◄ Genesis Devotional Commentary ►
Genesis 1:1
The earth was created to be beautiful, with great structure and design, and it was spoken into being for a specific and wonderful purpose; for the glory of God. The earth is a profound mystery that was conceived in the heart of the eternal God. It reflects amazing precision, breath-taking complexity, and delicate intricacies.
The heights and depths of His creative abilities and the mysterious purpose behind His creation can read more...
Genesis 1:2
Genesis is the foundational book in the Word of God upon which God's revelation to man is securely fastened. He simply tells us: "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." In the beginning the eternal, omniscient, all-powerful, triune-Godhead spoke something into being from nothing. God created time, space, mass, and matter, and He anchored this unchangeable Truth in His immutable Word.
Before read more...
Genesis 1:3
In the beginning, there was God. And God spoke all of creation into being. God created ex nihilo (God created out of nothing). God spoke, and light appeared. By the power of His Word, land, air, and sea were formed out of nothing. There is power, wonder-working power in the wonderful Word of God.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." He created all things and the Word was read more...
Genesis 1:4
The Bible does not set out to prove the existence of God, it states this truth as a fact: "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." Those who choose to deny this truth identify themselves as fools. The sovereign God, Who is Creator of all and in Whom all things have their being, is the logical starting place for man's journey of redemption, as outlined in Scripture.
The eternal God was before all things. read more...
Genesis 1:8
It appears that on the first day of creation, when God made the heavens and the earth, that the earth had yet to be fashioned and formed into the beauteous orderliness that we witness today. The unformed earth, which was soon to become the home of man, was void of any inhabitants.
It appears that when the Lord made the heavens and earth on that first day of creation, the earth was encompassed around in a watery domain, for it read more...
Genesis 1:11
In the beginning, God spoke the world into being, creating time and space and matter. At first, He formed and fashioned the world by the Word of His wisdom and the greatness of His majesty, and then He filled the earth with all types of life, both animal and vegetable. And God saw all that He had done was good, very good: "For every good and perfect gifts comes from our Father above," Who alone is our Light, our life, and our hope of salvation.
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Genesis 1:14
Genesis is the book of beginnings and gives an account of the creation of time, matter, and space. It is the foundation upon which all truth stands, for it identifies God as the sole source of knowledge and the eternal Creator of all that is visible and invisible. It was on the fourth day that the Lord said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night."
It was on the read more...
Genesis 1:26
Mankind is unique within the creation, for man was made in the image and likeness of the Godhead Who speaks, thinks, wills, acts, and feels. God is Spirit. He is all-knowing, incorruptible, and invisible, while man is flesh and is clothed with a physical form, a mortal body. And yet like his Creator, man was given the ability to communicate through speech, the power to reason with his mind, the free will to make wise choices, the capacity to work, and the read more...
Genesis 1:27
The creation of man on the sixth day was the crowning point of God's creation "In the beginning" for man was made in the image and likeness of God, and everything that He had made was good - very good.
Man was made in God's image for a reason. Man was created by God to have dominion over the whole earth, over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and all animals and creeping things that moved on the face of the read more...
Genesis 1:28
Having created man in His own image and likeness on the sixth day, with a intellect, emotions, a moral nature, the ability to communicate, and a free-will to make wise choices: "God blessed them," and gave His first set of instruction to Adam and Eve, commanding them to be fruitful and multiply, and spread out across the globe, filling the earth with their offspring.
Man was also given a second command by God. He read more...
Genesis 1:29
God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. It was right at the end of day six that God formed man in His own image and likeness. He had already created all the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living creature that moved on the face of the earth - and all that God made were created according to their own kind.
Finally the Lord said, "Let us make man in our own image and likeness, read more...
Genesis 1:31
The first glorious chapter in Genesis is the foundation of Biblical truth. The plain reading of God's Word should forever silence the ignorant voices of humanistic philosophers, liberal theologians, and false religious systems. But the atheistic conclusions of fools who have said in their hearts that there is no God, and the prideful manipulations of many satanically inspired bodies who seek to discredit all that is of God, have targeted the foundational truth upon read more...
Genesis 2:1
The sublime description of God's supernatural creation in Genesis 1, introduces us to the essential fullness and the almighty power of the triune Godhead Who is seen working in harmony to bring into existence the heavens, the earth, and all that is therein.
The first verse of chapter 2 completes this chronicle of creation which displays the eternal power of the Godhead - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God saw all that He had made read more...
Genesis 2:2
In the first chapter of Genesis, we are given the broad brushstrokes of creation, from God's initial command: "Let there be light," to the creation of man: "And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him - male and female He created them."
The Lord blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. They were instructed to fill the earth and subdue it... to have read more...
Genesis 2:3
For six days, the Lord had spoken creation into being. He called forth light and separated it from the darkness, naming it day and night-time. He made the firmament in the midst of the heavens and divided the waters above from the waters below, and then He called the dry land into being.
Grass and fruit trees, green foliage, and different read more...
Genesis 2:7
During the six days of creation, we discover in Genesis chapter one that God made man in His own image and likeness, with a mind to think, emotions to feel, and a will to make choices. The man that God created was destined to rule and reign as His appointed regent over all the whole earth, in total dependence upon his God and in willing submission to his gracious Creator.
And so we read that having spoken the heaven and the earth read more...
Genesis 2:8
Genesis is the book of beginnings, and in chapter 1 we walk through the 6 days of creation. All things in heaven and earth, both visible and invisible, were created by God Who spoke the world into being by the strength of His might and the Word of His eternal power. The entire universe was created from nothing in just six days, together with God-ordained laws and natural principles. Finally, on the sixth day, God formed Man from the dust of the earth and read more...
Genesis 2:15
Each day of creation added more colour and beauty into God's perfect design, until our almighty Creator finally took some dust of the earth, and made man. He formed and fashioned it into the image and likeness of Himself. No surprise that God was satisfied with the work of His hand, and declared everything He had made was very good. And God rested on the seventh day.
The second chapter of Genesis gives greater insight into the read more...
Genesis 2:17
God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life, and Adam became a living being created in the image and likeness of Almighty God Himself.
Adam was commissioned to rule over the beautiful earth as God's vice-regent, but responsibility accompanies privilege, and obedience to God's commands was all that was required of this greatly honoured man.
Adam was given read more...
Genesis 2:18
What a beautiful picture we have of the first man who was so carefully constructed by God from the dust of the earth (that the Lord Himself had created). And having formed and fashioned the man that He had made, God breathed His own breath of life in to Adam's lifeless form, and Adam became a living being, made in the image and likeness of God with a mind to think, emotions to feel, and a will to make freewill choices.
Adam was read more...
Genesis 2:24
It was God and not man Who ordained marriage and its many blessings in the beginning. This beautiful union between a man and his wife was born out of the heart of our loving God Who bestowed marriage as a sacred ordinance upon the creation He made and the people He loved.
God made man in His own image and likeness He knew the need for fellowship and love in the life of human-kind. And so God made the first woman to be the wife, read more...
Genesis 3:1
The root of sin is pride, and the biggest lie is to question the truthfulness and dependability of God's unfailing Word. From that devastating fall of man in the idyllic garden of Eden to the final chapters of holy Scripture, we discover details of the wide-ranging repercussions of man's damning sin, and the tremendous grace that our offended God has extended towards the human race who was made in God's own image and likeness.
Genesis 3:5
Now the serpent was more devious than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made because he caused Adam and Eve to doubt God's Word. The Lord had given them dominion over the whole earth and everything in it, but instead of trusting His Word, they listened to that old serpent - called the devil and Satan. They believed an insidious lie that continues to flourish today, "you shall be like God," - you shall become godlike.
