Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Genesis 42:1) Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" (2) And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt; go down there and buy for us from there, that we may live and not die."
Joseph was in Egypt managing the seven years of famine with the food he had stored during the seven years of plenty. We read in the last chapter that the famine was all over, in other countries, as well, and here we read that Joseph's family was also suffering from the famine. Jacob had heard there was grain in Egypt, obviously hearing that he could buy it, and told his sons to go to Egypt to buy them some (rather than sitting around looking at one another in despair not knowing what to do).
(3) And Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy corn in Egypt. (4) But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob did not send with his brothers, for he said, "Lest some mischief befall him."
Jacob sent ten of Joseph's brothers to Egypt to buy grain. He did not send his youngest son, Benjamin, Joseph's only full brother of his mother Rachel, because he feared something might happen to him. Possibly it was because he felt he was too young, but more likely it was because Benjamin was his favorite and the one he thought to his only son by his beloved Rachel.
(5) And the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. (6) And Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land; and Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
Apparently there were other people from Canaan coming to buy grain in Egypt, or perhaps they were from other countries coming the same time as Jacob's sons from Canaan. They came directly to Joseph as he was the one who sold the stored grain to all the people in all the lands. Joseph's brothers bowed themselves before him when they approached him.
(7) And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but made himself a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them; and he said to them, "Where do you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food." (8) And Joseph knew his brothers, but they did not know him.
Joseph immediately recognized his brothers, but he did not let on that he knew them. He spoke roughly to them. Knowing Joseph's character, I wonder if he truly spoke roughly or if that just meant there was no friendly familiarity. He asked them a straight forward question to which they answered what he already knew, but they had no reason to even dream Joseph would be in the position he was, and did not recognize him. Maybe the rough talk added to the disguise.
(9) And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!"
I can't decide if Joseph is behaving righteously in this or not. He remembered his dreams of how his brothers would bow down to him and then he accused them of being spies who came to find out if the land was so defenseless that it could be attacked. It would seem to me he was using and enjoying his position to force them to bow down to him, but then again if he wished to detain them to get more information from them about his father and brother, perhaps he felt he had to do something like this. I suppose, knowing what they had done to him, it could have been he thought it possible they might have done something similar to his brother. If he had been familiar with them, maybe he would not have received such information as that. He could be testing his brothers to try to get the truth from them.
(10) And they said to him, "No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. (11) We are all one man's sons; we are true men; your servants are no spies."
The brothers deny the charge that they are spies. By telling Joseph they were one man's sons they hoped to show it was very unlikely that ten brothers of one family would be sent on the dangerous mission as spies. They told him they spoke the truth and had only come to buy food.
(12) And he said to them, "No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land."
Perhaps this was Joseph's way of forcing them to give up more information about the rest of his family. If the brothers felt in danger, they would perhaps spill all.
(13) And they said, "Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father this day, and one is no more."
This was surely what Joseph was waiting to hear, that his father and younger brother were alive. It also must have been emotional for Joseph to hear them speak of him as dead.
(14) And Joseph said to them, "It is as I spoke to you, saying, 'You are spies!' (15) In this manner you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. (16) Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proven to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!"
Of course, Joseph knew they were probably telling the truth, but as first in command under Pharaoh, it seemed reasonable that he would consider this suspect as first they had claimed to be ten brothers and now they said they were eleven; why would ten come and not all eleven? In providing a way for the brothers to prove they were telling the truth to Pharaoh's right-hand man, Joseph would be able to see his younger brother again.
Many of the older Biblical commentaries that I read made a great deal about Joseph using the language "by the life of Pharaoh", many believing it was a sworn oath, and strictly forbidden by God. To me, it's as if he was saying, "as surely as Pharaoh lives", and something completely in character with what Pharaoh's top governor would be expected to say. I don't see that the words used constituted an oath, but even if they did, Joseph was human and made mistakes. Some of the old commentaries seem to me to go to great lengths to make him the ultimate picture of Christ, in that he couldn't have sinned in anything he did in this picture. Where I thought he may have been laying it on a little thickly and even enjoying a little bit that his brothers bowed down to him, there were some who suggested the noble and righteous Joseph was only doing what he did to bring his brothers to necessary repentance. I'm not sure I buy that. Just because Joseph's life may have been a picture of Christ's in that he was left for dead and risen up to a position that brought salvation from death to those who came to buy food from him, he was still a man. There is and never was any sinless person other than Jesus Christ. Just because God may have used Joesph's life and circumstances to be an example of what He would eventually do through the life of Christ, it did not mean that Joseph was expected to have been sinless in all that he did. Even now God may use our lives to show Christ to a fallen world, and we are certainly all sinful people. We are to strive to be Christ-like, but none of us ever were or ever will be sinless as Christ in this world. So whether Joseph was completely righteous in his heart regarding how he handled his brothers in this, only God knows, but we will find that they all come to a place of forgiveness and reconciliation and even restoration, before it is all over, and that is what God desires for all of us as He brings us through difficulties in life.
