January 25th One Year Bible Readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Genesis 50:1 - Exodus 2:10 ~ Matthew 16:13-17:9
Psalm 21:1-13 ~ Proverbs 5:1-6

Old Testament - Today is a big reading day! We finish up Genesis and begin Exodus!  Genesis chapter 50 verses 19 & 20 stood out to me as Joseph spoke to his brothers: ""Don't be afraid of me. Am I God, to judge and punish you? As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people."  Again, I am impressed with Joseph's character here.  His brothers seemed to think that Joseph hadn't really forgiven them, and that he was waiting to get back at them after their father had passed away.  But, I think we see here that Joseph had truly forgiven his brothers!  It was water under the bridge.  And not only had Joseph forgiven them, but he saw the power of how God turned something bad into something incredibly good.  I wonder about this in our lives today - do we truly forgive other people like Joseph forgave his brothers?  Or, do we maybe hold some piece of unforgiveness within us?  Maybe we keep bringing up the wrong that somebody did to us?  Maybe we do this to make them feel a bit guilty from time to time?  Will we instead fully forgive and fully move forward? 

One interesting side note in chapter 50 was the embalming of Jacob & Joseph.  Embalming was an Egyptian custom - not a Hebrew custom.  Some commentaries suggest that Jacob & Joseph were likely being respectful of the Egyptian customs of the day.  The Egyptians believed in an afterlife - and believed that the embalming allowed the deceased to utilize their body in the afterlife.  Below is an illustration from the 13th century "Psalter of St. Louis" of Jacob´s corpse being laid in the tomb by his twelve sons:

~Exodus~
Author: Moses
Date: 1420 or 1220 B.C.
Content: The book of Exodus deals with the significant facts surrounding Israel’s emergence as a nation. Moses’ great leadership is described as he accepted God’s call to return to Egypt in order to lead God’s people to freedom. God sent the ten devastating plagues upon Egypt because the Pharaoh refused to obey his command. The ceremony of Passover was established during the last plague and became a memorial of God’s deliverance for all time to Israel. The Israelites crossed the sea and arrived at Mt. Sinai where God gave the Ten Commandments and the plan for the tabernacle, and the covenant was renewed the nation.
Theme: The power of God over evil is clearly shown when God defeats the enemy of his people by delivering them from bondage, but God expects that we trust and obey him in return. Worship in the Tabernacle and adherence to the law were two aspects of Israel’s obedience. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pages 1-2) Terrific in-depth commentary on the book of Exodus can be found at bible.org at this link.

In Exodus chapter 1 verse 12 is awesome: "But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more quickly the Israelites multiplied!"  It's amazing how when God wants people to flourish, they flourish!  Even in the midst of oppression.  This verse kind of reminds me of the flourishing of churches over the centuries and even today where the body of Christ is still often oppressed.  It flourishes!  Praise God for flourishing his people then - and now! 

In Exodus chapter 2 we are first introduced to Moses, who is the author of this book of Exodus - along w/ the overall first 5 books of the Old Testament - also known as the Pentateuch or the Books of Law.  A fun little Bible factoid for you in Exodus chapter 2 verse 6 is that this is the only mention anywhere in the Bible of a baby crying!  :) "When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said."

Bible.org's commentary on Genesis chapter 50 titled "The End of An Era" is at this link, and commentary on Exodus chapter 1 titled "Pharaoh’s Fears and Israel’s Faith" is at this link.

New Testament - Today we read about Peter’s confession of Christ in Matthew chapter 16. In verse 15 we hear Jesus ask: ““But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” And then in verse 16 Peter replies – “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” I believe this is a question that is asked of each of us today as well. Who do you say that Jesus is? Is your answer the same answer as Peter’s? If not, will you pray to God about who Jesus truly is?  Below is a fresco from 1481 by Pietro Perugino of "Christ Giving the Keys to Peter" from verse 19:

In verse 18 we read - "Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it."  Praise God for Jesus instituting the body of Christ, Jesus’ church!  And all of the powers of hell will not conquer the body of Christ!   Do you praise Jesus regularly for the church you attend?  Do you pray for the ministry of your church regularly?  Do you pray often for your pastors / ministers / priests?  Do you pray for others that attend your church?  Do you pray for those that will soon be coming to attend your church?  I have to say - I absolutely love my church.  I honestly cannot imagine what my life would be like without the church.  I met first met Jesus thanks to the church about 6 and a half years ago.  And Jesus changed my life forever.  Thank God for the church!  I realize that some of you may feel that some churches have some issues and so you don’t go to church at all at this time. However, I honestly do believe that we are called to be in community with others in a church – be it a big church, small church, house church, etc. - and that you really can find a great church if you search prayerfully.  Trust me, they are out there!  If you are not currently attending church - maybe because of bad experiences you had at another church in the past, will you pray about this with Jesus?  Will you attend a different church again soon?  I honestly believe it will bless you immensely to attend church again on a regular basis. Also, I am reminded of a classic line from Billy Graham – "If you ever find the perfect church, please do not join it. You’ll mess it up!" :) Indeed, there are no perfect people out there, and hence no perfect churches. But let us be the church anyway! The church may be a majestic mess, but it is Majestic indeed! And I do honestly believe that the body of Christ is the "hope of the world". Please be an active participant in this Hope.

