Welcome to Genesis – Week 5
This week we will add our last verse to the Endurance section. As you memorize the new verse, don’t forget to keep reviewing the first verses.
This week’s verse is from Genesis 50:19-20 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
2 Timothy 2:22 (NASB) Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
1 Peter 3:5-6 This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.
Genesis 18:14 “Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
Genesis 4:7 “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
Each week there will be Daily Reading from the Bible to help you with your Flexibility. With that there will be a Daily Thinking point to help you with your Strength. Each day will end with a prayer to help you in your Cardio training. Enjoy your time with God.
Day 29 – The Test
PART 1 – Flexibility Training – Reading
Read Genesis 43-44
PART 2 – Strength Training – Thinking & Memorizing
What must that have been like for the brothers? All these years living with the reality of having sold their brother into slavery, seeing the dreadful impact it had on their father, seeing also the youngest brother treasured all the more than Joseph had been. Now, with the survival of the family resting on that one brother showing up with them the next time they applied for food, not to mention getting poor Simeon out of the Egyptian prison, yet father still refuses to let baby bro go, how heavy everything must have sat upon them.
It seemed that Jacob was going to continue to refuse permission for Benjamin to go with the brothers to Egypt. But with the famine continuing with no relief in sight, Jacob was finally convinced that he must let Benjamin go.
As Joseph knew they must, his brothers finally showed up with Benjamin. He made it seem as if everything was okay before springing the true test of his brothers: would they allow evil to befall Benjamin just as they had intentionally let evil happen to Joseph? Here is where Judah truly shines as the leader of the brothers. He is the one who had guaranteed Benjamin’s safe return. He was the one who took responsibility for the horrible fix in which they inexplicably found themselves. What’s more, Judah seemed to take the whole situation as God’s payment for their treatment of Joseph. And Joseph finally knew the answer he had been wondering about all those years.
PART 3 – Cardio Training – Prayer
Father, as we look back over the events of our lives, help us take the actions that must be taken to bring reconciliation to our relationships, as much as it counts on us. In those places we have done bad things to others, help us to change our actions and ask for forgiveness. In those places in which bad things have been done to us, help us to forgive those who wronged us and give us wisdom with whether or not we should trust them again.
Day 30 – Reunion
PART 1 – Flexibility Training – Reading
Read Genesis 48
PART 2 – Strength Training – Thinking & Memorizing
The brothers must have told others (and themselves) the story of Joseph’s death for so long now that they actually believed him dead. How could he have survived all these years? What a shock it must have been to see the great man who had spoken so harshly to them, and through a translator, speaking their language and telling them he was Joseph.
And how their hearts must have dropped at the thought of how they had treated him all those years ago, even to selling him into slavery. Surely a man does not forget that and plots vengeance with every day. Sure, he said he had forgive them, but how could he?
Another heart dropping thought must have been, now we have to tell dad the truth.
PART 3 – Cardio Training – Prayer
Father, give us the courage to confront those who have sinned against us, and to confront them in love and compassion, even as Joseph did. As we prayed yesterday, help us take the steps toward restoring our relationships. Where we must make amends, in humility, let us do all we can to make things right. If there are things we must confess about past deeds, such as the brothers had to confess when telling their father Joseph was still alive, let us face that confession with courage and not hide behind excuses or blaming others. When others come to us confessing past misdeeds, help us to to truly forgive them even as Joseph forgave his brothers – even as You have forgiven us.
Day 31 – Endings
PART 1 & 2 – Flexibility & Strength Training – Reading & Thinking
As we reach the end of the lives of the Patriarchs, we first say goodbye to Jacob:
Genesis 49:29-33 Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.” When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
Just when we think all the loose ends have been tied up, we find the brothers are still worried about what sort of man Joseph truly is. They fear he has been pretending to be a righteous man all these years and that now that their father is gone, he will show his true and ugly colors.
Now read Genesis 50.
Joseph was truly a godly man and his brothers’ fear grieved him greatly. But he spoke to them “gently” and reassured them he harbored no ill-will, that his faith was in God who made everything work out as it should, no matter the motivations his brothers had had all those years ago.
PART 3 – Cardio Training – Prayer
Father, help us to be ready for the end of our lives and the lives of those dear to us. Help us clear the air and restore relationships. Help us to put our trust in You above all. Others will let us down and fail us, but You will not. You have said that nothing can separate us from Your love. Because You love us without ceasing, help us to extend that love to others. Because You have forgiven us, help us to forgive others. Because You have set us apart, as You set apart Abraham and his family, help us to live lives worthy of Your Name. Help us to be godly people who do what is right and flee evil, who trust that You will bring even the most horrible events and betrayals into good.
Faith Gym 