Genesis 41:17-42:17 + Matthew 13:24-46 + Psalm 18:1-15 + Proverbs 4:1-6
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~
Old Testament – Today in Genesis chapter 41 we read about Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams – and not just interpreting them, but offering a solution! Joseph suggests finding a wise man to administer a program to collect crops during the 7 years of plenty to save up for the 7 years of lean. Verses 39 & 40 in this chapter tell us: “Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man in the land! I hereby appoint you to direct this project. You will manage my household and organize all my people. Only I will have a rank higher than yours.”” Notice that Joseph did not ask for this position. He probably could have, in light of interpreting the dream and offering a solution. But he didn’t. The position was simply thrust upon him. And I wonder in our lives – are we like Joseph – humbly offering our gifts and skills with no need of a payback? Or, do we expect something in return? Do we want to be put in charge? I do wonder this about myself – if I was put in charge of all of Egypt, would I still remember God? Or would the power go to my head and would I think it is all about me? And then I wonder if there are similar, smaller temptations like this in my life – in my work or ministries or in my social circles. Are there times where I offer my skills & gifts, and expect to be put in charge of something, forget about God, and think it’s all about me? How about you? Do you give freely and humbly from your God-given gifts with no need of a payback?
Below is an image from a modern day production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” of Pharaoh appointing Joseph to be #2 in the land (and giving him his signet ring… and dressing him… and giving him the royal gold chain… and giving him the chariot… and renaming him… and giving him a wife… think all this would possibly inflate one’s ego? It really does scare me to think about me being put in this type of position…)
In Genesis chapter 42 Jacob sends Joseph’s brothers to Egypt for grain. Verse 4 stood out: “Jacob wouldn’t let Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, however, for fear some harm might come to him.” As you’ll recall both Benjamin and Joseph were Rachel’s only sons. And Jacob loved Rachel dearly. It seems that in light of Jacob already losing one of Rachel’s sons, he didn’t want to lose the other. Or – I wonder – did Jacob maybe have some sort of mistrust in the back of his mind of the other 10 brothers? (as obviously Joseph disappeared when going to find the 10 brothers many years back) Below is a cute etching by Rembrandt from 1637 of Jacob and his son Benjamin:
Verse 6 also stood out: “Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of the sale of the grain, it was to him that his brothers came. They bowed low before him, with their faces to the ground.” This fulfilled the dreams Joseph had in Genesis chapter 37 verse 6 & 7! “He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” And verse 6 was 21 years after Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers at the age of 17 – Joseph has spent 11 years as a slave, 2 years in prison, and 7 to 8 years in charge of Egypt (through the 7 fat years of the harvest, and now they are likely in the first year of the famine). And even after 21 years Joseph recognized his brothers immediately. I read a commentary that his brothers probably didn’t recognize Joseph because he was decked out in Egyptian robes & garb, he may have been speaking through an interpreter, and he was likely clean shaven – Egyptians shaved, whereas Hebrews typically wore beards. So now, Joseph’s reunited with his brothers and what takes place next is coming up in our readings tomorrow… Below is a painting from 1745 by the Austrian painter Franz Anton Malbertsch of Joseph meeting his brothers once again after 21 years apart:
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings on Genesis chapter 41 titled “From the Pit to the Palace” is at this link and commentary on chapter 42 titled “The Proper Use of Power” is at this link.
New Testament – In today’s Matthew readings we go through 5 parables that begin “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” Great way to start these parables! They do indeed give us a glimpse of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Do these parables speak to you as you read through them? I know they do for me. Sometimes in encouraging ways. Sometimes in convicting ways. I love verses 31 & 32: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter in its branches.” I think if we cultivate the seed that Jesus plants in our hearts – the Gospel – we will see an amazing plant grow that will ultimately bless others. From the tiniest beginnings, with patience and faith, can come the largest of plants. If you haven’t yet, will you let Jesus plant a mustard seed in your heart? And will you be patient and allow the seed time & space to grow? And will you water and care for the seed of the Gospel planted in your heart so that one day it will be a beautiful tree of life for yourself and others you come in contact with? Will you allow Jesus to grow a mustard seed tree with your life?
I love the last 2 parables in today’s readings! The treasure buried in a field and the pearl of great price. And the thought of being willing to give up absolutely everything to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven. How about for you? Are you willing to give up absolutely everything to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven? Is there a price too high that you would not be willing to pay? I will share with you this somewhat related tangent. I had this really interesting jog several years ago. And it was before I was a Christian, so I didn’t equate my thinking with the “Kingdom of Heaven” at this time. But, here were my thoughts that night on the jog. As I was jogging I thought to myself – I am a “billionaire”! Why? Because I am blessed with this opportunity to jog, and to check out the beautiful night air around me, and more than anything because of this wonderfully complex thing in my skull called the brain. 🙂 The brain that allows me to do all these things and to simply think and enjoy life. And I thought to myself – at what price would I give up the ability to use my brain? Would I sell my brain for 1 billion dollars? And the answer is obviously no – because there would then be no point to living in this life without the brain. So – I reasoned with myself, well – “Then I am a billionaire!” I have a billion dollar asset in my skull! 🙂 I hope this isn’t too random of a tangent. Maybe you’ll realize that you are a billionaire today too though? 🙂 To tie this back to the Kingdom of Heaven. Would I sell of my rights to the Kingdom of Heaven for 1 billion dollars. No. So – I guess then technically, I am a multi-billionaire now! 1 billion asset value for the brain + 1 billion asset value for the Kingdom of Heaven! The point being… or maybe the question to you. Which would you prefer – 1 billion in cash, or the Kingdom of Heaven? Is there any price you would place on giving up the Kingdom of Heaven? If not – will you pursue the Kingdom of Heaven with all of your worth? And will you then share this amazing “pearl of great price” with others around you?
Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in Matthew chapter 13 titled “The Parables of Matthew 13” are at this link.
Psalms – Psalm 18 is an amazing one! We’ll get it for the next 3 days of readings, which is great. And then comes Psalm 19 which is off the charts awesome! Verse 1 today is so beautiful: “I love you, LORD; you are my strength.” How often do you tell God that you love him? One thing that one of my former pastors does when he prays publicly, which absolutely moves me, is that he closes out just about every prayer with “God we love you. And we pray all of this in the name of your son Jesus.” The last line of course is the powerful line! But, that second to last line… is just beautiful. Just telling God that we love him. I’m not sure I tell God that I love him often enough. God may not “need” to hear it. But I think that I need to say it more often. I love you God!
Proverbs – Proverbs 4 today are some wonderful verses from Solomon reminiscing on instructions he received from his father David! Below is a stained glass image of David giving instructions to Solomon – we can imagine that David was even telling Solomon verses 4 through 6 in this image below: “My father told me, “Take my words to heart. Follow my instructions and you will live. Learn to be wise, and develop good judgment. Don’t forget or turn away from my words. Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you.”
Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of Phil Wickham’s fantastic worship song “I Believe:”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1krYQEurwsE&t=75s
Do you believe? Click here and Believe!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “I love you, Lord; you are my strength.” Psalm 18:1 NLT
Prayer Point: Pray that you would love God every moment of every day. Pray that you would say “I Love You God” daily. Pray that God is your strength.
Comments from You and Questions of the Day: Okay, back to all of my fretting above about if I was given all that Joseph was given by the Pharaoh in today’s readings… 🙂 What are your thoughts on this – if you were given all of these things, would it inflate your ego possibly? Would you possibly forget about God? It’s interesting to reflect upon the devil’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, from our earlier readings this year in Matthew – the devil was tempting Jesus with a lot of “stuff” – and Jesus refused it all! I’m just wondering if even today in our modern world if we need to be careful about being tempted by too much wealth or power or pride, etc.? But then I also wonder if sometimes God elevates us to important positions, like Joseph, so that we may be a blessing to many? I do think this is possible for sure – I just think maybe the richer we get or the more powerful we get, the more we need to pray and stay as absolutely close to God as possible. Would you want to be in Joseph’s type of situation today? Think you could handle it? I pray that each of us could, and will, no matter what position in this life we are called to by God! Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
======= Ramona:
Mike-You ask a tough question and if I were to give you an answer off of the top of my head, I would say, “Certainly, if given the opportunity and asked to lead I would lead just like Joseph, but alas I don’t think that is true. I have heard it said that a really great leader knows how to lead because he learned his leadership craft in serving others. So I think the question should first be, “Have I learned how to serve others with joy even in the dungeon?”
“If the purpose of a thing is not understood abuse is inevitable.” Quote from Myles Monroe author of the book, “Pursuit of Purpose.”
Truthfully it can only be in the role of a servant that one would learn the purpose of leadership and it would take great wisdom to weald that power with an eye for the Big Picture and not ones own personal agenda. Great leaders cannot rule from a place of pain or resentments they may have developed while in servitude. A great leader would have to operate in forgiveness. A great leader would have to be a great servant. I don’t think I’ve been that great of a servant, in fact I’ve been a lousy one.
Grace and peace, she said, with a lot of self-reflection to do during the day.
Ramona
======= Micah Girl:
I think Ramona raises some great points about having learned to serve first, before being ready to lead with integrity. I think also that Joseph is a great example of the purpose of suffering in our lives…all of it was used to mold him into a person of through and through integrity. When faced with suffering we can either cling to God or we can rebel, and he chose closeness to God, and it matured him into a mighty servant-leader.
Micah Girl
======= Sheryl:
Just found this site about one week ago. Thank you sooo much for your time invested in it. I pastor along with my husband here in Ohio, and my husband just had a serious issue with his heart this week. He had by-pass nine years ago and this last week failed his stress test, and needed to have catherization. Well that is finished with one stint being put in and waiting for another. But God is sooo good to us, and everything today, from the issue of a servant to the issue of suffering for Christ’s sake was uplifting to say the least.
Thank you Mike for your words, and thank you Jesus for your WORD!!!
Sheryl
======= Debby:
As we read on, we’ll see that Joseph realized his position of trust and always approved his plans with Pharaoh – like when he left to bury his father.
I was given a new revelation of the meaning to us today of Pharaoh’s dream in the book:
Morning by Morning by Charles Spurgeon:
“The ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven wellfavoured and fat kine.”
