January 20th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Genesis 41:17-42:17 ~ Matthew 13:24-46
Psalm 18:1-15 ~ Proverbs 4:1-6

Old Testament - Today in Genesis chapter 41 we read about Joseph interpreting Pharaoh's dreams - and not just interpreting them, but offering a solution!  Joseph suggests finding a wise man to administer a program to collect crops during the 7 years of plenty to save up for the 7 years of lean.  Verses 39 & 40 in this chapter tell us - "Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said, "Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man in the land! I hereby appoint you to direct this project. You will manage my household and organize all my people. Only I will have a rank higher than yours.""  Notice that Joseph did not ask for this position.  He probably could have, in light of interpreting the dream and offering a solution.  But he didn't.  The position was simply thrust upon him.  And I wonder in our lives - are we like Joseph - humbly offering our gifts and skills with no need of a payback?  Or, do we expect something in return?  Do we want to be put in charge?  I do wonder this about myself - if I was put in charge of all of Egypt, would I still remember God?  Or would the power go to my head and would I think it is all about me?  And then I wonder if there are similar, smaller temptations like this in my life - in my work or ministries or in my social circles. Are there times where I offer my skills & gifts, and expect to be put in charge of something, forget about God, and think it's all about me? How about you? Do you give freely and humbly from your God-given gifts with no need of a payback? Great commentary on Genesis chapter 41 titled "From the Pit to the Palace" is at bible.org at this link.  Below is an image from a modern day production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" of Pharoah appointing Joseph to be #2 in the land (and giving him his signet ring... and dressing him... and giving him the royal gold chain... and giving him the chariot... and renaming him... and giving him a wife...  think all this would possibly inflate one's ego?  It really does scare me to think about me being put in this type of position...) -

In Genesis chapter 42 Jacob sends Joseph's brothers to Egypt for grain.  Verse 4 stood out - "Jacob wouldn't let Joseph's younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, however, for fear some harm might come to him." As you'll recall both Benjamin and Joseph were Rachel's only sons.  And Jacob loved Rachel dearly.  It seems that in light of Jacob already losing one of Rachel's sons, he didn't want to lose the other.  Or - I wonder - did Jacob maybe have some sort of mistrust in the back of his mind of the other 10 brothers?  (as obviously Joseph disappeared when going to find the 10 brothers many years back) This is outside of the text I realize.  Just a thought.  Below is an etching by Rembrandt from 1637 of Jacob and his son Benjamin -

Verse 6 stood out - "Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of the sale of the grain, it was to him that his brothers came. They bowed low before him, with their faces to the ground."  This fulfilled the dreams Joseph had in Genesis chapter 37 verse 6 & 7 - "He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had:  We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."   And verse 6 was 21 years after Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers at the age of 17 - Joseph has spent 11 years as a slave, 2 years in prison, and 7 to 8 years in charge of Egypt (through the 7 fat years of the harvest, and now they are likely in the first year of the famine).  And even after 21 years Joseph recognized his brothers immediately.  I read a commentary that his brothers probably didn't recognize Joseph because he was decked out in Egyptian robes & garb, he may have been speaking through an interpreter, and he was likely clean shaven - Egyptians shaved, whereas Hebrews typically wore beards.  So now, Joseph's reuniting with his brothers and what takes place next begins...  Below is a painting from 1745 by the Austrian decorative painter Franz Anton Malbertsch of Joseph meeting his brothers once again after 21 years apart -

New Testament - In today's Matthew readings we go through 5 parables that begin "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..."   Great way to start these parables!  They do indeed give us a glimpse of what the kingdom of heaven is like.  Do these parables speak to you as you read through them?  I know they do for me.  Sometimes in encouraging ways.  Sometimes in convicting ways.  I love verses 31 & 32 - "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter in its branches."  I think if we can have faith in the seed that Jesus plants in our hearts - the Gospel - we will see an amazing plant grow that will ultimately bless others.  From the tiniest beginnings, with patience and faith, can come the largest of plants.  Will you let Jesus plant a mustard seed in your heart?  And will you be patient and allow the seed time & space to grow?  And will you water and care for the seed of the Gospel planted in your heart so that one day it will be a beautiful tree of life for yourself and others you come in contact with?

