Israel's nation, blessing, and land

In Genesis 46-47 we read of the promises reaching some sense of fulfillment in the life of Jacob (Israel).  Abraham was promised to be a great nation, to be blessed, and to be brought to a land (Genesis 12:1-3), and this promise is respoken in terms of offspring (great nation), possess the gate of enemies (land), blessing (Genesis 22:17-18).
The same promises extend to Isaac as multiplied offspring (great nation), blessing, and lands (Genesis 26:3-5).  
Jacob recieves the same promises.  In the dream of a ladder to heaven God promises Jacob offsping like dust, land extended, and blessing (Genesis 28:13-14).  
In Genesis 46-47 these promises are both fulfilled and yet found wanting.  Let's take each promise in turn.
Israel's Nation.  (Genesis 46:1-30)
Fulfilled.  The offspring of Israel dominates this section.  From the perspective of Israel his son Joseph has been dead for about 20 years.  Long before 20 years does one give up hope for the dead.  The period of shock is long gone and the person in truly dead.  Israel meets Joseph and says, "Now let me die."  Joseph, in so many ways the fulfillment of the promises, is not dead after all.  He is the king that came from Jacob's own body (Genesis 35:11).  Not only that but Israel comes with 70 from his family, a brady bunch type perfect number.  
Found wanting.  And yet the numbers do not add up.  It is 66 or 70?  Is it 68 or 70?  These numbers point to the fact that two of Israel's grandsons, Er and Onan, are dead.  They also point to the fact that Dinah is not counted, why not when another granddaughter, Serah, seems to be counted (Genesis 46:17).  The numbers do not add up, not because the writer was a moron, but because the writer was pointing to the fulfillment being found wanting.
Israel's Blessing. (Genesis 46:31-47:26)
Fulfilled.  Jacob and his family are not only provided for during the famine, but Jacob himself comes to bless Pharaoh (Genesis 47:7).  Israel is a blessing to other nations, the nation of Egypt.  Not only that, but Joseph literally saves all of Egypt from starvation and allows them not to die.  Israel's son has provided salvation for Israel and Egypt and the world.
Found wanting.  Yet Israel's encounter with Pharaoh does not seem to typify "blessing," since "few and evil" (Genesis 47:9) have been his days, and he sees an unfiulfillment of his days compared to his father's days (47:9).  Also, while Joseph does save the land of Egypt, he does it by debt-slavery (Genesis 47:21), by making Egypt be in bondage to Pharaoh, bonds that would transfer later to Israel when Joseph is forgotten, bonds that God would have to come and break.
Israel's Land.  (Genesis 47:27-31)
Fulfilled.  Jacob and his family found land in Goshen, which it seems is very good land for shepherds, and they were able to settle down a bit, as much as wandering shepherds do.  They had land which was extremely good.  They could survive.
Found wanting.  Jacob did not belong there, and he did not forget the promise God gave him of the land of Canaan.  He did not want his people to forget God's promised land.  He did not want to bury himself in Egypt, but to be buried in the promise of God, even if that promised land was being eaten up by famine.  So he makes Joseph swear to bury him with his fathers in the land (Genesis 47:31).

Dreams and Night Visions in Genesis

Genesis has a large percentage of the dreams and night visions in the Bible.  In Genesis 46 Jacob has a night vision and God spoke to him, and it seems that he heard clearly what God was saying.  The first dream in Genesis is in Gen 20 where God appears and speaks to Abimelech and very clearly threatens him with death.  In Genesis 28 Jacob has a dream, and in Genesis 31, and the night vision of Genesis 46.  In all three dreams of Jacob God speaks to him, in the last two Jacob is called by name.  Laban also has a dream in which God speaks to him clearly in Genesis 31.  Joseph has two dreams in Genesis 37 that although God does not speak to him, the message seems to be interpreted throughout the family easily enough.  The last four dreams of Genesis, the cupbearer and the baker's dreams in Genesis 40, of which they seem to be clueless to the meaning, but Joseph gives an interpretation from God.  The two dreams of Pharaoh in Genesis 41 not only can Pharaoh not interpret the meaning, but none of those who normally do interpret dreams can interpret them.  

How does looking at the dreams as a vehicle of communication with God in Genesis apply to our lives today?  Sometimes God speaks directly in dreams, this may be primarily vocal, as in Abimelech's dream in Genesis 20, or vocal combined with visible images such as Jacob and the ladder to heaven in Genesis 28.  Other times God does not speak directly as in Joseph's dreams or Pharaoh's dreams, but the visual stimulii has a meaning behind it that God is communicating, whether or not the dreamer or those associated with the dreamer understand that message.  It appears that the fact that dreams have an interpretation are found both in Egypt and among the Hebrews.  So the overwhelming message seems to be that God speaks to us through dreams.

What does he say?  The dreams in Genesis are messages of warning (Abimelech), future blessing (Jacob), future death (baker), and warning of famine (Pharaoh).  It seems that God is saying what he is about to do, whether that be to kill you, or to bless you, or to bring a famine.

The Paracletes of Boston

Paraclete is a New Testament term, and therefore a old Greek word that is used five times in the Bible.  It is used in John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7 and 1 John 2:1.  The first reference in John 14:16 Jesus says, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth. . ."  And so from this first reference it seems that there is more than one Paraclete for Jesus to speak of another one.  In fact, all four references in John are references to the Holy Spirit being the Paraclete, while the reference in 1 John is to Jesus being the Paraclete.
But what is a paraclete?  This has challenged translators for some time.  Many preachers point out that the Greek word is a sort of compound word meaning "called beside."  And so a paraclete is someone who is called to be beside someone else, as Jesus and the Holy Spirit were called by the Father to be beside us.  The translations range from Helper, Advocate, Comforter, Counselor, Paraclete, Encourager, and more I assume in the decades to come.  But it seems that no word has fit just right.
I propose a meaning from the marathon running world, especially for those who have run or cheered on those who run marathons.
I have run five marathons and every single one was very hard, even though I ran cross country and track in college.  I always wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon but have not done that yet.  I want to share with you one of the people in my life who was a paraclete to me, in that she was called to be beside me, to encourage me, comfort me, and exhort me to the finish line.  I was on pace to qualify for Boston, and then in the last few miles of a marathon the human body starts to tell the human why the first man who ran a marathon to tell of the war died on the spot.  The body weakens.  The mind weakens.  All those glorious thoughts of qualifying or even finishing are replaced by thoughts of quitting.  You begin not to care at all about that finish line.  Now all determination has turned into determination to quit.
Then the paracletes come in.  These are the people who will do anything they have to do to make sure you get to the finish line.  They will encourage you, tell you to keep going, tell you you are almost there, and they will even run with you.
My wife was there at 24 miles, right when I almost collapsed to the ground.  I held onto her as the charlie horse overtook all my strength.  She let me lean onto her.  After some time she walked with me, and then she began to run with me for the last two miles, even though she was in jeans.  She was called to be beside me.
How crucial was my wife to me finishing that marathon?  Only a marathon runner can truly know, but I know that it was the only way I was going to finish.
A paraclete is a person who not only encourages their mom, dad, brother, sister, husband, wife, son, or daughter in the months and months of training, but also sets aside whole weekends for the sole purpose of coming alongside another person to encourage them to the finish line, to cheer them on, to tell them to keep going.  A marathon is 26.2 miles.  I have often told people that the first 26 miles are easy, its that last point 2 that is so so hard.  That is why all of the paracletes cheer on their runners at the last point 2 of the marathon.
A marathon paraclete, a person who cheers on their runner that last point 2 of the marathon, is a rare person.
A life paraclete, a person who cheers on another person to keep going, "you're looking good" (when you look awful), who runs with you in jeans, who says, "there's the finish line," is a rare person.
How many people in your life have told you to keep going when you wanted to quit?  How many people have told you to keep pressing on to the finish line, the prize of Jesus Christ?  Not very many.  Few are the paracletes of the world, gifts from the Father, full of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, who would be called beside another.
The Evil One, not the Bin Ladens or McVeighs. but Satan, the Devil - he is threatened by these paracletes.  Those paracletes cheering on the side of the road are the kingdom of heaven come down to earth.  So it is no wonder to me why Satan, who steals, kills, and destroys, would want to take out the people cheering at Boston, paracletes for their runners.  He also wants to take out paracletes who are called beside us to encourage us toward Christ, to tell us to keep running.
But he has only an empty power, for Christ killed death, and so those paracletes in Christ still encourage us along with the whole cloud of witnesses, knowing that their cheering is not in vain, no but is shows even more how important it is for people to take their place, to be called beside people, to be a Jesus Christ person, a Holy Spirit person, a paraclete.
May Satan feel threatened by how we encourage one another today all over the world as the Body of Christ.  And may our Father in heaven continue to remind us that all Satan's attacks are spoiled, and that he only has an empty power.
What encouraging word will you say to those who are running by in your life today?

the discipline of study

studying a Scripture passage is more than just reading it, but conversing with it, asking questions such as who wrote this? who did they write it to?  who is in the passage?  who is not in the passage?  where is the setting of the passage?  Is there geographical movement?  small movement or a lot of movement?  who is moving?  who is staying?  could there be irony in this passage?  what irony could there be?  why would there be irony?  could there be more than one meaning?  what is the main message of this passage?  Are there ideas or words that are repeated?  How is the passage constructed?  How does it fit together?  Are there comparisons and contrasts?  Please do not google the answers.  The questions are not a quiz, but a way to get to know the passage more.  Please do not find the answers in your study Bible - try to find the answers for yourself, and only after spending time searching for yourself should you look to others answers.
Also, asking questions often does not lead to answers, but to more questions, to the vast unsearchableness of God.

the discipline of bowing down

i like to pray with a coffee cup in my hand, or while walking or running, but I have found that it often helps to bow down to the Lord and pray to Him.  I tell my dogs to sit, and they know I am the master because they obey me.  Sometimes I imagine God telling me to sit and obeying him like I would have my dogs obey me.  I feel I am a loving master to my dogs.  Jesus Christ is an even more loving master, for we come and kneel and bow and put our face at the feet of one whose feet were bowed down for us, for one who was treated worse than a dog for us, for he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and the punishment that brought us peace was upon him.

Using the Psalms in Everyday Life: Psalm 52

Using the Psalms in everyday life:  Psalm 52

David was being conspired against by Saul and Saul was saying that David was conspiring against him.  Read 1 Samuel.  In chapter 22 Doeg goes along with Saul, and behind Doeg stands the one who goes along with us in our lies, Satan, the Devil.  In the end of chapter 22 it appears that Doeg and Satan have won a great victory in all of the bloodshed.

Is your life similar to this?  Does it appear that Satan is winning a victory in your life or in your family's life?  Let us look to how David responded in Psalm 52, which he wrote regarding this incident.

"Why do you boast of evil, o mighty man, the faithfulness of God is all day."

All Day is a basketball term.
When someone makes a three pointer and they say, "all day"  that means that they will make that shot all day.
When David sang this, he saw the evil that was done, and the lies that the evil was based on.  And he also saw the truth spoken by Ahimelech, and how Ahimelech was killed for it.

David responds, "all day."

You can kill all the priests, God will raise up prophets who will speak his truth

"all day"

kill all the prophets and God will send his Son who is the truth

"all day"

kill the Son and He will be raised up and will in turn raise others up who will speak the truth

"all day"

kill them and God will along with Jesus raise them from the dead and they will speak the truth of God

"all day"

and into all eternity.

Use Psalm 52 to show Satan how fruitless his kingdom is
and how eternal God's kingdom is