13. The Brothers Return (Genesis 42:1-38).

by Wesley Blackburn

So now, the plot in our story is thickening.

As the famine in the land continues, Joseph's brothers (remember them? They thought about killing him earlier in the story but instead settled for selling him to slave traders going to Egypt) now must come to Egypt in order to buy food for their family. Upon arriving in Egypt, Joseph immediately knows they are his brothers, but they, of course, don't know it's their long-lost brother, Joseph.

Joseph decides to play a bit of a trick on his brothers, and to be honest, I'm not sure why. Maybe for revenge? Maybe to teach them a lesson? Maybe to make the eventual reunion that more amazing? I have no idea. But what I do know is that Joseph at first treats his brothers harshly, throwing them into prison. He eventually agrees to let them go, but they must bring back their youngest brother Benjamin who didn't come (apparently Jacob hasn't learned from his favoritism with Joseph) and leave another brother (Simeon) as collateral.

As this deal is brokered, I read one of the most hilariously ironic lines in the entire Bible in Genesis 42:21:

[Joseph's brothers] said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother."


Of course, they were thinking that God was getting back at them for the evil they had done to their brother. Little did they know that they were quite literally being punished by their brother!

Anyway, this sets the stage for one of the coolest family reunions the world has ever seen. Keep reading, and you'll see what happens tomorrow!

12. Prison and a Promotion (Genesis 39:1-41:57).

by Mike Fortner

If you’ve read much from the Bible, then you will probably agree that Joseph is one of the characters that you can identify with. He seems to constantly be faced with challenges that are outside of his control, and more times than not, it’s usually because someone is conspiring against him. In Genesis 39:1 through 41:57, Joseph’s story plays out exactly that way but as he has shown before, Joseph’s response to adversity and sin against him lead to far greater opportunities. More importantly, the story conveys the fact that through all of the adversity, being wrongly accused of attempted adultery and thrown in to jail, the Lord was with Joseph and Joseph remained faithful to the Lord. It was also an opportunity for a new door to be opened in Joseph’s life, and one that would lead him to greatness.

As the story goes, Joseph would eventually be placed in a position where he was able to use his God given talents, interpreting dreams, in a way to bring God glory and gain the trust of the king of Egypt. As a reward for his faithfulness to the Lord, he was placed in charge of the entire kingdom and second only to the king.

If you are like me, there has been no shortage of challenges in my life. I’ve not always responded the way that I suspect Joseph would, with grace and complete trust in God. Most of the time my poor decision making has left me with undesirable results and usually a bit of a mess to clean up. However, the few times that I have responded as I think Joseph would have, being patient and faithfully relying on God, the outcome has always exceeded my expectations. It is a very humbling experience when that happens, but one that strengthens my own faith in knowing that God does truly love me.

11. Joseph Sold Into Slavery (Genesis 37:1-36).

by Dan Smith

Birthright was all important in the day of Joseph. And Reuben, being the oldest, was expecting to receive all the blessings that went with the birthright. But in Genesis 35:22 Reuben carried out a wicked deed against Jacob, and as a result, Jacob decided that Reuben should not receive the birthright. Simeon and Levi were oldest sons after Reuben and they also upset their father (Genesis 34) so they also did not receive the birthright.

Eventually, Jacob chose Joseph to receive his birthright and this really upset his brothers. And his dreams which were prophecies did not make his brothers that much happier either. So they decided to kill Joseph. First with Reuben and with the rest of the brothers, they had a change of heart. It was better to sell him off then to kill him. But God would use this situation to further his kingdom.

10. Jacob and Esau Reconcile (Genesis 32:1-33:20).

by Scott Skowronski


When I was first asked to write for the E100 challenge, I was reluctant because internally I felt that I did not possess adequate knowledge of God's Word.  I only recently began to faithfully read the Bible within the last year and felt that I lacked the knowledge and understanding that would be required to participate.  However, I asked God to be with me in my decision and through a feeling of peace he made me see that this opportunity was meant to be part of my on-going journey to bring his love further into the center of my heart.


Two weeks ago, I received a reminder email requesting my post.  I immediately read through chapters 32 and 33 of Genesis and found myself confused by my unfamiliarity with the background of Jacob and Esau, so I turned to a trusted and respected friend from my community group for guidance.  We together discussed the story of Jacob and Esau over dinner helping to develop a much better understanding of their lives enabling me to write more confidently about these chapters.  Thank you Steve... your friendship is a true blessing!


Genesis 32 and 33 detailed exactly how God can work in our lives to lead us to salvation. God will restore hope inside our hearts and provide the forgiveness needed to overcome any past mistake.  He can also turn the scariest situation into a moment of extreme joy.  We simply need to trust the guidance of the Lord and turn our thoughts to him just as Jacob did in his quest to reconcile with his brother Esau.


Just as Jacob was misdirected in his actions in Genesis 25 and 27, we have all made some bad decisions. Even though we do not think about it at the time, one hasty selfish decision can cause a ripple effect often hurting the family we love just as much, if not more than ourselves. Since life lasts longer than the relatively short moments of our bad decisions, we have plenty of time to suffer through the consequences.  Sometimes, we may even feel like Jacob did running from the hand of his brother in order to save his life.


However, Jacob trusted God and decided that it was time to reach out to Esau. Even though he expected the worst, Jacob faced his fears and prepared to meet his brother praying for him to receive his presence favorably.  He sent gifts ahead of him and was willing to sacrifice all his material wealth to earn this desired outcome.


Thinking about the feelings Jacob must have been experiencing, I could not help but contemplate comparable desires in my own life and how I handle them.  Do I make enough sacrifices in my life? Am I adequately preparing to achieve the desires God places in my heart?  What more can I do?


At a time of extreme turmoil, Jacob wrestled with God. He separated himself from everyone and all his possessions fighting for God's blessing. Even after God took away the functionality of his hip, Jacob refused to stop until he received God's blessing.  He went on to earn it eventually returning to his family and belongings.  However, he limped away from the experience carrying a constant reminder of his time spent with God.


We may not ever physically have the same battle that Jacob had directly with God.  However, we can definitely use this story to reminds us to turn to God when faced with hardship in life. We should "wrestle" for his blessing by giving our absolute all to him. When we do, I believe God will shape us into the people we were meant to be forever changed by our own unique version of a "limp".


Upon finally meeting his brother face to face, Esau immediately embraced Jacob.  Even though Jacob presented himself as a servant, Esau welcomed him as his brother.  Jacob's greatest fears were replaced with his greatest hopes and desires.  He was reunited favorably with his brother saving him from past regrets and blessing him with a renewed future.


After working through these chapters, I am left with a desire to find the same type of freedom Jacob found in reuniting with his brother Esau.  I think we can all benefit from identifying whatever it may be in life that is holding us back from living at our best.  We can then wrestle with God on our own terms to receive the blessing we need to free ourselves from it.  I trust that it will lead to the same type of joy Jacob felt when Esau received him with a hug.


I will be wrapping my life and thoughts around the word of God as I walk through the rest of this E100 challenge.  It has already opened my heart to living a more meaningful existence strengthening current relationships and inspiring hope to conquer anything keeping me from living at my best.  I look forward to standing strong four months from now filled with a new perspective granted through the power of the Holy Spirit.  I am so grateful to be a part of such an amazing journey with so many other wonderful people brought together by the love of Christ. Please join me in taking this moment to embrace the grace of God and praise him for working in our lives.

9. Jacob and Esau Compete (Genesis 27:1-28:22).

by Bobby Jackson

Is this a soap opera or Scripture? I guess human nature really hasn’t evolved that much. People are still inclined to cheat, deceive, lie, whatever... as long as it means that we can get ahead. It is amazing how God has used scoundrels/normal people…also sounds familiar to today.

So what’s the big deal? Why was Esau so upset? Why couldn’t Isaac come up with another good blessing for Esau or just say the same thing to Esau? Why would Isaac tremble violently at the thought of giving that blessing to someone other than Esau? Answer: because there is something special about this blessing. A blessing in that time by Isaac would have been as though God Himself were giving favor to Jacob. And of course if would have been the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham:

May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham" (Genesis 28:4).

What’s the lesson for us?  Is it to mean what you say because once you say it you can’t take it back? Is it to pay attention to how significant a blessing from God is (rather than just our good effort or luck) and seek out His blessing? Is it a lesson in God’s grace? What do you think?

