Transquotation: Genesis 49:8

Hello again!

This is what God gave me today in His word:

Verses:

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. (Genesis 49:8)

Transquotation:

Praise to God, Jesus has put His hand on the necks of His enemies! He has overcome, He has conquered! Let us worship Him! Let us, now called “His brothers, sons of God” worship Him!

Explanation of the transquote:

Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of the promise that Jacob makes to Judah here: “Your brothers will praise you.” Just to give you a little reminder here, we are sons and daughters of God now; thus we’re brothers and sisters of Jesus. Thus, so long as we praise Jesus (which is something we should be doing all the time, ‘whether we eat or drink, we should do all to the glory of God’), we’re fulfilling Jacob’s blessing.

“Your hand will be on the necks of your enemies;” Through the piercing of Jesus’ hands (and feet, and heart), He destroyed His enemies; and saved us. — He has conquered! He has shown His dominance over His opponent, and has gained dominion over Satan and all He owns. I’d dare to say that’s He’s “put His hand on Satan’s neck”, wouldn’t you?

Now that we’ve explained the transquote, let’s verify it with the New Testament, and with its context:

New Testament confirmation:

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)

Context confirmation:

Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? (Genesis 49:9)

Jesus is the fulfillment of this blessing Jacob gave to Judah as well, as we can clearly see in this verse:

⁵ And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, ^(D)the Lion ^(E)of the tribe of Judah,^(F)the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:5)

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland

 

Transquotation: Genesis 48:20

Hello again!

This is what God gave me today in His word:

Verses:

So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.'” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. (Genesis 48:20)

Transquotation:

Through Jesus’ death for us, God forgets our sin! Through Jesus’ taking on Himself the sin of the world, in fact, becoming sin Himself, and dying, our sin is no more in the sight of God. Rather, He now makes us to be fruitful in His kingdom.

Explanation of the transquote:

It may help at this point to realize the meaning of the names of Joseph’s sons:

Ephraim means, “Doubly Fruitful.” And Manasseh means, “Forgetfulness.” — Now that I’ve filled you in on that…

By them ‘Israel would pronounce blessings.’ To put it another way: by forgetfulness and fruitfulness (not necessarily in that order), people would bless each-other. Which, you may note, is rather like how God blessed us: through His son’s death, He “forgets” (i.e. destroyed along with His son) our sinful nature, and made us “fruitful” in overcoming our sin and sharing the Gospel with others.

Now that we’ve explained the transquote, let’s verify it with the New Testament, and with its context:

New Testament confirmation:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Context confirmation:

But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” (Genesis 48:19)

God “forgets” (i.e. utterly destroys) our sinful nature (as compared to the flesh, which we’ll still have until we die)… But then, He makes us even more fruitful then we were sinful. — This supports the transquote by strengthening the connection, in this passage, between what God does for us, and Ephraim/Manasseh.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland

 

The Sermon Today

Hello again!

Today, pastor Chris preached on Galatians 3:26-4:7. In that passage, he saw three points, which were as follows:

1. Unity (Vs. 26) — We are all brothers and sisters through Jesus.
2. Redemption (Vs. 28) — We are all redeemed in Jesus.
3. Inheritance (Chap. 3:29 – Chap. 4:1-7) — We all have an inheritance because of Jesus.

Concerning the second point, pastor Chris brought out how people in religions aside from Christianity tend to agree that there are ‘several different ways to climb the ‘Spiritual mountain’ to God’. Yet that, in our case, we don’t believe that; our God, the only real ‘God’ in existence, came down from the mountain to us. — Pastor Chris continued, bringing out this example ‘If your bitten by a rattlesnake, you need rattlesnake anti-venom, you don’t need black widow anti-venom. We’ve all been bitten at the garden of Eden, along with Adam, by Satan, and are dying of the venom of sin. What we need is the anti-venom of Jesus!‘ Meaning that there is no other way to God, except God-incarnate: Jesus Christ.

— Pastor Chris preaches at Penfield Community Church.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland

 

Transquotation: Genesis 47:23-25

Hello again!

This is what God gave me today in His word:

Verses:

Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. And at the harvests you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.” And they said, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” (Genesis 47:23-25)

Transquotation:

Behold, we have been bought by Christ for God, and have been given the seed of the Gospel with which to sow. Let us therefore be glad and willing servants of God!

Explanation of the transquote:

Joseph bought Egypt for Pharaoh, Jesus bought the world for God. Joseph fed all of Egypt. Jesus promises to feed with Spiritual food all those who accept Him into their lives. Joseph gave the people seed to feed themselves with. Jesus gives us Himself, with which we can feed ourselves and others. Because Joseph had saved their lives, the Egyptians became willing servants; giving one fifth of their crop to Pharaoh. Jesus saved our lives, therefore our lives are not our own, but His. We don’t give just one fifth of our crop to God either, seeing as our crop is real people, we give them all to God.

