If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
Genesis 42:18-43:34
This portion of text isn't complete until Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. The question you need to be asking yourself is why Joseph is doing this. We always use Joseph as an example of forgiveness without realizing there is a process involved. God does stuff and here Joseph is doing stuff. When people push a "just forgive" commandment on others and use Joe as an example, it shows they haven't really read the story.
Verses 22-24 are very key. What does it say to you about the last 13 years in all of their lives?
I always laugh at Joseph putting Simeon in prison and then Jacob isn't really in a hurry to rescue him. I wonder if Joseph chose Simeon for this reason, knowing that there would be no real pressure to come and get him.
What do you think putting their money back in their sacks was meant to accomplish? What was the reaction of the brothers? Joseph wasn't interested in generosity. He wanted them to feel something, and it worked.
In this section there are two offers made regarding Benjamin, one by Reuben and one by Judah. How are these different and what makes Judah's offer better? I think this is what made Judah a better man, and his offer points to Christ. I am sure this impressed Jacob. Think of this offer. It was the heart of Christ and it should be the heart of a disciple.
Jacob also gave in because they had no food. God has His way of pushing us through hard times. The most interesting part of Bruce Almighty is in the "cut scenes" where "God" explains why he would not have answered two of the prayers that Bruce did. It would have made if a better movie, if they had left that scene in.
When the guys arrive, Joseph has a meal prepared. I always wonder how long that would have taken, like when the Lord and the angels visited Abe and Sarah…"hey, can you guys stay to eat? Good!" Then to the servant, "Hey go kill an animal and prepare it." If it was me, I'd have said, "Do you like Chinese?" and then ordered out.
Notice that the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews.
Notice that Joe is still messing with their heads.
Notice that he is melting down emotionally.
The big test is about to come.
Matthew 13:47-14:12
These look like disjointed events.
The parable of the fish fits with the parable of the wheat and the tares.
That the disciples understood what Jesus was saying shows that they had "new" understanding of this new teaching, which was really a present day explanation of old truth. This would be complemented by what had been previously written. Just like us, in trying to bring the Word of God to people to show them what is happening in the world and how God wants to be in their lives, we use old and new, the truth of scripture and the present illustrations and parables of today's world. Anyway, this is what I get from it.
Jesus is rejected in Nazareth because the people could not connect the Word and Prophecy to this present day thing they were seeing as Jesus says, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Old and New.
And then John was the last of the prophets, and not recognized by the people or Herod as the fulfillment of the old in the present day.
If you can string these together better, go for it.
I remember the first time I read this account of John's death, how I was impressed by Herod having to save face and so doing the wrong thing because of the pressure of others on him. And to boot, he was a bad guy.
Putting this section together, disciples have to be masters of the Old (the Word of God) to relate it to, and make parables from, the New (Ipods, internet, American Idol, McDonalds, etc….).
Psalm 18:16-36
I always imagine that David wrote this after he was made king, looking back at running from Saul, hiding in caves and despairing of ever being blessed by God.
God is obviously giving this psalm to us to show us, if we are following Him and living for Him as disciples, we can fully depend on Him.
I've heard, I think, two pastors use the "jumping over walls" verse to say that they and their church would get through the hard time they were going through. Both pastors left soon after they preached that passage. The moral of the story is, if you want to stay in your church, don't preach that verse. No, the moral is, depend on what you can control, your heart before the Lord, not the response or reaction of others. As disciples, our life is successful in Christ, not churches or positions or stuff.
Proverbs 4:7-10
You can't have two beginnings of wisdom. I think it works like this: Find Christ and then seek first His Kingdom and ask and seek and knock.
A disciple keeps on pressing to know Christ, just like Paul. Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Disciples keep on pressing, abiding, seeking, asking, knocking…following Christ in the harvest.
I'm writing these comments to and for those at New Song who are following a One Year Bible and involved in a discipleship cell. We're meeting weekly and discussing the texts, not necessarily my comments. We're growing together, learning to become and make disciples who make disciples. We will all be leading others in this process and training them to do likewise.
The comments I'm writing are in no way exhaustive, but meant to give some leading thoughts on how the text applies to us as disciples and to encourage and stimulate our growth in reading the Bible, with the effect that we will grow as disciples and encourage the growth of others as disciples growing in the word. If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible, in fact, no one in our church reads the version I do, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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