But man dies, and is laid low;
man breathes his last, and where is he?
As waters fail from a lake,
and a river wastes away and dries up,
so man lies down and rises not again;
till the heavens are no more he will not awake,
or be aroused out of his sleep.[Job 14:10-12]
What did the people of Job's time think about the afterlife? There is some debate about this because the Old Testament deals only sporadically with the subject and speaks vaguely about a place called "Sheol" where the dead existed in a sleepy state of nothingness. Even less is said about resurrection. Some scholars say that the doctrines of immortality and bodily resurrection are too advanced for such a primitive culture, but the Egyptians of that time period were mummifying their dead in preparation for the afterlife. So why wouldn't the ancient Hebrews have held similar hope for life after death? The fact that their concept of Heaven and resurrection was skewed is perfectly understandable, given the fact that they had not been taught, nor had they seen evidence of either. New Testament believers have the advantage of knowing Jesus' teachings on Heaven and His example in resurrection. Old Testament believers merely had hopes of what might be after death. But like Job's hope for a mediator, his hopes for immortality and resurrection are spot-on!
"As water evaporates from a lake and a river disappears in drought, people are laid to rest and do not rise again. Until the heavens are no more, they will not wake up nor be roused from their sleep" (Job 14:11-12)
"I wish you would hide me in the grave (Sheol) and forget me there until your anger has passed. But mark your calendar to think of me again!" (Job 14:13)
This sounds alot like the physical resurrection of the dead at the end of time (the book of Revelation is going to be CRAZY...and I look forward to attempting to understand it).
"Can the dead live again? If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle..." (Job 14:14)
Isn't it interesting that just like Job's desire for a mediator, his felt need for immortality is something God already has in store for him. It's like the analogy of the God-shaped hole in each of our souls. He has created certain needs in mankind, and He has planned to meet each one. Having Adam name the animals, thereby witnessing the parade of unsuitable helpers for himself in the animal kingdom, God allowed Adam to feel his need for a mate. Once the need was felt, God stepped in to meet the need. Job is another great example of God allowing one of his children to experience a deep need that only He can fill... and will fill, even though Job doesn't quite grasp how.
Tomorrow's reading: Job 15:1-18:21
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Job's Pity Party
Job's friends have a few off-base things to say in today's reading, i.e. "your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved", but also some good wisdom. Bildad says "He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy" which reminds me of the verse (that I can quote but not reference), "weeping endures for a night but joy cometh in the morning". And Zophar says, "if only you would prepare your heart and lift your hands to Him in prayer!" and "Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything about the Almighty? Such knowledge is higher than the heavens- and who are you?" These are great spiritual truths. But Job is too busy feeling sorry for myself, and frankly I don't blame him, to process any of what they say. God seems remote and arbitrary to Job, and Job feels powerless and unmotivated to approach God. But in the middle of his long-winded pity-party, Job makes an absolutely profound statement. It just leaps off the page!
"God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial. If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together. The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength."
IF ONLY THERE WERE A MEDIATOR.... His name is Jesus! And we no longer live in terror of punishment because Jesus has already taken it! And we can speak to Him without fear because Jesus is the "friend who sticks closer than a brother"! These are things that could not be done in our own strength. The people of the Old Testament tried in vain to be holy and worthy to approach God. But it is not humanly possible to do so. We have to ride the coat-tails of the One who is strong enough to shoulder our sins and burdens.
Tomorrow's reading: Job 12-14
"God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial. If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together. The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength."
IF ONLY THERE WERE A MEDIATOR.... His name is Jesus! And we no longer live in terror of punishment because Jesus has already taken it! And we can speak to Him without fear because Jesus is the "friend who sticks closer than a brother"! These are things that could not be done in our own strength. The people of the Old Testament tried in vain to be holy and worthy to approach God. But it is not humanly possible to do so. We have to ride the coat-tails of the One who is strong enough to shoulder our sins and burdens.
Tomorrow's reading: Job 12-14
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The "wisdom" of Job's friends
Job's friends finally begin to offer their opinions as to why all of this suffering has befallen him. Eliphaz's offers a commonly held theory that one's own sin is responsible for suffering... that when bad things happen it is because it was deserved due to some specific transgression. Eliphaz says, "it is my experience that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same." That is true some of the time, but we all know of "bad" people who prosper and "good" people who suffer. Jesus himself explained the folly of this line of thinking when referencing the tragic deaths of some men killed by Pilate and others killed in an accident. This is from Luke chapter 13.
