Tracy's Blog

For many months we have been reading and reflecting on the story of Joseph, his brothers, and his father, Jacob. Today we come to the end of that story. Jacob has died and after a 70 day period of mourning, Joseph and his brothers take his body to be buried in Canaan (see Genesis 49:29 – 50:14 ) With Jacob gone, the brothers worry that Joseph still holds a grudge against them for their cruel treatment of him many years before. What do they do with that anxiety? They send word to Joseph that Jacob said “ This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly . ” (50:17a) and then speak for themselves as well “ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father .” (50:17b) After all these years, it seems that the brothers are still feeling bad for what they have done to Joseph. Most likely, they are also feeling vulnerable, wondering if Joseph was only providing for them and ...

Hi everyone, It's Monday night and I'm not going to get this blog entry done tonight.... but it will come sometime later this week!  So, in the meantime, why don't you have a look at the passage for yourself. Genesis 49:29 - 50:26 .  We are going to focus on Genesis 50:15-21 . peace and grace in Christ, Tracy

I was rereading the section of Genesis that we looked at earlier this week and realized that Joseph's blessing is amazing.  I think that after all we have read about him and all we have seen him go through, it is appropriate to take note of his father's blessing upon him.  Thus we have an extra post this week! Genesis 49:22-26 22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. 23 With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. 24 But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. 26 Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient m...

To read the entire passage, click here . Okay, okay! I know that this is suppose to be a blog about Joseph and that this is the second last blog entry left in the Joseph series, but today I want to talk more about the brothers and their relationships with Jacob. Why? Because when I read the blessings that Jacob bestowed on his sons, I came across something that helped me understand why Jacob trusted Judah to take Benjamin to Egypt when he didn't trust Reuben.  Genesis 49:3-4 “ Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. (Sounds good so far....) Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it.” Now, had I studied all of Genesis before I plunged into Chapter 37, this wouldn't have been a surprise to me that Reuben slept with one of Jacob's concubines. Genesis 35:22 “While Israel was living in that region...

What do you think of Joseph's actions in Genesis 47:13-26 ?  One of hand, I can see that he was an excellent administrator for Pharaoh but he did it at the expense of the people. By the end of the famine, Pharaoh owned all of Egypt and “ Joseph reduced the people to servitude ” (47:21). On the other hand, the people were grateful saying to Joseph, “ You have saved our lives .” (47:25) and the tax rate wasn't too high: 20% of their harvest. But what stands out to me is the contrast between the Egyptians and the Israelites. While the Egyptians had paid all their money, livestock, land, and eventually themselves for food, the Israelites settled in Goshen where “ they acquired property... and were fruitful and increased greatly in number ” (47:27). I don't think I've ever really comprehended this before – how the move to Egypt benefited all of Jacob's family but Joseph's work for Pharaoh had the Egyptians end up as slaves. I'm so used to thinking of the ...

To read the entire passage, click HERE Genesis 37:2 says “ This is the account of Jacob ” and then launches into the story of “ Joseph, a young man of seventeen .” Now, almost ten chapters later, we see how it is Jacob's story. Genesis 46:1 “ So Israel set out with all that was his ...” Jacob was born in Canaan but went to his uncle in Haran to find a wife (two, actually) and run away from his angry brother, Esau. Years later he came back to settle in Canaan. On that trip, Jacob wrestles with a man who tells him “ your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome .” (32:28) Now an old man, Jacob/Israel is moving to Egypt with his entire family. Several important things happen for Jacob in this passage. Jacob worships God. “ when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac ” (46:1) For all his faults, Jacob has a great strength: he is a worshipper of God. God spea...