Verse for the Day, 21 May 2014.

Genesis 43:6-7  Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?"  (7)  They replied, "The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"……. (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."  (19)  So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house,  (20)  and said, "Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food.  (21)  And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us,  (22)  and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks."  (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.

For men who had practiced dishonesty, falsehood, deceit and greed, these verses demonstrate that they have changed in their character. When asked about their family, they sought to tell the truth, and when given an opportunity to gain financially from a potential oversight, they resisted and sought to put it right. On both occasions it could have proved very costly. Jacob fears that it might not just be Benjamin who does not return. He has lost Joseph, and potentially Simeon, who has been in an Egyptian prison for some time. How many will more sons will he be bereaved of on this occasion? For the brothers, they were fearful of what might become of them when they reveal the truth about the money they found in their bags. Would they be accused of theft? Would the steward own up to his mistake, or cover it up and blame the brothers? Would they all be thrown into prison?

The truth, seeking to live and act in honesty can be very costly and often requires us to take a bold step of faith and trust in God to protect and preserve us if the consequences are what we feared. We need to only look at the example of Christ, he was truthful, honest in all that which he said, even when he knew that his truthfulness would result in him being crucified. When asked if he is the Christ, the Son of God, if he is a King, Jesus replied honestly, but was condemned even though he spoke the very truth.

We are aware that on many occasions a slight mistruth, a small lie here or there can make life much easier for us. There are times when we know if we tell the full truth we will receive a negative response, so we tell most of the truth, but fail to tell all of it, or we twist the truth so as to cast ourselves in a positive light, justifying our actions or failings. Often we will be able to fool, or deceive people and they will be none the wiser. However, the deceit may be short-lived, I am certain that the truth about Joseph’s disappearance was eventually told to Jacob, much to the shame of his brothers. Whether we fool men and our deceit remains hidden, or is exposed, all of it is known to God. God is a God of truth, He is truth and He loves truth, which therefore means that He hates deceit, despises falsehood and will not allow the liar to go undealt with. We may not regard telling lies or being deceitful as being such great sins, yet in Scripture we are taught that liars are condemned to eternal suffering. Honesty, truthfulness may be costly, but it is God-glorifying and for that reason alone we should love truth and seek to be truthful.

Father in a world filled with so many mistruths and deceitfulness, we thank You that we can know that You are truth. Thank You that we can build our lives upon Your truths made known to us through Your Word and Your Son. Thank You that we need not doubt what You tell us, nor fear that You will break Your word, or deceive us. We worship You Lord Jesus that You upheld and spoke the truth right unto death. We pray that You might help us to follow Your example and be people of truth, integrity and honesty, even when it is costly, remembering that we speak the truth for the increase of Your glory. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 19 May 2014.

Genesis 42:6-16  Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.  (7)  Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. "Where do you come from?" he said. They said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."  (8)  And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.  (9)  And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land."  (10)  They said to him, "No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food.  (11)  We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies."  (12)  He said to them, "No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see."  (13)  And they said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more."  (14)  But Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you. You are spies.  (15)  By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.  (16)  Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies."

Genesis 42 marks the fulfilment of Genesis 37; the dreams given to Joseph by God have now come to pass. Joseph’s brothers bow with their faces to the ground before the brother they so despised and hated. We may wonder why it is that firstly, his brothers did not recognise him and secondly, why Joseph did not immediately reveal himself to his brothers. Joseph was just a young teenage boy when his brothers sold him, now he is a grown man; furthermore Joseph’s appearance would have been disguised in part by the royal robes and head-dress that he would have being wearing. We can also be certain that Joseph’s brothers would have never expected to find Joseph in the house of the governor of Egypt. Most importantly, his brothers are kept from recognising him, so that the Word of God might be fulfilled. Had they immediately recognised Joseph it is unlikely that they would have come with such humility, bowing with fear before him. When Joseph did reveal himself to his brothers, they all came to understand that God had been at work in sovereign power, from the time of Joseph’s dreams, right to that present moment.

However, the more pressing question is why did Joseph not immediately reveal himself to his brothers, why did he treat them so harshly? Was Joseph seeking to take revenge against his brothers by being cruel to them? I do not believe that Joseph is acting in revenge or in cruelty against his brothers; rather I believe that Joseph was testing their hearts. His brothers make the statement to Joseph that they are honest men; Joseph is testing to see if his brothers are honest men, if they have truly changed their ways.

It is significant to note that the sons of Jacob attribute the harsh treatment at the hands of Joseph as being a means of justice against them for their sin against Joseph. Their guilt and shame over their mistreatment of their brother still hangs heavily upon their consciences.

