I have to apologize for being so far behind on my posts. I had originally planned to do a post on the remaining part of Exodus but have recently had the wonderful opportunity to discuss the following section on the Tabernacle with a good friend. I have discussed with her the possibility of being a guest blogger because she had great insight into the symbols and meaning of all the sections of the tabernacle. With that likely to happen, I wanted to post the following section specifically on Chapters 19 through the end of 24. This will set up nicely for her post on the tabernacle which really begins in Chapter 25 and closes out the book of Exodus.

Chapter 19 opens up with the nation of Israel reaching the wilderness of Sinai while Moses continues to be the conduit for communications between God and the nation of Israel. Immediately God speaks to Moses with promising words: “… if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Here, we see that God continues His promise to the Israelites that should they obey the Lord, He will bless them and make them a great nation. I think this particular passage lays the very foundation for the Ten Commandments He will issue in the next chapter.

An interesting item in Chapter 19 is that God chooses to reveal Himself to the people of Israel and though I am unaware of His specific reason, God makes pointed statements about how He has demonstrated Himself to the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. In addition, God chooses to show Himself to the people and institute confidence in Moses’ connection with God by coming to Moses “… in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” Even in the moment of showing Himself to the Israelites, God continues to set boundaries for them. God directs Moses to “… consecrate them …” and to “… wash their garments and be ready for the third day.” He also directs Moses to issue a warning of boundary to the nation of Israel stating that they are “… not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death.” Most notably to me in this particular passage is the warning that “No hand shall touch him [whoever is to be put to death], but he shall be stoned or shot …” I find this notable because even in following the orders of God, one man is not to take the life of another by placing his hands upon that individual. I’m not sure the significance of this but find it odd and will hopefully get some time to research it a little more. If someone knows the answer to this, please feel free to comment here and help us all understand the reason behind stoning versus laying one’s hands upon another.

Reliably, as God had stated, on the third day the Lord appeared before the nation of Israel as a thick cloud upon the mountain. In addition, “… very loud trumpet blast[s] …” were heard announcing the Lord’s arrival. In addition to the cloud, God descended upon the top of the mountain in fire and that fire engulfed the whole mountain so as to cause it to tremble and smoke. God called Moses to come to Him and Moses obeyed.

This is the transition to Chapter 20 where God issues the Ten Commandments to the nation of Israel. The Ten Commandments are listed out below:

1 ) “You shall have no other gods before me.”

2 ) “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

3 ) “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

4 ) “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

5 ) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your god is giving you.”

6 ) “You shall not murder.”

7 ) “You shall not commit adultery.”

8 ) “You shall not steal.”

9 ) “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

10) ” You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Some of the obvious things that we identify within these commandments are that the first couple (4 to be exact) are specifically related to God and what we’re supposed to do as it relates to our relationship with God. The remaining six are related to how we are to engage in relationship with one another. We find that in this passage, there is a clear and straight forward perspective as it relates to our relationships with each other and more specifically our relationship with God. He is the number one priority and this correlates with the first commandment. Now many people relate “gods” to mean people or items like the Greek gods, etc. What we find within the context of scripture is that any item we place as the most important in our life is in reality the “god” we serve. Additionally, should we break any one of the commandments (i.e.: #10), we find that we also break, at minimum, the first two commandments. For as we covet our neighbor’s items, we place those items above God (#1) and we bow down to and serve these items breaking #2.

Of course, I don’t intend to be doom and gloom about this fact, as Christians we are saved by and our sins are atoned for by the blood of Christ. Additionally, we know that these Ten Commandments are a subset of the Old Testament Law which was a covenant between God and the nation of Israel. As such, this covenant and these laws are not ours explicitly. Yancey Arrington did a great job explaining this principle in our February 11th service of “Man, That’s Weird” at Clear Creek Community Church. Do remember, however, that Jesus also taught these basic principles when He declared the two greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” as well as “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

We then close out Chapter 20 with the laws about altars. For me, the most insightful item in that small section is the statement “… for if you wield your tool on it you profane it.” I relate to this from the perspective that we should always accept God’s gift of all that surrounds us. We shouldn’t attempt to beautify or mold it to reflect our work but rather to cherish it as the Lord provided and allow God’s glory to shine through whatever it is we perform for Him.

Chapters 21, 22, and 23 are a compilation of additional laws related to the treating of slaves, restitution for the damage or death that occurs from our negligence and the keeping of the Sabbath and festivals. Many of these passages are reiterations or expansion of the straight forward expression of the same Commandments issued in Chapter 20. The importance of these sections is to ensure clarity in the understanding that all people are our brothers and sisters and are to be treated as part of the commandment declaring our relationship with our neighbors. Additionally, it is to place the responsibility of items under our control with us as to prevent the deceitful heart of humans which would pass responsibility or blame on seemingly “uncontrollable” circumstances. Laws about the Sabbath and Festivals reiterates the commandments earlier issued with regard to the passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering. Each of these having been previously discussed, I won’t duplicate those here.

As we close out Chapter 23 we read of the promise God has made with the nation of Israel to receive the land which God has promised and prepared many years before. We see that God has placed an Angel before the Israelites that will go before them and protect them so long as the Israelites obey the Angel’s voice. God ratifies this command by pointing out that it is God’s name in him and no others. We see here, in verse 31, that God declares the borders of the nation of Israel. Lastly, God commands the nation of Israel not to make a covenant with nor allow the inhabitants they drive out to dwell within the land God will give them for they will make the Israelites sin against God. Much like our lives, if we would simply heed His warning and obey Him, He will steer us clear of danger and temptation; by Him, through faith, we will be pulled through such times.

