About Me

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Mother of Three, Mother-In-Law of One, Wife to my Wonderful Husband, Daughter/Sister, and Accountant. Loves Hiking, The Colorado Rockies (which means the mountains AND the baseball team), Entertaining family & friends, and Baby Calves in Spring but Most of All: I Love Jesus because He First Loved Me.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

THE TEST OF TRUTH

“…that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you.”
Genesis 42:16

What would you do the first time you saw your 10 brothers for the first time after they stripped you of your multi-colored coat and throw you into a pit?  The ones who hated you, who had discussed killing you, but ultimately settled on selling you into slavery.  As you are chained and taken away, begging your siblings not to do this, you turn back to see them splitting up the 20 pieces of silver that was their price to get rid of you.  The only thing you have done wrong is that you are the favored son.  You are sold into slavery in Egypt.  No one comes for you.  No one looks for you. You go from a life of privilege to no position in life.  You are despised and rejected as a Hebrew in the Egyptian culture. You serve others day after day after day.  You learn a new language.  You learn a new culture.  You wonder what you have done to deserve this.

Joseph: Born the eleventh of twelve sons in Jacob’s household. Joseph finds himself completely alone in a foreign country, except for one thing that he knew and that others around him saw: God was with him.  The Lord blessed him in all that he did.  First in Potiphar’s household, who was a high ranking official as captain of the guard for Pharaoh.  Then falsely accused and placed in the king’s jail.  Each time Joseph rose up and managed the business dealings of both because the Lord was with him.

Joseph had another unique skill; he could interpret dreams. First he tells his brothers in his teenage years of 2 dreams he has of them bowing down to them.  This fueled the fire of their jealousy.  Then he interprets 2 other dreams: one of the cup bearer and one of the baker to Pharaoh.  Both interpretations of the dreams come to pass just as Joseph said they would occur.  Then, through circumstances that only God could orchestrate, Joseph is brought before Pharaoh to interpret 2 dreams that Pharaoh is perplexed by and that no one else can interpret. When Pharaoh states that he has heard that Joseph can interpret dreams, Joseph replies, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (Genesis 41:15) The message from God is that Egypt will have 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine.  Pharaoh promotes Joseph from slave to second in command of Egypt to prepare for the famine to come.  “You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne will I be greater than you.” (Genesis 41:40)

Joseph goes from rags to riches overnight.  He is given a wife and has 2 sons.  His firstborn son he names Manasseh, which means “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” (Genesis 41:52).  But his father’s household, these same ten brothers, whom he has not seen for 22 years, travel to Egypt to buy grain, for the famine has arrived and was very severe in Canaan also.  Just when you think you have forgotten all your troubles, here walks in trouble through the door!  When his brothers bow down to him, not recognizing him, Joseph remembers his dream of the sheaves of wheat bowing down to him that he had told to his brothers so many years ago.  Now, years later, he is the overseer for the sale of grain to those affected by the famine, and his brothers have come to buy wheat from him.

Joseph had a choice at this moment in time. He had every opportunity to enslave his brothers who had enslaved him.  He also had the power to have them killed as they had talked about doing to him.  If revenge had been on his heart, oh what sweet revenge it would have been.  No one would have ever known…no one but God Himself.  But Joseph understood that to sin was to sin against God.  It is what kept him pure through the temptation with Potiphar’s wife and being stripped of his garment a second time.  It is what kept him pure now seeing his brothers and not seeking retribution.

Instead, Joseph works out a plan to see if his older brothers would respond differently with a similar set of circumstances.  No one knows if Joseph knew from start to finish what he would do, but we do know that it mirrored the same situation of when they chose evil and hatred over goodness and truth.  We can see God’s hand in bringing them to repentance and redemption. They were given a second chance to prove if their hearts had changed.

