The Vision (10.31.25): How shall we clear ourselves?

 

Image: Fall path, North Garden, Virginia, October 2025.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 44.

And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants (Genesis 44:16a).

Genesis 44 continues the ongoing record of how the Lord worked out reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers.

Here are at least two things we might consider in this chapter as practical applications:

First, we might consider that reconciliation, both vertical and horizontal, often takes a slow and circuitous route.

It might stretch over a long time, even over many years, before all things are resolved.

Are there men with whom we need to be reconciled, especially ones who share with us a like precious faith in Christ?

How might the Lord be working even now to overcome sinful resentments, hurts, and ill feelings to bring about a glorious reconciliation?

Might we join in praying and even working toward such ends?

Second, we can meditate on what I have called the “evangelical” statements shot through this chapter.

Consider v. 4: “Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?”

Has God done good to you and you have answered with evil?

Has some fellow man, or fellow believer, done good to us, and we have answered with evil?

If we have been confronted with some unresolved and festering sin in our lives, might we answer with the realization that Judah did when he said in v. 16: “What shall we say…?” “What shall we speak?” And especially, “how shall we clear ourselves?”

Have we thought, as did Joseph’s brothers, that we could hide or harbor in our hearts sinful thoughts and deeds which God did not know about? Joseph’s brothers did.

This is a theme that appears in several Psalms.

In Psalm 10:11 we read that the wicked man “said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.”

Likewise in Psalm 94:7 it says that the “workers of iniquity” (v. 4) say, “the LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.”

Would we confess as Judah does in v. 16, “God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants.”?

A.W. Pink said of this passage, “There could be no communion of heart until full confession of guilt had been made. And this is the goal God has in view” (Gleanings in Genesis, 404).

Once we come to such a realization will we then say to the Lord Jesus Christ as Judah did to Joseph in v. 18: “Oh my Lord… let not thine anger burn against thy servant.”?

The man whose conscience has been awakened to his own sinful life and his own guilty conscience apart from Christ realizes that he cannot clear himself. His only hope is to look to Christ and live.

We hear evangelical echoes of that theme even in this OT account of Joseph. May the Lord use and apply these words to us, by the power if his Spirit, even today.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 343: Book Interview: John Hooper, It is Written: A Believer's Guide to the Doctrine of Scripture

 

Find book info (including ordering info) here.

JTR

WM 342: "SHOCKING" Analysis: Lanier, "Grumpy Protestants," and the Authority of the LXX

 

JTR

The Vision (10.24.25): And God Almighty give you mercy

 

Image: Fall Morning Scene, North Garden, Virginia, October 2025

Note: Devotional taken from last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 43.

And God Almighty give you mercy… (Genesis 43:14).

Perhaps the greatest theme in the record of Joseph (Genesis chapters 37—50) is providence, but a key subtheme is reconciliation, both vertical (men with their God) and, especially, horizontal (among men).

Four straight chapters are devoted to this theme in its account of Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers (Genesis 42-43-44-45), and it even reappears in the final chapter, as the brothers fear Joseph’s retribution when their father dies (see 50:20).

Genesis 42 ended with a cliffhanger. There is a terrible famine. Simeon is being held hostage. Jacob refuses to send Benjamin to Egypt.

Genesis 43 continues and advances the record of holy history relaying how Jacob/Israel finally relented in the face of terrible famine to send his precious son Benjamin with his remaining sons to Egypt. He did so with a prayer for them, “And God Almighty [El Shaddai] give you mercy before the man….” (43:14a).

Israel continues in v. 14b, offering up his resignation to the circumstances: “If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” Sometimes men today say, “It’s going to be what it’s going to be.” This sounds like the Doris Day song “Whatever will be, will be” from the classic Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much. It’s hard to discern whether this is a sentiment which Moses commends as a godly response or whether it is a sign of Jacob’s spiritual weakness. No matter, all things are indeed in the Lord’s hands.

Maybe some hearing this today may think they are in a similar situation. If so, we are called to offer up our circumstances to the just judgements of an all-wise God and pray for his mercy for all involved.

God heard Israel’s prayer. When the brothers arrived in Egypt, Joseph welcomed them to his home (43:17). His steward washed their feet (43:24). And Joseph spread a table and “set on bread” for them (43:31-32).

