Five Minutes of Truth with Dr. Danny Purvis - A Weekly Devotional Podcast

The Armor of God (Growth Project Radio)

Moses and Water From a Rock

Jesus and the serpent

Achan: Sin has a price

Promise Not Made

Did you know that in one of the most unusual and confusing stories in all of Scripture, there was a moment when Moses’ wife actually got so frustrated with her husband that she threw their son’s circumcised foreskin at Moses? Really…you didn’t know that? Well, as weird as it sounds we will explain it all…here on five minutes of truth. There are quite a few stories, sprinkled throughout the Bible, that on the surface seem a bit…if we’re being honest…weird. From floating axe-heads to a sermon bringing a valley of dry bones back to life. From raising people from the dead to a chariot that carries one Bible hero off to heaven. There are stories, many in the Old Testament, which when observed from a distance and removed from context do not lend themselves to easy understanding. They contain actions that seem to defy conventional wisdom and promote, in many cases, significant skepticism for the casual reader. And sometimes even for the not so casual reader. I understand the confusion. These stories seem so outrageous that one can quickly come to the conclusion that there is very little reason for it being included in the Bible at all. We know, however, that this is not true. The Apostle Paul wrote: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” . If that is the case, this also includes the “weird” passages that I firmly believe are considered weird simply because they are not understood in light of Paul’s statement. And one of the most misunderstood events happened as Moses was on his way to free God’s people from the yoke of slavery they endured in Egypt. We know the story. After fleeing Egypt upon learning of his heritage, Moses met Jethro, a priest from Midian, and married Jethro’s daughter, Zipporah. Sometime after, Moses had the encounter of a lifetime when he ventured up Mt. Horeb to examine a burning bush, but instead met the God of the universe Who told Moses to go back to Egypt…confront Pharaoh…and free the Hebrew slaves. It is on this journey to Egypt that we read this curious story found in . The Bible relays that on the journey, God actually threatens to kill Moses. He does not explicitly say why, but the context of the story fills in the missing pieces. Immediately after the threat, Zipporah circumcises their son. So, we can glean that Moses’ neglect in doing this himself spurred on the harsh threat God made towards Moses. After the circumcision, Zipporah takes the severed foreskin and throws it at Moses’ feet. She states: “you are a husband of blood to me” (b). And to make sure he really got a proper reading on her indignation, she repeats it by saying once again, “you are a husband of blood” (). It is clear that Moses’ wife was not happy (putting it lightly) and that something really bad must have happened. Now we look at what did happen in context with the rest of Scripture which will make this seemingly weird passage not so weird after all. First we must remember the importance the Hebrews placed on circumcision. It was THE sign that they belonged to God as a people. It was THE sign of the everlasting covenant God made with His people (b). And any male child not circumcised would be cast out from his own people because “he has broken My covenant” (b). To say that circumcision was a big deal…would be the height of understatement. God stated that every male child would be circumcised when they turned 8 days old and it fell to the father to ensure this happened. Is this becoming a bit clearer now? We don’t know how old Moses’ son was b

