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Gen. 41
God often spoke directly to people in the Bible through dreams. In several instances, such as this one with Pharaoh, the dreamer could not understand the dream. You could say that they had eyes to see but couldn’t see and ears to hear but couldn’t hear. It took a man whose heart sought God to understand the message. This seems to be yet another foreshadowing of Jesus. Like those dreams, Jesus was God’s direct word to man. However, Jesus spoke in parables, “because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matt. 13:13Bb), just like the dreams. Even today those who are able to see, hear, and understand are those whose hearts earnestly seek God and thus Know Jesus for who He is.
Joseph’s story not only foreshadows Jesus as God’s direct word to us, it also foreshadows Him as our interpreter. Just as Joseph gave meaning to God’s word to Pharaoh, so Jesus gives meaning to us. He is the One who allows us to see, hear, and understand God’s message. And it is through Him that we now have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to interpret God’s direct word to us.
Mark 11
I think I comment on this silly fig tree pretty much every time I read about it in the gospels. That’s because I am still seeking to understand the lesson in it. I have certainly gained some insight into it over the past few years of doing these musings. But I had another thought this morning that I wanted to add to the mix. I have mentioned in the past that the fig tree may represent God’s fruitless people, Israel, and how their fruitlessness is because it is not yet their time. This morning, however, I wondered how that fit with Jesus’ curse. When Jesus cursed that poor, fruitless fig tree He said, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” (From Mk. 11:14). Certainly God does not intend for His people to remain fruitless forever! So my thought is that I only had part of the equation.
The nation of Israel is tied to the Law of Moses and the whole sacrificial system, which is the rest of that equation. We know that God put these things in place not as a means of salvation for anyone, but as a representation of His plan for our redemption through Christ Jesus. Thus, Jesus’ curse of the fig tree and His subsequent cleansing of the Temple were His declaration that God’s true salvation had come. You could say it was something of a changing of the guard – out with the old; in with the new. His following statements to the disciples, then, expressed the truth that faith, not the law or Temple sacrifices, is what brings about a fruitful, redeemed life. As for the old guard, it has fulfilled its purpose and there is nothing left to be gained from it.
Job 7
It is in this chapter that Job finally seems to turn his complaint directly toward God. Though he doesn’t curse or reject God, he does ask why God torments him. And I still don’t see him fully asserting his innocence yet. In fact he asked God, “Have I sinned? What have I done to You, o watcher of men?” (Job 7:20a). He further asked, “Why then do You not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?” (Job. 7:21a). It seems no matter what Job did – whether sleep, humbling himself before God, or voicing his complaint – he found no relief from his distress.
I’m pretty sure God can handle it if we voice our complaints out of our distress. Job’s story makes it quite clear to me, however, that God owes us no explanations. The fact of the matter is that the reason for our suffering doesn’t matter. Obviously, if we are causing our own suffering we need to, as Job’s friends suggested, change our behavior. But even that doesn’t’ change the fact that the only thing we need to concern ourselves with is living right before God. If we suffer in spite of this, as Job did, nothing changes. We still hold fast to God in faith and patiently endure whatever comes. Not an easy thing for sure, but we don’t need to add to our distress by seeking an explanation we are not owed.