The name Genesis means “beginning”: the beginning of the world, the beginning of marriage, the beginning of sin, the beginning of parenthood, the beginning of nations — and most important, the beginning of God revealing His plan for us and for our salvation through Jesus Christ. Every word in every book of the Bible is inspired of God, and so every word is written because God felt it was important information for us to have. It is my prayer that these messages will enhance your reading of God’s very important message to you.

January 1 – Genesis 1

Gen 1:27  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God’s purpose and desire for each of us is that we live together eternally with Him in circumstances so blissful we cannot imagine it. God is Spirit and He created us in His image -- with a spirit so that we will be able to experience the Paradise we dimly glimpse when we observe the majestic beauty of this universe.

O God, Your wisdom, power, beauty and love are seen so clearly in Your creation. Thank You, Lord, for the incredible privilege of being made in Your image. Today help me to be “conformed to the image of Your Son” so that when people observe my actions, they will get a glimpse of the beauty of Your Son and also be motivated to seek to live forever with You.

January 2 – Genesis 2

Gen 2:23  And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; …."

Gen 2:24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

“Bone of my bones” – a relationship so close that it is as though I am my spouse. His pain is my pain, and his victories are my victories. We need each other. We think together through challenges and address them with a better plan than either of us could have devised on our own. So why then, when we hit a bump in our relationship, do I not extend grace (unmerited favor) to Him as God does to me?

Today Lord, I pray that those of us who are married will each say or do something special for our husbands that will help us to truly have a “bone of my bones” relationship. And for those who are not married, I pray that they will realize that in Isaiah 54 You promised to be our husband. Lord we give praise to You for being the provider of every physical, emotional and spiritual need. May we all draw closer to You, and from You get strength to be the women You would have us be.

January 3 – Genesis 3

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."

 Lord, how grieved You must have been to see Your children choose to listen to Satan instead of trusting in You, the provider of everything in their lives that was good. We praise You for providing hope to the human race, even though it would be at such enormous cost to Yourself. Please be with every parent today as we struggle to emulate Your love and extend that love to our own children. And please give every parent who is grieving the loss of a child to sin, hope that one day they will turn back to You – as You have provided hope through Eve’s Seed, Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your indescribable gift.

January 4 – Genesis 4

Gen 4:6  So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?

Gen 4:7  If you do well, will you not be accepted? [literally, as in the NASV: “will your countenance not be lifted up?”] And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."  

How do I handle failure? Do I sink into depression? Do I get angry with God for setting the standard, or angry with myself for not reaching the standard, or angry with those who succeeded? Perhaps I didn’t fail to meet God’s standard, but an unrealistic standard I set for myself. The answer to the turmoil in my soul is to “do well.” It takes a lot of effort to “rule over” the desire to wallow in self-pity or take my anger out on someone, but it’s soooo worth it because, if I don’t force myself to climb up, I’m going to keep spiraling down.

Father, thank You for promising to accept me when I repent of my failures – no matter how big the failure and no matter how many times I have already fallen. May I be emotionally lifted up by faith in Your forgiveness, and be motivated by Your acceptance to pick myself up and try again.

January 5 – Genesis 5

Gen 5:28  Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son.

Gen 5:29  And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed."

What are our dreams for our children? Did Noah fulfil the dream his father had for him? The name Lamech gave Noah means, “rest.” It seems that Lamech was tired after 182 years of laboring hard to wrest a living from the soil that the Lord had cursed. It seems to me that his dream for Noah was of a physical nature, a desire for physical relief from the curse of sin. I wonder if Lamech, who died just five years before the flood, ever grasped the magnitude of the plans that God had for Noah, a preservation of the Seed promise to end the spiritual curse of sin, and if he found comfort in that?

Loving Father, help us never to lose sight of the fact that Your dreams for our children and grandchildren are, above all, spiritual in nature. Moreover, help us to make specific plans to use the precious time we have with children and grandchildren in a way that promotes their spiritual growth so that they will bring comfort to us by the way they love and serve You.

January 6 – Genesis 6

Gen 6:12  So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

Gen 6:13  And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Gen 6:14  Make yourself an ark of gopherwood…

It is easy to become depressed when I listen to the violence and corruption on the news or am hit in the face with it when someone I love becomes a victim of it. I often wonder how God wants me to react to it all. God grieved over the violence and corruption. Surely I must do the same, and this grief must be expressed in my prayers to God.

I also wonder how Noah and his household managed to build the ark and stock it with food, unmolested by all the violent men of the earth. More than that, I wonder how Noah managed to keep himself, his wife, his children, and their wives “on task” for all those years, uncorrupted by the corruption of the world. 

Lord, thank You for providing us with the example of Noah, seeing that it IS possible to be godly ourselves and even raise a godly family, no matter how corrupt the world is. All-powerful God, I pray for Your protection on Your people. May we fearlessly do the work you have given us, trusting in Your protection to build lives that will enable many to “escape the corruption that is in the world through lusts.”

January 7 – Genesis 7

Gen 7:1  Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

“Come….” Can you imagine how sweet that word of invitation must have been to Noah? All his work was not in vain! The Lord was pleased with him and his household.

O gracious Lord, our Hope, I want more than anything to hear Jesus say to me and my household, “Come.…” If there is any unrighteous thing in my house, any unrighteous motive in my heart, any unrighteous activity I am engaged in – help me to see it and sacrifice it today, just so I can hear Jesus say, “Come…”

January 8 – Genesis 8

Gen 8:20  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21  And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

Take a moment to imagine life inside the ark: the noises, especially the first 40 days of pelting rain and the roar of the fountains of the deep; the smells (!), the dimness, the drudgery, the monotony, the uncertainties, the strained relationships….  Then, finally, after 375 days, you are free! What would you do first? Explore? Look for something fresh and juicy to eat? Look for a suitable place to live? Get busy planting crops? Imagine the overwhelming amount of things that needed to be done! What did Noah do, to what extent did he do it – and how did God feel about it?

O Lord, my Deliverer, without You I would not even be here today. May the time I give to You each day be the most important thing in my life, and may it be to You as a soothing aroma.

January 9 – Genesis 9

Gen 9:25  Then he said: "Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren." 26  And he said: "Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant. 27  May God enlarge Japheth, And may he dwell in the tents of Shem; And may Canaan be his servant."

So many women in Africa have asked me about this curse! Having looked at various explanations, here is something to consider: God, knowing the future of mankind, used this example in the life of Noah to show us how the godliness or ungodliness in the lives of the fathers of the human race bore fruit in subsequent generations. God saw that the fruit of Ham’s lack of respect towards his earthly father would lead to such lack of respect for God in the descendants of his son Canaan, that the descendants of Shem (the Israelites) would make the Canaanites their servants (when God directed them to conquer Canaan). Japheth also made Canaan his servant when his descendants (the Romans) conquered Carthage, a city that had been colonized by the descendants of Canaan (the Phoenicians). Even though Japheth had a large number of descendants, spreading to Europe, Asia and the Americas, he was still encouraged to “dwell in the tents of Shem.” This is a Messianic prophecy pointing to Japheth’s descendants receiving salvation through Jesus Christ, Shem’s descendant. Later prophecies, such as Isa.2:2 extend the invitation to partake in the blessing of Shem to all nations, including the descendants of Ham.

This event in the life of Noah forcefully impacts our hearts as we realize in an even deeper way how every parent’s actions have an incredibly weighty effect on the destiny of future generations. Today, can each of us say a special prayer for the parents and grandparents we know, asking God to give them wisdom to influence their descendants to “dwell in the tents of Shem”?

January 10 – Genesis 10

Gen 10:8  Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9  He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD." 10  And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11  From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh…

OK, you just kind of skimmed this chapter, right? But it is interesting to note a few things. The name Nimrod is possibly derived from the Hebrew word for “rebel.” According to Keil and Delitzsch, (conservative Bible scholars who published an OT commentary in 1891), the Septuagint and the context show us that Nimrod was not a mighty hunter “before the Lord,” in a positive way, but in a negative way: “in God’s face,” as we would say today. And the hunting he did was quite possibly a hunting of men, establishing his kingdom by tyranny and building his cities by using forced labor. Some of the cities he built eventually became world powers, and many years later conquered the nation of Israel (Nineveh/Assyria) and the nation of Judah (Babel/Babylon). Erech, is mentioned in Ezra 4:9. Archaeologists say that Erech was the first known urban center. From this city comes the first evidence of public architecture, cylinder seals (denoting property ownership), and a type of picture writing which was the precursor of cuneiform. Sadly, the people of Erech worshipped Anu (a sky god) and Inanna (queen of the sky) and built temple complexes to worship them.

Lord God Almighty, may we realize that all of our earthly achievements are temporal, and that lasting honor comes only from humble submission to you. We pray for the rulers of our land to humble themselves before You and use the power entrusted to them for the benefit of the people.

January 11 – Genesis 11

Genealogies can be fascinating. Abraham was born just 2 years after Noah died. (Abraham, though listed first among Nahor’s sons, likely because he was the most important, was not the firstborn, but only born when Nahor was 130. See Acts 7:4, Gen.11:32 & 12:4.) If my math is correct, Shem died when Abraham was 150 years old – that’s after Isaac and Rebekah were married! The scattering of the nations at Babel evidently took place during the life of Peleg, Gen.10:25. Peleg died 40 years before Noah died – which means that Noah and Shem were alive when God confused the languages at the Tower of Babel! In other words, during all the time of increasing rebellion against God, if anyone really wanted to know about God, there were eye-witnesses who could tell them how they personally experienced the power of the God who left His fingerprints all over creation. And today, if anyone really wants to know the true God and how to serve Him, there is plenty of evidence to prove that the Bible is His inspired word.

O Lord, You have put eternity in our hearts and Your creation declares Your glory so that we should seek after You and find You, for truly You are not far from each of us – or our loved ones – or even men of long ago. As we meditate on what we read today, may our hearts grasp just a fraction more of the amazing treasure we have in Your word, so that enthusiasm for Your word will bubble out of us and influence our families and friends to taste and see that You are good.

January 12 – Genesis 12

Gen 12:2  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3  I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Gen 12:10  Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.

In Heb.11:8 Abraham is commended for his faith in leaving his home and going to a strange country, living in tents – never having a permanent home – never feeling settled. Truly, that took strong faith! But was Abraham acting by faith when he went to Egypt? When he deceived the Egyptians by saying that Sarah was his sister? Why did he have such a spirit of fear? It is because lost the faith that he had in the promises God made to him in 12:2-3! I also struggle with a spirit of fear, and I imagine that you do as well. Timothy did too, and in 2 Tim.1:6-7, Paul tells him that a spirit of power, love and a sound mind comes through paying attention to the gift that he had – the same gift we have in our Bibles.

Today I encourage you to face your fear. Name it. Find a verse that addresses it in the wonderful gift God has given us; for example, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb.13:6). Memorize the verse you have chosen. Ask God to help you overcome your fears, thanking Him for how He has already helped you, Phil.4:6. Let His peace rule in your heart by quoting God’s promise to yourself and act in faith.

January 13 – Genesis 13

Gen 13:3  And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 14  to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

Gen 13:18  Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.

