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. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     When Jacob and his entire household, including the households of his sons, arrived in Egypt Joseph went to meet them in the region of Goshen. Jacob was overjoyed to be reunited with Joseph and expressed that now that he had seen Joseph once more he was ready to die. Joseph instructed his brothers that when they went in to see Pharaoh they should tell him that they were shepherds because the people of Egypt detested shepherds. Joseph’s brothers followed Joseph’s advice and the Pharaoh allowed/encouraged them to settle in the land of Goshen (depending on how one reads the passage and understand the political situation in Egypt, this could be seen as anything from giving them permission to settle there to an order to settle there and nowhere else). When the Pharaoh asked Jacob how old he was Jacob told Pharaoh that he was 130 years old and gave Pharaoh a blessing.
      The passage tells us that the famine continued after this. When the people of Egypt ran out of money they approached Joseph and asked him to give them food so that they would not die. Joseph replied by telling them that he would give them food in exchange for their livestock. Joseph supplied them with enough food for a year in exchange for all of their livestock. The following year the people again approached Joseph for food. This time they offered themselves and their land in exchange for food. Joseph agreed to this and supplied them with food. Joseph bought all of the land and people of Egypt for Pharaoh, except for the priests, who received a stipend from Pharaoh (in other words, they were government employees). The passage tells us that Joseph reduced the people of Egypt to servitude. Once Joseph has done this he gave them grain to plant what had been their fields. In return he required them to surrender one fifth of what they produced to Pharaoh. So, Joseph arranged for the people of Egypt to sell themselves into servitude to the government of Egypt and as a result of the people and everything they had belonging to Pharaoh he imposed a 20% tax in exchange for allowing them to make use of those things.

     Some Pharisees and religious teachers arrived from Jerusalem to ask Jesus why He did not teach His disciples to follow the traditions of the elders, such as ceremonial hand-washing before eating. Jesus replied by asking them why they followed traditions that allowed them to break direct commandments from God. He gave the example of a tradition that allowed an adult child to dedicate their possessions to God and not use them to help their parents thus violating the command to “Honor your father and mother.” Jesus called them hypocrites for putting their own teachings above the commands of God. He quotes Isaiah as saying that they honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from God. They worship God in vain because they follow mere human teachings rather than the commands of God. Jesus then explains that one is not defiled by what one eats, but rather by what one says. Jesus’ disciples asked Him if He realized that the Pharisees were offended by what He had said. Jesus told them not to worry about the opinions of those who did not faithfully teach God’s word. He told them that the Pharisees were blind guides. If a blind man allows a blind man to be his guide, both will fall into a pit. The disciples then asked Jesus to explain the parable. Jesus explained that what we eat goes into our mouth through our stomach and out of our bodies, while what we say reflects what we think and who we are. From our inner being come evil thoughts and it is those thoughts which defile us.
     Jesus left that area and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. While He was there a Canaanite from that region came to Him and cried out asking Him to heal her daughter. Jesus initially ignored her. Finally, His disciples asked Him to send her away. Jesus replied that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. The woman came right up to Him and knelt at His feet. From this position she begged for His help. He responded that it was not right to take the children’s food and toss it to the dogs. She answered that even the dogs are allowed to eat the food that falls from the table. Jesus replied to this commending her faith and telling her that her request was granted. Her daughter was healed at that moment. Jesus’ reply to the woman was a strong insult. The woman accepted Jesus’ insult and acknowledged that she was not deserving of His care. She knew that she had no right to His healing, but threw herself on His mercy and love. There are three reasons this woman received from God what she sought. She was persistent even when Jesus appeared to ignore her. She had faith that Jesus could give her what she desired. She recognized that she was no deserving of this gift.

     The psalmist tells us that if we look to the skies we will see the glory of God. Whether we look during the day or during the night, we cannot help but feel the majesty of God. The law of God is perfect. His commands are trustworthy and right, following them will teach us wisdom and bring us joy. God’s word is more valuable than anything we can own. I will not allow sin to rule over me by choosing actions which I know to be sin and I will beg God to forgive me for those sins I do not realize I have committed.

     Do not follow the paths that the wicked walk. They walk in darkness and stumble over obstacles that they never see. Those who choose wickedness never see the obstacles between them and their goals until they bump into them. The righteous are like someone who walks in the light, they are able to see the things between them and their goals and navigate around them.