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Genesis 3:6
Early in man's history, the sad tale of 'paradise lost' is told in Genesis 3, when the shrewd serpent beguiled Eve. She allowed her mind and emotions to be manipulated by Satan who twisted the truth. She questioned the Word of God, altered it to fit her own desires, and influenced her husband, which caused sin to enter the world and man's fallen nature to impact every subsequent generation.
Everything God created was very good, read more...
Genesis 3:8
The God Who created the world is the same God Who controls the course of history. In His grace, He set in motion His plan of redemption when the man He made in His own image and likeness, sinned. In His grace, He caused holy men of God to write the Scriptures for our learning, and the first chapter of Genesis provides us with a panoramic overview of His great creative power.
Chapter 2 retells the story of creation, from a read more...
Genesis 3:15
Sin has its inevitable consequences, and the result of Adam's sin was death, separation from God, and a curse of hard labour for both the man and the woman during their life-struggle on earth.
But before the Lord pronounced his judgement on Adam and Eve and explained the long-term consequences of their wretched sin and disobedience, God spoke to the serpent who is called the devil and Satan, and who deceives the whole world.
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Genesis 3:16
Within a couple of chapters of Genesis, we see Eve desiring what was forbidden and then tempting her husband into wilful sin, and the result was not what God had planned for the man and his wife who were created in God's own image and likeness. What took place in their lives... and the lives of all their descendants, was diametrically opposite to His perfect plan for mankind.
God is holy, and sin... whether read more...
Genesis 3:17
Moses painted the beautiful picture of the seven days of creation in Genesis 1 with broad sweeps of colour and extravagant detail. The glorious tapestry of God's perfect creation was completed on the sixth day, when the Lord formed man in His own image from the dust of the earth and gave him dominion over every living thing. Everything the Lord created was good, very good, and then He rested from all His work.
It is as we read more...
Genesis 3:21
"Why does God allow so much evil and suffering?" is a question that is often asked. "Why does God let bad things happen?" is an ongoing cry. But this is often asked by sinners, who do not understand that evil and suffering is a consequence of man's sin, or believers who are trying to live by fleshly works and earn God's favour. God is the Father of mercies and Giver of all good gifts and the evil and suffering of today is an indicator of the shocking effect of read more...
Genesis 4:1
On the day that Eve was taken out of man and given to him as his helper, God gave Adam and his wife the command to be fruitful and multiply. They were charged to fill the earth and to subdue it. And although Genesis chapter 4 begins with the man and woman starting to carry out God's initial command to fill the earth with their seed, they had already fallen into sin.
Both the man and woman had disobeyed God's command not to eat of read more...
Genesis 5:1
Before the foundation of the world, God decreed that He would make man in His own image and likeness to have dominion over the earth, under the sovereign rule of God Himself. And so, God prepared a beautiful environment for His creation to enjoy.
And on the sixth day, He made man in His own image and breathed into him the breath of life. On that amazing day that God created him, man became a living being made in the image and read more...
Genesis 5:3
In the first chapter of Genesis, we read that God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them. He created them male and female and God blessed them and told them: "Be fruitful and multiply." Adam was to produce offspring that would resemble himself; his character and nature. His children were to be born in the image and likeness of their earthly father, with Adam's traits, characteristics, and nature, in the same way he had read more...
Genesis 5:24
The man that walks with God is the one that lives in close, constant, and intimate intercourse with the Father, and Enoch was such a man of God. We are left in no doubt of his final moments on earth, for the writer to the Hebrews tells us that this godly man was translated to heaven when God took him. This man was raptured into God's presence, for, "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him."
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Genesis 6:5
In the beginning, the Lord made man in His own image and likeness, yet only a few short chapters later, we see that the wickedness of man was very great upon the earth.
God made everything perfect. All that He had created was very good, yet only 10 generations after Adam sinned, we discover the shocking, moral decline of the human race, for every intent of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually and God was grieved in His heart.
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Genesis 6:8
The first six chapters of Genesis cover the span of time from Creation to the Flood. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and made man in His own image and likeness. And when He reflected on all that He had made, God saw that it was very good. But Adam made a foolish choice and instead of eating of the Tree of Life, he ate from the Tree of Knowledge, catapulting the human race headlong into sin and rebellion against their Creator-God. Sadly, only read more...