Building an altar/calling on the name of the Lord – these two phrases are used to describe Abraham’s worship to God. (See Gen.12:8 & 21:33.) Altars denote “sacrifice.” The person approaching God is sacrificing something in appreciation of who God is, (His “name”), as well as what His “name” caused God to do for the worshipper. Altars often were sometimes called by a specific name or characteristic of God that had particular meaning to the worshipper: “The Everlasting God,” Gen.21:33; “El Elohe Israel, (God, the God of Israel), Gen.33:20; “El Bethel” (God of the House of God), Gen.35:7; “The-Lord-Is-My-Banner,” Ex.17:15.

O Lord, our Redeemer and Savior, when we gather to worship You and break bread, may we remember what You and Your Son did for us. May we give You thanks and praise for the boundless love that motivated You to do this, as well as for Your wisdom and power to accomplish the plan that You had before the foundation of the world. No sacrifice I could ever make could compare to the sacrifice You and Jesus made for my sake, but “Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to Thee…”

January 14 – Genesis 14

Gen 14:22  But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23  that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich'—

How do I handle accomplishment? Abraham’s riches must have made him a target – which is likely why he had a well-trained “army” of 318 servants born in his own house. (Just think of how much food Abraham’s servants consumed each day, and the managerial capabilities Abraham must have had.) His leadership skills earned him the respect of Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner, who were willing to accompany him in what likely was a risky pursuit of the 5 enemy kings. There was a great victory, but Abraham did not take any glory for that accomplishment. Abraham wanted everyone to know that GOD is the possessor of heaven and earth, the One to whom everything really belongs - the One who is the true source of our wealth and accomplishments. Furthermore, He lived what he said: He gave Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils.

O Lord, possessor of heaven and earth, everything I am and have is because of You. Help me to give glory to You for anything I accomplish and cheerfully return to You a generous portion of what You have so graciously given to me. May my words and my life be a testimony to my dependence on You.

January 15 – Genesis 15

Gen 15:1  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

We cannot out-give God.  Abraham had trusted God: God had not only blessed him with victory, but afterward promised him further protection. Abraham had given to God a portion of the “reward” of battle: God is going to give to Abraham an “exceedingly great reward.” Part of that reward was going to be that his descendants were going to outnumber the stars. I am pretty sure that Abraham thought of physical descendants – and that did happen. But the promise surpassed anything Abraham could imagine: spiritual children, a nation made up of those who have the same faith that Abraham had, Gal.3:6-7, Gen.15:6.

Dear Father, giver of all good gifts. Help us to look beyond the blessings of this life to Your amazing promise of eternal life – something that will be fulfilled in a way far beyond our imaginings. Help us, like Abraham, to truly believe what You have promised so that we will live each day with expectation and not with fear.

January 16 – Genesis 16

Gen 16:2  So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.

According to the Nuzi Tablets, (over 5000 clay tablets of Canaanite origin dating back to around the time of Abraham), the type of “surrogate motherhood” Sarah proposed was common in the culture in which they lived. As it was then, so it is now; there are just 2 kinds of wisdom: God’s wisdom and the wisdom of the world. How easy it is to mix the two up in our minds! How often it is that we listen to advice from well-meaning friends, family-members, Christians or people who claim to be Christians, and think that their advice is based on God’s wisdom, when actually it is the wisdom of the world. How often it is that we base our standards of honesty, modesty, entertainment, etc., on the simple fact that what I do is better than what the world does… but maybe it’s still not God’s standard! Abraham and Sarah’s mistake, so glaringly obvious to us, was perhaps not obvious to them at all!

Father, your wisdom is pure and your commandments for our good always. I pray that you will grant me discerning eyes to sift the worldly wisdom out of the advice I am given and the culture that conditions me to think a certain way, and follow only the wisdom that is according to Your truth.

January 17 – Genesis 17

Gen 17:23  So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him. …

Gen 17:26  That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael;

I think that this command would be an easy command to make excuses to do later! But the Holy Spirit tells us twice, “That very same day.” How many times have I put off doing something I know I should do? Today, I encourage each of us to think of a good work for the Lord that we have been intending to do but just haven’t got around to doing, no matter how simple, even a phone call – and do it – this very same day!

Lord, we thank You for giving us this day. Help us to use Your gift of this day to do something good for others.

January 18 – Genesis 18

Gen 18:12  Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"

1Pe 3:6  as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

How old was Sarah when she meekly obeyed Abraham’s request to prepare food for their guests and called Abraham lord? Somehow I think she had to learn to be submissive just like we do! Sometimes we fail to submit out of fear that our husband will make a mistake. Abraham made plenty of mistakes, but Sarah wasn’t perfect either -- the way she treated Abraham and Hagar, her initial disbelief at the angel’s message and the lie she told the angel out of fear. Sarah is not our spiritual mother because she was perfect, but because she overcame her mistakes and accepted her God-given role. “By faith also Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”

Lord, at times we struggle to submit to our husbands (fathers/elders/bosses) when we see their imperfect leadership. Help us to be understanding of the weight that they bear should they make the wrong decision, recognizing that we also aren’t perfect! Help us to give our input in a respectful and humble way. And most of all, help us to trust in Your wisdom and embrace the submissive role You have given us.

January 19 – Genesis 19

Gen 19:8  See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof."

I think this is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. 2 Peter 2:7-8 tells us that Lot’s righteous soul was “tormented” by seeing and hearing the evil around him. He never partook of their sin, he was horrified by it – but he still chose to be around it! And that led him to the dilemma he faced in Gen.19:8, the loss of his home, and the loss of his whole family except 2 daughters. Spiritually speaking, he lost them as well, and from what we read in Gen.19:8, it’s no wonder! So far as we know, Lot left no legacy of righteousness to any of his descendants.

