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This Week’s Scriptures: Genesis 44-50

Weekly Devotion By Paul Suich

This Week’s Scriptures: Genesis 44-50 Insights and Reflections:

In Genesis 44-50 you will read the final acts in the drama of the Patriarchs of God’s people. From the initial call of Abraham to the final blessing of Jacob, God has been teaching us through the imperfect lives of people about perfect, covenantal love. These final acts are great stories with profoundly emotional themes. Our goals, however, go much deeper than the simple enjoyment of a good story. We want to know what God is saying to us about our own identity, who we are, what we can hope for, and what we are to be about. A number of themes will stand out in these last chapters of Genesis. We begin with one of the most profound issues of personal and family life- what it takes to change a long standing pattern of hurtful behaviors. Anyone who has a family knows something about the question of whether and to what extent people actually change. We want to believe that people can change, but our culture is at the same time both very cynical and very hopeful about change, reconciliation, and forgiveness. As you read these stories, think of a relationship that you have that is marked by alienation. Moses is challenging us to question what we believe about the possibility someone “getting it,” when they haven’t for decades. Another of the powerful themes of these chapters is the tension between the providence or sovereignty of God on the one hand, and our fear that things which seem too good to be true… really are too good to be true. We want to believe that God is in charge, but we know about the reality of pain and suffering and we guard our hearts against disappointment. As you read these chapters, ask yourself what Moses intends for us to believe about who we are as image bearers of the glory of

God in the midst of a fallen world. These are powerful stories of faith, belief, and persistence in the face of difficulty. Finally, these chapters give us a glimpse into another culture’s understanding of what blessedness is truly all about. There are no mentions of IRA’s, pensions, or integrated healthcare that really works. What we do get is a series of metaphors and word pictures that convey another culture and time’s sense of what God would do for us if we asked. Sometimes for Christmas we get socks or another tie- we know that the giver of the gift gave it because of the tradition (or maybe obligation). What if you were present at the reading of Jacob’s will in Chapter 49? What do you think about the blessings that he gave to his children in his will?

Application:

Sovereignty and reconciliation are not entries in a theology dictionary; they are the markers of our lives. Like Joseph, we have relationships that have old hurts, stubborn patterns, and a lot of distance. As you read these chapters, will you identify one relationship in your life that most needs reconciliation? Perhaps it is a family relationship, an estrangement from someone who is difficult. Perhaps it is a community-based relationship that pertains to justice issues. Joseph didn’t find a way to achieve reconciliation easily or quickly. Will you pray and ask God what these chapters have to say about this relationship that needs reconciliation?

Memory Verse:

“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

Prayer Focus:

Pray that we will be image bearers who look for ways to work toward reconciliation. We are known by our love, not our knowledge, money, or abstinence.

Next Week 3/10 - 3/16 Exodus 1 - 7