Genesis 41:4
Pharaoh’s dream has too often been my waking experience. My days of sloth have ruinously destroyed all that I had achieved in times of zealous industry; my seasons of coldness have frozen all the genial glow of my periods of fervency and enthusiasm; and my fits of worldliness have thrown me back from my advances in the divine life. I had need to beware of lean prayers, lean praises, lean duties, and lean experiences, for these will eat up the fat of my comfort and peace. If I neglect prayer for never so short a time, I lose all the spirituality to which I had attained; if I draw no fresh supplies from heaven, the old corn in my granary is soon consumed by the famine which rages in my soul. When the caterpillars of indifference, the cankerworms of worldliness, and the palmerworms of self-indulgence, lay my heart completely desolate, and make my soul to languish, all my former fruitfulness and growth in grace avails me nothing whatever. How anxious should I be to have no lean-fleshed days, no ill-favoured hours! If every day I journeyed towards the goal of my desires I should soon reach it, but backsliding leaves me still far off from the prize of my high calling, and robs me of the advances which I had so laboriously made. The only way in which all my days can be as the “fat kine,” is to feed them in the right meadow, to spend them with the Lord, in His service, in His company, in His fear, and in His way. Why should not every year be richer than the past, in love, and usefulness, and joy?-I am nearer the celestial hills, I have had more experience of my Lord, and should be more like Him. O Lord, keep far from me the curse of leanness of soul; let me not have to cry, “My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!” but may I be well-fed and nourished in thy house, that I may praise thy name.
Debby
======= Betty:
Debby,
Thank you for your post. Spurgeon’s writings lay bare the truth of what I often feel about myself. God help us to be about the King’s business and walk faithfully so as to not experience so many times of “leanness of soul.”
Betty
======= John:
I think if I had been granted a leadership/power role in my pre-christian life, that my heart would have been so hardened that I would never have been “saved”. I would have been too into the money, the things, and the control over others.
Since God is soverign and I beleive I was chosen befor the ‘foundations of the earth’, I reflect often that it was God’s will that I not acheive that success. Just another way of protecting me until I made the choice of accepting his Son, Jesus Christ, as My Savior.
John
======= Penny:
I have been enjoying the bible study and the blog..The psalms and proverbs are awesome. however so is the ot and nt. Thanks for all the hard work and this is such a blessing.
Have a great week
Penny
====== Andy:
Mike! Your illustration about the brain being worth 1 billion dollars was amazing! It made me laugh, but also really made me realise that i have so much to live for… heaven…. which is great. It’s worth more than all the money in the world. Great blog!
Andy
======= Jayne:
I need to give God so much more credit than I do! Too often I think it’s about me and what I did to get from here to there, but I am realizing very quickly that this is not the case. I would be nowhere and do nothing if not for God. This bible study has opened my eyes so much. My ears too! However, I struggle with “forgetting God” and this really bothers me! I often want to take credit, but it has nothing to do with me. I’m trying and will catch myself, but I want to stop it all together.
I tell God everyday, usually a few times a day, that I love Him. I end all my conversations with God that way. I also keep a written journal that only has notes and letters to God in it. It is a journal just for Him, and every page ends with I love you! It keeps it very real.
Jayne
====== Nigel:
Hi Everyone. Firstly thanks to Mike for the site and the encouragment and secondly thanks to everyone else for all their posts, you have all answered my questions so far and provided much food for thought over the last 20 days.
Kind Regards
Nigel
====== Anka:
Loved the billionaire illustration.I know for a fact money can’t buy the peace and joy that comes with joining the family of God.I guess Joseph had 13 years of affliction to learn that lesson.I really would like to ask him when I see him how he just clung to God instead of falling apart in desperation…he had no fellowship to go to,no laws of God to meditate on,no gospel to give him hope.
By naming his first son Manasseh, (“For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”)we can see that he missed home alot.
If then Joseph could cling to God without having the advantages we have,I believe now we should be encouraged during our own trials….I loved the Psalms describing God shaking the foundations of the earth,smoke coming from his nostils,bending the heavens to come to our help….wow…no matter how rich you get,you certainly can’t bend the heavens to protect yourself…..
Joseph had a role to preserve Israel from extinction,to do that he was sold as a slave,then had to leave behind his culture,marry the daughter of a foreign god’s priest….it may all sound worth it but I’m sure it must have been a struggle for him,there must have been times he had questions,doubts…Today’s reading really spoke to my heart about keeping my eyes on Jesus,in good times even more….
God bless you all and remain in God’s rest
Anka
======= Micah Girl:
I think that Anka is on to something there about Joseph–it’s the affliction that prepared him for the power. We fight suffering in our life so much, and yet God uses it to mature us and to prepare us for things we cannot even imagine. If not for the suffering, I think that the position could have gone to his head. However, since God had been preparing him for this awesome leadership responsiblity, he was ready. It’s sort of like how people who win big in the lottery mostly lose all their money and get into debt over their heads-they end up worse than they started because they don’t know how to handle the responsibility. Joseph, however, knew.
Micah Girl
======= Mae:
Verses that stood out today:
Matthew 13:37-39 “Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels”.
Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety”.
Proverbs 4:2 “for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions”.
