Friday, Feb 11 ~ tammi

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Exodus 12-13, Matthew 26:1-35.

I am so excited to be able to post about these passages today!  You know why??  They describe the very first and the very last Passover feasts!!!!  Is that not interesting??  I thought it was.  I'm totally going to skip over the actual exodus out of Egypt to focus on that today.

The first thing I found interesting about the very FIRST Passover, is that GOD, Himself institutes it.  He even named it.  Christians worldwide for centuries have celebrated various "holy days," but none of them have been named OR instituted by God.  They're all important occasions for Christians, but God hasn't instructed us to observe any of them in the way that He instructed the Israelites to observe this and several other celebrations we'll get to in the coming chapters.  These were commanded celebrations; ours are voluntary expressions of our love for Him and our gratitude for what He's accomplished on our behalf.  Of course, the reason for this distinction between Old- and New Testament-era holidays and celebrations is that Jesus' death on the cross changed things pretty drastically.  We'll get to that later!

Secondly, I'm drawn to God's attention to detail.  The entire twelfth chapter is devoted to how this holy day is to be observed.  There are very specific instructions about what kind of animal is to be used, how it is to be cooked, which seasonings to cook it with, what to do with the animal's blood, how the meat is to be shared if a family is too small to finish off the entire animal by themselves, and how the leftovers ~ if any ~ are to be disposed of and when.  God tells them to prepare bread to go with their meal, but that it can't contain yeast (which, throughout Scripture becomes a metaphor for sin and its insidious nature), and even how to wear their clothing for the meal!  There was NO confusion about what He wanted done!!

Thirdly, there was no confusion as to WHY He wanted it done.  I love 12:24-27:  "Keep this command permanently as a statute for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to observe this ritual. When your children ask you, 'What does this ritual mean to you?' you are to reply, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, for He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and spared our homes.' " So the people bowed down and worshiped.

This was specifically designed to be a vehicle for sharing God's goodness with future generations!  Later on, we'll see that the very next generation completely lost sight of that goal and when their children were living in the land of Canaan, they "knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.  Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals."  (Judges 2:10-11)  How sad that within such a short period of time, the meaning of this tradition ~ possibly even the practical observation as well ~ had been virtually completely lost and abandoned.

Oh my friends, we see here how VITALLY important it is to celebrate our spiritual victories and God's wonderful protection and provision in our lives!!  Not necessarily to commemorate each and every one with a new family tradition, but to remember them verbally, especially in the presence of our children.  I do NOT want it to be true of my children that after I'm gone, their passion for God and connection to God is also gone!  They MUST hear of His effect on our lives in order to desire what we have!!

Okay, wow, this post is getting really long, but I still want to draw your attention now to Jesus and His disciples are also celebrating the Passover together and the significance of this event as Jesus, the last necessary, perfect sacrificial Lamb, prepares to obliterate all the old traditions and ceremonies that God instituted in the Old Testament.  (I'm going to cut and paste the excerpts from John MacArthur that I shared in a post way back in October dealing with this same thing)

I love how Jesus, knowing all His life what He came to do, made sure that He would be sacrificed at exactly the same hour as all the ceremonial lambs would also be sacrificed.  For thousands of years, millions of substitutionary Passover lambs have been sacrificed in anticipation of this final Sacrificial Lamb and now Jesus makes sure it happens perfectly according to ceremony.  I think that's beautiful.

So Jesus and His disciples are celebrating the Passover ~ the LAST Passover ~ and then we come to the monumental transition from the old covenant, the Old Testament, to something brand new:  Communion. The Holy Eucharist.  The Lord's Supper. This ONE simple commemorative ceremony wipes out centuries of observing numerous traditions and holy days prescribed and dictated by God.

What happens here? I’ll tell you what happens. This is the end of the whole ceremonial law, all the dietary laws, all the Sabbath laws, in fact there’s no more Sabbath. Immediately after this, the church starts to meet...when? The first day of the week. This is the end of the ceremonial law. This is the end of all the ceremonies, all the rituals, all the rites, all those social things that separated the people, the Israelite people, from the Gentiles. They’re all gone. The moral law doesn’t change because God doesn’t change.