1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
Jesus makes plain the fact that these men were no more sinful than their countrymen and bore no responsibility for what happened to them. He does not go so far as to explain why it did happen to them, but we know that it was not punishment for sin. If that were the case, we'd all have been annihilated shortly after birth. Not one of us is punished as we deserve.
Job knows that he has no blatant sin in his life that could have brought on such tragedy and refutes the idea. He engages in an extended pity-party, understandably so, but never does as his wife suggested in chapter 2, "curse God and die". He wants to die, but he does not curse God. He questions Him, but never crosses the line. I like knowing that Job, who is recorded as being "blameless", questioned God Almighty. We can do that! In a spirit of trust and reverence, we can be angry at God, we can wrestle with God, we can even argue with God, as we will see Job do later on. When our hearts seek resolution and not retribution, God seems content to be patient with our tantrums. Such encounters can actually build our faith when handled properly.
Tomorrow's reading: Job 8-11
1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
Jesus makes plain the fact that these men were no more sinful than their countrymen and bore no responsibility for what happened to them. He does not go so far as to explain why it did happen to them, but we know that it was not punishment for sin. If that were the case, we'd all have been annihilated shortly after birth. Not one of us is punished as we deserve.
Job knows that he has no blatant sin in his life that could have brought on such tragedy and refutes the idea. He engages in an extended pity-party, understandably so, but never does as his wife suggested in chapter 2, "curse God and die". He wants to die, but he does not curse God. He questions Him, but never crosses the line. I like knowing that Job, who is recorded as being "blameless", questioned God Almighty. We can do that! In a spirit of trust and reverence, we can be angry at God, we can wrestle with God, we can even argue with God, as we will see Job do later on. When our hearts seek resolution and not retribution, God seems content to be patient with our tantrums. Such encounters can actually build our faith when handled properly.
Tomorrow's reading: Job 8-11
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Intro to Job
I feel like I am on Day 1, trying to condense all of the Creation account into one concise blog! There is an awful lot going on here. First, let me give you some historical context. It is estimated by scholars, that Job lived at around the same time as the patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Many factors point to this assumption, one of which is the fact that Job lived 140 years after his children were grown. This makes his life-span roughly equivalent to Abraham's, which is notable as each generation after the flood lived progressively fewer years. We tend to think of Job as having lived much later in Israel's history, since his book is located more than half-way through the Old Testament. But Job is found in the back half of the OT because it is considered a poetic book. The Old Testament is ordered by category, not chronology, with the historical books first, the poetic books next, and the prophetic books last. The NLT chronology puts him after Genesis, but acknowledges that he could have lived even before Abraham. It just cannot be known for sure.
Job lived in the land of Uz, which was adjacent to Midian, where Moses lived for 40 years before leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses is presumed to have authored the book of Job while living in Midian, based on records that must have been kept by one of the men involved as well as the leading of God's Holy Spirit. Job is one of the oldest books of the Old Testament and deals with the oldest of subjects...why do godly people suffer? It is thought that Moses felt led to write Job's story in light of the suffering of the Israelites during their oppression in Egypt.
The first amazing thing about the account of job is that Satan presents himself before the Lord along with the heavenly court. I was taken aback by the thought that Satan has access to heaven and to the ear of God Almighty! But there are actually several references elsewhere in Scripture referring to Satan being in heaven. Most notably, Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked the Father for permission to "sift him like wheat". There are also several references to Satan standing before God to accuse His people of sin (Eph. 2:2 and Zech. 3:1). So apparently, Satan has some access to heaven and uses it for the purpose of stirring up trouble. He asked permission to harm Job, hoping to unveil his "true" character (he is accusing Job of being a fair-weather friend of God). And God grants that permission! What does that say to us about God's role in our suffering? For starters, it seems that anything that comes at us from Satan, goes directly through God. How many of Satan's attacks He thwarts, we cannot know. But what he allows, is meant to test us, to refine us, to deepen us, and to advance His purposes in ways similar to what we saw with Joseph. That does not make God responsible for our suffering, as He cannot be held accountable for the actions of Satan or for the sinfulness of man. But we cannot think that God has no hand in our suffering, for He certainly allows a whole lot of pain and tragedy into our lives. But God is sovereign, and whatever suffering exists in our world, has been permitted for some distinct purpose.
