Bible Gateway link Chapter 16
The true bread from heaven….Well let’s take a look at the bread that God gave the Israelites.
When the bread first appeared, no one knew what it was; yet it was in fact life-giving bread right before their eyes.
When they gathered it, no matter if they gathered much, or just a little it was always enough for their family.
Each day they gathered bread for that day, any extra that they tried to save for themselves until the next day was not edible.
On the sixth day they gathered twice as much, and it kept until through the seventh, so that the people would not have to work on the seventh.
They people set aside a tenth of the bread in remembrance, and thanks.
Just like the Manna from heaven:
Christ came among the people, and they did not know whom he was, yet before their eyes he was the gateway to eternal life.
No matter how much of Christ you put in your life it will always be filling. From the time you accept him as your savior to the time you cross into eternity, as long as you are searching for the filling love of Christ you will always have enough.
Just like the Manna, you have to search for Christ daily; you can’t save up a large portion, and hope that it will “hold you over”. When you try to “stuff” yourself with Christ, or you try to horde Christ for yourself, you actually dim the life giving flame of Christ. You have to feed on the bread of Christ daily, and you have to share whatever you have left. Christ is not meant to be hoarded. We should be striving to share Christ with everyone, so that we all might give Glory to God.
While we all want to work hard to spread the good news of Christ, we must remember to rest. We should all take the seventh day and use it to magnify God in our lives. We work every day, and through out that day we might periodically stop to give God thanks, but some part of our mind will be pre-occupied with work. There is always the “task at hand” On the seventh day, we should set aside our daily tasks, and not only give God thanks, but take the time to receive all of the love and attention that he wants to give us. We often use Sunday as a day set aside to give to the Lord, but we should also remember to use that day to receive as well. Church is a great place to loudly voice your thanks, but most of all it is a gathering place for us to receive his message, his love, his grace, and his compassion. We should be leaving Church with more than we came with. Not less.
Lastly we should remember to give back in remembrance and thanks. Why should we not? Just like the bread for heaven, the Lord will always give us enough……it might not be as much as we think we need….but it will be enough. As a result there will always be enough to give back, we might not get that new golf club, or that new purse….but I digress.
Peace,
Brian
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Exodus 15
Bible Gateway link Chapter 15
God made the bitter water sweet. That is what God does after all. He takes things that are bitter, and takes people who are bitter, and he heals them, he restores them........to some degree he makes them sweet, at the very least he removes the bitterness. Does Christ not continue this for us all? People cry out for a drink in this world, there is water available, but it is bitter, it is hard to swallow, and it just leaves us thirsty for more. By following the instructions set forth, we all can have sweet water drink. John 4: 13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Peace,
Brian
God made the bitter water sweet. That is what God does after all. He takes things that are bitter, and takes people who are bitter, and he heals them, he restores them........to some degree he makes them sweet, at the very least he removes the bitterness. Does Christ not continue this for us all? People cry out for a drink in this world, there is water available, but it is bitter, it is hard to swallow, and it just leaves us thirsty for more. By following the instructions set forth, we all can have sweet water drink. John 4: 13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 14
Bible Gateway link Chapter 14
Verse 14 reads, "the LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
I think we all have a story that can show a time where the Lord will fight for you! I spent ten years banging my head trying to climb the corporate ladder. I took the classes, made the luncheons, and played the game well. For all of my trying there always seemed to be a stumbling block. I never did make it to the top of the ladder, I was well on the way, and was fairly sure I was playing the game well enough to win. For no good reason, I ditched it all and moved to Austin. Even now I could not tell you exactly what I had on my mind, other than it "seemed like a good idea" My wife will tell you that I went crazy for a short period of time! Looking at where I am now, there is little doubt that the Lord gave me one of those gentle shoves that change the direction of your life forever. He had the answer, and it was not even a question I was asking at the time. Had that unexplained change of heart not happened I would not be writing this to you today. There is little doubt that I would still be stuck in the same rut banging my head against the same wall, so sure that I was on the right track. The Lord is always fighting for us, we need to talk less, and be silent more!
Verse 14 reads, "the LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
I think we all have a story that can show a time where the Lord will fight for you! I spent ten years banging my head trying to climb the corporate ladder. I took the classes, made the luncheons, and played the game well. For all of my trying there always seemed to be a stumbling block. I never did make it to the top of the ladder, I was well on the way, and was fairly sure I was playing the game well enough to win. For no good reason, I ditched it all and moved to Austin. Even now I could not tell you exactly what I had on my mind, other than it "seemed like a good idea" My wife will tell you that I went crazy for a short period of time! Looking at where I am now, there is little doubt that the Lord gave me one of those gentle shoves that change the direction of your life forever. He had the answer, and it was not even a question I was asking at the time. Had that unexplained change of heart not happened I would not be writing this to you today. There is little doubt that I would still be stuck in the same rut banging my head against the same wall, so sure that I was on the right track. The Lord is always fighting for us, we need to talk less, and be silent more!
Exodus 13
Bible Gateway link Chapter 13
This was not two different pillars, but one and the same. smoke by day, and fiery at night. Anyone that had seen fire during the day knows that the smoke can be so dense as to obscure the flames, while at night the flame comes through the smoke very clearly. The reason that I point out it is one and the same is because God never left them in the wilderness. He was with them at all times. God has always been with his people, just as he is with us today....everyday.
Yes I think we can all say that we might feel like we are wandering lost sometimes, and we all would love to have something as visible as a column of smoke out in front of us to show us the path! There are days that it might seem as we are in utter darkness, but take heart we are not. The Lord has replace the column of fiery smoke with the Holy spirit, it dwells in each of us, and guides us daily. As it reads in John 14: 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Peace,
Brian
This was not two different pillars, but one and the same. smoke by day, and fiery at night. Anyone that had seen fire during the day knows that the smoke can be so dense as to obscure the flames, while at night the flame comes through the smoke very clearly. The reason that I point out it is one and the same is because God never left them in the wilderness. He was with them at all times. God has always been with his people, just as he is with us today....everyday.
Yes I think we can all say that we might feel like we are wandering lost sometimes, and we all would love to have something as visible as a column of smoke out in front of us to show us the path! There are days that it might seem as we are in utter darkness, but take heart we are not. The Lord has replace the column of fiery smoke with the Holy spirit, it dwells in each of us, and guides us daily. As it reads in John 14: 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 12
Bible Gateway link Chapter 12
There are many things that symbolize Christ. Here are the two that stand out for me. Let's just start with the Lamb itself. Christ is often referred to as the Lamb of God in the New Testament. Then of course the condition of the lamb. Not a blemish, spotless. I do not know if you have ever searched for a lamb that is spotless, but since reading the Bible, it is something I look for every time I am around a herd. (yes, I am a little bit of a redneck, so I see cattle, goats, sheep, and horses more often than others). It is hard to come by an animal without a blemish.....but every now and then one comes along.....Christ is our lamb without a blemish, he was spotless of sin, something that none of us will ever attain, and when reflecting on Christ as a spotless lamb it paints a clear picture of just how precious, unique, and perfect Christ is. Then we have the command that the lamb be a year old, and male. Well the male is obvious, but the lamb being a year shows that God did not want a young lamb, he wanted a lamb at it's best. Here again like Christ. Christ was sacrificed in the prime of his life, not as a child, not as a man in his twilight years, but as a man at his prime, just like a year old lamb.
Of course the blood of the lamb will deliver the Israelites form the angel of death, just as the blood of the lamb which is Jesus Christ will deliver us from our sins. The blood was to be sprinkled on to the sides and the top of the door. This would be the outward sign for the angel of death to pass over the house. This also to me indicates how we should live our lives in Christ. Our actions and our habits should be our outwards sign of our faith in the blood of Christ. I think this is one of the biggest challenges we face in our daily lives. It is easy to love the Lord on the inside, but letting it shine is the challenge! I like the way Henry puts it in his commentary "there is a back way to hell, but no back way into heaven." We have to go through the front gates, and it is my prayer that we will be identified a mile away by our actions!
Just as the Lord said in verse 13 "And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you" may we all find a way in our life to model our outward sign of Christ.
Peace,
Brian
There are many things that symbolize Christ. Here are the two that stand out for me. Let's just start with the Lamb itself. Christ is often referred to as the Lamb of God in the New Testament. Then of course the condition of the lamb. Not a blemish, spotless. I do not know if you have ever searched for a lamb that is spotless, but since reading the Bible, it is something I look for every time I am around a herd. (yes, I am a little bit of a redneck, so I see cattle, goats, sheep, and horses more often than others). It is hard to come by an animal without a blemish.....but every now and then one comes along.....Christ is our lamb without a blemish, he was spotless of sin, something that none of us will ever attain, and when reflecting on Christ as a spotless lamb it paints a clear picture of just how precious, unique, and perfect Christ is. Then we have the command that the lamb be a year old, and male. Well the male is obvious, but the lamb being a year shows that God did not want a young lamb, he wanted a lamb at it's best. Here again like Christ. Christ was sacrificed in the prime of his life, not as a child, not as a man in his twilight years, but as a man at his prime, just like a year old lamb.
Of course the blood of the lamb will deliver the Israelites form the angel of death, just as the blood of the lamb which is Jesus Christ will deliver us from our sins. The blood was to be sprinkled on to the sides and the top of the door. This would be the outward sign for the angel of death to pass over the house. This also to me indicates how we should live our lives in Christ. Our actions and our habits should be our outwards sign of our faith in the blood of Christ. I think this is one of the biggest challenges we face in our daily lives. It is easy to love the Lord on the inside, but letting it shine is the challenge! I like the way Henry puts it in his commentary "there is a back way to hell, but no back way into heaven." We have to go through the front gates, and it is my prayer that we will be identified a mile away by our actions!
Just as the Lord said in verse 13 "And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you" may we all find a way in our life to model our outward sign of Christ.
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 11
Bible Gateway link Chapter 11
The Lord is going to kill the first born of the land of Egypt. This plague will not go away, or will it be taken back. This one is for "keeps". AS I have said before hard hearts take require hard signs. God has given Pharaoh nine opportunities to bend, but Pharaoh's heart has remained hard. Each plague has been a little worse than the last. At this point there is nothing left to impact. Crops, animals, water, light, comfort. It has all been taken away, but this last show of God's might will be the striking blow. The Lord knows this of course and informs Moses that not only will Pharaoh let you go, but when I am done, Pharaoh is going to drive you away for good.
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. The first born will be killed. THE FIRST BORN. think about that, every house has at least one first born, but what happened if the Father and Mother of the house were first born from there house? No matter, once the Lord was done, there would be a lot of death in the land of Egypt. Here again though I think this shows the Lord even at the height of his impatience (if I can use that term) He still shows compassion. yes there is relevance to the first born being killed, and I will get it to that over the next couple of days (well Monday, I am out for a few days), my point right now still is that the Lord did not kill everyone. HE could have, but he did not.
Pharaoh's heart might have remained hard, but his people's hearts were changing. the Israelites were finding favor among the Egyptians. I have to say, it just goes to show you, the everyday people usually get it well before the people in power do........HUMmmmm I guess some things never change.
Peace,
Brian
The Lord is going to kill the first born of the land of Egypt. This plague will not go away, or will it be taken back. This one is for "keeps". AS I have said before hard hearts take require hard signs. God has given Pharaoh nine opportunities to bend, but Pharaoh's heart has remained hard. Each plague has been a little worse than the last. At this point there is nothing left to impact. Crops, animals, water, light, comfort. It has all been taken away, but this last show of God's might will be the striking blow. The Lord knows this of course and informs Moses that not only will Pharaoh let you go, but when I am done, Pharaoh is going to drive you away for good.
The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. The first born will be killed. THE FIRST BORN. think about that, every house has at least one first born, but what happened if the Father and Mother of the house were first born from there house? No matter, once the Lord was done, there would be a lot of death in the land of Egypt. Here again though I think this shows the Lord even at the height of his impatience (if I can use that term) He still shows compassion. yes there is relevance to the first born being killed, and I will get it to that over the next couple of days (well Monday, I am out for a few days), my point right now still is that the Lord did not kill everyone. HE could have, but he did not.
Pharaoh's heart might have remained hard, but his people's hearts were changing. the Israelites were finding favor among the Egyptians. I have to say, it just goes to show you, the everyday people usually get it well before the people in power do........HUMmmmm I guess some things never change.
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 10
Bible Gateway link Chapter 10
Goshen had light....without God = nothing with God = everything.
This chapter can be summed up by saying, glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth.
The Lord finally just lays it on the table for Pharaoh in verse three "how long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?" more to the point when will you realize that even the highest earthly kings will have to humble themselves to the Lord? God does not care about our position in life, we are all the same....equal in the eyes of God. To borrow a line from Bob Dylan "you're gonna have to serve somebody" No matter your station in life you choose daily just who you will serve. That answer is often decide by how willing you are to humble yourself before God.
In Pharaoh we see the typical man drunk with power. He is not just letting his world crash around him. Pharaoh is letting his city fall to ruin over his foolish pride. Even with his advisors begging, his pride will not allow him to submit.....poor Pharaoh, he still thinks he might be in control! It is no surprise that while Egypt is in darkness, Goshen is in light. Egypt lost its fields, and it's livestock, yet Goshen still has theirs. It is quite easy to see that with God in your life everything is available. The Israelites, even though they are slaves to the Pharaoh, have a better life than Egypt. No matter your station in life, with God your life is complete, without him, you have nothing.
As you read through these plagues it is important to recognize the magnitude of them. It is not just a hail storm, it is hail larger than had ever been seen, it was not a swarm of flies, or locusts; it turned the sky dark, it covered the face of the land. The one that drives it home for me is the darkness, darkness that can be felt, pitch darkness. Have you ever found yourself in that type of darkness? I was in a cavern once, the lights were turned off while we were deep in the earth. It was pitch dark. You could not see your hand if it was an inch in front of your face. I could not imagine living in that for three days. I was in it for less than 3 min. and that was well long enough. Despair, loneliness, fear, a general feeling of being totally lost, with no hope. Those are the feelings of the Godless. That is the feeling of being in pitch darkness. Those emotions sum up the spiritual state of Pharaoh. Pride can hold many feelings at bay, it can also destroy you a little bit each day, until one day you wake up and see Pharaoh in the mirror. We all bend a knee to God for one reason or another, it is my hope that we all do it for His glory, in our humbleness is where we find His strength.