O righteous and holy Lord, today we also live in a toxic environment. Help us not only to keep ourselves pure, but also to make decisions about our daily activities that distance us and our families from the filth around us.

January 20 – Genesis 20

This chapter raises a lot of questions in my mind, but one thing comes out very strongly: the providence of God. God warned the good-hearted Abimelech in both word and deed (closing wombs) so that he did not sin in ignorance. God’s plan to bless the world through Abraham’s seed was endangered by Abraham and Sarah’s lie, but He used a good-hearted man to avert disaster. It also seems that somehow, through this experience of grace, Abraham’s and Sarah’s faith finally came to maturity.

O God, my Savior, I am humbled and blessed by Your gracious providence in that I have heard and obeyed Your word to become Your child. Help me not to hide my faith, but thankfully and fearlessly, by words and deeds, let others know the power of Your love and grace to change lives for the better. I pray for open doors so that in Your providence, good-hearted unbelievers around me will also become Your children.

January 21 – Genesis 21

Gen 21:10  Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."

Here Sarah reminded Abraham of a truth God had already told him in Gen.17:18-21. The everlasting covenant was to be with Isaac’s descendants, not Ishmael’s. Perhaps Abraham resisted Sarah’s advice because he didn’t want to accept that Ishmael’s behavior was detrimental to God’s plan. Perhaps his judgment was clouded because he suspected Sarah’s motives. I hope Sarah’s heart was in the right place, but the point I want to make is this: if I demonstrate over and over in my daily life that my motives are to please God and my husband, my husband will be much more likely to be “won” over to what the Lord says, 1 Pet.3:1-2.

Blessed be the Lord whose word can discern the intents of my heart and purify my motives. I pray that You will help me to show to others, and especially to my husband, that my highest desire is for Your glory and his benefit.

January 22 – Genesis 22

Gen 22:8  And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering."

Tears spring to my eyes whenever I read this account  – when I think of how Abraham felt when he had to look into his son’s eyes, tie him up, and raise the knife to slay him – and how I would feel – and how God must have felt when He did not heed Jesus’ cries to “let this cup pass from Me.” Difficult as it was, Abraham still had faith in the righteousness of God, that He would keep His promise and somehow provide life for Isaac, Heb.11:19. How difficult is it for us to look into the pleading eyes of our children and have the faith to deny them something important to them because we know it isn’t the right thing to do? How difficult is it to have the faith to let our adult children know that we will not tolerate their sin? Not as difficult as what Abraham had to do!

Dear Father, You proved your great love for us by freely providing Your only-begotten Son as the perfect Lamb-sacrifice for our sin in order to reconcile us to You, a God of righteousness. May this knowledge strengthen us to stand firmly in Your righteousness at all times and in all situations.

January 23 – Genesis 23

Gen 23:2  So Sarah died …, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Every word in the Bible is inspired – and therefore has purpose. So I spent quite a bit of time wondering what God wants us to learn from this incident in the life of Abraham: perhaps to treat all men, even unbelievers with respect, eg. the way he negotiated for a burial place, acting with courtesy even when in deep distress. Perhaps we can also learn that, even though we look for a city whose builder and maker is God, it is still OK to mourn those whom we love.

O Lord, I pray today especially for all those who are mourning the loss of a loved one. May their faith in Your goodness be unshaken, and may they be comforted by Your love and promise to be with us, even when our loved one is gone from us. May the uncertainty of physical life strengthen our resolve to do your commandments so that we can enter into the gates of that great city You have built, eat of the Tree of Life, and see Your face.

January 24 – Genesis 24

Gen 24:18  So she said, "Drink, my lord." Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. 19  And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking." 20  Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

Gen 24:25  Moreover she said to him, "We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge."

If someone asked your son or grandson what it was that he wanted in a wife, would the first thing he thinks of be “a heart of service”? See how many indicators of Rebekah’s service-oriented heart you can find in this account, including her willingness to accommodate Abraham’s servant in verse 58. Notice also Sarah’s eagerness to serve: “quickly” (2x) and “ran.” Notice the extent of her service. According to LiveScience.com, a camel can drink up to 30 gallons of water in thirteen minutes. I have often seen African women carrying 5-gallon buckets of water on their heads. Check out how many camels there were – and how many trips to the well that might have taken! No wonder Isaac loved her!

How amazing, O Lord, that You sent Your Son, not to be served, but to serve. May I show my thankfulness by eagerly seeking out opportunities to serve others to Your glory – and do some deed of service TODAY. Bless all Your servants, Father, and help us to teach our children and grandchildren, by training and example, to have true servant-hearts.

January 25 – Genesis 25

Gen 25:21  Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren…

Gen 25:22  But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD.

Since Bible knowledge without application is of no value, I tried very hard to teach women in Africa to read with understanding and to make applications that would be helpful to their daily lives. After several less-than-successful lessons, I thought of using the latter part of this chapter to help them. The lesson completed, I was anxious to see what applications they would find. The first lady to speak came to the conclusion that God wants us to will twice as much to our eldest son! Seriously, it is very easy to draw applications and come to conclusions that God never intended. It is my prayer that I never do that in these little comments. If you think that I do, please let me know! And please do read the latter part of this chapter again and make your own applications. How did Isaac & Rebekah handle their problems in verses 21-22? How did they handle their children? Do you think what happened in verses 29-34 was a result of this?

