February 2023

February 28

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 59 (2/28) – Genesis 49:29-50:26; John 3:1-22

We come to the end of the Patriarchs today with the death of Jacob and close out the life of Joseph. Our passage brings to us two of the great verses from the Scriptures: “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” and “For God so loved the world…” In the Old Testament, we have Joseph extending grace to his evil brothers and in the New Testament, we have Jesus extending the amazing grace to all of us, who were enemies of God, lost in darkness and our own, meaningless struggles. The Israelites are left in Egypt awaiting the Promised Land; we remain in the world, but not of the world, awaiting the hope that is laid up for us. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the brothers and Nicodemus.

February 27

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 58 (2/27) – Genesis 49:1-28

Well, if we haven’t seen the Providence of God before, we certainly see it today. Israel (Jacob) gathers his twelve sons before his death bed and issues what is stated in verse 28 as a “blessing”. But our understanding of that word is shaken when we read what Israel says to some of them. He rightfully introduces his “blessing” this way: “[I will] tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.” Put yourself in Reuben’s shoes that day, or Simeon or Levi. Count up those that you think walked out of there with “good news” or “bad news” concerning their future. The major “blessing” however, is given to Judah and Joseph. But it is through Judah that the Seed Line of the Messiah will come. It is through him that the “scepter” will not pass until…, and here we have some interpretation issues. I will offer that which many support: “until He comes to whom it belongs, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.” The true Scepter will belong only to Jesus, the Messiah. What a day of “blessing” and “accounting” this must have been.

February 26

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 57 (2/26) – Genesis 48:1-22

God is again at work in Israel (Jacob) today as he conveys a blessing upon Joseph’s sons: Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph places them in such a way that Israel’s right hand will be on the first-born, Manasseh. But Israel crosses his hands and gives the key blessing to Ephraim. This is not new to us, for we have seen second-born children elevated over the first many times–Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Judah’s twins, Perez and Zerah, and now Ephraim is elevated over Manasseh. But even though it would appear to us that the Seed Line of the Messiah should come through the beloved Joseph, it does not. The “scepter” blessing is reserved for Judah, tomorrow.

February 25

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 56 (2/25) – Genesis 47:1-31; John 2:13-25

It would be interesting to have a discussion after our reading today. My opinion is that Joseph was not right in making the Egyptians slaves to Pharaoh. What do you think? This is my take: it was their grain that was taken and stored up in the years of plenty and it should have been their grain that was returned to them in the years of want. But, as rulers tend to do, the people become enslaved. And here, enslaved under a 20% tax. Can you imagine? Nothing really changes, does it? Jesus confronted something similar in the temple when he came upon the exploitation there. In His first “cleansing” of the temple (Matthew 21:13) he called them “thieves” and overturned their tables and drove them out with a whip. It made Jesus angry. Are you “exploiting” someone? Physically, financially, emotionally? Time to stop.

February 24

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 55 (2/24) – Genesis 46:1-34; John 2:1-12

Jacob and his family move to Egypt, by God’s Providence, to be preserved through the famine and God reminds Jacob of His Promise. When Jacob sees his son, Joseph, for the first time, having thought he was dead all of these years, don’t miss the Scripture’s typical understatement that Joseph wept on Jacob’s neck: “a good while”. What a reunion that must have been as Jacob saw Joseph arrive on his Egyptian chariot. Imagine, as well, what his brothers would be thinking: would Joseph now expose their evil to their father? It is possible that Joseph never said a word to Jacob about it. In John, we read what I believe to be a significant miracle as “the first of His signs”. It pulls my mind back to the six days of creation. Peter states that the earth was formed “out of water”. Jesus uses the six stone water pots and creates “good” wine that usually takes years, instantly. Romans 1 tells us that the invisible attributes of God are clearly visible through what He has created. The disciples saw what Jesus did and “believed in Him”. Stand outside tonight and look at the stars and “believe in Him”.

February 23

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 54 (2/23) – Genesis 45:1-48; John 1:35-51

A key statement in today’s passage: “It was not you who sent me here, but God.” Joseph is confessing what we have seen ever since we started on January 1. God is sovereign and engaged in the world, bringing about His purposes and plans. We will see this throughout the Scripture, even up to our passage in John, where Jesus is gathering His small group together, calling them, reaching out and pulling them in. Ponder, especially, the fact that Jesus “saw” Nathaniel while he was sitting under the fig tree, and recall “El Roi”, the God who sees. That single display of the omniscience of Jesus caused him to make the declaration that Jesus was the Son of God. Imagine, also, what the story of Joseph would have been like if he had gotten caught up in his own little script and remained bitter toward his brothers. We can kick against God and live a bitter, “victimized” life, or we can say, “not my will, but your will be done” and live a life of peace and contentment.

