GOOD MORNING, Siblings!

Today’s readings are Genesis 48-50.

Can you believe we finish up the book of Genesis today?

Rabbit Trails

🌿Genesis 48:10-20 The Cross Handed Blessing

This is a monumental moment in the history of God’s people. Ephraim and Manasseh are fully adopted as sons of Israel, not grandsons, but sons. Not only that, but Joseph’s boys receive the blessing of Israel’s wealth that would have gone to Reuben (1 chronicles 5:1-2) and Judah is given the blessing of the firstborn right of authority.

The tribes of Judah and Ephraim will become the primary tribes of the house of Israel.

🌿Note that Ephraim and Manasseh are no longer Egyptians, but by means of adoption they are now Hebrews. You could say they are grafted into Israel 🙂 Similar to how we are grafted in to Israel through our precious Messiah.

For those who like spoilers: 

• Matthew 15:24
• Romans 11:1-36
• Ezekiel 37:15-28
• Isaiah 56:1-12 is particularly beautiful and contains a wonderful promise that makes my heart soar at Isaiah 56:5 but make sure you don’t take it out of context)

This adoption is highly prophetic and we see this play out both in Scripture and in our own time today. More on that in a minute.

🌿And so comes to a close the life of Jacob, now Israel. Throughout the Bible, from here on out, YHWH and others will refer to our precious Father from time to time as “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”.

There are several reasons for this but one is as a reminder of YHWH’s continuing, everlasting covenant through these patriarchs of our faith. We are called to remember their lives, how He led them, and His own character that has been revealed to us through His interactions with these three men.

🌿Remember, as we continue, that YHWH has shown Himself to be a God of Grace, Love, Mercy, and Wisdom.

As we close this chapter in the ongoing story of our Father, may we always remember that Grace began in Genesis.

And every time you hear or see “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”, take a moment to remembe YHWH’s everlasting covenant through them.

🌿Genesis 50:2 When Israel is embalmed, it is important to note that the Egyptians were experts at this because, to them, it was a sacred religious practice. However, this was not the reason for embalming Jacob. We are given a clue to this when we see that Joseph called the physicians, rather than the priests who usually did these things, to embalm his father.

What is the purpose for this? Jacob wanted his body returned to Canaan, which was a long journey. His body had to be preserved in order to be able to do that.

🌿 The embalmers generally took forty days to embalm a body and Hebrews had a custom of mourning for 30 days. Therefore we can infer that it was roughly 70 days before Israel’s children set out to return him home. 

🌿On the way back the brothers got to thinking about how they no longer had their father to protect them from Joseph’s wrath and they became concerned that Joseph might finally seek revenge. Instead, we are met with a beautiful verse at the end of chapter 50:

59:19-21 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

What a beautiful way to end the first book of Scripture. Tomorrow, we begin Exodus, one of the most exciting books in the Bible in my mind. How I see it, Genesis is the beginning of our foundation, Exodus expands it, Leviticus and Numbers deepen it, and Deuteronomy reinforces it all. We will see that these foundational books are what Messiah and the disciples taught from, lived by, and quoted often. Hang onto your highlighters, we’re just getting started.

Let’s do a quick recap of the tribes of Israel:

The original 12 were:

• Reuben
• Simeon
• Levi
• Judah
• Issachar
• Zebulun
• Dan
• Naphtali
• Gad
• Asher
• Joseph
• Benjamin

Now, in today’s readings Joseph’s inheritance was given to his sons, Ephraim and Mannaseh and so the tribe of Joseph was replaced with the tribes of Ephraim and Mannaseh. This was honoring Joseph, rather than diminishing him in any way. He had already been well provided for by the Pharaoh. 

So as of today’s readings there are actually 13 tribes of Israel but we’ll be back to 12 soon enough and as ominous as that sounds, it’s actually because one of the tribes is going to be greatly blessed in no longer being counted among this number.

🌿Current Day Events

Out of these twelve tribes, we will read on to see the tribe of Judah arise as the most powerful. As a result, most of the tribes ended up identifying with them and we tend to identify them that way as well. You may catch yourself thinking someone is “Jewish” in the Bible regardless of whether or not they were from the tribe of Judah specifically. 

