I Am the Lord’s Servant

Nancy Guthrie’s Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room:

It’s hard to imagine how frightening it must have been for teenage Mary to see an angel and hear him speaking to her. The Bible says that “Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored women! The Lord is with you!’ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God!’” (Luke 1:28-30). We can’t help but wonder what the angel looked like and what he sounded like.

As frightening as it must have been to see and hear an angel speaking to her, it must have been even more frightening for Mary to process what the angel was telling her–that she was going to become pregnant, even though she had never been intimate with a man. This would be a scandal in her village. Everyone would whisper about her. She would be shunned and perhaps sent away by her fiance, Joseph, because he would think she had been unfaithful to him. And yet, even though she probably had a million questions and concerns, Mary responded to the angel by welcoming whatever God wanted to do. She said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true” (Luke 1:38). In a sense she said to God, “I’m yours. You can do anything you want with me,” even though she must have known that this situation would be very hard for her, for Joseph, and for her whole family.

It’s easy to label what we consider “good things” in our lives as gifts from God and to welcome them with gratitude. But when difficult things happen, we don’t look at them as part of God’s good plan for us. Mary’s example shows us we can also welcome those things we would not necessarily label “good,” confident that God’s gifts sometimes come in perplexing and even painful packages. When we belong to God, we know he will use whatever he allows into our lives for good. Somehow, in God’s hands, these things also become gifts of his grace toward us.

It takes faith—faith to rest in who God is and his love for us; faith to be confident that he is doing something good in and through our difficult circumstances—to see the hard things in our lives as gifts of God’s grace.

GOD IS ON OUR SIDE

It was a gracious revelation to my human spirit when I discovered that the Word of God was actually on my side, operating in my behalf! I was reading Psalm 71 and I came to this amazing statement: "Thou hast given commandment to save me!" My heart has been warmed with that realization ever since. I believe that the Word of the living God has gone throughout all the earth to save me and keep me! Let the theological experts raise their eyebrow -- I do not care! The living Word has charged Himself with responsibility to forgive, to cleanse and to keep me! Let us not be guilty of under rating the Word of God operating on our behalf I dare to say that there is not an uncontrolled stroke or force anywhere in all of God's mighty universe that can take eternal life away from a trusting, believing, obedient child of God. Let us thank God for the Word! It is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword!

Verse
Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul. Psalm 71:13
Thought
I dare to say that there is not an uncontrolled stroke or force anywhere in all of God's mighty universe that can take eternal life away from a trusting, believing, obedient child of God.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for being infinitely more constant than any foe I could ever face.

BROTHERHOOD OF THE REDEEMED

Anyone making even a quick review of Genesis will discover that God has told us more about His presence in creation and in history than about the details of human civilization. We believe that eternity dwells in the Person of God and that the material universe came into being through God's creation. The first man and woman in the human race were created. They failed in their initial encounter with Satan, our archenemy. Following that, the Genesis record becomes a narrative of human failure against the abiding backdrop of God's faithfulness. God Himself, through the Holy Spirit, points out a universal problem: the natural brotherhood of human beings is a sinful brotherhood. It is the brotherhood of all who are spiritually lost. But the Bible has good news. It is the revelation of a new brotherhood, the brotherhood of the redeemed! We know it in our time as the believing church of our Lord Jesus Christ in all nations. It is a new brotherhood among men based on regeneration-and restoration!

Verse
To them gave he power to become the sons of God. John 1:12

Thought
We believe that eternity dwells in the Person of God and that the material universe came into being through God's creation.

Prayer
Lord, thank for taking me from the brotherhood of the lost to the brotherhood of the redeemed.