Job displays the integrity and righteousness God ascribed to him in two profound statements. First, after losing all he owns and loves (aside from his wife), Job says "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord"... (had to go King James on you, as that translation is so much better!) Later, when he has been afflicted with painful sores, he says "should we accept only good things from God and never anything bad?" So true! We will ask "why me?" in the face of something bad, but never in the face of something good. We are surprised when trials come upon us, but not at all surprised when things are going our way. It is as if we feel entitled to God's blessings and offended when we are asked to endure a season of suffering.
As good an example of patient endurance as Job is, his three friends initially do just as good a job modeling the role of companion to someone in pain. They sit with him for 7 days without even saying a word!!! No platitudes, no advice, no dialog. They were just there. This will change in tomorrow's reading, but for these 7 days, they model true friendship as they simply come alongside Job to shoulder his grief.
Tomorrow's reading: Job 5-7
Job lived in the land of Uz, which was adjacent to Midian, where Moses lived for 40 years before leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses is presumed to have authored the book of Job while living in Midian, based on records that must have been kept by one of the men involved as well as the leading of God's Holy Spirit. Job is one of the oldest books of the Old Testament and deals with the oldest of subjects...why do godly people suffer? It is thought that Moses felt led to write Job's story in light of the suffering of the Israelites during their oppression in Egypt.
The first amazing thing about the account of job is that Satan presents himself before the Lord along with the heavenly court. I was taken aback by the thought that Satan has access to heaven and to the ear of God Almighty! But there are actually several references elsewhere in Scripture referring to Satan being in heaven. Most notably, Jesus tells Peter that Satan has asked the Father for permission to "sift him like wheat". There are also several references to Satan standing before God to accuse His people of sin (Eph. 2:2 and Zech. 3:1). So apparently, Satan has some access to heaven and uses it for the purpose of stirring up trouble. He asked permission to harm Job, hoping to unveil his "true" character (he is accusing Job of being a fair-weather friend of God). And God grants that permission! What does that say to us about God's role in our suffering? For starters, it seems that anything that comes at us from Satan, goes directly through God. How many of Satan's attacks He thwarts, we cannot know. But what he allows, is meant to test us, to refine us, to deepen us, and to advance His purposes in ways similar to what we saw with Joseph. That does not make God responsible for our suffering, as He cannot be held accountable for the actions of Satan or for the sinfulness of man. But we cannot think that God has no hand in our suffering, for He certainly allows a whole lot of pain and tragedy into our lives. But God is sovereign, and whatever suffering exists in our world, has been permitted for some distinct purpose.
Job displays the integrity and righteousness God ascribed to him in two profound statements. First, after losing all he owns and loves (aside from his wife), Job says "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord"... (had to go King James on you, as that translation is so much better!) Later, when he has been afflicted with painful sores, he says "should we accept only good things from God and never anything bad?" So true! We will ask "why me?" in the face of something bad, but never in the face of something good. We are surprised when trials come upon us, but not at all surprised when things are going our way. It is as if we feel entitled to God's blessings and offended when we are asked to endure a season of suffering.
As good an example of patient endurance as Job is, his three friends initially do just as good a job modeling the role of companion to someone in pain. They sit with him for 7 days without even saying a word!!! No platitudes, no advice, no dialog. They were just there. This will change in tomorrow's reading, but for these 7 days, they model true friendship as they simply come alongside Job to shoulder his grief.
Tomorrow's reading: Job 5-7
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Jacob blesses his sons
As Jacob's death draws near, he makes Joseph swear ( in an ancient version of our "pinky swear") that he will bury him in Canaan, with Isaac and Abraham, along with Rebekah and Sarah. I found it comforting to learn that Leah had also been buried there and would be joined in death by her husband. As the only woman buried next to Jacob, and alongside the forefathers of God's chosen people, Leah finally attained the respect and worth she had long desired.
But before he dies, Jacob blesses his sons, which equates to prophesying over each of the 12 tribes of Israel. While Jacob had twelve sons, the tribes of Israel are slightly different. Because of the honor bestowed upon Joseph, either for being his father's favorite or for his role in preserving the family/nation, he is given the "double portion" of the inheritance that was customarily given to the firstborn. This was accomplished when Jacob claimed Joseph's two sons as his own, giving them tribal status equal to their uncles (Jacob's sons). Breaking custom again, Jacob gives Joseph's younger son the "blessing" of the firstborn; the same blessing he had cheated Esau out of. When Jospeh tries to correct him, thinking his father simply could not see, Jacob assures him of his intent. Again, the younger will be greater than the older, ( as with Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau) confirming that God looks at the heart and makes sovereign decisions accordingly.
