Scripture Reading — Exodus 1:1-22Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.— Exodus 1:21In our story today, at the beginning of the book of Exodus, we learn that many years have passed since Jacob and his family went to live in Egypt. Joseph, who had ruled at the king’s rig
Scripture Reading — Genesis 50:15-21“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”— Genesis 50:20Joseph brought his father and all his brothers and their families to live in Egypt so that they would have plenty during the years
Scripture Reading — Genesis 45:1-20“God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”— Genesis 45:7Joseph had tested his brothers and had learned that they wanted to protect Benjamin, his younger brother, and to spare their father from an
Scripture Reading — Genesis 42:1-17“I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us. . . .”— Genesis 42:2Like many others during the seven years of famine, Jacob’s family and flocks were running out of food. So Jacob sent his sons to go and buy food in Egypt, where they
Scripture Reading — Genesis 41:41-57Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”— Genesis 41:41Joseph remained in prison for two years before the king’s cupbearer remembered him.One night Pharaoh had two dreams that troubled him deeply, and when he searched for so
Scripture Reading — Genesis 40:1-23The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.— Genesis 40:23Joseph’s experience in Egypt took many twists and turns. One moment he was trusted by Potiphar, one of the king’s officials, and the next moment he was imprisoned because of false a
Scripture Reading — Genesis 37:12-36“Let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”— Genesis 37:20Jacob sent Joseph to check up on his brothers. They saw him coming from a distance, and their jealous, ha
Scripture Reading — Genesis 37:1-11When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him. . . .— Genesis 37:4Jacob should have known better. He knew what it was like to have a brother whom his father loved more than him (Genesis 25:27-28), but he favored his son Jos
Scripture Reading — Genesis 32:22-32“Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”— Genesis 32:28Jacob was a schemer. It came naturally. His mother was a schemer, and so was his father (see Genesis 26-27). Scheming was part of
Scripture Reading — Genesis 21:1-21“Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”— Genesis 21:18God is faithful beyond our ability to think or imagine.Some years earlier, Sarah (formerly Sarai) had come up with a plan to produce an heir for Abraham (formerly Abr
Scripture Reading — Genesis 15:1-21“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”— Genesis 15:1How long can you live on a promise? Abram and Sarai had lived with God’s promise of a child for many years. Their faith was being tested, and their hope was beginning to fade.One even
Scripture Reading — Genesis 12:10-20Pharaoh . . . sent [Abram] on his way, with his wife and everything he had.— Genesis 12:20It was a time of famine, and Abram and Sarai needed food. There was food in Egypt, but going there could be dangerous. (This would not be the first time God’s people sought f
