February 15

Genesis 48; Luke 1:39-80

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 22: WHAT IS THE SINFULNESS OF THAT CONDITION INTO WHICH ALL MANKIND HAS FALLEN?
Answer: The sinfulness of the condition into which all mankind fell is the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the lack of original righteousness, and the corruption of our whole nature (which is commonly called original sin), together with all actual transgressions which come from this nature.
Scripture: Romans 5:19; 3:10; Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 53:6; Psalm 51:5; Matthew 15:19.

Comment: The Bible says that “in Adam all die” (1 Cor. 15:22) and that “one transgression yields condemnation for all men” (Rom. 5:18) and that “one man’s disobedience made many sinners” (Rom. 5:19). These statements lead us to conclude that God, in a way beyond our comprehension, established a unity between Adam and his posterity which makes it just for us to receive the imputation of his guilt and corruption. He was in some sense our representative head. We sinned in him and fell with him.

Genesis 48

Ready:
Yesterday I saw that Jacob settled in Goshen with his family and they multiplied and gained possessions while the rest of Egypt went into service of Pharaoh and lost their land and pays Pharaoh 1/5 tax on all their crops.

Seeing What’s There:
This chapter is entirely focused on Jacob blessing Joseph’s first two children and adopting them as his own sons so that they become two half-tribes under Joseph and later lists of the tribes in the Bible will leave Joseph out and include one or both of these half-tribes instead.  Though Manasseh was the firstborn, Jacob chooses to place his right hand on Ephraim and therefore gives him the priority of the blessing that he prays over both children in Joseph’s presence.

Theme:
Jacob provides a double blessing to Joseph by adopting two grandsons as full sons and tribal chiefs on par with their uncles.

Thinking About the Message:
    v1-7.  Here Jacob tells Joseph about the day God spoke to him at Luz, which he renamed Bethel.  This was the day that Jacob was promised by God that he was to receive the blessings promised to Abraham and Isaac.  Now Jacob is casting this blessing upon the sons of Joseph who will join Jacob’s other sons in this full degree of blessing as tribes of Israel.  Jacob establishes Joseph as two tribes and thus Joseph receives a double blessing and will eventually mean his family (two tribes instead of one) receives more land.
    v8-21.  Joseph presents his children to Jacob for the blessing with Manasseh to Jacob’s right but then there is drama because Joseph thinks his father errs by crossing his arms during the blessing but Jacob explains that he is purposefully placing his right hand on the younger son since he has decided that he shall bear the primary blessing of the first-born that these boys are assuming ahead of Rueben and Simeon.  Joseph clearly believed that the power of God and the ratification of the blessing by the hand of Jacob come from heaven and so it was a real thing to him where the right hand of his father was placed and it was not trivial.  Prayer and the blessing of a father upon his children is no small thing.
    v22.  Here Jacob seems to consider the land that was emptied by Simeon and Levi avenging their sister against the Hivites at Shechem.  Amorites is commonly used to refer to the inhabitants of Canaan and in this case I believe refers to the Hivites.  I recall that Abraham had purchased this hill but the emptying of the surrounding area must have expanded the property…even though they fled from there for survival from retaliation of surrounding peoples.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    What I take from this is an emphasis on the importance of family.  I take that God has ordained that a father bless his children and set them on a path of fearing the Lord and on fulfilling the promises made to the patriarchs before them.  I see a trust in God and a generational vision that extends far beyond what our culture now considers.  Jacob envisions a great nation (even nations) and so he knows what is riding on these children and the importance of their lives.  Legacy is important and Jacob is here handing a legacy of trusting God to be a covenant keeping God who is almighty and faithful.  The New Testament surely expand this with Jesus’ teaching on family and the fact that our spiritual family is ultimate, but this spiritual family of God all started in the physical family of Abraham.  I take the implication to be that fathers have a privilege and a responsibility to hand their children a blessing by leading them in the direction of honoring God with their lives and living according to God’s purpose, not for selfish ambition or leisure.  The significance for me is that I need to always reflect upon my leading and instructing and loving of my kiddos and I need to ensure that the legacy I am creating is one of trusting God and honoring him in the way we think and act so that our lives are a testament to the glory of God and we function as a telescope to show others the greatness and goodness and beauty of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

Valuing the Message:
This message is valuable to me because we can daily blend in to the American culture around us and be concerned with things that are temporal and will pass away instead of on eternal concerns that are forever and that impact souls.  Capturing the hearts of my kiddos and making my priority in their life seeing them treasure Christ is the only way we will make a gospel impact for generations to come.  This message trumps and must weave itself into every activity and interest that our family has and the importance of a habit of family worship and meals together and discussions and traditions and time alone with dad and spoken prayers and words of encouragement is evident.

Reflecting to Feel the Impact of the Message:
The legacy I hand down is my responsibility and if I am not purposeful in accomplishing it then they will still receive a legacy but it will be watered down and probably not focused on hallowing the name of God.  I need to reflect upon my own heart and how I spend my energy and ensure that I am not letting other things distract me from how I steer my children and pour myself into them.  The generations to follow (come Jesus come) will carry more impact for Christ if I am devoted to this message.  I can’t let Egypt swallow my children.

Questions to ask:

1. Read verse 21.  Why wouldn’t Jacob want Joseph and Ephraim and Manasseh to remain in Egypt where they were excessively wealthy and under the care of Pharaoh?
2. What is the most important thing I focus my children’s attention on?  Financial security and comfort, influence and power, morals and ethics, education and curiosity, strength and teamwork, or a heart for God and a trust in his promises?

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Luke 1:39-80

Ready:
Picking up after Gabriel has foretold the births of Jesus and John the Baptist…

Seeing What’s There:
Mary may have been aware that Elizabeth was pregnant and would have then known of the amazing occurrences and how Zechariah was muted by Gabriel, but now in response to Gabriel’s prodding she heads out to give Elizabeth the news of her own pregnancy and the amazing message she also received from Gabriel.  What jumps out at me from this half of the chapter is:

• Elizabeth blesses Mary at her arrival
• Baby John leaps in the womb when Baby Jesus comes near in Mary’s womb
• Mary rejoices in praise with The Magnificat
• Zechariah honors God and receives his voice back at the naming of his new son
• Zechariah prophesies about John being the prophet of God who will prepare the way
• John the Baptist goes into the wilderness as soon as he is grown and remains there until he begins his public ministry

Theme:
God breaks into humanity to deliver on his promise and to offer help to Israel (his people) who cannot achieve salvation by the law alone.  The point of the law was to motivate a fear of God that brings them to trust in the coming offspring and repent of their sin (obedience of faith).

Thinking About the Message:
    v39-45.  There is a neat bond between Jesus and John from the womb that comes out later when Jesus is baptized by John and then when Jesus declares John to be the man of men.  In the meeting with Elizabeth they both exult and praise the Lord for their amazing blessing and for what God is doing in the world.  They are an amazing part of God breaking into mankind in a mighty way.
    v46-56.  Mary’s song of praise in this passage has three main parts (plus an opening) that are worth considering.  She begins with the personal impact God has had upon her and then considers what he is doing for all those who fear him and finally brings it back around to the fact that this is all part of his keeping his covenant because he is a faithful God who speaks truth.

• God is magnified within her and she rejoices for the reasons in the subsequent verses (verse 46)
• Her innermost emotions and drive is to exalt the Lord and rejoice in what he has done.  This is a worship that comes in spirit and truth.  She is not giving lip service to God here but she is pouring out what is in her heart.  She has three reasons to praise God that she sings to him with joy.

1. God’s grace upon her (verses 47-49)
1. She recognizes that God has put special favor upon her and she knows that she has not merited this honor.  She recognizes that all generations to follow will find blessing from her child and she will forever have been given this gift of being the mother of God.  She recognizes that what God has done in her body is physically impossible and was accomplished by the power of his name in holiness and purity.  Luke 11:27 has an example of a woman noting the blessedness of Mary but Jesus corrects her slightly to indicate that the blessing extends specifically to those who listen to the God who they hear…who have the obedience of faith…those who fear God
2. God’s mercy and power upon those who fear him (verses 50-53)
1. Mary knows that the blessing of God’s mercy is not universal but is upon those who fear him.  Mary understands that there is no universal salvation and she knows that salvation is not for one bloodline but for all who fear the Lord and put their faith in the promised offspring that she has been chosen by God to bear.  Her understanding of the promised offering mentioned at the end of her song makes clear that she recognizes the fruit of her womb to be the very offspring promised to Abraham.  
2. She recognizes God’s omnipotent hand at work to bring this mercy in spite of wickedness and brokenness of this world.  God accomplishes his salvation despite the pride and the opposition to his message in the wicked hearts of mankind.  It is his arm that puts down the proud and raises up the humble.  He gives to those who see their need and not to those who think they offer him a gift.
3. God’s keeping of his covenant with the true children of Abraham (verses 54-55)
1. Mary concludes with the fact that it is this omnipotent God who spoke and who’s Word is true.  In faithfulness to his name, he puts the fear of the Lord in the hearts of his sheep.  Since the grace of God moves in a unilateral covenant with Abraham, God will establish through this child a new and everlasting covenant that purchases the fear of him in his people.  See again Jeremiah 31:33; Jer 32:40, Ezek 36:26-27, Deut 30:6 and it is clear that he does not leave it up to the dead and enslaved to free themselves (Luke 1:54) from the bondage of sin but that he himself grants them what he requires…that they fear the Lord.  The law demands what we cannot accomplish and only condemns.  Grace demands even more but then gives us the very thing it requires.  

   
v57-66.  The whole thing of Zechariah regaining his voice in the moment that he honors God and stands up for God’s intention to name the child John is a tear-jerker.  I can’t imagine Elizabeth not being bowled over with joy and amazement and awe at the power of God and the glory of his name.
    v67-80.  John will prepare the way for the Messiah with a final plea that Israel acknowledge their sin in a correct use of the law (faith in the coming offspring and repentance).  He will announce the arrival of the kingdom of God among us.  John ends up in the desert from an early age.  Unlike other great Biblical figures there is no record of big stumbles by John the Baptist.  His question to Jesus confirming that he is the Messiah is the worst we see of him and even Jesus will declare that John is the greatest human to ever live (I bet there will be a line at his dinner table in heaven!).