Genesis 6:9
The widespread wickedness, sin, and intermarriage between the rebellious, angelic beings and their human counterparts... together with the shocking corruption and degeneracy that engulfed the whole antediluvian world, caused all humanity to be "only evil continuously."
It is no surprise that God purposed in His heart to destroy the entire race of man, which had become completely corrupted. It is understandable that God read more...
Genesis 7:1
For over one hundred years, Noah had been building an ark to save his family from the coming great, global flood, as instructed by the Lord. God had seen the continuously escalating evil in the world and purposed in His heart to destroy every living thing from the face of the earth, because the people had become so violent and corrupted.
Noah was a righteous man who trusted the Lord and obeyed His Word, and Noah found grace in read more...
Genesis 8:22
Despite the multiplication of wickedness on the earth which deeply grieved the heart of God, we read in Genesis 6: "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord."
The Lord knows that every imagination and intention of man's heart is evil continuously from his youth. And even though He could have terminated His whole fallen creation in a single breath, God purposed in His heart to show grace to a man of faith. And so read more...
Genesis 9:13
Sin was the cause of the deluge of waters that drowned the earth in a world-wide flood so that no life remained except those that were saved in the ark. It was rebellion that caused the judgement of God to be finally poured out on a God-rejecting world who did evil continuously in His sight. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and was rescued through the judgement, until finally, God's multi-coloured-mercy came shining through the dark clouds of read more...
Genesis 10:32
God's wonderful plan of redemption and His amazing mercy and grace, beautifully unfolds within the pages of Scripture and streams through God's Word like a golden thread of hope; a scarlet stream of life-giving blood. Because of the destructive nature of sin, the Lord regretted He had made man on the earth. He was grieved in His heart because so much evil had spread throughout His created masterpiece.
Just as we reach the climatic read more...
Genesis 11:4
Following the flood but before the call of Abraham, there is a brief section in the Bible that gives significant insight into humanity's speedy demise into godlessness. It shows how Noah's descendents became scattered across the world and the reason for their distribution. It helps us understand how the nation states we know today, were originally established.
Because of their continuous wickedness, judgement fell on humanity by read more...
Genesis 12:1
Salvation in the Old and New Testaments is always given to the unworthy sinner by God's grace, through faith in His Word. Salvation is a free gift of God's grace, which comes through trusting in the incarnate Word of God Whose shed blood at Calvary paid the full and final penalty for sin: "For without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."
Abram was called from a world of lost sinners who had turned away read more...
Genesis 12:3
When the first creation failed due to Adam's sin, the Lord set in motion His pre-ordained plan for a new creation where the eternal Son of God would become the last Adam - through Whom all the families of the earth would be blessed.
He would come to earth as Emmanuel which means 'God-with-us' and He would be born into the human race as the Son of Man. The eternal Son of God would be given, by the Father, to be born as the read more...
Genesis 12:8
The call of Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 12, sets the stage for much that follows. A wealthy, pagan man living in the ungodly city of Ur, was called to leave his home and family. He was to trust an unconditional promise received from God, that he would be made into a great nation. The Lord promised to provide for him, protect him from his enemies, make his name great, bless him abundantly, and cause him to be a great blessing to all the families of the earth.
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Genesis 13:15
God created the world to show us His glory and provide a beautiful place for His creation. Everything the Lord made was good. He formed man in His own image and likeness, and he and his progeny were to learn about the Lord and His love for us. We were to trust His Word, enjoy an intimate relationship with Him, and be His ambassadors on earth. But Adam (the federal head of humanity) sinned, and God's amazing plan of redemption for mankind and the cursed earth read more...
Genesis 14:18
After Abraham's great victory in rescuing his nephew from his captors and rejecting the king of Sodom's sly, but tempting offer, we are introduced to an intriguing individual called Melchizedek, which means 'king of Righteousness'. He was no ordinary person for he was 'El Elyon, Priest of the most High God'. But he also had the title 'king of Peace' for we read: "Melchizedek was the king of Salem."
