In this passage, Joseph goes from the penthouse to the prison. But in all of this, the Lord was with him. We are reminded that God is with His people in times of prosperity and in times of adversity.

In this awkward interruption of the story of Joseph, we read about the royal line of Judah that ultimately leads to the Person of Jesus Christ. This narrative gives hope to believers in Jesus that, despite our scandalous rebellion of the King of the universe, God's grace is greater than all our sin.

In this passage, we see Joseph's sale into slavery, which ultimately points to the Person of Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of God who not only became a servant and suffered humiliation and scorn at the hands of His "brothers," but who really did die to save God's people from their sin.

In this passage, we see the difference between worldly greatness and spiritual greatness. Esau may look impressive because he is in the land of his possession and has plenty of offspring, while Jacob is simply a sojourner in the land of Canaan and have become a stench to those around him. But what matters is that Jacob's trust is in the Lord who is more precious than any worldly pleasure.

In this passage, we see God graciously correct and complete the life of Jacob. Jacob was a man who made a lot of mistakes but who trusted in God when it counted. The life of Jacob reminds us that God is still delivering sinful people and keeping His promises today.

In this passage, we see human sin run rampant, but we also see the grace of God on full display. The world is discipling us in many different ways, but we have been called to live lives distinct from the world around us. All of us need the forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ, and we are the ones to bring the world this good news.

In this passage, we see reconciliation between Jacob and Esau, which ultimately points us to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the perfectly obedient Son of God, yet who took the punishment for sins we deserved, so that we might be reconciled to God through faith in Him.

In this passage, Jacob wrestles with God and is confronted with his need to fully trust in God alone. In the same way, we too must let go of our self-sufficiency and cling to Jesus who took the blow of justice we deserved, so that we might receive the blessing of grace.

In this passage, Jacob experiences the prosperity and protection of God. Jacob's experience, however, is not unlike that of the believer in Christ. We see that Jacob's Mesopotamian exodus points forward to the Person of Jesus Christ who plundered the power of evil, and who leads His people out of bondage to Satan and into the true and better Promised Land, the new heaven and the new earth.

In this passage, there are multiple wives, multiple births, sister hatred, and the use of surrogacy to celebrate and gloat. But it would be the beginning of God making Jacob's descendants as numerous as "the dust of the earth" (Genesis 28:14). Though the world around us hurts, we can be confident that God is ransoming a people "from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9).