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?

THE LORD SPOKE (January 19)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Genesis 45-46

Suddenly it all made sense. The probing questions. The special interest in Benjamin. The unusual invitation to a meal at the palace. Why, he’d even been able to understand their private conversations in Hebrew (Gen. 42:23). This was too much to take in. It was almost beyond belief, yet look at all the evidence.

His Hebrew had a funny Egyptian accent after all those years. He certainly looked like an Egyptian. And what about all this opulence - the steward, the slaves, the banquet hall, all the fancy stuff. How could Joseph have come into all this? But how could he know all about Jacob? How could he keep all their names straight and know such details about their lives back in Canaan? And that hug he gave Benjamin - that wasn’t fake.

When Jacob heard he nearly dropped his choppers. His heart skipped several beats but he also became convinced that it really was his long-lost Joseph. Twenty donkeys braying in Egyptian out in the garage were hard to ignore.

But there was one problem. He couldn’t leave the Promised Land without running the risk of stepping outside of God’s will. So God made a special appearance (Gen. 46:1-4), reassuring him of His approval. In fact, God Himself promised to go down to Egypt with him (Gen. 46:4). He also reaffirmed the great Promise that started with Abraham. God even repeated verbatim His promise to Isaac (Gen. 26:24). And, as if that weren’t enough, He reassured Jacob that his own son Joseph would provide for his old age, death, and the return of his body to Canaan (Gen. 46:4).

Yes, it was too much to believe - humanly speaking. Only God could do such a thing. And only God could pull it off with such class. Such style. Such loving-kindness (hesed).

It was one 450-mile long party. Seventy some people rejoicing at God’s goodness every mile of the way. And what a hug awaited him at the other end (Gen. 46:29). Jacob wanted it to last forever - it had to make up for a lot of lost time.


New Testament: Matthew 19

Matthew 19:24-26 - “...I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Let it be categorically said: there is not now and never was a gate in Jerusalem known as “The Eye of the Needle”, through which camels had to duck to get in. Any commentary that tells you differently is making it up. Ask for a map showing where it is, or some historical document that mentions it. Jesus’ whole point was the ridiculousness of thinking a camel could go through the eye of a needle.

If you look at Jesus’ words in Matthew, he says that passing a camel through the eye of a needle is impossible. In the same sense, it is impossible to work your way into heaven by being good or to buy your way into heaven with all your wealth. The rich young man had no doubt tried hard to earn heaven. Jesus never chides him about his failure in keeping any of the commandments. The young man had probably lived a pretty righteous life. But that’s just the problem. Our best is only pretty good. Not good enough!

Jesus quickly found the one thing that the rich young man was holding back. In his case, it was his wealth. What’s yours? If there is anything that you hold back from God, you may be sure that He will find a way to touch you at just that point. Because He gives us everything, He demands everything. If He were anything less than God, it wouldn’t be worth it. We’d be smarter to hang onto some things, to hold back in case of a rainy day, to make sure we have a cushion to fall back onto. But because He is the omnipotent and sovereign Lord of the Universe, He demands and has a right to our all.

Following Him has its rewards. He promises us “pie in the sky by and by”! But is that why we do it? It had better not be. That kind of motivation won’t get you very far. It won’t sustain you when the going gets tough. But it is certainly a promise with meaning for the present. We’re told that Moses “regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Heb. 11:26).

But does He only promise future reward? Absolutely not. Walking with Him brings immediate rewards and satisfaction. “He rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6). His promise is straight-forward: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Mat. 19:29). Some of that may be in this life. Maybe not. Some of it may not be material blessing, but there’s so much more to real life than material things. We should never fear that by giving something to Him, we will somehow come out on the short end. Our heavenly Father is immensely generous and He is the source of “every good and perfect gift” (Jas. 1:17).

THE LORD SPOKE (January 13)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Genesis 31-32

Moses was a wordsmith. When Jacob sees “the angels of God” (Gen. 32:1), Moses records that he names the place “the camp of God” but the word is Mahanaim, which means “two camps”. Shortly after, Jacob divides all his possessions into two camps (same words used), fearing that Esau might be set on revenge. In the story of Jacob wrestling with God (Gen. 32:22-32), Moses has Jacob (ya’aqob) wrestling (ye’abeq) by the Jabbok (yabboq) River. Then, when Jacob realizes that the man he wrestles is actually God, he calls the place Peniel, “the face of God”.