CHEAP RELIGION

What passes for Christianity in our day is cheap religion! To listen to the current concepts of Christianity, we would conclude it is little more than bits of beautiful poetry, a man-made bouquet of fragrant flowers, a kindly smile for our neighbor and a couple of good deeds on behalf of a brother or sister. When I consider some of the elements now offered in Christianity as acceptable religion, I have to restrain myself lest I speak too disapprovingly. I fear my words would be so strong that I would have to repent of them! And I read in the Scriptures that there are some things God does not want us to say even about the devil. What do we find surfacing in much of our Christian fellowship? The complaint that God takes a long time to work out His will. We do not want to take the time to plow and cultivate. We want the fruit and the harvest right away. We do not want to be engaged in any spiritual battle that takes us into the long night. We want the morning light right now! We do not want the cross-we are more interested in the crown!

Verse
Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. 2 Samuel 24:24

Thought
We want the fruit and the harvest right away. We do not want to be engaged in any spiritual battle that takes us into the long night.

Prayer
Lord, Thank you for the reminder that I have a job to do, and I pray for the grace to complete it.

HUMANS JUDGE THE LORD?

It is a fact that God made us to worship Him, and if we had not fallen with Adam and Eve, worship would have been the most natural thing for us. Sinning was not the natural thing for Adam and Eve, but they disobeyed and fell, losing their privilege of perfect fellowship with God, the Creator. Sin is the unnatural thing; it was never intended by God to be our nature. Men and women who are out of fellowship with God, the Creator, still have an instinct towards some practice of worship. In most of our "civilized" circles, the practice of picking out what we like to worship and rejecting what we do not like is widespread. This has opened up an entire new field for applied psychology and humanism under a variety of religious disguises. Thus men and women set themselves as judges of what the Lord has said-and so they stand with pride and judge the Lord. In the Bible, God takes the matter of worship out of the hands of men and puts it in the hands of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to worship God without the impartation of the Holy Spirit!

Verse
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9

Thought
In the Bible, God takes the matter of worship out of the hands of men and puts it in the hands of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer
Lord, thank you for the fact that you have given me the Holy Spirit so that I can worship you in spirit and in truth.

POSTPONING OBEDIENCE

A notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circle-the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Savior, and that we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as long as we want to! The truth is that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred Scriptures. Peter makes it plain that we are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience." It seems most important to me that Peter speaks of his fellow Christians as "obedient children." He knew their spirituality-he was not just giving them an exhortation to be obedient. The entire Bible teaches that true obedience to God and His Christ is one of the toughest requirements in the Christian life. Actually, salvation without obedience is a self-contradicting impossibility! Humans do not want to admit it, but the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans long ago that "by one man's disobedience" came the downfall of the human race!

Verse
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:31

Thought
The entire Bible teaches that true obedience to God and His Christ is one of the toughest requirements in the Christian life.

Prayer
Lord, let me always remember that odedience to your will is not just sanctioned, but manditory.

Mercy When Justice Is Deserved

A few weeks back, the junior and senior Sunday school class was discussing the story of Philemon. Philemon was a good man, who most likely treated most of his slaves very well. Thus, when one of his slaves, Onesimus, ran away from him, Philemon—who neither mistreated nor hurt Onesimus unnecessarily—was justifiably frustrated and mad. Once found, a runaway slave was returned to his master who would normally scold and punish his slave as he saw fit. Yet, the letter to Philemon centered on Paul’s pleading on Onesimus’s behalf for Philemon’s mercy where justice was deserved. Philemon was fully justified if he punished Onesimus—that’s what was just—yet Paul entreats him to remember the mercy Philemon received when he received the gospel and treat Onesimus with likewise mercy.

