Who Alone Has the Authority to Interpret God's Word?

 Genesis 40:8

"We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them."

Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God?  Tell me your dreams."

This question that Joseph asked Pharaoh's baker and cupbearer after they had their dreams while in prison is an important question for us still today.  The dreams these two men had came from God for a specific purpose: to reveal his power and sovereignty through Joseph.  Look at how Joseph approaches interpreting God's Word (the dreams).  He recognizes that only God is capable of interpreting his own Word, so Joseph lets him.  Joseph doesn't rely on his own feelings or ideas about what each dream might mean, or could possibly mean.  He looks to God for the interpretation.  The proof of Joseph's faithful submission to God in interpreting these dreams is seen in the fact that they came true, exactly as Joseph said.

This lesson is still relevant and important for us today.  As Christians, we don't have the freedom to interpret God's Word however we want.  The only right way to interpret Scripture is to let Scripture interpret Scripture; or said another way, to let God tell us what he means when he says what he says in his Word.  The mistake too many people make is to think they have the freedom, or the right, to impose their own thoughts, ideas, and feelings onto what God says in his Word.  The Bible is God's Word.  He takes it very seriously and so should we.  He gives multiple warnings about adding to it or subtracting from it (Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-20).  This is why matters of doctrine in churches is so important.  What a church teaches must be supported by Scripture.  It can't simply be the pastor's own ideas or feelings about what society says Scripture should say.  No one has the freedom to impose their own thoughts and feelings onto God's Word--not pastors, not the media, and certainly not the selfish masses.  Biblical interpretation is not open to a democratic vote.  There is only one vote that counts: God's.

I will finish with a couple of quotes from David Kuske's book Biblical Interpretation: The Only Right Way:

        In interpreting written symbols of any kind, the interpreter's purpose must always be to determine the meaning that the original writer intended for the original reader--nothing more, nothing less.

        SAYS=MEANS

        This equation is a basic rule that must govern all communication; otherwise, what people said or wrote to one another would obviously be confusing at best.

        What is true for everyday interpretation is doubly true in Bible interpretation because we are interpreting what God says.  In the process of determining what the Bible says and means, the interpreter must be careful no to inject anything subjective into his interpretation.

--Biblical Interpretation, Kuske, p.13

God bless

Jason Fredrick

        

Be Faithful...Like Joseph

 Genesis 39:9-10

"No one is greater in this house than I am.  My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife.  How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"  And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

Have you ever done the right thing, and things still didn't go well for you?  What are some of the temptations that you face day after day?  Are you able to withstand them every day, or do you lose that battle some days?

Joseph was faced with constant, daily, temptations and attacks on his faith and faithfulness to God.  Joseph recognized the favorable position God had given him despite being a slave.  His response to Potiphar's wife shows a level of maturity that we wouldn't expect from Joseph at this point of his life.  In the previous chapters it seems like Joseph, a young man of 17, was a spoiled brat.  This response to Potiphar's wife reveals that Joseph had a level of maturity that his brothers lacked: spiritual maturity.

Despite Joseph's shortcomings as the "favored brother", it seems that he loved God and tried to live according to his commands.  He would have been well schooled in the covenant and commands that God gave Abraham.  He would even have been familiar with the history of Noah and Adam.  After all, they were his descendants.  His response to Potiphar's wife shows clearly the depth of Joseph's faith and his dedication to the one true God, because I don't know many 17 year-old men who would have turned down this opportunity.

How about you?  When is the last time you resisted temptation because you realized that to give into it would be to sin against God?  This response of Joseph is so powerful for us, if we will remember it and use it, because this is how we should answer every temptation that comes along.  All sin is wicked and it is something we do against God.  

Unfortunately, all of us sin every day.  We do not stand up to it like Joseph did in this situation.  Usually we are more like Joseph in Genesis 37:1-11, indulging our selfishness.  Thankfully, God knows that we can't stand up to sin and temptation on our own.  That's why he sent Jesus.  Jesus did resist every temptation.  Jesus lived the perfect life that we can't live.  He died the death we deserve.  And he raised from the dead, in the flesh, on third day to conquer death for us.  Because of Jesus we are no longer slaves to sin and death.  We have been redeemed by God through Jesus.  Therefore we have been reconciled to our heavenly Father for all eternity.  It is all because of Jesus.

Hebrews 2:14-18

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.  For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants.  For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Guard Yourself Against Negative Associations

Genesis 37:21-22

When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands.  "Let's not take his life," he said.  "Don't shed any blood.  Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him."  Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

Have you ever been part of group sin?  It can be easy to get caught in this trap when a group of people decide together to do something wicked, illegal, or hurtful to another person.  

The time in my life when I was most susceptible to this was in high school.  It seems like those high school years are when most people have their worst ideas.  When I remember back to "going along with the crowd" and doing something stupid in high school, I also remember having the thoughts, "What are we doing?  Why are we doing this?"  Unfortunately, I usually didn't have the courage to speak up like Reuben and try to stop what was going on.

Reuben probably wasn't more forceful in trying to rescue Joseph from the schemes of his brothers because he knew how much they all hated Joseph.  He probably reasoned that they wouldn't listen to him and  they might even turn on him.  Despite being the oldest, he was probably right.  He knew what his brothers were capable of.  Jacob's sons were not delicate little flowers.  They were hardened vicious warriors.  That was necessary for them to survive and and thrive in the harsh climate in which they lived and worked.  If you want to gain a better understanding of Joseph's brothers read Genesis 34 and how they avenged their sister after she was raped by Shechem.  They valued vengeance above justice.

What about you?  Have you ever displayed courage in a situation like this?  Have you ever been part of a group that schemed to carry out some vile sin and had the courage to say something, or at least walk away from the group and not be a part of what they were planning?  (Share your experience in the comment section below.)

As you have grown up and become an adult, hopefully, you have chosen your friends with more discernment than I did in high school.  You probably don't have to think very hard to see how associations have influenced you in your life.  Both for good and for bad.  I encourage you to eliminate the associations in your life that are negative and destructive.  Sometimes this is difficult for different reasons:  they're your family, they're your coworkers, they're your softball team, you've been friends your whole life, etc.

If you have thought of someone who is a negative influence in your life, but they are also one of the people that I just listed above, you have some tough decisions to make:

1. End the relationship immediately.
2. Have a crucial conversation and change the nature of the relationship.  Become the influencer instead of being the influenced.
3. Stop going along with stupid ideas.  Take a stand and refuse to be a part of group sin.  Most people won't carry out stupid ideas without a partner-in-crime.
4. Apologize for the part you have played in enabling that person to indulge their sinful nature.  Then stop being that enabler.
5. Continue on the way it has always been and stay trapped in a life of sin and rebellion.

While some of your negative associations need to be ended immediately, not all of them do.  If you are courageous enough to have some difficult conversations and take a strong stand on not being a partner to willful sin, you can work to turn those negative relationships into great and meaningful friendships.  You have to lead.  You have to be the one who measures every idea and decision against the guage of God's Word.  You have to be the one who teaches others to think through their actions in the light of Scripture.

A good starting point is to be like Reuben.  The ultimate goal is to be like Jesus.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Show Us a Sign

 Matthew 28:42

"He's the King of Israel!  Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe."

This is what the Pharisees said to mock Jesus as he hung on the cross.  Their rejection of the Savior was complete.  Throughout Jesus' ministry the Pharisees kept demanding that he show them a sign, even though when he did perform miracles they got angry at him.  These men were so blinded by Satan that they didn't even understand what was happening despite knowing the Old Testament Scriptures as well as anyone in their day.  Jesus had even connected the dots for them many times.  Revealing to everyone how he was fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah.  Jesus had even promised them one grand sign that they would not be able to deny, even though they did: The Sign of Jonah-

        

        "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!  But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

- Matthew 12:39-40

This is the same sign that has been given to our generation.  As you know, we are living amongst a "wicked and adulterous generation".  People today still demand signs and "proof", even though the only sign needed has been given to us in God's Word.  All the proof needed to know the Bible is true is all around us.  Including the natural knowledge of God that exists inside every human being, even atheists.  Think about it.  If atheists really believed that there is no God, why would they spend their whole lives trying to convince you of that?  Why would they care?  They care because they are trying to purge the natural knowledge of God from their own hearts, but they can't.  So instead they join with Satan and attack God and his people

The reality is that Jesus is who said he is: the Son of God.  He proved that by being born of a virgin (True Man), living the perfect life that we can't live, dying on a cross to take the punishment for every sin (the punishment that we deserve), and then raising from the dead on the third day.  Jesus has given the Pharisees and us the Sign of Jonah.  His entire life is the only proof needed that he is the Savior of the world.  He has graciously revealed this truth to us in His Word, the Holy Bible.  You can reject it.  You can ignore it.  And all who do suffer the same judgment as the Pharisees: eternal death in hell.  

That's not what Jesus wants.  "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)  Jesus paid the price for the sins of all people.  He wants everyone to be saved.  He wants you to be saved.

At Pentecost, when Peter preached his sermon in Acts 2 the people asked, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

Peter responded, "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

This is what Jesus wants.  He wants everyone to repent and be baptized so they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  That gift is the faith to be able to believe in Jesus as your Savior.  Jesus died for you.  He wants you to be saved.  He loves you.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

Are You a Sheep, Or a Goat?

 Matthew 25:40

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

When is the last time you helped out a stranger in need?  Have you ever helped a stranger?

This is an interesting section of Scripture for me to look at today, because I helped out a total stranger just yesterday.  I will probably never see that guy again, but I did what I could to help him out in a time of need.  As Jesus points out in this parable, it's irrelevant if I ever see him again.

One of the points Jesus makes in this parable is that we are supposed to help out those who can't do anything for us.  You're not being selfless if you only help people who can somehow pay you back or return the favor.  

Serving people in the way that Jesus is talking about here is to serve with no expectations.  It is serving others as a way to say, "Thank you," to Jesus for the free gift of salvation that he has given to all who believe in him- "the sheep".  Just as Jesus has freely given to us, we are to give freely to those God has placed in our lives.

Jesus gave all of himself on the cross to give us the greatest gift we could ever receive: Eternal salvation and forgiveness for all of our sins.  He gave this gift to us in our greatest hour of need.  He has never demanded that we pay for that gift or that we return the favor, but he has taught us how we can show our appreciation:

• Feed the hungry.
• Give something to drink to those who are thirsty.
• Show hospitality to strangers.
• Clothe those who need clothes.
• Look after the sick.
• Visit those who are in prison. --Matthew 25:35-36

Jesus wants us to show love to the people of this world.  He wants us to show love to each other.  Loving the unlovable is one of the greatest ways to share Jesus with the world.  There was a time in all of our lives when we were unlovable, and unloving, to God, yet he still chose to love us and redeem us from our sins.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.--Romans 5:8 

This is what Jesus told his disciples on the night he was betrayed:

"A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."--John 13:34-35

God bless 

Jason Fredrick