February 4, 2024
February 4, 2024
Read Exodus 11-13, Psalm 35
What traditions do you enjoy? Are there special things you do during the holiday season or throughout the year that you look forward to participating in? What are some traditions you might take part in and not know exactly why you do them? I heard a story about a family tradition where the children passed down a recipe for a dish that instructed them to cut the end of the roast off. This was repeated over several generations until someone asked why they cut the end of the roast off. It was discovered that the originator of the family recipe did this because they didn’t have a big enough pan to roast the meat!
In Genesis 11-13 we have the instructions from God about the final plague that God would send on Egypt. Unlike all the others, this one would involve much preparation from Israel in order for them to avoid its consequences. The plague of the first born was going to be so impacting that it would cause Pharaoh to release Israel from 430 years of slavery. The Passover would be a special time that Israel would observe each year.
The instructions for observing the Passover were very detailed and for good reason. The Jews were to pass on this remembrance to their children going forward. It would have even greater significance when Jesus would come as “The lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). They are to use a year-old male lamb without defect. They are to roast it at Twilight. Consume all of it. – “head, legs, and inner parts” v. 9 Why no leftovers? – The Messiah was one body broken for all. Passover would be replaced by the last supper (See Matthew 26:26-29). The blood was to be put on the sides and tops of the door frames of the homes. They are to eat it with bitter herbs and Bread without yeast, which would symbolize the haste in which they were to exit Egypt. The manner in how they eat the Passover meal is symbolic. v. 11 “cloak tucked into your belt,” “sandals on your feet,” and “staff in your hand.” These are again signs of a quick exit for Israel.
What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you? Write your thoughts below.
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Posted by John Weldon
February 3, 2024
February 3, 2024
Read Exodus 8-10, Psalm 34
Has the Lord ever gotten your attention with something that you have seen or experienced? Maybe it was a close call with a vehicle, a poignant conversation that hit you right between the eyes, or maybe you were caught in a sin but given some grace to repent and change. In Exodus 8-10 we find God trying to accomplish something similar with Pharaoh with the plagues. God told Moses to go before Pharaoh and give him a chance to let the Israelites go or he would bring about plagues that Egypt would face. God knew what it would ultimately take, Pharaoh losing his own first born. He told Moses this ahead of time. (Exodus 4:23) Back and forth Moses and Pharaoh would go, each time Pharaoh would change his mind and not allow the Israelites to leave. Several of the plagues seem to be a direct attack on an Egyptian god, but not all ten plagues specifically describe an Egyptian god as they were known. God seemed to be sending Pharaoh a message I am greater than the gods in Egypt that you worship. Do you that God would do something today to get your attention like he did Pharaoh? Could it be when we are out of our relationship or walk with God that He would try to get our attention and bring us back under his will? Take your time as you read through the chapters. Some of the plagues the Egyptian magicians could replicate, some they could not. Some of the plagues affected all of Egypt and some only affected the Egyptians and God protected the Israelites from harm. One interesting fact that stands out to me is when Moses asks Pharaoh when he would like the frogs to go away. Pharaoh’s response is “tomorrow” v. 8:10. Why not right now or yesterday? Had Pharaoh become accustom to them or was he just willing to put up with them? It makes me wonder. What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.
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Posted by John Weldon
February 2, 2024
February 2, 2024
Read Exodus 5-7, Psalm 33
Have you ever heard a child make this exclamation before? “You’re not the boss of me!” They may have referred it to another adult, a teacher, or a person of authority over them. In Exodus 5-7 we have a similar attitude coming from Pharaoh. God tells Moses to speak to Pharaoh. You know… “Let my people go….” Naturally, Pharaoh responds “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go” v. 2. Pharaoh may not have heard of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so he consequentially had no desire to listen or obey him either. We can find the same mentality today among people. They neither know or fear the Lord and their behaviors and speech reflect this attitude. Honestly, who would blame them? When my kids were growing up, sometimes they would come home from school and talk about something that someone did to them or their friend. I would try to remind them that most likely they were not Christians or faithfully living out God’s design for their life. The phrase, “non-Christians will do what they do or just comes natural to themselves” was often repeated. We might not live in a polytheistic culture today in America but that doesn’t mean that people don’t have their gods. The gods just change from Ra, Chemosh, and Molech to the gods of self, materialism, and other things we worship and deem important. The ultimate issue of a god is who has the authority over my life and determines how I live my life. Some might have one god they worship; others might have a pantheon of gods they have amassed for themselves. Christians often use the phrase “Savior and Lord” when referring to Jesus. We have Jesus as our Savior, but is he also our Lord? Does Jesus have authority, lordship, or is he our “boss?” Not just in one or two areas of our lives, Jesus commands us to love God with our “whole heart” (Mark 12:30-31). What areas of your life do you struggle to relinquish control to the Lord?
