I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. My work schedule has recently changed, meaning that I may not have time every day to complete these. As a result, I am trying to get several days ahead. I hope this does not negatively impact the quality of these posts (if that is possible). If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Once Jacob was settled in Egypt his health began to fail. So Joseph brought his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to see their grandfather before he died. Jacob praised God that he had gotten to see Joseph’s sons since at one point he thought he would never see Joseph again. Overall as I read this passage it reminds me of Jacob’s great faith in God. God had made promises to him regarding the land of Canaan and now he was living in Egypt, about to die in Egypt. Yet Jacob still believed that his descendants would someday return to the land of Canaan and take control of it. He held true to that promise despite the apparent improbability of it coming true. He had before him Joseph’s two sons as evidence of God’s faithfulness. Only a few years earlier he had thought he would never see Joseph again. Now, not only had he been reunited with Joseph, but he was introduced to Joseph’s sons. I will remember the things which God has done for me that seemed like they could never happen and have faith that all of His other promises will also come true, no matter how unlikely they seem.
After a short trip to the region around Sidon Jesus returned to Galilee. Once again a crowd gathered and Jesus healed the sick among them. The crowd stayed and listened to Jesus preach for three days, by which point they had eaten all of the food they had brought with them. Jesus turned to His disciples and said that He did not want to send them away hungry. Despite having witnessed Jesus feed the 5,000 a short time before, His disciples responded by asking Him where they could get enough food to feed that many people out in the wilderness where they were. Jesus asked them how much food they had. When they told Him they had seven loaves and few fish, He told the people to sit down. Then He took the loaves and fishes, thanked God for them, broke them into pieces, and gave them to His disciples to distribute. On this occasion, 4,000 men, not counting women and children, were fed.
Later, when the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread, Jesus warned them to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The disciples thought this was because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus then reminded them of the two crowds He had fed and wondered why they could not understand that He was not talking about bread. It is interesting that Jesus uses yeast as a metaphor for both the Kingdom of Heaven and for false teaching. I think Jesus is telling us that ideas can change us without our realizing it and we have to be careful that the ideas we let effect our lives.
I need to remember this psalm for the next time I need a toast or short speech of blessing. The first five verses are something I wish for all of my friends. Then in verse seven there is the “money” quote from this psalm (from the NIV):
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
What do you trust in? Do you trust in armies and weapons? Or do you have faith that God will protect you?
It is amazing how often the Bible warns us to be careful in what we say. Again and again we are told that what we say can corrupt our spirit and turn us on to paths of evil. I will fix my eyes on the Lord and dedicate my tongue to only speaking words which will glorify Him.