Tough question you got there: “And I wonder in our lives – are we like Joseph – humbly offering our gifts and skills with no need of a payback? Or, do we expect something in return? Do we want to be put in charge?”. ~ Okay, when I give people gifts or I help them out with my skills I absolutely don’t need a payback, I don’t want anything in return. However, when I give somebody my friendship, my love, my carrying and everything that comes with a friendship … well … it’s not that I WANT the exact same thing in return. But to hold on is hard, you know? Like I was just telling this story about my friend (see my blogcomment with the readings from yesterday); it’s hard now to be her friend. I will hold on though, but I’m not sure till how far I will be able to do that. You know? Something there changed, she stopped trusting me, she started lying to me … I give her friendship, I give her love and show her that she can trust me. But I don’t get that in return … the only thing that I’m good for now is to give her advice when she messed up something in her life. And she will tell me that my advice is no good, because I had such a wonderful life and she’s going through this mess so I don’t understand her … Well, then why asking me for advice??? Sorry, I’m rambling now … Anyway, yes … I find it hard from time to time, being a friend and get nothing in return.
“How often do you tell God that you love him?” ~ Well, me? A lot!!! I think He sometimes gets sick of it LOL The past days I’ve been telling Him that I love him more than I do on a regular bases. We had some terrible storms here in Holland. We had a weather-alert on Thursday that we had to stay inside the house after 3pm when the storm would reach it’s climax. With windspeeds of 85mph. I’m not sure that’s a lot in the US, but here in small little Holland it’s HUGE!!! Especially with the country being underneath the sealevel … kind of scary, eh? It really got to me when the weather-alert was called out while I was at work, my husband at work (an hour away from where we live), Jaden was in school, my mom was at work, my dad was at work (He’s a private chauffeur and was driving on the highway) … so I was panicing. I prayed and prayed and prayed. I found someone who would drive me from work to home, I always go to work on my bycicle (Thank you God, I love you Father!!!), then I heard that Jaden could get a ride home from school with someone (Thank you God, I love you father!!!), when I came home nothing was destroyed by the wind (Thank you God, I love you Father!!!), Jaden came home save (Thank you God, I love you Father!!!) … well, I think you get the point, right? I kept thanking the Lord and telling Him how much I love Him! There were so many accidents, there were people killed in the storm, it was just terrible! We’re doing a lot better today, but it’s still pretty windy. I’m thankful that God guarded me and my family! I LOVE YOU, GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mae
======= Jen:
I would feel blessed if I were given all the things Joseph was given. I wouldnt forget about God. I wouldnt want to be put in such a positiion though as Im more a behind the scenes person and I believe that if God wanted me to be in this positiion He would change theat feeling 1st.
I don’t confess to be a greatest artist but this verse
Psalm 18:2You are my mighty rock, the rock where I am safe, and my place of shelter.
lead me to draw a picture some years ago I have it in a position in my house where I can see it if you are interested look here
http://prayerwarrior.wordpress.com/2006/12/29/something-to-be-grateful-for/
Jen
======= Keysha:
The verse well insight that stood out to me the most was….in Genesis 42:8, where it talked about Joseph recognizing his brothers and them not recognizing Him. I just think that Joseph had so much wisdom. That was his chance to throw things back up into his brothers faces and he did not. He remembered the dreams he had in the past and could have given them the “I told you so speech” but he didn’t. There is a time to speak and a time to be quiet (Oh, God, do I need to distinguish between the two, LOL!!) It was not time for Joseph to reveal who he was so he kept quiet. That was awesome for me for some reason.
What are your thoughts on this – if you were given all of these things, would it inflate your ego possibly? Honestly, it probably would inflate my ego. I am a baby Christian and trying to remind myself that it is not about me and never is.
Would you possibly forget about God? I would not say that I would forget about God but I would not be as conscience as I am now. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the things of this world and to not think about Him as much as we should or spend as much time with Him as we should. Like right now He is on my mind constantly not matter what I am doing. I am just trying to keep my mind ‘stayed’ on Him.
I just think maybe the richer we get or the more powerful we get, the more we need to pray and stay as absolutely close to God as possible.” Wow, I totally agree and never thought about it like that. It is funny because we, well most of us seem to think about God and are eager to spend time with Him when we are lacking or need something but as soon as things turn around and we are no longer in need we do not think about Him as much. Or maybe it is just me (Immature Christian) I can see that I have grown so much since I am in the word and I am not as bad about that as I used to be.
Would you want to be in Joseph’s type of situation today? At the moment, no, because I do not think that I am strong enough spiritually to handle that situation. Things would not have turned out the way they did for Joseph, for me.
Keysha
======= Bill:
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:
“ Okay, back to all of my fretting above about if I was given all that Joseph was given by the Pharaoh in today’s readings…
What are your thoughts on this – if you were given all of these things, would it inflate your ego possibly? Would you possibly forget about God?… I’m just wondering if even today in our modern world if we need to be careful about being tempted by too much wealth or power or pride, etc.? But then I also wonder if sometimes God elevates us to important positions, like Joseph, so that we may be a blessing to many? …Would you want to be in Joseph’s type of situation today? Think you could handle it? …”
I would like to think that my head wouldn’t get puffed up if given power and riches in this world but I honestly don’t know. Only God knows my heart. If it was going to do that to me then I wouldn’t want it. Wealth and power can become a snare. It can corrupt you and turn you into a cruel oppressor. Of course, there is the other side of the coin. You can be also greatly used of God in that position if your heart is in the right place regarding wealth and power. If it came to me I might be somewhat scared, especially if other people’s lives depended upon my actions, because with that also comes awesome responsibility before God.
“Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.”
– Psalm 26:10 ( KJV )
GENESIS 41:17-42:17
Yes, clearly some dreams are prophetic and come from God ( 41:25, 32 ). That God’s people would have such dreams in the last days was first foretold in Joel 2:28-29 and was partially fulfilled at Pentecost. Evidently we are still living in the last days and we are much closer to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ than ever before. It should not surprise us if this didn’t become more common in the Church as we move closer to the end of the age. We will then need spiritual discernment to know which dreams are of God and which come from prognosticators who perhaps dabble in occultic practices.
“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass IN THE LAST DAYS, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall DREAM DREAMS: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:”
– Acts 2:16-18 ( KJV )
MATTHEW 13:24-46
Jesus taught his disciples several parables in this passage. The Parable of The Wheat and Tares ( vv. 24-30, 36-43 ) teaches us that Satan also has his people ( the tares ) among true believers ( the wheat ) in the Church. These are the “false brethren” that the Apostle Paul spoke of ( 2 Corinthians 11:26; Galatians 2:4 ). The Parable of The Mustard Seed ( 31:32 ) speaks of the “birds of the air” ( 13:32 ) which I interpret as being the same “fowls” in the Parable of The Seed and The Sower ( 13:3-9 ) which are symbolic of Satan coming and snatching away the seeds of the Word of God sown in the hearts of people ( 13:19 ). In the Parable of The Mustard Seed we see these evil birds, or demons, making their homes in the churches. They are found in all “branches” ( 13:32 ) or denominations of Christianity. In the end times we find that they have pretty much taken over whatever is left of Christianity which by this time will have become “a cage of every unclean and hateful bird “ ( Revelation 18:2 ) after the true Church is taken home to be with the Lord. Likewise the Parable of The Leaven ( 13:33 ) warns us of apostasy, false doctrines and tolerance of sin in the Church. As Jesus once admonished His disciples: “ Take heed and beware of the LEAVEN of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees “ – Matthew 16:6 ( KJV )
“ A little LEAVEN leaveneth the whole lump.”
– Galatians 5:9 ( KJV )
PSALM 18:1-15
There are couple of great verses concerning prayer in this passage and promises we can cling to in time of trouble and distress ( vv. 3, 6 ). The Scripture goes on to describe the lengths to which God will go to deliver us from our enemies if it so be His will ( vv. 7-15 ).
PROVERBS 4:1-6
It is so important for fathers to take the responsibility of being the spiritual head of their households and to teach their children the Word of the Lord.
Bill
======= Gina:
I just have to ask first…is that you coming out of that computer monitor???? LOL!!! :0)
Ok – Joseph and his position. I really don’t know if I could be as humble as Joseph if I were him. God is really dealing wtih me in the area of my ego and pride, has been for a while. I would never forget about God though – it’s not material stuff for me, it’s recognition. I seem to need that affirmation from others…although I’m getting better – praise God! He’s really revealing stuff to me and helping me realize that all I need is HIM, not the praise of man.
In Matthew I liked 13:30 “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.” – reminding us that we have to live together with non-believers, being a light to them as much as we can. We should not confine ourselves to just our christian friends, we need to get out of our comfort zone.
Yes, I tell God that I love Him…but probably not enough. I think though that we can show him we love him too, by our actions.
Gina
======= Brad:
Genesis41:39
“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders.’”
—-
Joseph is promoted to second in command of Egypt because Joseph is wise. This is in accord with the teachings in Proverbs about wisdom’s great value (“For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.” Proverbs 8:11)
__________________________________
Matthew 13:44
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
—-
I gave up my old life, people around me, and possessions for God and His kingdom. Some of these people are now back in my life–6 years later–others are not.
__________________________________
I do not often make the connection while reading Proverbs that Solomon’s father was David. I think again of the Psalm in which David pleas for the sins of a man to be visited upon his household. I recall that the children of a sinful man can be cursed by God. We will see Solomon become the wisest man who ever lived–the son of one of the wisest men to live–and we hear David’s voice instructing Solomon in the Proverbs.
Brad
======= Laverne:
Dreams –
When I was much younger I use to dream the same confusing dream all the time. It was almost a dream in a dream, a circle above my head while. Anytime I would rest on my mother’s sofa the dream would come. The face was distorted wrinkled and unfriendly. It wasn’t until I began to live differently did those dreams go away and the chaos was replaced with peaceful nights & better days.
Pondering: I know this might sound silly, but in many of these pictures and others I’ve seen depicting the artist biblical interpretations of events/customs I see dogs; and was wondering I can’t recall reading about dogs in the bible – I wonder why?
Chapter 37;23 – 25, please explain to me how in your heart you plot to kill your brother, then the plan is interupted by another sibling instead of killing him let’s throw him in a resorvoir. How do you then SIT DOWN TO EAT??? And we think we are harsh – smile. I love my kin folk
Chapter 38; Mike I MUST say I believe judgement should be left to God. It is not ours to judge anothers sin. In the O.T our Lord is consistantly called the Judge.