Psalm 33 is a beautiful psalm that has many familiar phrases in it. It praises the Lord for his creation, his righteousness and just actions. Verse 12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” The psalmist recognizes the “blessing” that comes from allowing God to lead and be our boss. When many people see the word “blessing” they might be tempted to jump to an idea of finances or material goods. That might be one way to look at it, but “blessing” is really about an attitude of happiness or joy. Some translations of the Bible capture this by says “Happy is…” rather than blessed. When we recognize God as the ultimate authority in our lives, he will bring us blessings.
What other words, themes, or phrases stand out to you as you read these chapters? Add your thoughts below.
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Posted by John Weldon
February 1, 2024
February 1, 2024
Read Exodus 2-4, Psalm 32
Are you the type of person who gives excuses to others? Maybe people give you excuses about why they can’t do something or why something was not completed. What are you most likely to throw out an excuse? Is it because of a weakness, or character trait that you need improvement in? In these chapters we read a lot about Moses, the strong humble leader. He didn’t start out very strong in the beginning.
Moses grows up as a Hebrew raised in the palace by Pharoah’s daughter. He really didn’t fit in with the Israelites or the Egyptians. 40 years later he flees into the desert from Pharaoh who tried to kill him for protecting a fellow Israelite. He’s been gone another forty years and then God comes calling. These verses are all about “who.” First “who” God is, and second “who” Moses is. Moses started out looking at himself. He lacked confidence in himself even through God was calling him to a task. “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” v. 11. God’s Response – “I will be with you” v. 12. Moses wanted to dig deeper and asks, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’ 14 God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” vv.13-14. Our confidence should be weak if it is in ourselves, but if it is in the Lord, we should have all the confidence we need.
Even with the “who” questions answered, Moses is still not satisfied and turns to the “what” and “how” questions. Exodus 4 Moses starts offering excuses. First Excuse: “What if they do not believe me or listen to me?” v. 1. God’s answer is that He will provide Moses with signs and miracles to perform to help Moses. Second Excuse: “I am slow of speech and tongue” v. 10. God’s response “who gave man his mouth?” v. 11 – God will provide a solution here also. “I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” v. 12. Moses realizes he is not getting out of this. He finally exclaims, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it” v. 13. God reaction – “the Lord’s anger burned against Moses” v. 14”. This is a dangerous place to be, to tell God “No.” This is the one thing we cannot afford to do, it is disobedience.
What has God called you to do, and you are still throwing up excuses or just outright telling God “no?” Take confidence in the God who called you to a task. Trust in Him and lean not on your own understanding.
What else do you see in these four chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you? Add your thoughts below.
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Posted by John Weldon
January 31, 2024
January 31, 2024
Read Genesis 49-50, Exodus 1, Psalm 31
Have you ever had someone tell you that they were going to do you a favor and it ended up not being a favor? Maybe it ended up costing you money, time, or something worse. Maybe you were called into a meeting that you assumed would be a good meeting and it turned out the exact opposite. In Genesis 49 Israel realizes he is about to die. He calls for all twelve of his sons to gather. “Gather round so that I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come” v. 1. This is usually the tie when a father would bless his children and give them some final instructions and encouragement. This is not the case with Israel here. One by one, Israel tells each son what will happen with them in the future in a prophetic manner. It starts with Rueben the oldest and sounds good until he tells him “Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it” v. 4. If you remember, from Genesis 35 Reuben slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah. Next come Simeon and Levi, they are chastised for their violence and actions they took against Shechem and the men of his village. Judah is the first to receive praise from his father. Judah acted noble toward his brothers and especially with how they treated Joseph. On it goes down the list, some good and some bad. The brothers face the consequences of their previous actions from years ago. Right or wrong, Israel remembered the things that each of them did. Let this serve as a warning to all of us that our actions carry weight, and they are not often forgotten. We may receive forgiveness and move on in life, but some things are hard to forget.
What else do you see in these chapters? What repeated words, phrases, themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.
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Posted by John Weldon
January 29, 2024
January 29, 2024
Read Genesis 43-45, Psalm 29
When’s the last time you thought that someone wanted to attack you, make you their slave and take your donkeys? Okay, okay, I know probably never. But it is possible if you had some donkeys. As you read Genesis 43-45 you will read about Joseph who has some fun with his brothers and his brother’s guilt comes back to haunt them. In chapter 43 Joseph’s brothers all return to Egypt for more food, this time they bring little brother Benjamin with them. Joseph continues to mess with them, and who would blame him after what they did to him. It’s been 26 years since they sold him into slavery and Joseph had endured so much. Joseph invites them over to his personal home for a dinner and while they are awaiting to eat his brothers are scared and feeling conviction for their actions so long ago. As a pastor I have personally witnessed many people who come to me worried that another Christian is upset with them because something that happened or because of something that was said. As I dig a little deeper I usually discover the reason. They have done or said something about the person to someone else and then they think that people talk. A guilty conscience brings up the need to reconcile with the person after a while. To their surprise, the other person did not know what was said or done and they were led to think so by their own conviction. Is there anything that you need to clear off your chest? Do you need to go to someone and have a humble conversation with them? You will sleep better knowing that you are at peace with both God and them.
Psalm 29 is a beautiful psalm of David. Repeated several times in the psalm is the phrase “The voice of the Lord.” David describes the voice of the Lord as powerful, sovereign, and quick. We need to recall the creation narrative in Genesis 1. It is here we see God creating the universe by his command. The words, “And God said, ‘Let there be…’” v. 3, 6, 9, etc. Without lifting a finger (only to create humanity) God brings into existence everything but his own voice. We should remember that the next time we are tempted to lose faith in the Lord or to give up. God has more power in his voice than all of humanity does combined.
What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, and themes stand out to you? What things are you tempted to lose faith in the Lord with? Is there anything you need to go make right with another person?
Add your thoughts and comments below.
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Posted by John Weldon
January 28, 2024
January 28, 2024
Read Genesis 40-42, Psalm 28
Dreams are interesting to say the least. Sometimes they can be enjoyable, frightening, or just plain weird. Do you remember some of the dreams I had as a child? Were they traumatic or caused you to call into question something? Here in these chapters of Genesis we find that Joseph the dreamer is at it again. Except this time, it’s not his dreams, he is the interpreter of them.
In Genesis 40 we find a rather inconsequential story of two of the king’s officials, the cupbearer, and the chief baker. A cupbearer was someone who tasted or sampled a person’s food to make sure that it was not poisoned. The king decides to send these two men to the jail for a time out and while they are there, they both have a dream that troubles them. Joseph is there and offers to interpret the dreams for them. Joseph pleads with the chief cupbearer to please remember him when he is restored, but the last verse of the chapter leaves us hanging on. “The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him” v.23. While the chief cupbearer may have forgotten Jospeh, God did not. Eventually the cupbearer remembers the error of his ways and in a time of need from the Pharoah Jospeh is called out the prison two years later. Do we understand that the small and seemingly inconsequential meetings, conversations, and little things done may lead to something big and important. Jospeh could have said, forget it, I’m not helping you guys, but he chooses to help them, and it turned back on himself into something good. I’m reminded of the saying’ “It’s always the right time to do the right thing.” If we sow good seeds into the lives of others it just might produce a harvest of good things for us later in life.
What else do you see in these chapters as you read? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you?
Add your thoughts below.
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Posted by John Weldon
January 27, 2024
January 27, 2024
Read Genesis 37-39, Psalm 27
What’s your family like? Is it fun, loving, normal, quiet, crazy, unusual, or a challenge? Does it bring good thoughts, bad thoughts, or maybe some of both. There are no perfect families because there are no perfect people. That goes for children, parents, grandparents and anyone else. When you read these next chapters in Genesis you may be thankful for the family you do have. Jacob and his sons had a very dysfunctional family to say the least. There was favoritism, brothers that plotted to murder their own brother, and brothers who refused to get their brother’s wife pregnant! Yes, I said that. We will discuss that shortly. The good news is that no matter how crazy your family is, we can see through these chapters in Genesis that God is sovereign and His plans can not be stopped.
The narrative of Joseph is the longest of the family stories in Genesis stretching from chapters 37-50 with only a quick sidebar to Judah and Tamar in chapter 38. Everything that Jospeh will face in these chapters goes from bad to worse. Joseph will be thrown down a cistern (a natural well), being sold in slavery in Egypt, and being falsely accused of rape and put in prison. Despite all this, the Scripture repeats several times, “The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered” v. 2, 21. No matter what we go through with our families or in life, we can trust that God is with us too.
In Genesis 38 we find the narrative of Judah and Tamar. After Tamar’s husband dies, Judah, the father-in-law should have help provide a Tamar an heir through the Jewish practice of Leverite Marriage. The Scriptures mention the practice of Leverite marriages in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. In this practice, if a man dies without leaving a male heir, it was the duty of his brother to marry the widow and produce offspring on behalf of the deceased brother. This was done to ensure the continuation of the deceased brother’s lineage and inheritance. The purpose of this practice was to protect the family name and inheritance within the community. Apparently this law was already understood and given by God before Moses wrote the law down. Tamar takes matters in her own hands when Judah refuses to act. She disguises herself and tricks Judah into sleeping with her in order to maintain the family line. A deal is bartered and Judah gives her an agreement to give her a goat but uses his personal staff, seal, and cord. This is the Old Testament equivalent of giving someone your drivers license, since they were often personalized for identification. Judah hears that Tamar becomes pregnant and he quickly jumps to condemn her for her act until he learns that he was the one that got her pregnant. He exclaims, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah” v. 26. Judah called her more righteous because she sought after an heir from the family when he did not. No matter what our families do or do not do. We can always seek to do the right thing.
What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stick out to you?
Add your thoughts below.
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Posted by John Weldon
January 26, 2024
January 26, 2024
Read Genesis 34-36, Psalm 26
Are you someone who thinks through things before you act or do you tend to react to things quickly or with more emotions than careful thought? In Genesis 34 we have some of this going on with Jacob’s family. The lone female born to Jacob from his 4 wives is Dinah. Dinah is raped by Shechem, but also falls in love with her afterward. Shechem’s father Hamor seeks out Jacob for a marriage arrangement between the two. About this time the eleven sons of Jacob find out what has happened, and they devise a plan. Jacob’s sons tell Hamor that it would not be proper to wed Shechem with Dinah because none of the Shechemites have been circumcised. Hamor convinces all the men of their town to circumcise themselves so that they can possibly intermarry with Jacob and their family. While the men are still recovering Simeon and Levi take their opportunity and go to the town and kill all the men for retribution against their sister. In this narrative Jacob seems rather neutral and cares little about his daughter Dinah. This is not the case for her brothers. They take the opposite approach and turn this evil deed into a mass killing of the Shechemites. Only then does Jacob seem to care about what the boys have done, because it may fall back on him. “Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed’” v. 30.
God gives us our emotions, they are not wrong to have, but sometimes they can get the better of us. Sometimes we do not act on them when we should. We should learn not to act on all the emotions we have. If we did that, we might find ourselves in trouble. Like Jacob, if he had acted in some way to what happened to Dinah maybe his sons would not have overreacted. If you struggle with making emotional decisions maybe you should come up with a plan to slow down before you act. Give yourself a 10-minute rule to respond to a text if you are tempted to reply in anger or maybe you sleep on a decision before you make an impulsive one that could cost you dearly.
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Posted by John Weldon
January 25, 2024
January 25, 2024
Read Genesis 31-33, Psalm 25
What are some of the hardest things you have ever had to face? Was it a difficult course in school, a circumstance or relationship you had to endure? Maybe it was something physical like competing in a race or competition. As you read these three chapters in Genesis you pick up the theme of conflict. The tension between Jacob and Laban and again between Jacob and his brother Esau were probably not the most fun things that Jacob looked forward to. Jacob had served Laban for 20 years and apparently Laban was not the nice uncle that everyone loves at family gatherings. God told Jacob it was time to go and that’s what he did. He may not have handled it in the best way, but we do not know all the details that Jacob faced. God intervened and stopped Laban from taking matters in his own hands. “I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” v. 29.
In Genesis 32 this whole idea of struggling comes to a head when Jacob wrestles with God. All his life has been surrounded with fighting and struggle. His struggle from birth with Esau, His struggle with Laban, and now he wrestles with a man we later discovery is God. In the struggle, God changes his name from Jacob to Israel. “Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome” v. 28. The name Israel means he struggles with God. After this point Israel over comes the struggle and his life is much different than it was before. Finally meeting his brother Esau again, there is no more strife between the brothers even though Israel has his doubts.
What else do you see in these chapters? What repeated words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Write your thoughts below.
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Posted by John Weldon
DId God Really Say... 