The Family Bible Journey Podcast

In this episode, Jacob blessed each of his sons before his passing. These blessings contained many prophecies about the tribes who became Israel. Some wouldn't be fulfilled for thousands of years, yet they testify to us that God had the plan for His people laid out long before they realized. These prophecies are a great encouragement to us because we see God's faithfulness proven as He keeps His p...

Jacob grows reflective in his dying days, recounting how God had faithfully shepherded him through all his sojourning. A shepherd himself, he appreciated the closeness and love between shepherd and sheep. This metaphor of close care and concern resounds now as well as it did then because God is still the Shepherd of His people.

Is your faith more form than substance? In this passage, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for a false faith while commending a woman of the "wrong" practice and ethnicity. Here we have opportunity to reflect on what truly matters when it comes to faith and practice.

Jacob and Joseph are reunited in most dramatic fashion with the two grown men collapsing and weeping on each other. The day Jacob never dared hope for had come and his spirit was revived by his long lost son. Joseph immediately plans to set his family up for success by planting seeds in his brothers' minds and Pharaoh's that will land his family in the best part of the land. His brothers even get...

Joseph, overcome by his brothers' changed character, breaks down and reveals his true identity to his brothers. They thought they were dead men. But Joseph had forgiven them. He saw how God had used their treachery to save his family. After the initial shock, all rejoiced in God's favor and glorious provision. When word reached Jacob, he couldn't believe it at first. Amazed and perplexed, he decid...

Jesus hears of the death of His cousin John and crosses the sea for some rest and spiritual refreshment. But the crowds heard of it and were waiting for Him. Before He could rest, Jesus healed, taught and fed them all. When the day had passed, we see Jesus make that alone time He needed to be refreshed by His Father. In this passage, we again see Jesus' care and receive divine permission to stop a...

Joseph gets an opportunity to seek revenge on his brothers for selling him into slavery so many years ago. When they return to buy grain, the youngest, Benjamin is with them. He sets Benjamin up for a crime, demanding he be imprisoned for theft. The brothers plead with Benjamin, defending his cause and willingly offering themselves up on behalf of their younger brother. Joseph sees his brothers ha...

The famine presses in on Jacob and his family so much so that he has no other choice than to send his youngest son Benjamin to Egypt with his brothers to buy grain. The last time he sent the youngest to his brothers, it was Joseph, who didn't return from the trip. Jacob hopes against hope that all of the boys return. He had run out of options and ends up trusting the Lord to take care of them all....

How do you know if you are in or out of the Kingdom of God? This podcast explores parables of God's wrath bracketing two parables of great mercy. We will learn the wisdom of focusing on the revealed will of God in Christ Jesus when exploring mysteries of the faith instead of getting lost in the hidden will of God.

Jacob and his sons are reduced to poverty by the famine that has spread from Egypt and into the Promised Land. Jacob sends ten of his sons down to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph recognizes his brothers, interrogates them, imprisons Simeon and lets the others go, threatening that if they don't bring Benjamin with them next time, that they won't be allowed to buy more grain. When the brothers return and...

Joseph's friend in Pharaoh's court remembers Joseph and his ability to interpret dreams when Pharaoh has a troubling vision. Summoned from the prison, Joseph is dressed and gets to meet Pharaoh. In interpreting the dream, Joseph gives God all the credit for the interpretation. He offers a solution to Pharaoh's problems along with the interpretation of the dream that pleases Pharaoh. In this chapte...

We learn the blessing of God's generous love sown into our lives. We consider the dangers that come from trying to understand Jesus' parables from a 21st century perspective, without taking into account the people, places and culture of Jesus' ministry. May we be blessed to see and hear as Jesus taught.

Joseph, languishing in prison for a crime he didn't commit finds himself the favored inmate of the warden and put in charge of the prison. He makes friends of a couple of prisoners who had served among Pharaoh's most trusted officers. When they had troubling dreams, he interpreted them. All he asked for in return is that when one of the men was restored to his position that he put word in with Pha...

Joseph finds favor in the eyes of his master Potiphar, who makes Joseph steward of everything in his house. Not only did Joseph please his master, Potiphar's wife fell head over heels for Joseph, trying to seduce him on many occasions. Joseph refused her advances as sin against Potiphar and God. In a lustful rage, Potiphar's wife striped Joseph naked and accused him of rape, for which Joseph was t...

Here the Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of the prince of demons. By refusing Him, they refused the blessing of His love. His disciples, on the other hand, he welcomed gladly not only as His disciples, but as members of His immediate family, so great was His love for them!

In this podcast, we reflect on the righteousness of those in a story where everyone does wrong. Jacob's son Judah gives his two eldest sons in marriage to Tamar. Both die young, and so Judah decides not to give his third son as a husband to her, sending her away as a widow. This is an injustice. To get even, Tamar poses as a prostitute to subdue her father-in-law. When she is discovered pregnant,...

Joseph's brothers find an opportunity to act on the murderous hatred stoked by their jealousy when Joseph goes to look for them out in the field. Instead of killing him, they sell him into slavery. Covering their tracks, they took Joseph's coat of many colors, tear it and dip it in blood, telling their father that Joseph was dead. Jacob laments his loss, mourning the loss of his beloved son, the s...

Jesus takes the Pharisees to task for making a god of their rules. He came to show mercy. Learn how easy it is for us to be inconsistent in how we apply the rules to ourselves and others. We do well to learn from Him how to receive mercy ourselves while showing mercy to others.

Jacob, now named Israel, loses two pillars of his life when his beloved Rachel and faithful father Isaac die in this chapter. We will learn how God's promises sustained Jacob as he resettled his family. While considering how the faith is passed to the next generation, we will take an excursus to learn how the human brain processes digital vs. paper media and how this difference impacts cognition,...

The rape of Dinah was a terrible injustice forced upon her and her family shortly after they settled in the Promised Land. Her brothers Levi and Simeon couldn't stand her pain, so they slaughtered an entire community in vengeful wrath. Were they justified as her protectors or did their anger consume them and corrupt their moral compass? Either way, Jacob's family was now in jeopardy, as word about...

When John the Baptist is imprisoned, he sends his disciples to see and hear what Jesus is doing. Jesus commends John, as the last great prophet of the Old Testament. He encourages all who receive him in faith, recognizing that He has come to bless and give life. "Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest!"

In this chapter, Jacob shows us how to live wisely by praying for the best and preparing for the worst. Jacob returns to the Promised Land seeing his brother Esau coming to meet him with an army of 400 men. When Esau approaches, instead of exacting murderous revenge, he embraces his brother in love, with the two grown men falling on the ground weeping and embracing each other.

Jacob, fearful of Esau's fury, does all he can to protect his young family from the murderous wrath of his brother. In this episode, Jacob offers us a great pattern for prayer. He begs God for mercy, appealing to God's character, not his personal righteousness. God Himself appears to answer his prayer and the two end up wrestling all night long. Jacob prevailed over God, refusing to let go of Him...

Would you like to get an out-of-print copy of the journal Bible used in the podcast? Learn how the podcast is growing, what we will discover next month, and how you can enter to win a personalized journal Bible and journaling kit.

Jesus continues his encouragement to the disciples by sharing with them the blessings of openness, honesty, and the rewards for righteousness. There is a reward for righteousness, but it may not be realized on this side of eternity. Whether we see this blessing now or later, all of Jesus's disciples look forward to receiving an eternal blessing when we set our heart and mind to do the Lord's work.