Matthew: Further study on my part is needed, but I also need clarity and my commentary is not helping:
v:32: Anyone who speaks a word against the son of man will be forgiven, but not if you speak against the Holy Spirit? My commentary says something about its the greatest sin b/c the Holy Spirit brings the offer of salvation to the heart of man. To reject Him, is to act
“presumptously” and thus to “blaspheme” God. Ohh never mind I get it I guess it took me typing what my commentary says. Here is what I gather, not to reduce the gift of salvation, but for my purposes; salvation its like I bake you a cake, take it to a neighbor who just moved in next door and she rejects my cake right?? Wow yes feed my mind!!
Does reading the Bible make you a calmer person or more grounded person if you read in the morning?
—————————
There is a verse in a Donald Lawrence song titled These Nails” that goes like this: Right after I first believed,
the cross followed me, yes, it did.
And right after I first received,
the cross followed me, I know it did. For Christ has nailed my hands,
and Christ has nailed my feet,
I’m crucified with Christ and these nails keep holding me. I love that song because had it not been for my nails I would have done some things. So to answer your question, I am definitely more calmer, and grounded because of these nails in my hands.
Laverne
======= Matt:
Mike,
I’ve heard it said that power corrupts, and absolute power, absolutely corrupts. I personally believe that Joseph went through all of these trials and sufferings in order to prepare him to be in this place of power. I happen to think that his two “extra” years in prison were again to show that it is God who puts one up and puts another down. If he had been released from prison on basis of his request, it would have been the strength of the flesh, and I think that he still needed to learn that promotion does not come from the east, west or south but from God for he put one up and puts another down. It must have been frustrating sitting in that prison when you no that you did not wrong, yet what amazes me the most is Joseph attitude. He didn’t get bitter but served the Lord to the best of his abilities while in that place.
I’ve also heard a sermon by Jack Deere called the price of power, in which he stated that God will destroy a man before he will use him. He will break him down until he realizes that it is God who works in both to will and do of His good pleasure and not himself. I myself, have been through many struggles and God is still working on me. Could I handle this kind of power if God gave it too me. I hope so. I focus on serving and not thinking about position but mainly to serve others around me to be a blessing and glorify the name of Christ.
Matt
======= Wes:
Mike,
I like to think that I could handle that position, but I also know that is such a large jump from where I am now, that there are probably flaws in my character, and a deepness of the Kingdom not yet revealed in me, that would keep me from success at that level. Too big a jump from where I’m at now, so even though I like to thikn I could handle it well, I probably would not.
Joseph endured incredible humbling hardships and testing before he was ready. I wrote about this today here ( http://adjix.com/ctiv )
It’s really great to find your blog. I was searching for a picture of Pharaoh and you use them so well in addition to providing great content. I borrowed your picture and credited your site, I hope that is ok.
Another interesting thing about finding your blog is that I’ve recently starting moving through matthew in a vaguely similar although much smaller way. thanks for your great content.
Wes
======== Raenn:
If I had been given ALL that Joseph was given it would have gone to my head. At first it horrified me to read what Josephs brothers did to him in the fields, then I realized that if GOD using his brothers as his instruments had NOT sent Joseph to Eygpt then God would have had no way to save Israel from the forth coming famine. EVERYTHING GOD does has a purpose or reason.
Raenn
====== Debbie:
What caught my attention about the story of Joseph and Pharaoh was that Pharaoh found a man that he could give that much authority to and know that he could trust Joseph to lead well. I am a co-founder of a small non-profit organization and how much I would like a Joseph to lead the ministry.
Debbie
======= Frederick:
Re: Joseph and John’s comments on yesterday
Joseph became the second in command in Egypt when he was 30. This gives us some clues why God allowed Joseph to be in prison for that ‘long’. God knew that Joseph had the potential and ability to be the second in command in Egypt. But we may reflect from our own development. It may be a disaster to let a person who is well built, handsome and full of ability and knowledge to be the second in charge of a nation. Unless that person is humble and respect God, he/she will fall in Satan’s temptations. God is actually crushing and re-shaping Joseph so that in her 30s, he had learnt the ‘foundation’ course from God.
A bit of side-tracking, thinking of the first two Kings of Israel–Saul and David. Saul was anointed and became the first King of Israel. Burt Saul failed soon.
As for David, he went through a long period of hardship (training from God) before he became the second King of Israel. David was also 30 when he became King. So, be patient when you are under God’s training.
(What a coincidence! Joseph became the second in charge when he was 30. David became king when he was 30. Jesus started his mission in public when he was 30. God has His timing.)
Frederick
======= John:
Frederick
Outstanding! Great observation.
I don’t know if you think we are differ on Joseph’s time in prison. I do not. My post is a micro position, your idea is a macro view. I pointed out an example – what Joseph said regarding how the dreams would be interpreted in prison. You presented a picture of overall development of which my point is just a part. Good job!
Also remenber the priests from the tribe of Levi could not begin priesthood until they were 30. (Jesus is our High priest.)
