Matthew 7

The conclusion of the Sermon: judging others, asking/seeking/knocking, the narrow gate, the tree and its fruit, and building wisely. "Ask and it will be given unto you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened unto you." (vs. 7) Hallelujah! It doesn't take much on our part, here. We just must believe that God is faithful, swallow our pride, and ask.

Matthew 6

More Sermon: giving to the needy, prayer, fasting, heavenly reward, and instructions to not worry. "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (vs. 34) I need to put this verse on my computer, my refrigerator, and my bedside table. I am in God's hand!

Matthew 5

Man the Sermon on the Mount has so much to comment on!!! Chapter 5 covers the Law, Murder, Adultery, Divorce, Oaths, Revenge, and Love. Verse 48 sums up a lot of it, though. "Be perfect, therefore as your heavenly Father is perfect." Oh, okay. No problem!

But that is our call! To strive for perfection! I don't believe any man is expected to be perfectly perfect, though. But we are to consciously strive for it. And, very occasionally, we probably achieve it for a second.

Matthew 4

Jesus called to Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John to come follow him, and they all immediately dropped what they were doing and followed him. I wonder if they had heard of him and knew who he was. Doubtful, since he hadn't begun preaching and healing, but they could have heard of John the Baptist, I suppose. Regardless, they followed him without a moment's hesitation. Jesus called, his disciples responded at once, and they were his from that point forward. It's that simple, but our human nature makes it so difficult!

Matthew 3

Was baptism a practice prior to Christianity? Why was John the Baptist doing this?

Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. I suppose Jesus did it as an example for all of his followers to come and as a springboard for his ministry. He was baptised, spent 40 days in the desert fasting, and then began to gather his people to him. He pin-pointed baptism as a starting point. Often, it seems like the end of a path in search of the truth, but baptism is the beginning of true life!

Matthew 2

Matthew continued to connect Jesus to the prophesies in this chapter.

The Magi, or Wise Men, came from the East seeking the "king of the Jews" and quoting Micah. Could these men have been of the Lost Tribes of Israel?

What a strange life Mary and Joseph led, sacrificing all of their plans to protect their son, the Son of God. Wow!

Matthew 1

As I wrote in my first post, I'm jumping back and forth between Old & New Testaments. So, welcome to the Gospel!

Matthew starts with the genealogy of Jesus, from Abraham to the Messiah. He was concerned with Jesus' connection to the prophesies. He told of the conception and birth of Jesus in a matter-of-fact manner and correlated it directly to what Isaiah foretold (vs. 22-23). He was writing his account for a Jewish audience.

Genesis 50

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..." (vs. 20)

I truly believe that we do things--follow paths--that are not for "good," but they are in God's plan and, ultimately, for His glory. This doesn't absolve us of the responsibility for our choices, but we need not fret over what we have done if we ask forgiveness with a true repentant heart. A fine line, I know, but I believe it.

Bye bye Genesis...

Genesis 49

I meant to blow through some posts to catch up, but I got interested in this chapter. I'm interested in the actual fates of the Tribes of Israel and how they compare to this Blessing, so I took some time to do a Wikipedia search (love the Wikipedia!). Here are my findings (which are, by no means, conclusive):

Generally,the northern tribes (all but Judah, which included Simeon, the Levites, and some of Benjamin) were conquered by the Assyrians and scattered. They are considered to be the Lost Tribes of Israel. Some scholar dude believes that it was about 1/5 of the Israelites. Prior to the scattering, the tribes were ruled by a lose council of Judges, then the house of Saul, then the house of David.

Tribe of Reuben:
The blessing characterises the tribe as fickle. They fought in some instances and abstained in others. The tribe didn't excel, supposedly due to Reuben's sexual betrayal.

Tribe of Simeon:
Simeon's blessing, along with Levi's, is actually a curse due to their reaction to the rape of Dinah. The tribe was never fixed in location and was scattered throughout Judah.

Tribe of Levi:
Levi was never a landed tribe, but a priestly class within Judah. Levi sired Moses, Samuel, Ezekiel, Ezra, John the Baptist, Mark, Matthew, and Barnabas, among others.

Tribe of Judah:
The blessing says, "the scepter will not depart from Judah...until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his." (vs 10) David came from the Tribe of Judah, but, more importantly, so did Jesus. Judah was not conquered by the Assyrians, but by the Babylonians. Their history was not lost.

Tribe of Zebulun:
The tribe lived by the Mediterranean Sea. They are believed to have financially supported the Tribe of Issachar--who were religious scholars for the most part--in hope for some spiritual reward. They were fighters.

Tribe of Issachar:
As I said, they were scholars, fitted nicely geographically to turn their attention toward religious matters. They were thought to be influential in proselytism (look it up--paraphrasing is hard!).

Tribe of Dan:
Their settlement was limited by the force of the Philistines. Samson was one of the tribe. They are not included with the rest of the Tribes of Israel in the seals of Revelation. Wikipedia mentions that this might be because they were considered to be the "seat of idolatry." The blessing does say that Dan is a "serpent by the roadside" and a "viper along the path." (vs. 17)

Tribe of Gad:
This tribe settled to the east of the Jordan and was never secure on the north, west, and south. They seem to have been migratory.

Tribe of Asher:
They were secure and their land was super fertile. They were known for their olive oil. Politically, they seem to be disconnected from other tribes.

Tribe of Naphtali:
They were fighters, in a secure position in fertile land.

Tribe of Joseph:
Really it is the House of Joseph, divided into the Tribe of Ephraim and the Tribe of Manasseh since Jacob took Joseph's sons as his own. The Tribe of Ephraim was strong and synonymous with the entire Northern Kingdom of Israel. From the map it seems that the tribe of Manasseh took up a big chunk of land. In more recent news, a group in NE India claims to be descendant from Manasseh, and they were acknowledged by Israel in 2005. They are to return to Israel (under the Law of Return) if they live a Jews.