I love the last 2 parables in today's readings!  The treasure buried in a field and the pearl of great price.  And the thought of being willing to give up absolutely everything to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven.  How about for you?  Are you willing to give up absolutely everything to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven?  Is there a price too high that you would not be willing to pay?   I will share with you this - yet another random tangent...  :)  I had this really interesting jog several years ago.  And it was before I was a Christian, so I didn't equate my thinking with the "Kingdom of Heaven" at this time.  But, here were my thoughts that night on the jog.  As I was jogging I thought to myself - I am a "billionaire"!  Why?  Because I am blessed with this opportunity to jog, and to check out the beautiful night air around me, and more than anything because of this wonderfully complex thing in my skull called the brain. :)   The brain that allows me to do all these things and to simply think and enjoy life.    And I thought to myself - at what price would I give up the ability to use my brain?  Would I sell my brain for 1 billion dollars?  And the answer is obviously no - because there would then be no point to living in this life without the brain.  So - I reasoned with myself, well - "Then I am a billionaire!"  I have a billion dollar asset in my skull!  :)   I hope this isn't too random of a tangent.  Maybe you'll realize that you are a billionaire today too though?  :)  To tie this back to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Would I sell of my rights to the Kingdom of Heaven for 1 billion dollars.  No.  So - I guess then technically, I am a multi-billionaire now!  1 billion asset value for the brain + 1 billion asset value for the Kingdom of Heaven!  The point being...   or maybe the question to you.  Which would you prefer  - 1 billion in cash, or the Kingdom of Heaven?   Is there any price you would place on giving up the Kingdom of Heaven?   If not - will you pursue the Kingdom of Heaven with all of your worth?  And will you then share this amazing "pearl of great price" with others around you?

Psalms - Psalm 18 is an amazing one!  We'll get it for the next 3 days of readings, which is great.  And then comes Psalm 19 which is off the charts awesome!   Verse 1 today is so beautiful - "I love you, LORD; you are my strength."   How often do you tell God that you love him?  One thing that one of my former pastors does when he prays publicly, which absolutely moves me, is that he closes out just about every prayer with "God we love you.  And we pray all of this in the name of your son Jesus Christ."   The last line of course is the powerful line!  But, that second to last line... is just beautiful.  Just telling God that we love him.  I'm not sure I tell God that I love him often enough.  God may not "need" to hear it.  But I think that I need to say it more often.  I love you God!

Proverbs - Proverbs 4 today are some wonderful verses from Solomon reminiscing on instructions he received from his father David!  Below is a stained glass image of David giving instructions to Solomon - we can imagine that David was even telling Solomon verses 4 through 6 - "My father told me, "Take my words to heart. Follow my instructions and you will live. Learn to be wise, and develop good judgment. Don't forget or turn away from my words. Don't turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you."

Comments from you & Question of the Day - Okay, back to all of my fretting above about if I was given all that Joseph was given by the Pharaoh in today's readings... :)  What are your thoughts on this - if you were given all of these things, would it inflate your ego possibly?  Would you possibly forget about God?   It's interesting to reflect upon the devil's temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, from our earlier readings this year in Matthew - the devil was tempting Jesus with a lot of "stuff" - and Jesus refused it all!  I'm just wondering if even today in our modern world if we need to be careful about being tempted by too much wealth or power or pride, etc.?  But then I also wonder if sometimes God elevates us to important positions, like Joseph, so that we may be a blessing to many.  I do think this is possible for sure - I just think maybe the richer we get or the more powerful we get, the more we need to pray and stay as absolutely close to God as possible.  Would you want to be in Joseph's type of situation today?  Think you could handle it?  I pray that each of us could, and will, no matter what position in this life we are called to.  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Ramona]

Mike-You ask a tough question and if I were to give you an answer off of the top of my head, I would say, “Certainly, if given the opportunity and asked to lead I would lead just like Joseph, but alas I don’t think that is true. I have heard it said that a really great leader knows how to lead because he learned his leadership craft in serving others. So I think the question should first be, “Have I learned how to serve others with joy even in the dungeon?”

“If the purpose of a thing is not understood abuse is inevitable.” Quote from Myles Monroe author of the book, “Pursuit of Purpose.”

