God cares for you

Monday 20th

Exodus 2:25 - "and God knew" {yaw-dah'}

Exodus 3:7 - "I know  {yaw-dah'} their sufferings"

 {yaw-dah'} means 'to know,  to ascertain by seeing. It is used in a great variety of senses, including to care.' (STRONGS CONCORDANCE).

What a comfort to be told by the Creator God that He knows about your situation and your sufferings and that He cares enough to organize a huge rescue operation, which became the Exodus of  Israel from slavery in Egypt.

Later on, King David would lament to God that "no one cares for my soul" (Psalm 142:4). We may share that sense of abandonment in this callous age. In Psalm 142:3 David also prayed to God saying, "When my spirit faints within me, you know my way!" And again "know" is {yaw-dah'}. When no one else seems to bother, God cares and watches over the way our life is going!

Writing to suffering, persecuted believers in the earliest church, the Apostle Peter said, "[6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV).

Yes, child of God, "The Lord cares for you"! 

You can confess, with the troubled Psalmist, '[18] When I thought, "My foot slips," your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. [19] When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.' (Psalm 94:18-19 ESV).

How can we recognize if a dream is from God?

How can we recognize if a dream is from God, or what may be called a Prophetic Dream?

Joseph was given two prophetic dreams (Gen. 37:5-11). The cup bearer and the baker were given prophetic dreams (Gen. 40:5-19). Pharaoh was given two prophetic dreams (Gen. 41:1-7). As the story unfolds, we realize that these were dreams from God. They were prophetic dreams.

How can we know if a dream is from God or just something else? Our western culture teaches us little or nothing about dream interpretation.

Here are four clues from Genesis 37-50 to help us discern if a dream is prophetic and from God.

Look out for:

a. Repetition 

Joseph had the same dream twice (Gen. 37:5-10). Pharaoh also got a prophetic dream, which was repeated twice (Gen. 41:1-7). Genesis 41:32 (ESV) says, "And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about."

b. Restlesness 

Joseph (we might assume) was disturbed enough by these dreams to share them with his brothers and family. Possibly something he didn't do with every dream (Genesis 37). Pharaoh's cup bearer and baker got dreams which left them "troubled" (Gen. 40:6-8). After the dreams, we are told that Pharaoh's "spirit was troubled" (Gen. 41:8), troubled enough to share the dreams (Gen. 41:8)

c. Recognition

When shared, others recognized the significance (& divine origin) of the dreams. Joseph's brother's and father got the message that Joseph's dreams are about his going to "reign" (Gen. 37:8, 10). Joseph recognized the meaning of the dreams of the cup bearer and the baker (Get. 40:12-13; 18-19). And Joseph recognized the interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams (Gen. 41:25-32). Especially seek out people gifted by God in dream recognition and interpretation, people gifted like Joseph (Gen. 40:8, 12-13, 18-19; 41:12-13, 15-16, 25f).

d. Rescue

If it's truly from God the dream will, in some way, relate to the Great Rescue Plan and Story of God, which is about the salvation of the world though the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. All these dreams in Genesis 37-50 are in some way related to the Great Rescue Plan and Story of God which gets summed up at the end of the story in Genesis 50:20. After the death of Jacob, when Joseph's brothers fear his revenge, Joseph says to his wayward brothers:

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive (or NIV - the saving of many lives), as they are today." (Genesis 50:20 ESV)

Joseph is a type of Jesus who would suffer to save many (Mark 10:45).

Every dream from God will relate (in some way) to the saving work of Jesus on the Cross. Dreams that do not relate to the Cross of Jesus are to be rejected.

God does not share stuff that has nothing to do with Jesus!

Don't give up on 'the dream' (part 2)

The Story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 has something to say to us about not giving up on the Dream. Joseph was given two dreams that took over twenty years to be fulfilled. We need to note what may be called a Partial Dream

Joseph had dreamed that his brothers would bow down before him and that he would be lifted up to reign (Genesis 37:5-11) In the one dream, his brothers "sheaves" bowed down to his 'sheaf"(Gen. 37:7). In the other dream, "The sun, the moon and eleven stars were bowing down" to Joseph (v9), meaning that his father, mother and brothers would bow down before him.

At last the dream was fulfilled and his brothers did bow down before him as ruler of Egypt (Genesis 43:26, 28; Genesis 42:6). But it took  more than twenty years for the dream to be fulfilled (Genesis 37:2; Genesis 41:46, 47). And those twenty years included stuff that was not included in the dream. Like Joseph’s thirteen years of suffering and then a further seven years which came before his brothers bowed down before him (Genesis 37:2; Genesis 41:46, 47)

God may give a partial dream. There may be things that happen that are not included in the dream. But if the dream is from God, don't give up on the dream! Patience and trust are required to not give up on the things God has said to us.

Don’t give up on 'the dream'

Friday 10th

Genesis 43

The story of Joseph is full of mystery and revelation. Joseph slowly begins to reveal his true identity to his brothers in a way that mystifies and tests them. Also woven into the story is the mysterious unveiling of God’s purposes.