Thus we arrive at Chapter 24, where God calls for Moses to come up to the mountain again. Moses spoke to the people of Israel the words of the Lord and through a covenant the Israelites declared: “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses recorded the words of the Lord into what is known as the Book of the Covenant. Following sacrifices made at the altar at the foot of the mountain, with twelve pillars to represent the twelve tribes of Israel, Moses read the Book of the Covenant to the people of Israel and in reaffirmation they declared again “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”

Verses 9 through 12 are rather interesting to me. I believe this is the first time that anyone from the nation of Israel, besides Moses and Aaron, have seen God and eaten with Him. Yet, Moses is the only one to ascend the mountain to truly meet with God and had done so to receive from God the “… tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I [God] have written for their instruction. I feel as though Moses intended to present the Book of the Covenant to God as a sign of the people’s enactment of a covenant with Him but not much else is spoken of here about the Book of the Covenant. I find it fitting that every where else in my spiritual walk I have found that God approaches His people and opens our hearts for His work rather than us being the ones to decide upon when we will serve Him.

As Chapter 24 closes out, we see that Moses has left Aaron and Hur in charge of the remaining elders while he ascends the mountain to God. He specifically states that should any dispute arise, they are to go to these two for reconciliation. Moses remained on the mountain where the “glory of the Lord dwelt” for forty days and forty nights. Though I’ve already read the next sections, and hopefully you have too (if you’re following the daily reading plan) but I can’t wait to have the next blog post about the amazing Tabernacle and the depiction of how articulate and specific the construction was – and why!

ESV Daily Reading Bible Halley’s Bible Handbook
ESV Study Bible

Over the past several days, I’ve been bombarded with numerous tasks and mounting work that has prevented me from posting here. There have been a couple days where I have fallen behind on my reading as well. Needless to say, I am certain I am not alone in the struggle of maintaining my commitment of reading each days passages.

Over the past couple days, however, I’ve caught back up to where I am supposed to be on the daily reading plan and though we’ve completed Exodus 23, I will only cover Exodus 1 through Exodus 19 in this post. These chapters depict the 400 years of Israel in Egypt and their struggles through the Exodus (or exit) from Egypt.

If you recall the great promises that God made to Abraham (and passed down through his descendants) in Genesis, you’ll see that in Genesis 15:13-14 God said to Abraham: “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgement on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” I point this out to remind us of the great promises God had made to the nation of Israel but more importantly to remind us how diligent and reliable God is in keeping His word. For as God had stated, the nation of Israel was in Egypt (as foreigners) for approximately 430 years before the Exodus which eventually occurs in Chapter 12.

We open up the book of Exodus being approximately 300 years after the close of Genesis and we see immediately that the nation of Israel had been blessed according to the promises of God. In verse 7 we read that “… the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.” It is no wonder the Pharaoh of Egypt sought to oppress the people of Israel as they are truly a numerous nation and can be quite a threat to the stability of Egypt’s power structure. Through the oppression of Israel, we see that Pharaoh would go to any lengths, even the cold murder of the children upon birth. Through fear of the Lord, it is shown that the midwives allowed births to continue without committing murder as Pharaoh had ordered. This leads us straight to Moses who was born and hid in the weeds out of fear for his survival when Pharaoh’s daughter (and servant’s) finds him and claims him. Ordering a Hebrew woman to nurse the child, Pharaoh’s daughter unknowingly pays wages to Moses’ mother to raise him. In turn, Moses eventually goes to live with Pharaoh’s daughter in the palace. Moses, however, is not swayed from the principles he is taught through his mother’s raising him. Moses was a Levite coming from the tribe of Levi and his life is covered throughout the book of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Over the next few chapters we see that Moses is chosen by God to perform God’s work in bringing God’s promises into reality.l

In Chapter 2 we see that Moses murders an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew. Though Moses didn’t see anyone around when he committed this act and the Egyptian was buried, some how other Hebrew’s had known of the incident and eventually Pharaoh had learned of the same. With Pharaoh seeking to kill Moses, Moses fled to the land of Midian. Though not expressly written in the scripture, Midian was certainly a change in Moses’ lifestyle. Coming from a life in the Palace of Egypt to a desert land of shepherds, Moses was exposed to a necessary training for his use by God. It was during these years in the desert that Moses gained invaluable personal experience that he would have never seen in the palace of Egypt. We also see that Moses married a Midianite – Zipporah who was daughter of a priest named Jethro. Having a son, Moses name him Gershom. It was also during this time that the nation of Israel found themselves under increased oppression until their eventual cry out for help as Chapter 2 concludes.

