Day #29 - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible. Click here to learn more. You are most welcome to join along at any time.
Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Genesis 48-50.
We have just concluded our second book of the Bible with the closing of Genesis (including our reading of the book of Job), and the deaths of Jacob and Joseph before our eyes.
These first five books were written by Moses, and lay down a critical foundation to the faith of the Christian.
Without a right understanding of what God has presented before our eyes, it is impossible to perhaps get anything else right.
These are not merely nice stories for us to teach our children in Sunday school. These are, in fact, God's revealed history from the very beginning.
Here are a few things that come to my mind as I reflect back over this book of Genesis:
- God created the universe with a spoken word.
- God's desire was to live among his people, and they would be his priestly regents to care for and multiply the earth.
- In great mystery, we learn that a serpent (Satan) exists that will bring about the fall of man through deceit.
- As a result of man's disobedience, death is brought upon man, and he is eternally separated from God, and tragically removed from daily walks with God, and booted out of the Garden of Eden.
- We begin to see that mankind has now, through its total depravity, become, with a few exceptions, an enemy to God.
- This is apparent in the flood where God destroys all living thing except Noah, his family, and a boat load of animals.
- God lays forth the groundwork of redemption for mankind, and will do this through Abraham. God makes a covenant with Abraham that he will build a nation, his (God's) people, and that it is with these people that we know that Messiah will come, and through Messiah we understand of a new promised land, and a new relationship with God in our presence as King. (Note: I cheated here and brought forth understanding from later books)
- We have seen God's infinite power, his fierce wrath against sin, and we begin to understand that man is desperately in need of a way to stand before a holy God. Something that we are totally incapable of through our own efforts.
- We begin to understand that it is God who is doing the choosing of his people. Just as God chose Abraham, God is still in the business of choosing his people today.
- As we saw in the book of Job, we will begin to understand our need of redemption, our need of a Savior, our need of a perfect sacrifice before Holy God.
- Further as we have seen in the Book of Job, and demonstrated in Genesis, God will have his will, and he even has the power to use evil, that is apart from his character, to achieve this purpose.
We have come a long way in our understanding of who God is. However, we have a very long journey ahead, and a great many more things to learn.
Here are the questions that seems to be appropriate at this point: Did you learn the lesson that God would have you learn? Do you see his infinite power? Do you see that we now live with a prideful human nature that is opposed to God? Do you see that he is merciful in spite of our sinful desire to be our own gods? Are you ready to move in the book of Exodus, and begin to see God reveal more of his plan of redemption?
Do you believe what you just read?
