Welcome to the third week of our study!
As we continue to “unfold” the story of the Bible, we still find ourselves in Genesis, the first of fourteen books we’re studying from October through to next April. If you’re just getting started with us, I’d encourage you to have a look at my page outlining our study, where you can read the plan of what we’re doing as well as print off a checklist for the daily readings.
In the first week of our study, we covered the entire period of the “Early World,” reading Genesis 1-11. Last week, we began the second period of our study on the Patriarchs (2200 BC – 1800 BC), reading at length about God’s promises to Abraham and how he (finally) learned what it mean to trust God. This week, we’ll read Genesis 25-37. This section begins by telling us about the death of Abraham and the story shifts to focus on his son, Isaac, and Isaac & Rebekah’s twin sons.
The birth of these sons gives hints of what is to come: the younger son, Jacob, is born holding on to Esau’s foot. The name “Jacob” can be translated to mean a supplanter or trickster… and this is a good description of what we’ll see Jacob do to get his brother’s birthright and the same sort of blessing from his father we’ve seen Noah give to Shem and Melchizedek give to Abraham. Ironically, as we read on, we’ll see how Jacob gets the same sort of treatment. This will happen first in the way his future father-in-law Laban who gets Jacob to work 14 years to marry his daughters Rachel & Leah. Then it will be Jacob’s own sons who deceive him when they sell their brother Joseph (Jacob’s favorite son) into slavery in Egypt… but tell their dad Joseph has died.
It’s a family history that is far from perfect – but as always, this should be a reminder of the ways that God chooses to use imperfect people in imperfect situations to bring about His “plan of sheer goodness.”
This week, please read:
- Monday: Genesis 25 & 26
- Tuesday: Genesis 27 & 28
- Wednesday: Genesis 29 & 30
- Thursday: Genesis 31, 32, & 33
- Friday: Genesis 34 & 35
- Saturday: Genesis 36 & 37
- Sunday: Catch up on what you’ve missed or read the Sunday readings
Have a blessed week as we continue to read!