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Episode 14 · 2 years ago
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Episode 14 · 2 years ago
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ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Hello and welcome to read Your Bible devotional with Pastor Brad Reynolds. We are reading through the Bible in a year. This daily devotional will help keep your heart in mind and God's word. Use your phone to download and listen to Pastor Brad Reynolds Audio podcast. You can find a RSS feedlink on our website, www dot do very baptist clarksbridgecom. A meal fit for a king, if you ever heard of that, of course you have. And the trays a meal that's just a lavish, incredible, beautiful meal, almost a feast. What about a meal fit for thieves? What would that look like? Mean would there be poison on the plate? A meal fit for enemies?...
What would that really look like? Historically, kings and potentates have used tasters, Cup bearers, to taste food or drink to ensure that their food or drink cannot been poisoned by an enemy, because a meal fit for an enemy would obviously usually contain such that's what enemies do to they hurt one another, they poisoned each other, they try to kill one another. So if one had a meal prepared by his or hurry and a mean one could rest assured it probably wasn't a healthy feast. It probably wouldn't bring them life, probably bring them death. In fact, a meal prepared by your enemy probably bring you quite the opposite of life. And yet we have in our text today...
...a meal prepared by Joseph for those who had tried to kill him, his brothers. He prepares them a meal, the same brothers who declared themselves to be his enemy, the same brothers who had tried to kill him. And what does he prepare them for? Me? Some meal fit for a king. This meal, which was for his enemies, was a feast, a meal fit for a King. He served his enemies the best. Why? Because he had a heart like God. Well, our reading for the day was genesis forty three through forty six, and we're going to be in genesis forty three and we're also going to look at genesis forty five, so you...
...can keep your fingers areageween genesis forty three versus thirty one through thirty four in genesis forty five. But in genesis forty three through forty six, the brothers come back to Egypt. There's been a great famine. One of the brothers have been left with Joseph. They come back with Benjamin and we see that after they come back and they show Joseph Benjamin, he sends them on their way back to their father and he feels their sacks when he puts a Silver Cup in Benjamin sack. Then he comes after them after they're headed back to their father, thinking while this is great, God's blessed us, catches up with them and he says someone stole my Silver Cup. Oh No, no, we've not stolen it, but whoever is found with the Silver Cup let them die. Joseph said, all right, let's see who it is, and it was Benjamin, and he says, all right, I want you...
...all to come back into Egypt, and so it brings them back. That's kind of the setting that we find ourselves today. Let's go to genesis. Forty three versus thirty one through thirty four. First then he washed him space and came out, he controlled himself and said serve the meal. So we see here in this text the brothers had come back and they've brought their younger brother Benjamin with him, and he weeps, Joseph Christ. Then he controls himself and he gives them a feast, an incredible feast. So they served Joseph by himself and them by themselves, and the Egyptians, who ate with him, by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is lowsome to the Egyptians. They were seated before in the first born according to his birth right, and the youngest according to his youth,...
...and the men looked at one another in astonishment. He took portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as their's. So they feasted and drank freely with him. Looked at this meal served to them by this leader of Egypt, and it was a feast. Now they didn't know this was Joseph Hea, but he knew it, and he served those who had tried to kill him a fees. He gave five, Benjamin five times as much. Now flip over to genesis. Forty five verse twenty two. To each of them he gave changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. Jesus said, and love your enemies. Love your enemies mean honestly, Jesus,...
...nut sure I'm with you on that one. There's a lot of things in scripture that I wish were not there. In fact, if I had written the Bible, it would look a lot different, as it would with you too, if you had written it. Our words are not God's words. God's words are perfect. I wish God had said hit your enemies, slap those who hurt you. I wish God had said that, because that's what I want to do, but God did. He said Love Your Enemies, love those who would hurt you, love those who fight against us, as we seek to do God's will. makes no sense whatsoever. And yet God's ways are not our ways. And, along with Stephen Jesus, Joseph beautifully...
...exemplifies true forgiveness. He exemplifies love for those who had hated him to a parent. Chapter Forty three that Joseph has forgiven his brothers because he weeps what he sees them and he hosts a lavish little meal for them. Joseph gives them a lavish meal, and you and I should recall how Joseph was in a pit and they were out eating and he languished in the pit. They gave him nothing, famished without food. And yet now, in return for him, almost starving him in a pit. He gives them this lavish meal. The act of betrayal has been forgiven, as Joseph returns that evil with a meal fit for a King. The reader further notices in chapter forty four...
...that the brothers have repented as well. They had changed to the point that, instead of selling the parents favorite sibling into slavery, which is what they did with Joseph, Judah is now willing to sacrifice himself for the new favorite. They had changed. When they were younger, they sold Joseph, the favorite, into slavery. Would they do it again? Would they sell Benjamin into slavery? Would they take the food back and let Benjamin stay? No, Judah says, take me in his place. Yes, he's the new favorite, but I've changed. I'm more concerned about my father and I am about this relationship, this sibling rivalry. Take me in his place. Judah...
...had learned to love his father unconditionally and thus to love others unconditionally. Finally, here in Verse Twenty Two of Chapter Forty Five, we are told that Joseph gives all his brothers new clothing, new clothing. The thing with me, if you will, what was it that symbolized their hate for Joseph because it symbolized their father's favoritism. That's right, Joseph's coat of many colors, Joseph's clothing. They had taken that from me, they had ripped it, they had poured blood on it, they had used it to deceive the father and in return of them stealing that favorite clothing, Joseph gives them clothing. It should not be missed that it was Joseph clothes that symbolize the father's favoritism...
...and initiated hate towards him, and that hatred of him was returned with new clothes, with love. The reconciling is complete when Joseph gives them new clothing. The old had passed and the brothers put on new clothing symbolizing a new relationship and a new fellowship with their strange brother. Hate was removed and replaced by a love not comprehending by sinful humans. Only God can do that. Only God can, through you, let you love your enemies. God is a reconciling God. True reconciliation came about when Joseph had fully forgiven his enemies and they had repented of their sins. True reconciliation cannot occur without reconciliation with...
God, and true reconciliation by both parties with God were produced true reconciliation between each other. True reconciliation only occurs when both parties allowed. However, whether your enemy allows reconciliation or not, your response, my response, is still to love. You don't ever have to condone selfish acts of aid, but you do have to love. Give your enemy a meal fit for a key and let God do the rest. Our Reading For tomorrow be Genesis Forty seven through fifty, as we finish the book of Genesis. I hope you've enjoyed it. After we finished the book of Genesis will start into Joe, because...
...we're going through the scriptures chronologically. Abraham would have been around twenty one hundred BC and genesis starting obviously at the beginning and going through that time, job would have been almost a contemporary of Abraham. Most scholars believe job to be around twenty two hundred BC, and so as we make our way through genesis, will move into job and then we'll come back to ex's. But I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Let me pray for father once again. Thank you that you loved us when we were enemies of God. What amazing love, and as you save us, and that love comes in us, help us to love those who heard us, and one who loves us, one of the Razon. We pray all of this in Jesus. Amen.
Thank you again for joining us today.
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