Now read Genesis 50:15-26

Like Philemon, Joseph would have been fully justified if he had chosen to punish his brothers. His brothers sold him into slavery after all; you can’t do much worse than that. His brothers deserved punishment for their actions. Yet, instead of choosing to do what was just, Joseph chose mercy. He knew that he had the right to hurt his brothers as he was hurt (an eye for an eye) but he gave up this right in order to show compassion on his brothers—and by extension, the love and forgiveness of God.
So now we come back to the present. To you. To your specific situation. Have you recently been wronged? Maybe it was really (because most of the time it isn’t) ALL THEIR FAULT. Maybe you truly did absolutely nothing to deserve how your friend, family member, or acquaintance treated you. And you probably have a right to be mad and frustrated. But it is far too easy for us humans to jump to judgment. After all, who are we to judge? We make mistakes all the time; besides, God declares in the Bible that vengeance is His and His alone. Not yours, not mine. His. And before our human nature begins coming up with excuses about how we should STILL have the right to be mad at least, let us look no farther than the ultimate act of mercy: Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. After all, all of Genesis is simply a signpost pointing us to Jesus, is it not? And Joseph is just an example of the mercy that was to be for all humanity. Jesus—God Himself—deserved to punish humankind for our rebellion against our Creator, yet chose to embody humility in his humiliating death on the cross, to save us from our sins.

How can we not be moved? How can we still adamantly declare that we deserve to pay someone back for how they’ve wronged us, when, in fact, this passage, all of Genesis, the whole Bible even points us to the ultimate act of mercy? Forgive my Star Wars allusion, but honestly, let go of your hate. Pray that God will teach you to love as He has loved. And show His mercy and His desire for restoration to your friends today. Who is God putting on your heart that you need—I repeat, NEED—to forgive? I encourage you to prayerfully approach that person today with full forgiveness, keeping in mind that we have already all received the ultimate mercy ourselves.

The Good Death

Read Genesis 49:28-50:14
Part of living a godly life is finishing it in a godly death. Maybe you’ve been to a funeral before; maybe several, so you might have the ability of a comparison, or maybe not. Personally, I’ve been to a number of funerals, probably more than is good for someone my age, but the experiences have left me with an understanding of what it means to have a godly death. The death and mourning may not always look the same, but the focus is the same; God. The life and death of a person who has lived in pursuit of God can be so powerful that even non-believers feel presence of God’s peace and hope during the period of grief and mourning. It was the same at Jacob’s death.

After blessing his sons we see that Jacob gave specific instructions to his sons about where to bury him. This is important because for Jacob it’s not just about being buried in the promised land; there is a spiritual significance about being buried in the same place with his forefathers who also lived under the covenantal promise. It is Jacob identifying himself by his relationship to God even after his death.

How are you living in such a way that those who come after you will identify you by your relationship to God?

Another thing to note about this passage is how the Egyptians mourned Jacob for seventy days. Israel and his descendents were foreigners and shepherds. Yet, the nation mourns for Jacob. Jacob must’ve had a tremendous influence by the life that he lived in Egypt in order to have that kind of national effect as a foreigner. I don’t know about you, but seventy days for actual ceremonial mourning is a long time. How is it that Jacob came to such recognition in Egypt in such a short time? Not only that but after the official mourning time in Egypt Pharaoh granted Joseph’s request to let him return and bury Jacob with his forefathers . . . along with the all of Pharaoh’s officials and dignitaries where they continued in mourning and caused such a stir even among the Canaanites that they renamed Jacob’s place of burial based on this one funeral! I think in a way it makes Jacob’s burial place much more poignant for this ; since the members of Pharaoh’s court could have no doubt of the significance of this burial place to both Jacob and his family, and for the promise of the covenant under which they lived. At the same time it’s a vivid reminder to Jacob’s son through all of this about the purpose of their lives. They may be living in Egypt, but they are pilgrims looking forward to the fulfillment of the promise and the promised land. It’s a moment that Jacob arranges in his death for his sons to come to terms with their own relationship with God and their place in the covenant.

Take some time to consider the ultimate goals that you are pursuing and align yourself with God and his plans for you. Ask for a willing spirit to help you be obedient to the things God desires for you. Ask God to help you understand how to live godly life, and to help you with the love, courage, humility you need to live it.

In Praise of Nobody.

Read: Genesis 49: 1-27

We are now entering the last verses of the book of Genesis. It is important to bear in mind that Genesis was not written to describe where we all came from. It was written as the beginning to the story of God’s chosen people – the nation of Israel. Thus, when we read today’s passage, we need to keep in mind that Jacob’s blessing of his sons tell, at the same time, what will come to pass.

