A Perplexing Decision...

This week I have received a lot of feedback regarding the message from Sunday, admittedly one of the most politically charged sermons we have had in a while at Southern Acres.

While most of the feedback was positive, there were a few who had concerns...here is an email I received from a young mom in our church.

"Hey Cameron! So I was (out) yesterday and heard I missed a great sermon. So, I have a question, how do we vote for a Mormon? In my mind it's a cult religion w a lot of "make believe" stories. Sure, they might be good people, but they are not Christians. A lot of my moral views align w Romney, but I have a huge hang up w his faith and if someone that truly believes the Mormon religion as fact can lead our nation. Not that I think Obama is doing a better job, but I am so confused on the right thing as a Christian. Anyhow, (my husband) mentioned praying before the polls and praying As God wants us to vote, but how do you discern that when both candidates go against God's will in some form? Anyway, I thought maybe you get this a lot....thanks for your help!!"

She's right that is a question I am hearing more frequently as the election draws closer.

Here is sort of my off the cuff response:

I too have had those exact same struggles, one of the reasons I mentioned that apathy forming inside of me that I need to repent of. 

I agree mormonism is a cult...and in many ways the writings of the book of mormon are down-right fallacious. There are certain tests that all ancient texts have to undergo to make certain they are reliable and not spurious, the accuracy test, the authenticity test and the historical test. The Book of Mormon fails the historicity test so badly that when the Smithsonian Institute researched the book of Mormon they issued a statement declaring it "Devoid of any historical reliability whatsoever." In other words there were places in the book of Mormon where a river or a mountain or a group of people were talked about and yet there is not one shred of historical evidence to tie that to historical reality. That is certainly not a problem we have with the Bible. There have been over 25,000 archeological discoveries that validate Scripture. Archaeological expert, Nelson Bloch said "It may be categorically stated that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference." Easily one of the world's greatest archeologists, William F. Albright said, "There can be no doubt that archeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition."

So how do thinking evangelicals reconcile the fact that a candidate who shares their views believes erroneous doctrine? How do we vote for a man to be the leader of the free world who buys into the fairy tale? 

That's a tough one...indeed a perplexing decision.

Here is my opinion, in an election when there is a conflict in the person of the candidate, thats when you have to look at the platform and select the lesser of the two evils. One platform is against the sanctity of marriage and against the life of the unborn, those two issues, in my opinion take precedence over any other, the economy, immigration, education, poverty, etc. If you are an ER doctor and its a busy day what you must do is start a triage, certain ailments take precedence over others, a heart attack takes precedence over a broken nose for example. In my opinion the rights of the unborn and the sanctity of marriage prevail. So your vote is cast for the platform that most closely aligns with those issues. And again, the question we have to ask, and we must ask it, because I believe one day we are going to have to give an account on this, is "Father, who would you have me vote for?" And we surrender even our votes to the Lordship of Christ.

Yes, this Fall the choices are more mirky and not as fun, but the believer must vote for the platform that most closely aligns with the biblical worldview.

*I am so excited for Sunday, October 28th! Your Pastor's Pastor will be here at SoAcres to preach. Bob Russell, became the minister at Southeast Christian in Louisville in 1966, at just 22 years of age he took over the 120 person church meeting in the basement of a house. In 40 years as Pastor God blessed the church in incredible ways...growing from 120 to nearly 20,000 people each weekend. But under the numbers is a heart for the lost and a commitment to teaching God's word as truth. In addition to that 10's of millions of dollars have been invested in Kingdom causes and missions throughout the world, no telling what the day of judgement will bring when no doubt hundreds of thousands of people will be able to say "I am here in heaven today, because of the impact of Southeast Christian Church and the obedience of a humble farm boy from rural America who was faithful in his calling." So mark your calendar's for this incredibly special day when your Pastor's Pastor comes to town! All that to say, he recently wrote a blog on this issue and he spends more time going a little more in depth than I do, and he uses the same triage logic. I have pasted his blog below.

Should Christians Vote For A Mormon For President?