Peace,
Brian
Goshen had light....without God = nothing with God = everything.
This chapter can be summed up by saying, glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth.
The Lord finally just lays it on the table for Pharaoh in verse three "how long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?" more to the point when will you realize that even the highest earthly kings will have to humble themselves to the Lord? God does not care about our position in life, we are all the same....equal in the eyes of God. To borrow a line from Bob Dylan "you're gonna have to serve somebody" No matter your station in life you choose daily just who you will serve. That answer is often decide by how willing you are to humble yourself before God.
In Pharaoh we see the typical man drunk with power. He is not just letting his world crash around him. Pharaoh is letting his city fall to ruin over his foolish pride. Even with his advisors begging, his pride will not allow him to submit.....poor Pharaoh, he still thinks he might be in control! It is no surprise that while Egypt is in darkness, Goshen is in light. Egypt lost its fields, and it's livestock, yet Goshen still has theirs. It is quite easy to see that with God in your life everything is available. The Israelites, even though they are slaves to the Pharaoh, have a better life than Egypt. No matter your station in life, with God your life is complete, without him, you have nothing.
As you read through these plagues it is important to recognize the magnitude of them. It is not just a hail storm, it is hail larger than had ever been seen, it was not a swarm of flies, or locusts; it turned the sky dark, it covered the face of the land. The one that drives it home for me is the darkness, darkness that can be felt, pitch darkness. Have you ever found yourself in that type of darkness? I was in a cavern once, the lights were turned off while we were deep in the earth. It was pitch dark. You could not see your hand if it was an inch in front of your face. I could not imagine living in that for three days. I was in it for less than 3 min. and that was well long enough. Despair, loneliness, fear, a general feeling of being totally lost, with no hope. Those are the feelings of the Godless. That is the feeling of being in pitch darkness. Those emotions sum up the spiritual state of Pharaoh. Pride can hold many feelings at bay, it can also destroy you a little bit each day, until one day you wake up and see Pharaoh in the mirror. We all bend a knee to God for one reason or another, it is my hope that we all do it for His glory, in our humbleness is where we find His strength.
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 9
Bible Gateway link Chapter 9
For what reason did God say he allowed the Pharaoh and the Egyptians to remain?
God allowed the Egyptians to remain so that they might witness his power, and recognize God as the supreme all powerful God. God allowed them to live so that he might be glorified. If you remember, this is really how the whole showdown with Pharaoh started. God, through Moses and Aaron, instructed Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out and worship Him. In short he was saying let my people come glorify me, and all will be right with the world. However Pharaoh's heart was hardened, so God sent the plagues.
Now the plagues are often used by people to show an example of the wrath of God. People use it to show how God was a spiteful, and vengeful God. I think that mind set falls well short of the mark. Pharaoh's heart was hardened, the text reads that God hardened his heart in some verses, in others it simply says his heart hardened, and in verse 34 of this chapter it reads that he sinned and again hardened his heart. There lies the root of the problem. Did God harden Pharaoh's heart, or did he simply allow it allow it? I believe the question here is moot, for in the end verse 34 sums it up, Pharaoh sinned again and hardened his heart. One thing gets overlooked often in this story......freewill. Does God not allow our hearts to become hardened? If you think about it, we can all come up with a time that our hearts have hardened against something or someone. It is our choice how we deal with that. Just as it was Pharaoh's choice how to handle his hardship. Since the beginning of time, God has never removed a persons free will from them. The text does not read that God made Pharaoh go against him, nor does it read that God commanded Pharaoh to refuse to listen. Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and time and time again Pharaoh chose to turn his back on the will of God.
I believe if anything this actually shows a compassionate God. As God himself said, he could have struck the Egyptians down. That would have been the easy thing to do. However God used the opportunity to to give everyone a choice. HE used it as a way to show his power as the one God. God wants to be glorified, he wants us to acknowledge him as our God.....THE God, really that is all he asks for. Do not mistake this for vanity. God does not need us, he is not dependant on us, there is nothing that we can do for God that He cannot do for Himself, but there is nothing that we can do without him. Yet He serves us, He protects us, and this shows him to be a loving God, for all he asks in return is for us to acknowledge him, for us to glorify him in our thoughts, in our actions, in our words, and in our hearts..
Now it always seems to be asked why the plagues, they were so sever, they brought so much misery, if God is a loving God then why all of the wrath? First, hardened hearts require hard signs. If the Lord had produced a sky full of rainbows this too would have shown God's greatness, but it would not do much to soften hearts, would some believe yes, but most, no. If he had sent flocks of doves with olive branches in their beaks, and had he commanded all pain in the world to cease, here again some would turn but most would not. People love their sin, they love their lives, Sadly it often takes threatening that life to make them look at things differently. Second, had God not used the opportunities like this to show his power, to show the love of his people through his wrath, then I believe that we would not have been as receptive to the Prince of Peace when he came in to the world (many to this day do not accept him). God does not make mistakes, he has had his plan in place well before he created us. We however tend to have hard hearts, and hard heads. We accept God through Love today, because we know fully of his strength and power. While it is my hope that we all can see the full measure of God's love for us, it is by overcoming the tests that harden our hearts that we can fully appreciate it, and glorify Him.
Peace,
Brian
For what reason did God say he allowed the Pharaoh and the Egyptians to remain?
God allowed the Egyptians to remain so that they might witness his power, and recognize God as the supreme all powerful God. God allowed them to live so that he might be glorified. If you remember, this is really how the whole showdown with Pharaoh started. God, through Moses and Aaron, instructed Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out and worship Him. In short he was saying let my people come glorify me, and all will be right with the world. However Pharaoh's heart was hardened, so God sent the plagues.
Now the plagues are often used by people to show an example of the wrath of God. People use it to show how God was a spiteful, and vengeful God. I think that mind set falls well short of the mark. Pharaoh's heart was hardened, the text reads that God hardened his heart in some verses, in others it simply says his heart hardened, and in verse 34 of this chapter it reads that he sinned and again hardened his heart. There lies the root of the problem. Did God harden Pharaoh's heart, or did he simply allow it allow it? I believe the question here is moot, for in the end verse 34 sums it up, Pharaoh sinned again and hardened his heart. One thing gets overlooked often in this story......freewill. Does God not allow our hearts to become hardened? If you think about it, we can all come up with a time that our hearts have hardened against something or someone. It is our choice how we deal with that. Just as it was Pharaoh's choice how to handle his hardship. Since the beginning of time, God has never removed a persons free will from them. The text does not read that God made Pharaoh go against him, nor does it read that God commanded Pharaoh to refuse to listen. Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and time and time again Pharaoh chose to turn his back on the will of God.
I believe if anything this actually shows a compassionate God. As God himself said, he could have struck the Egyptians down. That would have been the easy thing to do. However God used the opportunity to to give everyone a choice. HE used it as a way to show his power as the one God. God wants to be glorified, he wants us to acknowledge him as our God.....THE God, really that is all he asks for. Do not mistake this for vanity. God does not need us, he is not dependant on us, there is nothing that we can do for God that He cannot do for Himself, but there is nothing that we can do without him. Yet He serves us, He protects us, and this shows him to be a loving God, for all he asks in return is for us to acknowledge him, for us to glorify him in our thoughts, in our actions, in our words, and in our hearts..
Now it always seems to be asked why the plagues, they were so sever, they brought so much misery, if God is a loving God then why all of the wrath? First, hardened hearts require hard signs. If the Lord had produced a sky full of rainbows this too would have shown God's greatness, but it would not do much to soften hearts, would some believe yes, but most, no. If he had sent flocks of doves with olive branches in their beaks, and had he commanded all pain in the world to cease, here again some would turn but most would not. People love their sin, they love their lives, Sadly it often takes threatening that life to make them look at things differently. Second, had God not used the opportunities like this to show his power, to show the love of his people through his wrath, then I believe that we would not have been as receptive to the Prince of Peace when he came in to the world (many to this day do not accept him). God does not make mistakes, he has had his plan in place well before he created us. We however tend to have hard hearts, and hard heads. We accept God through Love today, because we know fully of his strength and power. While it is my hope that we all can see the full measure of God's love for us, it is by overcoming the tests that harden our hearts that we can fully appreciate it, and glorify Him.
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 8
Bible Gateway link Chapter 8
Each time the Lord showed mercy, and the Pharaoh was relieved of the burden of the plague; the pharaoh's heart was hardened and he did not let the Israelites leave. Many people read this and think you know what? "After the frogs, I would have thrown in the towel." If we are honest about it at some point in our lives we really would have acted just like the Pharaoh. Some might still act the same way today. While it is easy to ask for the Lord's help when we are burdened, as soon as the cloud is lifted many will return to what they know, the same broken lost life they were leading before the hardship arose. When another hardship comes up, they fall back in line, and submit to the Lord, yet as soon as the pressure subsides so does the submission. The easiest thing to do is the thing you know best, for many people that means turning away from God, and to a material life of comfort and acceptance by the world. Pharaoh acted just as the Lord knew he would, and just as the world expected him to, loving yourself, and the world you have created will always blind you to the love the Lord has to offer.
Pharaoh, just like many people today loves their lives more than the Lord (if they recognize the Lord at all). Christ spoke directly about this John Chapter 12:25 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. I pray that we all can see through the smoke and mirrors of today's world. They expect certain attitudes, and actions from us to solidify our place among society. May we all strive to fulfill God's will for the Glory of his name, and not bend to the will of society. I think it will go a long way in keeping the frogs and flies out of our lives..
Peace,
Brian
Each time the Lord showed mercy, and the Pharaoh was relieved of the burden of the plague; the pharaoh's heart was hardened and he did not let the Israelites leave. Many people read this and think you know what? "After the frogs, I would have thrown in the towel." If we are honest about it at some point in our lives we really would have acted just like the Pharaoh. Some might still act the same way today. While it is easy to ask for the Lord's help when we are burdened, as soon as the cloud is lifted many will return to what they know, the same broken lost life they were leading before the hardship arose. When another hardship comes up, they fall back in line, and submit to the Lord, yet as soon as the pressure subsides so does the submission. The easiest thing to do is the thing you know best, for many people that means turning away from God, and to a material life of comfort and acceptance by the world. Pharaoh acted just as the Lord knew he would, and just as the world expected him to, loving yourself, and the world you have created will always blind you to the love the Lord has to offer.
Pharaoh, just like many people today loves their lives more than the Lord (if they recognize the Lord at all). Christ spoke directly about this John Chapter 12:25 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. I pray that we all can see through the smoke and mirrors of today's world. They expect certain attitudes, and actions from us to solidify our place among society. May we all strive to fulfill God's will for the Glory of his name, and not bend to the will of society. I think it will go a long way in keeping the frogs and flies out of our lives..
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 7
Bible Gateway link Chapter 7
The staffs of Pharaoh's men turned it to serpents as well. Then the Serpent from the Lord's (Aaron's) staff swallowed them. Since his men could do the same Pharaoh paid no attention. This repeats itself with the Nile water turning to blood. Pharaoh's men can create an illusion that mimics part of the Lord's work, so Pharaoh believes in them. not the word of the Lord.
I say they produced part because, then men might have turned the staff in to a serpent, but it did not swallow another, it does not specifically say it, but Pharaoh's men could not have reproduced the turning of water to blood in the Nile because it was done, and that was the largest body of water in the area. It says that his men could do the same. This would have to pertain to changing the water on a smaller scale. I believe this is important to point out, because we fight against this in everyday life. There are people who claim to be acting on God's behalf, yet their actions do not meet their words. They give the illusion, but the illusion is not complete, a part is missing. Nothing man can do will ever come close to reaching the fullness that the Lord produces. Many will try, the might get part of it, but it will always be lacking somewhere.
We have to be on guard for these people, not only for our own sake, but for the sake of those around us. There will be many, just like the Pharaoh. They only need to see a similarity to believe, as a result they get on the path of man, not God. Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Peace,
Brian
The staffs of Pharaoh's men turned it to serpents as well. Then the Serpent from the Lord's (Aaron's) staff swallowed them. Since his men could do the same Pharaoh paid no attention. This repeats itself with the Nile water turning to blood. Pharaoh's men can create an illusion that mimics part of the Lord's work, so Pharaoh believes in them. not the word of the Lord.
I say they produced part because, then men might have turned the staff in to a serpent, but it did not swallow another, it does not specifically say it, but Pharaoh's men could not have reproduced the turning of water to blood in the Nile because it was done, and that was the largest body of water in the area. It says that his men could do the same. This would have to pertain to changing the water on a smaller scale. I believe this is important to point out, because we fight against this in everyday life. There are people who claim to be acting on God's behalf, yet their actions do not meet their words. They give the illusion, but the illusion is not complete, a part is missing. Nothing man can do will ever come close to reaching the fullness that the Lord produces. Many will try, the might get part of it, but it will always be lacking somewhere.
We have to be on guard for these people, not only for our own sake, but for the sake of those around us. There will be many, just like the Pharaoh. They only need to see a similarity to believe, as a result they get on the path of man, not God. Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 6
Bible Gateway link Chapter 6
Yahweh....Jehovah.....the Lord...no matter how you translate (different bible versions use all three translations mentioned) it it comes back to GOD, not a god, not one of many gods...the GOD. A name so powerful, so reverent that even today some Jewish sects will not fully write it on paper, and when they do write the variation, that paper will not be thrown away!
God tells Moses, "now you will see what I will do", Like a patience parent God has listened to Moses, God has taken in all of Moses' doubts, and fears, and now God tells him, "now you will see."
If you have ever asked yourself, "why would God take any time for me", if you have doubted your worth to God, or if you have ever thought that you are not a strong enough person for the Lord to use as a major part of his plan; this chapter is for you! Moses loves God, yet does not believe in himself. He cannot bring himself to believe that God is going to bring about life changing events using him as the leader. God will not be moved, through him we all can accomplish any task he puts before us. Each one of us has worth, each one of us is valuable and important to God's work. You might not believe in yourself, but God does, and I will tell you the truth, if God believes in you, then how could you ever think about doubting yourself?
Peace,
Brian
Yahweh....Jehovah.....the Lord...no matter how you translate (different bible versions use all three translations mentioned) it it comes back to GOD, not a god, not one of many gods...the GOD. A name so powerful, so reverent that even today some Jewish sects will not fully write it on paper, and when they do write the variation, that paper will not be thrown away!
