Scripture:
Genesis 30-31

Notable Hebrew words:

• exceedingly Gen 30:43 – meod
• attitude Gen 31:2 – panim/paneh

Observations

• Rachel and Leah continued their feuding
• God allowed Jacob to prosper with Laban
• Jacob and Laban made a covenant and made peace

Application:

• Don’t let emotions and desires steer my heart away from God or pursue my own interests over what is right

Prayer:
Help me to be a peacemaker

Scriptures that come to mind:

• Matthew 5:9 – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Scripture:
Genesis 27-29

Notable Hebrew words:

• sustained Gen 27:37 – samak
• weak Gen 29:17 – rak
• beautiful Gen 25:17 – yapheh

Observations

• Rebekah’s love for her son overrode her ethics
• Jacob lived up to his name
• Jacob served Laban for a total of 14 years
• Leah turned more towards God instead of trying to win her husband’s love when having Judah

Application:

• Don’t let emotions and desires steer my heart away from God or pursue my own interests over what is right

Prayer:
Help me to submit my desires and emotions to Your will. When that happens, there is manipulation and deceit.

Scriptures that come to mind:

• Proverbs 6:16-19 – There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination [a]to Him: 17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, 19 A false witness who utters lies, And one who [b]spreads strife among brothers.
• Luke 6:31 – Do to others as you would have them do to you.
• Proverbs 10:9 – Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

Scripture:
Genesis 25-26

Notable Hebrew words:

• blessed Gen 25:11 – barak
• granted Gen 25:21 – athar
• inquire Gen 25:22 – darash

Observations

• Rebekah and Isaac were married for 20 years before she had children
• Esau traded his lifelong birthright to fulfill his short term hunger
• Isaac inherited generational blessings from Abraham’s obedience, but repeated his father’s sin of claiming his wife as his sister.

Application:

• Think how sin effects me long term, even though it may be desirable in the moment

Prayer:
Help me to not let my flesh rule me, and give into temptation.

Scriptures that come to mind:
Matthew 26:41 – Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Proverbs 14:12 – There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Scripture:
Genesis 22-24

Notable Hebrew words:

• provide Gen 22:14 – yirah/raah
• meditate Gen 24:63 – suach

Observations

• Abraham was ready to sacrifice what he loved at God’s command, even though his promise (descendants) was from it
• The servant had faith and trusted in the God of his master

Application:

• Don’t be afraid to get specific in prayer . Look for God in circumstance.

Prayer:
Help me to remember that you use events in the day to day to achieve Your Will. Help me to trust You are provider and be willing to sacrifice anything You command.

Scriptures that come to mind:
Hebrews 11:17-19 – By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type

Scripture:
Genesis 19-21

Notable Hebrew words:

• chen (favor) Gen 19:19

Observations

• Abraham lied about Sarah being his sister again
• God continued to take care of Hagar and Ishmael

Application:

• Remember that God keeps His word.

Prayer:
Help me to learn my lesson the first time around

Scripture:
Genesis 16-18

Notable Hebrew words:

• roi (sees) Gen 16:13
• meod (exceedingly) Gen. 17:6

Observations

• God was preventing Sarah from getting pregnant until the appointed time
• God has compassion for Hagar
• Abraham tried to reason/settle for what seemed more natural, Ishmael getting the blessing
• God was going to bless all nations of the earth through Abraham

Application:

• Remember that faith demands actions of obedience

Prayer:
Help me to value righteousness and justice, to the point of action. Help me to remember that you see me and Your word will always come to pass.

Scriptures that come to mind:
The birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1
Jeremiah 32:27 – “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”

Scripture:
Genesis 12-15

Notable Hebrew words:

• blessed Gen 12:2
• called Gen 12:8, 13:4
• reckoned Gen 15:6

Observations

• God called Abram away from the familiar
• Abram lied out of fear
• God punished Pharaoh, perhaps so Abram would be convicted
• Abram believed God’s promise
• Abram wanted to ensure his success was from God alone

Application:

• Trust God’s promises no matter how impossible they seem

Prayer:
Help to resolve family issues in a way that honors You. Help me to go wherever You call me to go, without fear. Help me to trust in Your promises, despite my circumstances or feelings.

Scriptures that come to mind:
Hebrews 11:8-10 – By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed [i]by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God

Scripture:
Gen. 8-11

Notable Hebrew words:

• yetser (intent) Gen 8:21
• berith (covenant) Gen 9:11

Observations

• Man naturally drifts towards evil
• God kept Noah and his family during the flood
• God made a promise to not flood the earth again knowing man’s nature

Application:

• Value unity, but know it will not replace relationship with or be more powerful than God
• Remember the significance of the rainbow

Prayer:
Thank you for protecting Noah and his family during the flood. Help me to treat elders with their proper respect, even when they are in moments of weakness. Help me to show them grace and help them without causing them shame. Help me to remember the strength, unity, and skill of every man alive combined is no match for You.

Scriptures that come to mind:

• Hebrews 11:7 -By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
• Ephesians 6:1 – Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Scripture:
Genesis 4-6

Notable Hebrew words:

• panim (countenance) Gen 4:5-8
• timsal (from mashal, master) Gen. 4:7
• tamin (blameless) Gen. 6:9
• saddiq (righteous) Gen 6:9
• halak (walk) Gen 6:9
• chen (favor/grace) Gen. 6:8

Observations

• Eve recognized God’s help even with something natural Gen 4:1
• Abel brought the first of his produce. It was also animals, only blood can cover sin. There are a few reasons God might have disapproved of Cain offering, his heart. This post considers them.
• When our countenance falls, we operate more in our flesh, and more prone to sin if we do not master it Gen 4:7
• God knew the hearts of the people and saw their evil Gen. 6:5
• Noah lived for God despite everyone around him doing evil Gen. 6:9

Application:

• Know that God helps us in the everyday
• Know God sees me (even the intentions of my heart) amidst the billions of people on the earth
• Strive to stay faithful despite what others are doing

Prayer:
I am thankful You aren’t just in the miracle moments, but in the everyday. What might be perceived as normal to others, may have been with your assistance, even unknowingly. Help me to be obedient despite what others are doing around me.

Scriptures that come to mind:

Psalms 21:2 – Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

Scripture:
Gen. 1-3

Notable Hebrew words:

• hayah (it was so)
• towb (it was good)
• kenegdow (also see neged, suitable)

Observations

• We must be obedient to God’s Word and voice
• The enemy twists God’s words for false perceptions of gain
• We should pursue/ask for help that is suited to us
• We must believe what God created is good, and that we are made in His image

Application:

• Appreciate nature as God’s good creation
• Remember God’s truth when the enemy tries to twist it

Prayer:
Help me to see Your word as true and good. Help me to not be distracted or even to engage with the enemy. He twists and perverts Your words, and leads me out of relationship with You. Help me to focus on the purpose You have for me, but still balance work and rest. Help me to see Your creation as You do, even me as You say I am.

Scriptures that came to mind:
Ecclesiastics 3:11 – He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
John 10:10 – The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.