Genesis 49:1-50:26
I can’t believe we’ve seen off Genesis! And it’s one of the longest books! Roll on (odd) Job!
It’s great to see Joseph finishing on a high, stepping away from the Machiavellian approach of Pharoah and affirming to his brothers that he is most definitely not in the place of God. It’s also fascinating that the die are cast for all of the 12 tribes so early on in this narrative. Judah’s royal lineage has already been identified (which of course reaches its climax in Jesus) and Benjamin’s agitating attitude has been called out. But it’s Issachar that I feel sorry for. We’ve barely heard of him all throughout this book and then at the end he gets called into his father’s presence, hopes high, eyes gazing with expectancy. And as his father raises his arm towards him he hears the calling to which his whole life has been leading; “you will be a scrawny donkey, my son, and you will lie down between two saddlebags”.
Matthew 17:14-18:9
I’m struck by the grave seriousness that Jesus attaches to sin. It is a rather gruesome form of execution that Jesus says would be preferable to the consequences of causing a “little one” to sin. It is also a pretty horrific form of self-harm that Jesus advocates in the interests of self-preservation. So two things come out of this for me - firstly, self-interest is no bad thing; it is a genuine motivator for us to make right choices and do good. Secondly, that following Jesus is continually about making sacrifices and paying prices. Jesus seems incredibly uninterested in protecting us from pain and shockingly committed to us growing in holiness and entering life. This daily commitment to do hard things is not the sunniest of thoughts, but it does lead to a brighter and better future.
Psalm 15:1-5
Spookily there’s an incredible overlap between Jesus’ words and this psalm. It’s almost as if some force or some person was overseeing all of the stuff that is in the bible, making sure that it followed certain consistent themes and all pointed in a single direction...
