Thurs.’s Deo - Destiny

Read: Genesis 42:18-43:34; Matthew 13:47-14:12; Psalm 18:16-36; Proverbs 4:7-10 Joseph wanted to try his brothers to see if they had changed or if they were the same selfish men they were when he was with them. He told them to select one of them to stay there while the rest went and got their other brother. When Joseph saw Benjamin, he would believe they were not spies and set them all free and they would be able to trade with him. They agreed, but Joseph did the picking. He picked Simeon to stay. The others went home to tell their father the bad news. They found the gold they had given Joseph in their bags and were even more concerned. Jacob refused to let Benjamin return immediately. After the famine wiped out most of the grain he had to send them back. Jacob finally agreed and off they went with Benjamin. Joseph was overcome with emotion when he saw Benjamin and told his slaves to bring them to his house to eat. They feared they were being brought to his house to be his slaves and started confessing about the money they had found in their bags. Joseph’s manager told them not to worry about that. They were brought in and greeted by Joseph. He didn’t get very far into his conversation before he had to excuse himself and go and cry. He came back out and seated them according to their birth order which would be how they sat at every meal. The brothers were astonished. Joseph fed them from his table and gave Benjamin five times as much. What a picture of Jesus who is veiled from the Jewish nation right now but will come back and reveal himself to the Jews and they will see him for who he is now - the King of kings and Lord of all lords. In Matthew, Jesus continued explaining his parables to his disciples. He taught them that when a teacher of the religious law became one of his believers they would have a wealth of truth to share because they would understand the law in a whole new light. Jesus went back to his hometown in Nazareth and taught in the synagogue. At first the people were amazed at his wisdom and power to do miracles but then they scoffed because they knew Jesus’ parents and that he was just an ordinary man. Jesus told them that a prophet was never honored in his own hometown and could do little miracles because of their unbelief. Herod had married his brother’s wife, Herodias and John the Baptist had condemned him for doing it. Herodias was out to put John to death for it and found her chance at Herod’s birthday party. She set him up and it worked. John was beheaded but his body was buried. Both of these stories have to do with God’s chosen men being misunderstood by the people who knew them before they were exalted to their destiny. It was hard for them to allow them to rise to honor because of their unbelief, jealousy, insecurity, etc. What a lesson to us. When God wants to elevate a person it is for His glory and we should support them and choose to see them through God’s perspective and not ours. Lord, help us to be pure to the pure and shrewd to the crooked. Thank you for your great plan for our nation.