It is here in Chapter 3, verse 10 that we see God call Moses to do His work by saying: “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Of course, as many of us deal with the same issue today, Moses was uncertain and lacked confidence in obeying the Lord. Moses made all sorts of excuses as to why he couldn’t or wouldn’t succeed in performing God’s work – forgetting that it is God who strengthens us and guides us to success. Eventually (Chapter 3 & 4), Moses is given the assurance of God’s divine power and assistance as well as being given the gift of working miracles and agrees to answer God’s call and return to Egypt. I think it is prudent to point out here that God re-commits to His promise that we reviewed earlier. Genesis 15:14 says: “But I will bring judgement on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” In Exodus 3: 21-22 God clearly states to Moses that God “… will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

At one point we see clearly God’s continued command to serve Him. In Exodus 4:24 we read that “At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him [Moses] and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, ‘Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!’ So he let him alone.” This is a moment that we identify God’s relentless call for our service to Him and His commandments. As we identified in Genesis, circumcision was to be performed on all males who were part of the nation of Israel on the 8th day of their life. Why this was not done in the case of Moses’ son Gershom we do not know but what we do know is that Moses was being held responsible for his lack of faith and commitment to God’s commandment. As a result, Moses’ wife was forced to perform the action and thus God left Moses to live. As a side note, just this past Wednesday, we had a service at Clear Creek Community Church by Yancey Arrington that encompassed the Lord’s Supper and a very good overview of the Old Testament requirement of circumcision and how that has been replaced with baptism in the New Testament.

As Moses returns to Egypt, he is instructed by God that God will harden Pharaoh’s heart and that Pharaoh will thus not let the people go. In this instance, we see that it is God’s will for Pharaoh not to release the nation of Israel. Though ultimately God’s promise of relief for the Israelites will be seen, the overarching theme here is that God wants the nation of Egypt to know who is Lord over all the world for they do not know Him. Simultaneously, the nation of Israel is reminded of God’s power, mercy, and everlasting Love. Of course, initially the results of Moses and his brother Aaron approaching Pharaoh yielded unfavorable results for the Israelites. Thus the people of Israel looked unfavorably upon Moses who quickly blamed him for the increase in oppression they were subjected to. Moses turns to the Lord and shows his faith and dependance on God as Chapter 5 concludes. God replies with a reiteration of His covenant with the people of Israel and assures Moses that He will deliver the people to Himself.

Thus, Moses and Aaron approach Pharaoh continuously as the Lord commands them and the Lord continuously hardens Pharaoh’s heart. The Lord brings the ten plagues upon the land of Egypt. The first being the turning of the water of the Nile into blood. The water was turned to undrinkable water and the fish of the water died. Pharaoh’s magicians duplicated the miracle through magic and though the Nile was a lifeline to the Egyptians, Pharaoh remained of hard heart and the Bible indicates that the Nile remained that way for seven days. Interestingly enough, the Egyptians worshiped gods associated with the ten plagues. The Nile was associated with three specifically who were Khnum – guardian of the Nile, Hopi – the spirit of the Nile, and Osiris – the giver of life.

The second, third and fourth plagues occur in Chapter 8 with frogs being associated with the Egyptian god of Heqt – the god of resurrection and childbirth. Through the second plague, Pharaoh’s magicians could imitate this miracle through their own methods but Pharaoh still promised to let Israel go. Changing his mind, the third plague was brought upon Egypt. The dust of the earth turned to gnats or mosquitos and when the magicians could not imitate this miracle, they believed in the Lord. The magicians urged Pharaoh to stop opposing Moses and give in. The fourth plague consisted of flies that filled the houses and lands of Egypt. The flies covered men and beasts but did not cover the Israelites separating them from the Egyptians as God’s favored people.

Chapter 9 contains the fifth, sixth, and seventh plagues of livestock deaths, boils, and hail respectively. The plague on cattle impacted Egyptian’s gods of Hathor – the mother goddess, Apis – bull god, Ptah – creator god and symbol of fertility. The Egyptian’s livestock died in enormous numbers while none of the Israelites livestock dies. Another indication that Israel is separated from the Egyptians as God’s chosen people. Through the plague of boils, we see that there was vast impact to the Egyptians as even the magicians were affected. We do see though, that before the seventh plague of hail, God issues a warning to those who fear Him and allow them to protect their livestock should they believe in the Lord. Of course, no hail fell on the Israelites or anywhere in the land in which they lived (Goshen).

It is in Chapter 10, verse 7 that we see the people of Egypt have been convinced. They raise their voices up to Pharaoh and indicate that Egypt has been ruined. So Pharaoh indicates that he will let Moses and Aaron go worship their Lord and request to know which of the people will go. Moses indicates that all of Israel will go. Young, old, sons, daughters, flocks, and herds will all go serve the Lord. Pharaoh was not allowing this though and indicated that only the men should go, casting Moses and Aaron out of his presence. So the Lord brought forth the plague of locusts. The locusts ate every green leaf that existed in the land of Egypt. Finally, in verse 16 Pharaoh confesses “I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. Now therefore, forgive my sin please, only this once, and plead with the Lord your God only to remove this death from me.” Thus, Moses pleaded with God and God removed the locusts from the land of Egypt but God also hardened the heart of Pharaoh and Pharaoh did not let the people go. So the Lord brought forth the plague of darkness over the land and there was pitch black everywhere but over the Israelites. For three days the Egyptians suffered in complete darkness and Pharaoh eventually caved to the power of the Lord. Pharaoh cast out all of Israel and declared to Moses: “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.”

In the final words with Pharaoh, Moses declares, as the Lord instructs him, that every man and woman shall be given gold and silver jewelry from their neighbor prior to their departure from Egypt. In the midst of this discussion, Moses declares that the Lord will bring one more plague upon the land of Egypt in which the first born of all, men and beast, shall die at midnight. This passage indicates that there will be a clear distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites as it states that “… not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. As God had stated, Pharaoh did not listen and his heart was hardened and therefore he did not let the people go. Thus initiating the passover.

