Religion Scripture Readings

Genesis 42

JOSEPH MEETS HIS BROTHERS IN EGYPT
A. The sons of Jacob come to Egypt.

1. (1-4) Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy grain.

When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" And he said, "Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die." So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "Lest some calamity befall him."

a. Why do you look at one another? Jacob noticed a strange expression among the brothers when Egypt was mentioned, because the brothers knew it was likely Joseph was sold as a slave there. Their conscience made them feel terrible any time Egypt was mentioned.

i. "The father has noted the look of perplexity in his son's faces" … literally, the phrase means, "to look questioningly one at the other." (Leupold)

ii. "The word Egypt in their ears must have sounded like the word rope in the house of a man who has hanged himself." (Barnhouse)

iii. Joseph's brothers had lived with a terrible secret these 20 years. They never talked about it but it never left them. Any mention of Joseph or Egypt would dredge up the guilt. They needed to be set free from the power of this terrible secret.

b. Lest some calamity befall him: The impression we have of Jacob from this chapter is of a man who is bitter and pessimistic about everything. Because of this calamity, he believes another disaster is on the way.

c. Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin: In keeping with this attitude, he demanded Benjamin be left behind. Though he had 11 sons only one was a son of his beloved wife Rachel, and Jacob felt he must protect him.

i. Yet, if Jacob only knew! If he could only trust the hand of God which he could not see! In fact, the only reason there is grain in Egypt to provide for their needs is because God sent Joseph on ahead. God knew what He was doing.

ii. Famine is not a good thing, but God used it. God can and does use material need and lack in our life to get us to do things we normally would never do. Normally, the brothers would never go to Egypt. But need drove them to Egypt.

2. (5-6) The sons of Jacob bow down before Joseph.

And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.

a. Bowed down before him with their faces to the earth: They knew that in this time of famine, their lives literally depended on this Egyptian official. Therefore they paid him great respect by bowing.

b. With their faces to the earth: Obviously, this reminded Joseph of the dream he had some 20 years before, that his brothers would bow down to him (Genesis 37:5-8).

i. When Joseph's brothers plotted murder against him and sold him into slavery they did it specifically attempting to defeat his dreams (Genesis 37:19-20). Instead, by sending Joseph to Egypt, they provided the way the dreams would be fulfilled.

ii. The great and glorious truth of God's providence is He can and does use the evil actions of man towards us to further His good plan. This never excuses man's evil, but it means God's wisdom and goodness are greater than man's evil. Surely the wrath of man shall praise You (Psalm 76:10).

3. (7-17) Joseph interrogates his brothers and puts them into prison.

Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, "Where do you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food." So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!" And they said to him, "No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. "We are all one man's sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies." But he said to them, "No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land." And they said, "Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more." But Joseph said to them, "It is as I spoke to you, saying, 'You are spies!' In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!" So he put them all together in prison three days.

a. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger: Joseph, speaking through an interpreter (he did not yet want to reveal that he speaks Hebrew), did not reveal his identity to his brothers, but instead treated them roughly.

b. Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them: Joseph was not playing games with his bothers. Some commentators believe that if it were up to Joseph, he would have revealed himself to his brothers right then and there. But God recalled the dreams to his mind and guided him to be an instrument for the correction and restoration of the brothers.

i. God can, and must, sometimes use ways we think are harsh to call us to where He wants us to be. We must never resent it, because it was the hardness of our hearts that demanded it. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. (Psalm 119:67)

c. One is no more: This was a lie, and the brothers knew it. They had every reason to believe Joseph was not dead, but living a horrible life of slavery. Perhaps they had repeated the lie to themselves so often they came to believe it.

4. (18-20) Joseph gives the terms for their release from prison.

Then Joseph said to them the third day, "Do this and live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they did so.

a. Do this and live: After three days in an Egyptian prison, the brothers ready to agree to whatever Joseph wanted them to do. This was good, because Joseph was clearly in control.

b. I fear God: Joseph didn't want his brothers to fear him as much as he wanted his brothers to trust him. If the brothers were wise enough to consider what this really meant, it would be a great comfort to them.

c. If you are honest men: Joseph's demand was clear. They had to prove they were not spies by proving they were honest and that they told the truth about the brother back home. The brothers agreed to this (And they did so) but only reluctantly, because they knew their father would never want to part with Benjamin.

5. (21-24) The guilty conscience of Joseph's brothers at work.

Then they said to one another, "We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us." And Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not speak to you, saying, 'Do not sin against the boy'; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us." But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

a. We are truly guilty concerning our brother: They thought this mess was before them because of the way they treated Joseph before, and their conscience was pricked. This was a good sign. The quickness with which they associated these events with their sin against Joseph probably meant they often remembered their sin against him.

i. There was not a completely logical connection between their current situation and their previous treatment of Joseph. But a guilty conscience sees every trouble as sin's penalty.

ii. The United States government has something called the Federal Conscience Fund, which collects money people send in because they know they cheated the government in some way. People have sent in money because they took army blankets for souvenirs, for cheating on postage, or on income tax. But our consciences are notoriously weak or corrupt. One man wrote the IRS and said, "I cheated on my taxes and can't sleep at night. Here is a check for $100. If I still can't sleep, I'll send the rest I owe."

b. Therefore this distress has come upon us: In these words we hear the conscience of the brothers at work. Some describe the conscience as the "sundial of the soul." It tells time well enough when there is light, but in darkness it is of no use. At night, you can shine a flashlight on a sundial and make it read any time you want it to. When the light of God's word shines on our conscience, it is reliable and trustworthy.

i. Otherwise, our conscience can be like a circus-trained poodle. Whistle once, it stands up. Whistle twice, it rolls over. Whistle a third time, and it plays dead.

c. He turned himself away from them and wept: Joseph was overcome with emotion as he saw and understood this work of God in the conscience of his brothers. God had to do a profound work in the hearts of these brothers for the relationship to be reconciled.

i. There could be no quick and easy "We are sorry, Joseph!" in this situation. God will guide events so the brothers see their sin clearly and repent completely before Joseph is revealed and relationship is restored.

ii. Yet even before the restoration, Joseph will not allow himself to be bound by bitterness and hatred. He still loves his brothers and wants to be with them (he returned to them again, and talked with them).

d. He took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes: Joseph retained Simeon as a prisoner to guarantee the return of the brothers. Simeon was not mentioned as having a prominent role in the selling of Joseph, as both Reuben and Judah were (Genesis 37:21-28), so we don't know exactly why Simeon was chosen. Perhaps he volunteered.

 

Genesis 43

JOSEPH MEETS HIS BROTHERS A SECOND TIME
A. Jacob decides to let the brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin.

1. (1-2) Jacob gives the order to get more food.

Now the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, "Go back, buy us a little food."

a. When they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt: Perhaps Jacob originally thought they had enough to tide them over, so that they would never need to go back with Benjamin, and never need to go back and get Simeon. But they ran out of food.

b. Go back, buy us a little food: Necessity drove Jacob to do something he would normally never do. We might imagine Jacob prayed so hard for the famine to break, and asked God to send relief. We might imagine Jacob became angry and bitter against God for not answering those prayers. But God knew what He was doing and had something so much better for Jacob than he could ever imagine.

2. (3-10) Judah convinces his father to let them go to Egypt with Benjamin.

But Judah spoke to him, saying, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.' If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'" And Israel said, "Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?" But they said, "The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?" Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time."

a Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother? Jacob clearly was grasping at straws. They must have discussed this question a hundred times before.

b. I myself will be surety for him: Judah put his own life on the line as a surety for Benjamin. This is the first good thing we see Judah doing. Previously, he was the one who had proposed the sale of Joseph. He was the one who wronged his daughter-in-law Tamar and had sex with her as a harlot.

i. Previously, Satan may have directed his attack against Joseph because he believed he was the one who would ultimately bring the Messiah. To this point, God had not revealed which of the 12 it would be.

ii. Satan not only hated the children of Jacob for what they were, but also for what God would make of them. He directs the same kind of hatred against believers today, as Satan considers the destiny God has for His people.

3. (11-14) Jacob sends them with money and gifts for the Egyptian leader.

And their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man; a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!"

a. Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man: Perhaps Jacob remembers how well it seemed to work when he showered Esau with gifts (Genesis 33:10-11).

b. Take double money in your hand: They took double money with them to Egypt to buy grain and the Egyptian leader's favor. Since ten brothers went to Egypt and they took double money, there were 20 units of money. This answers exactly to the 20 pieces of silver they sold Joseph for (Genesis 37:28). The words for silver and money are the same.

B. The sons of Jacob face Joseph again.

1. (15-18) Joseph invites the brothers to dinner.

So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon." Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, "It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and fall upon us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys."

a. Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house: Perhaps they figured that the kindness from the Egyptian leader was just the prelude to an execution.

2. (19-23) The brothers explain about the money, and are treated well in Joseph's house.

When they drew near to the steward of Joseph's house, they talked with him at the door of the house, and said, "O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food; but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks." But he said, "Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.

a. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money: This was not a lie, because he really did have it, and he gave it back. It really was because of God's goodness (if they only knew) that they had the money back.

3. (24-30) An emotionally charged meeting with Joseph and his brothers.

So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?" And they answered, "Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son." Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.

a. Gave them water, and they washed their feet: The brothers expected to be taken as slaves and have everything stolen (Genesis 43:18). Yet Joseph treated them with kindess. This love and goodness from Joseph will win them over.

i. The brothers received the blessings of love and kindness from Joseph without knowing who he was. In the same way, God showers love and blessing upon man even when man doesn't know whom the blessing comes from.

b. Now his heart yearned for his brother: Joseph was especially affected at meeting his only full brother, Benjamin, whom he last saw as only a small child.

4. (31-32) The dinner tables are segregated.

Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, "Serve the bread." So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

a. The set him a place by himself: Joseph did not eat with his brothers because at the time, Egypt was one of the most racist societies on earth. The believed that Egyptians came from the gods, and all other peoples came from lesser origins. There was absolutely no social mixing with foreigners in the Egypt of Joseph's day.

b. And the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves: The Egyptians would not even eat with Joseph, much less these strangers from Canaan. Even with all his status and power, Joseph could still not eat with "real" Egyptians.

i. "It is known from Herodotus that Egyptians so abhorred things foreign, that priests, at least, ate and drank nothing that was imported, nor would they use utensils for eating that had been used by Greeks." (Leupold)

ii. Herein is the wisdom of God. God will bring the entire family of Jacob into Egypt, where they will be isolated from the surrounding people for some 400 years. In that time, they will multiply greatly, increasing to the millions. If God had allowed them to remain in Canaan, they would have simply assimilated into the corrupt and godless peoples of Canaan. The rape of Dinah and its aftermath (Genesis 34) and the sin of Judah's sons and Judah with Tamar (Genesis 38) revealed this danger.

iii. God not only had to take the family of Israel out of the corrupt environment of Canaan, but He had to put them among a racist people who would not intermarry or even mingle with them. God simply sent Joseph on ahead to make the arrangements.

5. (33-34) Joseph arranges them by order of birth and he favors Benjamin.

And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

a. The firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth: No wonder the brothers were filled with astonishment. The arrangement of the brothers was so amazing because they sensed it couldn't happen by chance. Statistically, the odds of placing 11 brothers in their precise order of birth are something like 1 in 40 million.

b. Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs: Joseph wanted to see how the brothers reacted when the younger brother (in this case, Benjamin) was favored, because they resented it so much when Joseph was favored by his father.

i. Joseph wanted to see if there was a change in the hearts of his brothers, or if they were the same men who threw him into a pit and were deaf to his cries for help.

ii. This may be his whole motivation in asking for Benjamin. He wondered if they would take care of Benjamin on such a journey, as they failed to do with Joseph.

iii. We should expect if we fail in a test somewhere, God will make arrangements for us to "take the test" again another time. This is a sobering reason to take the test "well" the first time.

 

Genesis 44

JOSEPH TESTS HIS BROTHERS
A. Joseph sends them on their way.

1. (1-5) Joseph puts money in his brothers' bags again.

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack. Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money." So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, "Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good? Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.' "

a. As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away: The brothers left Egypt in high spirits. They were treated well, had their sacks full of grain, and Simeon was out of prison. Their father's fear of something horrible happening would not be fulfilled.

b. Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money: As before, the grain sacks of the brothers are topped off by the money they paid for the grain, but this time, Joseph has his special silver cup put in the sack of Benjamin.

c. Why is Joseph doing this? Some might think he is simply using his position of power to torment his brothers in revenge for their cruelty towards him; but knowing the character of Joseph, this isn't the case. He is guided by the hand of God, testing the hearts of his brothers, and bringing them to complete repentance.

d. He indeed practices divination: did Joseph use the cup for divination? We know from other sources that ancients did use sacred cups as divination devices. It is possible Joseph did also, because there was not yet specific revelation from God that such a practice was forbidden. Yet, it was not Joseph who said he used the cup for divination, but his servant, who may have wrongly assumed Joseph's spiritual insight and wisdom were more due to this cup than to his relationship with the living God.

2. (6-10) The brothers claim they are innocent of theft.

So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. And they said to him, "Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house? With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves." And he said, "Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless."

a. Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing: The brothers confidently stated they they did not have the cup. This shows that they had a healthy trust in each other. If they did not trust each other they would have immediately wondered which brother stole the cup.

b. With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves: They were so confident they did not have the cup (and trusted each other so much), they declared the thief should be killed and all the others taken as slaves.

c. Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave: Joseph did not repeat their offer of a death sentence because he wanted no bloodshed. But he had a plan for taking the brothers up on the suggestion of guilty parties being taken as slaves.

