Day 4

As we begin the story of Joseph today, we read that Joseph is 17 years old, that he's a shepherd (along with his brothers), and that Jacob (Israel) loved Joseph more than all of his other sons. Then we read about the dreams that our Lord gave to Joseph. Through images of the sheaves in the field and the sun, moon, and eleven stars, these drea...

Yesterday, we were introduced to the hatred Joseph’s brothers had for him. Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:21-22 show us that murder comes from a heart of anger. So, we should not be surprised that Joseph’s brother’s hateful hearts led them to plan to kill Joseph. The brothers went to shepherd the flocks, but Joseph stayed behind with their father,...

As we continue in Genesis 37, we see two themes that describe life in a fallen world: the pain of loss and the hard-heartedness of sin. First, we read of the pain of loss as Reuben, the oldest brother who saved Joseph from death, returned to the pit to find Joseph was gone (Genesis 37:29). We also see the pain of loss in Jacob’s (Israel’s) mo...

So far, God has shown us, through the evil intent of Joseph’s brothers, how their hatred grew into actions of harm. No matter what we might think, God was actively working on Joseph’s behalf. Even with the dreams God gave Joseph, God was setting the stage to carry out His perfect plan. In the very last verse of this chapter, we get a clue of ...

In Genesis 38, we see the wickedness of sin on display in the life of Judah and his family. Genesis 38 begins as Judah leaves his family and marries a Canaanite woman. Throughout Genesis, God gave His warnings and we have read the results of His people marrying the Canaanites. Both Isaac and Jacob were directed to marry from within their own ...

Yesterday, we witnessed how sin resulted in the death of Judah's sons. Today, we'll see the blindness that sin brings. Judah had a third son and as was custom, Judah was to give Shelah, his son, to Tamar as a wife. Yet Judah feared losing another son to death and told Tamar to wait until Shelah grew up. But, as time passed and Shelah grew up,...

As we finish Genesis 38, it can be disheartening to see how pervasive sin is in the family of Judah. From the wickedness of sin to the blindness of sin, it is bad news all around. But, we find hope in Genesis 38:27-29, “When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwif...