READING FOR MAY 27, 2024: GENESIS 39, MARK 8, PSALM 46:1-7 GENESIS 39 Joseph went from being the favored son, certain through his vivid dreams of his future prominence, to being sold as a commodity to an official from a foreign country, far from the land and people of the covenant. He may have been obnoxious to his brothers, but he did not deserve this horrible treatment. Most of us would immediately ask, “How could a God of love allow this to happen?”
Just maybe God knows what He is doing and sees beyond our tiny perspective. Joseph’s dreams got him into trouble before, but they were right about the fact that God was with him(vs.2). Perhaps he leaned on this truth he received directly from God to help him when things looked bleak. If we make Jesus our Lord and Savior, we can also hold onto this truth when life takes an unexpectedly bad turn: “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine [Jesus], and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (Matt. 7:24-25).
Just as Abimelech noticed with Abraham and Laban noticed with Jacob, Potiphar noticed that God was with Joseph and prospered his work. Obviously, Joseph did not mope around all day complaining about how life had treated him. He looked around to see how he could make the best of the situation in which he found himself. Eventually Joseph was running the place. “Do you see a person skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure people” (Prov.22:29). But we are getting ahead of the story by mentioning kings.
The next seeming disaster for Joseph was when he ran into trouble for rejecting the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife. This is even worse, isn’t it? Could God possibly allow his children to suffer for doing good? Isn’t He a God of love and fairness? “if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps” (1 Pet. 2:20-21).
Next, we find Joseph incarcerated. Unfair again. But what better words could he hear than “theLord was with Joseph” (vs. 21)? Do we really believe Rom. 8: 31? “If God is for us, who is against us?” And don’t forget our recent reading of Psalm 27:1: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom should I fear?” Notice that when the Lord is with someone, the reward usually is more responsibility. Are we willing to receive the blessing of the Lord if it means more and harder work? Joseph was and became a key piece in God’s great redemptive plan for the world. May the Lord also use us to help build His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
READING FOR MAY 27, 2024 CONTINUED: MARK 8, PSALM 46:1-7 MARK 8 Those of us in education know there is need to repeat material to help students really retain it. In Mark 6 Jesus fed 5,000 and now He feeds 4,000 using much the same method. We see from the disciples’ behavior they clearly needed more reinforcement of their prior faith lesson. Also, note that in Mark 6:34, Jesus felt compassion for the crowds as He does again in Mark 8:2. There is no such thing as compassion fatigue with the Lord, nor should there be with us. Directly after this, the Pharisees demanded a sign from heaven. Jesus did express frustration with them. Jesus had just finished feeding thousands of folks with about as much food as a McDonald’s Fillet-O-Fish sandwich and they needed to see a sign! Let’s be certain we don’t likewise miss all the evidence God has provided for us of His existence and character.
Jesus respects the intelligence of His disciples, as He does ours. When He told them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, He expected them to 1) understand that that they had just witnessed His feeding thousands, so He was not worried about lacking food; and 2) realize He had just heard the crazy demands of the Pharisees, so His mention about their leaven referred figuratively to their attitude that could spread dangerously to others. Let’s not set aside our critical thinking skills and awareness of literary techniques when studying His word.
The healing of the blind man at Bethsaida is perhaps the only two-stage healing performed by Jesus. He is sovereign and thus can heal in any manner He chooses; let’s not box Him in. Like many of the other healings, though, it is an instance when friends brought him to Jesus. Wehave this opportunity available at church through intercessory prayer. Many are ill now! Notice when Jesus revealed He was the Christ or Messiah and explained His upcoming death and resurrection, Peter denied that Jesus would need to experience this. This continues to be a stumbling block for many, even those who claim to be Christians. Jesus said the cross is not what man chooses but it’s God’s way. In fact, Jesus says to reject this truth is to follow Satan. We are also called to reject man’s way by putting to death our own self-centered desires.
PSALM 46:1-7 This Psalm was the inspiration to Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” the musical theme of the Reformation in the sixteenth century. Unlike some Psalms, it begins with a statement of God’s power and support, not the Psalmist’s personal needs. If God is our refuge, then nothing on earth can cause us to fear. The key is to focus on His attributes before life’s earthquakes and storms hit us. Verse 4 mentions a river in connection with the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High. Jerusalem, however, has no river. What might this mean? Consider this river, city, and dwelling place: “He showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1). CONTEMPLATE HEAVEN!
