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E-Pistle

FreeWay Foundation            September 13, 2013

 

Joseph's Heart Yearned!

(Genesis 43:1-34)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

I.  Concentration:  on the background of the events in this chapter

            1.  The famine continued, and the family of Jacob (Israel) needed more grain from Egypt,

                 but they couldn't return without Benjamin, vv. 1-5.

            2.  Jacob didn't want to place Benjamin in jeopardy, but he had no choice if he wanted

                 his family to survive, v. 7.

            3.  Judah (son # 4) pledged his life as a surety that Benjamin would return to his father

                 from Egypt, vv. 8-9.

            4.  Jacob sent all ten of his remaining sons back to Egypt with gifts and the money which

                 had been returned from the previous trip, vv. 10-13.

II.  Meditation:  on the emotional upheaval of Israel's heart

            1.  Jacob scolded the brothers for even mentioning Benjamin, but they only had answered

                 Joseph's direct interrogation . . . to prove that they were not "spies" since it would be

                 very unlikely that a band of spies all would be brothers, v. 6.

            2.  Israel was upset in the past:  he thought Joseph was dead; he was upset in the present:

                 Simeon was in an Egyptian prison; he was upset about the future:  Benjamin would be

                 in danger if he left home; . . . and the whole family was in danger of dying of starvation!

            3.  Israel lifted a prayer that God Almighty would prompt the Egyptian governor (Joseph)

                 to have mercy on them, v. 14.

            4.  Jacob surrendered himself to the inevitable, almost without hope:

                 "If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!"  v. 14.

III.  Revelation:  on Joseph's second meeting with his brothers

            1.  Joseph invited them to his house for a meal, and the brothers were mortally afraid to be

                 brought into his house, vv. 15-18.

            2.  Joseph's servant reassured them, calmed their fears, released Simeon, and took care of

                 their needs, vv. 19-24.

            3.  When Joseph arrived, he asked about his father, and was secretly overcome with emotion

                 when he saw his brother, Benjamin, vv. 25-31.

            4.  Joseph continued the masquerade as an Egyptian, but he showed extreme favoritism to

                 Benjamin . . . continuing to test the sincerity and integrity of the brother's hearts, vv. 32-34.

IV.  Applications:  as a Christian, I need to realize that . . .

            1.  God controls all the circumstances of my life, and that my only hope is to surrender myself

                 to the mercy of Almighty God.

            2.  The Lord speaks peace to my heart, calms my fears, releases me from bondage, and

                 supplies all my needs, Philippians 4:19.

            3.  The Ruler of the universe continually tests my heart for integrity and faithfulness.

            4.  The heart of the Lord is tender and long-suffering, and He yearns passionately to reveal

                 Himself to me and to bless me abundantly.

 

 

 

He is out of his mind!

(Mark 3:1-35)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

 

I.  Concentration:  on the contents of this chapter

            1.  Jesus healed a man's withered hand on the Sabbath; great multitudes

     followed  Him, vv. 1-12.

            2.  Jesus appointed the Twelve Apostles, vv. 13-19.

            3.  Jesus taught that His authority to cast out demons was from the Father,

     not from Satan; He warned about the danger of committing the unpardonable

     sin, vv. 20-30.

            4.  Jesus' mother and brothers came for Him; He taught that those who do God's

     will are His true family, vv. 31-35.

II.  Meditation:  on why Jesus' family worried about His sanity

            1.  He claimed to be able to forgive sins, Mark 2:1-12.

            2.  He called Levi (a traitorous tax collector), and He associated with sinners,

     Mark 2:13-17.

3.  He broke with tradition of Johns' disciples (Mark 2:18-20) and spoke of a new

     religious era which He would establish (wineskins), vv. 21-22.

4.  He picked and ate grain on the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28), proclaiming that He was

     above the Jewish law.

5.  He healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, demonstrating that meeting

     human needs superseded tradition, vv. 1-6.

6.  He was worshipped by demons who testified that, "You are the Son of God,"

     vv. 7-12, contradicting the rumor that He, Himself, was demon-possessed, vv. 22-30.

7.  He appointed Twelve Disciples, vv. 13-20 (assuming a leader's role);

            *  He called those whom He wanted, exercising a sovereign choice.

            *  They came to Him . . . committing to discipleship and ministry.

            *  He invited them to be with Him full-time in intimate relationship.

            *  He empowered and sent them out to preach and to heal.

III.  Revelation:  on the spiritual truths implied here

            1.  In each event above, Jesus went against tradition and custom.

            2.  The Jewish leaders hated Him for these actions (Mark 2:6-7, 16, 24: 3:5-6).

            3.  Although His family (brothers John 7:5) did not believe in Him at this time, they did

                 want to protect Him from embarrassment and persecution.

            4.  These events revealed the Father's heart and the Son's mission.

IV.  Applications:  as a Christian, I need to . . .

            1.  Accept Christ's blessings and offer his grace to other sinners.

            2.  Rejoice in the "new wine" of the Holy Spirit's ministry in me.

            3.  Prioritize meeting people's needs over customs and traditions.

            4.  Hear His call to be with Him and to serve others in His name.

People who do these things are Jesus' true spiritual family members, vv. 31-35.

 

"Don't trust to hole God's hand; let Him hold yours.  Let Him do the

holding, and you the trusting." 

--Hammer William Webb-Peploe

                

 

 

 

 

 

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