MasterTruth

How to Tidy Up Your Devotional Life

If you were trapped on a desert island and could only have one book with you (besides the Bible), what would that be? I don’t have to think twice about that. I’ve said for decades that I would choose The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Have you heard of it? It’s a book of cross references for each verse in the Bible. Your Bible might have cross references down the center of each page, or off to the side, but those are nothing compared to the vast number of cross references you’ll find in The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK for short).

What I like most about it is that you can be intrigued with a verse and want to know more about whatever concept it is talking about, and you’ll find a treasure trove of cross references that will expand the idea (not just the word, but the idea) of your study verse. In minutes, you gain a broad whole-Bible scope of  your verse. When I learned about this decades ago, it was a game changer for my personal Bible studies.

But before you go on Amazon to buy this 188-page book of fine print, I have some super news. It comes free on many Bible computer and smartphone apps.

Here’s what I want to encourage you to do. No doubt, you have a Bible app on your smartphone. Start clicking around to see if it has the TSK on it. Maybe you will need to Google the name of your app and ask if it has The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on it. If it doesn’t, delete it and get a different one. Or at least add another one to your phone. I recommend the Blue Letter Bible app. It has the TSK, and it’s easy to use.

Now, for your computer. I’m going to hope that some of you out there are not averse to studying the Bible on your computer and even writing your Bible study notes on your computer, perhaps in a Microsoft Word file. More on that in a second.

There are several free computer Bible programs with the TSK. The one I’m liking the most right now (I have three Bible programs on my computer) is e-Sword. Click on this link to look into that. You can also find tutorials on how to use it. I promise, if you take the time to download or install these things, you will be equipped to study the Bible like a pastor does. If you have the Blue Letter Bible on your phone and you learn how to do the TSK searches, you can do a mini Bible study while you are sitting there in “waiting” or downtime situations.

Back to using the computer to do your Bible study/devotions. Some time ago I quit using a Bible study journal to write my Bible study notes. Instead, at the beginning of the year, I start a new Microsoft Word document and write all my Bible study notes for the year in that document. My document for this year is called “Devotions Journal 2023.” Here at the end of November, I’m up to 245 pages. The two things I love most about doing it this way are A) it’s “searchable” so when I rethink something, I can search where I studied that. B) I can copy and paste verses from my Bible program and then write my comments, musings, insights and cross references next to it. My computer document is so big because much of it is copied verses.

I’d like to challenge you to consider the things I’ve shared here and see if any of it could help you get your personal Bible study life in order. Start now so that when the calendar year turns over, you can begin it with a plan. Let’s all start early with a New Year’s resolution for how 2024 is going to be different than 2023. I promise, you will see Jesus better if you’re looking into His Word better.    

R&J Shee

The Meaning Behind the Silver Cup

Does anyone else find it odd that in Genesis 44, Joseph uses a silver cup as the object of a charade to agitate his brothers? We just got used to him sending his brothers back to their father with food and with their money mysteriously restored to their “suitcase” sacks. We talked about the food and money in the last blog post. The whole story is frustrating and nonsensical from a historical perspective. But not from the doctrinal viewpoint. We already saw:

• The Israelites are going through the tribulation.
• Their brother Joseph, type of Jesus as savior, provides food for them for free, which He will also do in the tribulation. Hence, he returns their money to them. God pays for what He orders. Notice throughout, the brothers don’t recognize him, just like the Jews have not recognized Jesus for who He was/is.

So now in Genesis 44, the brothers are back in Egypt for more food, and once again, Joseph tells his steward to return each brothers’ money to his sack. (That unnamed steward who is carrying out Joseph’s desires pictures the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t ask questions. He does what He is told.)

Then here comes Joseph’s seemingly random request. “And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money…” (44:2) This cup comes up four times in this chapter. What is that all about?

If you know your types and some cross references, you can probably figure this out. It paints a moving picture.

The first thing we could reasonably conclude is that Joseph is trying to establish guilt. As Israel is guilty of the death of Christ (1 Thes 2:15-16) so are Joseph’s brothers guilty of the apparent death of Joseph. The ordeals depicted in the last few chapters have deeply touched their hearts, prompting them to reflect on their wrongful treatment of Joseph. (42:21-22)

Knowing that, was it necessary to hide his cup in Benjamin’s sack in order to later challenge his brothers—again?

