my burg

Bible reading for Feb 16 & 17:  Genesis 49-50; Luke 2-3. Then Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come."  (Gen 49:1) Family photos.  We are in the process of taking our family photos from years past and digitizing them, so that there will be copies for all the children and grandchildren in the years ahead.  It's wonderful to look at school pictures of our children and then see how they've turned out many years later.  I won't elaborate on details, but we are very thankful... so far!   Before Jacob dies he gathers his twelve sons and blesses them . Well, mainly.  There are some mixed reviews. Being a prophet as well as a patriarch, he speaks of what lies ahead for them .   Judah becomes the flagship tribe.  In short, the promised Messiah (Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) will now come through Judah's lineage . The middle phrase, "u...

Bible reading for Feb 15:  Genesis 48; Luke 1:39-80. Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers." (Gen 48:21) The younger shall be greater than the older.  In his benediction upon Joseph's two sons, the aged Jacob (aka Israel) crosses his arms in blessing the boys, placing his right hand on the younger of the two, Ephraim . Joseph is distressed by this, but Jacob insists that the younger will indeed be greater than the older.  Jacob himself, by God's decree, was just such an example.  Though the tradition of primogeniture (the firstborn male's right to inheritance and family leadership) is generally observed, God himself reserves the right to switch this up.  The Apostle Paul writes, "...though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad - in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of his call - ...

Bible reading for Feb 14:  Genesis 47; Luke 1:1-38. Join us!   We are using the two-year Robert Murray M'Cheyne (RMM) Bible reading plan as adapted by D. A. Carson, involving two chapters a day.  One way to do this is to read the OT passage in the morning and the NT in the evening.  The first year you read the NT, the Psalms, and half of the OT.  The second year you read the NT, the Psalms, and the other half of the OT.  Here's more on this reading plan .  And here's  "How to Begin (And Maintain) A Bible Reading Habit" .   You can pick up with us in Exodus (Feb 18) and in Luke now!  Be sure to bookmark Dr. Tom Constable's excellent notes , here in PDF and here linked to the NET Bible .  ================   And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of th...

Bible reading for Feb 13:  Genesis 46; Mark 16. "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes." (Gen 46:3-4) Genesis will end with the family of Jacob all residing in Egypt .  Jacob will be reunited with his son Joseph, and he holds on to this promise of God's presence :  "I myself will go down with you..." (46:4; see also Gen 26:3; 31:3; 48:21). God's covenant presence, dwelling with and blessing his people, is a major theme throughout the Bible (Rev 21:3).    Seventy.    "All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy" (46:27)   Depending on how you figure Joseph and his two sons, and Jacob himself, the number will vary from 70 (round number?) to 75.  In Acts 7:14 Stephen quotes the LXX (the Septuagint, the Greek tran...

Bible reading for Feb 12:  Genesis 45; Mark 15. "And Israel said, 'It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.'" (Gen 45:28)  At long last, Jacob's family is reconciled and reunited !  What goes a long way in bringing families together is the spirit of forgiveness that Joseph demonstrated: "And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life." (45:5)  "God sent me..."   He does not want them to feel afraid or to try to assign blame among themselves!  This ability to forgive came from Joseph's godly perspective that God was working in all things to preserve their lives. The Apostle Paul wrote, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Rom 8:28)   My take-away : in dealing with problem people or situations, whether in my family or...

Bible reading for Feb 11:  Genesis 44; Mark 14. "For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.' 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." (Gen 44:32-33)  Judah steps in (Gen 44).   Another crisis arises, and Judah takes responsibility to be Benjamin's surety, as he promised his father. We see here not only Judah's care for his younger brother, but also his love for his father .  He is concerned for the overwhelming sadness that Jacob would face at the loss of another son (44:31).  Read yesterday's post here.  ===================    "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."   (Mark 14:26)  Money reveals hearts (14:1-11).   There is a contrast between the woman who spared no ex...

Bible reading for Feb 10:  Genesis 43; Mark 13. "I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever."  (Gen 43:9)  So far, Judah has not been much of a good example , but now he steps forward to take responsibility for the family welfare.  He commits to "be a pledge for safety" for Benjamin when they return to Egypt for more grain. This word, being a " surety or pledge " (here and in 44:32), is elsewhere translated, "to stand in for " (Isa 38:14), or "to risk one's life for " (Jer 30:21). He would bear guilt if anything happened to Benjamin, and if more prisoners were detained he would stand in.  Judah would take personal responsibility for Benjamin.   This was no empty offer . Their dealings with the Egyptians had been unpredictable (and scary) so far, and they had no way of knowing whether lives might be lost ...

Bible reading for Feb 9:  Genesis 42; Mark 12. "And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground." (Genesis 42:6) Joseph tests his brothers (Gen 42) .  Joseph's  dream is coming true , as he sees his brothers bow down before him.  Since his identity is unknown to his brothers, Joseph has the advantage to see and hear how they respond to his tests.  They acknowledge their past guilt, and feel the pain of their conscience, but full disclosure and reconciliation is yet to come. There is more delay.  Sometimes reconciliation with family takes time. ===================    "What will the owner of the vineyard do?"  (Mark 12:9) The parable of the tenants (12:1-12).   Hearing this story, one would ask what universe these guys in the parable were living in.  Where can you get away with not paying rent, and then thinking if you murder the heir you get to keep the property?  And of...

Bible reading for Feb 8:  Genesis 41; Mark 11. "And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, 'Bow the knee!'" Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt."  (Gen 41:43)  Joseph released and exalted (Gen 41).   He goes from prison to prime minister in one day !  This was the Lord's doing and it is a picture of the exaltation of God's Son, who like Joseph was despised, rejected, given over to the pit, and left to rot.  But now he is lifted up to the highest position and becomes a source of life to all who will come to him.  And "every knee will bow" (41:43 above; Phil 2:5-11; Heb 7:25-26).   However, Joseph did not physically die at that time, nor did he die for sins, nor was he exalted to heaven, but our Lord Jesus was!  Lifted up was he to die;  "It is finished!" was his cry;  now in heaven exalted high.  Hallelujah! What a Savior!  (Hymn by Philip P. Bliss) In one day. ...

Bible reading for Feb 7:  Genesis 40; Mark 10. "And Joseph said to them, 'Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.'" (Gen 40:8b)  God has spoken to the Patriarchs via dreams or visions, angels, and direct speech. The NT letter to the Hebrews begins,  "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world." (Heb 1:1-2)   It is God who takes the initiative to speak and reveal his mind and will to us.   Everything we know for sure about God, and can have faith in, comes at God's own disclosure. It is not we who find him out, he reveals himself. Even in nature, and history, and special revelation, everything rests upon God's revelation : "God stoops to state his purposes in our language and thought-forms which he first fashioned that we might think his tho...

Bible reading for Feb 6:  Genesis 39; Mark 9. "His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands."   (39:3)  Sexual integrity.   Joseph had the right view of sexuality and marriage. For him sexual purity was not just about his own self-control, but it would be a sin against the woman, her husband, and God .  Sexual sin is never truly private.  Faithfulness to our marriage vows is not only good for me as an individual, but also good for my spouse, my family, my church, and for the stability of the wider community.  Vows kept, healthy boundaries, and the mutual trust that arises from them, are good for society . Above all, being faithful to the marriage covenant honors and glorifies our covenant-making and covenant-keeping God .  The Lord was with him.   And this is repeated again in verse 23: " The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, ...