Today’s verse for Blogging Through The Bible in 2020 brings us to a controversial topic. Though I will say that it is only controversial if we choose to believe that there is only one right answer to the question. The question is, who hardened Pharaoh’s heart? Was it God? Was it Pharaoh? Ultimately this comes down to a question of is God sovereign or does man have what is often referred to as free-will? So, let’s look at the text. Exodus 7:3 says, “And I (God) will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My sign and My wonders in the land of Egypt.”

Some might be wondering why bring up such a controversial topic here? I believe it is important to discuss topics like this, because they relate to so much of our life. While this text is specifically talking about what God was going to do in Egypt in accomplishing His plan to free Israel from slavery; this issue extends further than that. It plays into the saving of people from their sin, as well as, who is responsible for the decisions we make and who is to blame for the mess we see in the world. This is not going to be a full treatment of the texts involved in this, but I hope by the end we can see a clearer answer, and better understand ourselves and the world around us. The context here is God is speaking to Moses, telling Moses what He is going to do in order to liberate Israel from their slavery in Egypt. God is being patient with Moses and his excuses, by reminding Moses that He is going to be with him. In the text, God is declaring what is going to happen. It is important to see the wording of the text. God said, “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart”, not “I have hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” Therefore, this is God declaring what is going to happen down the road, not at this precise moment. This is important, because that helps us to make sense of verses like Exodus 7:13-14, 22 and Exodus 8:15 which says, “But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord had said.” That verse makes it very clear that Pharaoh played a role in the hardening of his own heart. All in all, there are 10 verses that speak of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart, and there are 10 verses that speak of Pharaoh hardening his own heart. So, what does this mean for us?

In one aspect it means that we are responsible for the decisions that we make. That is why I prefer the phrase “man’s responsibility” instead of the term “free-will.” In our society today, there are many who want to play the victim all the time. It is never their fault, someone else always did it or did something that “made” them do what they did. Any parent who has multiple children knows this all too well. I always say the two most popular children in our house are “somebody” and “nobody.” Somebody did something, but nobody knows who. The Bible shows us over and over that we are responsible for our decisions. On the other hand, these texts also show us that God is sovereign, which means He is in control. This is one of the main reasons that God told Moses what was going to happen with Pharaoh before it happened. God was trying to reassure Moses that not only was He with Moses, but that He knew what was going to happen, and He had a plan to handle it. God’s sovereignty should be one of the most comforting things for us to know. Because if someone isn’t in control, and if someone doesn’t know what is coming next, and how to make something good out of all the bad can you imagine how much worse life would be? We would walk around in constant fear of the danger that we believe is lurking around every corner. However, when I remember that God is in control, and that He can make something good out of something terrible; then, I don’t have to be afraid of what’s coming next. I can lay my head down at night and sleep well, knowing that I don’t have to have all the answers nor do I have to figure it all out. I can place my heart and my life in God’s control and know that there is no better place to be than in God’s control. There is no better place because as I read the Bible I see that God is loving, kind, merciful, gracious, forgiving, and just among other things. He is a good Father who wants the best for His children. Oftentimes, the reason we struggle with God’s sovereignty is it allows for bad things to happen in life. Does this mean that God condones evil or sin? Absolutely not! But it does mean that He can use what others mean for bad, and bring something good out of it. We certainly saw that in the case of Joseph back in Genesis. The ultimate example of this is the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus was treated horribly, and unjustly condemned to die. However, because of Jesus’ death, sinners can be reconciled to God. But our common retort when something bad happens to us it “that’s not fair.” And this is something we must reconcile in our minds. The Bible says that God is just, it doesn’t say anything about fair. Fair has its basis as equality. If you get something good, then I deserve something good. If I do good, then good should come back to me. However, justice has as its basis, what is right. God being just means that He does the right thing, the right way, at the right time, for the right reason. That can work itself out very differently that fairness. Was it fair that Jesus was lied about? Was it fair that Jesus was mocked, spit on, beaten, and crucified even though they could never prove He did anything worthy of any punishment? By the way, they couldn’t prove it, because He didn’t do it. None of that was fair. But what if we applied God’s sense of justice to the situation? No it wasn’t fair that Jesus went through all of that, but had it not happened, you and I would stand zero chance of being forgiven for our sins and having a relationship with God. In God’s justice, it was not only right for Jesus to suffer for mankind’s sin, but it was necessary in order for us to have an opportunity to be saved.

