Weekly Devotional - David Guzik

David Guzik’s weekly devotional, based on a verse or two from the Bible.

The Good Plan of God

January 12, 2025/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. (Genesis 45:7-8)

Joseph was the victim of cruel abuse, from his brothers, from the Midianites, from the Potiphar’s wife, from Pharoh’s butler, and from many others. Yet, Joseph didn’t think of himself as a victim. He saw God’s good work as greater than the bad things done against him.

We see this in the explanation he gave his brothers, once he revealed himself to them. Joseph explained how the hand of God worked despite the wicked things done against him.

This is how Joseph explained his being sold as a slave in Egypt: God sent me before you to preserve a posterity. Joseph did not diminish what the brothers did, yet he saw that God’s purpose in it all was greater than the evil of the brothers.

When sinned against, we are tempted to fail in one or both areas. We are tempted to pretend that the offending party never did it or tempted to ignore the over-arching hand of God in every circumstance.

It is fair to ask, “Why was Joseph in Egypt? Was it because of the sin of his brothers or because of the good plan of God?” The answer is that both aspects were true. All Joseph’s sorrows had a purpose. God used them to preserve his family and provide the conditions for it to become a nation. Joseph was a victim, harmed by the sins committed against him, but God turned it around for His glory. None of it was for a loss.

Going to Egypt, Israel did not assimilate among the pagan tribes of Canaan. God brought them to Egypt to grow yet remain a distinctive nation.

Years ago, Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote a best-selling book titled When Bad Things Happen to Good People. The whole point of his book was to say God is all loving but not all powerful; that God is good, but not sovereign. So, when bad things happen to good people, it is because events are out of God’s control. Kushner advised his readers to “learn to love [God] and forgive him despite his limitations.” Whatever Kushner described, it was not the God of the Bible, the God displayed in Joseph’s life.

In saying, it was not you who sent me here, but God. Joseph realized God ruled his life, not good men, not evil men, not circumstances, and not fate. God was in control, and because God was in control, all things worked together for good.

Have others wronged you? You don’t need to pretend it never happened. Be real about what they did but see with greater clarity the good plan of God in it all.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 45

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Changed Men

January 5, 2025/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father? (Genesis 44:33-34)

Can people really change? Repeatedly, we see in the Bible and life stories that God has the power to profoundly change those who surrender to Him. This principle culminates in the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which announces how people can come into right relationship with God. In Christ, we are new people: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

A wonderful example of the power of God to change lives is found in the sons of Jacob, the brothers of Joseph, as God worked in them sorrow and repentance for how they had sinned against Joseph.

When Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to get grain during a terrible famine, they didn’t know that they were dealing with the brother they sold as a slave. Joseph recognized them, but they didn’t recognize him.

God then guided the unusual actions of Joseph toward his brothers to bring them to repentance, and to display their repentance for what they against Joseph. This is especially seen when Judah said, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord. Judah dramatically offered to lay down his life for the sake of Benjamin. This was an amazing change from 22 years before when the brothers did not care about Joseph, Benjamin, or even their father Jacob.

Judah distinguished himself as the one willing to be a substitutionary sacrifice, out of love for his father and for his brethren. This is love – heroic self-sacrifice.

Sacrificial love is evidence of real life transformation (John 13:34). This is seen in Moses (Exodus 32:31-32) and Paul (Romans 9:1-4).

Through this chapter, there is remarkable evidence of the changed hearts of Joseph’s brothers.

– The brothers did not resent it when Benjamin was given the favored portion (Genesis 43:34).
– They trusted each other, not accusing each other of wrong when accused of stealing the cup (44:9).
– They stuck together when the silver cup was found and did not abandon the favored son, allowing him to be carried back to Egypt alone (44:13).
– They completely humbled themselves for the sake of the favored son (44:14).
– They knew their crisis was because of their sin against Joseph (44:16).
– They offered themselves as slaves to Egypt, not abandoning Benjamin, the favored son, their brother (44:16).
– They showed due concern for how this might affect their father (Genesis 44:29-31).