Joseph seeks to test his brothers, he tells them to return to their homeland and bring back their youngest brother, but until they do so, one of them will have to remain in prison, in the same pit which Joseph languished for many years. The test is, will the brothers do as instructed and return with Benjamin, or will they simply abandon Simeon and leave him? Will they treat Simeon in the same manner as they treated Joseph?

We can all identify with Joseph’s brothers when it comes to the guilt and shame we feel over past sins. At times they seem to haunt us and fill us with despair. It is important that we seek to constantly take ourselves to the Christ and remind ourselves of the grace that we have received. As the hymn writer Charles Wesley expressed it, “O Jesus, full of truth and grace, more full of grace than I of sin.” Christ’s sacrifice has dealt with all our sin, past, present and future. It has been taken away, is blotted out and is no longer counted against us.

As we rejoice in the abundant grace and complete forgiveness that comes to us from Christ, we also need to understand that we have a responsibility. Genuine repentance produces genuine change. We need to learn from our past sins and short-comings so that in the time to come we will be conscious of our weaknesses, the ways and means in which we are tempted and to be proactive in preparing and planning how we might resist the temptation and turn away from those sins. We need to demonstrate that we are living in the light of the grace we have received and are showing our gratitude for that grace by seeking to walk in holiness.

Gracious and forgiving Father, we thank You today for the rich, lavish, abundant measure of grace we have received from You. Your grace like a spring of fresh water pours out upon us day after day. We pray that You would help us to understand more the grace and forgiveness we have received, and that the knowledge of this would keep us from further sin. Strengthen us so that we can walk in holiness, saying no to sin and ungodliness. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 16 May 2014.

Genesis 41:37-44  This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.  (38)  And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?"  (39)  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are.  (40)  You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you."  (41)  And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."  (42)  Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck.  (43)  And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, "Bow the knee!" Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.  (44)  Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."

How Joseph must have longed for this day, the day when he would be drawn out of the pit, released from prison and set free. We cannot know what Joseph thought that day would be like and what he had planned to do after his release, but he could not have anticipated what God had in store for him. This chapter shows us the God does exalt and lift up the humble; He does answer the prayer of the oppressed, of those who suffer injustice. Joseph goes from prisoner to second in command, from the pit, to the table of the king.

Genesis 41 tells us not only of how Joseph is released from prison and exalted to a high position, it also points us to the even greater work of Christ. In many respects Genesis 41 foreshadows Christ’s resurrection, his release from the bondage of death and sin, and his subsequent exaltation to the right hand of God the Father. Christ like Joseph is delivered and vindicated, restored and exalted. It is clear in both cases that it is the work of God, Pharaoh acknowledges that Joseph is filled with the Spirit of God, and Christ rises from the dead in divine power. Both lead many to see the glory of God, Pharaoh and his court, his wise men and advisers, see God at work in Joseph and see the glory of God. Christ after his resurrection appeared to the disciples and many others, and they too saw the glory of God and glorified God.

As we noted yesterday, God does not forget His people, He does not abandon them, and we are called to trust in God and in His timing. When God does deliver us we see that His will, work and timing is best, in fact it far surpasses, exceeds any of our expectations. The trials and tests that we go through often cause us to doubt the goodness, faithfulness, wisdom and sovereignty of God. The evil one seeks to sow these seeds of doubt in our minds and it is not long before we find ourselves feeling like Joseph, trapped in a pit, in a prison, with no sign of deliverance. How we then rejoice when God does act and deliver us! We are ashamed of our previous doubts and are strengthened in our faith, having once again seen that God is true to His promises and faithful to His people, working all things together for the good of those who love Him.

Our good and faithful Father, we worship You today knowing that You are ever with us and always at work for the furtherance of Your glory and for our highest good. Thank You that we can know that You are present with us even in the trials of life, and that in Your time You will deliver us. Thank You that when we see that deliverance it will fill us with joy and strengthen our faith. We pray that You will help us to persevere through the times of difficulty, enabling us to remind ourselves that You are present, You are at work and You will in Your time deliver us and reveal once more Your glory and goodness to us. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 15 May 2014.

Genesis 40:1-8, “Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt.  (2)  And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,  (3)  and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined.  (4)  The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.  (5)  And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation.  (6)  When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled.  (7)  So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody in his master's house, "Why are your faces downcast today?"  (8)  They said to him, "We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

The chief cupbearer and chief baker are thrown into prison by Pharaoh, and they are placed under the charge of Joseph by the captain of the guard. Those events might just appear to be minor historical detail. However, these details are more than just historical details of no significance, for the scene is being set for God’s sovereign, providential works and plans to be revealed. Joseph is given charge of these men so that he might be able to interpret the dreams they are given by God. The God-given gift of interpretation that is given to Joseph, will in time be remembered by the chief cupbearer and be the very means that God uses to cause Joseph to be exalted to a high position.

