God saved you so that you can see and know Him. A covenant is "a bond in blood, sovereignly administered." - O. Palmer Robertson SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF:  Moses and Aaron asked Pharoah to let God's people go to worship the LORD. But Pharoah instead made life more miserable for the Israelites, so they began to turn against Moses. Exodus 5:22–6:12 (NIV) 22  Moses returned to the L ORD and said, “Why, L ORD , why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? 23  Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” 6 Then the L ORD said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.” 2   God also said to Moses, “I am the L ORD . 3   I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty [ El-Shaddai ],  but by my name the L ORD I did not make myself fully known to them. 4  I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. 5   Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. 6   “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the L ORD , and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7   I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the L ORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8  And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the L ORD .’ ” 9  Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. 10  Then the L ORD said to Moses, 11  “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.” 12  But Moses said to the L ORD , “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?” Nicene Creed Paragraph 1 We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. Summary I'll bet Moses really misses his sheep at this point. He'd lived for decades out in the wilderness tending his father-in-law's sheep until a bush began burning and the LORD called out. Now he's been sent to make an impossible demand of the most powerful man on earth, and the only result so far is that people he's been sent to save have been made even more miserable that they were before. Moses' own faith has begun to falter as well. He left his perturbed people, returned to the LORD and said, "Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Then Moses' tact switches from being humbly inquisitive to downright accusatory. He finishes his short prayer by blaming God for not doing what He'd said He'd do: You have not rescued your people at all. The moments after that last word sailed out of Moses' mouth must have seemed like an eternity to him. How would the God whose mere presence in a burning bush made the surrounding worthless wilderness suddenly transform into the earth's holiest ground react to such a bold accusation? It wouldn't be at all surprising at this point if the heavens opened up and a legion of angels came down to obliterate Moses for even thinking the thought, much less voicing the prayer. After all, as the Apostle Paul would warn thousands of years later, who are you, a mere man, to talk back to God? But Moses wasn't obliterated. The LORD simply and softly replies, Now you will see what I will do. In doing so, the LORD tacitly gives you permission to question Him as Moses did and the psalmists so often do: to ask Why, Lord? This isn't a blanket invitation to blame God for all of your problems, petty complaints and theological misunderstandings, but to hold God's promises before Him. It's not that God needs to be reminded of them, it's so that you are as you recite these promises back to God.   Dig Deeper   God's mission is more than just rescuing you. Remember, He's El Shaddai - God Almighty, the LORD, who simply uttered the words let there be light, and there was light. If all he wanted to do was rescue His people, He only needed to thunder the words let my people go down from heaven and they would instantly be set free. Jesus told us exactly what God's mission is as He prayed to His Father the night before He'd be executed: This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent ( John 17:3 ). God wasn't there to just take the burden off of Israel's back, and He didn't reveal the gospel to you just so that you'd go to heaven when you die. He wanted Moses and Israel to see what His mighty hand can do. He wanted them and wants you to truly know that He is the LORD your God. We also get a big clue as to why God saves His people. It's because He remembers His covenant. A covenant is a formal, reciprocal agreement between two parties, and the concept is one of the primary themes that binds the Bible together. All people are born into the covenant God entered into with Adam in which God would give life as long as we obeyed Him - a contract which we have horribly breached. But God established a new covenant in which He promised to uphold both sides of that original covenant He'd made with Adam for all those who belong to Him. In other words, your salvation is secured, as was the Israelite's long ago in Egypt, because the LORD God has legally obligated Himself to do so. He reminds Moses of it with these famous words that explain the core essence of God's covenant of grace: I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. But the Israelites, as is so often the case with us, needed to see more. Moses reported this to them, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. So God will go on to display His outstretched arm and uplifted hand with mighty acts of judgment. Stay tuned. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who always remembers His covenant and rescues His people so we can see Him and know that He is the LORD our God; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the Spirit will cause you to see past your discouragement and harsh labor to know that the LORD is your God; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Take refuge in the LORD - He will keep you safe. BibleStudyTools.com Psalm 16 A miktam of David. 1  Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. 2   I say to the L ORD , “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” 3   I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” 4  Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. 5   L ORD , you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. 