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 44-45
Gen. 44:1-13
The important thing to figure out in all of this story is what Joseph was wanting to discover or find out about his brothers. Joseph had no interest in making his brothers suffer. He had to see what was in them. Their sign of grief in vs. 13 is important. They could have all gone home without Ben.
Gen. 44:14-34
Notice how this verse begins. Notice who the main speaker is. Notice what the offer to Joseph was. Aside from the story itself, Moses/the Spirit are showing us something here about a choice that God made having to do with Judah.
V. 16 is very a very interesting confession.
V. 17 is Joseph pointing them to the real test.
V. 33 is an offer much different than the one Reuben made. How is Judah's offer here a foreshadowing of Christ, who will come from Judah's lineage?
Just to be clear, in Judah, Joseph sees that the brothers have changed and now he can open up to them. What did he see with them regarding Ben, that wasn't true with their dealings with him?
This is all to say that forgiveness is one thing, trust and restoration of a relationship is another. I have known Christians who, almost, arrogantly demand forgiveness to get the monkey of guilt off their backs, and then demand the relationship should be renewed. Without the process of rebuilding/proving trust, there is no restoration of relationship. And when we explain forgiveness as "just forgive and forget" like this, people think we're crazy. Then we point to the story of Joseph and say "forgive and forget" like Joseph did, and we confirm, not only that we are crazy, but that we really haven't read or understood the story. If Joseph's brothers had been arrogant or dishonest here, it would have been a much different story. Joseph/God made them prove themselves.
Gen. 45:1-15
There are some great verses here and you can make the applications to your life and experience.
V. 4 when Joseph calls them near, some people suggest that he showed his brothers he was a Hebrew. An Egyptian wouldn't have been circumcised.
I don't think Joseph always understood why the Lord had sent him to Egypt. It wasn't, I think, until he saw his brothers bow down before him the first time, that the process began. But, the process began in a heart that was fully yielded to God. I don't think Joseph had any super power of spiritual insight, but his heart was close to the Lord and, therefore, he was very teachable. If "close to the Lord and teachable" is a superpower, you can have that one too, and being in the word daily helps you get there, just like you're doing.
Gen. 45:16-28
Notice that Judah is no longer the spokesman when they return. That points to the fact earlier in the story, that God was drawing our attention to something important about Judah.
Notice also that Jacob's spirit comes alive again. If you've done the work you know that Joseph was a slave in Egypt for 13 years and then given his position. The 7 good years have passed and we are in the first 2 years of the famine with 5 years remaining. So, it has been 22 years since Joseph has seen his family and father. It is evident from what we see of Jacob dealing with his sons regarding the return to Egypt and Benjamin, that he has been heart sick for a long time. This is a long time to suffer like this with a dead heart. I'm not saying anyone deserved this, but God really did not cut Jacob much "slack" in dealing with Jacob's own sins against Esau. You never heard Jacob say he was sorry for anything he did to Esau.
Matthew 14:13-36
The Lord has ways of teaching many things at one time. There are some things to learn in the feeding of the 5000 regarding faith and depending on God's provision, but there are a couple of other interesting things.
One thing the disciples learned was what to do with 5000 people. You wonder how the disciples were prepared for the 3000 people who came to Christ on Pentecost. Here is how they learned. You break them into groups of 50 like Jesus did.
Second, they learned to expect problems after success. Or maybe they learned not to trust "success" at all, but rather God. The reason I'm saying this, unknown to us here, but revealed in John 6, is that after the feeding of the 5000, Jesus' popularity began to disintegrate, in fact, many disciples left him.
Whatever the purpose of Jesus and Peter walking on water, it would come in handy in John 6 as the crowds and disciples were leaving. Jesus asks the 12 if they too will leave and Peter says, "to whom else shall we go. Only you have the words of eternal life." Interesting that Peter said that and didn't say, "who else can walk on water." They got the point in the boat and worshiped Him.
Gennesaret is where the people sent Jesus away after he healed the demonic with the legion at the “bay of pigs” incident. Now, they are ready. The first rejection doesn't mean rejection for good.
Psalm 18:37-50
Regardless of how much we can or cannot identify with this psalm, for the disciple, every time God shows us his mercy and help, we should find ways of doing verse 49.
Proverbs 4:11-13
What is interesting in reading so many different portions of the Bible is that you find similar wording and realize that there are many ways to talk about a relationship with God.
So you find the words in Proverbs 4:12 and this seems focused on wisdom/God's word, but then you think this wording sounds familiar. Can you figure out where else you find words like these?
Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
So we can add to seeking wisdom and heeding the words given to us, the idea of waiting on the Lord and resting in His care. This is not only a good exercise that helps grow Christ's disciples in the word, but waiting for Christ’s provision, and abiding in Christ is the next step after having His word. It all rounds out the relationship He desires to have with us.
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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