February 4

GENESIS 37
Where is the glory in this? If I did not already know the end of this story, I would see very little of the glory of Jesus in this. But I do know the end. And you probably know it as well. First, we have what would appear on the surface a very snooty little brother with some kind of leadership delusions. Second, we have envious older brothers who cannot stand the sight of their younger brother because he is their father’s favorite. Third, we have a very dysfunctional household because we have four women, all who are essentially married to the same man, at the same time, living in the same household. That is a recipe for disaster in any culture.
Where is the glory? Somehow Joseph learns to know that God is with him. (You ought to hear Andy Stanley’s sermon on this. It is really good.) Do you suppose being Israel’s favorite that he conversed with his father concerning the Lord’s appearances. Do you suppose he grasped the message of learning to wait for the blessing of the Lord rather than trying to force it to happen? How do you suppose sharing his dreams with his brothers and parents fits into that concept? Perhaps sitting in the pit waiting to be sold as a slave by his brothers, he had time to dwell upon that concept. Hmm. . . It is the glory of the Lord that he takes our pits and turns them into His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 35
Of all people who could legitimately claim that he was being hunted down without a cause, David is probably one of the foremost in history. He had been fiercely loyal to Saul, yet Saul sought to destroy him. After Saul’s death, he had sought to unite the kingdom, yet the northern tribes rejected him for Saul’s general. For seven years his men fought battle after battle until the enemy capitulated. Absalom should have been grateful that his father somewhat restored him to the kingdom, yet he undermined his father’s power base and started a revolt seeking to kill David. Finally there was Sheba who led a rebellion after Absalom. David had more than his share of unjust opponents.
What is going on here? Shouldn’t one who sought after God with his whole heart experience a road marked with less opposition and suffering? That might be the case in our expectations, but in real life the one who seeks God experiences opposition. That is why Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” So much of this Psalm is David’s complaint and his request for God to pay them back. How does David handle it? Obviously, he brings his complaint to the Lord. The Lord apparently invites our complaint, as long as it is done respectfully and in a manner that does not cast blame upon Him. But notice that while the majority of the Psalm is complaint, the last strophe of the Psalm ends in praise.
Notice in particular that He says, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.” Does God really have pleasure in the prosperity of His servant? Then why did He allow David to run from Saul for more than ten years? Why did He let David be pursued by Absalom? Why did he permit Sheba to rebel? I think God defines prosperity differently than we do. Yet, He does take pleasure in my prosperity. Even in the most humbling of circumstances, His goal is our prosperity. The model is Jesus, as is recorded in Philippians 2:1-11. That is what God delights in. He is not stuck in one moment in time in order to define prosperity. Rather His is an eternal view. My problem is that I am such a creature of time. He created time. He defines prosperity from an eternal viewpoint. Lord, help me to rejoice from your eternal viewpoint! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JOB 3
Have you ever felt that low? “Why does God let me live when life is miserable and so bitter?” The question blatantly questions God’s love. “I have no peace or rest—only troubles and worries.” Sometimes the pain is so bad that we just can’t get off of the focus upon our own rotten circumstances—and they are rotten. Is that part of what Jesus was experiencing when upon the cross He cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Somehow, I think the level of spiritual pain that Jesus was experiencing was far deeper than Job’s worst nightmares. Jesus could have come off of the cross had he chosen to do so. But in the midst of the pain, He chose to stay. Conversely, Job could not bring himself out of his pit, but he would have if he had the opportunity. Jesus stayed on the cross to the point of death in order to deliver us from death. That is love! The next time that I am wallowing in self-pity, I need to remember that Jesus endured worse, and He endured it for me, for us. Perhaps my suffering with that attitude will bring more glory to Him. Lord, help me to keep my eyes on You and not my circumstances. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 22:23-46
OK, I admit it. I am a slow thinker. When confronted with a question for which I have not spent recent time thinking about how to answer it, I usually go blank. Like Bilbo Baggins when pressed for an answer, I feel like calling out, "Time! Time!" Except, I am not so lucky as to have accidentally blurted out the answer to the question by calling for time. I often end up answering the question poorly and later being held accountable for something I didn't quite mean. It seems there is always some old knight like in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, who is standing in the shadows ready to say, "He chose, poorly."
Not so with our King! The Sadducees, Scribes and Pharisees had planned in advance their questions to entangle Him in His talk. But He is completely wise. He didn't miss a beat, three questions, "How sovereign is God?" "What about the resurrection?" and "Which is the greatest commandment?" He handled each question with magnificent precision which astonished the people because not only was it well answered, but it revealed that Jesus knew their hearts.
But He wasn't content with just answering their tricky questions wisely. He desired to reveal to them the evil intentions of their own hearts. You see, they refused to receive Him as the Son of the King of the Universe. They would not prepare themselves for the great wedding feast to come. He asked them a simple question from Scriptures that they had often debated, Psalm 110:1, "Whose Son is the Christ?" Psalm 110 was widely recognized as having been written by David. It was widely accepted that Psalm 110 spoke of the Messiah. It was widely accepted that the Messiah was the Son of David. Yet David calls his Son, "Lord." To give the correct answer would have forced them to consider Jesus as the answer. They could not answer the question without giving recognition to the real identity of Jesus as the Son of the King of the Universe. With that recognition they would be obligated to receive Him as the King and to celebrate in His arrival for the wedding feast. They could not answer. They would not answer. They are willfully rejecting Him. That is the reason for Jesus' harsh words for them in the next chapter.
Our King is wise. He knows the right answers without having to think them through beforehand. He can reveal hearts by just asking questions. There is no slow thinking with Him. He knows He is being rejected by them. He asks questions to help them see their own heart. He never chooses His words poorly. They still reject Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John