  • ·     Would there be repentance?  There was no remorse when Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery.  When they did so, they sat and ate dinner while he was in the pit, discussing if they were going to murder him.  Now in Egypt, Joseph holds his brothers in jail for 3 days (could it be the same king’s jail that he had been placed in?), accusing them of being spies.  During this time Joseph hears them talking about the fact that distress has come upon them because of what they did to Joseph and “now comes the reckoning for his blood.” (Genesis 42:22) Their sin of 2 decades before, although buried deep down in their hearts until this day, is already rising to the surface.  It moved Joseph to tears to hear them talk of their past sins against him. 
  •      Would there be truth spoken?  Joseph had no proof that his father or his brother, Benjamin, were alive and that his other 10 brothers were telling the truth.  “If you are honest men…bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified…” (Genesis 42:19-20). Joseph keeps his brother, Simeon, in Egypt while the other 9 brothers travel back home to convince their father to allow Benjamin to return with them.
  • ·       Would there be greed? Joseph returned the money into their sacks of grain that they had used to pay for the grain on their first journey home.  Would they keep it or return it?  The brothers not only returned it, but doubled the money to return plus brought some other gifts, the best of the land, from Canaan, when they arrived back the second time to Egypt, this time bringing also their youngest brother, Benjamin.
  • ·     Would there be a sacrifice of another younger, favored brother? Joseph sets up a final test in which a special cup of Joseph’s is placed in the sack of Benjamin as they leave to return home for their final journey.  “He whom it is found shall be my slave, and the rest of you shall be innocent.” (Genesis 44:10)  How tempting it might have been for the 10 other brothers to decide to allow Benjamin to remain a slave in Egypt, and repeat their past pattern of selling Joseph into slavery in Egypt.  It was presented to them that the rest could go free.  But this is when Judah, one of Joseph’s older brothers, steps forward and repeats the promise he made to their father, that Judah himself “became surety for the lad to my father.” (Genesis 44:32).  Judah offered to take Benjamin’s place as a slave forever in Egypt and send his brother home so that he would not bring further distress upon his father again, knowing his bereavement over Joseph all these years.

“Then Joseph could not control himself…he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it.” (Genesis 45:1)  His brothers had passed the test of truth.  They could be trusted so that Joseph could reveal who he was to them and ultimately bring his family to provision and safety in Egypt, including being reunited with his father who thought his son was dead.

Character is both revealed and developed through a time of testing.  “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind.  Even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17.10)

Joseph is evidence of a steadfast heart through the trials of faith.  He never let bitterness or revenge take over his heart.  Somehow the Lord had revealed to him that “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)  Joseph’s life would be a testimony of the meaning of the name of the second son, Ephraim, who was born to him: “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:52)  Joseph would ultimately save his extended family from starvation and receive a double blessing through his father to his 2 sons, and would extend mercy and grace to those that did not deserve it.

Judah is evidence of a repentive heart through the test of faith.  First he gives a confession before Joseph: “…how can we justify ourselves?  God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose possession and cup has been found” (Genesis 44: 16) Then, Judah, who was the brother who originally suggested that they sell Joseph into slavery, is the one all these years later who offers himself up to go into slavery so he could protect his youngest brother, Benjamin, from harm.  “Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with brothers, for how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me—for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father.”(Genesis 44:33-34)

Although fourth in the line of brothers, Judah stepped forward and took the lead in breaking the past and forging the future.  His tribe would rise up and become the largest and most influential tribe of Israel. “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.” (Genesis 49:8) It would also be the tribe from which the Messiah would come forth, and Jesus Christ would forevermore be known as the Lion of Judah.

How about you?  Do you see God in your circumstances, even when you are currently in the land of affliction?  Are you allowing the Lord to make you fruitful in the midst of your suffering?  Where is there sin in your life buried deep down?  Have you come to realize that any sin is a sin against God?  Ask the Lord to speak truth in your heart on where you need to ask for forgiveness from Him and from others, and start anew.  Are you going through a test of faith right now?  Is it proving your character or developing you spiritually? The Lord wants you to change and grow and pass the test of truth, the test of faith.


“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  James 1:2-4

Sunday, March 16, 2014

THE JOURNEY OF JACOB

“Then Israel (Jacob) bowed in worship at the head of the bed.” (Genesis 47:31)

Jacob had a bright and promising beginning to life.  He was in a linage of faith by being Abraham’s grandson and Isaac’s son.   Born as a younger twin to his brother, Esau, God had revealed to Rebekah, Jacob’s mother, that “the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23) 
But did Jacob model this lifestyle of faith?  Not in his early days.  Just because you are in a family of faith does not mean that you possess that faith. We see a progression of Jacob’s spiritual life as his story unfolds in the chapters of Genesis.

NO FAITH OF HIS OWN:  Jacob’s name means “supplanter: one who wrongfully or illegally seizes and holds the place for another.”  And boy did he live up to his name!  First, Jacob convinced his brother, Esau, to sell him his birthright in exchange for a bowl of stew.  This had serious consequences because the first born son received a double portion of his father’s inheritance and became the patriarch of the family.  Then, secondly in an even more devious act, Jacob deceived his father, Isaac, by disguising himself as Esau to receive the blessing given from the father to the first born son.  To receive the blessing was irreversible and considered a legal act, not to be undone, even though deception was at the heart of receiving the blessing.  When Esau realized what had occurred, “he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, ‘Bless me even me also, O my father.” (Genesis 27:33)  Isaac’s response: “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing…Behold I have made him your master…” (Genesis 27: 35, 37)

Why did Jacob do this when God has promised that Jacob would rule over his brother while he was still in his mother’s womb?  Most likely because he did not have a faith of his own or a faith strong enough to believe the promises of God.  Jacob said a very interesting thing in the middle of his deception to Isaac. He says to his father, “The Lord your God caused it to happen to me.” (Genesis 27:20).  Note that Jacob is talking about Isaac’s God, not his own God.