While conducting a Question and Answer session at The Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, N.C. last week I was handed this question:

"What do you think about a Mormon becoming a president?  What is the basic difference between the Christian and Mormon religions?"

A second, similar question was more sarcastic:

"How does a Bible-believing Christian choose between a Mormon and an anti-American Muslim who professes to be a Christian?"  (While President Obama claims to be Christian many followers of Christ are perplexed by his anti-Christian positions and pro-Muslim comments)

My answer, as closely as I can recall, was as follows:

The primary difference between Christianity and Mormonism concerns the deity of Jesus Christ.  The Bible teaches that Jesus is Immanuel, which means, "God with us."  John's gospel begins, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and lived among us."

MORMONISM DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEITY OF JESUS

The Mormon faith contends that Jesus is not equal with God.  In their teaching He was birthed from God's wife (as was Satan).  Jesus became God-like as an example of how we all can become God-like.  That's a huge difference!  Second Corinthians 11:3-4 warns against those who preach another Jesus.  The Jesus of the Mormons is not the Jesus of the New Testament.

That's why our forefathers in the Christians faith categorized Mormonism as a cult.  There are several definitive characteristics of a cult. Cults regard a book other than the Bible as divinely inspired, follow a person other than (or in addition to) Jesus Christ and believe salvation is secured through good works rather than by grace.

The book of Mormon is considered a divinely inspired book superior to the Bible even though it contains passages that have been proven to be plagiarized and erroneous.  Joseph Smith is revered as a prophet even though he was a polygamist and many feel he was dishonest.  Salvation is promised to Mormons who perform enough works to earn God's favor.  Admittedly, many Mormons are very good moral people  and upstanding citizens but that doesn't make them Christians. (See 1 John 4:1-3.)

Governor Mitt Romney is apparently a good family man and a good moral person but that doesn't mean he will be an advocate for the Christian faith.  Nevada Senator Harry Reid and Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah are both Mormons but represent diverse political views.

WE ARE NOT ELECTING A PASTOR-IN-CHIEF BUT A COMMANDER- IN-CHIEF

On the other hand, President Barak Obama professes to be a Christian but has stirred up strong opposition from Evangelical believers for his pro-abortion, pro gay marriage and anti-religious liberty stances.  In a recent television interview, Franklin Graham hesitated to affirm the President's assertion of being a Christian by quoting Jesus who said, "By their fruit you shall know them."  While God is the ultimate judge, President Obama has not taken Biblical stands on issues vital to most Christians.

So this fall, Bible-believing Christians will face a choice between voting for a man who belongs to a cult and a man who claims to be a Christian but promotes causes that are diametrically opposed to what conservative Christians stand for.

If you were adding a room onto your house and had a choice between hiring a Christian contractor with stellar credentials and an equally gifted non-Christian which would you choose?  Most of us would probably choose the Christian contractor.

But what if you had a choice between a non-Christian contractor who had 30 years of experience and excellent recommendations and an eighteen year old Christian carpenter who wanted to do your additional room as his first project which would you choose?  Most of us would probably choose the man who was the most capable.  We recognize that being a dedicated Christian does not necessarily equip a person to perform a task that demands considerable knowledge and expertise.

When voting for a President we need to understand we're not electing a preacher but an administrator.  (One military chaplain at The Billy Graham Training Center commented that we're not electing a pastor-in-chief but a commander-in-chief.)  That's an important distinction!  Jimmy Carter, a Sunday School teacher and a very outspoken Christian is generally considered one of the poorest presidents in recent memory.

SIGNERS OF THE MANHATTAN DECLARATION CONSIDER THREE MORAL ISSUES AS TAKING PRECEDENT OVER ALL OTHERS

All things being equal let's vote for the Christian.  But since all things aren't equal we would be wise to consider experience, philosophy of government and the track record of the candidates when casting our vote.  Even more important to Christians should be the politician's stand on vital moral issues.

Hospital emergency rooms find it necessary to prioritize cases.  A heart attack takes precedent over a broken arm for example.  Christians need to prioritize political issues.  The sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious freedom are the three issues the 600,000+ signers of the Manhattan Declaration* (of which Chuck Colson was co-founder) consider of utmost importance.  Those are the game-changers on which those of us who have signed that pledge will not budge.