February 22

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 53 (2/22) – Genesis 44:1-34; John 1:19-34

We have two confessions today. It is easy to miss the “grilling” that the Pharisees were giving John the Baptist. The Pharisees were very powerful. They could ban you from the temple and the synagogue. They could end your life, for all practical purposes. Yet John was faithful to confess the truth about who he was and who Jesus was. Judah was in a similar situation before Joseph, who was “like Pharaoh himself”. All of this was bringing the brothers face to face with their sin, as God has a tendency to do! If He does so with us today, let us bow down before him and confess. He knows it all anyway.

February 21

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 52 (2/21) – Genesis 43:1-34; Luke 4:1-15

We don’t know any more details about the temptations that were laid before Jesus than we are told here in our passage. But the important thing is that He withstood the trials that Satan brought and it ends with Jesus returning to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, teaching and being glorified by all. Joseph, also, had prevailed through the trials brought to him, and God was now beginning to restore his family to him. If you are facing trials in your life, and you are in Christ, then there is a surety that there will, one day, be a restoration for us as well. We are a people of hope, not gloom.

February 20

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 51 (2/20) – Genesis 42:1-38

No Hollywood movie can match the events portrayed in our passages today and the next few days. Jacob’s sons are unknowingly brought before their brother, who they had sold into slavery, but before whom they are now bowing and pleading. As you read this, put yourself in the shoes of Joseph, then Reuben, then Simeon, then the brothers, then Jacob. They each have unique perspectives on what is happening. This is taking place about 20 years after Joseph had his dreams and he was thrown into the pit and sold. God is working out His purposes and plans in His time and His place and in His way.

February 19

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 50 (2/19) – Genesis 41:25-57

Today we clearly see the Providence of God. God uses dreams to orchestrate redeeming Joseph from the pit. Joseph is faithful to give God the credit for interpreting Pharaoh's dreams and it is through Joseph that God will bless the Egyptians and eventually his own family, for it is this famine, that was shown to Pharaoh by God in a dream, that will eventually bring Jacob and his brothers to him. God is always at work, whether we see it or not.

February 18

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 49 (2/18) – Genesis 41:1-24; Matthew 4:1-11; Psalm 91:1-16

Let the opening to our Psalm today be the overriding theme as you read these passages: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” This is true in Joseph’s life when he was in the pit and the prison, and it was true when Jesus was in the wilderness. And, it is true in your life and my life if we are in Christ. If you have never been to Israel, today’s video will help you understand a little more what Jesus was experiencing in the desert.

February 17

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 48 (2/17) – Genesis 40:1-23; Luke 3: 21-22; Mark 1:12-13

One thought that struck me in today’s reading is the reality and truth that “God sees us”. Remember, this was the name, El Roi, that Hagar used when God came to her after Sarai had dealt harshly with her and she had fled into the wilderness (Genesis 16). Even though our passage leaves Joseph in prison because the cupbearer did not bring his cause to the king, God still saw him there and provided interpretations to the dreams through him. Jesus was in the wilderness, but God ministered to Him through the angels. Rejoice in El Roi today even if your circumstances may be difficult and don’t appear to be changing, God sees you. Trust Him.

February 16

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 47 (2/16) – Genesis 39:1-23; Matthew 3: 13-17; Mark 1:9-11

We have a parallel here in our readings today. The most prominent is the baptism of Jesus, the beginning of His formal earthly ministry. The Promise of the Seed Line being fulfilled. And the words of God the Father given to all standing there this testimony: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” What would it have been like to have witnessed that amazing moment! And yet, the steadfast love of God has been manifested throughout His Story. We see it way back in Joseph’s life, as God was with Joseph, protecting him and blessing all that he put his hand to, including those around him. Oh, that God would bless our land through His people today.

February 15

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 46 (2/15) – Genesis 38:1-30; 1 Chronicles 2:3-8; Matthew 3: 1-12

Our reading today isn’t pleasant. Keep your thoughts on the amazing grace of God, who is at work bringing forth the Seed Line of Christ through the unseemly actions of sinful people. Judah’s 1st and 2nd born were so wicked that the Lord put them to death. John the Baptist warns that Jesus will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire, and yet God worked through Judah having sexual relationships with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, who bore Perez. I find it amazing, in light of this, that John declares that God can raise up sons of Abraham from stones. He certainly raised them up from stoney hearts. Praise God today for His Grace!

February 14

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 45 (2/14) – Genesis 37:1-36; Luke 3: 1-18

As we have mentioned before, try to put yourself into the reality of the events in today’s passage. Movies have been made from this, but it isn’t fiction. Contemplate the dysfunction created in the family when Jacob favors Joseph; Joseph’s dreams, bad report, and possibly being “the little braggart”; the jealousy and hatred of the brothers; Reuben’s dilemma and emotions; the callousness of selling Joseph into slavery; the emotions of Jacob when told Joseph had been killed. By the way, get a map and contemplate the distance Joseph had to travel to find his brothers. And, the comparison here between Joseph and John. Joseph would be preparing a way for his family to go to Egypt and John preparing a way for the Messiah.

February 13

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 44 (2/13) – Genesis 36:31-43; 1 Chronicles 1:38-2:2

We continue to read today of the lineage of Esau and their populating the land of Edom. Read through each of these names and the history that has been preserved for us. The Bible is a faithful record of history as recurring archeological evidence confirms. But, it also provides the history for us as we continue to read this Larger Story of God. It will help you when we later get to Numbers 23 and read God’s admonition to Israel: “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother.” and you will know why!

February 12

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 43 (2/12) – Genesis 36:1-30; 1 Chronicles 1:35-37

There are passages in the Bible that sometimes seem to be unimportant to the overall story. In our day, these might be called the “fly over” passages in our times. Don’t bypass them. God obviously wanted them to be given to His people. Here we find the listing of Esau’s “family tree”. Read each name. Consider that they were real people with real lives and God has remembered them to us. Some will be prominent in future parts of the Meta-Narrative, some will not appear to be.

February 11

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 42 (2/11) – Genesis 35:1-29; Mark 1:1-8

We read today that Jacob is drawing closer to God and God reaffirms that the blessing of Abraham is going to be given to him. In essence, we find the Seed Line of the Messiah has narrowed itself down to Jacob, who is again renamed Israel. God is preparing the Way, just as we see Him, in the Mark passage as we jump forward in the Meta-Narrative, raising up the final link, in John the Baptist, to prepare the way for the Messiah. I hope you are fascinated, as I always am, to see this Providential Hand of God in His-Story. By the way, did you catch the neat little note found in the last sentence of Genesis 35:29?

February 10

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 41 (2/10) – Genesis 34:1-31; Matthew 2:41-52

It is difficult to read today’s account in Genesis: the violation of Dinah; Jacob’s sons deceit and then slaughter of all the men of Shechem; the wholesale plunder of the city. Take note that Jacob’s condemnation of his son’s actions is not based upon anything right or wrong, but on the pragmatic grounds of what it might do to him. We certainly do not see great character, unfortunately, in this Seed Line of Christ. Contrast that to Jesus. We have so very little about His life before His formal ministry began. But we do have this wonderful description: “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” Oh, that this might be the description of each of us! The video today helps put some visual flesh on the Matthew account.

February 9

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 40 (2/9) – Genesis 33:1-20; Matthew 2:13-23

As you read through these passages, keep in mind these were real people facing real threats. Jacob with Esau and Joseph with Herod. It is possible that Esau was bringing 400 men with him to kill Jacob. It is also possible that Esau was simply afraid that Jacob was returning to kill him and was coming prepared. Either way, it was Jacob’s many signs of humility that swayed Esau into an emotional reunion. We don’t know. But if so, God certainly spared Jacob just as we see God intervene to spare Joseph and Mary and Jesus from the horrible slaughter that Herod meant for them. Think about the importance of humility and forgiveness and obedience to God in these two passages and how different these events would have been had Jacob and Joseph stiffened their necks and gone their own way. And then apply that to our own walk today.

February 8

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 39 (2/8) – Genesis 32:1-33; Luke 2:1-12

What a great look at God’s Meta-Narrative today! Jacob is drawing closer to God, so close that he ends up wrestling with Him, as we do sometimes ourselves. But Jacob walks away with a new name, Israel. And the Seed Line of the Messiah is now further defined with this name. All of this comes at a time when Jacob is fearing for his life before what appears to be an army of Esau advancing towards him. As they say, there are no atheists in a foxhole under fire. This is the first time we hear Jacob address God as Yahweh. In Luke, so many years later, yet all at the same time in God’s perspective, we see the wise men of the East responding to the stars telling of Messiah’s birth. If, as some think, there was an alignment of the stars, then ponder the amazing thought that God had set all of this in motion back when He created the stars in the beginning, and set them in motion to be for “signs” (Genesis 1:14). And for thousands of years those stars and planets followed the path that God had set for them until “in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman…” (Galatians 4:4) Wow! Be amazed today.