6   The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7   I will praise the L ORD , who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8   I keep my eyes always on the L ORD . With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9   Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10  because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 11  You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 113 Q. What is God’s will for you in the tenth commandment (you shall not covet)? A. That not even the slightest thought or desire contrary to any one of God’s commandments should ever arise in my heart. Rather, with all my heart I should always hate sin and take pleasure in whatever is right. Summary It's so easy to say we trust in the LORD. We even stamp the saying on our money. Psalm 16 beautifully unpacks what it really means to trust in the LORD, so that it becomes the guiding principle for your life, rather than just an empty saying. Theologian Mark Futato suggests  these five headings to help you understand what it means to truly trust in the LORD, taken from the five stanzas of this week's psalm. To Trust Is to Rely on the LORD (v1-2) Most people want what David begins with in Psalm 16 - they want God to provide them safety and refuge in the midst of trouble. But David's reliance on the LORD is far deeper. David realizes that apart from God he has no good thing . In other words, David knows that even in the good times, he is fully reliant upon the LORD. To Trust Is to Be Devoted to the LORD (v3-4) David looks to those around him who have demonstrated devotion throughout their lives - the holy people , or saints. It's these people who are society's true nobles.  The less devoted - those who want safety and refuge from God when things are bad but who run after other gods  the rest of the time - will suffer more and more. To Trust Is to Delight in the LORD (v5-6) John Calvin writes of these verses , "This passage reminds us that true godliness is learned only by those who find their ultimate happiness in God alone. When David calls God his portion, inheritance, and cup, he declares his complete contentment in God, needing nothing else and rejecting any sinful desires. Let us likewise learn to embrace God fully when He offers Himself to us, seeking in Him alone everything we need for true and complete joy" (paraphrased for modern english). To Trust Is to Learn from the LORD (v7-8) David understands the LORD to be his counselor (other translations use the word guide  or  advisor ). That's not too surprising, in and of itself. What's really surprising is what David writes next, that his heart instructs him. Isn't Bible lesson number one is DO NOT TRUST YOUR HEART, which is deceitful beyond all measure (Jer. 17:9)? But David says you can trust the reflections of your heart when it's been continually grounded in the LORD's instruction. To Trust Is Rejoicing in the LORD (v9-11) David's heart is glad and his tongue rejoices because he knows that God's grace is stronger than he is. David can rest secure  because of his assurance that he will not be abandoned to the realm of the dead. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who makes known the paths of life and fills me with joy in His presence; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that like David, you will fully trust in the LORD in the days to come; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Public opinion rarely corresponds with God's truth. Photo Credit: M abnodey, via Unsplash SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF:  Moses has returned to Egypt, and upon hearing that the LORD had sent him to rescue them, the people bowed down and worshiped. Exodus 5:1–21 (NIV) 5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the L ORD , the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ” 2   Pharaoh said, “Who is the L ORD , that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the L ORD and I will not let Israel go.” 3   Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the L ORD our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.” 4   But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” 5   Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.” 6  That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7  “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8  But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9   Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.” 10  Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11  Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’ ” 12  So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13  The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” 14  And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed, demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?” 15  Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16  Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.” 17  Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the L ORD .’ 18  Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.” 19  The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” 20  When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21  and they said, “May the L ORD look on you and judge you! You have made us obnoxious to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Belgic Confession Article 7 We must not consider human writings— no matter how holy their authors may have been— equal to the divine writings; nor may we put custom, nor the majority, nor age, nor the passage of time or persons, nor councils, decrees, or official decisions above the truth of God, for truth is above everything else. For all human beings are liars by nature and more vain than vanity itself. Summary Public opinion is a dangerous guide, and Moses experiences early on how quickly it can turn. Unfortunately, it's a lesson he'll have to keep on learning for decades to come as he leads God's rebellious people through the wilderness. Moses had returned to a heroes welcome of sorts. Through his brother Aaron, he'd reported everything the LORD had said to him and performed the miraculous signs God had enabled him with. The people believed , and having heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped ( Ex. 4:30-31 ). It seemed like everything that God had promised was falling into place! The people were rallied in support, ready to be relieved from their oppression and worship the LORD. All Moses needed to do yet was to march before the Pharoah and demand that he let his numerous labor force take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD God. Obviously the LORD had bigger plans than just a three-day festival in the wilderness; He planned to bring them back to the Promised Land. But Moses wasn't negotiating in bad faith here. It's not surprising that Pharoah wouldn't let his labor force go for good, but Moses' three day request wasn't without precedent. The Egyptians had let other slave populations go out for a few days for religious purposes before. Notice that Pharoah's first objection isn't economic - it's not centered on how much productivity would be lost in these three days. Pharoah rejects this reasonable request because he does not know the LORD and therefore will not obey Him. People who do not know the LORD - the creator of reason and logic - cannot be expected to act reasonably or logically. Moses' initial limited, reasonable request demonstrates that.   