(17) And he put them all together in ward three days. (18) And Joseph said to them the third day, "Do this and live, for I fear God: (19) If you are true men, let one of your brothers be bound in your prison house; but you, go and carry corn for the famine of your houses. (20) But bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they did so.
Joseph put his brothers in prison for three days. It gave them a sense of their grave situation, that Joseph, as second in command to Pharaoh, meant what he said, and it may have given them time to discuss their situation and decide what to do. Joseph let them know he was a God-fearing man so that they could trust what he said and they could expect just dealings from him. A man who feared the one true God in Egypt must have been a rare thing, so Joseph must have meant to ease their minds and let them know they could trust him with his word. At first he had said they would all remain in prison while only one of them went back to fetch his youngest brother, but now his orders were to let one of their brothers be left in prison while the rest went back home and fetched their youngest brother. When they went back, they wouldn't be empty-handed; they were to carry the corn they had come to purchase in the first place. Apparently, that is what they did.
(21) And they said one to another, "We are truly guilty concerning our
brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and
we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us." (22) And Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not speak to you, saying, 'Do
not sin against the child'; and you would not listen? Therefore behold,
his blood is now required of us."
While they were preparing to carry out what Joseph had ordered, they talked among themselves. They realized their guilt concerning their brother and seemed to be truly sorry as they recalled his anguish when he pleaded with them and they ignored his pleas. They saw their predicament as they were now receiving just measure and punishment for what they had done. Reuben reminded his brothers that he tried to convince them not to harm the boy, but they would not listen. He, in fact, had convinced them to throw him into the pit where he had planned to go back and get him, but that didn't work out. Now, feeling certain Joseph was dead, Reuben said they must now suffer for the blood of their brother.
(23) And they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them by an interpreter. (24) And he turned himself away from them and wept, and returned to them again, and talked with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
Apparently Joseph had previously only spoken to them through an interpreter, so they now spoke openly and candidly in their Hebrew language, not realizing that Joseph could understand them. Hearing them, he had to turn away from them because their words caused him to weep. At first, I considered Reuben's words to be just an "I told you so", but Joseph was getting a chance to hear a part of the story he never knew, and it was very emotional for him. Joseph then composed himself and returned to talking with and perhaps ordering the brothers to proceed along their way as he had directed. Joseph himself chose to leave Simeon in prison, and let the others return to their father to fetch their brother. Was there a reason he chose Simeon? He may have been the most hardhearted. From the affair of Shechem, we learned that he was rather cold-blooded in his premeditation of Shechem's murder. Some of the early historical writers suggest it was Simeon who bound Joseph and cast him into the pit. Perhaps Joseph chose Simeon because he remembered him to be his most bitter enemy among his brothers, or maybe because he was the least humbled and concerned about what he had done even now. For whatever reason, it seems reasonable to suspect there was some motive on Joseph's part in binding Simeon, and he bound him before his other brothers' eyes to affect them all.
(25) Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey; and thus he did for them. (26) And they loaded their donkeys with the corn, and departed from there.
Joseph commanded that the brothers returning home be loaded with corn, but it appears he gave their money back to them, unbeknownst to them, and they were given provisions for the journey. Whoever it was that Joseph commanded to do this, a servant or steward or whatever the position, he did as Joseph instructed. The donkeys were loaded and the brothers departed.
(27) And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed in the inn, he spied his money, for behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. (28) And he said to his brothers, "My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!" And their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, "What is this that God has done to us?"
When one of the brothers discovered his money had been given back to him, they were all very afraid. They obviously realized the seriousness of their situation, being accused of being spies, and may have felt this was a trap and that they would surely be pursued and seized for taking corn without paying for it. They felt certain this was God's divine judgment on them for what they had done.
(29) And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying, (30) "The man who is the lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. (31) And we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are no spies. (32) We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.' (33) And the man, the lord of the country, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men; leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. (34) And bring your youngest brother to me; then I shall know that you are no spies, but that you are honest men; so I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'"
The brothers went back to the land of Canaan, to their father, and told him everything that had happened.
(35) And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that behold, every
man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when both they and their
father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
Apparently, earlier, only one of the brothers had seen his money returned to his sack. Now as all the brothers unloaded their donkeys and sacks, they all found their money returned to their sacks. They were all very afraid of what this might mean, their father included.
(36) And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children; Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you will take Benjamin away; all these things are against me."
