Psalm 18

In Verse 33 says "He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights"(NIV). The verse is borrowed in Habakkuk 3:19. It sounds strange, but it wasn't to the ancient Israelites. The Pulpit Commentary says "The Israelites reckoned swiftness of foot, agility, and endurance among the highest of warlike qualities." Watching a deer run and respond to its environment is amazing. You can understand why this attribute might be considered great among ground troops which was what most of the ancient fighters were. The importance of holding the high ground was and is always important for defense and for attack. So it can be seen why David was pleased that God made him like that. 

When one considers the passage from Habakkuk in this it changes some. In Habakkuk, the people aren't going to see victory but defeat. It is the enemies of Israel who are going to have the victory. However,  Habakkuk says that God will raise him up despite the situation. I mention this here because God's ability to lift us up isn't based on what is normally considered victory but on our relationship with Him. 

Photo by Divide By Zero on Unsplash

Genesis 47

 It is uncertain how much power Pharaoh had before the famine, but with Joseph's help by the time the famine was over Pharaoh had complete control over the entire region. Now Pharaoh had a legitimate claim to the 20% tax on the land. Joseph gave Pharaoh this right not by the power of the sword but by buying all they had and then giving them food when they had nothing. 

Not only did Joseph feed them but Joseph also prepared for the end of the famine. Joseph gave them seed when the famine was over so they could start again. This is where I feel the church and society in the West fail. We help people when they are starving (in need) but we don't prepare them for restarting life again after the tragedy. So this is something we need to consider. It also for most of us requires a greater degree of wisdom. Unlike Joseph whose people live in an agrarian society and giving them seed is all that is needed, we face situations where different things are needed and we shouldn't be too quick to assume what should take place. We should both ask and pray. Something to think about. 

Genesis 46

 I find something very interesting in verse 2. God speaks to Israel but calls him Jacob. What is God doing? God gave him a new name but is calling him by his old name. What is happening especially when we read that God is speaking to Israel? We aren't told the precise reason however, what we do see is God reaching down and giving Israel/Jacob direction and a promise. I see God reaching down in love as it were to a friend. Jacob might have felt like Jacob and not Israel considering all that has taken place. Whatever the reason God is using the name Jacob, God is speaking to Israel, the prince of God.

I also notice that here again as the chapter ends, Jacob sends Judah forward to Joseph. Something has happened in the family. Judah was able to convenience his father to send Benjamin. Judah stands up to Joseph to defend Benjamin. Here Judah is sent ahead. Something has changed and now Judah is taking a lead in the family as his descendants will much later through David. 

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Isaiah 22

 

Who is this man, Eliakim? There are a couple of references to someone with the same name and some think this is a Messianic symbol but nothing is certain. It seems at first that he is a great man. He will be established firmly by God but then in verse 25, it says that he will be cut off. So what is going on? It could be an image of Jesus but then what about the few references to the man with this name. Why didn't the scripture say what happened? We aren't told. However, there is an image of Jesus in this which is interesting. However, I appreciate what Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers said in that it was either fulfilled or that the warning worked and Eliakim changed so the disaster was avoided. I really like that someone might actually had listened to the prophet, so few did. 

Photo by Paulo Cesar Rodrigues on Unsplash

Job 17

 

Job complaints continue and I notice that though he does wish for his suffering to end, he doesn't sound suicidal. He points out that if he does embrace death any hopes he might have will be gone as well. For a man who sounds so discouraged and depressed, there is still something inside Job that is reaching out for answers. He is reaching out for hope. 

Luke 21

The early church father, Augustine, pointed out that the people who saw the sacking of Rome thought that the gods who protected the city were gone. However, our God warned that things like this would happen. God told of the destruction of His temple and of Jerusalem. God warned that trials and difficulties would come. 

I appreciate this because I often hear people say things like, "If God was real (or cared) this wouldn't happen."  God cares but didn't promise as the song says, "You a rose garden." God promised there would be times of difficulties. Families would fall apart. Good people would be killed and tortured. Bad would happen. Yes, He promised ultimate victory and peace but not an easy life. He promised quite differently. You might not like it but if we're honest, life outside of Christ isn't better especially when you figure in the long-term, eternal aspects. 

Psalm 17

The last verse in this chapter is interesting as it is translated both as us satisfied in seeing God and in seeing God's likeness in us. I'm not a Hebrew scholar to give my opinion on which is perfectly correct but I can say both are true. I will say that because God's likeness is made in us through Christ, we will be satisfied when we see God. All people will see God at the final judgment, however only those whose lives have been changed by Christ will be pleased to see Him. For the rest, seeing God will reveal everything that is broken and wrong in them and they will not be pleased. It has been said that heaven would be hell for those who don't have Jesus in their hearts and I believe it. How can you have peace in the presence of the one you have rejected. However, for those who have put their trust in God, God's likeness in them and in person will be wonderful.  