3. (11-13) The cup is found in Benjamin's sack.

Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

a. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack: The reaction of the brothers shows that this was the worst thing imaginable. Not only that the cup was found among them, but that it was in Benjamin's sack - their father's favorite son, the one he worried about the most. Now Benjamin was sentenced to a life of slavery in Egypt - if not death.

b. Each man loaded his donkey and returned: When Joseph was taken as a slave the brothers allowed him to go and thought nothing of it. Now they are willing to stand with Benjamin as he faces slavery or death. This demonstrates a significant change in the heart and attitude of Joseph's brothers.

4. (14-17) Judah commits himself and all the brothers to stick with Benjamin, even as slaves in Egypt.

So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said to them, "What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?" Then Judah said, "What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found." But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father."

a. They fell before him on the ground: This demonstrates that the brothers were desperate to gain favor with the Egyptian official to obtain the realease of Benjamin. They knew it was a real disaster to lose Benjamin and bereave their father.

b. God has found out the iniquity of you servants: With these words, Judah revealed God's work among the brothers. In Judah's mind, the bothers are now destined to live the rest of their lives as slaves in Egypt because they sold Joseph as a slave some 20 years before.

i. The brothers were innocent of the sin of stealing the cup but were guilty of far greater sins. In the same way, we can pride ourselves because we are innocent of some sin or another, yet we are guilty of far greater. You can't hide from your sin. Time does not erase the guilt of your sin. Only the blood of Jesus can.

ii. This resignation to slavery in Egypt is all the more significant considering these were middle-aged men who came from lives of privilege and status.

c. Here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found: With these words Judah insisted that the brothers will stick by Benjamin, though he was the favored and more greatly blessed son. If they quickly abandoned Benjamin it would show little change of heart from 20 years ago, when they abandoned Joseph.

i. There is a purpose for this even in Benjamin. Benjamin was most innocent of all, yet he still needed to be purged of all self-confidence and brought low.

B. Judah intercedes for Benjamin.

1. (18-32) Judah tells Joseph the whole story from the beginning.

Then Judah came near to him and said: "O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?' And we said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.' Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.' And we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.' But you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.' So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. And our father said, 'Go back and buy us a little food.' But we said, 'We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons; and the one went out from me, and I said, "Surely he is torn to pieces"; and I have not seen him since. But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.' Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life, it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.'"

a. Then Judah came near to him and said: Of Judah's speech, F.B. Meyer wrote: "In all literature, there is nothing more pathetic than this appeal." H.C. Leupold wrote, "This is one of the manliest, most straightforward speeches ever delivered by any man. For depth of feeling and sincerity of purpose it stands unexcelled." Barnhouse called it "the most moving address in all the Word of God."

b. Surely he is torn to pieces … I have not seen him since: With these carefully chosen words, Judah does not say that Benjamin's borother is dead - only that Jacob said, "Surely he is torn to pieces" and that Judah had not seen him since.

c. When he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die: 20 years before, Joseph's brothers showed a callous disregard of their father when reporting Joseph's "death" (Genesis 37:31-33). Judah shows they were now greatly concerned for the feelings and welfare of their father. This is more evidence of a change of heart.

2. (33-34) Judah lays down his life for Benjamin and his father.

"Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?"

a. Please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord: Judah dramatically offers to lay down his life for the sake of Benjamin. This is a dramatic change from 20 years before when the brothers did not care about Joseph, Benjamin, or even their father Jacob.

i. Judah shines forth as one willing to be a substitutionary sacrifice, out of love for his father and for his brethren.

b. How shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me: Judah was the one who suggested selling Joseph 20 years earlier. (Genesis 37:26-27) Here he sensitively offers to lay down his life for the favored brother. This display of sacrificial love is another example of transformation in the brothers.

i. Moses was willing to offer himself for the salvation of Israel (Exodus 32:31-32), and so was Paul (Romans 9:1-4). Sacrificial love is evidence of our transformation (John 13:34).

ii. Through this chapter there is remarkable evidence of the changed hearts of Joseph's brothers.

- They did not resent it when Benjamin was given the favored portion (Genesis 43:34)
- They trusted each other, not accusing each other of wrong when accused of stealing the cup (Genesis 44:9)
- They stuck together when the silver cup was found. They did not abandon the favored son and allow him to be carried back to Egypt alone (Genesis 44:13)
- They completely humbled themselves for the sake of the favored son (Genesis 44:14)
- They knew their predicament was the result of their sin against Joseph (Genesis 44:16)
- They offered themselves as slaves to Egypt, not abandoning Benjamin, the favored son, their brother (Genesis 44:16)
- They showed due concern for how this might affect their father (Genesis 44:29-31)
- Judah was willing to be a substitutionary sacrifice for his brother out of love for his father and his brethren (Genesis 44:33)

 

Genesis 45

JOSEPH IS REUNITED WITH HIS BROTHERS
A. Joseph reveals himself to his brothers.

1. (1-3) The emotional revelation.

Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Make everyone go out from me!" So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph; does my father still live?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence.

a. Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him: Joseph ordered all the Egyptians out of the room and was then alone with his brothers. His great emotion showed Joseph did not cruelly manipulate his brothers. He was directed by God to make these arrangements and it hurt him to do it.

b. Joseph made himself known to his brothers: This probably means that Joseph said he was Joseph and showed his brothers that he was circumcised. Jewish legend says the brothers could never believe this high Egyptian official was Joseph unless he showed he was circumcised.

c. But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence: Because of the punishment they anticipated, the great emotion of Joseph, his manner of revelation, and the total shock of learning Joseph was not only alive but right in front of them, the brothers were dismayed. The ancient Hebrew word for dismayed (bahal) actually means, "amazed" or "frightened" or even "terrified."

i. Come near to me in Genesis 45:4 implies the brothers cringed back in terror. Jewish legends say the brothers were so shocked that their souls left their bodies and it was only by a miracle of God their souls came back.

ii. Their dismay is a shadow of what will happen when the Jews see Jesus for who He is again: And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)

2. (4-8) Joseph's testimony.

And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

a. God sent me before you to preserve life: Joseph did not diminish what the brothers did (whom you sold into Egypt). Yet he saw that God's purpose in it all was greater than the evil of the brothers.

i. When we are sinned against we are tempted to fail in one or both of these areas. We are tempted to play "let's pretend you never did it," or we are tempted to fail to see the over-arching hand of God in every circumstance.

ii. It is fair to ask, "Why was Joseph in Egypt? Was it because of the sin of his brothers or because of the good plan of God?" The answer is that both options are true.

b. God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance: All Joseph's sorrows were for a purpose. God used them to preserve his family and provide the conditions for it to become a nation. Joseph was a victim of men, but God turned it around for His glory. None of it was for a loss.

i. If this family does not go into Egypt, then they assimilate among the pagan tribes of the Promised Land and cease to become a distinctive people. God had to put them in a place where they could grow, yet stay a distinctive nation.

ii. Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote a remarkably wide-selling book titled When Bad Things Happen to Good People. It sold more than a half a million copies before going to paperback and was on the New York Times best-seller list for a whole year. The whole point of his book is to say God is all loving but not all powerful, that God is good, but not sovereign. So, when bad things happen to good people, it is because events are out of God's control. Kushner advises his readers to "learn to love [God] and forgive him despite his limitations." This certainly is not the God of the Bible!

c. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God: Joseph realized God ruled his life, not good men, evil men, circumstances, or fate. God was in control, and because God was in control all things worked together for good.

B. Joseph sends his brothers home.

1. (9-15) Joseph tells his brothers to go home and to bring their father and find protection from the famine.

"Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph: "God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine."' And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here." Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.

a. Thus says your son Joseph: When Jacob heard this it was one of the greatest days of his life. He had the joy of learning that the favored son, who will save his brethren, who was given up for dead, is now alive.

b. He kissed all his brothers and wept over them: Joseph did not exclude those who had been especially cruel to him. His heart was open to his brothers both as a group and as individuals.

c. After that his brothers talked with him: This was a wonderful conversation. There was a lot to catch up on.

2. (16-24) Pharaoh and Joseph send the brothers home with many gifts.

Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, "Joseph's brothers have come." So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan. Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land. Now you are commanded; do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come. Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'" Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey. So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, "See that you do not become troubled along the way."

a. Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey: The sons of Israel received transportation, provision, garments, and riches because of who their favored brother was. Pharaoh blessed the sons of Jacob for Joseph's sake.

i. "To return to Canaan with 'carts from Egypt' was the cultural equivalent of landing a jumbo jet among a tribe of isolated savages. It would be the stuff legends are made of." (Boice)

b. See that you do not become troubled along the way: The idea behind the words "become troubled" is literally become angry or quarrel. Joseph knew as soon as these men left his presence they would be tempted to act in selfish, unspiritual ways. They had to anticipate and guard against this.

3. (25-28) Jacob hears the good news - that Joseph lives.

Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. Then Israel said, "It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

a. He did not believe them: Jacob was told Joseph was dead and believed it. Then he was told Joseph was alive, and he did not believe it until his sons told him the words of Joseph and showed him the blessings that came to them through Joseph. Then he believed Joseph was alive, though he had not yet seen him.

i. The only way people will know Jesus is alive is if we tell them His words and show them His blessings in our lives.

b. It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive: Knowing that the favored son was alive - back from the dead, as it were - changed Israel's testimony from all these things are against me (Genesis 42:36) to it is enough.

i. This testimony of faith comes from Israel, not Jacob. When Jacob was in charge, we saw a whining, self-pitying, complaining, unbelieving type of man. But Israel, the man God conquered, had a testimony of faith.

 

Genesis 46

THE FAMILY OF JACOB COMES TO EGYPT
A. The family comes to Egypt.

1. (1-4) God speaks to Jacob on the way to Egypt.

So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am." So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."

a. Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba: The was the the southernmost outpost of the Promised Land on the way to Egypt. He stopped there to honor God with sacrifices.

i. Both Abraham (Genesis 22:19) and Isaac (Genesis 26:23) lived for a time at Beersheba.

ii. Israel's grandfather Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba many years before and had called on the name of the LORD there (Genesis 21:33). Isaac received a special promise from God and built an altar for sacrifice there, calling on the name of the LORD (Genesis 26:24-25). It was probably at this very place Israel sacrificed.

b. God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night: More than 40 years before, when Jacob was about to leave the Promised Land, God spoke to him in a dream (Genesis 28:12-17). Now, when he is about to leave the land again, God brings reassurance through a dream again.

c. Do not fear to go down to Egypt: This indicates that Israel was afraid to go to Egypt. Jacob may have remembered Abraham had gone to Egypt in a time of famine once before, and it was a manifestation of his unbelief, and much evil eventually came from it (Genesis 12:10-20). He also may have remembered God told his father Isaac not to go down to Egypt (Genesis 26:2).

i. Also, Jacob knew God told Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years (Genesis 15:13). As Jacob led his family into this foreign land, he did not know what the future held. At the same time, he knew the future was in God's hands.

d. I will make of you a great nation there: God told Israel what His purpose was in bringing this large family or clan down to Egypt. Because of the exclusive, segregated nature of Egyptian life, Israel's descendants could grow as a large, distinct nation there. Egypt will become a "mother's womb" to Israel as a nation.

2. (5-27) Listing of Jacob's family who came with him to Egypt.

Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. His sons and his sons' sons, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt. Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob's firstborn. The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three. The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons. The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all. The son of Dan was Hushim. The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all. All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.

a. All his descendants he brought with him to Egypt: This shows the great faith Israel had. He brought the entire family down to Egypt. No one was left behind to continue a presence in Canaan. Jacob knew they would be back.

b. The sons of Judah were: The sons of Judah are of special note because this is the Messianic lineage. The line of descent so far goes like this: Abraham - Isaac - Jacob - Judah - Perez - Hezron (Luke 3:33-34).

c. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy: The total number of males of this clan was 70 - 66, plus Jacob himself, Joseph, and his two sons. This large family will become a nation of more than two million over the next 400 years.

i. Like many great works of God, Israel had a slow beginning.

- From the time God called Abraham, it took at least 25 years to add one son - Isaac
- It took Isaac 60 years to add another son of Israel - Jacob
- It took 50 or 60 years for Jacob to add 12 sons and one daughter
- But in 430 years, Israel will leave Egypt with 600,000 men
- It took this family 215 years to grow from one to 70, but in another 430 years they grew to two million.
ii. In Acts 7:14 Stephen says that there were 75 who went into Egypt. This is because Stephen quoted from the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, which says 75. The number in the Septuagint is not wrong, just arrived at in a different way, specifically adding five more sons (or grandsons) of Joseph born in Egypt.

B. The family settles in the land of Goshen.

1. (28-30) The emotional meeting between Joseph and his father.

Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen. So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive."

a. Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way: It was fitting for Judah, of the Messianic line, to escort Israel into Goshen, the land of abundance.

b. Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive: This reunion of Israel with Joseph is more than he ever dreamed before. This is a dramatic change from all things are against me (Genesis 42:36).

2. (31-34) Joseph tells his family of the plan to ask for the area of Goshen.

Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and those of my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.' So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?' that you shall say, 'Your servants' occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."

a. Every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians: The Egyptians were agricultural in the sense of farming crops. They considered sheep unclean, and therefore detested shepherds.

 

Genesis 47

JACOB MEETS PHARAOH; THE FAMILY SETTLES IN EGYPT
A. Jacob meets Pharaoh.

1. (1-4) The brothers ask for the land of Goshen.

Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen." And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers." And they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen."

2. (5-6) Pharaoh gives them the best of the land.

Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock."

a. Dwell in the best of the land: This blessing is all because of Joseph. He saved Egypt - and much of the world - from terrible famine, and now the whole family of Israel is blessed and received an inheritance because of Joseph.

3. (7-10) Jacob blesses Pharaoh.

Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How old are you?" And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

a. The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years: Jacob confessed he was on a pilgrimage. He knew that his real home was somewhere else: heaven.

b. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life: This was not a cynical statement by Jacob. He recognized that the general character of his life (lived in the flesh) and the length of his life did not compare both to eternity and to the lives of his ancestors.

c. So Jacob blessed Pharaoh: Pharaoh acknowledged Jacob was a man of God by accepting his blessing. In the Egyptian religion, Pharaoh himself was thought to be a god. They considered Pharaoh the human embodiment of Ra, the sun god. This means that it was remarkable that he allowed Israel to bestow a blessing on him.

4. (11-12) Israel takes the best of the land.

And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number in their families.

a. Joseph situated his father and his brothers: The family of Israel looked to Joseph, and Joseph only, as their source of provision and supply.

B. Joseph deals with the famine.

1. (13-14) In the early years of the famine, money poured into the treasury of Egypt, because it was the only place to buy food.

Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.

2. (15-26) In the later years of the famine, Joseph arranged ways for the people to purchase food with whatever they have to give.

So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed." Then Joseph said, "Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone." So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate." Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands. Then Joseph said to the people, "Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones." So they said, "You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants." And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh's.

a. So the land became Pharaoh's: In the process, the power and wealth of Pharaoh was multiplied greatly. In times of national crisis the power of central government often increases.

b. In the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh: Joseph wasn't unfair. He fed the people when they would have starved, and in return asked for one-fifth (20%) annually from the produce of the land. Many people today would be happy with only a 20% tax.

C. Israel anticipates his death.

1. (27) The multiplication of the family of Israel.

So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.

a. Grew and multiplied exceedingly: This was certainly true. In some 400 years, this became a nation of some two million or more people.

b. Multiplied exceedingly: Henry Morris calculates the initial group of five (Jacob and his four wives) grew into a clan of about 100 in 50 years (the 100 includes the 70 of Genesis 46:27 plus a few wives of the sons not mentioned and grandchildren). That is a growth rate of just over 6% per year. At that rate, there would be several million descendants by the time of the Exodus 430 years later.

2. (28-31) Israel makes Joseph vow to bury him in Canaan.

And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years. When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place." And he said, "I will do as you have said." Then he said, "Swear to me." And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.

a. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers: Israel knew Egypt was not his home. He belonged in the land promised to he and his descendants. He clearly believed and understood he was the inheritor of Abraham's covenant.

 

Matthew 23 A couple of my favorite lines from Jesus scolding the Pharisees.

23:15

King James
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and
land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of
hell than yourselves.

Interpreted (perhaps embellished) Funny like Pharisees and Progressive could be interchangeable.

You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You’re nothing but show-offs.
You travel over land and sea to win one follower. And when you have done so,
you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are.

23.23 There has to be a place and time to use this one.

"You strain out a small fly but swallow a camel."

 

Genesis 48

JACOB BLESSES JOSEPH'S SONS
A. Jacob calls for his sons.

1. (1-4) Jacob's remembers God's promise.

Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, "Indeed your father is sick"; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And Jacob was told, "Look, your son Joseph is coming to you"; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. Then Jacob said to Joseph: "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.' "

a. God Almighty appeared to me at Luz: Luz is another name for Bethel, where Jacob first met God. Jacob vividly remembered this outstanding encounter with the LORD.

b. Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you: Jacob's phrasing is reminiscent of exact promises God made to Abraham in Genesis 17 (see Genesis 17:2, 17:6, and 17:8). Abraham was careful to pass down the exact words of God's covenant with him to the inheritors of the covenant, because the exact words of God were important.

2. (5-6) Jacob adopts Joseph's sons as his own.

"And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance."

a. As Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine: Reuben and Simeon were the first and second born of Israel. Jacob receives the two sons of Joseph as adopted into the family at the highest level (as if they were the first and second born).

i. And, perhaps, they are "replacements" for Reuben and Simeon, who were in a sense disqualified from positions of status and leadership in Israel's family because of their sin (Genesis 34:25, 35:22).

b. They shall be mine: Jacob's adoption of Manasseh and Ephraim explains why there are 12 tribes often listed in different combinations. Because of this adoption, there are actually 13 sons of Israel. The 12 were born, but Joseph was divided into two tribes.

i. Therefore as the tribes are listed through the Old Testament, they can be juggled and still remain 12 tribes. There are more than 20 different ways of listing the tribes in the Old Testament.

ii. As a number, 12 is often associated with government or administration in God's eyes. There are 12 tribes, 12 apostles, 12 princes of Ishmael, 12 pillars on Moses' altar, 12 stones on the high priest's breastplate, 12 cakes of showbread, 12 silver platters, silver bowls, and gold pans for the service of the tabernacle, 12 spies to search out the land, 12 memorial stones, 12 governors under Solomon, 12 stones in Elijah's altar, 12 in each group of musicians and singers for Israel's worship, 12 hours in a day, 12 months in a year, 12 Ephesian men filled with the Holy Spirit, 12,000 from 12 tribes sealed and preserved through the tribulation, heaven has 12 gates of 12 pearls, and 12 angels at the gates, the New Jerusalem has 12 foundations, each with the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb, it's length, breadth, and height are all 12,000 furlongs, and the tree of life in heaven has 12 fruits. The number 12 is special to God.

3. (7) Jacob concludes his testimony with an eye to his soon death.

"But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."

B. Jacob blesses Manasseh and Ephraim.

1. (8-12) Jacob calls for Joseph's sons, to bless them.

Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, "Who are these?" And Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place." And he said, "Please bring them to me, and I will bless them." Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, "I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!" So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth.

a. He bowed down with his face to the earth: Joseph lived his own life as a high official of Egypt for many years, and had no contact with his father during that time. Yet it has not diminished the reverence he has towards his father.

2. (13-14) Jacob puts the favored hand on the second-born, despite Joseph's efforts.

And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

a. Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand: The right hand in the Bible always has the idea of the favored position because generally speaking, the right hand is the hand of strength and skill.

i. The right hand is associated with God's strength (Exodus 15:6), favor (Psalm 16:11), and help (Psalm 20:6). This is why Jesus is described as sitting at the right hand of God the Father (Mark 14:62).

b. Guiding his hands knowingly: Israel knew exactly what he intended to do. He deliberately chose the second-born to receive a greater blessing than the firstborn.

3. (15-16) The blessing of Jacob upon Manasseh and Ephraim.

And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; let my name be named upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."

a. And he blessed Joseph: Israel gave the same blessing to both sons, but the son of the right hand received a greater proportion of the blessing.

i. This was fulfilled in Israel's history. Both tribes were blessed, but Ephraim was greater as a tribe, even to the point where the name "Ephraim" was used to refer to the whole northern nation of Israel (see examples in Isaiah 7:8, 7:17, and 11:13).

b. The God who has fed me all my life long to this day: Jacob's testimony was a testimony of grace, not personal merit. He was not saying how faithful he was to God, but how faithful God was to him.

i. The phrase, "the God who has fed me" is literally "The God who has shepherded me." This is the first mention in the Bible of God as a shepherd to His people.

4. (17-20) Jacob answers Joseph's objection about the order of blessing.

Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head." But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations." So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!' " And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

a. This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head: As the two sons of Joseph stood before Israel, the older (Manasseh) was before Israel's right hand and the younger (Ephraim) was before Israel's left hand. Joseph positioned them intentionally so the older could receive the right hand blessing according to custom. Yet Isaac deliberately crossed his hands and put his right hand on Ephraim's head and his left hand on Manasseh's head.

b. For this one is the firstborn … truly his younger brother shall be greater than he: Ephraim was not the firstborn but God chose him to take the position of firstborn. Jeremiah 31:9 describes this: For I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn (Jeremiah 31:9).

i. This shows how the idea of "firstborn" in the Bible is often a position of pre-eminence, not necessarily meaning "first out of the womb."

ii. David had the position of firstborn, even though he was the youngest son (1 Samuel 16:11 and Psalm 89:27).

iii. Jesus has the pre-eminent position of firstborn (Colossians 1:15), though this does not mean Jesus was literally the first "born" creature of God, because Jesus was not created.

5. (21-22) Jacob makes a personal bequest to Joseph.

Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow."

a. Behold, I am dying: This is truly a passing of the torch to Joseph. Israel was the last of the three great patriarchs to pass from the scene.

i. "If Abraham dies, there is Isaac; and if Isaac dies, there is Jacob; and if Jacob dies, there is Joseph; and if Joseph dies, Ephraim and Manasseh survive. The Lord shall never lack a champion to bear his standard high among the sons of men. Only let us pray God to raise up more faithful ministers day and night. We have plenty of a sort, but, oh, for more that will weigh out sixteen ounces to the pound of gospel in such a way that people will receive it. We have too much of fine language, too much of florid eloquence, and little full and plain gospel preaching, but God will keep up the apostolic succession, never fear of that. When Stephen is dying, Paul is not far off. When Elijah is taken up, he leaves his mantle behind him." (Spurgeon)

b. One portion above your brothers: This refers to Joseph being father of two tribes, while each of his brothers only fathered one.

c. Which I took from the hand of the Amorite: Apparently, while still in Canaan, Jacob battled for control of a portion of land from the Amorites, and he deeded the land to Joseph and his descendants. The descendants of Joseph would take this land some 400 years later.

d. God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers: This completes a wonderful work regarding Jacob's recognition of God's presence his life.

- I am with you (Genesis 28:15): God gives the young believer every possible assurance of His presence and grace

- I will be with you (Genesis 31:3): God expects the growing believer to trust He will be with us, even when we only have the promise of His presence

- God … has been with me (Genesis 31:5): God gives a glorious testimony to the mature believer, able to say how God has been with us, even when we haven't felt His presence in the way we wished

- God will be with you (Genesis 48:21): God gives the mature believer the opportunity to encourage others with the promise of God's presence

C. Joseph as a picture of Jesus (list continued from the end of Genesis 41).

His brethren were driven out of their own land.
In his second appearing, he did not first go to his brothers; they came to him.
He knew his brethren even while unknown and unrecognized by them.
He blessed his brethren without their knowledge.
He wanted all of his brethren to come to him.
There was a significant time gap between his initial relationship with his brothers and his second relationship to his brothers.
He his brothers a way of deliverance through substitution.
His "second coming" to his brothers had two appearances. He made himself known to his brethren at his second appearing to them.
He was revealed as a man of compassion.
His brothers repented of rejecting him, with great wonder and tears.
He allowed no fellowship (as in eating together) until his brothers repented and he revealed himself.
His brethren went forth to proclaim his glory.
He made provision for his brethren.
He prepared a place for his brethren, and he received them into it.
He brought Jew and Gentile together in the land.

 

Genesis 49

THE BLESSING OF THE SONS OF JACOB
A. The cryptic blessings.

1. (1-2) What will befall the sons of Jacob in the last days.

And Jacob called his sons and said, "Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:
Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob,
And listen to Israel your father."

a. Jacob called his sons: Jacob, in what amounts to his last significant act as a patriarch and as the heir to Isaac and Abraham, will one-by-one pronounce a "blessing" upon each son.

b. What shall befall you in the last days: Some of these are not so much "blessings" as they are prophecies regarding what God will do with these tribes in the future.

i. This is the first conscious prophecy spoken by man in the Bible. There were many prophecies announced by God (such as the promise of the triumph of the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15), and other veiled prophecies by men, but this is the first knowing prophecy of the Bible.

ii. Jewish traditions say as Jacob was about to bless his sons, he was ready to tell them the "great secret concerning the end of time." But at that moment, the glory of God visited and left just as quickly, taking all trace of the knowledge of the great mystery, so he couldn't tell them.

c. You sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father: At the very beginning of the blessing, Jacob realized he was both Jacob and Israel, and his sons are sons of each. This was a place of spiritual maturity, realizing both what God made him (Israel) and what he had to battle against (Jacob).

2. (3-4) Reuben: You shall not excel.

"Reuben, you are my firstborn,
My might and the beginning of my strength,
The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.
Unstable as water, you shall not excel,
Because you went up to your father's bed;
Then you defiled it;
He went up to my couch."

a. You are my firstborn: As the firstborn of the family Reuben had claim to the inheritance rights of the firstborn, but he forfeited it through pride (The excellency of dignity) and immorality (you defiled it).

i. Reuben's immorality with his father's concubine Bilhah (the mother of his brothers Dan and Naphtali) is recorded in Genesis 35:22.

b. Unstable as water, you shall not excel: Because of Reuben's instability the birthright ends up being divided. Usually the firstborn was the spiritual and social leader of the "clan"; but the rights of blessing, priesthood, and ruling authority were divided among the sons of Israel rather than being centralized in one.

i. Though we see the great wisdom of God in "decentralizing" authority among the sons of Israel, Reuben paid a high price for his instability. As much as anything, God looks for stable character in those who will lead His people.

c. You shall not excel: The tribe of Reuben never did excel. No prophet, no judge, or no king came from the tribe of Reuben. Reuben is a great example of how the first can be last (Matthew 19:30).

3. (5-7) Simeon and Levi: I will … scatter them in Israel.

"Simeon and Levi are brothers;
Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place.
Let not my soul enter their council;
Let not my honor be united to their assembly;
For in their anger they slew a man,
And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce;
And their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob
And scatter them in Israel."

a. Simeon and Levi are brothers: The second-born son Simeon and the third-born son Levi received the same "blessing" for the same evil deed. They were instruments of cruelty when they wiped out all the men of Shechem in retaliation for the rape of their sister Dinah (Genesis 34:25-29).

i. Jacob, perhaps in weakness, did nothing at the time except register a small, self-centered complaint (Genesis 34:30). Yet he (and the LORD) remembered this event.

ii. The sins of our past can come back and haunt us. Even when forgiven, they may carry consequences we must face for a lifetime.

b. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce: The real problem with Simeon and Levi was their anger (in their anger they slew a man). Their anger was sin because it was rooted in self-will (in their self-will they hamstrung an ox).

i. The Bible speaks of a godly anger (Be angry and do not sin, Ephesians 4:26) and an ungodly anger (Let all bitterness, wrath, anger … be put away from you, Ephesians 4:31). Often, the difference between a godly, righteous anger and an ungodly anger is self-will.

c. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel: The prophecy of dividing and scattering turned out to be a curse for Simeon. The tribe of Simeon was the weakest numerically of the 12 (Numbers 26:14) and shared an allotment of land with Judah (Joshua 19:1).

i. In fact, the tribe of Simeon became small during the wilderness wanderings. They started out from Egypt being the third largest tribe (Numbers 1:23), but some 35 years later, at the second wilderness census of Israel, 63% of the tribe perished and they became the smallest tribe (Numbers 26:14).

d. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel: The prophecy of dividing and scattering became a blessing for Levi. Because of the faithfulness of this tribe during the rebellion of the golden calf (Exodus 32:26-28), it was scattered as a blessing throughout the whole nation of Israel. They received no large tract of land, for the LORD was their inheritance, not land (Joshua 13:33).

i. So both Simeon and Levi were scattered, but one as a blessing and the other as a curse.

ii. Washington Irving, the American writer, said: "It lightens the stroke to draw near to him who handles the rod." When we suffer from our sin, we should draw near to God and anticipate that in mercy He will turn suffering into blessing.

4. (8-12) Judah: The scepter shall not depart from Judah.

"Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father's children shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion's whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey's colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk."

a. Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise: Judah wasn't a completely exemplary character. He suggested a profit motive in getting rid of Joseph (Genesis 37:26). He did not deal faithfully with his daughter-in-law Tamar (Genesis 38:26), and he had sex with her as a prostitute (Genesis 38:18). But he did shine when he interceded and offered himself as a substitute for Joseph (Genesis 44:18-34). Overall, this blessing is an example of the riches of God's grace.

i. Jewish tradition says after Judah heard what Jacob had to say to Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, he was afraid because of the evil he did.

b. You are he whom your brothers shall praise … as a lion … the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet … to Him shall be the obedience of the people: Each of these refer to the ruling position Judah will have among his brethren. He inherited the leadership aspect of the firstborn's inheritance.

i. In Revelation 5:5, Jesus is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

ii. "The firstborn normally had two rights. First, he became the leader of the family, the new patriarch. Second, he was entitled to a double share of the inheritance, receiving twice as much as any of the other brothers." (Boice)

c. Until Shiloh comes: The "leadership" prophecy took some 640 years to fulfill in part (with the reign of David, first of Judah's dynasty of kings), and some 1600 years to fulfill in Jesus. Jesus is referred to as Shiloh, the name meaning, "He whose right it is" and a title anciently understood to speak of the Messiah.

i. From David until the Herods, a prince of Judah was head over Israel (even Daniel in captivity). The promise was that Israel would keep this scepter until Shiloh comes. Even under their foreign masters during this period, Israel had a limited right to self-rule, until 7 A.D. Then under Herod and the Romans, their right to capital punishment was taken away.

ii. At the time, the rabbis considered it a disaster of unfulfilled Scripture. Seemingly, the last vestige of the scepter had passed from Judah, and they did not see the Messiah. Rabbis walked the streets of Jerusalem and said, "Woe unto us, for the scepter has been taken away from Judah, and Shiloh has not come." Yet God's word had not been broken.

iii. Certainly, Jesus was alive then. Perhaps this was the very year He was 12 years old and discussed God's Word in the temple with the scholars of His day. Perhaps He impressed them with His understanding of this very issue.

c. Binding his donkey to the vine: This blessing also contains a description of Judah's material abundance (the vine … the choice vine). Judah's land was great wine-growing country.

5. (13) Zebulun: A haven for ships.

"Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea;
He shall become a haven for ships,
And his border shall adjoin Sidon."

a. Zebulun: Jacob now skipped the birth order, moving to the tenth-born and ninth-born sons, but staying with the sons born of Leah.

i. The tribe of Zebulun was noted for its faithfulness to David, supplying the largest number of soldiers to David's army of any single tribe: of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks (1 Chronicles 12:33).

b. He shall become a haven for ships: The tribe of Zebulun seems to settle the piece of land sitting between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Literally, shall dwell by the haven of the sea can be rendered "looking towards the sea." Zebulun did look to the sea, both to the East and West.

6. (14-15) Issachar: A strong donkey.

"Issachar is a strong donkey,
Lying down between two burdens;
He saw that rest was good,
And that the land was pleasant;
He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden,
And became a band of slaves."

a. Issachar is a strong donkey: Issachar was a large tribe - third in size according to the Numbers 26 census. Because of their size and abundance, they were often targets of oppressive foreign armies who put them into servitude. Thus, they became a band of slaves.

i. "The meaning seems to be that Issachar was strong, but docile and lazy. He would enjoy the good land assigned him but would not strive for it. Therefore, eventually he would be pressed into servitude and the mere bearing of burdens for his masters." (Leupold)

7. (16-18) Dan: A serpent by the way.

"Dan shall judge his people
As one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
A viper by the path,
That bites the horse's heels
So that its rider shall fall backward.
I have waited for your salvation, O LORD!"

a. Dan shall judge his people: The tribe of Dan did judge his people. They supplied one of the most prominent of the Judges, Samson (Judges 13:2).

b. Dan shall be a serpent by the way: But Dan was a troublesome tribe. They introduced idolatry into Israel (Judges 18:30). Jeroboam set up one of his idolatrous golden calves in Dan (1 Kings 12:26-30) and later Dan became a center of idol worship in Israel (Amos 8:14).

i. Some think the serpent by the way refers to the idea that the Antichrist comes from the tribe of Dan (based on Daniel 11:37 and Jeremiah 8:16).

ii. Dan is left out of the listing of tribes regarding the 144,000 in Revelation 7:5-8. But Dan is the first tribe listed in Ezekiel's millennial roll call of the tribes (Ezekiel 48). This is a remarkable sign of God's redemption.

c. I have waited for your salvation, O LORD: The Hebrew word for salvation is "yeshuwah." At this point in the prophecy, when Jacob is so near death, he called out for God's salvation. He called out for Jesus.

8. (19) Gad: He shall triumph at last.

"Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him,
But he shall triumph at last."

a. Gad: The tribe of Gad supplied many fine troops for David (1 Chronicles 12:14).

b. A troop shall tramp upon him: In the days of Jeremiah (among other times) foreign armies oppressed Gad (Jeremiah 49:1).

9. (20) Asher: He shall yield royal dainties.

"Bread from Asher shall be rich,
And he shall yield royal dainties."

a. Bread from Asher shall be rich: In Deuteronomy 33:24, Moses again took up this prophecy regarding Asher: Asher is most blessed of sons; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil.

10. (21) Naphtali: He gives goodly words.

"Naphtali is a deer let loose;
He uses beautiful words."

a. Naphtali: Naphtali's land was in a key portion near the Sea of Galilee, the region where Jesus did much of His teaching and ministry. It is fittingly said of him that he gives goodly words.

i. Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned" (Matthew 4:12-16).

11. (22-26) Joseph: A fruitful bough.

"Joseph is a fruitful bough,
A fruitful bough by a well;
His branches run over the wall.
The archers have bitterly grieved him,
Shot at him and hated him.
But his bow remained in strength,
And the arms of his hands were made strong
By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
By the God of your father who will help you,
And by the Almighty who will bless you
With blessings of heaven above,
Blessings of the deep that lies beneath,
Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
The blessings of your father
Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors,
Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills.
They shall be on the head of Joseph,
And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers."

a. Joseph is a fruitful bough: This is more of an accounting of his life and a personal blessing. In a sense, Joseph's tribes were already blessed when his sons received their blessing in Genesis 48.

b. The archers have bitterly grieved him: Though Joseph was shot at and hated, he was still a fruitful bough. This is because the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob. The idea is that God's hands were on Joseph's hands, giving him strength and skill to work the bow expertly. God was there, even when Joseph did not know it.

c. The Almighty who will bless you: Joseph was certainly blessed in his posterity. His tribes were some of the most populous. In this sense, he received the "material blessing," the double portion aspect of the inheritance of the firstborn.

d. The blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors: Jacob could say this because he was, for much of his life, a scoundrel. Now, at the end of his days, he saw just how good God was to him. He was forgiven much and loved much (Luke 7:47).

e. The Mighty God of Jacob: In his words about Joseph, Jacob listed five great titles for God. These titles show that Jacob did come to an understanding of who God is.

- The Mighty God of Jacob
- The Shepherd
- The Stone of Israel
- The God of your father
- The Almighty
i. This is much better than when Jacob referred to God as the God of Abraham or the Fear of his father Isaac (Genesis 31:53). Now he knows who God is for himself.

12. (27) Benjamin: a ravenous wolf.

"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
In the morning he shall devour the prey,
And at night he shall divide the spoil."

a. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf: This was the tribe with a reputation for fierceness. To see the great extent of this, look at Ehud (Judges 3:15-23), Saul (1 Samuel 9:1, 14:47-52), and Paul (Acts 8:1-3). The cruelty of the tribe in general is seen in Judges 19 and 20.

13. (28) Jacob concludes his blessing of the sons.

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

a. And he blessed them: Some of the things mentioned regarding these tribes may seem a bit cloudy, but only because we may not know exactly their fulfillment until the age to come.

B. Jacob's death.

1. (29-32) Jacob makes his sons promise to bury him in Canaan.

Then he charged them and said to them: "I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth."

a. Bury me with my fathers: Though Jacob is now in Egypt, he knew he was not an Egyptian. He was a son of the promise, an heir of God's covenant with Abraham, and he will be buried in the land promised to Abraham by covenant.

b. In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah: Egypt was filled with magnificent tombs, and because of the respect Jacob had he could have been buried like a Pharaoh. But he wanted to be buried in an obscure cave in Canaan, because Canaan was the land of promise.

2. (33) The death of Jacob.

And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

a. Breathed his last: This ends the life of the last of the great patriarchs, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But God can and will raise up other great men to use after them.

b. And was gathered to his people: There are said to be three basic attitudes towards death. Among the ancient Greeks, they held to what can be called the death-accepting view. Our modern world is sold out to a death-denying approach. The Biblical approach is the death-defying attitude.

 

Genesis 50

THE BURIAL OF JACOB; THE DEATH OF JOSEPH
A. Jacob is buried in Canaan.

1. (1-3) Jacob is embalmed and mourned.

Then Joseph fell on his father's face, and wept over him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

a. The Egyptians mourned him seventy days: Jacob was mourned for 70 days among the whole nation of Egypt. A royal mourning period in Egypt was 72 days. Jacob was obviously a greatly honored man.

2. (4-14) Jacob's body is brought to Canaan, and he is buried next to Leah, the wife who blessed him with his first four sons.

And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, 'My father made me swear, saying, "Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me." Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.'" And Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear." So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering. Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians." Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.

a. Joseph went up to bury his father: This was a dramatic burial. The entire clan gathered together to pay tribute to this man who was the last link with the patriarchs. The life of this man's grandfather overlapped with the sons of Noah.

i. "Luther remarks that there is no burial recorded in the Scriptures quite as honorable as this or with such wealth of detail." (Leupold)

b. They mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation: This was, no doubt, a day of rededication of the sons of Israel to the God of Israel, the God of the great covenant made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

B. Joseph comforts his brothers' fears.

1. (15) The fears of Joseph's brothers.

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him."

a. Perhaps Joseph will hate us: They feared that perhaps Joseph would turn on them after Jacob's death. Knowing human nature, this wasn't an unfounded concern.

b. And may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him: Here they freely acknowledged all the evil which they did. What they worried about was justice. They feared righteous retribution. Joseph, with his high status and prestige in Egypt, was certainly capable of bringing this retribution.

2. (16-18) The unlikely story of Joseph's brothers.

So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, "Before your father died he commanded, saying, 'Thus you shall say to Joseph: "I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you." ' Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, "Behold, we are your servants."

a. Before your father died he commanded: This story is probably concocted. They didn't feel they had the moral right to ask Joseph for mercy, since they sinned against him so greatly. So they put the request for mercy in the mouth of their honored and dead father.

b. Joseph wept when they spoke to him: Joseph probably wept because it seemed his brothers thought so little of him and they doubted his character so greatly.

c. Fell down before his face, and they said, "Behold, we are your servants": They backed up their plea for mercy with a genuine display of humility.

3. (19-21) Joseph comforts his brothers.

Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

a. Am I in the place of God? Joseph first understood he was not in the place of God. It wasn't his job to bring retribution upon his brothers. If the LORD chose to do it, He would have to find another instrument than Joseph.

i. From a human perspective, Joseph had the "right" and the ability to bring retribution upon his brothers, but he knew God was God, and he was not.

b. As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good: Joseph did not romanticize the wrong his brothers did. He plainly declared, "you meant evil against me." Although this was true, it was not the greatest truth. The greatest truth was "God meant it for good."

i. Every Christian should be able to see the overarching and overruling hand of God in their life, to know that no matter what evil man brings against us, God can use it for good.

ii. Joseph did not have the text of Romans 8:28, but he had the truth of it: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Alas, many of us who have the text do not have the truth.

iii. Ultimately, our lives are not in the hands of men, but in the hands of God, who overrules all things for His glory.

iv. There was an old minister who had a unique gift to minister to the distressed and discouraged. In his Bible, he carried an old bookmark woven of silk threads into a motto. The back of it, where the threads were knotted and tied, was a hopeless tangle. He would take the bookmark out and show the troubled person this side of the bookmark and ask them to make sense of it. They never could. Then the pastor would turn it over, and on the front were white letters against a solid background saying, "God is love." When events in our life seem tangled and meaningless, it is because we can see only one side of the tapestry.

c. To save many people alive: This was the immediate good in the situation. If this large family did not come to Egypt and live it would have perished in the famine. Had the family barely survived, it would have assimilated into the Canaanite tribes surrounding it. Only by coming to Egypt could they be preserved and grow into a distinct nation.

i. As said before, if Joseph's brothers never sell him to the Midianites, then Joseph never goes to Egypt. If Joseph never goes to Egypt, he never is sold to Potiphar. If he is never sold to Potiphar, Potiphar's wife never falsely accuses him of rape. If Potiphar's wife never falsely accuses him of rape, then he is never put in prison. If he is never put in prison, he never meets the baker and butler of Pharaoh. If he never meets the baker and butler of Pharaoh, he never interprets their dreams. If he never interprets their dreams, he never gets to interpret Pharaoh's dream. If he never gets to interpret Pharaoh's dream, he never is made prime minister. If he is never made prime minister, he never wisely administrates for the severe famine coming upon the region. If he never wisely administrates for the severe famine coming upon the region, then his family back in Canaan perishes from the famine. If his family back in Canaan perishes from the famine, then the Messiah can't come forth from a dead family. If the Messiah can't come forth, then Jesus never came. If Jesus never came, then you are dead in your sins and without hope in this world. We are grateful for God's great and wise plan.

d. And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them: Because Joseph trusted the overarching hand of God, even in all the evil that came upon him through his brothers, he showed the love and compassion to them he did.

i. Often, the problem we have in loving others and in freeing ourselves from bitterness we may have towards them, is really a problem of not knowing who God is and trusting Him to be who He says He is.

ii. Joseph's love for his brothers was shown not only in feelings and words, but also in practical action. He actually did provide for his brothers and their families.

C. The death of Joseph.

1. (22-24) Joseph is still in Egypt, but his heart was in Canaan.

So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph's knees. And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."

a. God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land to the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob: Joseph was the human agent most responsible for bringing this family to Egypt. Yet he knew that because of the covenant God had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, this would not be their resting place. They were headed - eventually - back to Canaan.

2. (25-26) The death and embalming of Joseph.

Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here." So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

a. He was put in a coffin in Egypt: According to this passage and Hebrews 11:22, Joseph was never buried. His coffin laid aboveground for the 400 or so years until it was taken back to Canaan. It was a silent witness for all those years that Israel was going back to the Promised Land, just as God said.

i. All during that time, when a child of Israel saw Joseph's coffin and asked what it was there for and why it was not buried, they could be answered, "Because the great man Joseph did not want to be buried in Egypt, but in the Promised Land God will one day lead us to."

b. You shall carry up my bones from here: This promise was fulfilled some 400 years later, when Israel left Egypt (Exodus 13:19) This command showed that Joseph's heart was in the Promised Land. It also proved him to be a man of great faith, trusting in things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:22).

i. Some promises of God take a long time to fulfill, and we must persevere in trusting God. George Mueller was a remarkable man of faith who ran orphanages in England. In a sermon preached when he was 75 years old, he said 30,000 times in his 54 years as a Christian he received the answer to prayer on the same day he prayed it. But not all his prayers were answered so quickly. He told of one prayer that he brought to God about 20,000 times over more than 11 years, and he still trusted God for the answer: "I hope in God, I pray on, and look for the answer. Therefore, beloved brethren and sisters, go on waiting upon God, go on praying."

ii. Joseph died looking forward to God's unfolding plan of redemption, and that is where the Book of Genesis - the Book of Beginnings - ends. It concludes looking forward to the continuation of God's eternal, loving, wise plan.

 

I would like to thank Sly. I have been wondering what to look at next, and he inspired me with one of his recent posts.

Question: "How can I recognize a false teacher / false prophet?"

Answer:Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23-27; see also2 Peter 3:3andJude 17-18). The best way to guard yourself against falsehood and false teachers is to know the truth. To spot a counterfeit, study the real thing. Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine. For example, a believer who has read the activities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit inMatthew 3:16-17will immediately question any doctrine that denies the Trinity. Therefore, step one is to study the Bible and judge all teaching by what the Scripture says.

Jesus said “a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). When looking for “fruit,” here are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:

1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? InMatthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this answer Peter is called “blessed.” In2 John 9, we read, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus’ humanity.First John 2:22says, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”

2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns inGalatians 1:7, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9).

3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers,Jude 11says, “They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain’s rejection of God’s plan), greed (Balaam’s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah’s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).

For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.

 

Question: "How can I detect a false conversion?"

Answer:To convert is to be “born again.” At the moment of conversion, the converted person is filled with the Holy Spirit and begins a journey of turning away from sin and beginning to worship and serve the Lord. A “false conversion” is no conversion at all. A false conversion maylook likea true, Spirit-caused conversion, but it is not. The reasons for false conversions are varied. Sometimes the person experiencing a false conversion doesn’t even realize it. At other times, there is intentional deception on his/her part. Not everyone who claims to have been converted has, in fact, been converted.

Just as those trained to recognize counterfeit money become intimately acquainted with the real thing, in order to detect a false conversion, it is necessary to first know what true Christian behavior looks like. We do this by studying and knowing intimately God’s Word. We learn from the Parable of the Weeds inMatthew 13:24–30that Satan works to deceive the church by mingling his children with God’s children, often making it difficult for believers to discern the true from the false. The more we are familiar with Scripture, the easier it will be for us to detect the true Christians from the false converts.

True Christians are “born again” (John 3:3) and are controlled by the Holy Spirit; they are no longer controlled by their sinful nature (Romans 8:9). Indeed, born-again Christians have the Spirit of Christ indwelling their hearts (Galatians 4:6), and they become new creations: “The old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). When a person receives Christ, tremendous spiritual changes take place in him, and true converts will indeed display the characteristics of genuine Christians. For example, true Christians will understand the importance of abiding daily in God’s Word, which shows not only how we can be saved from our sins, but also how we may be equipped to serve God and how to obtain true success in life (2 Timothy 3:17;James 1:25). True Christians will walk in the light and obey God’s commands, for “God’s love is truly made complete” in those who obey His Word (1 John 2:5).

Christians live by the Spirit so as not to gratify the desires of the sinful nature, “for the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:17). The things of this world, “the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does” (1 John 2:16) no longer have a stronghold on the life of the true believer. Indeed, “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). We no longer live for us; rather, we live for the One who died for us, sacrificing our desires and ambitions and replacing them with those of Christ. Granted, we will never be completely victorious in our Christian walk (1 John 1:8); however, Christians will not repeatedly engage in sinful behavior, as “no one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed [nature] remains in him” (1 John 3:9). And this new nature exhibits the habitual character of righteousness produced by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).

InMatthew 7:13–14Christ tells His followers the road that leads to eternal life is narrow and that “only a few find it.” The broad road with the wide gate, on the other hand, is the one that leads to destruction, and we see that “many” will take this path. And many who claim to be converted Christians will never leave the broad road with its worldly allurements. They desire to live an easy Christianity that makes few demands on them, yet when “trouble or persecution comes because of the word” they quickly fall away (Matthew 13:21). Furthermore, they produce little, if any, fruit. Yet we know that true faith in Christ profoundly changes one’s life and will cause us to produce much fruit for God’s glory. And, ultimately, fruit is the test of true salvation, and this includes holiness (Romans 6:22), Christian character (Galatians 5:22–23), good works (Colossians 1:10), winning others to Christ (Romans 1:13), sharing what we have (Romans 15:25–28;Hebrews 13:16), and praising God (Hebrews 13:15). As Christ said, “By their fruit you will recognize them. . . . A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit” (Matthew 7:16,18).

Truly converted sinners have trusted Christ alone and seek to become more and more Christlike all the time. Those who claim to be Christians should display the characteristics of true Christians: sound doctrine, obedience to God’s Word, and love. They should unashamedly work to spread the good news of the gospel, as we are called to do (Matthew 28:19–20), knowing well that they might be mocked and ridiculed by many in these increasingly secular times. And although false Christians may sometimes be able to deceive us, they certainly cannot deceive God, as nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13). At the end of the age, His angels will separate the true from the false Christians.

 

Look back at the original post by ABM, and the first few pages, and you'll see what this thread was actually intended as. Not a bad idea at all.

But then DaLincolnJones decided to hijack it and use it as his personal pulpit for internet evangelizing. Although I am an atheist I have read the bibles and philosophies of many religions and derive personal inspiration from many of them, since after all they are merely the thoughts and ideas of mankind.

I posted one of my favorite scriptures on page 1 and since have only posted answers in response to questions posed by DaLincolnJones from his pulpit.

I agree with your decision to delete these posts, but only if you also delete the 20 odd pages of evangelism that originally hijacked the thread's purpose and intent.

If a poster wants to preach, this is not the place. Let him start a bible-school thread.

 

Apparently you haven't actually read any of his posts. He is posting his personal re-interpretations of scriptures, then evangelizing on his interpretation, often without even posting the actual scripture as it was written. The only reason I have posted answers to his questions, is because he asked questions.

I guess I really don't care if you want to let him ramble on incessantly since he's already destroyed the thread's original intent and most people had already contributed what they wanted to.

Better than him standing on 4th and Burnside screaming at passersby.

BTW, do the rest of us get our own thread to preach from? Denny could set up a "Ramble-On" board exclusively for that purpose.

 

Unsolicited advice is rarely heeded, even when the advised sees the merit in it.

 

We are admonished against being a false witness several time in the book.
The 8th or 9th of the 10 commandments

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour

Exodus|23:1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be
an unrighteous witness.

Proverbs|6:16 These six [things] doth the LORD hate: yea, seven [are] an abomination
unto him:

Proverbs|6:19 A false witness [that] speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among
brethren.

 

Jude 1


CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
These shorter letters of the New Testament are often neglected, but the neglect of this important letter says more about us than it does about the Book of Jude. "Its neglect reflects more the superficiality of the generation that neglects it than the irrelevance of its burning message." (Guthrie)

A. The danger that prompted Jude to write this letter.

1. (1) The author and the readers.

Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:

a. Jude: The name is literally "Judas." But to avoid connection with Judas Iscariot, the infamous man who betrayed Jesus, most English translators have used the name "Jude."

i. There are six people named "Judas" mentioned in the New Testament, but the best evidence identifies this as the one mentioned in Matthew 13:55 andMark 6:3: Jude, the half-brother of Jesus.

ii. Jude, like the other half-brothers of Jesus (including James), didn't believe in Jesus as the Messiah until after the resurrection of Jesus (John 7:5 and Acts 1:14).

b. A bondservant of Jesus Christ: Jude was a blood relative of Jesus, but he considered himself only as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. The fact that he wanted himself to be known this way instead of introducing himself as "Jude, the half-brother of Jesus" tells us something of the humility of Jude and the relative unimportance of being connected to Jesus by human relationships.

i. Jesus spoke of this relative unimportance in passage such asMark 3:31-35 and Luke 11:27-28.

ii. Without a doubt, Jude valued the fact that Jesus was his half-brother and that he grew up in the same household as Jesus. But even more valuable to him was his new relationship with Jesus. To Jude, the blood of the cross that saved him was more important than the family blood in his veins that related him to Jesus. Jude could say with Paul, "Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer."(2 Corinthians 5:16)

c. And brother of James: James was an important leader of the church in Jerusalem and the author of the New Testament letter that bears his name. Both James and Jude were half-brothers of Jesus.

d. To those who are called: Jude wrote to Christians. This is not an evangelistic tract and it deals with things that believers need to hear, but often don't want to.

i. Jude identified his readers as Christians in three specific ways:

- They were called. A person is a Christian because God has calledthem. The important thing is to answer the call when it comes, just as we answer the telephone when it is ringing.
- They were sanctified by God the Father. This means that they wereset apart - set apart from the world and set apart unto God.
- They were preserved in Jesus. Jesus Christ is our guardian and our protector.
3. (2) Jude gives a warm and typical greeting.

Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

a. Mercy, peace, and love: This is not the same greeting as found in most of Paul's letters (which usually begin with some variation of "Grace and peace unto you"). Yet it is substantially the same.

b. Be multiplied to you: In the mind and heart of Jude, it wasn't enough to havemercy, peace, and love added to the life of the Christian. He looked formultiplication instead of simple addition.

4. (3) The call to defend the faith.