If you note carefully, each of Jacob’s sons will be forerunners to each tribe of Israel. Some of the prophecies were interesting. Keep in mind that Jacob’s favorite sons were Joseph and Benjamin. While Joseph certainly had a reassuring prophecy, Benjamin’s was simply terrible – “ravenous wolf” is not a compliment. Furthermore, Reuben, Simeon and Levi are the oldest three sons, all of whom – especially Reuben- should receive the choicest blessings from Jacob, which is ancient Jewish custom. However, note that Reuben has committed adultery once (Gen. 35); and Simeon and Levi were responsible for massacring the Canaanites in Shechem (Gen. 34). Thus, it seems that the blessings now fall upon Judah.

Judah is really a nobody. He’s not first, but he wasn’t last. Nobody cares so much for him. But note: “the scepter will not depart from Judah,” indicating the possibility that one day, the nation of Israel will have a king. He will, furthermore, be respected among all nations, he’ll get the royal treatment. To top it all off, he’s dashing. Indeed, hundreds of years after, the nation of Judah will arise. King David, when he was selected, was a nobody too, the youngest of the sons of Jesse (who’s he?). We, as Christians, also know that Jesus is often referred to as the “Lion of Judah”, but to his fellow Nazarene neighbors, “wasn’t he the son of Joseph?”

And isn’t this how God works throughout history, choosing the insignificant to do great things? If you read the New Testament, note that Paul is the only author who had a prestigious background – everyone else were nobodies. Paul is interesting, because he was from the tribe of Benjamin, whom Jacob would describe as “a ravenous wolf; in the morning devouring the prey, and at evening dividing the spoil.” This doesn’t sound good, does it? How interesting, then, that Paul, with the same ravenous attitude, went throughout the Mediterranean sharing the Gospel with all people, and in the end, “dividing the spoils” to all? Yes, my friends, our God is a redeeming God.

Maybe you feel like a nobody. You’re not the one with the perfect GPA. Others seem to have thought the exams were easy-peasy, but you thought it was impossible. Some of you seniors are applying to schools. All your friends got into prestigious programs at prestigious schools, and you feel you might not… measure up. This is a relentless world we live in. We all prize status, qualifications, etc. But God doesn’t play human games. Jesus did not play human games. He certainly could’ve gone through school and become a teacher of the law – a very prestigious position in Jewish society. But no, he went into carpentry. He could’ve bossed people around since he’s God, but no – he served us on bended knee. Not only do nobodies matter to God, but He uses them all the time. So if you think you are a nobody relative to your peers, don’t play human games, for God sees you very differently.
 

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Having been reunited with his father, we see an astounding interaction between Jacob and his favored son Joseph. Despite all of the suffering both of these men have gone through, the idea that God is the source of blessing and the necessary recipient of praise is evident throughout their conversation. Jacob has a great blessing in store for his sons in Genesis 49, but it is evident that Joseph is still the favored son. Among his brothers, he receives double portion, one for Ephraim and one for Manasseh. It is here in Genesis 48 that we see Jacob giving the blessing to his grandsons, whom he adopts for his own. Its important to note that whoever Jacob blesses, God also blesses, consistent with God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Read Genesis 48

Jacob is sick and knows he doesn't have much time left. He brings his son Joseph and his now adopted sons Ephraim and Manasseh into his room to give them a blessing. But over the course of the encounter, Jacob reminds the boys of God's hand in Jacob's life and ultimately theirs. He begins by reminding them in Genesis 48:3-4 of how God has kept the promises He made to Jacob. Its both Jacob praising God for what he's done but also reminding Joseph of what God is still doing in the lives of His people. Perhaps there is fear that Joseph will forget the blessing to come and want to stay in Egypt forever, but that is not where God intended them to be.

