Finally, at the age of 30, Joseph makes it out of prison! It is very possible that it was at least 12 years from the time he was sold into slavery to the time he was finally set free! We go through trials in life, and we think we can't make it more than a couple of months; Joseph made it for 12 years! Unbelievable! God has humorous timing ... [Continue Reading]
How much is your brother worth? (Genesis 35-37)
It doesn't seem at all surprising to me that Jacob expressed favoritism to his children in a similar manner that he received favoritism from his mother. What is sad to me is how much Jacob's favoritism played into the ill feelings that Joseph's brothers felt toward him. Though Jacob had his family rid themselves of foreign gods, it doesn't ... [Continue Reading]
The struggle for power (Genesis 38-40)
In each chapter there is a struggle for power. In 38, Onan does not want to fulfill his duties as Tamar's brother-in-law and provide her with offspring. Judah fails to fulfill his obligations, so Tamar resorts to tricking him into a sexual encounter where he is unaware of the identity of the woman with whom he sleeps! When he finds out of ... [Continue Reading]
Forgiveness (Genesis 32-34)
As Jacob begins his journey back to his home country it is not surprising that he is afraid of the inevitable meeting with his brother. Always the schemer, Jacob decides on a plan to win his brother’s forgiveness. The question is: would the gifts Jacob procures really be enough to earn the forgiveness of his brother? After all, Jacob stole Esau’s ... [Continue Reading]
Traveling back to Indy
Well, I just finished my Pastor's Retreat, and it was incredibly refreshing! I'm in Columbus, OH right now getting ready to meet a college friend for lunch. I stopped in Granville, my hometown, hoping to say "hello" to some pastors at my old church, but everyone was out of the office... maybe next time. Anyway, I just posted the blog ... [Continue Reading]
More reasons to choose monogamy (Genesis 30-31)
I can’t help but feel sorry for the women who get caught up in the sad situation that Laban has created and that Jacob has sustained. The constant desire to get pregnant and to please their husband leads the two sisters to go so far as offering their servants to Jacob to bear children in their place (a déjà vu to Abraham and Sarah). What a tragedy! ... [Continue Reading]
Macho Man (Genesis 27-29)
If the song “Macho Man” had been written in the days of Genesis, I’m pretty certain that Jacob would not have been playing it on his iPod. In fact, it seems like Jacob took the woosy way out every time he got a chance. He stole his brother’s blessing, and then he fled out of fear. When he met Rachel for the first time, he broke down in tears ... [Continue Reading]
Favoritism and stupidity (Genesis 25-26)
I think one of the most despicable acts that parents can commit is to play favorites with their children. In one of the first families we see favoritism by the parents (Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob), and the result was one brother pitted against the other. In a moment of physical weakness, Esau traded what was very precious to him (his birthright) for a ... [Continue Reading]
Arranged marriage (Genesis 22-24)
It would be most natural for me to comment on the Abraham/Isaac situation that comes about in this portion of reading, so I'd like to instead look at one partial sentence 24:67, "she became his wife and he loved her." I think our culture defines love a lot differently than Isaac defined love. In our culture love is built on attraction, and in ... [Continue Reading]
Out of town
For the next few days I will be on a Pastor's Retreat until this Friday, so I will probably not have Internet access. I will keep up with my reading and post my thoughts when I return. Have a great week! ... [Continue Reading]
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