Here are few things that are worth noting in the story:

• The self pity of Jacob (called Israel), who sees that himself as being treated “so badly” (v6), and is resignedly ‘fatalistic’ (v14). Not nice!

• The drunkenness of the brothers, who are more than “merry”. The Hebrew word translated as “merry” in verse 34, is a word that regularly refers to drunkenness. The Bible is recording, not condoning or commending this behaviour. Not mature!

• The secret activity of God, who is appealed to for “mercy” (v14) and who is said to have “put treasure in” the brother’s sacks when they found their money had been returned to them on the previous journey to buy grain in Egypt (v23). Very encouraging!

• The dreams of Joseph were fulfilled. More than twenty years earlier (Genesis 37:2; Genesis 41:46, 47), Joseph had dreamed that his brothers would bow down before him (Genesis 37:5-11). And at last the dreams were fulfilled (Genesis 43:26, 28; Genesis 42:6). If God reveals a ’secret thing’ to you, it will come to pass, but it may take time and there may be things that happen that are not included in the dream, like Joseph’s thirteen years of suffering, which came before his brothers bowed down before him. Patience and trust are required to not give up on the things God has said to us. Rather challenging!

• The rising pre-eminence of Judah as a Messianic sign. In many ways, Judah was not a great character. Years earlier he had been responsible for selling his brother, Joseph, as a slave (Genesis 37:25-28). Then the incident with a ‘prostitute' did not cover Judah with glory either (Genesis 38:12-26). But in Genesis 43:9, Judah takes personal responsibility and offers himself as a “pledge" for his brother Benjamin’s safety. (This is so much better than Rueben’s offer in Genesis 42:37.) The Faithlife Study Bible comments on this pledge and says that ‘Judah’s offer to exchange himself for Israel could be understood as a foreshadowing of the (substitutionary) Messiah coming from the tribe of Judah (Micah 5:2).’ Very Special!

Is life fair?

Monday 6th

Not everything in the Bible is there because it is being commended to us. Some of the stories record sad and sinful failures and the implication is that such things are to be avoided by us.

There is quite a contrast between the behavior of Judah in Genesis 38, who visits a 'prostitute', who turns out to be his daughter in law in disguise, and Joseph in Genesis 39 who refuses to "lie with" his master's wife, when she invites him to do so.

The account of Judah and a prostitute, who actually was his daughter in law in disguise (Genesis 38:12-26), is not a commendation of this behavior. Judah, though his family line would be used by God in the distant future to bring the Lion King of Judah (Genesis 49:9-10), is a miserably disappointment who sold his brother, Joseph, as a slave (Genesis 37:26-28).

In the next chapter of Genesis we are given the right way to behave, even if it means unfair suffering. Joseph, as an exploited victim of his jealous brothers, has become a slave but will not "lie with" his master's wife, when she invites him to do so,  because, says Joseph, this would be a "great wickedness and sin against God" (Genesis 39:9).

The favour of God remains on the innocent, suffering Joseph. (See Genesis 39:2-6, 21-23). (There is no mention at all of God's favour on Judah in Genesis 38.) Eventually Joseph would be vindicated and lifted up to greatness as God's intended plan is worked out (Genesis 50:20).

Lesson: Continue to do good, even if it is costly to do so (See 1 Peter 3:17).

Glory and groaning

Thursday 2nd

Mark 1 & 2

Why is there suffering if God is all powerful? How does healing work out? How do we practically live out our Christian lives? The message of the KINGDOM of God answers these and other big questions. Therefore we we need to understanding what the Kingdom of God is.

In Mark 1:14-15 we hear Jesus proclaiming the kingdom of God as the message of the Gospel:

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (ESV)

I think that we get a simple definition of the Kingdom from a phrase in the the Lord's Prayer where we are taught to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 ESV). From this we made deduce that the Kingdom of God is God ruling so as to get His will done on earth (as it is in heaven).

John Wimber’s definition of the kingdom of God was, ‘the dynamic Reign of God: the assertion of God’s authority over the evil one and his deeds.’ This definition of the Kingdom is illustrated in the ministry of Jesus in Mark 1 and 2 where Jesus’ heals and drives out demons to asserting His kingdom authority. 

Note the repetition of the word "authority" in Mark 1and 2:

Mark 1:22 ESV "And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes."

Mark 1:27 ESV "And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."

Mark 2:10-12 ESV

[10] But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he said to the paralytic- [11] "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home." [12] And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

The New Testament teaches that the kingdom of God has already come to earth in Jesus and in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28) and that the kingdom of God has not yet fully taken over everything (Matthew 6:10, 1 Corinthians 15:24-25). This already but not yet tension of the kingdom affects the ministry of healing. Because the kingdom has already come, substantial healing can occur (Acts 28:8-9). Because the kingdom has not yet fully taken over everything, perfect wholeness (for everyone, all the time) is 'not yet’ available (Galatians 4:13-14; 2 Timothy 4:20).

In our lives today we also experience this tension of the kingdom in that already "in Christ” we are "a new creation’ because the “the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). But we also still experience "the sufferings of this present time" (Romans 8:18). Our lives as believers in Jesus are a tension of both glory and groaning.