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Keeping current on posting my observations over here takes more determination that I realized……so here’s another data-dump in an effort to get (almost) caught up.

Genesis
31:10 More deception. Jacob’s dream was over in 28:10–and was the famous “Jacob’s Ladder” dream

31:16 Jacob’s wives tell him to obey what God has told him to do. Rachel and Leah were Laban’s daughters–and although Laban was Jacob’s uncle (Isaac’s brother) he apparently was not a follower of YHWH.

31:19 Leah stole her father’s household gods

31:24 God spoke clearly to Laban. He knew it was God who spoke to him and he knew what God said.

31:30 Even after God had spoken to him (and he had acknowledged it was God) he continued to pursue other gods

31:42 “The Fear of Isaac”…interesting name for God

31:44-49 Mizpah. Jacob covenants with Laban. It was not a friendly, good thing, but an agreement to not do the other harm. It was a peace treaty between enemies, not a parting covenant of friends. This passage and “blessing” is so mis-used today by popular religious culture

31:53 This unusual name for God recurs–this time in relation to Jacob’s sacrifice

32:1 Jacob encounters the messengers (angels) of God while he traveled Are we attuned enough to be able to recognize the messengers that God sends across our paths each day?

32:22-31 Jacob had a God-encounter that left an indelible mark on his life. Sometimes God transforms us in ways that leave us permanently limping so that we aren’t ever to forget.

33:4 Jacob encounters his brother Easu and is reconciled

33:14 Sometimes the leader must lead from behind so that he does not exhaust the people he is leading. Sometimes the pace of change must match the capacity of the group making the change.

33:18 & 20 Jacob arrives safely/peacefully and the first thing he does is build an altar and worship

34:1-2 Dinah left the protection of her father’s household and “went out to see the women of the land.” Sounds innocent enough. But great harm befell her there. Lesson: There are protections in the Father’s house that we should not wander way from to go “see” what the world is like.

34:13ff The result of this horrible incident was the total destruction of the village of Shechem.

35:1-7 They went back to Bethel. Every time that they stopped for a while they took in the local (foreign) gods into their households. They have to continually clean house every time they prepare to move on and to return to God.

35:5 A Godly people are a mighty force when they go out.

36:31 This is the first time the articulate the idea of having a king over Israel.

37-50 The Joseph-story cycle

37:14 Valley of Hebron. This is where Abraham and Sarah were buried. Compare Joshua 14.

37:5 & 19 When you have a dream that’s from God, often those closest to you will despise it–and you!

38:7 Wow! We never hear anything other about Er than “he was wicked in the sight of the Lord.” What an epitaph!

39:12 Joseph fled temptation and diversion from his vision at all costs–even when his dedication was misunderstood and misrepresented

41:25 God even revealed to a wicked ruler–Pharoah–what He was about to do. See Amos 3:7.

41:38 Even Pharoah was able to recognize that God was with Joseph

42:21 Sometimes what we do comes home many years later. Delayed consequences and delayed regret–”We did not listen….”

43:30-34 Joseph (got his little brother drunk at the party–oops!) celebrated with his brothers!

46:34 Joseph settled in the land of Goshen. This will become very significant (as we will see over in Exodus). Many times God puts something in motion years before that we aren’t even able to recognize, in order to be able and ready to do something years later on.

47:22 The priests were exempt from the taxes

47:24 Ah! The first INCOME TAX! Boo!

48:7 Jacob buried Rachel on his way to Bethlehem. Hmm…..

50:2-3 It took 40 days for the Egyptians to complete the embalming process. No wonder we have those mummies still around today!

50:20 What a perspective on what had happened to him! Joseph was a man who was oriented to the purposes and ways of God and was able to understand and respond to the activity of God all around him.