I, personally, will not support candidates who are pro-abortion and pro gay marriage regardless of their stance on economic matters and regardless of their stated religious affiliation.

When voting for a President, if we must choose between a non-Christian who pledges fidelity to the right to life, Biblical marriage and the freedom of the church and someone who calls himself a Christian but who undermines those critical values, it's certainly not an ideal choice…but it's not really a difficult one for me to make.

________________
* The Manhattan Declaration was released on November 20, 2009 by a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders, and scholars  at a press conference in Washington, DC. The 4,700-word declaration speaks in defense of the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty.  It issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere firmly to their convictions in these three areas.

America is great because...

This Sunday in my message I mentioned a quote from the French historian Alexis De Tocqueville...in my research I came across this quote from his work "Death of a Nation," by John Stormer.

A French philosopher who visited our shores when America was a new young nation left a similar warning. Alexis De Tocqueville said he came to the United States to learn what magic quality enabled a handful of people to defeat the mighty British Empire twice in 35 years. He looked for the greatness of America in her harbors and rivers, her fertile fields and boundless forests, mines and other natural resources. He studied America's schools, her Congress, and her matchless Constitution without comprehending America's power. Not, until he went into the churches of America and heard pulpits "aflame with righteousness" did he understand the secret of her genius and strength. De Tocqueville returned to France and wrote: "America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

 

An Inconsistent God?

Perhaps as you read chapter 7 this week you were overwhelmed by what seemed to be the brutality of God...maybe for the first time in our journey through the story you have stopped and said, "wait a second this doesn't sound like the kind and compassionate, grace filled God we read about it the New Testament, what gives?" Well a preacher friend of mine in Florida was asked this same question, and I loved his in depth response. He wrote:

One of our Ministry Leaders stopped me in the hallway this week and said, "I hope you're going to deal with why God told them to totally destroy everything and everybody."  It was clear by the tone in her voice that she had been reading chapter 7 and had some real concerns. Because this issue troubles so many people, I want to take some time to deal with why God commanded Joshua to kill everyone – even the innocent women and children. 

I often recommend Lee Strobel's book Case for Faith. Each chapter of the book tackles a common objection to our faith.  Chapter 4 is titled, "Objection #4: God isn't worthy of worship if he kills innocent children."  Strobel mentions this section of the Bible as troubling to the faith of many people. To find a good answer to this objection, Strobel interviews a well-known Christian scholar named Dr. Norman Geisler.  I recommend getting the book – you can get an e-version and start reading it this afternoon – Case for Faith, chapter 4.  But here is a summary of the most important points that Geisler makes in that interview:

Eight reasons why this action doesn't conflict with the character of God.

1.  God has the right to take human life.  The reason he commanded us, "Do not kill," is because we didn't create human life – therefore it's not ours to take. If you create a birthday cake, you have the right to say, "I don't like what I did – I'm going to throw it away."  But you don't have the right to go smashing somebody else's cake that you don't like. God is the creator of life.  It is God's right to give life and to take life, and in fact He has promised that some day He is going to take EVERY human life.  When he takes that life is up to him.

2.  God can delegate that right to a human government.

The Bible says in Romans 13 that the government is God's "agent of wrath," and the government has the right to enact capital punishment and to kill in war. The command, "Do not kill," is better translated, "Do not murder."  The Bible allows for killing in certain situations:  In self-defense, for capital punishment and in times of war.  But the taking of innocent human life is strictly forbidden because every human life was created by God and in the image of God.

 

3. The people of Jericho and the inhabitants of the Promised Land were evil people.

Geisler points out that the inhabitants of Jericho and the Canaanites were "a thoroughly evil culture, so much so that the Bible says it nauseated God.  They were into brutality, incest, bestiality, cultic prostitution, even child sacrifice by fire. And they were an aggressive culture that wanted to annihilate the Israelites. 

