Gen 40

This is the start of Joseph's tale of interpreting dreams for others. Here lies the fate of two of Pharoah's servants - the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. Joseph maintained his dignity and his integrity during this whole time while being in charge of the prisoners. He respected God and his holiness so much so that the prisoners trusted him. After interpreting the dreams of the two, one was restored while one died according to the dreams. The restored man, the cupbearer did not remember Joseph despite all that he had done for him. I often wondered why he didn't. Was it lack of memory or desire not to remember the past and who was good to him, or was it more that this was not God's timing for Joseph since the famine was not imminent. Still begs the reality of "no good deed goes unpunished" and it was so for Joseph for two more years.

All in all, a good but tiring week. Came back to NJ on Tues and went to one of my favorites, Red Robin. It was the drive from hell with the lousy weather and terrible roads - nearly 3+ hours for a normal 2 hour drive. Still it was worth it seeing everyone. Wed was a work day out of Princeton. Thursday was good since we had a small crowd of 31 for T-giving, pretty easy cleanup - took me an hour to do the dishes, pots and pans. Friday was a work day out of Princeton and went to a Bahama Breeze restaurant locally with Daniel and Irene. Sat was good - did my 2.5 mile walk and got the lights up and dinner with the in-law family at a diner. Sunday was the church luncheon where I cooked and was real tired. Thank goodness for a dental appointment yesterday before heading down to Delly. Today, heading home and off to FL for a week.

Heard some sad news on Sunday about U. Ralph who passed away after an extremely long bout with Alzheimers and a failing body. He will be missed but at least he is now in the arms of Jesus. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend any of the services/interment since we'll be gone. Prayers fo the my s-i-l and her family.

Praise for today: For God is King of all the earth: sing to him a psalm of praise. Ps 47:7

Gen 39

The story of Joseph unfurls with him being a slave in the household of the captain of the guards, Potipher. Joseph is given a chance to shine and became the head of the household and the affairs of his master. God blesses Potipher through Joseph and the promise is starting. Alas, the "desperate housewife" of Potipher wanted something above and beneath the job description of head of the household from Joseph, who in deference to the Lord, couldn't and wouldn't oblige her. She plots to take her revenge as a woman scorned and rejected and thus sends Joseph to prison where he proves that the cream rises to the top and is put in charge of many things there. The Bible doesn't say if the blessings that Joseph brought through God lasted after Joseph was sent to prison. It is my guess that it wasn't and Potipher and his wife was just given their one chapter of fame and shame and lived the rest of their lives in obscurity and mediocrity. What an interesting chapter due to the intergrity and determination of a young man, Joseph who rose above his situation and was blessed because of his faith and lineage - a sharp contrast to his brothers.

Heading home tonight and working out of Princeton tomorrow and Friday. Looking forward to seeing GG later as well as Dave and Irene. Hopefully the traffic and weather will allow for a reasonable commute.

Praise for today: Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Ps 55:22

Gen 38

What an interesting chapter, much like the chapter with Dinah, this one involves Judah and Tamar. Judah, the fourth son in the lineage of Jacob, and the next in line to receive favor from his father after the eldest three severely disappointed him. His first son who was married to Tamar, died after the Lord struck him down due to his evilness which left the second one, Onan, to fulfill the brother's obligation to have offspring which would not be credited to him. He decided that since the offspring would be his - he practice birth control which was also wicked in the eyes of the Lord and he was struck down as well. The next in line was Shelah but given the past history of the other two, Tamar decided to live with her father. In the meantime, Judah's wife died. Tamar goes out of her widow's garb to get dressed up and lo and behold, she and Judah hook up. She decided that until she got her payment for her services she was going to get Judah's seal, cord and staff. She gets pregnant and ultimately charged with prostitution to which it is revealed to Judah that it was he who did the dirty deed and was not put to death as charged. The tale of twins is again replayed here as two sons, Perez and Zerah  were born with Perez who was supposed to come out second came out first. I guess the ultimate significance was the establishment of Perez who would be the recorded lineage to Jesus.