Tribe of Benjamin:
Prior to Saul (who was a Benjaminite), the tribe was combative. They were almost wiped out by other Israelite tribes. 600 men were allowed to survive and marry widows of other tribes. They became much more placid in the aftermath. They survived the Assyrians with Judah.

So, now we know.

Genesis 48

(I was out of town for the weekend, but it isn't a good excuse for falling behind on my posts...)

When Jacob blessed Joseph on his deathbed, he referred to the Lord as "the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day" (vs. 15). I love that image of God as my Shepherd. Jacob and his family were shepherds and they knew exactly what that role entails. He is a God who protects, guides, watches, and fights for me.

Genesis 47

Jacob blesses the Pharaoh when they meet and he blesses him again when they part. Pharaoh was a complete stranger to Jacob as well as a heathen, but that didn't stop Jacob from treating him with the utmost respect. We should all take note.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Genesis 46

vs 4: God told Jacob, " 'I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.' " God was certainly with the people of Israel during their enslavement in Egypt, and He was true to His pledge to bring them out. It is so with us, as well. God holds us in His righteous hand throughout our struggles and carries us to the other side. Amen!

(can one "amen" oneself?)

Genesis 45

I just read my Student Bible's commentary on Joseph's story and I discovered that it was two years between Joseph first seeing his brothers and revealing himself to them!!! He really did toy with them a little bit! Joseph drove his brothers to the point where they had to confess their sin and the process was hard on all of them.

So now all the nations of Israel are coming to Egypt...

Genesis 44

I'm not sure what Joseph's end game was here. He was obviously toying with his brothers, maybe looking for a little pay back, but what was he planning to do with them before he lost his resolve?

Genesis 43

I cannot imagine Joseph's emotions as he rejoined his family. He understood that his hardships, although due to his brothers' treachery, were part of God's plan for his life. Joseph had an amazing ability to see the big picture. He forgave his brothers.

Genesis 42

I am touched By Jacob's caution. He loathes to send Benjamin away since Joseph is already lost to him. I've been thinking today about the trials of parenthood. This time of "control" I have with my son are so fleeting. They are tough in that I have complete responsibility for his survival and happiness, but that is nothing in comparison to the difficulty of letting him lead his own life. God, give me strength!

Genesis 41

Joseph's attitude is amazing! After all of his suffering, he still managed to present himself upright before Pharaoh and he refrained from grovelling and self-promotion. Joseph said plainly to one of the most powerful people in the world, "I can't do what you ask, but God can." We must remember that, but for the grace of God, we have nothing!

Genesis 40

Even the Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker played a part in Joseph's rise to power and, therefore, Egypt's survival through severe drought. They had know idea that the Lord was using their hardships to bless others.

We should pray that God not only brings us though our trials, but uses them for good!

(I'm completely caught up on my postings!!!)

Genesis 39

God was with Joseph and he moved quickly to the top of the ladder in Potiphar's household. In this position, Joseph was able to learn great management skills which serve him well later. He was brought down once again by Potiphar's wife, but God was still with him as he gained credibility in prison.

All the pieces are clicking into place and "the LORD was with him."

Genesis 38

So, Judah was afraid that his youngest son would die if he married the widow of his other two sons. Sending Tamar back to her father's house with a promise he never intended to keep was really rotten of Judah. Even though, I don't see why Judah declared that Tamar was more righteous than he once he realized the trick she played on him. In my opinion, they were both wronged and both wrong.

Genesis 37

Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children. Joseph attracted people wherever he went. I don't think anyone would argue that his brothers were justified in selling him, but God used every bit of Joseph's hardship to mold him into the man he needed to be.

The same principle applies to us. Everything fits perfectly into God's perfect plan!

Genesis 36

I like the name Oholibamah!

Esau here gives Jacob space in order for them to coexist peacefully. I wonder if that was purely a logistical move, having to do with their flocks, or a move meant to preserve mental health. And did Esau stomp off, away from the land he's inhabited his whole life, or did he welcome the change?

To learn more about the Edomites, check out the Wikipedia article.

Genesis 35

"God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone." (vs. 3) He surely is that God!

It is strange that Reuben's dirty deed is just slipped into the chapter so casually!

Also, we see that Jacob finally makes it back to his people and faces his father and brother. Good job, Jacob!

Genesis 34

I wonder what will become of Dinah. Will she be mentioned again after this chapter? She was raped by a stranger who claimed to love her and then a whole townful of men are slaughtered because of it. That is heavy stuff to bear!

Genesis 33

I am availing myself of my parents' free Internet to catch up on my posts. Hopefully, mine will be up and running again soon.

Jacob makes a big to-do here about meeting Esau again and striving to find favor in his eyes. When it comes down to it, though, Jacob still doesn't trust his brother and sneaks off to Sukkoth. Although God had instructed Jacob to rejoin his relatives, he settles amongst strangers. Jacob must really be ashamed of his affront to Esau.

Genesis 32

This physical struggle is odd. Whether or not the stranger who fought Jacob is God Himself or an angel is disputed. God did appear to Abraham in human form in Chapter 18, so why not here? I am certain, though, that the struggle is in God's perfect time and in God's perfect place.

The only way Jacob can be victorious over God is within human boundries. Once God presents His God-ness, with a slight touch to Jacob's hip, Jacob falters.

I think that, for those of us who believe in God, our biggest struggle is in imagining His greatness. We try to pull Him down to a deity we can comprehend, with human limits. When God asserts His power, it astonishes us every time!