God’s Hidden Presence

(continued)

To receive the greatest possible blessing from this Bible study, please take a moment to read the above chapter.

For previous lessons on Genesis or previous Bible studies, please visit our archives:     http://www.twosmallfish.org/Archives/index.html

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Prayer:

            Heavenly Father, I am taking You at Your word. By recognizing my sin and asking Jesus to be my Savior, I have access to the throne of grace, and some day, I’ll see You face to face. Hallelujah, Amen. 

Introduction:

            To publish this Bible study on the world-wide-web, the purchase a compatible program was necessary. Without the program, I would be ill equipped to connect with my webserver. Without a webserver, it is impossible to publish a webpage. Therefore before I could access the world-wide-web as a “webmaster,” I had to take my webserver at his word and come to him with a compatible program. Even if I published my webpage through one of the free sites like Yahoo, behind the scenes there is a webserver who has the program needed to publish the page. You cannot publish without a webserver nor can you access a webserver without a compatible program.

The Lesson:

      The time had come for Jacob’s sons to return to Egypt to purchase more grain. Without Benjamin, they would’ve been as successful at accessing Joseph as someone trying to publish a webpage without a webserver. To Jacob, it seemed unreasonable that the lord of Egypt would require a hostage. But when it came down to the salvation of Jacob’s family, Jacob decided to take the lord at his word (Verses 1-5).

      Many people think it is unreasonable and arrogant to claim that there is only one way to see Almighty God. Some Christians have fallen into the trap of tolerance for the sake of peace. Nevertheless, John recorded, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). No matter how it may sound, we must take Him at His word. Some have claimed it to be too narrow. However in reality, Jesus’ way is wide enough for the entire world to fit, if only the populace would accept Him. Instead of arguing about what the world considers limitations, let us praise our Heavenly Father for providing a sure way.

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      After recognizing that they had no choice in the matter of taking Benjamin along to Egypt, Jacob insisted that his sons take gifts to the lord (verses 11-14). These items proved that the men had indeed returned to Canaan. They also were meant as a bribe to appease the lord in hopes that no harm would come to Benjamin.

      Similarly, many attempt to “bribe” God with gifts to obtain His favor. However David wrote, Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required (Psalm 40:6). In other words, we cannot buy our way to heaven.

      If God does not require our gifts, what can we give Him? A scribe answered Jesus, And to love him [Father God] with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices (Mark 12:33). This statement so pleased our LORD that he answered, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34). The only acceptable “gift” for our Loving Father is ourselves through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. With that in mind, our “sacrifices,” “offerings,” and “gifts” are presented to God as evidence of our acceptance of Christ and in gratitude for His acceptance of us. Everything else is useless in God’s sight.

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      When he saw Benjamin, Joseph commanded his servant to take Jacob’s sons to the master’s house and to prepare a feast for them.  And they understood that they would dine with him (verses 15-17).

      This is a vivid picture of God’s reaction when He sees Jesus accompanying us to His throne. Jesus promised to those who . . . have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom . . . (Luke 28-30a).

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      On their way to Joseph’s house, the fear-stricken brothers offered to pay for the grain with an explanation of finding the money in their sacks. Joseph’s servant replied he had received payment, and their God must have blessed them. Rejoice, he said (verses 18-23).

      Amazingly, people continue to try to pay God for their transgressions, but their “brother,” Jesus, has paid the debt in full. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18-19). In those times, a man in debt could become a slave to the one he owed. His only hope of freedom—a kinsman who was willing to pay his debt. The picture shows Jesus (our kinsman) paying our debt to God the Father, not with money, but with the only acceptable offering—His shed blood. . . .by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. . . . and without shedding of blood is no remission (Hebrews 9:12b and 22b) Rejoice, God has chosen to bless us and prepared the way for us.

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      In verse 28, Joseph realized the fulfillment of his dreams (chapter 37) as his brothers bowed down and made obeisance to him.

