Nathan Whitley's Blog, page 26

Daily Readings in the Bible Genesis 43-45

The seven years of plenty had come and gone just as Joseph had said. Consequently, the seven years of famine were in full-swing (Gen 41:53-54). Jacob and his family began to experience hunger as a result of the famine. Word travelled that there was food available in Egypt, they just needed to go see the man overseeing the distribution (Gen 42:2).

Twenty-two years had passed since Joseph’s brothers had thrown him into a pit and sold him to Ishmaelite traders (Gen. 37:1; 41;46; 45:11). They...

Daily Readings in the Bible Genesis 41-42

Our memory can be our worst enemy. Old wounds and hurts are not easily forgotten. Failures and regrets haunt us like ghosts. Perhaps you can relate to Joseph in some way. He had suffered rejection, been lied about, and forgotten in prison. Those events can’t be erased from your memory like old data on a computer. While we may not be able to erase those memories, we can’t allow them to keep us from moving forward.

Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had a troubling dream that needed interpreted. The...

Daily Readings in the Bible Genesis 37-40

Jacob had twelve sons altogether with Leah, Rachel, and their respective handmaids. But it was Rachel’s sons that had a special place in Jacob’s heart. Joseph was definitely Jacob’s favorite son. He even had a special coat of many colors made for Joseph (Gen. 37:3). Joseph’s brothers weren’t as fond of Joseph as Jacob was. Joseph didn’t help matters by disclosing that he had dreams suggesting that his family would one day bow down in front of him.

One day Jacob sent Joseph to go check on his...

Daily Readings in the Bible Genesis 34-36

Initially when Jacob came to Bethel he had just fled from Esau (Gen. 28). It was late in the evening when he arrived at that sacred place. He laid his head on a pile of stones and dreamed of a ladder set on the earth reaching to heaven. Angels were ascending and descending on that heavenly ladder. At the top of the ladder the Lord stood and spoke to Jacob, “I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac.” This was the first time Jacob had a personal encounter with the God of...

Daily Readings in the Bible Genesis 32-33

Have you ever had to apologize? Have you ever had to forgive someone? Apologizing and forgiving are two of the hardest burdens you and I will ever have to bear. Pride is what keeps one from apologizing and another from forgiving. They say, “I’m not going to apologize. I didn’t even do anything wrong!” The other says, “They will have to beg for mercy if I’m ever going to forgive them.” Today’s reading is a story of apologizing and forgiveness.

It had been twenty years since Jacob had...

Daily Readings in the Bible Genesis 30-31

What are we to make of Jacob and Laban’s feud? This whole story sounds like something out of an Andy Griffith Show episode. I’m not sure if Mayberry’s wise sheriff could solve what ensues in this affair. Here are two cheaters trying to hustle one another. It’s a rather humorous event!

Jacob fled to his uncle Laban’s house in an attempt to avoid Esau’s revenge for stealing the patriarchal blessing. Immediately upon arriving to his uncle’s town, Jacob fell in love with Laban’s youngest daughter...

Daily Readings in the Bible Genesis 27-29

Have you ever wondered why Scripture says to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7)? The answer is that our senses can be deceived. In Genesis 27 we witness the deception of the senses. Isaac is 137 years old, and he feels as if he is about to die (Gen. 27:1). Ishmael, his half brother, had died at that same age, so Isaac figured he’d die at that age also (Gen. 25:17). But Isaac doesn’t die until the age of 180 (Gen. 35:28-29)! Isaac’s self-perception is off. On account of this, Isaac...

Daily Readings in the Bible Genesis 25-26

Isaac the son of Abraham is overshadowed in Scripture. Even though he is considered a Patriarch, he is often overlooked due to the large shadow cast by Abraham and Jacob. Of the three Patriarchs Isaac lived the longest, for he died at the age of 180 years. Abraham died at 175, and Jacob died at 147. Though Isaac lived the longest only one chapter is solely given to Isaac (Gen. 26).

Isaac had come to the land of Gerar of the Philistines. The reason Isaac had come to this place was due to a...

Daily Readings in the Bible Genesis 22-24

Abraham never allowed his calloused feet, or dusty sandals to be rooted in any certain place. Abraham’s longest stay would be in a tomb in the desert. Abraham moved constantly to the place God wanted him to go. From Ur of Chaldees to Haran to Canaan to Egypt to Gerar to Mamre to Beer-Sheba. He never stayed too long. He walked by faith and not by sight. He walked to get closer to the God who called him. Abraham had a desire to follow after God. It took faith to follow an invisible God....

Daily Readings in the Bible Genesis 19-21

Abraham’s nephew, Lot, is an interesting character study. When Lot and Abraham separated he chose to pitch his tent toward Sodom (Gen. 13:12). Sodom was a wicked city filled with sin (Gen. 13:13). The sin was so grievous in Sodom that the Lord decided to destroy it (Gen. 18:20-21). Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy it if He could find ten righteous people dwelling there. Unfortunately, there weren’t ten righteous people to be found in Sodom. Two angels were sent to overthrow the city...