February 7

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 38 (2/7) – Genesis 31:22-55; Luke 2:21-40

“But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night…” God is both Transcendent, which means He exists independently, not of this world nor part of this world, yet He is also Immanent, which means He acts within this world, not only sustaining it but being an effective cause, especially in the lives of human beings. Think how many times God has come to people in dreams to further His purposes and plans through them. That would be a good exercise and discussion for your family to undertake. In our Genesis reading today, God did so to spare Jacob. In our Luke reading, He did so to alert Simeon and Anna and spur them to prophesy concerning the Advent of the Messiah in their day. Again, do not miss the Providential Hand of God in all of this.

February 6

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 37 (2/6) – Genesis 30:25-31:21

We read today of the conflict that arose between Jacob and Laban that eventually leads to Jacob’s return to Canaan. Don’t get caught up in the notion of “magic” associated with Jacob’s sticks. I prefer to see it this way: Jacob was acting in faith to what God had told him. When Jacob acted out of faith (the sticks), God blessed and produced the striped, speckled and spotted livestock that would belong to Jacob. We see this often in the Scripture. Think of Moses’ arms. There wasn’t anything magic in his arms, but God was blessing his act of faith. Similarly, when Jesus tells us we have not because we’ve asked not. There isn’t any magic in our words. It is the power of God responding to our faith.

February 5

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 36 (2/5) – Genesis 29:31-30:24

This is a hard passage to read today simply because one cannot help think of all that is left unsaid. We would call this a dysfunctional family today. Leah is ‘hated’ we are told, which appears to be in relation to Jacob’s love for Rachel. Leah has hopes to be drawn close to Jacob through child-bearing. Rachel is barren and Leah probably mocks her because of it. Rachel probably mocks back because Jacob loves her. Then we get the giving of servants to Jacob by Rachel and Leah to get more babies and Jacob’s favor. Then Leah “buys” intimate time with Jacob from Rachel. Whew! Yet through all of this, we are getting the famous sons of Jacob and eventually the twelve tribes of Israel. Take heart! God works even when we fall so very, very short.

February 4

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 35 (2/4) – Genesis 29:1-30; Luke 2:8-20

Today we look at two groups of shepherds, separated by nearly 2,000 years, and yet they both are part of this larger, divine narrative of God. As you read these sections, see how many different places you can spot the Providential Hand of God. Note also the deceit by Laban of the deceiver (Jacob) and the ironic humor of it all.

February 3

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 34 (2/3) – Genesis 27:41-28:22; Luke 2:1-7

Key to our reading today is the instructions of Abraham back in Genesis 24:3-4 and 26:34-35 where we are told that Esau married Hittite women and they “made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah”. What a family! Rebekah is going to cleverly manipulate Isaac to send Jacob away to save his life from Esau who wants to murder him. His relocation to Haran is a long, 550 miles away. Esau adds another wife and Jacob has the “Jacob’s ladder” dream and encounter with God, but sets up a pillar, which was prohibited by God later, yet a common Canaanite form of worship. Jacob isn’t quite sure about the true God yet. But God is working through all of this just as we read Him working through Caesar Augustus to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem for the birth of the prophesied Messiah. God’s Providential Hand is everywhere in our readings. And, it was obvious in my life last Sunday (read [here]).

February 2

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 33 (2/2) – Genesis 27:1-40; Matthew 1:18-25

As you read our passages for today, keep as a backdrop God’s total sovereignty. For some reason I am reminded of Balaam, who was hired to curse God’s people but only a blessing came out. Isaac, despite God’s word to the contrary, wanted Esau, his firstborn, to be in the annointed line. However, through the really despicable actions of Rebekah and Jacob, Isaac ended up blessing his younger son. God’s purpose was fulfilled. To some extent, Joseph also was heading in the wrong direction, although for righteous reasons, but God intervened and directed him to take Mary as his wife. I am taken by reading this Old Testament passage and the Matthew passage, because we get to see God’s sovereign work so many, many years in the past, working out His purposes and plans in frail and finite people, before He finally brings forth the promised Seed. How amazing!

February 1

Dr. Tackett's Daily Comment

Day 32 (2/1) – Genesis 25:27-26:35; Luke 1:67-80

Ah, the old saying “like father, like son”! Isaac repeats his father’s folly in lying that Rebekah was his sister and not his wife, and again, to Abimelech! He must have thought, “What is it with these people?” And yet, we see God declare His covenant with Abraham to be reaffirmed in Isaac–which He would then protect and defend, through the continued disobedience of those in the Seed Line, until it is reaffirmed to Zechariah with the birth of John, some 2000 years later. Dear Remnant! Be reaffirmed yourself through these passages. God is steadfast and faithful in His promises which are now yours in Christ!