Dig Deeper   The wave of popularity that Moses initially rode didn't last long. This wasn't the first slave revolt Pharoah had faced, and he knew exactly how to handle it. Turn the people against the organizers. Cause internal division. Dissolve the pent up anger and energy by having the people fight one another. It worked then, and the tactic still works today. In twenty one short verses, the tide changed completely. By the end of the passage, the people are angrier at Moses and Aaron than they are at Pharoah. Moses quickly learned he wouldn't just be battling the forces of evil in freeing God's people, he'd be battling God's people as well. Popular opinion is a powerful force, but it rarely leads people to the truth. This is one of the reasons why the Reformers were so adamant that Christians look only to God's Word for truth, not to human writings— no matter how holy their authors may have been. So don't let the roller coaster of polls and fads manipulate you. Popular people may consider you obnoxious for holding to the truth of God's Word, but be reminded that the truth of God is above everything else. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who rescues His people from slavery; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will hold firmly to God's Word regardless of public opinion; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

God doesn't fit in the boxes we like to put Him in. Our good, holy and sovereign God cannot be tamed. SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF:  Moses doubted that Israel would believe that God had sent him. So the L ORD graciously confirmed his calling through miraculous signs, patiently addressed his fears, rebuked his reluctance, and appointed Aaron to speak—making clear that the mission would proceed by God’s power, not Moses’ confidence. Exodus 4:18–31 (NIV) 18  Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.” Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.” 19  Now the L ORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20  So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand. 21  The L ORD  said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22  Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the L ORD  says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23  and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’ ” 24  At a lodging place on the way, the L ORD  met Moses and was about to kill him. 25  But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26  So the L ORD  let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.) 27  The L ORD  said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28  Then Moses told Aaron everything the L ORD  had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform. 29  Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30  and Aaron told them everything the L ORD  had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31   and they believed. And when they heard that the L ORD  was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 94 Q. What does the Lord require in the first commandment? A. That I, not wanting to endanger my very salvation, avoid and shun all idolatry, magic, superstitious rites, and prayer to saints or to other creatures. That I sincerely acknowledge the only true God, trust him alone, look to him for every good thing humbly and patiently, love him, fear him, and honor him with all my heart. In short, that I give up anything rather than go against his will in any way Summary We have such a strong desire to domesticate God - that is, to shape and fashion Him according to the way we want Him to be. The raw and untamed God of the Bible so often, then, seems so off-putting and even bizarre, impetuous and down right cruel. We like the warmth with which He appeared from the burning bush, coming to rescue His enslaved people, but then we get to a passage like today's and we're not sure what to think about Him. Moses felt this way too, and it nearly cost him his life. We get our first clue right away as Moses approaches his father-in-law, Jethro. Moses begins by asking for permission to return to his own people in Egypt. Such deference to Jethro is appropriate, for the Bible always describes him as being wise and godly. But Moses doesn't explain the whole situation to Jethro. He said nothing about a burning bush, holy ground, or a God named I AM who promised to rescue His people. All Moses mentioned was a desire to see if any of my people are still alive. Then there's Moses' wife, Zipporah. She probably wasn't too pleased to have been put on a donkey with her sons, carried away from her father and homeland to Egypt, where there's a death warrant that's been issued for her husband. But that's not her most pressing problem. Moses had likely indicated that their sons needed to be given the sign of the covenant - the bloody, painful procedure of circumcision. And that's where she had drawn the line. And Moses apparently didn't cross it - more afraid of his wife's wrath than God's. But then one night at a rest stop, this intrepid family encountered the untamed holiness of God: the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him for his passive cowardice and noncompliance. What a scene! Zipporah angrily threw a bloody foreskin at Moses' feet to appease God's wrath and save Moses' life. God doesn't fit in the boxes we like to put Him in.   