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    God broke into mankind to deliver us.  In the end salvation was smoke and mirrors and mercy was unjust unless the offspring came and died.  Salvation was available before Jesus came by the same means as after he came- obedience of faith.  Recall that the obedience of faith is this: Taking God at his word, turning form our sins and trusting that an offspring was coming who would take our sins away for good.  Obeying him because we trust him.  But Israel was in large part failing because they were misusing the law.  They were trusting and boasting in the law as a measuring stick to live up to in order to achieve salvation rather than receive salvation (Rom 9:30-33, Rom 2:23, Rom 3:20-24).  So God broke in to finalize the salvation (Gal 4:4, Eph 1:10) that he had already been applying to OT saints (Luke 2:25-32) and to vindicate his righteousness in having mercy by passing over our sins (Rom 3:25-26).  Mary’s song celebrates this mercy.  The significance to me is that by faith I become an offspring of Abraham (Rom 9:8, Gal 3:29) and a child of God (Rom 8:14-16).

Valuing the Message:
I value this message because it is this very gratitude and awe of God and his work that should motivate a life of worship.  My life should be a reflection of the glory of this mighty God who saves.

Reflecting to Feel the Impact of the Message:
I need to asses my own heart and my motives and what excites me.  

Questions to ask:
Do I have a song in my heart like Mary’s?  Am I excited about what he has done and what he is doing?  Do I seek for God in a way that puts his thoughts and priorities on my mind all day?  Is my trust in my actions or in the persons and work of Jesus?  Do I worship from the heart or from the lips and vocal cords?  Am I bowled over by God’s work or am I busy thinking of my work?

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Soli Deo Gloria!

February 14

Genesis 47; Luke 1:1-38

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 21: INTO WHAT CONDITION DID THE FALL BRING MANKIND?  
Answer: The fall brought mankind into a condition of sin and misery.
Scripture: Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:18-19; 7:18; Isaiah 53:6; 64:6; John 3:6-7; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Corinthians 2:14.

Genesis 47

Ready:
In the previous chapter Jacob has sought after God’s approval to go into Egypt and received a promise that 1. God’s presence would go with them and 2. They would become a great nation there and 3. God would bring them back the promised land of Canaan.

Seeing What’s There:
In this chapter Jacob settles in the land of Goshen and is given provision of food by Joseph, who shrewdly manages the resources of Pharaoh to not only keep the Egyptians alive but Pharaoh becomes the owner of all the land and all the livestock during the remainder of the famine.  The events seem to take place over a period of 17 years.  The following jumps out at me from this chapter:

• Pharaoh put Jacob’s family in charge of his own livestock
• Joseph acquires all the money and livestock and the land of Egypt for Pharaoh
• All of the Egyptian’s come into service of the Pharaoh to survive
• Joseph taxes the people 1/5 of their crops
• Israel gained land (not sold to Pharaoh) and was fruitful and multiplied greatly
• As Jacob perceived death coming, he asks to be carried back to Canaan after he dies

Key Verses:
Gen 47:6, 11-12, 14, 17, 20, 23-24, 27, 30

Theme:
God protects Israel and keeps his promise to multiply them in Egypt even during a great famine.

Thinking About the Message:
    v1-12.  Israel is given land apart from the Egyptians that they can keep for their own and Joseph takes care of them while still living among the Egyptians and managing Egypt.
    v13-26.  Joseph turns Pharaoh into the sole land owner in Egypt (apart from the Egyptian priests) and he ha full control of the people as well, who sell themselves into Pharaoh’s service.
    v27-31.  After 17 years of living in Goshen and multiplying and growing in possessions Jacob prepares for his death.  It seems that God has supernaturally provided for the Israelites that they have not sold their land or their people into Pharaoh’s service and have been preserved in Goshen.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    I take this chapter as a rather simple statement of God blessing Israel in this foreign land and sustaining them and keeping his promise to multiply them.  The implication is that the Israelites are growing in number in this foreign land and there is developing a scenario where Pharaoh has all of the Egyptians in his service, with the exception of the Israelites.  The significance to me at this point is tracking with the story that I know will progress to Israel eventually being brought under the bondage and service of Pharaoh after another generation forgets Joseph and all he did to save Egypt.  Like the Jesus’ church on earth, the nation of Israel will grow and come into maturity in a foreign land before God brings them into the promised land.

Valuing the Message:
I value the fact that God maintains his people and seems to be working toward the fulfillment of making them a great nation here.

Reflecting to Feel the Impact of the Message:
I see this as the first 17 of a total of 430 years that Israel will live in Egypt and what begins as 70 people will leave Egypt, by way of the dry ground under the Red Sea as 600,000 men with their women and children after them!

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Luke 1:1-38

Ready:
Luke was a Gentile and a physician to Paul.  His account was acquired through eyewitness testimony and written documents.  He also authored the book of Acts.  He probably wrote this gospel account in the early 60s AD intended to an audience of Gentile Christians.  Luke wrote after Mark and was familiar with his account.  Luke’s account is more detailed and thorough than the others in some ways.  He includes parables and accounts that only exist in his record.  He has a very extended account of Jesus’ travels to Jerusalem (10 chapters long compared to 1 in Mark).  Luke seeks to give Theophilus and all new converts "reason for the hope that is within them” by showing that God indeed revealed himself in Jesus of Nazareth.  The over-arching structure in Luke is the fulfillment of God’s plan.  Luke 19:10 can be claimed as the thematic verse “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.”  Luke uses the words “salvation" and “savior" more than any other book in the Bible.  Luke focuses on the Gentiles as the recipients of salvation.  Luke presents Jesus plainly as having great concern for the outcasts of society.  Generally a biography of the life of Jesus, Luke has a broader range of literary sub-genres than the other gospels and Luke is the most descriptive.

The main structural sections of the book are as follows:

I.    The Prologue (1:1–4)
II.   The Infancy Narrative (1:5–2:52)
III.  Preparation for the Ministry of Jesus (3:1–4:15)
IV.  The Ministry of Jesus in Galilee (4:16–9:50)
V.   The Journey to Jerusalem (9:51–19:27)
VI.  The Suffering and Death of Jesus (22:1–23:56)
VII. The Resurrection of Jesus (24:1–53)

Seeing What’s There:
Luke begins with the accounts of the angel Gabriel revealing God’s plans to two families in the Tribe of Judah.  Gabriel has good news for Zechariah and Elizabeth and then 6 months later for Joseph and Mary.  What jumps out at me in this chapter is:

• Only a few angels are named in the Bible and this angel brings news of both births.
• Zechariah has a response of unbelief that results in God making him mute until the birth of John
• Mary has a response of belief and she declares herself a bondservant of the Lord

Thinking About the Message:
    v1-4.  Luke explains that he has compiled this account from various sources and that he himself was not a witness.  Like Mark, this gospel account is not first-hand but is the inspired Word of God. Luke writes so that Theophilus and other believers will be assured of the truth of what they have been taught concerning Jesus.  It is as if Luke is and investigative reporter searching out all the evidence he can to confirm Mark’s gospel record and all that the Apostles were teaching.
    v5-25.  A very interesting account of Gabriel revealing God’s plans to Elizabeth and Zechariah.  Zechariah does not believe the angel and inquires about how the is could be so from a heart level of distrust.  His question to Gabriel is not much different in grammar than Mary’s but his heart and the meaning of his question is very different.  Gabriel reacts with a strong statement that shames Zechariah and puts him in his place as a recipient of a message from Almighty God who should receive with gratitude this revelation.  John is filled with the Holy Spirit while still in the womb of Elizabeth and he clearly has a very unique role to fulfill from day one.
    v26-38.  Now Mary is visited by Gabriel and though she too asks a similar question as Zechariah did, it becomes clear that she was asking in amazement of wondering how this thing that she believed would come to be.  I see it like “Wow, you are kidding me!  That is incredible, so how in the world is this going to happen?”  Her heart is revealed in Luke 1:38 by Mary’s response and also in Luke 1:45 by the words of Elizabeth.  So Mary is betrothed or “engaged to be married" to Joseph (a descendant of King David) and she is yet a virgin.  Gabriel explains to her that the Holy Spirit will accomplish the impossible by creating a human body within her (Heb 10:5) that the eternal Son of God will abide in and he will be holy (no sin carried down from the seed of Adam because there is no human “seed” involved).  Thus Jesus will be born with a human body and soul but without sin (Heb 4:15, 1 Pet 1:22) and not enslaved to sin like the rest of mankind (Rom 6:6) who are born as children of wrath (Eph 2:3).  Only Adam and Eve had known this kind of free-will (prior to their fall) that allowed them to "not sin" before now (Rom 5:14).