It is similar to me being from Alabama, but if I were halfway around the world speaking to someone I would just say I was an American because that is the bigger and more easily recognized connection. And in this same way of thinking we end up with folks from the tribe of Gad or Naphtali identifying as being from the tribe of Judah – because everyone knew who Judah was and they were from the same family anyway.

🌿Big news today is that members of the tribe of Judah now reside in the Promised Land (fulfilling prophecy), although all of it is not in their possession. What happened to the other tribes? Well, we’ll soon read a very special designation for the tribe of Levi and the other ten tribes are referred to as “The lost tribes of Israel”. But by and large, these other tribes reside in the diaspora, which means outside of the promised land. They are dispersed throughout the world. 

However, even as I type, tribes of Native Americans and other indigenous peoples around the world are finding out, through DNA tests that they are, indeed, related to the 10 lost tribes of Israel – and some are then returning to the promised land.

I say all of this is to bring to realization that prophecy is being fulfilled in our time. We went through a long period of history in which no new prophecy was fulfilled. In fact, during this time many churches actually decided they must have read the Bible wrong and consequently changed their view of YHWH’s Word because what He plainly said would happen was taking too long in their eyes. As a result, they decided that the Father no longer held the same plan He had declared with Israel and that Israel was a figurative allegory rather than literal.

However, in 1948 all of that changed, Israel as a nation was reborn, and prophecy being fulfilled in our time was set into motion. In fact, we are seeing more and more prophecy fulfilled each day as we walk, run, or careen (depending on your view) towards the return of our Messiah.

🌿So what do we do to prepare for this? Same thing we do to prepare for anything – read the Book. Study His Word. We have to be prepared to recognize the Father’s hand and to discern it from that which would serve as a near replica deception. In order to do this we MUST know His Word. 

You won’t recognize the counterfeit if you don’t know the original.

Test everything, hold tight to what is good – and HE is the only source of good.

And May YHWH Bless the reading of His word!

Today’s link: Apple Juice Brew. If you enjoy this Bible study, please do me a great favor and visit my recipe links each day. It is a tremendous help to me.

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Catch up on all of our Genesis Posts here
Fellowship Members: Click here to visit our Facebook group to discuss today’s readings,  Click here to visit our prayer request thread

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GOOD MORNING, SIBLINGS! 

Today’s readings are Genesis 46-47

FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS FOR TODAY’S READING! Might wanna take a deep breath and grab a glass of water, too, because we’re making history!

Rabbit Trails

🌿Note, from here on out I will go back and forth between using the name Jacob and the name Israel. I tend to prefer Israel because YHWH named him that, but most of my bibles say Jacob so it depends on what I am pulling my notes together from. You’ve been warned. 🙃

🌿I feel a great sense of peace in our readings today. Seeing all of these things unfold, knowing that the people were scared and uncertain but at every turn YHWH had a plan to save them and they just had to get to an individual point of submission before learning the next provision of his plan.

Of course, long term plans are being set into motion here as well, other situations in which God will deliver His people.

This is such a reminder to us to have a step-by-step faith. We may not know where the next step leads, but He is already there.

🌿Genesis 46:1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had…

Israel trusted fully. He did not leave anything behind, he wasn’t planning on going back.

He took his journey with all that he had. We are to do the same. With all that we have. Don’t plan on turning back. Turn fully, wholeheartedly to the Father and set your mind and heart to follow His ways and live according to His wisdom. It is only in this submission, this placing of faith in Him that we will find Him Lord over our lives. 

The Father promises us:

“You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with your WHOLE heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

🌿Genesis 46:2 After Israel departed on that journey and was already well in the process of getting there, he stopped at Beersheba and offered sacrifices to YHWH. He had already stepped out in faith but now we see that he harbored some deep concern and fear about either the trip itself or the outcome because the Father, in His constant Grace towards us, appeared to Jacob in a vision. He spoke words of comfort, hope, and the future to Israel. Reading this verse always gives me goose bumps!

🌿Genesis 46 Throughout chapter 46 we are given an accounting of the exact people who journeyed with Israel to Egypt. I took a red pen and drew a box around the name of each of Israel’s sons. Remember, there are twelve. 