      Some day, all knees will bow before Jesus as fulfillment of Paul’s prophecy, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).

      One of the most convincing arguments we have that the Bible is the word of God is the fulfillment of prophecy. The fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams is one the earliest. Sing praises to the King of kings as He proves His word over and over and humbly bow before Him in reverence as a sign of free-will obeisance. Or some day, the knee will bow trembling in fear of the Great I Am.

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      The brothers sat at a table, the Egyptian servants at another, and Joseph sat alone (verses 32-34). Only Joseph knew the entire reason for the dining arrangement. Not realizing Joseph’s true identity, the brothers may have thought he sat alone because of his rank. The Egyptians felt it an abomination to eat with a Hebrew, and although they did not permitted Joseph to join them, the Egyptians probably assumed that he would not want to join the strangers either.

      This passage depicts the separation between the sheep and the goats that Jesus spoke of, When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (Matthew 25:31-34).

Conclusion and Challenge:

    While Joseph and his brothers enjoyed each other’s company, the visitors still did not know with whom they ate (verse 34). Like Jacob’s sons, we commune with Jesus without full understanding of whom we love and serve. Paul says, For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known (1 Corinthians 13:12). The fellowship we now have with our LORD is sweet and thrills our souls strengthening us for our journey. But, wow, what we have to look forward too is beyond human comprehension.

. . . Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Prayer Requests:

Jessica, Clayton and his family, Dodie, our nation’s economy, flood victims, Adrian, Hans, Amber, Grace, Ed and Pauline, Melinda & Barry and family, Shirley and Ryan, Frank and Dorothy, Nick and Rachel, Tammy, our pastors and their families, those who recently lost their jobs and are seeking employment, children with cancer, children with birth defects and their families, our Bible Study, special unspoken needs, and remember me, Brenda Hendricks.

Praise Report:

             In these trying times, our son-in-law, Nick has found employment in his field. Praise God!! 

            Our ten-year old buddy, Clayton, had a cancerous-brain tumor removed in April and is now going through a series of intense chemo treatments. Every six months they test his IQ, a routine procedure for children suffering from this form of the disease. After testing, the counselor requested a consultation with the boy's mother. The counselor could barely believe the results stating that this type of thing never happens. Clayton's IQ jumped 15 points in six months. God is good always, all ways. Amen.

Hallelujah!!

            When fretting because my prayers seemed to go no further than the ceiling, I received this answer from my Father:

            "There's no need for your prayers to go any further than your tearstained pillow. I am here with you. I don't expect you to ascend to me any more than a father expects his infant to jump into his arms. I have loved you with an everlasting love and with loving kindness I have drawn you (Jeremiah 31:3 paraphrased by me).”

We are looking forward to your praise reports. Please keep us informed so we can share the wonderful grace of Jesus.

Our Next Bible Study

In preparation, read Genesis Chapter 44

To read previous lessons on Genesis or previous Bible studies,

please visit our archives:

 http://www.twosmallfish.org/Archives/index.html

Invitation:

 Although we have not chosen to be, we are all born into sin because of the fall of man. It sounds hopeless and unfair. But in His infinite wisdom and abundant love, God has provided a choice for us. We can choose to repent of our sinful nature and believe in Jesus Christ. He is faithful and will cleanse us from sin and give us His Holy Spirit to equip us to live for Him. If you’ve made your choice to repent and believe in Jesus, we’d like to hear about it.

If you are free in Christ Jesus, pray for those who remain captive. And tell others, Christians as well as non-believers, what Jesus has done for you. Your testimony will benefit them and help you to strengthen your confidence in Christ’s work in your life and in the future.

If you’d like to participate in our Bible Study, please contact us with your comments, questions, and prayer requests or at twosmallfish@verizon.net . Be sure to mention today’s Bible study in the subject line to get my attention.

A special reminder: to find out what other readers have to say check out the comment page.

May God grant you safety, reassurance of His love, and the revelation of Jesus Christ,

Brenda Hendricks.