Valuing the Message:
Out of time…


Reflecting to Feel the Impact of the Message:
No time…


Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Soli Deo Gloria!

February 13

Genesis 46; Mark 16

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 20: DID ALL MANKIND FALL IN ADAM’S FIRST SIN?
Answer: All mankind, descending from Adam by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first sin.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Romans 5:12, 18-19.  

Comment: God considered all mankind as being in Adam so that when Adam went bad we all went bad in him. The nature that we have by virtue of belonging to Adam’s race is morally corrupt. We are under the wrath of God “by nature” (Ephesians 2:3) from the time we were conceived in the womb. This is why conversion and salvation must be much more than a “decision” for Christ. It must be a new creation, a rebirth, an exchange of hearts.

Genesis 46

Ready:
In the previous chapter Joseph broke down and revealed himself to his brothers and then invited them to go and bring back Jacob and all of Israel.  The Pharaoh gave a bunch of food and wagons and all that would be needed to move the seventy people or so that were to come to Egypt.

Seeing What’s There:
Jacob and Joseph are reunited in this chapter.  The following things jumped out at me in this chapter:

• Jacob makes a pit-stop in Beersheba to sacrifice to God and seek guidance
• Moses gives a detailed listing of the sons of Jacob’s children
• Jacob and Joseph have an emotional reunion
• Joseph explains to Jacob that the Egyptians despise shepherds and that this will actually guarantee that they receive the land of Goshen since it is apart from most of civilized Egypt

Key Verses:
Gen 46:1-4, 5, 26-27, 29-30, 33-34

Theme:
With the blessing of God, the entire nation of Israel enters Egypt and settles in a fertile but isolated land apart from Egyptian society.

Thinking About the Message:
    v1-7.  I see Jacob here honoring his God and seeking to ensure that this trip to Egypt is indeed the right thing to do.  It makes sense since God had promised Canaan to them and now he was looking to leave Canaan behind.  It is here in Beersheba that God now promises to not only make him a great nation in Egypt but he also promises that his presence will be with them there and that he will bring him back to Canaan.  This promise was that God would bring them back and this is key.  It will not be in their power to return, but it will require God’s intervention.  This important blessing of approval will eventually require Moses to come along and at great cost to the Egyptians, Israel will depart from Egypt.  So with God’s blessing, Jacob heads off from Beersheba into Egypt.
    v8-27.  This whole section mainly serves to show me that the entire nation came into Egypt and that they were only 70 people in total at this point.  The promise of God at Beersheba, however, is that in Egypt they will become great.
    v28-34.  Jacob and Joseph have a warm reunion here and the patriarch is now content to die…though not quite yet.  Joseph explains to Jacob that he will go and advise Pharaoh that they have arrived in Goshen and to make sure Pharaoh knows their occupation.  Joseph explains that they Egyptians despise shepherds for some religious reason and that this is what will guarantee that they indeed receive the land of Goshen because it is remote from the civilized areas of Egypt and they will therefore be able to exist apart from the God-less culture of the Egyptians.  The wording is odd and a bit hard to follow but in the end Joseph himself uses the term shepherd with Pharaoh and so do the brothers in the next chapter so I don’t take it that Joseph is advising any deception.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    I take this to be a huge shift in the storyline because the promised offspring (plural) and the whole nation are now leaving the very land that was promised to them.  This requires explanation and Moses offers it to us by God’s interaction with Jacob at Beersheba.  So God has chosen to multiply the people of Israel outside of Canaan and will himself bring them back once they have become a great nation.  In Gen 37:10-11 Jacob considered Joseph’s dream that included him coming to Joseph and bowing down as well and although he rebuked Joseph for sharing this dream Moses records that Jacob “kept the saying in mind”.  I would imagine that this was still in his mind and probably helped him make the decision to pack-up and head to Beersheba for confirmation from God.
    1.   They are to trust God despite what seems like a crazy detour.  The implication is that God clearly plans for detours and less than obvious ways of fulfilling his will in the life of his people.  The significance for my life is that I can trust that detours and challenges and things that seem like an obstruction or hindrance to God’s blessing in my life may indeed be the fulfillment of his blessing in my life.  I can interpret my circumstances not on their merit alone but with the understanding that Almighty God has me in his hand.
    2.  Jacob sought God’s approval and blessing upon this major decision and change in their life and God indeed provides blessing and confidence to Jacob that it is right to go.  The implication is that I would do well to seek God’s approval for major decisions in my life especially when I am unsure of the thing being honoring to God.  The significance in my life is that I now have God’s Word and I should regularly consider what his Word tells me in relation to the decisions I make in life to ensure that I am always honoring him in my choices and actions rather than choosing for my own selfish interest.  I should also take these decision to God in prayer and ask that he might give me guidance and peace.

Valuing the Message:
This message is valuable to me because it is very practical and there will surely be detours from what I think is God’s plan.  The value of making a life habit to go to the Bible for direction is huge.  This lesson can make the difference between me honoring God with my life or just offering him lip service.

Reflecting to Feel the Impact of the Message:
I need to reflect upon my habits of decision making and think about how I usually make decisions.  Am I just looking for the most comfortable solution?  Am I looking for the most financially beneficial?  Am I thinking about the mission of the gospel and how it is advanced or not with my decision?  Am I giving God the last say in what I will consider appropriate in my life or do I reserve that to myself?

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Mark 16

I will catch up soon :)

Soli Deo Gloria! 

February 12

Genesis 45; Mark 15

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 19: WHAT WAS THE SIN WHEREBY OUR FIRST PARENTS FELL FROM THE ESTATE WHEREIN THEY WERE CREATED?
Answer: The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit
Scripture: Genesis 3:6, 12, 13.

Genesis 45

Ready:
Picking up at the conclusion of Judah’s plea for mercy before Joseph after discovering the allegedly stolen cup in Benjamin’s bag.

Seeing What’s There:
To me this is a highlight of the Bible and a story that is impossible to read without tears.  The things that jump out at me in this chapter are:

• Joseph’s joy and loving reception of his brothers who were so wicked to him many years earlier
• Joseph’s perception that his brother’s sinful actions were ordained by God for a purpose
• The bond between Joseph and Benjamin that 20 years cannot hinder
• Pharaoh commits a great deal of resources to bring all of Jacob’s family to Egypt and offers them the best land
• Jacob’s joy over a son resurrected by his Almighty God who can do more than we can ever ask or think

Theme:
The Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can bring the dead to life, can restore dead relationships, and can use mankind’s worst sins to accomplish his great purposes in his people's lives and across this earth.

Thinking About the Message:
    v1-15.  This emotionally charged passage includes Joseph forgiving his brothers on account of the fact that what happened to him, though the immediate result of their terrible sin, was actually purposed by God in order to accomplish God’s greater purpose across the earth and in the family of Jacob.  Does this sound like the promise to Abraham in Gen 12:1-3 (great name, blessing to all the families of earth)?  I take it that God’s great story and the purposes that he has in this universe will be orchestrated to display his glory by his accomplishing it despite our sin and rebellion against it.
    v16-24.  The brothers are sent with amazing provisions and resources to help get the entire family back to Egypt.  Moses adding the statement of Joseph to his brothers that they should not quarrel along the way is a nice touch to remind us that this is not a made up story but a real account of a real family and these brothers were sure to have quite the conversation on the journey as they reconsider the last 20+ years of their lives.      v25-28.  Jacob was trusting God but still human he was weak in spirit and sorrowful over his lost children and who knows what he was thinking regarding God’s claim to have already made a great nation out of Abraham.  Was he utterly confused as he sat there looking at his grandchildren wondering if this was how it was supposed to go down?  Is he supposed to lose all his children and now the grandchildren take it from here?  God blows him away by, in his mind, resurrecting Joseph and providing abundantly for him and his entire household.  Jacob seems now ready to die like old Simeon who was ready to go once he saw baby Jesus.  Off they go to Egypt.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    I take the main meaning of this chapter to be that God does not simply redeem our sinful actions and turn it into some good but he plans ahead of time that he will accomplish his purposes through the sin that he knows will happen.  I see this not as God reacting but acting.  Joseph did not say “you sent me here but God found a great use for it”.  He said basically, “You did not send me here, God did.  God sent me before you for a purpose.”  This is quite different than "chaos from your sin hindered the plan of God but he recovered by bringing something unplanned but good from it.”  The implication is that even heinous sins and injustice and suffering in this life are not without purpose and meaning.  This includes the smallest imaginable circumstances like the falling of a sparrow from the sky and the hair falling from my head (Matt 10:29-30).  The significance for me is that I can trust Almighty God to have all things under control and therefore there is true cause to rejoice in suffering (Rom 5:3, Col 1:24) and the be thankful in all circumstances (Eph 5:20) since I know that absolutely each and every one of them is under the sovereign reign of my loving Father who puts his omnipotent goodness to work (Eph 1:19) for my good with all his heart and soul (Jer 32:41).  This knowledge is what Paul wants me to have when he prays in Ephesians 1:16-23 and this is how I can have peace beyond understanding (Phil 4:7) when I give God my cares.

Valuing the Message:
This message redeems all the “bad" things in my life.  This message should have amazing significance if I understand the level of care that God takes in the smallest and biggest things that happen to me.  I need to decide if indeed I take God to be exercising what seems to be a complete reign over all things or if I believe that he resists holding this kind of control for some other purpose.  Many take both sides on this but I see this text today motivating my assertion that God Almighty rules his creation and accomplishes his purposes.  

Reflecting to Feel the Impact of the Message:
Reflecting on this message I would need to reinterpret all the circumstances that I ever faced (like the brothers on the road back to Canaan who Joseph warned not to quarrel).  I think God calls me to transform my thinking and come to a realization that he promises to do me good (Jer 32:41) and to work all things out for good (Rom 8:28) and to accomplish all his purposes (Is 46:10) and to work all things according to the counsel of his will (Eph 1:11) because he actually does this with intentionality and because he is indeed exercising sovereign rule over all things.  This would change how I relate horizontally with others who hurt me.  It would give me a different response to the guy cutting me off on the road or the guy swindling me out of my cash or the drunk driver.  Knowing that all responsibility remains on the wrong doer and that I am to do justice and love mercy I know that fighting for justice and peace is right but I can do so without fear that evil runs out of control and actually threatens the very purposes of God in my life or in this world.  This chapter helps me see that God’s purposes are even accomplished by the evil and thus Satan is God’s lackey that serves God’s cause with the worst that he can ever do (like slay his only begotten Son at the hand of his own people).

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Mark 15

Ready:
The previous chapter covered institution of the Lord’s Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane and the Jewish Council deciding to kill Jesus for blasphemy after he is betrayed by Judas.

Seeing What’s There:
This chapter covers the Roman trial of Jesus (but leaves out the account of Jesus before Herod- as do all the gospels except Luke), the scourging and mocking of Jesus, the crucifixion of Jesus, and finally his burial by a respected member of the Jewish Council named Joseph of Arimathea.

Key Verses:
Mark 15:1-2, 5, 9-11, 14-15, 17-18, 29-32, 33-34, 37-39, 43

Theme:
According to the will of God, the rejected King of the Jews takes the unmerited punishment of God so that his people will receive God’s unmerited favor.

Thinking About the Message:
    v1.  The council had determined they would kill Jesus the night before but they met again in the morning to formalize their decision without being under the cover of night to perhaps settle their own seared consciences a bit.
    v2-5.  Just as he did before the Jewish Council Jesus affirms statements of truth but chooses not to respond to lies and false accusations.  He gives Pilate a qualified affirmation that he is indeed the King of the Jews but Mark (informed by Peter) gives an abbreviated account of this interaction, which Luke expands on by his eyewitness research (Luke 18:33-38).  Jesus explains that he is indeed the King of the Jews but that his Kingdom is not of this world.  He also seems to be speaking directly to Pilate because he asks Pilate if he came up with the idea that he was the King of the Jews or if the Council had told him this…but Pilate will not answer.  Though Jesus never claimed to be establishing an earthly kingdom, he was probably represented that way by the Jews because they knew this was treason and the only thing that would be likely to result in death by the Romans.  So Jesus was here acknowledging a true statement but correcting Pilate’s misunderstanding of the truth that he spoke.
    v6-15.  Pilate had begun some tradition of releasing a prisoner to the Jews during the Passover Festival, which began Friday and runs through the Sabbath for a total of seven days in remembrance of God protecting the Israelites from the last plague upon Egypt during their exodus.  In this festival the passover lamb is selected on the 10th day of the month, and then slaughtered and eaten on the 14th day.  I draw a parallel here since we know Jesus is himself the passover sacrifice (1 Cor 5:7) I figure it must line up with the passover festival.  Jesus entered Jerusalem on the 9th day (before sundown on Sunday) and was welcomed warmly and cried out for salvation with “Hosanna!” (Mark 11:9).  Then the next day (the 10th day of the month) he angered the Jewish Council by his cleansing of the temple so that they sought a way to destroy him (Mark 11:18).  Jesus would take the passover meal with his disciples (Mark 14:12) on the 14th day (after sundown on Thursday) and then be killed before sundown on Friday (Mark 15:25, 33... still the 14th day) before the Sabbath begins (Mark 15:42).
    v16-20. Jesus is mocked as he had prophesied (Mark 10:34) and he takes abuse from people whom he sustains by the word of his power as they rightly call him King but show him no honor and no thanks but only hatred.
    v21-41.  Interesting that Mark throws in the account of Simon of Cyrene carrying Jesus’ cross with his two boys watching.  I wonder what sort of conversation that family had over the years!  His identity and authority are openly mocked and challenged with suggestions that he rescue himself…thankfully he had settled himself the night before in the garden and he was resolute in his purpose.  Even with the weaknesses of a man, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah held on with loving obedience and paid the penalty that was not his, except by his union to me! In verse 31 the curtain tears representing high point of what occurs on The Day of Atonement when the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the temple to splash the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat.  Jesus demonstrates that he has entered and he has accomplished the sacrifice and satisfied God’s wrath.
    v42-47.  This is a neat twist that there is a man on the Jewish Council who has secretly been a follower of Jesus despite and he now takes the risk of being known and persecuted by donating his tomb to hold Jesus’ body.  The other gospel accounts come together to paint the picture more fully than just this passage (Matt 27:57; Luke 23:50-52; John 19:38).

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
More here than can be said, but Jesus clearly was a willing and obedient sacrifice for his people and he took what was due to me that I might have what was only his- the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21).

Valuing the Message:
This is why there is life on earth.  The cross is the center of time and the apex of the universe and all of creation hinges upon it...

Reflecting to Feel the Impact of the Message:
“20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.
Soli Deo Gloria! 

February 11

Genesis 44; Mark 14

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 18: WHAT IS SIN?
Answer: Sin is transgression of the revealed will of God which teaches that we are to act in perfect holiness from a heart of faith to the glory of God.
Scripture: 1 John 3:4; Romans 5:13; 14:23; 1 Peter 1:16; Matthew 5:48; 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Comment: Sin is any attitude or desire or action that explicitly breaks a commandment of Scripture, or comes from a heart of unbelief or is not done for the glory of God.

Genesis 44

Ready:
Picking up where They have finished eating dinner together and the brothers were amazed that Joseph was able to seat them according to birth order.

Seeing What’s There:
I see that after the merry evening of dining together Joseph sets out to test his brothers once more.  He again has his steward return all the money to the brother’s sacks and he also puts a silver cup in Benjamin’s sack.  In the morning the 11 brothers, having received Simeon back, are now headed back to Canaan with the grain they came for and all is well.  But then the steward rides up on the group after they get a little wasps away and he accuses them of stealing money and also Joseph’s cup.  Oddly he mentions that Joseph uses that cup to gain secret knowledge, although this is a ploy to maybe get them realizing that he might know about their sin just like he knew about their birth order.  The cup is found in Benjamin’s sack and they are distressed as they all return to face Joseph and the consequence of this alleged theft.  Judah tries to convince Joseph that they did not steal anything but that God has surely found out there sin, probably talking about their sin of selling Joseph into slavery.  Judah also tries to convince Joseph to keep him instead of Benjamin because he had pledged itself to Benjamin’s safety before Jacob and he feared that the loss of Benjamin would kill Jacob.

