January 20-24
[M] Genesis 41-42; Mark 16
[T] Gen 43-44; Psalm 24; Galatians 1
[W] Gen 45-46; Psalm 108; Gal 2
[T] Gen 47-48; Psalm 25; Gal 3
[F] Gen 49-50; Gal 4
Dwell Plan Day 16-20 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF
Notes from Jon & Chris
Monday
Genesis 41 | Christ’s kingdom is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Look at Joseph, he’s a living example of how the last will be first in God’s kingdom. God exalts the lowly and the humble, but opposes the proud.
Genesis 42:6 | The brothers bow down in fulfillment of Joseph’s dream in chapter 37.
Mark 16:7 | “…and Peter…” Imagine the shame and guilt that has flooded into Peter’s heart at this point. Peter has denied the Lord and now he’s dead. He’s probably hopeless and lost. But then, the angel tells the women, “Go and tell everyone that Jesus has resurrected. And make sure that you especially tell Peter.” What an amazing picture of grace. This was God’s way of telling Peter that, “You messed up but I’m not done with you yet.”
Mark 16:9-20 | Here is the note from the Biblical Theology Study Bible that explains what’s going on with the ending of the Gospel of Mark:“Scholars almost universally agree that this section is a later attempt, perhaps by a second-century scribe, to rectify the perceived problem of v. 8 (see note on v. 8). The earliest and best manuscripts do not have these verses; they are unknown to a number of early church fathers; and the vocabulary and style differ from the rest of Mark.”
Tuesday
Genesis 44:33-34 | “Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”
This verse is the pinnacle moment in this whole section of Genesis. Joseph isn’t pulling all these pranks on his brothers because he is starting a hidden camera YouTube channel. He’s doing all of this as a test of character. And here, with the life of Benjamin on the line, we see that the character of the brothers is not what it was before. Years ago, they sold Joseph into slavery to get rid of him. Now, Judah is willing to give up his own life to save his brother. Their hearts have been changed. They have been transformed by YHWH.
Psalm 24 | The poetry here is beautiful, as David personifies the gates of the city and commands them to open for God. This poem is about ascending up the hill to go to the tabernacle, but then it switches on you. God is the one entering in, the King of Glory! What a promise of intimacy with God and hope in His glory and power. The idea that God walks through gates like a human isn’t just metaphorical, it is a promise of the God who becomes human to live with us. This is the God who enters into our world, and we are His dwelling place now. What a picture this becomes of the church and our own hearts!
Galatians 1:5-6 | Notice Paul’s startling use of contrasts here in his prose. “Glory to God forever and ever. Amen.” is classic Paul: he’s writing and praising at the same time. He can’t write theology without doing the work of praising God. But look at the stark contrast his worship creates. “I’m astonished that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you in the grace of Christ.” His worship of God and praise of His grace is a foil, dramatically revealing how contrary to God’s glory their distorted gospel truly is. This is good writing, where the grammar and word choices reveal how true abandonment of the gospel is a rejection of God’s eternal glory.
Galatians 1:8 | Paul takes the gospel very seriously. This word for accursed in Greek has crept into the English language: it’s the word anathema, which has come to mean in the dictionary “something wholly contrary to one's beliefs or values.” In Greek it’s a stronger word with a more desperate sense: “something delivered up to divine wrath, dedicated to destruction and brought under a curse.” It’s something faithful preachers have been saying ever since: the good news is good news because God loves sinners and only requires trust in Him for salvation. It is that free and that good and that complete. Anyone who says different, even me, don’t listen to them.
Galatians 1:10 | Good pastor tattoo, but it applies to all of us. It’s binary: a or b. You can please humans or you can please God. You can’t do both and be Christ’s servant. Period. I think I need this tattooed on my heart!