Dig Deeper   We haven't even gotten to the most difficult aspect of today's passage yet! 21 The L ORD said to Moses... I will harden Pharoah's heart so that he will not let the people go. How then, the perennial question goes, can we blame Pharoah for resisting God if it was God who hardened Pharoah's heart? That's not a question that gets reserved for Pharoah; it gets asked in regards to all those who refuse God's call to repent - those whose hearts God has not softened. The Apostle Paul fiercely rebukes our tendency to tame God with a question like this. Who are you, a mere man, Paul writes in Romans 9 , to talk back to God? This doesn't mean it's wrong for you to wonder about such things, only that you better not persist in trying to constrain our holy, all powerful God to fit your own limited understanding. This is the first of ten times in the book of Exodus that we'll read about the LORD hardening Pharoah's heart. But we'll also read ten times over that Pharoah voluntarily hardens his heart on his own. There certainly is great mystery in God's sovereignty that we can't fully comprehend. But don't forget that God never forces Pharoah do anything he doesn't want to do. Ultimately the LORD gives Pharoah - and every other unbeliever - exactly what they want. So as we read these sometimes strange stories in the Old Testament, resist the urge to conform God to your own design. Don't try to domesticate Him. Instead, silently and thankfully own the mystery that He's conforming you to His design. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our loving, yet untamed Father; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be able to fully trust God even though you don't fully understand Him; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

God comes to rescue His people. SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF:  Moses was born under Pharaoh’s decree that all Hebrew baby boys be killed at birth. He was preserved by God through unlikely means, driven into exile after defending his own people, and spent four decades tending sheep in Midian while Israel’s suffering in Egypt grew worse. Exodus 3:1–22 (NIV) 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2   There the angel of the L ORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3   So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4  When the L ORD  saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5   “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6   Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7  The L ORD  said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8   So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9   And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10  So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 11  But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12  And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” 13  Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14  God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM  has sent me to you.’ ” 15  God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The L ORD , the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. 16  “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The L ORD , the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17  And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 18  “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The L ORD , the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the L ORD  our God.’ 19  But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20  So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. 21  “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22  Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.” Athanasian Creed The Ecumenical Creeds - the Apostles', Nicene, and the Athanasian - adopted by the worldwide church centuries ago summarize the most important tenets of our faith. Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith: That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. For the person of the Father is a distinct person, the person of the Son is another, and that of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal... Summary Moses is a complicated man. He'd been preserved from certain death as an infant, having been set adrift on the Nile in a makeshift ark, only to be found by one of the Pharaoh's many daughters. He was raised and given the finest of educations as a prince in one of history's most sophisticated and successful cultures. Yet the fallout stemming from his temper - a character flaw which will plague him his entire life - forced him to flee Egypt. We catch up with him four decades later running sheep for his father-in-law on the far side of the wilderness, by a mountain named Horeb - a word that means dried up, ruined waste. How fitting! It's here in this desolate place, near this mountain that would later be renamed Sinai, that God comes crashing into Moses' life in a strange way: in the midst of flames of fire from within a bush. But that's been the pattern so far in this grand drama of redemption, hasn't it. God came and found Adam hiding, naked and afraid. He found Noah living in the wickedest of societies. He cut a covenant with Abraham after decades of infertility, and saved Isaac as a knife was raised over him. He wrestled with Jacob on that long night before he faced Esau and was with Joseph at the bottom of a cistern and prison dungeon. God doesn't beat around the bush (excuse the pun); He gets right to the point. He tells Moses that He's seen the misery of His people and heard them crying out, so I have come down to rescue them. Then He told Moses go - I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. God would save His people through a man.   Dig Deeper   It's customary for a royal figure to be announced with what's known as a heraldry , which is often a long and complicated recitation of all of that person's titles. Each of the names read off has meaning, and the more names a royal has, the more important he is. The official heraldry  God gives for Himself is neither long nor complicated, yet it is immensely profound: I AM who I AM. In other words, GOD IS. God is His attributes; more than that, He defines Himself, an ability that no other creature has. In other words, He isn't just good , rather He defines goodness. He doesn't just act lovingly , love exists because God exists. God exists in and of Himself. He had no beginning and will never end. Time itself is one of His creations, and He lives outside of and above it. He always was, is now and always will be. None of us will ever fully comprehend who and what God is. Many people reject God because they can't understand Him. But let these incomprehensible aspects of God comfort you rather than push you away. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, your name is holy and you are above all things; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be able to fully trust God even though you don't fully understand Him; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Sometimes God gracefully sends suffering. Wait... what?? Where was God while His people suffered bitterly baking bricks? SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF:   All of Jacob's family has joined Joseph in Egypt. Exodus 1 (NIV) 1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2   Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3   Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4   Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5   The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6  Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7  but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. 8  Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9   “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10  Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11  So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12  But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13  and worked them ruthlessly. 14  They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly. 15  The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16  “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17  The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18  Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” 19  The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” 20  So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21   And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 22  Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 52 Q. How does Christ’s return “to judge the living and the dead” comfort you? A. In all my distress and persecution I turn my eyes to the heavens and confidently await as judge the very One who has already stood trial in my place before God and so has removed the whole curse from me. All his enemies and mine he will condemn to everlasting punishment: but me and all his chosen ones he will take along with him into the joy and the glory of heaven. Summary The book of Exodus starts way more dramatically in the original Hebrew than it does in the English translations. We read the opening sentence as These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt. The text goes on to list Jacob's sons, whose names should be somewhat familiar since the tribes of Israel will be named after them. But the Hebrew text begins with a tiny one letter conjunction. The closest translation would be the simple word and. In English, it's awkward to start a sentence - much less an entire book - with the word and, so the translators skip it. But that humble little letter helps point out that the story of redemption that began when Adam & Eve were evicted from the garden continues. Life has become a literal grind for Jacob's descendants, who live under the thumb of a society completely ignorant of its own history. The new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, viewed these Hebrews as an existential threat. His plan is to work them to death by enslaving them to build a couple of warehouse cities. But the new king can't out-dictate God's blessings, and the people continue to prosper. So the new king resorts to one of the key indicators of a truly debauched society: abortion. He orders that the baby boys must be killed before they're fully 'born'. But since the midwives get there 'late,' they miss the opportunity to kill them before they actually 'become' human beings.   Dig Deeper   The perennial question arises in these ugly situations: where is God? Where was He as His people's lives were made bitter with harsh labor as they were worked ruthlessly? Where was He as the pharaoh issued a death warrant for baby boys? It's a question we often ask today. Where is God in the midst of a cancer diagnosis or horrible accident? Of course the Bible never fully answers that difficult question as to why God allows such evil things to occur, but today's passage gives us just a little smidgen of understanding. Sometimes - NOT every time, but some times - these hardships are actually mysterious outpourings of God's grace! Think of it this way. What if this opening chapter played out completely the opposite... what if instead of bitter, ruthless conditions, the descendants of Jacob had nothing but sunshine and roses? Then slowly but surely, each subsequent generation would become less Hebrew and more Egyptian until the God of Jacob meant nothing to the people. Such a prosperous people would have no incentive to leave Egypt and the conditions for our Savior's birth would never have been met. God's covenant promises would have withered. We've already seen this phenomenon as we've read the Bible this past month: God allows elements of misery to afflict His people to keep us pointed and focused on the glory that will be revealed in us , which far surpass our present sufferings (Rom. 8:18). He put His mightiest angel between Adam and the Tree of Life. He confused the language at Babel. He made Noah build a boat in the desert. He made life miserable in Egypt to prod His people back to the Promised Land. He did all of these things to keep His people pointed towards the coming Savior. This doesn't mean every tragedy that you've suffered is somehow God's grace in disguise, but keep in mind when suffering comes that our sovereign God and Father uses ALL things to keep you longing for His coming Kingdom. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who providentially controls all things for the good of those who have been called according to His purpose; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the suffering you experience will keep you pointed towards our Savior; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

