Last post on Genesis, we looked at Joseph’s comment about interpretation and how it relates to fire, and more importantly, how it relates to God. (see previous post: God, Fire, and Interpretation)
In today’s post we’ll see how Joseph is used by God to interpret the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s prisoners: Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, and his chief baker. We’ll also look at even more parallels in Joseph’s life that continue to paint a prophetic picture of Jesus. Jesus Himself said in Luke 24:44-45, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Finally we’ll look at what it feels like to be forgotten.
Genesis 40:8-23
Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and baker each have dreams on the same night. Joseph sees they’re dejected because they recognize the dreams as having meaning, but they can’t figure out the interpretation. So Joseph asks them the rhetorical question, “Do not interpretations belong to God?”
So the cupbearer decides to share his dream with Joseph.
He, the cupbearer, says, In my dream I see this vine in front of me, and it has three branches. As soon as the vine buds, it blossoms, and it’s clusters ripen into grapes. In my dream, Pharaoh’s cup is in my hand so I take the grapes, squeeze the juice out of them into Pharaoh’s cup, and put the cup in his hand.
Joseph says, This is the interpretation, The three branches are three days. Inside of three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and call you back up to your former position. You’ll put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand just like you used to. Now listen, when you’re back in Pharaoh’s good graces, remember me and do me a favor, mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was taken by force from the land of the Hebrews, and I’ve never done anything to deserve a life sentence in a dungeon.
When the baker sees that the cupbearer received a favorable interpretation he decides to share his dream as well.
I also had a dream, the baker says. In my dream I have three baskets of bread on top of my head. Inside the top basket there are all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the only thing is, birds are eating them out of the basket on my head.
This is what it means, The three baskets equal three days. In three days Pharaoh will have your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat your flesh.
Cut to three days later and it’s Pharaoh’s birthday. He gives a feast for all his officials. Pharaoh lifts up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, in front of all his administration. He restores the chief cupbearer to his old position, so he’s serving Pharaoh his cup once again. But he has the chief baker impaled. Everything happened just as God, through Joseph, had interpreted.
But the chief cupbearer forgot about Joseph and his request.
Joseph and Jesus:
The picture of Jesus painted in Joseph’s life continues as we see still more parallels between them:
1) Both were sentenced based on false accusations: Joseph accused of raping Potiphar’s wife, and Jesus of inciting rebellion against the established government. (Luke 23:1-4)
2) Both were numbered with two transgressors: Joseph with the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and Jesus with the two thieves on either side of Him as He hung on the cross. (Mark 15:27-28)
The baker of bread and the cupbearer of wine also speak of Jesus’ command for us to take communion. And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19-20)
3) Both endured feeling forgotten: Joseph thought he was forgotten by the cupbearer, but he wasn’t, as we’ll see later. And Jesus, felt forsaken when He was separated from His Father for the first time in eternity. He cried out “Eli, Eli,lemasabachthani?”(which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) (Matthew 27:45-50)
Forgotten
I spoke with a good friend of mine day before yesterday and he shared with me how he’s feeling forgotten. He’s separated from family, he has financial problems, and he has health problems. Maybe you’re feeling forgotten. Maybe you’re not stuck in a dungeon but stuck in a job, or stuck on unemployment, or stuck in a house that’s upside down financially, or stuck in debt, or stuck in a tough marriage.
You know, just one chapter previous, the Bible says of Joseph, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness. (Genesis 39:21) Given Joseph’s story so far, you might be saying to yourself right now, “Are you kidding me? The Lord was with him? The Lord showed him kindness? What kindness? Joseph’s family badmouthed him behind his back, they plotted to kill him, they tossed him into a cistern, they sold him into slavery, they told his father he was dead, then he was falsely accused of rape, tossed into a dungeon, and now… Now the cupbearer’s forgotten about him altogether and he’s rotting in this dungeon for who knows how long! Kindness you say?”
Speaking of God the Father, Jesus said, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)
In other words, we all have problems.
Jesus said it again, even more directly, when He stated, In this world you will have trouble. (John 16:33)
It’s not surprising then that Joseph has had trouble, serious trouble. We all either do have, or will have trouble. You either have, or are going to have trouble, serious trouble. Every single person on the planet experiences problems. No one escapes. Not one of us. No matter what we do.
Because we live in a fallen world, we have no choice when it comes to troubles, we’ll all have them. The choice we do have though, is whether or not we want the Lord with us in the dungeon, whether or not we want Him to show us kindness when we’re stuck in that tough situation, when we’re in the midst of our trouble. Walking through problems with Him can make our difficulties so much better than they would be otherwise.
Last night a man named Louie Zamperini was interviewed on a talk show. Louie was a juvenile delinquent who seemed to turn things around when he became a track star as a teenager. He went to the Olympics and it appeared he had a bright future ahead of him. Many thought he’d be the first to break the four minute mile barrier. But before the next Olympics, World War II started. Louie enlisted as a bombardier. During a rescue mission his plane crashed into the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He was lost at sea on a life raft with two fellow soldiers for 47 days, longer than any other person in history. During that time he was nearly killed by starvation, sharks, storms, and a Japanese bomber that strafed his raft — twice.
But that wasn’t even the hard part. On the 48th day they were captured by the Japanese. Louie was tortured mercilessly by a Japanese guard, nicknamed “the Bird” by the prisoners. This went on for years.
During his time lost at sea and as a P.O.W. Louie prayed fervently for God to spare his life. In return, Louie promised he would serve Him.
Miraculously, Louie did survive the war but afterwards he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. He had intense horrific dreams of his tormentor, the Bird, every single night. He even attempted to find him in Japan so he could kill him in revenge. He started drinking heavily. He had trouble holding a job. He was at rock bottom. Eventually his wife told him she was filing for divorce.
Then one day his wife attended a Billy Graham crusade. She made a commitment to Christ and came home a changed woman. She announced to Louie the divorce was off. She also drug Louie to the next crusade meeting. He was resentful and angry about it. But then she talked him into attending another, and as he listened to Billy Graham that second time, it hit him.
I have forgotten!
On the talk show he said, I thought to myself, what an idiot! Here I had told God if He saved me I’d serve Him for the rest of my life. God kept his end of the deal, but I had forgotten mine. So I committed myself to Christ. Up until that time I dreamed of the Bird every night. But since that day I committed myself to Christ, I haven’t dreamed of him once, and I haven’t had any drinking problems. (Unbroken)
The point is, God didn’t forget Joseph while he was in the dungeon. And God didn’t forget Louie Zamperini, not even while he was stranded at sea and suffering torture from the Bird.
But Louie forgot Him!
It’s not a question of God forgetting you. It’s a question of you forgetting Him!
I’m telling you right now, remember Him. Whatever you do, remember to TAKE HIM WITH YOU, into the dungeon you’re dwelling in currently. Remember Him. Remember to TAKE HIM WITH you out in whatever sea you’re stranded in. Remember Him. Remember to TAKE HIM WITH you into whatever torture you’re enduring.
