Erased Guilt

Erased Guilt

Genesis 43: ¹⁵ So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. ¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.” ¹⁷ Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.

 

¹⁸ Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.”

 

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Joseph’s brothers did as Israel told them to do. They took Benjamin and the presents and the extra money to Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he ordered the “steward of the house” to take them to his home and make a feast.

 

My Observations:

• Joseph may have suspected that his brothers would have killed Benjamin, so he needed to see him alive.
• Joseph started off as a steward of Potiphar’s house and now he had a steward waiting on him.
• Joseph’s brothers felt guilty, but little did they know, their guilt was erased.

 

Thinking about the mistakes they made over the years led them to a conclusion that they were about to be sentenced. It wasn’t just about the money, rather it was their guilty lives. Up to this point, they tried to kill Joseph, then sold him into slavery and covered up what they had done. Then when Simeon was put in prison, they told Israel a half-truth.

 

Now the brothers were being invited to a feast and they could not see this as a blessing. They thought the worst by saying they would be taken as slaves, possibly like they did to Joseph. They had no idea their guilt had been erased.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD tell Moses about the reaction of Joseph’s brothers when they were invited to a feast?
• Have you ever felt guilty and had your mind made up that you are about to be punished?
• Do you realize that JESUS was tempted in every way you have so HE is sympathetic to the way you feel and loves you dearly?

Interesting Choices

Interesting Choices

Genesis 42: ¹⁸ Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God: ¹⁹ If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. ²⁰ And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.”

 

And they did so. ²¹ Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”

 

²² And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.” ²³ But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. ²⁴ And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

 

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Joseph told his brothers that one must stay in prison while the others take the grain home and bring Benjamin back. Not knowing it was Joseph, Reuben got angry and said “See, I told you this would happen” in so many words. They did not know Joseph could understand their discussion because he spoke to them through an interpreter.

 

My Observations:

• Simeon was chosen by Joseph possibly because Simeon had a quick temper, and he killed the Shechemite men, avenging Dinah.
• Reuben chose to not be part of the plot against Joseph and he brought this up during the distressful conversation.
• Jacob would eventually curse Simeon for his rage that he may not have gotten under control.

 

Simeon made a choice to kill the Shechemite men when is sister Dinah was assaulted. But he went several steps further by taking the Shechemite possessions. When Reuben left the scene of the crime during the plot against Joseph, Simeon was the next oldest brother and it is believed that he made the decision to dip Joseph’s coat in blood to pretend Joseph was killed by an animal.

 

Akk of the brothers spent time in prison. But Simeon would spend extra time while the brothers traveled back home and then returned with Benjamin. Joseph wept over the pretense, but got his composure back, knowing his family would one day be united.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD tell Moses about the choice of Joseph and his brother’s argument?
• What choices have you made that are growing up to be consequential?
• Would you believe GOD is showing you grace over that bad decision and is using it for HIS good plan?

Do The Right Thing

Do The Right Thing

Hebrews 13: ¹⁸ Keep on praying for us. We are sure we have a clear conscience, because we want to do the right thing at all times. ¹⁹ And I beg you even more earnestly to pray that God will send me back to you soon.

 

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Having said the lie, now I had to live with it. Whenever I saw the person, my conscience felt guilty. “Oh great! Now I’ve lied and I have guilt?” How can this be fixed? A thought popped in my head. “Lie again to fix the last lie.”

 

• I was headed down the wrong path.
• I was trying to fix my lies with more lies.
• I was starting to get good at lying versus simply having a clear conscience.

 

Paul, the assumed writer, asked for prayer because he knew they could be tempted to do the wrong thing which would lead to a guilty conscience. He must have been going through something difficult because he asked for prayer twice.

 

My Observations:

• GOD gives me rest when I have a clear conscience.
• GOD lets me sleep when I do not lie to HIM or myself.
• GOD provides peace when I desire to do the right thing.

 

Doing what is right can sometimes be hard. I mean, when I get insecure about what I did or am about to do, I may not want to experience any consequences, so I lie or stretch the truth. The problem with that approach, is I still face consequences and lost sleep in the process.