Verses 24 - 26 are so powerful today: ""If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?"  Wow... there is so much going on in these verses... I pray they speak to you powerfully as well?  Do you want to follow Jesus?  Will you put aside your selfish ambition?  Will you shoulder your cross?  Do you know what your cross is?  Are you trying to "keep your life" in any area of your life?  Or, will you give up all of your life - every area - to Jesus so that you will find true life?  Is there anything that this world has to offer that is worth more than your soul?

Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Matthew chapter 16 titled "Peter's Confession and Christ's Church" is at this link and commentary on chapter 17 titled "The Transfiguration" is at this link.

Psalms - Psalm 21 today follows up Psalm 20 from yesterday - yesterday's being a prayer for victory for the king as he goes out to battle - and today's being a psalm of praise for victories granted to the king.  I like the credit given to God in verse 1: "How the king rejoices in your strength, O LORD! He shouts with joy because of your victory."  The king is not rejoicing in his own strength.  He is not claiming victory as his.  He is giving credit to God!  How about you in your life today?  Do you give credit to God for the blessings and gifts he has given you?  Do you shout for joy and rejoice simply because God is in your life?

Proverbs - Today we read in Proverbs chapter 5 verse 6: "For she does not care about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn't even realize where it leads."  For some reason this year, as we've been going through the One Year Bible, the idea of "paths" keeps jumping out at me over and over again.  Every time we read about paths now in the Bible, it stands out to me.  And here it does again.  The idea of paths in the Bible seems to clearly indicate that there are good paths - straight paths - paths through the narrow gate - paths of life - that we can choose to take.  Or, unfortunately, there are also crooked trails and we don’t realize where they lead.  Or we can take our eyes off the path.  Or we can stumble on the path.   How about for you?  What type of path are you on these days?  Is it a straight path?  Are you keeping your eyes straight ahead on the path and focused on the prize?  Will you pray to Jesus regularly to keep you on the straight path?  Will you allow God's Word, the Bible, be a lamp unto your feet and a light on the path of life that you walk each day?

Worship God:  Based on our Matthew readings today, I was reminded of a childhood song that goes something like "Peter built the church on the rock of our faith, his banner over me is love!"  Remember this song?  Well, I found it on YouTube.  The second is 9 minutes long, but I encourage you to watch it all the way through.  And, let me encourage you to participate in this video.  When he encourages everyone to stand up, please do!  :)  Have fun!

Is God's banner over you? Click here and get under God's banner of love!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11 NIV

Comments from You and Questions of the Day:  In our Matthew readings today Jesus institutes the church.  I'm curious what your thoughts are on the church today?  And I'm not talking about any one denomination - I mean church as the overall "body of Christ" Christian churches worldwide.  Big churches, small churches, house churches, cathedral churches. Do you personally go to church regularly?  Why or why not?  Have there been periods of your life where you have not gone to church regularly?  Have these been good or not so good periods of your life?  What would you say to someone now who might be reading this blog who does not go to church about church?  How might you encourage someone to go to church?  Why does it matter if they go to church or not?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

Comments

[John]

Psalm 21

Psalm 20 is a psalm before Israel's battle. Psalm 21 is a psalm of thanksgiving after the battle.

It is understandable when people of God go to Him before hard times asking Him for victory. What is wonderful here is the psalmist did not forget God after the victory. To God went the praise. It could be very tempting after a victory or a string of victories for a king or people to start thinking - "Hey, we're pretty good, a mighty country with a great king who can vanquish anyone."

Perhaps we are guilty of forgetting God in times of spiritual victory or blessings. Praying to God in earnest when things are dark and foreboding, but forgetting to thank God and praise Him when we prevail in our own battles. (Something to think about, and a place where I have been humbled recently.)
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In Psalm 20 - it is God's protection that is sought for the king.
Psalm 21:4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever. ( a hint of the Davidic covenant???)

