READING FOR JUNE 11, 2024: GENESIS 50, GALATIANS 3, PSALM 52:1-4 GENESIS 50 It seems that ancient middle-eastern culture spent more time than we do mourning death before moving on. Even the Egyptians mourned for 70 days over Jacob. It was not until this mourning period was over before Joseph asked for permission to take Jacob’s body back to Canaan for burial. Then the elders of Jacob’s family, the elders of Egypt, and an escort of chariots accompanied the body to the same site where Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rachel and Leah were laid to rest. Once they arrived, there were seven more days of mourning that even impressed the local inhabitants with the level of grief. Our church has a reputation for supporting grieving families. That’s good. A life lived for God is worth our time remembering: “Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His godly ones” (Psalm 116:15).
With Jacob gone, his sons once again feared that Joseph might exact revenge for selling Joseph into slavery. They claimed Jacob left a final message for Joseph to forgive them. Joseph asked a question that we all need to ponder when faced with an opportunity to extract revenge: “Am I in God’s place?” This important principle is stated throughout the Bible: “Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:17-21).
Even though Joseph lived to be 110, he apparently died before his brothers. His last wish to them was to have his bones taken back to Canaan when the entire group of Hebrews returned to the land. This demonstrated great faith on Joseph’s part that God would keep His word. The same is true for the rest of the clan because they would need to keep his bones for at least another 300 years. Let’s trust God’s promises even if we haven’t yet seen them fulfilled.
GALATIANS 3 Remember that Peter upset Paul when he withdrew from eating non-kosher food with Gentile believers in Antioch once Jewish Christians arrived. Peter’s action signaled that faith in Jesus was not sufficient. Now Paul gets back to the situation in Galatia. He pointedly asks, who led them to believe that faith in Jesus is not sufficient and that following the Mosaic law is required for salvation? Paul reminds them their great patriarch Abraham was justified by faith before he was circumcised. He goes on to say God promised that all nations would be blessed through Abraham’s seed: Jesus. He quotes scripture that demanded obedience to the entire law, which Paul says is not possible. Again, he quotes the Old Testament to show what will save: “The righteous one will live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4).
READING FOR JUNE 11 CONTINUED: GALATIANS 3, PSALM 52:1-4 Paul asks rhetorically, why was the Mosaic law given? Remember, the promise to Abraham had been given before the 400-year stay in Egypt, a land of false gods. During that time, the violations by Abraham’s descendants of God’s commands reached a point that angels asked that the people be given this law to help them maintain their special relationship with God until Jesus entered the world. The law in no way contradicted the promise or covenant made before with Abraham, but neither did it provide for individual righteousness.
Paul said the law kept Israel protected as a set-aside people until Jesus came. Plus, it actually pointed faithful people to Jesus. Having served its purpose, the focus now must be faith in Jesus. Believers are now clothed in His righteousness, not our works. Our primary identity is belonging to Jesus, not as a Greek, Jew, boss, slave, male and female. We are all now heirs of Abraham through faith. Many people still believe we are saved by being more goodthan bad or perhaps better than others. Please know that we are saved only through faith in the work of Jesus on the cross.
PSALM 52:1-4 This Psalm has David speaking to an Edomite (descendant of Esau) named Doeg, although not in his presence. David’s is reacting to Doeg’s providing information to Saul about David’s interactions with the priest Ahimelech, who assisted David (1 Sam. 21-22). This led Saul to command Doeg to kill Ahimelech and 84 fellow priests. David, perhaps sarcastically, calls Doeg a mighty man because he killed 85 defenseless priests and boasted about it. He reminds him that God is faithful. In this case, this affirmation about God’s faithfulness seems to be meant as a threat to the doer of violence. There is no getting away with anything with God.
Interestingly, all of David’s condemnations are directed toward the words of Doeg rather than the violent acts that the words brought forth. This should give us pause. Not many of us will kill 85 people in the next few days, but do we ever speak deceitfully or even enjoy gossiping about evil? “See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our body’s parts as that which defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our life and is set on fire by hell” (James 3:5-6).Once we begin speaking carelessly or unlovingly, the consequences can be far worse than we can imagine.