Truthfully it can only be in the role of a servant that one would learn the purpose of leadership and it would take great wisdom to weald that power with an eye for the Big Picture and not ones own personal agenda. Great leaders cannot rule from a place of pain or resentments they may have developed while in servitude. A great leader would have to operate in forgiveness. A great leader would have to be a great servant. I don’t think I’ve been that great of a servant, in fact I’ve been a lousy one.

Grace and peace, she said, with a lot of self-reflection to do during the day.

Ramona

[Micah Girl]

I think Ramona raises some great points about having learned to serve first, before being ready to lead with integrity. I think also that Joseph is a great example of the purpose of suffering in our lives...all of it was used to mold him into a person of through and through integrity. When faced with suffering we can either cling to God or we can rebel, and he chose closeness to God, and it matured him into a mighty servant-leader.

[Sheryl Menke]

Just found this site about one week ago. Thank you sooo much for your time invested in it. I pastor along with my husband here in Ohio, and my husband just had a serious issue with his heart this week. He had by-pass nine years ago and this last week failed his stress test, and needed to have catherization. Well that is finished with one stint being put in and waiting for another. But God is sooo good to us, and everything today, from the issue of a servant to the issue of suffering for Christ's sake was uplifting to say the least.
Thank you Mike for your words, and thank you Jesus for your WORD!!!

[debby]

As we read on, we'll see that Joseph realized his position of trust and always approved his plans with Pharaoh - like when he left to bury his father.
I was given a new revelation of the meaning to us today of Pharaoh's dream in the book:
Morning by Morning by Charles Spurgeon:

"The ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven wellfavoured and fat kine."
Genesis 41:4

Pharaoh's dream has too often been my waking experience. My days of sloth have ruinously destroyed all that I had achieved in times of zealous industry; my seasons of coldness have frozen all the genial glow of my periods of fervency and enthusiasm; and my fits of worldliness have thrown me back from my advances in the divine life. I had need to beware of lean prayers, lean praises, lean duties, and lean experiences, for these will eat up the fat of my comfort and peace. If I neglect prayer for never so short a time, I lose all the spirituality to which I had attained; if I draw no fresh supplies from heaven, the old corn in my granary is soon consumed by the famine which rages in my soul. When the caterpillars of indifference, the cankerworms of worldliness, and the palmerworms of self-indulgence, lay my heart completely desolate, and make my soul to languish, all my former fruitfulness and growth in grace avails me nothing whatever. How anxious should I be to have no lean-fleshed days, no ill-favoured hours! If every day I journeyed towards the goal of my desires I should soon reach it, but backsliding leaves me still far off from the prize of my high calling, and robs me of the advances which I had so laboriously made. The only way in which all my days can be as the "fat kine," is to feed them in the right meadow, to spend them with the Lord, in His service, in His company, in His fear, and in His way. Why should not every year be richer than the past, in love, and usefulness, and joy?-I am nearer the celestial hills, I have had more experience of my Lord, and should be more like Him. O Lord, keep far from me the curse of leanness of soul; let me not have to cry, "My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!" but may I be well-fed and nourished in thy house, that I may praise thy name.

[Betty]

Debby,
Thank you for your post. Spurgeon's writings lay bare the truth of what I often feel about myself. God help us to be about the King's business and walk faithfully so as to not experience so many times of "leanness of soul."

[Andrew B]

Just a totally off topic comment: Mike shows a picture by Rembrandt, the one of Jacob with his son Benjamin. And there as been at least one other Rembrandt since we started. It is 400 years this year since Rembrandt's birth and there are many events in The Netherlands marking this. See http://www.rembrandt400.com/

[Bald Man]

Sheryl,
I'm in Dayton; what part of Ohio are you and your husband in?

[John]

I think if I had been granted a leadership/power role in my pre-christian life, that my heart would have been so hardened that I would never have been "saved". I would have been too into the money, the things, and the control over others.

Since God is soverign and I beleive I was chosen befor the 'foundations of the earth', I reflect often that it was God's will that I not acheive that success. Just another way of protecting me until I made the choice of accepting his Son, Jesus Christ, as My Savior.

[Penny]

I have been enjoying the bible study and the blog..The psalms and proverbs are awesome. however so is the ot and nt. Thanks for all the hard work and this is such a blessing.
Have a great week