God tells Moses, "now you will see what I will do", Like a patience parent God has listened to Moses, God has taken in all of Moses' doubts, and fears, and now God tells him, "now you will see."
If you have ever asked yourself, "why would God take any time for me", if you have doubted your worth to God, or if you have ever thought that you are not a strong enough person for the Lord to use as a major part of his plan; this chapter is for you! Moses loves God, yet does not believe in himself. He cannot bring himself to believe that God is going to bring about life changing events using him as the leader. God will not be moved, through him we all can accomplish any task he puts before us. Each one of us has worth, each one of us is valuable and important to God's work. You might not believe in yourself, but God does, and I will tell you the truth, if God believes in you, then how could you ever think about doubting yourself?
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 5
Bible Gateway link Chapter 5
The Israelites were upset because Moses had made their lives more difficult. Moses showed up, made the Pharaoh angry, and as a result Pharaoh took it out on the servants.
What a triangle we have here!
First we have Moses; he is standing before Pharaoh because the Lord has told him to, Moses sees the pain inflicted upon his people, and feels terrible, he asks the Lord why have you done this, why did you send me?
Then we have the Israelites; this fellow Moses comes into their life, he is going to free them, get them out of their chains, but their lives are made more difficult. Now they could not care less what Moses wants to do, they just want their straw brought to them, they want life back to "normal".
Lastly we have the Pharaoh; Moses shows up, asks to let the Israelites go out and worship, and the Pharaoh jumps to the conclusion that the slaves must be complaining, so he thinks making them work harder will take their minds off of their God.......
Have you heard the saying you cannot see the forest for the trees? Shortsightedness takes it's toll on all of us. God has a plan, and it works in many people's lives at the same time. As a result, life gets harder before it gets easier (the Israelites) Causes us to wonder what we are doing, and why (Moses) and makes us try to force things to happen because we will not slow down long enough to look for God's plan. (Pharaoh).
Pharaoh reminds me of the guy that kicks his cat. If you do not know the story here it is briefly. A guy goes to work, spills coffee on himself in the car, get to work, and gets yelled at by the boss all day. Gets home, and has an argument with his wife. As he is walking into the kitchen the cat is walking by......so he kicks the cat! I often wonder why Pharaoh did not just get rid of Moses, and Aaron (God has a great way of blinding people to the obvious sometimes). They were the catalyst, not the Israelites. Life was good for the Pharaoh before Moses showed up. Yet the Pharaoh is going to kick the cat. That is the easy thing to do. If you think about it, they are all taking the easy road, it is always easier to blame others, question God, or just kick the cat. Times like these are when we need our faith the most. God did not promise an easy life, he promised to sustain us. We have to have faith in his plan, even when we do not understand it. God is at work in so many peoples life at the same time, why would we think for one second that our lives will be a bed of roses? His own son suffered to carry out God's plan! I take that as a pretty good indication that our lives will have to get a little complicated, and a little painful from time to time for God's plan to be carried out. That is life. As I like to say, nothing ever came from a life that was an easy one!
Peace,
Brian
The Israelites were upset because Moses had made their lives more difficult. Moses showed up, made the Pharaoh angry, and as a result Pharaoh took it out on the servants.
What a triangle we have here!
First we have Moses; he is standing before Pharaoh because the Lord has told him to, Moses sees the pain inflicted upon his people, and feels terrible, he asks the Lord why have you done this, why did you send me?
Then we have the Israelites; this fellow Moses comes into their life, he is going to free them, get them out of their chains, but their lives are made more difficult. Now they could not care less what Moses wants to do, they just want their straw brought to them, they want life back to "normal".
Lastly we have the Pharaoh; Moses shows up, asks to let the Israelites go out and worship, and the Pharaoh jumps to the conclusion that the slaves must be complaining, so he thinks making them work harder will take their minds off of their God.......
Have you heard the saying you cannot see the forest for the trees? Shortsightedness takes it's toll on all of us. God has a plan, and it works in many people's lives at the same time. As a result, life gets harder before it gets easier (the Israelites) Causes us to wonder what we are doing, and why (Moses) and makes us try to force things to happen because we will not slow down long enough to look for God's plan. (Pharaoh).
Pharaoh reminds me of the guy that kicks his cat. If you do not know the story here it is briefly. A guy goes to work, spills coffee on himself in the car, get to work, and gets yelled at by the boss all day. Gets home, and has an argument with his wife. As he is walking into the kitchen the cat is walking by......so he kicks the cat! I often wonder why Pharaoh did not just get rid of Moses, and Aaron (God has a great way of blinding people to the obvious sometimes). They were the catalyst, not the Israelites. Life was good for the Pharaoh before Moses showed up. Yet the Pharaoh is going to kick the cat. That is the easy thing to do. If you think about it, they are all taking the easy road, it is always easier to blame others, question God, or just kick the cat. Times like these are when we need our faith the most. God did not promise an easy life, he promised to sustain us. We have to have faith in his plan, even when we do not understand it. God is at work in so many peoples life at the same time, why would we think for one second that our lives will be a bed of roses? His own son suffered to carry out God's plan! I take that as a pretty good indication that our lives will have to get a little complicated, and a little painful from time to time for God's plan to be carried out. That is life. As I like to say, nothing ever came from a life that was an easy one!
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 4
Bible Gateway link Chapter 4
The devil's two greatest tools doubt and discouragement. He has brought some of the strongest men in the world to a standstill with doubt, and discouragement can cripple even a strong will. Moses had a little bit of a speech problem, he was obviously painfully aware of it. As a result he doubted his ability. Even though God himself was telling him he could do it, Moses still doubted.
Oh How the devil does like to cast doubt into our hearts. I know, because he cast much of it into mine for a long time. The Lord will gently nudge us in the direction we should go, yet we just can't believe that is what we are supposed to do. We listen to that little voice that tells us we are not good enough, or that we will never be able to do that. I know that there are people right now, who are not wanting to acknowledge that little nudge because they have no faith in themselves even though God is telling them they are. I can promise you that little nudge will turn into a shove soon enough, The Lord has a plan, and you are part of it, what you think in the matter is not as important.
I find comfort in the fact that God recognizes that all of the reassuring is not helping Moses' confidence, so He tells Moses to meet up with Aaron. Often people will paint God as an angry vengeful God in the Old Testament, but I think this is a good example of God showing his love. Verse 14 tells us that God's anger was kindled, anyone with children has an inkling of what that anger feels like. You know the story, you try to get your child to do something, and they do not want to budge, you know that great things (at least in our minds) will happen if they will just get on board, but to no avail the child will not budge, so you get angry, but you don't shut the whole thing down, you love them, you find a way to give the child the comfort they need in a physical form. This is what God does for Moses. HE gives him the comfort he needs to move. God loves us, always has, and always will.
Peace,
Brian
The devil's two greatest tools doubt and discouragement. He has brought some of the strongest men in the world to a standstill with doubt, and discouragement can cripple even a strong will. Moses had a little bit of a speech problem, he was obviously painfully aware of it. As a result he doubted his ability. Even though God himself was telling him he could do it, Moses still doubted.
Oh How the devil does like to cast doubt into our hearts. I know, because he cast much of it into mine for a long time. The Lord will gently nudge us in the direction we should go, yet we just can't believe that is what we are supposed to do. We listen to that little voice that tells us we are not good enough, or that we will never be able to do that. I know that there are people right now, who are not wanting to acknowledge that little nudge because they have no faith in themselves even though God is telling them they are. I can promise you that little nudge will turn into a shove soon enough, The Lord has a plan, and you are part of it, what you think in the matter is not as important.
I find comfort in the fact that God recognizes that all of the reassuring is not helping Moses' confidence, so He tells Moses to meet up with Aaron. Often people will paint God as an angry vengeful God in the Old Testament, but I think this is a good example of God showing his love. Verse 14 tells us that God's anger was kindled, anyone with children has an inkling of what that anger feels like. You know the story, you try to get your child to do something, and they do not want to budge, you know that great things (at least in our minds) will happen if they will just get on board, but to no avail the child will not budge, so you get angry, but you don't shut the whole thing down, you love them, you find a way to give the child the comfort they need in a physical form. This is what God does for Moses. HE gives him the comfort he needs to move. God loves us, always has, and always will.
Peace,
Brian
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Exodus 3
Bible Gateway link Chapter 3
God gives Moses 2 names: "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
I AM......this I think is the most telling of who God is. The Alpha-and Omega, the beginning, and the end. The one, and only. He exists unto himself, not dependant on anything. I asked a priest when I was in Catholic school why a bush? The answer he gave has always stayed with me. He told me that it was not so much the bush, but the fact that the bush did not burn. God was the flame, only the Lord can ignite a flame and it not consume what the flame rests on. HE told me it was a symbol of the church, because although the church is always under attack form outside forces, God always keeps it whole.
For me I can't help but think that God saying I AM WHO I AM is his way of saying I am all you need, and that is all you need to know. I am, always have been, and always will be everything that you need for eternity. I don't think that there could have been a better way for the Lord to show himself. Fire is used through out the bible as a way to show how God purifies us, it is used as a sign of the Holy Spirit, I thin kit is only fitting that the Lord presented himself as a burning bush that does not burn away. He is God, he is "I AM WHO I AM."
Peace,
Brian
God gives Moses 2 names: "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
I AM......this I think is the most telling of who God is. The Alpha-and Omega, the beginning, and the end. The one, and only. He exists unto himself, not dependant on anything. I asked a priest when I was in Catholic school why a bush? The answer he gave has always stayed with me. He told me that it was not so much the bush, but the fact that the bush did not burn. God was the flame, only the Lord can ignite a flame and it not consume what the flame rests on. HE told me it was a symbol of the church, because although the church is always under attack form outside forces, God always keeps it whole.
For me I can't help but think that God saying I AM WHO I AM is his way of saying I am all you need, and that is all you need to know. I am, always have been, and always will be everything that you need for eternity. I don't think that there could have been a better way for the Lord to show himself. Fire is used through out the bible as a way to show how God purifies us, it is used as a sign of the Holy Spirit, I thin kit is only fitting that the Lord presented himself as a burning bush that does not burn away. He is God, he is "I AM WHO I AM."
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 2
Bible Gateway link Chapter 2
At face value I would say that Moses' mothers life did not improve one bit. She had lost a son, worse she set that son into the unknown, in nothing more that a basket floating in the water. Then while she did get to see her son saved, she would only stand by as the nurse, not the mother. However a quick glance ahead in the bible to Hebrews 11:23 might shed some much needed light on the issue it reads: "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment." By faith...not by desperation, not out of selfish defiance, but by faith Moses was hidden. As we have already see to this point, faith is an amazing thing, and when we put our faith in God, there is nothing to fear. With faith framing our view, it is easy to see that after she placed him on the riverbank her life improved greatly, for now not only did she not have to hide the child anymore, but God brought Moses to the Pharaoh's daughter, and Moses' sister brought her mother to be the nurse, in the house of the Pharaoh. She had faith in God that there was something more for Moses than death in the river, and now according to the will of the Lord, she would get to see Moses grow to become a man. It was her faith that compelled her to hide him, it was her faith that put Moses in a basket on the river, and it was the frustration of that faith that allowed her to see her son, not hidden in a corner, but in the broad daylight for all to see. It was her faith that gave Moses a life at all, and improved hers at the same time. Faith, can pull us through the darkest times. It will lead us when there is no light.
Peace,
Brian
At face value I would say that Moses' mothers life did not improve one bit. She had lost a son, worse she set that son into the unknown, in nothing more that a basket floating in the water. Then while she did get to see her son saved, she would only stand by as the nurse, not the mother. However a quick glance ahead in the bible to Hebrews 11:23 might shed some much needed light on the issue it reads: "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment." By faith...not by desperation, not out of selfish defiance, but by faith Moses was hidden. As we have already see to this point, faith is an amazing thing, and when we put our faith in God, there is nothing to fear. With faith framing our view, it is easy to see that after she placed him on the riverbank her life improved greatly, for now not only did she not have to hide the child anymore, but God brought Moses to the Pharaoh's daughter, and Moses' sister brought her mother to be the nurse, in the house of the Pharaoh. She had faith in God that there was something more for Moses than death in the river, and now according to the will of the Lord, she would get to see Moses grow to become a man. It was her faith that compelled her to hide him, it was her faith that put Moses in a basket on the river, and it was the frustration of that faith that allowed her to see her son, not hidden in a corner, but in the broad daylight for all to see. It was her faith that gave Moses a life at all, and improved hers at the same time. Faith, can pull us through the darkest times. It will lead us when there is no light.
Peace,
Brian
Exodus 1
Bible Gateway link Chapter 1
Why did the midwives lie to Pharaoh? They lied because they feared Pharaoh. Don't get me wrong here; they did not kill the male children because they feared God. They knew that killing the children was against God's will, so they disobeyed Pharaoh. They lied to Pharaoh about it because they knew that he would punish them....most likely kill them, so they lied. SO this brings up the age old question is it OK to lie, if the lie allows good to flourish? I wish I had the answer for that, I think it is a question that can be debated many ways, however I will share my opinion. We are commanded to not bear false witness, not to lie. It was important enough to etch into stone. So we can start off saying that to lie is wrong. We know that throughout the bible many people lied to the Pharaohs (and others). However when the lies were discovered God still worked within the Pharaoh to not only be merciful, but often treated the person who lied to him well (think Abraham) it leaves me with the feeling of why lie in the first place, if the Lord wills it there is not need to lie. Jacob lied to secure what God had already promised, while he ended up with a great life, he did suffer hardships; others dealt with him, in the same manner he had dealt with his brother. SO there is a price that comes with lying.
TO delve even deeper, these women were lying to cover their belief in God. Afraid if they stood up and tried to spread the will of God they would be killed for it. Now I understand that this was well before Christ, but to keep the thought process current to today, I have to point out that Christ himself instructed us to not be ashamed of him. We were told that we should not fear death or persecution especially if it is in the name of Christ. Remember if the world hates us, it hated Christ first. SO to lie in an effort to make good happen, without giving the glory to God, would mean that on some level we must be ashamed. Here again his plan will unfold lie or not, so why do it?
