Genesis means “the origin or beginning of something.” The meaning of this word certainly holds true with Scripture, as the Book of Genesis takes us all the way back to the beginning of how everything came to be. From the stars, skies, seas, creatures, plants, and trees, to the crown of the Lord’s creation with humanity and soon after their fall into sin, we get a clear origin of who we are, why the world is the way it is now, and what the Lord has promised to do to redeem it and His people. From the very first promise of a Savior, a new beginning, which would come through Jesus Christ, was established.
Along the way through the Old Testament, and here in the Book of Genesis, we get a foreshadowing of our Savior’s redemptive work through the people the Lord would use to fulfill His mission and purposes. Throughout this Lenten time, we will journey with Joseph in Genesis, and through his experiences we will be brought to the cross of Christ. We will see how like Joseph, Jesus will be rejected, abused, yet also ultimately raised up. Like Joseph providing food for the nations, Jesus provides nourishment for those spiritually starving. Like Joseph forgiving his brothers, Jesus will bring forgiveness and reconciliation for the world. But unlike Joseph, Jesus will do all things perfectly in His journey to the cross carrying the sins of the world.
As we begin tonight with “The Genesis of Joseph,” we learn of God remembering Rachel as Joseph’s life began. Even as we with ashes remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return, we are affirmed in hope that God has remembered us in Jesus, His one and only Son.
