Author: Dave Dishman (Page 388 of 475)

Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.

As a result, the lives of the Israelites turned into a hell of slavery and infanticide and death.

To be honest, I find myself more attracted to the tingling power of the king than to the suffering Israelites.

This new king either knew nothing of Egypt’s past history, or simply ignored it. This king embraced his power to force history, and God’s people, into the new day dawning, to pull the dark past into an enlightened future. Which he conveniently controlled.

How am I like the king? I’m like the king when I ignore the clear teachings of scripture to slip into the ever-swirling moral perspectives of our cultural moment. I’m like the king when I discount the words of the New and Old Testament writers regarding personal freedoms, sexuality, gender confusion, and moral actions. I’m like the king when I depreciate truth to avoid looking intolerant or outdated, to appear loving and open-minded, to embrace the modern and jettison the past.

Under the new kings of our age, and their updated views of of truth, await a future of slavery and infanticide and death.

Under the teachings of scripture await a narrow and confining future. But narrow is the way that leads to life.

I choose life.

Exodus 1 in Week five of reading the Bible cover to cover.

I’ve read lots of conjecture about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” a physical ailment God refused to remove (2 Corinthians 12). Paul never spelled it out, so no one is really sure what his problem might have been.

As we read Galatians 4, we discover a clue. Paul reminds the good people of Galatia that an illness first brought him to preach to them. Then he mentions that in their generous care for him, they would have “torn out your eyes and given them to me.” Was something wrong with Paul’s eyes?

At the end of Acts Paul gathers firewood and a viper latches on – he obviously didn’t see that coming. Paul closes his letter to Galatia using “large letters by my own hand!” Sounds like a dude with bad eyes.

Paul influenced the world by writing and preaching about Jesus. Paul traveled on foot, preached to hostile and friendly crowds, labored as a tentmaker, and wrote letter after letter. All with diseased eyes. Seems like he deserved a break.

Paul prayed fervently for that break, but relief never arrived. Instead, power walked through the door. Paul delighted in weakness – delighted – because in his weakness Christ’s power – power to change the world – surged through him.

Worth it.

Week four of reading the Bible cover to cover.