Oh wait. There’s a personal cup in the New Testament associated with Jesus.

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matt. 26:39)

Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? (John 18:11)

Who was responsible for Christ having to drink this cup of wrath? Ultimately God, but by the hands of his own kindred who rejected him. Hold on to that thought.

Look at this cup in Genesis 44. It’s Joseph’s cup, and it’s silver. If I had a silver cup at home, it would be there for decoration. But this was Joseph’s drinking cup. (44:5)

Silver represents the price of redemption. (Zech 11:12-13, Matt 26:15, Matt 27:9) Let’s roll this around in our minds. Thinking of Christ on a human level, whom Joseph pictures, it’s a cup of suffering. On a divine level, it’s a cup of redemption. It’s a silver cup. During the tribulation, the Jews will recognize both aspects of this cup... Christ’s suffering (that they were responsible for) and Christ’s redemption (that they will come to realize and experience). In our Gen 44 story, this was not a random object placed in Benjamin’s sack. It’s a part of the tapestry God weaves throughout the Old Testament to reveal the nuances of the glory of Jesus Christ.

R&J Shee

Tangible Love in the Tribulation

I’m starting to see the depths of something I’ve known vaguely. That is, the truths we read about in the New Testament have corresponding stories in the Old Testament that add color and depth to the NT teaching.

Let’s see if I can be clear with an example I’m seeing currently. First, let’s review some of what we’ve covered so far with Joseph in Genesis:

• Joseph is a type of Christ as Savior. His brothers are literally his brothers, the children of Israel/Jacob.
• In Genesis 42 and 43, Israel is in tribulation prophetically. Israel is in distress, in famine, and their only salvation is to go to Joseph (the Jesus type) for food in Egypt (type of the world). Please read the blogs below for that background.
• Joseph’s own kin don’t recognize him for who he is, just like Israel didn’t when Jesus came the first time. Clear into the tribulation they don’t recognize him.

Now in our story in Gen. 43, all of Joseph’s brothers are in his presence. Benjamin has just joined the other 10. They are bowing to Joseph (twice in chapter 43), but it’s not the homage that Joseph dreamed of years earlier. (For more on why not, read this blog post.)

Now, let me share the three verses from Gen. 43 that shine a spotlight on a New Testament verse.

And he (Joseph) lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. (Gen. 43:29-31) Here are some background points to highlight:

• This love for Benjamin in particular makes more sense when you realize that Benjamin is Jospeh’s full brother. They share the same mother (Rachel). The other brothers are half-brothers.
• Joseph was so moved with compassion for Benjamin that he had to run out of the room and weep. He came back and fed them all.

Now that we have that, let’s look at this passage again next to the NT passage that this story illustrates.

(Gen. 43:29-31) And he (Joseph) lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.

(1 John 3:17) But whoso hath this world's good, (Joseph/Jesus) and seeth his brother have need, (Benjamin—whom Joseph is most linked to) and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

You see how this Old Testament passage distinctly pictures the 1 John verse?

• Joseph had this world’s goods. He was in charge of the food supply during the famine.
• He saw his brother (full-brother Benjamin in particular) in need and focused his compassion on him.
• Look at the depth of that compassion shown by his weeping.
• He also demonstrated his compassion by “Setting on bread.”
• If you look at the next verse in Gen 43:34, Joseph gave Benjamin 5 times as much food as the other brothers.

Closing thought: While our Genesis passage depicts the tribulation, did you know that in the New Testament 1 John also has tribulation significance? It is among the transition books out of the church age into the tribulation period. Richmond has written a commentary on 1 John. Click here to see the explanation of this. When folks get saved in the tribulation (and some will), they will have distinctive needs. Remember that unless they eventually receive the mark of the beast, they won’t be able to buy or sell. How are non-compliant believers going to eat unless someone provides for them? Genuine love and compassion for fellow believers will be vitally important in the tribulation. It’s why tangible love is such a theme in 1 John. You can see this at a glance from the word cloud shown here. Love is a significant focus of 1 John. And with that understanding, let’s close out with our 1 John verse again. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? (1 John 3:17) Love=feeding in Gen 43 and 1 John 3.

R&J Shee