Genesis 41:17–42:17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 4:1-6
I Will Love Thee, O LORD, My Strength
I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from mine enemies.- Psalm 18:1-3
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There is None so Discreet and Wise as Thou Art
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. – Genesis 41:37-41
Go Unto Joseph; What He Saith to You, Do
And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands. – Genesis 41:55-57
Joseph’s Brothers Came and Bowed Down Themselves Before Him
And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. – Genesis 42:6-9
One is Not
And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. – Genesis 42:13
Hereby Ye Shall Be Proved
hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. And he put them all together into ward three days. – Genesis 42:15-17
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The Kindom of Heaven is Likened to a Man Which Sowed Good Seed
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. – Matthew 13:24-30
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like to a Grain of Mustard Seed
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. – Matthew 13:31-32
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like Unto Leaven
Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. – Matthew 13:33
Without a Parable Spake He Not Unto Them
All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. – Matthew 13:34-35
Declare Unto Us the Parable of the Tares
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. – Matthew 13:36-43
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like Unto Treasure Hid in a Field
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. – Matthew 13:44
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like A Merchant Man, Seeking Pearls
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. – Matthew 13:45-46
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She Shall Preserve Thee, She Shall Keep Thee
Get wisdom, get understanding: Forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: Love her, and she shall keep thee. – Proverbs 4:5-6
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Thoughts
In Psalm 18 – The Psalmist said the Lord is my rock. A rock is a symbol of power and strength. It speaks to me of a firm foundation. He says the Lord is my fortress. A fortress is a fortified place – a secure and strong place. The Lord is my deliverer – to be delivered means to be brought or transported to a proper place.
He says the Lord is his Strength. Indeed the LORD is our strength – if we allow Him to be. We can see in our reading that Joseph had physical, emotional, and spiritual strength as he trusted the Lord throughout his life.
The psalmist said the Lord was his buckler. A buckler is a shield used to support, defend, protect. The Lord was Joseph’s protector and defender.
The psalmist says that the Lord is the horn of his salvation. What is that? It is a common biblical symbol of victory of being rescued from oppression. He is saying the LORD is his rescuer. The LORD was the Horn of Joseph’s salvation.
And then the psalmist says the Lord is his high tower. He is his refuge. He sits him in a high place where he can see the things of his world but live above them.
Is the Lord your Rock? Your Fortress? Your Deliverer? Your Strength? Your Defense? The Horn of Your Salvation? Your High Tower? He will be if you allow Him to be…even as he was all of these for Joseph.
Verse three of Psalm 18 goes on to say – I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. He is worthy to be praised, so let’s end here today as even the psalmist began this Psalm by saying – I LOVE THEE O LORD!!!
a lamp and a light 