4.  God had warned the inhabitants repeatedly that they would be destroyed.

In fact, if you have read the chapter, you'll recall that Rahab told the spies that the people of Jericho had heard of God's judgment and they knew the Israelites were coming to take over.  Geisler says that God had given the Canaanites 400 years – the entire time Israel was in Egypt – to repent and fear God. And they just got worse.

5.  Many women and children had most likely already fled.

Geisler says that because people knew that war was coming, many of the women and children would have already fled before the Israelites arrived. And among the people who did stay, those who feared God and turned to him were spared – those in Rahab's household.  Don't you think she tried to fill her house with people who wanted to be saved? In fact, God had commanded the Israelites that in each town they were to make an offer of peace.  But these ruthless people never wanted peace. 

6.  The justice of God demanded that sin be dealt with.

The biggest reason we struggle to understand the killing of the Canaanites is because we have a one-sided view of God's character.  We know about the love of God but we don't understand the justice of God.  The Old Testament reveals what God really thinks of sin, and how eager He is to wipe it out.  When you understand that God could snuff you out in a moment for your sin, you begin to understand just how gracious God has been to you just to let you keep living and to give you a second chance.

7.  God needed to get rid of the evil influence of that culture.

God knew that the pagan influence on the Israelites would bring them down. If you put a white glove on your hand and stick it in the mud, the glove gets muddy.  The mud never gets "glovey." God knew that the pagan Canaanites would make it even more difficult for his people to be holy and Godly. In Chapter 8 we see the period of the Judges.  In that period of history, the people stopped obeying God and tried to live side-by-side with Canaanites and the results are awful and devastating.

But what about the children:  They were innocent – they didn't deserve to die.  That's true, But…

8.  The destruction of the children show God's mercy.

What? How could killing innocent children be merciful? Where wickedness abounds, child suffering abounds all the more.  So these children were suffering greatly in a terribly immoral culture. The Bible indicates that those who die as little children go straight to heaven.  Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, for of such is the Kingdom of heaven."  Since those children were surrounded by so much evil, it's unlikely they would have grown up as God-fearing people and they wouldn't have gone to heaven.  But God in His mercy ushers more children straight into the Kingdom. God commanding the destruction of every living thing may be troubling.  But this universe is complicated.  God's ways our not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  If you don't like the way God ordered His universe, you are free to go start your own. But lets admit its complex. Where it appears ruthless on the surface it may really be an illustration of God's judgment and even His mercy.

The Complaint God Can't Tolerate

This week in our journey through The Story, we came to chapter 6 Wandering. And we saw how while it might have taken just one night to get Israel out of Egypt it would take 40 years to get the Egypt out of Israel. And we see this detox in the desert take place...granted they had a lot to detox from. But we see immediately emerging on their journey this selfish, entitled spirit coming through in this Holy Nation, evidenced through their incessant complaining. And we saw where it began, in the outskirts, the Message paraphrase says, "in the Riffraff." That's where complaining starts but over time it spreads quickly like an infectious disease. And as it spreads what is complained about intensifies, it starts with water and food, but by the time it spreads into Moses' own family it is racial prejudice they complain about, and to God that is completely over the line. Numbers 12:1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife...

Now Moses was a Jew, his skin tone would have likely been tanned out in the desert, but for all intents and purposes he was white; his wife Zipphorah was a Cushite which meant she would have been dark skinned or black. Moses and his wife were an interracial couple and his own family members spoke out against this. Isn't it interesting how some things never change, here we are 3500 years later with the problem of racism still existing. Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life said he has preached in 164 nations and in his own church pastors members who speak 72 different languages and he said the most common sin he has encountered around the world, in every culture...is racism.

And you just need to know that God has no stomach for it!

Now some people disguise their racism by saying well in the Bible God forbids intermarrying of His people with other nations. And that is true, but when you dig deeper and begin to study you discover that it had nothing to do with skin color but instead the pagan religious practices of the people of the other nations, knowing that intermarrying would draw their hearts off sides and lead them away from Him. And so intermarrying with God was a faith-based issue not a raced based issue; it had nothing to do with ethnicity.

