Month: January 2021

Exodus 4-6

~ Patricia ~ 9 Comments

Moses gave 5 excuses why he should not be put on God’s mission. (I usually come up with more than 5).

  • Who am I? We never feel smart enough, educated enough, spiritual enough.
  • I don’t know enough about Spiritual stuff.  He said “How will I describe you? What do I call you?   We all know what the LORD said…”I AM WHO I AM”. It is not our job to show God’s Glory, we just do what is asked of Him, He will do the rest.
  • Nobody will believe me-have you ever tried to share the Gospel to your unbelieving family or friend.  It’s hard.
  • I can’t speak.  We are all given Spiritual Gifts at the time of our Salvation.  The gift is from God.  The reason you were given it was to become a vessel or a messenger of God.  So it is important to note that we are all called to “speak” on His behalf, just according to the Gift he has given us.
  • Last, but NOT LEAST! “Please send someone else”.  That’s not my thing, I am not good at that….

In chapter 4 we see a foreshadowing of the first and last plague that will occur.

  • 4:9 “the water you take from the river will become blood on the ground
  • 4:23 “so I will kill your firstborn son”

So Moses headed to see the Pharoah with his staff in hand, the staff of God in his hand. (vs. 20)

40+ Staff of Moses / Stick of Power ideas | moses, parting the red sea, bible stories

The Lord told Moses he would harden Pharoah’s heart. “21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.”

The Hebrew word here is chazaq.  It means to strengthen or to fortify.  (Not change his feeling)

I know what you are thinking…Zipporah could be a knife salesman on QVC!  I thought the same thing! 😂

24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26 So the Lord let him alone.

Circumcision was an important symbol of the Abrahamic Covenant, and the lack of circumcision would mark a person as cut off from God’s people (Genesis 17:9–14). For Moses to neglect to circumcise his son was an affront to God as if he were saying that he and his family did not truly belong to God. How could Moses be an effective leader of God’s people if he were in violation of God’s clear command?

Moses never had his son circumcised. Why would they be? He was raised Egyptian!  So his wife swiftly secured the covenant with a flint knife.  That’s why I carry a pocket knife in case a mom ever needs to borrow it. 😬

I don’t remember if we talked about it (or if I just had the conversation with myself 🤪) Look for the ‘all caps’ LORD in the scriptures throughout the Bible.  When it is all caps it is the Hebrew word YHWH, we translated it to Yahweh or Jehovah.   In theology, YHWH is a tetragrammaton (“a word having four letters”).   Yahweh is the encompassing “I AM”.  The LORD has always been, He is the beginning and the end of time,  He is utterly independent.  God is constant, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever…I could go on!

Chapter 5-  We are in Egypt and we have these 2 different groups of people.  The Egyptians obviously,  and the Israelites.  Let’s go back to the end of Genesis.  God was so good to put the families in Goshen, away from the city.  They were able to raise up their people away from the influence of polytheism.  The Pharaoh says “Who is the Lord?” The Lord is not one of the gods that is on the list for the Egyptians to worship, BUT Pharaoh’s name is on that list as a god.  So when Moses enters stage left and says “This is what THE LORD says”, it was putting the deity of Pharaoh as a match to a God that Pharaoh has never even heard of!  Oh Stars, that’s not good….but God has a bigger plan than “just” letting his people go.

Chapter 6- (my favorite of the 3)  Read the first part with authority aloud and emphasize the word “I” or “my”.

4,346 Family Tree Illustrations, Royalty-Free Vector Graphics & Clip Art - iStock

So then you get to the end of Chapter 6 and you roll your eyes and say “C’mon! another “family record”, I can skim over this”.  No!

Like all the others it starts with Reuben…Simeon….boring…..and then we get to Levi-Moses’ family. and it stops there.  This partial genealogy of Levi (which must be important if it is the first 4 letters of the next book we will read, Leviticus), establishes the position of Moses and Aaron.  Jochebed’s name means “the Lord is glory”.  She is the first person in the biblical text to have a name incorporated with His divine name.

