Friday, January 21, 2011

The End of the Beginning

DAY 21

Morning Reading - Genesis 49-50
Evening Reading - Matthew 15:1-20

Today we complete our reading of Genesis, which has provided the foundation for our understanding and interpretation of the rest of the bible. Through our reading of Genesis, we have covered a lot of ground, beginning with the primordial history (Genesis 1-11), which described the creation of the world and the origin of sin. The rest of Genesis (12-50) related the story of Abraham and his descendents, through whom God established an everlasting covenant.

It is interesting to note that the narrrative of the book of Genesis begins "in the beginning" and ends "in Egypt." The reader is being prepared for the continuation of the story in the book of Exodus, which describes a time in Egypt when the descendants of Israel no longer enjoyed the privileged status they held under Joseph's leadership. With Joseph's death at the end of Genesis, it seems that things began to dramatically change for God's people and they ultimately were enslaved by the Egyptians.

Before we leave Genesis, take a moment today to reflect on what you have learned so far. What new insights have you gained? What questions do you still have? How has your faith been strengthened?  

3 comments:

  1. I have found the videos to the left to be a great addition to the readings. Will there be others?

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  2. Yes...as we progress through the biblical narrative, I will attempt to post videos and other resources that are relavent to the readings.

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