Joseph might be seen again as a type for Christ. We can reasonably see in Joseph’s gracious reception of his brothers what the Lord does for every believer. He meets our prayer for mercy with mercy. He welcomes us into his household, ministers to us, and spreads a table before us.

May God Almighty give us mercy.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 341: Article: Father, Forgive Them: The Case for the Authenticity of Luke 23:34a

 

Read the article here on my academia.edu page.

JTR

WM 340: Analysis: Are "THEOLOGICAL JUDGEMENTS IRRELEVANT" for establishing the TEXT of Holy Scripture?

 

JTR

The Vision (10.17.25): What is this that God hath done unto us?

 

Image: Nandina, North Garden, Virginia, October 2025.

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 42.

And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? (Genesis 42:28).

Genesis 42 introduces yet another spiritual theme that is present in the Joseph record of Genesis. This is the theme of repentance and even reconciliation. It involves reconciliation on the horizontal level, especially centered on Joseph’s relationship with the brothers, but also upon the vertical level between all these men and the Lord.

Joseph meets his brothers when they come to Egypt, but they do not recognize him. He overhears his brothers acknowledging their sin again the brother they sold into slavery (Joseph himself!) and connecting it to their chastisement: “We are verily guilty concerning our brother… therefore is this distress come upon us” (Gen 42:21).

Though Joseph might have done his brothers great harm, he sends them home with food and money in their sacks. God is working reconciliation.

What spiritual applications might we draw from Genesis 42?

First, we can look at the brothers, and by looking at them we are looking in a mirror.

We have sinned against God. We might think we can hide and obfuscate this, but one day our sin will find us out (Num 32:23), if not in this world, then before the judgement seat of Christ at the end of the ages.

We are not “true men” (Gen 42:11). We have broken God’s law, including bearing false witness, and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23).

The Lord in his mercy makes this known to us. We know we are “verily guilty” and deserving of God’s wrath and punishment, and so we have anguish of soul.

Even as believers we can backslide. And when the Father lovingly brings corrective chastisement, we might ask, as did the brothers of Joseph, “What is this that God hath done unto us?” If we are not feeling it now, we likely will one day.

Might we see this as the Lord preparing us for reconciliation with men, and, most importantly, with God himself?

Second, we can look at Joseph as a type or anticipation of Christ.

Joseph suffered on account of his brethren. Christ suffered on account of our sin, but he still works to do us good.

Joseph gave liberally to his brothers. Christ supplies us with an outrageous generosity.

Joseph fed his brethren. Christ taught that we should love and even feed our enemies (Matt 5:44; Rom 12:20).

No payment can ever be made for the salvation that comes from Christ. It is a free gift, so the money is always left, as it were, at the mouth of the sack.

Salvation by grace is a one-way transaction. We do nothing to deserve it. He does everything to provide it. Thus, we exclaim, What is this that God hath done unto us!

If Joseph acted in a generous and forgiving way toward his brethren, how much more has Christ done for us!

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

New Book from Bible League Trust: It is Written: A Believer's Guide to the Doctrine of Scripture

The book It Is Written: A Believer's Guide to the Doctrine of Scripture, published in the UK by Bible League Trust, is now available in the US (including amazon).

I contributed two of the 23 main articles in the book:

Chapter 12: A Defence of the Authenticity of Mark 16:9-20. Chapter 13: A Defence of the "Three Heavenly Witnesses."

Look here for endorsements, and ordering info.

Table of Contents:

JTR

WM 339: How much actual SECOND CENTURY evidence is there for "RECONSTRUCTING" the GREEK NT?

 

JTR

The Vision (10.10.25): A man in whom the Spirit of God is

 

Image: The Saqqara relief showing famine scene on the causeway of the Pyramid of Unas, Egypt,

c. 2500 B.C.

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 41.

And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? (Genesis 41:38).

Perhaps the key doctrinal term in the narrative of Joseph is providence. God was at work in the life of Joseph to bring about greater and wider purposes than even Joseph was aware. God was providing for Joseph and through him for the people of Israel and, indeed, for all men. He was preparing the way for the Messiah. In time of grievous famine, Joseph would preserve the nations, including his own family, including the brothers who had betrayed him, including unrighteous Judah, who had suggested he be sold into slavery (Gen 37:2-27). But who came from Judah in the fullness of time? The Lord Jesus Christ.

