In this video listen to Exodus 17 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 17 the Israelites grumble… again. This time they come to Rephidim where there isn’t sufficient water and Moses strikes the Rock, which is a symbol of Christ being struck and through him our provision coming.The Israelites are so bothered they want to kill Moses, and of course it is not his fault. God was behind this again, and it was a test of faith. It's a reminder that not everything our leader does is directly his choosing, and we need to trust God.Then ensues a battle for water… with the Amalekites. The Rephidim oasis was now a precious resource, and descendents of Esau, via Amalek, want it.Whilever Moses has his hands raised, they are winning. This is a picture of the power of a prayerful leader. But sometimes it's too much for a leader who needs help, which is given by Aaron and Hur holding up his hands. Leaders need prayer support too.Then the Lord wants this story recorded so that Joshua knows. Joshua was the winning general of the battle, but not privy to Moses’ actions. People on the ground should not assume all the glory, but be mindful of the invisible battle going on, and the power of prayer at work. Prayer doesn't guarantee there is no battle, but helps in the winning.

In this video listen to Exodus 16 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 16 the children of Israel experience something common to all humanity.When things are going well, we assume that is normal, and that nothing special is happening, but rather that is the wrong assumption. When God lifts his hand and nothing actually is happening, that is when things go wrong, but when God is involved, things go right, and nothing seems out of place.So the Israelites grumble when they face trouble, as we all do, because we notice so easily what God seems to not be doing, rather than his constant love and care for us.They complain about nothing to eat, and rather than raining down fire, God rains down bread. He doesn’t give them as they deserve, but rather blesses them. He takes his own advice from the New Testament, and “turns the other cheek.” God repays kindness for evil. And He no doubt does this for us too, all the time, and we are unaware.Manna is believed to mean (in Egyptian) what is it? People didn’t completely understand it. And Christ used this as an illustration of himself in John 6, saying that he was the bread that came down from Heaven to feed the world. And people are just as mystified about Christ as they were about the manna.

In this video listen to Exodus 15 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 15 we find the oldest song in the Bible, and possibly in the world. Various online places list other songs as the oldest, but they have forgotten about this one. What would it have sounded like? (Its even older than the Hurrian Hymn found in Uggarit)Next the Egyptian army perishes in the red sea totally, but does Pharaoh die with them? It isn’t explicitly clear on this point, and many assume yes. At least one Christian archaeologist thinks a certain Pharaoh was the exodus Pharaoh based on a lack of his mummy in the archaeological record, but arguments from absence cannot be absolutely proven.Next the Israelites come to a place with only unsuitable (bitter) water to drink. God is testing them and they quickly forget how he has saved them before and start to blame. They complain and Moses rescues the situation by placing a branch in the water. This branch is a symbol of Christ (the branch of Jesse) who took our bitterness on himself so that we could experience sweet living water instead.As it turns out, we are no different to the early Israelites.

In this video listen to Exodus 14 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 14 Pharaoh's ugly head is raised again, he seems to not get the point of leaving God’s people alone. In this he is a symbol of the Accuser, Satan, who has such a hard heart he isn't able to let God’s people alone either.Pharaoh thus brought destruction on himself, and while this brought momentary (a days worth) of panic on the Israelites, they were delivered now not only out of Egypt, but their oppressor was gone. They would not have to worry anymore about what they had left behind. In the same way God delivers us from sin, but there is going to be a day when we are delivered from our oppressor too.Then we see the baptism of a nation, an idea noted by the writer to the Hebrews. This entire nation went into water and came out belonging to God. It's the first baptism in the bible, and a reminder that we too are dedicated to God.Finally, the red sea story also shows us how God is the God of deliverances, and able to spare us when we are also trapped between a rock and a hard place.

In this video listen to Exodus 13 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 13 finally the Exodus is happening. They go out and before properly leaving God talks to them about the dedication of every firstborn. Those who were saved in the plague of the firstborn belong to God.Later in scripture we are told in Hebrews 12:23 that we are the “church of the firstborn” and so all of us who believes is a firstborn son. This is fascinating in comparison with the genesis stories which always show a non firstborn obtaining an inheritance, but then of course we realise that most of us are not really actually firstborns or male, in a natural sense.And Christ is the firstborn to rise from the dead, and we are to follow Him.God then takes the Israelites the longer route on the way to Canaan. He avoids the short quicker route directly though Philistine land. The Philistines were a newly occupying force from Europe (possibly Greece, or Cyprus) and God opts for a longer road. How often as Christians does God take us on the longer road?

In this video listen to Exodus 11 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 11 God announces the final plague, the worst one of all, the plague of the firstborn. He also tells the Israelites to ask their neighbors for gold, and they are given huge wealth. Egyptian gold and the skills to work with it, are seen in the face mask of the boy Pharaoh Tutankamun.Interestingly the Israelites take Egyptian gold into the desert with them, and it will be used to build the ark of the covenant, and other tabernacle furniture. Leaving Egypt are also Oholiab and Bezalel, skilled tradesmen at working with raw materials such as the gold. God provided for them. Of course before that, the gold would be used to make a gold calf.Here we also see the shortest chapter in Exodus, a reminder that chapter breaks were somewhat arbitrary, and sometimes breaking thoughts, although not so much in Exodus. This is the work of Archbishop Stephen Langton in the 1200s.

In this video listen to Exodus 11 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 11 God announces the final plague, the worst one of all, the plague of the firstborn. He also tells the Israelites to ask their neighbors for gold, and they are given huge wealth. Egyptian gold and the skills to work with it, are seen in the face mask of the boy Pharaoh Tutankamun.Interestingly the Israelites take Egyptian gold into the desert with them, and it will be used to build the ark of the covenant, and other tabernacle furniture. Leaving Egypt are also Oholiab and Bezalel, skilled tradesmen at working with raw materials such as the gold. God provided for them. Of course before that, the gold would be used to make a gold calf.Here we also see the shortest chapter in Exodus, a reminder that chapter breaks were somewhat arbitrary, and sometimes breaking thoughts, although not so much in Exodus. This is the work of Archbishop Stephen Langton in the 1200s.

