CBR Blog

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

 

Posted by Steven Cooper with
Tags: blog, cbr, genesis

Welcome to the CBR Blog!

Our Pastor, Steven Cooper, has been following the CBR schedule through the Old Testament and tweeting highlights from every chapter for almost three years! We have compiled these tweets, by book, as an aid to your personal Bible study and encouragement to your soul.

Below you can find the chapter-by-chapter highlights of each book, in 140 words of less. Click on the link to be redirected to OT book of your choice.

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy 

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1st Samuel

2nd Samuel

1st Kings

2nd Kings

1st Chronicles 

2nd Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Ester

Job

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Daniel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Obadiah

Jonah

Micah

Nahum

Habakkuk 

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi 

 

Posted by Mike Forrest with

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