Episode 315 - "Joseph makes himself known" - Genesis 45:1-15

Gen. 45:1 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

Gen. 45:4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ 12 And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that, his brothers talked with him.

There are few stories in the Bible that match the raw emotion of this account when Joseph finally reveals his identity to his brothers. Judah’s changed heart has become evident to Joseph, and he can no longer contain himself. We can readily appreciate the emotion of Joseph as he hears Judah’s confession. The joy of this reconciliation and reunion with his brothers, especially with his younger brother Benjamin, is palpable. We can also sense the shock and speechless response his older brothers have upon this revelation. We can even feel the curiosity and concern among the Egyptians overhearing what transpires. It’s moving to say the least.

It would seem that the terror that might set in on the older brothers once the reality and potential implications of this situation are anticipated by Joseph, and he quickly acts to mitigate that fear. Notice that he tells them in verse 5, “do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” Joseph is already aware that they’ve acknowledged the wrong they did by selling him into slavery. What we see here in Joseph’s words to them is a message for us today. It is not uncommon for people, even believers, to hold onto the shame of past regrets. They’ve confessed, repented, and begged the LORD for forgiveness. But, they can’t forgive themselves. This will be a struggle for Joseph’s brothers. They will need to learn to accept the mercy of Joseph and God himself. So do we.

The second thing Joseph does is explain that, despite the sin of their actions, God was in control and using their actions to send Joseph to Egypt so that the Lord could use him to spare all their lives from the famine. What underlies this statement is that while God does not cause people to sin, he is still in control and may accomplish his works and plans through our human actions.

Joseph does not rub it in with an “I told you so.” He gives all the glory to God, tells them there will be another five years of famine, and instructs them to get their father and the whole family and bring them to Egypt, where Joseph can provide for their needs. Joseph is the tangible expression or conduit of God’s grace to these men who were characterized by their evil actions. But God is pouring out his grace upon them.

There is one question from this text that has bothered me. Why didn’t God prevent the famine in the first place? The text doesn’t tell us explicitly. However, the greater narrative does help us understand that all of this is part of the divine plan. Remember God’s promise to Abraham, that someday his descendants would be in bondage in a foreign land for 400 years? Well, this story explains the divine means by which Abraham’s descendants leave Canaan and enter into a foreign land.

Secondly, we’ve already witnessed how Abraham’s descendants have been stubborn and disobedient. Can we expect their descendants to act any better? Not likely. They are going to need to learn to trust the LORD and follow him as God works out his plan through Israel, and ultimately, brings them back to the land God has given them. This process will be a testimony not just to Abraham’s descendants, but to the world as well.

Do we believe that God is in control of all things? Are we willing to confess our wrong attitudes and actions and seek forgiveness? If so, are we willing to forgive ourselves? Let us commit ourselves to a deep conviction that God is good. God is in control. God pours out his grace upon us each day. Praise the Lord for that today.

Episode 312 - "We meet again" - Genesis 42

Gen. 42:1 When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. 5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

Gen. 42:6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.”

Gen. 42:12 He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” 13 And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.” 14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 And he put them all together in custody for three days.

Gen. 42:18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.

Gen. 42:26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this, their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

Gen. 42:29 When they came to Jacob, their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’”

Gen. 42:35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “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.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”

This is an amazing story. A story has a conflict or a problem that needs to be resolved. But this story introduces all kinds of problems. At the very highest level, we ask, “How is the promised seed going to come and crush the head of the serpent. This family line ordained by God through whom the seed is supposed to come is a mess. Jacob’s sons have committed multiple offenses. Joseph has mostly been in a prison in Egypt, where he has not only interpreted other people’s dreams, but he’s also seen them come true as he interpreted. Yet, his dreams have not come true. Despite all his troubles, Moses has consistently reminded us that God was with Joseph, an important reminder that just because followers of the LORD may experience terrible and even unjust circumstances, it doesn’t mean the LORD has abandoned them.

