Genesis 39; Mark 9
Daily Catechism
QUESTION 13: WHAT IS THE WORK OF CREATION?
Answer: The work of creation is God’s making all things [out] of nothing, by the word of his power and all very good.
Scripture: Genesis 1:1, 31; Hebrews 11:3; Exodus 20:11; Romans 4:17.
Comment: Before creation there was only God in the holy fellow- ship of the Trinity. Therefore his creation is always different from ours: we start with something.
Genesis 39
Ready:
Yesterday I saw how God brought Perez to Judah in an unexpected way and how Judah’s sin was not enough to stop God from delivering on his promises.
Reading thoughts:
After being purchased by his distant cousins (the Ishmaelites) Joseph is sold to an important Egyptian named Potiphar. Joseph has the golden touch here and although God allows some additional hardship and challenges he blesses all that Joseph does and causes his to have favor with all because of God’s clear blessing. Joseph is quickly in charge of all that Potiphar has and he is greatly respected. If it were not for Potiphar’s wife he would have likely continued to run Potiphar’s house for many more years. Joseph is wise and honors God and his master in his dealings with Potiphar’s wife but it still puts him in prison.
Key Verses:
Gen 39:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9, 13-14, 19-20, 21-22
I see the theme as- God’s blessing is upon Joseph regardless of his circumstances and more than that- through his circumstances, though not obvious right away at each turn.
Rumination thoughts:
v1-6. Here Joseph excels in managing Potiphar’s affairs. God seems to gift Joseph in management as he gifted Jacob in sheep breeding. Joseph’s responsibility and honesty and integrity seem to produce great confidence in Potiphar and I take this favor to be God’s intervention as much as any skills that Joseph displays. I get this because verse 5 says the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake, which seems to indicate God intervening himself, not just Joseph being a wise manager.
v7-10. It gets dicey here but Joseph stands upon his convictions and he maintains a fear of God despite his riches and place of honor and responsibility. It seems that Joseph has not lost sight of his God and of righteousness in the midst of such crazy blessings. It might seem that coming out of such a tragic family event and the loss of his family that he might be bitter toward God and that the new environment could have been opportunity for him to despise the God of his father who allowed this all to happen…but no. Of any of the brothers, it seems Joseph knows God and trusts him.
v11-18. Here Potiphar’s wife gets crafty and after failing again and again at getting Joseph to take her offer she finds the chance to blame him for something he didn’t do and this gets him in hot water.
v19-23. After being put in prison for the crime he did not commit, Joseph continue’s to carry God’s blessing and he gains the favor of the prison keeper and soon Joseph is running the prison. It seems that Joseph is bound to be in charge of anything that he gets involved in! God’s hand is supernaturally upon this man, no doubt. The true golden child.
Meaning, Implications, and Significance
1. I hear a message that though someone may fear God and do everything right, God may still have a plan that includes hardship and trials and unfair treatment and scandal. The implication is that right living today does not guarantee the circumstances that I would ask for. God’s blessing can be balled up into what seem to be very bad circumstances. The significance for me is that I can trust God to be at work in the good days and the bad days and whether I am receiving plenty or am in want. God has the power and authority and right to prosper me or to bring suffering and both can be his blessing.
Response:
“Private”
Reaction:
“Private”
Mark 9
Ready:
Yesterday I read Mark’s account of Jesus teaching on his identity and his work of redemption and how we must not be ashamed of (expect to be disappointed or fail to trust in) his name or his words.
Reading thoughts:
I see (and hear) God announcing that the new way he speaks to mankind id by his only begotten Son and we should listen to him as the one who carries the very authority of God just as the law and the prophets did in the Old Testament times. Like Moses going up the mountain to receive the initial revelation from God relating to the law, here Jesus and a couple of the disciples come down the mountain in similar fashion to find the disciples not worshiping a Golden calf but failing to keep unclouded faith in Christ and this hinders their ability to cast out demons with his authority. Probably still stewing over only Peter, James, and John getting to go up the mountain with him, the disciples argue with one another over who is the greatest and Jesus knows this despite their effort to hide it. Using a child and using outsiders who are preaching Jesus, he teaches them that the kingdom is about bringing in new followers and is about advancing the kingdom and not about their status and their following. He warns them that they are to support and build up others and to be at peace with others, not tear them down. Jesus speaks with incredibly extreme examples to make the point of how seriously we are to oppose sin in our lives that would be a hindrance to anyone hearing the message of Christ.
Key Verses:
Mark 9:2-4, 7, 14, 18-19, 23-24, 28-29
I see the theme as- Jesus carries the authority of God and is his now his unique mouthpiece. His followers need keep their focus on him and not upon themselves in order to remain a positive impact in the growing of the kingdom of God.