The passover is a very symbolic event that not only represented Israel’s deliverance out of a land of which they were greatly oppressed but also a symbol of our deliverance. The selection of a lamb without blemish or defect, the sacrifice of this lamb and the placing of it’s blood on the doorposts, the feast or celebration, and the death of the firstborn. All performed out of faith in the Lord our God, all performed by His direction and through such, the deliverance out of a hostile world. This is just as we have been called by God to His Son Jesus. Jesus, as our lamb without blemish or defect, His sacrifice for our sins, His blood washed over our heart and soul, and the Lord’s Supper – a celebration of His providing power. We are delivered out of a hostile world and we are delivered from our chains of sin, from our slavery of the sinful nature within us. Exodus 12:14 states “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.

And thus, the tenth plague came upon the land of Egypt. All the firstborn were struck down by the Lord except for those who kept His commandment. There was a great cry throughout the land, and the Egyptians gladly provided gifts of gold and silver as they had been told for they feared the Lord. The nation of Israel departs Egypt and the haste of their departure is why we see unleavened bread commonly eaten. The last section of Chapter 12 references the institution of the passover and the rules associated. Any who partakes in the passover shall abide by the rules of the nation of Israel and maintain the commandments of the Lord becoming one of the natives. In addition, the Israelites’ firstborn were to be consecrated to God as a reminder of the redemption brought forth by the death of the Egyptians’ firstborn. Jesus was consecrated to God in accordance with this law as He was Mary’s firstborn.

We see that God continued to be with the Israelites, providing them both direction, guidance, and protection. Through the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, the Lord maintained His presence with them. These pillars did not depart from before the people (verse 22). When the people of Israel reach the Red Sea, the Lord indicates that Pharaoh will pursue them. As a final demonstration of God’s endless power over all the world, He leads the people of Israel through the Red Sea. Parting the waters and creating a “wall of water” on both sides of the people, until drawing in the Egyptians, the Lord returns the water to it’s normal condition, drowning all of the Egyptians pursuing them. This not only declared the power of the Lord to all of the nations in that region but it reassured the people of Israel that they feared the Lord and believed in Him and Moses as His servant.

I believe it to only be right for Moses and hopefully all of Israel to sing the Song of Moses captured in Chapter 15. The proclamation that “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” The Lord is all we need for the battles of this world. He is our salvation and through Him we have no fear. All else in this world is under His power and glory. All that we do should be for Him and His honor. As stated in Exodus 15:26 “… ‘If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” He protects us, fights for us, and heals us when we fall. We must continue in faith and trust Him.

Unfortunately, the Israelites lost sight of these principles when they faced the hardships of the desert life. The Israelites in Exodus 16 begin to think of the luxuries they had in Egypt rather than trusting in the Lord and what He would provide them. We do see here that God declares He will “… rain bread from heaven …” for the people to eat. As the Lord declared it, the Lord provided it. Here, God also provides quail for the people. The Lord continued to provide the bread (manna) for the people, each day for the 40 years they were in the wilderness without interruption. The Sabbath was maintained and instead the people gathered twice as much on the sixth day in honor and observance of the Sabbath. In Chapter 17 we see that God continues to be with the people of Israel when He provides water for them from a rock. Moses diligently obeys the Lord and follows His guidance. You can see however, that Moses is getting frustrated with the Israelites impatience and trust as he, on multiple occasions, states “Why do you test the Lord?”

In Chapter 17 we find that Amalek comes out and fights with Israel at Rephidim. We see that Joshua enters the battle with Amalek and through Moses, God protects the Israelites. As a result however, God declares in verse 14 that He “… utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Moses builds an altar and reiterates this through a statement that “The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Lastly, we come to Chapter 18 where Moses encounters his father-in-law and the two exchange information. The biggest point of note in Chapter 18 is that even in Moses’ greatness as a servant of God’s, God utilized human advice to provide Moses with great counsel on the improvement and efficiency of his nations organization.

ESV Daily Reading Bible Halley’s Bible Handbook
ESV Study Bible

What a phenomenal experience I have had reading through the Bible thus far. I have run into some time constraints over the first month and there have been a couple instances where I had fallen behind a day or two but wow, I can not begin to explain how much God has shown me each day I read His Word. On top of that, the staff at Clear Creek Community Church has done a fantastic job of accenting our journey through the Bible with two series that they have begun in January. The first is our weekend series titled “TXT – Getting_The_Bible” and the second is our mid-week series titled “Man, That’s Weird!”. Both are very well put together and have been a significant blessing to me. If you have not attended these services and would like to hear them, or would like a review, please feel free to Listen Online.

Now, as we finish out the book of Genesis, we have one remaining story that is of profound implication on our salvation. The story of Jacob is considered the 11th sub-book and as can be expected, this sub-book covers the remaining life of Jacob. Of course, this over-arching theme can be misleading as the most prominent character in Chapters 37 through 50 is Jacob’s son Joseph. In general, there is a great demonstration of God’s power, mercy, and will within the remaining chapters of Genesis. Throughout everything that occurs, we see that Joseph is chosen by God to perform God’s work. In times of affliction and persecution, it is through Joseph’s faith and obedience that God relieves Joseph of his burden and reliably holds true to His promises. We see Joseph struggle with man (from his brothers to his master’s wife) and we see JOseph struggle with God. Yet throughout the entire sub-book it is clear that God showers Joseph with His blessing and through Joseph, God’s blessing was poured out over all the land. Joseph was the realization of God’s continuous promise that He would make Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all their descendants a great nation and through them, they would be a blessing to all nations. These same promises, God reiterated throughout the entire book of Genesis. It is here that we see God’s promises brought to fruition through the life of Joseph.

Getting into the details – I will try to overcome the tendency to note everything – we see right off the bat, in Chapter 37, that Joseph is the favored son of Jacob and through that favoritism, jealousy and sin enters the house of Jacob. More importantly than being favored by Jacob, we see that Joseph has a couple of dreams. These dreams signified Joseph’s chosen favor in the eyes of the Lord – as was custom in this time period. What we see that also supports this thought is that these dreams do come true later on in the sub-book. For example, the first dream indicates clearly that Joseph will reign over his brothers and this most certainly occurs later on when Joseph becomes the governor of Egypt. An item I find important to note is that Joseph is the first-born of the children born to Rachel and Benjamin was the second. We see clearly, throughout the 11th sub-book, that when Joseph is believed to be dead, Benjamin becomes the favored of the household. It may be that this is due to Jacob’s initial love for Rachel and not his first wife Leah (whom he was deceived into being with). In either case, the significant part of Chapter 37 is that God has, without a doubt, clearly chosen Joseph as the blessed one of Jacob’s sons. As a result, Joseph is outcasted from his brothers. Though they originally planned to kill Joseph (which Joseph’s brother Reuben prevented) they ended up selling Joseph into slavery. It appears that the ring leader at the time was Judah and the reason may very well be the battle over the families birthright. Though Judah was Jacob’s fourth son, the first three were disqualified for receipt of their birthright due to the sins they had committed. Reuben had a relationship with one of Jacob’s concubines and Simeon and Levi were part of a treacherous slaughter (in which we learned about in a previous post). We will see this rivalry between Judah and Joseph come up later in the descendants of the two. As the brothers returned home, they presented the special robe of Joseph to their father, stained with goats blood to give the indication of Joseph’s death. Needless to say, Jacob was greatly grieved by the portrayed death of his favored son.

While Joseph, sold to a caravan of Midianites, is taken to Egypt, we get a glimpse at the house of Judah. Judah is blessed with three sons Er, Onan, and Shelah. We see in the first 10 verses of Chapter 38 that two of Judah’s sons were “… wicked in the sight of the Lord …” and so the Lord put them both to death. Though we are not certain what caused Er to be wicked in the the Lord’s sight, we see that selfishness was a major part of why Onan was wicked in the Lord’s sight. Both were put to death and out of Judah’s own desire for his third son to live, Judah cast his daughter in law (Tamar) out of his household with a promise that when Shelah grew up, they shall be wed. Through a weird twist of events, Judah and Tamar engage in adultery. As a result, Tamar becomes pregnant and is accused of being immoral. Judah casts judgement on Tamar and it is only when Judah sees his signet, cord, and staff that he left as a pledge to her that Judah realizes he has been immoral with her. Judah recognizes he had not kept his promise of offering his son Shelah to Tamar which may signify his realization of his own wickedness and be the point of which Judah begins to turn his focus from himself to the greater calling he has. The chapter closes out with the birth of twins to Tamar. One is born and in the quick thinking of the midwife, is marked with a scarlet thread on his hand. Interestingly enough, the one without the scarlet thread is fully born first. The names of the two were Perez (youngest but born first without the scarlet thread) and Zerah (first-born). Not sure how important this short story is but we’ll make note of it here.

We see in Chapter 39 that Joseph is blessed and brings the Lord’s blessing on the house of his master the Potiphar – the captain of the guard of Pharaoh. Though tempted on more than one occasion by his master’s wife, Joseph refuses to lie with her and most importantly acknowledges that doing so would be a “… sin against God …”. The constant temptation of his master’s wife could not fade Joseph’s faith and obedience of God. One day, however, Joseph is grabbed by his master’s wife and in an attempt to escape, does so while leaving his garment. That final time, the wife used his garment against Joseph and rallied the men of the household around the idea that Joseph had come to make fools of them all. Without hesitation Joseph’s master puts Joseph in prison. The benefit, however is that Joseph was put in the prison of the king’s prisoners which sets up Joseph’s encounter and eventual release from prison into the Pharaoh’s house. In prison, it is evident that God is with Joseph and as such, Joseph is given oversight of the prison. This provides him access to the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt. Here, Joseph interprets their dreams but does so only through providing credit to God for the interpretations he speaks by stating “… interpretations belong to God …”. The interpretations come true and sets Joseph up for his introduction to Pharaoh in Chapter 41.

Again, in the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph credits God with the interpretation by stating “It is not m; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” Joseph reiterates this when he states in the interpretation that “God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.” The importance of these statements is that Joseph had remained faithful to God. God had continuously blessed Joseph and it was through God that Joseph was capable of performing all the wonderful things he did. Joseph acknowledged these things to a people who did not know God, perhaps refused to acknowledge God and persecute those who did. In either case, God watched over Joseph and guided Joseph in all that Joseph did. Through the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph was acknowledged as one who God was with and therefore Pharaoh placed Joseph in a position of power. Joseph was granted governorship of the land of Egypt and Pharaoh (and subsequently the entire people of Egypt) placed their faith in Joseph and Joseph’s ability to see them through the projected famine.

