Obedience Is a Necessary Aspect of Faith In Christ

Today’s Reading: Genesis 46; Mark 16; Job 12; Romans 16

Genesis 46:3–4
* Consider how Jacob may have felt like a failure, having to go to Egypt to survive. God reassures him that this is all according to his plan.

Mark 16:5–8
* Mark’s gospel ends abruptly (especially if it ends in v. 8, like many manuscripts do). Many scholars believe the this account is based on the preaching of Peter, who could have gone in any number of directions to “finish the story,” or call for repentance, depending on his audience.

Job 12:4–6
* Job agrees with his friends about the nature of God—sovereign, just, powerful, etc—but he does not agree with their conclusions. He makes his own wise observations: it is easy to accuse the one who is suffering; and even idolaters enjoy peace and security.

Romans 16:25–27
* If you were to go back and read the beginning of Romans, you would see that Paul ends with the same themes in mind, especially: the Gospel fulfills the promises of the Old Testament, and obedience is one of the aspects of faith in Christ.

Jesus’ Death Was the Result of Purpose, Not Weakness

Today’s Reading: Genesis 45; Mark 15; Job 11; Romans 15

Genesis 45:22–24
* It would be easy to miss that Joseph is lavishly gracious with his brothers, though they sold him as a slave for 20 shekels.

Mark 15:29–32
* That Jesus does not “save himself” from the cross is no sign of the Father’s displeasure nor the Son’s weakness; actually, it is the fulfillment of God’s will, quenching his wrath, unto his ultimate pleasure and glory. If that’s true of the cross, what about other suffering?

Job 11:2–6
* Zophar picks up the perspective of Bildad and Eliphaz just with somewhat more intensity. He doesn’t believe in Job’s innocence, so his speech is filled with sarcasm.

Romans 15:8–10
* Jesus’ work on the cross made the way for both Jews and Gentiles to glorify God.

Jesus Accepts the Crime of Messiahship

Today’s Reading: Genesis 44; Mark 14; Job 10; Romans 14

Genesis 44:32–34
* You may remember that Judah tried to de-escalate the situation with his brothers originally intended to kill Joseph. Here he goes farther, offering to exchange himself for the sake of Benjamin, but even more so for his father.

Mark 14:60–64
* Jesus is silent before his false accusers. If he were to speak, he would prove his innocence. But when he is accused of being the Messiah, he speaks, accepting condemnation for that “crime.”

Job 10:1–4
* Job again addresses God directly. He is filling with bitterness because of God’s unjust treatment. His main question: “Why?”

Romans 14:20–23
* Everything we do, from the mundane—eating and drinking—to the miraculous, must flow from faith. We must always be aware of God’s presence in all his goodness, wisdom, and sovereignty.

To Love Is To Have Fulfilled the Law

Today’s Reading: Genesis 43; Mark 13; Job 9; Romans 13

Genesis 43:30–31
* Joseph stays in character in front of his brothers, though he is overwhelmed with emotion. The lesson in store for his brothers is not over yet.

Mark 13:32–33
* Though Jesus speaks at length about the End, he also says plainly that the second coming will be a surprise. The point is that believers should always be “awake.”

Job 9:32–35
* Job argues that if he, though innocent, were to stand before God, God would still condemn him. He cries out for an “arbiter”—Could we say “Mediator”?—between him and God.

Romans 13:7–10
* Paul’s thought flows from taxes to love. And debt of taxes are a light burden compared to the weight of owing love to one another.

We Must Know What God Expects from Us in Order to Obey Him

Today’s Reading: Genesis 42; Mark 12; Job 8; Romans 12

Genesis 42:26–28
* The guilt of Joseph’s brothers is very much fresh and alive. Even what could have been received as a blessing from God is seen as a curse because of their guilt.

Mark 12:35–37
* Notice that Jesus does not teach that the Christ is not the son of David. Rather, he teaches that the Christ is not merely the son of David, but he is David’s Lord also. And if we want to truly know the Christ, we need to understand how he can be both.

Job 8:2–7
* Bildad’s argument (er, encouragement) is that Job’s words are wasted (wind) by claiming his innocence. God won’t pervert justice; the guilty are punished, not the pure. Again, that sounds good, but the view of God’s rewards and punishments is too narrow.

Romans 12:1–2
* After 11 chapters of doctrine, Paul begins the application section of the book. This pattern reinforces how our works must flow from our faith. We must know who God is, in order to worship him; what he expects from us, in order to obey him.

God’s Ways Can Be Inscrutable But He Is Knowable

Today’s Reading: Genesis 41; Mark 11; Job 7; Romans 11

Genesis 41:38–43
* The emphasis of the story of Joseph is God’s presence with him. Even Pharaoh recognizes Joseph’s interpretation and wisdom come from God. Don’t miss that even Joseph’s administrative wisdom is a sign of the Spirit of God.

