GENESIS 44:1 - 45:28
When Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers, what did he say? "Come near to me. Come close." "It was not you who sent me here, but God." The Bible says "He kissed all his brothers and wept over them." This is just like the reception we got from Jesus when we were born again. We betrayed Him and caused His crucifixion, yet he welcomes us, loves us, and wraps us in His arms. Hebrews 2:11 says, "For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren.."
Only God could have caused Joseph to share the throne with Pharaoh. Joseph knew it was God. He could have blamed the devil for lying about him and putting him into Pharaoh's prisonhole. He could have blamed the devil for getting him sold into slavery. He certainly must have had a hard time "crediting" God for his suffering those 13 years. However Joseph knew something we tend to forget: God is in control. He tears one kingdom down and raises another kingdom up.
Isaiah 45:6-7 says, "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." The word for "evil" is not moral evil, but "catastrophe or calamity, sorrow, trouble, pain". You see, Joseph had an assignment as part of God's purpose in the earth, and did not have time to stop and deal with pettiness, or to lick his wounds.
RESPONSE: When I was complaining about some malady or other in high school, my dad told me a story of what happened to him during World War II. He was in Europe somewhere, moving toward some battle site, and he had an abscessed tooth. A dentist turned over a bucket for my dad to sit on, and with no Novocain or fancy instruments, the dentist pulled that tooth. The next day my dad's face was swollen and sore and he felt sick, but no one cared. His personal comfort was irrelevant because they were marching toward battle and everyone still had to do their part. That's the way it is. But WE ignore the personal pain "because of the joy set before us" - the joy of giving God pleasure, the joy that comes from being obedient. Whining and complaining tell God that we are not content with just Him. That He is not enough to make us happy. That we need more. That He is insufficient. That is not the message I want to send God. He Who makes me happier than I deserve - who gives me more joy that I ever thought possible.
MATTHEW 14:13-36
Matthew chapters 14-17 are about the opposition to the Kingdom of God. First we had Herod, who beheaded John the Baptist. And that is just the beginning.
In the story of the feeding of the 5000, I am reminded of being in Kenya. We held a "conference" out away from the big cities. The people came from all around, mostly on foot. The area where we were had one small town, but no restaurants or stores to speak of, no place to buy food. Even if there was food for sale, I'm sure no one could have purchased any anyway. Of course, the people holding the conference had to feed everyone. It was like that for Jesus. The disciples said they would have to go into the villages and buy something to eat (if they could even afford it). So Jesus fed all 5000 with their families, with five loaves and two fishes. By having 12 basketsful left over, there was one basket per disciple. This is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Immediately afterwards, Jesus went into the mountain alone to pray.
Peter walked on water! Until he looked around, that is. Criticize Peter all you want, AT LEAST HE GOT OUT OF THE BOAT! When he looked at the circumstances, he temporarily "lost faith" - and sank. But the bigger failures were still in the boat! (in my opinion)
RESPONSE: I admire Peter's faith at asking Jesus to COMMAND him to come. I would have asked for a PROMISE that I wouldn't drown, not a COMMAND to come. Either way, I don't think I would have dared to look away from Jesus' face. I have been in situations where I was in "way over my head" - and found Jesus to be faithful. Come to think of it, I was in that situation because of a COMMAND, not because of any PROMISE. When the COMMAND is there, I can assume the PROMISE is there too.
PSALM 18:37-50
When God is FOR us, who can stand against us? It might LOOK like we're going down for the count, but don't be deceived. God is still in charge. Verses 43-50 show the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant and were probably written near the end of David's life. I especially like vs. 48 "You have delivered me from the violent man." It reminds me of 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 where Paul asks for people to pray for him that he be "delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith."
PROVERBS 4:11-13
"Instruction" is "correction, chastisement, discipline". If you can take correction, it will minister "life" to you. It will "revive you, preserve you, restore you". Proverbs 15:32 says, "He who ignores discipline (instruction)despises himself". If we ignore correction or instruction, we do it because we hate ourselves.
Oh, and by the way, this word is repeated in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." "All Scripture" at that time would have had to be the Old Testament. I'm glad that I can be "thoroughly equipped" but that's not going to happen if I just hear the Word without really learning anything.
RESPONSE: Life is NOT just "one thing after another". God is in charge and when I am corrected, I won't hate myself, I will receive it and repent. The temptation is there - because if I just hate myself, I don't have to accept responsibility and repent and change. I can just keep everything at arm's-length. But then, I set myself up to repeat my folly. I know it is hard to accept correction, because the implication is that you were wrong to begin with. But it is easier than trying to "save face" - take it from someone who has been there. I want to learn to repent quickly and effectively. Then I can have LIFE.
No comments:
Post a Comment