from Genesis to - Job?

As Week 3 ends, we finish the book of Genesis, which has set much of the groundwork for the Bible has been set. What are some of the major themes that you've noticed so far? Identifying themes can be as simple as looking for key words that are repeated frequently. One of the key words I've noticed is "blessing." God and humans are blessing/getting blessed left and right in Genesis. Blessing is connected to life and its goodness at creation, and with the call of Abraham, it gets connected to covenant. God makes covenant with particular people in Genesis, but he makes it clear that he isn't playing favorites, nor is he choosing the most righteous individuals on earth. He makes a covenant with Abraham and his descendants as a vehicle of blessing, not only for them but for all peoples. The scope of the covenant will continue to broaden as the story unfolds, until it reaches out to all people - but we'll get there in time.

After all of Jacob's conniving and reluctance to trust God, I was struck by his son Joseph's faith in God and in God's plan for his life and for his family. Joseph could have chosen to become bitter and hardened against his brothers because of the way they betrayed him, but instead he responds to them by saying:

Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God... You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 45:5-8, 50:20)

Joseph sees God at work through the evil that his brothers intended. This is an extremely important theme that we have already seen in Genesis. In Genesis 3, we saw how humans used their God-given freedom to do the very thing God asked them not to do. Consequences and curses come from their disobedience - and yet that is not the end of the story, because God is in the business of redemption. And so God does not give up on them; he is so powerful and wise that he can work even human failure and sin into his plan. The story of Joseph highlights the way that God can turn what people intend for evil into good.

Normally we would head into Exodus after Genesis - but Reading God's Story takes us down a very different path for now. Instead we will read the book of Job next, because the story of Job is set in the time period of the patriarchs. We are about to wrestle with some deep questions of the nature of evil and of God's goodness. As you read it, keep in mind what we have just learned about goodness and evil in the stories of Genesis. One of the benefits of reading the Bible in this way is that hopefully we will see connections between different books that we wouldn't have noticed otherwise. I don't think I've ever read Job alongside Genesis, but I hope it will result in some new insights.

If you're looking for a brief overview of the story of Job, check out the recent episode of Adventures in Odyssey called "Bernard and Job." Odyssey is a radio show for youth that does a wonderful job (no pun intended) of telling stories that show how faith applies to daily life. In this episode, Bernard the local window washer, tells the story of Job to a young girl who is struggling with several different disappointments at the same time. Click the link below and click on "Listen Now!" button and the player will pop up. Look for the episode called "Bernard and Job."



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