Rather than Joseph having a tribe, he essentially had two tribes through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. So if you're counting, there should now be 13 tribes of Israel... 12 brothers less one (Joseph) plus two (Ephraim and Manasseh). Yet when the time comes to divide the Promised Land into sections for each of the tribes, the divisions are based on the number 12. This is due to the fact that the tribe of Levi would become priests and would be scattered throughout the tribal territories, ministering to the Israelites and teaching them God's statutes. They would not inherit land of their own, as they would not be living separately as a tribal unit.
One of my resource books listed each of Jacob's blessings to his sons and their later fulfillment. I will summarize the most notable...
Reuben: lost status as firstborn due to the bedding of his father's concubine; Reuben was actually one of the first tribes to be overcome in the 9th century BC by Moab
Simeon: as punishment for his horrific crime at Shechem, his tribe would be scattered; Though quite numerous at the time of the Exodus, they are not mentioned in Deuteronomy and were apparently absorbed by the tribe of Judah
Levi: also prophesied to be scattered due to his participation in the slaughter at Shechem, the Levites became priests after being the only tribe to take a stand with Moses after the golden calf incident in the wilderness; still, they were scattered and had no land of their own
Judah: the oldest of Jacob's sons who was not marred by grievous sin as his older brothers had been; was the brother who was willing to offer himself as a sacrifice to save Benjamin in Egypt; portrayed as a powerful lion and a ruler of Israel; Jesus would come from this tribe; this prophecy contains a strong reference to the coming Messiah King when it reads "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs".
Tomorrow's reading: Job 1-4
But before he dies, Jacob blesses his sons, which equates to prophesying over each of the 12 tribes of Israel. While Jacob had twelve sons, the tribes of Israel are slightly different. Because of the honor bestowed upon Joseph, either for being his father's favorite or for his role in preserving the family/nation, he is given the "double portion" of the inheritance that was customarily given to the firstborn. This was accomplished when Jacob claimed Joseph's two sons as his own, giving them tribal status equal to their uncles (Jacob's sons). Breaking custom again, Jacob gives Joseph's younger son the "blessing" of the firstborn; the same blessing he had cheated Esau out of. When Jospeh tries to correct him, thinking his father simply could not see, Jacob assures him of his intent. Again, the younger will be greater than the older, ( as with Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau) confirming that God looks at the heart and makes sovereign decisions accordingly.
Rather than Joseph having a tribe, he essentially had two tribes through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. So if you're counting, there should now be 13 tribes of Israel... 12 brothers less one (Joseph) plus two (Ephraim and Manasseh). Yet when the time comes to divide the Promised Land into sections for each of the tribes, the divisions are based on the number 12. This is due to the fact that the tribe of Levi would become priests and would be scattered throughout the tribal territories, ministering to the Israelites and teaching them God's statutes. They would not inherit land of their own, as they would not be living separately as a tribal unit.
One of my resource books listed each of Jacob's blessings to his sons and their later fulfillment. I will summarize the most notable...
Reuben: lost status as firstborn due to the bedding of his father's concubine; Reuben was actually one of the first tribes to be overcome in the 9th century BC by Moab
Simeon: as punishment for his horrific crime at Shechem, his tribe would be scattered; Though quite numerous at the time of the Exodus, they are not mentioned in Deuteronomy and were apparently absorbed by the tribe of Judah
Levi: also prophesied to be scattered due to his participation in the slaughter at Shechem, the Levites became priests after being the only tribe to take a stand with Moses after the golden calf incident in the wilderness; still, they were scattered and had no land of their own
Judah: the oldest of Jacob's sons who was not marred by grievous sin as his older brothers had been; was the brother who was willing to offer himself as a sacrifice to save Benjamin in Egypt; portrayed as a powerful lion and a ruler of Israel; Jesus would come from this tribe; this prophecy contains a strong reference to the coming Messiah King when it reads "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs".
Tomorrow's reading: Job 1-4
Monday, January 17, 2011
Jacob's family moves to Egypt
For today, we read the story of Joseph bringing his father's entire family to Egypt. The number 70 reflects only the blood line through the males. Daughters, daughters-in-law, and grand-daughters were not factored in, nor were servants or concubines. So the actual number of Israelites at that point, had to be somewhere around 150. And did you notice that Benjamin had 10 sons! I had assumed that he was far too young to have so many children. He wasn't a "boy" at all!