Take Him into your heart and mind by reading His Bible. Take Him into conversation by praying to Him. Take Him into your company by worshiping Him at His house, with His people.
And do this in remembrance of Him — take communion.
He hasn’t forgotten you.
Remember Him.
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come.
Zeal for God’s House (Photo Credit: firstlovechurch.com)
To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s houseinto a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
John 2:16-17
How Jesus Loved People:
When Jesus’ disciples saw what He did, they remembered the prophecy, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (Psalm 69:9) In spite of all the problems found in Jesus’ place of worship, He still recognized God’s house as God’s house and had an enthusiasm for it.
How You Can Love Like Jesus:
Zeal for God’s House
I have such a tendency to “evaluate” God’s house sometimes. “Well, the worship leader was kind of off key, I liked the old one better.” or “I disagreed with the pastor on this point.” or “I think he exaggerated that one part.” You know what? Jesus saw problems with God’s house. But rather than avoiding the place, He engaged in the place! He taught there! He healed there! He cleaned house there!
So maybe you have a problem with church: so did Jesus, so do I, so does everybody! As long as there are people involved over at God’s house, there will be problems there. It’s not a question of whether or not you have a problem with church, it’s a question of what you are going to do about it.
Jesus loved God and loved people enough to engage in church, in spite of the problems. You and I can do the same. We can go to church without worrying about how much we’ll receive, and instead, we can go to love people! Jesus taught in God’s house, so can you — teach a Sunday school class. Jesus healed in God’s house, so can you — find someone you can pray for or help out who has physical needs. Jesus cleaned God’s house, so volunteer to vacuum the carpets after service.
Love God, and love people, enough to engage in church, in spite of the problems.
Check out this article from the Economist: “In Praise of Misfits” by Schumpter: Why business needs people with Asperger’s syndrome, attention-deficit disorder, and dyslexia.
It reminds me of something I saw recently from former atheist Michael Minot. He wrote, “You’re spectacularly made, imprinted with a unique design that is not of your own making. God made you wonderful!”
It reminds me of David’s attempt to use Saul’s armor: Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
This guy reminds me of Job! Check out my friend Roger’s story of perseverance in the face of trials. (Originally posted at Pirate’s Pain — used with permission)
In 1969 I received a little award plaque at church that said, “Trust and Obey. -1 John 4:8” I was 10 years old at the time. Of course, back then, I didn’t realize how that would apply to my life, in a most challenging way, over the next 40 years.
On May 30, 2003, I woke up and went to the gym as usual. It was a leg (workout) day. I used the leg press machine and stacked 1100 pounds, I managed 3 sets of 10. On the last 3 reps I had the steroid monkeys yelling at me, encouraging me to push. I walked out of that gym on top of the world because 1100 lbs., for that many reps, was a goal of mine. I had lost 75 lbs. over that last year using exercise and diet.
I headed home, had a great lunch with my family, then went off to start my shift as a police officer. Within an hour, I became involved in a pursuit. I got ahead of the suspect and attempted to throw down spike strips, but by then, the pursuit had escalated to higher speeds: 70+ mph. I didn’t anticipate the additional speed, and thought I had enough time to deploy the spike strips, but suddenly, I looked up, and there he was. The young guy driving made eye contact with me as he jerked his steering wheel to the right. He intentionally swerved into my patrol car. I was standing just outside my vehicle so I tried to slam my door shut, and turned to run away. But as I pushed off to run, I heard a deafening bang, and felt extreme pain in my leg as my driver’s side door careened out and struck me just below my right calf muscle. I fell, or more accurately, flew, as I was launched into a nearby ditch. At that moment I realized, my world had changed.
They took me off to the hospital but the doctors misdiagnosed my injury. Over the next 3 months I had difficulty walking and the pain became progressively worse. I finally met a doctor who figured out the problem was a ruptured Achilles. Although my age almost precluded it, he was able to repair my Achilles tendon.
The only thing was, after the Achilles repair, the pain continued. I discovered I also had nerve damage in my right foot and was doing something the doctors call the monkey claw, which means it was curling in. Because of this I was unable to maintain my balance. So they broke my calcaneus, my heel bone, and moved it toward the outside of my body to try and stabilize my foot and help my balance. It didn’t work very well.
The joints weren’t working properly in my ankle. The pain continued for several more years. So they decided to fuse my ankle — they locked it into a fixed 90 degree position but even that didn’t help. I could barely walk if I used a cane. Meanwhile the pain kept increasing. So my doc and I began to discuss the idea of amputating my foot.
Then in November, 2007, I was riding my motorcycle, and managed to find some oil on a damp road in a construction zone. When I hit the brake the bike skidded, resulting in my foot hitting the ground and swinging outwards, then landing back on the floorboard. I looked down and saw a bulge the size of my fist showing out the side of the right leg of my leather pants. I thought (no kidding) “That’s gonna hurt.” I was losing control and had to lay the bike down. At that moment, it sunk in that my 15 year old daughter was on the back. I started to panic! My bike was crashing with my daughter on board! As I laid the bike down, I reached back and grabbed her. I threw her to the side of the road as hard as I could. Thank the Lord, she did a karate roll and landed on her feet. Somehow she was fine!
But they transported me to the hospital. I met with an orthopedic surgeon who told me my knee was crushed and that he wanted to put in an artificial knee. I asked him to contact the doctor I had been discussing amputation with. I begged him to amputate above the knee. I wanted to just be done with it — done with this life of pain. He told me I was on morphine and was making a poor decision. He spent 11 hrs., not installing an artificial knee, but preparing my leg bones for a future artificial knee operation.
Also, because of this accident, my pancreas shut down, causing me to become an insulin dependent diabetic. I just didn’t think that was fair because I had been eating very healthy food (although I later learned I was eating enough healthy food for a family of four).
The next problem presented itself when the surgical site became infected. I was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, and over the next two years, I had several surgeries to clean out the infection. On a couple of occasions I almost died. Several rounds of antibiotics were administered, some requiring a picc line that dropped the vancomiacin directly into my heart. Unfortunately, a side of effect of vancomiacin is hearing loss which is why I wear hearing aids today.
In 2009 the doctors and I made the decision to amputate my right foot because I couldn’t walk. Originally, the plan was to put in the artificial knee at this time but because I couldn’t walk, they wanted me to learn to walk on a prosthetic device for a year before they’d put in the artificial knee.
In 2010 they installed the artificial knee even though I was still in pain from the bone infection. I begged the doc to amputate above my knee if he found any damage to the bone from the infection, but he made the call to put in the artificial knee anyway. After several more surgeries to clean up infections, my prosthetic was remade, and I learned to walk without crutches! Hallelujah! Freedom, for the first time in years. Though it was very very painful, I could walk. Thirteen months later, I wound up in the hospital with a terrible infection in the stump of my right leg. This was from the deep seated bone infection I had been battling all this time. It was so bad I could no longer use my prosthetic. I was condemned to crutches or the wheel chair.
In December of 2011 I revisited my knee doc and asked, for the sixth time, for him to amputate above the knee. I’ll never forget our discussion. He looked like old Jimmy Stewart, he was very sincere, but he wouldn’t budge. He would not do the amputation. Though he didn’t know what was wrong, he wouldn’t remove the knee as we had agreed to do earlier.
Instead he sent me to another doc for a second opinion. The new doc read my file and found all the classic symptoms of residual osteomyelitis bone infection. He agreed to amputate above the knee. He gives me a great chance of beating the osteomyelitis by removing the infected part of my bone which includes the total knee and everything below.
My hope is for a new start on life, a life free from pain. Today, I’m just a few weeks away from surgery, and believing God is going to heal me.
Along with the medical hardships during this time of my life, my stepdaughter died of cancer, I lost my ability to work, my marriage was in trouble, and I experienced a variety of other serious problems. I was at the bottom. But one thing I realized: I still had a relationship with God. And I made a choice — to continue to follow Christ.
Here’s the weird thing about all I’ve gone through: I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I have a new understanding of God’s love for me. In fact I’ve never felt so loved by God as when He helped me through all these trials. I see provision that I never thought possible. I have a new appreciation for relationships, and what’s truly valuable in life. The timing of these problems was such that I caught my daughter at a crossroads, and because I was available, God used me to make an impact on her life in way that may not have happened otherwise. I’ve watched her walk with a mature faith in Christ in a way she may not have, had I not become available as a result of my injuries.
I’ve been stretched so greatly, I wouldn’t have thought it possible.
But I’m excited for life.
He died for me — I’ll live for Him.
Maybe you’re going through a trial yourself right now.
Bottom line: Trust in the Lord.
Whatever you’re going through.
Trust.
But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute.
Four adults and three children were killed in this house fire in Philadelphia (Photo Credit: article.wn.com)
Read Genesis 40:1-8
In the last post on Genesis, we saw how Joseph, a young man, in the prime of his life and possessing all the desires young men in their prime possess, somehow avoided succumbing to the relentless propositions of Potiphar’s wife. (see previous post: Joseph’s 5 Steps to Avoid Temptation) At the end of the previous chapter, she (falsely) accuses him of rape. It was the word of a slave, against the word of the wife of a high government official, and, of course, she won. So Joseph finds himself in a dungeon. But, by God’s grace, he also finds favor with the warden of the dungeon. And after awhile, the warden puts him in charge of other prisoners.
In today’s post we’ll learn about two of Pharaoh’s prisoners, the cupbearer and the baker, and their respective dreams. And we’ll look at interpretation as it relates to fire, and as it relates to God.
Genesis 40:1-8
So Joseph has been in prison for some time when a couple of new convicts arrive. They were officials in the king’s court who had offended their master, the Pharaoh. One was the chief cupbearer, and the other the chief baker. And Joseph is assigned to take care of both of them.
They had been in custody for awhile when each of them, the cupbearer and the baker, has a dream on the same night, and each dream has its own meaning. The only thing is, neither of them can figure it out.
When Joseph shows up the next morning he can tell they’re both dejected. So he asks, Why so sad?
They both answer, We both had dreams but there’s no one to interpret them.
Then Joseph says, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
Interpretation: Fire and God
On the topic of interpretations, and who they belong to: In my thirty years in the fire service, I have heard of only one person crazy enough to disregard the interpretation of a fire scene by firefighters. Unfortunately I experienced it first hand. The call came in around 7 in the morning, as a house fire with children trapped at 503 Alberts St. When we rolled up we saw the house was well involved with fire. I’ll never forget my surprise when, as we deployed off our fire engines, we were met by a man screaming obscenities. He was, if you will, challenging our interpretation of the fire scene — in no uncertain terms. He continued to scream obscenities at us while we removed three children trapped in a back bedroom of the burning house. Sadly, we were too late to save two of them. One survived.
Later we found out the man screaming was a neighbor, and Vietnam vet, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. After it was all over, he apologized profusely. He felt terrible. I actually feel sorry for the guy.
Let me ask you something:
If your house was on fire.
And your family was trapped inside.
And you were standing out in the street next to me.
And a half dozen or so fire engines rolled up to the scene.
Would you interpret that fire scene — or would you rely on me, as a firefighter, to interpret it for you?
Of course, you would rely on my interpretation — even though you wouldn’t understand much of what I did. Undoubtedly you’d have questions. Why are you cutting a hole in my roof? you might ask. Why are you using precious time to take your fire hose all the way around to the back? you may question. What are you doing with those big fans? And what does all this have to do with saving my family?
Yes, you would definitely have questions. There would definitely be things you wouldn’t understand. But to give you and your family the best possible chance, you’d rely on my interpretation anyway.
You would put your faith in me, as a firefighter, and you would be wise to do so. If you tried to figure it out yourself, your family could die in the flames.
And yet, the difference between me and you isn’t that great. After all, I’m just a man. My time on the earth may not be as long as yours. My life experience might not be as extensive as yours. My accomplishments probably aren’t as great as yours.
But still, you’d rely on my interpretation.
How much more then, should we rely on Jesus Christ’s interpretation of the scriptures, because of who He is.
I’m not talking about checking your brain. I enjoy discussing questions concerning scripture with others, and also exploring questions about scripture myself. Romans 12:2 says we’re to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. And the Jews of Berea received Paul’s information, but they had questions. So they diligently researched to see if what he was saying was true. (Acts 17:10-12)
Asking questions about the Bible is healthy and should be commended. The people at Berea were said to be of more noble character than others.
What I’m talking about is recognizing who Jesus is compared to who you are and who I am.
So who does Jesus say he is?
He said, He was with God before the world even existed. (John 17:5)
Jesus said to His disciples, If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father. How can you even say, Show us the Father? (John 14:9)
In these and other places in the Bible, Jesus says He is God.
In John 10:33 we see clearly, the Jews understood Jesus claim that He was God: “We are not stoning you for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” they said.
So it makes sense for you to rely on me, a mere man, not much different than you, for the interpretation of a fire scene, and for the salvation of your family from a house fire. How much more then, does it make sense for you to rely on the Christ, who is God, as much as you possibly can, for your interpretation of scripture, as well as your salvation.
The only thing that makes sense is to rely on Jesus’ view of scripture.
And how does He see it?
I think it’s impossible to read the four gospels without coming to the conclusion Jesus viewed (and views) scripture as God’s word.
“But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.” Jesus said, substantiating the account of the destruction of Sodom. (Luke 17:29)
“Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.” Jesus said, confirming manna fell from heaven (John 6:49)
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—” Jesus stated, validating Daniel of the Old Testament as a real and genuine prophet. (Matthew 24:15)
Let the reader understand, Jesus really did view the Old Testament as God’s word. He quoted from twenty four different books of the Old Testament. He quoted from it often and as having the weight of God’s authority behind it. He accepted the Old Testament as “that which was spoken unto you by God” (Matthew 22:31) But please, let me encourage you not to take my word for it. Read the gospels and see for yourself.
I don’t think there’s any question, we’ll never understand everything in the Old Testament, or the New Testament for that matter, this side of heaven. The interpretation of scripture is infinitely more complex than the interpretation of a fire scene. If you have questions about a fire scene, it’s only natural you would have questions about scripture. But because Jesus is God, the only thing that makes sense is to view the scriptures as He did.
I know how to rescue people from a house fire (IF, you give me a handful of fire engines and 20 or so trained firefighters). So you put your faith in me. Jesus knows how to raise people from the dead! I know how to extinguish the flames. So you put your faith in me. Jesus created fire, and everything in the earth, and the entire universe!
In fact, because Jesus is God, it makes infinitely more sense for you to rely on Jesus for your interpretation of scripture, than it does for you to rely on me to interpret a fire scene. In either case, if you try to lean on your own understanding, you and the people you love and care about will get burned. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
In the end, what you’re left with is a choice: Will you buy the secular criticisms of the Bible so prevalent on the internet today? Or will you believe God’s word in the same way Jesus did?
Will you believe the critics or Christ?
“Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8)
Joseph said it well.
Put your faith in Him.
Newly released book by Kurt Bennett, now available on Amazon!
Love Like Jesus: How Jesus Loved People (and how you can love like Jesus)
Love Like Jesus begins with the story of how after a life of regular church attendance and Bible study, Bennett was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. That led to an obsessive seven year deep dive. After pouring over Jesus’ every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job of studying Jesus’ words than he was following Jesus’ words and example. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennett’s own moral failures affirm he wrote this book for himself as much as for others.
Love Like Jesus examines a variety of stories, examples, and research, including:
Specific examples of how Jesus communicated God’s love to others.
How Jesus demonstrated all five of Gary Chapman’s love languages (and how you can too).
The story of how Billy Graham extended Christ’s extraordinary love and grace toward a man who misrepresented Jesus to millions.
How to respond to critics the way Jesus did.
How to love unlovable people the way Jesus did.
How to survive a life of loving like Jesus (or how not to become a Christian doormat).
How Jesus didn’t love everyone the same (and why you shouldn’t either).
How Jesus guarded his heart by taking care of himself–he even napped–and why you should do the same.
How Jesus loved his betrayer Judas, even to the very end.
With genuine unfiltered honesty, Love Like Jesus, shows you how to live a life according to God’s definition of success: A life of loving God well, and loving the people around you well too.
This is an outstanding post by Stephen Altrogge, who, early in his article, In Defense of Video Games, states:
“…first, some full disclosure: I play video games. I enjoy playing them as a way to unwind. I am a colossal nerd of pocket protector proportions. Sometimes I play with my friends online. And wear a bluetooth ear piece.”
From there he goes on to share his response to disparaging comments made about video games by Mark Driscoll and Russell Moore.
“Preparing to minister is not nearly as necessary as daring to minister.” –Jon Courson
David didn’t find what he needed to do battle until he ventured out to the battlefield. It was after he was on the battlefield that he found the five smooth stones for his sling. (1 Samuel 17:40) It’s the same for you and I. It’s when you’re actually doing it, that you’ll find what you need to bear fruit for God.
So get out there and do it. Sure, you’ll make mistakes. You’ll bumble around a bit at first. Every single person involved in ministry has, and still does.
That’s OK. God knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:14)
“Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.”
Proverbs 14:4
“Today I bought the most rocking pair of shoes I have possibly ever owned. I may even love them too much to ruin them by wearing.” -Laura Summers Tweet
I saw this tweet today from Laura Summers (she was joking — I think) and it reminded me of a few cyclists I used to know. These guys bought these beautiful road bicycles, you know, the kind they ride in the Tour de France. And they loved them so much they were always perfectly clean, lubed, and polished. But the thing was, they were so focused on keeping their bikes clean and beautiful, they didn’t risk ruining them by climbing on and riding. And of course, that’s what they’re designed to do.
I can be like that about my faith sometimes. Jesus is so perfect. When it’s just He and I, in prayer, it’s so perfect. When it’s just me, by myself, singing praise to Him, it’s so perfect (except for my voice). But as soon as I venture out to engage with people, things start to change fast. When I venture out to church, or if I engage in conversation with a brother, or if I try to help out someone in need, problems arise. Things get dirty. Things get messy.
Just as soon as I involve people, elements of carelessness, chaos, and confusion are introduced — even heartbreak sometimes occurs.
If Laura chooses to wear her shoes, they’ll get scuffed up. They’ll get dirt on them. It’s not a question of if, but when.
When my buddies decide (finally) to ride their bikes, they’ll accumulate road grime, guaranteed.
When I engage with people, for Christ, there are going to be problems. But I need to engage anyway. I need to love God enough, and to love people enough, to find a way to deal with the difficulties I’m sure to encounter when I put myself out there among others.
God wants me to. He knows I can’t love people without engaging. And He knows if I bear fruit for Him, it’ll get messy. But He designed our faith this way. (James 2:14-26)
Life will be messy if you choose to engage, if you choose to put yourself out there for Him, if you choose to bear fruit.
But we have to do it anyway.
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
Forgotten
Forgotten (Photo Credit: davidknightwrites.blogspot.com)
Read Genesis 40:8-23
Last post on Genesis, we looked at Joseph’s comment about interpretation and how it relates to fire, and more importantly, how it relates to God. (see previous post: God, Fire, and Interpretation)
In today’s post we’ll see how Joseph is used by God to interpret the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s prisoners: Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, and his chief baker. We’ll also look at even more parallels in Joseph’s life that continue to paint a prophetic picture of Jesus. Jesus Himself said in Luke 24:44-45, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Finally we’ll look at what it feels like to be forgotten.
Genesis 40:8-23
Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and baker each have dreams on the same night. Joseph sees they’re dejected because they recognize the dreams as having meaning, but they can’t figure out the interpretation. So Joseph asks them the rhetorical question, “Do not interpretations belong to God?”
So the cupbearer decides to share his dream with Joseph.
He, the cupbearer, says, In my dream I see this vine in front of me, and it has three branches. As soon as the vine buds, it blossoms, and it’s clusters ripen into grapes. In my dream, Pharaoh’s cup is in my hand so I take the grapes, squeeze the juice out of them into Pharaoh’s cup, and put the cup in his hand.