I apologize that this post is long. I wanted to keep it as brief as possible. But I want to close this week’s posts with two important thoughts on this difficult issue. First, we must trust God. When you can’t see or understand what He is doing, trust who He is. Second, instead of focusing on what you don’t know or don’t understand; let’s focus on obeying what we do know God wants us to do. Have a great day and weekend, and we will be back here next week.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

As we continue to travel through the opening of the book of Exodus, we come today to Exodus 4. Exodus 4:10 says, “Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘O my Lord, I am not eloquent neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.'”

I thought about titling today’s post, God Sure Does Have a Sense of Humor. I thought about that title, because I certainly can identify with Moses. When I look at my personality and my strengths, they seem to pale in comparison to my weaknesses for the job I hold. Here in our text, God is still talking to Moses at the bush that got Moses’ attention back in Exodus 3. God has graciously revealed His plan to Moses, and how God was going to use Moses to accomplish His plan. On top of this, God even showed Moses three different signs that he could perform in front of the people, in order to convince the people that God was indeed talking to Moses. Most people would be thrilled to have God talk to them, and give them a fairly detailed plan of what He was going to do, and how He was going to use them. However, instead of being excited, Moses is frightened. Instead of focusing on the power of God that he has seen firsthand, Moses is focusing on his own limitations. How often are you and I guilty of doing the same thing?

The main takeaway from this passage is this, it’s not about us, it’s about God. As the psalmist wrote in Psalm 115:1, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth.” We could sum it up this way, the only ability that God is interested when it comes to you and I is our availability. God isn’t looking for the best, the brightest, the smartest, the greatest orator, and such. The apostle Paul hammers this point home in 1 Corinthians 1:27 when he writes, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” God isn’t interested in what we can do for Him. He knows that if it was about what we could do for Him, then we would rob Him of the praise, honor, and glory that belong only to Him. Therefore, He calls us out of our comfort zone. He leads us out of the shallow end of the pool, not to destroy us or embarrass us because of our inabilities. Rather, He does it to reveal His power and that His grace is sufficient. I don’t know what God is saying to you today. I don’t know what He is calling you to do. But I do know this, our only appropriate response when God calls is prompt obedience. I also understand that sometimes that can be scary. When you are tempted to fear, just remember, as a child of God, God is with you, and it is His power and His abilities that will perform the task He has called you to. It’s not about our abilities, it is about our availability. Will you respond to Him today?

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

In today’s post we are going to be introduced to Moses. He is going to be the man used by God to continue the story of redemption that will ultimately be fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament. Our verse today comes from Exodus 2:12, “So he (Moses) looked this way, and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptians and hid him in the sand.”

God has shown His supernatural care and preservation for the Hebrews in the story of the birth and raising of Moses. Moses was raised as an Egyptian, yet he still loved his people, the Hebrews. We see his love for them in his actions in our verse, but we also see a man who had an anger problem. Moses looked to the left and to the right, but he didn’t look up. He either didn’t know, didn’t remember, or maybe didn’t even care that God saw and sees everything. This action put Moses in an unique position to write later in the Law these words, “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23). Jesus said something similar in Luke 8:17, “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” Those verses should certainly give us reason to pause and consider the things that we are about to say or do.

