Genesis: Finding Our Way Back Home
A Connections Study Guide
Cindy Wheatley, Ph.D.
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Genesis 1:1-31: Fingerprints of God ........................................................................................................... 4
Genesis 3:1-24: The Hope of Exile ............................................................................................................... 7
Genesis 4:1-15: Tough Love ...................................................................................................................... 10
Genesis 9:1-17: Creation Covenant ........................................................................................................... 12
Genesis 11:1-9: Universal Translator ........................................................................................................ 14
Genesis 12:1-8: Mustard Seed Faith ......................................................................................................... 16
Genesis 14:17-24: A Priest of the God Most High .................................................................................... 18
Genesis 15:1-21: A Divine Friendship ....................................................................................................... 20
Genesis 17:1-14: Living Sacrifice ............................................................................................................... 22
Genesis 17:15-18:19: Laughing in the Face of Grace ................................................................................ 24
Genesis 18:20-32: Bargaining with God .................................................................................................... 26
Genesis 22:1-18: The Lord Will Provide .................................................................................................... 28
Genesis 25:12-26: God’s Mysterious Ways .............................................................................................. 31
Genesis 26:12-25: Living Water ................................................................................................................. 33
Genesis 27:1-45: Blessings ........................................................................................................................ 35
Genesis 28:10-22: Holy Ground ................................................................................................................ 37
Genesis 29-30: Birth of a Nation ............................................................................................................... 40
Genesis 31:1-55: The Balm of Gilead ........................................................................................................ 42
Genesis 32:1-32: Wrestling with God ....................................................................................................... 44
Genesis 33:1-16: The Face of God ............................................................................................................. 46
Gen 35:1-15: Foreign Gods ........................................................................................................................ 48
Genesis 37:1-34: The Pain of Loss ............................................................................................................. 50
Genesis 39:1-23: The Lord Was With Him ................................................................................................ 52
Genesis 41:1-42: Fruitful Suffering ........................................................................................................... 54
Genesis 42:1-43:15: Ghosts of the Past .................................................................................................... 56
Genesis 45:1-28: The Big Reveal ............................................................................................................... 58
Genesis 47:27-49:33: Jacob’s Blessings .................................................................................................... 61
Genesis 50:1-26: Wandering ..................................................................................................................... 64
Summary .................................................................................................................................................... 66
Genesis Covenant Chart ............................................................................................................................ 69
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Introduction
Genesis means “beginnings.” All cultures have an origin story: Where did we come from? Who made us?
Who are we? What is our purpose? Genesis is the origin story for God’s people, but it’s more than that.
It introduces the key themes that will play out in the rest of the Bible. Some of the critical themes and
questions that are addressed in Genesis are:
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Creation: How did the world come into being and what is the role of humans in God’s creation?
Sin and Redemption: How did sin enter the world and how do we find our way back to God?
Wandering: Since Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of Eden, how did God’s people
find a home?
Covenant Relationship: What does it mean to be in relationship with God?
Family: What does it mean to be part of the family of God?
Faithful Obedience: What does it mean to trust and follow God?
Worship: What is the right spirit of worship? How do we consecrate sacred places and sacred
moments?
As you can see, these themes aren’t unique to the Bible. We all struggle with these same questions in
our own lives:
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What is my purpose?
How can I heal the brokenness of sin and return to God’s presence?
Where do I belong?
How can I live in right relationship with God and others?
How do I know God’s will for my life?
How can I restore relationships within my family?
How can I forgive hurts of the past?
How do I learn to trust God in all areas of my life?
How is God working in my life and how should I respond?
As we move through the book of Genesis we will see the answers that God provides to these questions
and assess where we are in our own walk with God. But more importantly, we will see how desperately
God wants a relationship with us. No matter how much we mess up, he gives us a way to come home. In
the beginning God put the world into motion; but he also put into motion his master plan to redeem his
creation from sin.
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Fingerprints of God
Day 1
Genesis 1:1-31
As a writer I like to think about the role of words in the act of creation. As we see in the first verse of
John’s gospel, he connects the Word with the act of creation: “In the beginning was the Word.” That’s
because God spoke creation into existence. We don’t see him working hard at figuring out the right
molecular structure of water, or the biochemical make up of the animals and plants, or the body
systems of humans. He simply says “Let there be light and there was light.” The act of creation was
effortless for God; it is his very language: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the
work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge”
(Psalm 19:1). Creation didn’t just happen; it was an act of God’s will—a declarative sentence! God was
an author writing the story of the world and we were to play a major role.
Don Miller, in his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, actually refers to God as the Writer: “I feel
written. My skin feels written, and my desires feel written. My sexuality was a word spoken by God, that
I would be male, and I would have brown hair and brown eyes and come from a womb. It feels literary,
doesn’t it, as if we are characters in books.” In Psalm 139 David also imagines God as the Writer: “All the
days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (v. 16). Miller suggests
that not only did God write the story of our lives before we were born, but that he continues to write
our stories: “I believe there is a writer outside ourselves, plotting a better story for us, interacting with
us, even, and whispering a better story into our consciousness.” The act of creation did not end in
Genesis 1; God did not create the world and then leave it alone. His creative impulse is alive in the
world.
It’s important to notice that the Trinity was present during the act of creation, not just God the Father.
The Hebrew word for God used in Genesis 1 is Elohim, which is masculine plural. In verse 26 God says
“Let us make man in our image.” This is what John was referring to when he wrote, “In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God.” Jesus was with God in the
beginning. So was the Holy Spirit: “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Throughout the
Bible we see references to the Holy Spirit as the agent of renewal and regenesis, as we see in Psalm 104:
“When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.” The Trinity is
actively at work creating and renewing in the world and in us.
In verses 26-27, notice how many times the narrator repeats the phrase “in our image” or “in his
image.” He does not want us to miss this point! We are created in the image of God. Think about that.
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God’s DNA is our DNA; God’s character is our character; God’s nature is our nature. We are hard wired
to be like God. In 2 Peter 1:3-4, Peter tells us: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a
godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he
has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (emphasis mine).
When he created us, he gave us the very best that he had—himself.
How does this knowledge shape our sense of identity and purpose? I like the words of the Stephen
Curtis Chapman song, “The Fingerprints of God”:
Never has there been and never again
Will there be another you.
Fashioned by God’s hand
And perfectly planned
To be just who you are.
And what he’s been creating
Since the first beat of your heart
Is a living, breathing, priceless work of art.
What a wonderful reminder of what it means to be a child of God’s design! We see this echoed in Psalm
139: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.” Again in
Ephesians Paul reminds us: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do” (2:10). God didn’t create us just to be, he also created us to
do. Being made in the image of God we are both creation and creator. Every great work of art or
invention began with the words “Let there be…” With words we can create and with words we can
destroy. Each one of us is endowed with the power to create, to produce copies of the master’s work.
When we are created, God doesn’t just wire us for a particular hair color and body shape; he also wires
us with a purpose for our lives. We see this in Genesis when he creates Adam and Eve. Verse 28 says:
“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.’”
Notice that God also created the plants to be seed-bearing: “Then God said, ‘Let the land produce
vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it’” (11). Being fruitbearing is obviously important to God. Seed-bearing fruit are self-generating; they provide for
generations to come. God made us to multiply and fill the earth. This applies not only to having children,
but also to expanding his kingdom. Think about the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: aren’t they
generative and life-giving? God gave us life so that we may, in turn, give life to others. That’s at the
heart of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. That’s the creative impulse.
Passage for Meditation
Gen 1:27
‘So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female
he created them.’
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Questions for Reflection
1. What are you doing to be fruitful and multiply in your life? What seeds are you planting in
others? In your community? In the world?
2. Do you ever think of yourself as a living, breathing priceless work of art? If you did, how would
that change your view of yourself?
Imaginative Exercise
Read Psalm 104 and then take a walk. How does God speak to you through his creation? Where do you
see the creative impulse in your life? Try writing your own psalm celebrating creation.
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The Hope of Exile
Day 2
Genesis 3:1-24
There are certain movies that move me to tears even when I know the ending (Apollo 13 for example)!
That’s how you know that a movie evokes true, deep human emotions. That’s the way I feel about
Genesis chapter 3. When Eve takes the fruit, I feel remorse and regret. Sin resonates deep within each
of us. Like a time traveler, the Bible allows us to observe the moment that sin entered the world. We can
parse the words of Eve and the serpent for clues as to why she would disobey a direct order from God.
Like a lawyer, the serpent tricks her with words: “Did God really say…”, “You will certainly not die…” But
the clincher is when he suggests that eating the fruit would give Eve equality with God: “you will be like
God, knowing good and evil.” He plays on the basic human desire to want what we don’t have. Even
though God gave Adam and Eve all of creation to manage and himself as their constant companion, they
wanted the one thing he didn’t give them—equality with him. Notice that this moment of temptation is
the only time in chapters 1-3 that God is absent. When we are in a state of sin, we do not hear God’s
voice.
It wasn’t enough for Adam and Eve to live in blissful dependence upon God; they wanted to be God.
Even Jesus, the son of God, avoided this original sin when he took on human form. As Paul explains in
Philippians chapter 2: “In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ
Jesus had: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to
his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a server, being made in
human likeness” (v. 5-7). We are designed to serve, not to be served.
It’s interesting that Adam does not name Eve until after the fall (v. 20). Appropriate, since she would
become the mother of sinners. For centuries the church has used Eve’s deception to oppress and
devalue women. We are the “weaker sex.” Even Paul seems to affirm this view of women in 1 Timothy
2:14: “And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.”
Ouch! As women, what are we supposed to do with this? Carolyn Custis James in her book The Gospel of
Ruth suggests that we remind ourselves that women are also God’s image bearers: “So God created
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human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created
them” (Gen 1:27). James writes: “God created women to be his image bearers—to know him, to
become like him, and to represent him in their interactions with others….Their mission is to center
themselves on him—to trust him and to advance his kingdom.” Eve did not stop being a daughter of God
when she sinned against him, anymore than our children lose their value to us when they disobey us.
Both Adam and Eve paid a steep price for disobedience, but they never lost God’s love and protection.
This brings us to the theme of exile. Adam and Eve were exiled from Eden for their disobedience. Exile is
a state of absence from God, of loss and fear. It is a condition of homelessness, vulnerability, and
wandering. Wandering is a strong theme in the Pentateuch; from Eden to Canaan the Hebrews were
finding their way home to God. Adam and Eve’s act of disobedience gave birth to sin, but it also gave
birth to grace. Embedded within exile is the hope of redemption. Returning to 1 Timothy 2, Paul follows
his sharp indictment of Eve with this statement: “But women will be saved through childbearing—if they
continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” Sinners can be redeemed, and wanderers can find
their way home.
Our consolation in reading Genesis chapter 3 is that we know how the story ends! As we see in the book
of Revelation, God will renew the earth and his people in the ultimate victory. The Bible comes full
circle, as we see in Revelation 2:7 with God’s promise to allow us to eat from the tree of life “which is in
the paradise of God.” Eden will be restored as well as our perfect society with God. That perfect society
is described in chapter 21. My favorite passage begins with verse 3: “And I heard a loud voice from the
throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people,
and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will
be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” This is
what God wanted all along. He wanted to be with Adam and Eve. He wanted to dwell with the Israelites
in the desert and in the Promised Land. Our own disobedience and willfulness always interferes with
that perfect relationship. But God never gives up on us. He created us to be in relationship with him and
we see in Revelation 21 that this will come to pass for those who are faithful.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 3:6
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also
desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was
with her, and he ate it.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Have you ever felt like you were in exile? What did that feel like? Where did you see signs of
hope?
2. Can you relate to the reasons that Eve ate the fruit (pleasure, knowledge)? When you have
submitted to temptation, did you hide from God out of shame? Are you still in hiding?
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3. Do you see yourself as God’s image bearer? When you are at work, with your family and friends,
or at church, try to be conscious of the fact that you are an image bearer for God. How does that
change your attitude and behavior?
Imaginative Exercise
Rewrite the temptation of Eve from a modern perspective. What would be the temptation? What would
the snake look and sound like?
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Tough Love
Day 3
Genesis 4:1-15
God’s compassion toward humans is evident early on in Genesis. Despite his anger and disappointment
with Adam and Eve, he still made them garments to wear. He could have destroyed them, but he merely
sent them away and made them work for a living. At the beginning of chapter 4, we get a glimpse into
what post-Eden life was like. Adam and Eve have two sons, Cain and Abel. We see Cain and Abel offering
the first fruits of their labor to God (the first example of tithing!). That means that the family continues
to be in relationship with God and to worship him. God speaks directly to Cain and Abel just as he did
with their parents. In fact, God has a frank conversation with Cain that sounds like fatherly advice! God’s
love and affection for the first family is obvious.
In verse 9 we see a repeat of the scene in the garden after Adam and Eve have sinned. God asks Cain a
question he already knows the answer to, and Cain answers with the typical response of a teenager: “I
don’t know.” God punishes Cain by making him a wanderer (an exile in exile!), but marks him so that no
one will kill him. God continues to show his loving compassion even as he punishes Cain. Instead of
disowning him, he marks him as his for the world to see.
In chapter 3 we see humans sin against God; in chapter 4 we see humans sin against each other.