John
======= Rita:
In this certain period of my life, the Lord is teaching me humility and faith. humility in the aspect of letting go of myself–all me plans, expectations and dreams, and faith in the aspect of allowing God to move in the ministry..i don’t have to double time my efforts, it’s about just doing what i intend to do which may sound easy but definitely difficult! i can relate with Joseph being given a great responsibility..will i allow those responsibility to develop a pride in my heart or will i handle it with humility and faith that Christ is the One moving not me, He is Sovereign and faithful and i am just an instrument, a steward? i think i still cannot handle a great responsibility such of Joseph..because with what i have right not as a missionary, i’m still in the learning process..but i’m looking forward for that certain position in my life..for i know that if the Lord has sntrusted to me a very big responsibility,His grace is far more greater to sustain me! Godbless everyone!I LOVE YOU GOD! I LOVE YOU JESUS CHRIST!AMEN
Rita
======= David:
This part of of Joseph’s story shows that Joseph is not perfect. His happiness and anger of being reunited with his family shows all too well of how human he is. Those of us who have ever gone through family struggles will know that the hardest to forgive are the own members of one’s family as well as the greatest source of joy! Joseph lack of perfection makes me relate to the story more, that an ordinary Joe like Joseph could overcome temptation and struggles to walk with God, in poverty and riches. The guy is a great example to follow. Obviously he is a great leader. The question is, do we have what it takes?
David
======= Phillip:
An interesting question in deed Mike. I would suspect that even in that day there were people, Egyptians and Israelites, that didn’t think Joseph deserved to be placed in such high authority. This always happens in any leadership role. Those jealous or envious of the ‘power’ always look for ways to tear down others. I know for my self that God has promoted me over the last several years in my job not because of what I’ve done, but because of what he has done through me. As God blesses us with more, because he does want us to prosper, there will always be that temptation, like the rich young ruler, to hold on to what we think it ours when in fact we are just stewards of the blessings, gifts and talents that the Lord has provided for us.
My prayer is to continue to stay in the word and remain humble. A disciple of Christ should be known for Stewardship, Student of the Word, Serving of others, a Saint and most important a Soul Winner!
Phillip
======= Dee:
Wow, Mike, I, like the rest don’t know if I could fit into Joseph’s shoes back in those days or remain humble and strong amongst the circumstances he dealt with on the fact of being sold and taken from family and sold into slavery, then being a servant in the household of Potipher, then unjustly after 11 yesars being imprisoned and abandoned by “others” supposed friends and colleagues for 2 years to later be redeemed and 2nd in command of governor over the land of Egypt basically, very powerful!!I am studying a book with my life group coming up this week entitled, Why you act the way you do: by Tim Lahaye. It talks about temperament, and how the way you act and behave is related to all these different characteristics of temperament and how to look from outside in and reveal some things about yourself and maybe not elliminate all of your weaknesses, but definitely work on building stronger characteristics and improving the attitude and temperament to become a better you. I think until we re evaluate ourselves and realize we are sinners and nothing with out Christ, then we will constantly be suspended by the “thorn in our flesh”. Just like Paul, he said, the thing I don’t want to do, I do, and the thing I want to do, I don’t do. Lord, help us to continually crucify the flesh and look to you with our mind, body and soul!! Thank You Jesus!
Dee
======= Michelle:
Mike,
The question is pertinent to our lives today.
Many years ago I was travelling in my car when a thought popped into my head about winning the Lotto. A question formed ‘would God ever give me that?’ and almost immediately the answer ‘no because you would not be faithful to God, you would no longer ‘need’ Him’.
Obviously there is a lot more to it than that, but I really believe that if you had so much power, money by the bucketful the temptation to put God on the ‘back burner’ would be huge. Even if you had been raised in church, unless you have the wisdom to go with the power and wealth, it might destroy you and your walk with God.
Ramona, you are correct when you say that you need to have learned as a servant (not a slave) to be able to lead people with the graciousness given through understanding and compassion.
God bless,
Michelle
======= Tammy:
Mike,
I completely agree with your thinking on this subject. I have always tried to figure out how even the great ministers, christian musicians, etc. stay connected with God and how they stay humbled when so many people are following what they say/sing and even want their autographs. Some of them seem to never lose that connection with God but I have seen at least one that I think lost that closeness because of their position and when I saw that person I can’t explain it but God impressed me to pray for them and I still pray for them at times today. I personally have prayed to God at times to not give me positions even in my local church if it would affect my relationship with Him. If the position would go to my head then I don’t want it. I would rather stay just a prayer warrior on the sidelines than to have a position that made me think I was something great! I rather give God all the Glory!
As for your thought about being a Billionaire – I loved it. So now I know I am a billionaire too. (I always knew I was a princess because my Father is the King of Kings.)
Tammy
======= Frederick:
2 Chronicles 32:24-25
24 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the LORD, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. 25 But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the LORD’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.
Pride is the first of the seven deadly sins. As written in 2 Chronicles, Hezekiah was proud in his heart after God heard his prayer to heal him. Hence, God had His plan of punishing Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a good king. And yet, he received a great sign from God when he prayed to God to heal him. The moment he was at his ‘high point’, he fell.
I agree with you that we need to keep reminding that we use God’s gifts on us with humility. It is good to have spiritual gifts and use them to serve others. But it must be used with humility and let others see the glory of God instead of us.