This is the end of all the rituals. This is the end of all the sacrifices. This is the end of all the altars, all the temple had to offer. This is the end of the priesthood. This is the end of the holy place. This is the end of the Holy of Holies and God would split the curtain from top to bottom and throw it wide open for anybody and everybody to walk in and out. This is the end of everything that they knew in all of their religious life that was symbolic. No more ceremonies, no more rituals, no more priests, no more sacrifices, no more altars, no more temple, no more holy place, no more Holy of Holies, it’s all gone. He dies, He rises, they meet on Sunday and they are a priesthood and there is no more sacrifice ever until the Lord institutes some memorial sacrifices and the Passover in the Millennial Kingdom.

Isn't that absolutely breath-taking?! And THAT is the reason we desire to voluntarily celebrate significant events on the Christian calendar. Both the commanded celebrations of the Old Testament and the voluntary celebrations of the New Testament-era are born out of gratitude, but instead of just looking behind us and commemorating God's goodness, we can also now look ahead with eager anticipation to the eternal celebration our absolutely AWESOME God is preparing for us to enjoy!










Tomorrow's passages: Exodus 14-15, Matthew 26:36-75

Thursday, February 10 ~ Miriam

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Exodus 9-11; Matthew 25:31-46.

Good morning!  Or, to adapt from The Truman Show, good afternoon, good evening, or good night!

I found a couple of things interesting in today's reading.  We read about a few more of the plagues that descended on Egypt because of Pharoah's refusal to allow the Israelites to leave.  What interested me is that it mentions specifically that after the hail the barley and flax crops were utterly destroyed, but the wheat and spelt were not.  So evidently it was not God's intention to utterly destroy the Egyptian people.  They had lost much, very much, to be sure, but at least they wouldn't collectively starve to death.  One thing I was confused about is that when the plague on the livestock occurred, it obliterated the horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats, yet when the plague on the firstborn comes along, this included the firstborn of the cattle.  Perhaps enough time had passed that they had purchased more cattle, either from the Israelites, whose livestock were spared, or from others.  Anyway, that's beside the point. 

The other thing I found interesting is that Moses was highly regarded in Egypt, according to Exodus 11:3.  Here's the man who comes and foretells all these awful plagues that come upon the people, and yet he is highly regarded, (by everyone except Pharoah, of course).  I suppose this may be because many of the people recognize the power of the Hebrew God already by this time and recognize Moses as God's spokesman, or because everything Moses said has come to pass and therefore he is a prophet (or at least truthful), or possibly simply because God willed it that way.  We know that the Egyptians were favourably disposed to the Israelites because that was God's will, as it said in Exodus 3:21-22 "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.  Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters.  And so you will plunder the Egyptians."  (emphasis mine)  This clarifies something that I've wondered before when reading about the Israelites wandering in the desert.  I sometimes vaguely wondered where the silver and gold came from that they used first for the golden calf and later for the ark of the covenant.  Since they were slaves in Egypt, it seemed they shouldn't have a lot of that kind of stuff.  Suddenly it makes much more sense! 

In Matthew, we read about the sheep being separated from the goats and it makes it quite clear that part of what we are commanded to do as God's people is to give.  Give whatever we can to whomever is in need.  Not just giving things I'm not using anymore because my house is becoming cluttered and it's annoying me, but making a "heart-titude adjustment" to see those in need of an act of service that I would often not notice but am capable of providing.  The things in this passage are simple things.  Things we may overlook.  We don't have to go on a missions trip, or move to a third-world country.  There are opportunities to do these things all around us.

Have a great day!  Or, afternoon, evening or night. 


Tomorrow's passage: Exodus 12-13; Matthew 26:1-35.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011 - Kathryn

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Exodus 7-8, Matthew 25:1-30.