The ultimate evidence that the brothers had been changed was Judah’s display of self-sacrificing love (Genesis 44:33). Would anyone look at your life and say that self-sacrifice is evidence that you have been transformed?

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 44

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God’s Great Wisdom

December 29, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

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So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. (Genesis 43:32)

There is no denying that Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel), was abused and victimized by many people. These included his brothers, the Midianites who bought and sold him as a slave, his master Potiphar, Potiphar’s wife, and the baker and the butcher in prison. In their own ways, each of these did wrong to Joseph, and there were probably several more that the biblical account never mentioned.

Why? Why did God allow such terrible things to happen against Joseph? Even if we said that God did not do these things by His own hand, it is still true that God allowed them to happen. We suppose God had a purpose, but what was it?

One part of the answer is in Genesis 43:32, a verse explaining some of the dining customs of the ancient Egyptians. When Joseph invited his brothers for dinner, he ate at a place by himself. They Egyptians knew Joseph was a foreigner, so there were three tables at this dinner party. One for the Egyptians, one for the Hebrew brothers, and one for Joseph by himself.

They didn’t eat at the same table because it was an abomination to the Egyptians. According to some sources, in those ancient days, Egypt was one of the most racially separated societies on earth. The claim is that the ancient Egyptians believed that they came from the gods, and all other people came from lesser origins. Therefore, there was little social mixing with foreigners.

This is especially seen in that the Egyptians also ate…by themselves. The Egyptians would not eat with Joseph, much less the strangers from Canaan (the sons of Jacob). Even with all his status and power, Joseph could still not eat with “real” Egyptians.

Here we see the wisdom of God. Before the book of Genesis is finished, God brought the entire family of Jacob into Egypt, where they were isolated from the surrounding people for some 400 years. In that time, they multiplied greatly, increasing to the millions.

If God had allowed the family of Israel to remain in Canaan they would have simply assimilated into the corrupt and godless peoples of Canaan. God not only had to take the family of Israel out of the corrupt environment of Canaan, but He also had to put them among a racially separated people who would not often intermarry or mingle with them. God simply sent Joseph on ahead to make the arrangements.

They couldn’t see it at the time, but God had a great reason for sending Israel to Egypt. God has a great plan for your life, even in the hard times He allows. He has a good and wise reason for it all, even when you can’t see it.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 43

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Jesus – Star and Scepter

December 22, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

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I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,
And batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of tumult. (Numbers 24:17)

Balaam was a strange and unlikely prophet of the living God, and his words recorded in Numbers 23 and 24 were inspired by the Holy Spirit. Speaking forth God’s word, Balaam said a Star shall come out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel. With these words through Balaam, God described someone glorious (like a Star) who would also have authority to rule (pictured by a Scepter).

Previously Balaam prophesied of the beauty, strength, and blessedness of Israel; now God used him to speak of the culmination of all Israel’s beauty, strength, and blessedness – the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Israel’s ultimate blessedness comes from Jesus, their Messiah.

Both ancient Jewish writers and early Christians understood this as a reference to the Messiah. It’s entirely possible that the wise men who were drawn to Bethlehem, perhaps a year or more after the birth of Jesus, were drawn by a star. Balaam’s announcement of a coming Star and Scepter gave them a Scriptural reason to follow the unusual star in the sky.

Perhaps when the magi sighted the star, they looked up the prophecy of Balaam. They could have connected the Star with the Scepter – they followed the star in the sky and looked for the One born King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2). The star of Bethlehem gets a lot of attention at Christmas time, and rightfully so. Yet that star not only pointed to Jesus Christ, but it also spoke of Jesus Christ.

The New Testament puts its stamp of approval on Balaam’s prophecy. It at least two ways, First, by the prominence of the star in the story of Jesus’ birth and babyhood (Matthew 2:1-10). Second, the reference Jesus as the Bright and Morning Star likely has Balaam’s prophecy in mind (Revelation 2:26-28, 22:16).