The main takeaway from this text this morning is the fact that God is all-knowing. In just the next verse in the story in Exodus, Moses finds out that someone did in fact see what he did. I think about this as it relates to our technological age, especially in the realm of social media. Today, people have no problem going onto social media and typing out whatever comes to mind. They are oblivious to the potential ramifications that it can have on their life. They naively believe that they can simply delete a tweet or a post, and no one will know. Of course, many have learned the hard way that you can’t really delete something off of the internet. Once it is out there, it is out there for the world to see and to consume. And what many people don’t realize until it is too late is since you put it out there publicly, there is no expectation of privacy; therefore, a potential employer can use it as part of their decision to hire or not hire you. Another takeaway from this story is once again the sovereignty of God. God is able to use anything and anyone to accomplish His plan. Does this mean that God condones sinful behavior such as Moses exhibited? Absolutely not! God was going to use Moses to accomplish His purpose for the nation of Israel. The problem was, God had to work on Moses first to prepare him to be the man he needed to be. The same is true for you and I. God uses trials and difficulties in life to empty us of ourselves, in order to prepare us for His purpose. Therefore, we need to learn to look at troubles in life from the perspective that God is revealing something about us to us, and He is using the troubles to prepare us for His purpose and His glory.

I think one of the biggest ways that we should pray about this text is that we would learn to not give in to our natural desire to please others, but rather that we would give ourselves over to being used for God’s glory in accomplishing His will. We all have that sinful nature that seeks to preserve ourselves, which often leads us to take the path of least resistance. However, we will never become the man or woman of God we are created to be if we do that. We need to pray for the wisdom that comes from God to know what is right, and then we need to pray for the courage to obey God regardless of the personal cost.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

As we continue our series, Blogging Through The Bible in 2020, we are going to turn the page to the second book of the Bible, the book of Exodus. Exodus 1:17 says, “But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.”

The opening scene of Exodus brings several changes. Joseph is now dead, and there is a new Pharaoh in charge. While the Hebrews had favor in Egypt while Joseph was alive, now that he is dead, and there is a new Pharaoh in charge, the Hebrews are no longer favored, instead, they are feared. The new Pharaoh was afraid that if Egypt ever went to war, the Hebrews would join forces with the enemy and help overthrow Egypt. The Hebrews were multiplying in number, which only increased Pharaoh’s fear. Therefore, he ordered the Hebrew midwives to murder all Hebrew boys as they were born. Because of their fear for God, the midwives intentionally chose to disobey this order. Their fear and faith in God may have brought some unwanted attention by Pharaoh in their lives, but they received the favor of God.

While this story certainly plays into the sanctity of life drama that continues to unfold in our country, that is not the only takeaway from this story. I, like many, was deeply disturbed by Fox’s refusal to show the pro-life, Faces of Choice, ad during the Super Bowl this past Sunday. As a child of God, I believe that all lives are valuable. They are valuable because God is our Creator (Gen. 1:27). I believe they are valuable, because they were died for by Jesus on the cross (John 3:16). I believe that not only lives in their mother’s womb are worth protecting, but that all lives outside of the womb are worth protecting. A nation that doesn’t value one group’s or subsection of life, is a nation that soon enough will not value any lives. But there is another truth that I believe we need to see here. That truth is that there is never a wrong time to do the right thing. There very well may come a day in our nation, in which the church must choose to suffer persecution in order to follow God’s commands. But everyday, we are faced with choices of right and wrong. We may not be faced with prison or death, but we are faced with decisions that could come with other consequences; such as, loss of job, loss of friends, alienation from our family, or simply not being liked. There should never be a time in which we are called on or asked to violate what the Bible teaches. However, this is a reality that many face. In those times, may we be like the Hebrew midwives and have a greater fear (awe, respect) for God than we have of man. Jesus never promised that we would have any easy life as Christians in a fallen, sinful world. He just promised to give us His presence, His power, and His grace in the face of difficulties to honor Him. And at the end of the day, there is nothing more we need.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

As we continue to study through the book of Genesis, today’s text is going to come from Genesis 47. Genesis 47:9 says, “And Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evils have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.'”