Otherwise the pattern is the same: sin > hiding > deception > punishment > exile. The book of Genesis
introduces many themes and cycles that will be repeated throughout the Bible. This pattern of sin and
its consequences is prevalent in the story of God and his people. In Exodus 34:6-7 God says of himself,
“’The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and
faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not
leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the
third and fourth generation.’”
We have all witnessed the effect of sin on families. The children of alcoholic parents carry behavioral
scars for the rest of their lives. Children who were abused as children are more likely to become abusive
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parents. Sins that go unforgiven can ruin relationships for generations. The only way to break the cycle
of sin is repentance—turning away from our destructive nature and turning towards God. Notice that
Cain never apologizes for killing his brother; his only concern is for his own safety. His great-greatgrandson, Lamech, carries on his family’s legacy of violence: “If Cain is avenged seven times, then
Lamech seventy-seven times” (v. 24). That’s the math of vengeance. It’s no coincidence that when Peter
asks Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive someone who sins against me? Up to seven times?,”
Jesus replies, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:21-22). Jesus knows
that the only way to break the cycle of violence is forgiveness.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 4:7
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at
your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Can you identify patterns of sin in your life or the life of your family? Have you felt sin
“crouching at your door?” What has been the cost of this sin? What could you do to break the
cycle?
2. Which do you believe is more difficult: to seek vengeance like Lamech or to forgive like Jesus
commands? Why is forgiveness so difficult?
3. When has someone shown you compassion when you did not deserve it? Can you think of a
time when God has shown you compassion? Compose a prayer in which you thank God for his
grace and forgiveness when you did not deserve it.
Imaginative Exercise
Draw a picture of sin crouching at the door. Draw yourself responding to sin. Where is God in the
picture?
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Creation Covenant
Day 4
Genesis 9:1-17
The inherent tension within the process of creation is that it also involves destruction. We see that in
Genesis chapters 6-8 when God chooses to destroy all life on earth save those on the ark. In chapter 9
we see that God always brings new life out of destruction. The books of the prophets are filled with
predictions of the destruction of Israel followed by return and renewal. Isaiah 6 ends with this somber
image: “And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.” We know that
the “holy seed” is Jesus Christ; in Isaiah 11:1 he prophesies, “A shoot will come up from the stump of
Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” As we know from Matthew’s gospel, Jesse is the father of
King David, in whose family line will come Jesus (Matt. 1:16).
As a teacher I always love the beginning of the school year with the fresh pencils, unopened packs of
paper, and new clothes. We love new beginnings; they are a chance to start over with fresh expectations
and hopes. We are wired this way because we are part of God’s never-ending creation. In many ways
chapter 9 reads like a second telling of the creation story. In golf terms, God takes a mulligan. As with
Adam and Eve, God tells Noah and his sons to “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” He
gives them dominion over every creature. God’s extravagant generosity is once again on display: “Just as
I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.” He also renews his covenant with humans, this
time in a more formal manner. In addition to giving them dominion over the earth and protection, God
promises never again to destroy all life. This is often referred to as the “creation covenant.” That first
rainbow wasn’t just a promise not to destroy life—it was a promise to always renew it. Those of you
who have been on the Walk to Emmaus will recognize the rainbow as a symbol of new life, of
transformation. Throughout the Bible we see echoes of the creation story, of God’s promise of rebirth;
Noah is a second Adam, but Christ is the ultimate Adam initiating the “new heaven and new earth” (Rev
21:1).
I’m just blown away by God’s never-ending generosity and compassion. He never gives up on us; rebirth
and renewal are always possible. It’s no surprise that God is a gardener! The seeds of renewal lie deep
within all creation. Gardeners witness this every time a plant goes dormant in the winter and then
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springs back to life. In the move Wall-e, the robotic main character finds a seedling in the midst of the
total devastation of all life due to human mismanagement of God’s creation (we did not keep our part of
the creation covenant). From that seedling grows new life on earth. We are part of God’s creation and
we are also wired for renewal. Even lives that seem to be completely destroyed can still see new growth.
We are still covered under the creation covenant! No one is beyond redemption; everyone can receive
God’s healing grace. We must water and nurture the “holy seeds” within all of us. As Paul reminds us in
1 Corinthians 3:7-9: “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God,
who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will
each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s
building.” If we imagine ourselves working alongside God in the garden of his creation—watering,
pruning, fertilizing, and caring—as his co-laborers, how much would we be willing to do? What is our
part of the creation covenant?
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 9:12-13
“And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living
creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it
will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.’”
Questions for Reflection
1. Sometimes we have to look closely to see signs of new life in plants and in people. What are
signs of new life that you have seen in relationships or individuals? Are there signs of new life in
you?
2. What does the creation covenant mean to us today? What is our responsibility?
3. In what ways has God been extravagantly generous to you and your family? What is your
response to the gifts God has given you?
Imaginative Exercise
1. Draw or paint a picture of your life as a landscape. Where are there signs of rebirth or renewal?
Where are there holy seeds waiting to grow? What needs to be destroyed in order for there to
be new growth?
2. Write a creation covenant between yourself and God. What is God’s promise for your life and
what will you do in return? What is the punishment for breaking the covenant?
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Universal Translator
Day 5
Genesis 11:1-9
I’m a huge Star Trek fan (or “trekker”)! The creators and writers of that series had to imagine a future
society where technology made long-distance space travel and contact among planets and cultures
possible. They invented a device called the Universal Translator that would translate any language into
English so the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise could communicate with any culture or life form they
encountered in their travels. Language is critically important to the advancing of civilization. If people
can’t understand each other, how can they achieve understanding, work together, and reach
consensus?
That is exactly the problem we find in chapter 11. The people of the world reached consensus about
how to get to heaven through their own means. This is a variation on the sin of Adam and Eve—the
desire to be equal with God. Throughout the Bible we see angels coming down from heaven, but not
humans rising up to heaven. God comes to us, we do not go to God. The popular song “Jacob’s Ladder”
is actually incorrect. It says “we are climbing higher, higher.” In Jacob’s dream in Gen. 28:12, Jacob saw a
ladder reaching to heaven and the angels were ascending and descending on it. Jacob did not climb the
ladder!
Also like Adam and Eve, they used the gifts of God in their rebellion. Not only did God provide them with
the materials to build, he provided them with a common language to communicate. As we see
throughout the Bible, God can give and God can take away. The moment they decided to use these gifts
for their own advancement rather than advancing God’s kingdom, they lost them.
So God broke their Universal Translator so they could no longer understand each other. Now, he could
have destroyed them instead. But here again we see God’s compassion. An interesting aspect of the
Tower of Babel story is that it moves from order to chaos—the reverse order of the book of Genesis!
That’s a clue to what a dire moment this really is.
Also notice that the focus here is on society as a whole rather than an individual. These events are
happening outside of a relationship with God. That’s what happens when we act without God—we put
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ourselves at the center of the universe. The Tower of Babel represents the human ego: “Come, let us
build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for
ourselves.” Without the presence of the Holy Spirit acting as our guide, we can commit horrendous acts
of pride, cruelty, greed, and anger. Groups acting without God’s guidance have committed some of the
world’s greatest atrocities. But groups acting under the power of Holy Spirit have done miraculous
things. That’s the symbolism of Pentecost—when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus’ followers and they
could instantly understand each others’ languages (Act 2:7-11). God restored the Universal Translator so
that together we could build the Church.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 11:6-7
“The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing
they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they
will not understand each other.’”
Questions for Reflection
1. Have you ever been part of a group decision to do something wrong, but justify it through group
logic (usually when we are kids)? What could you have done to stop it?
2. Have you been part of a group where the Holy Spirit was present and you were able to
accomplish something wonderful for God? What was different about that experience from other
types of groups you’ve been part of?
3. In both chapter 3 and chapter 11, when a sin is committed God is absent. Have you ever noticed
that when you are in a state of sin, God seems distant? What could you do in those times to
return to a relationship with him?
Imaginative Exercise
Draw or build a modern day Tower of Babel. Where would it be located? Who would build it? For what
purpose?
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Mustard Seed Faith
Day 6
Genesis 12:1-8
Yesterday we saw that the builders of the Tower of Babel were trying to become a nation, a powerful
political unit. God foiled their plan by causing them to speak different languages, thus fragmenting and
weakening them as a whole. At the beginning of chapter 12, we see the Lord telling Abram, “I will make
you into a great nation and I will bless you.” The contrast is quite stark: movement from a group
dynamic to one individual, from human ambition to God’s divinely ordained plan. God cursed the Tower
of Babel, but promises to bless Abram. God provides an alternative way for us to reach him. Through
Abram God is attempting to bridge the distance between himself and humanity.
We are also introduced to the theme of purposeful wandering. Unlike the exile of Adam and Eve, which
was sin-induced, Abram embarks on a sojourn that has no specific destination other than wherever God
intends. He will be a stranger in a strange land, symbolizing God’s chosen people whose citizenship is
not of this world. The reward for his obedience will be land, which Abram consecrates by building an
altar. This makeshift altar will go through multiple, progressively bigger iterations in the life of Israel:
tent of meeting, tabernacle, and temple. God’s home will grow as the nation of Israel grows. But it all
started with a promise and a rock.
The problem with humans is that we think everything has to be BIG. The builders of the Tower of Babel
set out to build a tower tall enough to reach heaven. They did not start with a simple altar of worship
and a prayer to God for discernment. God said “let me show you how it’s done.” Great things begin in a
very simple form. In Matthew 13:31-32 Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which
a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the
largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Abram
was the seed that God was planting that would one day grow into a mighty nation.
Consider the design of nature: everything starts small and has a gestation period. If we attempt to rush
the growth process, things can go horribly wrong. God is a patient creator who understands that great
things take time. Faith is having the ability to envision what is to come when there is no evidence. The
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writer of Hebrews reminds us: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do
not see.…By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance,
obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Heb 11:1,8). Without patience,
we cannot fully participate in God’s kingdom vision. Jesus was content with 12 disciples—he didn’t start
a megachurch. Let us cultivate an appreciation for and an awareness of the small things that could
become mighty works of faith.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 12: 3
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be
blessed through you.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Great acts of faith begin with small gestures of obedience. What is a small act of obedience to
God that you are feeling called to do in your church or community?
2. Abram built an altar on the place where God appeared and made a promise (a covenant).
Thinking back on your life, where would you build an altar signifying God’s faithfulness to you?
What would you name it?
3. Abram and Sarai left everything they knew to follow God. What would you be willing to leave to
become a sojourner?
Imaginative Exercise
Write an imaginative piece about 12:1-4 from Abram’s point of view. Imagine the difficult decision he
had to make to leave his home, his land, and his people to travel to a strange place based on God’s
promise to bless him.
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A Priest of the God Most High
Day 7
Genesis 14:17-24
Hebrews 6:19-7:3
Throughout the Old Testament there are mysterious figures who appear briefly and then disappear.
Scholars and theologians have interpreted these figures as a foreshadowing of Christ. Melchizedek is
one of those figures. He is the king of Salem who is also described as “priest of God Most High” who
blesses Abram and offers him bread and wine. The word “Salem” occurs only four times in the Bible. The
first is in this passage. The second is in Psalm 76 where it says, “God is renowned in Judah; in Israel his
name is great. His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion” (1-2). This suggests that Salem is the
dwelling place of God, or Jerusalem. The next time the word “Salem” appears is in Hebrews chapter 7
when the author explains that Salem means “peace.”
The clues here are tantalizing. In chapter 12 we heard God tell Abram that he will bless him. Here in
chapter 14 a mysterious king/priest appears and blesses Abram on God’s behalf. Abram’s response is to
give him a tenth of everything he has—the first appearance of the tithe in scripture. It is a brief but
powerful encounter. The author of Hebrews implies that Melchizedek is the forerunner of Jesus, who
was “in the order of Melchizedek” (see Psalm 110).
While the theological implications of this brief passage are weighty, I find the appearance of this
character along Abram’s journey comforting. Jesus does appear to us in many forms, offering blessings
and assurances. God doesn’t just call us on this journey and then disappear. He sends messengers,
angels, and priests to say, “You’re on the right track. Keep going.” I love the image of communion in this
passage, with Melchizedek offering Abram bread and wine. In response, Abram offers him a tithe to
show his gratitude to God. This is the act we perform every Sunday morning in worship. We commune
with God and offer him our tithe. But worship can happen anywhere, not just in a church.
The message of this passage of Hebrews is about hope and endurance. Melchizedek represents the hope
of God’s promise even in the desert when we can’t see the Promised Land. “We have this hope as an
anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb. 6:19). It is important that we have anchors of hope for the
journey, that we build altars along the way, and that we recognize a priest of the God Most High when
he/she is sent to bless and encourage us and pay a tithe of gratitude.
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Passage for Meditation
Gen. 14:19-20
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Have you ever had an experience when someone appeared in your life at exactly the right time
with just the words you needed to hear? Were you aware at the time that person was sent by
God?
2. Have you ever had a worshipful experience outside of church? Describe the situation and how
you felt.
3. Are you paying a tithe to God out of gratitude for all the blessings he has given you? What does
this encounter with Melchizedek tell you about the importance and significance of tithing in the
Bible?
Imaginative Exercise
Ask a friend to participate in a worship experience with you in a setting other than church: at work, in
your front yard, in the mall, etc. Offer each other communion and blessings. Praise God for all that he
has done for you. Journal about your experience.