Joseph says, This is the interpretation, The three branches are three days. Inside of three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and call you back up to your former position. You’ll put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand just like you used to. Now listen, when you’re back in Pharaoh’s good graces, remember me and do me a favor, mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was taken by force from the land of the Hebrews, and I’ve never done anything to deserve a life sentence in a dungeon.
When the baker sees that the cupbearer received a favorable interpretation he decides to share his dream as well.
I also had a dream, the baker says. In my dream I have three baskets of bread on top of my head. Inside the top basket there are all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the only thing is, birds are eating them out of the basket on my head.
This is what it means, The three baskets equal three days. In three days Pharaoh will have your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat your flesh.
Cut to three days later and it’s Pharaoh’s birthday. He gives a feast for all his officials. Pharaoh lifts up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, in front of all his administration. He restores the chief cupbearer to his old position, so he’s serving Pharaoh his cup once again. But he has the chief baker impaled. Everything happened just as God, through Joseph, had interpreted.
But the chief cupbearer forgot about Joseph and his request.
Joseph and Jesus:
The picture of Jesus painted in Joseph’s life continues as we see still more parallels between them:
1) Both were sentenced based on false accusations: Joseph accused of raping Potiphar’s wife, and Jesus of inciting rebellion against the established government. (Luke 23:1-4)
2) Both were numbered with two transgressors: Joseph with the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and Jesus with the two thieves on either side of Him as He hung on the cross. (Mark 15:27-28)
The baker of bread and the cupbearer of wine also speak of Jesus’ command for us to take communion. And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19-20)
3) Both endured feeling forgotten: Joseph thought he was forgotten by the cupbearer, but he wasn’t, as we’ll see later. And Jesus, felt forsaken when He was separated from His Father for the first time in eternity. He cried out “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) (Matthew 27:45-50)
Forgotten
I spoke with a good friend of mine day before yesterday and he shared with me how he’s feeling forgotten. He’s separated from family, he has financial problems, and he has health problems. Maybe you’re feeling forgotten. Maybe you’re not stuck in a dungeon but stuck in a job, or stuck on unemployment, or stuck in a house that’s upside down financially, or stuck in debt, or stuck in a tough marriage.
You know, just one chapter previous, the Bible says of Joseph, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness. (Genesis 39:21) Given Joseph’s story so far, you might be saying to yourself right now, “Are you kidding me? The Lord was with him? The Lord showed him kindness? What kindness? Joseph’s family badmouthed him behind his back, they plotted to kill him, they tossed him into a cistern, they sold him into slavery, they told his father he was dead, then he was falsely accused of rape, tossed into a dungeon, and now… Now the cupbearer’s forgotten about him altogether and he’s rotting in this dungeon for who knows how long! Kindness you say?”
Speaking of God the Father, Jesus said, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)
In other words, we all have problems.
Jesus said it again, even more directly, when He stated, In this world you will have trouble. (John 16:33)
It’s not surprising then that Joseph has had trouble, serious trouble. We all either do have, or will have trouble. You either have, or are going to have trouble, serious trouble. Every single person on the planet experiences problems. No one escapes. Not one of us. No matter what we do.
Because we live in a fallen world, we have no choice when it comes to troubles, we’ll all have them. The choice we do have though, is whether or not we want the Lord with us in the dungeon, whether or not we want Him to show us kindness when we’re stuck in that tough situation, when we’re in the midst of our trouble. Walking through problems with Him can make our difficulties so much better than they would be otherwise.
Last night a man named Louie Zamperini was interviewed on a talk show. Louie was a juvenile delinquent who seemed to turn things around when he became a track star as a teenager. He went to the Olympics and it appeared he had a bright future ahead of him. Many thought he’d be the first to break the four minute mile barrier. But before the next Olympics, World War II started. Louie enlisted as a bombardier. During a rescue mission his plane crashed into the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He was lost at sea on a life raft with two fellow soldiers for 47 days, longer than any other person in history. During that time he was nearly killed by starvation, sharks, storms, and a Japanese bomber that strafed his raft — twice.
But that wasn’t even the hard part. On the 48th day they were captured by the Japanese. Louie was tortured mercilessly by a Japanese guard, nicknamed “the Bird” by the prisoners. This went on for years.
During his time lost at sea and as a P.O.W. Louie prayed fervently for God to spare his life. In return, Louie promised he would serve Him.
Miraculously, Louie did survive the war but afterwards he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. He had intense horrific dreams of his tormentor, the Bird, every single night. He even attempted to find him in Japan so he could kill him in revenge. He started drinking heavily. He had trouble holding a job. He was at rock bottom. Eventually his wife told him she was filing for divorce.
Then one day his wife attended a Billy Graham crusade. She made a commitment to Christ and came home a changed woman. She announced to Louie the divorce was off. She also drug Louie to the next crusade meeting. He was resentful and angry about it. But then she talked him into attending another, and as he listened to Billy Graham that second time, it hit him.
I have forgotten!
On the talk show he said, I thought to myself, what an idiot! Here I had told God if He saved me I’d serve Him for the rest of my life. God kept his end of the deal, but I had forgotten mine. So I committed myself to Christ. Up until that time I dreamed of the Bird every night. But since that day I committed myself to Christ, I haven’t dreamed of him once, and I haven’t had any drinking problems. (Unbroken)
The point is, God didn’t forget Joseph while he was in the dungeon. And God didn’t forget Louie Zamperini, not even while he was stranded at sea and suffering torture from the Bird.
But Louie forgot Him!
It’s not a question of God forgetting you. It’s a question of you forgetting Him!
I’m telling you right now, remember Him. Whatever you do, remember to TAKE HIM WITH YOU, into the dungeon you’re dwelling in currently. Remember Him. Remember to TAKE HIM WITH you out in whatever sea you’re stranded in. Remember Him. Remember to TAKE HIM WITH you into whatever torture you’re enduring.
Take Him into your heart and mind by reading His Bible. Take Him into conversation by praying to Him. Take Him into your company by worshiping Him at His house, with His people.
And do this in remembrance of Him — take communion.
He hasn’t forgotten you.
Remember Him.
References:
Bible Gateway
Blue Letter Bible
Matthew Henry
Chuck Smith
Jon Courson
Chuck Smith Blog Post: Not Abandoned
Laura Hillenbrand (2010). Unbroken, Random House
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Posted on June 9, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis
cupbearer, Genesis 40, Jesus Old Testament, Joseph and Jesus, Joseph Old Testament, Unbroken, Zamperini
How to Love Like Jesus — God’s House: John 2:16-17
Zeal for God’s House (Photo Credit: firstlovechurch.com)
To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
John 2:16-17
How Jesus Loved People:
When Jesus’ disciples saw what He did, they remembered the prophecy, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (Psalm 69:9) In spite of all the problems found in Jesus’ place of worship, He still recognized God’s house as God’s house and had an enthusiasm for it.
