God Sightings – Week 4, Jan 25th – Jan 31st

Genesis 50:1 – Exodus 13:16

• What never ceases to amaze me about the story of Joseph, which in concluded in the last chapter in Genesis, is the favor God supplied him with a pagan king! This wasn’t someone that knew Jehovah. This was a man, who, within the context of his culture and time was considered a god himself. And yet, even when Joseph’s father dies, the king shows him favor by allowing Joseph to leave and bury him. Keep in mind that 40 days were spent embalming him, plus however long it took to take everyone to Canaan and back! I would guess the whole process was probably 2 months. God can grant favor and peace to you through those who do not even know him.

  

• An interesting story takes place between the midwives and the king of Egypt. In Exodus 1:20 we see that God blessed them for not telling Pharaoh the truth about the pregnancies. I’ve read a lot of commentators that try to change the Hebrew words here and/or insert other things into the text so that it doesn’t seem that God is justifying their lies. However, one of the most basic rules in biblical interpretation (hermeneutics) is to keep it as simple as possible. Take the face value meaning when you can. They were saving children’s lives; why wouldn’t God approve? I find this extremely interesting; although not a story whose application would probably come into play very often in your life. However, in other passages of Scripture we do find God deceiving his enemies so as to protect those who follow him. A lot more could be said about this, but for now, keep in mind that God showed them favor for saving the lives of innocent children. God places a high priority on the innocent and those who cannot protect themselves.

  

• Ex. 4:11-12 says, “11 Then the LORD said to him, “Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.” Notice how God gives similar messages to his people later, always encouraging them. Matthew 10:19 (thousands of years later!) “19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

  

Matthew 16:13 – 21:22  

• 19:16 – Here we have the familiar story of the rich young ruler who was not able to sell his possessions- even though the other commandments Jesus quotes out of the Torah (Law) he claims to have been keeping. This story demonstrates how Jesus can see to the heart of the matter; the ways things really are. In this story he shows us that oftentimes what truly demonstrates our love for God is not in what we are doing, but in what we are leaving undone.

  

• Oftentimes our theology can take a deterministic view. In other words, what will be will be. “God has already set it all in motion and there isn’t anything you can do to change it.” The story of the two blind men receiving their sight in Matt. 20:29 gives a different picture. Notice that Jesus was walking by them, it was because of their continued shouting, even after the crowd warned them to be quiet, that they caught the attention of Jesus. Had they not cried out; they would not have been healed. We need to not be afraid of presenting our requests to God. Everything is not set in stone; there are very good relational reasons for why we need to be praying to the Father. He desires to hear us and answer our prayers. He desires the relationship that develops from that level of communion.