Ready for the best part?? Not only is God establishing the position of Moses and Aaron’s family but the wife of Aaron is Elisheba.  Elisheba is from the tribe of Judah.  God is uniting the tribe of Levi (the priesthood) and Judah (kingship, royalty) lines:  Jesus is on every page of this Bible.

If that does not make sense to you…IT IS OK!  IT WILL ONE DAY…I PROMISE!

 

Exodus 1-3

~ Patricia ~ 4 Comments

Here is the agenda for the next 2 weeks!

  • Moses (1-7)
  • The Plagues (7-13)
  • The Exodus (14-18)
  • The Law (19-24)
  • Tabernacle and Worship (25-40)
  • (I posted an Overview last night, sorry so late…I fell asleep studying)

You do not even have to look at this timeline if it hurts your brain.  I know some people like history in “His Story”.  When Joseph was #2, the  Hyksos Dynasty was over Egypt.  When we turned the page from Genesis to Egypt over 400 years had passed.  The book of Exodus is around 1446.  What?  How do I know 400 years have passed?  Good question!

Let’s read Genesis 15:13 one more time..

 “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.  But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.

We left Egypt naming 70 descendants and 431 years later they count about 2 or 3 million.  In verse 8, the new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power.

Pharaoh Timeline in Egypt

  • Amenhotep I -2nd Pharaoh of 18th dynasty
  • Thutmose I- practiced genocide on Hebrew male babies (Exod. 1:15-22).
  • Hatshepsut – was the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I who drew Moses out of the Nile and later ruled as Queen (Exod. 2:5).
  • Thutmose III (1504-1450 B.C.; 6th Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty) was the Pharaoh of the oppression who tried to kill Moses and from whom Moses fled into Midian (Exod. 2:15).
  • Amenhotep II (1450-1425 B.C.; 7th Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty) was the Pharaoh of the plagues and the Exodus (Exod. 3:10—15:19).

The new king, Thutmose I, was threatened by a large number of Israelites so he enforced 2 plans:

  1. Oppress them with forced labor, and when that didn’t work
  2. Kill the newborn boys

The parallel to the Gospel is unremarkable:

Matthew 2:13 : When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child (Jesus)  and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, 

Shiphrah and Puah are likely representatives of a large group of midwives.  This is the first recorded instance in the Bible of civil disobedience for God’s name.  In return, God blessed them with families of their own.  (Keep the book of Job in the back of your head.  Satan is going to do everything he can from disrupting God’s plan of bringing forth the Messiah).

So the midwives will not obey Pharaoh…so a 2nd attempt was made:22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

Chapter 2  The parents of Moses, Amram, and Jochebed are both from the tribe of Levi (you need to know that for later).  When Jochebed puts the baby in the basket, the Hebrew word is tebah, which is the same word used in Genesis for the ark.  Both were used to save a life from the destructive force of water.  This passage is so visual.  I can picture his sister, Miriam, running down the riverbank keeping an eye on the tebah.  When the Pharaoh’s daughter herself defies the decree to kill the newborn, Miriam suggests a woman to nurse the baby….it was the birth mother!  Isn’t that amazing! ❤️

Image result for moses and miriam"

Later, Moses kills an Egyptian while Thutmose III is king, and it becomes known,  so he flees to Midian (an area settled by one of Abraham’s sons after Sarah died and he married Keturah)  where he meets Reuel (also called Jethro) and marries Zipporah.

1. The Birth and Call of Moses (Exodus 1-4), from Moses the Reluctant Leader Bible Study | Bible mapping, Bible study exodus, EgyptRuel “Jethro”  was the father-in-law of Moses and father of Zipporah. Jethro is described as “a priest of Midian.”  The name Reuel means “friend of God,” so the fact that the Bible calls him first by this name may mean that he was a priest of the Most High God.

Back in Egypt, Thutmose III dies, (opportunity knocks to bring Moses back to Egypt!).  I think this is probably the most popular chapter for pastors to teach from because there is so much in it.  To try to find something new in your read today.