Photo by Kajetan Sumila on Unsplash

Genesis 45

 It has been said that suffering isn't as challenging to character as success. I'm not sure if that is true but it definitely can be challenging. We see people like David in the Bible whose character was flawless until he became king. We have heard stories of successful people doing terrible things when they didn't need to. I have heard of many churches working through hard times and then when things become "successful" they implode. What is this? There does seem to be something that can happen when things go well and it isn't always good. 

Perhaps this is one of the reasons Joseph tells his brothers not to argue on the way back to Egypt. The fear of things going wrong was over. Yes, there was the difficulty of having to tell their dad eventually, that they were the ones who did him wrong, but as Joseph put it God worked it all out. Things were going to be good. Life was going to be better than good. What could go wrong?  Well perhaps, Joseph for one thought that they might turn on one another since they no longer had to stand together to protect Benjamin. I'm not sure but it could be.

Where does this leave us? Just a reminder that when things turn to the good, it doesn't mean you need to let down the guard on your character. It might mean you need to guard your heart even more. 

Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

Genesis 44

In Genesis 44:5 Joseph's servant accuses Joseph's brothers of taking Joseph's cup that he uses for divination. The question some ask is why Joseph would have a cup of divination if he was serving God.  Joseph doesn't trust pagan practices. So what is happening? Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary sums it up best "It is not likely that Joseph, a pious believer in the true God, would have addicted himself to this superstitious practice. But he might have availed himself of that popular notion to carry out the successful execution of his stratagem for the last decisive trial of his brethren.*" 

Out of context, a person could argue that Joseph was acting like everyone else, but in context, we see that Joseph was playing a part for his brothers. Yes, some could say that is assuming but they are also assuming if they say Joseph is practicing divination. However, looking at Joseph's previous actions we see no reason for him to practice divination. 

So what does this have to do with us today? The answer is that we need to guard our assumptions about others. Are we assuming that someone is doing something because others do it? Are we assuming because it is what we would do? I remember playing a game in college where you would ask questions and people would judge if you were telling the truth or not. As I remember, I was being asked if I would turn over a large amount of money if I found it. I, of course, said yes. One person in the group looked at me and said I had to be lying because if they found that they knew they would keep it. I really felt cheated because I was judged a liar. After all, they would have taken the money. It was then, that I began to realize how often we judge others based on our own actions and thoughts. Let's be better and not assume or rush to judgment.  

*https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/44-5.htm

Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash

Isaiah 21

I like what is said in the Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, "Here again, as in the case of the prophecy concerning Moab, what the prophet has given to him to see does not pass without exciting his feelings of humanity, but works upon him like a horrible dream." When we see the judgment upon our enemies in light of our humanity, we can be moved with compassion. We might justify ourselves otherwise but when we see them as humans changes everything. 

This reminds me of something David McCullough quoted in his book about President Truman. I don't have the quote exactly but though a third nuclear bomb was ready and the Japanese hadn't surrendered yet, Truman ordered a stop to dropping it, because of this thought of the destruction another bomb would have on the women and children of that country. Seeing things through the eyes of humanity changes everything. 

Job 16

 To Job, it seemed that a person couldn't plead to God like one pleads with his neighbor. This idea does seem very real to most people. First, God isn't seen which makes it feel like he may not see or hear you. This of course is incorrect. We often like a child who thinks that just because they can't see you, that you can not see them. God see everyone and hears everything which will be made more clear when God comes to question Job. There is also the false assumption that God doesn't hear our pleading because He isn't doing what we want Him to do. This also reminds me of children but of the older versions, teenagers, who have been known to say "You aren't hearing what I'm saying" when the truth is you aren't agreeing with them. 

We can make our plea to God and he does hear. The issue normally is that he isn't responding how we want. This however doesn't change the heartbreak one can feel when in pain and suffering, one feels all alone. This is where Job was. 

Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash

Luke 20

 I'm really not surprised that the Chief priest and the teachers of the law wouldn't answer Jesus' question about John the Baptist's authority. Like most people who want to look for the faults in others, these religious leaders wouldn't admit the truth if it meant that they looked bad. It was all about finding fault in Jesus. 