It’s wonderful that Jesus is represented by a Star. Stars are in the heavens; so is Jesus. Stars bring light, so does Jesus. Stars gives us a sense of awe, and so does Jesus. Stars give guidance, and so does Jesus. Do you see Jesus as a star? Is He your star?

It’s wonderful that Jesus is also represented by a scepter. Kings hold scepters, and those scepters communicate the king’s authority, His right to reign and rule. As the king of kings, Jesus has the right to hold any and all scepters.

Jesus holds the right to this scepter in at least two ways. First, most monarchs become kings by birth; and Jesus was born a king. Second, the scepter of kingly authority belongs to Jesus as He earned it by a sinless life, sacrificial death, and resurrection.

Do you recognize the kingly scepter Jesus holds over your life?

This Christmas, think of Jesus: Star and Scepter.

Click here for David’s commentary on Numbers 24

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A Lot to Put in a Little Cradle

December 15, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

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And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)

We love the traditional stories about the birth of Jesus, but some of those traditional stories are not biblically accurate. Some of these inaccurate traditions have to do with the wise men from the East.

The Bible never says they numbered three, but we sing the carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” and many people assume there were three. The Bible never says they were kings, but that they were an order of Persian wise men – “magi.” Perhaps most importantly, the Bible does not tell us they came on the night Jesus was born, but later – probably when Jesus was in His first year. Seeing the star, the wise men began to plan their journey on the night Jesus was born, and it took them several months to arrive.

We do know this from the Biblical record: they brought at least three appropriate gifts for the Child, gifts also fitting for the Man He would grow up to be.

Gold was a fitting gift for a king. In ancient Persia, whenever one appeared before the king, they had to have a gift of gold. These Persian wise men honored a child as a king. Strange, isn’t it? Children aren’t born kings; they are born princes and later become kings. But this Child was different – He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and will reign from the throne of David, forever and ever.

Frankincense was a fitting gift for a priest. Frankincense is a glittering, fragrant resin that comes from trees. It was used as incense by the priests of Israel and as incense, it is a picture of prayer and intercession in the Bible. This was an appropriate gift for Jesus, our High Priest, and intercessor before God! In Scripture, a priest represents who God is to the people and represents the people before God. Jesus did both perfectly. The Bible says He ever lives to pray for His people.

Myrrh was a fitting gift for someone who would die. Myrrh is a fragrant spice used primarily in embalming. This was an appropriate gift for Jesus, who came to die. Even now, the pale shadow of the cross cast its dark image over the cradle of Jesus; here was a Man born to live, to show us God, to heal, and to teach. But more than anything, He was born to die. On the cross, He bore the judgment we deserved and stood in place for all who would receive Him.

That is a lot for God to put in a cradle – but God did it! We are invited to receive Jesus Christ as our King, our High Priest, and the One who paid the price for the sin we deserve to pay.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 2

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Immanuel

December 8, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

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Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.” (Isaiah 7:14-16)

Isaiah cried out against the rulers of Judah. They treated other people poorly, but they treated the Lord even more poorly. To rebuke their lack of trust, Isaiah promised a sign. This promise became one of the most famous prophecies in the Bible: Therefore the LORD Himself will give you as sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Beyond being famous, this word from Isaiah 7 also illustrates a principle of prophecy, that prophecy may have both a near fulfillment and a far fulfillment.

The near fulfillment of this prophecy centered on Ahaz, Jerusalem, and the attack from Israel and Syria. For Ahaz, the sign concerned a time span – before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings. Simply put, God promised Ahaz a sign promising that within a few years, both Israel and Syria would be crushed. This was a sign of deliverance to Ahaz.

The far or ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy goes far beyond Ahaz, to announce the miraculous virgin conception and birth of Jesus Christ.

We know this passage speaks of Jesus because the Holy Spirit clearly said so (Matthew 1:23).

We know this passage speaks of Jesus because the prophecy is addressed not only to Ahaz, but also to David’s entire house (O house of David! see Isaiah 7:13).