The plagues of Egypt have always fascinated me.  And even more-so now, as we are studying Revelations in my Sunday school class.  The plagues of Egypt mirror the seals, trumpets and bowls of the judgement of God.  God is rattling the cages of these Egyptians, He is shaking their very lives!  Pharaoh, even though he was seen as a God, must've been a very hated man by the end of all this.  Time and again in our reading today we see that he promises to let the people go and then he 'changes his mind'.  But it is God who hardens Pharaoh's heart.

³ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. ⁵ And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”

I see two things here in this passage, tell me what you think:

1. God is judging Egypt.  Why?  I see some possible explanations:  For their obvious slavery of the people of God.  Or for their pantheistic beliefs.  One search on google and one can come up with list of at least 20 major deities worshiped in Egypt.  And with Joseph living in Egypt at such a high rank for so long, I am sure Pharaoh heard about the Lord.  They were not ignorant.  I also wonder if God did it to set the Egyptians as an example.  The first two commandments are in regards to other gods.  
2. I believe God intended for the Israelites to witness His power and might.  Scripture does not tell us if God showed Himself to the people while they were in slavery, but I wonder if they needed to be assured of who this God was.  I'm sure they had seen the Egyptian gods many times, you know, they fashioned them out of wood and stone.  So this 'new' God, what difference was He?  I hate to say it, but it's like God needed to prove Himself so that the Israelites would believe and follow.  

So I believe that even though it looks like God is being mean, which He's not, He's using Pharaoh's hard heart to teach the Israelites about Himself!  (Sorry light bulb going on in my brain now.)  You see I could never understand why God would harden the heart of Pharaoh.  Why not just take the people out?  He could do that, so why not?  Now I know, it wasn't because He was being willy nilly and felt like having some fun.  No! He was revealing His might and His power to His people who probably hadn't had much experience with Him!  He knew what they would have to endure on the pilgrimage to the promise land.  He was preparing them.  Pardon me, here, just loving the light coming on!

A few thoughts that popped out to me on the Matthew passage, particularly on the parable of the talents.  These talents weren't something that the servants had owned previously.  No.  In fact, they weren't even something that their master gave to them for personal use, or to keep.  Rather, they were entrusted with something that was their masters to use and to grow for his use in whatever way he saw fit.  These talents were meant to give back someday to their master.  Makes me think of my children.  They are really on loan.  They are the Lord's.  He has entrusted them to my husband and I to grow for His use later.  I need to treat them and grow them as if they are the Lord's children, because they really are.

What things in your life are really the Lords that He will call for later?  What things is He asking you to grow now?

Man, something to think about.  Don't know about anyone else, but I'm convicted.

Holy God, illumine our eyes.  Show us what You have placed in our lives on loan that you want us to grow and later give back.  Help us to see these things as Yours.  Amen.


Tomorrow's passage:  Exodus 9-11, Matthew 25:31-46

February 8 - Jody

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is: Exodus 4-6,  Matthew 24:29-51

Scripture:
Exodus 4:10-13
 ¹⁰ Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
 ¹¹ The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? ¹² Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
 ¹³ But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
¹⁴ Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. ¹⁵ You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. ¹⁶ He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. ¹⁷ But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”

Observation:
God was calling Moses to do something completely, 100% outside of his comfort level. He was asking Moses to overcome his fears and actual physical ailment of slowed speech. God just finished showing Moses the most amazing miracles - staff into snake, leporous hand, and step by step instructions on how to make a river - yet Moses doubts God can make him an eloquent speaker. He questions God, God says EXCUSE ME?? I made your mouth, don't kid yourself, I can make you speak clearly, and Moses STILL questions him. Then, "the Lords anger burned against Moses". That can't have been comfortable... And what does God do?... He gives him an out. He sends Aaron.

I had never noticed this exact exchange in this story before. I know the story of Moses and Aaron, the stuttering etc. But I have never noticed that God called Moses specifically in verse 12 "Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Only after Moses complains a couple of times does God offer the help of Aaron.