Did you know that the Bible gives us an example of dedicated love between a man and a woman who didn’t even know each other? Stick around and we’ll talk about it. Here on five minutes of truth. One of the key characteristics of the so-called Patriarchs of the Old Testament was that, for the most part, they all had more than one wife? This was true of Abraham, Jacob, Caleb, Gideon, David, Solomon and most likely, Moses. Despite the fact that God had ordered and ordained that marriage be a monogamous union between a man and a woman, many of His most faithful followers engaged in polygamy outside of God’s desire. The fact that God did not cut them off from His love and His salvation is a true testament to His grace and mercy. It is also important to note that just because God did not seem to overtly punish them (as far as we know) that is not to mean the He gave them a pass or that He had relaxed His rules regarding marriage. It does go to show, however, that His love and grace is enough to still render us useful to Him in spite of our sin nature. That is, in part, what the Cross and the empty tomb were all about. Despite His command, nearly all of the Old Testament “heroes of the faith” engaged in marriages outside the boundaries God had prescribed. Except for one guy. Abraham’s son, and the son of the promise God made to Abraham, was named Isaac. Many people know this. What many people do NOT know is the story of Isaac’s beloved wife, Rebekah. The only wife Isaac would ever have. The story…is extraordinary. As Abraham grew old and was facing his mortality, he desired to see Isaac married. However, since Abraham had been obedient to God and had ended up living in a land far away from his homeland, he did not want Isaac to find a wife there. Instead, he wanted his son to find a wife among “my family” so that the promise of God might be fulfilled through his lineage. So, Abraham did what any good father would do…he sent his servant to his homeland to pick out a wife for his son. Of course I’m kidding. This was a very odd approach to assure a proper wife for his son, but he did it nonetheless. After imploring his servant to swear that he would find a wife for Isaac from among their extended family, the servant set out. After reaching the city of Nahor (named after Abraham’s brother) an interesting thing happened. The servant stopped by the city well and prayed…a very specific prayer. He requested of God that if a woman came to the well and asked a specific question in a specific way, then that would be young woman he would approach about becoming Isaac’s wife. The Bible reports that, “before he had finished praying”, a young woman named Rebekah arrived at the well and used the exact verbiage the servant had requested of God. Knowing that God had indeed led the servant to Rebekah, the servant immediately presented her with gifts of gold and asked about her lineage. In an answer that should surprise no one…it was determined that she was Isaac’s cousin…whom Isaac had never met. In fact, it is doubtful they even knew the other existed. Once the servant met the extended family, he introduced himself as coming from Abraham to find Isaac a wife and how God had led him directly to Rebekah in such a way that it could not be denied that it was from the Lord. And though the family was hesitant to let Rebekah go so quickly and implore the servant to let her linger at home a bit longer, it was Rebekah (who was probably in her early to mid-teens) who said, “I will go”. Upon r

Did you know that the man who is arguably the wisest and wealthiest man in history had literally everything that he could’ve ever desired…yet at the end realized it was all for nothing? Stick around and we’ll talk about it. Here on five minutes of truth. One of the more interesting aspects of the Bible is its collection of people. To say that the Bible includes people from all walks of life is the height of understatement. From kings to con men…harlots to holy women. From fishermen to priests and murderers to the Messiah. One of the reasons these 2-5 thousand year old stories resonate with us today is because we see God’s redemptive and miraculous works played out in the lives of people just like ourselves. With the same foibles, weaknesses and problems we have as well. We see over and again that God’s love for us is not predicated on what we do or who we are but on Who He is and what He’s done. We cannot earn His love…neither can we do anything to make Him stop loving us. It is an extraordinary book. Perhaps one of the most interesting people described in God’s Word is a guy whose name is recognizable, but whose story is often unknown. I’m talking about King David’s son, Solomon. A fascinating person and an even more fascinating story. Even his birth stands as a testament to God’s grace and mercy. We are all, I hope, aware of Solomon’s father, David, and his terrible actions regarding an adulterous relationship. David engaged in an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, the wife of one of David’s most loyal soldiers. After she became pregnant, David conspired to and arranged for the death of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, in order to hide his sin…and marry Bathsheba. After David was confronted with his actions by his priest, David immediately repented. But there were to be terrible consequences. David was told that turmoil would engulf his family throughout his reign…and he was told that the child Bathsheba was carrying would die. David prayed for the best, but the child did, in fact, die. It would be easy to conclude that this was the act of a vengeful God…but that would not be completely correct. David and Bathsheba would have another child…and that child was Solomon. Solomon would go on to do extraordinary things: Serve as a wise king and build the first Jewish Temple in existence. God showed grace and mercy by blessing David and Bathsheba with an amazing child. And who was Solomon? It is safe to say that there has not been his equal in wisdom and wealth in the history of the world. Not long after securing his position as king, God spoke to Solomon and made an amazing offer. Simply stated, God said to Solomon: “Ask! What shall I give you.” What person would not long to hear the God of the universe tell us He will give us anything that we want? Realizing the gravity of what it means to lead a nation, Solomon said that he had a lot of stuff…but what he really needed and desired…was wisdom. Solomon said: “give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil.” God was so pleased with his answer, that along with wisdom, God would also bless Solomon with material things beyond measure and assured Solomon that: “there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.” Amazing statements from a holy God. And God was true to His word. Solomon’s wisdom became the talk of the known world. People would travel great distances to sit in his

One of the most common misconceptions most people have about God is that He relishes dishing out punishment.In fact, in the movie Bruce Almighty, the main protagonist in the story, Bruce, espouses this belief when he cries out to God saying: “Smite me, oh mighty Smiter”! The unfortunate truth is…this seems to be a common view of God. That not only does He relish the idea of punishment, but that He actually enjoys dispensing it. But to be honest, I just don’t see that in the Bible. Oh, I do see punishment, but I see divine judgment as a last resort for God, not an immediate knee-jerk reaction. Even in the Old Testament, where much of God’s judgment is seen, I see a God slow to anger and long on patience. A God that continuously pleas for His people to listen to Him instead of their own desires. And a God that exemplifies patience by holding out on judgment for hundreds or even thousands of years. Leaving millions of people to lead lives and extend generations that would never feel God’s wrath. That’s the God I see. And in one of the most remarkable conversations to take place in the whole of the Bible, we see just how much God wants us to grow through our failures, instead of hammering us for them. And He does that in a conversation between His Son, Jesus, and the Apostle Peter. This extraordinary dialogue is so important that it is recorded in all four Gospels. And through all the Gospels catch the spirit of the conversation, only one, Luke, provides us with the depth to see this truth more clearly. This encounter is recorded in . And as always, it is best we set the scene of this interaction in order to see it in context. This conversation with Peter takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane just before Jesus is arrested…and hours before Jesus’ crucifixion. At this point in time, Jesus is giving His Disciples some final instructions and preparing them, as much as was possible, for the difficulties that were to come. At one point He turns to Peter and makes a very fascinating statement. Jesus warns Peter that Satan desired to try to crush Peter’s faith. He then makes the extraordinary promise that He has prayed for Peter so that: “your faith should not fail” (a). Jesus knows that the Disciples would be facing tremendous demands upon their faith once they realized and saw that Jesus would be tortured and crucified. So He is trying to prepare Peter for this. But Jesus also adds in a caveat that most people miss in a cursory reading of this passage. Jesus goes on to say: “and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brothers” (b). Do you see what Jesus is saying here? He is telling Peter in no uncertain terms that he (Peter) was going to fall away. That he was going to fail. But notice, He doesn’t focus on the failure…Jesus instead focuses on Peter’s success after he comes back to Jesus. Jesus says: and when you have returned to Me. Meaning that in order for Peter to return back to Jesus, he has to first turn away from Him. But let’s look at Peter’s response. Once Jesus prophesies Peter’s failure, Peter responds by saying: “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death” (). What, in essence, is Peter’s response to Jesus here? You’re wrong. Imagine telling the Messiah, which is Who Peter knew Jesus to be, that He is wrong about something. But that’s what he did. And Jesus’ response? Only after that denial did Jesus go into detail about Peter’s failure. Remember, Jesus