Melchizedek read more...
Genesis 14:19
Melchizedek was king of Righteousness and king of Peace, and he was also priest of God Most High. It was as Abram was returning from his victory over a group of rebellious pagan kings who had kidnapped his nephew Lot, that Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine.
Melchizedek is a most beautiful symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the true King of Righteousness, the only King of Peace, and Great High Priest of the read more...
Genesis 14:20
After defeating Chedorlaomer and the rebellious kings who were with him, and having rescued his nephew Lot and recovered all the spoils of war, which had been stolen from Sodom and the other cities of the plain, Abram returned and was met by two individuals; the wicked king of Sodom and the godly Melchizedek (king of Salem and priest of the Most High God).
Abram was confronted with a choice: would he remain God's faithful servant, read more...
Genesis 15:1
Abram is given a wonderful vision from the Lord in this verse, Who promised, "I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great." It is in this chapter that Abram enters into the most far-reaching covenant with the Lord. However, to appreciate the greater significance of this verse, it is necessary to understand the context of the whole passage, for we read: "After these things the Word of the LORD came to Abram in a read more...
Genesis 15:6
Abraham is often called the father of faith because: "Abram believed God, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." Abram had been a pagan man in a heathen land, living in an idolatrous society when God called him. In chapter 12, we read that he immediately left his home and family roots and set out to a land that the Lord would show him... where God would not only bless him but that through him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. And so, read more...
Genesis 17:1
Little by little throughout Scripture, God gently and gradually unveils His gracious character and His eternal attributes, first to one person and then to another. To David, God proved Himself to be his Shepherd. To Hagar, God was revealed as the all-seeing One. He became a Banner and Standard to the wandering Israelites in the wilderness, and to the frightened Gideon He became Shalom, the Lord is my Peace.
There was one occasion read more...
Genesis 17:5
Sometimes we forget that Abraham, that great man of faith, was named Abram for much of his life. It was not until he reached a certain point along life's spiritual journey of faith, that the Lord changed his name from Abram to Abraham. He was 99 years old when the Lord told him, "No longer shall your name be called Abram. Your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations."
Over 20 read more...
Genesis 18:2
When man sinned and lost his sovereign authority over earth, God's foreordained programme of redemption began to unfold. The Seed of the woman Who would crush the serpent's head and triumph over sin and death, passed silently through Seth and Enoch to Noah and his son Shem.
Following the watery judgements of the worldwide flood and the confusion that halted the building of the satanic tower of Babel, God chose one man through whom read more...
Genesis 18:3
Genesis chapter 18 opens with a most unusual occurrence. Abraham was sitting in the door of his tent in the heat of the day, when he saw three men standing opposite him. It seems he was snoozing in the midday sun for we read, "When Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them." Then we read that Abraham, read more...
Genesis 18:17
God chose one man out of the great sea of humanity to carry forward His plan of redemption. The Seed of the woman, Who would crush the Serpents head had already travelled through Seth and Enoch, Noah and Shem. But the Lord chose Abram, a pagan from the city of Ur, to become Abraham - the federal head of His chosen nation, through whose Seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed.
Abraham was justified in God's eyes when read more...
Genesis 18:25
Wickedness in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, had reached such depths of depravity that sin had to be punished. Judgement had to fall.
Because Abraham was the 'friend of God', he was given special revelation about the imminent destruction of the wicked cities on the plain. This servant of God was prompted to intercede on behalf of the righteous people there and he pleaded for the Lord to deal fairly with them.
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Genesis 22:1
The Lord called a man named Abram out of the land of Ur-of-the-Chaldees, and promised to lead him into a land flowing with milk and honey. This man believed God and left his home, not knowing where he was going, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness by the Lord.
Much took place following that special time, when God took one man of faith out of the sea of humanity. He purposed that through this one man would come the read more...