I don't really think that Jacob suspected any foul play in the disappearance of Joseph, although he probably knew what his sons thought of their dreamer brother and may have felt they contributed to his disappearance, though he probably never dreamed they contributed as directly as they actually did. I think the sense of his statement here was something like, "When you guys all get together, you get into trouble, and I lose a son!" Joseph was gone, Simeon was gone, and now they wanted to take Benjamin. The way things had been going, the odds didn't look in Jacob's favor that he wouldn't lose Benjamin, too.
(37) And Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you."
This seems a strange way to alleviate Jacob's fears--if Reuben failed to bring back Benjamin, then Jacob could kill his own grandsons, too?? But obviously, Reuben was trying to say that he would be careful and protect the life of Benjamin as he would his own two sons.
(38) And he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone; if mischief should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave."
Jacob would not agree to let Benjamin go with Reuben and the others. Benjamin's only full brother, Joseph, was dead, at least as far as Jacob knew. If anything happened to his only remaining son of his beloved Rachel, he felt he would never again lift up his gray head, or have any more happiness in this world, until his gray head was laid in the grave.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Is Your Life a Picture of Christ?
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Genesis 41:1) And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed; and behold, he stood by the river.
Chapter 41 begins two full years after the time Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's chief butler and chief baker. Joseph had asked the butler to remember him and make mention of him to Pharaoh to have him removed from prison, but it had been two years since the chief butler was restored to his position, and he never remembered to mention Joseph. Now two years later Pharaoh had a dream.
(2) And behold, there came up out of the river seven well favored cows and fat; and they fed in a meadow. (3) And behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. (4) And the ill-favored and gaunt cows ate up the seven well favored and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.
In Pharaoh's dream, he stood by a river and watched seven fine looking fat cows come up out of the river followed by seven ugly and gaunt cows that ate up the seven fat cows. At this point Pharaoh awoke.
(5) And he slept and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of corn came up on one stalk, plump and good. (6) And behold, seven thin ears, scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them. (7) And the seven thin ears devoured the seven plump and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
After awaking from his first dream, Pharaoh slept and dreamed again. This time he saw seven ears of plump juicy corn come up on one stalk, followed by seven thin and scorched ears springing up after the fat ears and devouring them. Pharaoh awoke again, realizing it was just a dream.
(8) And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men there; and Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
The next morning Pharaoh was greatly troubled by his dreams and wished for an interpretation of them. He called for all the wise men and magicians in Egypt. The word translated as "magicians" here means "diviners" or "astrologers". Pharaoh told them all his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for him.
(9) Then spoke the chief butler to Pharaoh, saying, "I remember my faults this day."
This event jarred the memory of the chief butler who had promised to mention Joseph to Pharaoh. The butler forgot, but God had remembered Joseph and this event was certainly used by Him as a means to deliver Joseph.
(10) "Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker, (11) And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. (12) And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. (13) And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored to my office, and him he hanged."
The chief butler recounted to Pharaoh the incident two years prior when Joseph correctly interpreted the dreams of the butler and the baker.
(14) Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.
Apparently Pharaoh was so perplexed and bothered by his dreams that he was willing to see what this Hebrew prisoner thought of them. Joseph was brought quickly out of the prison and cleaned up and brought before Pharaoh.
(15) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it; and I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream to interpret it." (16) And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace."
Pharaoh told Joseph that he had had a dream that no one so far had been able to interpret and also that he had heard that Joseph might be able to interpret it. Joseph answered that it was not he, Joseph, but rather God who would provide Pharaoh with an answer, an interpretation, that would put his mind and spirit to rest. It is not that Joseph was promising the interpretation would be a peaceful one, but the knowledge of the meaning would give Pharaoh's troubled spirit peace.
(17) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I stood on the bank of the river; (18) And, behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, fat fleshed and well favored; and they fed in a meadow; (19) And, behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ill favored and lean fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness. (20) And the lean and the ill favored cows ate up the first seven fat cows; (21) And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, for they were still ill favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke."
Pharaoh retold his first dream to Joseph with a little more detail than we first read in scripture. He had never seen such gaunt ugly cows as the lean ones in his dream, and even after they had eaten up the fat cows, they did not change in their gaunt ugly appearance.
(22) "And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good; (23) And behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted by the east wind, sprang up after them. (24) And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears; and I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."
Pharaoh then told Joseph his second dream, and then concluded with the fact that there was no one who could interpret his dreams for him.
(25) And Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. (26) The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one."
Joseph told Pharaoh that both his dreams had the same meaning and that God was showing Pharaoh what was about to happen. The seven good cows and the seven good ears both represented seven years.
(27) "And the seven thin and ill-favored cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blasted by the east wind will be seven years of famine. (28) This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh; what God is about to do he has shown to Pharaoh."
Joseph told Pharaoh that the seven gaunt cows and the seven empty ears also represented seven years, seven years of famine. He reiterated that God was showing Pharaoh what He was about to do.