This is an example to us. We should be willing to answer tough questions even if it means that we look bad or will be criticized. Yes, there is a time not to answer a question However, let's not be afraid to speak the truth even when it's uncomfortable. Perhaps if we do then we will be able to see our faults clearly rather than just focus on the sins of others. 

Proverbs 4

In this chapter, Wisdom is once again described as a woman. However, I wondered once what Proverbs might have been like if Solomon had written them to his daughters rather than his son. Therefore I started a project years ago with my wife on a paraphrase of Proverbs to women. The project isn't even close to complete (life priorities change), but here is our preliminary work on Proverbs 4.

4:1  Listen, my daughter, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
2  I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.
3  When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only child of my mother,
4  he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live.
5  Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.
6  Do not forsake wisdom, and he will protect you; love him, and he will watch over you.
7  Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
8  Esteem him, and he will exalt you; embrace him, and he will honor you.
9  He will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor."
10  Listen, my daughter, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many.
11  I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
12  When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
13  Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
14  Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil people.
15  Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
16  For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall.
17  They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
18  The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19  But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
20  My daughter, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.
21  Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
22  for they are life to those who find them and health to a woman's whole body.
23  Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
24  Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25  Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.
26  Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
27  Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

Genesis 43

 Both Rueben and Judah try to talk their father into sending them back to Egypt with Benjamin. Yes, it could be argued that things got worse before Judah spoke to his father but I have to wonder if it was something more. Judah didn't offer his children's lives as a sacrifice, but he did agree to be personally responsible for Benjamin and to personally take the blame if anything went wrong. Before this time and possibly before the situation with Tamar, we see no evidence of Judah taking personal responsibility. In fact, when it came to the problem with Tamar at the start, Judah blamed Tamar rather than the true culprits, his sons. Whatever happened Judah at this point began to be a person of responsibility and one who we could imagine kings coming from his lineage. 

Photo by Mika Brandt on Unsplash

Genesis 42

 

Why chose Simeon? 

This is an interesting question. There is some debate over the reasons usually surrounding the idea that Jospeh heard him being the most insistent on killing him. This idea of choosing Simeon out of revenge is out of character. I lean toward the idea that is supposed that Joseph was going to choose either Simeon or Levi as the captives because together they had schemed to get revenge on not just the man but an entire city for the rape of their sister. Joseph wasn't seeking revenge he was separating the two he knew had a history of scheming, perhaps to help keep them out of trouble. We aren't told but I believe it was for a good reason and not for revenge. The interesting thing is sometimes doing the right thing can look a bit like doing something for the wrong reason. 

Photo by Grant Durr on Unsplash

Isaiah 20

 God was telling the people of Israel by Isaiah's words and dress, or lack thereof, that they were foolish to trust someone other than God. This is a refrain found in many parts of Isaiah and other prophets. God reminds the people when they trust in someone other than God eventually those people will fail. Today, at least in America it seems to me, that people are putting their trust in the government, certain politicians (on both sides of the aisle), or the economy. They are not worth it. Eventually, they will fail. The only one we need to put our trust in is God and God alone. For God is our solid rock and as the song goes, "all other ground is sinking sand."

Photo by Luca Annoni on Unsplash

Job 15

 

"Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return" (Job 15:31). Eliphaz says these words and they are true but the issue is they aren't always seen in this life. Here is the problem with people judging on our time frame as humans. We see only what is happening now and not in the entire scope of eternity. There are times in this life when those who do wrong seem to end their lives with everything going their way and at ease. There are times when those who do right end their lives in poverty, pain, and surrounded by trouble. People judge which ends better but can't know what is going on right after death. We see in the words of Jesus' story of the Rich Man and Lazarus that one may look like they are worthless but end up rewarded and those who look blessed aren't (Luke 16:19-31). Eliphaz is looking at where Job is right at this moment and has in his mind the proof that Job is a wicked person. How wrong.  

Luke 19

"While the people were listening to this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear imminently" (verse 11).

I heard a fellow minister remind his parishioners that the people of Israel weren't looking for Jesus to come and free them from Romans, then set up a new Kingdom with them on top. They were not expecting Jesus to do the work, he did come to do thus many rejected him. It's easy for us to say, "This is Jesus/God let him do what he knows you really need" to the people of that time. However, how often do we look at God who isn't doing the things we think he should, and be as upset as the Jews of the first century? 

Many people begin to resent God because he isn't doing things their way. However, shouldn't we consider that God knows what we and those around us really need a little more than we do? Yes, we pray. Yes, we hope for the answer we think is right. However, we need to understand there is more at stake than getting what we think we need. 