Image result for burning bush"

But can I say, years ago I was talking to someone who just felt like her sins were  “the big ones” and God would not be able to get passed it.  She would never be good enough.  She had been loved on by the church, told all the right phases by her friends, probably had a coffee mug with 3:16 on it, and just could not feel it.  Clearly, I am not “slow in speech” (my co-workers wish…I don’t shut up!) like Moses, but I just said, “Woman, God used a murderer who was a fugitive, named Moses to save a nation, I am sure he can use you!”.

In short, God tells Moses, go back to the very place he committed murder, covered it up, ran as a fugitive.  So when Moses says “who am I” in verse 11 (not sure he wants that answered to be honest).  God does not answer him because IT DOES NOT MATTER who Moses is.  Instead, God waits for the question that does matter….”Who are you!”. ❤️

“I am who I am”!  Yahweh.  He is SOVEREIGN.  He states the covenant, adds a few promises (which I love),

When you read this scripture, what do you see?

  • 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

A long flowing with milk and honey?   True…BUT we have spent so much time looking at “people” so who are these people?  It will help you to understand who is occupying the land they are heading into one day.

Click here for the genealogy.

When Noah cursed Ham’s line in Genesis 9, they became the: Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.  

❤️Have a wonderful day.  Remember if God can use a fugitive that stutters who murdered someone, he can use you to be an instrument to help someone today feel the love of God.❤️

Exodus Overview

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

Here is a quick overview of Exodus.  We will turn the page from Genesis to Exodus and over 400 years will have passed. The Hebrew title of this book is Shemot “names”, based on the first keyword of the text.  The English title was given when Alexander the Great was translating the Bible into Greek and the scholars named the book from the theme,  Exodus.  The Exodus is a foreshadow of being delivered and redeemed from the bondage of sin, accomplished only through a substitute for your sin: the Passover Lamb: Jesus.

Click here to print

As we read this book we will affirm:

  • Exodus teaches the sovereignty of God:
    • “Sovereignty” is the attribute of God that expresses the fact that He is the ultimate ruler of the universe. There is no one higher in authority than He. As “Sovereign,” He has all power. ”  We can see God’s sovereignty clearly in His superiority over all the so-called “gods of Egypt.”
  • Exodus teaches the salvation of man:
    • Exodus teaches that God provides salvation for man. Man does not provide it for himself.

Exodus will be a 2-week read.  It will just as fast as Genesis so make sure you have time carved out in your day where you have a plan to read.  Early in the morning, listen to it in the car, on your lunch break, in bed at night.  Just have a plan.

Trivia: Genesis!

~ Patricia ~ 9 Comments
Image result for genesis bible

Have a little fun this Friday night.  Here are 3 quizzes.  Without a doubt I know we have all learned something new in 2021.  They are optional and anonymous.  You can choose to put a nickname, initials,  or be bold and put your name!  (or leave it blank).  You can take them as many times as you would like if you want to make it a family challenge.  I will post an Exodus overview before bedtime. 😁

Genesis 48-50 The End!

~ Patricia ~ 14 Comments

(This might be long BUT by far the best post this month.  I have countless hours invested in research.  I will try to be as concise as possible) 😉

I hear people say “I have read Genesis before”.  Even if you have, I hope this was like it was brand new to you.  There are chapters we tend to say “Ummm I have no idea why I have to read this” and we skip it.  Chapter 49 is usually one of those chapters.  But we are NOT skipping it.

First, Chapter 48: The Adoption!  We already covered that Judah will get the Blessing (the Covenant), but now it is time for the birthright.  This is a very important section because it explains how Joseph’s sons, born and raised as Gentiles (that’s you) are adopted into the Hebrew’s EQUALLY.  Joseph does not become the head of a tribe,  but Ephraim and Manasseh will have equal standing as Jacob’s other sons.