God's household rules point you to your Savior. Photo credit: Mads Schmidt Rasmussen via Unsplash Psalm 15 A psalm of David. 1 L ORD , who may dwell in your sacred tent?   Who may live on your holy mountain? 2  He whose walk is blameless,   who does what is righteous,   who speaks the truth from his heart; 3   whose tongue utters no slander,   who does no wrong to a neighbor,   and casts no slur on others; 4  who despises a vile person   but honors those who fear the Lord;   who keeps an oath even when it hurts,   and does not change his mind; 5  who lends money to the poor without interest;   who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.   He who does these things   will never be shaken. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 102 Q. May we swear by saints or other creatures? A. No. A legitimate oath means calling upon God as the one who knows my heart to witness to my truthfulness and to punish me if I swear falsely. No creature is worthy of such honor Summary Today's Summary & Dig Deeper are reposted from September 14, 2023 . In this short Psalm, David asks the most important question possible: LORD, who may live with you? This question is so critically important because dwelling with God is the relationship you were created to have with Him, the way that God would come to dwell with Adam & Eve in the garden during the cool of the day before their sin resulted in eviction. But the good news is that all of history is rushing to re-establish this relationship between God and man. As the new heaven & earth are revealed in the final chapters of the Bible, a loud voice proclaims "God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them, and God himself will be with them and be their God ( Rev. 21:3 )." So David's question here in Psalm 15 ought to interest you greatly. Just who exactly will God be dwelling with, and will you be included in that number? David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, names eleven characteristics of those who will dwell with the L ORD . Notice that nearly half of these traits that define godliness have to do with the words you speak: those who speak the truth, whose tongue utters no slander, and who cast no slurs.   Dig Deeper   Oaths are easy to enter into but hard to keep. Divorce is the most apparent example demonstrating that often one or both parties to an oath that was made in God's name would rather go their own way than do the hard work of keeping their promises. When that happens, the resulting pain is usually far reaching. But as bad as the immediate effects of broken oaths are, they pale in comparison to the eternal effect of being shut out from God's dwelling place. Breaking promises - especially promises that invoke God's name - has eternal consequences! M ost people only make a few formal vows and oaths in life , but all of us invoke God's name each time we pray, which becomes an informal vow. Even people who've faithfully maintained their marital vows for decades fall far short of keeping the informal vows that are prayed to God each day. In fact, all of us are disqualified from dwelling with God by the fact that we're 0 for 11 in perfectly meeting God's holy requirements listed here in Psalm 15. The good news is that Psalm 15 is not about you! David is describing his offspring that would come hundreds of years later: Jesus Christ. When you trust in Christ, His characteristics become yours, and through His righteousness you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. But still you're obligated to strive to live a life defined by Psalm 15 out of gratitude for the grace that's welcomed you back into God's holy presence. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who dwells in perfect holiness; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as you come to reflect Christ more, your daily walk will be increasingly blameless; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

God works out all things with one purpose: to preserve His people. Photo credit: Andrea Hajdu via Unsplash SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF:   Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker in prison, and when Pharaoh later dreamed troubling dreams of famine and abundance, Joseph was summoned to explain them and advise preparation. Elevated from prisoner to governor, Joseph oversaw the storage of grain and became the means by which Egypt and surrounding nations survived the famine. Joseph's brothers also came to Egypt to source food, not knowing that Joseph was the second most powerful man there. But Joseph recognized them immediately. Keeping his true identity hidden, he orchestrated a series of manipulations that forced them to return with their youngest brother, Benjamin. Genesis 45:1-8, 50:20 (NIV) 45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2  And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. 3  Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 4  Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6   For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7  But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  8   “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. -- 50:20   You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Belgic Confession Article 13 The doctrine of providence gives us unspeakable comfort since it teaches us that nothing can happen to us by chance but only by the arrangement of our gracious heavenly Father. Summary Today's Summary & Dig Deeper are reposted from April 4, 2024 . It's hard to tell what Joseph was thinking as the emotions he'd suppressed for decades finally escape in a cry so loud that the entire palace heard it. He'd been through so much: estranged from his father by his own brothers, who chose the 'merciful' option of selling him as a slave in a far off land rather than killing him outright; he'd worked his way to the top of wherever he ended up, only to have the rug pulled out from underneath him on multiple occasions. And now here stand the very men who'd sent him down this uncharted path nearly a lifetime ago. They didn't recognize him; why would they? They'd sold him into slavery, and slaves were quickly worked to death and replaced. Besides, they'd staged his gory death to trick their father, and in the process they likely convinced themselves that they'd never see their arrogant little brother again. But there he stood dressed in the finest clothes as the administrator of one of the most sophisticated cultures in history, and there they stood with their hats in their hands, hoping for just enough food to survive. Certainly they'd be getting what they deserved, which wasn't food, so they were properly terrified. But rather than the revenge they had coming, they got a lesson in theology. It was not you who sent me here, but God , Joseph told them. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.   