Genesis 42:1-25 Years after selling Joseph into slavery, his brothers show up in Egypt looking for food and completely unaware that Joseph is there and the second most powerful man in the entire country! When they see Joseph, they think it is only an Egyptian official and they don't recognize him.  But he recognizes them.  He sets up a test for them to determine whether or not he will forgive them. When we read about all of the family problems of the people in the book of Genesis it's a reminder that not much has changed in this world.  Sin still causes all kinds of problems, even in families.  But it's also a reminder that Jesus chose to come from a line of people whose families were a mess; Jesus came to be the Savior for all people, even those with families that are a mess.

Genesis 41:37-57 Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, made a slave, and thrown in prison.  But now we find Joseph raised up as second in command in all of Egypt! This is a reminder for us that after we endure long periods of suffering, God will, at the right time, give us blessings beyond what we can imagine. So in the midst of difficult circumstances we can always look to the Lord in faith and know that because of Jesus, in the end, all will be well.

Genesis 41:1-36 While in prison Joseph was able to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh's cup-bearer, which led to Joseph later being called to interpret the dream of Pharaoh. Again, this was all part of God's plan. A famine was coming and because God worked through Joseph, Egypt was able to prepare for the coming famine.  All of this was part of God's plan, as we will continue to see as the readings continue.

Genesis 39 When you do the right thing you're supposed to be rewarded, right?  But in this world of sin there are times when doing the right thing will lead to you being persecuted. Joseph refused to act inappropriately with Potiphar's wife and as a result he ended up in prison.  But even as things seemed to be getting worse and worse for Joseph, God had a greater plan in mind.

Genesis 37:12-26 The brothers of Joseph hated Joseph. It was bad enough that he was the favorite of his father and was clearly favored by him, but then he started having dreams in which it was clear that his brothers were serving him. So when they had the chance to get rid of Joseph, they took it. At first they were going to kill him, but then they decided they could make some money off of him instead; so they sold Joseph into slavery. Things looked very bad for Joseph, yet God had a much bigger plan in mind.

Genesis 37:1-11 Joseph  was Jacob's favorite son and everyone knew it. His brothers hated him for it. Then Joseph started to have dreams indicating that his brothers would serve him, they became more and more resentful towards him. The jealousy of the brothers would later lead to even greater sins. Do you have jealousy in your heart? If so, take it to the Lord and ask Him to give you a clean heart.

Genesis 33 Jacob has feared this moment for years.  How would Esau treat him? Would he try to kill him?  Would he still be enraged? But Esau didn't try to kill him or act in anger, instead he ran to meet his brother, hugged him, and wept.  After all of the years apart Esau had chosen to forgive rather than hold on to the anger. Because of the forgiveness, the two brothers were reconciled and for the first time in their lives the had a genuinely good relationship with each other. It can be hard to forgive, but knowing that we've been forgiven much more by God than we could ever forgive another person helps us to forgive. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. What does this mean?  We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us...

Genesis 32:22-32 Jacob was afraid that Esau was coming to kill him. Then, that night, when Jacob was alone, "a man" came and "wrestled" with him.  All night long Jacob and this mysterious man wrestled and neither gets the upper hand. Who was this mysterious man?  It is the Lord Himself in human form. So how is it that Jacob wasn't overcome by God?  Because God clearly didn't use His full power in wrestling Jacob.  But what is this account really about? The Lord allows Himself to be defeated in order to then bless Jacob. This points forward to a later time when God will be in human flesh and Jesus allows Himself to die so that He may bless us!

Genesis 32:1-21 A lot can happen in more than 14 years.  For Jacob, during the time since he had left Canaan, he had gotten married (to two women) and had 11 sons. Jacob had also become quite wealthy, as the Lord had blessed him in that way. After all of the time away, Jacob was ready to return home. But, you'll remember, when Jacob left home it was because he had cheated Esau and as a result Esau had become so angry that he was ready to kill Jacob. Jacob was afraid. In his fear, he turned to the Lord in prayer, reminding the Lord of the promises He had made to him and asking the Lord to protect him. When we are afraid, the Lord invites us to bring those fears to Him in prayer and entrust ourselves to Him.  We learn this in the Second Commandment: You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God. What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every troubl...

Genesis 28:10-22 The Lord God stood at the top of the ladder/stairway and Jacob was at the bottom, while angels went up and down the ladder/stairway.  But what is the stairway? Jesus answers that question in John 1:51. And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jesus is the way to heaven! He is the one through whom we have access to God and by whom God comes to us and blesses us.

Genesis 28:1-9 In the midst of what seems to be simply an account of Jacob being sent to live with Laban, we have a reminder of God's promise. God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!"  (Genesis 28:3-4) The ideas of descendants and the land were very important, because of the promise of God to Abraham, but even more so because these were all part of God's plan for the coming of the Savior of the world, the Messiah!  Don't forget as you read through Genesis that it's not just a series of stories, but it's all part of God's grand plan leading to the coming of the Savior of the world, Jesus!