Joseph has now brought his dad, brothers, and the rest of the family and possessions down to Egypt. Joseph is making all of the appropriate introductions to Pharaoh. Our verse today is a conversation between Jacob and Pharaoh. There are two things that stick out to me in Jacob’s words. The first thing is this, suffering is part of life. This is because we live in a sinful, fallen, broken world. No one is able to escape difficulty in life. The second thing that sticks out is a reminder that as a child of God, this world is not our home. In light of the first thing mentioned, this one is especially comforting. Things are not always going to be like this. That doesn’t take away the pain of the suffering we encounter in life, but it does give us hope. Therefore, we must learn to keep our eyes on Jesus. We must remember that He is with us at all times. Finally, we must remember that there is a better day coming. Until that day, let’s put one foot in front of the other, and keep praising God for His grace and praying for His wisdom and that His will is done.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

It is hard to believe that we have been at this for a month now. It is my prayer that it has blessed you, challenged you, convicted you when necessary, and encouraged you through your Bible reading. As we begin month number two in Blogging Through The Bible in 2020, we are going to begin in Genesis 45. Genesis 45:5 says, “But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.”

As we pick up the story of Joseph, he finally reveals himself to his brothers. Of course, not before he messed with them a little more. Not only did he put their money back in their sack a second time, but he had his silver cup that he drank from put in his youngest brother, Benjamin’s, sack. Joseph had set them up really well, because Jacob didn’t want to send Benjamin down to Egypt with his brothers. Jacob said that if anything happened to Benjamin he would go down to his grave in deep sorrow. At first, that is exactly what it looked like would occur. Then, Joseph couldn’t take it any longer. He tells his brothers it is him. Their reaction is great. The Bible says that they just stood there speechless. After all, what do you say? You sold your brother into slavery, lied about it, and convinced yourself that the lie you told your dad was actually the truth. You had pretty much forgotten about Joseph, but now you learn that he is not only alive, but he is powerful enough to have you killed or thrown into prison for the rest of your life. Let’s be honest here, if we were in Joseph’s shoes, we would have been tempted to make our brothers pay. And this is one of the points we see, the power of God to change someone. Joseph lets them off the hook. He tells them not to blame themselves. Then, Joseph really drops a proverbial bomb on them; it was all God’s plan from the beginning. How was Joseph able to forgive his brothers after all they had done to him? He was able to do it because Joseph was finally realizing why it all happened. God was working His plan out. It’s easier to forgive those who have hurt us when we remember that God is bigger than any person or circumstance we will ever face in life. It’s easier to forgive others when we remember that God is in control of all things, at all times. It’s easier to forgive others when we remember that God has a plan that is being worked out every second of every day, even when bad things are happening to us and all around us.

Jesus, in the model prayer, taught us to pray, “Your (God’s) will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Does this mean that God condones everything that is happening in the world? Absolutely not! God does not nor will He ever condone which His word condemns. It simply means that God is bigger than anyone and any situation we are experiencing. This is why the apostle Paul said, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” in Romans 8. Part of desiring God’s will to be done is forgiving others. In that same model prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Jesus just gave us the standard we are to follow when it comes to forgiving others. We are to forgive them as often and for as much as God has forgiven us. We need to be honest, we have done more to grieve God than anyone else has ever or will ever do to us. Later in the same chapter in Matthew, Jesus taught that if we don’t forgive others of their sins against us, God won’t forgive our sins against Him. What was Jesus getting at there? He was reminding us that if we say that we are saved, that we are a Christian, our life must reflect that. And if we can’t forgive someone for what they have done to us, it shows that we don’t really understand what God has done for us by dying on the cross for our sins, and for forgiving us of all of our sins. Because if God gave forgive us for everything we have ever done, how can we hold on to one thing that someone has done to us? So let me end this post with a simple question, who do you need to forgive today? For Christ’s sake, and for the sake of your own soul, forgive them!

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

Today’s verses come out of Genesis 42 as we continue the story of Joseph. Genesis 42:21 says, “Then they said one to another, ‘We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his should when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore, this distress has come upon us.'” Then Genesis 42:28 says, “So he (Rueben) said to his brothers, ‘My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!’ Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, ‘what is this that God has done to us?'”

