Genesis 32 – Jacob wrestles with God and his new name is given: Israel. Jacob and his family approach Esau. Esau embraces Jacob and peace is established.
Matthew 11- Jesus validates who John is, a prophet of the Messiah. In verse 18, Jesus calls out the duplicity of thoughts : “For John came neither eating nor drinking and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
The cities that His mightiest acts were accomplished will be held most culpable. Isn’t it the same for us? Luke 12:48 “For those to whom much has been given, much will be required…”
The general editor writes on p. 54 “Is it not true that we are often afraid to do God’s will, thinking it will rob us of pleasure, peace, and joy, only to find that submitting to God’s will is the only way to really achieve the rest we desire?” This reminds me a lot of what Matthew wrote in week 2, about sacrificing for God and having our futures be blessed!
Matthew 12- The Pharisees (who, personally, I find myself identifying with the most right now) are so concerned with the laws that they cannot comprehend who Jesus is or how he could be greater than man-made laws. Jesus restores a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath and the Pharisees begin plotting to destroy him.
Genesis 37- The story of Joseph begins. He shares his dreams with his brothers, who become jealous and sell him to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver. Potiphar, captain of the guards, purchases Joseph.
Genesis 38- Judah is crazy! This is just another time we are shown in the Old Testament how desperately we are in need of a savior.
Matthew 12- Jesus warns the doubting Pharisees to be cautious about their hypocritical thoughts. (I am sensing a trend here…) In verse 34, he calls them out directly “You brood of vipers! how can you speak good things when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” This reminds me to be constantly checking the fruits of my actions and words to be certain that I am on the right track.
Jesus tells the parables about a sower who plants lavishly. In verse 36, the crowds leave and his disciples approach him and ask for an explanation of the parable of the weeds of the field. This is endearing to me for a number of reasons. First, they were RIGHT THERE with Jesus and still did not completely understand! This makes me feel like I can be a smidge more gentle with myself as we approach some of these verses that are more difficult to comprehend. Second, they immediately went to Jesus in private to ask for clarification. Instead of going out into the world and preaching something they did not totally understand, they sought complete knowledge…another good self-check for me. Third, Jesus response wasn’t even the slightest bit upset- he broke it down for them, piece by piece, instructing them to perfection.
Genesis 39- Joseph refuses the advances of Potiphar’s wife and gets thrown in jail after she lies. God interprets the butler’s and chief baker’s dreams correctly through Joseph.
Psalm 18- The Lord is my rock…how do I respond in times of trouble, especially when I feel alone? Do I mean these words when I pray them? When I instruct my children to lean on God as their Rock, a refuge, do I trust God like that? Is my fortress the first place I turn?
Genesis 42 continues with Joseph who is now in a position of authority, having interpreted the Pharaoh’s dreams correctly and truly saving the land from famine. Jacob sends his sons to Egypt for food, and in a miraculous turn of events, Joseph is confronted by his past and makes a beautiful, merciful statement. Joseph reveals himself to his family and says to them in Genesis 45:8 “So it was not you who sent me here but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” He gives glory to God for everything, even sins committed against him, realizing that all of this needed to take place!
Matthew 14- Miracle of the loaves and fish. Jesus walks on water. Peter, the future first pope, shows his fear and lack of faith when walking on the water towards Jesus. As he is saved from sinking, Jesus asks him why he still doubts. The reading ends with other people from the area showing GREAT faith, by only desiring to touch the fringe of his garment for healing.
The message for me this week is to trust in the process and KEEP FAITH. God is working, even (and especially) in my darkest days.
The Journey Begins 
Annie, you are very gifted with words! I agree so much with your take away this week….trust the process and have faith. I always find myself questioning and doubting God’s plan when things start going off the rails. “God, I thought this was your plan for me? Why is this road so much harder than the other?” I can’t think of in innumerable ways that you and Matt have been tested in the last year. God’s plan for us my not always be the easiest, but when you arrive at the destination God has for you, there is always peace. On the same hand, I usually know it’s God’s plan when the devil tries to tempt me to the easy road.
I always joke that when I have a plan, God laughs and says, “yeah…watch this!”
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Anne, I love your summary. You are such a gifted writer. One thought that has been repeated over and over in my personal studies and readings lately has to do with your comment about how Joseph gives glory to God, even sins committed against him. I’ve created my own problem by reading too many books at once, so that I don’t know which one pointed out this profound thought, but it is this….. God is in everything. Every moment of my life. He’s not down at Burger King waiting for me to call on Him when I need Him. He is here with me now. I am learning to live in the moment. When good things happen, I can thank God. However, when bad things happen, I need to stop complaining about them. If God is in the good things, but allows the bad things even though He didn’t cause them, then He had an amazing reason for doing that. That is a difficult task. I mean, what if one of my children got in a bad accident? Should I thank God for allowing that because He has something better down the road? Yeah. That’s hard, but I’m just being human. God knows way more than me. I cannot put him in a box of human understanding. So….Joseph, in his wisdom, sees God’s grace and love and does not blame his brothers for what they did to him. He sees the results and realizes that God was in this the whole time. Joseph was a truly amazing, Godly man!
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Thanks for your summary Annie. I really enjoyed reading all of Genesis from beginning to end. So much drama. Joseph’s example is so powerful. He could have become terribly resentful and vengeful after he was sold into slavery by his family and as he was imprisoned for something he didn’t do. He could have decided that God had abandoned him or that there was no God. But somehow he comes out of it with a patient, loving heart. He forgives. He blesses. He thrives. When I struggle with life I get pretty mad at God, and I usually let Him hear all about it. Thank you God for being patient with me, for putting up worth my nonsense, for setting me up for eternal joy with You in heaven. Pease help me to always trust in You.
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