Father Mike Schmitz hosts the Bible in a Year podcast on day 25, reading from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition and The Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. The podcast follows the Great Adventure Bible timeline to read through Scripture systematically from Genesis to Revelation.

Today's readings span three biblical books: Genesis chapters 47-48 covering Joseph's administration during the famine and Jacob's final blessings, Job chapters 39-40 where God questions Job about creation and divine power, and Psalms chapter 16 expressing trust in God's protection.

Father Mike provides theological commentary on the mystery of suffering in Job's story, explaining how God's questioning reveals a larger divine purpose that transcends human understanding, while connecting Old Testament themes to New Testament concepts of redemptive suffering.

Joseph's Economic Management During the Seven-Year Famine

Joseph settled his family in Goshen, 'the best of the land,' and established them as shepherds under Pharaoh's protection, with some managing Pharaoh's cattle.

During the severe famine, Joseph systematically acquired all Egyptian land for Pharaoh by first collecting money, then livestock, and finally purchasing people and land when they said 'Buy us and our land for food.'

Joseph established a permanent 20% tax system where 'at the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own,' which 'stands to this day' according to Genesis.

Only the priests' land remained exempt because 'the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance which Pharaoh gave them.'

Jacob's Deathbed Blessing of Joseph's Sons

Jacob, at 147 years old, made Joseph swear to bury him with his fathers in Canaan, not Egypt, saying 'put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal loyally and truly with me.'

Jacob adopted Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh as his own, declaring 'Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are,' making them equal heirs with Jacob's other sons.

Despite Joseph's objection, Jacob deliberately placed his right hand on younger Ephraim's head, prophesying 'his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.'

Jacob's blessing invoked 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked' and 'The angel who has redeemed me from all evil,' establishing continuity with the covenant promises.

God's Overwhelming Questions About Creation and Power

God challenges Job with detailed questions about wild animals: 'Do you know when the mountain goats bring forth? Can you number the months that they fulfill?'

The divine questioning covers the wild donkey ('Who has let the wild donkey go free?'), the wild ox ('Is the wild ox willing to serve you?'), and the war horse with its 'majestic snorting' that 'laughs at fear.'

God describes the behemoth as 'the first of the works of God' with 'bones like tubes of bronze' and 'limbs like bars of iron,' demonstrating divine creative power beyond human comprehension.

Job responds with complete humility: 'Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth' - Job, acknowledging his limitations before God's majesty.

The Mystery of Suffering and Divine Purpose

Father Mike explains that God's questioning of Job isn't meant to silence him but to reveal 'there is a bigger story' and 'even if you can't understand the meaning of this moment, this moment has meaning.'

Unlike Job's friends who lacked righteousness and full knowledge, 'only God can reveal' the complete context of suffering because 'God knows everything' while humans see only fragments.

The commentary connects Job to New Testament themes, explaining that suffering can serve multiple purposes: repentance, wisdom, compassion, and ultimately 'redemptive suffering' for 'the salvation of the world.'

Father Mike concludes that 'it is easy to talk about the cross. It is not easy to carry your cross,' emphasizing the practical difficulty of living out faith during suffering.

Psalm 16's Declaration of Complete Trust in God

David's psalm expresses total dependence: 'I say to the Lord, You are my Lord. I have no good apart from you' - David, establishing God as the sole source of goodness.

The psalm declares confidence in God's guidance: 'The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup. You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.'

Psalms 16 concludes with assurance of eternal joy: 'You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. In your right hand are pleasures forevermore.'