Thinking About the Message:
    v1-5.  Joseph seems to test the brothers again perhaps because he has decided that he wants to bring the whole family back to Egypt for their survival during the famine and he wants to see them sacrifice for the love of family when the decision is not prompted by starvation like the last test turned out.  In this scenario they can leave and return with all the grain that was stuffed in their bags and Benjamin, who is innocent, would be left behind.  Perhaps Joseph wants to see if the brothers will again leave the innocent younger brother to be taken into captivity for their gain even though it will crush their father.  This scenario will create a parallel situation where Joseph can see how they react this time.
    v6-13.  Here the ploy by Joseph plays out and the brothers come back to face the music.  They were so convinced that no cup would be found that they offered up the guilty party to death and the remainder as servants.  But since this was a plant, it is found and they are stunned and in anguish.  They can’t understand how this has happened except that God is clearly judging them for their previous sin.
    v14-17.  Here Judah steps up and gives an account admitting that hey have no way to prove their innocence and that God's judgement is upon them and they accept it.  I take this to be an admittance of their original sin against Joseph and not of taking the cup.  Judah asks that they might all remain as servants including Benjamin…basically asking that Benjamin's life be spared.  Joseph does not accept the offer but says he will spare Benjamin and keep him as a servant, releasing the others to go in peace with all their grain.
    v18-34.  Now Judah tells Joseph the bigger story of how they ended up back in Egypt again and some background on Jacob and his love for Benjamin and how Judah has pledged himself to his brother’s safety.  He explains that the brothers returning without Benjamin will kill Jacob and Judah pleads that he be the one to be held back so that Benjamin and the others can return and Jacob will not be destroyed.  I take this as Judah stepping up for the family and passing Joseph’s test.  Unlike last time where Judah failed to defend his younger brother and failed to have concern for his father.  Last time he would not risk himself before his brothers to protect Joseph, but now he accepts the risk and the judgement and he takes a stand for his younger brother who is innocent.  Judah acknowledges that it is the brother’s sin that will be the death of Jacob.  Judah takes responsibility for his family and shows leadership and integrity and love and submission to God.  This is a decent foreshadowing of the fact that it will be Judah who will receive the blessing of Jacob over the firstborn Reuben as well as the second and third sons (Simeon and Levi).

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    I take the main message to be that God expects us to accept the consequences of our sin and to honor God even in how we receive his discipline in our lives.  The implication is that we aught not to shake our fist as God when when we suffer in some way we don’t think we deserve, but we should remember that we deserve nothing but the judgement of God, regardless of the particular thing we are currently being blamed for or punished for.  I take the personal significance to be that I need to be humble and broken before God and not demanding of my rights but I rather I should acknowledge my sin and my failure to love and honor and thank him in all things.  I need to receive from his hand gratefully.

Valuing the Message:
This message is valuable in life because it keeps me away from entitlement or expectations of all my circumstances going my way.  This message puts life in perspective and helps me to know that God does not put all my actions in separate silos but that all I think and do speaks of how I honor God or not.

Reflecting on the Message:
I need to consider how I react to being blamed for things I didn’t do and for how I tend to defend myself.  I need to reflect upon the arrogance of my heart that thinks I have a righteousness that does not come from Christ.  I need to reflect upon God and his complete authority to rule over all circumstances of my life in order to teach me and shape me and to show me myself.

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Mark 14

Ready:
I am picking up after Jesus gave a number of prophetic statements and gave an encouragement, or warning, to remain awake and to be ready for his coming.

Seeing What’s There:
This chapter does not contain a great deal of teaching by Jesus and it mostly documents the beginning of the last stage of his life.  The things that jump out at me in this chapter are:

• Jesus alludes to the nearness of his death by allowing Mary to anoint him and describing it himself as an anointing for the grave that will be spoken of around the world in the proclamation of the gospel.
• Judas determines to betray Jesus and joins up with the similar intentions of the Jewish Council to kill Jesus
• Jesus takes the passover meal (last supper) with the disciples and declares that one of them in the room will be his betrayer
• Jesus declares that it has been predetermined what will happen to him but that this does not in the least relieve the guilt from the person who carries out the will of God to take Jesus to the cross
• Jesus institutes the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper with the bread and the cup
• After telling the disciples that they will all fall away Jesus speaks against Peter’s self confidence and he tells him how Peter will deny him 3 times before the night is over
• Jesus pleads with the Father to make another way where he does not need to bear the wrath to come.
• The disciples fail to keep awake and pray when time is short
• Jesus is treated like a violent criminal coming to arrest him with an armed crowd or mob
• Jesus is silent in the face of lies and false accusations against him before the Jewish Council
• He answers once the truth is stated about him being the Christ, the Son of God.  This he affirms, which motivates them to make their determination that he shall be condemned to die as a blasphemer
• As described by Jesus beforehand, Peter faces the challenge of his faith when he is weak and scared and he denies Jesus three times before the second rooster crow resulting in his breaking down and weeping as he remembered what Jesus had said.

Key Verses:
Mark 14:1, 8-9, 10, 18, 21, 22, 24, 30, 34, 35-36, 37-38, 43, 48, 50, 55-56, 61-62, 64, 71-72

Theme:
After giving the disciples an ordinance to remember what is about to occur at Calvary, Jesus resolves to be obedient to his Father and faces all the suffering that awaits him in submission and love.

Thinking About the Message:
    v1-2.  Ironic and sad that as the passover approaches, which was the preservation of the firstborn children of Israel during their exodus from Egypt, they are plotting to kill Jesus.  It is the very death of Jesus that was the sacrifice represented by the passover lamb that night in Egypt.  The God-man they are planning to kill without disrupting the passover celebration is himself the passover lamb.  Clearly God’s hand is at work even through the ignorance and hard hearts and sin of man.  No doubt scripture is to be fulfilled.
    v3-9.  Like the lack of fasting while the bridegroom is here I see that there will also be a time when the perfume should be sold to feed the poor, just not right now.  Right now the king is in our midst and we celebrate.
    v10-11.  Hearing what Jesus says and hanging our with his followers does not make me a true believer as it did not make Judas one.
    v12-16.  An interesting account that might be a bit of an amazement to the disciples who followed his instructions regarding where to setup for passover, but its unclear as to whether this was a supernatural arrangement of the circumstances to lead them to the room or not.
    v17-21.  Jesus reveals that one of the twelve will betray him but it is not clear to them which one.  Another gospel tells me that Jesus leaned over and told John but he did not share the information.
    v22-25.  This is where Jesus transforms the meaning of passover by having them eat of the bread and drink the wine that he gives as representative of his own body and blood that will be sacrificed to secure “the covenant” or as Luke calls it “ the new covenant”.  In this moment the passover was revealed to have been established by the crucifixion of Jesus and rested upon God’s view of the future event.
    v26-31. Here in his description of the disciples falling away and Peter’s denial I see that Jesus knows us and our weakness and we should heed his warnings and instructions and know that what he says indeed will always come to pass.
    v32-42.  In the amazing revelation of his human comprehension of what is to come Jesus prays in the Garden and asks Peter and James and John to stay up and pray as he prays a distance away.  Jesus faces the impending wrath of God that awaits him on the cross and he lays his human temptation of avoiding it before his Father who undoubtedly strengthens his only begotten Son and assures him of his love and the necessity of the cross in serving the glory of God.  This scene is a great reminder of the dual nature that Jesus has as the God-man with a human soul and human weaknesses just like me (but without sin).  It is a sad account that in this late hour as his betrayal is impending the closest disciples he has are falling asleep even as he warns them of their need to be awake and to be in prayerful reliance upon God to keep them from sin.  I hear this as a clue that this is the very thing that Jesus was doing.  He needed to be in prayerful reliance upon his father in order to keep his human weakness from running in fear of the suffering to come.
    v43-52.  Jesus is arrested and everyone splits, as he said would happen.  He is treated like a dangerous criminal even though he has never sinned once and has lived a life of complete love for God and others.  Jesus acknowledges that this treatment is in the fulfillment of what God has planned and intends and he submits to it.
    v53-65.  Here Jesus is tried before the Jewish council and he refuses to debate with the false accusations and twisting of his words and the lies that are cast at him.  He does, however, affirm a true statement that is made about him and this is what settles them in their conclusion that they have adequate cause to kill him as they had already decided needed to happen.  His affirmation of his identity as the Messiah and the Son of God coupled with his statement that he will return in the clouds coming from the right hand of God puts them way over the edge without any doubt.  No question is left in the mind of the council who Jesus is claiming to be as they make their decision to condemn him to death.
    v66-72.  Sadly Peter falls just as Jesus predicted and he weeps remembering that Jesus had warned him of this.  I can only imagine that the fact Jesus told him this was to happen gave him such hope and kept him from having a response more like that of Judas who killed himself.  Jesus had looked into his eyes and told him that he knew he would do this and yet he also said that when Jesus is raised up he would go before them in Galilee…so Peter can rest assured that since Jesus doesn’t seem to get anything wrong, then it’s just a matter of time until they are reunited in galilee!