So to sum it up, in my humble opinion, we are human, and I think that the temptation to tell a lie, especially a "white one" to make our lives easier, while wrong, is one of the hardest, most common types of temptation. I believe that the devil does not typically try to get a person to fall all at once, he chips away a little each day, and the white lie is a great chipping tool. We know that while the Lord might not send a lightning bolt down to destroy you after you speak it, there will be repercussions that will ripple out well beyond the moment. As a result, you can almost be certain that there will be some form of atonement down the road. I do feel that when it comes to talking about our relationship with the Lord, and speaking his words to help spread his good news there is no room for error. What I mean is that when we stretch the truth, or fail to give the Lord due credit out of fear of how we will be viewed in today's world, we fail the Lord. We fail the test. SO to lie is pointless, God's will always prevails, there is no need to lie and try to force it to happen. I wish I had the concrete answer.
Peace,
Brian
Why did the midwives lie to Pharaoh? They lied because they feared Pharaoh. Don't get me wrong here; they did not kill the male children because they feared God. They knew that killing the children was against God's will, so they disobeyed Pharaoh. They lied to Pharaoh about it because they knew that he would punish them....most likely kill them, so they lied. SO this brings up the age old question is it OK to lie, if the lie allows good to flourish? I wish I had the answer for that, I think it is a question that can be debated many ways, however I will share my opinion. We are commanded to not bear false witness, not to lie. It was important enough to etch into stone. So we can start off saying that to lie is wrong. We know that throughout the bible many people lied to the Pharaohs (and others). However when the lies were discovered God still worked within the Pharaoh to not only be merciful, but often treated the person who lied to him well (think Abraham) it leaves me with the feeling of why lie in the first place, if the Lord wills it there is not need to lie. Jacob lied to secure what God had already promised, while he ended up with a great life, he did suffer hardships; others dealt with him, in the same manner he had dealt with his brother. SO there is a price that comes with lying.
TO delve even deeper, these women were lying to cover their belief in God. Afraid if they stood up and tried to spread the will of God they would be killed for it. Now I understand that this was well before Christ, but to keep the thought process current to today, I have to point out that Christ himself instructed us to not be ashamed of him. We were told that we should not fear death or persecution especially if it is in the name of Christ. Remember if the world hates us, it hated Christ first. SO to lie in an effort to make good happen, without giving the glory to God, would mean that on some level we must be ashamed. Here again his plan will unfold lie or not, so why do it?
So to sum it up, in my humble opinion, we are human, and I think that the temptation to tell a lie, especially a "white one" to make our lives easier, while wrong, is one of the hardest, most common types of temptation. I believe that the devil does not typically try to get a person to fall all at once, he chips away a little each day, and the white lie is a great chipping tool. We know that while the Lord might not send a lightning bolt down to destroy you after you speak it, there will be repercussions that will ripple out well beyond the moment. As a result, you can almost be certain that there will be some form of atonement down the road. I do feel that when it comes to talking about our relationship with the Lord, and speaking his words to help spread his good news there is no room for error. What I mean is that when we stretch the truth, or fail to give the Lord due credit out of fear of how we will be viewed in today's world, we fail the Lord. We fail the test. SO to lie is pointless, God's will always prevails, there is no need to lie and try to force it to happen. I wish I had the concrete answer.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 50
Bible Gateway link Chapter 50
I was reading a friends testimony yesterday, A piece of it really stuck with me. In one part he talked about creating God in our image instead of acknowledging the fact the we are created in his image. It really got me to thinking about how we so often tend to rationalize our relationship with God and how we so often rationalize our actions. I ended up writing in another forum on that subject. So this morning I find myself reading Chapter 50 in Genesis, which only extended the thoughts from yesterday. Lo and behold we find Joseph's brothers lying to him. I know when you first read it, many think well it was just a "white" lie. A way to give an apology, and ask for forgiveness while increasing the chance for that forgiveness that we are looking for. The conflict there is that when we base an apology around a lie, it is not an apology given out of remorse, or a realization that there is need for forgiveness. It is an apology given out of fear. When we offer an apology out of fear, we are not sorry we hurt someone, we typically are not sorry that the event happened.....no, we are only sorry that we got caught, or now find that we might be exposed and suffer the consequence of our actions.
We rationalize the lie. We feel better about ourselves and the situation, but it is an empty feeling we are left with. The reason for that is because we have not only wronged someone but now we have lied to the same person in an effort to protect ourselves. Seeking forgiveness is about bearing our soul, it is about openly admitting our mistake and shortcoming and accepting the fact that we will have to atone on some level for our transgressions.
We do the same thing in our daily lives. If we need a deal to go through, if we want to make ourselves look better, we can think of all kinds of reasons that would make it seem OK.....it's just a white lie..... A lie is a lie, the intent does not matter. Any success that comes from the lie will surly have repercussions down the road, or we will find ourselves having to explain ourselves at a later time. Christ is the way, the TRUTH, and the light, not the good idea, the half truth, and the darkness. We can only honor him if we are truthful, not just with those around us, but with ourselves as well. I will tell you that the being honest with yourself part is the harder of the two.
Peace,
Brian
I was reading a friends testimony yesterday, A piece of it really stuck with me. In one part he talked about creating God in our image instead of acknowledging the fact the we are created in his image. It really got me to thinking about how we so often tend to rationalize our relationship with God and how we so often rationalize our actions. I ended up writing in another forum on that subject. So this morning I find myself reading Chapter 50 in Genesis, which only extended the thoughts from yesterday. Lo and behold we find Joseph's brothers lying to him. I know when you first read it, many think well it was just a "white" lie. A way to give an apology, and ask for forgiveness while increasing the chance for that forgiveness that we are looking for. The conflict there is that when we base an apology around a lie, it is not an apology given out of remorse, or a realization that there is need for forgiveness. It is an apology given out of fear. When we offer an apology out of fear, we are not sorry we hurt someone, we typically are not sorry that the event happened.....no, we are only sorry that we got caught, or now find that we might be exposed and suffer the consequence of our actions.
We rationalize the lie. We feel better about ourselves and the situation, but it is an empty feeling we are left with. The reason for that is because we have not only wronged someone but now we have lied to the same person in an effort to protect ourselves. Seeking forgiveness is about bearing our soul, it is about openly admitting our mistake and shortcoming and accepting the fact that we will have to atone on some level for our transgressions.
We do the same thing in our daily lives. If we need a deal to go through, if we want to make ourselves look better, we can think of all kinds of reasons that would make it seem OK.....it's just a white lie..... A lie is a lie, the intent does not matter. Any success that comes from the lie will surly have repercussions down the road, or we will find ourselves having to explain ourselves at a later time. Christ is the way, the TRUTH, and the light, not the good idea, the half truth, and the darkness. We can only honor him if we are truthful, not just with those around us, but with ourselves as well. I will tell you that the being honest with yourself part is the harder of the two.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 49
Bible Gateway link Chapter 49
There are many reasons why reading the bible brings me comfort, it offers hope, gives me insight, it brings me reassurance, but a very big reason is that it is comforting to know that these men, whom God talked directly to, men that he raised up to heights all thought would be unattainable, these great men......make many of the same mistakes that we all make daily. Joseph is displeased, even tries to correct what he thinks is a mistake due to old age and poor vision. All to often even great men do not understand that everything has a reason, there is no "chance event" the past is done, and the future is in the distance there is only right now, and how it is played out, is part of God's plan.
We spend a lot of our life displeased about something in our lives. We can be as upset as we want to about anything that happens in our life, or we can realize that God is not here for our pleasure, we are here to serve his. I have heard since I was a child that you are where you are in life, not because of what has happened to you, but because of how you reacted. displeasure is a wasted emotion, and there is something to learn from every moment that we live. There are no ordinary moments, every breath we draw is extraordinary, why would we want to waste them with displeasure?
Peace,
Brian
There are many reasons why reading the bible brings me comfort, it offers hope, gives me insight, it brings me reassurance, but a very big reason is that it is comforting to know that these men, whom God talked directly to, men that he raised up to heights all thought would be unattainable, these great men......make many of the same mistakes that we all make daily. Joseph is displeased, even tries to correct what he thinks is a mistake due to old age and poor vision. All to often even great men do not understand that everything has a reason, there is no "chance event" the past is done, and the future is in the distance there is only right now, and how it is played out, is part of God's plan.
We spend a lot of our life displeased about something in our lives. We can be as upset as we want to about anything that happens in our life, or we can realize that God is not here for our pleasure, we are here to serve his. I have heard since I was a child that you are where you are in life, not because of what has happened to you, but because of how you reacted. displeasure is a wasted emotion, and there is something to learn from every moment that we live. There are no ordinary moments, every breath we draw is extraordinary, why would we want to waste them with displeasure?
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 48
Bible Gateway link Chapter 48
There are many reasons why reading the bible brings me comfort, it offers hope, gives me insight, it brings me reassurance, but a very big reason is that it is comforting to know that these men, whom God talked directly to, men that he raised up to heights all thought would be unattainable, these great men......make many of the same mistakes that we all make daily. Joseph is displeased, even tries to correct what he thinks is a mistake due to old age and poor vision. All to often even great men do not understand that everything has a reason, there is no "chance event" the past is done, and the future is in the distance there is only right now, and how it is played out, is part of God's plan.
We spend a lot of our life displeased about something in our lives. We can be as upset as we want to about anything that happens in our life, or we can realize that God is not here for our pleasure, we are here to serve his. I have heard since I was a child that you are where you are in life, not because of what has happened to you, but because of how you reacted. displeasure is a wasted emotion, and there is something to learn from every moment that we live. There are no ordinary moments, every breath we draw is extraordinary, why would we want to waste them with displeasure?
Peace,
Brian
There are many reasons why reading the bible brings me comfort, it offers hope, gives me insight, it brings me reassurance, but a very big reason is that it is comforting to know that these men, whom God talked directly to, men that he raised up to heights all thought would be unattainable, these great men......make many of the same mistakes that we all make daily. Joseph is displeased, even tries to correct what he thinks is a mistake due to old age and poor vision. All to often even great men do not understand that everything has a reason, there is no "chance event" the past is done, and the future is in the distance there is only right now, and how it is played out, is part of God's plan.
We spend a lot of our life displeased about something in our lives. We can be as upset as we want to about anything that happens in our life, or we can realize that God is not here for our pleasure, we are here to serve his. I have heard since I was a child that you are where you are in life, not because of what has happened to you, but because of how you reacted. displeasure is a wasted emotion, and there is something to learn from every moment that we live. There are no ordinary moments, every breath we draw is extraordinary, why would we want to waste them with displeasure?
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 47
Bible Gateway link Chapter 47
Jacob wants to be buried at home, his promise land, the land that he buried his wife in. We all will die, no matter how hard we might fight, the end comes for all of us. Joseph might have provided food for all as shown in verse 12, yet even Joseph cannot sustain life forever. I like the way the Jacob and the Pharaoh talk of Jacob's life. Jacob says his days have been few and wicked. He might count his time here on earth in years, yet he counts his life by days. We might wonder why Jacob would say they have been wicked, but would we not all say the same? We are human, we are all wicked, and we all make mistakes, we might reach spiritual maturity, but it will not be perfection. As for how a man could say after 130 years here on earth his days have been short; well that is but a blink of the eye in eternity. As the years tick off the clock the only thing that is for sure is that the clock will expire. What we do with the time is up to us. As Christ has said in John 12 "are there not twelve hours of daylight?" Enough time to get done what we need to, but a very finite time none the less. How will we decide to spend our twelve?
Peace,
Brian
Jacob wants to be buried at home, his promise land, the land that he buried his wife in. We all will die, no matter how hard we might fight, the end comes for all of us. Joseph might have provided food for all as shown in verse 12, yet even Joseph cannot sustain life forever. I like the way the Jacob and the Pharaoh talk of Jacob's life. Jacob says his days have been few and wicked. He might count his time here on earth in years, yet he counts his life by days. We might wonder why Jacob would say they have been wicked, but would we not all say the same? We are human, we are all wicked, and we all make mistakes, we might reach spiritual maturity, but it will not be perfection. As for how a man could say after 130 years here on earth his days have been short; well that is but a blink of the eye in eternity. As the years tick off the clock the only thing that is for sure is that the clock will expire. What we do with the time is up to us. As Christ has said in John 12 "are there not twelve hours of daylight?" Enough time to get done what we need to, but a very finite time none the less. How will we decide to spend our twelve?
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 46
Bible Gateway link Chapter 46
Jacob goes straight to the place that his family has talked with God before, Beersheba. I do have to admit that I find it no surprise that God addresses Israel as Jacob. It reminds me of the high powered doctor or lawyer returning home. Dad is always there with a "well hello son" Fathers have a wonderful way of reminding their children that no matter what they become....Dad will always remember who you really are. So much is said in this conversation between God and Jacob. Fist God reassures Jacob, he tell Jacob not to fear going to Egypt. This must have brought great comfort to Jacob, for he had plenty to fear. HE was old (about 130), and it was a long journey. Rachel on a long journey, so you know that had to weigh on his mind, yet just a few words silence all fears. "Do not be afraid to go to Egypt". Then God continues the covenant that began with Jacob's family so long ago with the words "I will make you in to a great nation". TO drive the point home, God tells Jacob that he will accompany him on the trip, and be with him on the trip home. What more assurance could anyone ask for? God also answers a prayer that Israel has been praying for a while. Not only will he see Joseph, but Joseph will be with him until the day he dies. This is why when he meets Joseph he says he can die. Israel finally has his prayer answered, he is reunited with his son, and knows that he will be with him until the day he dies.
Peace,
Brian
Jacob goes straight to the place that his family has talked with God before, Beersheba. I do have to admit that I find it no surprise that God addresses Israel as Jacob. It reminds me of the high powered doctor or lawyer returning home. Dad is always there with a "well hello son" Fathers have a wonderful way of reminding their children that no matter what they become....Dad will always remember who you really are. So much is said in this conversation between God and Jacob. Fist God reassures Jacob, he tell Jacob not to fear going to Egypt. This must have brought great comfort to Jacob, for he had plenty to fear. HE was old (about 130), and it was a long journey. Rachel on a long journey, so you know that had to weigh on his mind, yet just a few words silence all fears. "Do not be afraid to go to Egypt". Then God continues the covenant that began with Jacob's family so long ago with the words "I will make you in to a great nation". TO drive the point home, God tells Jacob that he will accompany him on the trip, and be with him on the trip home. What more assurance could anyone ask for? God also answers a prayer that Israel has been praying for a while. Not only will he see Joseph, but Joseph will be with him until the day he dies. This is why when he meets Joseph he says he can die. Israel finally has his prayer answered, he is reunited with his son, and knows that he will be with him until the day he dies.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis45
Bible Gateway link Chapter 45
God takes bad and always makes good from it. I think the best example for me is my life. All you have to do is read my testimony: http://www.psalm22.net/testimonies_brian.html . There is little doubt that I was lost, and God took all of that and turned it to good.