We know this passage speaks of Jesus because it says the virgin shall conceive, and that conception would be a sign to David’s entire house. While the near fulfillment would refer to a young woman giving birth, the far or ultimate fulfillment clearly points to a woman miraculously conceiving and giving birth. By God’s miracle, Jesus was conceived of a virgin.

We know this passage speaks of Jesus because it says He will be known as Immanuel, meaning “God with Us.” This was true of Jesus in fact, not only as a title. Immanuel speaks of the deity of Jesus (God with us) and His identification and nearness to man (God with us).

Jesus is truly Immanuel, God with us. This is the great message of Christmas – that God the Son added humanity to His deity and walked with us. He shared the human experience to the fullest, because He was fully human. Though as far as we know Jesus was never called by the name “Immanuel,” He certainly fulfilled the meaning of the name.

With your trust in Jesus Christ, you may rest in the wonderful truth: Jesus is God with you.

Click here for David’s commentary on Isaiah 7

Click Here for Daily Devotionals from David

The Gift of Conscience

December 1, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

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Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.” (Genesis 42:21)

Joseph’s brothers had treated him terribly. Their jealousy was understandable, because their little brother Joseph was openly favored by their father. They hated him so much that they beat him and sold him as a slave to desert wanderers headed for Egypt. After many years their conscience may have quieted, but it never died.

When problems rose as they tried to buy grain in Egypt, the brothers thought the mess happened because of the way they treated Joseph many years before. Their conscience said, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, and we are getting what we deserve.”

Was this a good thing? It probably was good. The quickness with which they associated these events with their long-before sin against Joseph probably meant that they often remembered their sin against him. After all, there was not a completely logical connection between their present problems and their previous treatment of Joseph. But a guilty conscience sees every trouble as the penalty of some prior sin.

The United States government has something called the Federal Conscience Fund, which collects money that people send in because they know they have cheated the government in some way. People have sent in money after taking army blankets for souvenirs, after cheating on postage, or cheating on their income tax. But our consciences are notoriously weak or corrupt. One man wrote the IRS and said, “I cheated on my taxes and can’t sleep at night. Here is a check for $100. If I still can’t sleep, I’ll send the rest I owe.”

Some have described the conscience as the “sundial of the soul.” Like a sundial, the conscience is reliable when there is light, but in darkness it is of no use. At night, you could shine a flashlight on a sundial and make it read any time you want it to.

The human conscience is a gift from God, but it isn’t infallible. It can be either dulled or made overly sensitive. It works best under the light of God’s word. When the light of God’s word shines on our conscience, it is reliable and trustworthy. Otherwise, our conscience can become like a trained dog: whistle once, it stands up; whistle twice, it rolls over; whistle a third time and it plays dead.

When trouble comes, do you immediately think it is the consequence for a sin you have committed? Do you live under the burden of a guilty conscience? Jesus can change that.

Hebrews 9:14 asks the right question: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

If you need a conscience-cleaning today, talk to Jesus about it. He’s a specialist in that procedure.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 42

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From the Pit to the Pinnacle

November 24, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

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Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.” (Genesis 41:38-39)

It’s been said that the successful executive is the one who can delegate all the responsibility, shift all the blame, and take all the credit. Hoping to find success, that’s the plan many people follow. But that strategy is like a house of cards. Joseph’s example shows us God’s way to achieve and handle success.

Note that timing is important to the success that God gives. Here, in Genesis 41, Joseph had just arrived at the pinnacle of his success; but it took him a long time to get there. It may have felt that Joseph had been “wasting” his time in prison the previous few years, but it wasn’t a waste at all. It all had a place in God’s timing for Joseph’s success. From his youth, Joseph had the idea God had destined him for great things. But Joseph didn’t know the fulfillment would take so long.

Psalm 31:14-15 says, But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand. Can you say this also? We might feel as though we are all ready for what we know God will do through us, yet we must rest in the LORD, and say to Him “my times are in Your hand.”

