Refuge Audio Podcast

In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul writes to pastor Timothy, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching, and to teaching.” We can understand the importance of preaching and we can appreciate the value of teaching, but sometimes we neglect the importance and value of publicly reading God’s word out loud.

Think about it…for many people over the centuries, the public reading of God’s word may have been their only interaction with scripture. We know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). This promise is especially relevant as we study the book of Revelation.

Why? Because we receive another promise in Revelation 1:3! There is a special blessing for those who read, for those who hear, and for those who obey what is written. All three of theses blessings are accessible to each and everyone of us—and hopefully we will all experience these blessings as we all read, hear, and obey God’s word.

The book of Revelation is an exciting book! It's essentially the recorded communication from God the Father to Jesus concerning the end of time. Which is why it can also be a confusing book—beasts and battles, seals and saints. Just what in the world is going on!!

On Sunday, we began our study of this great book with an introduction and overview. And we found that this book is quite orderly. In fact, the entire book is outlined in Revelation 1:19—“Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this." This may sound simplistic, but it is very significant for a number of reasons.

From Genesis to Revelation…from eternity past to eternity future. That’s quite a leap from the beginning of summer (when we finished our Genesis study) to now (as we begin our study of Revelation). But there are some benefits to studying these two books back to back.

Genesis is the book of beginnings…and questions. Revelation is the book of completion…and culmination.

Genesis begins in paradise, but when paradise is lost, the question arises…will paradise be restored? Revelation answers that questions, but not before outlining the world’s time of tribulation—the transition to a new paradise. It’s a specific time called the Day of the Lord…and 19 other names throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Since the Bible speaks of this time frequently and the warning attached to it has great urgency, we’re left asking, “What does any of this have to do with me?”

Plenty!

Revelation is relevant! Not only are we duty-bound to study, understand, and appreciate the gravity of the content contained in this book, the events described in this book are way closer than you might realize.

In his letter to believers in Thessalonica, Paul writes, “I do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

These believers believed in a God who had defied and defeated death. While they would still grieve when a loved one died, they would not grieve as those “who have no hope.”

And for us, this is important to remember. It is completely normal, acceptable, and even godly to grieve…but we are not to grieve as those who have no hope—because we have hope…a living hope!

Just like those believers in Thessalonica, we believe in a living God who defied & defeated death by laying down His own life—then taking up His own life again by rising from the dead. We grieve…but we also believe.

So what does grieving and believing have to do with Genesis 50? Quite a bit, since we encounter three different burials that involve both grieving and believing.

In Genesis 49, we read the last words of the unlikely man that God chose to be the patriarch of His chosen people—Israel. Aware that his time on earth was coming to an end, he begins the difficult business of putting his house in order—saying what must be said to his sons‚ the patriarchs of the tribes that would come from their families.

What Israel must say must be said because these prophecies come from God. In fact, what Israel says are the first recorded prophecies spoken by a person in the Bible. Some of the things Israel must say aren’t all that great—but Israel is faithful to the task because he knows they are God’s words, not his.

Why weren’t these prophecies always wonderful? Because sin has consequences—and Israel’s sons were no strangers to sin. Unfortunately for some of Israel’s sons, their sin would be dealt with on their father’s death bed. Even though sin can be forgiven and relationships can be fully restored, if hidden sin hasn’t been confessed, forsaken, and forgiven it will fester and it will eventually find you out.

“This is the history of Jacob…”

That’s how Genesis 37 began, just before our focus shifted to Joseph. As much as we have marveled at the life of Joseph over these 11 chapters, it is the life and history of Jacob that is the overarching focus of these last few chapters in Genesis.

Jacob—who would be Israel—a man who wrestled with God…a man who would eventually be governed by God. But it would take him a lifetime to get there. From his birth, he had a reputation for trickery and treachery—trying to be the first born by grabbing his brother’s heel, then buying his brother’s birthright with a bowl of stew, then stealing his brother’s blessing through fraud. He lived up to his namesake—heel catcher.

That is…until God met him and wrestled him and gave him a new name—Israel, which means wrestles or governed by God. Slowly, this new identity began to work its way out in his life—an identity that determined Jacob’s behavior. From a lying thief to the patriarch of the people of God—“This is the history of Jacob…”

Good movies end with a nice resolution—a happy ending to a pressing problem, or a relationship restored, or a quest completed. The music flourishes, the credits roll, and you leave the theater. But faithful fans know that the credits are not always the end of the story. There’s often a small part shared after the credits are finished.

If the life of Joseph were a movie, it could have ended quite nicely after chapter 46—reconciled with his brothers, Joseph sends them to get their father, Jacob. There would be a final sweeping and emotional scene of Joseph and Jacob embracing in Egypt. The music swells. The screen fades to black. And the credits roll.

But…this is not the end of the story for Joesph or Jacob. God is still setting the stage for the most intricate, interwoven, and undeniable backstory to His story the world has ever seen. In Genesis 47 to 50, we have a “post-credit” sequence that gives clues about God’s grand plan of redemption that will continue.

In Genesis 45 & 46, the loose ends of Joseph’s story come together. Over the past 8 chapters, we’ve seen twists and turns, ups and downs—but every detail was woven within the grand plan of redemption. God is setting the stage with the most intricate, interwoven, and undeniable backstory that the world has ever seen! And it comes to an exciting climax as Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers—the same brothers who despised him and sold him into slavery…after wanting to kill him.

In many ways, the life of Joseph would mirror the life of Jesus hundreds of years in the future. God would send His one and only Son to save life by a great deliverance. Joseph would tell his brothers, “And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” (Genesis 45:7)

Through His sacrifice, Jesus would communicate something very similar to us: “Come near to Me—do not be grieved or angry. God has sent Me to lay down My life in order to save life by THE great deliverance.” As we turn the pages of our Bibles, we see that the Great Deliverer is on page after page of this book.

In life, there are many different kinds of tests…true & false, multiple choice, essay. But there are also tests of our faith—tests that don’t require pencil and paper.

1 Peter 1 talks about these kinds of important tests: “…though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ… (1 Peter 1:6-7). These are the types of tests that Joseph took throughout his life.

But there were also tests that Joseph gave. He gave them to his brothers to draw them towards confession and repentance. It looks like Joseph was conspiring…and he was—not against his brothers, but for their ultimate benefit. His brothers needed to have their collective consciences revived and awoken to be sensitive to sin once again.

In Genesis 44, Joseph presents the final test to his brothers, waiting to see if they have really truly have had a change of heart, or if they were just playing a part to buy some grain.

Some passages of scripture seem like standalone sermons—with and introduction, an application, and a conclusion. Other passages of scripture can seem like puzzle pieces—with little rhyme or reason to how it fits in to the overall picture.

Genesis 43 is one of those puzzle pieces—it doesn’t seem to fit in from the outset…but, as we see in our study, it still has a purpose in God’s grand plan of redemption.

Life is often full of those puzzle pieces, isn’t it? With little information available, we make an inaccurate assessment of our earthly circumstances. Or, we wonder what the bigger picture is supposed to look like. How and where will this piece fit in with everything else?

Though these puzzle pieces might be confounding, we can still be grateful for them. While we might not always see how these pieces fit in as life unfolds, we can trust that God will bring them to the forefront eventually. From time to time, He gives us a peek behind the curtain, a glimpse of His glory, and we see the bigger picture.