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    I take the main message to be that Jesus’ perfect obedience and death is and has always been what protects his people from the duly merited wrath of God (Rom 5:18-19, Rom 3:24-26, Hebrews 10:4, 10-11, 1 Thess 1:10).  This turns out to be the new or everlasting covenant that was spoken of by the prophets (Gen 17:7, Jer 32:40, Jer 31:31) and this covenant does not nullify the law but fulfills it in us (Rom 8:4, Rom 3:31, Rom 10:4).  Without Jesus the law can only condemn, because of our sin nature (Rom 8:3).  The implication is that without being united to Christ in his death (Rom 6:4-5), by faith (Rom 3:22-25) then I am outside of this covenant.  Without drinking his blood and eating his flesh (John 6:53-58) by this faithful trust in his identity and his work (Mark 8:38) with a heart level belief that results in my outward confession (Rom 10:10) and living for him (Gal 2:20), then I am still outside of the family of God (Eph 2:12, Gal 3:7) and the wrath of God remains on me (John 3:36) under the law.  The significance for me is that I know it is Christ’s work that has secured my salvation and not mine.  I can rejoice in the remembrance of his work in the past and I can walk in victory enjoying his current work in me as I am prepared as a member of his bride waiting eagerly for my bodily redemption (Rom 8:23, Heb 9:28).

Valuing the Message:
I am motivated to value this message supremely because it exalts Jesus as the name above all names and as the foundation for all that came before and all that will ever be.  His sacrifice being the covenant of God that makes me a child of God is the most important thing I will ever hope to understand in life.  I should see this as the fact that grounds my existence and purpose in life.

Reflecting to Feel the Impact of the Message:
Reflecting on my life and on what God has done in Jesus should propel me forward in loving obedience and proclamation of his truth to the world if I truly feel the impact of the message.  I need to consider at what level I am trusting in his broken body and blood versus trusting in myself and my own efforts.

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Soli Deo Gloria! 

February 10

Genesis 43; Mark 13

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 17: DID OUR FIRST PARENTS CONTINUE IN THE GLAD OBEDIENCE FOR WHICH THEY WERE CREATED?
Answer: No, but desiring to be like God, our first parents forsook the obedience of faith, ate of the forbidden tree, sinned against God, and fell from the innocence in which they were created.
Scripture: Genesis 3:1-7; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Romans 5:12.

Genesis 43

Ready:
Yesterday we read about Jacob sending his sons to Egypt for grain and saw how Joseph tested his brothers and in the end Simeon remained in prison while Jacob and the 10 remaining brothers atet the grain and remind in Canaan for fear of losing more of the family to the “Egyptian Governor” (Joseph).

Seeing What’s There:
In this chapter the famine continues and Israel’s family runs low on food.  Jacob agrees to let all of his remaining sons (including Benjamin) to return to Egypt again to buy more food.  They agree to take all the money that was placed back in their sacks the first time plus more and then also gifts for Joseph in order to gain his favor.  Jacob fears losing Benjamin but Judah comforts him and warmly assumes responsibility for his younger brother…far different that Cain’s response to God in the Garden.  Jacob asks God to intervene with the Egyptian so that he would have mercy upon his boys and allow their safe return.  Next the brothers are all taken to Joseph’s house to dine.  But they all feared that they would be made slaves because of the money that was not left behind last time and they plead with a steward of Joseph’s house before Joseph returns.  They are assured that there was no mistake regarding the money and that God has indeed blessed them.  All 11 brothers wind up before Joseph bowed just as in him dream more than 20 years earlier, but Joseph still does not reveal himself.  The sight of Benjamin, his younger full brother, makes Joseph come to tears and he has to leave the room quickly to hide his tears.  Composed, he continues the meal and the brothers are all seated in order or birth to the amazement of the brothers, who surely did not reveal this detail.  They also notice that Benjamin is given 5 times as much food as the others.  The meal was “merry” and it must have been a wonderful surprise for the brothers who had feared greatly.

Key Verses:

“1 Now the famine was severe in the land. 2 And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.”” (Genesis 43:1–2, ESV)

“4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You
shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’ ”” (Genesis 43:4–5, ESV)

“9 I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.” (Genesis 43:9, ESV)

“13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. 14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”” (Genesis 43:13–14, ESV)

“18 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.”” (Genesis 43:18, ESV)

“23 He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.” (Genesis 43:23, ESV)

“26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground.” (Genesis 43:26, ESV)

“30 Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.”” (Genesis 43:30–31, ESV)

“33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement.” (Genesis 43:33, ESV)

Theme:
God can be trusted with everything despite all circumstances or threats because he is almighty.

Thinking About the Message:
    v1-15.  In this passage Jacob and Judah have a dialogue about going back to Egypt.  Judah explains that they simply cannot return without Benjamin and Jacob is distressed.  Ultimately Judah pledges himself as completely responsible for Benjamin’s safety and Jacob finally relents.  Jacob sends them off asking with a trust that God is able to show them mercy at the hand of this man that they fear.  In verse 14 Jacob uses the title “Almighty God” which in Hebrew transliteration is El Shaddai and this name is only used thus far in relation to the renaming of Abraham and when Isaac sent Jacob off to get a wife, and then when Jacob was renamed by God.  This name suggests that God is unstoppable and omnipotent and when initially used in Genesis 17:1 it is associated with God renaming Abram to Abraham and declaring that he has already made Abraham a father of many nations (Gen 17:5) before it comes to pass.  God is stressing his sovereignty over all circumstances to come and the certainty of the outcome even though it is not yet realized.  Similarly, Jacob is trusting that this unstoppable God has power to interrupt man’s will and intentions (like he did with King Abimelech in Gen 20:6) in order to protect his family.  Jacob trusts that God is able, if he pleases, to grant that the man will be merciful.  However, despite this trust they do not dismiss all partnership with God.  They plan to win the man’s favor by brining a gift and also brining with them the money that was not taken last time plus additional money for the new purchase of food.
    v16-25.  Here the brothers fear that they are going to be taken into slavery for having not paid for the food the first time.  In an effort to maintain their freedom and recover Simeon they plead before the steward and explain what happened and offer the full price from last time as well as the money for the new purchase.  In verse 23 the steward warmly comforts them and assures them that their money was received the first time but he does not give them explanation for why is was replaced in their bags except to tell them that God, the God of their fathers was responsible.  I take this steward as recognizing that God’s sovereign hand is in this unfolding story and this must have been interesting to the brothers to hear an Egyptian acknowledging their God and giving him credit for their blessings.  Simeon is returned to the brothers by the steward as assurance that they are not in danger.
    v26-34.  In this passage all the brothers end up bowing before him in fulfillment of his dream those 20+ years ago.  Joseph is especially moved by the sight of his little brother Benjamin.  He still hides his identity and treats them to a feast.  He gives them a clue by seating them in birth order to their amazement and he also gives a clue in giving 5 times the food to his little brother Benjamin.    

Meaning, Implications, and Significance-
I take the main message from this part of the story to be that God is to be trusted because he is completely able to protect us from anything and anyone and he is not restricted by anything but his own good pleasure.  Jacob still puts human effort toward providing for the safety of his family and he had made a judgement that they were better off losing Simeon than losing more, which may not have been the noble decision but none the less he was protecting his family that remained.  It took a new threat in the form of starvation to push him into new risk taking.  But Jacob is calculating and he now acknowledges that there is no real risk except that God’s will may not always seem favorable in the moment.  Like Shadrach and his buddies Jacob still falls upon God in the end understanding that he does not know what outcome will be found, only that God is in control of it.  This is seen in the last statement of verse 14 where he basically says “if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”  I take this to be another way of saying “Thy will be done O Lord."

Valuing the Message:
To value the lesson here we must decide how we understand God’s sovereignty and rule over our circumstances that involve the will and intentions of other humans.  This lesson is significant to great extremes of assurance when dealing with terrible evils and tragedies if indeed God is completely in control of all that befalls us.  If we believe that he is not exercising control due to him respecting man’s free will as more valuable, then we must resolve how to deal with tragedy that no longer has purpose or meaning (intentionality) except to illustrate how wicked man is in the exercise of his own will and perhaps to lean us toward longing for God’s restoration of his full reign.

Reflecting on the Message:
I take this message as teaching me about God’s character and how he works in ways we can never hope to understand here on earth.  Ponder what you think about God and how he is involved or not in the daily circumstances of your life.  Think about how much you see yourself under the reign of chaos or under God’s loving care.  Search for other scripture to help you reflect on God and on your own heart.  Think about how this truth should make you feel toward God and toward the world you face.

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with each chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Mark 13

Ready:
The last chapter taught me about the eternal devotion that I enjoy toward Jesus and that true religion (walking in this devotion to Jesus) results in a life of humble service and dependence upon God rather than self-seeking consumption and self-exaltation.

