If you’re here because you’ve challenged yourself to read along with me, to read the Bible from cover to cover, in 90 days, we’ve begun our first week! Jump on in anytime, please!

Day 4 of 90: Bible Reading Plan (Read Genesis 34-50)

Jacob reunited with his brother, Esau, and moved his family, servants, and livestock in the direction of Bethel. He had endured several years of hard work and stress under Laban, shepherding Laban’s flocks, and he traveled many hard days to get away from his father-in-law’s grasp, and then He wrestled God all night long for a blessing, and after he had dealt with anxiousness worrying about meeting Esau and his following after all the time without seeing him after what he’d done, he’d traveled that couple weeks and needed rest.

They were all so tired and growing weary. After they had rested and were ready to move on they moved just outside Shechem. His daughter, Dinah, (the daughter of Leah), was a bit of a rebellious girl, kind of a party girl, and made some mistakes and was mixing in with the pagans and sleeping with the prince, she couldn’t see through to the corruption enveloping her. There’s all kinds of drama.

Then there was Tamar, who disguised herself as a prostitute, and slept with Judah to conceive, and she bore twins.

Then there was Joseph who was sold as a slave, taken to another country, thrown in prison, made into second command of Egypt. *** Jacob ends up having 12 sons. He (Jacob) loves Joseph more than his other sons and gives him a fancy dream coat. The other 11 brothers are so super jealous and they sell him. So everyone starts to act up again; siblings are fighting and jealous of each other. *** A lot of stuff goes on, but basically he goes from rags to riches – from slave boy to ruler of Egypt basically (like the V.P. to the ruler anyway). There’s a famine, the brothers go to Egypt and are going to starve to death and Joseph saves them. This is a theme for Genesis: people keep missing the mark, they keep screwing up, and making bad choices but God keeps turning that evil into good!

God blessed Joseph; Joseph had the favor of God on his life. He was only successful because God was with him; because he was a servant of the living God. What a great reminder that we can do hard things – we can be successful – we can overcome – because God is with us! Even if we’re in a tough spot, He’s ever-present. God doesn’t leave us and just because we’re in a tough situation right now, and it doesn’t feel like it’s ever going to get any better, we can rest assured that our God has a purpose for our pain. He could have pulled Joseph right out of that jail cell but he had a purpose for letting him stay there. Maybe you’re in a hard spot (financially or with work or a relationship or mental anguish and hardship) or maybe you’ve just suffered a significant loss (the loss of a parent or child) and you feel like there couldn’t be a reason for this pain, you feel you’ll always be stuck here; just hang on, because God can bless you supernaturally, so abundantly and He’s got supreme authority. He’s in control. Rest easy, friend. We don’t understand, but we can’t understand with our finite minds. . . but He IS the great redeemer. He CAN use your story to display His grace, providence, and mercy.

“Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. “For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” Genesis 45:5-8

Old Testament

Day 1 Genesis 1 – 11

Day 2 Genesis 12 – 20

Day 3 Genesis 21 –  33

Day 4 Genesis 34 – 50

Day 5 Exodus 1  – 11

Day 6 Exodus 12 – 18

Day 7 Exodus 19 – 30

Day 8 Exodus 31- 40

Day 9 Leviticus 1 – 7

Day 10 Leviticus 8 – 15

Day 11 Leviticus 16 – 22

Day 12 Leviticus 23 – 27

Day 13 Numbers 1 – 8

Day 14 Numbers 9 -16

Day 15 Numbers 17 -25

Day 16 Numbers 26 -36

Day 17 Deuteronomy 1 – 9

Day 18 Deuteronomy 10 – 17

Day 19 Deuteronomy 18 – 26

Day 20 Deuteronomy 27 -34

Day 21 Joshua 1 – 10

Day 22 Joshua 11 – 24

Day 23 Judges 1 – 10

Day 24 Judges 11 – 21

Day 25 Ruth 1 –   4

Day 26 1 Samuel 1 – 16

Day 27 1 Samuel 17 – 1 Samuel 31

Day 28 2 Samuel 1 – 24

Day 29 1 Kings 1 – 22

Day 30 2 Kings 1 – 25

Day 31 1 Chronicles 1 – 8

Day 32 1 Chronicles 9 – 19

Day 33 1 Chronicles 20 – 29

Day 34 2 Chronicles 1 – 21

Day 35 2 Chronicles 22 – 36

Day 36 Ezra 1-  Ezra 10

Day 37 Nehemiah 1 –  Nehemiah 13

Day 38 Esther 1 –  Esther 10

Day38 Job 1 –  Job 23

Day 39 Job 24 –  Job 42

Day 40 Psalms 1 –  Psalms 21

Day 41 Psalms 22 – Psalms 60

Day 42 Psalms 61 – Psalms 90

Day 43 Psalms 91 – Psalms 115

Day 44 Psalms 116 – Psalms 150

Day 45 Proverbs 1 – Proverbs 15

Day 46 Proverbs 16 – Proverbs 31

Day 47 Ecclesiastes 1 – Ecclesiastes 12

Day 48 Song of Solomon 1 – Song of Solomon 8

Day 49 Isaiah 1 –  Isaiah 27

Day 50 Isaiah 28 – Isaiah 66

Day 51 Jeremiah 1 – Jeremiah 20

Day 52 Jeremiah 21 – Jeremiah 52

Day 53 Lamentations 1 – Lamentations 5

Day 54 Ezekiel 1 – Ezekiel 22

Day 55 Ezekiel 23 – Ezekiel 48

Day 56 Daniel 1 – Daniel 12

Day 57 Hosea 1 – Hosea 14

Day 58 Joel 1 – Joel 3

Day 59 Amos 1 – Amos 9

Day 60 Obadiah 1

Day 61 Jonah 1 – Jonah 4

Day 62 Micah 1 – Micah 7

Day 63 Nahum 1 – Nahum 3

Day 64 Habakkuk 1 – Habakkuk 3

Day 65 Zephaniah 1 – Zephaniah 3

Day 66 Haggai 1 – Haggai 2

Day 67 Zechariah 1 – Zechariah 14

Day 68 Malachi 1 – Malachi 4

NEW TESTAMENT

Day 69 Matthew 1 – Matthew 28

Day 70 Mark 1 – 16

Day 71 Luke 1 – Luke 12

Day 72 Luke 13 – Luke 24

Day 73 John 1 – John 21

Day 74 Acts 1 – Acts 15

Day 75 Acts 16 – Acts 28

Day 76 Romans 1 – Romans 16

Day 77 1 Corinthians 1 – 1 Corinthians 16

Day 78 2 Corinthians 1 – 2 Corinthians 13

Day 79 Galatians 1 – Galatians 6

Day 80 Ephesians 1 – Ephesians 6

Day 81 * Philippians 1 – Philippians 4 (Morning)

                Colossians 1 – Colossians 4 ( Afternoon)

                1 Thessalonians 1 – 1 Thessalonians 5 (Bedtime)

Day 82 2 Thessalonians 1 – 2 Thessalonians 3 (Morning)

                1 Timothy 1 – 1 Timothy 6  (Afternoon)

                2 Timothy 1 – 2 Timothy 4 (Bedtime)

Day 83 Titus 1 – Titus 3 (Morning )

                Philemon 1 (Afternoon)

                Hebrews 1 – Hebrews 13 (Bedtime)

Day 84 James 1 –  James 5  (Morning)

                1 Peter 1 – 1 Peter 5 (Afternoon)

                2 Peter 1 – 2 Peter 3 (Bedtime)

Day 85 1 John 1 – 1 John (Morning)

                2 John 1 (Afternoon)

                3 John  (Bedtime)

Day 86 Jude 1

Day 87 Revelation 1 – Revelation 6

Day 88 Revelation 7 – Revelation 18

Day 89 Revelation 19 – Revelation 22

Day 90 – PRAISE!