In this video listen to Exodus 10 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 10 God said he would show He was Yahweh through his signs. This chapter now outlines up to the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, and every plague is both showing God’s wonders, and the weakness of the so called Egyptian deities. Here is a list of the false gods challenged in the plagues.Hapi, nile god...Plague of Blood.Heket, frog goddess...Plague of Frogs.Geb, earth god...Plague of Lice Khepri, fly-headed god...Plague of Flies.Hathor, cow-headed goddess...Plague of the Cattle Dying.Isis, goddess of health...Plague of Boils.Nut, sky goddess...Plague of Hail. Seth, also a sky god...Plague of Locusts. Ra, sun god...Plague of Darkness.Pharaoh, son of Ra... Final Plague, death of the firstborn, a challenge to the supreme authority of Egypt, the Pharaoh himself.In this chapter Pharaoh now starts being told by his own people to listen to Moses. Most people have a hard time taking advice, but in this case it would have been harder for Pharaoh. It would have required something of a change of identity for him, admitting he wasn’t infallible, and wasn’t the son of the gods.Then Pharaoh seems to admit he has sinned, but in reality this isn’t what we think. He isn’t admitting that there is a moral good, and a moral bad, and that he is in the wrong. No rather, he is simply admitting he has done something that God doesn’t like and wants to fix the problem. Many people see morality in this light, thinking that it is simply a list of God’s wishes, rather than genuine right and wrong.Finally in this chapter Pharaoh declares he never wants to see Moses again. Pharaoh has come from Atheism, not acknowledging that Yahweh was a God at all, through rebellion and fighting against God, and now to ignoring, hoping the problem will go away. These are three very common positions against God by people.

In this video listen to Exodus 9 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 9 we see the 5th and 6th plagues against Egypt, that of the cattle dying, and of the hail. Reading this you get the impression that every single cow died in the 5th plague, but a mistranslation of the word ‘kol’ for all, should have been better translate as ‘everywhere.’ Rather than saying all the cattle died, it should have said that cattle died all over the place.Each of the major gods of the Egyptians is demonstrated to be false through the plagues, but the Pharaoh is also seen by Egyptians as a god. And now the real God starts to target him also by hardening his heart. Pharaoh has been hardening his own heart before and after this point, but in this plague, God turns the screws. God is now going to demonstrate through the entire plague process that Pharaoh is not a god at all.Along with those who are refusing to acknowledge Yahweh, there is a growing group of Egyptians who now fear God. When the plague of hail is announced, they rush to bring in their servants and cattle. This proves that there were cattle that survived. But it also shows there are many Egyptians now inclined differently. When the Hebrews do leave Egypt, many go with them, explaining why we get millions of people.Those who are attached to their false gods refuse to listen and they suffer the consequences of their choices. This is no different then to now, because all people must choose who they love and worship. God is patient with all demonstrating his grace towards those who choose him and warning of what happens to those who don’t.

In this video listen to Exodus 8 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 8 we now encounter the second, third and fourth plagues. Were the 10 plagues supernatural or natural? This video explains that this point isn’t important, because as they were induced by God through Moses, whether God used natural or supernatural means, they were supernatural either way.This chapter is also the first time Pharaoh acknowledges that God is a God. But he also thought of himself as a god, and they believed that gods were gods of certain things. So his acknowledgement isn’t giving God a really significant place as creator, or God almighty.Then Pharaoh’s magicians cannot repeat what Moses does and declare it to be the ‘Finger of God.’ This phrase is only found in the Bible three times. Once here, next int he writing of the ten commandments, and third when Jesus casts out a demon and says the finger of God did it. Essentially the finger of God is an example of the Holy Spirit defeating demons. And by implication, the Bible is saying that the false gods of Egypt are demons, defeated by God’s power.Finally, Pharaoh keeps hardening his own heart. It makes things worse and worse, and gives us a terrible example of what not to do with God’s dealings in our own lives.

In this video listen to Exodus 7 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 7 God tells Moses that Pharaoh will not listen to him. This is because God is eternal, that is outside of time, and omnitemporal, that is everywhere in time. But God also knows Pharaoh so well he knows what we will do. This is like parents who generally know what their children will do.If God knows what we will do, does this mean we have no choice? Not at all, but we should cry out to Him to change us and help us follow Him according to His will.Next, the really supernatural part of the Exodus story begins, with rod turning into a snake, and the Egyptian magicians doing the same, thus hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Many people in western society think that something like this is mythical, and yet they are not aware that for billions of people, the supernatural is a daily part of life around the world. In the west the devil has a covert strategy, but many other places he has an overt strategy.Moses then is told by God to use his rod to strike the Nile and it will turn to blood. Presumably this was only in the land of Egypt, as the Nile is a very long river running through other nations. This is the first of the ten plagues.One wonders why all the people had to suffer for the sin of the Pharaoh, and yet if we paid careful attention to the story from the beginning we realize that all of Egypt had participated in his command to kill Hebrew boys. This is collective sin, guilt and judgement. And additionally, there are a number of other perspectives on why the plagues were collective which you can find out by watching the video. The plagues were God’s mercy, and this video will explain that.

In this video listen to Exodus 6 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 6 God repeats his promise to the whole nation, but this time they know his name. Back in Genesis 32:29, Jacob asked God what his name was, but God wouldn’t say. So this is quite a thing.But now Moses finds that not only won’t Pharaoh listen to him, but the Israelites won’t either. It's terrible when a pastor knows he is saying what God wants but people won’t listen. Moses takes it personally in verse 12 telling God his lips are uncircumcised, that is not suitable or acceptable to God for his purpose.Up to verse twenty we see a list of four generations from Levi through to Moses. If the Israelites were slaves for 430 years this would be odd, but from Joseph’s death to Moses birth is only about 65 years, so this works. For a correct chronology of how long the Israelites were in Egypt see the TOBI Talk - How long were the Israelites Slaves in Egypt?If the four generations and the timing isn’t a problem, how on earth did the Israelites grow from 70ish people to millions? This also isn’t a problem, but needs a better explanation, which will be forthcoming in a later video.Finally Moses repeats his problem about how he feels about his speaking ability… it is becoming a theme now. He really feels incapable, and has no choice but to rely on God. This should put us in a whole new light concerning Moses. He saw himself as completely not suitable for the task, and the great outcomes are all due to the Lord.