I can share with you with one of my experience. I taught adult Sunday bible school last year. At one point of time, I spent a lot of time preparing for the bible class. My wife asked me why I spent so much time in preparing the materials. I replied to her that I felt that my Sunday bible class partner gave a very good class last Sunday. My wife pointed to my ‘pride’. She remarked that I was in a spirit of competition and had a ‘showing off’ attitude. I knew that I was not serving with humility. Instead, I was running ‘my show’.
Frederick
======= Jeff:
The five parables conveyed an interesting big picture message to me today:
Some of us will gain the Kingdom of Heaven and some will not (the wheat and tares parable); and Heaven is available to all humankind — both men (the mustard seed parable) and women (the leaven parable); and Heaven is priceless (treasure in the field and pearls parables).
However, if I’m honest with myself, I’d answer Mike’s question: “Are you willing to give up absolutely everything to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven?” Unfortunately, my answer would be “No, I’m not there yet.” But I know I need to work toward that end. I have a lot of pray about here. A long way to go. But I’m willing to try.
Jeff
======= Beverly:
Was given a position of power after 17 years of working under stress. Makes sense now, I guess going through the slave job made me the kind of person needed to do the power job. Was pushed into the job and took it to take care of the business and the people who work there. Not as glamorous as you might think or as easy but someone else might have ruined all that we worked for. As far as giving up everything for the Kingdom of God I certainly hope I could since it all will be gone except the Kingdom one day. I start my day with thanks for all I have been given and telling God how I love Him. I thought for a long time that when I accepted Jesus that everything would be done like magic. Was kind of worried that it didn’t “take”. Good to know that I am a work in progress and I still have a lot of learning and work to do. Many blessings.
Beverly
======= Patricia:
Regarding the parables of the pearl, again great thoughts and I agree regarding the value of my salvation, but I can’t help but also consider the notes in the KJV Scofield Reference Edition.
Scofield suggests that the hidden treasure is the Jewish nation who Jesus will restore, and that the pearl of great price is the church for which He gave up the riches of heaven. This makes me a pearl of great price in the eyes of Jesus and my heavenly Father, and that too is of great value to me.
Patricia
======= Joe:
The story of Joseph has been inspirational for me. It goes to show the adversity leaders faced and how they grew out of it, from the bible and even in today’s times. I have never had the opportunity to serve in a leadership position, and have prayed for years to do so. Instead, I have been a subordinate to many poor leaders. I have asked god for years why I get put in these positions. It almost seems that the leaders I have worked for have put their thumb on me out of intimidation or insecurity of their jobs. For many years I thought it was just me, but then when I have left, all the other employees I worked with left as well. The sense I get in my prayers and that the lord is trying to show me is that to be a good leader, I need to first be a good leader in my family, and in the job I have. I need to ask myself what do I want out of my boss and do that for him. It has been a humbling experience. I think Joseph also had a humbling experience and God was for sure at work in his life and I know he is mine. I love your blog
Joe
======= Bob:
I saw an interview Billy Graham once gave in regard to being a close friend to President Richard Nixon. He noticed the changes that took place over the years in Richard Nixon as he became more withdrawn, isolated and I believe he called it a spiritual transformation for the worse. We all saw the results of a great leader that fell from grace and had to live with his mistakes afterwards. The Joseph story is a great story for any leader to reflect upon.
Bob
======= Jill:
I love your analogy of watering the mustard seed inside of me. We have to cultivate the seed that God puts in our heart. The mustard seed that is my faith. My faith is growing! Slowly but surely. I believe God transforms us in the process. T he joy that comes from serving and blessing others far outweighs any problems we deal with. I think of the kingdom of God like daily living. And you ask if we would trade that for money. Nothing compares with knowing we have an eternal home in heaven. Who would trade that?
Jill
======= Robert:
Genesis: Joseph
It was great today at the breakfast table, my 15 year old son asked what I was reading in the Bible and I got to tell him the Joseph story. This was a lot harder than I figured because I had to recall what I had read and add my own comments and questions for him.
I really think these biblical stories were designed to be discussed and make us think about how we live our lives. Thank God for Sunday School teachers because that is a wonderful place to present them. It was nice to see my son had remembered many parts of the story and could engage with me about things like sibling rivalry, jail time, dreams, famines, God’s provision, being rich and reconciliation.
Robert
======= Mitch:
Everything that had happened to Joseph good or bad (by our standards) brought him to the place of second in command. God’s ways are complex.
Will Joseph be affected by power given to him. Agree with Ramona for a different reason. Alluded to it yesterday. Pride was being wrung out of him by extra stay (2 years) in prison. You can see the change in Joseph when you look at how often he mentions God in interpretation of dreams: once when interpreting cup beater and baker, and five times when explaining to Pharaoh. His attitude had changed – to God goes the glory!
Parables: I understand the conventional explanations of parables. Can see another interpretation.
– wheat and weeds is as Jesus explained
– kingdom of heaven on earth is the church. Mustard tree is church with many denominations and within will be evil (birds)
– Matthew writes to Jews – leaven is always sin – the church can be puffed up by sin.
– treasure in fields and Pearls are Israel and Gentiles respectively. (Pearls were way more valued by Gentiles rather than Jews) Jesus is the locator and He gives all for us.
– No matter how it all unfolds – it will be made right in the end when the wheat is harvested and the weeds are burned.
Mitch
Leave a Reply