And even to this day this is still God's same standard. The Bible says that as believers we are not to be yoked together with non-believers. (2 Corinthians 6:14) A follower of Christ shouldn't date a Muslim or a Jew, a Christian business man shouldn't partner up with an atheist or an agnostic. Really if Christ is the foundation of your life, you really shouldn't want too. Because without Him at the center you really have nothing in common any way, and any attempts to build a relationship or a business together would be dubious, like two people trying to build the same house with completely different sets of blue prints...it just wouldn't work out, its designed to fail from the start.

So just so we are clear: dating or marrying a person who doesn't share your faith in Christ, God objects too; two believers coming together from another race...with God, no objections at all! Remember this is the God who said in Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Someone said simply, where there's grace there is no race.

And so these racist siblings of Moses arouse God's anger and so look at how He responds to their prejudice and complaining...{9}The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them. When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam's skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. It's as if God is saying, "Here Miriam you have a problem with Zipphorahs black skin, let me show you what real white skin looks like, I mean really white!" Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed...So Moses cried out to the Lord, "Please, God, heal her! " The Lord replied to Moses...Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back." So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

Notice that the complaining stalled progress, because she complained she was disciplined, and that discipline made the entire nation wait another week before any advancement could happen. And that's what complaining does it always hinders progress. That's why in the New Testament God simply commands, "Do everything without complaining or arguing..." (Phil. 2:14) Difficult command to keep, but when you obey, when you let go of your opinions and release your spirit of entitlement the liberation is incredible. I read a tweet the other day that said, "Freedom is slavery to a perfect master." When you realize that God is in control and that He alone is perfect and perfectly qualified to run the universe, you rest easy and enjoy your freedom realizing, "What is there really to complain about?"

 

Similarities between Joseph and Jesus

A couple of weeks ago in our study of The Story we came to the story of Joseph. And all throughout the chapter it just amazed me how similar his story was to Jesus'.

It is fascinating to see the parrallels. I did some research and found this that I thought was interesting and worthy to share.

Joseph and Jesus 

1. Joseph was a shepherd (37:2); Jesus is the Great Shepherd (John 10). 

2. Joseph was opposed to and exposed evil (37:2); Jesus did the same. 

3. Joseph was loved by the his father (37:3-4); Jesus was beloved by the Father.(Mat. 3:17; 17:5

 John 10:17; Philippians 2:9) 

4. Joseph was hated by his brothers (37:4); Jesus was hated by His brothers (John 1:11; Luke 19:14).             

5. Joseph was hated for his words (37:8); Jesus was hated for His words of truth. (John 7:7; 3:32)

6. Joseph was promised a remarkable future (37:7-12); Jesus looked passed the cross to the joy set before Him (Isaiah 9:6,7; Luke 1:31-33; Hebrews 12:2).

7. Joseph foretold of his future sovereignty (37:7-12); Jesus did the same. (Mat. 26:64)

8. Joseph was envied by his brothers (37:11); Jesus was envied by His. (Mat. 27:17-18)

9. Joseph was sent by his father to his brothers (37:13); Jesus was sent to the 'lost sheep of Israel,' by His father (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38-40; 12:48-50; 17:21)

10. Joseph seeks out his brothers (37:14-17); Jesus sought out His (Luke 19:10)

11. Joseph seeks the welfare of his brothers (37:14); Jesus came not to condemn but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:17)

12. Joseph seeks his brothers until he finds them; Jesus seeks us until He finds us. And this at the initiative of the Father.

13. Joseph was conspired against (37:18); Jesus was also conspired against. (Mat. 12:14)

14. Joseph's brothers did not believe his dreams (37:19, 29); Jesus' brethren did not believe His words. (Mat. 27:39-43; John 3:18, 36)

15. Joseph was stripped of his coat (37:23); Jesus was stripped of His coat. (Mat. 27:27, 28; John 19:23)

16. Joseph was cast into a pit (37:24); Jesus was thrown into a grave.

17. Joseph was taken out of the pit, alive in his body (37:28); Jesus was bodily-resurrected from the tomb (pit).

18. Joseph's brothers mingled hypocrisy with their hatred (37:27); the Jews did the same with Jesus (Mat. 27:35, 36; John 18:28, 31)

19. Joseph is sold for the price of a slave(37:38); Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver (the price of a slave).