We read last week that Joseph’s circumstances were significantly reversed. He went from being a prisoner to second in command of Egypt because the LORD had used him to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. Pharaoh then put him in charge of managing the supply of food, knowing that a famine would be coming. Will he ever get to see his father again? Will there be any redemption of his relationship with his brothers? What about the ominous prophecy the LORD gave to Abraham that someday his descendants would be in bondage in a foreign country for 400 years before the LORD would lead them back to the land he promised Abraham and his descendants?

We are at a point where plot movement leads to answers to these questions and problems, but it does so by creating more tension. The famine is severe beyond Egypt. Jacob sent Joseph’s ten older brothers down to Egypt to buy grain so they could survive. Jacob did not trust them to take Rachel’s son Benjamin along. He believes Joseph has died, and he was not going to take any chances by sending Benjamin along.

When the brothers arrived in Egypt, Moses made it clear that they did not recognize Joseph, but he recognized them. What a great opportunity for Joseph to even the score. If we’d never read or heard this story before, surely we’d be wondering how he might torture them or have them all executed. What unfolds is that first Joseph accuses them of being spies and treats them as such for a little while. At the same time, he has extracted information from them about their father and his younger brother.

There is a sense in which Joseph’s treatment of them appears to be a clever, but harsh treatment of them that, on the surface, looks like a cat playing with a mouse before it kills the less powerful creature. But as the story unfolds, we see grace and mercy shown to them. What is happening? I think Joseph is simply an instrument of God who is exacting confession of their wrongdoing against Joseph. Joseph hears their admission to each other about how they treated him. Now, they interpret Joseph’s demand that they bring their younger brother to Egypt while he keeps Simeon in custody as divine reckoning for their sin against Joseph. We have their confession of guilt in verse 21. Their confession to each other, unaware that Joseph understands, leads Joseph to weep. He sends them back to their father with grain and secretly puts their money back in their sacks of grain. When they discover it, they are convinced that God has caused this as punishment. Later, they will be told that God caused it for their blessing. This is an essential and central truth to the whole story of Jacob’s family and Joseph being sold into slavery in Egypt.

When they arrive back home without Simeon and the demand that they take Benjamin to Egypt, Jacob refuses. Who can blame him? He cannot bear the thought of losing Benjamin as well. This leaves us with another problem, doesn’t it? What will become of Simeon? Will he die in an Egyptian prison? Will Jacob and his sons survive the famine? They were not allowed to go back to Egypt without Benjamin. We’ll see what happens in the next chapter.

One last thought from this part of the story. Joseph had those dreams so many years ago, and they’d never come true. Furthermore, for most of that time, it appeared that it would be impossible for the dreams to come true. In the meantime, Joseph had interpreted dreams for a baker, cupbearer, and Pharaoh himself, and they had all come true. Finally, Joseph remembers the dreams when his brothers bow before him. Joseph has trusted in the LORD, and now the LORD is affirming that he is faithful to his word. What a great encouragement for us to remember.

Episode 277 - “No! He didn’t! What? Really? Wow!” - Genesis 20

Gen. 20:1 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

Gen. 20:8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

Gen. 20:14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18 For the LORD had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

As I read this, I decided that this blog and podcast should be called, “No! He didn’t! What? Really? Wow!” You would think Abraham would have learned his lesson from his time in Egypt since he pulled the same thing on Pharaoh.

This story takes an entire chapter. So, we’re not going to do a deep dive into it. But that’s ok because I think it’s most important to see how this story fits in the greater narrative. Let’s recall what has just happened, according to Genesis. First, Abraham got a visit from the LORD. The LORD told Abraham and Sarah that Sarah would have a son sometime in the next year at the age of 90. Then, the LORD revealed that a cry had gone up against the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham, knowing that his nephew Lot and his family lived there, reminded the LORD that surely he wouldn’t destroy the righteous along with the wicked. Lot and his daughters were saved from that judgment by obeying the command of the angels to leave and not look back.

