January 25- The End of the Beginning

January 25, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Genesis 50:1-Exodus 2:10; Matthew 16:13-17:9;
Psalm 21:1-13; Proverbs 5:1-6

"And the Lord formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And the man became a living person." Genesis 2:7 NLT

"So Joseph died at the age of 110. They embalmed him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt." Genesis 50:26 NLT

Genesis 50:1- Exodus 2:10

Today we finish the book of Genesis.  You did it!! You finished the first book of the Bible.  Congratulations!  As J. Vernon McGee points out in his bible commentaries, this book started with the creation of life in a perfect garden and ends in a coffin in Egypt.  The reality of all of our lives is that since the Fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, we all die as a result of sin. Genesis means beginnings and the beginnings of this great story show us how mankind faltered in faith and severed their relationship with God because of their sin. But God is faithful and His purposes have always been to restore what was lost.

For the book of Genesis to begin with creation of life and the material world and for it to end with Joseph, who is a shadow/type of Jesus Christ, dead in a coffin, is a great picture of what Christ will do in order to restore our fellowship with God. The price for sin is death. It is Jesus' death that pays the price for our past, present and future sins. The image of Joseph in the coffin will be followed by the image of the nation of Israel as slaves for 400 years, before being rescued and led towards the Promised Land. This, too, is a picture of how mankind is enslaved by evil.  Fear not, though, God is our rescuer.  Just keep reading, my friends! It all works out in the end.

The good news is that for those who love God and are called according to His purpose, our destiny is to get back to our own Promised Land.  The Christian life is a life rescued from slavery to sin, to life lived in the Promised Land of fellowship with our Creator. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to live in a spiritual land of milk and honey as God provides our every need. We are even promised a new heaven and a new earth for eternity (Revelation 21 and 22), where we will live in perfect harmony with God and humans.

But just as the Bible is the story of the Jewish people and their difficult journey to connect with God, our journey can be as sordid, twisted, and as in need of grace as theirs.

Before Joseph dies, he accomplishes the greatest act of his amazing life.  He once again acts as a foreshadowing of Christ when he forgives his brothers, who sold him into slavery in Egypt. Joseph's brother's were greatly afraid because once their father Jacob/Israel died, they were sure that Joseph would get his revenge. Certainly, they lived in fear of his great power to destroy them. But what they find instead is that their brother is a person of great faith, wisdom, and perspective. Like Christ who had the great power to destroy his enemies, but instead, prayed on the cross that God would forgive his enemies, Joseph forgives his brothers and declares that God had a purpose in all of the Joseph's suffering. Jesus knew that God had a purpose in his suffering, too. Joseph is a foreshadowing of Christ's wisdom and humility in suffering.

How is it that Joseph is able to forgive?

PERSPECTIVE

It is because Joseph can see his life circumstances in light of God's eternal purposes. This means that Joseph trusts that all things work together for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28). He knows that all of these trials served to test his faith in God and mature him as a person. The heat of persecution conformed him into the image of God because of his faith in God. Joseph's relationship with God led him to act with grace and humility.

In Genesis 50:19-21, we see the supernatural results of a life lived by faith. 

But Joseph told them, "Don't be afraid of me.  Am I God, to judge and punish you? As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil.  He brought me to the high position I have today so that I could save the lives of many people.  No, don't be afraid. Indeed, I myself will take care of you and your families." He spoke very kindly to them, reassuring them.  (NLT)

The trials in your life can serve the same purpose if you trust God in your trials and tribulations. Do you turn to God when life gets tough? Do you ask him to give you wisdom and perspective when you are suffering or do you blame God in your trials?  Humility in suffering is a sign of true faith. Let God mold you and shape you through testing. He tests you because He loves you and wants you to conform to the image of Christ. Jesus was humble in suffering. Through this and many other acts of faith,He earned the right to inherit the earth and rule the universe.

Lesson:  Our suffering is for a purpose. God will make something beautiful of the messiness of our lives. God's job is to judge people.  Leave that to Him.

Who have you forgiven through the power of God lately?  What beautiful thing has God made of your mess? What perspective do you have on your suffering?

Exodus 1 & 2

As the book of Exodus begins, the Israelites have become a mighty nation within a nation.  Their numbers are so great that the new Pharaoh, who did not know Joseph, decides to kill all Hebrew male babies under the age of two.  Please note that in the Bible infanticide and abortion as a means of population control are ALWAYS seen as evil.  More than that, it is seen as the height of evil. 

The godly Hebrew midwives refuse to obey the government law to kill infants.  As a result of their act of civil disobedience, the world received a child named Moses.  This is his story.

Moses is another shadow or type of Christ in Scripture.  If you remember in the New Testament, Herod attempts to kill all Hebrew male children under the age of two.  Moses' birth story is a shadow of what was to come.

Moses was put in a basket and lowered into the Nile river to prevent his death.  He is saved out of the water by Pharaoh's daughter.  Like Noah before him, who was also saved out of the water, this is a picture of Christ's future death and resurrection which saves us from judgment and eternal death.

In Scripture, water is a symbol of God's judgment. Water was used to judge the earth during the Great Flood. Water is used in Christian baptism as a symbol of death. As a person is lowered into the water in baptism, they are identifying with Christ's death and the judgment on sin that his death covered. As a person is raised out of the water in baptism, it represents resurrection and new life free from the judgment that has been paid by Christ's death. When we see baby Moses floating safely along in a basket, which represents Christ, in the Nile River, which represents judgment and death, we are seeing a symbol of the righteous avoiding the judgment of sin by resting in the work of Jesus Christ. Just as Noah floated through the judgment waters of the Flood in the Ark, which represented Christ, you and I can float away from the judgment of  God by trusting in Jesus. Christ will protect us because he has paid the penalty for our sins.

Moses' name means "drawn out of the water." Indeed, it is significant that this rescuer of the nation of Israel will be drawn up out of death into life by God. God arranges for Moses to be nursed by his own mother! God's provisions are miraculous.

Lesson:  God is sovereign and involved in the details of our lives.  Moses' life was a picture. Your life is also a picture that God is painting. How have you rested in Christ and been drawn up from judgment into grace?


Matthew 16:13-17:9

Today in the book of Matthew Jesus is ready to establish the foundations of his teachings.  Today we get to the bottom of it. 

Jesus asks his disciple who do they think the Son of Man is?  By the way, this name, Son of Man, is a reference to the Messiah (promised Redeemer Child of the world). Peter is the disciple who speaks up and forms the basis for the Christian faith. Here is Peter's confession in verse 16, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God."

Jesus commends Peter for this statement of faith.  Upon this rock/foundation, this confession of who Jesus is, the whole Church is built.  Jesus is the Messiah.  He is the one promised in the book of Genesis and through him the Serpent's head is crushed.  Eve finally gets her promised child.  Jesus tells them not to tell anyone this truth yet.

After Peter's confession of faith in him as Messiah, Jesus begins to speak plainly about the future.  He says he will suffer at the hands of the Pharisees and Sadducee's and will die. After three days he will resurrect. Jesus is stating what the picture of Noah and Moses portrayed so many thousands of years before. Although the Messiah's death is predicted in scripture (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53), the disciples do not understand this yet. Peter pulls Jesus aside to rebuke him for saying these things. Peter believes that Jesus has come to immediately set up an earthly kingdom in the Promised Land. He does not understand God's true plan.

Jesus has a blunt and harsh response to Peter's rebuke. Jesus calls Peter "Satan" and tells him to get away.  Remember, Christ's death is the key to redeeming mankind's sin.  Peter's suggestion is satanic in that it suggests that Christ not die, but instead take the earth as his kingdom without first redeeming the earth through his death.  Christ came to die.  That is his purpose.  Peter does not "get it," yet.

Christ then teaches some key points about being one of His followers:

• Put aside your ambition.-Vs. 24
• Shoulder the cross (be willing to suffer and die, this may also means dying to your will and living for God's will).-Vs. 24
• Follow my example.-Vs. 24
• If you try to keep your life, you will lose it.-Vs. 25
• Lose your life and you will gain eternal life.-Vs. 25

• Jesus will come in the end with the angels and judge every one's deeds -Vs. 27

Christ is teaching that humility to God's will is key to a life of faith and to receiving eternal life with God. Does this remind you of how Joseph approached life and faith?

Christ decides to pick three disciples in order to have them be witnesses to his eternal nature.  Peter, James, and John are given the privilege of seeing Christ's deity, while he was still on earth. Christ just said that some of them would live to see him in his kingdom. Peter, James, and John see what Christ will look like transfigured in his kingdom. On the mountain Jesus transforms into the pure light and energy that is his essence.  Moses and Elijah, two key shadows/types/pictures of Christ in the Old Testament, are present at the Transfiguration.

Peter, ever the leader with a great idea, suggests they build Tabernacles to worship and honor him. God's voice speaks and says this is my Beloved Son in whom I am pleased.  Listen to Him! Terrified, the disciples fall on their faces. 

Jesus, true to his merciful personality, tells them not to be afraid. When the three look up, Jesus is back to normal.  He tells them not to tell anyone about this until he has been raised from the dead.

Lesson:  Jesus is the Messiah. His death redeems the world. Death to self is to be practiced by anyone who follows Christ.  Humility is key. Jesus is God.  People who die physically still exist as evidenced by Moses and Elijah being on the Mount.

Have you professed Jesus as Lord?  Have you accepted death to self without bitterness?

Psalm 21:1-13

This psalm is a picture of Christ as the Victorious King.  He receives his heart's desire. His days last forever. He is clothed with splendor and majesty. He captures and destroys all his enemies. You, O God,  receive praise for Your Almighty power. Here is how Christ's second coming to earth manifests itself.

Proverbs 5:1-6

The immoral woman (prostitute or sexually active woman outside of marriage) is to be avoided.  Sexual immorality is a big deal in the Bible. Why?  Sex is a picture. It represents God's intimacy with those He loves.  He does not like His pictures defiled.  Sexual immorality takes one down a crooked path that leads to death.

Lesson:  Do you realize that your sexual behavior represents something greater than yourself? God thinks behavior matters. Your life is a picture. 

How do you apply the idea that you are in an intimate relationship with God?  Do you realize that your behavior reflects that relationship?

What did you notice today?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton