you practice some humble hospitality? 

Our God is a God who sees.  Hagar is right.  God not only sees her and hears her but He speaks to her, He encourages her and He shows mercy and care for her AND for her unborn child.  I do find it interesting it is not recorded that He tells Sarai what she did wrong (like I did) but there are several verses here devoted to making sure we know that God saw, heard, encouraged, directed and cared for Hagar and her child.  Maybe the lesson for myself is don’t be so busy finding the wrong that you don’t do the right.   Who does God want me to see so I can encourage, care for and point them in the right direction?

God’s promise to Abram which we talked about yesterday continues to grow – now it is added that from Abram will come nations and kings, and even better, God will be their God and also Sarah (notice the little name change) will be blessed and from her will come her very own son and nations and kings. There is also that part about circumcision and Abraham walking faithfully, and being blameless and chosen to command his children and household to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice. These are tied to God’s promises to His people. What does God want you to do to show that you are His?

Perhaps MOST importantly in these chapters and in our lives is the realization and understanding that there is NOTHING too hard for the Lord!  In this case they are talking about 90 year old Sarah having a child with 100 year old Abraham.  It seems impossible, because normally it is, but our God is not a human, He is not normal.  He specializes in the impossible!  Your needs are not too big for Him.  Your case is also not too insignificant for Him.  He is the God who sees and the God who has never and will never run into a project too hard for Him. 

– Marcia Railton

Reflection Questions

  1. When have you felt seen by God? When did He show that nothing is too hard for Him? What problems are created when we don’t believe God sees or God can?
  2. What does God want you to do to show that you are His? What does He promise to do for you?
  3. Who does God want me to see so I can encourage, care for and point them in the right direction?
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