Looking forward to this weekend  and getting stuff done before T-giving. Weather looks decent for the weekend.

Praise for today: Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name. Ps 97:12

Gen 35:12-36

This begins the journey of Joseph towards fulfilling his dream but it was frought with danger, subtefuge and ultimately suffering towards the character building aspect of his life. Joseph started out as Jacob's eyes and ears and went out to meet his brothers in Dothan. When they saw him, they plotted to kill him but was thwarted by Reuben who either felt responsible to him or who wanted Joseph to pass on his birthright back to him. Ultimately his intent was to show his worthiness to Jacob by saving and securing Joseph. Judah was the one who concocted the scheme to sell him to the Ishmaelites who were passing through without Reuben's knowledge. Without Joseph, Reuben had to come up with a plan to reveal Joseph's demise and thus brought the famous coat with a dead goat's blood on it to put the legacy of Joseph behind him and them and hopefully secure his father's birthright and blessing. Jacob was so distraught that he could not be comforted by his family and mourned for his favorite son. Meanwhile, Joseph is sold to Potiphar by the Midianites.

One has to think why the detail and why him? This becomes the greatest and the most detailed story of perserverance and integrity that is recorded in the Bible. It is also a story of redemption and fulfilled promises.

Yesterday's events were sombering and sobering as 3 collegues were let go. Prayers go out to them and their families as they reconstruct their lives out of this dismal economy. Hard to say if this is it... Let's hope so.

Praise for today: Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; let the upright in heart praise him! Ps 64:10

Gen 37: 1-11

It seems that there are times that the Bible whizzes through history and merely glosses over time but as Phillip Yancey said "Genesis slows down when it gets to Joseph, and it shows God working behind the scenes". With Reuben, as the oldest, in line for the birthright but severely disappointing Jacob in c.35, the birthright was given to Joseph, the firstborn of Rachel. This was indicated by the special coat of many colors that was given to him by Jacob. This overstated the love of Jacob to Joseph and in turn created resentment and hatred between siblings. While he was blessed by Jacob and by God, he didn't really endear himself to his brothers and his parents by stating his dream that they will all bow down to him one day as ruler over them. Still while Jacob protested, he pondered it in his heart since he knew that God does work in mysterious and miraculous ways.

Long but enjoyable day with a dinner in Philly @ Capital Grill - excellent food and am glad it wasn't on my dime. Got back late 10ish so decided to bag the gym today.

Praise for today: The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Ps 28: 8

Gen 36

The listing of Esau's descendants were placed in this book to show how God did bless him despite not being the chosen one. The lines that came from Esau were extensive and showed how they banded together to forge a nation that was successful and thriving in the world's eye but still not under the banner of God and thus would be under the sword of Jacob's lineage. Esau married away from the house of Abraham and the writer reminds us of that with Esau's first two wives. Because he married "away", he could never carry the lineage of Isaac. He would be known forever as the father of the Edomites.

The situation at work in my eyes is getting a lot more terse. With review time comes the reassessment of the future. Seems like comp will get cut and how severely is always a question. It's been a while since we have adjusted our workforce and in the eyes of many, that could be troubling as it was in 2009. Still my hope is in the Lord and I'll live it one day at a time.

Praise for today: As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. Ps 18:30

Gen 35: 16-29

The 12 tribes of Jacob would now be complete but it would cost the life of Rachel who would die during childbirth. Benjamin was Rachel's son borne "out of sorrow" but would be Jacob's son "born out of his right hand". Since the term "right hand" was used, he would receive the blessing. It  seems like Reuben was to be the one that would want it so he slept with one of Jacob's wives and because of that Joseph was given the birthright over the others. The chapter ends with the death and burial of Isaac as the two brothers who were reconciled buried their 180 year old father together.