20. Judah suggested the idea of selling his brother (37:26-28); the Greek name for Judah is Judas (Mat. 1:2-3).

21. Joseph's blood sprinkled coat (goat blood) is presented to his father (37:31); Jesus is our scapegoat and His blood was presented to the Father as a sin offering. (Leviticus 16:8-10)

22. Joseph becomes a servant (39:1); Jesus became a servant (Philippians 2:6, 7)

23. Joseph was a prosperous servant (39:2, 3); Jesus was also a prosperous Servant (Isaiah 52:13; 53:10)

24. Joseph's master was well pleased with him (39:4); the Father was always pleased with what Jesus did (John 8:29).

25. Joseph, the servant, was made a blessing to others (39:5); Jesus was a blessing to the world.

26. Joseph was a goodly person (39:6); Jesus came as a servant into the world and yet lived a goodly (perfect) life.

27. Joseph was sorely tempted and did not sin(39:7-12); Jesus was tempted and did not sin (Mat. 4:1-11; Heb. 2:18; 4:15)

28. Joseph was falsely accused (39:16-18); Jesus was falsely accused (Mat. 16:59, 60).

29. Joseph attempted no defense (39:19); Jesus gave no defense at His trials (Isaiah 53:7).

30. Joseph was cast into prison, though he was innocent (39:20); Jesus is sentenced to death though Pilate found no fault in Him (John 19:4, 6).

31. Joseph thus suffered at the hands of the Gentiles (first by his brethren then by the Gentiles; Jesus was sold by His brethren then suffered at the hands of the Romans (Gentiles.

32. Joseph, the innocent one, suffered severely (Psalm 105:17, 18); Jesus suffered by crucifixion.

33. Joseph won the respect of his jailor (39:21); Jesus won the respect of a Roman centurion standing at the cross (Luke 23:47).

34. Joseph was numbered with transgressors (40:1-3); as it was prophesied about Jesus (Isaiah 53:12) and as it was (Mark 15:28).

35. Joseph was the means of blessing to one, but the pronouncer of judgment on the other (40:16, 17, 19); as Jesus was a blessing to one of the thieves He was crucified between (Luke 23:43).

36. Joseph evidenced his knowledge of the future and gave credit to God alone (40:8); as Jesus did the same on earth (John 12:49).

37. Joseph desired to be remembered by the butler (40:14); as Jesus said, "This do in remembrance of Me." (Luke 22:19)

38. Joseph was put in prison (the tomb) but God would not allow him to remain there because God's purpose for Joseph was not yet fulfilled. So it was with Jesus Christ, God would not allow Him to remain in the tomb (Acts 2:24). Joseph changed his prison clothes for clothes of glory as did Jesus Christ (John 20:6, 7).

39. Joseph was delivered from prison by the hand of God (God sending a dream to Pharaoh and Joseph's testimony in 45:7-9); as God raised Jesus from the tomb (Acts 2:32; 10:40).

40. Joseph is seen now as the Revealer of secrets; compare 41:16 with the words of Jesus in John 17:8; 8:28; and 12:49.Compare 41:25 with God revealing what He would shortly do through Jesus Christ in Revelation 1:1.

41. Joseph warned of a coming danger, and urged his hearers to make suitable provision to meet it (41:33-36); as did Jesus Christ warned His hearers that death did not end all but there was a life beyond the grave that one should prepare and be ready for now.

42. Joseph is portrayed as a Wonderful Counselor in giving wisdom to Pharaoh (41:33-36); as Christ is known as the One "in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3).

43. Joseph's counsel commended itself to Pharaoh and his officers (41:37-39); as did Jesus' teaching while He walked on earth (Matt. 7:28-29; 13:54; and compare John 7:46 with Genesis 41:38).

44. Joseph is exalted, and set over all Egypt (41:39-40); as God highly exalted Jesus (1 Peter 3:22; Philippians 2:5-11).