Dig Deeper   RC Sproul explains the concept of God's providence  much better than I can (then again, Dr. Sproul explains nearly everything much better than I can!). Sproul breaks down the word providence into its core components. It begins with the the prefix pro , which means "in front of" or "before." The root of the word is vide , which you probably don't recognize until you add the vowel o to the end of it: vide o . So the word providence literally means  to see beforehand . What a perfect way to remember what God's providence is! He who sees all things beforehand sovereignly orders the things He sees to correspond with and fulfill His will. God saw beforehand the years of famine that would be coming, and He sovereignly put his servant Joseph in the right place at the right time to meet the needs of not just God's covenant people, but the entire world! So it's hard to imagine the depth of Joseph's emotions as he cried out before his brothers, finally understanding the often mysterious doctrine of God's providence. You may not be able to see how it is that your present situation is part of God's plan, but you can take comfort in His providence knowing that He has seen beforehand and is working out all things for your salvation. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who providentially controls all things for the good of those who have been called according to His purpose; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that just like Joseph's brothers you will let go of your fear and learn to trust in God's providence; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

God's blessings in your life are a small part of a much bigger picture. SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF:   Joseph, son of Jacob, grandson of Isaac, and great-grandson of Abraham, has been sold into slavery by his older brothers. Genesis 39:1–23 (NIV) 39 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. 2   The L ORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3  When his master saw that the L ORD  was with him and that the L ORD  gave him success in everything he did, 4   Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5  From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the L ORD  blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the L ORD  was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6   So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7   and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” 8   But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9  No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10  And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. 11  One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12  She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. 13  When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14  she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15  When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” 16  She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17  Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18  But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” 19  When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20  Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21  the L ORD  was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22  So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23  The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the L ORD  was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 27 Q. What do you understand by the providence of God? A. Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which he upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty— all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but from his fatherly hand. Summary This passage's key verse comes right near the beginning: The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered. Joseph's story isn't given just to inspire you to make lemonade when life gives you lemons or to encourage you to work really hard so that the brass takes notice of you when it comes time for promotion. Those things aren't bad, and certainly Joseph did both of those things, but Joseph's optimistic attitude or hard work ethic really aren't the focus of the passage. In fact, they aren't aren't even mentioned! Notice how the text frame things: it's not about what Joseph did to score points with Potiphar, but how Potiphar saw that the LORD was with Joseph. So Potiphar smartly gets himself out of the way. He put Joseph in charge, entrusted to his care everything he owned, and he left everything he had in Joseph's care. Consequently, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph! Potiphar quickly figures out that the less he does, the more his household prospers. It doesn't take long until the only thing he concerns himself with is the food he ate. It certainly isn't the primary point of this story, but it's a valid point none the less: the more you align yourself with the LORD, as Potiphar did, the more of His blessings you will enjoy (although remember that His blessings often look different than we expect).   Dig Deeper   Ironically, the only action Joseph takes in this episode is technically an action he didn't take: he didn't cave in to the advances of Potiphar's wife. But notice that the narrative stays centered on Potiphar; Joseph's integrity forces Potiphar to a fork in the road. Will he side with his ungodly wife, or will he stand behind the one whom the LORD has blessed? Though the circumstances are certainly different, this is a test you face daily! The text present's Potiphar's conundrum very subtly, telling us that upon hearing his wife's accusations, he burned with anger. Notice, though, that there's a period after the word anger . It doesn't specify the object of his anger. It doesn't say that he burned with anger towards Joseph. Rather, he's angry that his gravy train has derailed. He knows that when Joseph leaves his household, the LORD's blessing will leave along with him. And he knows he doesn't have the courage to do what's right and prevent this from happening. But Potiphar's ultimate problem isn't his lying, manipulative wife. His bigger problem is one that's so easy for us to get caught up in as well. Potiphar made this story all about himself. He was smart enough to recognize the LORD's blessing and want it for himself. He was willing to make himself smaller so that the LORD's blessing would become bigger. But Potiphar never asked himself a very necessary question: why did the LORD's blessing just randomly show up on his doorstep? He never took a step back to wonder what the LORD's larger purposes were. So when his external blessings were threatened, his short sighted vision caused him to burn with anger rather than to humble himself before the LORD. The LORD had sent Joseph to Egypt in order to save His people - and the world along with them - from a future famine. His blessings upon Potiphar's household were a mere component in a much bigger story. You've likely been blessed tremendously by the LORD as well. Don't lose sight, though, of the bigger picture: God's providence in your life - His blessings (or lack thereof) - are mere components in a much bigger picture: bringing you to salvation in Christ. AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, who upholds, as with His hand, heaven and earth and all creatures; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will evaluate your blessings and challenges in light of God's big picture; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

