Through the Bible in one year - Day 49

 Psalm 49:7-9

Truly no man can ransom another,

or give to God the price of his life,

for the ransom of their life is costly

and can never suffice,

that he should live on forever

and never see the pit.

Wow! If that isn’t a Gospel hint, I don’t know what is. Yes, the ransom for a person’s life is costly, and people are not interchangeable. You couldn’t give someone an alternative, as if you were substituting one pair of shoes for another. If we are created by God, and in the image of God, what could we possibly give in exchange for our lives? All the money and worldly wealth we accumulate is after all God’s first, and just ours on loan as a gift so what more would our lives be valued at? And yet, we know that Jesus has ransomed our lives; he has paid the full price in a way that cannot be duplicated, cannot be discounted and is sufficient. Thank you God.

As I read this passage from Genesis, I get a sense of being drawn in to the story, slowly and in such a way that you can’t wait to hear what comes next and find yourself holding your breath along with Joseph and his brothers. In this case we see that Judah is ready to live up to his word with regard to the safety of Benjamin – to the pledge he made to his father; and this is indeed a new and improved Judah. The years may have made some change in his heart, and now, I think tomorrow, we may see the unveiling. Are you excited? I am still holding my breath.

This section in 2 Chronicles gives a foretaste of the story of Moses – did you notice that? Well, maybe not as we haven’t yet read about Moses – but Cecil B. DeMille gave quite a rendition, one that is emblazoned in our mind’s eye so perhaps this was familiar. Either way, even if it is not we see that one woman secreted out an offspring of the king and kept him from being murdered...this, too can be a foretaste of the hiding of Jesus from King Herod.

These stories in Acts today are all about conversion; the spreading of really good news and having people listen and change because of it. What do you suppose we can do to spread the really good news – and be changed because of it? Shall we be part of a story that “has turned the world upside down”? (Acts 17:6)

Today’s readings: Psalm 49, Genesis 44, 2 Chronicles 22, Acts 15:36-17:15