Week 2: A Great Nation Begins

The genealogies in the Old Testament baffle me, long lists of sons of sons with the occasional daughter, and almost all with names I cannot pronounce. Why all the lists? I have been thinking about this and googling the topic a bit. What I found is that the lists are a written down version of an oral tradition, and that they tie into the genealogy of Jesus. I thought about this and it seems that maybe God wanted to show a definitive path from Eve, one of the first humans he made to his begotten son, Jesus. This path shows us that God uses the unexpected people (this week we read about Tamar and Judah and how he failed to keep his promise to her, so she tricked him into getting her pregnant  - Genesis 38:1-30), to be part of his grand plan for our salvation. For me this is reminder that God's plan might not make sense to us in the moment, but in the big picture it fits in beautifully to the ballet of life around us.

This week was also included reminders of God's promises and his fulfillment of them. In Genesis 28:10-22, God promises Jacob that he is with him and will bring him back to his land. Verse 15 says this, "What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you." Later Jacob does return with his family to his homeland and is forgiven by his brother, Esau.

The verse that stuck out to me this week comes from the story of Joseph. Genesis 39:23 says this, "...The Lord was with his and caused everything he did to succeed." I liked this verse in the context of the story of Joseph.  Joseph's brothers were jealous of him so they sold him into slavery, then he was thrown into prison; only to eventually become the ruler of Egypt under the Pharaoh. I guessing his brothers did not think that Joseph's elevation to a position of power was possible when they sold him into slavery. Even though Joseph encountered a series of unfortunate events, God was with him and used him at the right time in God's plan. I pray that I have the patience and strength to wait on God's plans for my life.