Perhaps someone has asked what you want people to say about you when you die. Recently I’ve attended a couple of funerals, and they make me remember that question. Genesis 49 plants in my mind another question: What do I want my loved ones to say to me when they’re nearing death? Jacob knows he’s [...]
Archive for the ‘Genesis’ Category
Day 17: Genesis 48-50
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Genesis, tagged blessing, death, Israel, Jacob, life on September 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Day 16: Genesis 46-47
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Genesis, tagged fear, God, guidance, Israel, Jacob, journey, life, perseverence on September 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Israel (Jacob) gathers his family and belongings and begins the journey to Egypt. His lost son is there, and so is food. In the midst of famine and grief, both are good news. Apparently something about the journey scares Israel, but God tells him not to be afraid because good things will happen. Life is [...]
Day 15: Genesis 43-45
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Genesis, tagged brothers, Joseph on September 15, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is a great story. When Joseph’s brothers sold him, they had no idea that they would one day bow down to him like he had dreamed. They had no idea that they would beg him for food and even for their lives. Joseph becomes a major leader in Egypt. When his brothers come to [...]
Day 14: Genesis 41-42
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Genesis, tagged Jacob, Joseph on September 14, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
There’s a famine in the region, but Egypt has grain stored away because of Joseph’s leadership (or because of God’s working through Joseph’s leadership). People from all around are going to him to buy grain. Joseph’s father, Jacob, is at home with his other sons. They must not be very bright. Their family is about [...]
Day 13: Genesis 38-40
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Genesis, tagged baker and cupbearer, Joseph, thankfulness on September 13, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Two of the king’s employees, a baker and a cupbearer, are in prison when they have dreams. Their inmate, Joseph, interprets their dreams for them. The baker will die, but the cupbearer will return to his job outside the prison. Joseph the Interpreter asks the cupbearer to remember him when this happens. Sure enough, the [...]
Day 12: Genesis 35-37
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Genesis, tagged El Shaddai, God as Mother on September 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
El Shaddai is the third most common name of God in the Hebrew Bible, and it appears in today’s reading (35:11). The first word in the name means “God,” and the second word can mean either “mountain(s)” or “breast(s).” Mountains were symbols of strength in the culture in which Genesis was written, so “mountain(s)” refers [...]
Day 11: Genesis 32-34
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Genesis, tagged Dinah, Genesis, Shechem, women on September 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Jacob’s people are wandering around in chapter 34, and they happen to be near Hamor’s people’s home. Dinah, a daughter of Jacob, befriends some of the women among the local people. Shechem, a son of Hamor, meets Dinah and falls in love with her. (That doesn’t happen much in the Bible!) Then something happens between [...]
Day 10: Genesis 30-31
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Genesis, tagged economic injustice, economic justice, employment, Jacob, Laban, pay cuts, pay raises on September 10, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Have you ever worked for an unjust boss? In today’s story, Jacob knows your pain. His twenty-year employment at the ranch of Laban is laden with relational turmoil worthy of today’s top soap operas. Adding to the work environment’s tediousness, Laban changes Jacob’s pay ten times. Chapter 31 mentions the inconsistency of compensation twice, telling [...]
Day 9: Genesis 27-29
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Genesis, tagged Esau, Genesis, God, Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah on September 9, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Isaac and Rebekah have two sons, Esau and Jacob. Isaac loves Esau more, and Rebekah loves Jacob more. After Rebekah and Jacob conspire against Isaac and Esau, Jacob must leave. On his journey he has an enlightening dream and then declares that the Lord is present even though he was unaware of the fact. “How [...]
Day 8: Genesis 25-26
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Genesis, tagged Abraham, example, Genesis, influence, Isaac, like father like son, Sarah on September 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
If you were to search cyberspace for “like father like son,” you might find a 1987 comedy film, a 2005 television movie, or a Lil Wayne album. If you were to search the Bible for the same idea, you might discover Abraham and Isaac. In Genesis 12 Abram (Abraham) tells his wife Sarai (Sarah) to [...]