We are also told Israel’s wives, and we can probably assume that list is somewhat complete but we have no real way of knowing. However, we are told in Genesis 46:26 that the number was 66 and that did not include the wives of the sons of Israel. Now “sons of Israel” refers collectively to sons and grandsons, etc. We also see that the only descendants mentioned are sons. It is absolutely safe to assume that there were many daughters among these tribes as well. This is a pattern of behavior in Biblical history wherein numbering a civilization only meant counting the men. This is important to know going forward because whenever we are given numbers of a tribe or group of people, we can almost always (unless told differently in the text) assume that number is at least doubled, but tripled is a more feasible starting point.

All told, he says, the number of persons with them who came into Egypt is 70, but I’m confident that number, as well, did not include the daughters and wives. 

In fact, 70 is a symbolic number in Hebrew that we will see repeated throughout the Bible. Generally, whenever you see the number 70 that is a symbolic number that means a wholeness or the complete number. Now hear me, please, in telling you this, I am only trying to help convey cultural customs of the time. I am not in any way telling you that special numbers have powers or anything like that. I would caution you not to be led into any type of mysticism that involves numbers or stars or any of the sort. 

Just as, in our time, if someone does a great job and we use that 100 symbol, to mean perfect, great job! So the number 70 is being used in this sense to tell us that Israel brought his entire family with him, the whole family, it’s like saying “Well he brought 66 of his sons and grandsons but in addition to that, he brought the whole crew as well!” 

We see this passage telling us there were 66 men who came. Now, as we just discussed, out of those 66 men many of them were grown and had wives. There is no telling how many daughters but it could easily have been a daughter per male and a wife per male! So this further tells us that the number 70 is symbolic and the context tells us that the whole of Israel’s family journeyed with him. He had no intention of returning and so no one was left behind.

🌿Genesis 47:7 Jacob blesses Pharaoh

Jacob blessing the Pharoah might seem a little out of place but there was great regard for elders in this time and Jacob was likely one of the oldest people the Pharaoh had ever met. 

Historical records of the time show that Hebrews outlived Egypts by vast margins. Estimated lifespans of Egyptians was just a little over 30 years. We see further evidence of this when Pharaoh asks Israel how old he is. It would likely be appropriate to read a bit of wonder into Pharaoh’s tone when he asks that question.

🌿Genesis 47:9 I love Israel’s answer when asked about his age “The days and years of my sojourning are 130 years.”

Sojourning. We are sojourners in more ways than one. 

The more I learn about the sojourners in YHWH’s Word the more I identify with them, the more I appreciate those who would allow our spiritual ancestors to sojourn with them, and the more I understand the proper placement of our world today in relationship to the kingdom of YHWH.

How many are the days of your sojourning? I made a little note asking and answering that question on this page in my Bible.

Pack your bags, sojourner. We’ve a wonderful journey ahead of us!

Test everything, hold tight to what is good – and HE is the only source of good.

And May YHWH Bless the reading of His word!

Today’s link: Freezer Apple Pie  If you enjoy this Bible study, please do me a great favor and visit my recipe links each day. It is a tremendous help to me.

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Catch up on all of our Genesis Posts here
Fellowship Members: Click here to visit our Facebook group to discuss today’s readings,  Click here to visit our prayer request thread

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GOOD MORNING SIBLINGS!
Today’s readings are: Genesis 43-45

Rabbit Trails

🌿As we see Joseph showing such kindness, forgiveness, and even favor to his brothers, it is impossible not to think on how they had treated him. There is a wonderful parallel here in how Joseph treated his brothers and how our Messiah treats us. Yeah, that one is supposed to sting a bit. It sure does for me!

🌿Genesis 44:4-5 Joseph’s cup is further described as that in which he practices divinations. This is referring to cups in which “qualified” people would look into for messages from Egypt’s gods. We have no record of Joseph committing adultery against the one true God so we can possibly infer that this was merely said to help keep up the facade of Joseph being an Egyptian. Note that this is my opinion. I would encourage you to form your own based on your own reading.

 Wait, committing adultery? Christy, what are you talking about? That is what YHWH considers us to be doing when we put other “gods” before Him.  Jeremiah 3:20 is a great starter verse for this, but we will see throughout the Bible as we continue to read.

