HOW do you read the Bible?
1. Summarize
2. Find Jesus
3. Apply
Genesis 50 - Jacob and Joseph die in Egypt, with their hearts set on God's Canaan promise.
Where is Jesus: Jesus' kingdom is the land we long for.
Apply: all our lives, and up to the end at the brink of death, we are longing for another, better country. An inheritance promised by God. Even if we rise to the height of ruling in our earthly land, that nation is not our final home.
Exodus 1 - Israel is subjugated in Egypt, in population size and to economic slavery.
Where is Jesus: earthly kingdoms are often hostile to Christ's people.
Apply: there are ways to resist unjust rule, and it is right to do so.
Ex 2 - Moses is born, then raised in Pharaoh's house! He flees to Midian after seeking justice for Israel in Egypt.
Where is Jesus: Jesus lived a life vulnerable to the threats of earthly rule, as we sometimes suffer through, too.
Apply: we ought to work for life and justice, even when threatened for it.
Ex 3 - God appears to Moses in the burning bush and sends him to Egypt to free Israel.
Where is Jesus: God sent Jesus to free us from slavery. He came to us without objection, with greater miracles than Moses.
Apply: God will call you to a mission that meets with resistance. Stay faithful.
Ex 4 - Moses objects. God gives signs to prove He is real and that Moses is his spokesman. Israel is God's son. Moses' and Pharaoh's sons are both threatened.
Where is Jesus: God redeems His Son from the clutches of His enemy, using His appointed Mediator/Son.
Apply: 1) Trust God to equip you for that to which He calls you. 2) Be urgent (though not desperate!) to apply God's promises to your children with the sacraments (circumcision back then; baptism and Communion now). 3) Encourage God's people that He will redeem them from all their troubles.
Ex 5 - Pharaoh refuses God, and persecutes Israel more. Israel is discouraged.
Where is Jesus: as with the Sanhedrin and Pilate, there were times Jesus was rejected by society and its leaders.
Apply: be not discouraged when life gets harder, because you follow Jesus. Sometimes that is God's design.
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