Welcome to the “But first, Bible” daily devotional podcast with Dave Miers.
Today we are hearing God speak to us from Genesis 36-37 and Matthew 12:1-21.
Back in Genesis 25 we were first introduced to Jacob and Esau.
Twins born to Isaac and Rebekah. Esau was the first one out of the womb, and yet he ended up selling all the benefits that come with being the first born to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew. It was always part of God’s plans that his promises would be fulfilled through Jacob and not Esau.
Genesis 36 lists the descendants of Esau in a fairly non-eventful way. We don’t know too much about most of the names listed in his family. His descendants – the Edomites – will make further appearances through the Old Testament and the Prophets… but for the sake of God fulfilling his promises, we are going to zoom right in on the action with Jacob’s family tree.
By the time we arrive in Genesis 37, Jacob is now getting on in years, and the narrative will slow down on his 12 sons who become the 12 tribes of Israel.
A quick recap on who they were is back at the end of Genesis 35…
[22] …Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. [23] The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. [24] The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. [25] The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. [26] The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. (ESV)
Genesis 37 through to the end of Genesis will look at their generation.
Look at the location of Jacob and his family…
[1] Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. (ESV)
Canaan was the land promised to Abraham, so we now have a partial fulfilment of God’s promises to Abraham from Genesis 12.
Genesis 37 gives us an insight into the family dynamics. As we’ve already noted… this is a messy family!
In it we see that Jacob’s favourite son is Joseph.
Joseph is gifted by his father with a sweat jacket.
Joseph is gifted by the LORD with powerful dreams.
Both being his father’s favourite and getting these dreams doesn’t go too well for Joseph. They hate him. They plot to kill him. They decide not to kill him. But throw him in a pit. And then sell him for 20 shekels of silver to slave traders who then take him off into Egypt. They tell Jacob that Joseph has been devoured by animals. Jacob mourns.
It’s action packed drama!
Now, I want to give you a little clue, not just for understanding Genesis 37, but for the rest of Genesis.
As important as Joseph will become, the main character in these chapters is God.
We will see two things play out for the rest of the book:
- Human Responsibility
- God’s Sovereignty
There are some wicked things that have already taken place that humans are responsible for. Including the brothers selling Joseph into slavery. But behind the scenes we know that our main character God is sovereign and in control. He is at work to bring about his promises even in the midst of the dramatic family dynamics of Jacobs kids and human evil.
So as you continue to read Genesis over the next week, keep an eye out for the clues that show us how God is graciously at work to fulfil his promises.
Brothers and sisters… likewise, take heart knowing that God continues to be at work in all situations. Let me conclude with
[28] And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (ESV)
Until tomorrow, keep trusting Jesus.