How You Can Love Like Jesus:
Zeal for God’s House
I have such a tendency to “evaluate” God’s house sometimes. “Well, the worship leader was kind of off key, I liked the old one better.” or “I disagreed with the pastor on this point.” or “I think he exaggerated that one part.” You know what? Jesus saw problems with God’s house. But rather than avoiding the place, He engaged in the place! He taught there! He healed there! He cleaned house there!
So maybe you have a problem with church: so did Jesus, so do I, so does everybody! As long as there are people involved over at God’s house, there will be problems there. It’s not a question of whether or not you have a problem with church, it’s a question of what you are going to do about it.
Jesus loved God and loved people enough to engage in church, in spite of the problems. You and I can do the same. We can go to church without worrying about how much we’ll receive, and instead, we can go to love people! Jesus taught in God’s house, so can you — teach a Sunday school class. Jesus healed in God’s house, so can you — find someone you can pray for or help out who has physical needs. Jesus cleaned God’s house, so volunteer to vacuum the carpets after service.
Love God, and love people, enough to engage in church, in spite of the problems.
Jesus did.
You can too.
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Posted on June 8, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too
church, Jesus, Jesus cleanses temple, John 2:16-17
In Praise of Misfits: Why business needs people with Asperger’s syndrome, attention-deficit disorder, and dyslexia
It reminds me of something I saw recently from former atheist Michael Minot. He wrote, “You’re spectacularly made, imprinted with a unique design that is not of your own making. God made you wonderful!”
It reminds me of David’s attempt to use Saul’s armor: Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
“I cannot go in these,” David said.
So he took his own sling instead.
And slayed Goliath.
1 Samuel 17:38-39
It reminds me how God wants you to be the best you — you can be (with help from Him of course)
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14)
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Posted on June 6, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
1 Samuel 17, David Saul's armor, Michael Minot, misfits, Schumpter, The Economist
“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” -C.S. Lewis
“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” -George MacDonald
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Posted on June 5, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
C.S. Lewis, You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.
Pirate’s Pain: The Story
Roger Rock Climbing
This guy reminds me of Job! Check out my friend Roger’s story of perseverance in the face of trials. (Originally posted at Pirate’s Pain — used with permission)
In 1969 I received a little award plaque at church that said, “Trust and Obey. -1 John 4:8” I was 10 years old at the time. Of course, back then, I didn’t realize how that would apply to my life, in a most challenging way, over the next 40 years.
On May 30, 2003, I woke up and went to the gym as usual. It was a leg (workout) day. I used the leg press machine and stacked 1100 pounds, I managed 3 sets of 10. On the last 3 reps I had the steroid monkeys yelling at me, encouraging me to push. I walked out of that gym on top of the world because 1100 lbs., for that many reps, was a goal of mine. I had lost 75 lbs. over that last year using exercise and diet.
I headed home, had a great lunch with my family, then went off to start my shift as a police officer. Within an hour, I became involved in a pursuit. I got ahead of the suspect and attempted to throw down spike strips, but by then, the pursuit had escalated to higher speeds: 70+ mph. I didn’t anticipate the additional speed, and thought I had enough time to deploy the spike strips, but suddenly, I looked up, and there he was. The young guy driving made eye contact with me as he jerked his steering wheel to the right. He intentionally swerved into my patrol car. I was standing just outside my vehicle so I tried to slam my door shut, and turned to run away. But as I pushed off to run, I heard a deafening bang, and felt extreme pain in my leg as my driver’s side door careened out and struck me just below my right calf muscle. I fell, or more accurately, flew, as I was launched into a nearby ditch. At that moment I realized, my world had changed.
They took me off to the hospital but the doctors misdiagnosed my injury. Over the next 3 months I had difficulty walking and the pain became progressively worse. I finally met a doctor who figured out the problem was a ruptured Achilles. Although my age almost precluded it, he was able to repair my Achilles tendon.
The only thing was, after the Achilles repair, the pain continued. I discovered I also had nerve damage in my right foot and was doing something the doctors call the monkey claw, which means it was curling in. Because of this I was unable to maintain my balance. So they broke my calcaneus, my heel bone, and moved it toward the outside of my body to try and stabilize my foot and help my balance. It didn’t work very well.
The joints weren’t working properly in my ankle. The pain continued for several more years. So they decided to fuse my ankle — they locked it into a fixed 90 degree position but even that didn’t help. I could barely walk if I used a cane. Meanwhile the pain kept increasing. So my doc and I began to discuss the idea of amputating my foot.
Then in November, 2007, I was riding my motorcycle, and managed to find some oil on a damp road in a construction zone. When I hit the brake the bike skidded, resulting in my foot hitting the ground and swinging outwards, then landing back on the floorboard. I looked down and saw a bulge the size of my fist showing out the side of the right leg of my leather pants. I thought (no kidding) “That’s gonna hurt.” I was losing control and had to lay the bike down. At that moment, it sunk in that my 15 year old daughter was on the back. I started to panic! My bike was crashing with my daughter on board! As I laid the bike down, I reached back and grabbed her. I threw her to the side of the road as hard as I could. Thank the Lord, she did a karate roll and landed on her feet. Somehow she was fine!
But they transported me to the hospital. I met with an orthopedic surgeon who told me my knee was crushed and that he wanted to put in an artificial knee. I asked him to contact the doctor I had been discussing amputation with. I begged him to amputate above the knee. I wanted to just be done with it — done with this life of pain. He told me I was on morphine and was making a poor decision. He spent 11 hrs., not installing an artificial knee, but preparing my leg bones for a future artificial knee operation.
Also, because of this accident, my pancreas shut down, causing me to become an insulin dependent diabetic. I just didn’t think that was fair because I had been eating very healthy food (although I later learned I was eating enough healthy food for a family of four).
The next problem presented itself when the surgical site became infected. I was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, and over the next two years, I had several surgeries to clean out the infection. On a couple of occasions I almost died. Several rounds of antibiotics were administered, some requiring a picc line that dropped the vancomiacin directly into my heart. Unfortunately, a side of effect of vancomiacin is hearing loss which is why I wear hearing aids today.
In 2009 the doctors and I made the decision to amputate my right foot because I couldn’t walk. Originally, the plan was to put in the artificial knee at this time but because I couldn’t walk, they wanted me to learn to walk on a prosthetic device for a year before they’d put in the artificial knee.
In 2010 they installed the artificial knee even though I was still in pain from the bone infection. I begged the doc to amputate above my knee if he found any damage to the bone from the infection, but he made the call to put in the artificial knee anyway. After several more surgeries to clean up infections, my prosthetic was remade, and I learned to walk without crutches! Hallelujah! Freedom, for the first time in years. Though it was very very painful, I could walk. Thirteen months later, I wound up in the hospital with a terrible infection in the stump of my right leg. This was from the deep seated bone infection I had been battling all this time. It was so bad I could no longer use my prosthetic. I was condemned to crutches or the wheel chair.
