Weekly Recap #2 - Genesis 22 - 46

Are you enjoying this as much as I am?!?!?!

I get so excited reading the stories that it's so difficult for me to stop with the allotted scriptures for the day!!!

A lot of what I read is a refresher....or, a reminder....but sometimes I find something that I never noticed before....or, maybe this old feeble mind just forgot!!!

One thing that I've realized....is how true the statement is that "history repeats itself"....or "what goes around comes around".  

Let's see what I mean:

~~~God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac.

This reminded me of God's sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus.  Abraham had Isaac carry the wood that would be used....just as Jesus carried the wooden cross He would be nailed upon. 

~~~Nahor, Abraham's  brother had sons....named Huz and Buz (I just thought this was kinda funny!!!)

~~~Abraham's servant asked God to give him a sign as to the woman at the well who would be Isaac's wife.  I liked this....because....it shows that God's people have been asking Him for "signs" for years!!!

~~~Isaac married Rebekah and the twins were born...Esau and Jacob.  Isaac loved Esau the most....and Rebekah loved Jacob most.

~~~This story has always bothered me....how Rebekah....as a Mom....could show such a huge difference in her children....enough that she would help deceive her husband into giving Jacob the blessing that Esau should have received, since he was the oldest.

~~~Jacob was deceived by his future father-in-law....just as he had deceived his Dad and brother, Isaac and Esau.  He thought he would be serving 7 years for Rachel...but he wound up serving 14 years.  He loved Rachel more than Leah....so God blessed Leah with children.  Rachel did the same thing that Sarah had done....she gave her handmaid to Jacob to bear her children since she was barren.  Rachel was finally able to conceive and she gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin.

Right here I want to just make a comment....about all the deception!!  WOW!!!

~~~Rebekah stole the idols of her father, Laban.  When he searched her tent for them, she sat on them, but claimed that she couldn't get up because she was having her period 

(see, Ladies....the monthly "curse" can come as an excuse for a lot of things...ha! ha!)

~~~Esau and Jacob were reunited.

~~~Dinah, Jacob's only daughter, was raped....and her brothers took revenge.  The brothers deceived (there's that word again) Hamon and Shechem (the one who raped Dinah) by telling them they would agree with inter-marriage (something that had been forbidden)....if all the men would be circumcised.

~~~Jacob was renamed Israel.

~~~Rachel died in childbirth delivering Benjamin.

~~~Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was the son of his  beloved, Rachel.  He loved him so much that he made him a "coat of many colors".  His brothers were jealous of Joseph, and they hated him because of the dreams that he had and told them about....telling them that they would serve him. The brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph's coat in it to deceive (there it is again) Jacob and make him think that Joseph had been killed.  Joseph was actually sold by his brothers into slavery.  Potiphar, the captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave Joseph control over all that he owned.

~~~Potiphar's wife tried to get Joseph to sleep with her.  Instead....Joseph physically ran out of the room.  This serves as a reminder for all of us...that we should run from sin...even physically run if that's what it takes!!!  She lied to her husband that Joseph had tried to rape her and he was thrown into prison (even more deception).

~~~While in prison, Joseph was given control over the entire prison.  Pharaoh's cup bearer and baker were put into prison, and Joseph interpreted dreams for them, with God's help.  All that Joseph asked was that the cup bearer tell Pharaoh what he had done, but the cup bearer forgot...but God didn't forget him!!!

Here....I want to point out something that I learned.  You hear me say a lot in my posts about "if you hear it twice", then it's from God.  Well....I found the scripture that backs this up:

Genesis 41:32 (KJV)

And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Joseph had 2 dreams that he explained to his brothers.....he interpreted 2 dreams while in prison (cup bearer and baker)....and he interpreted 2 dreams for Pharaoh.

~~~Joseph explained to Pharaoh that there would be 7 years of plenty....then, 7 years of famine.  Joseph was made chief over the storehouses and was second in command to Pharaoh.

~~~I love the story of how Jacob's sons went to Egypt to get grain....and they finally were reunited with Joseph, along with Benjamin and Jacob!!!

So, precious readers.....until next week!!!

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!