“A Good Cry”

January 30, 2024

January 30, 2024

Read Genesis 46-48, Psalm 30

When’s the last time you had a good cry? I’m not talking about a time when you were really upset and cleared out all your sinus cavities. I mean a good cry where something you experienced brought you tears of joy so much that you were teared up emotionally with good tears.  That is a little bit of what we have here in Genesis 46-48. Jacob has long believed his son was gone for over 26 years and now all of a sudden, he finds out that Joseph is alive. He is not only alive but doing quite well in the land of Egypt.  Genesis 46:29-30 says, “As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time. 30 Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.’” What are some things in your life that you might have lost all hope for? What things maybe you are tempted to give up on? The reunion of Joseph with Jacob tells us to hold out hope yet.

In Psalm 30 we find a familiar verse with the same message. The subheading to this psalm says it was written for the dedication of the temple by David. In verse 5 David writes, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Other translations say that “His joy comes in the morning.” We may all experience difficult times and circumstances, we may face many things throughout our life, but for the Christian we can be assured that His joy will come in the morning. That Joy might be over several years like Jacob. It may even be something we have to wait until we enter heaven to experience but know that God’s joy will come to those who hope in him.

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

“He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”

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

“Dreams Can Come True”

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

“Dysfunctional Families”

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