(29) "Behold, there will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt; (30) And there will arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will consume the land; (31) And the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe."
Joseph explained that first there would be seven years of abundance throughout Egypt, followed by seven years of extreme famine so great that it would swallow up all memory of the time of plenty.
(32) "And because the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice, the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."
Throughout scripture we learn that a thing is always repeated two or three times if it is established by God or if it is to be taken as fact:
"But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." - Matthew 18:16
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. - 2 Corinthians 13:1
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. - Deuteronomy 17:6
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. - Deuteronomy 19:15
Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. - 1 Timothy 5:19
I love this principle established by God! A truth will always be repeated! If there is some obscure scripture in the Bible that seems to say something contrary to the Word or something that seems to be a new idea not formerly accepted, if it is a fact established by God, you can be sure it will be repeated elsewhere in scripture! If you only see it once, then you can know it has been translated incorrectly. Likewise, if you are unsure if you are walking in the path of the Holy Spirit, you can rest assured that God will confirm the thing to you if it is His will.
(33) "Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. (34) Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up one-fifth of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. (35) And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. (36) And that food shall be in store for the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; that the land not perish through the famine."
After giving Pharaoh the interpretation of his prophetic dreams, Joseph then went on to give him good advice for a remedy for the evil to come. He suggested that Pharaoh look for a wise man to oversee the collection of one fifth of Egypt's produce during the seven plentiful years to be set aside in storage for use in the seven years of famine.
(37) And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
That advice sounded good to Pharaoh and to all his servants, as well.
(38) And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" (39) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God showed you all this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you. (40) You shall be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled; only in the throne will I be greater than you."
When Pharaoh asked, "Can we find such a one as this...", I think the point was that they could never find one among the Egyptians who had the Spirit of God. Since Joseph was the only one with the wisdom of God to see the truth of his prophetic dream, it made sense to him that only Joseph would be right for the job. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of his entire household as well as over his kingdom as he was to rule over all the people; only Pharaoh as king on the throne was to have more power than Joseph.
I have to digress a moment as I think about the fact that true wisdom comes only from God:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. - Psalms 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.- Proverbs 1:7
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. - Proverbs 2:6
There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD. - Proverbs 21:30
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? - 1 Corinthians 1:20
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness". - 1 Corinthians 3:19
Pharaoh called his "wise" men, but there were none with the wisdom of God, except Joseph. There are times when I look at what is happening in our country, especially with our so-called leaders and wonder how on earth they could do and say and legislate such foolishness when it seems so common-sense obvious that what they propose can't possibly work. Because it seems so crazy and illogical, there are times when I catch myself asking, "Do they really believe what they say?" And then I remember that Godless people do not have real wisdom and they can only do foolish things. I think back to the time the Democrats voted God out of their platform. Oh, the public and media pressure made them decide to vote Him back in, but a funny thing happened when they tried to take a vote. You might not know this is you didn't watch it live on C-Span. It was decided beforehand that they would take the vote and the guy with the floor would say that the yeas had it and the vote passed and so it would be. But the yeas didn't have it, so he took the vote again, and the yeas still didn't have it. He took it a third time and still the yeas did not have it. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away from the podium, but he was returned to the podium to say that the yeas did have it anyway, even though it was obvious to him and everyone else watching that they didn't. When he stated the change had passed, there was such yelling and booing and hissing, it was chilling! So we actually have a popular political party in this country that wants no part of God and yet people trust it to lead them? They trust it to be wise and have their best interests at heart? Do people really believe that this country can survive without God's blessing? It boggles the brain, but I guess it boggles only a God-fearing brain, that is, a God-fearing heart. And clearly evident in scripture those without God in their hearts have no wisdom to see things as they really are. It's as simple as that. It reminds me of a former pastor of mine who used to say that there was no other explanation for what people without Jesus did. They were sinners and they did what sinners do, sin! Now back to Joseph, one even Pharaoh could plainly see had wisdom above all others:
(41) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." (42) And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
Pharaoh put Joseph in charge over all the land of Egypt, sort of as a prime minister who himself only answered to the king. The ring was surely the king's signet ring, and was even translated as such in newer translations of the Bible. The signet ring was used to seal royal documents and by giving it to Joseph, the king demonstrated that those things would be under Joseph's power now.
(43) And he made him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, "Bow the knee!" And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh put Joseph in the second chariot indicating he was to be second to Pharaoh, and there were probably guards attending him who called out to the people as Joseph rode by. They may have cried out something like, "Bow the knee", to let the people know this man deserved respect. However, as it turns out, the original word "abrek" is used only this one time in scripture and the translators really weren't sure exactly what it meant. In fact, Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions defines it as "a shout made to announce Joseph’s chariot". It may have been only a shout to let the people know that there came a man of power and distinction, and not a command to bow to him.
