Beyond the Weekend

May 11 | A Good Story from Bad Choices

May 11, 2018

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. Genesis 49:2

Read: Genesis 49:2-28

Listen: Genesis 49

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Abraham’s family is a mess. His son Isaac chooses food over being a good father. His grandson Jacob is a liar and deceiver who chooses to steal his brother’s blessing. Jacob then chooses only to love his wife Rachel and reject the other, Leah. This results in their choosing to vie for Jacob’s favor through bearing sons, which escalates into a full-blown rivalry when Leah has six sons and Rachel is barren. When Rachel finally has Joseph, Jacob chooses to favor him over his other sons. Joseph chooses to lord his exalted position over his brothers, which causes them to hate him and choose to sell him into slavery.

What an awful family! Could anything good possibly come from their lying, deceiving, bickering and willful cruelty? The answer is actually “Yes!” All this awfulness is part of a good story that God is working in, around and through these people. Eventually, the sons of Jacob become the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. From one of these tribes comes Jesus. The promise God made to Abraham that the world would be blessed through his descendants (Genesis 12:2-3) is indeed filled through this awful mess—and God gets all the glory!

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

In spite of any bad choices, God is at work telling his story through your life, too. Listen to the song “Found in You” by Vertical Church and rejoice that God is actively involved in your life.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

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