Because of the way God had blessed Joseph and enabled him to find favor with Pharoah, Joseph was able to spare his family, and the future nation of Israel, from dwindling by starvation. He had gained Pharoah's admiration to such a degree that Jacob and his descendants were given the best of the land in which to settle. He offered to hire them to shepherd his flocks, which were soon to be very substantial due to Joseph's shrewd managing. So while the rest of Egypt was turning all of their property over to Pharoah and becoming slaves, Jacob's family "acquired property, and they were fruitful, and their population grew rapidly". This laid the groundwork for the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt just 300 years later...the oppression from which Moses would eventually free them. They became so powerful, wealthy, and numerous due to Pharoah's warm welcome, (which was ultimately due to his affinity for Joseph... which was due to God's blessing upon him), that they were a threat to a future king.
The famine in Egypt and the surrounding areas had to have been significant, in keeping with the Biblical record, so I skimmed some internet articles to determine whether any extra-Biblical evidence existed for it. The most succinct commentary was found in an article by the BBC; hardly a "Christian" source. I have pasted it below...
Studies in 'ice cores' found in Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania - the mountain which supplies the Nile with its water - have revealed that a drought did take place around 3600 years ago - around the time the Bible sets Joseph's story.
We also know of another event around the same time. One of the most fertile areas in Egypt was the land around Lake Quarun. This lake was fed with water from one of the branches of the Nile. Droughts in Egypt used to cause this branch to dry up, leaving the land around the Lake destitute. We do know that between 1850 and 1650 BC a canal was built to keep the branches of the Nile permanently open, enabling water to fill Lake Quaran and keep the land fertile. This canal was so effective that it still successfully functions today. There is no record of who built the canal, but for thousands of years it has only been known by one name. In Arabic it's the Bahr Yusef. This translates into English as The Waterway of Joseph. Could this canal have been built by a certain Prime Minister called Joseph as part of his work to save Egypt from famine? Was this Prime Minister the son of a Canaanite called Jacob?
Tomorrow's reading: Genesis 47:28-50:26
Because of the way God had blessed Joseph and enabled him to find favor with Pharoah, Joseph was able to spare his family, and the future nation of Israel, from dwindling by starvation. He had gained Pharoah's admiration to such a degree that Jacob and his descendants were given the best of the land in which to settle. He offered to hire them to shepherd his flocks, which were soon to be very substantial due to Joseph's shrewd managing. So while the rest of Egypt was turning all of their property over to Pharoah and becoming slaves, Jacob's family "acquired property, and they were fruitful, and their population grew rapidly". This laid the groundwork for the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt just 300 years later...the oppression from which Moses would eventually free them. They became so powerful, wealthy, and numerous due to Pharoah's warm welcome, (which was ultimately due to his affinity for Joseph... which was due to God's blessing upon him), that they were a threat to a future king.
The famine in Egypt and the surrounding areas had to have been significant, in keeping with the Biblical record, so I skimmed some internet articles to determine whether any extra-Biblical evidence existed for it. The most succinct commentary was found in an article by the BBC; hardly a "Christian" source. I have pasted it below...
Studies in 'ice cores' found in Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania - the mountain which supplies the Nile with its water - have revealed that a drought did take place around 3600 years ago - around the time the Bible sets Joseph's story.
We also know of another event around the same time. One of the most fertile areas in Egypt was the land around Lake Quarun. This lake was fed with water from one of the branches of the Nile. Droughts in Egypt used to cause this branch to dry up, leaving the land around the Lake destitute. We do know that between 1850 and 1650 BC a canal was built to keep the branches of the Nile permanently open, enabling water to fill Lake Quaran and keep the land fertile. This canal was so effective that it still successfully functions today. There is no record of who built the canal, but for thousands of years it has only been known by one name. In Arabic it's the Bahr Yusef. This translates into English as The Waterway of Joseph. Could this canal have been built by a certain Prime Minister called Joseph as part of his work to save Egypt from famine? Was this Prime Minister the son of a Canaanite called Jacob?