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

a. I was very diligent to write to you: Jude's initial desire was to write about our common salvation. But something happened - Jude found it necessary to write a different letter. We might say that this was the letter that didn't want to be written.

i. The letter of Jude is essentially a sermon. In it, Jude preached against the dangerous practices and doctrines that put the gospel of Jesus Christ in peril. These were serious issues and Jude dealt with them seriously.

ii. We should be happy that Jude was sensitive to the Holy Spirit here. What might have only been a letter from a Christian leader to a particular church instead became a precious instrument inspired by the Holy Spirit and valuable as a warning in these last days.

b. Concerning our common salvation: Our salvation isn't common in the sense that it is cheap or that everyone has it. It is common in the sense that we are saved in common, in community. God doesn't have one way for the rich and another way for the poor, or one way for the good and another way for the bad. We all come to God the same way. If it isn't a common salvation, it isn't God'ssalvation - and it isn't salvation at all.

i. An individual Christian may not know it, understand it, or benefit by it, but to be a Christian is to be a part of community. To be a Christian means you stand shoulder to shoulder with millions of Christians who have gone before. We stand with strong Christians and weak Christians; brave Christians and cowardly Christians; old Christians and young Christians. We are part of an invisible, mighty army that spans back through the generations.

ii. "Upon other matters there are distinctions among believers, but yet there is a common salvation enjoyed by the Arminian as well as by the Calvinist, possessed by the Presbyterian as well as by the Episcopalian, prized by the Quaker as well as by the Baptist. Those who are in Christ are more near of kin than they know of, and their intense unity in deep essential truth is a greater force than most of them imagine: only give it scope and it will work wonders." (Spurgeon)

iii. In the 1980's a survey poll found that 70% of Americans who go to church say that you can be a good Christian without going to church. This doesn't match with Jude's idea of a common salvation.

c. Exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith: This was the great need that Jude interrupted his intended letter to address. The ancient Greek word translated "contend" comes from the athletic world - from the wrestling mat. It is a strengthened form of the word meaning "to agonize." Therefore "contend" speaks of hard and diligent work.

i. The verb translated contend earnestly is in the present infinitive, showing that the Christian struggle is continuous.

ii. We contend earnestly for the faith because it is valuable. If you walk into an art gallery and there are no guards or no sort of security system, you must draw one conclusion: there is nothing very valuable in that art gallery. Valuables are protected; worthless things are not.

d. Exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith: If we emphasize the word you, we see that this was something that Jude wanted each individual Christian to do. There are many ways that every Christian can contend earnestly for the faith.

i. We contend for the faith in a positive sense when we give an unflinching witness, distribute tracts, make possible the training of faithful ambassadors for Jesus, or when we strengthen the hands of faithful pastors who honor the Word of God in their pulpits. These are a few among many ways that we can contend earnestly for the faith in a positive sense.

ii. We contend for the faith in a negative way when we withhold support and encouragement from those who compromise the faith, when we speak out against the preaching of another gospel, or speak out against a manner of living that contradicts the message of the gospel.

iii. We contend for the faith in a practical sense when we live uncompromising Christian lives and give credit to the Lord who changed us.

iv. Obviously, faithful missionaries and evangelists contend earnestly for the faith. But so does the Sunday School teacher or home group leaders who is faithful to the Scriptures. People like this contend for the faith just as much as a front-line missionary does, and each one of us should contend for the gospel wherever God puts us.

e. Contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints: Here, Jude tells us what we are contending for. There is a lot of earnest contention in the world but usually not for the right things. The faith once for all delivered to the saints is something worth contending for.

i. "The faith" doesn't mean our own personal belief, or faith in the sense of our trust in God. The phrase the faith means "The essential truths of the gospel that all true Christians hold in common." The faith is used in this sense repeatedly in the New Testament (Acts 6:7, 13:8, 14:22, 16:5, 24:24;Romans 1:5 and 16:26; Colossians 2:7, and 1 Timothy 1:2 are just some of the examples). We must contend earnestly for the truth. "The faith is the body of truth that very early in the church's history took on a definite form (cf. Acts 2:42; Romans 6:17; Galatians 1:23)." (Blum)

ii. Once means that the faith was delivered one time, and doesn't need to be delivered again. Of course, we distribute this truth again and again. But it was delivered by God to the world through the apostles and prophetsonce (Ephesians 2:2). God may speak today, but never in the authoritative way that He spoke through the first apostles and prophets as recorded in the New Testament. "There is no other gospel, there will be none. Its content will be more fully understood, its implications will be developed, its predictions will be fulfilled; but it will never be supplemented or succeeded or supplanted." (Erdman)

iii. For all means that this faith is for everybody. We don't have the option to simply make up our own faith and still be true to God. This faith is for all, but today, it isn't popular to really believe in the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Instead, most people want to believe in the faith they make up as they go along and decide is right for them. More people believe in "the faith that is in my heart" than the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

iv. In the book Habits of the Heart, Robert Bellah and his colleagues wrote about an interview with a young nurse named Sheila Larson, whom they described as representing many American's experience and views on religion. Speaking about her own faith and how it operated in her life, she said: "I believe in God. I'm not a religious fanatic. I can't remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. It is 'Sheilaism.' Just my own little voice." We might say that this highly individualistic faith is the most popular religion in the world, but the idea that we can or should put together our own faith is wrong. Christianity is based on one faith, which was once for all delivered to the saints.

5. (4) We need to contend for the faith because there are dangerous men among Christians.

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

a. Certain men have crept in unnoticed: In part, this is what makes them so dangerous - they are unnoticed. No one noticed that they were dangerous. They didn't wear a "Danger: False Teacher" name tag. These certain menprobably claimed to be more Biblical than anybody else was.

i. Crept in means, "To slip in secretly as if by a side door." (Robertson) "Satan knows right well that one devil in the church can do far more than a thousand devils outside her bounds." (Spurgeon)

b. Who long ago were marked out for this condemnation: These certain men have a destiny - the destiny of every false teacher and leader. They aremarked and destined for this condemnation, and it is enough to say that they are ungodly men. They are ungodly simply in the sense that they are not like God and no matter the outward appearances, they disregard God.

i. They were unnoticed by men, but not by God. The Lord is not wringing His hands in heaven, worrying about those who deceive others through their teaching and through their lifestyles. They may be hidden to some believers but as far as God is concerned, their condemnation was marked out long ago. Their judgment is assured. The truth will win out; our responsibility is to be on the side with the truth.

c. Who turn the grace of our God into lewdness: These certain men had received something of the grace of God. But when they received it, they turned it into an excuse for their lewdness.

i. The idea behind the ancient word lewdness is sin that is practiced without shame, without any sense of conscience or decency. Usually the word is used in the sense of sensual sins, such as sexual immorality. But it can also be used in the sense of brazen anti-biblical teaching, when the truth is denied and lies are taught without shame. Jude probably had both ideas in mind here, because as the rest of the letter will develop, these certain menhad both moral problems and doctrinal problems.

ii. These words of Jude show that there is a danger in preaching grace. There are some who may take the truth of God's grace and turn the grace of our God into lewdness. But this doesn't mean there is anything wrong or dangerous about the message of God's grace. It simply shows how corrupt the human heart is.

d. Who deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ: These certain men deny the Lord Jesus Christ. They do this by refusing to recognize who Jesus said He was, and therefore they also deny who God the Father is also.

i. We are not told specifically how these men deny the only Lord God. It may be that they denied Him with their ungodly living or it may be that they denied Him with their heretical doctrines. Probably both were true.

B. Three examples that show the certainty of God's judgment against the certain men.

1. (5) The example of the people of Israel.

But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

a. But I want to remind you, though you once knew this: Jude knew he wasn't telling them anything new. They were already taught this example, but they needed to hear it again and to apply it to their present situation.

i. Ideally, every Christian would read these allusions to the Old Testament and say, "Yes Jude, I know exactly what you are talking about." If we don't know what Jude wrote about, it shows we need to deepen our understanding of the Bible.

ii. "As for the root facts, the fundamental doctrines, the primary truths of Scripture, we must from day to day insist upon them. We must never say of them, 'Everybody knows them'; for, alas! everybody forgets them." (Spurgeon)

iii. "The use of God's Word is not only to teach what we could not have otherwise known, but also to rouse us to a serious meditation of those things which we already understand, and not to suffer us to grow torpid in a cold knowledge." (Calvin)

b. The Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt: Jude reminds us of what happened in Numbers 14. God delivered the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. They went out of Egypt and without unintended delays came to a place called Kadesh Barnea, on the threshold of the Promised Land. But at Kadesh Barnea, the people refused to trust God and go into the Promised Land of Canaan. Therefore almost none of the adult generation who left Egypt entered into the Promised Land.

i. Think of what God did for the people of Israel in this situation, and then how they responded to Him. They experienced God's miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea. They heard the very voice of God at Mount Sinai. They received His daily care and provision of manna in the wilderness. Yet they still lapsed into unbelief, and never entered into the place of blessing and rest God had for them.

c. Afterward destroyed those who did not believe: Those who doubted and rejected God at Kadesh Barnea paid a bigger price than just not entering the Promised Land. They also received the judgment of God. Psalm 95 describes how the Lord reacted to them: For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, 'It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways. "So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest". (Psalm 95:10-11)

i. The warning through Jude is clear. The people of Israel started out from Egypt well enough. They had many blessings from God along the way. But they did not endure to the end, because they did not believe God's promise of power and protection.

ii. This example gives two lessons. First, it assures us that the certain mencausing trouble will certainly be judged, even though they may have started out well in their walk with God. Jude says, "The certain men might have started out well. But so did the children of Israel, and God afterward destroyed those who did not believe." Second, it warns us that we alsomust follow Jesus to the end, and never be among those who did not believe. The final test of our Christianity is endurance. Some start the race but never finish it.

2. (6) The example of the angels who sinned.

And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

a. The angels who did not keep their proper domain: Jude's letter is famous for bringing up obscure or controversial points, and this is one of them. Jude speaks of the angels who sinned, who are now imprisoned and awaiting a future day of judgment.

i. "It is not too much to say that the New Testament no where else presents so many strange phenomenon, or raises so many curious questions within so narrow a space." (Salmond, Pulpit Commentary)

b. Angels who did not keep their proper domain: There is some measure of controversy about the identity of these particular angels. We only have two places in the Bible where it speaks of angels sinning. First, there was the original rebellion of some angels against God (Isaiah 14:12-14, Revelation 12:4). Second, there was the sin of the sons of God described in Genesis 6:1-2.

i. Genesis 6:1-2 is a controversial passage all on its own. It says, "Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose." There is a significant debate as to if the sons of God are angelic beings, or just another way of saying "followers of God" among humans. Jude helps us answer this question.

c. Did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode: This offence was connected with some kind of sexual sin, such as the sexual union between rebellious angelic beings (the sons of God in Genesis 6:2) and the human beings (the daughters of men in Genesis 6:2). We know that there was some sexual aspect to this sin because Jude tells us in the following verse, Jude 7: as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh. The words in a similar manner to these refers back to the angels of Jude 6, and the words gone after strange flesh refers to their unnatural sexual union.

i. We know some things about this unnatural sexual union from Genesis 6. We know that this unnatural union produced unnatural offspring. The unnatural union corrupted the genetic pool of mankind, so God had to find Noah, a man perfect in his generations (Genesis 6:9) - that is, "pure in his genetics." This unnatural union prompted an incredibly drastic judgment of God - a global flood, wiping out all of mankind except for eight people.

ii. We can add another piece of knowledge from Jude 6. This unnatural union prompted God to uniquely imprison the angels who sinned in this way. They are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.

iii. As for the specific details of this unnatural union, it is useless to speculate. We don't know how "fallen angel" genetic material could mix with human genetic material. Perhaps it happened through a unique form of demon possession and the fallen angel worked through a human host. We know that angels have the ability to assume human appearance at least temporarily, but we don't know more than that.

d. He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day: God judged these wicked angels, setting them in everlasting chains. Apparently some fallen angels are in bondage while others are unbound and active among mankind as demons.

i. By not keeping their proper place, they are now kept in chains. Their sinful pursuit of freedom put them in bondage. In the same way, those who insist on the freedom to do whatever they want are like these angels - bound with everlasting chains. True freedom comes from obedience.

ii. If angels cannot break the chains sin brought upon them, we are foolish to think that humans can break them. We can't set ourselves free from these chains, but we can only be set free by Jesus.

iii. This reminds us that these angels who sinned with an unnatural sexual union are no longer active. With His radical judgment back in the days of Noah, God put and end to this kind of unnatural sexual union.

iv. This example gives two lessons. First, it assures us that the certain mencausing trouble will be judged, no matter what their spiritual status had been. These angels at one time stood in the immediate, glorious presence of God - and now they are in everlasting chains. If God judged the angels who sinned, He will judge these certain men. Second, it warns us that we also must continue walking with Jesus. If the past spiritual experience of these angels didn't guarantee their future spiritual state, then neither does ours. We must keep walking and be on guard.

3. (7) The example of Sodom and Gomorrah.