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A Divine Friendship
Day 8
Genesis 15:1-21
This is an amazing scene. Imagine that Abram has taken his family and left his home on the word of a
disembodied voice that he will bless him with land. He has lived through famine and military conflict.
Now the voice returns with a rather vague assurance: “I am your shield, your very great reward.” That’s
the type of God-ism that we like to put on notepads and bumper stickers, but Abram’s not buying it.
He’s a practical, savvy businessman who understands the patriarchal system. Without a son, his family
has no future. So, he dares to argue with God: “what can you give me since I remain childless?” God
promises him a son and much, much more. God formally invokes the covenant of land that he has been
hinting at since the beginning—and this time he provides specifics. Abram’s children will inherit all the
land from Egypt to the Euphrates—in other words, the entire world as it was known at the time.
This is a truly astounding promise given to a nomad living in a tent! But what I find more astounding is
the relationship that is developing between God and Abram. They speak as friends. Abram dares to
challenge God on the specifics of his promise, and God responds. The narrator says, “He took him
outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars.’” I can just see God gently taking Abram
by the arm and leading him outside and pointing up to the stars. No other deity of the Ancient Near East
would have behaved this way. We don’t know where Abram’s trust of God comes from and we don’t
know why God chose him to be the father of the faith. It seems an unlikely friendship that is Spiritbreathed.
More importantly, this personal intimacy will become a key quality of God’s relationship with his people.
We saw it briefly in the Garden of Eden, but now we see it bloom again. In Exodus we see Moses talking
with God in the Tent of Meeting “as one speaks to a friend” (33:11). In Psalm 23 David paints a
comforting picture of communing with the Good Shepherd in green pastures, beside still waters. In the
psalms we get the image of a God who listens, who pays attention to us. In Genesis chapter 16 Abram
has a son by his servant, Hagar. When Sarai sends her away, she cries out to the Lord and he responds.
She names him “You are the God who sees me” (Gen. 16:13). What a beautiful name! And such an
intimate act of naming the divine.
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That’s the type of personal relationship we are all called to with Jesus Christ. When Jesus came to live
among us, he didn’t lead an army; he didn’t sit on a throne and make proclamations. He paid attention
to people; he listened to them; he touched them. This is a very personal God who knows us and loves us
as individuals. He is not a disembodied voice—we can see his gentle eyes and feel his caring touch. We
can talk with him “as one speaks to a friend.” We can even challenge him, as Abram does. And he
listens and responds. As the song says, “What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” What a
privilege to have an intimate personal relationship with the God of the universe.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 15:5-6
“He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the starts—if indeed you can count
them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to
him as righteousness.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Abram challenges God to show him a sign that he will inherit the land and God sends a smoking
firepot with a blazing torch. Have you ever been given a sign from God? Would you ever
challenge God as Abram does? What type of faith does that require?
2. Think about all the qualities of a good friend. Now apply those to God. Does your image of God
fit this description? Why or why not?
3. When you pray, do you feel as though you are talking to a friend or to a disembodied entity?
What could you do to develop a more intimate relationship with God?
Imaginative Exercise
Write a dialogue between yourself and God as if you were two friends talking about some aspect of your
life. Perhaps it’s about a difficult decision you have to make, or a relationship you’d like to fix. Talk to
God as you would to a close friend.
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Living Sacrifice
Day 9
Genesis 17:1-14
In chapter 17 we see God’s final piece in his covenant with Abram. God has progressively been sharing
his plan to make Abram the father of his chosen people. In chapter 15, God revealed that Abram’s
descendents would have to wait 400 years to come into their full inheritance! In chapter 17 God reveals
that Abram will be the father of many nations and the covenant between them will be everlasting. He
even gives him a new name, “Abraham,” meaning “father of nations.” Fittingly, Abraham falls on his face
before God in supplication.
But this is what’s called a conditional covenant—there’s an expectation. In return for God’s promise of
longevity for his descendents, Abraham and his family (males, of course) must all be circumcised. This is
a blood covenant that requires sacrifice—it’s personal. Sacrificing a part of your body, especially the part
that’s responsible for reproduction, is a permanent reminder of God’s promise and the expectations
that come with it. It is appropriate that the sacrifice God requires is so personal because this is a very
personal covenant relationship. “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me
and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of
your descendants after you.” God promises to belong to Abraham’s descendents, “I will be their God,”
forever! Think about that. What an audacious claim for the Sovereign Lord to make.
We love the idea of having a personal relationship with God, that the Lord of the universe knows us and
cares for us. But we aren’t as thrilled about the idea of sacrifice. What are we willing to offer God in
return? Circumcision is a physical act performed on males (usually at birth), but it is also a symbolic act.
Women must also sacrifice to show their faithfulness to God and his covenant. When Paul began
preaching to Gentiles, he made the point that not all believers must be physically circumcised: “A person
is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is
a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written
code” (Romans 2:28-29). In 1 Corinthians 7:19, he writes “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is
nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.” God told Abraham: “walk before me faithfully and
be blameless” (Gen. 17:1). This is what baptism represents—God’s mark of salvation on our lives and
our promise to keep his commandments in return.
Each Christian must examine his or her own heart and ask, “What is my sacrifice to God?” What part of
our lives are we willing to give to God? Or as Paul puts it in Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you,
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brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing
to God—this is true worship.” God doesn’t want just one part of our bodies, he wants all of us. What
does it mean to be a “living sacrifice”?
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 17:7
“I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendents
after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Abraham enters into a covenant with God knowing that he will not benefit from it in his lifetime.
What can you do that will be for the benefit of future generations?
2. What do you think of when you hear the word “sacrifice”? Is it something you typically associate
with faith?
3. What do you think Paul means when he urges us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice? Relate
Paul’s idea to Abraham’s example. What can we learn from Abraham about sacrificial living?
Imaginative Exercise
During the season of Lent, Christians typically give up something for 40 days in empathy with Christ’s
suffering. In the spirit of circumcision, choose something in your life that you are willing to give up for
God. It should be something that is sacrificial—that causes you pain or discomfort to do without. Journal
about your experience of “circumcision.”
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Laughing in the Face of Grace
Day 10
Genesis 17:15-18:19
Names are important. Think about your name and the identity it gives you. My middle and last names
are both family names—they tie me to the past. There are several times in the Bible when God gives
someone a new name: Jacob becomes Israel; Simon becomes Peter “the Rock”; and Saul becomes Paul.
But Abraham and Sarah are the first humans to receive a new identity in God. In her book The Epic of
Eden, Sandra Richter tells us that it was common in the Ancient Near East that a patron would change
the name of someone who had been elevated to a new role. It was a visible sign of their state change.
Richter claims that in changing the names of Abraham and Sarah, God is designating a new Adam and a
new Eve—father and mother of God’s chosen nation. They are no longer tied to the past but to the
future.
In Sarah’s case, the name change comes with a physical change. God restores her aging body so that she
can bear a son. Both Abraham and Sarah laugh at the preposterous notion of a ninety-year-old woman
giving birth. God promised a son to Abram back in chapter 15, but he still laughs at the idea of it. God
reminds him that he is the master of all creation: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” God unseals her
womb and brings forth a son, Isaac, who will inherit the covenant promise made with his father.
This passage of scripture is ripe with meaning. If we pause to unpack it we, too, are tempted to laugh in
the face of grace. When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, we are given a new name, a new
identity. We are no longer tied to the past. Eden’s Bridge has a poignant song that expresses this hope
of transformation:
I will change your name
You shall no longer be called
Wounded, outcast, lonely or afraid
I will change your name
Your new name shall be
Confidence, joyfulness, overcoming one
Faithfulness, friend of God
One who seeks My face
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As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The
old has gone, the new is here!” In the covenant with Abraham are planted the seeds of transformation
that will come to full flower in the life of his son, Jesus.
We are not just changed in name only. Like Sarah, we are changed spiritually and physically. God can do
miraculous things in and through us. Relationships are healed; forgiveness blooms in the desert of rage
and hurt; a new purpose for our lives is born. No life is beyond redemption; no soul is too old for God to
make fertile again. Is anything too hard for the Lord? In him, all things are possible.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 18:19
“For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of
the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has
promised him.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Is there something you want to do that you believe is impossible to achieve at this point in your
life? Share this with God and listen for his response.
2. If God were to change your name, what would you want your new name to be?
3. Meditate on Paul’s promise in 2 Corinthians 5. Do you feel like a “new creation”? If not, what is
holding you back from being transformed through Christ?
Imaginative Exercise
Imagine that you are Sarah and you have heard that you will give birth in your 90s. Write the birth
announcement that Sarah might have written to express their joy, amazement, and gratitude.
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Bargaining with God
Day 11
Genesis 18:20-32
This is an interesting passage that shows Abraham, in the afterglow of the covenant with God, testing
the new covenant relationship. When he learns that God plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he
risks God’s wrath by trying to strike a bargain to save the town where his nephew, Lot, lives. We can see
why Abraham is such a successful businessman! He finally gets God to agree to save the town if he can
find but ten righteous people. Obviously there were not ten righteous people to be found because the
angels of the Lord “smite” Sodom and Gomorrah, to use the biblical term for unspeakable death and
destruction.
So why does Abraham bargain with God? Is it just to save his nephew’s life? The angels do end up
sparing Lot and his family (except his wife who looks back and turns into a pillar of salt) because they
show them hospitality. This brief encounter reveals something about the vengeful God of the Old
Testament that many people fear and misunderstand. God promised Noah that he would never again
destroy all life to cleanse the earth of evil. Instead, he targets evil where it lives. The angels gave the
citizens of Sodom an opportunity to avoid their fate, but they were insatiable and unrepentant. If left
unchecked, Sodom and Gomorrah could have corrupted God’s fledgling nation.
As we see in the conversation with Abraham, however, God is willing to be merciful. We see this again in
the book of Jonah when God sends the prophet to warn the Ninevites that they are targeted for
destruction if they do not repent. Reluctantly, Jonah agrees and delivers the message to Nineveh, never
believing that they will actually change. Half-heartedly Jonah delivers God’s message then climbs a hill
and waits for the fire and brimstone to rain down from heaven. But unlike Sodom and Gomorrah,
Nineveh does repent. They fast and pray, and God relents. Then Jonah yells at God for being forgiving: “I
knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who
relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2)! Like Abraham, Jonah tries to change God’s mind about
destroying Nineveh—but in reverse. He wants God to act against his character and be unmerciful;
Abraham reveals God’s character as compassionate and forgiving.
We serve a God of second chances. God wants to show mercy; he wants us to repent. Unlike the gods of
the Ancient Near East, the God of Abraham is not capricious and unpredictable. Abraham understood
this and that’s why he is so insistent in his bargaining. He knows that God would prefer to preserve than
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destroy, as he proves in the book of Jonah and throughout the history of Israel. Evil must be destroyed if
it cannot be redeemed. God gave us free will so that we would choose the path of righteousness. If we
do not walk God’s path, then there are dire consequences. Evil destroys itself. Psalm 7 expresses this
vividly:
Those who are pregnant with evil
Conceive trouble and give birth to disillusionment.
Those who dig a hole and scoop it out
Fall into the pit they have made.
The trouble they cause recoils on them;
Their violence comes down on their own heads.
When we witness atrocious acts of violence as we did on September 11, 2001, we must be reminded of
this: evil destroys itself. It might take years, generations, or centuries, but ultimately evil loses.
Vengeance is God’s, not ours, as the psalmist reminds us: “God is a righteous judge, a God who displays
his wrath every day” (Psalm 7:11).
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 18:25
“Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and
the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Questions for Reflection
1. There are those Christians who believe that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the
New Testament are different. They dissociate from the wrathful God of the Old Testament and
cling to the loving God of the New Testament. Are you one of those Christians? How does the
Bible help us reconcile these two images of God?
2. Do you agree with Psalm 7 when it says that evil recoils on itself? Can you think of an example in
your own life or in world history when this has proven true? Does this help you to understand
the existence of evil and God’s brand of justice?
3. Have you ever felt, like Jonah, that certain people are beyond redemption and mercy? What
would you do if God asked you to witness to them?
Imaginative Exercise
Think of a person, or a group of people, that you believe are truly evil and unworthy of mercy. Lift them
up in prayer for their redemption. Ask God to give them repentant hearts. Journal about the experience
of praying for those you believe are truly evil.
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The Lord Will Provide
Day 12
Genesis 22:1-18
The first verse of chapter 22 tells us that God tested Abraham. We have to ask ourselves: hasn’t
everything since chapter 12 been a test? It seems to me that Abraham has passed every test God has
thrown at him. What lesson has he still not learned? Abraham has proven that he trusts God. If God had
told him, “do not sacrifice children” as he tells the Israelites in Leviticus 18:21, Abraham would have said
“Okay. Got it. No human sacrifice.” If God had asked Abraham, “Do you love me more than your own
son?,” Abraham would have said “of course.” God chose instead to teach this lesson experientially, to
associate it with intense emotions, to push Abraham farther than he thought possible.
The story begins, as do so many of Abraham’s stories, with God calling him and Abraham answering
“Here I am.” They’ve done this so often that it feels comfortable, familiar. Then God hits Abraham with a
ton of bricks: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah.
Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” The narrative records no response
by Abraham. It merely says, “Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey.” We can
only imagine the anguish of the previous night. Did he tell Sarah about God’s request? Did Abraham
spend a sleepless night in silent misery? Did he look at his son with tear-filled eyes? Did he pray, as Jesus
did in the Garden of Gesthemane, “take this cup from me”? God knows that we are not robots devoid of
emotion. In fact, he made a point of how much Abraham loved Isaac, his Child of the Promise. Abraham
must have questioned the reason for sacrificing the one on whom the covenant hinged. Did he have the
most intimate conversation of his life with the God of the universe that night? All we know is that he
obeyed.
The connections with the death of Jesus are unmistakable to Christian readers. The narrator says that on
the third day God revealed the place where the sacrifice would occur. Isaac had to carry the wood for
the burnt offering, as Jesus carried the cross to Golgatha. Isaac asks his father, “Where is the lamb for
the burnt offering?” Abraham, holding back tears, tells him that God will provide the lamb. After an
excruciating walk they reach the sacred spot. Isaac realizes that he is the sacrifice and submits,
blameless, to be bound and laid on the altar like a sacrificial lamb. This scene requires not only the
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obedience of Abraham, the father, but also the obedience of Isaac, the son. Faithful obedience is a
family trait; God is counting on it.
When the angel calls Abraham at the moment when he is about to sacrifice his son, the man who says
“Here I am” is not the same man who spoke those words four days earlier. He was willing to do the
unimaginable and he knows that now. In his book The Gifts of the Jews, Thomas Cahill puts forward this
interpretation: “Avraham passes the test. His faith—his belief in God—is stronger than his fear. But now
he knows he is dealing with the Unthinkable, beyond all expectation. The God who called him out into
the wilderness and made impossible promises has begun to bring those promises to fulfillment. But this
must not mean that, through this God, I can see the future and control what has not yet come to be. I
control nothing.”
The author of the book of Hebrews supports this view: “By faith Abraham, when God tested him,
offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only
son, even though God had said to him, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ Abraham
reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back
from death” (Hebrews 11:17-19). This suggests that Abraham had grown beyond his early questioning of
God’s plan and fully obeyed in spite of the apparent inconsistency in God’s promise to fulfill his
covenant through Isaac. If God can bring life from a barren, elderly woman’s womb, he can bring life out
of death. In life and in death, “The Lord Will Provide” (Gen. 22:14).
Those reading the story of Abraham and Isaac through the centuries have shivered at this awesome
display of faithful obedience and divine provision. We are all left to ask: what would I have done? Would
I be willing to sacrifice my child? The point is that we don’t have to because God already did. Abraham
stood in for all parents that day and no one since then has been asked to sacrifice his child. Jesus stood
in for all children of God and was sacrificed for our sins. The echoes from Abraham’s mountaintop
experience reverberate throughout the Bible and serve as a reminder that we worship no ordinary God.
Passage for Meditation
Gen 22:15-18
“The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘I swear by myself,
declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will
surely bless you and make your descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the san on the
seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your
offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.’”
Questions for Reflection
1. Proverbs 1:7 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom
and instruction.” How can you better understand this proverb through reading the story of
Abraham and Isaac?
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2. Does it help you to read this story through the lens of the death and resurrection of Jesus? What
does this reveal about God’s purpose?
3. Do you relate more to Abraham or Isaac? Has there been a time in your life when you felt like
you were being required to do something that was painful? How did your faith get you through
that?
Imaginative Exercise
Write a dialogue that might have taken place between Abraham and God the night before Abraham
takes Isaac to Mount Moriah.
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God’s Mysterious Ways
Day 13
Genesis 25:12-26
The theme of chapter 25 seems to be conflict between brothers. It begins with the accounting of
Ishmael’s family. We are told that the tribes of Ishmael “lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to
them” (v. 18). Isaac, the younger son and favored by Abraham, had two sons with his wife, Rebekah,
who will also be in conflict with one another.
Two clues tell us that Isaac and Rebekah are still living in the shadow of Abraham: 1) When Rebekah
wonders why the two babies inside her are so active she asks God about it, suggesting that they still
have a personal relationship with the Lord, and 2) God’s response is that she is carrying two nations in
her womb! Can you imagine being told that you are carrying nations? She is also told that the older
brother will serve the younger, which is an inversion of the patriarchal line of succession. This
information biases Rebekah towards Jacob, who is minutes younger than his brother Esau.
The narrative jumps from the birth of Jacob and Esau to some time when they are grown men and Jacob
tricks Esau out of his birthright. As we know, this is not the first time that Jacob will use trickery to get
the birthright of the first born. In chapter 27 he tricks his father into giving him his blessing (more on
that later). Despite Jacob’s deceit, we know that God is going to work through Jacob because he’s
already told Rebekah it would be so, just as he chose to work through Isaac the younger son of
Abraham. This would have seemed strange to readers in the Ancient Near East because the birthright
was a big deal. Inheritance was always reckoned through the older son. God is clearly up to something.
One of the things I love about the Bible is that God keeps us guessing. We never know who he will
choose to use for his purposes and why. We get why God tells us through the prophet Isaiah: “For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:9). When we find ourselves
struggling to understand God’s will, we can take comfort in knowing that we’re not alone. Throughout
history humans have scratched their heads as they witnessed the unfolding of God’s plan. Why would
God choose Jacob the deceiver over Esau the hunter? Why would God choose the youngest son of Jesse
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to be king of Israel, by-passing his seven older brothers? Why would God choose Mary, an unwed
teenage girl, to be the mother of his son? In the face of such questions we can only live in the mystery
rather than look for answers. And thank God we can’t decipher his plan! Our human imagination is
limited and God’s imagination is unlimited. Through God all things are possible.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 25:21
“Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer,
and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.”
Questions for Reflection
1. There is a freedom in believing in a God of impossible things. If you let your imagination free and
suppress rational thought, what could you envision for your life?
2. Jacob is deeply flawed yet God chooses him anyway. What flaw exists in you that you believe
makes you unworthy of God’s love?
3. Isaac and Rebekah join Abraham and Sarah as a childless couple whom God blesses with
children later in life. What would you ask God to deliver in your life?
Imaginative Exercise
Think about two things that are in conflict within you like Jacob and Esau fight each other in Rebekah’s
womb. Pray to God as Rebekah did, asking him to show you how to resolve this conflict.
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Living Water
Day 14
Genesis 26:12-25
This is the only portrait we have of Isaac, who is quickly eclipsed in the narrative by his son Jacob. Isaac
must have carried with him the memory of the close call on Mount Moriah; he knew that his life had
been spared for a reason. He grew up hearing stories from his father of faithful promises kept by a God
who sees and cares. I imagine that he was driven by a sense of purpose to carry on the family legacy.
Like his parents, he waited on God to provide children. Isaac has no real identity of his own; the son is
the echo of his father.
Like Abraham he becomes a wealthy man. He reopens the wells that his father had dug and he digs wells
of his own. In the desert water is life. In his book While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks, Timothy Laniak
explains: “Pastoralists are ingenious when it comes to finding, keeping, maintaining, and guarding water
sources. They make use of natural cisterns and construct their own dams, cisterns, wells, and connected
‘well-chains’ that feed into each other. Nineteenth-century German explorer Alois Musil listed forty-five
Arabic names for different types of natural, enhanced, or wholly artificial water-retaining structures.”
Isaac would have also learned from his father how to find water. Laniak says, “Water is rarely accessible
without knowledge and hard work.” The most beautiful words to desert dwellers’ ears would have been
those of Isaac’s servant: “We’ve found water!”
When God appears to Isaac in a dream and reaffirms the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac built
an altar and dug a well. This combination of water and worship seems appropriate to me. Think about all
the ways that water is used throughout the Bible to signify God’s life-giving power. In John chapter 7,
Jesus says, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has
said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:37-38). We heard this metaphor before in
John chapter 4 during a conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Jesus tells
her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink the water I give them will
never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal
life” (13-14). Try to hear Jesus’ words with the ears of someone who lives in the desert and to whom the
idea of endlessly-flowing water would seem impossible. We can see why Jesus chose to use water to
represent eternal life.
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The shepherds in the desert knew where to dig and they dug deep. We, too, need to look for the
sources of life-giving water in our lives and build deep wells. We need to dig deep into scripture, into
prayer, and into worship. We should also dig deep wells of friendship, community, and service. Are you
thirsty for living water? Start digging!
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 26:25
“Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his
servants dug a well.”
Questions for Reflection
1. What activities in your life are life-giving? Where do you have deep wells?
2. Are you in a spiritual drought? If so, where can you find water?
Imaginative Exercise
Draw a map of your life indicating where your wells are. Where could you dig more wells?
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Blessings
Day 15
Genesis 27:1-45
We’ve already seen in chapter 25 that Jacob has tricked Esau out of his birthright as the older son. Now
we see Jacob and Rebekah conspiring to trick Isaac into bestowing his blessing upon his youngest son.
It’s noteworthy that both Isaac and Esau are so easily tricked because of their love of food. Esau traded
his birthright for some stew; Isaac trades his blessing for some wild game. Our human appetites do
make us vulnerable to temptation.
I’d like to reflect on the significance of the father’s blessing. “Blessing” is a word we have heard a lot in
Genesis, mainly from God. It is part of the covenantal language between God and Abraham: “I will make
you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing”
(Gen. 12:3). God repeats this blessing when he reaffirms the covenant with Isaac: “Do not be afraid for I
am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my
servant Abraham” (Gen. 26:24). As readers we know that the blessing that Isaac bestows on Jacob is
more than the garden-variety blessing that a father passes onto his son. It is the perpetuation of the
covenant promise of God to create a great nation of God’s people. Jacob and Rebekah do not seem to
have this knowledge since they treat the blessing like a commodity that can be traded or stolen.
Esau’s reaction to his brother’s deception helps us to understand why God could not reckon his
covenant promise through Esau. He is filled with rage and threatens to commit the sin of Cain: to
murder his brother. Like Cain, he is sentenced to a life of strife. We are told that he marries a Hittite
woman, to the chagrin of his parents (Gen. 26:34), and his descendents will become the enemies of
Israel. Esau is not made of the right stuff for God to entrust him with his precious plan.
Neither is Jacob, at the beginning. But God will work in Jacob to change him into the man he needs him
to be. Throughout the Old Testament we can see the strength of God’s promise to persist despite the
failings of its human vessels. God’s blessing is made of durable stuff that can survive deceit, trickery,
temptation, and pride. God’s grace is bigger than our sin; it always overcomes. We will see that clearly
as we move through Genesis and witness many points of failure where God could have given up on the
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human race. But he didn’t, and he still hasn’t. God’s covenant blessings continue and are available to
anyone who accepts his gift of grace and salvation.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 27:28
“May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness—an abundance of grain and new wine.”
Questions for Reflection
1. God’s covenant blessing to Abraham and Isaac was to promise them land and progeny. What
would be the equivalent blessing for us today?
2. What blessing has been passed to you from your parents and grandparents? What blessing will
you pass along to your children?
Imaginative Exercise
Write a family blessing. What would you ask God to provide for your children and their children?
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Holy Ground
Day 16
Genesis 28:10-22
When I read this story of Jacob I always think of the Bill Gaither song, “On Holy Ground”:
We are standing on holy ground
And I know there are angels all around
Let us praise, praise God now, praise him anyhow
For we are standing in his sweet presence
On holy ground
In his presence I know there is joy beyond all measure
And at his feet sweet peace of mind can still be found
For when we have a need he is still the answer
Reach out and claim it for we are standing
On holy ground
What I love about the Old Testament is the characters’ sense of sacred place. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and
now Jacob all built altars wherever they encountered the presence of the living God.
Jacob’s encounter with God is particularly powerful. God visits him in a dream as he had to his father
and grandfather, but this time there are theatrics. Jacob sees a stairway coming down from heaven to
earth (not a stairway to heaven as the Led Zeppelin song wrongly asserts). God stood at the top of the
stairway with a chorus of angels ascending and descending the stairs. He reaffirms the covenant he
made with Abraham and Isaac: that Jacob’s descendants will inherit the land and be numerous. As an
aside: I enjoy the images that God uses to describe how numerous their descendents will be. With
Abraham he described them as stars in the sky or sand in the desert. Here, he describes them as dirt. In
any case, these are all objects that are far too numerous to count and they are everywhere. God also
promises to protect Jacob and to be with him always.
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Jacob’s reaction is, appropriately, one of awe and fear. He recognizes that he is on holy ground: “This is
none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” It is also one of gratitude: “of all that you
give me I will give you a tenth.” That’s what our tithe is: a sign of gratitude for all God has given to us.
As readers of the Bible we know that this vision is more than just a chance meeting with God: it is a
calling, a sending forth of Jacob. We know this because we’ve seen it with other important figures in
God’s story. In Exodus, chapter 3, Moses encounters the burning bush on Mount Sinai. The voice of God
says, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (v. 5). Then God
repeats a familiar phrase that we have heard throughout Genesis: “I am the God of your father, the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” What’s interesting about this is that Moses is not of
the lineage of Abraham (that we know of), but he is a Hebrew. God is expanding his promise from the
family of Abraham to the nation of Abraham through Moses. We will witness this transition at the end
of Genesis.