Genesis 27:30-46 Sin has consequences. Having deceived his father in order to get the blessing, it should have been no surprise to Jacob that Esau was furious. But Jacob didn't repent, but at the advice of his mother, he ran away from the situation. Esau meanwhile became so angry because of Jacob's sin that it led him to his own sin. He hated Jacob and wanted to kill him. What could have resolved the situation in a better way?  Repentance and forgiveness. Who have you sinned against? Have you repented and sought their forgiveness? Who has sinned against you? Do you harbor hate towards them or are you willing to forgive as Christ has forgiven you?

Genesis 27:1-29 Impersonating your brother in order to steal his blessing from your nearly blind, old, father sounds like a pretty terrible thing to do, doesn't it?  That's because it is a terrible thing to do!  Jacob was seeking to take something through deception. In the catechism we learn that getting something through deception is another form of stealing. You shall not steal. What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him to improve and protect his possessions and income. Jacob had most definitely gotten the blessing from his father Isaac in a dishonest way.

Genesis 25:19-34 Sibling rivalries are nothing new. Jacob and Esau however, had an epic rivalry. Though twins, they were very different. Esau was hairy, tough, and enjoyed hunting. Jacob was always scheming and seeking to trick others in order to get his way. Esau was his father's pride and joy while Jacob was his mother's favorite. One day Esau had been in the field and was very hungry when he returned. Jacob could have offered up some of the food he had made, since Esau had been working hard for the good of the family, but instead he wanted to work an angle. He told Esau he would only give him some of the food if Esau gave him the birthright.  This was not in keeping with the 5th Commandment. You shall not murder. What does this mean?  We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need. Rather than exploiting his brother, Jacob should instead have helped his brother just as we shou...

Genesis 22:1-19 What would be the hardest thing for you to sacrifice? What would it be hardest for you to give up? After waiting until he was 100 years old to finally become a father, God then commanded him to offer up that son as a sacrifice. Surely there were many questions going through Abraham's mind as he considered this. What about the promise of more descendants? How is God going to keep the promise of descendants if He takes away my only son? Will Sarah hate me forever if I do this? The idols in our lives are those things we would have the hardest times giving up. We often think of idols as bad things, but many, perhaps even most of our idols are actually good things.  Family, children, friends, sports, good grades, work, etc.. These things aren't bad, but when they become more important to us than God, then they've become idols and we need to repent. In the end, of course, God didn't make Abraham go through with offering up his son as a sacrifice, but...

Genesis 21:1-7 It had been YEARS since God promised Abram/Abraham that he and Sarai/Sarah would have a son. It was hard to believe that it was even possible, but with Abraham being 100 years old and Sarah 90 years old, they finally did have a son! And what did they name their son?  Isaac, which means "laughter!"  It was a fitting name for their son because Sarah had laughed at the thought of having a son at so advanced an age. God kept His promise. It didn't happen in the timing Abraham had anticipated, but it happened according to God's timing. The birth of Isaac was important because it was the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that he would have a son, but also because Isaac continued the line of Abraham and from that line, Jesus would be born!

Genesis 17 The Lord established a covenant with Abraham and the sign of that covenant was circumcision. In the New Testament, God makes clear that circumcision finds its fulfillment in baptism. When we are baptized there's more involved than just a symbol, we're actually united with Jesus and His promises become promises that belong to us.

Genesis 15 The term in Hebrew for making a treaty or covenant is literally to "cut a covenant."  You can see this on full display in today's reading in which Abram is told to cut a heifer, goat, and ram in half and lay them out so that there is a path in between. This was a standard way for a covenant to be made in the ancient world. The two leaders would meet in the path between the dead animals to establish the treaty or covenant. This symbolized how serious this was, that if either party broke the covenant they could expect to die as the animals had. What is different in today's reading is that Abram didn't meet with God in the middle of the dead animals. Only God walked through the path of the sacrificed animals.  God was showing that this was a one way covenant. God was establishing it and Abram was receiving it.  God does the same thing for us in baptism!  He comes to us and brings us into the New Covenant and we, like Abram, are simply there receiving. ...

Genesis 12:1-9 Imagine God calling you to leave behind everything you know.  How difficult would that be? But that's exactly what God called Abram to do.  Abram was already 75 years old when God called him to go to a new land! But Abram trusted God and by faith he followed God's lead. The fulfillment of God's promise to Abram, that "I will make of you a great nation" was found in Abram's descendant, who was and is also God's son, the God-Man Jesus Christ!

