Genesis

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20)

This passage of Scripture never fails to move me. The entire life of Joseph is full of God’s dealings, with Joseph, his brothers, and others. He stands out as a supreme example of someone committed and yielded to God. He is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is staggering to read this verse and not see the incredible work of grace in Joseph’s life. His life is lived out in submission to the will of God. He understands the power of temptation and the evil of sin when running from Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39:6b–12). He is not motivated by his position of prestige and power in Potiphar’s house. It is not even his reputation that motivates him. Rather it is God’s reputation that he treasures above all: “But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?’” (Gen. 39:8, 9). [Read more…] about You Meant Evil Against Me—But God Meant It For Good

“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.” (Genesis 49:10)

This verse is a promise and a prophecy. The book of Genesis is full of promises, promises from God. The first promise is in Genesis 3:15, which speaks of the coming conflict between Christ and Satan. Genesis 49:10 is an eschatological promise. It simply says that a descendant of Judah will rule forever and all nations will submit to him. The scepter and ruler’s staff speak of the reign of this future king.

When our Lord Jesus began his public ministry, it was with these words of announcement: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15). Jesus did not define what he meant by the “kingdom of God.” The implication is that he assumed the teaching of the Old Testament regarding God’s kingdom. It also implies that those who listened to our Lord were familiar with the kingdom. The phrase “kingdom of God” does not appear in the Old Testament, yet the idea pervades all the Scriptures. We know that God is the King of the universe and of Israel (Ex. 15:18; Ps. 96:10; 97:1; 145:11–13).

The rule of God is a sovereign rule over men. It is extensive, covering their entire existence. It is a rule that requires unquestioned obedience and submission. This is what our verse proposes. Ultimately, Jacob speaks of Messiah’s rule. Kings will come from the tribe of Judah, such as David. Old Testament eschatology can be reduced to some simple statements. [Read more…] about To Him Shall Be The Obedience Of The Peoples

“They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.” (Genesis 43:32)

This verse is set in the context of Joseph sitting down to a meal with his brothers in Egypt. They have come to buy food and Joseph has been testing his brothers to see what kind of hearts they have. On this return trip the brothers have brought Benjamin with them. This is Joseph’s full brother. Their mother is Rachel. Joseph has one final test for the brothers and it involves Benjamin (see Gen. 44). The brothers will pass the test since Judah is willing to substitute himself for Benjamin (Gen. 44:14-34). Judah had already placed his life on the line before Jacob (as surety for Benjamin) so that they could return to Egypt with Benjamin, for that was what Joseph had commanded (Gen. 42:16; 43:8, 9). At this meal in Genesis 43 a separation takes place. Verse 32 says that Joseph sat by himself and was served. The brothers sat by themselves (each according to his birth order) and were served, and the Egyptians sat by themselves and ate. The reason for this separation was that it was an abomination for the Egyptians to eat with the Hebrews. [Read more…] about An Abomination To The Egyptians

Genesis 32:22 – 32

In this passage we have the great confrontation between Jacob and God. Jacob has left his father-in-law, Laban’s home and is now making his way back to the land of his fathers. He arrived in Mesopotamia with nothing (Gen. 28:1 – 5; 32:10) having left hurriedly due to his brother Esau’s rage at being cheated out of the blessing (Gen. 27:18 – 29, 41). He has now left Mesopotamia a very rich man, having a large family of two wives, their maid-servants and his children, besides his extensive flocks, camels and donkeys (Gen. 32:5, 13 – 15). Jacob has left because God instructed him to return to his father Isaac’s land (Gen. 31:3), the land God originally promised to Abraham, his grandfather.

For twenty years he has suffered deprivation at the hand of Laban, his wages had been changed ten times (Gen. 31:38 – 42). The threat of Laban behind him is overcome by the end of Genesis 31, but now Jacob realizes the awful fact that ahead of him is Esau, the brother he deceived and wronged twice (by stealing the birthright and the blessing). We know that God would have ensured that Jacob receive both of these without the interference of Rebekah and Jacob. [Read more…] about Dependence Upon God

“Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”  (Genesis 11:4)

Here in Genesis 11, the ambition of man soars to new heights (literally). You would have thought that humanity would have learned its lesson from the destructive flood of Gen. 7:11 – 8:13. God destroyed humanity universally saving only Noah and his family, precisely because man’s every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Gen. 6:5). We know the answer to this. It is the sin of man. We are all born in sin. We are sinners by nature. It is what we do naturally. We sin because we are sinners. There is no sin that is acceptable to God. All sin merits punishment and God has decreed such punishment. God is never unjust. He is perfectly just. He deals with sin justly. We should not be surprised by the Flood of Noah.

We should not be surprised to find that God punishes nations for their sins. Israel and Judah are prime examples of that. God sent each of them into captivity (Israel in 722 BC under the Assyrians and Judah in 586 BC under the Babylonians). God also punished the Assyrians and the Babylonians for their sin. We must not be surprised that our own country is declining. It is declining because all nations decline. [Read more…] about Let Us Make A Name For Ourselves