Application:
Right now God is calling me to do something I do NOT want to do. I have offered Him up many, many reasons why it SHOULD NOT be me. He keeps whispering to my heart that this is my job to do. He has it planned out for me. And maybe I need to listen a little more closely to hear Him say to me:
"Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Prayer:
Father God - you speak directly to us. Just as you lovingly provided Moses with the support of Aaron when he doubted your plan, you offer us the support of those around us too. Help us to listen for your voice - and then actually listen to your voice. Go with me Lord, as you promise in your Word and help me speak. Teach me what to say.

Tomorrow's passage: Exodus 7-8, Matthew 25:1-30

Feb 7, 2011 -- Sandy

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is: Exodus 1-3 and Matthew 24:1-28

You know what's really great? Pregnancy brain! I LOVE forgetting important things! Like appointments...classes...this blog. Yeah. Sorry about that.

Anyhoo. In honor of my brain that seems to fail me more often than not (I'm truly sorry. I feel as though I'm a terrible failure :( ), I decided to open up the forum so to speak:

Do YOU think we're in 'End Times' right now? Based on Jesus's words in Matthew here:

³As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" ⁴And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. ⁵For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. ⁶And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

⁹"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. ¹⁰And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹²And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved.¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

So. What do you think? Scripture references to back up your thoughts please! And uhh...let's keep it simple k? Some of us are getting dumber by the moment!

Sandy

Tomorrow's passage: Exodus 4-6 and Matthew 24:29-51

February 6th

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Genesis 49-50 - Matthew 23:23-39

I think the moral of today's story is that eventually there will be consequences to our decisions, whether good or bad, and there will be a Judgement Day and our actions now will shape our future.

Jacob's last words to his sons included some scathing words for a few of them.

Reuben may have thought he had gotten away with one when Jacob didn't do anything about his dishonourable behaviour - even going so far as to sleep with one of his father's concubines. Now he is stripped of his birthright - time to pay the consequences.

Harsh words as well for Simeon and Levi who murdered the men of Shechem.

Judah, however, was blessed. Though he had sold Joseph into slavery and slept with his daughter-in-law whom he thought was a prostitute, later in life, Judah changes. His speech to Joseph in Chapter 44 evidenced a huge change in his character. And now, out of his line, would come the promised Messiah!

Joseph, on the other hand, was a rock solid man of God. He would receive a double inheritance, and he had some very heroic descendants - Joshua, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samuel!

Even when we think we are getting away with one, we are not. Eventually we will pay the consequences.

God doesn't just desire righteous behaviour though. (Segue into Matthew passage....) He desires our hearts.

We can act righteous and still not be righteous.

Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart.

We need to be transformed from the inside out. Only then will we be able to live righteously through the strength of the mighty God we desire to serve.

Tomorrow's passage: Exodus 1-3 - Matthew 24:1-28

Saturday, February 5-Pamela

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Genesis 46-48 - Matthew 23:1-22.

Scripture:

¹⁷ When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸ Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great.

Observation: Just because something has always been done that way, does not mean it has to always be done that way.

Application: Tradition and protocol demanded that Manasseh receive the blessing from his Grandfather. Joseph thinks his father, advancing in years, has just made a mistake and he attempts to correct him. This turns out to not be the case at all. Jacob is purposely blessing the younger son Ephraim and not the older son.

From my study bible:

The ancient law of primogeniture provided that, under ordinary circumstances, the younger of two sons would be subservient to the older. God's election of the younger son highlights the fact that God's people are the product not of a natural or worldly development but of his sovereign intervention in human affairs. Part of this verse is quoted in Romans 9:10-12 as an example of God's sovereign right to do "whatever pleases him" (Psalm 115:3) not in an arbitrary way (Romans 9:14) but according to His perfect will.

God does things in His own way. He is sovereign and His ways are perfect. We may find His ways different (not what you expect, contrary to the ways of the world), uncomfortable (sacrificing wants to honour God, being accountable for our actions), unfair (How can bad things happen? Why do the negative things in this world seem to prosper), or backwards (Forgiving those who persecute us and turning the other cheek, the first shall be last and the last shall be first) but it is not our job to figure it out or "correct" Him. He knows what He is doing. We just have to trust Him.