Beyond Sunday: One Prayer: Unstoppable - Selflessness

...by Beka Jackson

I came from a family of givers. Anything we had was available for anyone that needed it. I think we were maybe like that because we had been on the receiving end so many times; we wanted to do the same for anyone else whenever we could. So the idea of giving to people in need isn't so hard for me to wrap my head around, to want to do. I find joy in giving to those who are in need. But what was tough for me to hear was the idea of giving each day.

Greg talked about husbands loving their wives like Christ loves the church. The idea of giving your life for someone you love isn't hard for most people. But the idea of giving myself each day, dying to my own wants and demands so that I can give to others, now that is hard! Giving to four small children, a husband who hasn't been home all day (because he's been giving at work!), friends and neighbors who are going through trying times and just need to talk or receive encouragement. I can handle the physical giving. I enjoy doing that and when I think of giving things, I am comfortable with that. But it is so painful sometimes to give the things that can't be seen. And often times it seems those are the things that people need the most.

And so the challenge for me when I think of unselfishness, when I think of dying to myself and loving the way Christ loves, it's to find joy in the kinds of giving that I often can't see. How can I give to my friend going through a divorce? How can I continually show my husband and kids that I love them enough to give up my life each day for them?

8. Isaac's Birth and "Sacrifice" (Genesis 21:1-22:19).

by Wesley Blackburn

So in today’s reading, we see that things are finally coming together for Abraham (formerly Abram; his name was changed by God to reflect the fact that he would be the father of many nations). After waiting for 25 years, at the tender young age of 100 years old, he and his wife Sarah (her name was changed as well) would be given a son, Isaac.

I can’t imagine the celebration and joy that had to overwhelm Abraham and Sarah. After all this time, all this waiting, God finally blessed them with the thing they desired the most: a son. It had to be incredible. The celebration that occurred had to be incredible as well. Maybe you’ve been there; you’ve been waiting for something amazing to happen, and then it finally does! It’s almost too wonderful to even fathom.

But then God has one final test for Abraham. God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to Him. I can’t imagine what would go through my head at this moment, and I’m not even a parent.

Unknowingly to Abraham, God wants to test Abraham and see if he’s really willing to give up the thing he loves the most, his son. But Abraham really does believe that this is what God is calling him to do. So, Abraham goes through the steps. He loads up for the trip. He gets some wood to burn. He gets the stuff he needs to start a fire. He even loads up a knife that he knows will eventually be used to kill his own son.

Not one of these acts goes unnoticed by God. And at the last moment, God stops Abraham from killing his son, seeing that Abraham really was genuine in his trust in his Heavenly Father. Later on in the Bible, the writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews would comment on Abraham’s incredible faith, saying that “by faith, Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death” (Hebrews 11:17-19).

In our lives, we face some similar tests of faith. Not that I can really relate to being asked to give up an only son, but I have a little bit of a sense of what that must have felt like. Several years ago, I was working as a volunteer worship leader at my home church (Madison Christian Church) in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, when I felt God tugging at my heart to start working with a church in the southern suburbs of Dayton, Ohio. I’d been burned working at a church before, and even my time at my home church hadn’t always been full of all happy, easy situations. But in Columbus, I felt secure. I felt safe. I knew people and had some idea of what to expect. To me, security and safety are two of the things I love the most. At Dayton, I’d be hopping into something entirely new and different. It was very scary to me.

But God wanted me to sacrifice my sense of safety and security and trust Him. I did it, and amazingly enough, my experience at Southwest Church in Springboro, Ohio was exactly what I needed. It helped me to see that maybe I really can do this ministry thing. It opened up doors for me to be at Suncrest. And then, when I was approached about being part of our brand new Highland Campus launch (including the scary notion of fundraising some money for the first two or so years), it made trusting God a little bit easier, because I’d seen how incredibly He had provided in the past.

Throughout our lives, we’re going to face situations where God is asking us to turn on all that we thought was true and simply to trust Him, even when it doesn’t make sense. That’s exactly what Abraham did, and God rewarded him incredibly for that. God will do the same for us, if we will only trust Him to do as He has promised, just like Abraham.