In the middle of that story, Jacob’s own name is changed. From Jacob, “the grabber” (his name literally means “he grasps the heel”, see Gen. 25:26), his name is changed to Israel, “one who struggles with God”. The one who spent much of his life wrestling with men (Esau, Laban) is now the one who wrestles with God and overcomes. It seems to be a pattern set for all his descendants ever since.

The history of Israel (both the Patriarch and the nation) has been one of struggle. In both cases, much has been self-induced. Even more has been Satan-inspired. The devil has repeatedly tried to thwart the plan of God and bring about the downfall of Israel. He did it back then and he’s still doing it today.

Israel today wrestles with God, wrestles with the world, wrestles with the Devil, wrestles with the descendants of Ishmael and Esau, and wrestles with herself. She seems bound to struggle, and struggle she must, or be destroyed. Yet God has promised to guard her as the apple of His eye. He will never leave her, never fail or forsake her, never allow her to be destroyed. She is essential to His declared plan for the ages. His purposes in and through her are eternal.

The God of Abr’ham praise, who reigns enthroned above,
The Ancient of eternal days and God of love.
Jehovah, great I AM, by earth and heav’n confessed;
We bow and bless the sacred name forever blessed.

He by Himself hath sworn; we on His oath depend.
We shall, on eagles’ wings up-borne, to heav’n ascend.
We shall behold His face; we shall His pow’r adore
And sing the wonders of His grace forevermore.

The God who reigns on high the great archangels sing,
And “Holy, holy, holy”, cry, “Almighty king!”
Who was and is the same and evermore shall be;
Eternal Father, great I AM, we worship Thee.

The whole triumphant host give thanks to God on high;
“Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!” they ever cry.
Hail, Abr’ham’s God and mine! With heav’n our songs we raise;
All might and majesty are Thine, and endless praise.

Thomas Olivers (based on Hebrew Yigdal of Daniel Ben Judah)


New Testament: Matthew 13

“He told them many things in parables” (vs. 3). It was a convenient way to teach the teachable. It also served to hide the truth from those not prepared to receive it.

Hide the truth?? That’s exactly what Jesus said. When the disciples asked why He taught in parables (vs. 10), His first response was that knowledge of the kingdom of heaven is given to some but not to others (vs. 11). Does that chafe against your sense of justice? Remember, not one soul deserves salvation. We are all sinners by choice and deed. God in His mercy and grace reaches down to redeem some (the Bible actually says many).

The purpose of parables then is to reveal the truth to some and to hide it from others (vs. 13-15). As soon as Jesus completes the parable of the sower and this exchange with the disciples, He gives them three more parables in quick succession - the parable of the weeds, the parable of the mustard seed, and the parable of the yeast.

With their minds reeling, the disciples say, “Slow down a little! Please explain the first one to us.” So He does. In amazingly few words (vs. 37-39) He identifies each of the elements of the parable and then gives its application (vs. 40-43). It seems so simple when it’s explained that way.

So now He gives them three more quick ones as if to practice. How well did you do on the parable of the hidden treasure, the parable of the pearl, and the parable of the net? Need some more practice too? This chapter is the perfect place to start.

Here are three simple rules for interpreting parables that may be of help:

1) Define the SETTING. To whom was Jesus speaking and why? What gave rise to the parable? How would the original hearers have understood the details of the parable? Recognize that there are two audiences being addressed by the parables: the audience to whom Jesus originally spoke and the audience of the early church to whom the evangelists wrote.

2) Determine the SIMPLICITY. Expect the meaning to be simple and straightforward. That is why Jesus used very familiar every day situations and events to illustrate His teaching. Parables are not complicated riddles!

3) Discover the SINGLE PURPOSE. The golden rule of interpreting parables is that a parable aims to teach one main truth. Normally it is not too difficult to discover the purpose of the parable in the context in which it is given. Don’t go beyond the author’s intent and don’t look for meaning and significance in every detail, word, or phrase, beyond what is given in Scripture itself.