In Psalm 20 - it is God's support that will determine the success of the king,
Psalm21:1 O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!
Psalm21:5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

In Psalm 20 - it is God's receiving of the king's prayers that will bring the victory.
Psalm21:2 You have granted him the desire of his heart
and have not withheld the request of his lips.

The people had specific requests, and now they are going down the checklist and thanking God for granting the requests and praising Him for his victory, His Power and his Might. God did it and to God goes the Glory.
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Application Verse

I just think it is the whole concept of remembering to thank God after victories in our life.

Starting to think we are special or superior to other Christians is a trap too easily fallen into when we begin to take credit for the victories in our lives. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ - God just uses each of us differently, and to Him goes the Glory.

jmikeadams@msn.com
2008

[John]

Proverbs 5

Just a few notes as we will have a few days on this chapter.

- God does not approve of adultery. Marriage is sacred to God. Adultery to God is important enough to list in the original ten commandments.

- The man is talking to his son giving advice about seduction. The antagonist has to be a woman. If the proverb was about giving advice to a daughter, the adultress would be referred to as an adulterer (a man) and the same concepts would apply to the man.

- Lastly, it might be helpful to consider the adultress not as a woman, but as Satan.

Satan will flatter and lie when seducing us into a sin. No one commits adultery because they see it as a horrible evil thing, initially it is seductive, attractive, pleasurable and no one needs to know type of thing.

However, in the end there is bitterness, suffering, and hurt. If the adultering spouse will not admit it, it will definately do the above to the spouse's partner in marriage.

When you fall for Satan's lies about adultery - you are following someone who is heading for death and desolation, and is on his own path of destruction. He just wants to pull you down with him into sin so that your testimony will be destroyed and you are distracted from serving the Lord through your loss of fellowship with God.

[Stuart]

It seems to me that while the church in the west is declining, it grows in the poorer and oppressed parts of this world. So much so, that we see missionaries from Africa ministering in Britain. I love the church but each one I have attended, there is bickering. We should return to scripture based church and focus on Jesus.

[Ted]

I am continually amazed at how much I love meeting another brother or sister in Christ. It's always pretty clear that God has made a "connection" for us with other believers that only He could accomplish in our lives. The fact that God established the church is probably the most important thing to remember for me when it comes to how I think about the church.

Unfortunately, pride sours this beautiful body that Jesus paid the price for and we see division and a lack of love quite often in the church today. On the other hand, I've been involved in a couple of collaborative efforts in our community where 40+ churches joined together to serve the community over a weekend called ShareFest. What a tremendous example to our local area of how the church glorifies God when we humbly unite in a common purpose.

I have personally determined to "humble myself in the sight of the Lord" and to submit to the authority of my local church. I go to church in order to serve others and worship God with them. It used to be that I was critical of the music, the preaching and the programs and then God helped me to see how much this displeased Him. So, with a grateful heart I'm committed to finding whatever is pure and lovely and keeping my mind set on these things.

[Julie R]

I have heard it said that other countries are now sending missionaries to the US as we need the Lord so badly. That saddens me. The song that says "if we are the body why aren't are hands healing etc" I don't know the artist or exact title but that song convicts me every time I hear it that I am sitting on my hands too much & need to move to tell everyone the reason we believe who He is.

My pastor of 26 yrs has left for medical reasons & I love my church also. Praying for the same type of Godly man for our shepherd. As of now the flock is staying tight. I am a 12 yr Christian & was one that hated the idea of church. But God drew me here & it has been a wonderful change of heart. There are churches that are money & numbers driven which is so sad but many are not. Our church tithes go directly to missions first to strengthen the body. By the way I loved that photo you posted.

Reading about Joseph, I had no idea this is why the Hebrews were in Egypt when the story of Moses starts. I always wondered how they got there! I'm sure the famine was over by the time Joseph died, I feel they should have went back home maybe to keep the oppression from happening. BUT then Moses wouldn't have been who he was. God is so good how he puts puzzle pieces of our lives togther for reasons beyond us. So sad that few see this & it gets by others so easily. Thank you for this blog to bring us together when sometimes I sit under a tree feeling sorry for myself that I am the only one out here.

[Nkechi]

Matt 16:15 always strikes me when I read. Yes, we all hear in our various churches, our friends and parents say who Jesus is but ask your self this question, who is Jesus to u? From vs 17 we get to know that its only through revelation that you get to know who he is. Let me put it in a practical way, I have a dad, and then when i was a child i knew that my dad is the provider, he provides food and all that, so I know when i am in need all i need do is go to daddy. Your revelation of Jesus determines your relationship with him and the power of God that you experience in your life. Spend more time with him that he may reveal his many sided person to you. He is my healer, he is my comforter, he is my knight in shinning armour, he is my all in all. Who is he to u?

