365 Reflections

Genesis 47:7–11 (ESV) Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. If we interpret this passage in light of how Hebrews interprets the Patriarchal blessings, it teaches us a lot about how to live in a world dominated by glitz, fame, celebrity and power.  Jacob - the wandering shepherd and Patriarch of the faith, the father of a rag tag family largely...

The Psalmist describes the habitation of God as a city. Not some enigmatic place or some ethereal realm. There is an eternal city of God. Psalm 48:1–2 (ESV) Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. When you think of a city you think of it's order and it's functionality. You think of it's great contribution of art and science and innovation. You think of it's dynamics to make life work for many many people. You think of the planning and coordination that has to take place in a city to make it work. This is the image of our God in the Psalm. He is a God of order and elevation and coordination. He is a God who brings many from afar and locates them in a new city. The city of our God. The Psalm calls us to contemplate the city of our God: Psalm 48:12–14 (ESV) Walk about Zion, go around her, number...