We also see a similar scene when Isaiah the prophet is called by God. In Isaiah chapter 6 he recounts a
vision in which he sees the Lord Almighty in the temple with seraphs all around him. It is a truly
awesome sight that inspires fear and humility. God reveals to Isaiah how he will punish the sins of Israel,
but preserve the “holy seed” through which God will fulfill his promise. In Galatians 3:16, Paul states
that the seed of Abraham is Christ. So, in the Old Testament we can trace God’s promise from Abraham
to Christ, and see how God revealed himself to men along the way who would be his promise-bearers.
I believe that God continues to reveal himself to us today. I have encountered God in many different
places that I consider holy ground. If I were to build altars in all these places they would be: in the
Redwood forest, on the beach, in my garden, in a mud hut in Uganda, beside a prayer labyrinth, in my
living room, and in a seminary classroom. These are just some of the places where I felt the presence of
God and knew that he had a special purpose for my life. As the children of the Promise, it is important
that we cultivate an awareness of God’s presence in our lives. We considered where we have dug wells
in our lives where we go to refresh and renew our souls; we should also consider where we have
erected altars and proclaimed, like Jacob, “Surely the Lord is in this place.”
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 28:20
“Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am
taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household,
then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all
that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Reflect on the places where you have felt the presence of God. How would you describe that
experience? Were you afraid, peaceful, excited? What impact did that experience have on your
life? If you were to build an altar at those places, what would you name them?
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2. God said to Jacob, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.” Jesus echoes his
father’s promise in his final words to his disciples: “And surely I am with you always, to the very
end of the age” (Matt 28:20). Do you believe that God is with you always? Do you sense his
presence? What can you do to “practice the presence of God” as Brother Lawrence describes it?
Imaginative Exercise
Go to one of your sacred places, erect an altar (simple stones will do), and name it. You might want to
pour anointing oil over the stones as Jacob did. Sing an appropriate song, such as “Surely the presence
of the Lord is in this place” or “On Holy Ground.” Spend some time there and then journal about your
experience.
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Birth of a Nation
Day 17
Genesis 29-30
The story of how Jacob came to be married to Leah and Rachel is an example of “what goes around
comes around.” Jacob’s own trickery is visited upon him by his uncle, Laban. Jacob falls in love with
Rachel at first sight—he chooses her even though she is the younger daughter. When he offers to work
for free for seven years to earn the right to marry Rachel, Laban jumps at the chance to get some free
labor from his nephew and agrees. When the time for the wedding comes, Laban switches Leah for
Rachel—not unlike the way that Rebekah and Jacob tricked Isaac into thinking he was blessing Esau
instead of Jacob. Jacob discovers the trickery only after he’s consummated his marriage to Leah. His love
for Rachel is so strong that he agrees to work another seven years to marry her as well.
The narrative space given to Jacob’s time with Laban is spent describing the succession of children that
Leah, Rachel, and their servants bore to Jacob. When God told Jacob “your descendants will be like the
dust of the earth” he wasn’t kidding! The sons of Jacob will become the 12 Tribes of Israel. We learn
nothing about their life together, except that there was jealousy between Leah and Rachel, which is
understandable. Leah knew that Jacob loved Rachel more than her, but Leah proved to be the more
fertile of the two sisters. They even used their servants, Bilhah and Zilpah, in their plan to bear more
children for Jacob. Polygamy is foreign to our culture, so this type of arrangement is difficult for us to
understand. We are left to imagine how this family managed itself with two wives vying for the affection
of their husband, two servants who were the mothers of four of Jacob’s sons, and a daughter, Dinah,
who must have gotten lost in a sea of brothers.
Anita Diamant wrote an imaginative novel called The Red Tent in which Dinah narrates the story of her
family from the women’s point of view. She gives us a rare glimpse into the lives of the women in the
Bible who are largely invisible. Diamant includes fascinating details, such as the role of midwives in a
culture that revolved around childbearing; the complicated pecking order among women that is on
display in the relationship between Leah and Rachel; and the way that women were the culture bearers
of their time. Through women stories and songs passed from mothers to their children. During the daily
chores that were too mundane to deserve narrative space, the women talked, sang, shared family
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secrets, conspired, and prayed. Jacob contributed his seed, but Leah and Rachel birthed and nurtured a
nation.
One aspect of the story that should not escape our attention is that Rachel was barren. We’ve seen this
pattern before with Sarah and Rebekah, so we know this detail is significant. The son that she eventually
bore will play an important role in God’s plan. Rachel bore only two sons: Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel
was precious to Jacob and so her sons became his favorites. More importantly, Joseph becomes the
savior of his family and is considered one of the patriarchs of Israel.
It is rare in the Bible that anyone marries for love, but we are told that Jacob loved Rachel with a
romantic love worthy of a Nicholas Sparks novel: “So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they
seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her” (Gen. 29:20). True love is worth waiting
for. I believe that we are meant to draw a parallel between Jacob’s love for Rachel and God’s love for
his people. Throughout the Old Testament we see examples of God’s unending love for us, his relentless
pursuing of a relationship with us. The apostle John tells us in 1 John 4:8: “Whoever does not love does
not know God, because God is love.” The seed of God’s love is passed from Jacob to Joseph through
Rachel. That love comes to full bloom in Joseph’s story of faithfulness and forgiveness. True love stands
out in the story of this patchwork family that came together through deception, jealousy, and
bargaining.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 29:18-20
“Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, ‘I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger
daughter Rachel.” Laban said, ‘It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with
me.’ So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of
his love for her.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Think about your own family and the role that women play in it. What did your mother,
grandmother, and aunts pass down to you?
2. Jacob the deceiver becomes the victim of Laban’s deception. Do you believe in the idea of
karma—that our actions come back to us like a boomerang? Have you experienced this in your
life? What lessons did you learn from experiencing yourself what you have done to others?
3. Have you ever thought about God as a suitor who is wooing you? Reflect on the love that Jacob
feels for Rachel and what he is willing to do for her. Replace God for Jacob and us for Rachel.
What has God done to show his love for his people, and for you in particular?
Imaginative Exercise
Like Anita Diamant, select a female character from the story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah and write a
narrative from that person’s point of view.
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The Balm of Gilead
Day 18
Genesis 31:1-55
“Oh! What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” This quotation from Sir Walter
Scott’s poem Marmion, often mistakenly attributed to William Shakespeare, adequately describes the
situation in which we find Jacob and Laban in chapter 31. Laban cheats Jacob, so Jacob tries to flee with
his wives, children, and livestock without telling his father-in-law. Once again we see how God’s plan
prevails despite the weaknesses of humans. God tells Jacob that it’s time to return to his native land. He
also appears to Laban in a dream and tells him not to exact revenge on Jacob. The two of them have a
show down in the land of Gilead. After much finger-pointing the two men agree to a covenant. They
build a pillar of stones they call the “heap of witness” (Galeed) and Mizpah, “May the Lord keep watch
between you and me when we are away from each other” (Gen. 31:49).
Interestingly, Mizpah becomes the name of a town in Gilead that appears many times in the books of
the Old Testament. One of the most significant events to occur in Mizpah happens in 1 Samuel 7. The
tribal leaders of Israel come to Samuel to repent and turn back to the Lord. They assemble in Mizpah to
fast, make sacrificial offerings, and confess their sin of apostasy. Israel then defeats the Philistines and
Samuel erects an Ebenezer—a stone monument—between Mizpah and Shen to memorialize God’s
provision. In Genesis chapter 31 we see the origins of Mizpah as a place that represents God’s healing
power.
Interestingly, the region of Gilead was associated with a balm that was thought to have healing
properties. It should come as no surprise to us that Jacob and Laban heal their relationship in Gilead.
There is a popular African-American hymn called “There Is a Balm in Gilead”:
There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin sick soul.
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Sometimes I feel discouraged,
And think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again.
In this spiritual, the balm in Gilead is the love of Jesus. This is a love so powerful that it can heal the most
diseased relationships—like that between Jacob and his father-in-law. God orchestrates this healing
covenant because Jacob needs to make amends for all the broken relationships in his life: first Laban,
then Esau. We, too, are called to heal the relationships in our lives. Through the power of Christ in our
lives we can build a Mizpah, or heap of witness, with those whom we have hurt or who have hurt us.
God’s love is a balm “to heal the sin sick soul” and return us to wholeness.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 31:51-53
“Laban also said to Jacob, ‘Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me.
This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm
you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. 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.”
Questions for Reflection
1. In the dialogue between Jacob, Laban, Rachel, and Leah we recognize the petty bickering and
resentments that occur in our own families. Do these types of hurts and disagreements exist in
your family? What steps could you take to heal them? Where can you build a “heap of witness”?
2. Do you believe that God’s love can heal all your hurts, broken relationships, and painful
memories? How can you apply the balm of Gilead in your own life?
Imaginative Exercise
Identify a relationship in your life that needs healing. Build a “heap of witness” or Mizpah between
yourself and that person. You can either do this literally by building a pile of stones in their presence, or
create a symbolic pillar. Pray for the balm of God’s love to bring healing and wholeness.
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Wrestling with God
Day 19
Genesis 32:1-32
In the movie The Apostle, Robert Duvall plays a preacher, Sonny Dewey, who wrestles with his guilty
conscience all night by having a shouting match with God. Through the window we see him pacing the
floor of his room with fists pounding at heaven. By morning he’s convicted that he is meant to preach
the word of God to anyone who will listen. He changes his name to E.F. and starts a radio ministry. What
happened between Sonny and God during the night of raving we will never know. All we can see is the
change that occurs in Sonny, signified by his going forth with a new name.
We’ve all had those nights when we wrestled with God, questioning his will. Many times we are really
wrestling with ourselves—with our own sinful desires, stubborn wills, difficult decisions, painful
relationships. Jacob was the first man to wrestle with God in the Bible. There are certain stories in the
Old Testament that have become iconic and chapter 32 is one of them. This is the part when God
changes Jacob’s name to Israel, signifying his role in propagating God’s chosen nation. This is when
Jacob’s hip is injured, giving him a limp to remind him of his physical encounter with God. But there’s
much more happening in this scene. It demands that we pay close attention to this strange and
unexpected theophany.
We are told early on in the chapter that Jacob is in “great fear and distress” (v. 7) over the impending
meeting with his brother, Esau. He busily prepares for the encounter by dividing his large party into two
groups in case Esau’s army of supporters attacks them. He also prays for protection and carefully counts
out livestock that he will present as gifts to Esau. We can just imagine this wild-eyed man running
around counting sheep, goats, and donkeys, muttering to himself. Those around him must have felt
anxious just watching him work himself into a state of panic. He quizzes them about what they will say
when they meet Esau first. They repeat back to him the well-rehearsed speech. Jacob means to create a
human shield between himself and his estranged brother. His courage is failing him.
But God knows what’s in Jacob’s heart and the real source of his distress: guilt. Jacob is about to be faceto-face with the one whom he tricked out of his inheritance. God appears to Jacob in human form and
wrestles with Jacob all night. We’re not told why they wrestled, but we know that Jacob held his own. It
could have been the adrenaline from his fight-or-flight system working overtime, or the power of
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Jacob’s will that gave him superhuman strength. By the morning he is hurt, exhausted, and ready to
listen.
Jacob asks for the man’s blessing. We assume this is because he knows he’s been wrestling with God (or
an angel of God), though no words have yet been spoken to suggest this. It could be that Jacob
subconsciously asks for the blessing out of guilt for stealing Esau’s blessing from Isaac. God asks for his
name, reminding Jacob of this past deception. When Isaac had asked for his name, he answered “I am
Esau your first born” (Gen. 27:19). But that was the old Jacob. He’s changed now and God grants him a
second chance. He is now Israel, one who overcomes.
There is a saying that sometimes God has to put us flat on our backs for us to look up to heaven. It is
true that we often encounter God at our weakest moments, times of crisis, and deepest despair. He has
to wrestle us to the ground, humble us, before he can get our attention. Jacob will now go to meet his
brother as a humble man, not as a frightened man. Esau might have sensed Jacob’s fear and mistaken it
for aggression. Now he will see a man who is truly repentant, changed utterly. No one stands in the
presence of the living God and stays the same. Jacob is a new man, ready to do God’s will instead of his
own.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 32:28
“Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God
and with human beings and have overcome.’”
Questions for Reflection
1. Have you ever wrestled with God? If so, how did that experience change you?
2. This story illustrates that faith is a contact sport. Sometimes God has to weaken our old selves in
order to build up our new selves. Is there a part of you that God needs to weaken or remove in
order for you to fully commit to him? Have you asked for God’s blessing?
3. Jacob is really wrestling with his own guilt in anticipation of meeting his brother. Is there guilt in
your past that you have not repented? Or are you Esau, the one who has been wronged? How
does this story speak to you?
Imaginative Exercise
We are not told what was said during Jacob’s wrestling match with God, if anything. Imagine the
dialogue that might have been spoken that night. Perhaps Jacob thought he was being attacked by one
of Esau’s men. At what point does he know that he’s in the presence of God? Why does he ask for his
blessing?
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The Face of God
Day 20
Genesis 33:1-16
The reunion of Jacob and Esau is one of the most tender moments in the Bible. To those watching it
must have seemed like a true miracle. First they saw Jacob, the patriarch of this large clan, bowing down
like a humble servant before Esau. If that wasn’t unbelievable enough they saw Esau running to embrace
his brother! Men in the Ancient Near East did not run—it would have been considered undignified. They
hugged, kissed, and wept like two women. To the crowd who had prepared to be attacked this must
have been a great relief; to the two brothers this was grace itself.
The embrace of Jacob and Esau is mirrored in the New Testament parable of the prodigal son in Luke
chapter 15. We see a similar scene when the one who has wronged sheepishly returns to ask forgiveness
of the one who was wronged. But before the son has the chance to ask forgiveness, the father runs to
greet him: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for
him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Interpreters have long
viewed the father in this story as God and the prodigal son as all of us who are sinners. What amazes me
about this story and the story of Jacob and Esau is that forgiveness had already happened before the
men started running. Jesus said “while he was still a long way off his father saw him.” Likewise, Esau was
across a field from Jacob. Before the first “I’m sorry” is spoken by the prodigal son or Jacob, they have
already been forgiven. Jesus tells this story to illustrate that all God wants is to have us back with him.
He is ready to forgive us anything as long as we return to him with a humble heart. God wants us to be
reconciled with him and with each other. Jacob recognizes God in Esau’s forgiving eyes: “For to see your
face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably” (Gen. 33:10). God is
forgiveness.
Forgiveness is a funny thing. We build up dread of a confrontation; we avoid contact and prolong the
agony; we imagine the worst possible scenario. And then forgiveness shows up—sweet, quiet release.
We are liberated from all those unhealthy emotions and joy floods our soul. We are grateful to be rid of
the toxic thoughts and emotions that have kept us hostage for so long. So why is it so difficult for us to
forgive? Why do we put ourselves through the torture? One possible reason is that we must first forgive
ourselves. That’s what we see played out in Jacob’s wrestling match with God—he finally resolves his
feelings of guilt and shame. He received God’s blessing of forgiveness. We don’t know what Esau went
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through before his meeting with Jacob, but I like to think he had his own wrestling match. Remember
that he threatened to murder his brother (Gen. 27:41). Guilt, anger, and resentment are powerful
emotions that don’t go away quietly or easily. We must wrestle with them and present them to God. We
must accept God’s forgiveness before we can participate in forgiveness with others.
The other thing we notice in the exchange between Jacob and Esau is that both men are grateful for all
that God has provided them. At first Esau rejects Jacob’s gift of livestock because he has plenty of his
own. Jacob, too, recognizes that God has been gracious in making him a wealthy man. There is no room
for anger in a grateful heart. More importantly, God blesses the humble and repentant. We hear this
clearly in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew: “Blessed are the meek…Blessed are the
merciful…Blessed are the peacemakers…” (Matt. 5:5, 7, 9). In his teachings Jesus emphatically tells us to
forgive. He includes it in his model prayer: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors” (Matt. 6:12). When Peter asked him how many times must he forgive someone who has sinned
against him, Jesus replies: “not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matt. 28:22). Jesus is not vague
on the point of forgiveness. Forgiveness is an expression of gratitude for all God has done for us; it is an
expression of God’s love and mercy. When we forgive, others will see the face of God in us.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 33:10
“If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of
God, now that you have received me favorably.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Have you ever experienced the sweet release of forgiveness? Or, are you still living in the
torture chamber of guilt and shame? Have you asked God for forgiveness?
2. Read the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. Who are you in this story? Are you the
father who is prepared to forgive? Are you the prodigal son who is ready to come home and ask
forgiveness? Or are you the older brother who resents someone who you do not think deserves
forgiveness?
Imaginative Exercise
Divide a sheet of paper into two columns. On one side list all the hurts and resentments that others
have created in you through their actions or words. On the other side list all the blessings God has given
you. Cut the paper in two and present the list of hurts to God in prayer. Ask for the strength to forgive
and let go of the past. Then destroy the piece of paper. Now present the list of blessings to God in
thankful praise for all that he has done in your life and all that he has forgiven in you.
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Foreign Gods
Day 21
Gen 35:1-15
Bethel was the site of Jacob’s vision on his way to Harran recorded in chapter 25. We recall how
worshipful Jacob’s experience there was. He called it the “house of God” and the “gate of heaven.” He
erected a stone pillar, anointed it with oil, and declared it to be God’s house. So God is not just sending
Jacob to a place to live, he is sending him to a place of worship. Jacob recognizes this because he calls
for his household to purify themselves. “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify
yourselves and change your clothes” (Gen. 35:2). Jacob is also fleeing from those who wish to harm him
and his family, much as he was fleeing Esau’s wrath all those years before. Bethel is a place of God’s
protection. When Jacob arrives, God appears to him and reaffirms the Abrahamic covenant that he will
be the father of nations and kings. Jacob responds by erecting another pillar and consecrating the place
once again as a place where he encountered God, El Bethel. Twice blessed, this is truly a holy place.
Bethel plays an important role as a place of worship in the Old Testament. Abraham built an altar
between Bethel and Ai in chapter 12 after his first covenantal vision. Some scholars have suggested that
Bethel to the west symbolized God’s land and Ai to the east represented pagan land. Bethel was also the
site where the tribal elders of Israel came to the prophet Samuel to repent of their apostasy and return
to the Lord. Samuel told them, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves
of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he
will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 7:3-4 emphasis mine). Sound familiar? In 1
Kings 12 the king of Israel, Jeroboam, does not rid himself of foreign gods, but instead introduces them
into worship at Bethel. He creates two golden calves and sets one up in Bethel and the other in Dan
(v.28-29). He is trying to win the allegiance of the people rather than send them to worship in the
temple in Jerusalem where they might fall under the influence of the king of Judah. The desecrated altar
at Bethel was finally cleansed by King Josiah in 2 Kings 23 by destroying it.
When I consider this brief history of the holy site of Bethel I recognize the importance of purity. God’s
people struggled from the beginning with monotheism. Despite all that God did for them, they wanted
to hedge their bets and worship the foreign gods of other cultures. It’s human nature for us to play the
odds and throw our allegiance wherever it seems most advantageous to us. Deuteronomy 6:4 says
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“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your strength.” This is all God requires of us, to love him above all else and to
love him with our whole being. Jesus reminds us in Luke 16:13 that we cannot serve two masters. If we
are to serve God, then we must rid ourselves of all our foreign gods.
What are our foreign gods? We don’t worship statues, but we do worship things such as cars, electronic
devices, sports, our jobs, our homes. We value status, wealth, and fame. Like the Israelites we want to
be like everyone else and worship what they worship. But then how are we to be set apart? How will the
world know that we are different if we look and act like everyone else? What does purity look like in our
world? A good place to start is by looking at your calendar and your bank account. Where do you spend
your time and your money? That is what you value. Next examine your heart. What do you love above
God? In 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul reminds us, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy
Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” He was calling for physical purity, but as
temples of the Holy Spirit we should also seek to be spiritually pure. Bethel is within us.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 35:2-3
“Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. 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.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Consider Paul’s question above. Do you believe that you are a temple? How does that change
how you think of yourself and your behaviors?
2. What are the foreign gods that you worship? What can you do to cleanse yourself of them?
3. Meditate on Deuteronomy 6:4. Do you love God with your whole being? Your thoughts? Your
actions? How do others know that you are a Christ follower?
Imaginative Exercise
Draw a picture of the foreign gods in your life. Now ritually cleanse your heart by destroying the images
and pray Psalm 51.
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The Pain of Loss
Day 22
Genesis 37:1-34
Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her Salt Lake City, Utah home on June 5, 2002. She was found nine
months later on March 12, 2003 in the company of her captors. Those must have been the longest nine
months in her parents’ lives. I remember seeing their agonized faces on television, frantic with fear
about what might have happened to their 14-year-old daughter in the middle of the night. This is what
Jacob felt when he heard that his precious son, Joseph, was missing and had likely been killed by wild
animals. He tore his clothes and mourned the death of his son, but the question of what happened must
have tortured him. Why didn’t his older brothers protect him? Like the Smarts, I imagine Jacob praying
to God every day that his son would be found alive.
The reality of what happened to Joseph was, in many ways, worse than a wild animal attack. He was
sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Joseph was a pampered son; we are told that he is Jacob’s
favorite because he was born to him in his old age. I think it’s because he was born to Rachel, the love of
Jacob’s life. His father even gave him a brightly-colored robe that must have made him look like royalty.
Unfortunately, he acted like royalty! He snitched on his brothers when they misbehaved out in the
fields. He used his gift of interpreting dreams to taunt his older brothers. Rather than being respectful
and humble, Joseph shares his prediction that he will one day rule over his family. His arrogance finally
pushes his brothers to the limit and they look for a way to get rid of him.
The appearance of the spice traders must have seemed like a gift from God to the brothers as they
plotted what they would do to Joseph. It was the perfect plan: they did not have to kill their brother, but
they could ensure that they would never see him again. I’m sure that in their minds Joseph deserved to
be treated like a slave after being pampered by their father. The human mind can find a rationale for
almost anything. Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapper convinced himself that she was destined to be his child
bride. They even performed a mock wedding ceremony soon after abducting her. The world of the mind
can be just as chaotic and frightening as the world outside.
It’s difficult not to read the story of Joseph’s kidnapping as readers who know that God ultimately uses
this tragic event for his own purposes. Like the story of Abraham almost sacrificing his son, Isaac, this
one is easier to take when we remind ourselves of how it ends. But we should try to put ourselves
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imaginatively inside of Jacob’s pain. Jacob could not be comforted: “in mourning will I go down to the
grave to my son.” His life would be forever changed. Even when God has a plan for turning evil to good,
we are not privy to that plan. We still hurt. When Elizabeth Smart was found wandering in a town not far
from Salt Lake City, her parents must have felt that their prayers had been answered. But many parents
are still waiting for their children to return from the abyss. God waits with us in the darkness of our pain.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 37:33-34
“He recognized it and said, ‘It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has
surely been torn to pieces.’ Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many
days.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Have you ever experienced the depth of Jacob’s pain in losing someone you love? Where was
God in your pain? What got you through that experience?
2. The news is full of stories of evil. Behind each of those stories is a family. As a Christian, what
would you say to someone who has been the victim of a crime to themselves or someone they
love?
Imaginative Exercise
Visit the website www.missingkids.com. Pray for the safe return of the children posted on this website
and pray for their families.
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The Lord Was With Him
Day 23
Genesis 39:1-23
Joseph is just one of those guys. He’s handsome and smart; things just seem to work out for him. Do you
know the type? He makes the best of every situation, even being a slave. Joseph is the best servant
Potiphar has, so he puts him in charge of everything. That’s quite a promotion for a 17-year-old Hebrew
boy. But Potiphar could see this was no ordinary slave. The Bible tells us repeatedly “the Lord was with
him.” Joseph prospered because he was blessed by God in his difficult circumstances.
Joseph reminds me of another young man who was handsome and gifted: David. Like Joseph, David was
the youngest son with many brothers, but he was the one chosen by God for divine purposes. Both
Joseph and David were self-assured for their young years, which served them well later in life. Joseph
told his father and brothers that he would rule over them; David fought the giant Goliath and won.
Joseph could interpret dreams; David could play the lyre. It was clear from the beginning that these
were special young men. But their giftedness threatened those around them. Joseph’s brothers sold him
into slavery; King Saul tried to kill David.
Perhaps the most important similarity between Joseph and David is the phrase: “the Lord was with
him.” I Samuel 18:14 says of David, “In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was
with him.” Compare this with the description of Joseph in Genesis 39:3: “When his master saw that the
Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his
eyes.” Everyone around Joseph and David could see the Lord’s spirit in them, but what exactly did they
see? Was it just that they were good at everything and seemed supernaturally blessed? I like to think
that it was also that their character reflected God. Others could tell that David and Joseph walked with
the Lord daily and trusted him, even in difficult circumstances. We can see this is Joseph’s reaction to
Potiphar’s wife’s attempted seduction. He not only shows loyalty to his master by rebuffing her
advances, but he also shows his allegiance to God: “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin
against God?” (v. 9). When he is thrown into prison, he continues to show his godly character and earns
the favor of the warden.
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While both Joseph and David were special young men who were clearly marked for success, they both
endured significant trials before ascending to a position of leadership. We are told that Joseph was 30
when he entered the service of the Pharaoh (Gen. 41:46). That means that he probably spent 12 years in
prison! David was also 30 when he became king of Israel (2 Sam 5:4). We don’t know exactly how old
David was when we first meet him in 1 Samuel 16, but I imagine he was 16 or 17—the same age as
Joseph when we first meet him. That means that David spent his 20s being chased and persecuted by
Saul, and Joseph spent his 20s incarcerated. During that decade God prepared them both for leadership.
They did not become bitter or resentful; they remained godly men who trusted the Lord. They knew
they were appointed by God for a greater purpose and kept their eye on that vision. When they came
into their divinely-appointed roles, they served with humility and compassion because of all they had
been through. Joseph and David serve as wonderful reminders that God’s work in us takes a lifetime and
that he is with us, even during our times of trial.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 39:23
“The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and
gave him success in whatever he did.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Reflect on the most difficult time of your life. Did you turn to God during that time? Were there
blessings that came to you despite your difficult circumstances? What was God preparing you
for?
2. Think about modern examples of men and women like Joseph and David. These are godly
people whose life reflects their trust in God. What characteristics do you notice in them?