So, in Genesis 20:1, Abraham moved again. Why? We’re not told. But it might be a reasonable speculation that, as one with many livestock to feed, he’s moving his animals to a different area. Whatever the reason, its location is in the direction of Egypt, although not that far. It’s southwest of the Dead Sea. He’s stayed in Gerar, where a man named Abimelech was the king. He was a Philistine. These are the same people with whom Israel will have much conflict later in time. They did not worship the LORD. The giant Goliath, whom David would kill many years later, was a Philistine. For the Israelites who had come out of Egypt and were entering the land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants, this story would help them understand the long history their ancestors had with the Philistines.

The real problem in this story is revealed in verse 2. Abraham did the exact same thing that he did in Egypt: he told the Philistines that Sarah was his sister and had Sarah go along with it. He did this to protect himself. As was the case with Pharoah, Abimelech took Sarah into his harem. Now, I don’t know why a king wanted another wife and one that was 90 years old as well. He’s probably not thinking about having more children by her. But maybe he didn’t know she was 90. Maybe she’s aged exceptionally well. We’ll just take this at face value. We’ve already been made aware that Sarah will have a son. So, would that son be from Abimelech or Abraham? Abraham has put the certainty of his and Sarah's bringing about the promised “seed” at risk.

Here’s where the real irony sets in. The pagan Philistine king is visited by the LORD in a dream who tells him that he’s going to die because he has another man’s wife. The LORD had spoken directly to Abraham and told him that he and his wife Sarah would have a son together. However, Abraham’s actions don’t evidence a strong conviction that that he’s buying it. Conversely, the pagan Abimelech believed every word the LORD revealed to him in a dream.

Then, Abimelech appealed to the LORD, “LORD, will you kill innocent people?” (v. 4) Who does that sound like? That was Abraham’s argument to the LORD when he knew what the LORD would do to Sodom and Gomorrah. For a pagan, Abimelech has some pretty good theology happening at the moment. The great irony happening is humorous. But don’t miss the extent of God’s grace to Abimelech. God didn’t have to reveal anything to Abimelech. But he spoke a clear message to him and actually prevented him from sinning with Sarah. (v. 6) Then, he gave Abimelech a chance to do what was right. That’s what the LORD did with Cain, remember? But Cain chose to ignore the LORD’s warning and did what he wanted. Abimelech obeys the LORD’s instruction and blesses Abraham.

The story closes with Abraham praying to God to heal Abimelech, his wife, and female servants so that they would have children. (v. 17)

I think we often look to the Bible for instruction on what we should do. We open its pages to find tips for a happy marriage and so forth. But I really think the Scriptures are more about revealing who God is and what he is like. In this story, we are reminded again that Abraham, whom God chose, is human with weaknesses like everyone else. Yet, God will not abandon the plan that he has for Abraham and Sarah. God steps into the story to ensure that what he has promised will come about. It reveals that the LORD is able and willing to reveal himself to anyone or everyone. Furthermore, as he did with Abimelech, he protected him from ignorantly sinning and, with the new knowledge, gave him the choice to obey or disobey. God showed grace and mercy to a pagan king.

This is what our God is like. May this lead us to trust the LORD and know that his ways are good.

Episode 275 - "Offered mercy from the Imminent Wrath of God" - Genesis 19:12-29

Gen. 19:12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. 13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” 14 So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.

Gen. 19:15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” 18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

Gen. 19:23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Gen. 19:27 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

Gen. 19:29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

I can’t help but notice the presence of God’s mercy and imminent wrath in verses 12-14. The angels allowed Lot to intercede for others, to give them a chance to obey the warning and escape. Otherwise, they would experience the divine wrath of God. Tragically, his future sons-in-law took Lot’s warning and exhortation as a joke and did not heed his word.

As I write this blog post in January of 2025, we have a little more understanding of the sense of urgency to heed warnings regarding rapidly moving catastrophic fires. Terrible fires are destroying vast neighborhoods around Los Angeles, California. Winds at speeds of 100mph are giving people little time to prepare for evacuation. At least a few dozen people have died, and it’s yet to be determined what the loss in property will ultimately be. As fast as the fires have spread, many people have heeded the warnings and have escaped to safety. Sodom and Gomorrah was about to be utterly destroyed within a very brief span of time with no time for people to escape. The reason for it stated again was, “because the outcry against its people has become great before the LORD.” (Gen. 19:13) Yet, as Abraham had interceded for Lot, Lot was allowed to intercede for others. But they did not respond positively to that warning.