Now to be honest and just put it all out there....I would have to say that God turns bad to good in my life daily. Without going in to a lot of detail I face temptation daily. I am not talking a little white lie type of temptation, I am talking 10 commandment breaking, make an angel blush TEMMMMTAAAATION. I do not know why, but I know that God will not allow me to be tempted beyond my ability to withstand. So often sin is laid at my feet, and where once upon a time I might have been tempted, I might have thought about it, I might have even acted on some of it, now it is nothing but noise. A little nuisance that is diffused as quickly as it arrived. I am actually a little amused by it to be honest. Amused at the fact that once in my life I might have acted differently, amused that once in my life money, power, status, and sex, meant everything, I actually thought that all of that stuff could fill the void. Now believing that is like believing in The Lone Ranger.....the story might sound good, but there is no substance to it. We serve a mighty God. Once you let him in the devil has no chance, the temptations might come, but the shield of faith protects without fail. The Lord turns bad to good for all of us.
Peace,
Brian
God takes bad and always makes good from it. I think the best example for me is my life. All you have to do is read my testimony: http://www.psalm22.net/testimonies_brian.html . There is little doubt that I was lost, and God took all of that and turned it to good.
Now to be honest and just put it all out there....I would have to say that God turns bad to good in my life daily. Without going in to a lot of detail I face temptation daily. I am not talking a little white lie type of temptation, I am talking 10 commandment breaking, make an angel blush TEMMMMTAAAATION. I do not know why, but I know that God will not allow me to be tempted beyond my ability to withstand. So often sin is laid at my feet, and where once upon a time I might have been tempted, I might have thought about it, I might have even acted on some of it, now it is nothing but noise. A little nuisance that is diffused as quickly as it arrived. I am actually a little amused by it to be honest. Amused at the fact that once in my life I might have acted differently, amused that once in my life money, power, status, and sex, meant everything, I actually thought that all of that stuff could fill the void. Now believing that is like believing in The Lone Ranger.....the story might sound good, but there is no substance to it. We serve a mighty God. Once you let him in the devil has no chance, the temptations might come, but the shield of faith protects without fail. The Lord turns bad to good for all of us.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 44
Bible Gateway link Chapter 44
Anyone with brothers and sisters recognizes this chapter painfully well. One might think that Joseph has taken things a bit far this time, or that he is just being mean, and using his position to put his brothers through some serious mental anguish. I know that I have done the same to my siblings, and they did not come even close to the pain that Joseph's brothers inflicted on him. As we have already seen several times, experience is the best teacher. I know that I put my brothers through some tough times for no other reason than to see them have to fully realize their actions. I believe God allows this to happen on a larger scale in our lives often. We might not realize the impact we have made on someone until we experience it for ourselves, or we are put in a situation that we might have created in the past, but this time we have no control over it. That is when life comes full circle, and we have to come to terms with what we have done. Much like David and his shame, often what we do in private will be revisited upon us publicly.
Joseph has seen his dreams become a reality, and now the brothers that were so quick to sell him off to be rid of him, are at his feet begging for mercy, trying to save their younger brother from the same fate they happily sold Joseph to. All of the trials that Joseph had suffered up until now must seem quite small at this point. The Lord has delivered him, and has shown to be a God of kept promises.
Peace,
Brian
Anyone with brothers and sisters recognizes this chapter painfully well. One might think that Joseph has taken things a bit far this time, or that he is just being mean, and using his position to put his brothers through some serious mental anguish. I know that I have done the same to my siblings, and they did not come even close to the pain that Joseph's brothers inflicted on him. As we have already seen several times, experience is the best teacher. I know that I put my brothers through some tough times for no other reason than to see them have to fully realize their actions. I believe God allows this to happen on a larger scale in our lives often. We might not realize the impact we have made on someone until we experience it for ourselves, or we are put in a situation that we might have created in the past, but this time we have no control over it. That is when life comes full circle, and we have to come to terms with what we have done. Much like David and his shame, often what we do in private will be revisited upon us publicly.
Joseph has seen his dreams become a reality, and now the brothers that were so quick to sell him off to be rid of him, are at his feet begging for mercy, trying to save their younger brother from the same fate they happily sold Joseph to. All of the trials that Joseph had suffered up until now must seem quite small at this point. The Lord has delivered him, and has shown to be a God of kept promises.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 43
Bible Gateway link Chapter 43
In a time of famine they did not just have a meal, they feasted! While they might not realize it Joseph has every reason to celebrate he is rejoined with his brothers, his family. The older I get the more I realize you cannot replace family. You might have fights, you might have cheated each other, but when all is said and done you are still family. friends never seem to last, they tend to stay for a season or two in our lives then they are gone. It is no coincidence that if we are fortunate enough to have a couple that weather the storms of life, we no longer call them friends. We call them family. We will all meet our earthly death, and when that time comes the only people that you can count on right now to be at your funeral, is your family. It is little wonder that even after all that had happened Joseph wanted to have a feast!
I am sure that the brothers were amazed indeed that they were seated from oldest to youngest, I would think at this point they were feeling quiet out of sorts. They thought they were going to have to pay for the first trip only to be told it was a gift, they were prepared to possible have to barter to get their brother back, and I would be willing to bet that they were horrified when Benjamin got 5 times more than any other. While I believe that was a test to see how the brothers would react to the youngest brother, you know the brothers were all worried that it might be a sign that the man (Joseph) had found favor with Benjamin and would want to keep him.
Here again we see the foolishness of man. This chapter starts with the family dreading having to go back. Worried that when they return something bad will happen, possibly to their youngest brother. They go in with more than they need prepared for the worst, only to once again find Joseph happy to see them. That still is not good enough for the brothers, now they are worried that Joseph is upset with them, and will attack them because of the silver on the last trip, that fear is laid to rest by the servant, and that still does not quell the fears. I say this is the foolishness of man, because don't we do the same thing. We always sit around waiting for the other shoe to drop. If things are going well, then something bad must be about to happen. Have you ever noticed that when things are bad we tend to think that they can't get any worse, yet when things are good, we always jump right to thinking it will never last, or something must be wrong. The Lord blesses all of us, and if we would slow down just a little we all might be able to see all of the blessings that he has given us, and they do in fact last. There is no other shoe to drop, just the turning of the season.
Peace,
Brian
In a time of famine they did not just have a meal, they feasted! While they might not realize it Joseph has every reason to celebrate he is rejoined with his brothers, his family. The older I get the more I realize you cannot replace family. You might have fights, you might have cheated each other, but when all is said and done you are still family. friends never seem to last, they tend to stay for a season or two in our lives then they are gone. It is no coincidence that if we are fortunate enough to have a couple that weather the storms of life, we no longer call them friends. We call them family. We will all meet our earthly death, and when that time comes the only people that you can count on right now to be at your funeral, is your family. It is little wonder that even after all that had happened Joseph wanted to have a feast!
I am sure that the brothers were amazed indeed that they were seated from oldest to youngest, I would think at this point they were feeling quiet out of sorts. They thought they were going to have to pay for the first trip only to be told it was a gift, they were prepared to possible have to barter to get their brother back, and I would be willing to bet that they were horrified when Benjamin got 5 times more than any other. While I believe that was a test to see how the brothers would react to the youngest brother, you know the brothers were all worried that it might be a sign that the man (Joseph) had found favor with Benjamin and would want to keep him.
Here again we see the foolishness of man. This chapter starts with the family dreading having to go back. Worried that when they return something bad will happen, possibly to their youngest brother. They go in with more than they need prepared for the worst, only to once again find Joseph happy to see them. That still is not good enough for the brothers, now they are worried that Joseph is upset with them, and will attack them because of the silver on the last trip, that fear is laid to rest by the servant, and that still does not quell the fears. I say this is the foolishness of man, because don't we do the same thing. We always sit around waiting for the other shoe to drop. If things are going well, then something bad must be about to happen. Have you ever noticed that when things are bad we tend to think that they can't get any worse, yet when things are good, we always jump right to thinking it will never last, or something must be wrong. The Lord blesses all of us, and if we would slow down just a little we all might be able to see all of the blessings that he has given us, and they do in fact last. There is no other shoe to drop, just the turning of the season.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 42
Bible Gateway link Chapter 42
Let's start with the first dream from chapter 37:
6 He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."
For me it is a pretty cut and dried picture. Joseph has risen above his brothers, and the grain has run out in the land. This brings his brothers before Joseph where they have to bow before him.
In this chapter we see the dreams of Joseph start to turn to reality, but I walk away from this chapter with the thought of humbleness, and of sense of the need to encourage others, not drag them down. The brothers were very jealous of Joseph, it drove them to do unspeakable acts, however the Lord has a funny way of bringing things full circle. The people in our lives today, might be our lifeboat down the road. How we treat others might well have a direct impact on our lives when it counts the most. We should strive to encourage others, not tear them down out of Jealousy.
We live in turbulent times, just as they were in the time of Joseph. We cannot depend on others kindness if we are not treating others well. I find it no coincidence that the second most important rule according to Christ is Love your neighbor, as you love yourself. (Matthew 22:39). While we might know how things will turn out for Joseph’s brothers, (we have an idea here, he gave them their money back) We cannot count on the hope that the person we treat poorly will turn out to be a Godly person and forgive us when it is needed. We have to strive to spread the good news, and that is done through building up, and strengthening each other, not selling out our neighbor.
Peace,
Brian
Let's start with the first dream from chapter 37:
6 He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."
For me it is a pretty cut and dried picture. Joseph has risen above his brothers, and the grain has run out in the land. This brings his brothers before Joseph where they have to bow before him.
In this chapter we see the dreams of Joseph start to turn to reality, but I walk away from this chapter with the thought of humbleness, and of sense of the need to encourage others, not drag them down. The brothers were very jealous of Joseph, it drove them to do unspeakable acts, however the Lord has a funny way of bringing things full circle. The people in our lives today, might be our lifeboat down the road. How we treat others might well have a direct impact on our lives when it counts the most. We should strive to encourage others, not tear them down out of Jealousy.
We live in turbulent times, just as they were in the time of Joseph. We cannot depend on others kindness if we are not treating others well. I find it no coincidence that the second most important rule according to Christ is Love your neighbor, as you love yourself. (Matthew 22:39). While we might know how things will turn out for Joseph’s brothers, (we have an idea here, he gave them their money back) We cannot count on the hope that the person we treat poorly will turn out to be a Godly person and forgive us when it is needed. We have to strive to spread the good news, and that is done through building up, and strengthening each other, not selling out our neighbor.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 41
Bible Gateway link Chapter 41
The whole world came to Joseph, notice how that is worded, they came to Joseph. Joseph’s season of struggle was over, God raised him up, a slave was raised to the level equal to the Pharaoh, with the exception of the throne. This is just conformation of the fact that if we focus on the Lord, he will focus on our problems. Joseph knew he was bound for greatness for a very long time, but just how great he had no idea. We all are bound for some sort of greatness, what that is, only the Lord knows. When we live our lives in faith and expectancy as Joseph has, that is when we see the full power of God’s promise. The key is that we must fully commit to the Lord. While Joseph was considered great by Pharaoh, and his followers, Joseph knew, and constantly affirmed the fact that it was not him, it was his God…. THE God that was great. Joseph did not hesitate to sidestep that ever present human emotion to bask in the lime light. He gave the glory and honor to the Lord, and he was rewarded. This is the example that we should be setting. Nothing we do in this world is the result of our own work. We may put for the effort, but it is the Lord that will clear the path and raise us up.
In this chapter we also see the cupbearer finally speak up about Joseph, but in my humble opinion, it was a total self-serving move. The cupbearer goes to Pharaoh only when he has the opportunity to come in and ”save the day”. Two years have passed and Joseph has sat and waited. It was only when the cupbearer can show himself to be useful with his knowledge does he step forward. Grant it, he did speak up, and Joseph was released. What I see in this is the same problem we all deal with. Lifting people up, does not always jump to our mind, unless we see that we might find favor through our actions. It seems to come back to foolish pride. We might have the answer, but we are not the answer, as a result, just like the cupbearer, we look for some way to tie ourselves to the solution. This really is something that we must struggle to overcome. This life is not about who is the greatest, as Joseph shows us, God it the greatest, and we are all mere servants to him, one no better than the other. We should strive to raise up others, and let their gifts be recognized. Not because there is something in it for us, but because we are all serving the same God, and it is his plan that we are working on, not ours.
Peace,
Brian
The whole world came to Joseph, notice how that is worded, they came to Joseph. Joseph’s season of struggle was over, God raised him up, a slave was raised to the level equal to the Pharaoh, with the exception of the throne. This is just conformation of the fact that if we focus on the Lord, he will focus on our problems. Joseph knew he was bound for greatness for a very long time, but just how great he had no idea. We all are bound for some sort of greatness, what that is, only the Lord knows. When we live our lives in faith and expectancy as Joseph has, that is when we see the full power of God’s promise. The key is that we must fully commit to the Lord. While Joseph was considered great by Pharaoh, and his followers, Joseph knew, and constantly affirmed the fact that it was not him, it was his God…. THE God that was great. Joseph did not hesitate to sidestep that ever present human emotion to bask in the lime light. He gave the glory and honor to the Lord, and he was rewarded. This is the example that we should be setting. Nothing we do in this world is the result of our own work. We may put for the effort, but it is the Lord that will clear the path and raise us up.