Galatians 1:24 | “And they glorified God because of me.” It’s interesting how many of us have taken the path of Oprah-self-help stuff. We make resolutions every January, we write affirmations on mirrors, we read books about habits, we diet, and we do all kinds of these things. And there is nothing inherently wrong with improving ourselves, but I think it’s very easy to put all of our energy on temporal improvement. If you lose weight, that’s great. But eventually, your body is going to die and be eaten by worms. If you manage your schedule well, that’s a good thing. But eventually, all that you accomplish will fade away and in a generation or two you will be forgotten and nobody will remember that you were a super organized person.
I love Paul’s attitude in this section of Galatians. He’s excited about one thing: that his life led to the glory of God. Spending time working to glorify the name of God is a pursuit that impacts eternal things. I’m sure that he was organized, and with all of his walking around the Mediterranean world, I’m sure he was in great shape. But he doesn’t put any real value or trust in that. All he values is the glory of God.
Wednesday
Galatians 2:11-14 | Peter (Cephas) knew Jesus personally. He ate with him after the resurrection. He was filled with the Spirit at Pentecost. He healed people. He brought a woman back from the dead. And then he fell into sin and had to be confronted by Paul. Don’t ever get to the point where you let your guard down. You will battle sin until you see Jesus face to face. Until then, wage war.
Thursday
Genesis 48:14-20 | Israel blesses the younger brother. He’s keeping the pattern going with the upside-down kingdom of God.
Psalm 25:7 | Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions, according to your steadfast love remember me
Also, maybe, remember not the sins of my not-so-youth.
Psalm 25:11 | For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great Look at the reason David gives when he asks for grace. We are so selfish that we think our salvation is all about us. But the scriptures consistently tell us that even our salvation is more about the glory of God than it is about us.
Galatians 3:3 | This makes a good memory verse. It’s short and to the point, and the point is always relevant. We all get started by faith and by the Spirit. That’s how we become Christians! We trusted in Christ and the Holy Spirit did His work in rebirth. But there’s a detour we can take right here, a wrong turn in our walk with God. We can imagine “God has done this amazing thing in me, and now I have all the tools I need to go and live a holy life, I just need to follow the rules and be righteous.” It’s a bit naive and an easy error. God did this wonderful thing for me, and now I need to do good things for Him. That makes sense to our flesh, our worldly point of view. But what Paul is saying is: this is wrong. It’s proud independence and totally contrary to the heart of grace. There is no earning any longer. None! And there is no independence either. None! The Spirit who began new life in us is the same Spirit who sustains that new life in us! It’s grace upon grace for us.
Friday
Genesis 49:10 | A whole bunch of foreshadowing is going on here: predicting the character and experience of God’s people centuries later. Each tribe of Israel is described in Jacob’s blessing his sons. Notice how Jacob is prophetic specifically about Judah. He’s predicting that the royal line will come out of him, as it will in David. But if we look more closely, we see how the promise is too big—this is a scepter that never leaves Judah— and we know it did in 587 BC. This is a messianic prophecy, hinting at a king who is coming, a king greater than any other king.
Genesis 50 | The patriarchs make a lot of fuss about where they’re buried. It isn’t superstition or preference or tradition driving that. They are supposed to remember God’s promises. Egypt is not their home and never really will be. This is another consistent theme of God’s kingdom we see over and over again. We are sojourners here, and this world is not our home. God has prepared a place for us in heaven, just like He did for His people in Palestine. By being buried in the land that God had promised to their descendants, they were claiming those promises. It’s an entirely different way to live, setting our eyes and hopes on a city whose builder and maker are God. It’s the way God’s people have always lived.
Genesis 50:20 | As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
This is a pattern that we see in scripture. God uses the evil of humanity to bring out his ultimate purpose. Here, the brothers meant evil against Joseph, but God used this to save everyone in the land from starvation. This pattern finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ.
In Acts 2:23, Peter echoes this idea “…this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” Just as the brothers meant evil against Joseph, the people meant evil against Jesus. But even the evil in this world in under the sovereignty of God, and the plan for his glory and our salvation will be accomplished.