(44) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without you no man may lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." (45) And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah; and he gave him as wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
With his words, Pharaoh made it known by his power as king, that everything every man in the land did was under Joseph's rule. Pharaoh called Joseph "Zaphnath-Paaneah", the meaning of which is not clearly known, but most early scholars believe it meant something like "revealer of secrets". Joseph's wife's father, Potipherah, is not to be confused with Potiphar, his old boss. Joseph was now not only out of prison, but went about the entire land of Egypt as chief officer of it.
(46) And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
Joseph had been in Egypt about thirteen years by this time, as he had been sold into slavery when he was seventeen or very shortly after (Gen. 32:7).
(47) And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. (48) And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. (49) And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
For the next seven years the land produced abundant crops, as Joseph had predicted from Pharaoh's prophetic dreams from God. As he had said, Joseph gathered, or more likely managed the gathering of, one fifth of the food to be stored in the neighboring city of where it was gathered, so it would be accessible to the same people from which it was gathered during the time of famine. So great was the amount of corn that was gathered that Joseph lost count for it seemed innumerable, and that was just the fifth portion that was collected.
(50) And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah priest of On, bore to him. (51) And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, "For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house."
During the seven years of abundance, Joseph's wife bore him two sons. He named his firstborn son "Manasseh", which literally meant "causing to forget", because God had so blessed him now that he was able to forget what his brothers had done to him and all his toil and trouble in captivity in Potiphar's house and in prison.
(52) And the name of the second he called Ephraim, "For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction."
Joseph named his second son "Ephraim", which literally meant "double fruit" or "fruitfulness", because God had blessed him there in that land of his captivity and made him fruitful with two sons of his own.
(53) And the seven years of plenty that were in the land of Egypt ended. (54) And the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said; and the famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
Just as Joseph had said, the seven years of plenty ended and famine struck, but there was food in all the land of Egypt because of the food that had been stored in all the cities throughout that land.
(55) And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do." (56) And the famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
When the people in Egypt began to hunger because they had no food, they cried out to Pharaoh who referred them to Joseph to do as he directed. Joseph then opened up all the storehouses and sold food to the Egyptians. This was food he had gathered from the people and then sold it back to them. There is no reason not to believe that Joseph bought the food from the people's abundance with Pharaoh's money and now sold it back to them. It is quite probable that he was able to buy it cheaply when there was so much, but there is nothing to indicate that Pharaoh was profiting greatly off the backs of his people. Rather he was wisely (through Joseph) taking care of his people in time of need.
(57) And all countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.
It was not just in Egypt that the famine was severe, but in all the countries, and they also came to Joseph in Egypt to buy food.
I believe the moral of this chapter is first that God alone gives wisdom. Follow Him, and He can raise you up out of any situation. Joseph, in a dungeon prison, was patient and trusted God, and was faithful to God's word, to live morally, giving glory to God, and he was exalted to the highest position in all the land of Egypt under Pharaoh. Of course, not everyone can be made second in command, but each can be blessed and exalted in his own station in life to be used by God according to His will. Doing God's will is to be blessed. Biblical scholars say there is more to the story of Joseph, that he is a picture of Christ, rejected by his people, sent to what would seem a sure death, but raised up by God to be a savior to his people, as we will see later in scripture. Certainly, we are not all called to be pictures of Christ, but then again, perhaps we are. Yes, I do believe I am seeing for the first time that perhaps our lives should be pictures of Christ! We are called to be like Christ:
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. - 1 John 2:6
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. - Galatians 2:20
Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. - 1 Corinthians 11:1
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. - Ephesians 5:1-2
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. - Galatians 3:27
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. - Romans 8:29
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10
Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. - Ephesians 4:24
And there are so many more! We are called to be pictures of Christ! And just think about how many times people turn to Christ when they have reached rock bottom. So many of us could give testimonies like that. God raised us up from death to be like Christ. I never really thought of my own life being a picture of Christ's, but God really does raise each one of us who are saved in Christ from death, whether we consider it rock bottom or not, it is a certain eternal death from which we are saved:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. - John 3:16
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. - Romans 6:4
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. - Romans 8:11
Wow! I've never before thought of myself as being a picture of Christ, and I'm not! But I do believe that could be God's plan for each of us. He raised us from death to be Christ-like and to show others the way out of death. More than that, Jesus said:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." - Matthew 28:19
"Verily, verily, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. - John 14:12
More than just telling people about Jesus, we are to make disciples of them, and we are to do greater works than Jesus! Now if we were to come from unsaved death to salvation and then on to making disciples and doing greater works than Jesus, I do believe that would be a perfect picture of Christ! How do we do greater works than Jesus? I believe the word translated as "greater" may refer to greater in number or greater in reach "because I go to My Father". Jesus said once He went to His Father, all who were saved would receive the Holy Spirit. So although no one person could be greater than Jesus, the impact in the world would be greater with so many disciples each with the Holy Spirit of God. Wow! It all really makes me feel inadequate. I love this current Bible study! I am seeing things in scripture I have never before seen, and am better learning the things for which I should strive. To be a picture of Christ--that seems far-fetched, but I can see it should be my goal. Thank you, Jesus!
(Genesis 41:1) And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed; and behold, he stood by the river.
Chapter 41 begins two full years after the time Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's chief butler and chief baker. Joseph had asked the butler to remember him and make mention of him to Pharaoh to have him removed from prison, but it had been two years since the chief butler was restored to his position, and he never remembered to mention Joseph. Now two years later Pharaoh had a dream.
(2) And behold, there came up out of the river seven well favored cows and fat; and they fed in a meadow. (3) And behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. (4) And the ill-favored and gaunt cows ate up the seven well favored and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.
In Pharaoh's dream, he stood by a river and watched seven fine looking fat cows come up out of the river followed by seven ugly and gaunt cows that ate up the seven fat cows. At this point Pharaoh awoke.
(5) And he slept and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of corn came up on one stalk, plump and good. (6) And behold, seven thin ears, scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them. (7) And the seven thin ears devoured the seven plump and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
After awaking from his first dream, Pharaoh slept and dreamed again. This time he saw seven ears of plump juicy corn come up on one stalk, followed by seven thin and scorched ears springing up after the fat ears and devouring them. Pharaoh awoke again, realizing it was just a dream.
(8) And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men there; and Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
The next morning Pharaoh was greatly troubled by his dreams and wished for an interpretation of them. He called for all the wise men and magicians in Egypt. The word translated as "magicians" here means "diviners" or "astrologers". Pharaoh told them all his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for him.
(9) Then spoke the chief butler to Pharaoh, saying, "I remember my faults this day."
This event jarred the memory of the chief butler who had promised to mention Joseph to Pharaoh. The butler forgot, but God had remembered Joseph and this event was certainly used by Him as a means to deliver Joseph.
(10) "Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker, (11) And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. (12) And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. (13) And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored to my office, and him he hanged."
The chief butler recounted to Pharaoh the incident two years prior when Joseph correctly interpreted the dreams of the butler and the baker.
(14) Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.
Apparently Pharaoh was so perplexed and bothered by his dreams that he was willing to see what this Hebrew prisoner thought of them. Joseph was brought quickly out of the prison and cleaned up and brought before Pharaoh.
(15) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it; and I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream to interpret it." (16) And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace."
Pharaoh told Joseph that he had had a dream that no one so far had been able to interpret and also that he had heard that Joseph might be able to interpret it. Joseph answered that it was not he, Joseph, but rather God who would provide Pharaoh with an answer, an interpretation, that would put his mind and spirit to rest. It is not that Joseph was promising the interpretation would be a peaceful one, but the knowledge of the meaning would give Pharaoh's troubled spirit peace.
(17) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I stood on the bank of the river; (18) And, behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, fat fleshed and well favored; and they fed in a meadow; (19) And, behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ill favored and lean fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness. (20) And the lean and the ill favored cows ate up the first seven fat cows; (21) And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, for they were still ill favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke."
Pharaoh retold his first dream to Joseph with a little more detail than we first read in scripture. He had never seen such gaunt ugly cows as the lean ones in his dream, and even after they had eaten up the fat cows, they did not change in their gaunt ugly appearance.
(22) "And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good; (23) And behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted by the east wind, sprang up after them. (24) And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears; and I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."
Pharaoh then told Joseph his second dream, and then concluded with the fact that there was no one who could interpret his dreams for him.
(25) And Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. (26) The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one."
Joseph told Pharaoh that both his dreams had the same meaning and that God was showing Pharaoh what was about to happen. The seven good cows and the seven good ears both represented seven years.
(27) "And the seven thin and ill-favored cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blasted by the east wind will be seven years of famine. (28) This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh; what God is about to do he has shown to Pharaoh."
Joseph told Pharaoh that the seven gaunt cows and the seven empty ears also represented seven years, seven years of famine. He reiterated that God was showing Pharaoh what He was about to do.
(29) "Behold, there will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt; (30) And there will arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will consume the land; (31) And the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe."
Joseph explained that first there would be seven years of abundance throughout Egypt, followed by seven years of extreme famine so great that it would swallow up all memory of the time of plenty.
(32) "And because the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice, the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."
Throughout scripture we learn that a thing is always repeated two or three times if it is established by God or if it is to be taken as fact:
"But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." - Matthew 18:16
This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. - 2 Corinthians 13:1
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. - Deuteronomy 17:6
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. - Deuteronomy 19:15
Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. - 1 Timothy 5:19
I love this principle established by God! A truth will always be repeated! If there is some obscure scripture in the Bible that seems to say something contrary to the Word or something that seems to be a new idea not formerly accepted, if it is a fact established by God, you can be sure it will be repeated elsewhere in scripture! If you only see it once, then you can know it has been translated incorrectly. Likewise, if you are unsure if you are walking in the path of the Holy Spirit, you can rest assured that God will confirm the thing to you if it is His will.
(33) "Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. (34) Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up one-fifth of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. (35) And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. (36) And that food shall be in store for the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; that the land not perish through the famine."
After giving Pharaoh the interpretation of his prophetic dreams, Joseph then went on to give him good advice for a remedy for the evil to come. He suggested that Pharaoh look for a wise man to oversee the collection of one fifth of Egypt's produce during the seven plentiful years to be set aside in storage for use in the seven years of famine.
(37) And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
That advice sounded good to Pharaoh and to all his servants, as well.
(38) And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" (39) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God showed you all this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you. (40) You shall be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled; only in the throne will I be greater than you."
When Pharaoh asked, "Can we find such a one as this...", I think the point was that they could never find one among the Egyptians who had the Spirit of God. Since Joseph was the only one with the wisdom of God to see the truth of his prophetic dream, it made sense to him that only Joseph would be right for the job. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of his entire household as well as over his kingdom as he was to rule over all the people; only Pharaoh as king on the throne was to have more power than Joseph.
I have to digress a moment as I think about the fact that true wisdom comes only from God:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. - Psalms 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.- Proverbs 1:7
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. - Proverbs 2:6
There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD. - Proverbs 21:30
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? - 1 Corinthians 1:20
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness". - 1 Corinthians 3:19
Pharaoh called his "wise" men, but there were none with the wisdom of God, except Joseph. There are times when I look at what is happening in our country, especially with our so-called leaders and wonder how on earth they could do and say and legislate such foolishness when it seems so common-sense obvious that what they propose can't possibly work. Because it seems so crazy and illogical, there are times when I catch myself asking, "Do they really believe what they say?" And then I remember that Godless people do not have real wisdom and they can only do foolish things. I think back to the time the Democrats voted God out of their platform. Oh, the public and media pressure made them decide to vote Him back in, but a funny thing happened when they tried to take a vote. You might not know this is you didn't watch it live on C-Span. It was decided beforehand that they would take the vote and the guy with the floor would say that the yeas had it and the vote passed and so it would be. But the yeas didn't have it, so he took the vote again, and the yeas still didn't have it. He took it a third time and still the yeas did not have it. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away from the podium, but he was returned to the podium to say that the yeas did have it anyway, even though it was obvious to him and everyone else watching that they didn't. When he stated the change had passed, there was such yelling and booing and hissing, it was chilling! So we actually have a popular political party in this country that wants no part of God and yet people trust it to lead them? They trust it to be wise and have their best interests at heart? Do people really believe that this country can survive without God's blessing? It boggles the brain, but I guess it boggles only a God-fearing brain, that is, a God-fearing heart. And clearly evident in scripture those without God in their hearts have no wisdom to see things as they really are. It's as simple as that. It reminds me of a former pastor of mine who used to say that there was no other explanation for what people without Jesus did. They were sinners and they did what sinners do, sin! Now back to Joseph, one even Pharaoh could plainly see had wisdom above all others:
(41) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." (42) And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
Pharaoh put Joseph in charge over all the land of Egypt, sort of as a prime minister who himself only answered to the king. The ring was surely the king's signet ring, and was even translated as such in newer translations of the Bible. The signet ring was used to seal royal documents and by giving it to Joseph, the king demonstrated that those things would be under Joseph's power now.
(43) And he made him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, "Bow the knee!" And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh put Joseph in the second chariot indicating he was to be second to Pharaoh, and there were probably guards attending him who called out to the people as Joseph rode by. They may have cried out something like, "Bow the knee", to let the people know this man deserved respect. However, as it turns out, the original word "abrek" is used only this one time in scripture and the translators really weren't sure exactly what it meant. In fact, Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions defines it as "a shout made to announce Joseph’s chariot". It may have been only a shout to let the people know that there came a man of power and distinction, and not a command to bow to him.
(44) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without you no man may lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." (45) And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah; and he gave him as wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
With his words, Pharaoh made it known by his power as king, that everything every man in the land did was under Joseph's rule. Pharaoh called Joseph "Zaphnath-Paaneah", the meaning of which is not clearly known, but most early scholars believe it meant something like "revealer of secrets". Joseph's wife's father, Potipherah, is not to be confused with Potiphar, his old boss. Joseph was now not only out of prison, but went about the entire land of Egypt as chief officer of it.