Did you know that with the exception of Judas Iscariot, that all of Jesus’ Disciples were loyal to the end? But did you also know that there was another group of people referred to as His disciples who left Jesus and never walked with Him again? Stick around and we’ll talk about it here on five minutes of truth. The vast majority of people know exactly who the Bible is referring to when it mentions Jesus’ Disciples. Even if we can’t remember all of their names, we know that when we hear the word “disciples” our minds immediately go to Jesus’ Twelve Disciples who are named in the Gospels. However, John records in his Gospel an extraordinary event where Jesus is conversing with three groups of people. This conversation is captured in . And the three groups to whom Jesus is teaching? The first group is often described in a variety of ways, but more than anything they were people who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah and were dedicated to ensure His failure and ultimately His death. The second group in this story is the group comprised of the 12 Disciples. These were Jesus’ dedicated followers Whom He called as His original 12 Disciples. The final group is the most interesting for a variety of reasons. They are referred to in the Bible as “Jesus’ disciples” ( & 66) though they are not the same as the 12. These are different disciples. Probably people who had seen Jesus’ miracles and heard His teachings and were intrigued by His message. These are probably the same people who were part of the 72 folks Jesus sent out on a mission trip in Luke chapter 10. However, these disciples, as opposed to the 12, would not stay loyal to Jesus…and, in fact, they would actually walk away from Him. Why? Because…simply put…Jesus told them that in order for them to be true followers they would have to: “eat My flesh and drink my blood”. After initially complaining about the difficulty of this teaching, John writes, perhaps, some of the most heartbreaking words in all of Scripture. John wrote: “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (). On the surface, one might be sympathetic to their plight. This teaching Jesus was espousing had to have been incredibly difficult to understand. Jesus tells all of the people listening to Him that: “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (). This had to be a hard teaching to comprehend. In fact, the disciples (not the 12) actually make this point in when they exclaim: “This is a hard teaching, who can understand it?” And though there are examples in the Scripture where Jesus goes into great detail explaining some of His more complicated teachings, He does no such thing here. In fact, when they question His comments about people eating His flesh and drinking His blood, Jesus simply repeats the claim 4 times…He doesn’t explain it. He simply repeats…4 times…that they need to eat His flesh and drink His blood. As a result of their not understanding this curious teaching, the other disciples (not the 12) decide that since they could not understand what Jesus was saying…that it was too hard to understand…they rejected all that Jesus had done up to that point…and they walked away from Him forever. But what about the 12? They have been a bit of an afterthought in this story up to this point. They heard the same teaching. They heard the same complaints. It would be the height of foolishness for us to believe that they did not have some of the same doubts. So what did they do? After the other disciples leave, Jesus turns to the 12 and asks the most important question:

The story related to us in John chapter 4 is often referred to as the story about the woman at the well. We don’t even know her name despite the fact that Jesus spent an amazing amount of time talking to this one person. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find another point in the Bible where Jesus spent so much time talking to one specific person, which probably means we need to pay extra attention to this event. And it is an extraordinary event. John chapter 4 introduces us to the woman in fascinating circumstances. We are told that Jesus and the Disciples are at a well outside of the town of Sychar in Samaria. The location is significant. Because throughout the Gospels, we told over and again of the Jews extreme dislike of the Samaritans. Time prohibits us from going into detail concerning the genesis of this dislike, but suffice it to say that it was palpable. We see evidence of this in two interesting passages. In John chapter 8, after Jesus made the Pharisees extremely angry, they retorted with the worst accusation they could level. They said to Jesus: “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” () The Pharisees put demon possession and being Samaritan on equal footing. Also note that in Matthew Chapter 10 when Jesus sent His Disciples out on a short term mission trip, He clearly stated: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.” This was not an attempt to keep the Gospel from the Samaritans, it was an acknowledgement that even His Disciples were not immune to this disdain of the Samaritan people. And yet, here in John chapter 4, we see Jesus…sitting alone at a well…with a Samaritan woman. And the first words out of His mouth? The first words of the Redeemer to the one He was about to redeem? The opening salvo of the Messiah to a woman who desperately needed to hear the truth of His Gospel? In essence… “will you give me a drink of water” (). That’s it. That’s all it took to begin a conversation that would not only reveal salvation to her, but to a multitude of her fellow townspeople once she told them that the Messiah was out by the well. How did He do this? She obviously came to the well because she was thirsty, but there is more to this story. Traditionally in that part of the world, water was drawn either early in the morning or early in the evening to avoid the brutal heat. It is estimated that the time of this encounter would have been noon. This is borne out in the fact that there were no other people there with Jesus and this woman. Clearly, she was determined to draw water when there was less of a chance to run into other people. Why would that be the case? Because as the story unfolds, we discover several things about this woman that probably made her a pariah in the town. When Jesus asks her to go and bring her husband back to the well, the woman answers: “I have no husband.” Jesus responds back that He is well aware of the fact that she has no husband and continues by stating: “The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true” (). Jesus doesn’t let her slide on her sin. She had had multiple husbands and was, in fact, at that time living with a man who was not her husband. Though that is relatively ignored in our culture today, it bordered on unforgiveable at that time. Hence the reason she came to the well at noon.

The Most Fascinating Two Words In All of Scripture “Jesus wept”, . We know that this is the shortest verse in the Bible. We also know that it is the gateway to one of the most miraculous deeds Jesus ever performed. Have you ever thought to stop and ask…why Jesus wept? The answer may not be as simple as it seems. Let’s talk about it. Here on 5 Minutes of Truth. For many folks, the extent of their knowledge about this amazing two word Scripture passage is that it indeed is recognized as the shortest verse in all 66 books of the Bible. Many a Bible trivia contests have included this footnote as a way to test both the novice and the scholar. But if there were a verse that practically begged to be proof-texted or misunderstood, it would be hard to top this one. Part of it is rooted in the fact that the verse is included in one of Jesus’ most amazing miracles. John chapter 11 tells the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It is an incredible event. Lazarus, a dear friend of Jesus along with his sisters Mary and Martha, lived in Bethany. A relatively small town on the south eastern slope of Mt. Olive some 1 and a half miles from Jerusalem. This family must have been precious to Jesus because some members of this family were actually mentioned by name more than some of His 12 Disciples. John chapter 11 begins with Jesus receiving word that Lazarus was sick. The implication was that the family was requsting His presence. Jesus, however, does something interesting. He clearly states that this sickness “would not end in death” (). And then…He lingered…for two more days before starting the journey to Bethany. Of course, by the time Jesus had arrived, Lazarus had died from his illness. Since Bethany was about a day’s journey from where Jesus was…and since Jesus lingered for two days after receiving the news…and since we know from Scripture that Lazarus had been dead 4 days before Jesus got there: It is most probable that Lazarus was already dead by the time Jesus got the message. But that was the entire point. Jesus said the sickness would not END in death. But Jesus wasn’t finished yet. They were nowhere near the end of this story. Both Mary and Martha, Lazarus’ sisters, were inconsolable. So great was their grief that they both seemed to attach Jesus’ lateness for the reason for Lazarus’ death. Both sisters said: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died”. Jesus, as He did throughout Scripture, reassured them by making one of His most hope-filled statements: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me…though he were dead…yet shall he live.” I don’t think the sisters had any idea what He meant with this statement. But they, and us, were about to find out. Jesus asked to be taken to the tomb where they had laid Lazarus’ dead body. He asked that the stone would be removed from the tomb at which point opposition erupted. “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Nonplussed Jesus did what He always did…He revealed Himself for Who He truly was. First, He prayed to His Father thanking Him for always hearing Him…and then He said the famous words: Lazarus…come forth. And that is exactly what he did. But wait…weren’t we talking about a different verse? The shortest verse? Jesus wept. Yes. But we can’t understand that verse without seeing the whole picture. Let’s go back to our original question. Why did Jesus weep? The quick, but incomplete, answer is: Because He was sad about His friend. Granted. But we’re missing something with that

Did you know that when God replaced Saul as king of Israel with David that He referred to David as “a man after His own heart” ()? Did you also know that later David would also be known as liar, adulterer and murderer? Stick around and we’ll talk about it here on 5 minutes of truth. Most Believers and indeed some non-believers are at least a little familiar with the life and times of Israel’s second King…King David. We are familiar with his being the youngest son Jesse and as such would have been the least likely of his children to be selected to follow Saul to the throne of Israel. We are familiar with David’s exploits in the Israelite’s war with the Philistines and his unlikely victory over Goliath who stood over nine feet tall…though David himself was merely a boy in his mid-teens. We are familiar with his undying loyalty to King Saul despite the fact that Saul sought numerous times to kill David. In fact, in one instance as Saul was alone and in the most vulnerable position imaginable, David had means and opportunity to kill Saul himself. When David’s warriors pointed out this fact and alluded to the idea that God had delivered “your enemy into your hand”, David did not act on the opportunity.  Instead, David responded by saying, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing…seeing he is the anointed of the Lord” (). His allegiance to God and His sovereignty were so strong that David was not even willing to take the life of the man who was trying to unjustly kill him. David’s honor, faith, strength and courage are clearly seen throughout God’s Word. It is then no wonder why God referred to David as a man after His own heart. But as Paul Harvey used to say…here is the rest of the story. Once David succeeded Saul as king, Israel experienced an extended time of hope and prosperity. David won battles; reclaimed Jerusalem; and even showed kindness to Saul’s remaining family. Unfortunately it was not to last. While his soldiers were at battle, David, while taking a walk on his balcony spied a young woman named Bathsheba bathing. After inquiring about her, David discovered that she was the wife of one of his own soldiers, a man named Uriah, who at that moment was out in the field defending his homeland. Not willing to simply walk away, David had Bathsheba escorted to his home where they embarked in an adulterous relationship. Soon after, it was to become obvious that it was going to be difficult to hide the relationship when Bathsheba announced that she was pregnant. In a panic, David decided on a course of action that, if successful, would hide his sin. He sent for Uriah to come home from the battle. The idea would be that Uriah would consequently sleep with his wife and the pregnancy could be easily explained. Problem solved. The one thing that David did not count on was that Uriah would act more honorably than the man after God’s own heart. Upon arrival, Uriah refused to sleep at his home because he didn’t think it right…when his fellow soldiers could not do the same. Even more panicked, David sought a more conclusive solution. He sent a letter with Uriah back to the front alerting David’s commander that in the battle to follow, Uriah should be placed at the front. Just in case the location would not ensure Uriah’s death, David ordered his commander to “retreat from him,

In order to see how we can be within God’s will while feeling like we are way outside of it…we need to go back to a familiar story…the story of Joseph and his brothers as relayed to us in Genesis chapters 37-50. As we know, Joseph was the next to youngest son of Jacob…and one of his 12 sons who would later go on to become the 12 Tribes of Israel. That’s not all we know of Joseph. We know two other very important things. First, that God would put Joseph into such a place of power that eventually his brothers would all bow down in front of him in supplication. We know this because God showed Joseph this inevitability in a dream. Second, we know that God wanted Joseph in Egypt so that he could prophesy about and take precautions to avoid…a 7 year famine that would devastate much of the Middle East. And though this information is not explicitly written in Genesis…we can be sure of it nonetheless. And while we know that Joseph was favored by his father…we also know that his brothers did not share the same enthusiasm for their sibling. In fact, upon telling them about this dream of his eventual authority over them…they planned to kill Joseph. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed…and they decided simply to sell Joseph into slavery to a group of traders headed to…Egypt. Here the story begs for further investigation. Remember, God told Joseph that he would be in a supreme position of authority…and yet Joseph found himself sold as a slave…by the very people God had told him would bow down to him. To say he must have been confused is an understatement. After reaching Egypt and being sold to an Egyptian captain of the guard…a man named Potiphar…Joseph’s plight seemed a bit more manageable. Finding favor with Potiphar, Joseph found himself in charge of Potiphar’s entire house. Maybe this would be the path God used to place Joseph in power over large things…by proving himself loyal over small things. Maybe that’s what Joseph was thinking. Until…after doing the right thing and fleeing temptation when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, Joseph found himself in prison. And there he sat…for two years…for doing the right thing. A long way away from his brothers bowing down…a long way away from God’s will…or so it seemed. After successfully interpreting the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s servants who were also in prison with Joseph, one of these servants mentioned to Pharaoh Joseph’s unique gift because he knew his Pharaoh was being plagued by dreams he could not understand. Desperate, Pharaoh called on Joseph and told this Hebrew slave his dream. Without missing a beat…Joseph interpreted the dream and warned Pharaoh that a severe famine would strike the land in just 7 years…and that the famine would last 7 years. That news ended up saving millions of lives…and as a result?…Pharaoh placed Joseph as his second in charge over all of Egypt. Here is where the story gets more interesting. Upon hearing that Egypt had food in the midst of the famine, Jacob sends his sons there to trade with the Egyptians for the precious food. Which found the brothers…in the presence of Joseph…whom they did not recognize…and they “bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground” (42:7). God told Joseph that it was His will that Joseph rise to a level of power and that his brothers would bow before him. It was also His will that Joseph be betrayed by those brothers…sold into slavery…end up in Potiphar’s house…flee temptation…be rewarded for his honor by being thrown into prison…for two years. All the while…remaining in God’s will. Despite how Joseph must have felt at the time. How do we know that? How do we know that was all God’s will? How do we know that God wanted to use Joseph to save lives during a devastating famine…how do we know any of this was God’s doing? Joseph himself said to his brothers, “what you meant for evil, God meant for good…to bring about that many pe