Tomorrow's reading: Genesis 47:28-50:26
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Joseph reunited with his brothers
Great story! This entire negotiation between Joseph and his brothers was a test designed to see if they had changed; whether or not true repentance and remorse had occurred for their crime against Joseph. Joseph knows Benjamin is his father's favorite. He is the baby, and the only remaining child of his father's true love, the deceased Rachel. So the test has to involve him. Confirming that Benjamin is in fact the favored child, Jacob refuses to let him go back to Egypt, even though this will result in Simeon being held in prison. Jacob refuses on the grounds that "he is all I have left". Ouch. He had 10 other sons, and daughters as well. When the brothers are finally allowed to take Benjamin back to Egypt, they have good reason to be afraid. Joseph had been harsh with them, he had already imprisoned their brother just for "suspecting" them of a crime, and they could potentially be accused of stealing, since their initial payment for the grain had mysteriously reappeared in their bags. For Judah to have guaranteed his brother's safe return was no easy promise to make. And once in Egypt, Joseph lays the favoritism on thick; giving Benjamin 5 times his brother's food portions at dinner. He gave them every opportunity to display the same resentment they had shown him years earlier, but they did not. And after Benjamin was found to have the "stolen" silver cup, they had an opportunity to get rid of him as they had Joseph, leaving him behind as a slave in Egypt. But they did not. A beautiful reunion and example of forgiveness follows.
God's providence places Joseph exactly where he predicted he would be (with his brothers bowing down to him...remember the bundles of wheat?). Maybe for the first time in those roughly 15 years (my estimate), he sees God's hand in it all. He realizes why he was sent to Egypt and knows it was God who sent him. Because he recognizes God's sovereignty, he is able to truly forgive his brothers for their role in the matter. Later on in chapter 50, Joseph tells his brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so that I could save the lives of many people", (not the least of which was his own family that would become the nation of Israel). This is a really important verse to call upon when something seemingly "bad" encroaches upon our lives. It is often the things that make us most uncomfortable, vulnerable, and grieved, that bring about the most good in the big picture. We may not be able to see the ways God uses our suffering immediately, as was the case with Joseph, but we can trust that He is working it all out for good.
There was one aspect of today's reading that I had to work on. When Joseph's silver cup goes missing, it is referred to as the cup he used to predict the future. This sounded like divination, which is strictly prohibited in the Bible. Why would Joseph use a "crystal ball"? After doing some reading, I came to realize that there is a difference between having a genuine, God-given ability to do something and a perverted, Satan-given ability to do the same thing. "One of Satan's methods is to take something God has permitted in a favorable sense, under unusual circumstances (as few people have this genuine ability), and then copy, pervert, and use it in an inordinate extreme." God had clearly given Joseph an authentic gift in predicting the future, as evidenced by the visions and dream interpretations that proved true. That is not divination but something more like prophecy. The practice of witchcraft and divination that is forbidden by the Bible, is that which is not God-given, and therefore not used to bring Him glory or further his kingdom.
Tomorrow's reading: Genesis 45:16-47-27
God's providence places Joseph exactly where he predicted he would be (with his brothers bowing down to him...remember the bundles of wheat?). Maybe for the first time in those roughly 15 years (my estimate), he sees God's hand in it all. He realizes why he was sent to Egypt and knows it was God who sent him. Because he recognizes God's sovereignty, he is able to truly forgive his brothers for their role in the matter. Later on in chapter 50, Joseph tells his brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so that I could save the lives of many people", (not the least of which was his own family that would become the nation of Israel). This is a really important verse to call upon when something seemingly "bad" encroaches upon our lives. It is often the things that make us most uncomfortable, vulnerable, and grieved, that bring about the most good in the big picture. We may not be able to see the ways God uses our suffering immediately, as was the case with Joseph, but we can trust that He is working it all out for good.
There was one aspect of today's reading that I had to work on. When Joseph's silver cup goes missing, it is referred to as the cup he used to predict the future. This sounded like divination, which is strictly prohibited in the Bible. Why would Joseph use a "crystal ball"? After doing some reading, I came to realize that there is a difference between having a genuine, God-given ability to do something and a perverted, Satan-given ability to do the same thing. "One of Satan's methods is to take something God has permitted in a favorable sense, under unusual circumstances (as few people have this genuine ability), and then copy, pervert, and use it in an inordinate extreme." God had clearly given Joseph an authentic gift in predicting the future, as evidenced by the visions and dream interpretations that proved true. That is not divination but something more like prophecy. The practice of witchcraft and divination that is forbidden by the Bible, is that which is not God-given, and therefore not used to bring Him glory or further his kingdom.
Tomorrow's reading: Genesis 45:16-47-27
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
