THE LORD SPOKE (January 20)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Genesis 47-48

How did he do it? Maybe he didn’t. But God did and directed Jacob’s hands to cross over, putting Ephraim ahead of his older brother Manasseh. Thus did Joseph’s two sons become equal heirs with Jacob’s other sons. Reuben lost his birthright through sin (Gen. 35:22; 49:3-4) and the double portion fell to Joseph’s two sons.

Ephraim want on to become one of the largest tribes in Israel. During the days of the divided monarchy (930-722 BC), the tribe of Ephraim was the most powerful in the northern kingdom, the whole of which was sometimes called “Ephraim” to distinguish it from “Judah” to the south (see Isa. 7:2f and Hos. 9:13; 12:1). Both of the boys, Ephraim and Manasseh came to represent God’s richest blessing, as Jacob’s words in Genesis 48:20 indicate:

He blessed them that day and said, “In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”

Though Jacob’s eyesight was dimming, God directed him to make this switch. The boys represented also the other sons that Rachel might have borne if she had not died upon arrival in Canaan (Gen. 48:5-7). Joseph’s other children would be his own but these two were considered Jacob’s thereafter.

His parting words in Genesis 48 are worthy of some attention. He grants “the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow” (Gen. 48:22, NIV). It’s probably a reference to the events in Genesis 34 following the rape of Dinah. Those took place at Shechem in the center of the country and the Hebrew word translated “ridge” is also shechem. The root comes from “shoulder” or “back of the neck” (between the shoulders), thus the figure of a spur of a hill. When Joseph himself dies and his bones are taken to Canaan several years late, he is finally buried at Shechem (Josh. 24:32). [P.S. The synagogue marking the traditional burial place was trashed and pulled down by a Palestinian mob in October, 2000.]

It’s like the curtains are pulling together. Jacob is about to breathe his last but a new act is about to begin. Houselights are dim right now, but the story is not over.


New Testament: Matthew 20

It doesn’t seem fair, does it? Why should those who worked less get the same payment? Why should the guy who came late get the same treatment?

One thing needs to be made very clear - this is not a parable about salvation! The day’s wage of one denarius in the parable does not represent salvation or Christ. You don’t work to earn salvation! Neither is this a parable about rewards. Everyone will receive rewards “according to his own labor” (I Cor. 3:8).

Jesus is responding to Peter’s question in the last chapter (see 19:27). Peter had just asked, with a little whine in his voice (?), “What’s in it for me?” Peter’s motivation was the issue here and the purpose of the parable was to help him see the importance of his heart attitude toward the Lord. Jesus uses the parable to teach about having a right attitude in service.

In doing so, Jesus points out that:

• Overconfidence can lead us to suppose that we’re worth more than we really are (20:10). Assuming that “if he got that much, I must be worth this much more”, will give you an inflated idea of your own value. It will breed dissatisfaction and greed.
• If we serve the Lord for what we can get out of it - whether immediate or eternal - we miss the best things He has prepared for us. Rather, we should serve with “sincerity of heart” (Eph. 6:6). It isn’t about having a contract so we can be sure to get everything that’s coming to us. Do you really want to get what’s coming to you?
• It’s not our job to watch other workers, measuring and comparing ourselves to them. We need to take care of our own motivation before the Lord. We may be very surprised when the truth is finally known (20:16). Some of those who seem so quiet and low-key may be way ahead of all our bluster and show in terms of real faithfulness to God.
• Neither is it up to us to judge God. He is the Master of the vineyard and He will do right every time. It is not our calling to hold Him to our standards of justice. How foolish it sounds to even say it.

God calls us to different tasks in His kingdom. His rewards are not on the basis of how hard we work, or how organized we are in our labor, or even how much we produce - but on how faithfully we respond to Him. He knows our abilities and just what can be expected of each one of us. He fashions the task to the laborer and He knows us better than we know ourselves. He sees exactly what is our motivation. We can trust the Righteous Judge to judge righteously.

What does He see in your heart today?