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Readings for Today - Go to www.biblegateway.com to access online
Psalm 25:8-22, Genesis 45; Matthew 15:29-16:4
Psalm 25:8-22
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, are those who fear the LORD?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
Genesis 45
Joseph Makes Himself Known
1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’ 12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
Matthew 15:29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” 34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.”
Happy are those who make the Lord their trust. Psalm 40:4
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:19
In both Genesis, and in our Matthew verse for today, great crowds come to be fed. In Genesis great crowds come because of the famine throughout the land. Joseph’s brothers have a tearful reunion with him, after he reveals his true identity as their brother they had sold into slavery years earlier. But Joseph was able to realize that it was not his brothers who sent him there in their selfishness, but God who sent him to provide for his family by saving up grain as Pharaoh’s right hand man during the famine.
When Pharaoh finds out that Joseph’s brothers have come, he loads up their camels with all kinds of stuff and tells them to go back to Jacob their father and tell him to come back and live off the fat of the land. You can only imagine the joy of Jacob who has been waiting on God to provide not only food for his family, but his two youngest sons Joseph and Benjamin back to him, one who he thought was dead. There would be no words to describe his joy when the brothers return to tell him the turn of events. I’m sure there were many tearful nights for Jacob wondering if God had abandoned him, but he now packs up his stuff and heads to Egypt to reunite with his lost son Joseph before he dies! What a story!
Then in our gospel, the crowds are following Jesus and barely giving him a time to rest and be with His Father. As he sat on a mountainside, likely abiding in Father’s presence, the crowds come to him in need of healing for various types of diseases. After three days of healing and deliverance they are hungry. The disciples don’t think there is enough to go around, but Jesus takes what they have and blesses it and sure enough there is enough for everyone and leftovers as well.
As our psalmist says today, “All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.” We live in a time of economic uncertainty. Many are still out of work (a famine of sorts!). As God’s covenant child, where do you need to trust in God for provision in your life? Most importantly where is your trust and in whom does your hope lie?
Lord God, our hope is in you and we are thankful your love for us remains unconditional. May we as a people delight in that love as we walk in your path of righteousness. Amen
Readings for Today - Go to www.biblegateway.com to access online
Psalm 25:8-22, Genesis 45; Matthew 15:29-16:4
Psalm 25:8-22
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
12 Who, then, are those who fear the LORD?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
Genesis 45
Joseph Makes Himself Known
1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’ 12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
Matthew 15:29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31 The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”33 His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” 34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”35 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37 They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38 The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.”
Happy are those who make the Lord their trust. Psalm 40:4
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:19
In both Genesis, and in our Matthew verse for today, great crowds come to be fed. In Genesis great crowds come because of the famine throughout the land. Joseph’s brothers have a tearful reunion with him, after he reveals his true identity as their brother they had sold into slavery years earlier. But Joseph was able to realize that it was not his brothers who sent him there in their selfishness, but God who sent him to provide for his family by saving up grain as Pharaoh’s right hand man during the famine.
When Pharaoh finds out that Joseph’s brothers have come, he loads up their camels with all kinds of stuff and tells them to go back to Jacob their father and tell him to come back and live off the fat of the land. You can only imagine the joy of Jacob who has been waiting on God to provide not only food for his family, but his two youngest sons Joseph and Benjamin back to him, one who he thought was dead. There would be no words to describe his joy when the brothers return to tell him the turn of events. I’m sure there were many tearful nights for Jacob wondering if God had abandoned him, but he now packs up his stuff and heads to Egypt to reunite with his lost son Joseph before he dies! What a story!
Then in our gospel, the crowds are following Jesus and barely giving him a time to rest and be with His Father. As he sat on a mountainside, likely abiding in Father’s presence, the crowds come to him in need of healing for various types of diseases. After three days of healing and deliverance they are hungry. The disciples don’t think there is enough to go around, but Jesus takes what they have and blesses it and sure enough there is enough for everyone and leftovers as well.
As our psalmist says today, “All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.” We live in a time of economic uncertainty. Many are still out of work (a famine of sorts!). As God’s covenant child, where do you need to trust in God for provision in your life? Most importantly where is your trust and in whom does your hope lie?
Lord God, our hope is in you and we are thankful your love for us remains unconditional. May we as a people delight in that love as we walk in your path of righteousness. Amen
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