In this video listen to Exodus 5 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 5 Pharaoh’s real name is deliberately left out by Moses. Moses clearly knew it, and being trained and educated in Egypt did this on purpose. God either instructed him to do so, or there was a cultural reason. Dr David Downs thinks that this Pharaoh is Khasekemre-Neferhotep. Other archaeologists think it is Rameses II.Pharaohs thought they were the incarnation of God, and all of Egypt thought it too. So as Moses approached Pharaoh with God’s request a battle of divine wills begins. And this is one possible reason why Pharaoh is not named, so as not to give him unwarranted significance.Pharaoh asks who is Yahweh? When he finds out that Yahweh is the God of the Hebrews, he must have felt great disrespect, for a god of slaves cannot be any god at all. He has not regard or desire to listen. So he makes things worse for the slaves.So we see that the first response to prayer of the Israelites for deliverance is that things get worse for them. Sometimes when we pray this is exactly what happens. The opposite is the first result. We must trust God because he has a process so as to bring about an even better outcome than we can imagine.But the Israelites don’t trust, and don’t understand, so they begin by blaming their leaders, Moses and Aaron. Yet Moses was just obeying God. How sad for pastors when their people blame them because of misunderstanding. Hebrews 13:17 says “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” Hebrews 13:17

In this video listen to Exodus 4 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 4 Moses makes more excuses for not wanting to go. His initial excuse in Exodus 3 was “Who am I?” Now he says “they won’t believe me.” And, “I’m not a good speaker,” and finally, “Please pick someone else.” God is not impressedContrast this with Mary the mother of Jesus who cheerfully trusted and was willing. No wonder she was highly favoured.God asks Moses “what is in your hand?” It was his rod. Through the rod that Moses already owned God worked wonders. And God will use us, with what we already have and are. We need our eyes opened to see.Then Moses second son was left uncircumcised, most likely just after his birth. Moses became sick and was to die. But Zipporah realised that God was angry because the circumcision had not happened. So she did what should have been Moses’ responsibility.Moses then recovered. This highlights how being called doesn’t spare us from having to obey. In fact the requirements are not lower, but higher. Moses seems stubborn and maybe lazy in this chapter, but nobody else could have performed the tasks he did later. God knew.God has also called you to do certain things. Are you being stubborn and lazy?

In this video listen to Exodus 3 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 3 God is speaking again after what seems like silence for 145 years. He is saying the same things to Moses that he said to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Amazingly we see that God was working to answer the prayers of the Israelites long before they prayed. He started preparing Moses 80 years earlier, by putting him into the Egyptian palace to receive their education.Then when the Israelites cried out, God had a deliverer he was already working on. Moses then doesn't think he is capable for the task. This is an astoundingly different position to that which he would have had as a prince of Egypt. God needed 40 years of desert humility to get the 40 years of Egyptian pride out of him. And he was indeed humble. Humility is being dependent on God. And we cannot serve God without depending on him.Then God reveals his name for the first time in the Bible as “I AM.” It doesn’t seem like a satisfying name, but it reveals that God is the self-existent one. Without something self-existent nothing could exist. So we find out that God is this eternal all-knowing God. In this chapter we learn God’s name, that God is self-existent, and that there is only 1 God.We also see God working to answer prayer, which is remarkable in itself, that God should consider people. But we also see him anticipating the prayer and working in advance. And we see that God is holy and deserves our reverence.

In this video listen to Exodus 2 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 2 the birth of Moses is described. Moses is no ordinary child, there is obviously something special about him which prompts his mother to risk her life to save him. He goes into the water in a basket and is drawn out of the water, in a very early picture of baptism.Bithiah is most likely the Egyptian princess here who rescues Moses, a name given to her later when she married Mered from the tribe of Judah and left Egypt in the Exodus. Her Egyptian name was probably Meri, according to Maclaren’s Expositions. Bithiah was God’s enemy, an Egyptian. It’s incredible how God uses his enemies for his purposes, and in this case, the enemy became a friend. In Christ at the cross, God attempts to turn all of his enemies into his friends, and you and I are those.Finally and remarkably, at the end of Exodus 2 the Israelites cry out to God for deliverance, but God has been preparing Moses for 40 years at least already for this. God hears our prayers before we pray them, and even though there is a timetable to it all, and it can take longer than we want, God is at work even when we don’t see it.

In this video listen to Exodus 1 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Exodus 1 a new king arises in Egypt. The kings were called Pharaohs. Egyptian chronology is very confusing and the world’s leading Egyptologists even among themselves have differing chronologies. There are possibly 30 dynasties, some which overlap. See this for a sense of the complexity.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynasties_of_ancient_Egypt#:~:text=In%20ancient%20Egyptian%20history%2C%20dynasties,%22%20and%20%22intermediate%20periods%22The Bible doesn’t say which Pharaoh we are talking of here. The National Geographic and some other non-biblically-leaning experts think Rameses II was Pharaoh during the actual Exodus, which would mean that Seti was Pharaoh when Moses was born. Some Christian Egyptologists disagree with these names and place it in another dynasty altogether. For example Dr David Downs thinks the Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus was Khasekemre-Neferhotep.No one is entirely certain, but the Bible is itself an incredibly old document and is the provision of huge evidence for Moses and these events to follow. More importantly, Jesus believed in Moses and made many comments about the law of Moses. Indeed Christ is in the law himself, and he said he had come to fulfil the law and the prophets.The chapter then talks about the midwives who lied to save the lives of Hebrew boys. Boys were drowned in the Nile, but girls were saved. The Bible says they feared God, indicating there are a few limited occasions when being sneaky is allowed because we fear God. The hiding of Jews in World War 2 by the Ten Boom family is a modern day example of this.

In this video listen to Genesis 50 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 50 Jacob is embalmed and mourned for 70 days in the Egyptian style. Pharoahs usually had 72 days of mourning, so this is quite an honor given to Jacob. Jacob is then taken back to Hebron to be buried.Joseph then has to reassure his brothers who now panic that revenge might come because their Dad isn’t around to defend them. Joseph assures them that God was in it all along. This brings us to Romans 8:28 in the New Testament where Paul tells us that “all things work together for the good of those that love God.”Our lives may be a tangled mess, but the Lord works in it as our eyes are on him, to bring great good out of it all for His purposes.Finally Joseph dies at the age of 110 in Egypt, is embalmed and put in a coffin but not buried. He request that his bones be taken out of Egypt when they leave, which is not for at least another two hundred years, depending on how you work out the 430 years time in Egypt.This article from Answers in Genesis has an interesting explanation of the 430 years problem: https://answersingenesis.org/bible-questions/how-long-were-the-israelites-in-egypt/When you understand the 430 years problem as explained above it creates a second problem, which was how 2 million Israelites left Egypt only 215 years after they went there officially. How were they able to grow from 70 people to 2 million in 215 years? This question will be dealt with in a later Exodus video.Joseph’s age of 110 is the perfect age for an Egyptian given that for them 110 was the perfect number, and Joseph’s life fulfilled exactly what was required. Joseph is a type of Christ, saving his people, and having a life that fulfilled its purpose exactly.We now come to the end of Genesis, join us tomorrow as we start our ‘journey’ through Exodus.

In this video listen to Genesis 49 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 49 Jacob is 147 years old, and is on his death bed. He now proceeds to prophecy and bless his twelve sons. Some of the blessings don’t seem very good for them, but are accurate as our knowledge of history shows.The most profound of all the blessings is for Judah, his fourth son. Judah is told that the sceptre will not depart from Judah and that he will rule over his brothers. Later of course King David comes from the tribe of Judah, but of his lineage, Jesus is to come. Jesus is the king of kings, with an eternal kingdom, and the sceptre never departs from him. Before Jesus every knee bows and every tongue will confess. What we have here is a blessing, but also a prophecy about Christ.The other prophecies/blessings are also instructive. The prophecy about Dan biting the riders heel, talks about him being one who pulls others down. Later in the national history of Israel, Dan was one of the locations of Jeroboam's two golden calves. These calves pulled the other ten tribes of Israel down into idolatry and away from God’s plan.Another son Reuben found that his sins were to follow him. It speaks of the consequences of our choices. Even though we may be washed in Christ’s blood, there is an effect in this world on what we choose. If a prisoner finds Christ in jail, his soul is now free, but his body remains imprisoned. It is this type of consequence we see here.

In this video listen to Genesis 48 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 48 Jacob recounts the things God said to him, and passes it onto his son and grandsons. This is a picture of Christianity, and that God’s promises are not for us alone, but for us and our children, and spiritual descendants after us. We are a people. We need to pass on what God has given to us.Next Jacob adopts the two sons of Joseph’s as his own sons, so that they become a part of the twelve tribes of Israel. Technically there are now thirteen tribes, but scriptures always have a way of it being twelve. For example when the land is given out later, the Levites are not given any, but live all through the land as priests. Thus the land is divided into twelve. So there is no tribe of Joseph, but he has a double portion in Israel. Joseph is a technical firstborn.But now Jacob goes to bless the two boys, and blesses them back to front. He puts his right hand on the second born, and left hand on the first born. In doing so he repeats a bible theme where the underdog rises and the firstborn misses out. Joseph himself was not a firstborn, but became an effective firstborn. This also happens with Seth, Isaac, Jacob and with others to come. Indeed Israel itself as a nation is not the best nation, the most numerous, most successful oor most sophisticated. God chose an underdog.And so we too are underdogs, and Christ alone is the true firstborn, but in Christ we achieve firstborn status.

In this video listen to Genesis 47 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 47 Jacob gets to meet Pharoah and says something of great interest. He confesses that though he is 130 years old, his life has been short, and full of problems. While his aged seems old to us, it is short in comparison to his forefathers and others in the Bible. It reminds us of the commandment to honor one’s parents.The command to honor wasn’t yet given, but honor for your parents was still a cultural thing, and others before him knew how to honor. That commandment came with a promise that your life would be long, and go well with you. Jacob just 53 years prior had deceived his father, showing great dishonor, and seems to have reaped the reward of dishonoring.These promises in scripture are general in nature, so that they are true most of the time as life happens how it should. But God can do things differently with individuals. So in one circumstance he can take an individual like Jeremiah who did honor his parents, but by necessity of God’s bigger plans, put him through a difficult life. Jeremiah of course is not without rewards in eternity. But others may seem to live with disregard for God, fellow people or their families and seems to do well. Just the same the scripture that says, “your sin will find you out” applies to them.Later in chapter 47, the Israelites multiplied exceedingly. Joseph also instigated 20% taxation in Egypt, which seems quite reasonable from a modern perspective. And Jacob makes Joseph promise to bury him back in Canaan when he dies.

In this video listen to Genesis 46 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 46 at Beersheba God speaks to Jacob to reassure him. THey are on teh edge of Canaan leaving for Egypt to go to Joseph, and must have had many questions. God confirms his word to Jacob, and also what he had previously said to ABraham in Genesis 15;13 that “his descendants would be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.”Jacob is able to trust God and relax… he isn’t being deceived again.Now the Bible outlines the 70 names of the people going down, but many more not named were among them. We see this as a somewhat hidden backstory. Earlier Abraham had 331 fighting men in his family at a time when neither Ishamel or Isaac were born. It indicated the strength of the family and those with them. In the same way Jacob has others, servants, and workers with them, who are not named.Finally Jacob meets his son again, and the scene if like the ending of the prodigal son story. Joseph is the son who once was lost, but now is found. Of course Joseph wasn’t a prodigal, but he represents each of us who were lost to our heavenly father, and have now been found by him. Our finding is a great cause for celebration by our father in Heaven.Finally we see that God was protecting his family in sending them to Egypt. They would have intermarried with the Canaanites as we saw in various stories, such as with Jacob’s daughter Dinah, and also with Judah in Genesis 38. By leaving for Egypt, where they were despised as a people, they were not going to intermarry and would solidify their national identity. So God demonstrates his huge wisdom in these things.

In this video listen to Genesis 45 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 45 Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and they were terrified. That one word says a lot about the state of their emotions right in that moment. Forgiveness was not common in the ancient world, and revenge was. However Joseph’s reassurance must have done a lot.Another thing that would certainly have helped, although not mentioned here, was the recalling to mind of Joseph’s dreams. That would have shown all the brothers that God had been in this right from the start. And also, by sending them back with provisions would have helped them a lot, it would have assured them too.In verse 24 Joseph tells his brothers as they depart to go back to Canaan, not to quarrel on the way. In my opinion, this is one of the funniest verses in the bible. It is a brother having a dig at his brothers knowing what might happen.When Jacob hears the word about Joseph, he is revived, and energy, hope and many other things return to him. This is right at the very end of his life. It goes to show that it can take until our very last moments to see what God has been up to.There are two things to conclude here: God is always with us even if right until the end of our lives we don’t see it. And God is an eternal God…. so his goodness is waiting for us in eternity, even if we do never see it now.

In this video listen to Genesis 44 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 44 Joseph tests his brothers one more time with the ultimate character test. He wants to see if they hate his brother, who is undoubtedly also a favourite, in the same way they hated him.They prove him wrong, and demonstrate how profoundly they have changed as a family. Before Joseph was a slave they happily sacrificed him for their own happiness, but now Judah is willing to sacrifice himself for his brother and father’s happiness. God has worked wonders in this family.This is a family that has suffered. Certainly Joseph suffered in Egypt, but his journey seems cheerful in comparison to those left behind. Through the pain of what they experienced they have changed. The Lord knows how to bring good out of pain.Christ himself is called the man of sorrows, who knew grief on our behalf. (Isaiah 53:3) And his road up the hill to Calvary was named the Via Del La Rosa, or the path of suffering. Jesus knew how to walk into suffering for the good of all of us. And sometimes he allows suffering to work inside of us for our good, and the good of others too.Only God has this wisdom. Suffering can also cause us to change in negative ways also. We need to thank God for the suffering we are allowed to walk through, and keep our eyes on him, so that we will become like him in his death, and be raised to life with him also.