Genesis 11:1-9 Imagine a world in which everyone spoke the same language. That was the reality before the Tower or Babel! Why did God confuse the languages of the people?  Because they were using the gift of language, a gift He had given them, to defy Him. God had commanded in Genesis 9:1, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth."  But those gathered in the land of Shinar decided to defy God's command and instead they resolved to remain there and to build a tower. The tower was to become the focal point of the society rather than the Lord being the focal point. This account causes us to ask a few questions: 1. Am I misusing any of the gifts God has given me as the people were misusing their gift of speech? 2. Is the Lord at the center of my life? Or has something else taken His place?

Genesis 9:1-17 After the flood, God allows for humans to eat plants, seeds, nuts, but also now they may eat animals and fish.  This is a reminder that human life is of more value than the lives of animals. God established a covenant with Noah and all mankind, swearing that He would never again send a world-wide flood.  What was the symbol of that promise?  A rainbow!  So every time you see a rainbow you can be reminded of the promises of God and that He always keeps His promises.

Genesis 8 It had been about a year's time for Noah and his family on the ark.  Can you imagine how relieved they were to finally leave the ark and set foot on dry land? Yet, as they looked back at the ark they were surely thankful that God had instructed Noah to build it and thankful that the ark was the means by which God had saved their lives. Did you notice the first thing Noah did after leaving the ark?  Look again at verses 20-21.  He built an altar and offered sacrifices. He worshiped and gave thanks to God! For what can you give thanks to God today?  How can you worship Him?

Genesis 7 Can you imagine being on the ark?  On a big boat with all kinds of animals with all of their sounds and smells? Noah and his family were on the ark with the animals and with one another, not just for 40 days and 40 nights, but for far longer. In fact it was about a year from the time Noah and his family entered the ark to the time they were able to leave.  Yet God kept them safe the entire time. In 1 Peter 3:18-24 , God's Word tells us that baptism saves us as Noah was saved through the flood.  Baptism brings death and new life just as in the flood there was death and new life.

Genesis 4 In Genesis 4, God is pleased with the sacrifice of Abel, but not that of Cain.  Why? (See Hebrews 11:4) Cain became angry and his anger led him to attack and kill his brother Abel.  How can we deal with our anger?  What should we do when we become angry? When God asked Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" Cain responded, "Am I my brother's keeper?"  The answer is, yes! We are our brother's keepers.  We are given the responsibility from God to look out for, protect, and care for our families.  (For children: What are some ways you can serve your family?) "The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground."  There is a wonderful line in one of our hymns that says, "Abel's blood for vengeance,  Pleaded to the skies;  But the blood of Jesus  For our pardon cries." (You can listen to a version of the hymn here ) What amazing mercy God has, that though Jesus was fully innocent, His blood cries o...

Genesis 3 God commanded that Adam and Even not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they would die. Sometimes people wonder why God put that tree in the Garden of Eden in the first place.  The answer Martin Luther gave is that this tree was like an altar for Adam and Eve.  By seeing it, but not eating of it, they were worshiping God. Each time they saw this tree, but didn't eat of the fruit, they were worshiping God by trusting that God knew what was best and putting their faith in Him. The result of Adam and Eve eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was that sin entered the world and the entire creation was warped and damaged by sin.  Sickness, depression, natural disasters, birth defects, and so many other thing are the result of sin entering the world.  But the worst of the repercussions of sin is death.  Death is the result of sin. However, God showed mercy to Adam and Eve. Though they had sinned ...

Genesis 2 Genesis 2 begins with the seventh day of creation.  Why did God rest? (see Exodus 20:8-11 ) The Third Commandment is about the Sabbath Day.  Take a moment to review the Third Commandment and the explanation . The Sabbath Day in the Old Testament was Saturday.  Can you think of another Saturday when God rested from His labors? (see Mark 15:42-47 ) Why did God create Eve? (see verse 18) This is the first marriage.  What does verse 24 tell us about marriage? The Sixth Commandment speaks about marriage.  Review the Sixth Commandment and the explanation.

Genesis 1:20-31 What was the last creature God created? (see verse 26) What is different about man than all of the other created things? In verse 26, God gives humans "dominion" over the other created things. What does this tell us about the value of human life vs. animal life? What does this tell us about the responsibility humans have in taking care of God's creation? In verse 31 it says "behold, it was very good." Because of the fall into sin, this is no longer true of the creation.  Yet there are still things in creation that are good.  What are some things that, though tainted by sin, are still good?

Genesis 1:1-19 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." From what did God create?  He created everything from nothing!  He didn't start with something and then make something else from it, but He started with nothing and by the power of His Word, He created all things! Think about (maybe even make a list) of things God created. What are some big things? What are some small things? What parts of His creation do you especially enjoy? In the first three verses of Genesis chapter 1, all three person of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) appear in the text.  Do you see that in the text? (For help, see John 1:1).