WHAT HE CAN GET OUT OF GOD:  Because of Jacob’s deception, he ends up leaving his household, fearful that Esau will kill him, and travels to the home of his Uncle Laban.  The first night he has a dream of the angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder from heaven to earth and back again. In the dream God affirms the same covenant with Jacob that He did with Abraham and Isaac, that the Lord will give him the land and that all the families of the earth will be blessed through his descendants.  Jacob’s response: “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God.” (Genesis 28:20)  This is a conditional vow based on what  God can do for him.  Note that God’s covenant promise to him is unconditional.  God will see His promise through no matter what Jacob’s response.

JACOB WRESTLES WITH GOD:  Twenty years have passed since Jacob laid his head on a rock at Bethel and dreamed his dream.  Our God, who is a covenant keeping God, has proven himself to Jacob.  He has fed him, clothed him, and is returning him to his father’s house in safety.  The Lord had blessed him in his business ventures.  He was returning home with oxen, donkeys, goats, camels, sheep, cows, servants, and a very large family.  But along the way home he encounters his brother, Esau coming towards him with 400 men.
Jacob was exceedingly afraid, but he prays this prayer to God, “I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant.” (Genesis 32:10)  To protect his family, he sends everyone across the river for the night.  It is during this same evening that he wrestles with God until daybreak.  Jacob would not let go until the God blessed him.  Jacob was looking for the true blessing, not a stolen blessing, and the Lord blessed him with the best gift of all: He changed his name from Jacob, the supplanter, to “Israel”, which means “he fights or persists with God (in prevailing prayer)”.  The Lord changed his identity, the very nature of who he was.  Because of this, when he completes his journey, Israel builds an altar and calls it El-Elohe-Israel, which means “a Mighty God is the God of Israel.”  Note that Jacob, now known as Israel, is proclaiming that this mighty God is now his God, not just that of his families.

JACOB BECOMES A WORSHIPER OF GOD:  From here on out, everywhere Jacob went, he built alters and worshipped the Lord.   In Bethel, not only does he build an altar, but he also instructs his household to put away all foreign idols and to purify themselves. Jacob declares to his family and servants: “I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress and has been with me where I have gone.” (Genesis 35:2-3) In Paddan-aram, Jacob sets up a pillar of stone and pours a drink offering and oil on the stone, which was customary in that day to mean that Jacob was making a covenant with the Lord, not just God fulfilling His covenant with Jacob as it had been in the past. And then, years later, as Jacob is nearing death, it says in the faith chapter of Hebrews 11:21:  “By faith Jacob, as he was dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped leaning on the top of his staff.”

Was Jacob’s life perfect?  No, not by any means.  Deception ran throughout his life, and he reaped great suffering because of it.  But during his lifetime, did Jacob learn to trust, rely, and worship the Lord God Almighty?  Most definitely yes. Fourteen times in scripture the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Jacob” is mentioned with their four names intertwined and linked together. The heritage of Jacob’s father and  grandfather became his own as Jacob embraced this personal, covenant keeping God.

There are two other ways among many that Jacob was blessed.  First, Jesus referenced the dream of Jacob of the angels ascending and descending on a ladder. In John 1:51, Jesus said that the Son of Man is the ladder and the link between heaven and earth.  “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which you must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)  Jacob was given a vision of the coming Messiah.  We have the privilege of accepting by faith that Jesus is the Messiah, that we believe He is  the Son of God and the Son of Man, and that salvation comes through Him and no one else.

Second, the nation of Israel would be known by Jacob’s new name.  And his 12 sons would become the twelve tribes of Israel, forever known as the Israelites.  Every time you watch a news event and hear the nation of Israel mentioned today, it is a reminder of Jacob and his faith in El-Elohe-Israel.

How about you?  Where are you on your faith journey?  Maybe those that surround you have an abiding faith, but you have not committed to trusting in Him yourself.  Ask the Lord to supply your faith and allow you to see Him for who He truly is.  Place your trust in God’s son, Jesus,  asking Him to come into your heart, knowing that He has a new identity to give to you. Maybe you are playing “Let’s Make a Deal” with God:  If You will do this for me, I will do this for you.  If so, ask the Lord to open your eyes to His daily provision of loving you and keeping His covenant with you and to trust Him more fully for who He is, not just what He can give you.  Hopefully  you are a true worshipper, worshipping in Spirit and in Truth.  Then keep at it, building your daily alters to Him and sacrificing your life for the eternal life He has blessed you with, not out of duty but out of relationship and love.  Be obedient to the call in Christ Jesus.  The same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the same God who glorified His Son, Jesus, and raised Him from the dead so you may have new life in Him forevermore.

“How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Psalm 146:5)