Monthly Archives: November 2011

Israelites Grow Numerous in Egypt (Ex 1)

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Bible Summary:

Eventually the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, Jacob’s sons, all die in Egypt. The Israelites continue to grow in number and Egypt becomes filled with them.

Years later, a new king of Egypt that knows nothing of Joseph comes to power. He forces more cruel slavery on the Israelites for his building projects and in the fields, but they still grow more numerous. He tells the midwives to kill the Hebrew boys but, fearing God, they disobey. Finally, the king commands that all newborn boys are to be thrown into the Nile River to die.

My Thoughts:

Catalyst: Sometimes bad things or bad people are catalysts for good things to happen. Without this new king, the Israelites may have lived in their excepted slavery, which was more like the serfdom of Europe during the Middle Ages until he arrived, for many more years.

Look for the potential good that could come from your bad situation, hang in there, and pray.  God bless!

Genesis Summary

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One Family: Genesis is the story of one family, the family of Abraham. It explains how Abraham was related back to Adam and Eve, the first people God created 19 generations earlier, and then continues the story of his descendants, son Isaac, grandson Jacob and the twelve tribes of Israel.

This focus on lineage has given me new perspective on how important family is – for generations to come. Give your children a strong foundation. Teach them that God has a plan for them, maybe not saving a whole country from famine like Joseph, but a plan to make a difference in this world through love and appreciation of others – and most of all through their children, grandchildren, and all of their descendants.

Last Days of Jacob and Joseph (Gen 49: 29-33, 50)

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Bible Summary:

On his deathbed, Jacob asks to be buried in Canaan next to his grandparents Abraham and Sarah and parents Isaac and Rebecca. Joseph orders Jacob’s body to be embalmed which takes 40-days. After 70-days of mourning, Joseph asks the king to allow him to bury Jacob in Canaan. The king agrees and a huge entourage ceremoniously transports Jacob’s body to Canaan and then buries him.

Joseph’s brothers are worried what he will do after the burial. They send a message seeking forgiveness for their crimes against him. Joseph reassures them not to be afraid since God orchestrated everything so he could save many lives. He tells them he will care for them and their children.

Joseph lives in Egypt with his sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons until he is 110 years old. He tells his brothers God will care for them and lead them out of Egypt back to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He asks them to bring his body back with them, so they embalmed it and put it in a coffin.

My Thoughts:

Faith, Forgiveness, & Love: Joseph has had complete faith in God’s plan for him. He forgave his brothers for their awful crime and believes it was God’s Will all along. He feeds everyone so they might live and makes sure each family has an allowance even in slavery. He is emotional, cries and shows his love to his family.

Joseph sounds a lot like how Jesus taught us to be.