Genesis CBR Tweets
#HarborCBR The new year brings Genesis, the book of beginnings. Read along with me-5 chapters/week.
GEN1-EVERYTHING begins w/God. God is separate from creation, but enlivens it w/His presence. Evolution also requires God to work. #HarborCBR
GEN1,2-Genesis was written to answer a question for Israel following the Exodus from Egypt: Where did Israel come from? #HarborCBR
GEN1,3-7 day week is God creating the world to be in covenant w/it & its people. The Sabbath is a sign of the covenant(Ex 31:17). #HarborCBR
Gen1,4-If v1 is a topic sentence, creation starts w/a dark ball of water. God's Spirit brings order from chaos-both then & now. #HarborCBR
GEN1,5-The Bible begins w/beauty, wonder, diversity, & community. It's this beauty that makes sin so out of place & destructive. #HarborCBR
GEN2-Sabbath gives us a theology of time, showing time & history are heading somewhere. It's not endless, meaningless repetition. #HarborCBR
GEN2,2-"Generation" in v4 is a key word that occurs 10 times in Genesis. The occurrences are the outline of the book. #HarborCBR
GEN2,3-God is the source of human(all) life. Whether or not you believe evolution, you can't get humans w/o God's intervention. #HarborCBR
GEN2,4-God gave us power and work: to cause the world to flourish and protect it from evil. This is still our work. #HarborCBR
GEN2,5-Man and woman were designed to compete each other, working together to show unity in diversity. #HarborCBR
GEN2,6-Before sin entered the world, there was no shame or embarrassment. Oh how far we've fallen, and in how many ways! #HarborCBR
GEN3-Humanity falls to the subtle, substitute gospel of a rival god. Its allure? Convincing people that they should be in charge. #HarborCBR
GEN3,2-A talking serpent is odd, but don't miss the subtle deadliness of this yes/no question: Both answers are wrong. #HarborCBR
GEN3,3-The serpent's attack: Question God, accuse Him of being self-serving, call Him a liar. It still works today. #HarborCBR
GEN3,4-v15&21=God's gospel response to our sin: He'll destroy the serpent's work. A substitute will die to cover our sin & guilt. #HarborCBR
GEN4-This sibling "rivalry" is a window to the power of jealousy, anger, and defensiveness. This is how sin makes us its slave. #HarborCBR
GEN4,2-Abel gives God his best. Cain's offer seems thoughtless. Going thru the motions with God = frustration and slavery to sin. #HarborCBR
GEN4,3-God confronts Cain in grace & truth (v6-7) and even accommodates his hard heart (v15). Extravagant grace and patience. #HarborCBR
GEN4,4-God confronts: 1)It's your attitude, 2)Do well&you'll be great, 3)If u don't, sin'll control you, 4)You must rule over it. #HarborCBR
GEN4,5-v5 gives clarity to the damage of sin to marriage from Gen 3:16: Wives control husbands & Husbands dominate wives. #hHarborCBR
GEN4,6-Cain hardens his heart and complains. His defensiveness then spreads to and corrupts his family and descendants. #HarborCBR
GEN4,7-Yes, Cain's wife was his sister (Gen 5:4). #HarborCBR
GEN4,8-v26 Seth is the seed of the woman thru whom the conquering Seed will come. His family & descendants are the people of God. #HarborCBR
GEN4,9-v26 Simple definition of God's people: they call on the name of the LORD. They live in relationship with God. #HarborCBR
GEN5-Genealogy? This's why people don't read the Bible! But wait-it's highly stylized: 10 generations+3 kids w/surprise at gen 7. #HarborCBR
GEN5,2-900yr lives? Some say cosmology was different before the flood, enabling long life. Other cultures have records of this. #HarborCBR
GEN5,3-Gen 1-11 is remote, ancient history, giving the highest of highlights. This genealogy connects Adam to Noah and the flood. #HarborCBR
GEN5,4-Look for pattern breaks (and comments) in genealogies for author's emphasis. 1st, 7th, and 10th generations in this one. #HarborCBR
GEN5,5-7th gen from Cain in 4:17-24 = climax of evil. 7th generation thru Seth in 5:21-24 = climax of good: Enoch never died. #HarborCBR