We see a near perfect picture of Jesus in Joseph, here… Alright, granted, Joseph took all the Egyptians money, all their cattle, their land, and they themselves because they had no choice but to give those things to him, and Jesus doesn’t do anything of the sort (in fact, to the contrary, He gave Himself, His possessions, everything up, to save us). Even so, aside from that, we see a near perfect picture of Jesus here in Joseph… Except, for everything Joseph did, Jesus did a hundred times better (and then some).

New Testament confirmation:

⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

Context confirmation:

Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.” (Genesis 47:19)

And likewise, when we ask for God to keep us from Spiritually dying, He does so: He gives us the seed of the Gospel so that we may live through His son, Jesus’ death. — This supports the transquote by strengthening the connection, in this passage, between us and the Egyptians.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland

 

Transquotation: Genesis 46:1-3

Hello again!

This is what God gave me today in His word:

Verses:

So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here am I.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. (Genesis 46:1-3)

Transquotation:

Jesus died for us! He has made a way for us to at last talk openly with God, and to receive answers from Him! In this way, He has promised to free us from the bondage of slavery to sin, and He has promised to continue making us pure, sanctifying us.

Explanation of the transquote:

Let’s look at the verses we just looked at in a different way real quick:

First there came a sacrifice, offered by Israel. Then God “talked” to Israel through visions, and told Him that He would “make into a great nation.” In our case, the sacrifice was Jesus, and the promises God gives us aren’t to make us into a great physical nation (per se), but a great Spiritual one. But aside from that, the general idea is still there (I believe). i.e. That Jesus saved us, and through that we are given a “promise”.

In the case of Israel, that promise was singular in nature and was that God would make him into a great nation. On the other hand, God has given us (i.e. His children) hundreds of promises in His word, all of which He promises to fulfill (if not, per se, in the exact time frame, or way we expect Him to fulfill them). So, though there’s a difference in the number and type of promise/s, the idea remains. Which is that, through a sacrifice being made, God “talks” to us, – in some way or other, in the case of Israel that way was through visions. For us, it’s usually, at least in my experience, through God’s word; the Bible – followed by (a) promise/s being made.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s confirm that transquote with the New Testament, and context:

New Testament confirmation:

¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

 ¹⁴ I answered, “Sir, you know.”

   And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  (Revelation 7:13-14)

Context confirmation:

I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.” (Genesis 46:4)

Here we see God ‘promising to be with Israel’. Likewise, God promises, among other things, to be with us in the world. — This supports the transquote by strengthening the connection, in this passage, between us and Israel (formerly known as Jacob).

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland

 

Transquotation: Genesis 45:4-5

Hello again!

This is what God gave me today in His word:

Verses:

So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. (Genesis 45:4-5)

Transquotation:

Because of our sin, Jesus came to Earth: He changed us, preserving our lives from our sin. Our sin was evil, but through it, God has made a relationship with us! What was intended for evil, God used for good.

Explanation of the transquote:

We were sinful, I don’t think anyone can deny that. We had no relationship with God, which is a side-effect of sin. And, not only that, we had no hope of breaking our sin or of ever having a relationship with God (much less any of the other benefits that come with being a Christian). Yet then God sent Jesus to Earth to ‘preserve our lives’. Likewise, Joseph’s brothers sinned when they sold Joseph into slavery, yet it turned out even better for all of them than if they had never sinned. This may seem very confusing, but let me try to explain:

In the past, there was Adam and Eve. Eve was deceived by Satan into eating of the true of the knowledge of good and evil, and then enticed Adam to eat of it as well. This cut off the relationship they had with God, and brought the sin nature into the world. Then came Jesus, who bridges the gap (that sin made) between us and God. So now, we don’t just have a relationship with God, but now we also have love and gratitude for God, and can truly praise His name (because of what He’s done for us). Formerly it wasn’t possible for us to know how much God loves us, but because sin entered into the world, it’s very possible. All one must do is look to Jesus being crucified to see what I mean. So, in a sense, it really is better that sin came into the world than if it hadn’t. This doesn’t mean that we should sin, but that because of Jesus’ forgiveness of our sin, our relationship with God is stronger.

New Testament confirmation:

Christ gave Himself for us, that He might deliver us from this present evil world (Galatians 1:4)

Context confirmation:

For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. (Genesis 45:6)

Joseph, because of the famine, was going to preserve his family’s lives. Likewise, Jesus preserves His family (us) from our sin, which causes a Spiritual famine in us. — This supports the transquote by strengthening the connection, in this passage, between Joseph and Jesus.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland

 

Transquotation: Genesis 44:33

Hello again!