Imaginative Exercise
Are you going through a dark period of your life? Are you in prison like Joseph or in a cave like David?
Write a prayer of praise to God in the midst of your darkness.
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Fruitful Suffering
Day 24
Genesis 41:1-42
During his time in prison, Joseph made a name for himself as someone who was trustworthy and wise.
He interpreted dreams for his fellow prison mates, which eventually brought him to the attention of the
Pharaoh. But during the ten years or so that Joseph was imprisoned, he did more than interpret dreams
and manage the prisoners—he paid attention. At the rate that the Pharaoh was imprisoning his staff,
half of Egypt probably came through at one time or another. I imagine that Joseph was listening closely
to their conversations and learning all that he could from these insiders. He learned to speak Egyptian
very well; he learned about their political system, agriculture, economy, culture, and religion. When he
is called up by Pharaoh to interpret his dreams, Joseph uses more than just his gift for interpreting
dreams. He speaks knowledgably about natural cycles and food storage. As a Hebrew he also drew upon
his understanding of tithing and setting aside a certain part of the harvest. Joseph used all that he had
learned in his life at that most crucial moment. It’s no wonder Pharaoh was impressed with this young
man who had wisdom beyond his years.
But Pharaoh saw more than just a man with a head for business; he saw a true believer. Throughout his
incarceration Joseph never lost his faith. When he’s asked to interpret Pharaoh’s dream he says, “I
cannot do it…but God will give Pharaoh the answers” (Gen. 41:16). Pharaoh rewards him by putting him
in charge of his palace saying, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”
(Gen. 41:38). That’s quite a statement from someone who considers himself to be a god! Joseph
attributes his success to the Lord’s provision, not to his own wisdom. When he marries and has a son, he
names him Ephraim, “because God had made me fruitful in the land of my suffering” (Gen. 41:52).
Fruitful suffering will become a characteristic of God’s people as they grow into a mighty nation.
In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a parable of a master who entrusts his servants with his wealth. To one he
gives five bags of gold, to another two bags, and another one bag. The man with five bags and the man
with two bags double their worth. The man with one bag buries it. To the men who doubled their gold,
the master says, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will
put you in charge of many things” (Matt 25:21). We certainly see this in the story of Joseph. He
remained faithful during his imprisonment and did well with the responsibilities that were given him.
When Pharaoh gives Joseph a robe of fine linen and a gold chain indicating that he belongs in the palace,
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we think of the many-colored robe that Jacob gave him. Joseph was destined for greatness, but first he
had to prove that he could be faithful with what he had been given. In return God gave him more than
he’d ever dreamed of.
We live in a world of instant gratification. We want good things to happen and we want them NOW. But
in God’s world we must first prove that we can be faithful with a few things before he gives us many
things. We must excel at the entry level job before we get the promotion. We must manage our own
lives well before we can help others to manage theirs. We must be a good servant before we become a
good leader. That’s God’s principle of fruitful suffering: through our trials and preparation he will grow
our talents and give us an important role to play in his kingdom.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 41:39
“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning
and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders.
Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.’”
Questions for Reflection
1. Think about the best job you’ve ever had. What type of preparation or training did you need to
do that job well? What talents did God grow in you?
2. How has the principle of fruitful suffering applied in your life or the lives of your family? Were
there times when you felt that God was preparing you for something greater? How did you
respond?
Imaginative Exercise
Meditate on the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Imagine your gifts, talents, and skills as
bags of gold that God has given you. Now imagine that God has returned to see what you have done
with his gold. How would you respond? Where can you see that you have been fruitful? Can you hear
him saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?
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Ghosts of the Past
Day 25
Genesis 42:1-43:15
This is the dream scenario of every kid who was ever bullied. One day the bullies will come crawling to
him needing something and the power tables will be turned. Revenge will be sweet! But Joseph is no
ordinary man and he has been through a lifetime of experience since his brothers threw him in the
cistern and then sold him into slavery. He is now the second most powerful man in Egypt. He literally has
the power of life and death in his hands. He could easily throw his brothers into prison for years to repay
them for his own suffering. At the very least he could deny their request for grain and send them home
to starve. None of the players in this scene is aware of what a pivotal moment this is in biblical history. If
Joseph exacts his revenge, then the future of God’s people is in jeopardy. They will not move to Egypt
and multiply over hundreds of years before leaving under the leadership of a man named Moses. This is
more than a mere familial dispute: history hinges on Joseph’s decision.
Joseph plays his hand masterfully. He uses the fact that he looks and sounds like an Egyptian to his
advantage. He asks probing questions to learn about the family. He imprisons them for three days and
then strikes a deal. This should have been his brothers’ first clue that something was amiss: Joseph asks
that they return with their younger brother. That seems like an odd request coming from an Egyptian
ruler! But the brothers assume that God is punishing them for what they did to Joseph: “Surely we are
being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his
life but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us" (Gen. 42:21). Reuben, the oldest
son who could not save his younger brother all those years ago sees this as an opportunity for
redemption. He tells Jacob, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you.
Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back” (Gen. 42:37). Jacob can only relive the grief of losing
Joseph: “As for me, I am bereaved, I am bereaved” (Gen. 43:14).
The past is never really the past. As we see in this story, the guilt of the brothers is just as fresh as it was
over a decade ago. Jacob’s grief is as real as it was on the day he held Joseph’s bloody robe. There has
been no resolution for Jacob and his sons, so they are encapsulated in their pain. Joseph has moved on
in his life, but he weeps when he sees his brothers again. The emotions are still close to the surface for
everyone.
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God wants us to be reconciled to one another. He doesn’t want us to live in pain and anger. In Matthew
5 Jesus states this clearly: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject
to judgment….Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother
or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled
to that person; then come and offer your gift” (Matt 5:22-24). Reconciliation is more than just
forgiveness of others—it’s an act of spiritual cleansing. We cannot stand before God if we harbor
resentment in our hearts. So many families live in a state of pain and separation because they can’t
resolve the past. The story of Joseph and his brothers serves as a wonderful biblical example of why we
should lay the ghosts of past resentments to rest and be reconciled with those we love.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 42:21-22
“They said to one another, ‘Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how
distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress
has come to us.’ Reuben replied, ‘Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen!
Now we must give an accounting for his blood.’”
Questions for Reflection
1. Meditate on Jesus’ words in Matthew 5. Why is reconciliation with one another an important
part of our life with God?
2. Is there someone in your family that you need to forgive, or from whom you need forgiveness?
How can you put the past to rest and be reconciled with them?
Imaginative Exercise
Read Palm 103. Meditate on the compassion of God as expressed in this psalm. Write a letter to
someone with whom you need to be reconciled.
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The Big Reveal
Day 26
Genesis 45:1-28
The purest moment of a magic act is what’s called “the big reveal.” That’s when the audience witnesses
what appears to be an unbelievable trick. The magician escapes from an impossible lock; a woman
disappears and then mysteriously reappears; an item seems to materialize out of thin air. The audience
is left gasping and astonished. That’s how Joseph’s brothers must have felt after his big reveal in chapter
45.
I can’t read this chapter without tearing up. The emotions of Joseph, Jacob, and his brothers are so
powerful. Yesterday we talked about the importance of reconciliation. In today’s passage we witness the
pure joy of a family reunited. What I most appreciate is the exuberance with which Joseph reveals
himself to his brothers. The Bible tells us he “could no longer control himself” and he “wept so loudly
that the Egyptians heard him.” This powerful man becomes a boy again as he stands before his brothers
and says “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!” But they can tell by his emotion and
his tone that he’s not angry—he’s overjoyed! These men who came fearing God’s retribution for their
sin against their brother stand stunned in the presence of God’s miraculous deliverance.
Joseph interprets the intervening years for them in terms of God’s redemptive plan (he’s had a lot of
time to think about it). But he’s also speaking to us when he says, “But God sent me ahead of you to
preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not
you who sent me here, but God” (Gen. 45:7-8). Not only is their younger brother alive, but he’s one of
the most powerful men in Egypt who will take care of them. He sends them home to tell Jacob that his
son is alive and that they are all to move to Egypt. The Bible tells us that upon hearing the news “Jacob
was stunned.” I like the way The Message Bible puts it: “he went numb.” We can certainly understand
why. Unspeakable joy must be quite a shock to a system that’s conditioned by grieving. But as he hears
their story he recognizes the truth in it and his spirit is “revived” (brought back to life).
There are some heavy theological implications in this story. Words like “remnant,” “deliverance,” and
“revival” reverberate throughout the books of the Pentateuch and the entire Old Testament as God’s
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plan to redeem his people unfolds. To drive the point home, God visits Jacob in chapter 46 and
reiterates his covenant promise: “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great
nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again” (v. 3-4). We get the
sense that God is not just talking about Jacob and his family here. He is, in fact, foreshadowing the
coming events of the exodus from Egypt and return to Canaan. But those events won’t happen for
another 400 years! Throughout the book of Genesis we have seen that God works on a different
timeline than we do. In his book The Gifts of the Jews, Thomas Cahill writes: “That accomplishment is
intergenerational may be the deepest of all Hebrew insights.” We are being given a glimpse into God’s
redemptive plan for his people that will take thousands of years to come to fruition.
We are also witnessing the movement from the family of God to the nation of God. In the book of
Genesis we see this pattern:
Individual
Adam/Noah
Family
Abraham/Isaac/Jacob
Nation
12 Tribes of Israel
God’s plan always operates on both individual and global levels. Our understanding of salvation must
accept this principle. It’s not just about my own personal salvation—it’s about the salvation of the
world. Likewise, God cares just as much as me as an individual as he does about all of humanity. God
would disagree with Rick, the main character in the movie Casablanca, when he says, “I'm no good at
being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a
hill of beans in this crazy world.” The details of our lives matter very much to God, for we are part of his
larger plan to redeem his creation. We can see this by following the twists and turns of Jacob’s family,
for they will become the 12 Tribes of Israel, a light to the world, a city on a hill. From their remnant will
come the ultimate deliverance from sin through Jesus Christ and the revival of creation in the New
Jerusalem. Now that’s what I call “the big reveal”!
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 45:4-7
“I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be
angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.
For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no
plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save
your lives by a great deliverance.”
Questions for Reflection
1. The story of Joseph reminds us of the joy felt by the father of the prodigal son in Luke 15:32:
“this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Earlier in Luke 15
Jesus tells the story of the lost sheep. When the shepherd finds the one sheep that was lost he
rejoices. Likewise, God rejoices when we repent and return to him (Luke 15:7). Have you ever
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experienced the utter joy of recovering something or someone you thought was gone forever?
Can you imagine God’s joy when we are recovered?
2. Think about God’s redemptive plan in terms of your own life. Can you see a similar movement
from your own individual salvation to the salvation of the world?
Imaginative Exercise
Make a list of things in your life that are lost: people, relationships, goals, emotions, etc. Pick one and
imagine yourself finding it again. What brought it back? What emotions do you feel in recovering it? Ask
God to revive that part of your life.
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Jacob’s Blessings
Day 27
Genesis 47:27-49:33
Chapter 47 is the first time in the Bible we hear the word “Israelites.” As I pointed out in yesterday’s
commentary, we see the movement from a focus on Joseph’s family to the nation of Israel (also called
the “house of Israel”). God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is coming true: their descendants are
growing numerous and they now have land in Goshen thanks to Joseph and Pharaoh. While everything
seems to be moving toward a happy ending, we should recall what God told Abraham in chapter 15:
“Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their
own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there” (v. 13). The problem with growing numerous
in a country that’s not your own is that the natives get nervous and feel threatened. That’s how the
Hebrews end up as slaves under a new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph and the history of Jacob’s
family.
The passing of Jacob takes several chapters. It begins at the end of chapter 47 when he asks Joseph to
swear that he will bury him with his ancestors. This request derives from the Hebrew tribal culture that
revolves around the bet ab, or “father’s household.” As we’ve seen in Jacob’s story, the extended family
lived together in one place, forming an important social unit. This co-location even extends into death.
Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah and now Jacob are all buried in the cave of Macpelah, indicating
kinship and land ownership. To be buried in Egypt would amount to being buried without a family and
without land. Joseph makes his brothers swear a similar oath to carry his bones out of Egypt when he
dies (Gen. 50:25).
A second piece of family business is to bless Joseph’s two sons. Joseph brings Manasseh and Ephraim
before his father for his blessing. In effect, Jacob adopts the two boys into the house of Israel, and they
will each become one of the tribes of Israel (as a stand in for Joseph). This scene is a blast from the past
as we recall the blessing of Jacob by Isaac. Jacob deceived his father into thinking he was his older
brother, Esau. Here Joseph places his right hand on Ephraim’s head, the youngest, on purpose. When
Joseph tries to correct him, Jacob says, “his younger brother will be greater than he, and his
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descendants will become a group of nations” v. (19). Jacob also blesses Joseph with an extra piece of
land than his brothers. In this patriarchal society giving an extra portion or a blessing to the youngest
son was considered counter-cultural. But in God’s world he decides who will be favored and whom he
chooses to use.
The last act Jacob performs is to bless his sons. In chapter 49 we witness a flash forward as Jacob
prophesies the future of each of his sons. It is the nature of prophecy that it is cloaked in mystery and
we are not meant to understand what each blessing means. The significance for us as readers at this
point in the Bible is to understand that the nation of Israel is at heart a family with many personalities.
Each of the sons of Jacob will become patriarchs of their own tribe and each tribe will eventually have its
own piece of land in Canaan. Like the 13 colonies that made up the nascent United States, the tribes of
Israel form a loose confederacy but they don’t always get along. This fact will contribute to much of the
messiness of Israelite history when we get to the books of Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Jacob’s
prophecies suggest that God already knows our weaknesses and works out his plan of salvation anyway.
We get the sense that Jacob’s blessings are not the ordinary blessings of a patriarch. Not only can he see
into the future, but his words ring with divine providence. “Your father’s blessings are greater than the
blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills” (Gen 49:26). Jacob is speaking
for God, passing along the covenant promise that has been a family legacy for generations. God will
never again speak directly to a member of the family of Abraham. The next time we hear God speak will
be to a Hebrew shepherd named Moses.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 49:24-25
“But his bow remained steady,
His strong arms stayed limber,
Because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
Because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
Because of your father’s God, who helps you,
Because of the Almighty, who blesses you
With blessings of the heavens above,
Blessings of the deep that lies below,
Blessings of the breast and womb.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Reflect on the pattern we discussed in the last chapter: individual > family > nation and the way
that God has worked throughout the book of Genesis to re-establish his relationship with
humanity. Can you see a similar pattern of reconciliation among your biological family or church
family? Is this a model for healing that we can use today?
2. Family unity was very important to Jacob and his culture. Despite the misdeeds of individual
members, the family unit is of utmost importance. Do you see that same allegiance to family
today? If not, what has replaced it? Where do we derive our identity? As a Christian, reflect on
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the significance of the language “family of God,” “children of God,” “brothers and sisters in
Christ.”
Imaginative Exercise
Draw Abraham’s family tree through Joseph. Then draw your family tree going back several generations.
What are the legacies you can trace in Abraham’s family and the legacies you can trace in your own
family? Now place yourself in Abraham’s family tree. What have you inherited from Abraham?
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Wandering
Day 28
Genesis 50:1-26
The contrast between the last chapter of Genesis and the first chapter of Exodus is quite dramatic. In
this chapter we see the dignitaries of Egypt honoring Jacob as the patriarch of a great family. They send
a huge entourage with Joseph and his brothers to Canaan to bury Jacob according to his request. By the
beginning of Exodus the Israelites have been enslaved by the Egyptians. (Ironically, Joseph’s brothers
throw themselves at his mercy and say, “We are your slaves.” They just don’t believe that Joseph’s
mercy is for real.) The burial of Jacob and Joseph’s request to be buried with his family are reminders
that Egypt is not their home, no matter how comfortable they have been there. We also see at the
beginning of Exodus that over time there’s a Pharaoh who has no memory of Joseph and what he did for
the Egyptian people. As visitors in a foreign land, the Israelites are at the whim of whoever is in power.
They need a land of their own.
A theme running throughout the book of Genesis is wandering. Since being exiled from the Garden of
Eden, God’s people have been looking for a home. Abraham leaves his home to follow God’s lead to
Canaan. He buys land there and puts down roots (well, as many roots as a nomad can have!). Isaac
carries on his father’s pastoral lifestyle and passes it along to his sons. Jacob lives in Harran until God
tells him it’s time to go back to his father’s home. All this wandering is not aimless: they are following
God, even though they do not know where he is leading them. Even their sojourn to Egypt was
orchestrated by God. But as we see at the end of chapter 50, there is a strong desire to return to their
family home, to the land that was promised to them by God, to fulfill their destiny as a nation.
When the Israelites are ready to go home, they will return with a stronger sense of who they are as
God’s people. During their time in Egypt they will tell stories of Abraham, Isaac, and a ram; of Jacob and
the stairway from heaven; of Joseph and the remarkable way that God led him to rule Egypt; of
miraculous forgiveness and a divine covenant. They will flourish in Goshen, but their tribal memory will
remind them that this is not their home. They are still wandering. As T.S. Eliot wrote in the poem “Little
Gidding”:
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We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Passage for Meditation
Gen. 50:20
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the
saving of many lives.”
Questions for Reflection
1. Christians are sometimes described as sojourners, those who are always wandering, living here
only temporarily. Do you ever feel like a wanderer or sojourner, feeling the pull of a homeland
that is not here?
2. Read Romans 8:28. How do Joseph’s words to his brothers help you to understand what Paul is
saying in this verse? How does God ultimately work in this world to overcome evil and complete
his redemptive plan?
Imaginative Exercise
Draw a map of the wanderings you’ve seen in Genesis, beginning with Abraham in Ur all the way
through to Egypt. What pattern do you see? Why do you think God led them on such a circuitous route?
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Summary
The book of Genesis covers a period of thousands of years that begins with chaos and ends with the
birth of a nation. It serves as a sort of blueprint for God’s redemptive plan to restore his relationship
with his creation. As we discussed in the Introduction, many of the great themes and questions of the
Bible appear in Genesis. Let’s revisit those and consider what we’ve learned.
Creation: How did the world come into being and what is the role of humans in God’s creation?
God created the world in seven days, but his act of creation did not end there; he continues to renew
and restore his creation. The creation covenant he established with Noah wasn’t just a promise not to
destroy the earth; it was a promise to also renew it. We see this pattern of renewal repeating
throughout the Bible, until God fully restores the Garden of Eden and we can once again commune with
God.
We were created to live in the Garden with God, to be in his presence. That longing to be with him is
hard wired into us. As part of God’s creation, we can also be renewed and restored when we become
broken. As Paul reminds us, we can become a “new creation” through Christ. We play an important role
because God created us in his own image; we are his self-portrait, his image bearers. When he said “be
fruitful and multiply,” he meant that we are to reflect him in all aspects of our lives in order to multiply
his kingdom.
Sin and Redemption: How did sin enter the world and how do we find our way back to God?
As we saw with Adam and Eve and the Tower of Babel, the original sin is when humans tried to achieve
equality with God. Instead of happily living as the privileged stewards of the Kingdom (as Joseph did
under Pharaoh), humans want to be the master of their own kingdom. When sin is born in the world, so
is hope as God demonstrates his desire to restore his relationship with humans through a covenant
relationship. God offers us the opportunity to repent—as he did with Cain and the people of Sodom. We
have the choice to humble ourselves before him or pay the consequences of disobedience.
Adam and Eve’s sin resulted in their exile from Eden and the loss of God’s presence in their lives. Sin is a
state of separation—from God and from others. Jacob’s sin resulted in his exile to Harran. Like the
prodigal son, he returns a humble man and is greeted by the embrace of forgiveness by Esau. God wants
us to return to his embrace. He wants us to be reconciled with him and with each other.
Covenant Relationship: What does it mean to be in relationship with God?
God’s covenant relationship with his people is perhaps the overarching theme of the Bible. It begins in
the Garden of Eden when God gives Adam and Eve dominion over creation in exchange for not eating of
the tree of good and evil. When they break that covenant, they are exiled. But God tries again when he
establishes a covenant with Noah and then again with Abraham. God is relentless is trying to restore the
covenant relationship with humanity. What we see in Genesis is that nature of that relationship: it is
loving, merciful, and personal. We witness intimate conversations between Abraham and God, a
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wrestling match between God and Jacob, children born to barren women, a smoking firepot, a stairway
from heaven, a ram that miraculously appears, and many blessings. Abraham, Sarah, and Jacob get new
names signifying their new role in God’s service. There is no doubt that this is a God who sees, who
cares, and who is alive and active in the world.
All that God requires for this unprecedented relationship is our obedience and sacrifice. Noah and his
family get dominion over the plants and animals, but they can’t eat raw meat and can’t commit
murder—with stewardship comes responsibility. Abraham can become the father of a nation, but all
males of his household must be circumcised, set apart in a visible way. Abraham was willing to sacrifice
his own son because he trusted and obeyed God even in the face of the unthinkable. Joseph endured
humiliation and imprisonment, but never lost his faith that God had a plan for his life. God honors our
obedience and always keeps his promises.
Wandering: Since Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of Eden, how did God’s people find a
home?
Even though Adam and Eve were exiled from Eden, we carry the garden within us as our true north—
we long to return to God’s presence and commune with him. We see this in the wanderings of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, who followed their inner compass despite the uncertainties of their journey. They
trusted a disembodied voice that promised to lead them home. We see that God’s route is not direct
and it takes a long time, but he sends encouragement and blessings along the way. Like Melchizedek
appearing out of nowhere to bless Abraham, God appears when we least expect it and in forms that
only the eyes of faith will recognize. As we can see in the Covenant Chart (see Appendix), God appeared
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob nine times throughout Genesis to reaffirm his covenant promise and to
encourage them to continue. When God calls us to go out in his name, he does not leave us out there
alone.
Family: What does it mean to be part of the family of God?
It’s no coincidence that the majority of the chapters in the book of Genesis are devoted to telling the
story of Abraham and his family. We are all part of the family of God, and we see through Abraham and
Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau, Rachel and Leah, Joseph and his brothers what that means.
We see that God uses the most unlikely people, flaws and all. We understand that forgiveness and
reconciliation are not only possible in the family of God, they are required. We see that conflict is
inevitable, but God’s redemptive plan transcends human sin. Most importantly, we understand that we
have a father who loves us, and whose greatest desire is to bless his children and bring them home.
Faithful Obedience: What does it mean to trust and follow God?
A phrase that we see repeated in Genesis is “Here I am!” When God calls upon Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob,
that is their typical response. That should also be our response to God’s call. Even when we don’t
understand what is being asked of us, we trust him who asks. When God told Abraham to leave his
father’s home and go into a strange new land, he went. When God told Abraham to sacrifice his only
son, he followed God’s orders to the letter until the moment when God said “stop.” When God told
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Jacob to return to his father’s home he obeyed, even at the risk of death at the hand of a vengeful
brother. Even though the book of Genesis opens with the mother of all disobedient acts, it is replete
with examples of obedience. The author of the book of Hebrews memorializes these acts of faith as
examples for our own journey with God. To all of us God says “go.”
Worship: What is the right spirit of worship? How do we consecrate sacred places and sacred moments?
A spirit of worship permeates the book of Genesis. We come to understand that wherever we encounter
the living God is holy ground. In the Bible they name these places of worship: Bethel, El Bethel, Peniel,
the Lord Provides. They build altars and dig wells as a concrete symbol of God’s grace. These symbols
have come down to us through the centuries as images of faith: God as the “rock” and “living water.”
Abraham and Jacob tithe a portion of their wealth as an expression of their gratitude for God’s
provision. We understand the importance of sacrifice and purity that will play a large role in the books of
Exodus and Leviticus in the formalization of worship. But in Genesis worship is spontaneous, not
ritualized. It is personal, it is real, and it is a part of daily life—not just an hour out of their week. The
Garden of Eden was created as a place where humans could live perpetually in the presence of God.
Even though Adam and Eve were exiled from Eden, it remains for us as a model of living with God where
our work is an act of worship and we live our lives in God’s glorious presence.
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Genesis Covenant Chart
This chart outlines all the covenantal encounters in Genesis. Notice the frequency and consistency of God’s promises and the patriarchs’
worshipful responses.
Patriarch
Chapter
Nature of
Covenant
Creation
Promise
Condition
Noah
9
Abram
12
Name
Descendents
Abram
15
Land, Offspring
A son as heir, numerous
offspring, land from Wadi
of Egypt to Euphrates
Abraham
17
Land, Offspring,
Protection
Abraham
22
Offspring, Land
Isaac
26
Offspring
Father of nations
(Abraham); Sarah will give
birth to a son; God of
Abraham and his
descendants; land of
Canaan
Descendants as numerous
as stars and sand; will
possess cities of their
enemies; will bless all
nations
Blessing, increase number
of descendants
Will not destroy the earth
(rainbow); Noah has
dominion over the earth
Great nation, blessing
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Response
Do not eat meat with
Built altar and sacrificed
lifeblood in it, do not take burnt offerings
the life of another
Built altar at Schechem;
altar between Bethel and
Ai
Brought heifer, goat,
ram, dove, and pigeon,
but them in two; vision of
the smoking firepot
affirming the covenant
Male circumcision
Fell face down,
(“covenant in the flesh”)
circumcised Ishmael and
every male of the
household
Sacrificed the ram on
Mount Moriah, “the Lord
will provide”
Built an altar, dug a well
Patriarch
Chapter
Nature of
Covenant
Land, Offspring,
Protection
Jacob
28
Jacob
32
New Name,
Blessing
Jacob
35
New name,
Offspring, Land
Jacob
46
Offspring,
Protection
Promise
Condition
Stairway from heaven;
Land he is standing on;
descendants as numerous
as dust, will spread in all
directions; all people on
earth will be blessed; will
watch over Jacob and bring
him home
Wrestles with God, blesses
him, gives him new name
“Israel”
Gives him new name,
“Israel;” a nation, a
community of nations, and
kings will come from him;
land promised to Abraham
and Isaac to him and his
descendants
Go to Egypt and I will make
you into a great nation; I
will be with you and bring
you back
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Response
Built a pillar and anointed
it with oil. Named the
place “Bethel.” Promises
to give God a tenth of all
he earns.
Called the place Peniel
“because I saw God face
to face”
Erected a stone pillar,
poured out a drink
offering and oil, called it
“Bethel”