In this video listen to Genesis 43 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 43 we see that the famine is used by God in multiple ways. It was used to elevate Joseph, and to save Jacob’s family and now to force them to come to Egypt. God is remarkable in how he uses circumstances to bring about his will.Jacob is too fragile to allow Benjamin to go, so Judah displays real sacrifice by putting his life on the line. Much later, Christ is called the Lion of Judah and lays down his life for us.Jacob’s circumstances were tough, and it was hard to trust God, and eventually he does, partially because he has no choice. He is a changed man, as are all the sons. When we keep our eyes on Good through life’s challenges, we are changed into trusting Him, but if we keep our eyes on the problems, we also change, but not for good. LIke Peter in the New Testament who walked on water… for a while. Once he took his eyes off the Lord, he sank.None of us have probably experienced the pain that Jacob did, and this story reminds us to keep our eyes on Christ through whatever we face.Now Joseph was actually watching over his brothers and intending a good outcome, but tested them in the process to see their sincerity. God also watches over us and tests us, but not so He knows, but so that we will know ourselves. Have you failed any tests? If so, its time to see the Lord for his grace.

In this video listen to Genesis 42 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 42 Joseph must have surely realised that the dreams he had as a teenager were coming to pass. His trust in God and commitment to righteousness has paid off. But just the same, he now has to overcome possibly the greatest test so far… the desire for revenge.What looks like him being mean to his brothers in this chapter and the ones to follow, is actually a test of their character. Joseph wants to know if he can trust them, and a wise ruler does want to know these things.His test involves accusing his brothers of spying, and imprisoning Simeon demanding the other brothers bring back Benjamin. This places too much strain on the aging father Jacob who cannot handle it. Despite Reuben’s guarantee of his own sons lives in the place of Benjamin, Jacob is too emotionally fragile to allow Benjamin to go.In Jacob’s discourse he regrets having lost Josephe, and then Simeon, and doesn't want to lose Benjamin. This shows his father's heart for his non favourite sons such as Simeon. There is probably nobody in scripture more than Jacob with whom I sympathize.Through it all God was working in the way that only He can.

In this video listen to Genesis 41 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 41 Pharoah now has dreams, and his magicians are inept. Once again the Lord interprets the dreams. The Bible.org commentary tells us that Joseph was 30 years old here, so 13 years after he was sold into slavery.Dreams are like personal parables and the Lord speaks to all of us in our own way. The key is firstly having a desire to understand and then seeking Christ for his interpretation. The disciples did this when Christ shared parables, later asking for the meaning. We too should ask Christ for his meaning in our dreams.Finally Joseph is given the opportunity to talk to someone important, but uses that opportunity to serve, rather than seek his own advantage. In coming before Pharaoh, he is shaved, a humiliation for Hebrews as we later find out in King David’s day. (see 2 Samuel 10:4) Joseph accepts humiliation and strives to serve, and once again God helps.Pharoah notices Joseph's humility, and also his capable administrative gift and suggestion. So Joseph becomes the Grand Vizier of Egypt. In my opinion it is doubtful if Joseph could have been a person of this character without his prison and slave experiences. They were necessary in shaping him. Can we compare his character now, to his person as a teenager when he was telling his brothers he would rule them. Now he had the character sufficient to actually be a good ruler.In recent times archaeological evidence for Joseph, his wife Asanath, his father Jacbo, brothers, sons and more has been uncovered through the incredible research of Dr Douglas Petrovich. His interpretation of many ancient egyptian stele has provided many interesting insights into this period of biblical history.Imagine if Christians were like Joseph, full of the spirit, humble, not pushy for their own advantage, but seeking to serve those who are clearly not mindful of the Lord…. What would the world be like?

In this video listen to Genesis 40 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 40 we start to see dreams and their interpretation figure in the Bible. A theological statement is made by Joseph when he says ‘Don’t interpretations belong to God?’ Finally someone here has their thinking straight.Previously of course his father Jacob experienced God at Bethel in a dream, and prior to that Abraham had dreams in which God spoke to him. So God had frequently spoken through dreams, and Joseph is clued up.When he understands what the dreams mean, which is a gift of the spirit, he has to take great courage in telling the baker he has only three days to live. But if he was uncertain about the meaning that would have been a dumb thing to do, so he was clearlry certain it was from God.In the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 12 we are told of the gifts of the Spirit, and there are nine listed. Dream interpretation is not among them, but clearly requires the work of the Spirit, so the gifts are not nine, but more. As a believer, you should with wisdom, seek other gifts like Joseph did.Finally, we realise that Josephe must surely have remembered his own dreams as a younger person. He knew that God was taking him somewhere, and he trusted the Lord. Now we know why Joseph served with a whole heart. Not only was God with him, but he saw a bigger picture and he trusted as Abraham did for so long when it looked impossible.

In this video listen to Genesis 39 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 39 Joseph is sold into the house of a prominent Egyptian, Potiphar. He serves wholeheartedly and rises to a good position. The Lord is with him.Potiphar’s wife notices Joseph and tempts him with sex, and very strangely for the times, he doesn’t go through with it. This is very contrasting to the previous chapter about his brother Judah who seems to have no qualms about being immoral. There is of course no law or ten commandments given yet, so where does Joseph obtain his sense of righteousness. He is filled with the Holy Spirit.The temptation however does not go away, and Joseph resists until eventually he is despised and accused. The writer of the book of Hebrews says that some of us haven’t “resisted until the shedding of our blood.” (Hebrews 12:4-6) This is the type of overcoming Joseph demonstrated here - he resists to his own hurt, but to the glory of God.Although he could easily have been killed for the indiscretion he was accused of, he is somehow shown mercy by only being imprisoned. Prisons were unusual in ancient times, with capital punishment being much more common. The Lord was in that.Finally, Joseph serves in the prison with a whole heart as before. Paul wrote to slaves who had become believers in Ephesians 6:5 to serve their masters as though serving the Lord. Joseph does that here without even being instructed. Joseph is a truly remarkable biblical figure worthy of emulation.