In this chapter we also see the cupbearer finally speak up about Joseph, but in my humble opinion, it was a total self-serving move. The cupbearer goes to Pharaoh only when he has the opportunity to come in and ”save the day”. Two years have passed and Joseph has sat and waited. It was only when the cupbearer can show himself to be useful with his knowledge does he step forward. Grant it, he did speak up, and Joseph was released. What I see in this is the same problem we all deal with. Lifting people up, does not always jump to our mind, unless we see that we might find favor through our actions. It seems to come back to foolish pride. We might have the answer, but we are not the answer, as a result, just like the cupbearer, we look for some way to tie ourselves to the solution. This really is something that we must struggle to overcome. This life is not about who is the greatest, as Joseph shows us, God it the greatest, and we are all mere servants to him, one no better than the other. We should strive to raise up others, and let their gifts be recognized. Not because there is something in it for us, but because we are all serving the same God, and it is his plan that we are working on, not ours.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 40
Bible Gateway link Chapter 40
The cupbearer did nothing, he forgot Joseph. It is very easy to think harshly of the cupbearer, but I say it is nothing more than “typical”. It happens everyday. People enter and pass through our lives each day. Some offer hope, some take things from us, and some leave things that we can use, all to often those people are forgotten as soon as they leave. We might remember that person who stops by and tears us down, yet the person that has held out hope for us is often forgotten. The problem lies in the situation getting better, and us being human. Once we are restored form a hardship, how we got out tends to fade if we let it. Most people will try to block the whole incident out of their mind all together, so along with the pain, any memory of one who helped gets locked away as well.
this is one of the many differences between a common person and a righteous person. The righteous person does not forget those who have helped. They don’t forget because they were never concerned with the hardship in the first place. No matter where we find ourselves we should remember that we are there for some reason, it is not a chance happening when it comes to life. There is always something to learn, something to do, someone to help. The idea is to not focus on the hardship, but focus on the opportunity. The Lord is at work in each of us, the wonders that we see will be in direct proportion to how much control we give him over our lives. The righteous person works for the Lord, the common man works for himself. The righteous man does not forget those who have helped because he was always more concerned with the Lords plan (which involves all of us) instead of just his plan for himself. The common man forgets because it is only his selfish plan that he is trying to advance. May we all work to be the righteous, not the common.
Take a look at Joseph in this chapter. Joseph is assigned to the Pharos imprisoned servants, as an assistant. I believe it is no coincidence that a man of God finds him self in service to others. The key thing here is that Joseph is not concerned with his station in life. While most would grumble and lament about how they should not be there, or withdraw and shut down when faced with being wrongly accused, Joseph just goes to work. Not only does he take care of his duties, he actually shows concern for others. He takes time to put forth the effort to get involved in helping others. Joseph is not concerned with his surroundings, or his situation, he knows that it is only temporary. This is the model that we should try and follow. We all go through different seasons, and you can rest assured the season always changes. If you find yourself in trying times, get busy doing the Lord’s work. There is something to be accomplished where you are at right now in life, you can’t find it, if you are self absorbed in the situation. You have to recognize it as a season that will pass, Remember that in good times and bad the Lord’s work still needs to be done. We cannot follow the Lord’s path for us into the next season, if we stop to lament in the season we are in now.
Peace,
Brian
The cupbearer did nothing, he forgot Joseph. It is very easy to think harshly of the cupbearer, but I say it is nothing more than “typical”. It happens everyday. People enter and pass through our lives each day. Some offer hope, some take things from us, and some leave things that we can use, all to often those people are forgotten as soon as they leave. We might remember that person who stops by and tears us down, yet the person that has held out hope for us is often forgotten. The problem lies in the situation getting better, and us being human. Once we are restored form a hardship, how we got out tends to fade if we let it. Most people will try to block the whole incident out of their mind all together, so along with the pain, any memory of one who helped gets locked away as well.
this is one of the many differences between a common person and a righteous person. The righteous person does not forget those who have helped. They don’t forget because they were never concerned with the hardship in the first place. No matter where we find ourselves we should remember that we are there for some reason, it is not a chance happening when it comes to life. There is always something to learn, something to do, someone to help. The idea is to not focus on the hardship, but focus on the opportunity. The Lord is at work in each of us, the wonders that we see will be in direct proportion to how much control we give him over our lives. The righteous person works for the Lord, the common man works for himself. The righteous man does not forget those who have helped because he was always more concerned with the Lords plan (which involves all of us) instead of just his plan for himself. The common man forgets because it is only his selfish plan that he is trying to advance. May we all work to be the righteous, not the common.
Take a look at Joseph in this chapter. Joseph is assigned to the Pharos imprisoned servants, as an assistant. I believe it is no coincidence that a man of God finds him self in service to others. The key thing here is that Joseph is not concerned with his station in life. While most would grumble and lament about how they should not be there, or withdraw and shut down when faced with being wrongly accused, Joseph just goes to work. Not only does he take care of his duties, he actually shows concern for others. He takes time to put forth the effort to get involved in helping others. Joseph is not concerned with his surroundings, or his situation, he knows that it is only temporary. This is the model that we should try and follow. We all go through different seasons, and you can rest assured the season always changes. If you find yourself in trying times, get busy doing the Lord’s work. There is something to be accomplished where you are at right now in life, you can’t find it, if you are self absorbed in the situation. You have to recognize it as a season that will pass, Remember that in good times and bad the Lord’s work still needs to be done. We cannot follow the Lord’s path for us into the next season, if we stop to lament in the season we are in now.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 39
Bible Gateway link Chapter 39
Doing the right thing. Everyone says it, but I will be the first to admit, it can be the hardest thing to do sometimes. Doing the right thing means not doing something as often as it means doing something. Typically if you have to take action it is going to be hard, and if doing the right thing calls for not doing something, you can almost bet that you are going to WANT to do it on some level. This is the situation we find Joseph in, doing the right thing means not taking action. Let’s be honest here, we are not talking about a one-time encounter. It gets to the point that every time she sees Joseph, the Egyptian wife propositions him. We can safely assume that the woman was not a hag. She was the wife of an Egyptian officer; she was most likely a beautiful woman for that day and time. The devil never plays fair, and he never takes a day off. He will assault us with every trick in the book, and exploit every angel. So here it is the safest bet, the “sure thing” Joseph shows up and she has dismissed everyone. It is just her and Joseph, all alone, no one watching, it would be so easy to say yes. Some might even do it and say that the only reason why they did it was an attempt to make her stop. Not Joseph, and we can look to his explanation in verse nine to see why he ran. “No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?"
He cites all that his earthly master has given him, he talks of how nothing has been with held form him, except her, so then how can he do this great sin against, not his earthly master, but against God! Joseph is dialed in on this, he realizes that all that has been given to him, while it has passed through his earthly masters hands, was bestowed upon him by God. It is the Lord’s blessing that has been poured out on him, his master is nothing more than conduit for the will of God. Joseph realizes that God owns it all, and he is just letting us use it. Going against his earthly master, would be going against God. The Lord puts us here on this earth for a short time. While we are here he entrusts us with many things. The better we manage what we have been given, the more he will give us as time passes. It is not when times are easy that we will see our blessings increase, it is by perseverance through the though times that we see our harvest expand. We all find ourselves pushed to the point of being uncomfortable; this feeling is nothing more than the Lord helping us grow. There will be temptation to lie, cheat, or steal, and the easy way will always be appealing, but we will be shown through our experiences how to proceed down this road of life. It is when we come face to face with the temptations of the devil himself that we will have the chance to show the Lord our Love for him. Joseph understood that. Temptation should not be feared, but it should be recognized for what it is. While many will say that the devils temptations are a chance for us to do something wrong, I say it is a chance for us to show our love for the Lord. It is the prime opportunity to show our strength and the level of our faith. It is a chance for us to look up to the heavens and tell the Lord that what we are going through now is an easy challenge and we welcome the next chance to be victorious.
I know I say often that God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can withstand, we also know that the evil one will push all the way up to that line. There is no doubt that there was a great amount of temptation, but Joseph was a man of faith he knew the true cost of relenting. I pray that we can all recognize that the right thing is the only thing to do. We might be tempted, we might have lies spread about us, we might even be thrown in jail. As long as we are doing the right thing, and following the path of Christ, the earthly hardship is of little matter.
Peace,
Brian
Doing the right thing. Everyone says it, but I will be the first to admit, it can be the hardest thing to do sometimes. Doing the right thing means not doing something as often as it means doing something. Typically if you have to take action it is going to be hard, and if doing the right thing calls for not doing something, you can almost bet that you are going to WANT to do it on some level. This is the situation we find Joseph in, doing the right thing means not taking action. Let’s be honest here, we are not talking about a one-time encounter. It gets to the point that every time she sees Joseph, the Egyptian wife propositions him. We can safely assume that the woman was not a hag. She was the wife of an Egyptian officer; she was most likely a beautiful woman for that day and time. The devil never plays fair, and he never takes a day off. He will assault us with every trick in the book, and exploit every angel. So here it is the safest bet, the “sure thing” Joseph shows up and she has dismissed everyone. It is just her and Joseph, all alone, no one watching, it would be so easy to say yes. Some might even do it and say that the only reason why they did it was an attempt to make her stop. Not Joseph, and we can look to his explanation in verse nine to see why he ran. “No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?"
He cites all that his earthly master has given him, he talks of how nothing has been with held form him, except her, so then how can he do this great sin against, not his earthly master, but against God! Joseph is dialed in on this, he realizes that all that has been given to him, while it has passed through his earthly masters hands, was bestowed upon him by God. It is the Lord’s blessing that has been poured out on him, his master is nothing more than conduit for the will of God. Joseph realizes that God owns it all, and he is just letting us use it. Going against his earthly master, would be going against God. The Lord puts us here on this earth for a short time. While we are here he entrusts us with many things. The better we manage what we have been given, the more he will give us as time passes. It is not when times are easy that we will see our blessings increase, it is by perseverance through the though times that we see our harvest expand. We all find ourselves pushed to the point of being uncomfortable; this feeling is nothing more than the Lord helping us grow. There will be temptation to lie, cheat, or steal, and the easy way will always be appealing, but we will be shown through our experiences how to proceed down this road of life. It is when we come face to face with the temptations of the devil himself that we will have the chance to show the Lord our Love for him. Joseph understood that. Temptation should not be feared, but it should be recognized for what it is. While many will say that the devils temptations are a chance for us to do something wrong, I say it is a chance for us to show our love for the Lord. It is the prime opportunity to show our strength and the level of our faith. It is a chance for us to look up to the heavens and tell the Lord that what we are going through now is an easy challenge and we welcome the next chance to be victorious.
I know I say often that God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can withstand, we also know that the evil one will push all the way up to that line. There is no doubt that there was a great amount of temptation, but Joseph was a man of faith he knew the true cost of relenting. I pray that we can all recognize that the right thing is the only thing to do. We might be tempted, we might have lies spread about us, we might even be thrown in jail. As long as we are doing the right thing, and following the path of Christ, the earthly hardship is of little matter.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 38
Bible Gateway link Chapter 38
There was a lot going on here, and when it comes down to it Tamar was more righteous. I think that is the best way you can describe her,…. more righteous than……It is not what she did was righteous, or that she was a righteous in her intent. However she was more righteous that Judah. They both were in the wrong; both were going after something that they did not really have any business playing with. For her it was a place in the bloodline of Abraham, and him….well we all know what he was after. This is where I think we have to look for the lack of righteousness. Tamar felt slighted, so she went out to spy. We are not told that it was her intention to deceive Judah, just observe. Judah on the other hand is like a bull in a china shop. No care, no concern, no thought. He sees a woman, and wants her……he is tempted. We know that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our capacity to overcome, but here we see Judah jump in head first. He makes the offer, and then after the deed is done offers up very personal effects as pawn.
We are guilty of the same thing today, power, money, and sex…these things more than any others will drive many people to offer up their most prized possessions, just for a little more of one of these three. So many will give anything for worldly pleasures, only to come to realize in the end the short-lived pleasure is not worth the cost. We think nothing of it at the time only to find our word, our integrity, and righteousness lying in shambles on the floor when the truth comes to light.
As everyone knows, what you give to a pawnshop always cost more to get back. That interest can prove to be quite high. Judah gave in to the moment in lust, and had to part with his signet, his cord, and his staff, these things meant something, they were outward signs of Judah they are things that made him different than any other man, and he gave them up. You have to wonder if anyone noticed them missing. You would think at some point he would have had to explain where these things went. Could you imagine the shame that he must have felt? The lies he must have told to try and cover his tracks…..So often that is how it goes. One moment of weakness, and you spend a lifetime trying to bury it. Then to have Tamar show up with those effects. That would be like a mistress showing up with the videotape in hand, popping it in to the machine, and asking someone to pop some popcorn! Now all of the lying from the moment it happened comes to light. All of the stories are shattered, and Judah is left with nothing to do but admit the truth. Yes he lied when he promised his last son, yes he demeaned his wife and family by seeking out a harlot, and yes, anything he had said to cover his tracks must be admitted to as a lie as well. While neither was righteous in their actions, there is little doubt that Tamar was more righteous than Judah. So we should all remember just how important the choices we make are. Even the ones that we think will never be found out. The Lord will bring the truth to light, and we will have to stand and answer for the choice we made, I pray that we all remember that while we will all be tempted it will not be more than we can withstand. The Lord will always provide a way out; we just have to look for it. We should never barter the signet of Christ for anything made or offered by the world.
Peace,
Brian
There was a lot going on here, and when it comes down to it Tamar was more righteous. I think that is the best way you can describe her,…. more righteous than……It is not what she did was righteous, or that she was a righteous in her intent. However she was more righteous that Judah. They both were in the wrong; both were going after something that they did not really have any business playing with. For her it was a place in the bloodline of Abraham, and him….well we all know what he was after. This is where I think we have to look for the lack of righteousness. Tamar felt slighted, so she went out to spy. We are not told that it was her intention to deceive Judah, just observe. Judah on the other hand is like a bull in a china shop. No care, no concern, no thought. He sees a woman, and wants her……he is tempted. We know that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our capacity to overcome, but here we see Judah jump in head first. He makes the offer, and then after the deed is done offers up very personal effects as pawn.
We are guilty of the same thing today, power, money, and sex…these things more than any others will drive many people to offer up their most prized possessions, just for a little more of one of these three. So many will give anything for worldly pleasures, only to come to realize in the end the short-lived pleasure is not worth the cost. We think nothing of it at the time only to find our word, our integrity, and righteousness lying in shambles on the floor when the truth comes to light.
