Traditions

Does your family or friend group have some traditions that you’ve created? Most cultures, families, and individuals have traditions. It’s a norm. 

In Biblical times, and still today in most cultures, the firstborn had the place of honor and leadership. But we read a few times in the Bible where the firstborn does not receive the position of honor. This passage is one of those times. 

I have no idea why God does that. My educated guess is, it’s a reminder that He is sovereign and does not live by our traditions. We see this through the life of Jesus. He turned the religious traditions of His day upside down. That is why the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law were so opposed to Jesus, He disrupted their norms and challenged their traditions. 

What traditions do you practice? Do they draw you into a closer relationship with the Father? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 48:18-19

18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 48

Actions Meet Consequences, Again

In the interest of full disclosure, this is the second devotion I’m writing today. I deleted the first one after a conversation with God about what I wrote. 

The original message was about the difference between slavery in Joseph’s day and slavery the way we know it from US history. 

But then I thought about something. Why didn’t Joseph give the food to the people? Why did he sell it to them instead?

The answer is one you should ponder. Everyone knew the famine was coming, but only Joseph prepared well for it. 

Let that sink in. There’s more to it than you think!

Let me clear it up. Everyone knows that Christ is going to return for His people, but only a few will be prepared. See Matthew 7:13-14.

Nothing in God’s Word is wasted. It ALL points to Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation. Choose Him and live! Or choose not Him and die. That’s the choice. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 47:23-25

23 Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”

25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 47

Omnipresent

This passage has a subtle reminder that God is Omnipresent; He’s present in all places at all times. If you’ve been reading along with me, you know that “the Lord was with Joseph” during his trials. 

If God is not Omnipresent, then how could He be with Joseph while simultaneously going to Egypt with Jacob? 

I love when we can see right away that the Bible corroborates itself. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 46:3-4

3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 46

Get Understanding

It had been over twenty years since Joseph had seen his brothers. They had sold him into slavery and the hardships he faced would have broken most people. But not Joseph!

His faith in God enabled him to get understanding. He knew that God was at work in his life. He knew that the bad his brothers did to him would be used for good by the Father. 

How’s your faith? Are you able to trust God in difficult times? It can be easy to develop a “yeah, but” mentality when living out your faith.  

It goes like this: we know that God has called us to do something that’s not possible without the power of the Holy Spirit. We then convince ourselves we can’t do it. We read in the Bible that Jesus said, “greater things than these you shall do,” and we say, “yeah, but, you don’t know all the bad I’ve done.” Or some other phrase that is supposed to excuse us from living out our faith. 

God did not call us to be timid. He called us to walk well in the presence of a mighty, holy God and do ALL He has called us to do, even the impossible! Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 45:6-7

 6 “For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 45

Action Meet Consequence

As I finished this chapter, I thought about the consequences of our actions.

Joseph is giving his brothers a hard time, but his ultimate goal is to bless his brothers and his father. 

The intended consequences of the brothers action was to remove Joseph from their lives in hopes of receiving the love of their father like Joseph had. That did not happen. God had other plans. He revealed these plans to Joseph in a dream, which Joseph shared with his family. However, his brothers and father refused to believe it. Now that dream was coming true. 

The brothers actions were not met with the result they wanted. Because, like a friend told me years ago, “you can choose your sin, but you can’t choose your consequence.” Those are good words to live by! 

Seek God before you make choices, especially life altering choices. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 44:33-34

33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 44

Projection Happens

As I read this passage I thought about how the brothers had treated Joseph. It made sense that they would have such thoughts. They were projecting their ways onto what they thought Joseph might do. 

They were wrong!

As we read this story, we know that Joseph had no desire to harm his brothers, even if he may have been justified in doing so. 

As you consider your own thoughts in any given situation, how often do you find yourself projecting what you would do onto someone else? Be careful, I know I’ve misinterpreted others actions based on my own biases. That’s never a good thing. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 43:17-18

17 The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house. 18 Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house.They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacksthe first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 43

From Dream To Reality

This passage is a big deal. It would be easy to gloss over it as nothing, but it’s exactly what Joseph told his brothers would happen based on a dream he had. 

His brothers’ jealousy and subsequent actions actually started Joseph on the path that led him to be the governor of the land. This is a reminder of God’s intricate plans. 