GEN5,6-If this genealogy is complete (it may not be), then 1500yrs between Adam & Noah. Lamech & Methuselah lived thru the flood? #HarborCBR
GEN5,7-After further review, Lamech died five years before the flood. Methuselah died in the year of the flood. #HarborCBR
GEN6-Humanity is so corrupt it breaks God's heart that He even made people. Thru tears He moves to end the evil and start over. #HarborCBR
GEN6,2-Corruption and violence climaxing in out of control/full of themselves leaders are what bring an end to all life. #HarborCBR
GEN6,3-Noah's righteousness grants him favor with God and channels God's salvation thru judgment. Noah is a picture of Jesus now. #HarborCBR
GEN6,4-Who are the "sons of God"? 1) Seth's descendants marrying non-believers, 2) King's building harems, 3) Demons w/humans. #HarborCBR
GEN6,5-God's response to human evil: 1)Resigned to renew earth by removing evil, 2)Committed to save people who honor Him. #HarborCBR
GEN6,6-v9 has the third "Generations." This section goes from 6:9 - 9:28. #HarborCBR
GEN7-The flood: All are destroyed but Noah, his family, & animals to replenish the earth. It was that bad. God is starting over. #HarborCBR
GEN7,2-v1 Noah was saved becuz he was righteous. His household was saved becuz Noah was righteous. Noah=Jesus, Me=J's household #HarborCBR
GEN7,3-v2 Impress your friends knowing there weren't just 2 of each animal on the ark. 2 unclean, but 7 of every clean animal! #HarborCBR
GEN8-God recreates the earth. Wind = Spirit (Gen 1:2). Noah's response: worship God & consecrate earth. We should do likewise. #HarborCBR
GEN8,2-v1 Noah was floating, but not forgotten. #HarborCBR
GEN8,3-v9 The DOVE begins an image of God's Spirit seeking to rest where judgment is over. Search ends w/Jesus at His baptism. #HarborCBR
GEN8,4-God's judgment always has an eye to the renewal of humanity and the whole world. #HarborCBR
GEN9-"Covenant" is used 7 times in this passage, bookending its first use from 6:18. God's covenant will renew all of creation. #HarborCBR
GEN9,2-v1 repeats Gen 1:28f & Noah is a new Adam. God works thru sinful people who follow & worship Him. They renew the earth. #HarborCBR
GEN9,3-v2-3 Here God encourages humanity to be meat eaters. Thank you God! You are sooooo good to us! #HarborCBR
GEN9,4-v4 The explicit principle begins: blood = life. Jesus gave His life for us. #HarborCBR
GEN9,5-Capital punishment for murder is grounded in the image of God. God wants His image bearers to enforce God's justice. #HarborCBR
GEN9,6-v9 God's covenant is w/Noah & his children. That true in the whole Bible(Acts 2:38-39). It's why we baptize children. #HarborCBR
GEN9,7-v13 Rainbows are symbols that God's ultimate judgment is at rest, and His bow is pointing up at Him. #HarborCBR
GEN9,8-Noah is a new Adam. Noah soon follows Adam's fall in a garden. Noah is a picture of God's savior, but we still need Jesus. #HarborCBR
GEN9,9-v20f Noah repeats Adam's fall, and his sons repeat Cain and Abel's history. #HarborCBR
GEN10-GENEALOGIES! 1)Count names, looking for 7(divine), 10(fullness), & 12(Israel's tribes). 2)Read the comments between names. #HarborCBR
GEN10,2-Generations for the 4th time: This one is Noah's sons populating the earth after the flood. #HarborCBR
GEN10,3-Noah's sons have 70 descendants listed (Ham-30, Japheth-19, Shem-26). 7x10=same # of times God's name is used in Gen 1&2. #HarborCBR
GEN10,4-Ham's cursed line produces all the enemies of Israel in the rest of the Old Testament: Egypt, Babylon, Canaanites, etc. #HarborCBR
GEN10,5-Peleg is the generation when the tower of Babel incident happens in Gen 11. #HarborCBR
GEN10,6-Seems some names/peoples listed here come much later in history (ie Philistines). Was this edited for a later audience? #HarborCBR
GEN11-The sin cycle of Gen 6 repeats itself. Instead of flood #2, God divides people by languages to keep evil from escalating. #HarborCBR
