This is from the Lord …

"Interpreting dreams is God's business" (Genesis 40:8). "I know what the dream means" (Genesis 40:12). The dreams were given by God. Their interpretation was given by him. When we read about the dreams and their interpretation, we must not make too much of the part played by Joseph. Our attention is drawn away from Joseph. …

When nothing seems to be going right for us …

"The Lord was with Joseph in a very special way" (Genesis 39:3). Did this change when Joseph was put in prison? No! - "But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him" (Genesis 39:20-21). His circumstances had changed - but his God hadn't changed! What a word of encouragement for us! When nothing seems …

The Beginning Of Sin …

Genesis 3 From the majestic perfection of God and the privileged responsibility of humanity, we now move to the evil subtlety of Satan. An intruder has sneaked into the privileged place between God, the Creator, and mankind, His creation. Chapter 2 ends with the absence of shame. Chapter 3 begins with the presence of Satan. The …

A surprising discovery …

"This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon" (Genesis 38:24). When we're not expecting to find very much in a list of many names, we find this. Perhaps, in this short sentence, we have some encouragement to expect that God's Word will come …

Such a wonderful love, such a wonderful gift …

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe (or "coat of many colours")  for him" (Genesis 37:3). What was so special about this ornate robe, this coat of many colours? - It was the love that lay behind the …

The younger generation becomes the older generation …

"These are the generations ... " (Genesis 36:1). The younger generation becomes the older generation ... None of us can turn back the clock. We can look back, but we cannot go back. We must look forward. Will the future be more of the same, or will there be something more? Is there something beyond …

Our future doesn’t need to be determined by our past …

"Upon Jacob’s arrival at Bethel ... God appeared to him once again and blessed him" (Genesis 35:9). Here, God was reminding Jacob of what was said to him in Genesis 32:28-30. Like Jacob, we need reminding of spiritual truth. We need to be reminded that we can be changed - by God. Our future doesn't …

What’s love got to do with it? …

"One day Dinah, Leah’s daughter, went out to visit some of the neighborhood girls, 2 but when Shechem, son of King Hamor the Hivite, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 He fell deeply in love with her, and tried to win her affection" (Genesis 34:1-3). Not everything that's done in the name of love is done in …

Expect the unexpected!

'When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”' (Genesis 28:16-17). Grace comes so unexpectedly! Jacob was just looking for a good night's sleep - but …

What a wonderful welcome! …

"Then, far in the distance, Jacob saw Esau coming with his 400 men. 2 Jacob now arranged his family into a column, with his two concubines and their children at the head, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3 Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother he bowed low seven times before …

Standing on the promises of God …

"Esau hated Jacob because of what he had done to him (or because of the blessing with which his father, Isaac, blessed him, Jacob)" (Genesis 27:41). The story of Jacob and Esau can be read at a purely human level. Esau's reaction to Jacob's trickery was perfectly understandable. What are we to make of all …

Just around the corner …

"So Jacob and his household started on again. And the angels of God came to meet him. When he saw them he exclaimed, “God lives here!” So he named the place “God’s territory!”" (Genesis 32:1-2). Grace finds us. God comes to us. He decides where and when and how he will meet us. When we're thinking …

Count your blessings …

"We can plainly see that the Lord is blessing you ... We bless you in the name of the Lord" (Genesis 26:28-29). Thank God that he is blessing you and pray that he will keep on blessing you. Think of how much the Lord has blessed you, and let your heart be filled with praise …

Return …

"Return to the land of your fathers ... and I will be with you ... I am the God you met at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar and made a vow to serve me. Return to the land of your birth" (Genesis 31:3,13). There are places that will always be special to …

A debtor to mercy alone …

"The older son shall be the servant of the younger son" (Genesis 25:23). Grace isn't defined by human expectations. Human wisdom gives priority to the older son. God chooses the younger son, Jacob - to carry forward his great plan of salvation. Why did God choose Jacob? Was Jacob better than Esau? We won't find …

More blessing …

At the time of Joseph's birth, Rachel said, "May the Lord give me another son" (Genesis 30:24). Blessing creates an increased desire for more blessing. When the Lord blesses us, does it make us want to know more and more of his blessing?

All the days of my life … and forever …

"Abraham was a very old man, and God blessed him in every way" (Genesis 24:1). We read about Abraham. We think about ourselves, and we join, with the Psalmist, in saying, "Surely your goodness and love (or mercy) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:6). …

“There’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin.”

Genesis 4:6-16 In the story of Cain, we see the development of sin. Jealousy leads to anger, and anger leads to murder. In this story, we see ourselves in the ‘mirror’ of God’s Word. Here, God emphasizes our exceeding sinfulness - ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt’ (Jeremiah 17:9). Our sinfulness …

Something different …

"Judah" - "This time, I will  praise the Lord" (Genesis 29:35). Before Judah was born, his mother, Leah, had three other sons, Reuben, Simeon and Levi. At the time of the first three births, Leah speaks about being unloved. She hopes that her husband will love her. "When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled …

Restore, O Lord, the honour of your name …

"You are an honoured prince of God among us" (Genesis 23:5). How great this is! When people thought of Abraham, they thought of God. We think of Abraham, and our thoughts move forward to Jesus; "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... The Word …

Lord, we need Your strength.

Genesis 9:20-29 Lord, we need Your strength. Without Your strength, we fall. Without Your strength, we fail. With Your strength, everything changes. You lead us from our defeat into Your victory. Help us, Lord, to trust You. In ourselves, we are weak. In You, we are strong. Where does this strength come from? – It …

The Lamb of God …

"Where is the lamb for the sacrifice? God will see to it" (Genesis 22:7-8). From here, we look forward to Jesus Christ, "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Our salvation comes from him - from what he has done for us, not from what we have done …

When we’re going through hard times …

"And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and …

Things seemed to be going so well …

"Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly" (Genesis 47:27). Things seemed to be going so well - but, later on, everything would change. "Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.9 And he said to his …

Let us worship God …

"Sarah said, 'God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.'" (Genesis 21:6). In Genesis 18:12, we read about Sarah laughing. That time, it was the laugh of unbelief. This time, it's the laugh of praise. She is no longer doubting the Lord. Now, she's praising him. She's rejoicing in …

When You See A Rainbow, Remember God Is Love …

Genesis 9:1-19 '‘When you see a rainbow, remember God is love’. The rainbow reminds us of the gracious promise of God (13-15). If the love of God is revealed in the rainbow, it is more fully revealed in the Cross: ‘We sing the praise of Him who died, of Him who died upon the Cross... …

Ancient words …

"Abraham is a prophet, and he will pray for you" (Genesis 20:7). The prophet speaks for God. The prophet speaks to God. Speaking for God and speaking to God - we need both. We bring the Word of God to the people, and we pray that his blessing will be upon the people. When we …

Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

"The Lord was merciful to them" (Genesis 19:16). In a chapter which speaks so much about God's judgment, it is good to be reminded of his mercy. In mercy, God has provided us with a way of escaping his judgment. Jesus is, for us, God's way of escape from judgment. Jesus has taken our place. …

Faith laughs at impossibilities …

"Sarah laughed" (Genesis 18:12). It wasn't only Sarah who laughed. Abraham, also, laughed (Genesis 17:17). The laughter of Sarah and Abraham was the laughter of unbelief. There is, however, another laughter, a better laughter. It's the laughter of faith; "Faith laughs at impossibilities, and cries, 'It shall be done.'" (Charles Wesley). Here's a link to …

Jesus, Master whose I am …

"No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations" (Genesis 17:5). From Abram to Abraham - it doesn't seem like a very big change. It is a big change. It seems to suggest a movement from the blessings given to Abram - to …

At the cross …

“You are the God who sees me, I have now seen the One who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13). God sees the big picture. We only see part of it. To understand what life's all about, we need revelation from the Lord. We need God to shine his light upon us. God shows us who he is …

Be Thou My Vision …

"The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield,  your very great reward.'" (Genesis 15:1).  Abram was given great promises by the Lord. He received great blessings from the Lord. When we sing the words, Be Thou my Vision, we are affirming our faith in the Lord. With him as our …

Blessing comes from the Lord – and praise is given to him.

"Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And praise be to God Most High ... " (Genesis 14:19-20). Blessing comes from the Lord - and praise is given to him. Where would we be without the Lord's blessing? Let us lift up our hearts and voices to him in praise. Let us …

Making a new beginning with God …

"Abram worshipped the Lord" (Genesis 13:4). Here, we see Abram, returning to a place where he had, at an earlier time, worshipped the Lord. As I was reading this verse, I thought of a song that I haven't heard for years. Here's a link to it: How long has it been since you talked with …

God’s great plan of salvation …

“I will make you into a great nation, ... all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3). From Abram to the nation of Israel, from the nation of Israel to all nations - This is the progression of God's great plan of salvation. The promise was given to Abram. It was fulfilled in Christ. Abram …

Heaven came down …

"Building a tower and making a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4) There is no salvation in ourselves. Salvation is in Christ alone (Acts 4:12). The Lord is our "strong tower" (Proverbs 18:10). Salvation doesn't begin with ourselves. It comes to us from Christ: "Who came down from heaven to earth? - Jesus Christ,our Saviour." Here's a …

Real power …

"Nimrod, was a mighty hunter before the Lord" (Genesis 10:9). We live our life "before the Lord" (in the presence of the Lord, in the eyes of the Lord). This is something we should never forget. We do not live for ourselves, for our own glory. We live for God, to give glory to him. …

Blessed!

"God blessed Noah" (Genesis 9:1). Why do we remember Noah? We remember him - because God blessed him. The story of Noah is more than the story of Noah. It's the story of the God who blessed him. Our story is more than the story of our life. It's the story of the God who …

Remembered …

"God remembered Noah" (Genesis 8:1). God didn't forget Noah. He remembered him. God doesn't forget us. He remembers us. We don't like to be forgotten. We like to be remembered. Sometimes, people forget us. They don't remember us. Sometimes, we forget them. We don't remember them. God is so very different from us. He never …

God is faithful. He will never fail us. His love is everlasting love.

Genesis 12:1-3 (related reading - Hebrews 6:13-20)Our concern is not so much with Abraham as the God of Abraham. The story of Abraham is both the story of Abraham's weakness and the story of God's grace and power. We see the grace of God revealed in the promises of God. We see the power of …

Stop running away from God and start returning to him.

"I wish God would just go away - and leave us alone" - That's what many people want. Is it so easy to get rid of God? He seems to be very persistent. It seems that we don't seem to hear much from him for a while - and then something happens, something makes us …

Safe in the arms of Jesus

"Noah went into the ark" (Genesis 7:7). For Noah and his family, the ark was the place of safety. For us, Jesus is the 'ark' of our salvation. We are "safe in the arms of Jesu." He has invited us to come to him. He welcomes us when we come to him. We belong to …

Jesus – our Saviour and Lord …

Daily Devotional Readings

Joseph makes himself known to his brothers: “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!” (Genesis 45:4). Jesus makes Himself known to His disciples (Matthew 16:13-17). In Joseph’s self-identification, there is a statement about why God had sent him into Egypt – “it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you … God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Genesis 45:5,7). Jesus was sent by God to call out the “Church” by an even greater deliverance – deliverance from “the gates of hell” (Matthew 16:18). Joseph said, “God has made me lord of all Egypt” (Genesis 45:8).  Concerning Jesus, Scripture declares that God has made Him Lord of all – He has “the keys of the Kingdom…

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Grace …

"Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8). There was so much sin, but there was, also, grace - the grace of God. Grace is reaching out to us. It is calling us. How can we begin to describe the grace of God? How can we begin to praise the God of …

"Africa Bible Commentary" on Genesis

Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars --The Africa Bible Commentary is unique. Written by African theologians and produced in Africa, it is the first one-volume commentary ever created to help pastors, students, and lay leaders in Africa apply God’s Word to distinctively African concerns, yet its fresh insights will have …

Only God can give real joy and peace to us.