Genesis 22:2
Abraham was to be the man through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed. God promised to bless those who blessed him and to curse those who cursed him. Abraham was to be the father of many nations, and he was also told that through him, the promised, supernatural Seed of God would come.
It would be through this Seed, that all the families of the earth would be blessed. He was to be the promised Saviour, Who would read more...
Genesis 22:3
Abram trusted God to bring him into a land flowing with milk and honey. He believed God would give him the son of promise, make him into a great nation, and that through his Seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Abram believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. God gave him a new name and was with him. But decades passed, and God wanted to test his servant, Abraham, so God said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you read more...
Genesis 22:6
There is no more beautiful, yet poignant foreshadowing of the sacrificial death of God's dearly beloved Son on Calvary's Cross, than this scene in Genesis 22.
Earlier, Abraham had received the horrifying instruction from the Lord to, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love... and offer him as a burnt offering." He was to do this in a certain place of which God would tell him.
No doubt, we can all imagine the anguish of heart read more...
Genesis 22:7
There is perhaps no more poignant picture of the sacrificial Lamb of God, than the beautiful portrayal of Abraham, the heart-sick father walking alone with his beloved son, Isaac, as they trudged together up the slopes of Mount Moriah.
Only a few verses earlier, we read how Abraham had been called by the Lord: "Take now your read more...
Genesis 22:9
From the day the Lord called Abraham to leave his family and his hometown of Ur and go and settle in a distant land that God promised to give him as an inheritance, to the day he obeyed His command to take his beloved son to a particular mountain and offer him to the Lord as a burnt offering, Abraham's faith in God was sorely tested in many ways.
With each successive test of faith, the trial presented different challenges, and read more...
Genesis 22:14
Perhaps the most beautiful and poignant name of God is the one that the Lord gave to Abraham when he and his son Isaac were travelling to the place where God had called him to offer his beloved son as a sacrifice, in obedience to God's command: "Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, 'Father?' 'Yes, my son?' Abraham replied. 'The fire and wood are here,' Isaac said, 'but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?' Abraham answered, 'God himself read more...
Genesis 22:18
God made a covenant with Abraham back in Genesis 15, when the Lord asked him to leave his homeland and family and go to a land that He would show him. He also promised him a son and heir, who would come from his own body, and his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. Abraham believed God, and what joy and laughter he experienced when, twenty-five years later, his baby son, Issac, was born to Sarah. However, in chapter 22 we read that the Lord tested read more...
Genesis 24:14
Abraham knew that God's promised Seed, Who was to crush the serpent's head and release humanity from slavery to sin, was to come through Isaac, his own precious child of promise. Isaac had been born to Sarah, his elderly wife, when Abraham was 100 years old and he knew the importance of finding his beloved son a virtuous wife, of God's choosing. And so he sent his most trusted servant to pick a wife from the daughters of his own kinsmen, in the land of read more...
Genesis 25:23
Abraham lived to the ripe old age of 175 and was buried alongside his wife, Sarah, in the cave he purchased from Machpelah. Although he had many other children by his second wife, Keturah, and all were well provided for materially, Abraham made sure they were all sent far away from the land that God had promised to His Seed, through Isaac - his unique son of promise.
Isaac had been blessed to be united in marriage to his read more...
Genesis 27:7
So much in the family of Abraham and the nation of Israel is used by God to teach us lessons on living a sanctified life that is honouring to Him, while highlighting many fleshly behaviours and carnal attitudes we should avoid. These same historical accounts also demonstrate the gracious character of our long-suffering Lord, as He unfolds His wonderful plan of salvation and reminds us all, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and trusting His read more...
Genesis 27:29
Isaac thought he was about to die and decided it was time to put his house in order, by declaring his last will and testament. From the time of their birth, Isaac had always favoured Esau, his older son, over his twin brother, Jacob. Esau was a manly individual who had exceptional hunting skills and often prepared the most delicious dishes with the wild game he caught and killed. Yes, Isaac favoured Esau over Jacob and determined to give him his blessing.
