January 24, Day 24 – See for Yourselves
- Dr. Eric Stricker
- Jan 24
- 3 min read
Today’s readings are replete with all the joys, hopes, and dreams of life itself. Here, in Genesis 45, God graciously gives us a foretaste of heaven – the redemption and recovery of that which we lost in Eden. At one time or another, the evil pride of Eden rears itself up in all of us. Here, in Genesis 45, Joseph – with great humility and weeping – makes himself known to his haughty brothers who are now suddenly “terrified at his presence” (verse 3). This scene suggests a picture and a warning of what it must be like for someone who has offended a holy, sovereign God and then – without an advocate – come into His presence. Who could possibly represent these men before Joseph? After all the harm they did to him, who would want to represent them? Yet, notice Joseph’s compassionate and tender plea: “Come close to me” (verse 4). This is exactly what God wants for us. God wants our fellowship, and He beckons us to draw near to Him (cf., James 4:8-10). Joseph continues: “It was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you … to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (verses 5-7). And here – already in the first book of the Old Testament – we see such a beautiful foreshadowing of Christ’s resurrection. Notice that Joseph says, “You can see for yourselves that it is really I who am speaking to you here” (verse 12). In chapter 44, we saw that Jacob really believed that Joseph was dead – “He has surely been torn to pieces” (verse 28). As far as Jacob was concerned, his son was dead – yet he lives – and alas, as the “lord of all Egypt” (verse 9). In Genesis 46, Jacob now goes down to Egypt and is reunited with Joseph. Jacob summarizes Eden’s pride and its effects when he says, “My years have been few and difficult …” (Genesis 47:9). Whether real or figurative, how many famines, losses, and sufferings have we all experienced during our brief pilgrimage here? Clearly, Joseph represents a picture of Christ, and under his leadership, all the provisions of Egypt embody our faith-based destination – heaven – where not only sustenance but also a stunning reunion with our loved ones awaits us (Genesis 45:26).
Psalm 14 is well-known for its reference to atheism. David addresses the fool – so charged by his denial of God’s existence. David writes, “No one does good – not even one, for all are corrupt” (verse 3). However, in Christ, a righteousness has been made available to us, and it comes out of Zion – where God is present (verse 7). David recognizes that God is “our refuge” (verse 6), and clearly, the antidote to the poison of sin and the foolishness of atheism is faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 16:1-20, we see the Pharisees and the Sadducees – two opposing religious parties in Israel – coming together to ask Jesus “to show them a sign from heaven” (verse 1). Jesus rebukes them. He says they know how to interpret the weather, but they “cannot interpret the signs of the times,” for which reason Jesus tells them that they are “a wicked and an adulterous generation” (verses 3-4). Unfortunately, this scene is also a reflection of people in our day. Jesus tells them that the only sign that will be given is the “sign of Jonah” (verse 4). With this statement, Jesus validated the prophet, his actual history, his book, and all the events of one of the most interesting but controversial men of the Old Testament. Also in this section, we see Peter’s confession of “the Christ – the Son of the living God” (verse 16). Jesus responds to Peter (the little rock), that He will build His church on the solid Rock of Peter’s confession and recognition of truth. In all our readings for today, we see so much of God’s abundant mercy and grace. He desires earnestly to redeem us from our corruption caused by the pride of Eden; thus, the Lord also invites us to “see for yourselves” (Genesis 45:12). Here, Jesus even promises to entrust to Peter – a flawed human being – “the keys” of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:19). Our God is truly awesome, and He desires that we run to Him!
Comments