Lord, I thank You for Your Spirit who revealed Your mind to us in a way we could understand it as long as we read with care and truly seek to know Your will. We thank You for these real-life examples that were written for our learning. Lord, as You have instructed us, we pray now for wisdom that we would grow in learning how to apply Your word in a way that gives us victory in our daily lives and is helpful to others.

January 26 – Genesis 26

Gen 26:22  And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, "For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."

How hard do we try to be at peace with all men? We often focus so much on Isaac’s lack of faith at the beginning of the chapter, that we don’t appreciate how this experience seems to have resulted in the mature faith that enabled him to walk away from trouble and trust God to provide that most basic of necessities: water. When Isaac gave glory to God for being able to have water peacefully, God appeared to him and blessed him.

Father, it is because of You that we have the privilege of worshipping You in peace and living in peace. May we never take this blessing for granted. As we think of all the terrible suffering in the world due to lack of peace, and we think of all Your children who are persecuted for their faith, we humbly, sincerely and earnestly pray for leaders the world over that Your children will be able to lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and reverence.

January 27 – Genesis 27

Based on Gen.47:28, 41:46, 31:41, 30:25, & 25:20-26, Jacob was 77 years old when he fled from Esau’s wrath; and Isaac and Rebekah had been married for 97 years! What happened to the love between Isaac and Rebekah that was so obvious to Abimelech in Gen.26:8? What changed Rebekah from having a servant-heart, to being willing to deceive her husband? What changed Rebekah from having enough faith in God to leave home and marry Isaac, to not trusting that God would fulfil His prophecy that the older would serve the younger? Faith in God and unity/love in marriage have this in common: they have to be constantly worked at or they will weaken, even die.

Father, thank You that today you in Your great wisdom You have instructed us to have an opportunity to increase our faith by worshipping You, hearing lessons from Your word, remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross, and interacting with faithful brethren who can encourage us. Sometime during this day, help each of us who are married to reflect on things we can do to promote oneness with our husbands and increase our love for each other. We love You, Lord, and want to glorify You by our faith in You and by the way we treat our husbands.

January 28 – Genesis 28

Gen 28:15  Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, … 20  Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, …21 … then the LORD shall be my God. 22  And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."

Jacob was facing a frightening future, all alone, due to a problem he actually brought on himself, but God promised him an amazing blessing he did not deserve! Think of the frightening future of the sinful path we were once on and the undeserved blessings we have been given in Christ. As Jacob was given a vision of the ladder of angels (who providentially care for us) to show him that he was connected to God’s providential care, so now we have Jesus as our ladder that connects us to every spiritual blessing as we are under God’s providential care, John 1:51. So should we ever pray “If You….then I….” ?

Our gracious God in heaven, I bring all my difficulties before You, and I trust that, in Your providence, You will cause all these things to work for my spiritual good. Whether or not You see fit to help me out of any physical difficulty, You are my God and I give You my life.

January 29 – Genesis 29

Gen 29:25  So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah.

Was Leah a willing participant in the deception, and so deserving of Jacob’s rejection? Or was she also a victim, perhaps also deceived by her father? Jacob blames Laban for what happened, but still does not give Leah the love she craves. Leah calls her unloved state an “affliction,” in verse 32. Even though God, in compassion, opens her womb, she is still desperately hoping that her husband will “dwell with her” after she gives birth to their sixth son.

Lord, thank You for your pure perfect, never-failing and never-ending love. You understand how it feels to pour out your love on someone dear to you, only for them to turn around and reject you. I was once that person towards You, and I still fall short of Your love at times. Please forgive me, and help me to draw from the well of Your love and compassion to be a loving person, even though sometimes my heart may be trampled and torn by those who reject my love.

January 30 – Genesis 30

Gen 30:1  Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister…

Gen 30:8  Then Rachel said, "With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed."

Gen 30:16  Leah … said, "You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes."

God never intended for a woman to have to share her husband, and the bitter rivalry that grew up between these two sisters is proof of why we should follow God’s wisdom. However, today I know several Christian women who are victims of polygamy or other forms of marital unfaithfulness; and all of us are in a position where it would be easy to envy someone else – but jealousy was not and is not the answer. “Envy is rottenness to the bones,” Prov.14:30; but, “Love does not envy,” 1 Cor.13:4. This is difficult indeed, but God also says, “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; for surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off,” Prov.23:17-18.

Lord, I thank You that, no matter what, no one can separate me from Your love or take away my hope of eternal life.

January 31 – Genesis 31

Gen 31:32  With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live.

How do I handle being unfairly treated? Chapter 30:26-31:42 is a battle of wits between Laban, Jacob and Rachel. Jacob feels that Laban’s lack of fairness justifies his breeding practices and, after all, he always acted within the “letter of the law.” Rachel, too, feels that her father treated her unfairly and she steals from him. According to the Nuzi Tablets, property rights belonged to the one who had the gods, and to steal them was a capital offense. This battle of wits may have resulted in earthly gain for Jacob and Rachel, but at what cost? The death sentence Jacob pronounced came true for Rachel shortly thereafter, and Jacob endured years of sorrow when his sons sold Joseph into slavery and imitated his deceit.

O righteous Judge, help me to be meek in the face of unfair treatment, remembering how when Jesus suffered, he did not threaten, but committed Himself to You who will avenge righteously. Help me to be quick to hear and slow to wrath, to seek resolution of problems with courtesy, repay no one evil for evil, and find ways to overcome evil with good.

February 1 – Genesis 32

Gen 32:9  Then Jacob said, "O God … I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; …

Gen 32:28  And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."

Up until this point, Jacob has struggled with God over who holds the reins of his life. He has pretty much relied on himself in his struggles against other men in order to gain the things that are important to him. But now, at last, when faced with an insurmountable problem, he turns to God with a humble spirit, realizing the truth that he has no power except what God gives him, and without the mercy of God he would have nothing. God recognized this change-of-heart and changed his name from Jacob (Deceiver) to Israel (Prince of God).

Lord, I come before You today with a humbled heart, realizing that at times I also struggle at times to give up the reins of my life, even though You are in control whether I give them up or not! And at times I made decisions based on what I think best instead of first taking time to meditate on Your words of wisdom and humbly approach Your throne, asking for wisdom. Truly, I am blessed more than I deserve to wear the name Christian. Help me to walk worthy of that name!

February 2 – Genesis 33

Gen 33:10  And Jacob said, "No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me.

The sweetness of forgiveness! Do you remember how “light” you felt the day you were baptized? I imagine Jacob was feeling much the same way. After wrestling with the Angel, Jacob said “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Now he has seen Esau face to face and his life is preserved. A burden of 20 years has been lifted.

Father, Your Son is worthy of all wisdom, blessing, riches, glory, honor and power because He has provided Himself as a sacrifice in order to lift my crippling burden of sin. Create in me a forgiving spirit, O God, and an evangelistic spirit, so that others’ burdens can also be lifted.

February 3 – Genesis 34

Gen 34:30  Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I."

It’s all about me. “You have troubled me.” Jacob did not say to his sons, “You have sinned against God!” They had taken God’s special sign of His covenant with them and changed it into a means of deceit, death and plunder. In Gen.35:22, we find out why Jacob’s firstborn son did not receive the Seed promise. I believe the main purpose of this chapter is to explain why the Seed blessing did not pass to the second or third sons either. However, there are several lessons we can learn from this incident, including Jacob’s self-focus. It would do all of us good to consciously try to stop thinking about life in terms of how it affects ME. When my children are disobedient, do I think of how it affects me, or how their negative behaviour is impacting them and God, and discipline accordingly? Am I sinned against? How does GOD want me to handle it, and how can I help the person who sinned? Am I facing a challenge? How can I glorify GOD in overcoming that challenge? When my mind is free to wander, what kinds of things do I dwell on, things that mainly affect ME?

Blessed be our God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who emptied Himself and took on the form of a bondservant because His focus was on saving mankind and fulfilling Your purpose. Help me to have the same mind of service to You and others so that my actions will reflect that it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

February 4 – Genesis 35          

Gen 35:8  Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth. [Terebinth of Weeping]

The deaths of important men in the Bible, the patriarchs & kings in particular, are recorded in the Bible, but very seldom the death of a woman. I can only think of 6, and 2 of them are in this chapter – the others being Sarah and Dorcas, and then God’s punishment on Jezebel and Athaliah. Deborah was a humble servant, most likely unknown to anyone other than those in her master’s household, but the Holy Spirit makes a point of telling us that her death was mourned. So too, you and I will likely not be anyone of note on this earth, but that is not what matters to God.

Lord, I thank You that You know and care about each one of the billions of people on earth, even me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me – I cannot imagine it. So I trust that you hear and will answer my prayers, and I thank You for it! I pray that today I will look around me and look for ways I can show others that they are also special to You.

February 5 – Genesis 36

Gen 36:6  Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob. 7  For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together,

We might wonder why God devotes so much time to the genealogy of Esau since the Messiah did not come from his bloodline, but Esau’s descendants, the Edomites, play a large role in the history of Israel, and Esau is Jacob’s brother. On their journey to Canaan, Moses appealed to Edom as a “brother” for permission to pass through their land, Num.20:14ff. Edom refused; nonetheless, God decreed that they were not to be abhorred because they were brethren, Dt.23:7. The book of Obadiah lists the sins for which Edom will be judged and destroyed, one of the main sins being his mistreatment of his “brother” Judah.

“Brotherhood” is so important to God. There are many things we can do for our brothers and sisters – both our physical and spiritual brethren, but today why don’t we make a special effort to pray for them, specifically, by name. And not just prayers of supplication but also of thanksgiving!

February 6 – Genesis 37

Gen 37:4  But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

We all know that we should love each of our children equally, but this is difficult in practice. We are naturally drawn to some temperaments more than others, some children are easier to discipline (or their character flaws are not as obvious); and whereas one child may feel loved when praised, another may only feel love when shown affection. One child may have a problem that needs more of my attention, potentially causing jealousy.

O God of love, help me to show love to my children in the way each of them need it. O God of wisdom, help me to be wise to see the best way to nurture, train and discipline each child – and may this always be done with their best interests in mind, not mine. O gracious God, help me to promote gratitude among my children for each other as well as a repentant heart when sinning and a forgiving heart when sinned against. O giving God, help me to teach my children the joy of giving – especially to each other.

February 7 – Genesis 38

Gen 38:8  And Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother."

God wanted the descendants of Abraham to multiply into a great nation who, not only will receive His Son, but be a light to nations around them so that they will also believe in the Messiah. We learn from Deut.25:5 that preserving the seed of the first-born son is a very important part of God’s plan, and we assume from what Jacob says in Gen.38:8 that the Patriarchs were given instructions in this regard from God before the time of Moses. Known to God, but not yet revealed to the brothers, Reuben, Simeon and Levi have proved themselves unworthy of the Messiah’s bloodline. Judah is chosen by God for the task of bringing the Messiah into the world but makes a big mistake in marrying a Canaanite who, evidently, influences such wickedness in her sons that God strikes two of them dead. When Tamar is denied the third son, she practices deceit to get Jacob to fulfil God’s command to raise up a seed to her husband. Although her method was wrong, her motive evidently was good, for God blessed her doubly (twins) and, most importantly, became a vessel of honor to bear an ancestor of the Messiah, one of only four women mentioned in the genealogy of Christ.