Anyone who has a sibling can laugh at this story, because it is Joseph messing with his brothers. The dream that Pharaoh had in Genesis 41 was that God was going to give a bountiful harvest for seven years, and then a severe famine would follow that would last for seven years. At this point in Genesis 42, they are into the seven years of famine. The famine isn’t just in Egypt, it has spread to the entire region, including Canaan where Jacob and his 11 sons live. Jacob sends 10 of his sons down to Egypt to buy food, because they have heard that somehow Egypt has food in the midst of this severe drought. Jacob keeps Benjamin back with him. He does this because Benjamin is the last surviving son, at least he thinks he is, of Jacob’s true love, Rachel. As the 10 brothers arrive in Egypt and go to handle the business of buying some food to take home, they encounter Joseph. At this time, Joseph had been elevated to second in command in Egypt. Here is the kicker, Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him. Joseph appears to have a little fun with them, in giving them a hard time by accusing them of being spies, and then before they left, Joseph had their money put back in their money sack without their knowledge. Upon finding their money back in their sack, they flip out. What is truly amazing is the shift that happens in the brothers. When they first arrive at Egypt and Joseph is giving them a hard time, they take the blame. Rueben says that all of this is because of what they did to Joseph. However, out in the desert on the way home, after discovering their money is back in their sack, they blame God. Getting talked to roughly and being accused of being a spy was something they thought they deserved. But they didn’t think they deserved to die for what they did; therefore, in their mind, it must have been God’s fault.

I think it is worth reminding ourselves here of something important. Throughout Joseph’s story, he is constantly pointing us to Christ. In fact, Joseph is a type of Christ in the Old Testament, or a foreshadow of Jesus to come in the New Testament. Joseph’s brothers on the other hand, truly represent all of humanity, not just the Jewish race. It is in reminding myself of this that I unfortunately must see myself as being more like Joseph’s brothers than I am like Joseph. There have been times in which I have done things that I knew I shouldn’t have done, and when I experienced the consequences of those actions, I wanted to act like a victim and to blame God or others for what was happening. What about you? The overwhelming majority of the time, when we are suffering, it isn’t because of what someone else did to us. Rather, we are simply experiencing the consequences of the choices that we have made. James 4:1-3 clearly tells us that our sinful, selfish desires are to blame for most of what we experience. As hard as it is, when we find ourselves suffering or going through a difficult trial, the first question we should ask ourselves is this, God, is there a sin in my life that has brought this on? Sometimes, it won’t be because of a sinful choice we have made. Sometimes, others will be to blame and we are simply getting caught up in their stuff. There are other times in which God allows difficulties in our life to draw us closer to Him. But instead of jumping to one of those last two conclusions first, we need to make sure that it isn’t because of our sinful desires and choices. As I have preached many times through the years here at Westlake, my greatest enemy is the inner me. May we no longer blame God or others for the choices we are making.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

Today’s verses for Blogging Through The Bible in 2020 are going to come to us from Genesis 41. Genesis 41:9 says, “Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh saying, ‘I remember my faults this day.'” Then Genesis 41:16 says, “So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.'”

Two years has essentially past over the last couple of chapters in Genesis. Joseph had been in prison for those two years because of a false accusation against him by Potiphar’s wife. While in prison, two officials of Pharaoh’s were put in prison along with Joseph. They both had dreams, and Joseph was able to give an interpretation to those dreams. Before the chief butler was released, Joseph asked the butler not to forget him. As we are all prone to do, the butler forget about Joseph until this day. Sometimes this is what frustrates us about God’s will, it isn’t in our time. Yet, God was working behind the scenes and setting the stage for what He was going to do. Along with setting the stage, God was also preparing Joseph through teaching him through his circumstances to have patience, to trust God, and to remind Joseph that God hadn’t forgot him. Joseph by the time this chapter opens is definitely a changed person. He has endured a lot as a person. He has gone from bragging to his brothers about a dream he had where they bowed down to him, to now, Joseph is telling Pharaoh that God is the one who is going to give the answer Pharaoh is seeking.

From this chapter, we need to learn to trust God’s timing. I will be the first to admit, that at times that can be very difficult. We as a society have trained ourselves to expect and even demand instant gratification. However, God seldom operates that way. We learn here, that while God may not change our circumstances immediately; He is certainly working on changing us, and preparing us for what He is going to do through us in His time. We can take heart today in being reminded, that no matter where we are, no matter what we are going through; God has not forgotten us nor has He abandoned us. In those times where we struggle to see God working, let us learn to trust His character. God is good, loving, gracious, merciful, and just to simply name a few of His attributes. The final lesson we need to learn is that we must be careful not to steal the glory that rightly belongs to God and God alone. This is often why God seems to wait. It’s only when we admit that we have come to the end of ourselves, and that we are powerless to change something, that God moves. May we be like Paul in 2 Corinthians 12, when he had prayed three times for God to remove a thorn from his flesh (whatever it was). God told Paul “no” each time, but God also gave Paul and us a promise, “My (God’s) grace is sufficient.” When we rely on God we can know that when we feel the weakest, we will experience God’s strength the most.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

As we continue through our yearlong, Blogging Through The Bible in 2020, our verse is going to come out of Genesis 39 today. Genesis 39:5 says, “So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.”

At this point in the story, Joseph has been sold into slavery in Egypt, and he is now the servant in Potiphar’s house. Because of Joseph, God blessed Potiphar and his house. It is apparent that Joseph worked hard for his master, instead of being bitter about his circumstances. Joseph realized that he was working for the Lord, not just Potiphar. Therefore, as Joseph pleased the Lord, God blessed those around Joseph.

What a tremendous lesson we can learn from Joseph’s example here. So often we focus on our circumstances or how people treat us; however, what really matters is our attitude in any given situation. Things may not be ideal for you right now, but you can still be a blessing to those around you. The apostle Paul would write in the New Testament that we are to work “heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Col. 3:23). Once again, we see the life of Joseph pointing us to Jesus. No one had less favorable circumstances or people around Him than Jesus did. Yet, we see Jesus not get caught up in all of that. Rather, He did as He said He was going to do in the Gospel of John, “I have not come to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). God be praised that He did the will of His Father, because it is only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that any of us can be saved!

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin

Today’s Bible reading for Blogging Through The Bible in 2020 will come from Genesis 37. Genesis 37:3-4 says, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.”

Anyone who has a sibling knows that sibling rivalries can get out of hand. I think that would be an understatement in Joseph’s situation. Genesis 37 is the beginning of Joseph’s story. If you were to study the life of Joseph here in the Old Testament, and then study the life of Jesus in the New Testament, you would be able to see several similarities in their lives. However, Joseph wasn’t sinless. In fact, you can see his sin nature shine through if you read all of Genesis 37. He becomes prideful of the dreams he had, and he couldn’t wait to share them with his brothers. They were dreams of how his family would one day bow down to him. Later in Genesis, we will see the fulfillment of the dream, but Joseph had no way of knowing exactly how it would all play out. Nor, did he know what he would have to go through before his dreams came to pass. One thing that jumps out in this story is the role the boys’ father plays. After his wrestling match with God, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Therefore, the reference in this verse to Israel is a reference to Jacob. Therefore, Jacob not only started the sibling rivalry between his boys, he stoked it by giving special presents to Joseph.

There are several lessons we can take from this story. The first lesson is God’s power to use anyone and anything to accomplish His purpose. The sins of pride and favoritism are not of God, but we are going to see how God uses every aspect of this story to accomplish His purpose. Maybe you are going through something right now, and it is incredibly painful. Maybe you don’t see how God is working. Maybe you are struggling to believe that God even cares about you and your situation. Let this story comfort you and encourage you. God sees you, He knows what you are going through, and although it may not be ok right now, God is all-powerful and one day He can make it all right. The second lesson goes along with this first one and it is that we need to trust God. Just because you don’t know where the wind comes from doesn’t mean it isn’t blowing. In the same way, just because you can’t see God working right now, doesn’t mean that He isn’t. When you can’t see the hand of God in your situation, we must learn to trust the character of God. He is loving, gracious, merciful, kind, and more. Just be patient and trust that He is there, He loves you, and He has a plan and a purpose for it all. The final lesson is this, don’t play favorites! This applies to all of us, but especially parents. Any hint of favoritism will be picked up on by people, especially kids, and it will only stoke more problems. Scripture teaches us that we are to treat our least favorite person the same way that we treat our most favorite person. Let’s just be honest, Lord, we are going to need your help in doing that! But praise God, as we call out to Him and trust Him, He will do it and more.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin