Category: Genesis

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 50 before reading the devotional below.

We’ve come to the end of the first book in the Bible, so we have seen God’s early involvement in the world. We’ve read about creation, sin entering the world, the flood that was a reset button, God’s promise to Abraham, and the start of Israel’s history. There’s much more to come throughout the entire Old Testament, with a period of about 400 years of silence before Jesus comes to earth in Matthew. Yesterday we saw a piece of the thread that shows how Jesus is the real point of the entire story.

Jacob dies after some time in Egypt, and Joseph and all his brothers take all their families back to their homeland to bury their father. If only they had stayed there, perhaps the Israelites would not have become enslaved for hundreds of years! In fact, Joseph himself can see after some time that their families will eventually need to leave Egypt and return to the land God promised to Abraham. Joseph stays faithful to God until the very end, never turning on his brothers or forgetting that God was the one who was directing his life.

Here’s your freedom for today:

What you cultivate in your mind is what will grow.

I’ve had a few relationships with elderly people during my life, and I have observed that age brings with it a decline in verbal inhibition. They say what they think, sometimes without the filter that had served them well earlier in life. I’ve heard some who speak bitterly or angrily, and I’ve heard others who seem to never stop talking about the blessings they’ve seen from God. Once you are old, it’s too late to decide who you want to be and what you want to be known for talking about. What you have invested in and thought about throughout your life will come out of your mouth when you are old. Joseph was repeating the same thing he’d said his whole life: God brought me to Egypt and had a good plan. He had thought it so many times before it was the only thing that would ever come out of his mouth. What are you cultivating in your thoughts today? If you lose some of your filters, what might come out of your mouth someday?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 49 before reading the devotional below.

We are nearing the end of the book of Genesis, and if you’ve been reading along with us the whole time, great job! You’ve almost finished a pretty long book of the Bible! (If you missed any days in this series, you can always search by category on the right margin of the Daily Devotionals page to catch up.)

As Jacob is dying, he gives his final 12 blessings as he prophetically speaks about the future of each of his sons and their descendants. It’s not great news for Reuben, Simeon, and Levi whose lives were colored by bad choices and evil hearts. Rough to have your father’s last words speak a curse of judgment because of your sin. Joseph’s blessings is what you’d expect Jacob to say, and the other boys each get a small but positive blessing that reflects something about them. But Judah stands out even above Joseph as he gets the most eternally significant blessing of all.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God plans way in advance.

Judah lived about 1,500-2,000 years before Jesus came to live on earth, but his blessing is the first direct prophecy about a coming ruler or Messiah. Verse 8 is fascinating because Jacob predicts that the whole family and in fact all nations will bow to one of Judah’s descendants. Wasn’t that Joseph’s dream? As it turns out, Joseph’s dream was an earthly fulfillment, but this blessing for Judah will be fulfilled for all eternity. The book of Matthew traces the direct path from Judah to Jesus, opening the New Testament with a clear understanding that Jesus was the promised ruler to whom all nations would bow. God carefully sculpted his plans long before anyone could fully understand them. He’s still doing that today and your life is part of a much bigger story than you can imagine.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 48 before reading the devotional below.

Jacob has another blessing moment in today’s chapter as he interacts with Joseph’s two sons. Recall that Jacob was a twin, and when he was born he was hanging on to his brother’s heel. That was surely a sign of things to come, as Jacob always seemed jealous of the rights of the firstborn son. It makes sense — that’s an especially unfair rule if you are a twin and were born mere seconds after the firstborn. Jacob weaseled his brother into giving him the birthright, tricked their father into giving him the better blessing, and wrestled God to demand a divine blessing of eternal proportions.

Perhaps because of this history, when Jacob blesses Joseph’s two sons, he crosses his arms so that his right hand is on the head of the younger boy and his left hand is on the head of the older boy. Joseph tries to correct him (because the right hand would symbolize greater power and privilege), but Jacob says it’s no mistake. The good news is that both of the boys get a great blessing, and Jacob prophesies that their names will become synonymous with prosperity. Ultimately, Joseph is the recipient of a double blessing because when the land is divided his sons will each get a portion, giving him twice as much of an inheritance as his brothers.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Satan is not strong enough to block God’s favor.

Joseph was favored from birth because his father loved Rachel. Ultimately, this favor was from God. Jealousy, betrayal, accusation, prison, abandonment, and famine could not stop the favor in Joseph’s life. When Jacob received and later gave blessings, they were spiritual experiences because they were communicating the favor of God. These were not just well wishes, these were declarations of God’s plans. Joseph’s life is a great reminder that Satan may try to harm you, but he cannot block God’s favor on your life. God’s doing what he’s doing with you, and if you stay faithful to God’s ways then his favor will come to pass.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 47 before reading the devotional below.

We’ve seen Jacob receive and handout quite a lot of blessings in Genesis, and he’s not done yet. In today’s chapter he gives a blessing to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. We don’t hear the details, but it reminds me of the spiritual significance of Jacob’s blessings. Meanwhile, Pharaoh lavishes gifts on Joseph’s family and lets them have all the land they want. The family gets settled in very nicely and enjoys the luxuries of Egypt.

This chapter makes it seem at first like Joseph is taking advantage of the Egyptians when the famine gets so severe that he buys their livestock, their land, and eventually the people. He seems to be enslaving an entire country. But in the end, he creates a government-sponsored program that gives free seed to the people. When they harvest the crops, they keep 80% and give Pharaoh 20%. It’s an early form of taxes and government subsidies, and it helps the people return to a state of well-being.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Using your power to bless others will bring freedom.

We all have different amounts of influence, whether it is in our families or our jobs or our circle of friends. Even when we are interacting with the cashier at the grocery store, we have influence. Joseph was getting filthy rich in the middle of a famine that was destroying everyone else. If he had taken his eyes off of God’s plan, he would have very likely been corrupted by wealth and power. He could have turned into a cruel and unforgiving master. Instead, he uses his power to help people find a way out of poverty. They have a new level of freedom and so does Joseph. The people are able to prosper and Joseph is free from sinful traps that could have easily overtaken him. How are you using your influence and power? What is one way you could bless someone today?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 46 before reading the devotional below.

Recall that God gave Jacob a new name not long ago: Israel. Certainly we are all familiar with that name as the country of Israel is in existence today. In this chapter foundational history is described, with all of Israel’s sons later becoming the twelve tribes. Later on in the Bible the Promised Land is divided into space for twelve tribes, with Joseph’s two sons each getting a portion and the tribe of Levi being designated as priests without their own land.

Jacob and Joseph finally get to reunite, and Jacob’s dreams are fulfilled. He now feels he can die in peace. He’ll have a bit more to say before he dies, but now he and his family will settle in Egypt. The end of this chapter is fascinating and foreboding as Jacob tells Joseph to talk to Pharaoh about how the family raises livestock. He wants to gain a large amount of land suitable for animals, but he says that “Egyptians hate shepherds.” (Spoiler alert: after a few generations the Israelites will be enslaved by the Egyptians. Maybe don’t lead with ways they could hate you.)

Here’s your freedom for today:

What happens today sets up your tomorrow.

In both good and bad ways, what you do today will shape what happens in your future. God was at work in saving Jacob’s family from dying in a famine, but that move to Egypt sets the stage for 400 years of slavery. Ultimately, that may have served God’s greater plan of keeping his people alive. But I wonder what would have happened if Joseph asked to be released from his position and rejoin his family, taking food stores with them and coming back for more if needed. Had Joseph gotten too comfortable in a lavish lifestyle after living in poverty so many years? He didn’t think twice about having his family move to Egypt rather than going back to be in his homeland again. I’m not sure there’s a right or wrong answer here, but it does show that our decisions shape our future. Make your choices carefully and prayerfully.