I’ve suggested the theme verse of Genesis chapters 37—50 might be Joseph’s words to his brothers in Genesis 50:10, “ye thought evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

The New Testament equivalent to that verse is Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

The Lord allowed Joseph to undergo the most outrageous misfortunes and suffer the cruelest injustices, but all the while God was working out his plan of salvation, first heralded in Genesis 3:15. Joseph has a role in that plan.

In Genesis 41 we see the tide dramatically turn in Joseph’s life. He goes from the prison to the king’s palace. The Lord can sovereignly reverse a man’s condition and circumstances in a matter of mere moments. That’s what happens when we are saved. We go from sinners to saints, from orphans to co-heirs with Christ.

What Joseph’s brothers could not see (having been blinded by their own sin) in Joseph, even the pagan king of Egypt saw: That Joseph was a man in whom the Spirit of God was.

God is still at work all around us. As an old saying goes, “We cannot always trace His hand, but we can trust His heart.” Our lives are sometimes like a pebble cast into a pond. We never see where the ripples end. But if we are men and women who have been filled with the Spirit of God, we trust that he has worked in us, he is working in us, and he will work in us in ways that are greater than we could ever ask or imagine.

We entrust all things into his hands. Even our lives.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 338: Analysis: Michael J. Kruger on the "Core Purpose" of Modern Textual Criticism

 

JTR

WM 337: What is TRUE Apostolic Succession?

JTR

The Vision (10.3.25): Forgotten by Men

 

Image: Knockout rose, North Garden, Virginia, October 2025.

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 40.

“Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him” (Genesis 40:23).

What if your birthday came and not a single person remembered you? You got no gifts, no cards, no texts.

What if you got sick and went into the hospital and got no visitors, no calls from friends, no consolation, no offers of help?

It can indeed be very disappointing to be forgotten by men.

There were men in the Bible who sometimes felt this way. Righteous Job, for example, in the midst of his suffering, lamented, “My kinfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me” (Job 19:14).

Worse yet, some men sense that they have been forgotten by God himself. Psalm 13 begins with the lament, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hid thy face from me?” (v. 1).

In Genesis 40 we read how Joseph was cast into prison after being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. He had been sold into slavery by his own brothers at age 17 (Genesis 37:2). The next chapter begins two years later when Joseph was 30 (cf. Genesis 41:1, 46). This means in Genesis 40 he was 28 years old and had been in slavery or prison for 11 years (since he was 17)!

Genesis 40 records how two servants of the king of Egypt were also in the prison with Joseph: the butler and the baker. They each had dreams, and Joseph accurately interpreted both, asking the men, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (v. 8). Just as Joseph had predicted by their dreams, the king ordered the butler restored to his position and the baker put to death. Joseph had asked the butler, “Think on me when it shall be well with thee…” (v. 14), but the chapter ends, “Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him” (v. 23).

Joseph was forgotten by men.

One commentator observed: “It is difficult to fathom, but nowhere in the text does it say that Joseph became discouraged or was in despair” (Currid, Genesis, 2:249).

He had been 11 years a slave and prisoner and would wait two more years forgotten by men, but he did not despair.

Joseph becomes a model for the believer who perseveres in the faith even in the face of the severest of trials. The LORD was with him (see Genesis 39:2-3, 21, 23). We too must continue to trust and to persevere in the Lord. He will not forget us, and He will not forget our works of service to Him. So the apostle wrote, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name” (Hebrews 6:10).

The believer might be forgotten by men, but he will never be forgotten by God.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

Online Books by David N. Samuel

David N. Samuel (b. 1930) was the first Presiding Bishop of the Church of England (Continuing) from 1995-2001. I recently read an excerpt from his book Pope or Gospel? on the WM 337: What is TRUE Apostolic Succession? podcast.

I noted on X that I appreciated his writing and that his books did not seem to be in print and were difficult to find. A friend then tracked down these titles available online:

Pope or Gospel? The Crisis of Faith in the Protestant Churches (1982).

A Mirror to the Nation (1999).

Without Excuse: A Vindication of the Argument from Design (2004).

Still looking for:

The Church in Crisis (2004).

Feel free to share any other online resources (or access to print resources) in the comments, and I'll add to the post.

JTR

WM 336: D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on "this great modern craze for new translations of the Scriptures"

 

JTR

WM 334: Conversation: PREACHING & TEXT

 

JTR

WM 333: "PERFECT SCRIPTURE only reserved for the next life?": The Critic Critiqued Continued

 

JTR