 

Peace and rest are elusive when I do not do the right thing. I’d rather follow GOD and enjoy peace than to live with hidden secrets and mounting sins. I gladly do the right thing for GOD and could use your prayers to keep going, HIS way.

 

Challenge

• What is “the right thing” the writer speaks about?
• Have you ever done the wrong thing and tried to cover it up?
• Have you gotten so good at covering things up that you now believe in your own lie?
• Will you get some relief from your guilty conscience and confess to GOD that you do not know how to go forward, so HE can step in and guide you to HIS path today?

Feeling Better Afterwards

 

Feeling Better Afterwards

Romans 6: ¹⁵ What, then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law but under God's grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Surely you know that when you surrender yourselves as slaves to obey someone, you are in fact the slaves of the master you obey—either of sin, which results in death, or of obedience, which results in being put right with God.

 

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“Ugh! It’s raining outside” I groused to myself. I had a long day and I felt a bit tired. But it was time to go exercise. This meant leaving comfortable surroundings to do something hard. I quickly put aside the complaint and went to the gym. I felt better for going and it stopped raining when I got out.

 

• Many times I felt better by doing what I was supposed to do.
• Many times I felt better by sticking to the plan.
• Many times I felt better by avoiding the negative words that would have stopped me from doing what I was supposed to do.

 

Paul asks a rhetorical question. “Shall we sin, because we are not under law but under GOD’s grace?” He then answers “By no means!” He then shows a decision that has to be made. Either obey sin leading to death or obey GOD, leading to life.

 

• GOD wants me to obey HIS ways.
• GOD wants me to allow HIM to guide my actions.
• GOD wants me to listen to HIM, even when HE says “No” or “wait.”

 

When I sin I feel good for a moment, but feel worse afterwards. I mean, the guilt of the sin surfaces and I when look for relief from the guilt, it is nowhere to be found. BUT GOD provides another way.

 

When I struggle through and stop listening to the sin that knocks on my door daily, or hourly, I feel better. Then, when something goes “wrong” in my life, my conscience is clear and I can see GOD grace in the storm “with me” rather than wondering if it is HIM punishing me. I am glad GOD gets excited when I obey HIM.

 

• Is GOD trying to tell you something, but you are not being obedient?
• Is your hidden sin causing problems all around you, yet you are too scared or proud to confess?
• Will you stop choosing sin as your comfortable place and be uncomfortable with a clear conscience by following what GOD wants you to do today?

Not Guilty Work Day

Luke 6: Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grain fields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. ² And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

³ But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴ how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” ⁵ And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

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Working until 3 in the morning was definitely a great excuse for missing church. I was a teen working at a bowling alley. By the time I got home, it was 3:20 AM. I slept until late afternoon.

• There were times when I did not think much of the Sabbath because I worked.
• There were times when my schedule did not include going to church.
• There were times when I slept through going to church because it was a lower priority to making money.

The Pharisees tried to blame JESUS and HIS disciples for breaking GOD’s law, not believing JESUS was and is GOD. They walked around observing the disciples, trying to catch them doing something wrong instead of teaching the Bible from a loving perspective. JESUS surprised them with HIS reply.

• JESUS wants me to take a day to rest and worship HIM.
• JESUS wants me to seek learning from HIM on a regular basis.
• JESUS wants me to know there are some harsh leaders who do not observe the Sabbath, so I may need to be flexible and worship HIM on purpose during other times.

Following JESUS will be met with worldly opposition. Schedules, problems and ailments can sometimes get in the way of my dedication to follow the law to the letter. JESUS says HE is the GOD of the Sabbath and understands my dilemma. HE still wants me to rest, follow and serve HIM, but is flexible because HE is the reason for the Sabbath.

• Are you feeling guilty because you have to work instead of worshipping?
• Do you blame people for working on the Sabbath like the Pharisees?
• Can you follow the heart of JESUS and rest and worship while being flexible to HIS plan for you which may include barriers to your desired worship day?