Prayer: All Mighty God, We stand in awe in your presence. You have turned everything upside down with purpose and knowledge of what is to come for each of us. We often doubt or have difficulty fully comprehending what is means for you to be sovereign. We struggle to understand that the way to rise above it all, is to fall down on our knees. You broke tradition and protocol when you sent the King of Kings to the world as a lowly baby. It was not Your plan to do the expected. Thank you for reminding us through Your word that You have it all worked out. Help us to rely on You more and more each day. Amen.

Tomorrow's passage: Genesis 49-50 - Matthew 23:23-39

Friday, Feb 4 ~ tammi

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Genesis 43-45, Matthew 22:23-46.

I thought Kathryn brought up an interesting contrast between the recently-finished book of Job and the story here of Joseph in her post on Wednesday.  I really appreciated that perspective.  In Job, we find the seemingly endless arguments of why bad things happen to good people, why bad things aren't necessarily linked to bad behaviour, why good things aren't necessarily linked to good behaviour, and most of all... WHY ME?!  Joseph's story could have played out much the same way and his prayers and questions probably could have filled countless chapters, too, and yet all we see is his simple faith.  Where Job is actually a little self-centered and self-righteous, Joseph is a beautiful example of a humble and singularly God-centered life.

While I'm sure he will have spent hours wondering why God was allowing these things to happen to him, especially since he also had done nothing wrong (except maybe been a little too excited to tell everyone about his dreams!), and maybe even got angry with God at times, his life is a picture of someone whose sole purpose is to glorify God.  In any situation, in any circumstance, his primary focus is living a life pleasing to God.  Whether he's overseeing Potiphar's large household, fighting sexual temptation, interpreting dreams, or helping out in prison, his passion is to live a life that reflects his relationship with God.

Now, considering Joseph didn't have the written Word like we do ~ probably didn't have access to ANY teaching about God other than the stories told about his dad and his grandfather ~ this is pretty amazing.  For him to even consider that living differently from those around him might be at all important is something to wonder about!  Where did that compulsion come from?!  So many times, we see the words repeated, "The LORD was with him..." and I have to wonder, what must that have been like in an era where followers of God were extremely few and far between (probably pretty much restricted to Jacob's family alone) and where there were no written resources?  Could Joseph feel that God was with him?

I just always marvel at his faith and his ability to persevere through the toughest situations, the darkest days, and then to be able to look back and see exactly why it all happened and to give God all the glory, even for the bad stuff.  What a beautiful story and a great example of faithfulness ~ both Joseph's and GOD'S!

You know what really struck me, though, about today's OT passage? Judah's offer to be a substitute so that Joseph would allow Benjamin and the rest of his brothers to return home safely to their father. Isn't that a beautiful foreshadowing of what one of Judah's descendants did for all of humanity hundreds of years later?! I thought that was so cool!

And in the reading in Matthew, we see Jesus confirming this lineage and also His superiority to His human ancestors because of His heavenly Father.  I had to chuckle a little when I read that last bit because it's all clear to us ~ again because we have the benefit of all the written resources ~ but I could almost see how part of the reason no one said anything after Jesus made His statement was simply because they were thoroughly confused about who and what Jesus was talking about!!  It wasn't that they didn't WANT to retort, they just had no idea what He was talking about so they couldn't!  I sometimes wonder if Jesus was torn between being saddened at their stubbornness and blindness, and laughing at their foolishness and confusion.

I know in many ways we have the advantage of knowing the WHOLE story, but I hope we never quit praying for clearer vision, for better hearing, and always shapable hearts.









Tomorrow's passages: Genesis 46-48, Matthew 23:1-22

February 3, 2011 ~ Miriam

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Genesis 41-42; Matthew 22:1-22.

