Genesis 50

Greetings!
This is the last chapter of Genesis.  We’ll do a few Psalms 15-18, then Proverbs 8 and then the Gospel of Matthew.
Joseph wept and mourned over his father’s death a long time.  Sometimes it feels like our funeral and grieving processes are so rushed. 
Genesis 50 Joseph threw himself upon his father and wept over him [...]

Genesis 48-49

Greetings,
Jacob is about to die.  He has led a very challenging yet exciting life, filled with tragedy but ultimately redeemed when reunited with his family in Egypt. 
Jacob gave his blessings to his sons and two of his grandsons.  For some reason he gave a greater blessing to Joseph’s son Ephraim, the second born, even though [...]

Genesis 46-47

Greetings!  This passage has one of the most dramatic reunions in the Bible.  Jacob thought Joseph was dead, and now he’ll get to see him again and live out his last seventeen years with him.
God speaks directly to Jacob to reassure him. 
Genesis 46-47 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached [...]

Genesis 44-45

Greetings!
This is one of the most dramatic stories of redemption and reconciliation in the Bible.  Joseph has been testing his brothers to see if they have changed.  Judah’s stand-up response and offer to take Benjamin’s place as a prisoner is one of my favorite passages.  This was true repentance, the kind God wants from us. 
Genesis 44-45 [...]

Genesis 42-43

Greetings!
Genesis 42-43 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.” Then ten of [...]

Genesis 40-41

Greetings!
Genesis 40-41 Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where [...]

Genesis 38-39

Greetings!
Here are a couple more of those “stories they didn’t teach you in Sunday School.” 
Genesis 38-39 At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and lay with her; she became [...]

Genesis 36-37

Greetings!
Genesis 36-37 This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite— also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, and [...]

Genesis 34-35

Greetings!
This first section is an example of what I call “Bible stories they didn’t teach you in Sunday School.”  The first time I read it I was really surprised.
When it says Schechem violated Dinah it means he raped her. 
Genesis 34-35 Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women [...]

Genesis 32-33

Greetings!
Jacob and his family have left Laban but will now have to confront Esau, the brother whom Jacob stole the blessing from.   Jacob was understandably nervous, but knew that God was with him.
Genesis 32-33 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is [...]

Genesis 30-31

Greetings!
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were the great patriarchs and each had trouble having children.  Jacob followed Abraham’s bad example and had children with his Rachel’s maidservant and then Leah’s.  While this wasn’t that unusual of a custom at that time, it is something that Jacob could have refused.  Rachel and Leah had a bizarre contest [...]

Genesis 28-29

Greetings!
Jacob had to flee to escape his brother Esau’s wrath. 
Genesis 28-29 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your [...]

Genesis 27

Greetings! 
It was a major custom for a father to bless one of his children, typically the oldest.  As noted earlier, Isaac’s favorite child was Esau and Rebakah’s was Jacob.  God had told them that the older would serve the younger, but Isaac ignored that.  And Rebekah tried to take matters into her own hands only [...]

Genesis 25-26

Greetings!
Genesis 25-26 Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants [...]

Genesis 24

Greetings!  This chapter is about how Abraham found a wife for his son, Isaac.  Note that this is not necessarily a model for how all marriages should be arranged.  God was obviously working something supernatural here as part of his plan. 
Genesis 24 Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the Lord had [...]

Genesis 22-23

Greetings!
This is one of the most well known and challenging passages in the Bible.  Many skeptics seize this verse as an indication that God is immoral or that the Bible isn’t true.  It does strike us as odd that God would order Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, since all other child sacrifices in the Bible are [...]

Genesis 20-21

Greetings!
Genesis 20-21 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. But God came to Abimelech [...]

Genesis 19

Greetings!  This is one of the stories you may have heard many references to but haven’t examined closely.  Some people think Sodom is fictional, but Jesus referred to it as being real (Matthew 10:15 and Matthew 11:23-24, among others) and there are over 20 verses outside of Genesis that mention it as well as if [...]

Genesis 18

Greetings! 
Abraham is visited by the Lord and two angels.  It is not clear to me when he realized whom he was talking to. 
Genesis 18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and [...]

Genesis 16-17

Greetings!
God had promised a child for Abram and Sarai, but they were impatient and tried to take matters into his own hands.  Sarai’s recommendation for Abram to sleep with her maidservant (and you know Abram just hated that, right?) ended up causing tremendous pain for all involved.
Genesis 16-17 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him [...]