GEN11,2-Confusion of tongues divides people here. In Acts 2 the gift of tongues unites people as Jesus reverses Babel's curse. #HarborCBR
GEN11,3-Understanding/unity/love/truth are marks of God's presence. Confusion & unresolved conflict don't belong in God's family. #HarborCBR
GEN11,4-Jesus reverses Babel's curse in conflict: We are wrong. He is right. But He pays for our sin & forgives: that changes me. #HarborCBR
GEN11,5-The tower happens in Nimrod's territory(10:8-10), during the time of Peleg(10:25). #HarborCBR
GEN11,6-Tower=ziggurat, a pagan temple to the gods, common in ancient near east, 3 stories high, metaphorically reaching heaven. #HarborCBR
GEN11,7-v27 Generations #5: Terah's, introducing Abram(ham)'s story, which takes up the rest of the Old Testament (& the New). #HarborCBR
GEN11,8-v31 Terah & family left for Canaan, but stopped, settling in land named for Terah's dead son. Did grief paralyze him? #HarborCBR
GEN12-God to Abram: "Finish the journey your father started: Trust me. Go. I will bless you extravagantly." Abe trusted & went! #HarborCBR
GEN12,2-God's blessings are all designed to make US a blessing to others. #HarborCBR
GEN12,3-v7 God promised the land of Canaan. This promise is delivered/lost/re-delivered/re-lost, then transformed in the Bible. #HarborCBR
GEN12,4-v6 Tree, God, worship, altar-these elements echo the garden of Eden, & continue to characterize Old Testament worship. #HarborCBR
GEN12,5-v8 Abe is in the godly line of Seth by calling on the name of the Lord (Gen 4:26). It's still true today (Romans 10:13) #HarborCBR
GEN12,6-v10-20 Is Abe not trusting God? Or justifyingly lying to enemies to protect himself? Either way, God protects him. #HarborCBR
GEN12,7-v10-20 This is a mini preview of the Exodus. Sarai is enslaved by Pharaoh, God plagues Pharaoh, who lets them go w/stuff. #HarborCBR
GEN13-Abraham, SO CONFIDENT THAT GOD IS WITH HIM, gives up his rights and gives his nephew first choice of his own inheritance. #HarborCBR
GEN13,2-v14-17 God responds to Abe: You chose right not choosing the land.You chose Me. I will bless you beyond your imagination. #HarborCBR
GEN13,3-v11-13 Lot chose a place of wealth that put he & his family in moral danger. He put wealth & ambition over God. #HarborCBR
GEN14-Lot's enslaved by his ties w/evil kings, Abe rescues him. Foreshadows Jesus rescuing us from slavery by defeating sin. #HarborCBR
GEN14,2-v20 Tithing shows up for the first time in the Bible. Abe gives 10% of the spoils to God to honor God for His goodness. #HarborCBR
GEN15-When you don't know for sure if you can trust God, God guarantees His promise with an oath. Jesus is His oath today. #HarborCBR
GEN15,2-Cutting animals in half/walking thru them was a covenant-making ceremony: If I break My word, may I be as these animals. #HarborCBR
GEN15,3-v12-21 God's salvation is based on His work, not ours. God walked thru the pieces, Abe was asleep, believing in God. #HarborCBR
GEN15,4-v1 I like the NKJ translation better. "Abram, I am your shield, I'm your exceedingly great reward." God is the reward! #HarborCBR
GEN15,5-v16 Why does God wait 400yrs? He's extravagantly patient/sinners! God's wrath/judgment is far rarer than people think. #HarborCBR
GEN15,6-v17 Smoking pot & flaming torch foreshadow the pillar of fire&cloud in Exodus. The legs of God walking the earth... #HarborCBR
GEN15,7-v18 This is a covenant God makes w/Abe: extending the bonds of family love to Abe & his children. Like baptism today. #HarborCBR
GEN16-Is your life a mess? God's people show their ability to screw up their lives, & God's ability to put them back together. #HarborCBR
GEN16,2-Sarai's faith falters. Abe follows instead of leading. Hagar is arrogant. No one prays. Families implode&explode w/o God. #HarborCBR
GEN16,3-Abe in fear lied about Sarai being his sister. Sarai in fear corrupts God's design for marriage & mimics the culture. #HarborCBR
