Through the Bible update - Part 1:Genesis

I'm pleased to say that my resolution to read the Bible through in a year, cover to cover, has survived to date. (This is probably a record for me for any resolution that I have ever made.) I have reached the vicinity of Deuteronomy chapter 10 and am currently really enjoying the retelling of the prior three books.

Anyway, to recap the adventure thus far I thought that I would just follow my yellow high-lighter through to this point to review (some of) what has stood out to me (no reflection on the first seventeen chapters of Genesis but I acquired a good bible highlighter around chapter 18 so that's where the review starts.)

• Genesis 18:14a "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" This hit me like a ton of bricks during a "dark night of the soul." There is nothing that I'm dealing with in my life that is a challenge for God, and the twists and turns that surprise me are no surprise to Him.

• Genesis 19:37 "The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day." At the conclusion of the sordid story of Lot's drunken encounters with his two daughters occurs this brilliant ray of hope that God can make something amazing out of such a sordid mess, because the son born to the older daughter became an ancestor of Ruth (the Moabitess), great-grandmother of King David and fore-mother of Jesus.

• Genesis 22:6 "I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." Genesis 22:8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” What amazing faith! And Abraham's reward in verse 18, "and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."

• Genesis 29:20b should be a Valentines message, "So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her."

• Genesis 31:19b "And Rachel stole her father's household God's." I'm not sure why I highlighted that. :-)

• Genesis 37:11 Following the jealous reactions to Joseph's dreams (by his brothers) it says that "his father kept the saying in mind." My center column reference connects this to Luke 2:19 where Mary "treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart."

• Obviously the story of Joseph in Genesis 39 is a wealth of profound truths, one thing that stood out to me was how God pro-actively caused Joseph's success in Egypt,
• 39:2 "The Lord was with Joseph and he became a successful man."
• 39:3 "The Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands."
• 39:21 "The Lord...gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison."
• 39:23c "And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed."

• The second thing that stands out to me from Joseph's story is the passion with which he withstood the temptation from Potiphar's wife,
  
• 39:9b "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"
• 39:10b "...he would not listen to her..."
• 39:12b "But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house."

• And finally the great testimony of Joseph in Genesis 50:20 speaking to his brothers "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good,"