Seeing What’s There:
This chapter has been divided to consist completely of prophetic statements by Jesus made privately to just a few disciples.  Jesus tells about the end of temple worship and he tells about some signs of the end times where the whole creation as well as its inhabitants are affected by what he calls “birth pains”.  He tells them that there will be people who falsely claim to be the Messiah and that there will be wars and rumors of wars before the end comes.  He describes earthquakes and famines upon the earth.  Then he tells the disciples to be on their guard because they must take the gospel to all nations, but they will be heavily persecuted for this.  He promises them that it will be the Holy Spirit who does the real speaking when the gospel is preached.  Jesus describes some scenario where there will be a great tribulation kicked off by a unique religious event that is not good.  He warns that there will be great suffering and that God will cut the period short to preserve the lives of some chosen group of believers.  He tells them to not pay attention to anyone who claims to know where Christ is because it will be evident to every human on earth when he arrives.  This is because the entire earth will be darkened and stars will be falling from the sky and something crazy in space will happen that will be obvious to the entire world.  He explains that everyone will see him coming down from heaven and that the angels will gather together all the Christians from the ends of the earth and the ends of heaven.  Then Jesus uses the fig tree as a picture of how to recognize these end times approaching by watching for the changes.  He tells them that "this generation” will not pass away until all of this comes to pass but that nobody knows exactly when it will happen.  He even reveals that the information is veiled to Jesus (in his humanity).  He concludes with a warning to stay awake and pay attention and be ready.

Thinking About the Message:
    v1-2.  Jesus responds here to a statement praising the beauty of the temple buildings.  It seems that Jesus may be referring to the end of temple worship here in a broad sense or he could be specifically talking about the destruction of the temple that came in AD 70 by the Romans.  Either way I see Jesus making it clear that the temple is not the substance, but like marriage it is a symbol representing a bigger truth.  Let us not become too enamored with temporary guardians but hunger for the real deal that will never pass away or crumble.
    v3-8.  Here Jesus introduces the idea of birth pains and I take this to be related to how the creation waits with eager longing (as Paul says in Romans 8:18-25) for the revealing of the sons of God.  It is as if the earth knows that it was created for a purpose.  It is as if God’s creation becomes restless as the end draws near and anticipates the final revealing of the remaining children of God.
    v9-13.  Without trying to nap down the timing of how what Jesus speaks of is fulfilled I hear the message of this paragraph as telling the disciples that they will suffer for the gospel and that they must trust God to give them words and to have a purpose for their suffering…to bear witness.  I see the correlation to John 14:26 where Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit who will cause them to remember all that Jesus had said and this no doubt would informer their witness.  Even for the apostles, what greater words could they give them to tell them what Jesus said…with his mouth and with his life?  I see Colossians 1:24 where Paul says that he is filling up the sufferings of Christ for them, which I take to mean that there is purpose to his suffering in that it bears them witness of the suffering of Christ for his sheep by example.  2 Timothy 1:6-14 also speaks of suffering for the gospel and how the Holy Spirit guards a good deposit in them, which is the word and witness of Christ.  Paul’s confidence in the gospel being the power of God to salvation leads him to a willingness to suffer on behalf of this message.  And the suffering is now even part of the message itself according to Colossians.  Families will be split up and great divisions will occur over Christ in this life and we are to endure until the end with a hope in Jesus and an ultimate devotion to God when earthly relationships fail.
    v14-27.  I take from this passage the fact that we must not listen to others about some appearance of Christ but we must listen to his Word and we must know that there will be impostors.  We need to trust that he will make himself plainly known when he comes in glory and not buy the lies of any secret arrival of Christ.
    v28-37.  I take the fig tree and then the closing statement about not knowing the day or the hour to be a balance of recognizing the signs of the times and being prepared but not trying to claim knowledge of the degree of imminence. We must focus on being awake and ready always and not on trying to figure out the exact timing…which should not make a difference in how we live…unless we intend to get ready at the last second.  This was covered with the parable of the 10 virgins where 5 of them were out buying oil at the last minute and they missed the arrival of the bride groom!   Paul captures this in Romans 13:11-14 where he tells us that our salvation is near (he is coming!) and that it is time to wake up.  The night is far gone (which I take to be our former ignorance) and the day has come (our enlightenment) so we should cast off the works of darkness (stop living for sin) and put on the armor of light (Christ).  We should walk properly and not fulfill our selfish passions that are devoted to this seen world around us but we should focus on Christ in order to not let this flesh rule us…because this keeps us from loving others, which is the goal that gives reason for this being awake (Romans 13:8-10).  Sleeping is selfish.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    1.  I hear the message of being resolved to stand on the truth of God’s Word and to not buy into falsehood about any secret arrival.  I hear that there will indeed be such impostors and tricks and so these words will not be wasted.  The implication is that Christians need to interpret what they see and hear according to God’s Word and not according to emotion or experience because their will be great effort by the enemy to fool even the true believers…diligence in holding fast to God’s Word is needed.  The significance to me is that I need to know his Word and I need to not be ignorant.
    2.  I hear the message that we must be prepared for the arrival of our King and we must remain awake.  I take the implications to be that Jesus expects his followers to be fixed on living with purpose of love, which requires not sleeping, but labor.  The significance to me is that I am not to lounge around soaking up the world but I am to cast off all that keeps me from loving God and loving others so that I can charge ahead as a faithful witness of the hope of Jesus…because the end is coming (by death or by Christ's arrival).
    3.  I hear the message that if someone wants to have a response to the trials and the tests and if they want to redeem their struggles and suffering by making them a testimony of God’s almighty goodness, then they need to use those opportunities to be witness of the life and words of Jesus.  I see the implication being that the disciples (and us today) were to look to the Holy Spirit to inform their witness and to remind them of Jesus’ words and life.  The significance for me is that my reading and familiarization and even memorization of God’s Word is important and since I did not live the experience of the disciples the only way the Holy Spirit will “Bring to remembrance” Jesus’ words and testimony is if I read his words…regularly.

Valuing the Message:
I see this message as being very important based on the emphasis that Jesus put on remaining awake and on the nature of the warning about even the true believers (elect) being fooled.  This message is one that should result in some action and some reflection on my preparedness.

Reflecting on the Message:
I need to consider how I am doing at living on mission and at being focused on the witness of my life.  I need to wrestle with God over my heart and my divided desires and my distractions and my tendency to be selfish and to spend my time not for witness and love of others but for myself.  I need to consider how much I study his word and inform myself to be prepared and to have words to speak that have real authority.  I need to consider if I am letting the works of darkness rule me or if I am letting Christ rule me.
Soli Deo Gloria! 

February 9

Genesis 42; Mark 12

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 16: WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXERCISE TOWARDS MAN WHEN HE WAS FIRST CREATED?
Answer: When God had created man, he made a covenant with him that he should live and enjoy all the benefits of creation, but that he would die if he forsook the obedience that comes from faith. God commanded him not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and thus forsake his child-like dependence upon God for all things.
Scripture: Genesis 2:15-17; Galatians 3:12; Romans 5:12.

Comment: The “knowledge of good and evil” is the ability to judge independently what is beneficial (good) and harmful (evil) for yourself. What God is forbidding is that man should choose to be independent from God in his evaluation of things. He is command- ing man to walk by faith in the wise and loving care of his heavenly Father. (See the use of this phrase in Gen. 3:5, 22; 2 Sam. 14:17; Is. 7:15; 2 Sam 19:35.)

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Genesis 42

Ready:
The previous chapter established Joseph’s position in Egypt and he is now in a place of great authority and he has a family and he has “forgotten” about his past troubles and his family in Canaan.  Joseph still fears God and deals justly and with integrity but has seemingly resolved to live out his life in Egypt.

Reading thoughts:
In this chapter I see the famine bring Israel to Egypt for survival.  Most of Jacob’s sons travel to Egypt to buy grain but they encounter Joseph there without realizing it.  Joseph plays on as if he does not know them and there comes a conflict between them as to the honesty of their story as Joseph inquires of them.  Joseph hold back Simeon and the rest return with grain to Jacob.  They are supposed to return to Egypt with Benjamin to prove their story (and save Simeon) but this is a challenge because Jacob resists for fear of losing his last son from Rachel.  This family is being put to the test…

Key Verses:
Gen 42:3-4, 6-7, 8-9, 15, 19, 21-22, 23-24, 28, 35-36, 38

I see the theme as- Jacob puts tests the honesty and righteousness of his brothers.  Will they recognize their sin and repent?  Will they value Simeon and return for him even though it is dangerous?