Surprisingly, at the eleventh hour, when the angels were about to destroy the city. Lot lingered. (Gen 19:16) The angels had to take them out of the city. Why did they bother? The answer is given to us: because the LORD was “merciful to him.” (Gen 19:16) When we think of this story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we don’t often think of grace and mercy, do we? We think of God’s wrath and judgment. But this story demonstrates plenty of God’s grace to Lot, his family, and others. Unfortunately, no one outside of Lot’s family will receive it, and Lot is not demonstrating the ideal response to God’s grace to him. He was slow to leave and then petitioned the angels to let him go where he wanted rather than where they directed him. After the angels told him to take his family, escape to the hills, and “Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley” (v. 17), Lot convinced the angels to let him go to the small city of Zoar. They conceded. But after they arrived, Lot’s wife looked back. She directly disobeyed their command from the LORD. We’ve seen that before in Genesis, haven’t we? It always leads to problems. Lot’s wife was judged for it.

Moses made an important statement about this judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah in verse 29. Speaking of this judgment, he writes, “God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.” (Genesis 19:29) This is not saying that God had forgotten Abraham. It informs the reader that God is acknowledging his covenant promise to Abraham, and Lot, as part of Abraham’s family, is receiving the benefit of God’s protection from this judgment. It seems to me that this is what happens with us who’ve placed our faith in Christ. We may be like Lot and we don’t always act the way we should. But because of our relationship to Christ, we receive the benefits that offers. God demonstrates amazing grace and mercy to us each day.

Episode 273 - "Will the LORD sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" - Genesis 18:16-33

Gen. 18:16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked down toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” 20 Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

Gen. 18:22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Gen. 18:27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

In our last episode, three “men” appeared to Abraham. Somehow, the LORD is represented in the presence of these men. Abraham showed them great hospitality, and the LORD revealed that he would visit about the same time the following year and that Sarah would have a son.

We are picking up where we left off. The men are still with Abraham. But they are about to leave and go to Sodom, where Lot and his family reside. As they departed, the LORD spoke again. In my opinion, his speech is not unlike his question to Abraham, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” I argued that the LORD knew where Sarah was, but asked the question to direct attention to Sarah. These apparent strangers knew Sarah’s name and her relationship to Abraham. Certainly, they knew where she was. Asking this question suggests that part of their mission concerns Sarah. The progress of the narrative works because Sarah is listening to the conversation as the LORD continues and says that Sarah will have a son.

In verse 17, the LORD asked the question, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” Am I mistaken, or does this question not direct our attention (and Abraham’s) to the plan the LORD has to do something significant? The LORD is not taking a poll. To the question, he adds an explanation of his great plans for Abraham, but that he is going to Sodom and Gomorrah “because their sin is very grave.” (v. 20) Without saying explicitly, “I am going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah,” Abraham gets the message.

In verses 22-33, it is Abraham’s turn to communicate a message by asking questions. There are two related questions that we need to notice to understand and appreciate the LORD’s plans and actions. The answers to these questions are relevant to people throughout time. The first is, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (v.23) The second is, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (v. 25) People today question whether God, if a god exists, is fair? Abraham asserts that the LORD must be fair and just and certainly would not treat those the LORD has deemed righteous as he does the wicked.

The means to make this point is by a series of hypothetical questions asked by Abraham. What if there were fifty righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah? Would the LORD destroy them along with the wicked? The LORD replied that he would not destroy the whole place if there were fifty righteous. (v. 26) What does that suggest? As wicked as they were, God would be patient and merciful to the whole city if there were fifty righteous. Abraham’s continued line of questioning reduces the number with each question, and the LORD’s response is the same until finally, Abraham asks if the LORD would destroy it if only there were ten righteous people within the city. The LORD again affirms, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” (v.32)

What does this tell us? It answers those key questions, doesn’t it? The LORD is just. He will not treat those he deems righteous as he does the wicked. In fact, I would suggest the LORD is probably a lot more patient than we would be.

There are terrible things that happen in this life. We hear about a child who dies from a terminal disease or a mass shooting that kills innocent people, and we naturally ask, “Where was God?” or “If there were a loving and just God, why would he let this happen?” I think the most appropriate answer is, “We cannot understand many things about God, and why he allows or does not prevent such things.” But I personally believe that the effects of disease and the hateful violence of some people are not the work of God judging people as he would do with Sodom and Gomorrah. Instead, like Cain’s violence against and murder of his brother Abel, Cain acted out of his own broken free will. Everything that is wrong in our world comes from humanity’s sin. When these terrible things happen, we should not blame God or think of him as unjust, but trust that he is just and merciful and that the LORD alone can fix the problem. That is what the Good News of Jesus is all about.

Episode 253 - "Eat what?" - Genesis 9:1-7

Gen. 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

Gen. 9:6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. Gen. 9:7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

It’s not uncommon to read something in the Scriptures, especially what Christians call the Old Testament, that confuses us and even gives cause for offense. This latter case happens when either the LORD or people do or say things that are contrary to the values and ideas of our own culture and era. There are examples of people who, since the time of Christ, and the completion of the New Testament Scriptures that people have been offended by what they read in the Old Testament. They have suggested that the God of the Old Testament is evil and, therefore, the Old Testament should be ignored. There are many problems with this notion that the Church has addressed and deemed this idea as heresy. Chiefly, Jesus himself frequently directed people to the Hebrew Scriptures to help people understand that they prophesied about him and that he is the fulfillment of those Scriptures. Likewise, the apostles interpreted the same Old Testament Scriptures to explain that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. In short, all the Scriptures of our Bible are to be highly revered by Christians as special revelation from God to humanity. So, in all likelihood, when we are offended by something in the Scriptures, it is not because what is there is wrong. It’s due to our limited comprehension of what it is about and its significance in God’s plan and for our ultimate good.

I would never want to communicate the notion that my interpretations of the Scriptures are perfect. I read the Scriptures, use the tools I’ve been trained to use in consulting the original languages, consult scholars for their help in understanding difficult passages, and make a decision as to where I either land or lean in interpreting the passage. To quote many who’ve come before me, “Let’s major on the major and minor on the minor.” The most important things in the Scriptures are things that are mostly emphasized and made clear. So, with this in mind, what’s happening with Noah and his family after they come off the ark?

The first thing we notice is something that has been emphasized before. God blessed the people and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. (9:1)” This is what God did with Adam and Eve. Here’s an important truth of the Scriptures that is becoming very clear. God wants his people, his image bearers, to receive his blessing and enjoy the life He has given them and to have children who may also enjoy his blessing of life and provision.

Here comes one of those confusing and offensive parts. In verses 2-3, God told Noah and his family, “The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.”

What we are reading here is the first recorded instance of God permitting humanity to eat meat. Certainly, this would be most offensive to vegans who avoid eating animal products out of conscience. What are we to do with this? Why would God appear to be so concerned about animals that he would protect the species on the ark and then, once they were through the flood, permit the people to eat meat?

It seems to me this goes back to the creation account. God made the plants and the animals and then made humanity. Humans alone were specified as being made in the image of God. God even gave them the responsibility to name the animals, which shows the authority God had given Adam over the animals. In other words, according to the first chapters of the Bible, there is a distinction between animals and humanity. This is different from the view that mankind is another species of animal. When the first people disobeyed God’s command and listened to the voice of a serpent, the paradigm was upended. The people’s attempt to cover their own guilt and shame was inadequate to God. Instead, only His provision could suffice to cover their guilt. He did this by providing coverings of animal skin. Death was/is the consequence of sin. The animal sacrifice by God was a type of substitutionary atonement for their sin. This is the principle that bears itself out in God sending His Son to die on the cross. His blood was shed. He was, as John the Baptist declared, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)”

Is it possible that God intended for us to take offense at the idea of animal sacrifice and eating meat? This allowance by God for people to eat meat was certainly not God’s ideal. Otherwise, it would have been allowed and even commanded by God in the beginning. This appears to be an allowance by the LORD in order for people to survive. Noah and his family did not land in the Garden of Eden. There’s no indication or reason to assume there was an abundant supply of vegetables waiting for Noah and his family when they got off the ark. Is it possible that, as offensive as it might be to Noah and his family to eat the flesh of an animal, they were to recognize this offensive thing as a means of God’s mercy to them? The offense then serves to remind them (and us) of the consequences of sin. The effect should be that it causes us to become offended concerning our rebellious ways and not take offense at God.

I will continue this thought and reflection upon this passage in our next episode. My encouragement to you is to pray, “Lord, help me be offended by my own sin and not your word or your grace to mankind.”

Episode 251 - "God remembered Noah . . . " Genesis 8:1-19

Gen. 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

Gen. 8:6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

Gen. 8:13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

While I have selected a larger-than-normal segment of Scripture for this episode, my primary focus is the important principle in verse 1, “But God remembered . . .” Everything that follows the first verse in this section is the result of God’s remembrance of Noah, his family, and all the animals on the ark. They are delivered from God’s judgment upon the earth by the flood.

This may seem obvious to some people, but I think it’s worth noting that God hasn’t forgotten about them. For people who will have lived on this floating zoo for over a year when it’s all said and done, there would certainly be a temptation to think that God has forgotten about them. The form of the Hebrew word that is translated as “remembered” is probably best understood as “calling to mind.” Think of it like this. You have a number of things you have on your to-do list or people that you know and love with whom you haven’t communicated in a while. You haven’t forgotten about them. But there comes a point when addressing a certain need or contacting a certain person becomes your single priority. You focus on and prioritize that action or person. This is what is described in Genesis 8:1. God is prioritizing the deliverance of the people and the animals on the ark for the purpose of them exiting the ark back to dry land where God will bless them and charge them to be fruitful and multiply. If you get nothing else out of this text, I hope you will understand and value that God’s remembering of Noah is associated with God’s good intent, protection, and purpose for Noah. This is a repeated theme or principle throughout the Scriptures that has relevance for us.

What follows is the beginning of God’s action from his good intent for Noah and all living things on the ark. The rain stopped, and God sent a “wind” over the earth to dry it up. Does this sound familiar? Go back and read Genesis 1:2. It is the same Hebrew word that is translated “spirit” in Genesis 1:2 that is translated “wind” here in Genesis 8:1. I believe this is intentional and is likely the Holy Spirit that is working to prepare the earth for the “reboot” that is about to happen. It’s communicating to the reader that God still has the good intent and purpose for creatures that he had in the beginning. What an encouragement!

Noah responded to what God did. God stopped the rain, and the waters started to abate. Noah didn’t cower inside the ark in fear that God wasn’t done. Noah trusted the Lord and sent out the birds, anticipating that dry land would appear and vegetation would begin to grow again. In a sense, what Noah is doing is “remembering” the Lord. Noah has trusted the Lord and knows that God is faithful to his word. Noah is calling to mind God’s character.

It’s in verse 15 that the LORD speaks again. God commanded that every living thing on the ark leave the ark and go out onto the earth, and “be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” (v. 17) The same command God gave when he first created living things at the beginning of time. Already, there is an expectation within this command that they will be able to fulfill it. They will not have to fear that they will need to retreat to the ark the next time it rains. In God’s command is the expected promise that he will make it possible to fulfill that command.

I think there are many people who live life anticipating that God is just waiting for an opportunity to smack them down. This is not only contrary to what the Scriptures reveal about God, it’s also unfortunate because they are missing out on the blessings that come through God’s remembering us. He calls us to mind. He is concerned for us and desires the life and deliverance that comes through his provision and our responseful obedience to his commands.