As everyone knows, what you give to a pawnshop always cost more to get back. That interest can prove to be quite high. Judah gave in to the moment in lust, and had to part with his signet, his cord, and his staff, these things meant something, they were outward signs of Judah they are things that made him different than any other man, and he gave them up. You have to wonder if anyone noticed them missing. You would think at some point he would have had to explain where these things went. Could you imagine the shame that he must have felt? The lies he must have told to try and cover his tracks…..So often that is how it goes. One moment of weakness, and you spend a lifetime trying to bury it. Then to have Tamar show up with those effects. That would be like a mistress showing up with the videotape in hand, popping it in to the machine, and asking someone to pop some popcorn! Now all of the lying from the moment it happened comes to light. All of the stories are shattered, and Judah is left with nothing to do but admit the truth. Yes he lied when he promised his last son, yes he demeaned his wife and family by seeking out a harlot, and yes, anything he had said to cover his tracks must be admitted to as a lie as well. While neither was righteous in their actions, there is little doubt that Tamar was more righteous than Judah. So we should all remember just how important the choices we make are. Even the ones that we think will never be found out. The Lord will bring the truth to light, and we will have to stand and answer for the choice we made, I pray that we all remember that while we will all be tempted it will not be more than we can withstand. The Lord will always provide a way out; we just have to look for it. We should never barter the signet of Christ for anything made or offered by the world.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 37
Bible Gateway link Chapter 37
This story has always wound me up since I was a child. I have two brothers, and we fought, and yes there was a favorite, but I have never been able to wrap my head around the jealousy that the brothers had for Joseph. As for how they planned to get rid of him? Pick one, first they plan to kill him, then they seem quite content to let him starve in a hole (so Ruben was supposed to come back and get him, and that is a WHOLE different story) , but the plan settled on was to sell him. I do not know which is worse, to have so little regard for human life that killing someone is nothing more than an after thought, or to actually demean life so much that you can put a price tag on it…..to be able to say that a life created by God is equivalent to the worth of something made by man. Both are very troubling, both are hard to understand. Jealousy is a nasty emotion. It brings out the worst in the best person, and I would even go as far as to say that Jealousy is the most useless, selfish, ungodly emotion that we have because it covers so many different situations, and tends to be the first bitter root to spring forth. It has to be one of the favorite tools of the evil one. Once some one becomes consumed with jealousy, the end can never be a positive one, as we see here with Joseph. Of course God has a great plan for Joseph, but even his dreams must have brought little comfort as he was being loaded up into the slave wagon.
Often it is the ones like Joseph who are singled out. We are talking about children of Jacob, you know they knew God, there is little doubt that Jacob had extolled in painful detail all that had happened with their family, all the Lord had promised and how the Lord had protected them. It is not as if Joseph was doing anything other than what he was taught. HE simply did what his Father expected of him, and as a result, his Father loved him very much. We see just how much easier it is to take the wide road in this chapter. The brothers could have easily put forth the effort and followed the example, they could have possibly excelled beyond Joseph….but they did not. Instead they grouped together and plotted to get rid of the one who excels, so that the bar would be lowered. No matter the pain that would be inflicted on their family no matter the cost to their souls, they happily trade their honor, integrity, and their moral beliefs, all to satisfy their jealousy. This is what we must guard against, not jus tin our families, but in our Church community, and our world. A large group of people will always look for the easy way out, the quickest path to the easy way is to lower the bar. Instead we must challenge and encourage each other to rise to the challenge, not slump to the meet the masses.
Peace,
Brian
This story has always wound me up since I was a child. I have two brothers, and we fought, and yes there was a favorite, but I have never been able to wrap my head around the jealousy that the brothers had for Joseph. As for how they planned to get rid of him? Pick one, first they plan to kill him, then they seem quite content to let him starve in a hole (so Ruben was supposed to come back and get him, and that is a WHOLE different story) , but the plan settled on was to sell him. I do not know which is worse, to have so little regard for human life that killing someone is nothing more than an after thought, or to actually demean life so much that you can put a price tag on it…..to be able to say that a life created by God is equivalent to the worth of something made by man. Both are very troubling, both are hard to understand. Jealousy is a nasty emotion. It brings out the worst in the best person, and I would even go as far as to say that Jealousy is the most useless, selfish, ungodly emotion that we have because it covers so many different situations, and tends to be the first bitter root to spring forth. It has to be one of the favorite tools of the evil one. Once some one becomes consumed with jealousy, the end can never be a positive one, as we see here with Joseph. Of course God has a great plan for Joseph, but even his dreams must have brought little comfort as he was being loaded up into the slave wagon.
Often it is the ones like Joseph who are singled out. We are talking about children of Jacob, you know they knew God, there is little doubt that Jacob had extolled in painful detail all that had happened with their family, all the Lord had promised and how the Lord had protected them. It is not as if Joseph was doing anything other than what he was taught. HE simply did what his Father expected of him, and as a result, his Father loved him very much. We see just how much easier it is to take the wide road in this chapter. The brothers could have easily put forth the effort and followed the example, they could have possibly excelled beyond Joseph….but they did not. Instead they grouped together and plotted to get rid of the one who excels, so that the bar would be lowered. No matter the pain that would be inflicted on their family no matter the cost to their souls, they happily trade their honor, integrity, and their moral beliefs, all to satisfy their jealousy. This is what we must guard against, not jus tin our families, but in our Church community, and our world. A large group of people will always look for the easy way out, the quickest path to the easy way is to lower the bar. Instead we must challenge and encourage each other to rise to the challenge, not slump to the meet the masses.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 36
Bible Gateway link Chapter 36
Now we find the brothers separating because they have become sucsessful. There is not enough land to support their herds, so they have to break from each other. Quite different from last time, but it really comes as no surprise. The brothers spent 20 years apart. The Lord had already stated that the younger would serve the other, yet that never really has the chance to materialize for 20 years. However when the brothers are reunited, why would anything other than them being prospers happen? That was the Lord’s plan from the beginning. We also see the brothers parting company again, but this time there is no malice. Here again, were we not already told that would happen back in Chapter 27? The last part of Isaacs blessing is verse 40 of chapter 27 it reads: 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." The boys were never going to be together for long, but they had to be together long enough to learn the important things. They had to learn about acceptance, trust, forgiveness, and love. There is always a reason that God brings us back full circle sometimes. We find ourselves back in front of a person we left long ago. There is always more to learn, always an opportunity we missed and sometimes our best teachers are right next to us, even in our own family. Who better to learn these things from?
Peace,
Brian
Now we find the brothers separating because they have become sucsessful. There is not enough land to support their herds, so they have to break from each other. Quite different from last time, but it really comes as no surprise. The brothers spent 20 years apart. The Lord had already stated that the younger would serve the other, yet that never really has the chance to materialize for 20 years. However when the brothers are reunited, why would anything other than them being prospers happen? That was the Lord’s plan from the beginning. We also see the brothers parting company again, but this time there is no malice. Here again, were we not already told that would happen back in Chapter 27? The last part of Isaacs blessing is verse 40 of chapter 27 it reads: 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." The boys were never going to be together for long, but they had to be together long enough to learn the important things. They had to learn about acceptance, trust, forgiveness, and love. There is always a reason that God brings us back full circle sometimes. We find ourselves back in front of a person we left long ago. There is always more to learn, always an opportunity we missed and sometimes our best teachers are right next to us, even in our own family. Who better to learn these things from?
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 35
Bible Gateway link Chapter 35
The labor was too much for Rachel's body to bear. Notice how it was written “as her soul was leaving her body” death comes to all, however in this instance death was not really mentioned, only the passage of her soul. For the believer death is not the end, only the beginning of the next chapter.
Jacob had set pillars in the past, but they had always been in remembrance of a wonderful experience. Now we see him set a pillar for a sad event. One that must have been pretty devastating to him. It does not mention about his despair, or sadness, yet Rachel was his true love from the beginning. Could this be Jacob showing all that great joy, and great sadness both should be marked in our lives? To only remember the good brings us to a point in our lives that we expect only good. While that is a great mindset, it is remembrance of our sorrow that keeps us grounded.
I also have to say that in this chapter we see Jacob go to his people and collect their idols……here again no mention of anyone putting up a fight, they just turn them over. You can just picture it, Jacob walks up and tells his people, “ hey look, I was talking to God….not one of your gods, but THE GOD, and he wants me to collect all of your idols………to which they turn the right over. Even though he was acting under direction form God, you know that had to be a tough thing to bring up. Yet there was not enough complaint to even mention it….I know, for me, I have found that often what I think is going to be a bad situation turns out to go much easier than expected. Makes me wish that I had done it sooner. Maybe Jacob had the same thought?
Peace,
Brian
The labor was too much for Rachel's body to bear. Notice how it was written “as her soul was leaving her body” death comes to all, however in this instance death was not really mentioned, only the passage of her soul. For the believer death is not the end, only the beginning of the next chapter.
Jacob had set pillars in the past, but they had always been in remembrance of a wonderful experience. Now we see him set a pillar for a sad event. One that must have been pretty devastating to him. It does not mention about his despair, or sadness, yet Rachel was his true love from the beginning. Could this be Jacob showing all that great joy, and great sadness both should be marked in our lives? To only remember the good brings us to a point in our lives that we expect only good. While that is a great mindset, it is remembrance of our sorrow that keeps us grounded.
I also have to say that in this chapter we see Jacob go to his people and collect their idols……here again no mention of anyone putting up a fight, they just turn them over. You can just picture it, Jacob walks up and tells his people, “ hey look, I was talking to God….not one of your gods, but THE GOD, and he wants me to collect all of your idols………to which they turn the right over. Even though he was acting under direction form God, you know that had to be a tough thing to bring up. Yet there was not enough complaint to even mention it….I know, for me, I have found that often what I think is going to be a bad situation turns out to go much easier than expected. Makes me wish that I had done it sooner. Maybe Jacob had the same thought?
Peace,
Brian
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Genesis 34
Bible Gateway link Chapter 34
Some might argue that what Jacob's sons did they did out of protection of their family. I don't see that at all. The boys took matters into their own hands, not out of a sense of duty, nor out of a sense of spreading the word of God. Their actions reflect that of which we all can be guilty of. Their actions were carried out because their pride was damaged. When things happen in our life that we think needs our intervention, we should recall the words of Paul to the Romans 12:19 "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord." The
Lord will repay those that harm us, we are children of a God that always protects, and we must have faith in him.
To make matters worse Jacob's sons use the one thing that should never be used to deceive. God's word. Praying the rosary does not make you Catholic, showing up for Church every Sunday does not make you a Christian. These are things that we use as ways to show our faith, there has to be meaning behind them or they are useless.
The Covenant of circumcision was a sign of faith. Simply doing it will not bring you in to the grace of God, you had to align our life with the beliefs of the Covenant for it to mean something.
To use any sign of God as a way to trick your enemy not only cheapens the worth of the ritual, it undermines the value of God to unbelievers. For us to use God's name in trickery is inferring that God is a cheat.
We see this today throughout our faith. People using the word of God to extract money for personal gain is an example that jumps to mind. As a result it makes it harder for honest people of the Lord to be taken seriously. Or people quoting Scripture as a way to incite hate and judgment. What Simeon, and Levi did was no different. How can people of the land (non-believers) take the God of Abraham seriously, if they cannot be sure what is held out as a Covenant will be honored or not? This is a good example of why it is so important for us to hold true to the teachings of Christ, not because we see an angle to work, but because it brings Glory and honor to the Lord. Jacob's sons had the opportunity to change the hearts of an entire town, instead they used God to kill them. May we all evaluate our intentions, and make sure that we are advancing the Glory of God, not our pride.
Peace,
Brian
Some might argue that what Jacob's sons did they did out of protection of their family. I don't see that at all. The boys took matters into their own hands, not out of a sense of duty, nor out of a sense of spreading the word of God. Their actions reflect that of which we all can be guilty of. Their actions were carried out because their pride was damaged. When things happen in our life that we think needs our intervention, we should recall the words of Paul to the Romans 12:19 "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord." The
Lord will repay those that harm us, we are children of a God that always protects, and we must have faith in him.
To make matters worse Jacob's sons use the one thing that should never be used to deceive. God's word. Praying the rosary does not make you Catholic, showing up for Church every Sunday does not make you a Christian. These are things that we use as ways to show our faith, there has to be meaning behind them or they are useless.
The Covenant of circumcision was a sign of faith. Simply doing it will not bring you in to the grace of God, you had to align our life with the beliefs of the Covenant for it to mean something.
To use any sign of God as a way to trick your enemy not only cheapens the worth of the ritual, it undermines the value of God to unbelievers. For us to use God's name in trickery is inferring that God is a cheat.
We see this today throughout our faith. People using the word of God to extract money for personal gain is an example that jumps to mind. As a result it makes it harder for honest people of the Lord to be taken seriously. Or people quoting Scripture as a way to incite hate and judgment. What Simeon, and Levi did was no different. How can people of the land (non-believers) take the God of Abraham seriously, if they cannot be sure what is held out as a Covenant will be honored or not? This is a good example of why it is so important for us to hold true to the teachings of Christ, not because we see an angle to work, but because it brings Glory and honor to the Lord. Jacob's sons had the opportunity to change the hearts of an entire town, instead they used God to kill them. May we all evaluate our intentions, and make sure that we are advancing the Glory of God, not our pride.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 33
Bible Gateway link Chapter 33
This brings to mind Matthew 6: 25-27 25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
Jacob has spent days worrying about meeting his brother again. Why? Yes, he knew when he left that his brother was mad…mad enough to try and harm him; but the Lord had instructed Jacob to return home. When the Lord puts your feet on a path, you can travel knowing that the Lord will always protect, and will always sustain. Yet, true to human nature Jacob goes about setting all types of things into action. He splits everyone up, he gets large extravagant gifts set on their way. He is at the lead, then at the back, then finally alone……only to get to the actual event and find that it was all for nothing.
We all tend to live our lives like that, living with worry, living with fear, more concerned with what is coming around the corner than what is happening right now. Just like Jacob when we get to the event, it usually does not go as we thought. Just another way the Lord gently reminds us that we do not have to live in fear. We only need to focus on his plan for us. We get gentle prompts from the Lord daily, we just have to look and listen for them. For us to do that we have to learn to have enough faith in the Lord to be still. To shut out all of the negative worry that runs through our heads, and let the Lord speak to us…..and here is the tough part, then walk in faith knowing that he will deliver us no matter what. HE always has, and He always will!