Spend time today recalling something that happened in your life that may have seemed impossible to you until it happened. Did God show you it would happen in advance? I love when that happens. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 42:6

6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 42

Thirteen Years

In Genesis 37:2, we learn that Joseph was 17 years old when he had the dreams about his family bowing down to him. Then he was sold into slavery at 17.

For the next thirteen years Joseph is a slave and then imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. In all that time he continued to be faithful to God. And God was with him.

What are you awaiting from God and it’s taking “too” long to come to fruition? Be patient like Joseph, God is at work. When the time comes it’s going to be magnificent. Let the life of Joseph be your inspiration to wait patiently. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 41:46

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 41

God’s Intricate Plans

This passage makes me smile. Because I’ve read the story of Joseph so often, I know what this leads to. The way God intertwines lives seemingly so coincidentally is a work of art. 

Knowing what I know, how could I ever doubt God? I don’t. This stems from reading my Bible daily and having a relationship with God in which I talk to Him and He talks to me. 

As you continue to see the life of Joseph unfold and God’s intricate plan be revealed, I pray that your faith would grow and you would allow God to draw you closer to Himself. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 40:1-4a

Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angrywith his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph,and he attended them.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 40

Always With You

If Genesis 39 teaches you only one lesson, let it be that God is always with you. We sometimes get so focused on our circumstances that we don’t realize that God is with us so we need not worry. 

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, but he did not worry because God was with Him. He had favor in every circumstance. Including when he went to prison after his master’s wife falsely accused him. 

At no point do we read that Joseph lost faith in God. 

What circumstance is weighing on your heart? Put your trust in God, praise Him, then leave it to Him. He is more than able to guide you through it. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 39:2; 20b-21

2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindnessand granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 39

Spoiler Alert

You already know how important genealogies are to me. If you read the genealogy of Jesus, you will come across the name Perez. That is the same Perez from this chapter of Genesis. 

Take a moment to ponder how Perez was conceived. If you were writing a story about the Savior of the world, you probably would not include someone who was conceived in the manner that Perez was. Furthermore, you would probably not give him the “nickname,” Lion of Judah considering the way Judah behaved. 

But God would! Consider this as you put yourself down as not worthy of God’s love. God’s capacity to love far exceeds our capacity to understand His love for us. 

Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 38:27-30

27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, “This one came out first. ”29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez. 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 38

Joseph

When I think about Genesis chapter 37, my first thought is Joseph. With the exception of Jesus, Joseph is my favorite person to read about in the Bible. I could not tell you the number of times I’ve read his story. Talk about an overcomer. 

As we spend the next fourteen days reading about the life of Joseph (minus tomorrow when we read about Judah and his knucklehead self) I encourage you to pay attention to how Joseph responds to hardship. Also notice how God responds to Joseph’s hardship. Then be reminded that if God responded that way for Joseph, He will respond that way for you when you display the character and faith of Joseph. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 37:10-11

10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 37

Faithful To His Promises

Chapter 36 of Genesis screams one simple truth: God is faithful to His promises. 

In this chapter we see how God allowed Esau to prosper. He was a very wealthy man. His lineage had kings before Israel ever had a king. He had sons and daughters who were prosperous as well. 

But one important thing was missing from Esau’s lineage. He had no relationship with God. His success was strictly material. Contrast that with Jacob’s success, which was wholly spiritual. 

Esau’s life can be a reminder that material success does not equal spiritual success, or rather a relationship with God the Father through Christ the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit the Helper. 

Be careful! It can be easy to look at your material success and assume your relationship with God is fine, “I mean, look how much He’s blessed me with.” Please do not make that mistake! Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 36:1

This is the account of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 36

Follow Godly Examples

This passage is interesting. All these people have been around Jacob and seen his relationship with God. Why do they have foreign gods in their presence. That doesn’t make sense to me. 

Surely many of them have seen the favor of God on Jacob’s life. They know the goodness of God, yet they still turned to idols. 

Unfortunately, we do that in our lives as well. We put things in our lives before God. We excuse it by saying, “God knows my heart.” But the reality is we are seeking to have God the way we want to have God in our lives. He can come with as long as He doesn’t interfere in the fun I’m having or the money I’m making. 