In this video listen to Genesis 38 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 38 there seems to be an interruption to the Joseph story, but it is placed here for a reason. It is going to starkly compare Joseph’s righteous behaviour to follow, with the unrighteous things going on by his family left behind. Joseph still had much to learn, but he had the grace of God, and was righteous in his heart.It's hard enough to be righteous when you know you should and you have good examples around you, but try to be righteous where there is nothing to demonstrate it, and the ten commandments don’t yet exist. This is the difference between Judah and Joseph.The chapter then outlines the sin of Onan, who is supposed to produce a family line for his brother as a moral obligation, but deliberately doesn't’. When having intimate moments, he deliberately spills his semen on the ground. This is because he doesn’t want any children to be his responsibility when the honor of the children is his dead brother’s and not his own. This isn't a passage about birth control as many assume, but about his immoral motivations.Finally Judah does the wrong thing by not giving his third son to Tamar to fulfil legal and moral obligations in the culture of the time. Tamar takes matters into her own hands and tricks Judah into sleeping with her and it becomes a great fiasco resulting in twins. The twins are part of the ancestry of Christ. This demonstrates how such crazy and outlandish behaviour is accounted for by Christ in his sovereignty. God is able to still be sovereign while handling the wild human choices that occur.One lasting thought seems clear. Judah and his sons were selecting wives from among the Canaanites. This was something Abraham and Isaac didn’t want, but Jacob seems to have had little power over. The problem was the corrrupting influence of the other cultures. But by eventually settling in Egypt this would stop… because the egyptians detested shepherds and would not mix with them. So the time that was about to follow would prove crucial for the settling of the national identity of Israel.

In this video listen to Genesis 37 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 37 the effects of Jacob’s favoritism of Joseph end up hurting him. It’s a powerful reminder that having a favorite child is not good for your family. If you have non natural children such as foster children, step children, or others under your care, you need to seek God for grace, and determine to be fair with them. God can provide you with an affection for them that is not natural but just as good.Joseph has his first recorded dreams in this chapter, and the sun, moon and stars bow to him. These were symbols for people in his life, and remind us firstly that dreams are symbolic, but secondly that so often in scripture, references to stars and other heavenly bodies are also symbolic. We see this in the prophets, and also in Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24.In the second half of the chapter Joseph is sold to Ishmaelites… or is it Midianites? The chapter seems to keep calling them different names. Various commentators, such as the Enduring Word commentary show us that this was a common language feature of the Israelites and also happens in Judges 8:22-28. They equated these two groups as the same.Finally Jacob begins a whole new period of pain in his life. HIs favourite wife just died, and now his favourite son is apparently dead. He must have wondered where God was in this. Later of course, Joseph’s words come back into the situation when he says to his brothers, “you intended it for evil, but God intended it for good.” It demonstrates why when we face pain, and have no answers, we need to trust God and even praise Him. He is at work to bring about good.

In this video listen to Genesis 36 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 36 we have the one chapter in the Bible that goes into the family tree of Esau, Jacob’s brother. The land of Edom has a place right through scriptures.There are prophecies in Isaiah and elsewhere about Edom. Also King Herod who ruled Judea much later was an Idumean, that is an Edomite. Also the incredible city of Petra, in modern day Jordan was part of ancient Edom. Because Jacob and Esau were brothers, these two nations of Israel and Edom were considered closer than other nations.However the Lord was displeased when he judged Israel, and Edom gloated over the destruction. The prophecy of Obadiah was the result of that displeasure. Malachi 1:3 also tells us that God loved Jacob but hated Esau.If God hated Esau, why did such a prominent part of Genesis be given entirely to his family tree? God’s hate must be for dramatic purpose only, to indicate he chose Jacob and didn’t choose Esau.Rather when the Israelites, and us, see a passage like this, it should cause us to contemplate that if God is so interested in them to know the details of their history, that we should not hate them, but treat them with dignity.

In this video listen to Genesis 35 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 35 the deaths of three people are recounted, first being Deborah’s Jacob’s mothers nurse, who would have been quite elderly, perhaps, 140. The second to die was Rachel, Jacob’s favourite wife and Joseph’s mother at a young age of perhaps 36, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/art...), and Isaac at the age of 180.Rachel died in childbirth giving birth to Benjamin, the only one of the twelve brothers to be born in Canaan.Here Rachel names her son, ‘son of my sorrow’ or Ben Oni on her death. However Jacob overrules and renames him ‘son of my right right’ or Ben Jamin. Here we see the purpose of God at work. Because each of us have entered into life with sorrow because of sin, but when we come to Christ, we have sorrow overruled, and become sons of the right hand. Christ of course sits at the right hand of the Father.Finally Isaac dies at 180, and the memory of his deceit is an old one. The boys, both aged 120 each, bury their father together.

In this video listen to Genesis 34 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 34 we see the behaviour of some of Jacob’s sons. Firstly in deception, then in murder and brutality. They also acted without thought of the future consequences of their behaviour.Jacob’s daughter Dinah is taken inappropriately, and the young man Schechem wants to marry her. He is willing to pay a high price, but the brothers deceitfully only ask for the entire city to be circumcised, which happens. Two of the brothers then attack and kill all the adult males while they are in pain healing, and unable to defend themselves.This causes Jacob to hate their action, and we see he has wizened in life, although he is now 100 years old. The young men here likely will be late teens to early twenties of age, and no doubt thinking came slower than reacting.So who is right and who is wrong in the story. It seems everyone has done something wrong. It's an indication of life because none of us are guiltless, and all of us need the mercy of God.

In this video listen to Genesis 33 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 33 Jacob gets ready to meet Esau’s coming army of 400 men. He orders his family by how much he loves them, and this must have felt terrible to the women and children. Later we see in the story of Jacob how this favouritism played out. Jacob probably wasn’t aware of how his attitudes would affect his family, but today we are aware of these things, and know the wisdom of them.Jacob of course was tricked into his unique family situation, but sometimes today people find themselves also in unique situations. Sometimes parents have step children, or grandchildren, or foster children, or others that are not natural children, adn they need equal love alongside the natural children. This calls for determination, but ultimately God’s grace must be added.This will be for the long term good.Finally when Esau arrives, he is friendly, and this must have been a huge relief. God no doubt was a part of that. A real answer to prayer. The third of Jacob’s adversaries (Laban, the Lord and Esau) turned out to be fear instead.