Again in Genesis 48:15-16 Jacob makes God the center of attention in his encounter with his son. Jacob blesses the boys, the way God wants them to be blessed. Like Jacob over Esau, Jacob also blesses Ephraim, the younger, over Manasseh the first born. Again, Jacob is praising God for how He chose Jacob not based on merit, but by His grace. He is also reminding Joseph that God had much in store for His people, emphasis on the fact that they will at no point deserve it. He reminds Joseph and the boys that it was God who went before Him and led Him as a shepherd, not his own wit or guile.

Finally, in Genesis 48:20-21, Jacob looks to the future for what God will do. He is completely confident that God will follow through with the blessing in their lives so much so that all of Israel (which didn't even exist as a nation yet) would know that it was God at work to bless rather than Ephraim or Manasseh or Joseph working to gain blessing. Once again, Jacob reminds Joseph and the boys that the real blessing is coming. Its not in Egypt, as good as things are now, its in Canaan.

So what then for us? Spend some time reflecting on the blessings that God has given you. We often make the mistake of assuming that God's blessing has to look a certain way. Jacob recognized that the blessing didn't take the form he wanted but rather what God wanted. Remember that the God who led Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph from Ur to Canaan to Egypt and back, is the same God that cares for and leads you now, and the greater blessing is still to come.

Principles Pertaining to Prosperity and Poverty

The material for this devo is borrowed from an article I read by Bob Deffinbaugh called “A Proper Perspective of Poverty and Prosperity”. This is an extremely important as we continue to see the ways our lives are set up with so many opportunities for us to do well in society and earn a good living. At the same time, we have been challenged as a church to see the poverty around us and in the world and how we are suppose to respond as Christians. Let’s see what God is going to share with us in today’s text.

Read Genesis 47:13-31

Here it is important to understand the whole story of Joseph. I hope that you have been following with us in this whole series of Genesis devotions and have come along with us in the narrative. If you haven’t, I hope that you have time to do that. We get to the point of the story where Joseph is in charge and administering food for Pharaoh. This is an extremely important job as there is a severe famine in the land.
As you read this passage, we see that the verses describe the prosperity of Pharaoh and the people of God in amidst poverty and famine. It is important for us to see several principles which help us to more precisely define the relationship between prosperity and poverty. I have selected just two principles from his article:

1) Prosperity is not a right, but a privilege and a responsibility. In the Old Testament God promised Israel prosperity if they would faithfully obey Him and keep His commandments as described in Deuteronomy 15:4-6. But God also made it clear that while this was His promise, this ideal would never be fully realized – “For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, “You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land” Deuteronomy 15:11. In the book of Proverbs it is oft repeated that prosperity is the result of diligence, while poverty is the result of idleness. Paul in Philippians challenges us to learn the secret of contentment which he has in both poverty and prosperity. Wealth is to be employed in ministry to others. Poverty does not prohibit a genuine desire to minister, while prosperity provides greater opportunity and greater responsibility.

2) The problem of poverty cannot be solved simplistically. The simple solution to the problem of the famine in Egypt, we suppose, would have been for Joseph to open up the granaries of Egypt and give the grain to the Egyptians. The question then becomes, “On what basis should the grain be given out?” How would you feel about the fellow who drove up in his new Rolls Royce and asked you to “fill er up” with grain? Welfare is never quite so simple as it first seems. In some scriptures we are told to give to those in need: He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor as stated in Proverbs 22:9. Then we see in 2 Thess. 3:10 – “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.”

We have a wide range of responsibilities to the poor because there are a wide variety of reasons for poverty. To those who are willfully poor, that is, those who will not work, we have no obligation but to rebuke them. We must allow their hunger to prod them into activity. For those who are temporarily without funds, we should loan them money with the expectation of being paid back, but not with interest. Others who are completely helpless should be given what they need with no thought of repayment.

Two primary goals should be fixed in our mind regarding charity that really benefits the recipient: First, it should seek to preserve the dignity of the needy; and second, it should promote the diligence of the needy. In Old Testament times the able-bodied who were in need were provided for by leaving sufficient food for them to glean.

