True Leadership Modeled

Numbers 27 One day a petition was presented by the daughters of Zelophehad—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father, Zelophehad, was a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph… “Our father died in the wilderness,” they said. “He was not among Korah’s followers, who rebelled against the Lord; he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.” So Moses brought their case before the Lord. And the Lord replied to Moses, “The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father… One day the Lord said to Moses, “Climb one of the mountains east of the river, and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel. After you have seen it, you will die like your brother, Aaron, for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters.”… The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him.

This chapter seems to draw us to the end of another era and one wonders how God would continue to lead Israel without a leader?

True Forgiveness and Lasting Hope

Genesis 50:1-2,12-13,19-21 (ESV) Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel… Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them, for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place… But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

The last chapter of the book of Genesis ends with a burial, the coming together of a family and an end of a beautiful era.

These 50 chapters spanned a significant period of time and taught us much but is just the start of our journey across the word of God.

God’s faithfulness was evident in the lives of these Bible greats but why were Joseph’s brothers worried again?

God’s Paradigm, Not Ours

Genesis 48:1,3-5,17-19 (ESV) After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim… And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are… When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”

Why do all good things have to come to an end one wonders and that is the reality of life. Israel (Jacob) lived a full life and walked in the ways of the Lord.

His life was not easy until the end but his faith was and even though he did not fully see God’s promise of making him the father of the nations and blessing him with his land, he still remained faithful.

Is today a reminder of Jacob’s blessing to Joseph and his sons or is there more to this chapter?

Shepherding – The Great or Lowly Occupation

Genesis 46:1-4,31-34 So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes”… Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me; and the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock; and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ “When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ that you may live in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians.”

Finally Israel and his large family, 75 in all, move to Goshen to go to live with his son, Joseph. A fitting end to a harsh and painful journey that Joseph was subjected to for no fault of his.

What joy Israel (Jacob) must have felt knowing that his son that he once lost is now found and not just found but is well and has made such a name for himself. Also, what a joy it must have been for Israel to know that his God, the God of his fathers was confirming to him that he was to go down to Egypt and God would make him a great nation there!

God certainly has wonderful ways of bringing about His will but is that what today’s passage is about?

Transformation By Love

Genesis 45:1-3,7-10,27-28 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence… “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. “You shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have… When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. Then Israel said, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Finally Joseph can take it no longer and reveals himself, forgives his brothers and requests them to bring back Israel and the rest of their families to settle with him in the land of Goshen.

Seems like a real fairytale ending and fittingly so for a family that has gone through much because of misunderstanding, jealousy and deceit.

Is this as straightforward as it seems or is there more to it?

Sin’s Bitter Aftertaste

Genesis 42:7,21-22,35 When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food”… Then they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.” Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood”… Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed. Their father Jacob said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.” Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my care, and I will return him to you.” But Jacob said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

Joseph was now in authority over Egypt and was respected and revered for his gift of divination by God and for the authority bestowed upon him by the Pharaoh.

Because of the widespread famine stretching all the way to Canaan, people from all over the region came to him for grain and this is how he chanced meeting with his 10 brothers.

Joseph’s response is odd in that he choses to imprison his brothers and treat them roughly but there seems to be justice in what he does when he sends them home while holding onto Simeon.

Wy would Joseph want to see Benjamin and what is God teaching us through this incident?

God’s Anger Vs God’s Love

Genesis 7:1-5,21-24 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time. “You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. “For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” Noah did according to all that the LORD had commanded him… All flesh that moved on the earth perished, birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind; of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark. The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.

For a God whose very nature is love and who is considered the epitome of love, this act of wiping out His creation that He was happy to create seems out of character and unimaginably harsh. Imagine the cry of all of creation as it was drowned and imagine the devastation that occurred because of it.

Are we to come and submit to the Lord because of our fear of His wrath and what is God speaking to us through this event?

A Personal God

Revelation 2:1,8,12,18, 26-29 These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands… These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again… These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword… These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze… To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’— just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

This chapter and the next one are addressed to the seven churches and clearly is a message to them regarding their faithfulness, challenges specific to each church and a promise to them of blessings if they remain faithful. What is the significance of this message to us today 2,000 years later as most of us do not belong to those churches or face those battles?

One of the most significant parts of this chapter is the description of Jesus that is unique to each of the churches and pertinent to the situation they face. Jesus is not just Lord over all mankind but amazingly has facets of His personality and character that relate to every situation in our lives.

Furthermore, He is not just issuing a dictum of what should be done but instead relates to our specific situations, acknowledges our challenges and encourages us to remain faithful just as He is to us. The battles we face are not unknown to Him as is our response and attitude. He has bought us victory over Satan and sin by the shedding of His own blood and wants us to live in the knowledge of this victory and remain faithful to Him regardless of what our battles are.

The promises He makes to us if we remain faithful are giddying but also can be misinterpreted. He promises to give us authority over the nations and this does not mean we get an office of authority or exclusive power over mankind but it refers to our association with Him in His future glory.

The promise continues about ruling the lost with an iron scepter and dashing them to pieces like pottery which is an allusion from Psalm 29. This again refers to Jesus’ rule of total authority that will not be challenged and the breaking of pottery refers to all opposition being removed and only His authority being accepted.

The last promise is of the morning star which refers to the planet Venus which shows on the horizon before the morning dawns and therefore it refers to the arrival of Jesus’ glory which will melt away all the darkness and establish a new and blessed future in Him.

I pray that you would hear what the Lord is speaking and that the Holy Spirit would minister His words to you and you would live a life transformed by His love and grace.

In His Loving Service,
ServantBoy

Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Testimony Of God

1 John 5:9-15, 20
We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him… We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

After many days of rest and rejuvenation, it feels wonderful to sit at the feet of God again and write His words. Like I previously said, it is wonderful to have faith but it is essential to know what we have faith in and the only way to know is to seek of God from His word. To know God, we need to seek of God because if all men have sinned, then no man can testify about a holy and righteous God and so the words in today’s chapter ring true that God’s testimony is certainly true and worthy of accepting. We live in Satan’s dominion here on earth and he ensures that we live a life far from the heart of God. Everything about God feels alien to us and therefore we doubt God and trust only man. How can we know the truth and how can we see beyond the cobwebs Satan has woven into this world to prevent us from seeing God in truth and light?

The Reality Of Our Faith

1 John 2:15-17, 22-25, 27
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever… Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—even eternal life… As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

In recent days, I have been exploring the web  to understand what non-believing christians find contentious about the christian faith. As expected, there are thousands of articles and videos that cast doubt on the very existence of God, let alone the christian God and there are many christians who have responded to some of these challenges either successfully or not. Believing is the most critical part of our faith and knowing why we believe is critical as well when we hope to share what Christ has done for us. Questions like the need for a God, the authenticity of the Bible, the worth of a God who does not save people from suffering, etc. are hard questions and because we cannot get an answer, it might cause us to doubt if our faith is correctly placed in the first place. How then can God remind us to hold firm to our faith when we do not have answers to basic issues such as these?