Genesis God Said It… a Thirty- Day Journey & Conversations

Copyright © 2015 Ethel Green.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-5249-2 (sc)

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WestBow Press rev. date: 1/14/2015

Table of Contents

GOD SAID IT / A THIRTY - DA Y JOURNEY THROUGH GENESIS

Before Genesis: God and Ethel Speak of Their Relationship

Chapters One through Three

1.   The Beginning

2.   God Speaks with Adam and Eve about Creation and Choices

3.   God Speaks with Adam

4.   Adam Speaks with God

5.   God Speaks with Adam and Eve Again about Choices

6.   Eve Speaks with God

7.   Eve & Adam Speak with Each Other and with God

8.   The Fall of Man / Serpent Speaks with Eve and Adam

9.   Satan Boasts / Adam & Eve Realize His Deception

10. God’s Last Conversation with Adam and Eve

11. Evil and Disobedience Punished

Responses for conversations 1-11 (chapters 1-3)

Chapters Four through Five

12. Cain and Abel

13. God Speaks With Abel (first hero of the faith in Hebrews 11).

14. Abel Speaks His Last & God Condemns Cain

15. From Adam to Noah

16. God Speaks with Enoch (second hero of the faith in Hebrews 11)

Responses to conversations 11-16 (chapters 4-5)

Chapters Six through Nine

17. God Speaks with Noah (third hero of the faith Hebrew 11) .

18. God Speaks About the Wicked Conditions on Earth / the Reason for the Flood

19. God Speaks to Noah about Choosing Him and assigning Him Ark Building

20. God Speaks of Noah about the Building Process

21. Noah and Family Talk of Experiences on the Ark

22. God Speaks with Noah about Leaving the Ark

23. Covenant Rainbow

24. The Sons of Noah / Noah’s Indiscretion and Sons Reactions

Responses to conversations 17-24 (chapters 6-9)

Chapters Ten through Eleven

25. Table of Nations

26. God Speaks with an Unknown Foreman on the Plain of Shinar

27. Tower of Babel

28. From Shem to Abram

Responses to conversations 25-28 (chapters 10-11)

Chapters Twelve through Thirteen

29. God Speaks With Abram (Fourth hero of the faith, Hebrews 11).

30. The Call of Abram

31. Abram in Egypt

32. Abram & Lot Separate

Responses to conversations 29-32 (chapters 12-13)

Chapters Fourteen through Seventeen

33. Abram Rescues Lot

34. Abram Speaks with God & First Covenant

35. Sarai’s Plan / Hagar Conceives

36. Hagar Meets God’s Angel

37. Hagar Returns as Instructed/ Ishmael is Born

38. The Covenant of Circumcision / Abram becomes Abraham

Responses to conversations 33-38 (chapters 14-17)

Chapters Eighteen through Nineteen

39. The Three Visitors

40. Abraham Pleads for Sodom

41. Angels Speak with Lot and the Men of Sodom / Angels Protect Lot

42. Angels Speak with Lot of Urgency in Fleeing Sodom

43. Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

44. Lot and His Daughters

Responses to conversations 39-44 (chapters 18-19)

Chapters Twenty through Twenty-two

45. Abraham and Abimelech King of Gerar

46. The Birth of Isaac

47. Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

48. Treaty at Beersheba

49. Abraham Tested

50. Sarah Speaks with God about her Life (the only woman mentioned in Hebrews 11 who appeared in the book of Genesis).

Responses to conversations 45-50 (chapters 20-22)

Chapters Twenty three

51. The Death of Sarah

Responses to conversation (chapter 23)

Chapters Twenty four

52. Isaac and Rebekah

53. God Speaks with Isaac (fifth hero of the faith in Hebrews 11).

Responses for conversations 52-53 (chapter 24)

Chapter Twenty-five through Twenty-eight

54. The Death of Abraham

55. Jacob and Esau *

56. Brother’s Personalities

57. Esau Sells His Birthright

58. Isaac and Abimelech

59. Jacob Gets Esau’s Blessing

60. Esau Returns from the Hunt

61. Jacob sent Away / Flees to Laban

62. Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

Responses to conversations 54-62 (chapters 25-28)

Chapter Twenty-nine through Thirty

63. Jacob’s Arrives in Paddan Aram

64. Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

65. Jacob’s First Four Children *

66. Jacob Has More Children / Rivalry in Child- Bearing

67. Jacob’s Herds & Flocks Increase

Responses for conversations 63-67 (chapters 29-30)

Chapter Thirty-one through Thirty-six

68. Jacob Flees From Laban

69. Laban Pursues Jacob

70. Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

71. Jacob Wrestles with God

72. Jacob Meets Esau

73. Dinah and the Schecemites

74. Jacob Returns to Bethel

75. The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

76. Esau’s Descendants

Responses for conversations 68-76 (chapters 31-36)

Chapters Thirty-seven through Forty

77. God speaks With Joseph (sixth and last hero of Hebrews 11)

78. Joseph’s Dreams

79. Joseph Sold by His Brothers

80. Jacob’s Mourning

81. Joseph Sold to Potiphar

82. Judah and Tamar

83. Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

84. The Cupbearer and the Baker

Responses for conversations 77-84 (chapters 37-40)

Chapters Forty-one through Forty-five

85. Pharaoh’s Dreams

86. Joseph in Charge of Egypt

87. Jacob’s Sons Go to Egypt for Food

88. The Brother’s Second Journey to Egypt

89. Silver Cup in a Sack

90. Joseph Makes Himself Known

Responses to conversations 85-90 (chapters 41-45)

Chapters Forty-six through Forty-eight

91. Jacob Goes to Egypt

92. Settling in Goshen

93. Joseph and the Famine

94. Manasseh and Ephraim

Responses to conversations 91-94 (chapters 46-48)

Chapters Forty-six through Forty-eight

95. Jacob Blesses His Sons / Jacob Dies

96. Joseph Mourns Jacob’s Death

97. Joseph and His Brothers Bury Jacob

98. Joseph Reassures His Brothers

99. The Death of Joseph

Responses for conversations 95-99 (chapters 49-50)

Israel today:

Appendix

Sources

Dedication

To Brenda, my extraordinary daughter, who sacrificed after work hours to help me get this book ready for publication. She said, It gives us more mother/daughter time.

Acknowledgments

Editors

Vickie Schad, President of Maine Fellowship of Christian Writers.

Rev. J. Grant Swank, Pastor of a home church. He edited for punctuation.

Marian Veld, reference librarian, Comstock Township, MI

My eldest daughter who edited for content.

Diane Roberts an artist friend who painted the picture for the cover.

Preface

Two Ways of Looking at Genesis

A Thirty-Day Journey through Genesis, aka The Journey, was birthed from the study of The Daily Bible In Chronological Order 365 Daily Readings. I assigned each reading a day number. Extra days of shorter readings were added to equal thirty days. Most days the words of God are the theme of the meditation. His words encourage us, and help us to evaluate our personal walk and deal with common challenges of Christian living.

Through these readings the Spirit of God shows us who we are, where we are, and where we are heading. God’s words are the foundation for our being and doing.

Conversations take the form of conversational skits; an attempt to make getting acquainted with the people of Genesis entertaining. It is chronologically more inclusive. These imaginary conversations may be read in conjunction with The Journey, or separately.

Conversations are of two types. The historical events are designated by chapter headings from Zondervan’s NIV version (Holy Bible). Conversations with the characters are shown as God Speaks with _____________________, or _____________________ Speaks with God, according to the initiator of the conversation.

After response items for combined chapters, I have included paragraphs similar to Paul Harvey’s the Rest of the Story.

Genesis / God Said it

God Said It…

Day 1             God Spoke Light into Existence

Read: Genesis 1-3

Conversations 1- 11 fit within chapters 1-3.

And God said, Let there be light, and there was light (Genesis 1:3).

There is nothing much better than a sunny day. There is nothing much better than to be up early enough to see a spectacular sunrise. I saw one in August, a precursor of Christmas. I will never forget it. It sparkled more wonderously than a Christmas tree’s clear blinking lights through the tree branches in my back yard. It seemed to be saying, You are experiencing the glory of God! I walked from window to window, from sun room to living room, in total awe. I don’t expect to see anything more awesome until I reach the gates of heaven and enter in.

On another day, a true Maine winter day, I watched another sunrise. This time the rising sun cast its beauty, its quickly changing beauty, upon the snow. I wish I could show it to you in slow motion. The light gray background gave way in increments to purple, pink, peach, and pale yellow. Then up came the sun, lighting the rapidly bluing sky. This awesome sight reminded me that the little poem is true;

Moment by moment, He’s changing me.

I started a journal for the new year to record everything that God said in the Scripture. The first Divine utterance is our text for the day. There is light by which we see the world around us. There is also light to illumine our inner being.

The New Testament tells us that Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). We are urged to walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). If we pray but one prayer, may it be, "Let us walk in the light of the Word of

God!"

RESPONSES FOR DAY ONE

1. What have you seen in God’s world that is awesome?

2. Do you sense a motivation to watch for more of God’s glory in nature?

3. Do you see how God is changing you for the better as you age?

4. Do you desire more light on a particular area of your life?

5. Will you commit to search for that light until you find it? How?

6. Do you see the value of keeping a journal? Are you motivated to begin now? (Procrastination is the thief of time and memories)

7. Does the concluding prayer satisfy you? What would you add to it?

God Said It…

Day 2             Light and Darkness

Read Genesis 1:3-5

God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness he called night.(Genesis 1:4-5).

Moses is speaking of the physical realm. Our eyes can see the difference between night and day. Our physical bodies know the difference. As much as possible we sleep during the time of darkness.

Just as real is the realm of spiritual light and spiritual darkness.

Spiritual light is found only in Jesus who said, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5). John the Baptist, as a witness of the light, testified of Jesus, He is the true light that gives light to every man who [is] coming into the world (John 1:9). The glory of God shines in the light of God’s Son.

First John has a wonderful source of teaching on light. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5). And in 1:7 we read But if we walk in the tight, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

Chapter two gives us this verse. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in Him to make him stumble. (1 John 2:10).

John 1:5 tells us that the world has not understood the light. We know that the darkness has not been able to put it out.

The darkness prevails in the kingdom of Satan, the prince of the power of the air.

There is no fellowship to be had with our Lord or with other Christians if we allow darkness to overcome us. 2 Corinthians 6:14 asks what fellowship light and darkness can have. They represent two kingdoms. In verse fifteen there are three contrasts: Christ and Belial; believer and unbeliever; temple of God and idols. Which choices represent God’s kingdom of light?

Satan would prefer that we walk in darkness. When physical darkness falls the thief may attempt to destroy Jesus’ followers, His sheep. We find this in John 10:10a. But the rest of the verse, one of my favorites, says I am come that they might have life and have it to the full. KJV says, …more abundantly. We can have more real life and be more lively to advance God’s kingdom.

I quoted John 10:10b in a newsletter which I edited for a school in Poland, Maine in the 90s. Each month I asked a teacher for a favorite quote. One month I included my own favorite. Another teacher approached me in the teachers’ room and said she was happy to see someone quote from scripture. Thus I discovered that she was a Christian. I had gained a new friend. Light shone in Poland, Maine.

Anyone who chooses to do so can walk in this light.

Christians are to walk as children of light.

We are to let our light shine.

Lord, we love walking in your light. Grant that we may never let our light be affected by circumstances or wrong attitudes.

RESPONSES FOR DAY TWO

1. As you see God’s marvelous world, do you give Him praise. For what do you praise Him right now?

2. Do you know and understand the works God has for you to do? Are you willing? Are you willing to be made willing?

3. Do you really let your light shine through your words, attitudes, and actions?

4. Are you looking for more ways to let your light shine?

5. Do you try to improve your spiritual vision by watching those whose light shines brightly (those who are shining examples of Christlikeness)? Do you try to emulate them?

6. Will you include things in your journal in praise to God for the ability to see spiritually and physically?

7. Does the closing prayer help you change your view of your circumstances? What prayer are you prompted to add?

God Said It…

Day 3             God’s Questions

Read: Genesis 3:8-13

But the Lord God called to the man, Where are you? (Genesis 3:9). And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? (Genesis 3:11). Then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this you have done? (Genesis 3:13).

Yes, God knew where Adam was. Did Adam know where he was? Did he know that he had just died spiritually and forfeited his holy relationship with his Father God? Did he know that he was to be banned from the Garden of Eden for his disobedience?

Do we know where we are spiritually? A good Christian lady once said to her friend, It pays to check yourself once in a while. If Christ should appear would we be dressed in robes of righteousness?

Holiness teaching says to die daily to self and live moment by moment for Christ. Then we will have assurance that we will not be strangers in that permanent dwelling place God has prepared for us. We will not be cast out, but will eat from the Tree of Life in Heaven. Adam was not allowed to eat from it on earth.

We are naked in the sense that God sees us just as we are. We can’t hide in fine clothing, for He sees our hearts. If we think we can hide anything from Him, we should consider this question. Where would we hide it? Psalm 139 makes it clear that God is familiar with all our ways. Even darkness will not hide us from God’s night glasses. So let’s be sure we are clothed in His righteousness.

Have you eaten what you should not? How many times do we groan and say, I shouldn’t have eaten that! A while back an advertisement proclaimed, I can’t believe I ate the whole thing! Is it a sin to eat too much? Scripture says it would be better to put a knife to your throat than to be a glutton (Proverbs 23:2).

The point of Adam’s