Today's portion of Genesis is where things go much better for Joseph than they have for a while now.  The cupbearer suddenly remembers the man who interpreted his dream and tells Pharoah about him because Pharoah's "wise men" can't tell him what his dreams mean.  I notice in particular that in both cases where Joseph interprets dreams, he says that it is not he who is able to interpret them, but God.  I think that Joseph knew very well that things could have gone much worse for him all along if God were not with him.  I think that Joseph fully recognized that had it not been for God, he would have been much worse off than he had been in Potiphar's home. I think he knew that it would have been much worse for him in jail if God had not been with him and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden.  In spite of the fact that he was a slave and then a prisoner, he had an entire household and then a prison entrusted to his care.  That doesn't happen all by itself.

I found it really interesting that Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh - “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”  It seems that Joseph had given up hope of ever seeing any of his family again.  I'm sure he probably thought that by now his father was dead, and since his brothers were the ones who had sold him into slavery in the first place, they probably wouldn't be too happy to see him.  I would have loved to get a glimpse of his face when he saw his brothers before him, asking to buy food.  Once again, the meanings of dreams are a part of his life, as his brothers bow before him just as the sheaves of grain in his dream from before he was sold.  I wonder if it was difficult for him not to reveal himself to them after hearing them speak of being punished for what they had done to him?  I think probably that he wanted to see if they would actually keep their word and bring Benjamin to him before revealing himself to them.  Perhaps to make sure they hadn't done something to Benjamin as well! 

As an aside, I'm pretty impressed with Reuben at this point.  Not only did he prevent his brothers from doing worse to Joseph than they did, but he was truly distressed when Joseph was sold into slavery without his knowledge, and he makes a vow to his father that he will bring Benjamin back from Egypt, or lose his own sons in exchange.  He was also not one of the brothers who attacked the city where their sister Dinah was violated.  This is a pretty stand-up guy! 

Moving on to the parable of the wedding banquet, this parable was a little confusing to me, so I looked up the meaning.  Forgive me if this was clear to everyone else, but here is what I learned.  I did catch on to the fact that the king is God and his son is Jesus.  The wedding banquet is referring to heaven.  That is fairly standard imagery in the NT.  The servants sent to those who had been invited were the prophets who told the Jewish people about the coming Messiah in the OT.  The next servants he refers to are John the Baptist and himself, who were ignored, seized, mistreated and then killed.  God was enraged, sent his army, destroyed the murderers and burned their city.  (According to what I read, this happened to Jerusalem about 40 years later, in 70 AD.)  Then God tells his servants to go to the street corners and invite anyone you find.  So now that the chosen people have rejected their invitation and are not worthy to attend the feast, the invitation is open to anyone.  The part that was confusing to me was the part about the guest who wasn't wearing wedding clothes.

From The Marriage Feast by Hampton Keathley IV:

Those who were invited were not worthy. What makes one worthy? To Matthew, worthiness comes through reception of the invitation. A right response to the message. In the parable about the two sons (from yesterday's reading), we saw that belief was what was necessary, so faith is the key to becoming worthy. Who makes you worthy? The one who graciously invited you. Worthiness is not the result of merit. It is the result of faith.  (emphasis mine)

The king sees someone not wearing wedding clothes. In verse 12 the king calls him “Friend.” In Matthew, this is a term of distancing and condemnation. It’s like “Hey, Buddy” or “Hey, Lady.”
 Notice that the man is speechless when the king confronts him. Rom 3:19 says that “every mouth will be closed” when people stand accountable before God. Perhaps that is what Jesus is referring to.


Wedding clothes were often provided by wealthy hosts. (Gower, New Manners and Customs of the Bible, p. 69) It may be that this man refused to wear them. He thought his own clothes (i.e. deeds) were good enough. This fits the context of the parable of the two sons (from yesterday's reading). The son who said he would work and didn’t was symbolic of the Pharisees who thought they were doing enough already. Therefore, the wedding clothes provided by host symbolize the righteousness of Christ provided by God for entrance to Heaven - as opposed to our garments/merit which are not good enough to get us into heaven/banquet.


Application



God is gracious and patient and keeps on offering the invitation.

God has made the offer to everyone.

Do not presume on the patience of God. A time will come when it will be too late.

Do not be caught unprepared (i.e. not believing) when the feast begins.

Reasons for not believing:

Indifference - 3-5 - too busy with family, business, hobbies, etc.

Rebellion - 6 - similar to last parable. Perhaps they are becoming convicted of their sin and are rejecting the conviction.

Self-righteousness - The guest wouldn’t wear his robe. He was independent. This also fits context with the parable of the two sons.

Those who participated last year will remember this recurring theme in our posts - we can't earn salvation.  Ever.  Righteousness and acceptance into the kingdom of God is ONLY possible through faith and the grace of God.  As the saying goes, "It's what's on the inside that counts."  It's important to obey God and to live as upright and Christ-like a life as we can, but it is equally important that our outward actions be a reflection of our faith and love for God that is in our hearts.  We don't want to be like the Pharisees, thinking that the outer shell that we portray to the world is of the utmost importance.  Our own clothes will not suffice for the banquet.  We must accept the wedding clothes provided by our most gracious Host.

Tomorrow's passage: Genesis 43-45; Matthew 22:23-46.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011 - Kathryn

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Genesis 39-40, Matthew 21:23-46

I find it ironic that the story of Joseph follows so closely on the heels of the story of Job.  Again we have a mostly innocent man being seemingly punished for having done nothing wrong.

We read earlier of Joseph being sold into slavery and here we see he is sold to the house of Potiphar.  All we know of him from scripture that he was an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.  We can assume from the rest of the passage that he was a pretty wealthy man, able to purchase slaves and having enough of a household as to need to be able to delegate much of that responsibility.  He was an important man.  He was also married.  He also exclusively trusted his household, all that he had, except his wife, into the hands of Joseph.  Joseph has become a powerful slave.  He has a lot of responsibility and a lot of authority.  God had blessed him in spite of his situation.

² The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, ⁴ Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.

We read the story, we know what happens.  Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Joseph.  We know nothing about her appearance, whether she was a beautiful woman, or as comely as a crocodile.  Either way, this had to be a hard thing for him.  Here he is, alone, a slave and emotionally vulnerable.  Throw in a woman who tries to lure him into her bed daily and it would be difficult thing to say no to.  And we see that by Joseph's reaction.  He runs from her!  He flees temptation!  I believe Potiphar's wife was a true temptation to Joseph.  And does he get rewarded or redeemed for resisting this temptation?  Nope.  He gets pitched into jail.

However....

But while Joseph was there in the prison, ²¹ the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. ²² So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. ²³ The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Again we see the Lord was with Joseph, even in spite of what seems like a punishment.  In both situations scripture tells us that God was with Joseph and He caused him to prosper.  Again, Joseph is a prisoner with a lot of responsibility and a lot of authority.

Honestly, this is kinda hard for me to wrap my head around.  It doesn't make sense.  To me, we should be prospering in good situations, in good times.  This was not a good time for Joseph, but God causes goodness to happen through Joseph.  That's all well and fine for everyone else around Joseph, but I'm sure Joseph would still rather be home, with his family.  Joseph may have found favor with his master and his jailer, but he is still a slave and a jailbird!  He is still not in a good situation.  God made everything around him prosper, but He did not prosper Joseph.  Everyone around him was blessed, but Joseph was not.  This story is so unfair!  And I wonder if Joseph said that?  I would imagine so.  If it were me, I would!  It's human!  You would think the logical step for God to make would to spring Joseph outta there!  But He doesn't.  Instead, He prosper those who are holding him captive.  What?!  It seems incongruent.  It doesn't make sense.

But, what are blessings?  Are they was we think they are?  How many blessings do we have around us that we don't see?  How much differently would our world look if we saw our troubles as blessings?

What is God prospering through you in spite of the situation you are in?  How can we become more open to His movement through us?

Holy God, we need Your strength, we need Your power, we need You.  But, Your word tells us that Your mercies are new every morning.  We can trust in You, that Your will be done, through us and around us.  Open our eyes to where You are and what You are doing.  And Father, help us to trust You through it all.  Amen.  


Tomorrow's passage: Genesis 41-42, Matthew 22:1-22