As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

a. As Sodom and Gomorrah: These two cities (and the cities around them) also stand as examples of God's judgment. Their sin - which was most conspicuously homosexuality, but included other sins as well - brought forth God's judgment.

i. Sodom and Gomorrah were blessed, privileged places. They were situated in a blessed area: it was well watered everywhere … like the garden of the LORD. (Genesis 13:10)

b. Having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh: Jude refers to the account in Genesis 19, where the homosexual conduct of the men of Sodom is described. Ezekiel 16:49 tells us of other sins of Sodom: Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Sexual depravity was not their onlysin, but it was certainly among their sins, and Jude makes this plain.

i. The sins described in Ezekiel 16:49 show that Sodom and Gomorrah were indeed prosperous, blessed areas. You don't have fullness of food, and abundance of idleness if you don't have material blessings. But despite their great blessing from God and material prosperity, they sinned and were judged.

c. Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire: In Genesis 19, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with fire from heaven. But that wasn't the end of their judgment by fire. Far worse than what happened in Genesis 19, they sufferedthe vengeance of eternal fire.

i. This example gives two lessons. First, it assures us that the certain mencausing trouble will be judged, no matter how much they had been blessed in the past. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah were once wonderfully blessed but eventually suffered the vengeance of eternal fire, so will it be with these certain men. Second, it warns us that we also must continue walking with Jesus. If the blessings of the past didn't guarantee their future spiritual state, then neither does ours.

C. More sins of the certain men.

1. (8) The character of these dangerous certain men.

Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.

a. Likewise also: Jude connected the certain men with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah in their sensuality (defile the flesh) and in their rejection of God's authority (reject authority).

i. When Jude pointed out that these certain men reject authority, it meant that they wanted to be in authority. Therefore they rejected the authority of God and they rejected those God put in authority.

ii. Today, our culture encourages us to reject authority and to recognizeself as the only real authority in our lives. We can do this with the Bible, by choosing to only believe certain passages. We can do it with our beliefs, by choosing at the "salad bar" of religion. Or we can do it with our lifestyle, by making our own rules and not recognizing the proper authorities God has established.

iii. In the darkest days of Israel, society was characterized by a term: every man did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25) Today, this is the pattern of all the world and especially Western civilization.

b. These dreamers: It is possible that Jude meant that the certain men were out of touch with reality. It is more likely that he meant they claimed to have prophetic dreams which were really deceptions.

c. Speak evil of dignitaries: Probably these dignitaries were the apostles or other leaders in the church. Their rejection of authority was connected with their speaking evil of dignitaries.

2. (9) Michael the archangel as an example of someone who would not speak evil of dignitaries.

Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

a. Michael the archangel … the devil: Jude mentioned two kinds of angelic beings. Michael is among the angelic beings faithful to God, who are the servants of God and man. The devil is among the angelic beings rebelling against God, who are the enemies of man.

i. There are invisible, angelic beings all around us. There are ministering spirits sent by God to assist us, and demonic spirits who want to defeat us. The devil can't unsave a saved person; but through his deceptions he can corrupt and defile a Christian who is supposed to walk in purity and freedom. To the devil, we are time bombs, ready to wreck his work - bombs that he would liked to defuse and make ineffective.

ii. Many people today don't believe the devil exists, but the Bible says he does. Or, if they believe he exists, they think of him in funny images from the Middle Ages. Back then, miracle plays were a chief form of entertainment. They were sort of a pageant where religious stories were acted out on stage. The audience learned to look for one character that was always dressed in red, wore horns on his head, and had a tail dangling behind him. His shoes looked like cloven hoofs, and he had a pitchfork in his hand. The audience was amused by this silly characterization of Satan, and got the idea that he was sort of a comical character. The devil doesn't mind being thought of this way.

b. Michael the archangel: This angelic being is mentioned by name in four passages of the Bible: Daniel 10, Daniel 12, Revelation 12 and here in Jude. Every time Michael appears, it is in the context of battle or readiness to fight. He is an archangel, which simply means a "leading angel."

i. If the devil has an opposite, it certainly isn't God. It is Michael the archangel - another high ranking angelic being.

ii. "Let it be observed that the word archangel is never found in the pluralnumber in the sacred writings. There can be properly only one archangel, one chief or head of all the angelic host. Nor is the word devil, as applied to the great enemy of mankind, ever found in the plural; there can be but one monarch of all fallen spirits." (Clarke)

c. When he disputed about the body of Moses: This is another obscure reference by Jude. The last we read about the body of Moses is inDeuteronomy 34:5-6: So Moses, the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor; but no one knows the grave to this day.

i. We don't know where Jude received his information about this dispute. He may have received a unique revelation from God. But according to teachers in the early church, Jude referred to an apocryphal book known as theAssumption of Moses, of which only small portions survive.

ii. We don't even exactly know why there was a dispute about the body of Moses. Some have said that the devil wanted to use Moses' body as an object of worship to lead Israel astray into idolatry. Others have thought that Satan wanted to desecrate the body of Moses, and claimed a right to it because Moses had murdered an Egyptian.

iii. It is more likely consider that the devil anticipated a purpose God had for Moses' body, and he tried to defeat that plan. We know that after his death, Moses appeared in bodily form at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-3) with Elijah (whose body was caught up to heaven in 2 Kings 2). Perhaps also Moses and Elijah are the two witnesses of Revelation 11, and God needed Moses' body for that future plan.

iv. But for Jude, the main point isn't why Michael was disputed, but how he disputed with the devil.

d. Dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" The manner of Michael's fight is a model for spiritual warfare. First, we see that Michael was in a battle. Second, we see that he battled with the Lord's authority.

i. This proves to us that Michael is not Jesus, as some heretical groups have thought. Jesus rebuked the devil in His own authority, but Michael did not. "The point of contrast is that Michael could not reject the devil's accusation on his own authority." (Bauckham)

ii. Significantly, Michael dared not bring against him a reviling accusation. Michael did not mock or accuse the devil. God hasn't called us to judge the devil, to condemn the devil, to mock him or accuse him, but to battle against him in the name of the Lord.

iii. This relates to the certain men by a "how much more" line of thinking. If Michael dared not bring against him a reviling accusation against the devil, how much more should these certain men not speak evil of dignitaries.

3. (10) More of the bad character of the certain men.

But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

a. But these speak evil: In contrast to Michael, who would not even speak evil of the devil, these certain men spoke evil, especially when they rejected authority and spoke against dignitaries.

b. Of whatever they do not know: The certain men didn't even know the things or the people they spoke evil about. Their evil speech was made worse by their ignorance.

i. Since they also spoke against dignitaries and rejected authority, thesecertain men did not know about true spiritual leadership and authority - so they found it easy to speak evil against it.

c. Whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves: These certain men pretended to be spiritual, but their only knowledge was really natural. Even what they knew naturally, they still used to corrupt themselves with an unspiritual mind.

i. Brute beasts can be smart or clever in an instinctive way, but they obviously do not have spiritual knowledge. It was the same way with thesecertain men.

ii. "How ironical that when men should claim to be knowledgeable, they should actually be ignorant; when they think themselves superior to the common man they should actually be on the same level as animals, and be corrupted by the very practices in which they seek liberty and self-expression." (Green)

D. Three examples of the certain men.

1. (11a) The certain men have gone in the way of Cain.

Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain,

a. The way of Cain: Cain's story is found in Genesis 4. Each of the sons of Adam and Eve brought an offering to the Lord. Cain (being a farmer) brought an offering from his harvest. Abel (being a shepherd) brought an offering from his flocks. God accepted Abel's offering, but He rejected Cain's sacrifice.

i. Many people assume that because Abel brought a blood sacrifice and Cain brought a grain sacrifice, that the difference between the two offerings was sacrificial blood. But the real difference was between faith and unbelief.Hebrews 11:4 makes this plain: By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

ii. Cain's sacrifice was probably more pleasing to the senses than the carcass of a dead lamb. But his sacrifice was offered without faith, and therefore it was unacceptable to God. You can give to God whatever you have or whatever you are, but you must offer it in faith.

b. The way of Cain: Genesis 4:5 says that after God rejected his sacrifice, Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. He became angry because he knew he was rejected by God. In a fit of anger Cain murdered Abel, and then he lied about it to God.

i. 1 John 3:12 tells us that Cain murdered his brother because Abel's works were righteous (by faith), while Cain's own were wicked. Cain's lack was not in works, but in faith.

c. The way of Cain: Jude says that Cain typifies a way that the certain menfollow in. It is the way of unbelief and empty religion, which leads to jealousy, persecution of the truly godly, and eventually to murderous anger.

i. There is no greater curse on the earth than empty, vain religion; those who have a form of godliness but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3:5) No wonder Paul added, and from such people turn away!

ii. Many Christians are afraid of secular humanism or atheism or the world. But dead religion is far more dangerous, and sends more people to hell than anything else. These certain men were in the way of Cain, they way of dead religion.

2. (11b) The certain men are in the error of Balaam.

Have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit,

a. The error of Balaam: Balaam's story is in Numbers 22 to 25 and 31. During the time of the Exodus, Israel advanced to the land of Moab, after defeating the Amorites. When the Israelites came near, King Balak of Moab sought the help of a prophet named Balaam.

i. The first delegation from King Balak arrived and God told Balaam to have nothing to do with them. God's initial words to Balaam were, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed" (Numbers 22:12).

ii. After the first visit another, more prestigious delegation came with great riches. Balaam wanted to go with them and God allowed him to go. Balaam lusted after the riches and prestige offered to him and God gave him over to his own sin.

iii. God warned Balaam to turn back when he was on the way to see Balak. Yet his heart was set on the rich reward King Balak promised and he continued on. Balaam even ignored a talking donkey, sent to warn him to turn back.

iv. Balaam knew that he has done wrong. In Numbers 22:34, he said to GodI have sinned … Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back. But he didn't turn back. He continued on, refusing to see that when God says no, we must take it as a no. Instead, God gave Balaam what his sinful heart desired.

v. After meeting with King Balak of Moab, Balaam prophesied over Israel four times. But as he spoke forth God's word, he did not curse Israel - instead he blessed them each time. When he was unsuccessful in cursing Israel, Balaam advised Balak on how to bring Israel under a curse. Instead of trying to have a prophet curse them, he should lead them into fornication and idolatry and then God would curse a disobedient Israel.

vi. Balak did just that, sending his young women into the camp of Israel to lead Israel into sexual immorality and idolatry. Because of their sin, God did curse Israel - He brought a plague of judgment upon Israel that killed 24,000. Therefore Balaam was guilty of the greatest of sins: deliberately leading others into sin. Worse yet, he did it for money.

b. Greedily in the error of Balaam for profit: The greedy error of Balaamwas that he was willing to compromise everything for money. The certain menJude warned about had the same heart.

i. Many Christians would never deny Jesus under persecution, but might deny Him if offered a large sum of money. There is not a single sin that corrupt man will not commit for the sake of money. Covetousness is such a dangerous sin that it killed Jesus - 30 pieces of silver helped put Jesus on the cross.

ii. Have run greedily is literally "they were poured out" (Robertson). This is a strong picture of excessive indulgence. But Paul also uses the same term for the extravagant way God loves us: the love of God has been poured out in our hearts. (Romans 5:5)

3. (11c) The certain men live out the rebellion of Korah.

And perished in the rebellion of Korah.

a. The rebellion of Korah: Korah's story is found in Numbers 16. He was a prominent man in Israel, and one day came to Moses, saying, You take too much upon yourself, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourself about the congregation of the LORD? (Numbers 16:3) Korah and his followers resented the authority God gave to Moses and Aaron.

i. When Korah said this, Moses fell on his face, knowing God's judgment would soon come. Moses then proposed a test: each group took censers (for burning incense) and came before the Lord. The Lord Himself would choose which man He wanted to represent Him: Moses or Korah.

ii. When they both came before God, the Lord told Moses to step away. The, the ground opened up and swallowed Korah and his followers. After that, fire came down from heaven and burned up all of his supporters. They all perished.

b. Rebellion: Korah was a Levite, but not of the priestly family of Aaron. As a Levite, he had had his own God-appointed sphere of ministry, yet he was not content with it. He wanted the ministry and the authority of Moses.

i. Korah needed to learn this essential lesson: we should work hard to fulfill everything God has called us to be. At the same time, we should never try to be what God has not called us to be.

c. The rebellion of Korah: This was also a rejection of God's appointed leaders, especially God's appointed Mediator. When the certain men rejected authority and spoke evil against dignitaries, they walked in the rebellion of Korah.

i. The rebellion of Korah "lies in the broader idea of a contemptuous and determined assertion of self against divinely appointed ordinances." (Salmond, The Pulpit Commentary)

ii. These three men came from quite different backgrounds: Cain was a farmer, Balaam was a prophet, and Korah was a leader in Israel. Apostasy is never confined to one group of people. "There are apostates in the pulpit, in the palace, and in the poorhouse." (Coder)

E. What the future holds for these certain men.

1. (12-13) A vivid description of the depravity of these certain men.

These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, servingonly themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

a. Spots in your love feasts: The early Christians often met for a common meal, something like a potluck dinner. They called these meals love feats, or "Agape Feasts." When these certain men came, they were serving only themselves. They ate greedily at the love feasts while others went hungry.

i. At the Agape Feast, everybody brought what they could - some a little, some a lot; but they all shared it together. For some slaves who were Christians it might have been the only decent meal they regularly ate. The selfishness of these certain men spoiled the fellowship.1 Corinthians 11:17-34 describes a similar problem in the Corinthian church.

ii. It always spoils fellowship when we come to church with a selfish "bless me" attitude. Many who would never eat selfishly at a church meal still come to church concerned with serving only themselves.

iii. Spots: Some Greek scholars think this word should be translated "hidden rocks" instead of spots. One way or another, it doesn't make much real difference to the meaning of the passage.

iv. Serving only themselves: Literally in the ancient Greek this is "shepherding themselves" (Robertson). They were shepherds of a sort - but only shepherding themselves.

b. Clouds without water, carried by the winds: Clouds without water are good for nothing. They bring no life-giving rain and they only block out the sun. They exist just for themselves. The certain men were like these clouds.

i. Once while driving by a factory, my daughter Aan-Sofie looked at the billows of white smoke coming from the smoke stacks. She said, "That's where they make clouds!" These certain men were like those empty clouds - good for nothing, carried by the winds, floating on the breeze from one fad to another.

c. Late autumn trees without fruit: By late autumn, trees should have fruit. But these certain men did not bear fruit even when they should. They were like trees that only take instead of give.

d. Raging waves of the sea: For modern man, the sea is often a thing of beauty. But to ancient man, especially in Biblical cultures, the sea was an unmanageable terror. Isaiah 57:20 expresses this idea: But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. Thesecertain men were busy and active like the raging waves of the sea, but all it brought was foaming up their own shame.

i. Busyness is no mark of correctness. The fruit of these men was like the foam or scum at the seashore. Jude has in mind the ugly shoreline after a storm has washed up all sorts of driftwood, seaweed and debris.

e. Wandering stars: Like comets streaking through the sky, these certain menastonished the world for a time, and then vanished into darkness. An unpredictable star was no good for guidance and navigation. Even so these deceivers were useless and untrustworthy.

f. Blackness of darkness forever: This described their destiny. Unless they repent, they would end up in hell - and be there forever.

i. The punishment of hell is forever because a mere man is paying for his own sins, offering an imperfect sacrifice which must be repeated over and over again for eternity. A perfect man can offer a single sacrifice; but an imperfect man must continually offer a sacrifice.

ii. Our obligations to God are infinite and can therefore only be satisfied in Jesus, an infinite person

2. (14-15) The certainty of judgment upon these certain men.

Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."

a. Now Enoch: Here Jude quoted from Enoch, who is described in Genesis 5and mentioned in Hebrews 11. The ancient book of Enoch was not received as Scripture, but it was highly respected among both the Jews and early Christians.

i. "Tertullian tells us that the book of Enoch's prophecies were preserved by Noah in the ark, and that they continued and were read until the times of the apostles. But because they contained many famous testimonies concerning Jesus Christ, the Jews out of malice suppressed and abolished the whole book." (Trapp)

ii. Jude did not quote from Enoch to tell us anything new, but to give a vivid description of what the Bible already teaches. The Apostle Paul also quoted non-Biblical sources on at least three different occasions (Acts 17:28,1 Corinthians 15:33 and Titus 1:12). This wasn't to proclaim a new truth, but to support an already established Biblical principle.

iii. Jude's quoting of the book of Enoch doesn't mean that the whole book of Enoch inspired Scripture - only the portion Jude quotes. In the same way, when Paul quoted a pagan poet, he didn't mean that the entire work of the poet was inspired by God.

b. To convict all who are ungodly: In this quotation from the book of Enoch Jude emphasized the words all and ungodly. God is coming to judge all of theungodly.

c. To execute judgment on all: Many people take the judgment of God lightly. But the most important question in the world is "Will God judge me? Am I accountable to Him?" If we are truly accountable to God, they we are fools if we do not prepare to face that judgment.

i. Think of someone arrested for a crime, with a date to appear in court - but made absolutely no preparation for their appearance before the judge. That person would be a fool. We shouldn't be so foolish, and instead take advantage of our court-appointed advocate - Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1).

3. (16-18) The methods of the certain men.

These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.

a. Grumblers, complainers … they mouth great swelling words, flattering people: Jude noticed that their methods all revolved around words. On top of their questionable lives, they were essentially a people of deception, departing from the foundation of Jesus Christ, and the apostles and prophets.

b. These are grumblers, complainers: These people were complainers. It has rightly been observed that whenever a man gets out of touch with God he is likely to begin complaining about something.

i. Grumbling "is to insult the God who gives us all things; it is to forget that whatever befalls us, nothing can separate us from His love, nor deprive us of that most priceless of all treasures, the Lord's presence in our lives." (Green)

ii. "You know the sort of people alluded to here, nothing ever satisfies them. They are discontented even with the gospel. The bread of heaven must be cut into three pieces, and served on dainty napkins, or else they cannot eat it; and very soon their soul hates even this light bread. There is no way by which a Christian man can serve God so as to please them. They will pick holes in every preacher's coat; and if the great High Priest himself were here, they would find fault with the color of the stones of his breastplate." (Spurgeon)

c. Flattering people: These certain men knew how to use smooth, flattering words to get an advantage over other people. They would say anything - good or bad - to get an advantage.

d. But you, beloved, remember: We are to be different. We are to remember what Jesus and the apostles said, which were spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word of God is always the answer to dangers in or out of the church.

i. The apostles had warned that just these things would happen; and even more so as the day approaches: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.(2 Timothy 4:3-4)

e. There would be mockers in the last time: Perhaps Jude had in mind those who mock the idea of Jesus' return. Or he may mean the kind of men who mock those who don't go along the same path of destruction they travel on.

i. Mockers … who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts: Those who live according to their own ungodly lusts love to mock those who want to please God. Jude wants Christians to expect this kind of mocking, so they won't be surprised by it.

4. (19) The spiritual status of these certain men.

These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

a. These are sensual persons: Essentially, these men were not spiritual; they were carnal and insensitive to the Holy Spirit.

i. Sensual in this context has nothing to do with sexual attractiveness. It describes the person who lives only by and for what they can get through their physical senses, and they live this way selfishly. Their motto is, "If it feels good, do it" or, "How can it be wrong if it feels so right?"

b. Who cause divisions: These certain men had an instinct to separate themselves and make divisions. "The word, found only once in the Bible, denotes those superior people who keep themselves to themselves - Christian Pharisees." (Green)

c. Not having the Spirit: This same description could be written over many churches, or church projects, or evangelism campaigns, or home groups, or even individual Christian lives. The church and the world truly need genuinelyspiritual men and women today.

F. What to do about the danger of the certain men.

Significantly, Jude does not tell us to attack the certain men who are a danger to the church. Instead, he tells us to focus on our walk with the Lord, help others affected by the certain men, and to focus on God. We simply are to pay the certain men no attention,except for what is necessary for our warning. God will take care of them.

1. (20-21) Take a look inward.

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

a. Keep yourselves in the love of God: We know that God loves even the ungodly (Romans 5:6). Therefore Jude doesn't mean, "Live in such a way to make yourself lovable to God." Instead, to keep yourselves in the love of Godmeans to keep yourself in harmony with God's ever-present love.

i. But we should understand what it means when the Bible says that God loves the ungodly. The significance of the idea that God loves us all has been twisted considerably. Consider the sinner who defends his sinful practice by saying "God loves me just the way I am." His implication is that "God loves me; I must be pretty good." Actually, the fact that God loves him is a reflection on God's goodness, not his own. The perspective isn't, "I'm so great that even God loves me," but "God is so great that He loves even me."

ii. God's love extends everywhere, and nothing can separate us from it. But we can deny ourselves the benefits of God's love. People who don't keepthemselves in the love of God end up living as if they are on the dark side of the moon. The sun is always out there, always shining, but they are never in a position to receive its light or warmth. An example of this is the Prodigal Son of Luke 15, who was always loved by the father, but for a time he did not benefit from it.

b. Building yourselves up on your most holy faith: This is one way that we can keep ourselves in the love of God. It means to keep growing spiritually, and to keep building up. Jude tells us, "build yourselves up on your most holy faith." This means that we are responsible for our own spiritual growth. It means that we cannot wait for spiritual growth to just happen, or expect others to make us grow.

i. Jude has shown us the frailty of men and how deceivers even infiltrated the church. If you entrust your spiritual growth to someone else, it will not only hurt your spiritual growth, but it may also lead you astray.

ii. Others can help provide an environment conducive for spiritual growth. But no one can make another person grow in their relationship with the Lord.

iii. On your most holy faith: The most holy faith is the same as the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Jude wasn't talking about growing in the most holy faith (though that is a valid idea). Jude is talking about growing on your most holy faith. We grow on the foundation of the truth.

d. Praying in the Holy Spirit: This is another way to keep ourselves in the love of God. The battle against wrong living and wrong teaching is a spiritual battle, requiring prayer in the Holy Spirit.

i. Many of our prayers are directed by our own needs, by our own intellects, or by our own wishes and desires. But there is a higher level of prayer:Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us. (Romans 8:26)

ii. The Holy Spirit may help us pray by giving us the right words to say when we pray. He may speak through groanings which cannot be uttered.(Romans 8:26) Or the Holy Spirit may do it through the gift of tongues, a gift God gives to seeking hearts, which want to communicate with Him on a deeper level than normal conversation.

iii. "Such is our sloth, and that such is the coldness of our flesh, that no one can pray aright except he be roused by the Spirit of God … no one can pray as he ought without having the Spirit as his guide." (Calvin)

e. Looking for the mercy of Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life: This is a third way that we can keep ourselves in the love of God. As we keep the blessed hope of Jesus' soon return alive in our hearts, this effectively keeps us in the love of God, and helps us to not give away our faith.

2. (22-23) Take a look outward, to those around you.

And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

a. On some have compassion: Jude begins here to tell us what we must do with those who have been influenced by these certain men. We need to make a distinction, based on where they are coming from. Certainly, on some have compassion.

i. Using wisdom we approach different people in different manners. By being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we can know when we should comfort, and when we should rebuke. Christians should not abandon a friend flirting with false teaching. They should help him through it in love.

ii. The means we continue to love them. No matter how bad a person is, or how misleading and terrible their doctrine, we are not allowed to hate them - or to be unconcerned for their salvation.

iii. Compassion often means watching over someone, helping them with accountability. "Meantime watch over others as well as yourselves; and give them such help as their various needs require." (Wesley)

b. Others save with fear: This second group must be confronted more strongly - but in fear, not in a sanctimonious superiority. You may need to pull them out of the fire, but never do it in pride.

i. This outward look is important. It demonstrates that we are not only concerned for our own spiritual welfare. It proves that we genuinely care about other Christians who are edging towards significant error.

3. (24-25) Take a look upward to the God of all glory

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.

a. Now to Him: Jude closes the letter with a famous doxology (a brief declaration of praise to God). Jude's doxology reminds us of God's care and of our destiny.

b. Who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present faultless: Jude's message of warning and doom might have depressed and discouraged his readers. Perhaps they thought that with so much false teaching and immorality around, very few Christians would ever reach heaven. Here he reminds them that the answer lies only in the power of God. He is able to keep you, and you aren't able to keep yourself.

i. In mountain climbing, the beginning hiker attaches himself to the expert so that if he loses his footing he won't stumble and fall to his death. In the same manner, if we keep connected with God, we cannot fall. He keeps us safe.

ii. By comparing passages of Scripture, we also find out who is really responsible for our safe keeping. Jude began the letter by addressing those who are preserved in Jesus (Jude 1). Then he exhorted Christians to avoid dangerous men and to keep themselves in the love of God (Jude 21) Here at the end he concluded with the recognition that it is ultimately God who keeps us from stumbling and falling. Paul put the same idea inPhilippians 2:12-13: Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

iii. Keeping us spiritually safe is God's work. But you can always tell the people He is working in, because they are working also. God doesn't call us to simply let the Christian life happen to us and He doesn't command us to save ourselves. He calls us to a partnership with Him.

c. Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy: As God is faithful, we won't have to slink shamefacedly into the presence of God. We can be presented before Him with exceeding joy.

d. Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever: This all reminds us of God's wisdom, glory, and power. Jude isn't trying to say that we can or should give these things to God. When we acknowledge and declare the truth about God, it glorifies Him. We aren't giving God more majesty or power than He had before; we are just recognizing and declaring it.

i. Both now and forever: This could also be translated "unto all the ages." This is "as complete a statement of eternity as can be made in human language." (Robertson) Our victory, our triumph in God, is forever.

ii. There is serious deception in the world and often among those called Christians. There are enemies of the gospel who have infiltrated the church. Yet despite the greatness of the threat, God is greater still. He wins, and if we will only stay with Him, we are guaranteed victory also.

iii. Jude is a book full of warning, but it closes with supreme confidence in God. Dangerous times should make us trust in a mighty God.

 

Jude 1:2

Mercy unto you, and peace and love be multiplied.
] In this salutation the apostle wishes for a multiplication of "mercy", from God the Father, by whom these persons were sanctified: mercy is a perfection in God; and shows itself in a special manner towards the elect, in the covenant of grace, in the provision of Christ as a Saviour, in the mission of him into this world, in redemption by him, in the forgiveness of sin, in regeneration, and in their whole salvation; and the multiplication of it intends an enlarged view and fresh application of it, which they sometimes stand in need of, as under desertions, when they want the sense and manifestation of it to them; and under temptations and afflictions, when they need sympathy and compassion; and when they fall into sin they stand in need of the fresh discoveries and application of pardoning mercy to them. Moreover, herein is wished for a multiplication of "peace" from Christ, in whom these chosen ones were preserved; and may design a fresh and enlarged view of peace being made for them by his blood, and an increase of conscience peace in their own hearts, as the effect of it; and may include peace, and an abundance of it, among themselves, as well as all prosperity, both external, internal, and eternal: likewise in the salutation, "love", and a multiplication of it is wished for from the Spirit of God, by whom they were called; and may be understood of the love with which God loved them; and which may be said to be multiplied, when it is gradually shed abroad in their hearts by the Spirit, and they are by degrees led into it more and more, and the acts of it are drawn out and set before them one after another, and fresh manifestations of it are made unto them; as in afflictive providences, after the hidings of God's face, and under temptations: and it may design the love with which they love God, which may be increased and made to abound more and mor