GEN16,4-10yrs w/a promise, but no child is enough to make anyone doubt. Today, Jesus guarantees all of God's promises! #HarborCBR
GEN16,5-Things got hard, and Sarai tried to control her circumstances, pursuing God's promise in her own sinful way. #HarborCBR
GEN16,6-Abe's response to Sarai: wrong-headedly abdicate his authority. Men still sinfully check out of relationships like this. #HarborCBR
GEN16,7-Poor Hagar! The slave-girl exalted, then humiliated/abandoned because of her arrogance and Sarai's jealousy, runs away. #HarborCBR
GEN16,8-Alone, destitute, abandoned, hopes&dreams crushed, life over, running. But God sees her and comes in love. #HarborCBR
GEN16,9-v8 God's 2 questions get to the heart of anyone running away: Where have you come from? And where are you going? #HarborCBR
GEN16,10-v9 God sends Hagar back: "Your path of blessing is with My people, not the Egyptians." #HarborCBR
GEN17-It's hard to trust God when we don't see His promises coming true. Circumcision=visible sign to assure Abe (baptism today). #HarborCBR
GEN17,2-Circumcision then (and baptism now) assured Abe that God saved him & family, & gave them transformed hearts(Dt10:16&Ro6). #HarborCBR
GEN17,3-10 TIMES we see that when an adult commits to God, God commits to them & THEIR KIDS. Acts 2:38f says baptism is the same. #HarborCBR
GEN17,4-v1 Circumcision (& baptism) isn't a 1-time ritual, it's a relationship where we walk with God(which is the best part!). #HarborCBR
GEN17,5-v4 God's covenant offers Abe the blessings of posterity and land. Both foreshadow the New Heavens & Earth (Rom 4:13). #HarborCBR
GEN17,6-Both Abram and Sarai get new names. Names in the Bible describe who you are. Knowing God renews our identities. #HarborCBR
GEN17,7-v25 Ishmael is in God's covenant family, even though the future of the covenant won't pass through his posterity. #HarborCBR
GEN17,8-Knowing God & walking w/Him: there is no greater pleasure, purpose, or power in life! Better than drugs, sex, money, etc. #HarborCBR
GEN18-v17 God lets His people into His thoughts & plans? What an incredible privilege we have to know what God thinks & feels! #HarborCBR
GEN18,2-v22f God doesn't only reveal Himself to us, but He is affected by our requests! That's one miraculous part of prayer. #HarborCBR
GEN18,3-v10 One of these strangers is GOD!? God sees from heaven, AND He comes down to experience before He judges. Like Jesus. #HarborCBR
GEN18,4-v19 God's covenant saves us freely. Then God renews us, calls us to renew the world, & to raise children to do the same. #HarborCBR
GEN18,5-There is nothing more important to me than that I know God, He cares about me, and He listens to me. Joy & Peace! #HarborCBR
GEN18,6-v19 A huge part of parenting is for the parents to do righteousness & justice. Kids see all and rebel against hypocrisy. #HarborCBR
GEN19-No matter what you think, when all the men of a town are gang-raping male visitors, everyone agrees they should be judged. #HarborCBR
GEN19,2-Sex=joy of unfolding openness & vulnerability in the safety of marriage. THIS is domination, humiliation, objectification.#HarborCBR
GEN19,3-God calls sinners to separate themselves from sin. If they stay, they will be judged as God removes sin from the world. #HaborCBR
GEN19,4-Lot's daughters didn't trust God (like Sarai w/Hagar). They birthed a family line that plagued Israel for centuries. #HarborCBR
GEN20-Abe & Sar lied (again) to protect themselves. God rebuked them and protected them because He is extravagantly gracious. #HarborCBR
GEN21-FINALLY ISAAC IS BORN! God's promise came true in God's time. Jesus' resurrection proves the same will be for us! #HarborCBR
GEN21-Isaac's name means laughter. Let us look with DEFIANT MIRTH at the uncertainties in our lives as Proverbs 31:25 describes. #HarborCBR
GEN21,2-v9-21 repeats the family chaos of Ch18. Hagar & Ishmael are cast out. Again God visits the abandoned 2/abundant blessing. #HarborCBR