5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

Ancient Eastern adoptions exercised placing the adopted child on the knees of the adopting parent to symbolize giving birth to the adopted.  In verse 12,  Joseph removed the sons from his knees and puts them close to the adopter: Jacob.  Joseph arranges the sons in birth order assuming the birthright will be chronological.  This is actually the 4th consecutive generation where the prominence of the firstborn was reversed!

  • Isaac over Ishmael
  • Jacob over Esau
  • Joseph over Reuben
  • Ephraim over Manasseh

Looks like I am going to have to give Charlie more than Elliot, or at least a nicer car to keep the tradition going! LOL!!

Jacob, even though his health and eyes are failing, when Joseph said “You’re doing it wrong”, Jacob says in verse 19: “I know my son, I know”.

20 He blessed them that day and said,

“In your  name will Israel pronounce this blessing:
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”

So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And to you I give one more ridge of land than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”

Look at this map.  The Amorites settled the land on the east side of the Jordan River.   That is what we are going to call the “Transjordan” land.

:Map of the Amorites Settlements (Bible History Online)

Chapter 49.  Are you ready to geek it out with me??  Read it once over BEFORE reading my notes.  Now that you have hung on every word of the first 48 chapters I think you could probably do this chapter without me!  Keep notes anyway that suits you best, I actually copy and pasted the scriptures in large print to write on them from bible gateway because I refuse to wear readers and look old like my husband.

Jacob will foretell what would become of each tribe and their descendants.  We will see blessings, curses, judgments, and prominence.  Jacob will draw on the past and look to the future.  Here we go!  For the super geeky like.  click here for a map you can print to look at while we do this.  ONE day they will be given the Promised Land, and it will be allocated to the 12 tribes.  The map shows you what Chapter 49 is prophesizing!  (does that make sense)

If anything, look at the east side of the Jordan river.  Make sense? 🤓

Tribe of Benjamin - Wikipedia

Here are the notes to put next to the scriptures:

  • Reuben- #1
    • vs 3: firstborn, should have been given the birthright, blessing, double portion, leadership of the tribes.
    • vs 4: tribe of Reuben produces no significant men, judges, kings, prophets, or priests (#truestory)
    • vs 4: Gen: 35:22 he sleeps with Bilhah
    • write in your margin:
      • Transjordan tribe
      • God saves Israel from reckless leadership
  • Simeon and Levi #2 and #3
    • vs 5: they are blood brothers born from Leah
    • vs 6: Gen 34 Shechem- vengeance from Dinah’s rape
    • vs 7: neither will be given land
      • Simeon will be absorbed by Judah
      • Levi dispersed in cities
        • Levi WILL be blessed with the honor of priesthood when they sided with Moses at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 32:26-28
  • Judah #4
    • vs 8: Because #1.#2. #3 are disqualified, Judah will become the Covenant tribe.
    •  vs 9: compared to a Lion who is the king
    • vs 10: Scepter: Royalty.  The Messianic line.  The Davidic Monarchy.
    • vs 11: (I don’t know….) don’t write that.  Is this end time?  Can someone help me?
  • Zebulun#5
    • vs 13: given the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee
      • historical records show Zebulun shared a territory with Issachar
  • Issachar #6
    • vs. 14: Submissive tribe to the Canaanites
    • vs 15: farmers, agriculture
    • become slaves
  • Dan #7
    • vs 16: Samson.
    • vs 17: Judges 18- Led Israel into Idolatry
  • Gad #8
    • vs 19 gets attached my nomads
      • write in the margin: Transjordan Tribe
  • Asher #9
    • given the most fertile land
  • Naphtali #10
    • you may not want to write this BUT I wrote “My favorite Judge: Deborah!”  Oh how I want to be her when I grow up
  • Joseph #11
    • vs 22 tribe grew fruitful in the land
    • vs 22 Manasseh and Ephraim are the branches (grafted into the family)
    • vs 23- his brothers, Potiphar’s wife, prisoners
    • vs 24: God was with him
    • vs 25 and 26: (circle the blessings)
  • Benjamin#12
    • vs 27 produces many warriors
      • 1st King (Saul)
      • Ehud, Jonathan,
      • Esther, Mordecai
    • vs 27: 3 incidents, they plunder after a battle 😦

CHAPTER 50– we close the book of Genesis with the death of Jacob and Joseph.  Keeping with Egyptian customs both were mummified.   Joseph is given permission to bury Jacob at the cave Abraham bought for the family to be buried in, back in Gen 23.  Seems like forever since we read that Joseph’s remains are in a coffin in Egypt but his descendants promised to eventually bury him with the family.