God is firmly in control, even when it seems like He's missing. SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF:   Jacob and Esau were reconciled peacefully as Jacob returned to the land and discovered that God had graciously protected him despite his lingering fear. Jacob settled in Canaan, but his household’s compromises—most notably the violence that followed the rape of one of Jacob's daughters—brought trouble and loss, even as God preserved the covenant line. The section concluded by tracing Esau’s descendants, showing how God established nations from both brothers while continuing His redemptive purposes through Jacob’s family. Genesis 37 (NIV) 37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. 2   This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. 3   Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4  When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 5   Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6   He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7   We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” 8  His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9   Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10  When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11   His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. 12   Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13  and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.” -- So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18  But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19   “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20  “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” 21   When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22   “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. 23   So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24  and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. -- 28   So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. -- 31   Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32   They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.” 33   He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” 34   Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. 35   All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him. 36   Meanwhile, the Midianites  sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. Belgic Confession Article 13: God is not the author of, nor can he be charged with, the sin that occurs. For his power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible that he arranges and does his work very well and justly even when the devils and wicked men act unjustly. Summary God's people are a dysfunctional mess as the account (literally, the generations or genesis ) of Joseph begins. Jacob has taken multiple wives for himself, a practice God never ordained nor blesses, and as one commentator puts it, "The sons of Jacob were not only in Canaan, but Canaan was in them." The surrounding chapters tell the story of a bunch of cutthroat, debauched goons. And Jacob, himself a master of deception and strategy, doesn't trust his boys one bit at all. So he often sends his youngest boy, Joseph, out to narc on them, who brings home his bad reports to his father. It's no wonder his brothers don't like him. It got worse for the brothers when Jacob gave Joseph an ornate robe, or to use the more familiar King James vernacular, a coat of many colours. Whatever we call it, it represented more than just the latest in ancient near eastern fashion - it conveyed royalty, signifying that it would be Joseph who would inherit Jacob's vast estate, not his older brothers. So they had lots of good reasons to rid themselves of him. Joseph doesn't make things any easier for himself. God gives him prophetic insights into his patriarchal future through dreams, but rather than pondering these things up in his heart as Jesus' mother Mary would later do, Joseph proclaims them to anyone who would listen - no doubt with an air of vain superiority in his voice, so much so that even Jacob rebuked his favorite son.   Dig Deeper   It's not too likely that anyone was surprised as to how today's chapter turned out. This is one of the Bible's most familiar stories since it's common fodder for Sunday School and VBS classes. But even beyond its popularity, the narrative makes it obvious the brothers have had enough and are going to take matters into their own hands. Joseph showing up in the middle of the wilderness, wearing his fancy robe no less, to see if all is 'well' simply lit the fuse. When the brothers return to their father with his son's bloodied, torn robe, they masterfully sell him a story, which he bought hook, line and sinker. Jacob became inconsolable, tearing his clothes, putting on sackcloth, mourning for days and refusing to be comforted. Jacob knew the true magnitude of this tragedy - Joseph, the dreamer, was to be the one who carried on God's covenant promises, and now he's dead. But the story isn't over. It never is! No matter how dark things are and how distant God seems, God continues to sovereignly work all things for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose . So the passage ends with a glimmer of hope contrasted against Jacob's weeping . Joseph ends up in the house of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard. The plot thickens! AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father, whose name and presence is conspicuously absent from today's passage, but yet who is very much in control; A LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will remember God's sovereign power over all things, even when you're sitting in life's cisterns; A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: