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January 23

Scripture for today: Genesis 46:1-47:31; Matthew 15:1-28; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 4:14-19

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“Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation.” (Genesis 46:3 NLT).

From: January 23, 2019

DO NOT FEAR GOD’S PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE

The Lord spoke to Jacob in a vision the night after he offered sacrifices in Beersheba on his way to Egypt. Surely old Jacob was concerned about leaving the land promised to his family since his grandfather Abraham had obeyed the Lord and brought the family there. Yet on this night as he left for Egypt to be reunited with his long lost son, Joseph, the Lord encouraged Jacob. God comforted his fear and revealed His purpose for the house of Jacob. God would use Egypt to make a nation of Israel.
 
Four hundred years later, the seventy members of Jacob’s house would leave Egypt as a people numbering over 2 million. This is a conservative estimate considering that the Bible reported “600,000 men” (Ex. 12:37) along with their wives and children and flocks departed Egypt as one people under the leadership of a son of Levi named Moses.
 
Who knows how the Lord will use what we see as trials and difficult circumstances to accomplish His purpose? Yet we can be certain that His plans for us are good.
 
PRAYER: Lord, we surrender our plans to Your plans. We yield to Your purpose for our lives. We want to see what You see, feel what You feel and join You in Your work. Our “yes” is on the table. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“So altogether, there were seventy members of Jacob’s family in the land of Egypt” (Genesis 46:27 NLT).

From: January 23, 2018

Although there is some apparent discrepancy in how Jacob’s family is numbered (Stephen said there were 75 in his speech in Acts 7:14.), the point is that the Lord took this small group and made of them a nation. As Moses said, “Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven” (Deut.10:22). The children of Jacob lived in Egypt 400 years. In the latter years, Joseph was forgotten and the Israelites lived as slaves. Yet, it was this time of travail that bonded them together, so that when the Lord delivered them, they came out a nation.

“I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24 NKJV).

From: January 23, 2017

Christ was sent first as Shepherd to the lost sheep of Israel and then as Redeemer for the whole world. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers” (Rom.15:8). Jesus died on the cross and was raised, so that both believing Jews and Gentiles might be saved. Yet, His earthly ministry was entirely focused in Israel. However, when a Roman centurion or even a Canaanite mother asked for help, Jesus answered them according to their faith. So, the demon-possessed daughter of a Canaanite woman was healed. After Christ’s resurrection, He commissioned His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). The good news was given first to the Jew, but then was to be carried to all the peoples of the world by Christ’s disciples. We are those who are still called to carry out the Great Commission of our Redeemer. As the Father sent the Son, so the Son sends us (John 20:21).
 
Where have you been sent?

“The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7 NKJV)

From: January 23, 2015

David’s 19th psalm is a theological and poetic masterpiece! He begins with the doctrine of general revelation, that the “heavens declare the glory of God,” proclaiming Him as Creator of all. Next, he describes the doctrine of specific revelation, that God has spoken and given us His law and “testimony,” so that we may know His will. Finally, he closes the psalm with the doctrine of redemption, that God is the only One who can help us with our sin problem. We have a “sure testimony” from our God. He has declared His glories from the heavens and revealed His salvation through His written Word and finally, through His Son, the Incarnate Word of God, Jesus.

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship” (Psalm 19:1)

From: January 23, 2014

A psalm of David, one he surely wrote while laying under the stars at night watching over his father’s sheep. Today, our most powerful telescopes are pointed at the heavens. New discoveries are made everyday, pointing to the vastness and variety of the universe. Our scientists know more about the stars than David ever dreamed. But they could learn much from him as well.