Mark 11:7–10
* In Mark, Jesus regularly instructs those who believe not to tell others about him. Here, he openly receives praise and identification as the Messiah. This is the beginning of the Passover week; his death is fast approaching.

Job 7:20–21
* Job’s lament and complaint to his friends turns to address God directly. His speech seems to grow with anger, even. How will God respond?

Romans 11:33–36
* After reflecting at length on how God has orchestrated the history of redemption in ways unexpected—even mysterious—Paul stops and confesses the limits of our understanding wholly the ways of God.

God’s Freedom in Mercy Does Not Contradict Our Freedom in Faith

Today’s Reading: Genesis 40; Mark 10; Job 6; Romans 10

Genesis 40:7–8
* It is interesting how Joseph declares that the interpretation of things belongs to God, and then asks for the cup-bearer and baker to tell him their dreams.

Mark 10:17–22
* If the rich man had found the Kingdom of God, he would have left with joy, sold everything, given to the poor, and returned to followed Jesus. He had knelt before Christ, tried to flatter the Lord with “Good Teacher,” and even asked a serious question, but he wasn’t looking for the Kingdom.

Job 6:24–30
* Job complains that his friends are cruel to him both in their incredulity towards his innocence, and in their reproof, which has no target. He insists on his guiltlessness and calls for vindication. Though we know his suffering is not punishment for some specific sin, this seems a dangerous path…

Romans 10:8–13
* Paul doesn’t have a problem declaring the sovereignty of God to have mercy on whom he wills in chapter 9, and then following that by declaring that if you believe and confess you will be saved. He sees no contradiction between those two truths, nor does he apologize for their juxtaposition.

God Is Sovereign Over Salvation and We Are Reponsible For Our Sin

Today’s Reading: Genesis 39; Mark 9; Job 5; Romans 9

Genesis 39:20–23
* The refrain of the story of Joseph is: “the LORD was with him.” As things get worse and worse for him, he continues to know favor and success.

Mark 9:21–29
* Jesus gave his disciples authority over the “unclean spirits” back in 6:7. So, why couldn’t they drive out this “mute and deaf spirit”? Prayer—which is fundamentally a confession that God has the power to drive out the spirit and they don’t—in and of themselves.

Job 5:6–7
* Eliphaz is so eloquent and wise that it’s difficult to see where he has gone wrong (to become clear at the end of the book). I would offer a couple of ideas: 1) Instead of seeking the truth, he assumes he understands the ways of God; 2) He uses proverbs to oversimplify the ways of God—as if that would be comforting for Job.

Romans 9:16–21
* So, children of God are children according to faith, not bloodline. And God is sovereign over salvation, granting mercy to “whomever he wills.” But man is also responsible for his sin, because God “still finds fault.” We don’t choose either divine sovereignty or human responsibility; it’s both.

Be Encouraged by the Promises, the Sovereignty, and the Unstoppable Love of God

Today’s Reading: Genesis 38; Mark 8; Job 4; Romans 8

Genesis 38:25–26
* Judah was quick to condemn Tamar, only to be confronted with his own sin, which is greater than hers.

Mark 8:34–37
* So, Peter objects to the cross, and Jesus rebukes him for representing Satan’s temptation and for contradicting the things of God. But not only is Jesus’ sacrifice a deliberate mission and necessary for salvation, but also those who would accept him must take up their own crosses!

Job 4:17–19
* Job’s first friend to speak is Eliphaz. His point seems to be that no one can stand before God righteous. While that may be true, he is saying that Job must have done something and is being punished for it, which we know is not the case.

Romans 8:37–39
* Romans 8 is a good place to go for encouragement. That is, if you are encouraged by the promises of God, the sovereignty of God, and the unstoppable love of God in Christ Jesus.

The Root of Sin Is a Heart of Darkness

Today’s Reading: Genesis 37; Mark 7; Job 3; Romans 7

Genesis 37:26–27
* We should have eyes by this time in the story to see God’s hand, even in the midst of betrayal and fratricide are in view. God uses the greed of the brothers to save Joseph and move him to Egypt, though we don’t know the significance of those details yet.

Mark 7:20–23
* The root of sin is a heart of darkness. There is no place to redirect blame for our sin.

Job 3:20–22
* We hear a lot about the patience of Job, but here we see the despair of Job.

Romans 7:15–20
* Here is Paul at his most transparent. And I think he communicates pretty clearly the experience of the Christian life—the struggle between the natural self (flesh) and the spiritual self.