In 2009, a major news outlet published an article titled “Why Do We Believe That Catastrophes Come in Threes?” The author stated, “The persistence of this belief is difficult to explain since the case for it is so easily demolished.” The story of Job demolishes this illogical belief as well. Job’s catastrophes came in four waves.
After receiving permission from the Lord, Satan began to attack Job’s household and possessions (v. 12). Job received a string of bad news from a survivor of each event. First, the Sabeans killed his herdsmen with the sword and stole his oxen and donkeys. Next, lightning struck and killed all his sheep and the shepherds watching them. Then, the Chaldeans stole his camels and murdered more servants. Finally, a windstorm destroyed the house where Job’s children were feasting and killed them all. This last news was the worst of all. His children had been killed from what we might call “an act of God.”
Not having time to grieve between each of the four sequential messages, he finally mourned his loss. The narrator depicts four separate and sequential acts by Job. He got up. He tore his robe. He shaved his head. He fell to the ground in worship (v. 20). He acknowledged that everything he had came from God and that the Giver had the right to take back those gifts. Job’s response expresses praise, even in the midst of tragedy: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (v. 21).
It would have been easy for Job to become angry with the Lord for taking away his possessions and his children. However, the narrator allows us to see that just as Job was concerned that his children might have “sinned and cursed God in their hearts” (v. 5), Job hadn’t sinned against God in his (v. 22).
Go Deeper
Has God ever removed something or someone important in your life? Did you respond appropriately?
Pray with Us: Almighty God, we marvel at Job’s unshakable faith in the face of all his misfortunes! Give us strength to be able to say, like Job, “May the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21), in both happy and hard times.
A few years ago, I was at a conference where the speaker was introduced as a “futurist.” I had never heard of that as a job title before. A futurist is someone who analyzes data and trends to forecast what might happen in different areas of life such as technology, government, or medicine. Humans have always desired a glimpse into what the future holds.
In Genesis 49, Jacob gathered his sons to share one final message (v. 1). He introduced his speech by declaring that he would “tell you what will happen to you in the days to come” (v. 1). His speech described the future tribes of Israel and some of their qualities. The sons are grouped by their mutual mothers and then listed in their birth order.
The first three sons are told why they will not be considered as the firstborn. Reuben engaged in sexual sin (v. 3). Simeon and Levi violently overreacted to the crime committed against their sister by killing many (Gen. 34:25–31). But while Judah had his own issues, he had demonstrated repentance and a changed life. Jacob prophesied that Judah will be a leader among the tribes of Israel. He declared, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his” (v. 10). Jacob here tells of a Messianic king who will rule over the nations. The New Testament writers affirm that this prophecy finds its fulfillment in Jesus (Rev. 5:5).
Just as God has been faithful to keep His promises to Abraham, we can be confident that He will keep His promises to us regarding the Lord Jesus’ Second Coming when He will rule over the nations! Jesus said, “Yes, I am coming soon” (Rev. 22:20). To which we can respond, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
Go Deeper
Do you worry about the future? How does knowing we can depend on God’s promise about Jesus’ return change the way we live today?
Pray with Us: Jesus, we eagerly await Your return! Teach us how to live in the light of Your Second Coming. May we grow in faith as Christians and citizens of Your eternal kingdom. “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
My daughter often asks me to tell her stories at night when I put her to bed. She wants to know about things that happened when I was a child and the history of our family. These stories are deeply formative. They give her a sense of place and belonging.
Joseph’s wife was an Egyptian from a high-ranking priestly family (Gen. 41:45). Joseph himself was one of the highest ranked government officials in Egypt. He could have raised his children as Egyptians and provided them with all the benefits of an elite Egyptian upbringing. Yet, he gave them Hebrew names. In Genesis 48, he has them adopted as sons of Jacob.
As Jacob was nearing death, Joseph brought his two sons to be blessed by Jacob. Jacob told these boys a story about their family. Jacob recounted the story of when God appeared to him and promised, “I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give you this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you” (v. 4). There was no more formative story for Jacob’s family than the promise that God had given to him and to his fathers Isaac and Abraham before him. Joseph’s sons became a part of this story as the blessing was passed on to them. Jacob prayed that they would be called “by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac” (v. 16).