Just as Joseph conveyed the Lord’s plan to Pharaoh, the dreams came true. It was through Joseph’s faithful following of God that he was placed before the people of all the nations as a blessing. The one who provided food and therefore life to the people of the land. Joseph was the enactor of God’s great plan and all the nations were blessed through Joseph just as God had promised so many years before. One important characteristics of Joseph is that even though he was given great power, and great wealth. Even though Joseph was given a wife and two sons (Menasseh, Ephraim) he never forgot nor did he sacrifice his faith in the Lord. Joseph did not compromise his Lord for money, for fame, for power, nor any other worldly item.

So Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt and in a series of encounters, Joseph sees all of his brothers and deciphers that his father, Jacob, is still alive. Joseph tests his brothers by framing them in the theft of his household cup. When caught and returned to Joseph, in a miraculous turn of events we see that Judah offers to be held in the place of his brother Benjamin. Joseph can no longer control himself. After experiencing the great love his brother Judah has shown for Benjamin, Joseph cries out and explains that it is he, their brother Joseph. Many of the household hear this and share with Pharaoh who is pleased and offers the best of the land of Egypt to them. So Jacob and the household of Jacob come to Egypt and settled there. It is extremely important to note that in Chapter 46 (verses 2 through 4) God speaks to Jacob (AKA Israel). In this vision, God commands that Israel go to Egypt and promises again that He will “… make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.” This is important to note because Israel was promised the land of Canaan for himself and his descendants and through this commandment from God, Israel can go to Egypt knowing that God will continue to be with him and will bring his descendants back to the promised land.

The remaining few chapters of Genesis provide some reinforcement and insight into God’s plan. Starting in Chapter 48, Jacob blesses the sons of Joseph (notable is that Joseph states “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” – emphasis added). An item to pay attention to here is that Joseph specifically set his first-born son Menasseh before Jacob’s right hand and Ephraim before Jacob’s left hand. As was customary in that day, the right hand was considered superior and thus to be blessed with the right hand meant you received the higher blessing. A great description of this concept is given by Yancey Arrington in this recording. Even with Joseph’s preparation and strategic placement of his son’s, God’s will was to have Jacob bless Joseph’s son’s in a different way than traditionally set (as seen in Genesis 48: 14-16). We also see in verse 17 that this displeased Joseph and when he attempted to move his father’s (Jacob’s) hand to correct the situation. Through the end of Chapter 48, we are given the clarification that this action was done intentionally and most probably at the direction and guidance of God.

Lastly, we see the blessings of Jacob’s sons by Jacob. This is the first instance in the Bible where a blessing is bestowed upon multiple people and not just one individual. All the sons of Jacob are blessed and these are the 12 tribes of Israel that were his prophecy. The most important part of these blessings is that Jacob split the great promises of God that we’ve talked about so many times before. He grants to Judah what is known as the “messianic promise.” In Genesis 49:10, as Jacob blesses Judah, we see him say: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” I’ve added the emphasis on “tribute” because in the footnotes of the ESV Daily Reading Bible and the ESV Study Bible it indicates that tribute is shared with the Hebrew word Shiloh. Shiloh is commonly taken to be a name for the Messiah. It is through the tribe of Judah that David is born and through David’s family that Jesus the Christ is born. The second part of the blessing is given to Joseph’s son Ephraim in Genesis 48:19-26 which pronounces national prestige on the tribe of Ephraim. We see here in this last segment of Genesis how the blessings of God have grown to encompass more than a personal relationship with one small family and has now grown to a nation or community of 12 tribes.

As we close out Genesis, we see the death of Jacob and then the death of Joseph. Before Joseph’s death, in Genesis 50:20, we see how Joseph wraps up the great theme throughout the 11th sub-book. It has been through acts of both evil and good that God’s will and purpose have been carried out. It has been in the face of persecution and great affliction that Joseph suffered throughout the years yet Joseph did not suffer for he had faith in the Lord. Joseph trusted the Lord with his life and his heart and the Lord blessed Joseph and through Joseph, He blessed all those of the world. God has made promises in Genesis and throughout the entire book of Genesis, we see that God continues to keep His promises, even when man has failed to obey Him. God is a gracious and glorious Lord, that is evident, and yet we are only in the first book of His word.

I pray that God continues to provide us with strength to read the words of Scripture and in times of what seems like overwhelming strain on our time, we continue to commit our hearts and our lives to the Lord. When we open the Bible, God speaks. May the Lord bless you abundantly with every breath you take and may you confess that He is King of your life, Lord of your heart, and offeror of your salvation. Trust in Him, have faith in Him, and He will perform far greater things than we could ever imagine.

ESV Daily Reading Bible Halley’s Bible Handbook
ESV Study Bible

The 10th Sub-book of Genesis contains only one chapter. Genesis 36 is entirely dedicated to the genealogy of Esau and in my opinion is quite dry. There are a couple interesting items I want to point out however.

The first item to note is that Esau and Jacob were certainly blessed by God. They were blessed so much that they too had to part ways as Abraham and Lot did back in Genesis 13. This is a simple reminder of how God has continued to keep His promises to the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob.

The second item of note is that Esau was “… the father of the Edomites …” and appears to have been a significant ruler in the land of Seir. What is not explicitly spelled out at this point is that the Edomites will be a major force against the new nation that God will establish. Halley’s Bible Handbook indicates that the Edomites were a vicious people who engaged in significant raids on surrounding communities and aided many attacking armies. We see later in the Bible that the Edomites continue to oppose God’s nation from refusing passage by Moses to several destructive attacks on Jerusalem itself. One item to keep in mind as we get further along in our daily reading plan is that the Herods were an Edomite family and it wasn’t until approximately 70 A.D. that the Edomites were completely removed from existence.

In addition to the Edomites, Esau was the father of the Amalekites who were the first to attack Israel showing a common thread throughout the descendants of Esau. It is obvious that Esau and especially his descendants resented Jacob (Israel) and were constantly overcome by the fury that welled up within them.

In counting the many names within this chapter, we find that Esau was the father of 14 chiefs which are typically referred to as tribal leaders. As many tribes come together in one common existence, kings eventually emerge as the ruler of the unified tribes. It’s important to note that Esau fathered 14 chiefs while the original inhabitants of Seir only had 5 chiefs. It is no wonder that the kings of this region would come from the lineage of Esau.

In an apparent foreshadowing, verse 31 declares that there will be a nation of Israel and there will be a ruler over the Israelites. This particular verse indicates and could very well be the grounds over which the Edomites continued to attack Israel. In all cases, we see that God continued to watch over the Israelites and protected them, guided them, and loved them.

ESV Daily Reading Bible Halley’s Bible Handbook
ESV Study Bible

Having concluded Genesis Chapter 35 as part of our daily reading plan, we have completed the 9th out of 11 sub-books of Genesis. Hopefully you’ve had the opportunity to keep up with our daily reading and also to come here and read some of the information I’ve compiled. I know it is a lot of reading but I believe this is one of the single most important things we can be doing with our life right now. The more we read, the more we reflect and meditate on the Word of God, the more He can work within our lives. I pray each day before I read that God provides me His wisdom and understanding while I read so that I may receive with open heart what it is He is trying to say to me. I pray the same is true for you and that God has continued to bless you each day as you read and implement God’s Word in your life.

As we begin in Part II of the 9th sub-book of Genesis, we see a quick change in the attitude of Laban and his sons towards Jacob. I’d like to go back to Chapter 30 for a minute and acknowledge how God has continued to keep His promises to Jacob. In Genesis 30, verse 43: “Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.” Additionally, we learned throughout Part I of this sub-book that Jacob had multiplied greatly (12 sons) and as we can clearly see through the last verse of chapter 30, Jacob also gained significant wealth from the land in which he occupied. All of these things are promised to Jacob, just as they were to Abraham and to Isaac, in Genesis 28: 13-16. The last thing promised to Jacob is in verse 15: “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land.” This last promise we see is brought to fruition in Part II as we open in Genesis 31. In the face of growing animosity with Laban and Laban’s sons, over Jacob’s continued growth in wealth, God commands Jacob (verse 3) to “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” In faithfulness, Jacob obeys and sets to depart from Laban.

In preparation for Jacob’s departure we see a magnificent dialogue in which Jacob acknowledges God’s work in his life. Throughout verses 4-16 Jacob describes to his wives (Rachel and Leah) what God has done in their life and how God has blessed them in the midst of being cheated by Laban. Though some of this dialogue may be accented by fear of Laban and his sons (as indicated by Jacob’s departure in silence) I find that a very interesting and heart warming statement is made by Rachel and Leah in verse 16. They say to Jacob: “Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.” Perhaps this dialogue would have been different if all their wealth was not present but in either case, God had blessed Jacob and through his open dialogue with his wives, they all agreed that God’s plan was better than any one they could come up with and therefore, they followed His instructions. These series of events and specifically this dialogue provide us another glimpse at how God knows our hearts and knows what we need to hear, see, and touch in order to have faith in Him. Though He desires for us to have unconditional faith in and love for Him, He is all knowing and has a plan for our salvation.

After discovering Jacob’s departure, Laban gathers his kinsmen and pursues Jacob. I interpret this series of events to imply that Laban was angry with Jacob and sought after some sort of payment prior to Jacob’s freedom from his land. Whatever Laban’s motives and attitude, we see in verse 24 that God appears to Laban and warns him to “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” This implies that God knew Laban’s heart as well and indicates that God saw Laban pursuing Jacob out of something other than love for his son-in-law. Upon catching up to Jacob a discussion ensues in which Laban accuses Jacob of stealing from him. How much Jacob is accused of stealing is unclear but we do see a focus on Laban’s “gods” in which Jacob had no knowledge of their theft. Through the Scripture we see that Rachel had stolen her father’s “gods’ and deceived him in not finding them on her person. So Laban finishes his search of Jacob’s goods and in verse 43 references that all of Jacob’s household is his (daughters, children, flocks) and decides to enter into a covenant with Jacob as there is no other option (out of fear of God). Thus, Jacob and Laban enter into a covenant with one another through the use of a pillar and a heap of stones. The location was marked as a watch post for the two and the famous Mizpah benediction was born which states: “The Lord watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight.”

In the morning, Laban had departed and Jacob continued on his journey. As Jacob nears the region of his brother Esau, Jacob is met by angels of God. Just as Jacob was blessed by angels upon his departure from Canaan (Genesis 28:12) he is now welcomed home by angels in Genesis 32:1. Remembering the reason Jacob fled from Canaan approximately 20 years earlier, Jacob fears the vengeance of his brother Esau (Genesis 27:41). In an attempt to reach Esau with love and reconciliation, Jacob sends a peace party ahead with gifts. Upon the messengers return, they share with Jacob that Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men (indicating Esau’s prosperity and strength) causing further anxiety within Jacob. Jacob then decides to separate his household indicating his inability to trust in and lack of faith in the Lord. Jacob does, however, again acknowledge God’s power by praying to God for protection and guidance in this time of uncertainty and fear. We get the impression that Jacob realizes how much he needs God in this hour and it is so relevant to how we (today) often find ourselves kneeling before God only at times of great struggle. One of the most interesting items in this prayer is that Jacob declares in verse 10 (for the first time I believe) that he is not worthy of God’s great love, compassion, and protection. Through the closing verses of Genesis 32 we read an account of Jacob wrestling with God who appeared before him in the form of a man. Jacob over-powered the man for a long time until God chose to show His power by disabling Jacob with the touch of His finger. Jacob did not give up, however, until the man blessed him. It was then that Jacob acknowledged God, and God’s blessing, which in turn lead to God’s decision to change Jacob’s name to Israel. I think it’s imperative to understand that this wrestling match between God and Jacob symbolizes Jacob’s maturity and faith. Through the battle Jacob encounters, Jacob realizes his struggles and the only way to transcend these struggles is through humbling himself before the Lord and accepting God’s blessing through faith. Jacob does not let this happen as a passing thought, Jacob is determined to accept God’s blessing and as such, finally entrusts his life to the Lord.

Finally, after the great internal struggle of Jacob, he meets his brother Esau and through a series of bows and signs of submission, Esau embraces Jacob with a clear demonstration of Esau’s love for his brother (Jacob). Esau likens this encounter to the undeserved love and compassion shown to him by God. Jacob grants all the blessings he has attained from the Lord (livestock sent ahead of him) to Esau as a sign of Jacob’s attempt to reconcile the birthright he had taken from Esau approximately 20 years earlier. The two depart paths once again though this time in peace and prosperity towards one another. Jacob purchases a piece of land and settles in the area of Shechem. As customarily performed by the chosen lineage of God, Jacob erects an altar and praises the Lord as his God.

Genesis 34 opens with Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, going out into the land. In Dinah’s travel she is seized and raped by Hamor the Hivite. Hamor lusts after Dinah and through his apparent power, he is able to overcome Dinah without any hesitation or resistance. As verse 3 concludes, we see that Hamor’s lust turns into love and he now longs after Dinah as his wife. It is clear that Hamor has some power or is highly respected in the land of Shechem as his father immediately seeks to satisfy his son’s desire. Of course, Dinah’s family is enraged by the audacity of Hamor. Hamor attempts to reason with the family of Jacob over his apparent change of heart towards Dinah. Hamor’s love is evident in the offer made to provide whatever bride price is asked for. Unfortunately the sons of Jacob deceitfully entered an agreement with Shechem and Hamor that all the men of their land be circumcised in order to inter-marry with their family. Again, it shows us the amount of power and influence Hamor must have had over the area because the people of Shechem agree to be circumcised for his desires. In reading this section we see that there was no intent to uphold the agreement made, instead two of Jacob’s sons take it upon themselves to satisfy their revenge for the actions Hamor did to their sister and in the soreness of circumcision raise their sword to the town of Shechem. The most unfortunate part of this section is that all of Jacob’s sons take a sign of the covenant of Abraham’s lineage in vain by having the people of Shechem circumcised without believing in the God of Abraham (also God of Isaac and now God of Jacob). What’s worse, is that two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, engage in the act of murder of all the males in the region of Shechem. Jacob condemns the treacherous act Simeon and Levi have performed in Genesis 34:30 but as verse 31 shows us, they simply do not grasp the concept of love, compassion, and forgiveness in which God has showered them with.

As we close out the account of Isaac (the 9th Sub-book of Genesis) Jacob leaves the region of Shechem and travels to Bethel at the direction of God in Genesis 35:1. In so doing, Jacob orders his household to “… purify yourselves …” prior to rising up and traveling to Bethel. Out of faith, Jacob gathers the foreign gods of his household and buries them. The Lord then blesses them on their travels and protects them by casting a terror over the cities that surrounded them. God again declares Jacob’s name to now be Israel and also reiterates His promise to Jacob (same promise as given to Abraham, and to Isaac before). This particular instance is a clear sign that God has now chosen and foreshadows Israel’s succession as the chosen one. It is interesting to note that though God had promised Jacob before and blessed Jacob on his life-long journey around the region, it is now, after all the encounters Jacob has had with God that God acknowledges Israel’s heartfelt faith in Him. I believe this is the time where God acknowledges that Israel has now entrusted his life to God and begins to engage in Israel’s life every day. This is an example that brings me hope and strength that each day I read my daily reading and each day I pray to Lord my God, He engages in my life. As I strive to entrust my life to Him and I strive to submit my every thought, my tongue, and all my actions to Him, He takes control of my life and performs things I could never have done or thought to be done. It is here in Genesis that Jacob (Israel) has granted his life to God.

The last section of Part II of the 9th Sub-book of Genesis accounts for the simultaneous death of Rachel while giving birth to Benjamin. The only major thing of note is the use of the word soul which indicates the soul is what enlivens the body and departs during death. This section, however, does not yet tell us what happens to the soul once it departs the body. Lastly, Isaac dies in the last couple verses of Genesis 35. Not much is said about Isaac’s death but the genealogy of Jacob is provided just before Isaac’s death indicating God’s chosen lineage to carry on Isaac’s covenant.

ESV Daily Reading Bible Halley’s Bible Handbook
ESV Study Bible