Genesis 25-45: All families to be blessed .. through this dysfunctional family?

For this coming week, the READ SCRIPTURE mobile app will take us through Genesis 25-45 and Psalms 8-14. If you missed a few chapters from last week's reading - don't worry about it - just start afresh again this week. We are about progression, not perfection. The aim is to sense the move of the biblical narrative rather than an exegetical deep-dive. The focus is on momentum, rather than meticulous compliance. Remember to have a conversational attitude with God as you read through the pages of Scripture. A few things to note concerning the READ SCRIPTURE mobile app.

1. In "settings", you can select your preferred reading style - "read at my own pace" or "read every day".
   
   
2. Under the "your journey" section of the app, you can mark it as "read", "unread" or "up to this date as read". Choose your options as you see fit. There is no requirement for consecutive compliance.
   
   
3. Do watch the video narratives as they give an excellent overview of your journey.

Longest chapter?
To answer last week's question - Which is the longest chapter in Genesis? - it is chapter 24. I love the selfless attitude of Abraham's oldest servant (probably it is Eliezer, see Gen 15:2). Think about it - if Abraham had no sons, all his inheritance will end up with the oldest servant. Why then would the servant be so committed and willing to locate a bride for Isaac and thus diminish in his sense of positional importance in the household? This is reminiscent of the attitude of John the Baptist, - "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30). Just as John heralded the way for the Redeemer, the servant here was commissioned by Abraham to seek a bride for Isaac that will continue the Covenant lineage promised to Abraham (Gen 24:7). 

This is the narrative of a marriage "made in heaven"! What impressed me was the worshipful joy of the servant (Gen 24:52) when Rebekah agreed to marry Isaac, the son of Abraham. The servant knew that this was no mere task as he prayed for divine blessing - "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham." (Gen 24:12). Genesis 24 is not only the background to the love story of Isaac and Rebekah but it points to the love of Christ for the church, His bride (Eph 5:25) and how the servant's unassuming role as the match-maker reflects a joy that seeks the glory of God. When was the last time you felt the unabashed joy of seeing a soul redeemed, sanctified and cleansed to be a part of the church who is the bride of Christ (Eph 5:26-27)?

Connecting the dots
As you read through Genesis 25-45 this week, you see the stuff of family dysfunctionality with script ideas worthy of a Netflix drama series! Elements of betrayals, scandals, broken promises, lies, love, hate, and revenge is scattered through the Abrahamic lineage - is this the family line where "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen 12:3)?

• Look for instances of the frailty of human nature, and despite the imperfections, God's redemptive purpose still prevails at the end. Such mystery! The perfect will of God accomplished despite the imperfections of His creatures.
  
  
• The character development of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - each one of them had their names either changed or given by God to mark their growth in maturity as they not only participated in the covenant of God but becoming more personal with the God of the covenant. As God unfold His redemptive plan, He graciously molds the character of His servants as the potter molds the clay. Think about it - why did God introduced Himself to Moses as "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." (Exod 3:6)?
  
  
• Joseph was at a ripe, young age of 30 when he was exalted to the position of being the second-in-command of the whole land of Egypt (Gen 41:46). What happened in the past 13 years (he was 17 when he was sold as a slave) that shaped his readiness to lead a nation? A man's heart is revealed for who he really is when given a position of power and authority - how was Joseph's heart? Read the narrative of Joseph with your five senses. Click here for a timeline of Joseph's life.
  
  
• Would love to hear your comments - why did Joseph go through all the "charades" with his brothers before revealing his true identity?

Activity idea
When I was a teenager, there was a musical on the life of Joseph with catchy tunes (it was the glorious 80s!) - it is called "The Dreamer" by the Continental Singers. Click here to listen to the rendition of songs that draw you into the narrative of Joseph's life.

A few years, ago I caught the production of "Joseph" by Sight & Sound Theatres - it was Scripture come alive! If you have a chance to either catch the live performance or on DVD, tt is worth checking out! Click here for the trailer.

Christ in Scripture
The preservation of the seed and the promise of the land are twin elements deeply embedded in the Abrahamic covenant family narrative and despite the family dysfunctions we read about in Genesis 25-45, we witness God building and protecting the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be His "treasured possession" (Exod 19:5) where one day, His only begotten Son will emerged as the promised Seed and lead "all the families of the earth" into the place of real "rest" (Heb 4:9-11). The family dysfunctions we see in Genesis 25-45 was no show-stopper to God's purpose, in fact it is part of the unfolding of His grand drama of redemption in the pages of Scripture to come. Praise be to God!

We welcome your comments, feedback and questions - please and post them in the comments below.