45. Joseph was seated on the throne of another; as Jesus shares the Throne with the Father. "Today our Lord Jesus Christ shares the throne with the Father as Joseph shared the throne of Pharaoh. As Joseph ruled over Pharaoh's house with his word, so today our Lord Jesus Christ rules over Father as Joseph shared the throne of Pharaoh. As Joseph ruled over Pharaoh's house with his word, so today our Lord Jesus Christ rules over the Father's household, the household of faith, the Church, by and through His Word.

46. Joseph was exalted to the throne because of his personal worth; as Jesus was highly exalted for His personal worth (Philippians 2:6-9).

47. Joseph was invested with such insignia as became his new position (41:42); as was our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 5:31; Hebrews 2:9; Revelation 1:13).

48. Joseph's authority and glory were publicly owned (41:43); as Peter publicly declared the Lordship of Jesus Christ on Pentecost (Acts 2:36; Philippians 2:10)

49. Joseph received from Pharaoh a new name (41:45); as God gave Jesus Christ a new name (Philippians 2:9, 10; Matthew 1:21; Acts 5:31). True is was the name "Jesus" given to Him at His birth. Jesus means Savior, but Jesus could not save His people from their sins until after His death, burial, and resurrection. As Joseph did not become his people's savior until after his "death," "burial," and "resurrection."

50. Joseph was thirty years old when he began his ministry (41:46); as Jesus was thirty when He began His public ministry (Luke 3:23).

51. Joseph's exaltation was followed by a season of plenty (41:47-49); as their (is) a season of harvest now after Jesus' exaltation as LORD. This time period is known as "the time of the Gentiles." (Romans 11:25; John 12:24).

52. Joseph's exaltation was also followed by a period of famine (41:53-54); as 'the time of Gentiles' will come to an end and 'the time of Jacob's trouble' (Jeremiah 30:7) will begin. (See Daniel 12:7; Mark 13:19-20 (it will a very grievous time (as in Genesis 41:31)). It will be a time when the whole earth (a picture of all of Egypt) will be tried. (Revelation 3:10). See Amos 8:11-12 for the kind of famine coming (or may already be here) - a famine of the Word of God.

53. Joseph, alone, is now seen as dispersing bread to a perishing world (41:55); as Jesus is the One who alone disperses the Bread of Life (Acts 4:12; Matthew 17:5 '. . . hear Him.'

54. Joseph became a Saviour to all peoples (41:57; 54); as Jesus is the Savior to all peoples (John 3:16; Revelation 5:9).

55. Joseph has unlimited resources to meet the need of all the people (41:49); as we read of the riches of Christ's grace in passages such as Eph. 1:7; 2:7; 2:4; 1 Peter 1:3; Eph. 3:8; Col. 2:9; Romans 10:12.

56. Joseph's family is driven out of their own land (42:1-3, 5); this is in fulfillment of God's prophecy in Genesis 15:13. And so, a few years after Joseph's brothers rejected him they are forced out of their country as were the Jews after a few years after rejecting Christ were scattered into the world by the Romans.

57. Joseph was unknown and unrecognized by his brethren (42:6, 8); as Jesus today is not recognized by the Jews. Joseph was exalted over all the house of Pharaoh, but Jacob knew it not. All the seyears he thought(assumed)that Joseph was dead! Today, Jews 'believe' Jesus to be dead and do not know that He has been exalted as LORD over all the world.

58. Joseph, however, saw and knew his brethren (42:7); so too, Jesus' eye is on the Jews even today (Jeremiah 16:17; Hosea 5:3).

59. Joseph punished his brethren (42:7, 17); as God (Jesus) is dealing harshly with the Jews today (Hosea 9:17; Matthew 23:35-36, 38-39. "Joseph was the cause of their troubles now. Joseph was punishing them for their past dealing with himself. The secret of all Judah's suffering during the past centuries is to be found in the fact that the rejected Messiah has been dealing 'roughly' with them."

60. Joseph made provision for his brethren while they were in a strange land (42:25); as God (Jesus) promised to provide for the Jews while they are scattered (Jeremiah 30:11; Ezekiel 11:16)

From Gleanings in Genesis by A. W. Pink