Lord, how truly amazing You are that You can use imperfect men and women to complete Your perfect plan. Lord, I am also imperfect, but I know it is Your plan that each of us be a light to those around us so that they will also believe in the Messiah. May I take courage to speak to others about Your perfect plan of salvation, Lord, knowing that you can use my mind, though lacking knowledge and wisdom, and use my lips, though I am hesitant of speech.

February 8 – Genesis 39

Psa 105:17  He sent a man before them— Joseph—who was sold as a slave. 18  They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. 19  Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.

How many 17-year-olds do you know that could endure betrayal, slavery and imprisonment for 13 years, and yet keep their faith? Joseph is a testimony to us that it IS possible to raise a child who can leave home and keep his faith. But that means that he (or she) must by that time have his own faith. Parenting to produce faith obviously involves more than our children simply having a knowledge of God’s word and obeying the gospel. It involves being “tested” by that word -- tested to know how to apply it, and tested to obey it, even in the face of persecution.

Father, I pray a special prayer today for all parents, especially parents of teens. I pray that they will provide opportunities and instruction so that their children can practice applying Your word to their problems and developing strategies to obey that word for times when they are tested. I pray also especially for teens, that they will obey Your word, even when it causes them to lose popularity or friendships, and that they will experience the superior joy of knowing that You are pleased with them and that You are with them and will cause them to prosper in Your own time.

February 9 – Genesis 40

Gen 40:19  Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you."

How difficult do you think it was for Joseph to tell this man the truth? Why not just tell “a white lie” and let the baker be happy during his last hours on earth? Because God gave a message and expected Joseph to be faithful to that message.

Oh Lord, how easy it is for me to form friendships, or spend quite a bit of time with someone, even discussing spiritual things – but never letting them know that, even though they think they are Your children, they have never obeyed the steps that put them into a relationship with You. Help me to love them more than I love myself, and may this love and Yours shine from my lips and hearts as I share the good news with them.

February 10 – Genesis 41

Gen 41:32  And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33  "Now therefore, let Pharaoh ….

How much time do you meditate on Scripture, applying it to your daily life? All Scripture is “established by God;” which means, when I read it, I need to say to myself, “Now therefore, let me….” THIS is the reason God gave us the Scripture and THIS is the way it changes my life.

Today I would like to challenge each of us to think about this chapter and see if there is something I can find that I need to do, based on what I have read. [For example, verse 52: “God has caused me to be fruitful…” – Now therefore, let me find a way today to express to others my appreciation of the things God has done for me.] I also challenge you to listen to the Scriptures presented in the lessons you hear this Lord’s day with the same mind-set: “Now therefore, let me….”!

February 11 — Genesis 42

Gen 42:21 Then they said to one another, "We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us. "

More than twenty years have passed since the brothers sold Joseph into Egypt, and here we see that their consciences have been bothering them all this time. We serve a wonderful God — the One who not only gives us our consciences, but gives us the answer to a clear conscience! Today I urge each of us to make right what is bothering our consciences by repenting and confessing to the person/s we wronged and to the Lord. "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered," Ps.32:1.

Dear Father of mercy, thank You for Your powerful word that searches the deep, hidden things of our hearts and brings them to light. May we draw on Your strength to confess our sins to those we have wronged, and may we fully trust Your grace to forgive us when we confess to You so that we can rejoice to feel the blessedness of a clear conscience.

February 12 — Genesis 43

Gen 43:34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs.

Joseph must often have wondered about the fate of Benjamin — if Jacob extended favouritism to Benjamin and if the older brothers victimized him as well. Now he has an opportunity to observe the brothers' interaction with Benjamin for himself. Jesus said, "If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him," Lk.17:3. Forgiveness without repentance does not help the person who sinned because he needs to repent in order to be right with God. The only way Joseph could know if his brothers repented was to look for fruits of repentance. Especially as parents, as we train our children how to treat others by the way they treat us and each other, it might be good for us to go beyond getting our children to apologize for bad behaviour and look for those fruits of repentance. Then we can handle the situation in a wise way as Joseph did — for their good.

Dear God, today I pray for all of us to look closely at our lives and ask, "Am I truly bearing the fruit of repentance?"

February 13 — Genesis 44

Gen 44733 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.

Judah's name actually means, "He for whom Jehovah is praised," (K&D), and in Chapter 44 we see the best of Judah's leadership qualities displayed. He is the one who proposed that the brothers sell Joseph rather than kill him, he is the one who humbly accepted the rebuke of Tamar when he failed to exercise proper leadership, and he was the one to take the initiative to act as surety for Benjamin. Now he stands by his word and is willing to "take on the form of a bondservant" in the place of his brother— proving himself worthy to be the ancestor of Jesus who "took on the form of a bondservant" on our behalf. As far as Judah knew, Benjamin could even have been guilty of stealing — but he was still willing to become a slave to spare his father grief. May God be praised for Judah's wonderful example of selflessness!

Today Lord, we come to You full of praise because, although we were guilty, Your Son took on the form of a bondservant, and humbled Himself to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Help us, Lord, to exhibit this same attitude of selflessness so that others will be motived to praise You.

February 14 — Genesis 45

Gen 45: 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.... 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; 9 "God has made me lord of all Egypt....

How often do we fail to see the hand of God in our lives? Whether directly or indirectly, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father, and we should give Him the glory. Look for all the times that Joseph mentions the name of God in Genesis 39 — 50, and see how he glorifies God by mentioning Him as his motive for the way he lives or the One who should get the credit for the good that has happened. (I get 19 times.) Joseph does this naturally to family and strangers, the lowly and the great. Today I would like to encourage each of us to take a few moments and think of ways I could give glory to God in my everyday conversation.

Great and gracious Father, I offer You my lips today. If I am praised for any good that I have done, may I turn that praise to You. When I receive anything good, help me to acknowledge Your goodness to those around me.

February 15 — Genesis 46

Gen 46:1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 Then God spoke to Israel .

Imagine the busy-ness of organizing a trip to Egypt with 66 descendants plus the wives of several of them, and all your/their belongings, including all the livestock! Think back on your own times of busy-ness: moving, having a baby, starting a more challenging job, entering college or getting a child off to college, organizing a wedding, etc. In all that busy-ness, how much time and energy did we set aside for worshipping God — not just as we would do ordinarily, but in an extra special way in thanksgiving for what He has done and to seek His blessings for a new chapter in our lives? When Jacob did this, "THEN God spoke" to him and assured him that "l will go down with you." So too, when we put God first in our lives, He has promised to be with us.

Father, I thank you for all the ladies who have committed themselves to reading Your word each day. Please bless us all to draw closer to You in our studies and to be strengthened in our faith so that, no matter how busy we become, we always devote some time to worshipping You as You deserve, for we do not want to take one step without You.

February 16 — Genesis 47

Gen 47:25 So they said, "You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants."

I was absolutely fascinated by Joseph's management of the people affected by drought, as well as by the attitude of the victims. None of the sufferers felt they were "owed" anything — they were so grateful for life that they were willing to become servants of the king. One commentator suggested that Joseph's purpose was to secure the land against possible future droughts by ensuring the people's willingness to give 20% of their produce to the king each year. Perhaps Joseph used the funds generated by selling the grain to further develop or maintain Egypt's irrigation system. What we do know is that Joseph acted wisely, he gave the Egyptians a means to get back on their feet after the drought, and the people evidently felt that he treated them with fairness.

O Lord, our all-wise and almighty King. To You we owe our life; thus with gratitude in our hearts we willingly give ourselves to You.

February 17 — Genesis 48

Gen 48:15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: 'God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads;…

In this chapter we see the origin of the two "half-tribes" of Ephraim and Manasseh, each of them receiving a portion of Canaan when it was divided. Thus Joseph was given the double portion, the birth right, even though the Messianic blessing was given to Judah. Joshua the great leader of Israel after Moses, was a descendant of Ephraim, (I Chr.I:20-27). The tribe of Ephraim seemed to take a leadership role among the tribes during the time of the judges (Jud.7:24, 8:1, 12:1), and the ark was kept in Ephraim's territory. Although Samuel was a Levite, (1 Chr.6:31-38), he was from the territory of Ephraim, I Sam. 1:1. Another famous Ephraimite was Jeroboam I, the first king of the northern part Of the Divided Kingdom. In the days of the prophets, the name "Ephraim" came to be used interchangeably with "Israel," the name of the northern kingdom.

May You be praised, O Lord, because, as You fed Jacob all his life and Your Angel redeemed him from all evil, so You have fed us richly with Your word and Your Son has redeemed us from destruction. Now as You blessed Ephraim and Manasseh to multiply, I pray that you will open doors to bless us with opportunities to have a multitude of spiritual descendants.

February 18 – Genesis 49

Gen 49:10  The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

Reuben, who had such potential, lost the “Seed” blessing due to his lack of self-control sexually. Simeon and Levi lost it due to their lack of self-control emotionally. Judah’s blessing has an amazing fulfilment. “The sceptre [executive power] shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver [legal or judicial power] from between his feet [descendants], until Shiloh comes.” The Hebrew meaning of Shiloh is uncertain, meaning perhaps “Restgiver” or the one “to whom it [the sceptre] belongs” as the NIV puts it. Although Judah’s king was deposed when Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC, the Jews were later allowed to retain their own royal prince and judicial power, Ez.1:5,8; 5:14,16. (Sheshbazzar is the Persian name of Zerubbabel, the grandson of Jeconiah, Mt.1:12.) In 37 BC, Rome gave Herod the Great, who had no Jewish blood, rule over the Jews, but the Jews (via the Sanhedrin) still held the judicial power over life and death. Rabbi Rachman, a Jewish historian, writes in the Talmud Bab., Sanh.chp.4, fd37, recto, that in approx. AD 27, “When the members of the Sanhedrin council found themselves deprived of their right over life and death, [See Jn.18:31], a general consternation took possession of them; they covered their heads with ashes, and their bodies with sackcloth, exclaiming, ‘Woe unto us, for the sceptre has departed from Judah and the Messiah has not come!’” But the Messiah had come!

God, You are the only One who can plan the future and bring it to pass. Truly Your Son is worthy of all rule, power, and judgment. Help me to search my heart and be obedient to Him in all things.

February 19 – Genesis 50

Gen 50:19  Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?

“Am I in the place of God?” When reading this chapter, these words jumped out at me. How often have we heard, or perhaps even said, “I think God understands if I just can’t ________,” or “I don’t think God would _________,” or some similar statement where I make a judgment about God’s commands or intentions! Am I in the place of God? Joseph could not judge the brothers’ hearts, only God can do that – so he could not judge them to be unworthy of forgiveness. How many times have I judged that someone I know will not accept God’s terms of forgiveness so I, in a sense, judge them unworthy to hear the gospel? Am I in the place of God? Perhaps God has placed them in my life so that they can hear the gospel – just like God placed Joseph in Egypt to save the infant nation of Israel.

Lord, please forgive me for all the times I have made judgments that belong only to You. Today I humble myself before You. Help me to sow the seed of the kingdom by word and deed, and let You give the increase.

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