The morning
Manna will be provided at 6am. Thanks. Studying
Genesis in the SSnet.org series Lesson 12, may the Holy Spirit be the speaker
to your heart. The Topic today
is: "Joseph's official Egyptian cup of Divination" The Opening
Hymn will be 229 "Spirit of the Living God" The Sabbath
School Quarterly, downloadable from SSnet.org in the Teacher's Edition is on
page 154 and for the laymen edition or Standard Edition, on page 100. The SSnet.org
site allows anyone, anywhere to read the lesson in their own language. Choose
your own language to see God speaking also to your heart. ---It is typical
of all governments to consist of believers, unbelievers, agnostics, nihilists,
pagans, superstitious persons. ---They bring their
gifts to a ruler and it can be anything. In Joseph's case it was a divination
considered cup by his pagan Egyptian audience. ---Joseph
believed God and did not believe in their pagan ideas. As long as they close
their eyes when he prayed to the one true God for them, the cup can stand
there. He hoped they would focus on his true words and not the fake cup. ---He did not
believe in its power Ellen White says in Patriarchs and Prophets. 229. ---It is
interesting in the previous chapter in Genesis 43:23 that the servant who
talked to the brothers about the treasure in their sacks used the same faithful
language that they knew. ---"Peace
be to you fear not, your God and the God of your father has given you treasure
in your sacks, I had your money". ---In Genesis
43:24 they washed their feet. John 13 washing of the disciples’ feet by Jesus
was not just a cultural habit like this one with the brothers. John 13:17
instituted a ceremony that Adventist are to follow until the Second Coming. ---Joseph was
to act a villain and non-religious but when he saw Benjamin his passions
overcame him and the Hebrew honest religion of his heart dropped out of his
mouth automatically: "God be gracious to you, my son" Genesis 43:29. ---It is time
for homecoming. And Joseph had a plan. The cup. ---If he just
asked his brothers to bring his father, they may trick again, he may have
wondered? ---He had to
force them to bring the father. ---Joseph was
so overcame with passion that he did not realize that he insisted five times
that a portion from before him be given to Benjamin. Someone was counting. ---The brothers
also counted and related that to Jacob. Moses wrote it down. It is not
imagination but history. ---Leaving
Benjamin behind desturbed Judah. He proposes to give himself as sacrifice
(Genesis 44:33). ---Dr. Doukhan
compared the "instead" giving of Judah with the "instead"
giving of the ram for Isaac and the "instead" giving of Christ for us
in Romans 5:8. ---Salvation
includes the core element of "instead". After that salvation also
includes the element of "therefore I will follow His obedience and be
perfect as He is perfect in my carefulness of my intentions, motivation,
thoughts. daily activities". ---Substitution
and Example is the complete gospel that is unfortunately not the message of
most current Reformed churches. Cheap gospel focuses only on a thin layer of
Jesus romanticism. ---Edward
Heppenstall in Christ our High Priest warns us against preaching a "cheap
gospel" without obedience preaching, overcoming preaching, perfection
preaching. (Heppenstall chapter 3 paragraph 61). If sin can be forgiven without
judgment, it is cheap grace. Judgment is by our works he also said. Works are
obedience by the enabling grace of God. ---We are not
asked to embrace sin and invite them to church. It is the person that is
invited and divine grace will do the transformation. "They do not stay the
same" says Charles Brooks. ---In the
sermon "God in bad company" on Youtube, Charles Brooks spelled out
that an alcoholic will stop drinking. A smoker stop smoking. God will wash
their hearts and face and body and put new clothes on. They become changed. No
"stay as you are" sermons. ---Joseph could
see that his brothers really changed. They were not the same any longer.
Reunion and staying together was possible. Joseph planned for it.