As followers of Jesus, we too have a family story. We have been rescued from our slavery to sin and forgiven by God (Rom. 6:1–14). We have been adopted into God’s family as His sons and daughters (Rom. 8:14–17). We have a new citizenship in heaven (Phil. 3:20). And one day, we will be raised with Christ and reign with Him (1 Cor. 15:20–28)!
Go Deeper
What is your family story? How has it shaped your faith? Remember, that your most important identity is found in Christ!
Pray with Us: As we study the family stories in Genesis, we lift up our own families in prayer. Lord Jesus, You see the many needs we face. Give us faith, wisdom, and perseverance so we can be a blessing to all generations.
Most of us would agree that a promise is only as good as the person who made it. But what if the One making the promise is God? Genesis 46 records the final time God appeared to Jacob. Here God reaffirmed many of the promises He had made over the years.
As Jacob set out for Egypt, he paused at Beersheba at the southern border of Canaan and offered sacrifices to the Lord (v. 1). During an earlier famine, God had forbidden Isaac from traveling to Egypt for relief (Gen. 26:2). Perhaps Jacob wondered if going to Egypt was the right decision. Should he leave the land God had promised Abraham?
That night, God appeared to Jacob to provide affirmation (v. 2). Not only was it acceptable for Jacob to travel to Egypt, but God would be with him (v. 4). God was not bound by geography. God also revealed something else. Egypt would be the place where Jacob’s family would grow to become a great nation (v. 3). God had promised to Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation (Gen. 12:1–3). Up to this point, they were just one family living among many other nations. But in Egypt, Jacob’s family would grow and thrive.
Egyptian culture was quite a bit different than Canaan. In Canaan, shepherding was one of the primary occupations, and it was respected. In Egypt, shepherds were despised (v. 34). This allowed Jacob and his family to live separately and maintain their distinct identity even through generations of living in Egypt.
As he had done in the past, Jacob believed God’s promises and moved forward in faith (v. 5). God has made promises to believers today as well: We are filled with His Spirit, Jesus is with us even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20), and He is coming again.
Go Deeper
Why can we place absolute trust in God’s promises? What would it look like for you to move forward in faith, based on all that God has promised?
Pray with Us: Almighty God, Your promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are true even today. As we thank You for their legacy, we pray that our own stories will leave a legacy of faith to the next generation.
Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? There are no easy answers. But one truth the Bible consistently affirms is that God can redeem and use evil to accomplish His own purposes. This belief not only enabled Joseph to sustain years of hardship, but it also made it possible for him to reconcile with his brothers.
In Genesis 45, Joseph finally revealed his identity. In this emotional scene, Joseph’s first message to his brothers is to offer his own interpretation of what has happened to him. Instead of blaming his brothers, Joseph pointed to God’s sovereignty. Four times he declared that God is the One who brought him to Egypt. Joseph affirmed, “It was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you” (v. 5). Joseph’s brothers had acted in envy, greed, and violence. But God was able to use this evil act to accomplish His purpose. This did not absolve the brothers of the great evil they had done. Instead, it demonstrated how God could use even the most dysfunctional and difficult situation for His purpose.
From a broader perspective, God made promises to Abraham and his descendants. One of those promises was that Abraham’s offspring would be a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:1–3). In the Joseph story, we see that promise being partially fulfilled. Joseph was able to save not just his own family from the famine but also the lives of people in Egypt, Canaan, and much of the ancient world (Gen. 41:57). Despite the faithlessness of Joseph’s brothers, God was faithful to this promise. On this side of eternity, we do not always get to see the larger picture of what God is doing. But Joseph’s story provides hope that God is sovereign. Just as He was with Joseph, He is with His children today.
Go Deeper
What is Joseph’s reaction to his brothers? What is the bigger truth in Joseph’s story? How does Joseph’s story help us gain perspective when we walk through times of suffering or witness great evil?
Pray with Us: Lord, it’s sometimes hard for us to believe that You can redeem evil, that evil can be turned to good. Thank You that the story of Joseph reveals it’s possible. Give us faith to trust You and eyes to see the bigger picture.