GEN22-This radically abnormal test ensured that Abe didn't/wouldn't forget that God is always more important than His gifts. #HarborCBR
GEN22,2-The things we value most can become more important to us than God. Let's keep offering even His good gifts back to Him. #HarborCBR
GEN22,3-Don't forget that through this story, Abe knew that God could raise Isaac from the dead if necessary (Hebrews 11:17f). #HarborCBR
GEN22,4-v13 God provided an animal substitute for Isaac. God provided His own son Jesus as a substitute for us! #HarborCBR
GEN22,5-v16-17 This is a relationship. Salvation is free & calls for total, radical obedience . Blessings come to those who obey. #HarborCBR
GEN22,6-v18 Abe's faith brings blessings to his son. PARENTS! Your greatest gift to your kids is your ongoing pursuit of God. #HarborCBR
GEN23-Sarah dies. Abe shows great faith in God. She isn't buried back home w/family. By faith Canaan is now home and future. #HarborCBR
GEN23,2-Our home is also future-the New Heaven & Earth. Our future hope moves us to renew this world anticipating the next. #HarborCBR
GEN24-Will Isaac continue God's family line by marrying someone who worships other gods? Abe prays & works to make the answer no. #HarborCBR
GEN24,2-This servant! Model employee! Head, heart, & hands serve Abe & God. I'm stunned to think this pictures Jesus serving us! #HarborCBR
GEN24,3-v6-9 Don't take Isaac back. THIS is now home and future. Abe knows it doesn't look great right now, but he trusts God. #HarborCBR
GEN25-Isaac has two sons: one who believes God's promises, the other thinks they are worthless. #HarborCBR
GEN25,2-Esau's disdain for his inheritance is logical: 65+ years since God promised Grandpa & the descendants = only 2! Give up! #HarboCBR
GEN26-God's family includes the children of believers! Isaac inherits God's covenant promises & prospers because he follows Him. #HarborCBR
GEN26,2-v5 Isaac is blessed thru Abe's obedience. That's similar to Christians being blessed thru Jesus' obedience. #HarborCBR
GEN26,3-v2 Egypt becomes a symbol for Israel trusting in military might/alliances instead of God. #HarborCBR
GEN26,4-v28-29 The Philistines see and acknowledge that God's blessing is all over Isaac's life. May others see the same in us! #HarborCBR
GEN27-This family: HOT MESS! Sibling rivalry gone nuts, spousal manipulation, abuse of the disabled, God is named only in a lie. #HarborCBR
GEN27,2-Are Isaac&Esau ignoring God's choice of Jacob? Are Rebekah&Jacob failing to trust God? Probably yes to both. Love humans! #HarborCBR
GEN28-God's promise of family love (covenant) is extended to Jacob. He is convinced God is with him, even when he when's unaware. #HarborCBR
GEN28,2-Isaac sends Jacob to get a wife from Uncle Laban (as in Ch24) because Rebekah was protecting Jacob from murderous Esau! #HarborCBR
GEN27,3-v46 Rebekah totally manipulates Isaac as a melodramatic, emotional wife. She's saving Jacob from being murdered by Esau..#HarborCBR
GEN28,3-v16 is one of my favorite verses in all the Bible: Surely the Lord is in this place and I didn't know it! #HarborCBR
GEN28,4-v20f Jacob is still a work in progress. God makes a promise. Jacob makes a deal. IF you come thru, I'll give 10% to You. #HarborCBR
GEN29-Jacob the manipulator(learned from mom) is manipulated by Uncle Laban into marrying sisters. Polygamy is not the good life. #HarborCBR
GEN29,2-Before consummating a marriage, probably a good idea to verify you're w/the one you wanted to marry. #alcohol?#darkness?. #HarborCBR
GEN29,3-v20 shows the joy of dating. Keep remembering what makes him/her special to keep these feelings alive in marriage. #HarborCBR
GEN29,4-v31-35 People who think the Bible is okay with polygamy clearly haven't read passages like this. This is miserable. #HarborCBR