In December of 2011 I revisited my knee doc and asked, for the sixth time, for him to amputate above the knee. I’ll never forget our discussion. He looked like old Jimmy Stewart, he was very sincere, but he wouldn’t budge. He would not do the amputation. Though he didn’t know what was wrong, he wouldn’t remove the knee as we had agreed to do earlier.
Instead he sent me to another doc for a second opinion. The new doc read my file and found all the classic symptoms of residual osteomyelitis bone infection. He agreed to amputate above the knee. He gives me a great chance of beating the osteomyelitis by removing the infected part of my bone which includes the total knee and everything below.
My hope is for a new start on life, a life free from pain. Today, I’m just a few weeks away from surgery, and believing God is going to heal me.
Along with the medical hardships during this time of my life, my stepdaughter died of cancer, I lost my ability to work, my marriage was in trouble, and I experienced a variety of other serious problems. I was at the bottom. But one thing I realized: I still had a relationship with God. And I made a choice — to continue to follow Christ.
Here’s the weird thing about all I’ve gone through: I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I have a new understanding of God’s love for me. In fact I’ve never felt so loved by God as when He helped me through all these trials. I see provision that I never thought possible. I have a new appreciation for relationships, and what’s truly valuable in life. The timing of these problems was such that I caught my daughter at a crossroads, and because I was available, God used me to make an impact on her life in way that may not have happened otherwise. I’ve watched her walk with a mature faith in Christ in a way she may not have, had I not become available as a result of my injuries.
I’ve been stretched so greatly, I wouldn’t have thought it possible.
But I’m excited for life.
He died for me — I’ll live for Him.
Maybe you’re going through a trial yourself right now.
Bottom line: Trust in the Lord.
Whatever you’re going through.
Trust.
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Posted on June 5, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
Pirate's Pain, Roger, Trust God, Trust in the Lord
Creative
The Card Players by Paul Cézanne: most expensive painting ever sold. Price: 250 million. (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)
What’s the best thing you’ve ever created?
Maybe you’ve written something, a blog post, or a poem, or a book.
Or it might be you’re a great cook, a creator of spectacular meals.
Or perhaps you’ve redecorated a room, or even built a house.
Or written a song, or drawn a great picture.
Think back with me to what’s been your very best creation so far.
Now consider God’s: http://htwins.net/scale2/ .
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Posted on June 4, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
About Jesus, creative, God, why it doesn't make sense to
God, Fire, and Interpretation: Genesis 40:1-8
Read Genesis 40:1-8
In the last post on Genesis, we saw how Joseph, a young man, in the prime of his life and possessing all the desires young men in their prime possess, somehow avoided succumbing to the relentless propositions of Potiphar’s wife. (see previous post: Joseph’s 5 Steps to Avoid Temptation) At the end of the previous chapter, she (falsely) accuses him of rape. It was the word of a slave, against the word of the wife of a high government official, and, of course, she won. So Joseph finds himself in a dungeon. But, by God’s grace, he also finds favor with the warden of the dungeon. And after awhile, the warden puts him in charge of other prisoners.
In today’s post we’ll learn about two of Pharaoh’s prisoners, the cupbearer and the baker, and their respective dreams. And we’ll look at interpretation as it relates to fire, and as it relates to God.
Genesis 40:1-8
So Joseph has been in prison for some time when a couple of new convicts arrive. They were officials in the king’s court who had offended their master, the Pharaoh. One was the chief cupbearer, and the other the chief baker. And Joseph is assigned to take care of both of them.
They had been in custody for awhile when each of them, the cupbearer and the baker, has a dream on the same night, and each dream has its own meaning. The only thing is, neither of them can figure it out.
When Joseph shows up the next morning he can tell they’re both dejected. So he asks, Why so sad?
They both answer, We both had dreams but there’s no one to interpret them.
Then Joseph says, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
Interpretation: Fire and God
On the topic of interpretations, and who they belong to: In my thirty years in the fire service, I have heard of only one person crazy enough to disregard the interpretation of a fire scene by firefighters. Unfortunately I experienced it first hand. The call came in around 7 in the morning, as a house fire with children trapped at 503 Alberts St. When we rolled up we saw the house was well involved with fire. I’ll never forget my surprise when, as we deployed off our fire engines, we were met by a man screaming obscenities. He was, if you will, challenging our interpretation of the fire scene — in no uncertain terms. He continued to scream obscenities at us while we removed three children trapped in a back bedroom of the burning house. Sadly, we were too late to save two of them. One survived.
Later we found out the man screaming was a neighbor, and Vietnam vet, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. After it was all over, he apologized profusely. He felt terrible. I actually feel sorry for the guy.
Let me ask you something:
If your house was on fire.
And your family was trapped inside.
And you were standing out in the street next to me.
And a half dozen or so fire engines rolled up to the scene.
Would you interpret that fire scene — or would you rely on me, as a firefighter, to interpret it for you?
Of course, you would rely on my interpretation — even though you wouldn’t understand much of what I did. Undoubtedly you’d have questions. Why are you cutting a hole in my roof? you might ask. Why are you using precious time to take your fire hose all the way around to the back? you may question. What are you doing with those big fans? And what does all this have to do with saving my family?
Yes, you would definitely have questions. There would definitely be things you wouldn’t understand. But to give you and your family the best possible chance, you’d rely on my interpretation anyway.
You would put your faith in me, as a firefighter, and you would be wise to do so. If you tried to figure it out yourself, your family could die in the flames.
And yet, the difference between me and you isn’t that great. After all, I’m just a man. My time on the earth may not be as long as yours. My life experience might not be as extensive as yours. My accomplishments probably aren’t as great as yours.
But still, you’d rely on my interpretation.
How much more then, should we rely on Jesus Christ’s interpretation of the scriptures, because of who He is.
I’m not talking about checking your brain. I enjoy discussing questions concerning scripture with others, and also exploring questions about scripture myself. Romans 12:2 says we’re to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. And the Jews of Berea received Paul’s information, but they had questions. So they diligently researched to see if what he was saying was true. (Acts 17:10-12)
Asking questions about the Bible is healthy and should be commended. The people at Berea were said to be of more noble character than others.
What I’m talking about is recognizing who Jesus is compared to who you are and who I am.
So who does Jesus say he is?
He said, He was with God before the world even existed. (John 17:5)
Jesus said to His disciples, If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father. How can you even say, Show us the Father? (John 14:9)
In these and other places in the Bible, Jesus says He is God.
In John 10:33 we see clearly, the Jews understood Jesus claim that He was God: “We are not stoning you for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” they said.
So it makes sense for you to rely on me, a mere man, not much different than you, for the interpretation of a fire scene, and for the salvation of your family from a house fire. How much more then, does it make sense for you to rely on the Christ, who is God, as much as you possibly can, for your interpretation of scripture, as well as your salvation.