THE END.  WOW.Exodus 1 Commentary | Precept Austin

Trivia Question:  When we turn the page, about how many years will have passed?    (Clue: it was in chapter 15)

 

Genesis 46-47

~ Patricia ~ 6 Comments

Tomorrow will be our LAST day in Genesis.  Can you believe it!  It started a little slow reading  Job for 2 weeks but these past two weeks has been like the Bible on steroids!  It was intense!

Chapter 46:  God made a Covenant to bring the Hebrews to a specified land.  Jacob is in that land.  That was the plan after all.  Jacob now has to leave the land to move to a foreign land, Egypt.  This must have been the most difficult decision Jacob has had to make. Paraphrase:  “Go live in a land that is foreign, oh and by the way,  your people and your occupation are detestable to them”.  So now what?  Jacob goes to Beersheba.  I know that sounds familiar to you, right?  Beer in Hebrew means “well” (my husband would love a well filled with beer!), and Sheba means “seven” or “oath”.  Jacob is at the very spot Abraham made an oath to Abimelech, where Hagar retreated to when she fled with  Ishmael, where God appeared to Isaac and affirmed the covenant, and now where Jacob will build an altar to worship the Lord and hear from Him one last time:

 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “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. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

The peace that must have washed over Jacob!  Do not be afraid of this land and these people.  I will be with you!  You will see your son before your death.Image: Map: from Canaan to the land of Goshen<br>صورة خريطة: من كنعان إلى ارض جاسان

We transition to a long list of names.  Did you skim?? If you said no, just know that lying is a sin! 😉

If this is not your first read through the “priesthood” should have stood out to you:

  • 11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

If you remember the Tamar/Judah incident (my contraception post!) this will make sense:

  • 12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).

As a teacher this one made me laugh (I picture myself taking attendance…

21 The sons of Benjamin:…… Muppim, Huppim 😂😂😂

If you did skim make sure you did not miss each section was totaled subtotaled and then totaled 70 in all.  Here is a cool fact: In chapter 10, the descendants that represented Adam were 70 and now we have 70 descendants representing the children of Israel.  And the Sanhedrin in the NT will be comprised of 70 men using this number as a model.

Joseph plans a way for his family to live outside the city limits.  Egypt, in the Delta, was an agricultural society. Herding was seen as cruel and disgusting to them.  Living in Goshen will allow the Hebrews to have a distinct nation without the influence of the Egyptians. They can continue to worship their God without the culture of Polytheism in their mix.The Exodus Debunked: the Hyksos and the Land of Goshen | Jonathan MS Pearce

Chapter 47:  I wasn’t brought up Christian.  My mom didn’t own a bible (she believed in Salvation through Catholic sacraments) and my dad is an atheist.  I am telling you this because when I would refute there was a God, one of many comments would sound something like “If there is a God, why did he promote slavery???

You can’t defend the Word of God if you don’t know it.  We are reading a chapter where it appears God promotes slavery.  No. He. Doesn’t.

18 When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”

20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,[c] from one end of Egypt to the other.

To be in bondage to Pharaoh is to be in servitude.  This was a means to deal with poor and destitute people in bad times.  To reduce someone to servitude meant that after they sold their land to survive and it would then become the buyer’s responsibility to provide food and shelter in order to save them.   This action was to save lives, not to enslave them.  Unfortunately, sinful humans created slavery all over the world in a different sense.  God’s plan was ❤️.

23 Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”

25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”

Genesis 43-45

~ Patricia ~ 7 Comments

The reading is long so I am going to keep this super short.