Is it difficult? Yes, it can be very painful to see what we "know is the best" not happen. It is horrible, if you could ask the disciples what it was like on Saturday night they could tell you. However, after Sunday, or a week later for Thomas, the pain was gone. One day the pain will fade, until then let's learn form the disciples and trust God. 

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Psalm 16

 This Psalm teaches that God will make our way secure (verse 5) and in him, we can be unshaken (verse 9). There are times in life when the world around us is shaken and our lives don't feel secure. Jesus warned his disciples many times of the trials and persecutions that would come. This doesn't mean we aren't secure. If we stay faithful to God, ultimately we will be found to be secure and unshaken. 

A great example of this is Stephen who though martyred, testified that Jesus was standing beside the Father. My personal opinion is to welcome Stephen into eternity. Was Stephen's world shaken? Yes. Did he appear to be in an insecure place? Yes. However, was he? No, Jesus was with him and though his world may have been rocked (pun intended), he came out secure and unshaken. 

We can be secure and unshaken also when our faith is fully in God.   

Photo by Franck on Unsplash

Genesis 41

 Preparing for the future. God isn't against preparing for the future. We see here that God warned Pharaoh so that they could prepare. Proverbs 13:22 says "A good person leaves an inheritance for their children's children." Proverbs speaks of saving. The issue isn't saving responsibly but hoarding and trusting in your savings rather than God. Yes, Joseph saved but he saved to give it away. The question we have to ask ourselves is why are we saving? 

Photo by Lia Trevarthen on Unsplash

Genesis 40

 Joseph did what was right. As it turned out even in prison God blessed him and put him in charge of other prisoners. When the opportunity came to get help Joseph took it. He knew God was going to raise up the cupbearer and asked him to relay his story to the only person who could have had Joseph released. As we know the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph. However, we don't see Joseph getting angry or upset. We see him continuing to do the right thing. 

To me, this is a reminder that we can do what we know to do to get out of trouble, but at the end of the day, we have to trust God to work out the details. 

Did God want the cupbearer to forget? No, there is nothing to suggest it in the scripture. However, as with many things, God works despite people and in the end, Joseph was exalted to the place God wanted him. 

Photo by Andrey Haimin on Unsplash

Isaiah 19

 In verse two, we see the prediction of civil war. The question is why would God bring about violence. There is of course the fact that if anyone has the right to bring about violence to wee judgment fulfilled it would be God. However, there is also the sense that God doesn't make man's heart evil, but there are times he doesn't stop it from carrying out those evil plans. There is also the truth as put forth by some that God's presence will cause people to become, as it were, more of what they already are. To say it another way, the same son that melts butter hardens clay. Whatever the case, God isn't afraid to take the credit/blame. 

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Job 14

 

I have to wonder if the Job of the first part of chapter one would have said these words? I doubt it. Yes, he may realize that life could be hard but there is a difference between seeing it in other people's lives and living them out yourself. It reminds me of a joke an economics professor asked. What is the difference between a depression and a recession? A Recession is when your neighbor is out of work, a depression is when you are out of work. 

My takeaway is to remember that not everyone is where I am. I need to give grace/understanding to them. 

Photo by Stuart Frisby on Unsplash

Luke 18

Augustine points out that the unjust judge isn't an allegory or picture of God. The point of the story is that if a horrible person like this judge can be influenced to do right then how much more will the God we serve, A God of Love, give justice to those who call to him. The question that is hinted at in verse 8 is whether will we hold on to the end. Some look at this as a comment just about the end times, but I think it is more. It is asking if will we keep trusting when it seems God isn't answering? Will we hold on to the end? 

So are you going to trust God? 

Photo by Jannis Lucas on Unsplash

Psalm 15

 I have heard people say that we, Christians, are supposed to love everybody. However, in the same breath, almost, they complain that Christianity is a religion that hates people different from themselves. Perhaps this is because they want us to love everyone (their definition of it) and still have an excuse not to accept it. 

So what does this have to do with Psalm 15? In this psalm, it says that a person who can come before the presence of God finds a vile man contemptible.  This isn't the only place something like this is said, so what is the meaning? Are we to love or have contempt? The answer is yes. We should find the actions of a vile person (flagrant sinners, NLT) contemptible. Yet, we should love them and want to see them changed. God does. God finds the actions of some people so bad it says it angers him*. Yet, it is while we are sinners that the Bible says in Romans that Jesus died for us. The contrast here is key. We should never look up to those who are evil because we may find ourselves pattering our lives after them. 

*Side note, we need to be really careful in the anger area we can't keep it, and an additional side note neither does God.

Photo by Jennifer Uppendahl on Unsplash