Peace,
Brian
This brings to mind Matthew 6: 25-27 25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
Jacob has spent days worrying about meeting his brother again. Why? Yes, he knew when he left that his brother was mad…mad enough to try and harm him; but the Lord had instructed Jacob to return home. When the Lord puts your feet on a path, you can travel knowing that the Lord will always protect, and will always sustain. Yet, true to human nature Jacob goes about setting all types of things into action. He splits everyone up, he gets large extravagant gifts set on their way. He is at the lead, then at the back, then finally alone……only to get to the actual event and find that it was all for nothing.
We all tend to live our lives like that, living with worry, living with fear, more concerned with what is coming around the corner than what is happening right now. Just like Jacob when we get to the event, it usually does not go as we thought. Just another way the Lord gently reminds us that we do not have to live in fear. We only need to focus on his plan for us. We get gentle prompts from the Lord daily, we just have to look and listen for them. For us to do that we have to learn to have enough faith in the Lord to be still. To shut out all of the negative worry that runs through our heads, and let the Lord speak to us…..and here is the tough part, then walk in faith knowing that he will deliver us no matter what. HE always has, and He always will!
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 32
Bible Gateway link Chapter 32
Jacob has spent his whole life fighting one battle or another. God has gone through Jacob’s whole life trying to get him to see that all he has to do is trust in the Lord. SO here God finds Jacob in between battles. Just leaving the 20-year scrape with Laban, and heading in to try and make peace with his brother. God sees his chance, and shows up for a wrestling match. There are a few things to note about this event. First this time there is no vision, there is no revelation, it is one on one in your face full contact wrestling. Anyone that has ever wrestled before knows just how well you come to know the person you are wrestling with. It is a level of contact that does not happen often. It might sound weird at first, but during that match Jacob is closer to God than he has ever been before. Also note that “a man wrestled with him” God started it….he was the instigator.
So they go at it for the whole night. You might wonder why so long? Was Jacob so strong that he could hold off the Lord all night? Of course not! One touch to the hip and Jacob’s hip is wrenched; the fight could have been shut down at any moment. It lasted all night because Jacob was going to learn this lesson, and as we have seen Jacob is stubborn! Even in the end as daylight is breaking, and the hip is hurting, Jacob is not going to quit without a blessing…..and he gets it, and true to God’s ways not only does he get a blessing, but far more than he imagined. I dare say that this is exactly they type of man that god is looking for. God does not need cheerleaders, as much as he needs people who will fight. People who understand that no victories, moral or spiritual are won without a battle.
Finally why would God give him a limp? I don’t know for sure, but for me, and using my personal experience….I can tell you a story about every scar on my body. I remember where I was, what was going on in my life, and exactly how it happened. I would bet that the limp would forever remind Jacob of the night he spent intertwined with God. The night that he finally understood that God will wrestle with you, but in the end it is His will that will be done. The night that he went from being known as Jacob, to becoming Israel!
Peace,
Brian
Jacob has spent his whole life fighting one battle or another. God has gone through Jacob’s whole life trying to get him to see that all he has to do is trust in the Lord. SO here God finds Jacob in between battles. Just leaving the 20-year scrape with Laban, and heading in to try and make peace with his brother. God sees his chance, and shows up for a wrestling match. There are a few things to note about this event. First this time there is no vision, there is no revelation, it is one on one in your face full contact wrestling. Anyone that has ever wrestled before knows just how well you come to know the person you are wrestling with. It is a level of contact that does not happen often. It might sound weird at first, but during that match Jacob is closer to God than he has ever been before. Also note that “a man wrestled with him” God started it….he was the instigator.
So they go at it for the whole night. You might wonder why so long? Was Jacob so strong that he could hold off the Lord all night? Of course not! One touch to the hip and Jacob’s hip is wrenched; the fight could have been shut down at any moment. It lasted all night because Jacob was going to learn this lesson, and as we have seen Jacob is stubborn! Even in the end as daylight is breaking, and the hip is hurting, Jacob is not going to quit without a blessing…..and he gets it, and true to God’s ways not only does he get a blessing, but far more than he imagined. I dare say that this is exactly they type of man that god is looking for. God does not need cheerleaders, as much as he needs people who will fight. People who understand that no victories, moral or spiritual are won without a battle.
Finally why would God give him a limp? I don’t know for sure, but for me, and using my personal experience….I can tell you a story about every scar on my body. I remember where I was, what was going on in my life, and exactly how it happened. I would bet that the limp would forever remind Jacob of the night he spent intertwined with God. The night that he finally understood that God will wrestle with you, but in the end it is His will that will be done. The night that he went from being known as Jacob, to becoming Israel!
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 31
Bible Gateway link Chapter 31
Rachel stole her fathers Gods. I have been perplexed by exactly why she stole of all things Gods……I have read several different commentaries form people who have spent a lot more time on the bible and the it seems that they all have different takes on the situation as well. However I found one that makes the most sense to me. I will paste the brief explanation below, then the link to the page that has the full commentary. It is pretty nice, not only does it go over why she stole the idols, but it reasons why many of the other theories do not stand up to the text.
Also as we closed out yesterdays chapter Jacob is doing very well for himself, and is pretty sure that it is his own plan that has made that happen, notice 6 years later (7 in service for the first wife, 7 in service for the second, then 6 years after the deal for the flock, in verse 38 Jacob counts 20 years total) , The Lord lays it out to him that the reason why he has been so sucsessful is due to the Lord, not his own deceptive practices. You have to wonder if Jacob now felt a little foolish for spending so much time manipulating the flock. In the end it was the Lords doing, and would have happened anyway. Don’t we find our selves in the same situation; working so hard, perhaps even using some trickery, to try and make something happen. Only to realize in the end that we have wasted time and treasure for something that the Lord was making happen! If Jacob had spent more time reflecting on the Lord, and how He had protected Jacob, and provided for Jacob all of this time; Jacob would have had more time to glorify the Lord, and would not have had to spend so much time out with the flock. This is something I think we can all do better at,( I know I can). It is when we put the Lord first, and our own desires second that we will see all of the good that he has in store for us.
Here is the overview:
Once again, though, Rachel's theft of the idols makes this break more conditional, more equivocal. It implies a powerfully felt, indeed instinctual, bond to Laban's habits of worship, to the customs of his home, to his spiritual tradition. This type of link, we know, continues to exist in the form of teraphim at least through the time of David. So the theological incongruity we immediately identify in the text actually functions as its central lesson: we cannot so easily separate our theology from our ancestors, or from their possibly divergent spiritual traditions. More broadly speaking, property and theological and lineal concerns do not run on parallel tracks; they emerge together from the mesh of family history, and cannot be disposed of even in the course of a dramatic breach such as that of Genesis 31.
Peace,
Brian
Rachel stole her fathers Gods. I have been perplexed by exactly why she stole of all things Gods……I have read several different commentaries form people who have spent a lot more time on the bible and the it seems that they all have different takes on the situation as well. However I found one that makes the most sense to me. I will paste the brief explanation below, then the link to the page that has the full commentary. It is pretty nice, not only does it go over why she stole the idols, but it reasons why many of the other theories do not stand up to the text.
Also as we closed out yesterdays chapter Jacob is doing very well for himself, and is pretty sure that it is his own plan that has made that happen, notice 6 years later (7 in service for the first wife, 7 in service for the second, then 6 years after the deal for the flock, in verse 38 Jacob counts 20 years total) , The Lord lays it out to him that the reason why he has been so sucsessful is due to the Lord, not his own deceptive practices. You have to wonder if Jacob now felt a little foolish for spending so much time manipulating the flock. In the end it was the Lords doing, and would have happened anyway. Don’t we find our selves in the same situation; working so hard, perhaps even using some trickery, to try and make something happen. Only to realize in the end that we have wasted time and treasure for something that the Lord was making happen! If Jacob had spent more time reflecting on the Lord, and how He had protected Jacob, and provided for Jacob all of this time; Jacob would have had more time to glorify the Lord, and would not have had to spend so much time out with the flock. This is something I think we can all do better at,( I know I can). It is when we put the Lord first, and our own desires second that we will see all of the good that he has in store for us.
Here is the overview:
Once again, though, Rachel's theft of the idols makes this break more conditional, more equivocal. It implies a powerfully felt, indeed instinctual, bond to Laban's habits of worship, to the customs of his home, to his spiritual tradition. This type of link, we know, continues to exist in the form of teraphim at least through the time of David. So the theological incongruity we immediately identify in the text actually functions as its central lesson: we cannot so easily separate our theology from our ancestors, or from their possibly divergent spiritual traditions. More broadly speaking, property and theological and lineal concerns do not run on parallel tracks; they emerge together from the mesh of family history, and cannot be disposed of even in the course of a dramatic breach such as that of Genesis 31.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 30
Fist I would like to bring this up, because it was the first question my wife asked me when she started reading the bible, and we are well in to it now….what’s up with everyone having multiple wives and women giving slaves up to their husbands?????
That was the custom of the day. We have to remember that it is not until Leviticus 18 that the Lord hands down laws concerning sexual relations. It is verse 18 that reads: " 'Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living. Just as brother was not used as a direct brother, but often used a term for fellow man or any other man, the word sister here carries the same meaning, fellow woman, or another woman. However, if there was ever if there was ever a clear picture as to why it is not a good idea to marry more than one woman, this is it. Let alone SISTERS. I do not know about everyone else, but I have enough trouble keeping up with one woman, let alone two…or more! We have to remember that one of the wonderful things about the bible is that it was written by about 40 different men over about 1500 years, yet they all carry the same message. They do not contradict each other. Especially in the Old Testament one builds on the other. Any given book or chapter is a glimpse into the world at that time. Here in Genesis, God is very much still forming a relationship with his people, and shaping them. Just because it happened in the book of Genesis does not mean that it will remain acceptable as God advances his plan.
Now on to the whole flock dividing part.
TO outline the deal that has been made, the flock will be divided and the speckled , striped, and black will be taken from the flock, then moved three days away. All striped speckled, or black offspring FROM THE FLOCK THAT IS LEFT will be Jacob’s. So Laban is thinking he got a pretty good deal. All of the flock that could produce (or one would think) the correctly marked offspring have been removed from the flock, so they will not be able to breed with the remaining flock that Jacob is tending. Plus Jacob is only getting the offspring, not the original flock. Since the markings that Jacob choose were rare it would only stand to reason that not many of the new offspring would go to Jacob.
However not wanting to be outdone in the con game Jacob comes up with a great idea, first he creates stripes on sticks by stripping off the bark, then he places them in the areas where the flock breed, thinking that if they see stripes when they breed, then they will produce striped offspring. Yes, I know what you are thinking, but hey the solid flock start throwing striped offspring, so Jacob thinks well it must be working, and is striped sticks work, then how much better will looking at the actual product, so he faces the breeding flock to the striped offspring that he is keeping in a cross fenced section. That works as well if not better, so to top things off he only breeds the strong part of the flock. Now I am guessing here, but the strong part is either a reference to the actual build of the breeding stock, or it has to do with when they were born. I know that cattle born late in the season are considered stronger because they go through winter at a younger age, thus they must be “stronger”. At any rate the chapter closes with Jacob increasing greatly. The sad part is that Jacob thinks it is all his conning that has made him that way……….. Is that not the case so often today? When things go well, it is because of what we did, or actions that we took…..just as Jacob, we all to often forget to say thanks for the blessing.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 29
In this chapter we see Jacob deceived by Laban in very much the same manner as Jacob deceived his father. As I have quoted before, we do in fact reap what we sow. Even the righteous are treated this way. I believe we all can think of times when we treated someone unfairly, justified it (and we it might well be justified), and then were upset when it happened to us. His plan will unfold. So the question begged now is what about Laban and his daughter…….for those that do not already know….we will have to see but the answers are coming.
As a side note I am sure that many are wondering just how you can get two women confused…..back in those times a woman remained veiled until she went in to the “honeymoon” suite. By the time that happened it was dark. It would have been pretty easy to pass one daughter off as the other.
We all have heard that phrase “labor of love” Jacob worked for 7 years and did not get what he expected. As a matter of fact he worked for 7 years and got exactly what he did not want. 7 years waiting, and working, only to be deceived. Now here is the hook in my opinion. While the seven years flew by for Jacob when he thought he was doing it for Rachel, the next seven must have been pretty hard. I say that because it is human nature. It is one thing to work toward a goal, or desire, and then get the reward. However the following seven years were worked as a debt, not as a goal. Anyone who has credit cards knows what I am talking about. Once you get what you want, the drive is not as great to pay for it. So in my mind this is Jacob’s lesson for deceiving his father. Yes the birthright, and the blessing was his, the Lord had willed it. However now there is a price to pay for forcing it to happen. I don’t want to make it sound as if God is punishing Jacob, because I do not think that punishment is the right word. When things like this happen I think of it more as a way for God to give us perspective. Nothing is a better teacher than experience. We might not get it the first time around, but if you notice in life the same lessons keep coming up until we get it right.
Peace,
Brian
Genesis 28
Bible Gateway link Chapter 28
I think the amazing event happened once Jacob woke up. He exclaims that this is an awesome place, none other than the house of God. Finally Jacob “gets it” some would say that he was truly saved at that moment. Yes he was chosen, yes he knew he was destined to be a great ruler, but he awakens from this dream and realizes that God is not at some far off place. He is not out of reach. HE is right there next to him. He realizes that God is all around him. HE says surely this is the place of the Lord, and I did not know it……he finally “gets it” The entire world is the place of the Lord, it is just that so many of us often only think of him as being in church. Have we all not felt like Jacob before? Jacob is alone, and far from home, he has a brother that is furious with him, and his Father has to feel at least a little slighted. Jacob must have felt very alone. It is at this moment that God steps forwards and remind Jacob that he is never alone. I know that when I feel that isolated, it is a true comfort to know that while I might be by myself, I am not alone. The Lord will protect and provide for me, he will send angels to watch over me, he will not forsake me, he will not forget me, for he is always within me.
Lastly I can’t pass up the similarities between Babel ( Gen. chapter 11), and Bethel. Babel = Gate of God, Bethel = House of God. Babel was created by man to try and prove to the world that man could reach God without his help. Bethel was created by a vision that shows us the only way to God is through his Son and that passage way is always open for us. Once again showing us that we do not need to try and force our relationship with the Lord. It is always there, all we have to do is call on him and accept it.
Peace,
Brian
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)