Wednesday, January 20

Good afternoon. Another stressful day at work - it is not letting up, but as I work I need to remember to do all things as if for Him like it says on my wrist.

I'd like to take a moment to say a special thank you to Chris De La Cruz who commented on the first 10 or so of my posts. I would suggest going back and reading them if you're interested, he brings up a lot of really good points. And I think he's a seminary student...is that true? Anyway - the kid's got serious wisdom, read his comments.

Alright, on to today's reading:

Reading for January 20
Genesis 41:17-42:17
Joseph's original dream comes true

So remember earlier when Joseph had a dream that all his brothers would bow down to him? Well that's exactly what happens at the end of this reading - some 20ish years later. (Sometimes God's promises take time, eh?)

So, through God, Joseph interprets the Pharaoh's dream to mean that there will be seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of famine. Joseph suggests storing a portion of crops for the prosperous seven years so when the famine strikes, they will have stores of food to keep them alive.

Pharaoh is impressed. So impressed that he puts Joe in charge of that very initiative and becomes the #2 guy in Egypt. Pharaoh sets him up with a wife, they have a couple kids, he's got some sweet digs, he's been restored to his former blessed lifestyle.

So, just as God/Joseph predicted, the famine strikes, and it strikes hard. It impacts what the Bible calls "The whole world". Cue Jacob, Joseph's father. He and Josephs brothers are still living in Canaan and are starving. They hear that there is food available in Egypt and they make their way there, only to come to the man in charge of the food, Joseph himself. They bow down before him asking him for food. Prophecy complete.


Matthew 13:24-46
Parable City

This section of text features five parables. One right after the other. In the previous section, he told one parable and then explained it, and also explained why he spoke in parables. This one he tells five, and then explains only two of them to his disciples in private. Here are the parables and my brief interpretation of what they mean:

Parable of the Wheat and Weeds - The godly people and ungodly people will live together on the earth. On judgment day, the ungodly will be thrown into hell.
Parable of the Mustard Seed - Through small, individual works, God's kingdom will be huge.
Parable of the Yeast - Similar to the mustard seed, but more that a little faith and effort can have a massive impact on the whole world.
Parable of the Hidden Treasure - Once you truly see God, you will be compelled to give up everything you own to devote yourself to him.
Parable of the Pearl - Similar meaning.

This passage also mentions a prophecy about Jesus from the old testament - wow, from Psalms actually...

“I will speak to you in parables.
      I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.”

I didn't even know that the psalms got all that prophetical. We shall see, David. We shall see.


Psalm 18:1-15
A psalm divided


The first half of this psalm focuses exclusively on praising God. Giving beautiful imagery of God being a protector and a firm foundation on which we can rest. The second half focuses again on God smiting his enemies. This is very strange. I asked a question about this disparity on Papa Blog - let me see if it was answered...

HE ANSWERED! HE GOT MY LETTER. Read Pastor Sharkey's response HERE - the man knows his Bible.

The main thing he said was that these should be viewed as songs - just as songs of today feature the most raw human emotions, so did they back in David's time. Also that they are not an example of how to live, but a reminder of human emotions and that we can all go to God when we experience these things.

Proverbs 4:1-6
More praising of wisdom here. I think this is kind of cool. I know that most of Proverbs is set up with single bits of knowledge or wisdom. So Solomon is framing the wisdom that is coming by setting up the value of it before delving into it.

 ⁶ Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.
      Love her, and she will guard you.

He also talks about learning from discipline and correction from 'your father'. I think this can be viewed in both the human and heavenly senses. Look for times when God is correcting you, and learn from them. But at the same time, honor your human father and learn from his lessons and correction.