GEN29,5-Leah's sons' names change as she moves from living for her husband's approval to celebrating that she has God's approval. #HarborCBR
GEN30-The hot mess continues, but Jacob's manipulation begins to fade as he trusts God to provide thru Laban's manipulation. #HarborCBR
GEN30,2-v26 11 sons (+ one to come) will become the 12 tribes of Israel. #HarborCBR
GEN30,3-Again we see the description of a life of polygamy. Rivalry, envy, bitterness, strife, pettiness aren't the good life. #HarborCBR
GEN30,4-Jacob's accepts Laban's terms. He knows God will provide no matter how much Laban manipulates. Trusting God brings peace. #HarborCBR
GEN30,5-I want my "wise as a serpent"-ness to include an active trust in God, not reflect a lack of that trust. #HarborCBR
GEN31-Jacob starts to return to the Promised Land, protected by God from Laban, so Jacob doesn't need to manipulate anymore. #HarborCBR
GEN31,2-v35 Rachel pulls the ultimate "it's that time of the month" excuse to cover her lying. #HarborCBR
GEN31,3-v36-50 = a healthy "get everything out on the table so we can move forward" kind of fight. Sometimes these are necessary. #HarborCBR
GEN31,4-v12 God is truly with us. He sees our suffering and acts on our behalf (even if it's not how we want it to go). #HarborCBR
GEN31,5-v19 Household gods might also be translated ancestor memorials. #HarborCBR
GEN32-1 last obstacle to return to the Promised Land. Jacob thinks it's his murderous brother, but it's his own faith in God. #HarborCBR
GEN32,2-v6 Uh oh. Esau's 400 men are enough to destroy Jacob's whole family. Dramatic tension builds. #HarborCBR
GEN32,3-Strange wrestling match is God crippling Jacob so that he can do nothing but trust God in facing Esau. #HarborCBR
GEN32,4-Being crippled means Jacob must throw himself on Esau's mercy (which means trusting God to protect him). #HarborCBR
GEN32,5-God assures Jacob, giving his blessing and changing his name: Israel is (re)born in covenant with God. #HarborCBR
GEN33-Crippled, Jacob sees Esau+400 coming. No hope if Esau is coming to attack... But Esau has changed! God protected Jacob! #HarborCBR
GEN33,2-v10 Jacob knows that God is the reason for Esau's change of heart. God actively works in the people around us! #HarborCBR
GEN33,3-v18-20 God's promises are back on track-Jacob is in the land worshiping God. Life is again the way it should be. #HarborCBR
GEN34-Rape, domination, humiliation, then committed love? Vengeance, deceit, justified as justice? We sure make a mess of things. #HarborCBR
GEN34,2-LOVE v25 "when they were sore." This is somehow the male version of "the time of the month excuse." #HarborCBR
GEN34,3-v30-31 Good summary of the fight between Jacob and his sons. Argument ends w/o resolution. Maybe there isn't one? #HarborCBR
GEN35-Jacob is now the head of God's Covenant Family: new name, (re)newed covenant, faith in God--ready to take over for Isaac. #HarborCBR
GEN36-The 9th Toledoth (of Esau) traces his family into the nations that plague Israel thru the rest of its history. #HarborCBR
GEN37-Jacob is the 10th and final Toledoth (generations) of the book, tracing the story of his 12 sons and the rise of Joseph. #HarborCBR
GEN37,2-Favoritism, sibling rivalry, jealousy mix together to create serious evil. Joseph is rejected and punished like Jesus. #HarborCBR
GEN37,3-Jacob is deceived about his son thru the clothing he wore. Sound like what Jacob did to his own father in ch27. #HarborCBR
GEN38-Wickedness abounds in Judah's family: lies, adultery, abusing the vulnerable, not trusting God. This is Jesus' family line! #HarborCBR
GEN39-Joseph enslaved in Egypt's Captain of the Guard's house. Then falsely accused& sentenced to the king's prison. FRUSTRATION! #HarborCBR
GEN39,2-Enslaved and imprisoned, God was with Joseph & prospered him! God's presence turns any circumstance into prosperity. #HarborCBR
GEN40-Joseph's life is suffering by the sins of his brothers, strength by the presence of God. This pictures Jesus' life for us. #HarborCBR
