Beloved, the dusty road is an ice road now. Rain with cold temperatures turns sleet into ice. I came to Springfield to stay and my sweet friend’s son fell on the ice. Of course, I didn’t bring my snow-shoes, I have my shoes but not my snow boots. My sweet friend needs your prayers she is healing from surgery.
Verse
Disaster entraps sinners, but God-loyal people get a good life. Proverbs 13:21
Word
Our word is disaster–a sudden event, such as an accident or a natural catastrophe, that causes great damage or loss of life. The word disaster is in the Bible 123 times.
In addition to our verse above, here is one in Psalm,
He made their days end in futility, their years in sudden disaster. Psalm 78: 33
This is the last entry for the book of Genesis and as we start reading Job and God allowed a disaster to occur which we will be reading. in the book of Job.
Is there injustice on my tongue or can my palate not taste disastrous? Job 6:30
Thoughts
Sweet friends, my blog went into a draft mode, so the blog I wrote covered up to Genesis 40.
Genesis 41 Joseph is in prison–Pharoah has a dream– cupbearer remembers Joseph, Joseph is liberated. Joseph is thirty years old when he enters service of Pharaoh. Jesus is thirty years old when He started his journey. I’ve never seen this before. Genesis 41:46,
Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.
Genesis 42, God orchestrates the reunion. Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to get grain, Joseph recognizes them and treats them poorly like spies, they return to Jacob in a sense of impending doom, heeding the warning.
Genesis 43 Jacob tells his sons to go back to get grain, but the sons tell him, they have to take Benjamin. Joseph has them brought to his house and he feeds them–sees his brother Benjamin.
Genesis 44 Joseph sets a trap, bags filled with grain, money returned, and the house silver. In this chapter we see a passionate plea from Judah, he rallies for his little brother unlike he did for Joseph, He states impactfully, “My elderly father will not endure another loss of a child.”
Genesis 45 Joseph can no longer keep up the ruse, he tells them who he is. Jacob determines to see his son before he dies.
Genesis 46 Israel with all he came to Beersheba, Jacob left Beersheba and with all their belongings they traveled to Egypt. Joseph prepared a place for them in Goshen.
Genesis 47 Joseph is the administrator of the severe drought. He settles his family in Goshen, introduces them to Pharaoh, and the people listen to him.
Genesis 48 Jacob blesses Joseph’s son but gives the younger son the older one’s blessing.
Genesis 49 Jacob reviews what will happen with his sons, Joseph is a fruit vine, and Judah a lion, the lion of Judah.
Genesis 50 Jacob dies and Joseph requests to bury him. Then the most powerful verses happen on forgiveness. Genesis 50: 15-21,
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”
16 So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: 17 ‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin—the suffering they caused you.’ Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when their message came to him. 18 His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people. 21 Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.[b]
Sorry to cover so much, in one blog, today we read Job 1-5.
Take away
Genesis is the setting of creation, covenants, and powerful lessons in life. Our journey is just beginning, as we read the Bible chronically together. I’ve learned to walk in for forgiveness and to keep a short list of wrongs.
Prayer
Father God, I admit that the event I’ve read about seems so distant but yet so relevant. We don’t have to be on the sin coaster, we can identify our triggers. Father God some may struggle with the little white lie? others struggle with unforgiveness, and holding a grudge, some may struggle with smoking or drugs, others it may be overeating. Lord, let us sin, confess, resist, stop! May I just say Lord, for me, I overeat the food that I don’t need. I have a sweet tooth for an evening or two or three. Lord, for the mom who is struggling with the child who has attention deficit disorder, give her a measure of peace on her dusty road. Give us safety on our icy roads. Lord I pray for no disaster to happen to us. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