The only thing that makes sense is to rely on Jesus’ view of scripture.
And how does He see it?
I think it’s impossible to read the four gospels without coming to the conclusion Jesus viewed (and views) scripture as God’s word.
“But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.” Jesus said, substantiating the account of the destruction of Sodom. (Luke 17:29)
“Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.” Jesus said, confirming manna fell from heaven (John 6:49)
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—” Jesus stated, validating Daniel of the Old Testament as a real and genuine prophet. (Matthew 24:15)
Let the reader understand, Jesus really did view the Old Testament as God’s word. He quoted from twenty four different books of the Old Testament. He quoted from it often and as having the weight of God’s authority behind it. He accepted the Old Testament as “that which was spoken unto you by God” (Matthew 22:31) But please, let me encourage you not to take my word for it. Read the gospels and see for yourself.
I don’t think there’s any question, we’ll never understand everything in the Old Testament, or the New Testament for that matter, this side of heaven. The interpretation of scripture is infinitely more complex than the interpretation of a fire scene. If you have questions about a fire scene, it’s only natural you would have questions about scripture. But because Jesus is God, the only thing that makes sense is to view the scriptures as He did.
I know how to rescue people from a house fire (IF, you give me a handful of fire engines and 20 or so trained firefighters). So you put your faith in me. Jesus knows how to raise people from the dead! I know how to extinguish the flames. So you put your faith in me. Jesus created fire, and everything in the earth, and the entire universe!
In fact, because Jesus is God, it makes infinitely more sense for you to rely on Jesus for your interpretation of scripture, than it does for you to rely on me to interpret a fire scene. In either case, if you try to lean on your own understanding, you and the people you love and care about will get burned. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
In the end, what you’re left with is a choice: Will you buy the secular criticisms of the Bible so prevalent on the internet today? Or will you believe God’s word in the same way Jesus did?
Will you believe the critics or Christ?
“Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8)
Joseph said it well.
Put your faith in Him.
Newly released book by Kurt Bennett, now available on Amazon!
Love Like Jesus: How Jesus Loved People (and how you can love like Jesus)
Love Like Jesus begins with the story of how after a life of regular church attendance and Bible study, Bennett was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. That led to an obsessive seven year deep dive. After pouring over Jesus’ every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job of studying Jesus’ words than he was following Jesus’ words and example. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennett’s own moral failures affirm he wrote this book for himself as much as for others.
Love Like Jesus examines a variety of stories, examples, and research, including:
With genuine unfiltered honesty, Love Like Jesus, shows you how to live a life according to God’s definition of success: A life of loving God well, and loving the people around you well too.
A life of loving like Jesus.
(Kindle, hardcover, and paperback now available on Amazon.)
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Posted on June 2, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis
Bible interpretation, deity of Christ, Genesis 40, interpretation, joseph, Old Testament
Documented Miracle — Man Falls 47 Floors and Survives
Doctor publicly concedes on ABC news: he has no explanation — it’s a miracle.
Watch the ABC news video here:
Miracle Man Falls 47 Floors and Survives
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Posted on May 31, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study
ABC news story man survives fall, documented miracle, man falls 47 floors, man survives fall, miracle
In Defense of Video Games
This is an outstanding post by Stephen Altrogge, who, early in his article, In Defense of Video Games, states:
From there he goes on to share his response to disparaging comments made about video games by Mark Driscoll and Russell Moore.
I thoroughly enjoyed this blog post.
And I don’t even play video games!
It’s a great read: In Defense of Video Games.
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Posted on May 31, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
defense of video games, God, love God, love God with all your heart, Mark Driscoll, Russell Moore, stephen altrogge
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from God” -Monty Williams, Winner of NBA Draft Lottery
NBA Draft Lottery — New Orleans Wins (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from God” -Monty Williams, Coach of the New Orleans Hornets, Winner of NBA Draft Lottery
New Orleans was sitting at #3, but their lottery ping pong ball popped up at #1.
They’ll likely take Anthony Davis.
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Posted on May 30, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
every good and perfect gift comes from above, monty williams, nba draft lottery
Preparing to minister is not nearly as necessary as daring to minister
5 Smooth Stones (Photo Credit: NHOP Blog)
“Preparing to minister is not nearly as necessary as daring to minister.” –Jon Courson
David didn’t find what he needed to do battle until he ventured out to the battlefield. It was after he was on the battlefield that he found the five smooth stones for his sling. (1 Samuel 17:40) It’s the same for you and I. It’s when you’re actually doing it, that you’ll find what you need to bear fruit for God.
So get out there and do it. Sure, you’ll make mistakes. You’ll bumble around a bit at first. Every single person involved in ministry has, and still does.
That’s OK. God knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:14)
So go ahead, enter the fray.
Find your five smooth stones.
What are you waiting for?
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Posted on May 30, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
five smooth stones, Jon Courson, Preparing to minister, we are dust
Loves Her New Shoes Too Much to Ruin Them by Wearing Them
“Today I bought the most rocking pair of shoes I have possibly ever owned. I may even love them too much to ruin them by wearing.” -Laura Summers Tweet
I saw this tweet today from Laura Summers (she was joking — I think) and it reminded me of a few cyclists I used to know. These guys bought these beautiful road bicycles, you know, the kind they ride in the Tour de France. And they loved them so much they were always perfectly clean, lubed, and polished. But the thing was, they were so focused on keeping their bikes clean and beautiful, they didn’t risk ruining them by climbing on and riding. And of course, that’s what they’re designed to do.
I can be like that about my faith sometimes. Jesus is so perfect. When it’s just He and I, in prayer, it’s so perfect. When it’s just me, by myself, singing praise to Him, it’s so perfect (except for my voice). But as soon as I venture out to engage with people, things start to change fast. When I venture out to church, or if I engage in conversation with a brother, or if I try to help out someone in need, problems arise. Things get dirty. Things get messy.
Just as soon as I involve people, elements of carelessness, chaos, and confusion are introduced — even heartbreak sometimes occurs.
If Laura chooses to wear her shoes, they’ll get scuffed up. They’ll get dirt on them. It’s not a question of if, but when.
When my buddies decide (finally) to ride their bikes, they’ll accumulate road grime, guaranteed.
When I engage with people, for Christ, there are going to be problems. But I need to engage anyway. I need to love God enough, and to love people enough, to find a way to deal with the difficulties I’m sure to encounter when I put myself out there among others.
God wants me to. He knows I can’t love people without engaging. And He knows if I bear fruit for Him, it’ll get messy. But He designed our faith this way. (James 2:14-26)
Life will be messy if you choose to engage, if you choose to put yourself out there for Him, if you choose to bear fruit.
But we have to do it anyway.
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Posted on May 28, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young
church, Laura Summers, love people, Proverbs 14:4, Where no oxen are the crib is clean
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