Category: Genesis

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 30 before reading the devotional below.

Fertility is a key theme in today’s chapter, both in the pregnancy journeys of Jacob’s wives and in the expansion of his wealth (via sheep). Children and flocks meant power and status in those days, and there’s a reason that many religions have forms of fertility gods. We see here that God is still actively involved in fertility, but again he intervenes for the women’s sake. He’s not trying to make Jacob wealthier — he is answering the prayers of women.

It is important to notice that comparison rarely leads to anything productive. Leah and Rachel are involved in their baby wars, and that leads Rachel to pull the same stunt Sarah tried with Abraham — giving him a servant to sleep with. Jacob apparently didn’t learn from any stories passed down that he should avoid this, so on it goes. It’s amazing how generational issues get passed along so easily within families.

Here’s your freedom for today:

You can release control and trust God to bless you.

Freedom is found in letting go of the things that this world says are important. Money, fame, status, and power all lead to comparisons and competition. We focus on others instead of on God. In today’s chapter, God was ready to bless Rachel. He noticed her and was ready to intervene. She didn’t have to take matters into her own hands and give her husband another woman. Competition and status drove her to repeat that mistake. What are you holding tightly today that might lead you down a path you’ll regret? What would trusting God look like in that situation?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 29 before reading the devotional below.

Love is a funny thing. It makes us do all kinds of things, and in today’s chapter Jacob is willing to work for seven years to marry Rachel. The trouble with a pre-electric society is that you can’t see who you’re sleeping with in the dark, so on Jacob’s wedding night Leah (the oldest daughter) comes in instead. Jacob has to work another seven years for Rachel, who apparently was quite worth it.

God is only mentioned in the story once. He sees the competition between Leah and Rachel and decides to get involved. Verse 31 says, “When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.” Leah has three sons: Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. These names are important in Israel’s history, and you’ll see these names later when you read about the 12 tribes of Israel. Levi becomes the tribe designated for the priesthood. God’s intervention in today’s chapter means that Leah is the mother of the entire line of Jewish priests.

Here’s your freedom for today:

If you are brought low by the world, God will elevate you.

Perhaps you’ve felt like Leah: less than, unloved, and unwanted. God notices you. He sees. He’s not going to forget about you, and he certainly doesn’t agree with any concept of you being unlovable. God loves you, and he’s more than able to tip the scales in your direction. Maybe it doesn’t seem like that right now, just like Leah may not have felt any more loved after she had her three sons. But she was given favor, and an important place in history. God’s looking for people who the world rejects to build his kingdom. Being unpopular is sometimes a spiritual blessing in disguise.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 28 before reading the devotional below.

Jacob is on his way to visit Abraham’s family and find a wife. Esau stays local but marries within the family by choosing a bride from Ishmael’s family. Again, we see a mixture of cultures as Jacob and Esau avoid marrying Canaanite women but continue to have multiple wives and concubines. It’s hard to live among a pagan people and not start looking like them.

As Jacob travels, he has his first direct encounter with God. He’s sleeping and sees a heavenly vision of angels going up and down a staircase from heaven to earth. God repeats the promise that he first gave to Abraham, and he promises to protect Jacob. This encounter gives Jacob the opportunity to choose to follow God for himself rather than just believing Abraham’s word for it.

Here’s your freedom for today:

An encounter with God will change your life.

Sometimes we treat Christianity as just another religion. People arrive at their belief systems in a variety of ways, some following familiar traditions and others seeking enlightenment of some sort. Ultimately, the God of the Bible becomes your God when he shows up in your life. He showed up to the world as Jesus and he shows up in moments like this one when we have a direct vision from him. He shows up when we worship him together and he shows up in nature. God is all around us seeking these encounters. Are you asking to meet him?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 27 before reading the devotional below.

Parts of today’s story may not make sense to a modern reader, but I think we can all relate to family dysfunction and secret scheming. You might wonder why a blessing is so important, or why Isaac couldn’t just give both of his sons blessings. We need to realize that these blessings are deeply spiritual, like a prophetic message directly from God. Isaac is speaking what is spiritually true in that moment, and as a result Jacob is able to sneak his way in and position himself to be in the right place at the right time.

It’s an interesting dynamic between Isaac and Rebekah — she clearly has a favorite son and she’s willing to lie to her husband to get Jacob the blessing. She lies to Isaac again in the last verse of this chapter, giving an excuse for why she is sending Jacob out of town for a while. This may be God’s chosen family, but they aren’t always the best example of how to behave.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God’s blessings fall on us even when we sin.

Sometimes we believe that our sin keeps us from getting God’s blessings. But that’s a fundamental misunderstanding of who God is, and that logic also suggests that we earn the blessings we get. God’s blessings are his to give, and even when we sin as Jacob did God still blesses us. When we are free from sin, we do walk an easier road and certainly less harm will come to us. However, you do not have the power to end all of God’s blessings in your life.

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 26 before reading the devotional below.

Well, like father like son… In today’s chapter, Isaac tries to pull the “She’s my sister” stunt that Abraham tried twice. At this point, I’m getting mad about it. Just as we know from the second time Abraham used this half-truth (and in Isaac’s case full-blown lie), the motive was self-preservation. Isaac doesn’t want to get killed, so he puts Rebekah at risk of getting sexually exploited. I am genuinely so angry about this situation, and while God does not share his feelings in this passage he’s generally on the side of the oppressed. Fortunately, Rebekah is not harmed and Isaac makes peace with the neighbors.

God is directly connected to Isaac and talks to him just as he did with Abraham. God reminds Isaac of his promise to give him many descendants. Isaac digs some wells and stakes his claim to the land God has promised. Other nations can see God’s power in Isaac’s life, and they want to stay on his good side. These treaties won’t last forever, but for now the Philistines fear the Lord.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God’s favor opens many doors.

As we read the history in the book of Genesis, we see clearly that God decides where his favor is going to rest. He protects Noah, walks with Abraham, and guides Isaac. He gives them victory and particularly in this time when nations are rising up, God’s evident power is feared by others. God opens and closes doors in our lives, and we have seasons of great prosperity along with seasons of challenge and hardship. Through it all, God is involved and leading. In times of struggle, it can be hard to see God’s goodness. In times of victory, it can be easy to give ourselves a pat on the back and ignore God’s role. Do you believe God has favor for you today?