Tiring weekend with a lot of stuff done around the house. Nice to see all that came this past Saturday. Back to the gym this morning.

Praise for today: Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. Ps. 80:5

Gen 35: 1-15

God finally told Jacob to settle in Bethel (house of God) and then to build an altar as a reminder of who was with him during his fleeing from Esau. I guess after the actions of Simeon and Levi, safety was a primary concern and they overstayed their welcome. Jacob obviously embraced the change and new direction and commanded them to "get holy" before this trip. God's protection came in v. 5 which allowed them safe passage. It was noted of Deborah's death who was Rebekah's nurse and her burial at a place called Allon Bacuth ("oak of weeping"). Even before the Levitical law was given, certain offerings (drink) was done and oil was used to signify cleansing and healing.

So now Jacob has come full circle, decades later, from the place in c 28 where he first encountered the famous ladder dream. The road to and from had given him the perspective that ultimately God was in control. Who says you can't go back home again?

Short day today and hopefully will get home early. Looking forward to the weekend and seeing everyone.

Praise for today: Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? Ps 113: 5-6

Gen 34

The violation of Dinah and the subsequent action of Simeon and Levi was one that would change the landscape of the relationship between the 12 tribes and the surrounding nations forever. Shechem's action were repulsive and his attitude towards Dinah and Hamar's request for intermarriages would be dealt with in a way that led to the death of all the males in the Hivite tribe. Not only were content in "righting the wrong" they took the next step and looted the city where their sister had be defiled and carried off all the wealth and all of their women and children as plunder. While their motives of revenge could be justified, Jacob in v.30 foretold of the troubles that would occur in their future.

From the commentary:

God had promised to make Jacob’s descendants into a great nation. But Jacob did not want that nation to be a wicked nation. So, Jacob needed to teach his sons about God (Genesis 35:1-15). Nobody in the story was innocent. Dinah went out to visit those people. That was a dangerous thing to do. Hamor and Shechem did something wrong to her. And they were not honest with Jacob’s family about it. Hamor and Shechem were not honest with their own people either. Jacob probably should have done more about Dinah’s situation. But he was perhaps more worried about his own safety among his neighbours. But the behaviour of Simeon and Levi was terrible. The brothers punished the men in Shechem too severely. They were cruel. It is clear that people in Jacob’s family were bitter and angry. And they were behaving like people who did not know God.

Oh well, back to work for a day and a half. Hopefully, today will be non-eventful (ha!). Wishing my cuz, Elaine a great birthday!

Praise for today: For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Ps 57:10

Gen 33

"The only thing that we fear is fear itself" an elder statesman once said. Thus was the meeting between Jacob and Esau. Both sides have changed and God had moved these two opposites closer together. Jacob was weakened physically from his encounter with God but was stronger spiritually. Still Jacob was cautious when approaching the unknown but he was growing more humble and reliant upon God. Esau accepted and he was also blessed by God and was more passionate about the reconciliation. He ran... and proved that he too was Issac's son by his own compassion. As they traveled, they grew closer and were truly brothers again. Despite the objection, Jacob gave and paid homage to his older brother as he passed through his land but knowing that he passed as a brother and an ally. Still the Bible said that the older will serve the younger and in later books this will hold true. The camp that Jacob finally set up was called Succoth before settling in Shechem which is in the country known as Canaan.

Glad to be back on the right coast and relatively adjusted to the 2 hour time difference. It was nice that Geege met us at the gate after a grueling night of flying and I hope he got some rest. Had a nice time over dinner with Evan and it was nice to catch up with him. Heading down to Delly later this afternoon.