Just to give you a bit of context, the following verse is at the point where Joseph has had his servant plant his cup in Benjamin’s sack of grain, has had his servant capture them for their “misdeed”, and is threatening to throw Benjamin in prison. — This is what God gave me today in His word:

Verses:

Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. (Genesis 44:33)

Transquote:

We were standing trial before God because of our sin, waiting for our conviction, and eternal imprisonment sentence. But Jesus came, taking our place; pushing us behind Him, putting Himself on a cross. And in this way, we are saved.

Explanation of the transquote:

Jesus took all the shame that, by right, belonged to us. He took all our sin onto Himself, and, going still further, died on a cross to save us. Now, while Judah never died for Benjamin, he did offer to, in essence, give up his life for him. Jesus, a long time later, went a couple thousand steps further, doing what we just discussed (i.e. died for us).

New Testament confirmation:

²⁴ “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

Context confirmation:

For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ (Genesis 44:32)

Jesus made His life “a pledge of safety” for our’s. He died, so that we wouldn’t have too: I’d call that “keeping us safe,” wouldn’t you? — This supports the transquote by strengthening the connection, in this passage, between Jesus and Judah.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland

 

Transquotation: Genesis 43:1-4

Hello again!

This is what God gave me today in His word:

Verses:

Now the famine was severe in the land. And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. (Genesis 43:1-4)

Transquote:

We had no Spiritual food, we were dying. Unconquerable sin in our lives caused a Spiritual famine: we were without hope! Yet, then God sent His son, which He dearly loved, to earth, to become a sacrifice for us. Through Him, we have forgiveness of sins, and through Him, our wants our changed. Where once we wanted the sand of Satan, now we want the living water of our savior.

Explanation of the transquote:

When it all boils down, this is what get: Jesus has saved us. He’s set us free from our sinful nature. We still have flesh while we’re on this Earth, but Jesus has also given us the promise that ‘this too shall pass’. — It’s summed up in this equation:

God sent His son, Jesus. + Jesus gives living water. = No more famine in our souls.

New Testament confirmation:

 ⁴ Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; ^(M)sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know that ^(N)he appeared in order to ^(O)take away sins, and ^(P)in him there is no sin. ⁶ No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; ^(Q)no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. (1 John 3:4-6)

Context confirmation:

But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'” (Genesis 43:5)

They could get bread of their brother was with them, whereas they couldn’t if he wasn’t. Rather obvious, perhaps, but it still supports the transquote. — This supports the transquote by strengthening the connection in this passage between Benjamin and Jesus.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland

 

Transquote: Genesis 42:17-19

Hello again!

These verses are right after Joseph’s brothers left their homes and traveled to Egypt, in order to buy grain from Joseph. After seeing them, Joseph recognizes them, and promptly declares they must be spies. At this point, he throws them in prison (well, that’s the gist of it anyway). — This is what God gave me today in His word:

Verses:

And he put them all together in custody for three days. On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, (Genesis 42:17-19)

Transquote:

Christ, after He was crucified, descended to Hell for three days. Yet on the third day,  he rose again! And with Him, he led those who had been captives; giving them Himself to eat.

Explanation of the transquote:

Alright, perhaps there is a difference, in that in this case, the person who set them free didn’t set them free by joining them in prison… And there’s the matter of Joseph being the one who actually put them in there in the first place. And there’s also a bit of a thing about them only being in prison for three days, as compared to us who in prison from the time we were born, until the time when Jesus set us free. But, aside from those things, it’s fairly accurate:

We were put in the prison of our own sin, and so were Joseph’s brothers. If they hadn’t sold Joseph, he would’ve never been in the position to put them in prison. Therefore, technically speaking, they were in prison because of their sin.

On the third of we were set free, as were most of Joseph’s brothers.

Joseph fed them after He set them free… Not with himself (thank goodness), as Jesus does, but he still fed them.

And finally, there’s another thing that we and Joseph’s brothers had in common: we were both horrible, wretched sinners, and we both regretted it. But than Jesus/Joseph forgave our sins and set us free!

New Testament confirmation:

¹⁷ For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. ¹⁹ After being made alive,^[a] he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— (1 Peter 3:17-19)

Context confirmation:

Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” (Genesis 42:21)

Actually, what ‘one said to the other’ was correct. It was because of their sin that they were in prison; as I said in my explanation of the transquote. Likewise, it’s because of our sin that we’re put in the prison of our sins. But Jesus sets us free! And thank God for that. — This supports the transquote by strengthening the connection between us and Joseph’s brothers.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland

 

The Sermon Today

Hello again!

Today mom was sick, and is having problems with her back, so we decided to stay home (it sounds trivial when I point it that way, but believe me, she’s in pain). So, instead of listening to a sermon be given in a Church, we listened to one online by Dr. Peter Masters. You can find it here:

http://www.metropolitantabernacle.org/sermons, on the third page, it’s called, “Signs of True Believers”.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland