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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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.  

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