God made a new beginning with Noah and his family. It doesn't take us long to spoil God's good work, With no concern for God's glory, we say, "let us ... make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4). God's response to this situation was Jesus Christ. He is the Man who sought only to give glory …

Walking with God …

"Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:24). Many things can be said about each one of us - some good, others not so good. We don't know much about Enoch - but we do know this: he "walked with God." In life's journey, we can go our own way, or we can walk with God. When, …

Call upon the name of the Lord …

"Call upon the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26). Down through the centuries, people have called upon the name of the Lord. We know the names of some of the people. Most of the names we'll never know. We  don't need to know their names - but we do need to know the name of …

Where are you?

"Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9). The Lord is looking for us. Why does he look for us? He looks for us because he loves us. He looks for us with the look of love. When he looks at us, he sees our sin, but he sees more than that - he, also, sees our Saviour. He …

Everyone is important …

Genesis 10:1-32 What a lot of names! Why is all this included in God’s Word? It may describe the historical context of God’s unfolding purpose of providing salvation for sinners, but what does it say to us? The inclusion of so many obscure names emphasizes that everyone - however obscure - is important. ‘God so …

The breath of life …

"The breath of life" (Genesis 2:7). Life comes from God. This is true in the physical sense - and it is, also, true in the spiritual sense. We give thanks to God for his gift of life - our life on earth and our life in Christ.

Who says, “We don’t need God” … ?

"We don't need God. Science is enough for us." This is what a lot of people think. Is science really an alternative to faith? If you think that science has made faith redundant, maybe you might want to think about this: How do we get from believing that everything came about by chance to building …

The blessing of God …

"God blessed them" (Genesis 1:28). What a good thing it is to be blessed by the Lord! The blessing of God is better than anything else. Without his blessing, we have nothing - nothing that really matters. With his blessing, we have everything that really matters.

Created – For Salvation

Genesis speaks of the beginning. Matthew speaks of a new beginning. The God who created us is the God who has provided for our salvation. If we are to enjoy God's salvation, we must learn to follow the wisdom of Psalm 1:1-2 - "Blessed is the one ... whose delight is in the law of …

Lord, sometimes, we feel like we’re stuck in a rut.

Genesis 12:1-20 Lord, sometimes, we feel like we’re stuck in a rut. When we feel like this, help us to see that You’ve moved on ahead of us. You’re calling us on – into Your future! Do we need to see exactly where You’re leading us? – No! We don’t! We just need to keep …

Lord, help us to get our priorities right – Your priorities … (Praying Through God’s Word: Genesis).

Genesis 1:1-3 Lord, help us to get our priorities right - Your priorities. May our lives be more centred on You - less centred on ourselves. Help us to listen for Your Word - not to jump straight in with our own words. Help us to open our hearts to Your Holy Spirit. May He move …

We are not alone …

Genesis 37:1-36 Here, we have human sin and divine grace. We see jealousy (11) and its effects: 'where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice' (James 3:16). There is God working out His purpose: 'you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good' (50:20). In his dreams, …

In the beginning, God … (Genesis 1-2)

"In the beginning, God"  - The first four words of the Bible take us back to the point where we can go no further, back to the eternity of God. What do we find when we are taken back - into the heart of the eternal God? We find love. We discover that "God is …

When trouble comes our way, may we catch a glimpse of God’s eternal Kingdom (Genesis 2:4-3:15).

Do what God tells us to do. This leads to blessing. Do what God tells us not to do. This leads to trouble. It’s been trouble ever since. Here, on earth, things can be turned around. We can be set in the right direction. We are not yet at our final destination, but we’re travelling …

Overview of the Old Testament: Genesis

Genesis 1–4 ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. Before any human word is spoken, there is the Word of the Lord.God speaks, and it is done (1:3,6-7,11). God is pleased with what He has done (1:4,10,12). In chapter 1, we have read about the beginning of creation. …