We so often skim through the historical details, thinking they are of little importance, yet we believe that every word in the Bible is God-breathed, every word is intentional and there for a specific purpose and reason. There are no superfluous words, or words that can be ignored. In the case of historical details, we find that their purpose is not just to provide us with information, but also to prepare us for what is to come. They serve to show us how God’s sovereign plan is being worked out; they remind us of God’s faithfulness and that God does not forget His people.

Joseph is in prison, far away from his family and there is little to no hope of deliverance for him, he will spend the rest of his days in prison for a crime he did not commit. Yet this passage serves to remind us that out of sight is not out of mind with God. God has not forgotten Joseph; rather all these events in Joseph’s life are guided by God and are a means of preparation for the future. God is preparing Joseph for a great work, but one that will require Joseph to have a humble and godly character, one that will require Joseph to be a man that is wholly dependent upon God. He is becoming this man through all of these events in his life. God in His sovereign plan places these two men in the same prison as Joseph, setting all the things, events and peoples in place, so that at the right time God will set Joseph free and exalt him. Joseph believed and hoped this would come sooner rather than later, trusting that the chief cupbearer would quickly remember Joseph and plead for Joseph’s release. Joseph had to wait some two years for the chief cupbearer to finally remember, but this again is in the sovereign will and purpose of God. Joseph is raised up at the right time and not a moment sooner. Joseph must learn to trust not just in God’s will and sovereignty, but also in God’s timing.

The very same applies to us, we must learn to trust in God’s will, sovereignty and timing. We can do so with confidence knowing that God will order our steps and our lives in accordance to His will. He will in His wisdom work in and through our lives at precisely the right time. We are called to be faithful and patient. We are to be faithful in our following of God, seeking to walk in the way that He leads us, whilst patiently trusting Him to work at the time of His choosing.

Sovereign Lord we thank You that You know the beginning from the end, all our days are laid out before You, planned and directed by You. You know exactly to the finest detail what the future holds for us. We thank You, that You do not merely sit back and allow life to just happen to us, but You direct our steps and work in our lives. We pray that You might strengthen us by Your Spirit to follow in humility and faith, whilst waiting upon You patiently, trusting You for the future. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 14 May 2014.

Genesis 39:4-9, “So Joseph found favour in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.  (5)  From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field.  (6)  So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.  (7)  And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me."  (8)  But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge.  (9)  He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Pursuing righteousness, integrity, holiness and godliness can sometimes be very costly and painful. For many years Christians have been wrongly taught that if you obey God then you will be blessed all the day long, no harm or evil will befall you. There is some truth to this, which is we will know the favour of God when we live in obedience, but we have no promise of receiving the favour of man when we seek to live godly lives. Potiphar’s wife was displeased by Joseph’s integrity, rather than admiring and rewarding it. In her displeasure she not only continued to entice Joseph, but finally conspired against him and laid the most serious, but false, allegations of attempted rape against Joseph. Joseph is deemed guilty and imprisoned, presumably until he died, there is no mention of the length of the sentence, nor is there ever any mention of his coming release. Joseph sought to honour God with his life and the result was that he was sinned against, treated as guilty and left to languish in prison.

What makes Genesis 39 all the more remarkable is that despite the fact that Joseph is treated as guilty and cast into prison, this doesn’t deter Joseph from continuing to living in a God-honouring manner. Shortly after being placed in prison Joseph’s integrity makes him stand out from the rest of the inmates and he is put in charge, entrusted with great responsibility. We have to ask ourselves how we would respond and continue to live if we were treated in a similar manner.

