7 March 2010
Psalm 93, 96; Gen. 44:1-17; Rom. 8:1-10; John 5:25-29

Yet another test from Joseph. Who can honestly blame him for putting his brothers to the test after what he had experienced of them. The test is the test of filial love, will they throw Benjamin under the bus or will they stand with him in this hour. The test itself is reminiscent of something Joseph and Benjamin’s mother, Rachel, had done when they were fleeing from her father Laban in stealing his household gods, so it is easy to see where he got this idea. That the brothers return with Benjamin and plead for him says much. Judah’s question, “How can we clear ourselves?” is ironic in a way that he can’t imagine. These tests are actually designed to clear them but not of any recent crime.

Jesus’ words sound somewhat like the work Joseph was doing with his brothers, executing judgment. We are tested by temptation, temptation abounds all around us, the test is will we walk with the Lord and not be led into temptation or will we walk alone. Jesus tells us that the secret of living successfully on this earth is abiding in the Father and He has given us the Spirit by which we are able to do exactly that. This sounds like we are judged according to our deeds rather than the content of our faith, but the two are inseparable, we are able to know “good” and do “good” only to the extent we truly believe and follow the Lord Jesus.

Anglican theology says this:
Works done before receiving the grace of Christ and the inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasing to God. This is because they do not spring out of faith in Jesus Christ. Nor do they make people fit to receive grace or (as the schoolmen say) to deserve grace of congruity. On the contrary, because they are not done as God has willed and commanded that they should be done, it is undoubtedly the case that they have the nature of sin. (Articles of Religion – Article 13)

We have been set free from living at the level of the desires of the flesh, those things that fail to satisfy us eternally. We are always going to be hungry enough to need food and we will always need water to drink, we have been given the fulfillment of our deepest desire in Jesus and it is from satisfaction of that desire that all others can now be brought under control and prioritized properly. Paul’s argument is that the controlling desire of our lives is actually the restless craving of the heart and once it is satisfied, we begin to understand the other desires as an attempt to fill that first desire but with that which will fail to satisfy it. All the sins in our life come from the desire for things other than God crowding out that desire and pushing it into the background.

The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. 2 Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.