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-5.  Ten brothers head to Egypt at Jacob’s direction to buy grain.  Jacob holds back the youngest Son (though he is about 33 years old) since he is the last child he has from Rachel and he is worried about the dangers they may encounter on their journey.
    v6-17.  When they arrive to buy grain in Egypt Joseph notices them immediately but they don’t know its him and he is also using an interpreter to speak to them (he uses Middle Egyptian as best I can tell).  Joseph may have asked them more questions than this record indicates because in the next chapter we learn that the brothers claim he asked specific questions about their father and other brothers.  He treats them rather rough and seems to be testing them with regard to their honesty.  It is quite possible he is trying to determine himself how to view them.  He had “forgotten” abut them and now here they are and he remembers his dream and they are now bowing before him as in the dream.  It must all suddenly rush to him that God’s hand was in this whole adventure.  Certain that he must determine if his family is faithful and righteous in their dealings (since the brothers were not that way 20 years ago) he sets them up with a test of their character.  He requires that Benjamin join them if they want to live.  He tells them they will need to send one brother back for him but locks them up for three days first.  It seems he is establishing a fear in them that he really might kill them if Benjamin does not come.
    v18-25.  While they are in prison for three days Joseph, no doubt, has time to think and pray about what to do and he decides to let all but one brother head back since it would be a greater test of the family to only have one brother left behind.  After explaining this to the brothers, through the interpreter still, Joseph gets emotional and cries (privately) when he hears them talking amongst themselves about their sin against Joseph and how they saw his distress when he had begged them not to sell him to the Ishmaelites.  Moses records for us that they were near Joseph having this conversation but the interpreter must not have been right there and they didn’t think Joseph understood their discussion.  The brothers considered this a judgement of God against them because of the blood of Joseph (who they might presume to be dead) and they agreed to leave Simeon behind as required.  Joseph has his men sneak all their money back into their sacks before they leave and though this is a blessing it will come to them as a test because they will need to interpret why this happens.
    v26-38.   On the way back with the grain they realize that all their money is also in their sacks and they are panicked.  They know this can be a setup by the "Egyptian Governor” and they may also consider that it could be contested that they sold Simeon.  They know that this means danger either way and are afraid.  They also interpret this as a judgement of God.  Once home they fill in Jacob and request Benjamin return with them but Jacob will have no part in that.  He figures they have lost Simeon and he will not lose another…especially Benjamin.  The decision is stalled and the brothers remain home for now and it appears that Simeon is doomed.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    1.  I take the message from this small part of the big story to be that families fail and families divide and families are traumatized because of sin.  The implication is that we can avoid much distress and division and scandals if we walk according to God’s ways and if we honor our parents and if we love our brothers and if we keep a devotion to our God in all of this.  Personal significance to me is that I can cause division in my family or I can bring harmony and unity to my family depending on how I love God and love them.  I have an opportunity to lead them in seeking God or in seeking other things.  I have an opportunity to lead them in a sole mission or in a diversity of missions.  I have an opportunity to train them in righteousness or in partiality.  I have an opportunity to instill a value of trusting God and risking for the lost or of protecting ourselves in unbelief. 

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Mark 12

Ready:
In the previous chapter Mark recorded the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and we see Jesus’ identity and authority declared but then ignored.

Reading thoughts:
I see Jesus rout the Pharisees with a condemning parable of the kingdom of God being handed to the Gentiles due to Israel's hardness of heart over the past 1400+ years.  From there the various Jewish sects come forth with attempts to trap Jesus in his words in order to come up with an excuse to arrest him.  Jesus corrects their understanding of devotion and of resurrection and marriage and he is sure to set their minds to the fact that the coming Messiah is not a mere man but is God in the flesh.  Mark then documents Jesus’ presentation of the opposite examples of the scribes who seek attention and recognition for their “spirituality” and are consumers of wealth and honor against the example of the poor widow who quietly goes about loving the Lord and giving generously more than she can even afford to give without anyone being the wiser of her sacrifice.

Key Verses:
Mark 12:1, 6-7, 9-12, 14, 16-17, 23-24, 25-27, 29-31, 35-37, 38-40, 43-44

I see the theme as- Devotion to earthly authority and even my spouse is temporary and serves as a dim shadow of the real substance.  My highest and permanent eternal devotion is to Jesus, the God-man who loved me and gave himself for me, and this active subjection to his authority will result in a life of true worship, from the heart, that looks like this: I love God above all and I love others sacrificially, seeking not my own glory, but God's.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-12.  Here Jesus lays out a judgement against Israel for rejecting all the messages of the prophets and now the very Son of God.  The entity of the law and the prophets was pointing toward the coming of Jesus but they reject him and nullify all of the law and prophets by this.  Jesus makes reference of a Psalm that speaks about the gates of righteousness being opened (Psalm 118:19-23) and salvation being provided by this cornerstone that was rejected by the builders.  Peter in Acts 4:9-12 answers to the Jewish council and explicitly states that Jesus himself is this cornerstone.  The part of the Psalm that says it was the Lord’s doing and is marvelous in our eyes reminds me of Romans 11 where Paul explains that God hardened Israel’s hearts and has an amazing plan for bringing together all of his church in the end.  Paul himself exults with marvel at the conclusion of chapter 11 (Rom 11:33-36).
    v13-17.  I take this to be a teaching that we indeed owe our subjection to the governing authorities and Paul later explains that all authority is from God and they even carry out God’s wrath upon the wrong doers (Rom 13:1-7).  But the reason for this subjection, therefore, is because it is God who established them as an authority.  Our ultimate authority is God himself but we have a shadow of or a representation of our subjection to God expressed by our subjection to this under-shepherd.  We owe some taxes to the government but we first owe our hearts and lives and resources to God.  We honor God with all that we are, in part, by paying taxes to the government.  Jesus’ answer astonishes them because the could not imagine a subjection to the Romans ultimately being a subjection to God.  He had handled their impossible quandary with a bigger truth that they did not expect…and it also speaks to their misunderstanding that the Messiah would come with a primary purpose of giving them freedom from the Romans and from the constant oppression of other nations.
    v18-27.  Now the Sadducees take a stab at Jesus with a riddle they expect to trap him with.  They did not believe in an afterlife in physical bodies because they had bought into the Greek teachings of Plato and others that supposed the body to be evil and the goal of life was to get out of and stay out of the body.  They try to create a scenario where people having resurrected bodies would find an impossible problem…but they don’t really do a very good job with their challenge.  Jesus exposes the weakness of their trap is that they don’t know the scripture or the power of God.  I take this to be a subtle reminder that our marriage in heaven is to Christ (Isaiah 61:10) and that God has the power to make mortal bodies immortal in glory.  Jesus has been demonstrating to power of God to cleanse and repair bodies and to remove sin.  These Jews do not understand that all this expresses how it is that God can take a body that lived in sin for all its life and then in a moment translate it into a perfectly immortal vessel to house the immortal soul of that believer for eternity in perfect holiness and cleanliness.  They are falling to understand that marriage is an earthly picture of the real deal that is to come.  Earthly marriage is momentary…temporary…until the reality is upon us.
    v28-34.  Here is the crux of our purpose on planet earth.  Our devotion of heart and mind and body is to God.  This results in a loving of others because God is love.  God charged Abraham (Gen 18:19) with commanding that his family to walk in righteousness (vertical relationship with God) and Justice (horizontal relationship with others).  Here Jesus expresses the “Shema” (as Jewish tradition calls it) from Deut 6:4-5 and adds the love of neighbor as it’s natural result.
    v35-37.  Here Jesus uses scripture to show them that they have been missing an important point.  They are waiting for the Son of David to come as their Messiah but they are not willing to accept him as God in the flesh because of their devotion to a misunderstanding of the Shewa (Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one…).  They cannot accept Jesus or any other Messiah as God because there is only one God.  Jesus pains himself to express that he and the Father are one (John 10:28-31) and he even speaks of the Holy Spirit coming (John 14:25-26) but the triune Godhead is too much for the establishment.  But some were waiting expectantly, like Simeon and Anna, who expected his coming (Isaiah 25:9, Luke 2:25-32, 36-38).  The Father intends our devotion to be to his Son whom he sent to redeem us…we are his bride.
    v38-44.  Here Jesus gives the example of the self-exalting scribes who have an abundance and do not truly have a devotion to God that spills into loving others.  Mark places this account against the widow’s offering perhaps to get to what he thought Jesus was saying.  He was contrasting the shallow religiosity of the scribe against the true religion of the widow.  True worship and devotion to God results in sacrificial living and reliance upon God, not self-exaltation and consumption of wealth.  This widow was not concerned with what others thought of her devotion to God because it was a devotion to God.  Jesus spots her heart and her loving of God and loving of others and he wants the disciples, and me, to know that this is true religion.  It does not take riches to be generous to God or to man.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    1.  I hear the message of subjection to earthly authority is proper but subjection to God in all things is even more appropriate.  I hear the message that earthly marriage is good but temporary.   I hear the message that we must love others and that our Savior is God in the flesh.  I hear the message that Devotion to God is from the heart and it is sacrificial and it does not seek self-exaltation. The implication of all this is understanding that ultimate devotion to Christ drives true, but momentary, devotions here on earth that are undergirded and made stronger because they are an outflow of our waiting and preparing for our true marriage in heaven where we receive new bodies and are perfected.  This devotion to our true and eternal bridegroom will result in pouring his love out to others sacrificially.  The significance for my life is that I can reflect upon my heart and look for patterns that show my motives and where my heart level devotion is directed.  Am I putting earthly devotion above my devotion to Christ?  Alternatively, am I honoring God in how I subject myself to the governing authorities and how I love my bride?  Am I seeking the praise of men or simply seeking to love God and others.  Am I living to enjoy what the world offers or am I living to help others join me in enjoying what God offers?  Then I can re-align myself with a gaze fixed ahead on the prize of Christ and ask God to continue his sanctifying work in me.

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Soli Deo Gloria!