As believers in Jesus Christ we are called to live upright lives in the midst of an evil world. We do this for several reasons, firstly and most importantly, to glorify God; secondly, to give outward evidence of our faith, to demonstrate that we are authentic believers and thirdly, so that the world might see the testimony of our lives and give glory to God. We are called to live such lives and we are aware of the importance of living in such a manner, but we must be equally prepared to receive the disdain of the world. Jesus never promised us that it would be easy to follow Him and to live in accordance to His example. Jesus did tells us that it would not just be difficult, but that we could expect to be hated, opposed, handed over to the authorities and imprisoned, or even put to death. Should this frightening reality and prospect cause us to stop pursuing Christlikeness? By no means! Yes, it may be difficult and lead to pain and suffering, but we need to remember that we do not live a life of godliness so as to be praised and accepted by men; we do it for the glory, sake and name of our heavenly Father. We do it to honour Him, display our love for Him and to further glorify Him, we live in this manner so as to receive the eternal reward laid up and kept in heaven for us. We live such lives in the hope and with the prayer that God will use the testimony of our lives to lead others to Christ, others to glorify God. Peter expresses this truth 1 Peter 2:12, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honourable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Ultimately Joseph in this passage serves as a type of Christ. Joseph though innocent of this crime, is falsely accused and unjustly cast into prison. Christ, likewise is innocent, not just of the crime of which he is accused, but innocent altogether, and thus he is superior to Joseph. Christ is also falsely accused and given the sentence of death, but in the case of Christ, there is no deliverance of the sentence as there was for Joseph. Christ went to His death. He, who was innocent of all things, was treated as the guiltiest of all men and given the sentence of death. Yet as Scripture teaches us, Christ entrusted Himself to God the Father, who judges justly and continued to live in perfect obedience, right to his death. We have then two great examples to follow as we seek to walk in holiness, Joseph and best of all Christ.

Holy Father, we are aware that there are many times in our lives when we do not live as we should because we are afraid of how others might react. We ask that You would enable us to walk in holiness and to love You to the point that we are less concerned with how the world will react and more concerned with Your glory and our standing before You. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 7 May 2014.

Genesis 38:6-7  And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.  (7)  But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death….(10) And what he (Onan) did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death also…(15) When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.  (16)  He turned to her at the roadside and said, "Come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"

Genesis 38 is a chapter filled with the harsh consequences of sin, earthly consequences and divine consequences. Judah’s two sons Er and Onan are both struck dead by God for their sinful actions, and Judah’s sinfulness is exposed when he discovers that he is the one who caused his daughter-in-law to become pregnant. Within Judah’s family there appears to be a complete failure to love and follow God. Judah, Onan and Tamar fail to learn from God’s dealings with Er, and continue on in sinful behaviour. Judah and Tamar fail once more to learn from God’s dealings with both Er and Onan, continuing on in sin.

This chapter teaches us two truths. Firstly, sin always, always, has consequences, both earthly and divine. Our sin has a negative impact upon our relationship with others; especially those whom we sin against. It can lead us to have to incur the penalty of the law, to suffer ill-health because of a sinful lifestyle choice or to suffer other consequences of sinful actions or choices. Greatest of all our sin will impact upon our relationship with God, for sin always alienates us from God and because God is holy and just, He must always respond to sin. He must deal with it, whether by means of punishment for those who are not His children or by means of discipline for those who are His children. We must never allow ourselves the opportunity to think that our sin will escape unnoticed. God sees and knows all and God will deal with all sin.

Secondly, we need to learn from Scripture and from the lives of others around us. Both Scripture and human history is littered with countless examples of sin and its consequences. We need to learn from the poor choices of others, discerning that there are consequences and to then seek to walk in obedience to God and His Word. There is never a circumstance whereby we are left with no choice but to sin, there is never an occasion when sin is excusable. Er, Onan, Judah and Tamar deliberately and consciously chose sin, they may have sought to justify their sinfulness, but sin remains sin. They failed to learn that sin has destructive and deadly consequences; it alienates us from God and from each other. Sin cannot be covered over; it can have life-long consequences and it definitely has eternal consequences.

While reading chapters such as Genesis 38 causes us to be saddened by the sinful actions of others, these chapters should alert us to the fact that we need to take our own sinfulness seriously, to never let our guard down and to never try and excuse or justify sin. We should learn from the poor examples and seek to avoid those same temptations. Secondly, whilst we are saddened by this chapter, we should also be filled with thankfulness. It is only by God’s grace that our fate has not been the same as that of Er and Onan, for we all have given adequate cause for God to destroy us, to strike us down. God in His grace has laid all our sinfulness upon His Son, Jesus Christ, whilst we deserved to die for our sin, God the Son has died in our stead. Furthermore, we have now been filled with God’s Spirit, so that we can walk in obedience, be helped in times of temptation and receive the strength to avoid sin.

Righteous Father, we thank You, that You are a holy and just God, who deals with sin and who will by no means clear the guilty. We thank You that there is full, fair and final justice with You. We also worship You for You have laid our trespasses, iniquity and guilt upon Your Son, who has suffered and died in our place. Thank You that You have filled us with Your Spirit and given us Your Word. We pray that You would help us daily to see the ugliness of sin, renounce worldliness, resist sin and train ourselves for godliness. Amen