Contrary to popular belief…God cannot do anything? That idea is a consistent misunderstanding among a great number of both Believers and non-believers. It is not uncommon at all to hear many people say: You know…God can do just about anything. And though I believe that most people understand the crux of the statement when it is made, it is not, biblically speaking, completely accurate. And with most things…being almost right nearly always leads to being significantly wrong. What do we mean, though, when we say that God cannon do just anything. Well…think of it this way. He cannot sin. He cannot be untrue to His own nature. He cannot be imperfect. He cannot make a square a circle or a circle a square because He has already deemed that a circle is what it is and a square is what it is. And here’s the big one…God cannot be unjust. It is not in His nature. God is perfect in everything that He does. He is perfect in His love. He is perfect in His Grace…He is perfect in His mercy…and He is perfect in His justice. He is the perfect judge. Then how is it that we often times want Him to be the imperfect judge for us…when we are not willing to tolerate that in any other aspect of our lives? Some time back there was a horrible crime that was committed that enraged the nation. You may remember this. A college student…from a seemingly good family…and enrolled at a top flight university…was actually caught in the act of sexually assaulting an unconscious coed. There was no doubt of his guilt…he was 100% culpable for this horrible crime. At sentencing, the judge on the case did the unthinkable. He sentenced this obviously guilty young man to a grand total of six months in jail. The national outrage was palpable and justified. Every reader, pundit and legal expert came to the same conclusion…that this was not justice…and the judge in question was not a good judge. What does this have to do with God? Many times people ask: If sin is real…and that bad…and God is so good…why doesn’t He just ignore and forgive everyone’s sin? Just act as if it ever happened? Because if we were holding God to the same standard as the judge in the assault case…we would have to come to the conclusion that God was not a good judge. After all if we are asking God to ignore sin…to not hold us accountable to the standards He set…if we are asking Him to show mercy to us for the things we have done that are considered sin…and we think that would be a good thing… Then why didn’t we think that of the judge in the assault case? He looked the other way at the seriousness of the act…he did not hold the perpetrator accountable…he, in fact,…showed the young man mercy…did he not? Yet we label him…and rightfully so…a bad judge. God cannot be a bad judge. It is not in His nature. That is why He cannot ignore sin…or arbitrarily look the other way at it…or just say…its no big deal…forget it and move on. He is the perfect judge. And a perfect judge judges perfectly. But God’s Word tells us that there is another way. While God does judge sin…in the case of Believers…His judgment was directed at Jesus on our behalf. Who suffered judgment so that all who call on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior…would never have to. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. How cool is that? I’m Dr. Danny Purvis. On behalf of myself…Robert Houghton…and all of us here at Growth Project and Harmony Community church…keep reading God’s Word. :