🌿Genesis 44:33-34 Judah’s Confession – Here we see a point in Judah’s life wherein he is humbled entirely, essentially begging for forgiveness and help from Joseph, offering himself in place of his brother. At last, a leader is arising. Such a defining moment.

🌿Below are more similarities between Joseph and Messiah. This is all part of the pattern of YHWH and how Scripture (what is dismissively referred to as the old testament today) foretells of the wonder of our Messiah.
I found these several places online and am just copying below.
Parallels between Joseph and Messiah

• He is the object of his father’s special love.
• He had promises of divine exaltation.
• He was mocked by his family.
• He was sold for pieces of silver.
• He was stripped of his robe.
• He was delivered up to the Gentiles.
• He was falsely accused.
• He was faithful amid temptation.
• He was thrown into prison.
• He stood before rulers.
• His power was acknowledged by those in authority.
• He saves his rebellious brothers from death when they realize who he is.
• He is exalted after and through humiliation.
• He embraces YHWH’s purpose even though it brings him intense physical harm.
• He is the instrument YHWH uses at the hands of the Gentiles to bless his people.
• He welcomes Gentiles to be part of his family.
• He gives hungry people bread.
• People must bow their knee before him.

There are more parallels. If you are in the Fellowship Group, let me know what you see in the discussion thread today!

🌿We are learning so much and yet there is so much still to learn!! How exciting to know that YHWH’s word is the source of endless wisdom – and what a blessing that we have committed to drinking of that cup together!

🌿Genesis 45:22 The special relationship between Joseph and Benjamin
Recall that Joseph and Benjamin are the only sons of Rachel (Genesis 35:24) and it’s clear that Benjamin took Joseph’s position as favored son after he was gone. It is possible that Joseph’s actions honor not only that extra special bond between him and Benjamin of a shared mother, but a similar devotion to their father as well.

🌿5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Genesis 45:5-8

What an amazing statement to make. We see a wonderful model of forgiveness here where most of us (myself included) would certainly harbor at least some degree of bitterness.
Instead, Joseph recognizes that this was all done to bring about the good will of the Father and the honored role he has in fulfilling the purpose designated for his life. In this bold showing compassion, he sets his brothers at ease. It is a stunning moment, in which Joseph shows the brothers a level of grace whose only source can be the Father.
He has always been a God of Grace. Grace has never been a New Testament only thing. The only reason we’ve not noticed it in the “old” testament is because we’ve not read it for ourselves. We were the ones who declared it “old” to begin with. Do you see how much has been missed? Do you see how much has been purposefully ignored by those who choose to only read a small portion of YHWH’s Word?

It is to our great shame that generations have dismissed the words of our Father as irrelevant – harming not only ourselves but our descendants to come as they inherit this folly. If the Bible were telling the story of believers in our time, just as we are reading now of Jacob/Israel’s children and as we are about to read of the Israelite people, what would future generations see as our obvious error that we blatantly overlook?

It’s the same error we will see time and again in the Word. The same error the Father continually reminds us to avoid through His commandments and through retelling of history:  Relying on our own wisdom over that of the Father. This has been the human tendency since time began, since the very first falling away in the garden. And each generation looks back on previous ones as they cluck their tongue and shake their head in disapproval for such an obvious error – before marching boldly forward and doing the very same thing, pride making us blind to our own bold sin as we march off a cliff while declaring it solid ground.

But now we are here, once again standing on the steadfast foundation of His Word. 

For I, YHWH, do not change. 

Since the time of your ancestors you have turned from me and not kept my decrees. Return to me, and I will return to you. 

From Malachi 3:6-7

We are returning! Be Encouraged!

Test everything, hold tight to what is good – and HE is the only source of good. 

May YHWH Bless the reading of His word!

Today’s link: Pesto Chicken Pasta 

If you enjoy this Bible study, please do me a great favor and visit my recipe links each day. It is a tremendous help to me.

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Catch up on all of our Genesis Posts here
Fellowship Members: Click here to visit our Facebook group to discuss today’s readings,  Click here to visit our prayer request thread

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