Darash Chai - Seek Life!

If there is one thing that we can count on to be revealed in the plagues on Egypt it is that these acts of God are in judgment. But is it simply judgment of the people, or is there a greater judgment going on? And if this is judgment, then when was the trial? Perhaps, if we look at the plagues in a certain light, we can catch a glimpse of the trial occurring in the course of the plagues. So join us as we consider the trial of the ages. The people of Israel vs. the People of Egypt.

The plagues of Egypt is one of the most iconic sequences in all of scripture. This series of judgments on the actions of Pharaoh and the people of the Egypt. But the plagues teach us a lot more about God than simply being acts of judgment. This week we begin a three part series on what these plagues reveal about the God of Israel on various levels.

We all want to hear from God. We cry out, "God, where are you?" and when we hear nothing we can become despondent. But the fact is that when God does talk to His people, the message is rarely one that is easy to hear. Especially when the messenger looks nothing like you expect.

Throughout Scripture we read of men who were the chosen vessel to accomplish part of God's plan. Men like Moses, David, Jeremiah, Paul and more. These are men who were chosen to be vessels for honor. But when we consider this topic, we gloss over that there were more men chosen in Scripture than these. Men chosen as Vessels for destruction.

In the Bible we are told to speak the name of God. We are to call upon His name and to not take His name in vain. The Name of God is something that has a lot of importance connected to it throughout scripture. But what is that name? Is it something that can be pronounced, or is it something more than that?

When we come to the book of Exouds, we read the name "Exodus" and so that is what we expect to find in this book, and we are not disappointed. But when we examine the entirety of the book, the events of the Exodus end in chapter 20. And yet there are 20 more chapters after this point. The exodus is only half of this story. Is there something more? A greater topic in play in this book?

As we close out the book of Genesis, one idea is readdressed. The concepts of Good and Evil. And if we look at scripture as a whole, we may discover that we have some ideas about God and about good that are not quite accurate. What does it mean to know good and evil and to live our lives according to these definitions?

Here at the end of the story of Genesis Jacob is near death. His life has been blessed and he has lived 17 years in the land of plenty. But upon his deathbed he calls all of his sons before him and does something unexpected to everyone. First an adoption. Then a blessing. Many blessings in fact. What can we pull from this without getting distracted?

What do the stages of grief have to do with Christmas? How can going through a significant life change cause a person to jump to conclusions and hurt those closest to them? Is it possible that a lie has been perpetrated on the people of God, and that both sides of the Christmas debate suffer from this lie? To discover the truth, we must go to the sources.

Unity has been achieved. The family of Jacob is reunited once again and finally, Jacob has found peace. His lost son has been returned, he has been granted security, not just physically, but financially, and all is well! But the famine still rages around them. The rest of the world is not yet safe. There is a transaction that must take place. The cost? Your life.

The test has reached its climax, but what possible defense can Judah offer for the release of his brother Benjamin? The same solution that has been present in scripture since the beginning. Covenant. The keeping of covenant supersedes all other concerns. And it is this that finally convinces Joseph of the change that has occurred in his brother's lives.

The first challenge that Joseph laid before his brothers has been completed. They have returned with Benjamin, and now begins a test. Can the brothers handle being shamed? Will they sit idly by while Benjamin is honored above them? What will they do when Benjamin is charged with a crime? Have they truly changed, or is there jealousy and division lurking just beneath the surface?

Nearly 20 years ago Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Now he has been reunited with them. But Joseph does not trust his brothers, and this time, Joseph has all the power. Let the games begin. Have the brothers grown, or are they still the selfish violent brats of old?

There is a theme that we discover all throughout the Bible that can reveal our own role in light of our Messiah. This thematic element is not limited to the Bible, but is in fact one of the most popular tropes in any kind of literature. What is a reversal of fortune, and how do we see it applied in Scripture and in our own lives?

Two years in prison, and for what? Because of a forgetful servant? Because of a lesson in patience? Or could it be that there is more going on here? If there is one thing that Joseph had plenty of still it is perhaps pride, and there is something that is necessary to address this before Joseph can be elevated to the place that God has for him.

Joseph has been on a downward spiral into the depths of shame for the past few chapters. Taken from honor to slavery to prison. Into this place of shame two new men are introduced. Two new dreams appear. Two new symbols that upon examination are not really new. The baker symbolizing bread. The cup bearer symbolizing wine. Symbols that take on a life of their own throughout scripture. What can we learn from these symbols, and what do they mean for Joseph in the depths of his shame?

I was invited to give a breakout session at Sukkot with Founded In Truth. It was a wonderful time with a great group of people. Here is the recording of that session. If you wanted an update on Darash Chai, this is it. I am nearly a year into making this experiment my focus. Let's see where we are. What is the "Nature of Life?"

We are all familiar with the story of Joseph in Potiphar's house in Egypt. Raised to a position of authority and then an accusation. If we are paying attention, we will recognize that the previous chapter contained a similar story of an accusation against an innocent. This parallel in these chapters opens up for us a topic of human justice. The process that the Bible gives from accusation to conviction. This is vitally important today. A day and age of weaponized accusations.

In Genesis 38 the text takes a detour that has caused a lot of discussion in theological circles. We know who Judah becomes. We know what Judah just did. And for one chapter we get a Judah centered narrative that tells us of his life between those two points in time. But why this narrative? It is confusing and confounding all at once. What is it about this chapter that it would be the one and only chapter of all of scripture that is focused only on the character of Judah?

The story of the sons of Jacob begins in full in this chapter of Genesis. Once again, we find that as young men, there is a baseline of evil that runs through there hearts. But if we examine this episode of Joseph being sold into slavery from a perspective of life, we may discover an amazing example of just how the path of life is not the same as either good or evil.