In this video listen to Genesis 32 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 32 Jacob gets the terrible news that his brother is coming with an army of 400 soldiers to meet him. It cannot possibly be good news. Jacob does what is practical, dividing his family into two groups, giving better odds for one group to survive, and he also sends a messenger and gifts to his brother.But he also deals with the news by going to prayer. First he prays alone, but then he finds a strange man who wrestles with him. Jacob is unwilling to give up, and so prevails against a stronger opponent, who ends up being the Lord. This is an all night affair. This alludes to our call to wrestle with God in prayer, until we breakthrough, even if it takes all night.Jacob’s situation was desperate, but we often face desperate spiritual circumstances which don’t bother us much.In overcoming, Jacob was given a new identity of Israel, and that shaped the rest of the entire scripture, and salvation history. It also shows us that we are called to wrestle with God. No longer was Jacob a deceiver, he was a perseverer.Finally the name Israel suggest that God started the wrestle. It suggests that God puts us into some predicaments for our own overcoming and good.

In this video listen to Genesis 30 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 30 infertility is again an issue in the scriptures and Rachel is unable to have children. She copies Sarah - her grandmother in law and gives her servant to her husband. This time there is no competition between servant and owner, but there is competition between sisters and wives, Leah and Rachel.Infertility can happen for many reasons, but in this chapter we see it was the Lord, for his own undisclosed reason, that closed Rachels’ womb. At Peace, we have had the blessing of seeing many infertile couples blessed with children, and John Alley, long-time senior minister here has a grace for those type of prayers. I (David Alley) was the result of such a type of situation where the Lord opened my mother’s womb.Finally a heap of children are born to the two sisters and their two servants - a total of eleven sons, with one more to come later.In this chapter we see competition between wives in a polygamous sitution and it demonstrates why God never intended this. Jacob was deceived into polygamy, and his culture allowed it, but the scriptures show it was never God’s plan. When women compete for a husband’s attention it puts stresses on everyone that were never meant to exist.Finally the chapter ends by Jacob now working for real wages and wealth, that is for sheep and goats. Once again he uses trickery to get again, and this time Laban reaps what he sows.

In this video listen to Genesis 29 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 29 Jacob arrives in Haran, and helps his cousin Rachel to water her sheep. The custom at that place was to cover the well with a stone, and Rachel was too weak to move it on her own, and for this reason shepherds, who were probably young, would gather at the same time to water. Cooperation here between the shepherds is an interesting point and reminds us that ministers of the gospel should work together for Christ.Jacob then works seven years for his wife Rachel. This is quite different to how Isaac obtained a wife immediately without having to work. Abraham of course paid great wealth to get a wife for Isaac, but Jacob is empty handed. Jacob is also about 77 years of age here which is surprising.But then Jacob is deceived by his Uncle Laban and finds he didn’t actually marry his sweetheart Rachel, but wakes up on the morning after the wedding to find her sister Leah in the tent with him. Imagine the shock. This video gives five reasons how this could have happened.But the deception is a clear example of reaping what one has sowed. Despite God’s promises to Jacob, the consequences of his former life are still being worked out.

In this video listen to Genesis 28 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Genesis 28 Rebekah sends Jacob away to her brother, and Esau finally realises (at the age of 77) that his Canaanite wives displease his parents. Esau now takes another wife (this makes 3) for himself from one of Ishmael’s daughters - a cousin of his. Here we see an example of him now trying to honor his parents, after having been quite oblivious about its importance before this. But he once again does so in his own manner, without actually considering how they might have advised.Jacob leaves for Haran and has a dream of heaven, with angels coming and going via flight of stairs. God repeats his promise previously made to Abrraham, and Isaac, and after this Jacob is awed and makes the Lord his God. In a big way, it's a type of conversion experience for him, and we all must make such a choice to follow the Lord.He also names the physical place Bethel, but in the New Testament the house of God is within us, so we are Bethel.

In this video listen to Genesis 27 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.Genesis 27 contains the fascinating story of Jacob’s deceit of his father Isaac so as to steal the blessing from his brother Esau. Isaac is at this point 137 years old and Jacob and Esau are 77, which is much older than we often think.Esau previously despised his inheritance and dishonoured his parents and may be receiving a spiritual backhander here as a result. Jacob does the wrong thing, but demonstrates how highly prized the blessing was.Isaac mistakenly thought there was only one blessing, but we see in the scriptures that there is a blessing for all of God’s people. So go and seek it out. Find your fathers in the faith and ask them to bless you.Today in churches most Christians think little of the blessing, as maybe just a nice collection of words, but for Jacob and Esau the blessing was something to fight for. When our attitudes match Jacob’s we will find the power of the blessing influences us for good much more.Finally Jacob flees for his life, and is advised at the ripe age of 77 to go to his relatives in Haran, and Isaac suggests he might get a wife there. Why such suggestions waited 77 years is an interesting point to contemplate, but reminds us that we need to be involved in the lives of our children as much as possible, guiding them and blessing them.

In this video listen to Genesis 26 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.Genesis 26 tells of how Isaac prospered during a famine. He went to the land of the Philistines where he not only prospered, but repeated the sins of his father ABraham in lying about his wife. This shows us that we must be careful how we act, because our children pick up our values and way of life.Later in the chapter Isaac redigs wells that his father Abraham had dug. This must have been frustrating for him, but illustrates spiritual truth to us. Sometimes we have to go back to prayer and fight again to reobtain victories that were previously obtained. Each generation has to find its own breakthrough and shouldn’t rest on the laurels of those gone before, otherwise we may take for granted what was obtained.Later in the chapter Esua does take his parents for granted and dishonors them by taking local wives. Abraham had gone to great effort to get a wife from afar that wasn’t tainted with the sins around him in Canaan, but Esau seems not to care. So he dishonoured his parents, and even though the ten commandments were not yet given, he showed that honour was not in his heart.Is honour in your heart towards your spiritual leaders? Do you care about the effort they go to for you in prayer, preaching and care?

In this video listen to Genesis 25 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.Genesis 25 shows us that Abraham actually had many more children and outlines who they are and their descendants. Abraham dies at 175, which was old enough to have met his grandsons, Esau and Jacob who would have been 15 at the time. Isaac was 75 when he buried his father and Ishmael was 88.We then go on to hear the story of the birth of the twins, Jacob and Esau who were born when Isaac was 60 and Abraham was 160. The second Jacob tried to grab his brother's heel and was named accordingly. His name means deceiver, and it clearly had an effect on him as his behavior reflected this throughout his life.Later God intervenes to change Jacob’s name and this was a great mercy, but Jacob had to fight for it. God also gives us the opportunity of a changed identity and if we follow Him we become new creations and are given a new identity too.Finally Esau is convinced by Jacob to give up his birthright. This is the double share of inheritance that a firstborn obtains. Esau simply doesn’t care enough, but Jacob cares much, and later on in scripture we see that his attitude by Esau was not pleasing to God.What spiritual inheritances do you despise and simply not care about?

In this video listen to Genesis 24 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.Genesis 24 is the longest chapter in Genesis, and tells of how Abraham at the age of 140 organised a wife for his son Isaac. He didn’t want to get a wife from among the Canaanites, even though he was to inherit the land, but from his family. He sent his servant on a long journey, which took about 17 days each way, with ten fully loaded camels, to Haran where Bethuel lived.There the servant prays and God helps in finding a wife. In this we learn how practical Godo is, answering prayers every day in situations all of the time.After finding Rebekah, the servant gives her jewelry worth more than $6000 US Dollars according to estimates with online websites, and that must have helped put Rebekah’s mind at ease knowing her future master was wealthy. Ultimately they gave her, and her family many other things too. But what really settled the deal was knowing it was the will of God.We make many choices in life, and just because the circumstances are correct doesn't mean we should proceed. What we need to know is if the Lord is in it, and thus we need to be people who seek him.

In this video listen to Genesis 23 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.Genesis 23 seems like a story that while interesting has little to do with the rest of scripture. It recounts the death of Sarah at great old age of 127. Isaac is 37 years old at the time of her death and she is the only woman in scripture whose age at death is named.The passage goes on to describe a negotiation between Ephron the Hittite and Abraham for the purchase/sale of the burial plot, which is a field with a cave in it. Both seem keen to do what they think the other wants, which for Abraham is to pay a good price, and for Ephron to give the field away. In the end they concede to each other and Abraham purchase the field for 400 shekels of silver, which was a good deal.This passage, as well as showing some interesting historical things, also highlights preferential honor in relationships. Clearly these two men had a great deal of respect for each other, and as Christian believers, there is a calling for preferential treatment of each other also.

In this video listen to Genesis 22 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.Genesis 22 tells the incredible story of the testing of Abraham. Up until now, the whole narrative has been about how Abraham had to exhibit faith so as to obtain a son. Now that he has a son, he is asked to give him up by sacrificing him.While this is also a test of faith, it is really a test of values. Does Abraham value his son more than God? Does Abraham really love God, or only love what God can do for him? Many of us love God because of the blessings we receive from Him, such as Heaven, or His promises here and now. Later in scripture Job loses everything and rerfuses to give up on God, and thus goes through the same type of test, but without knowing it. Job is found to value God above what God can do for hm, and in the process all is restored in greater measure. Many of us are also called to go through tests of what we value, and whether God has a higher place than these things.This passage also raises questions about child sacrifice, and God’s requests of us. Does God ask us to do things which are wrong? Listen and find out.

In this video listen to Genesis 21 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.Genesis 21 tells the story of Isaac’s birth, which is a great culmination of all the faith and promises in all the previous chapters of Genesis. Abraham perseveres in trusting God even though it has gotten to the point that the evidence is now against anything happening. So he is a great example to copy.But a battle of inheritance now begins between the two boys, but really between the two mothers who both want their son to be the one who inherits. First born sons inherit a double share, and Ishamel was the first born. But Sarah says he is the son of a slave and doesn't count.First this is an example of a son, who is not the firstborn inheriting everything. This happens in other places too, such as with Jacob and Esau and later with Joseph and the brothers. Even Seth, the third son of Adam is the prominent one. This is a recurring theme and illustrates how God chooses the unexpected one for his purpose, and we are the weak, foolish and unexpected choice. We can identify with not being the prominent one, but having God’s grace.At the same time, Christ is the true firstborn son, who does inherit everything, but the New Testament shows us that he does so by laying it all down and not claiming it. So Christ sets an example of not fighting for one’s rights, but serving others, and inheriting God’s blessing through service.But Isaac does become the firstborn, despite being second, because Ishamel is in some senses illegitimate. Ishamel is the son of human effort, and not the son of God’s promise. Paul writes about this in Galatians later on. So we too will find God’s best for us through his promises, and not through our efforts.

This is part of a video series covering the entire Bible in 4 years, one chapter at a time. Start at the beginning with Genesis 1 (Youtube link: https://youtu.be/wC2qD4RGOdo) and work through the playlist. Or go to https://www.peace.org.au/bible.html for more information.In this video listen to Genesis 20 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.Genesis 20 tells the story of Abraham’s visit to Gerar and how Abimelech took Sarah to be his own wife, without realising she was Abraham’s wife. A curse comes on Abimelech’s house as a result of his ignorant sin, and God warns him in a dream.In this story we see Abraham repeating behaviour that he previously demonstrated in Genesis 12. (Youtube link: https://youtu.be/I026wntk-bA) As humans we often repeat behaviour that we should stop, and the temptation here is to firstly think this story is fabricated because it sounds like the earlier story, but instead it is a mark of authenticity. Secondly its a reminder to consider our own repeated mistakes.But next we see that we sometimes have life’s circumstances turn against us without knowing why also, and we need to find a way through in prayer. Often we too have sinned unknowingly (oro maybe knowingly) and we need to find repentance and rectification as did Abimelech. Other times like later with the biblical character Job, the curse is more mysterious. But in the same way, we must seek the face of God and find a way through the situation, but in doing so, also find a way into greater maturity as believers.

Listen to Genesis 19 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.Genesis 19 starts with the account of how Sodom was destroyed, and ends with the origin story of two national groups, the Moabites and the Ammonites. Both of these are stories which leave us shaking our heads for different reasons, but at the same time they do provide us with historical background to things to come in the Bible, and spiritual lessons as well.Sodom is destroyed because its sin is grievous and in its destruction God is glorified. He did what was right and demonstrated justice, which will one day come to all people. The real issue at Sodom not homosexuality although that was probably a big issue too, but its deliberate and cruel inhospitality. Other Jewish accounts give a sense of why there was an outcry against these cities.In the end despite Abraham’s intercession there weren't enough good people, not even five were found. In truth this is always the case, because nobody is good outside of Christ. So those who were willing had to be taken out of the city, that being Lot, his wife and two daughters. This is a picture of Christ rescuing us from sin. However Lot’s wife looked back, her heart was back in the city. She was instructed not to look, but at the same time, Abraham whose heart was not in the city, saw the destruction from a great distance and his concern was for his relatives.As believers we are not to have a heart for the world, like Lot's wife, but a heart for the lost, like Abraham. We are to leave the world behind, like Lot left Sodom and set our hearts on a new life in Christ.