Category: Old Testament

Genesis 46–47 records Jacob’s journey to Egypt to be reunited with Joseph after many years apart. God reassures Jacob at Beersheba that He will go with him and promises to make his family a great nation in Egypt. When Jacob and Joseph finally meet in Goshen, their joyful reunion brings the long-awaited restoration of their…

Genesis 44–45 brings Joseph’s long and painful story with his brothers to its emotional climax. After years of separation, Joseph tests his brothers one final time, and Judah’s willingness to sacrifice himself for Benjamin reveals how dramatically their hearts have changed. What follows is one of the most moving scenes in Scripture as Joseph finally…

Genesis 42 and 43 mark a dramatic turning point in Joseph’s story. Years after his brothers sold him into slavery, famine has brought them to Egypt looking for food—and unknowingly, they stand before the brother they thought was gone forever. Joseph recognizes them, but they don’t recognize him. Pastor Carl explains that as God begins…

Genesis 41 reminds us that God is able to turn seasons of waiting into moments of purpose. After years of being forgotten in prison, Joseph was suddenly brought before Pharaoh, where God gave him the wisdom to interpret the king’s dreams and prepare Egypt for the coming famine. Joseph’s faithfulness in the hidden years became…

Even when human lives seem marked by failure, injustice, and uncertainty, God is quietly accomplishing His plan. A family scandal, a false accusation, and a prison cell—put together they reveal a God who never loses control. Pastor Carl reminds us that even when God seems silent, He is never absent. Judah’s moral failure, Joseph’s faithful…

Genesis 37 tells the story of Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, whose brothers become jealous because of their father’s special love and Joseph’s dreams that one day he would rule over them. Their jealousy leads them to sell Joseph into slavery and deceive their father into believing he has been killed. Pastor Carl reminds…

Chapter 36 puts a bow on the life of Esau by looking at his genealogy and how it intermixed with Seir’s family establishing the beginning of Edom. When Jacob returns to Hebron, Esau moves to the land God has given him. And yet Esau is still a man operating in the flesh, not acknowledging God…

The prince of Shechem sees Jacob’s daughter Dinah as she comes into town to hand out with the girls. Dinah is violated by Shechem which sets into motion a series of events that leads to the end of Shechem. Pastor Carl attempts to navigate through the mess pointing to Jesus as our only hope of…

Wrestling with God should bring you to a place of defeat… and victory! God gives Jacob a new name – Israel, which means “God prevails”. When God prevails in bringing to surrender and salvation, we win! No more slavery to sin, no more an enemy of God, no more walking a self-centered pointless life!

Observing his life is threatened, Jacob says enough is enough and takes his wives and flocks and servants and secretly heads toward the promised land. Laban gets wind and pursues but is warned by God in a dream not to mess with Jacob. So an agreement is made never to cross this line at the…