Chapter 43: Well, no one seems concerned that Simeon is in prison???   When the food ran out,  Judah guarantees his life if their father allows them to bring Benjamin.  The famine is 2 years in.  They bring gifts with them that are not common in Egypt in order to gain favor (honey, balm, spices, myrrh, pistachios, and almonds) oh, yeah, and DOUBLE the amount of silver.   When they get there…Joseph sees that Benjamin is alive…and weeps.  Joseph, in keeping with Egyptian laws, eats separately but makes sure his brother Ben gets extra. (by the way ‘Ben’ is my favorite Michael Jackson song in case you were wondering).

Chapter 44:  The silver cup is a test.  Have the brothers changed?  Joseph sets up a scenario where they can easily get Benjamin out of the family.    The cup is found and they are brought back to Joseph.

HUGE moment!! JUDAH!!  He told his dad that he would guarantee Benjamin’s life…but after all, Benjamin is the “favorite” now to Jacob…so will he really? Or will this be another plan to get rid of him?  So what happens when the cup is revealed?

So Joseph tells the brothers to go back but LEAVE Benjamin…and Judah says to Joseph…’

33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”

Which brother will the Covenant bring the Messiah?  Judah.

Jesus will come and offer himself in place of me.  A substitute (innocent), offers to replace his life for mine.  The Bible is filled with hidden promises of the Gospel.

Chapter 45:  Do you remember the word Providence?

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 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. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

If you have a few hours we can break this down! 😂

  • When we tell this story we say: “Joseph is the one the brothers sold into Egypt”.
  • When God tells this story He says “Joseph is the one I sent to Egypt”.
  • Why did God send him? Not to just save the family.  God sent him to preserve a REMNANT on EARTH to save lives!

A remnant is ‘what remains’ or ‘what is left’.  When speaking about a remnant after a catastrophe it is ‘what survived’.

The family will go through slavery, wandering, battles, cycles with judges, kings (mostly bad ones), a divided kingdom, and they will get captured and taken out of the promised land.  So why do we know with confidence that there will be a remnant at the end for the purpose of saving lives?  BECAUSE GOD PROMISED AND SEALED IT WITH A COVENANT in Chapter 15.

Take a moment to think about Providence.  Can you see a situation in your life where God was behind the scenes the entire time?

Reflecting on it will let you trust that He is working in your life right now and you do not even know it.  So let things go a little.  He’s got you.

Genesis 41-42

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

Joseph: his brothers abused him, Potiphar’s wife lied about him, and the cupbearer forgot him.  There is a temptation to be resentful, angry,  and depressed.  Two years later…God’s plan, as always,  is still in motion.  The read is pretty clear so I will just bullet some thoughts.

Chapter 41:

847.) Genesis 41 | DWELLING in the Word

  • Pharaoh’s dreams were significant to him.  The Nile River brought life.  The god Hapi was the god of the Nile, who brought fertility and dominance.  The second dream spoke of the East wind.  This is called:  Kadim .  It occurs occasionally in the Spring and the Kadim can raise the temperature 60+ degrees on 1 day.
  • Magicians: They are scholars that study sciences, reading the stars, interpreting dreams, seeing the future….and some magic. Yes, they were smart, yes they knew magic, they could even perform it with Satan’s help.  BUT God is in control of Satan, and on this day he kept him on a short leash SO THAT Joseph can be lifted up.
  • The dreams were interpreted, all credit going to the Lord.
  • A plan was also stated (really from God)
  • Joseph is the #2 in command of Egypt.  Egypt is THE world power at the time.
  • Joseph is given an Egyptian name (if he is in command of Egyptians), it would be important to them.
  • At the age of 30….(if I have a trivia night, that might be a question).  So how long has it been?? Joseph was sold at the age of 17!

50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

So does this mean we will have 13 tribes of Israel? Spoiler alert. No, Levi does not become a tribe…God has another plan for 1 of the sons.  Levi is carved out for the priesthood.  BUT wait, Manasseh and Ephraim are born from a Gentile woman.  That’s right…we were always grafted into God’s love.  Think about that for a moment.

Chapter 42: The 10 brothers did not recognize Joseph.  Well, he has been in Egypt for 13 years…as an official he looks and talks like an Egyptian.  They sold him as a ‘disabled’ slave, and they are looking at the #2 in charge in the world.  It never would have crossed my mind either.

Joseph In Egypt | História da bíblia, Arte bíblica, Deuses egípcios

So why does Joseph send for the missing brother? (look at the genealogy above). And why is Jacob so distressed about this?  Jacob LOVED Rachel.   She gave him only 2 sons.  Joseph and Benjamin.  Have the brothers also abused Benjamin out of jealousy?  Joseph wants proof that his only blood brother is ok.

Think back to the book of Job.  The idea that bad things happen to bad people (Law of Retribution).    21 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 on us.”

Rueben speaks in the end.  Rueben’s brother (look at genealogy again,  it will make sense as to why he is distressed about  Simeon) in prison.

38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”

(I am not sure how I feel about Jacob this morning)

Trivia: What are the names of Joseph’s sons?  Who was born first?

What is a Typology

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

A biblical typology is where there is symbolism in the Old Testament that will represent something in the New Testament.   Here is Joseph as a type of what is to come (not a comparison, there is none that compares), just a Typology.  There are tons of these in the bible by the way. 😁.  If you would like a copy for your folder, click here. I put it in the comments this morning but thought I would post in case you missed it.

He was the favorite son of a wealthy father Gen. 37:3 Matt. 3:17
He was a shepherd Gen. 37:2 John 10:11-14
He was taken into Egypt to avoid being killed Gen. 37:28 Matt. 2:13
He became a servant Gen. 39:4 Phil. 2:7
He began his ministry at the age of thirty Gen. 41:46 Luke 3:23
He was filled with the Spirit of God Gen. 41:38 Luke 4:1
He returned good for evil Gen.50:20 Matt. 5:44
He was humble and unspoiled by wealth Gen. 45:7-8 John 13:12
He was taught by God Gen. 41:16 John 5:19
He loved people freely Gen. 45:15 John 13:34
He gained the confidence of others quickly Gen. 39:3 Matt. 8:8
He gave bread to hungry people that came to him Gen. 41:57 Mark 6:41
He resisted the most difficult temptations Gen. 39:8-9 Heb. 4:15
He was given vision into the future Gen. 37:6 Matt. 24:3
He tested people to reveal their true nature Gen. 42:25 Mark 11:30
He was hated for his teachings Gen. 37:8 John 7:7
He was sold for the price of a slave Gen. 37:28 Matt. 26:15
He was falsely accused Gen. 39:14 Mark 14:56
He was silent before his accuser Gen. 39:20 Mark 15:4
He was condemned between two prisoners Gen. 40:2-3 Luke 23:32
He was dead before his father Gen. 37:33 Luke 23:46
He was held for two, and was free on the third Gen. 41:1 Luke 9:22
He arose into a new life Gen. 41:41 Mark 16:6
He was not recognized by his own brethren Gen. 42.8 Luke 24:37
He returned to his father Gen. 46:29 Mark 16:19
He became a lord / Lord Gen. 45:8 Rev. 19:16

Genesis 38-40

~ Patricia ~ 3 Comments

Chapter 38

We are going to talk about Judah and Tamar.  If you get nothing out of this read here is a free parent lesson.  There is a contraception method called Onanism.  You think I am kidding?? Google it!  The proper term is coitus interruptus.  I am a pretty real mom and bring it on their level, I call it “pull and pray” (my kids want to die when I have these conversations when their friends are over) Hashtag true story…the other day a bunch of high schoolers were at my house and I said “gather around, grab my pen and paper to draw this, we are going to talk about pre-ejaculation and the facts about it”.  Charlie said “mom…don’t”.  Fine…”gather around girls, we are going to talk about Onanism”.  Charlie still wanted to die! 😂😂😂😂😂

