January 23, Reading Notes

Genesis 46-47

Gen. 46

Just a few notes on this section. It doesn't appear that God spoke to people often, but we see God speaking to Jacob here (who, by the way, didn't leave the promised land, even in the famine) at a time when it was important to encourage Jacob. God confirms the promise, giving Jacob a little more information, showing God's faithfulness to his plan of redemption and to Abraham. There is little to suggest that there was ongoing devotion to God and seeking Him on the part of Jacob. God remains faithful and tender.

For us as disciples, we can believe that in our weakness as disciples, He remains tender and faithful. Yet, if we desire to hear His voice more, we just need to spend more time with Him in the Word, and then in the harvest.

The math summarized in v. 27, is an editorial on how many descendants of Abe went in to Egypt. Later, Moses will give an idea of how many came out. What we need to understand in this is that Jacob took all his servants and livestock. That would have been a small city. The little comments made about the number of men Abe took to rescue Lot, and the fact that the holdings of Jacob and Esau were so large that the land couldn't hold both of them, are important to note and think about to give you a 3D view of what is happening. You don't have to read a commentary to get this. All you have to do is pay attention and go slowly with the Lord in His Word.

In verse 28, Jacob sent Judah ahead, showing again, the prominence of Judah.

Interesting, how the Lord often blesses through bad things. The Egyptians hated shepherds, forcing Israel to locate in Goshen, which was a well watered delta paradise, even in the time of famine.

Gen. 47

Verse 9 gets me every year. Jacob was 130 years old and he summarizes his years as "few and evil." And we know it is no exaggeration. What a sad statement, and to think, Jacob himself was responsible for much of it.

Whether it is your own life or someone else's, when the results of what we have done (and the chain reactions thereof) are complicated, tangled , out of control, and we feel trapped and feel we have no control, the solution is simple. The next thing you do, honor the Lord. At that point, no matter where you are or what the demand is, dare to honor God. Being in the Word gives us confidence of God's love and His Word tells us what to do. The Gordian knot is simple to deal with. You don't unravel it, you cut it. But it takes using the Sword of the Spirit (the Word) in the hand of one who is newly surrendered to the love and heart of Christ, to make this happen. It is so simple as to be profound. The next thing you do, honor the Lord.

Jacob doesn't seem to have learned that lesson.

Vs.13-26

So, why do you think that Moses/the Spirit want us to have this particular information? Here is something to think about. Israel grew as a nation, inside of Egypt, for 400 years. The Egyptians remember what Joseph had done for them as a nation for 2-3 hundred years. That is an incredible legacy. The US has gone 200 years as a nation and we still (sort of) respect the founders of the country. As we see new generations arise and people tinker with, and misunderstand, the intent of the founders, we could figure that in another 100 years we will forget to respect and honor them, imagining ourselves to be geniuses who could have done a better job, yet without their education and faith, and without paying the price they paid.

This section is probably here to show us the actions that made Joseph a national hero whose respect lasted hundreds of years, until a pharaoh came, who didn't know Joseph, and made Israel slaves.

Vs. 27-31

God gave Jacob 17 good years with Joseph, not to mention the peace and honesty in his life and family.

Jacob wanted to be buried in the family grave, in the land of promise.

In all the details of this story, as disciples, we can't lose sight of God working toward the redemption of man and the coming of Christ. We are now a part of that plan and story and need to be working to bring the news of this salvation and promise to the lost.

Matthew 15:1-28

Vs. 1-20

As the Pharisees became more aggressive toward Jesus, He became more open in exposing their hypocrisy. As disciples, we need to learn that "the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kindly to all, an able teacher, correcting his opponents with gentleness," while also learning to be pointed, especially with certain opponents, regarding the truth and its implications. Jesus was not "politically" correct in how he dealt with the men who were leading people to Hell, yet the focus of His teaching, or reprimand, was on the truth, not simply attacking the person.

Unfortunately there is a danger in conservative "religion" that focuses on behavior and not on salvation and mission. The Levites were to have taught the people, but this was taken over by the system of rabbis, and later the Pharisees…all of this coming out of the Babylonian captivity, where the nation had been held together by the grace of God. Having lost the mission, and therefore the love and mercy and grace of God, they became policemen for saving the "truth." And they killed their savior.

As disciples, we are meant to work in the harvest, to personally be in the truth and abiding in the love of Christ in the harvest. Lose His love in the Harvest, like the church in Ephesus in Revelations, or like a lot of Christians and churches today, and you become Pharisaical. Ironically, if Jesus entered some conservative churches today, I don't think he'd be accepted and certainly would never qualify to be an elder.

Vs. 21-28

This is a test. Jesus was not being obnoxious. When He heard her address Him as the "son of David," I believe He was looking to see how honest and deep her faith really was. The promise to save mankind was disclosed progressively through the promise to Adam and Eve, then more fully revealed in the promise to Abraham, then more fully revealed in the promise to David, that is, that one of his descendants would be the Messiah and the eternal ruler of Israel and the world.

Two things: First, this interchange was more a lesson for the disciples (and us) than for her. She already had faith. They needed to see what this faith looked like, that it was persistent and knocking and seeking. That's a good lesson for us as disciples.

Second, after His rejection after feeding the 5000, signaling His ultimate rejection by the Nation of Israel, Jesus would now be reaching out more and more to the Gentiles. All of this is in the progress of the promise to Eve, to Abe and to us, and now through us, to our neighbor, in following Christ in the harvest.

Psalm 19

When I read a psalm like this, I picture two periods of David's life, both of which were simpler, and less busy and complicated than when he became king of the entire nation.

First, all those years as a shepherd, looking out on God's creation created a deep devotion to God in David. It takes time and quiet for this to happen.

Second, in those 7 years in Hebron as King of Judah David also learned. I believe it was in those years, reflecting on God's saving him from Saul, that he also transcribed the first 5 books of the Bible, as Deuteronomy says a king should do, and when David wrote Psalm 119. His devotion to the Word of God grew in this time of quiet.

In this Psalm, you have both together, the declaration of Creation to the Glory of God, and the Word of God declaring the Glory of God.

What always hits me is that when David had time or took the time, his heart was wholly the Lord's and God's glory flowed from his life. But when this same man became busy and distracted and engaged in the press of life, he failed, drifted from God, and brought deep pain into his life and family.

I think that what the Lord wants us to see in the life of David, besides enjoying this great psalm, is that a disciple should follow Christ simply in this life, abiding in Him, taking time with Him, working in the Harvest. That is the life that declares the glory of God. A life full of things and activities and multitasking doesn't do that for God and it makes for a very superficial disciple.

Proverbs 4:14-19

Many of the proverbs have a contrast and this one does, too, in verses 18 and 19.

Following Christ, His way, brings clarity, hope, stability and growing light. It is interesting that the lives of Jacob, David and Solomon became darker as they became busier, more political, more complicated, less focused on God and more focused on themselves. Life is busy, but the focus has to remain uncomplicated, simple and cleansed by the Word. We are to honor God by following and abiding in Christ and His love, in the harvest.

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.” 

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.