(46) And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
Joseph had been in Egypt about thirteen years by this time, as he had been sold into slavery when he was seventeen or very shortly after (Gen. 32:7).
(47) And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. (48) And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. (49) And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
For the next seven years the land produced abundant crops, as Joseph had predicted from Pharaoh's prophetic dreams from God. As he had said, Joseph gathered, or more likely managed the gathering of, one fifth of the food to be stored in the neighboring city of where it was gathered, so it would be accessible to the same people from which it was gathered during the time of famine. So great was the amount of corn that was gathered that Joseph lost count for it seemed innumerable, and that was just the fifth portion that was collected.
(50) And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah priest of On, bore to him. (51) And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, "For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house."
During the seven years of abundance, Joseph's wife bore him two sons. He named his firstborn son "Manasseh", which literally meant "causing to forget", because God had so blessed him now that he was able to forget what his brothers had done to him and all his toil and trouble in captivity in Potiphar's house and in prison.
(52) And the name of the second he called Ephraim, "For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction."
Joseph named his second son "Ephraim", which literally meant "double fruit" or "fruitfulness", because God had blessed him there in that land of his captivity and made him fruitful with two sons of his own.
(53) And the seven years of plenty that were in the land of Egypt ended. (54) And the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said; and the famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
Just as Joseph had said, the seven years of plenty ended and famine struck, but there was food in all the land of Egypt because of the food that had been stored in all the cities throughout that land.
(55) And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do." (56) And the famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
When the people in Egypt began to hunger because they had no food, they cried out to Pharaoh who referred them to Joseph to do as he directed. Joseph then opened up all the storehouses and sold food to the Egyptians. This was food he had gathered from the people and then sold it back to them. There is no reason not to believe that Joseph bought the food from the people's abundance with Pharaoh's money and now sold it back to them. It is quite probable that he was able to buy it cheaply when there was so much, but there is nothing to indicate that Pharaoh was profiting greatly off the backs of his people. Rather he was wisely (through Joseph) taking care of his people in time of need.
(57) And all countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.
It was not just in Egypt that the famine was severe, but in all the countries, and they also came to Joseph in Egypt to buy food.
I believe the moral of this chapter is first that God alone gives wisdom. Follow Him, and He can raise you up out of any situation. Joseph, in a dungeon prison, was patient and trusted God, and was faithful to God's word, to live morally, giving glory to God, and he was exalted to the highest position in all the land of Egypt under Pharaoh. Of course, not everyone can be made second in command, but each can be blessed and exalted in his own station in life to be used by God according to His will. Doing God's will is to be blessed. Biblical scholars say there is more to the story of Joseph, that he is a picture of Christ, rejected by his people, sent to what would seem a sure death, but raised up by God to be a savior to his people, as we will see later in scripture. Certainly, we are not all called to be pictures of Christ, but then again, perhaps we are. Yes, I do believe I am seeing for the first time that perhaps our lives should be pictures of Christ! We are called to be like Christ:
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. - 1 John 2:6
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. - Galatians 2:20
Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. - 1 Corinthians 11:1
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. - Ephesians 5:1-2
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. - Galatians 3:27
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. - Romans 8:29
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10
Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. - Ephesians 4:24
And there are so many more! We are called to be pictures of Christ! And just think about how many times people turn to Christ when they have reached rock bottom. So many of us could give testimonies like that. God raised us up from death to be like Christ. I never really thought of my own life being a picture of Christ's, but God really does raise each one of us who are saved in Christ from death, whether we consider it rock bottom or not, it is a certain eternal death from which we are saved:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. - John 3:16
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. - Romans 6:4
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. - Romans 8:11
Wow! I've never before thought of myself as being a picture of Christ, and I'm not! But I do believe that could be God's plan for each of us. He raised us from death to be Christ-like and to show others the way out of death. More than that, Jesus said:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." - Matthew 28:19
"Verily, verily, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. - John 14:12
More than just telling people about Jesus, we are to make disciples of them, and we are to do greater works than Jesus! Now if we were to come from unsaved death to salvation and then on to making disciples and doing greater works than Jesus, I do believe that would be a perfect picture of Christ! How do we do greater works than Jesus? I believe the word translated as "greater" may refer to greater in number or greater in reach "because I go to My Father". Jesus said once He went to His Father, all who were saved would receive the Holy Spirit. So although no one person could be greater than Jesus, the impact in the world would be greater with so many disciples each with the Holy Spirit of God. Wow! It all really makes me feel inadequate. I love this current Bible study! I am seeing things in scripture I have never before seen, and am better learning the things for which I should strive. To be a picture of Christ--that seems far-fetched, but I can see it should be my goal. Thank you, Jesus!
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