Chapter 38.  I know many of you are not interested in genealogies.  But it is important to at least get the ‘general’ idea of them.  Every once in a while review one you printed and if you are confused, PLEASE ask.  If you don’t want to ask on the site, text me at 615-418-9377.

tamar-judah-chart - Truth Snitch

To understand the background on this you need to know WHY Judah is giving the instructions to his son Onan. If you turn to Deuteronomy 25 you will read what is called the Levirate Marriage (levir meaning “a husband’s brother”):

5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. 6 The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.7 However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.” 8 Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,” 9 his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.” 10 That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.

(There is a deeper meaning…but I must move on)

The point of this commandment was to have the surviving brother produce an heir to continue the name of the dead brother’s family.  It would not be “blotted out of Israel”.  The child born would be named in the dead brother’s memory however, Tamar was the widow to the deceased OLDEST brother and there was a question in Onan’s head about “who would get the inheritance”.  So he ignored the commandment (well, not the fun part) to ensure that he himself would get the birthright.  That would leave Tamar without a husband nor a child to take care of her. (Put this in your pocket for later because JESUS will be tested on it by the Sadducees!!)  Back to Genesis:

7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.

  • Er was greedy, thinking only of the money.  In the Lord’s eyes that was wicked.
  • Judah instructed Tamar to wait until the next brother was old enough to build her family line but in verse 12 it says “After a long time…”  JUDAH never fulfilled the commandment of the Levirate marriage by giving her the next son. This family line continually goes from deceiving to being deceived. Now Judah is deceived by Tamar.Pin on Bible JW

Tamar now holds:

  • the “rod”- a symbol of power,
  • the “seal”- maybe a signet ring showing family name
  • and the “Crimson Cord!” -a scarlet rope that holds things together.  Stop!! This is too Good!!  Let’s follow this to the pregnancy.

When a woman gives birth to twins it was so important not to mix them up because of birthright (firstborn) and blessings.  At first, Baby Zerah was about to be firstborn so the thread was tied to his wrist.  However,  Baby Perez said, “Heck no! I want that thread taken off him and put on my wrist, you can follow that thread to the Messiah, I am breaking out of this womb”.  And he does!  So the crimson cord…the scarlet thread…that holds things together…that identifies the family name….that will carry the rod…is passed to Perez.

Eden to Calvary: The Scarlet Thread of Redemption – Dr. Kevin Blackwell

We could follow the Scarlet Thread from the garden to the manger ❤️. Perez is listed 19 times in the Bible in genealogies.  If you want to circle them, click here for references.  The only two I circled were Matthew 1:3 and Like 3:3.

We have to move on or this post will be longer than the Bible!

Chapter 39-I think this story is clearer than most (or at least the chapter before it) so this was a great read.  Pay attention to Joseph’s Character (he is a Typology of Christ) and keep the word Providence in mind.  😁

Miklós Mihalovits: Joseph and Potiphar's wife - Pinter Auctions

This should have been a death sentence.  But he was put in the King’s Prison.

Pharaoh did not have anything to worry about except…in Chapter 39:6…..the food he ate!  It is evident that this Pharaoh lived in the Capitol, which would be very protected from an attack, so how does one overthrow an empire at such a high level such as Kings or Pharaohs?   Well, you can poison them?  So whether there was a plot or not, the highest workers in the kitchen are put in prison.  Clearly, the baker was guilty of something because chapter 40 it says:

16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream:

Free Christian Church of Connecticut: Joseph's Dream Interpretation Genesis 40

The chief baker did not get good news.  On Pharaoh’s birthday he does not blow out his birthday candles, but instead of “wishing something would happen”, they actually get to do one thing they wish for.  In this case, he hangs the baker.  (again, put this in your other pocket because party ritual will, unfortunately, come up again and the party entertainment that will put John the Baptist to death too.

23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

Have a great day!  I have a feeling some may have paused on the Typology comment so I will post a handout later for you.