GEN40,2-Joseph's continued kindness even in prison is abused and forgotten by those he served. God, what are you doing to him? #HarborCBR
GEN40,3-Joseph in the king's prison, under the Captain of the Guard. Shows the captain didn't believe his wife's accusations. #HarborCBR
GEN40,4-v8 Joseph's faith comes out in conversation. He does what is right & is honest about his faith in God. Good model for us. #HarborCBR
GEN41-Joseph is raised to power! If the cup bearer had remembered him two years ago, this would never have happened. #HarborCBR
GEN41,2-Joseph adds a nation-wide 20% tax. Impossible if Joseph hadn't been in charge of the Captain of the Guard's affairs. #HarborCBR
GEN41,3-W/o time in the king's prison, Joseph'd never have understood the political maneuvering needed for the nationwide tax. #HarborCBR
GEN41,4-W/o being enslaved by brothers &falsely accused of rape Joseph wouldn't have been in the king's prison & saved the world. #HarborCBR
GEN41,5-DO I HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT? EVERYTHING THAT WE GO THROUGH GOD WILL USE SO THAT WE CAN REACH/CARE FOR/SAVE OTHERS! #HarborCBR
GEN42-Joseph has saved Egypt, but will he also save the family that betrayed him? They need so much more than bread. #HarborCBR
GEN42,2-Joseph begins testing his brothers, making them endure tests similar to what he experienced, to see if they have changed. #HarborCBR
GEN42,3-God disciplines His children for their sins. Consequences are one way God purifies our hearts. His love is behind it all. #HarborCBR
GEN42,4-Joseph wants to see Benjamin to make sure they haven't done to his natural brother what they did to him. #HarborCBR
GEN42,5-Rueben offers his own sons as a ransom for Benjamin. He's moved a long way from wanting Joseph dead. #HarborCBR
GEN43-Israel is finally resigned to give up his last son from Rachel to save the rest of his family. #HarborCBR
GEN43,2-Joseph continues testing his brothers to see if they've changed. v23 shows that he is motivated by love for God and them. #HarborCBR
GEN43,3-v34 Is Joseph testing his brothers to see their reaction to Benjamin being showed favoritism? #HarborCBR
GEN44-Joseph frames Benjamin to see if his brothers have changed. Instead of abandoning him, Judah offers himself as a substitute.#HarborCBR
GEN44,2-Read Judah's plea as though it were Jesus pleading with God to save you who don't deserve it. It's moving. #HarborCBR
GEN45-Joseph is moved to reconcile by seeing 1) his brothers have changed. 2) God has had a purpose in ALL of his suffering. #HarborCBR
GEN45,2-What keeps Joseph from vengeance on his brothers? He sees how God used their evil to bring salvation to his family v5,8. #HarborCBR
GEN45,3-When evil/suffering come, search for how God can use it. This connection gives hope and joy and strength. #HarborCBR
GEN46-Jacob & Joseph reunited! This emotional, heartwarming moment is the culmination of God's wisdom providing for His people. #HarborCBR
GEN46,2-Joseph cares deeply about protecting God's family, so he gives them land where they are free to worship God. #HarborCBR
GEN47-Joseph's leadership grows Egypt's empire, collecting animals, land, people, & taxes. Joseph also protects Israel's family. #HarborCBR
GEN48-God's covenant passes to the children of believers. Israel passes God's blessings to Joseph and his sons. #HarborCBR
GEN48,2-The greatest legacy anyone can leave their kids/grandkids/friends is a life of faith, testifying to God's faithful care. #HarborCBR
GEN49-Jacob speaks words of prediction over his sons. Joseph(present leader) and Judah(future leader) get the most words. #HarborCBR
GEN50-Jacob dies & Joseph's bros think Joseph will kill them now. Joseph assures them of his forgiveness. He saw God's purpose! #HarborCBR
GEN50,2-Famous words for a reason: "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, to save many lives." God can use anything. #HarborCBR