... the Bible reading for week of June 15-21, 2020 (Gen. 48-50)

Genesis 48-50

Gen. 48:14

However, Israel put out his right hand and placed it on Eʹphra·im’s head, although he was the younger, and he placed his left hand on Ma·nasʹseh’s head. He purposely laid his hands this way, since Ma·nasʹseh was the firstborn.

This was interesting, but after researching this, it may have been a result of what happened to Jacob, when Isaac blessed him instead of his older brother, Esau. The right hand signifies favor. Both boys became many, and were listed as part of the 12 tribes of Israel, replacing Joseph. The tribe of Levi got no land, so both Ephraim and Manasseh received their land allotments.

Gen. 49;4 refers to Reuben defiling Israel's bed. This happened when Reuben had sexual intercourse with Jacob's wife, Bilhah, given to him by Rachel.

Gen. 49:10

The scepter will not depart from Judah, neither the commander’s staff from between his feet, until Shiʹloh comes, and to him the obedience of the peoples will belong.

Jesus was a descendant of Judah and fulfilled this prophecy.

Gen 49:24 Jacob acknowledged Joseph's suffering at the hends of his brothers, but attributed Jehovah, "the shepherd, the stone of Israel" with protecting and blessing Joseph through his tenure in Egypt.

Gen. 50:17 showed that Joseph's brothers still felt guilty of what they had done to Joseph and were afraid that now that their father was dead, Joseph would get revenge, so they sent an apology, asking for forgiveness. This touched Joseph's heart, even thout he had forgiven them already.

We all still feel guilty over what mistakes we've done in the past. Jehovah is loving and kind. When He forgives, he truly forgives and drops it. This is a comfort to me, as I have had a long history of mistakes. Other people may not be as forgiving, but I trust my God, Jehovah, that His forgiveness is perfect. It's not limitless, meaning that if we willfully continue sin, He may not forgive us. It's important to continue to ask for forgiveness in our prayers, but we should work along with praying for it, with actions that prove that we are repentant. This may include going to the elders when it is something really serious, or some other act of atonement.

Looking forward to the lessons we can learn about Jehovah in Exodus.

... the text for June 4, 2020

As for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat from it. - Gen. 2:17

In the face of everything Adam and Eve had, this command seems like a simple directive. It ended up being a matter of life and death.

Think about it. Jehovah had provided super-abundantly to the first human pair. For example, there are 3,000 known varieties of pears in the world today. There are around 2,500 varieties of apples.

Did Adam and Eve have any needs that were unfulfilled? No!

As imperfect people, we are prone to test the forbidden. Have you seen a sign declaring "Wet Paint" and suddenly get the urge to test and see if the statement is true? Adam and Eve were perfect! Satan made it so appealing to Eve, that she harbored the desire for it, and took her own action, showing a lack of respect to her husband and Jehovah.

And so it goes. People in the world today don't realize that authority is in place with Jehovah's permission to provide order and structure. We have Stop signs at intersections, not to cramp our freedom, but to keep us from killing ourselves and others. The Bible states that husbands are considered heads of the family. That's Jehovah's direction and structure. So, imagine if a wife routinely disobeys her husband, doesn't follow his instructions, makes her own decisions with his input, lies to him or misleads him, shows him contempt, attempts to dominate and control her mate, what is she really doing?

She's doing it to Jehovah, the God, the One who established the marriage arrangement, and set how it's supposed to work. Oh, but my mom acted that way and everything was okay. Well, sorry but the Bible is the better example to follow. Everything goes up and down the hierarchy.

If I disrespect the elders, it's the same as disrespect to Jehovah; if the elders disrespect the Governing Body, or ignores Branch instructions, they're doing the same to Jehovah; if children disobey their parents, it goes up the chain and everyone up the line is disrespected. Everyone is accountable to Jehovah. (Rom. 14:12)

The world doesn't care about that. That's why they protest and complain about everything, without realizing the God who provided everything for man to live is figaratively jabbed and poked and reproached.

He is getting ready to act soon, and He will, He promises. We need to examine ourselves and think about why we act the way we do, stop blaming other people, and accept the counsel and discipline Jehovah provides through his Word, the Bible and the organization he uses to take care of His servants.

... the Bible reading for week of June 1-7, 2020 (Gen. 44-45)

Genesis 44-45

The scriptures I liked this week were:

Gen. 44:13

Then they ripped their garments apart...

This action was a strong emotion caused by despair, grief, humiliation, indignity or mourning. While this isn't practiced today, we can still apply this. Do we figuratively "rip our garments" in the sense of feeling true remose for things we have done? If we do so, we demonstrate to Jehovah how sorry we truly are, and can receive forgiveness from Him, along with any discipline that's needed, even being disfellowshipped? It's important to think about, if we are truly humble

Gen. 45:5

...do not repraoch one another because you sold me here; because God has sent me ahead of you for the preservation of life.

 Joseph may not have understood Jehovah's purpose in giving him the dreams, but it was clear to him now. He clearly had no grudge againt them, even during the time from when he was sold until he revealed himself to them. Can we do the same today? When circumstances arise, or we may have experienced something, we can have confidence that Jehovah knows exactly what's going on and everything will be revealed when He is ready to reveal it. Joseph is a good example of maintaining focus on Jehovah and His will, not dwelling on our own situation, and being forgiving to one another, which is all the more important in this stream of time.

Gen. 45:20

Do not worry about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.

 The brothers were given wagons to transport their father, theire wives and children. They weren't required to bring anything other than their flocks. What a nice display of good will from Pharaoh.