Bible in one year, day 24 Genesis 47:13-48:22; Matthew - TopicsExpress



          

Bible in one year, day 24 Genesis 47:13-48:22; Matthew 16:21-17:13; Proverbs 3:1-10 Genesis 47:13-48:22… After the joyous family reunion yesterday the reality that there’s still a severe famine in the land hits home again. Joseph’s system is working well but the people have run out of money to purchase any of his stock-piled grain. So he sells the grain in exchange for livestock first of all. And when the livestock runs out he sells the grain in return for land and people’s servitude to Pharaoh. When it costs you your freedom you know the famine’s been bad. And yet this is what it took to get the Egyptians (and those from the surrounding areas) through the seven years of famine. ‘You have saved our lives,’ they said to Joseph. We should also note that the Israelites settled in Goshen, in Egypt. They increased in number and were very successful – which is interesting, given that it was a time of famine – God was clearly watching over them. But, in time, as we get to the book of Exodus (with Moses et al), we’ll discover that the Egyptians forget why they’re there. But this is how the Israelites find themselves in Egypt in the first place. But Jacob does not want to be buried there when he dies. He wants to be buried with his ancestors in the land God promised them, which Joseph promises to do. But before he dies he wants to bless Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. But an interesting thing happens. Jacob had, essentially, stolen Isaac’s blessing from his brother Esau (who admittedly wasn’t squeaky clean himself). But here, Jacob deliberately crosses over his hands so as to place his right hand on Ephraim’s head – the younger brother – and his left hand on Manasseh’s head. Of course, the ‘best’ blessing is given through the right hand. In those days, the eldest son – or whoever received the blessing – would receive the bulk of his father’s estate, whereas today we would tend to divide things up evenly amongst our children. But this isn’t about Jacob wanting Ephraim to have more than his brother, it’s about the fact that God has revealed to Jacob that Ephraim will be greater than Manasseh (though he’ll be great too!). Joseph’s a bit angry but Jacob continues. The bottom line is this, though: whichever hand rests on whoever’s head, this is a pretty cool blessing to receive: ‘In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’’ In other words, these guys are going to be so noteworthy and great in God’s sight that the hope for every child in Israel will be that they’ll be like Joseph’s sons. Amazing. That should be our hope and prayer… that, as followers of Jesus, people see in us something that they want in their life and that they would want, not to be like us, but to be like Jesus, whom they see in us. That would be pretty cool, if you ask me. Matthew 16:21-17:13… Poor old Peter. Yesterday he was commended as the rock upon which Jesus would build his church. Today he’s told off for being Satanic! He simply doesn’t get what kind of Messiah Jesus is going to be. He thought Jesus was going to overthrow the Romans and re-establish a free Israeli state. That’s what people thought the Messiah would be like. Yet here Jesus tells him that, at the hands of the leaders of Israel, he would suffer and die. ‘No, no,’ says Peter, ‘that’s not your job!’ To which Jesus replies, ‘get behind me Satan.’ What does Peter know, is Jesus message. He’s thinking like a man as opposed to being in tune with God. And, as if it wasn’t enough that Jesus is going to die on a cross, he says that anyone who wants to follow him must take up their own cross and lose his life in order to find it. Everyone knew what that meant - death. Following Jesus is a life and death commitment. It means joining in his sufferings for the sake of the world. But, when your leader offers you a cross to carry… do you really want to follow him? But, then again, what good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul. Then, after this difficult message, Jesus, Peter James and John head up this mountain. And on that mountain Jesus is ‘transfigured’ – he starts to glow with a heavenly light… dazzling. (By the way, I think this explains 16:28.) And Moses and Elijah appear and talk to him. In other words, the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) – the whole Old Testament – point to Jesus. He is the fulfilment of it all – the Promised One. And Peter, naturally, wants to stay up there forever. But, after God’s voice speaks from the cloud, echoing what he said at Jesus baptism, they must head back down to the valley. But they’ve now seen Jesus face shining like God (who he was and is) and that will make it more bearable – if that’s the right way to put it – when they see his face bloodied and spat upon on the cross. NB It was always the case that the prophet Elijah was to appear before the Messiah arrived. In the gospels, it’s clear that John the Baptist is the Elijah figure who makes way for the Messiah – Jesus – to arrive. That’s why Jesus says that Elijah’s already come… it was John. Proverbs 3:1-10… Here’s the basics of wisdom: be constant in love and faithfulness, trust in God, be wary of your own understanding and be generous in your giving to God. And it’s not just that we vaguely try and do these things. We’ve to bind them round our necks and write them on the tablet of our hearts. We’ve to acknowledge God in ALL our ways. We’ve to actively shun evil. And when we bring our gifts to God, it’s the best, first bit that he’s to get, not whatever’s left over when we’ve taken all that we want. That’s the secret, Proverbs says, to a long and healthy life – all-consuming spiritual wisdom.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 09:17:38 +0000

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