I hope that we reflect on the passage and also these principles to allow God shape our hearts, minds and understanding of how God wants us to live as His disciples. It is important for us to see the ways God continues to lead us and gives us wisdom from Him to be able to handle all of life’s complexities.

Lord You are Good and Your Mercy Endures Forever

Read Genesis 46:28-47:12

Let me bring you back to only a few chapters ago when Joseph’s family was scraping around just to come up with enough food for them and their families. They were desperate, willing to do anything—prostrating themselves at the feet of a foreigner—to beg that they be sold grain to nourish their loved ones. Everything seemed utterly dismal, especially as Joseph’s brothers were tested by God through Joseph: everything from being accused of being spies to being forced to bring Benjamin to Egypt to finding the silver cup in Benjamin’s bag to having to choose whether or not to give up on Benjamin to Judah offering his life in exchange for Benjamin’s. Yet, as we look at the passage for today, we see God’s faithfulness coming to pass. All the seemingly terrible things that happen to Joseph’s family are shown to be all a part of God’s plan: if Joseph hadn’t been sold, then all of them would have been begging for grain from Pharaoh—who probably wouldn’t have any without Joseph’s help! So all of the craziness leading up to this point has been a part of God’s plan; and God’s plan is GOOD! Just look at what begins to happen towards the end of this story (aka today’s passage): Jacob and Joseph are tearfully reunited, Joseph and his entire family are looked upon extraordinarily favorably by Pharaoh, Joseph’s family is allowed to settle in the best part of Egypt in Goshen…what more can one ask for? Jeremiah 29:11 says this: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” How true is this statement! Maybe you’re at that stage where God is still testing you or being strangely silent and you still can’t see God’s mercy being poured out. But rest assured, that time will come. God WILL come, drenching you in his rains of mercy.

Where are you today? Do you feel like you’re in the midst of a famine right now, that you cannot feel God at all? Maybe on a journey to seek food, to try to find nourishment for your soul? Or feeling convicted of your past wrongs, when you haven’t lived as God desired? Perhaps astonishment and a little fear at God’s unexpected blessings in your life? Possibly inadequacy or anxiety about returning to God because you’ve already gone to Him seemingly one-too-many times? Maybe you’re feeling condemned for the things you have or haven’t done? Or having to sacrifice so much for someone you’re supposed to love? Perhaps joy finally as you look back and realize that everything that God has brought you through has been according to His perfect plan for your life? Whatever the case, I believe that you will one day—sooner or later—come out of the darkness of the seemingly endless tunnel you’re in now and be bowled over by God’s great love for you. What that looks like, how that will come about, all those details…only God knows all that. But if you’re in a tough place right now, look at Joseph and his family’s story and be encouraged. God knows about your needs and He will provide for you in abundantly good ways. So don’t give up right now. Keep running the good race and you will see God’s mercy being dumped all over your life in fantastic ways soon. Because our God is good and His mercy endures FOREVER!

Taking the Lead

The last week or so we've been looking at the life of Joseph and seeing the transformation that God is doing in his life. Despite the suffering of being sold into slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned and forgotten, God used Joseph to be a blessing to an entire nation. However, we are again reminded that this narrative is not a story about Joseph but about what God is doing in Israel's redemptive history. In fact, Joseph is not the only one who has gone through a transformation since the start of his story. Today's focus will be on a different brother. Judah.

Read Genesis 44

Judah will ultimately be the chosen line, not Joseph. From Judah's family comes a line of kings and eventually the Messiah. Big shoes to fill. And from the start, Judah is clearly not the man Joseph has become. In Genesis 37, Judah is the one who puts for the plan to sell Joseph in the first place. Genesis 38, Judah's actions are a direct contrast to Joseph resisting the temptation of Potiphar's wife. But somewhere along the way, that changes. Judah begins to take the responsibility that comes with being the leader of the brothers, and the tribe from which many kings would eventually come. We see him make the claim to it in Genesis 43 when he tells Jacob he will take personal responsibility for Benjamin's safety promising his own life. This is in sharp contrast to Reuben's response in Genesis 42 where he promises the lives of his own sons in exchange for Benjamin's. Judah takes ownership and responsibility. Reuben does not. That's why Judah is the spokesman for the brothers, not Reuben, despite Reuben's status as the first born.

Its here in Genesis 44 that we finally see Judah's new status as the leader in action. When faced with the accusation against Benjamin, Judah puts his own life on the line. He goes out of his way to protect not only Benjamin but his father. Genesis 44:33, "Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers." Though he's done nothing wrong, he offers himself as a sacrifice in order to protect Benjamin and Jacob.

This morning, consider how God might be calling you to be transformed in your attitude. Are you taking responsibility for your actions? Are you being living sacrificially and protecting those who can't protect themselves? Its not until Judah figures this out that he begins to shape up into the leader of the tribe of Kings he's supposed to be. What might God be calling you to do that will require you to be transformed just like Judah?

The First Move

Read: Genesis 45

Before I begin, Genesis 45 seems to be about repentance and reconciliation. In the past, Judah sold Joseph to slave traders with impunity, but now he confesses his mistake and offers to sacrifice himself so that Benjamin can return to Jacob. It is a touching story, but it must be read with Genesis 44 in mind. Nonetheless, we are drawing near to the end of Genesis, and it’s important to realize something that’s going on.

In the movie The Return of the King, Gandalf the White and Peregrin Took were at the balcony of their guest house in Minas Tirith. Gandalf was frustrated at the Steward’s lack of care for the city as Sauron was gearing up for war. Sauron has his pieces in order, and Gandalf, to the best of his ability, has his. He famously remarked, “The board is set, the pieces are moving, the War of our Time has come at last.” As we draw near to the end of Genesis, we need to understand that the board is set for the next great episode of God’s story. The pieces will soon be moved. What is the board being set for?

Joseph is now the regent of all Egypt and has revealed his identity to his brothers, who were afraid that Joseph would retaliate and send them to be executed. Then Joseph told them not to be afraid and not distressed for their sin of selling Joseph to slavery, “for God sent me before you to preserve life… God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.” (vs. 5 and 7) Pharaoh’s exuberant hospitality and encouragement led Jacob, who was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing his former favorite son, to move the family to Egypt. Thus, the pieces are coming together for Exodus.

As we live in a world that is quickly shifting, it sometimes feels disorienting. The last famous musical artist I knew when I was in high school was the Backstreet Boys and Ricky Martin. Some of you have no idea who Ricky Martin is. “Heart of Worship” was a relatively new song. Now it’s almost a hymn. Technology is moving at breakneck speed. Only a mere 10 years (10!) ago, the fastest speed you can access the internet with was 56K. Some of you don’t know what that means (cable is now at a few MB’s a second). Despite this disorientation, we know God is always in control, that his chess boards and his strategies are all never beyond him. What Satan, what this world can throw at him will never destabilize God. And that is an amazing assurance. Perhaps you feel like this world is just relentless and that you’re always a step behind. You still don’t know how to calculate Riemann sums. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness seems to be explaining your predicament pretty well. ATP phosphorylation seems to be draining the ATPs out of you. And, worst of all, all that will give your GPA a beating.

But God is never lost. God is always master of the situation. I took a midterm for Old Testament three weeks ago. You know it was bad when an annual tradition has evolved where second-year seminarians hold a breakfast and write encouraging notes on the white board to keep us from becoming frazzled. But what helped entirely was when our professor came in. “I know many of you probably have prayed 1,001 times before this exam, but one more prayer, can’t hurt, right? Let’s pray.” Her first sentence was this: “Holy God, may we understand why we are here [at seminary] and that regardless of how this exam goes, we still belong to you.” Dr. Sakenfeld can pray such a prayer, because she knows well – she’s an Old Testament scholar after all – that God is always in control. His pieces are always in order.