Praise for today: For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice;  the upright will see his face. Ps 11:7

Gen 32

"I'm going home, to a place where I belong" - I'm sure that Jacob wasn't humming that song (because it wasn't written and he doesn't appear like the humming type) especially since he knew that Esau was still there. Prior that, the chapter opens with the Jacob seeing the glory of God in the form of His army of angels. After all that had transpired between them and despite the years that have passed, Jacob knew that he had to face the man that he screwed out of his birthright and the blessing. He knew that he had changed - become more humble and was able to stand on his own and ready for God's purpose. Jacob had accumulated much wealth and a tribe of kids to which to start a nation. What would await him especially since he knew that Esau had 400 trained men which indicated what direction that he took. Still he had no idea what would await him. Discretion still seem to be the best route and he split up his wealth and offered up half of it to appease Esau as a peace offering. Rather than be in the front of the brigade, he chose to stay behind just in case Esau was still in a foul mood. Still that was not enough for God and chose to wrestle him to test Jacob's resolve. The result was that God blessed him and changed his name to be a nation.

What a chapter! While Jacob feared what will Esau do forced God to meet him again to test his resolve. He feared Esau even with God on his side and at his side - angels. At least he was fair in splitting his wealth and not try to screw Esau again in intent. Now with the final test behind him, he was ready to meet his brother. I sometimes am like Jacob when circumstances like this come my way - holding back just in case God doesn't stand with me. What a fool I have been in those circumstances.

Great day yesterday! Went to Valor to see that awesome complex, had lunch at Joe's #3 which was featured in Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, saw a spectacular rock display called Garden of the Gods, had my first Colorado pizza at Beau Jo's with the fam in a really nice weather day. Still tough to get used to the thin air but the air is so clean and dry - just bring moisturizers.

Heading home soon but will definitely be back! Glad to see that this area missed a snow storm so that our flights out shouldn't be affected by it. Will spend the night in NJ before heading down tomorrow for Delly.

Praise for today: In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Lord alone, make me live in safety. Ps 4:8

Gen: 31: 22 -52

Once a user, always a user. Seems like Laban's (and his sons') whole world  revolved around Jacob's ability to work and be a "slave" rather than relying on their own abilities. Laban's sons are content when they are not bearing the workload and so is Laban. It seems that the Lord met Laban on the road to give him a warning but it seemed that the idols that governed his life meant more than the Living God that spoke to him. Still he  was admant that he was in the right and that his daughters was the only incentive for him to live. If he was so loving, he had a lousy way of showing it. Still it took an accounting of Jacob's life with Laban and a search by Laban (even though Rachel sticking it to him, which almost cost Rachel her life) that finally put the matter to rest. Jacob told him and the world that God Almighty had already judged and gave the verdict long before this encounter had ever occurred. Still, Laban went back defeated and with his tail between his legs. As for Jacob, he would not take any more wives and sacrificed  to seal the deal.

Great day and time so far in Denver. Went to Harvest and enjoyed their first anniversary as a church and hooked up with some old friends for lunch. Saw the Red Rock Ampitheater and downtown Denver where we had our first taste of bison. Still trying to keep on the Eastern time zone. Noticing the altitude and clearness of the air but the lack of humidity is apparent as well. Gym time this morning  was affected by the air but still got it in. Today visiting Valor HS and hopefully going to Garden of the Gods (weather permitting).

Gen 31: 1:21

Jacob decided that it was time to move on. Laban's sons were grumbling on how they were getting treated and what could be left of their inheritance as Jacob's wealth increased and Laban's attitude towards Jacob was souring as well. The Lord spoke to Jacob and told him to leave. He explained to his wives how his situation had developed and how he was getting screwed by Laban and God's dream and vision for him and his family. Rachel and Leah, not suprisingly, gave a similar view on how Laban had been treating them as well - so there was really nothing keeping them there. Rachel stole the things that were precious to Laban, household idols, and Jacob packed up and left Laban high and dry without telling him where he was going.

Finally, the boy becomes a man and follows his mandate. Jacob is now dependent upon God and what He will provide. His lessons are learned and his character is now formed into what God can use. Often times we need to read the writing on the wall and seek God and his wisdom even when we feel that things are fine.

Looking forward to the weekend and flying out to Denver tomorrow. Tonight is family worship and hopefully I don't get home too late to go.

Praise for today: Your ways, O God, are holy, What god is so great as our God? Ps 77:13

Gen 30

The truly dysfunctional family is the story for c 30. Rather than enjoy and rejoice in the oldest sister's fortune, Rachel was jealous and went as far as blaming Jacob for his sexual prowess. She went as far as giving her maids to Jacob as wives so that she could enjoy the sons born to them rather than through Leah. As a result, 6 sons were born to Leah, 2 to Bilhah and 2 to Zilpah. Rachel was even distraught enough to use "mandrakes". According to the commentary, "Mandrakes were plants. People thought that those plants could help a person to love his or her partner. They thought that the plants could help barren women. The plants would help such women to become pregnant. Rachel had never been pregnant. And she was desperate to have children. This is why she wanted the mandrakes." Clearly, Leah was not the favorite even with Jacob when it meant spending "love and relational time" but she was the most fertile as she produced 6 of the 12 sons that were Jacob's. The Bible usually doesn't record female births but the one of significance (in future chapters) was Dinah. The Lord finally granted Rachel her wish after many years of learning to depend upon God and gave her two sons.

The chapter ends with the parting of Jacob and Laban. Jacob was so trusting in God that he didn't scheme to take the best but rather the blemished as his parting wages. Laban, being the snake that he was, was willing to have one over on Jacob even after Jacob made him wealthy beyond measure. The markings on the cattle that Jacob had were surface at best since God gave him stronger animals as a part of the blessing.

God was in this family despite the strife that existed. He granted blessings not out of their goodness but out of His and the promise.

Another decent day yesterday and hopefully the trend continues. Glad to see that GG got all he needed to get done and will look forward to seeing him in Denver this weekend.

Praise for today: I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. Ps 140: 12

Gen 29

I guess the lesson from this chapter is humility and character building. Jacob finally makes it to the home of Laban, his uncle who is a snake of his own proportions. It is not clear whether he was instructed by God in the deception of the 14 years of labor so he can marry off his two daughters but he clearly profitted from the free labor from Jacob. Still he was deceived into marrying the less desirable Leah, the oldest and it was from her that the first four of the twelve tribes of Israel would come. The deception was culturally based since she was veiled and was not revealed until after wedding ceremony was complete. Clearly this was a family with issues, Leah was fertile initially while Rachel was not. Rachel was loved by Jacob while Leah was not. Leah, while she could not garner any love from Jacob received her love from the Lord who heard her cryies and blessed her with four sons.Still the character building was going on in the life of Jacob, who learned to serve instead of scheme and humility rather than pride.

Decent day yesterday so no real complaints, just praise. Glad GG got home ok, and has some home time for things he wants/needs to get done. Also good that Dave's getting his rest and Irene is doing ok.

Praise for today: Restore us, O Lord God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. Ps 80:19

Gen 28

The journey from Isaac to Jacob is now complete. He has been summoned by Isaac and the rest of the blessing is revealed later by God. The lineage of Isaac was to be carried by Jacob and not by Esau. Marriage and the sanctity of the lineage was not to be extended to the Canaanites in this fashion and thus Jabob was forbidden to marry a Canaanite woman. He was to go to the land and people that gave him his mother Rebekah. The telling sign that Esau was his own man and not that of his father or of God was that he didn't care who he was marrying and went out of his way to align himself with Ishmael's line.

The ladder aspect was always fascinating to me of how He chose this picture to reveal Himself to Jacob - nevertheless it was effective enough for Jacob to commence his relationship with God and fulfill his mandate and receive the Promise. The important aspect at the end of the chapter was Jacob's decision to tithe out of his poverty not out of his wealth.

Glad to hear that GG is coming home although we won't cross paths until this weekend when I go to Denver. Also glad that things are restored in NJ as well.

Praise for today: The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore. Ps 121: 7,8