Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
Throughout our study of Genesis, we have seen the devastating impact of sin. Sin makes a mess of things. Right after Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the garden, their son Cain murdered his younger brother Abel. You can review that story in the Genesis 4 devo. When the two brothers brought offerings to God, he accepted Abel’s offering but “had no regard” for Cain’s. Cain responded in anger.
Today, we will reflect on Psalm 22. David composed it for the “choirmaster,” who would perform it to the melody of “The Doe of the Dawn,” a popular tune of the time. David was experiencing a difficult period when he wrote this song. He faced persecution from his enemies and felt as if God had forsaken him. David conveys his personal anguish, but his words also transcend his own struggles to describe the suffering of Jesus. This psalm is recognized as typological-prophetic and connects us back to Genesis 3:15.
God spoke the world into existence! Genesis repeatedly reminds us of the power of God, the great Creator. The eternal God stepped into time and breathed life into man. God’s crowning creation lives with meaning, purpose, and dignity. In Israel’s book of worship and prayer, King David marvels at how the Creator God notices and interacts with humanity. Today, let’s consider Psalm 8.
What if you lived in a time or place where the Bible didn’t exist? You couldn’t study Genesis or any part of Scripture, for that matter. The Bible records Jesus saying in John 14:6 that he is the only way to God, but without those written words, you wouldn’t know anything about John 14:6. So, would you be held accountable, or would you receive an eternal pass?
The Book of Psalms has served as the worship and prayer guide for the nation of Israel as well as for believers today. We’ll take lessons from Genesis, echoed in the Psalms, to purposefully drive these key truths deep within our lives, ensuring that this knowledge moves from our minds to our hearts.
This brings us to the final chapter of the first book of the Bible. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I believe that to truly understand the Bible, one must know Genesis. Today, I will focus on the interaction between Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 50. And next time, I’ll provide an overview of what we’ve learned throughout this study. Then, we will review by reading selected psalms related to events in Genesis.
What we do today impacts tomorrow. Our actions influence those around us, particularly our children and grandchildren. No one lives within themselves. Our lives and legacies, for better or worse, extend to future generations.
When God makes a promise, he keeps it. The results come in his timing and way, but God always does what he says he will do. In today’s passage, Jacob repeated God’s promises as the patriarch blessed Joseph’s sons. Let’s work our way through Genesis 47-48.
The Christian life is a life of faith. I get that. I also know that Hebrews 11, the chapter in the Bible that shows what genuine faith looks like, lists eight people we’ve followed in Genesis. Through these individuals, we’ve learned that faith is not blind. God shows up repeatedly to confirm who he is and where he is taking us. We’ve seen this throughout our study and will again in today’s passage.
God is always at work. Sometimes, he works in the sunlight. Other times, he works in the shadows. He is continuously writing his story in our lives. Some chapters of our story are painful, and as we will see today in Genesis 45, God is actively present during those challenging times.
The study of Genesis begins with God. God created all things, including his crowning creation of man. I just read about scientists discovering what they called the “watery past” of Mars. They theorize that a rock broke off from Mars and landed on Earth, producing the first forms of life. Humanity is always trying to write God out of the story, but Genesis teaches us that he is writing the story! Sometimes, he works in the sunlight, sometimes in the shadows, but he is always at work. And he is writing his story through you.
Last time we learned that a widespread famine had swept the land, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. When the brothers arrived, they bowed before the governor, not realizing it was Joseph, the brother they had sold into slavery two decades before. He accused them of being spies. (Gen. 42:14-15). This is the first of two critical tests. The next one occurs in Genesis 44. So, why did Joseph consider it necessary to test his brothers? Hold that question, and I will answer it next time.