[Susan]

I attend a church I love; much better than the fundamentalist brand I attended as a child and young adult.

However, my family lives far from town so we are looking for a place to attend for a mid-week service...because of the price of gas traveling in an out of town can get quite pricey. So, is it wrong to be a hybird member in two different congreations? my family is also looking for ways to plug into a ministry in the church we currently attend. I think God is leading us toward children's ministry.

A couple random tangents:

I've been reading Nightmare Academy by Frank Peretti. It has convicted me that it is so important to teach our youth the standards the Bible teaches before they get caught up in cultural relativism. I thought I was a well-grounded in my beliefs as a youth but I can look back on my life and see how relativism was taught in my public education and how it affected my views and decisions as a young adult. This week on Focus on the Family...Dr. Dobson's guest discusses how the logic of a relativistic world view leads to one's acceptance of abortion.

I have also been reading Love, Sex, and Lasting Relationships by Chip Ingram. I would recommend this book for a parent of any teenager. It is so important to open our young peoples' hearts and minds to the Truth so they can secure their hearts in Him. Chip discusses how Hollywood has sold culture a lie about how to do relationships and again, when one does not claim God's truth as a standard it can lead to the logic that sex outside or marriage is acceptable. This book also opened my eyes to how my sin can affect other people and their walk with the Lord.

[Jo]

I have been blessed with great churches all of my life. Although there's always disappointments when humans are involved, I have felt God at all the churches I have attended and I have learned much from the members of those churches. I know that can be rare but I also know that we need to pray constantly and trust in Him. We just moved and had intentions of going to two different churches but for "some reason" we were not able to get to them and we ended up where we are now, and we thank God because he led us to our new family!

[John]

Moses

Quick Hits:

Satan is nothing if not persistent. Satan has always either tried to kill off, persecute and eliminate God's people. If satan can accomplish that - then God is a liar, his promises can not be fulfilled, and satan wins. That is why this technique is employed even to this day regarding Israel. Israel is secular today, but if satan can eliminate the Jewish race (as a people) there will be no remnant for God to save at Second Coming. Again the idea is to make God a liar.

Failing that satan tries to corrupt God's people. Sometimes it looks like satan is winning - that he may have God in a checkmate, but there is always a move to be made. God always preserves a remnant even in the worst of His chosen people's times.

In God's plan it is a long match, but in the end - no one human or angelic can stand up against God and win. Even when it looks like Satan is winning - Joseph is correct. What you meant for evil - God meant for Good.
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New Pharoah

Here the plan is to cap the population of the chosen people and reduce it by marrying off the daughters to Egyptians and diluting the bloodlines. the children by lineage would be Egyptians. Would take a while - but that is the plan.

Satan did not know that the midwives were in God's pocket, that Pharoah's daughter would have a soft heart, that in God's plan the boy would even be returned to his mother for nursing and growth.

Why?

In Hebrew it cannot be determined at what age Moses was turned over to Pharoah's daughter. I believe it is long enough for this faithful Jewish mother to instill the oral tradition of God's Word into Moses. At night the mother would tell Moses the story of the Garden, the promise of the redeemer, The promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the story of how Moses' people came Egypt and were saved from extinction by famine.

Conjecture on my part, but it would explain why Moses had a heart for His people and knew God. If Moses had been raised as an infant in Pharoah's court - it is unlikely that Moses would have the feelings above about His native people and God.

[John]

Matthew

AAGGH too much here, maybe Mike will post some old stuff of mine next year. Some quick hits though:

Matt16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Much argument over this verse. Did Jesus give Peter alone the authority to save or condemn people on earth to the kingdom of heaven?

My take.

While here in this verse it may be Peter alone, later in Matt 18:18 Jesus repeats the same statement to all the apostles - the "you" is plural. So taken in toto the authority is to all the apostles.

What authority?

Can the apostles really proclaim whether a person is going to heaven or not? Yes and No.

The verbal forms “shall be bound” and “shall be loosed,” in the Greek New Testament, are perfect tense, passive voice participles. The perfect tense suggests that the binding and loosing had already occurred, and the effects of that action would remain.

What does this mean? In layman terms and in context remember that the apostles were given great gifts at the first Pentecost. They would need them to establish the early "body of christ" (church). when they were preaching the gospel and establishing churches the Holy Spirit would let them know who was truly converted or who was a hypocrite in pronouncing Jesus Christ as Savior.

Yes, they could proclaim who was saved and who was not, but only because it had already been established in heaven (by God/Christ), and they were informed (perhaps instantaneously) by the Holy Spirit of heavens decree. Certainly someone declared unsaved, could at a future date with the right heart come to God for salvation. That right is not gone until a person breathes his/her last.

No, they would have no authority on their own to proclaim first and then have it happen in heaven. God alone has the power to judge people. It is not for us to judge, only to proclaim the Gospel and what is in God's Will. This last is what the apostles did very well.
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Matt 16:28 "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." (NIV)

Transfiguration comes up again later in gospels, so I will talk to Mike about posting some old posts on that topic.

What about the above verse? Did Jesus not tell the truth? Was he just incorrect? Or has Jesus already come back and we missed it??????

Jesus told the truth. for a lot of people the trouble is an unfortunate chapter break and the word "kingdom". Kingdom here can also be translated "royal power" used in the New Testament to refer to "the reign of the Messiah".

If that is true, and I believe it is correct, then the transfiguration should have been included in Chapter 16. Why? Because on the mountain of Transfiguration "some who are standing here" (Peter, James, and John) were obviously not dead yet - and they saw Christ transfigured (changed) into his Glory - (His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.)

I think it is fair to say that those three apostles, while alive, saw Jesus in ALL His royal power (hence "kingdom") when he was Glorified (transfigured) on that mountain.

Thus Matt 16:28 is true and has been fulfilled.

[Skip]

Matthew 16:20 & 17:9 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

I’ve always wondered…why did Jesus warn his disciples not to tell anyone that He is the Christ or that they should not tell anyone what they saw on the mountain when Moses and Elijah appeared to them? Why didn’t Jesus make himself know to anyone but the disciples, His mother and a choice few others?

I attend a church that I’ve been a member of all my life. It has approximately 1800 families at last count. I run hot and cold with attending mass; I guess that just told you that I’m Catholic. I love the celebration of the Eucharist, but the 5 to 10 minute homilies are much to be desired most of the time. I get so much more from watching Charles Stanley and listening to David Jeremiah teach and I love to listen to Billy Graham. I’m comfortable in my church but I can say that I’m totally happy. I’m trying to become more active in church groups but my erratic work schedule prevents it most of the time. It’s our 100th anniversary this year and I’m on that committee. It works well with my erratic schedule because I can help work events or do whatever there is to do around my schedule. But I would like to find a church that teaches more from the Bible. I’d also like to find a good Bible study group. My church has one but it’s during the day and I’m at work. I’ve thought about starting my own, but I really don’t feel qualified. My neighbor across the street is the Pastor of The Carpenters church. He as invited me to check them out, but I haven’t as of yet. I pray for God’s guidance as to whether I should stay with my current church or start looking for another. I guess maybe you can tell that I’m somewhat confused at this time as to what I should do and God has not been giving me any clues that I’ve picked up on. Of course maybe my getting active in our 100th anniversary is His way of telling me that I’m where I belong. Time will tell and everything in His time.

Yours in Christ
Skip

[John]

Skip

"Why didn’t Jesus make himself know to anyone but the disciples, His mother and a choice few others?"

Not sure that is correct. The Gospels are full of accounts where people came to believe Jesus was Messiah. They heard the Gospel as relayed by Jesus and believed in Him. Sometimes it is associated with a name and sometimes it just says "many". Lets keep an eye out for this as we go through the gospels.
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As to the silence about the transfiguration event - God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours.

My guess is - because Jesus' ministry was not about the spectacular. Many saw miracles, but they never believed. Jesus' ministry was about God's spoken word and His message of salvation. Remember: we are not given an account of every word Jesus spoke - just what God has revealed to us in the Gospel accounts. Jesus often taught and spoke for hours on end to crowds of people.

The miracles and this event are just confirming signs that "he was who he said he was" - For those three and for those that believe the bible is God's inerrant account of His Word (in the original manuscripts). No one was saved by miracles - they were saved because they had faith and/or heard and believed.

If the apostles had told of the event, in all likelihood the story of Moses and Elijah coming back would have impressed people more than Jesus' Glory. The hubub and crowd around Jesus may have gotten so frenetic that Jesus' spoken ministry might have been hampered or slowed down.

There is also the possibility that it would have forced the Pharisees hand earlier than it eventually occured - also hampering Jesus' ministry.

Regardless of what I think - I trust God made the perfect decision here regarding the transfiguration event.

[Skip]

Thank you for the feedback John. I am aware that Jesus spoke to people for long periods of time that have not been recorded. Wouldn't it have been wonderful to be there and listen to him!

Thanks again, I really appreciate the feedback

Skip