Joseph was sold by his brothers, sent to a foreign land, imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, and his grandfather Issac dies without knowing that Joseph is still alive. As harsh as Joseph life appears, it is always too soon to assess someone’s situation because the Lord is always at work behind the scenes. We see God working on Joseph’s behalf when He gives Joseph the ability to interpret the dreams of two prisoners, Pharaoh’s cupbearer (or butler) and baker. However, Joseph takes zero credit for the interpretations saying, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” One thing about Joseph is that he always points everyone to the Lord. 

So God’s interpretations of the dreams, that the cupbearer would be restored to his previous position and that the baker would be killed, come true but the selfish cupbearer forgets about Joseph once he is released from prison. However, God has NOT forgotten Joseph! In the Lord’s perfect timing, 2 years later, He brings Joseph out of prison and gives him insight regarding Pharaoh’s dreams. Joseph says to Pharaoh, “God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.” Then Joseph advises Pharaoh to store up food during the years of plenty and Pharaoh promotes Joseph as ruler over his house and all of Egypt. 

Wow! What a drastic change we see in Joseph’s circumstances! So Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold by his brothers as a slave and now he is a 30 year old man and a ruler of Egypt. God can certainly turn things around for a person! So Joseph marries, has 2 sons (Manasseh and Ephraim), and is appointed by the Lord to carry out His plan to save the nations from a great famine. Keep reading because a family reunion is coming up next!

(Genesis 40:1-23, Genesis 35:28-29, Genesis 41:1-57)

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Joseph, Rachel’s oldest son, is Jacob’s favorite child which is well displayed by the tunic of many colors Jacob made for him. This favoritism does not sit well with Joseph’s brothers. So when 17 year-old Joseph receives dreams from the Lord revealing that one day he will rule over his family, the brothers become even more angry…so much so that they even plot Joseph’s death when Jacob sends him out to the fields to check on them. But Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son with Leah, talks the brothers into dropping Joseph into a well instead of killing him with the intent of secretly rescuing him later. However, Judah says why kill Joseph when we can profit off him. So they sell Joseph to traders passing by and cover his tunic of many colors in animal blood to stage his death to their father Jacob…and Jacob believes the lie. Take note of whose idea it was to profit off Joseph’s life. Yep, Judah. The one Jacob prophesied that the Messiah was coming from in Genesis 49:10. Judah is on a faith journey like the rest of us but his story starts off pretty messy.

Judah marries a Canaanite woman and they have 3 sons. The first son, Er, marries Tamar but God kills Er because he is wicked. So in accordance with levirate marriages, Judah marries his second son, Onan, to his brother’s widow, Tamar. But Onan “emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother.” Well, God finds this to be wicked and kills him too.😬 Yikes! Of course Judah blames Tamar for his sons’ deaths so he withholds the third son. But Tamar has an idea! 💡 She disguises herself as a harlot and next thing you know, Judah sleeps with Tamar and they end up having twins, Perez and Zerah. King David and ultimately our Savior Jesus Christ will come from Pérez’s lineage. The more we get into the Story, the more we will see that there is no perfect person in Jesus’s family tree. They are all in need of a Savior! 

Ok, back to Joseph over in Egypt. Joseph is sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce Joseph and then lies and says Joseph attacked her. So innocent Joseph lands in jail.😳 Wow, Joseph’s circumstances appear very bleak BUT… God is with him! Keep reading to see how the Lord grows Judah, elevates Joseph, and saves the nations!

(Genesis 37:1-38:30, 1 Chronicles 2:3-6, 8, Genesis 39:1-23)

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Today we see a second example of great possessions causing family separation, first Abraham and Lot and now Jacob and Esau. Esau marries a Canaanite woman “and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.”

Remember the origin of the Canaanites? Ham’s cursed son Canaan. The Lord will warn the children of Israel not to intermarry with the Canaanites because it will lead them away from the Lord and into idolatry. We saw this in the beginning of the Story when Seth’s descendants began to intermarry with Cain’s descendants who were not walking with the Lord; overtime the hearts and minds of everyone became so wicked that God destroyed the earth by flood. Keep in mind that God’s instructions for His people are always for their good!

Ok, back to the genealogy. We learn that Edom (Esau) has kings before the Israelites (Jacob’s descendants). God’s desire since the garden has always been for his people to trust Him and walk by faith. But later in the Story, we will see the Israelites make another decision based on sight and ask for a king to rule over them like the people around them instead of trusting the Lord. Also, take note of King Amalek in Esau’s genealogy. The Amalekites (descendants of Esau) become notorious for attacking the Israelites. So God will tell the Israelites to wipe them off the face of the earth but will the Israelites obey? We will find out down the road. Keep reading! Tomorrow we get a peek into the lives of Joseph and Judah.

(Genesis 36:1-19, 1 Chronicles 1:35-37, Genesis 36:20-30, 1 Chronicles 1:38-42, Genesis 36:31-43, 1 Chronicles 1:43-2:2)

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Today Jacob wrestles with his faith spiritually and physically. The closer he gets to Esau, Jacob prays for the Lord’s protection. However, Jacob still tries to manipulate the situation by sending gifts to Esau to warm him up before they meet face to face saying, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face, perhaps he will accept me.”

“Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.” But Jacob refuses to let go of the Lord and the Lord blesses Jacob and gives him a new name – “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel.” 

When Jacob (Israel) encounters Esau, Esau “ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.” After the reconciliation they part ways and “Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan.” But here the Story takes a dark turn. 

Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, is raped by Shechem, the son of a Hivite prince. And her brothers, Simeon and Levi, take revenge on the whole town by killing all the males including Shechem and his father. So the Lord tells Jacob to “Arise, go to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.” But before they leave, Jacob has to tell his household to put away the foreign gods so he can go and worship the Lord “who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.” 

Throughout the Story we will see more and more how God’s chosen people struggle with sin and idolatry but God is patient and faithful to his messy, broken people. Nothing will stop the Lord from providing a way for our salvation! So Jacob moves to Bethel and builds an altar to the Lord. Then the Lord confirms all the previous promises He made to Jacob by telling him that nations and kings will come from him and that He will give him the land of Canaan. 

We end the reading with the death of Rachel while birthing her second son, Benjamin. Jacob has a special place in his heart for Rachel’s two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Will this favoritism cause family problems? Keep reading to find out.

(Genesis 32:1-35:27)

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When Jacob asks Laban to send him home to Canaan, Laban tries to talk Jacob into staying. Laban says he has “learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.”  But Jacob offers Laban a deal concerning the flock that Laban can’t refuse. Laban assumes Jacob’s offer is in Laban’s favor. However, when Jacob’s breeding plan by the streaked, speckled, and spotted flock proves to be successful, Laban’s sons accuse Jacob of stealing from Laban. Then the Lord tells Jacob to “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.” So Jacob obeys God and packs up his household and flees.

Rachel apparently doesn’t have the same trust in God with this move because she snags her dad’s household idols on the way out the door. There was another lady in this Story that had a hard time letting go of things in the past and moving forward with the Lord. Remember Lot’s wife? Yeah, that didn’t end well. Anyway, Rachel’s idol problem causes more family strife but the Lord intervenes and protects Jacob again. 

While in pursuit of Jacob, God tells Laban in a dream “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.” Then Laban awakes and overtakes Jacob asking him why he fled. Jacob tells him “Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”

Jacob and Laban end up departing in peace but tomorrow Jacob encounters his brother Esau. Remember, Jacob fled his home 20 years because Esau wanted to kill him. I wonder if Esau has forgiven Jacob? Keep reading to find out. 

(Genesis 30:25-31:55)

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On the way to Laban’s house, Jacob has a dream where he sees a stairway to heaven and angels of God are ascending and descending on it. Then the Lord gives Jacob the same promises regarding land and descendants that He gave his dad, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham. And when Jacob wakes up, he leads a totally godly life! 🎉🎉 Just playing. 

Jacob arrives at Padan Aram where he is accepted in by Laban, Rebekah’s brother. Jacob falls in love with Laban’s younger, beautiful daughter Rachel and works seven years for her hand in marriage. But Laban, a schemer himself, tricks Jacob into marrying the not so beautiful, older daughter, Leah. When Jacob wakes up to Leah, he protest to Laban. Laban tell Jacob that he will also give him Rachel after he fulfills a week with Leah and agrees to serve him another seven years. So Jacob now has two wives. 

Leah and Rachel become jealous of each other and the baby making contest begins!🤰🏽One thing leads to another and eventually Jacob father’s 12 sons and 1 daughter by 4 different women. 😳 Leah has Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and a daughter named Dinah; Leah’s servant has Gad and Asher; Rachel has Joseph and later she will have Benjamin; and Rachel’s servant has Dan and Naphtali. 

Well, this family drama isn’t too much for our Lord to use to accomplish His awesome purposes. The Messiah is coming out of this mess and it isn’t through the favored beautiful one Rachel…good looks don’t get ya everything! Keep your eye on Leah’s son Judah. He has a pretty colorful story and we will get to him soon…so keep reading! 

(Genesis 28:6-30:24)

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Today we see how lying, scheming, and manipulating ruins a family. Starting with Jacob talking Esau, a man driven by the flesh, into selling his birthright for a bowl of stew. “And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

When a famine hits the land, Issac trusts the Lord and doesn’t flee to Egypt as his father Abraham did. However, Issac does follow in the footsteps of his dad by lying to Abimelech about his wife saying that she was his sister for his own protection. 😏 But, the Lord protects Rebekah, as He did with Sarah, and restores her back to Issac. See, God is also growing Issac into a man of great faith like his father Abraham and using his wife in the process.

We see spiritual maturity in Issac when disputes arise with the herdsmen of Gerar over wells they dug. Instead of fighting, Issac trust the Lord and simply keeps moving and digging more wells until the disputes stop. Then Issac says, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” So the Lord blesses Issac saying “‘I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.’ So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.”

But later, when Issac falsely assumes that he is dying, Rebekah and Jacob scheme and steal Esau’s blessing from Issac. As a result, Esau wants to kill Jacob so Jacob flees to his uncle Laban’s house (it‘s possible that Jacob never sees his mom again). Rebekah tells Jacob to stay with her brother a few days but it’s 20 years before he comes back home.

Scheming never works out well for anyone and sin always cost more than we want. So currently this family is severely broken but overtime we will see the Lord grow Jacob’s faith and restore the brokenness. However, before that happens, things get a little crazy. More family drama to come and out of all this chaos we will meet the 12 tribes of Israel. (See, all families have problems but no problem is too big for God.) Keep reading!

(Genesis 25:27-28:5)

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Abraham marries Keturah, has 6 more kids, and he has more children with his concubines. “And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.” 

God keeps His promise to make a great nation out of Ishmael. He lives “one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in the presence of all his brethren.”

But the Story continues through the promised son Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah have two sons, Esau and Jacob, who begin fighting as early as the womb. The Lord tells Rebekah that the older, Esau, will serve the younger, Jacob. We will learn that this family is a wreck but keep your eye on Issac’s son Jacob. 

We end the reading with the death of Abraham. Abraham dies having 8 named kids plus other children, a piece of burial land, and promises from the Lord that He would make him a great nation, kings would come from him, and all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. Remember, God always does what He says He is going to do BUT we might not see it played out on this side of heaven. However, we are fortunate enough to get to read His promises so keep reading!! 

(Genesis 25:1-4, 1 Chronicles 1:32-33, Genesis 25:5-6, 12-18, 1 Chronicles 1:28-31, 34, Genesis 25:19-26, 7-11)

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Today we see how much Abraham’s faith has grown as he listens to the Lord regarding Hagar and Ishmael by sending them away per his wife’s, Sarah, request. But God reassures Abraham that he will care for Ishmael – “Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.” And God, once again, sees Hagar’s distress and comforts her and her son, Ishmael, as He had promised. “So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”

Then the Lord tests Abraham by instructing him to “Take now your son, your only son Issac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Abraham now trusts the Lord so much that he is willing to sacrifice Isaac, believing that God would even raise him from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19) to fulfill the promises made to him. But God doesn’t make Abraham sacrifice his son. No, that’s not the Lord’s plan. God is going to be the One that has to sacrifice His Son, Jesus Christ, for us.

So Issac is spared but Sarah dies today “And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.” This will be the only piece of property that Abraham will own during his lifetime. Abraham will die having to trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises through his descendants. And we see God’s plan unfold as Abraham’s and Sarah’s son Isaac marries Abraham’s brother’s granddaughter, Rebekah. 

So the Story continues… Will Isaac make the same mistakes his dad made? Keep reading to find out.

(Genesis 21:8-23:20, Genesis 11:32, Genesis 24:1-67) 

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Today God lets Abraham in on His plan to destroy wicked Sodom and Gomorrah. Then Abraham goes to bat for his nephew, Lot, because Abraham knows God does not destroy the righteous with the wicked. We saw this with the flood when the Lord spared Noah and his family who were deemed righteous because of their faith in the Lord. And we see it again here when God graciously answers Abraham’s request and spares Lot and his daughters. But unfortunately, Lot’s wife does not trust the Lord and clings to things of this world and perishes. 

So Lot and his daughters are now living in a cave in a mountain. And this is when Lot’s daughters come up with an interesting plan. They decide to get their daddy, Lot, drunk and have sex with him. 🤔 Hmm…wonder if they learned to do that in the wicked city where they were living? Needless to say, these kiddos from Lot and his daughters don’t turn out so great. They become the Moabites and Ammonites and will show up later in the Story. 

And yes, Abraham pawns Sarah off AGAIN to a foreign ruler but God protects her AGAIN. The Lord is maturing Abraham into the man of faith that he will one day become, and He is using his wife Sarah in the process. So we see that the faith journey isn’t always a smooth and easy road but as the Lord told Abraham yesterday, God is our shield and our exceedingly great reward and that’s all that matters!

Lastly, the promised son, Isaac, has arrived on the scene. This boy is in for an adventure! Keep reading. 

(Genesis 18:1-21:7)

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#chronologicalbibleteaching