Do an inventory of your heart. Is God first in your life? If not, make that change immediately. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 35:2-5

2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. 5 Then they set out, and the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 35

Your Response

Chapter 34 of Genesis is one from which we can learn quite a bit. In one section we read that the sons of Jacob spoke “deceitfully.” Hmmm, isn’t that fascinating. I wonder where they got that trait from?

But the section I want to highlight is the last two verses. After Jacob’s sons responded poorly to what happened to their sister, Jacob warns them that they have brought trouble on him and the family.  

Their response to this egregious act was wrong. If this was your family, what would be your response? I’m certain my first thought would be like Simeon and Levi’s. But, prayerfully, I would allow God to avenge in the way He sees fit. 

When we are wronged, we immediately want to take matters into our own hands. Trust me, that is ALWAYS the wrong response. When we are wronged, our first response must be to hit our knees and seek guidance from the Father. If we don’t, we are 99% likely to respond wrong. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 34:30-31

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number,and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

31 But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 34

Aren’t They Twins

As I read this chapter, I had this image of Esau being Jacob’s wiser much older brother. And then it hit me; aren’t they twins.

Jacob gave Esau respect because he was the older brother, but he also had deceived Esau and stole his blessing; he was afraid. 

As we continue to read, we realize that all Jacob’s worry and concern were for nothing. God had gone before Jacob and cleared up the matter. 

What “old concern” are you holding on to? Seek God. It’s possible that He has already cleared the path to complete reconciliation. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 33:3-5

3 (Jacob) himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. 5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.

Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 33

Alone With God

Jacob was a wealthy man, surrounded by four wives, more than eleven children, servants, and countless animals. Yet, he had to get alone to have an important encounter with God. 

As Jacob prepared to meet his brother, Esau, he was afraid. God came to him in his fear and reassured him. 

God will do that for you as well. The key is to get alone with God. In this alone time, focus on Him. Be careful not to be distracted if you choose to listen to music during your alone time. It’s easy to find yourself “worshipping” God instead of listening to what He’s trying to tell you. 

You might ask, what’s wrong with worshipping God. The answer is nothing, unless it distracts you from what He’s trying to tell you to do and it ultimately leads to disobedience. For reference, look at the life of the reluctant king, Saul. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 32:24

24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 32

Pass It On

In Genesis 31:42 and 31:53, we see Jacob say, “The Fear of Isaac.” This is an interesting way to describe God. Jacob is saying the God whom his father Isaac revered. Jacob witnessed that reverence and sought to embody it. 

We do not read much about Isaac’s life in the Bible, but he is mentioned several times when people write, “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Because we know very little about Isaac, it could be easy to consider him a “small player” in the story. 

However, Jacob’s use of the word “Fear” shows us that Isaac had an intense faith in God. One that he passed on to his son, Jacob. 

Are you passing your faith on to others? This means that people see your faithfulness to God and want to know the Father more. I pray this is happening. Remember, we are to be making disciples, it starts with sharing our faith. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 31:42;53

42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.”

53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.”
So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 31

Blessed Through Someone

I have longed believed that God blesses us through people and circumstances. Where we run into problems is when we think God is blessing us because of us. 

It sounds crazy until you notice this passage in the Bible. Laban realizes that he is being blessed by God because of the presence of Jacob in his life. He’s a smart man. 

Through whom is God blessing you? Odds are, you have no idea. It could be a number of things. I encourage you to ask God to show you who He has placed in your life to bless you. When He reveals this, honor God in that relationship or circumstance. He is the one blessing you. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 30:27-28

27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” 28 He added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 30

Pot, Meet Kettle

This is one of the “funniest” passages in the Bible. The hypocrisy of Jacob is thick. It reminds me of the saying, “what goes around comes back around.” It seems that Jacob is getting a taste of his own medicine. 

Jacob has lived a life of deception and now he’s experiencing what it feels like to be deceived. He didn’t like it. 

In your quiet time with God, ask Him to show you areas of your life where you may be a hypocrite. Then ask Him to help you overcome your hypocrisy through the power of the Holy Spirit. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

Genesis 29:25

25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”

Today’s Reading:

Genesis 29