Rumination thoughts:
v1-8. Here I mostly take the Father announcing that he has completed the time of the OT where he revealed himself by the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah) and that he is now going to reveal himself and his plan of redemption to mankind by his own Son who stands with them in human flesh, similar to Moses and Elijah. This is big and sets Jesus as authoritative and thus whatever he speaks should be taken as the Word of God and could all have been recorded as scripture. Indeed John mentions something like this at the end of his gospel that Jesus did much more than he documented but he couldn’t possibly write it all down.
v9-13. Here the three disciples that went with Jesus (Peter, James, and John) are trying to figure out what Jesus means by telling them to keep quiet about what they saw until he rises from the dead. They are perplexed possibly because they could be picturing the resurrection to be something in the after-life only, at which time the vision they saw on the mountain would not so much matter…I dunno, but they didn’t understand the concept of when it would then be ok to tell the others about what they saw.
v14-29. Here Jesus and the three come down the mountain and find a scene that is not so good (though maybe not as gnarly as what Moses found Aaron and the Israelites up to when he came down from Mount Sinai (Ex 32:7-10). Based on the remainder of his teaching in the context around this and considering the account in Matthew it seems that the disciples may have been focusing on their own authority or influence and “power” and not quite relying on God to exorcise the demon at hand. Jesus ultimately tells them that this kind is only driven out by prayer (some versions add “and fasting” because some manuscripts have it). This could be taken a couple of ways but I think in context the best way to take it is to say that reliance upon God to do the exorcising is the way to make it happen. The fact that the disciples were arguing about who is greatest and sneering at other people doing the Lord’s work makes it pretty clear that they were lifting themselves up and had a pretty high view of themselves. Paul teaches in Romans 12:16 to live in harmony with others and to not think too highly of ourselves.
v30-32. Again Jesus teaches them briefly about what is to come but they don’t understand because they seem to be focused on the earthly scenario and not the bigger idea of the kingdom of God. It could be that it was pride that made them “afraid to ask him” when they didn’t understand his teaching. None wanted to look like less than the other perhaps and they all wanted to wear a mask of greatness and prominence. This can happen to me or anyone today and I need to guard against such mask wearing and be transparent and real and dependent upon God. I must admit what I don’t know and seek understanding from the Lord.
v33-37. Here is their arguing about who is greatest that Jesus pretty well despises. He tells them that to be great is to be a servant and they should be doing the work of mothers and their maids…they should be receiving children and caring for them. This is not seen as a high and lofty job by anyone in this day but Jesus lets them know that this is the mission. To bring people into the kingdom and care for them and grow them up. They are to be about this work and not concerned with thrones and titles and prominence. The path to God is the one that seeks to love those who would seem to be the least important…not seeking out fame and prestige by ministering to the elite who have the power to grant great recognition.
v38-41. Jesus illustrates this further by turning a question they ask against them. They question Jesus on what to do about others who are not in their group (Jesus’ disciples) but are casting out demons in the name of Jesus. Like Paul in Romans who rejoices that the name of Christ is preached even by those that do it out of selfish ambition (Phil 1:17-18), Jesus tells the disciples to not worry about it. It seems within context to see that the disciples were earthly minded and looking at keeping this privilege and authority to themselves, but Jesus tells them that if they are lifting up the name of Jesus then they are surely not against them. There may be many people in this world who are different than me and who are in a different “camp” regarding various disputable teachings and such but we all lift the name of Christ and we are all to live in harmony and to praise God that he works through all of us to accomplish the growth of his kingdom. There is great temptation here to hold an ownership or an authority of my own that Jesus hits on next…
v42-50. I take this teaching to be Jesus making it painfully clear (by hyperbole…aka exaggeration) that we are to make great effort to avoid causing others to sin by our selfish focus on ourselves and our own message when Christ is the salt. We cannot leave a focus on the reliance upon Christ out and expect to have a gospel message for anyone. Christ is what gives life to the gospel and to lead anyone onto sin by getting them focused on us or to make new believers stumble because of our sin is bad news. We are supposed to be drawing people into Christ and not running them off. We will be made thirsty for Christ through trials and hardships and we must keep this reliance upon Christ rather than a trust in ourselves or a concern over our own reputation and name. We should have a thirst and reliance upon Christ, thus making much of his name and not a thirst for my own reputation, living at peace with others without concern that they follow me…let them follow Christ! I relate this to Paul’s teaching on how to remove obstacles of the gospel though how we suffer well and rely on God and rejoice in spite of suffering (2 Cor 6:1-10). The embedded teaching on taking sin seriously and taking extreme measures to avoid it is also an important lesson to draw from this. I am not saved by routing out sin but if I am saved, this supernaturally follows (Romans 6:1-4, Titus 2:11-14, Rom 8:13-14).
Meaning, Implications, and Significance
1. Jesus is God with us and he speaks with the very authority of God and it is the message of his identity and his work of redemption that is to be the focus. Jesus is the aim. Thirst for Jesus is the goal and sometimes this thirst comes by trials and hardship in our lives. The implications then and now is that we must not let sin (like pride) get in the way of the gospel message being received by others. The significance to me is to know that my life will help or hinder the growing of his kingdom based upon my focus and reliance upon Christ that conquers, by drastic measures if needed, my sinful desire for personal recognition and gain and comfort. If I let my life be about thirst for comfort or recognition or gain...how am I pointing people to Jesus? Do I even draw new believers into the same habits? Do I tie a millstone around my neck? Let me thirst O God, let me thirst for your Son alone!!!
Response:
“Private”
Reaction:
“Private”
Soli Deo Gloria!