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Genesis 27:30
Before the birth of their twins, Isaac's wife, Rebekah, earnestly sought the Lord in prayer and was informed by God that two nations were growing in her womb and her babies would become two people groups. The Lord continued to tell her that one of the nations would be stronger than the other, but that the firstborn would be subservient to his younger sibling: "The older shall serve the younger,” was God's clear directive in his answer to read more...
Genesis 28:15
What heartening encouragement is given to every child of God, as we are reminded so emphatically that the Lord of God cares for us and watches over us no matter where we go or what we do. What a great comfort it is to discover that He will be with us always and will certainly fulfil every promise and pledge that He has purposed towards us: "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go," is God's promise to His servant Jacob, "Behold, I read more...
Genesis 28:20
Jacob was chosen by the Lord to be one of the great patriarchs of Israel but throughout his life, God had to teach Jacob many lessons before he could be changed from being a carnal man into the spiritual 'prince with God' that he became. Jacob had to learn to trust God in every eventuality of life. He needed to believe that God was his Provider, and that He was well able to fulfil His Word.
From the beginning, Jacob proved read more...
Genesis 32:26
Jacob had lived for many years working for his uncle Laban. He had married wives and raised a family of eleven sons as well as daughters, but a grumbling hostility had erected a barrier between Jacob and his in-laws. At last, a day came when, prompted by the Holy Spirit of God, Jacob decided to return to his homeland and determined to make reconciliation with his estranged brother, Esau, who had vowed to kill him over 20 years earlier. And so we read that Jacob read more...
Genesis 32:28
Until Jacob wrestled with God 'face to face', he was serving the Lord in his own strength and on his own terms. He wanted God's blessing and coveted the birthright given to his father, Abraham. He wanted to be the one through whom God's promised Saviour was to be born. Oh, Jacob wanted the advantages of being God's chosen servant through whom Abraham's Seed would pass, without being accountable to Him. He wanted the blessings of God without undertaking his read more...
Genesis 37:3
Joseph was one of Jacob's many sons, and being Rachel's firstborn son and "the son of his old age," he was his father's favourite. We read that his father loved Joseph more than all his sons because Joseph was a son born to Jacob when he was an older man. "The son of his old age," is sometimes interpreted to signify that Joseph was a wise young man or 'a son of wisdom'. Throughout his life, Joseph demonstrated maturity that was far beyond his read more...
Genesis 37:9
Jacob had many sons, from four different women, but it was a troubled family and significant rivalry developed between the wives and the siblings - and Jacob's favourite son was Joseph. As the child of his old age and the son born to Rachel, his best-loved wife, Joseph was given many privileges which caused his half brothers to become increasingly jealous of him. Not only was Joseph awarded many concessions from Jacob, due to his age, but his father showered him read more...
Genesis 41:40
Joseph had been falsely accused by his master's wife, unjustly convicted, and wrongfully imprisoned for supposed sexual impropriety, but Joseph acted with grace, prudence, and poise, and the Lord was with him throughout his ordeal. God granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden, who placed him in authority over the other prisoners during his time in prison, and the Lord made everything that Joseph did to be successful.
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Genesis 49:10
The book of Genesis contains many blessings and promises, as well as some curses and punishment. In the previous few chapters, we see Jacob giving out some significant blessings and promises, as well as delivering some hard penalties for ungodly behaviour.
Having blessed Pharoah in chapter 47 and Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, in chapter 48, we arrive at chapter 49, where the old patriarch blesses each one of his twelve read more...
Genesis 50:20
It was probably jealousy that caused Joseph's brothers to treat him so cruelly, throwing him into a deep pit and finally selling him into slavery, causing his father such deep pain. But God in His wisdom, turned a most heinous crime into the most beautiful story, culminating in a glorious finale. God in His foreknowledge, knew all that was to take place in the life of Joseph long before he was born, and God prepared the way for the brutish, bullying behaviour of read more...