Pharaoh finally promoted Joseph. He rose from the pit all the way to the pinnacle. But Pharaoh wasn’t the one responsible for Joseph’s promotion – God was. Joseph wasn’t waiting on Pharaoh to get out of jail; he was waiting on God. The psalmist reminds us: For exaltation comes neither from the east, nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one and exalts another (Psalm 75:6-7). The credit for Joseph’s amazing rise to power did not belong to Pharaoh, or to Joseph, and especially not to blind fate or circumstance. Joseph’s rise was the fulfillment of God’s divine plan.

Genesis 41:50-52 tells us Joseph had two sons, naming them Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph lived in Egypt, married an Egyptian woman, and worked for the Egyptian Pharaoh – but he gave his two sons Hebrew names. This shows us that Joseph did not forget about God, even in his success. Many people, when they have been promoted the way Joseph was, feel they no longer need God. They think that God is only good for the prison, not for the palace. We should be like Joseph, who was devoted to God no matter what – good times or bad.

Here’s a good prayer for today: “God, give me a heart that will wait on You and serve You faithfully even when I am successful in the eyes of the world.”

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 41

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Rescued By the Innocent Man

November 17, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. (Genesis 40:21-23)

Because he stood for righteousness, Joseph was put in prison. Most anyone else accused of assault by Potiphar’s wife would be immediately executed. But Potiphar knew Joseph, and he knew his wife – and instead sent Joseph to prison.

In prison, it would be easy for Joseph to be self-focused because so much wrong had been done against him. Yet, by the hidden hand of God’s grace, Joseph was concerned about others. When distressing dreams troubled two other prisoners (Pharaoh’s own butler and baker), Joseph cared enough to help them.

Joseph explained that the butler’s dream meant he would be vindicated and restored to serving Pharaoh. That was good news. Joseph also explained the dream of the baker, that he would be convicted and executed. That was bad news. Three days later, Joseph was proved right and found to be a true messenger of God.

Sadly, even though Joseph helped the butler greatly, yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. Here, Joseph was wronged again. He thought that the butler’s kindness might mean his release from prison, but it was not to be. God had another purpose.

All men God uses greatly, He first prepares greatly. Few are willing to endure the greatness of God’s preparation. God was in both the steps and stops of Joseph’s life, and this is an example of how God works in the life of a believer today.

When we read the Bible, we often see ourselves in the characters. It’s easy to read Genesis 40 and say, I am like Joseph – though I have been wronged, God can use me to reveal His word or His mysteries to others. There’s a place for that, but it’s not the best way to see ourselves in Genesis 40. Here is a better way to read Genesis 40.

More than being like Joseph, we are more like the butler and the baker. In this picture, Jesus is like Joseph to us.

– Jesus is the innocent Man who came into our prison and shared our condition.
– As He shared our condition, Jesus revealed God’s message to us.
– Like Joseph, Jesus was proven true in three days.
– Joseph shows us Jesus, whose message from God brings life or death.
– If you are looking for a message from God, look to Jesus.

There is also a blessed contrast, a difference between Joseph and Jesus: Joseph’s word only rescued the innocent prisoner, not the guilty one. The good news – the greatest news – is that the message and rescue of Jesus is also for the guilty who repent and believe on Him.

Jesus shared our condition and brought the message of life. Respond to Him with faith, gratitude, and remembrance.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 40

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The LORD Was With Him

November 10, 2024/0 Comments/in Weekly Devotional/by David Guzik

The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. (Genesis 39:2-3)

When you think of all that Joseph endured before he was 25 years old, it was more than enough to last a lifetime. Rejected and abused by his own family, Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave to a foreign people. Sold again in the slave markets of Egypt, Joseph was purchased by captain of Pharaoh’s guard and began to serve in his house.

Joseph’s ordeal was probably worse than any of us have gone through. Yet, the LORD was with Joseph. God did not abandon Joseph, even in the smallest way. Believers often complain to God that He put them in a terrible or difficult place. Yet, in general, God’s will is for His people to trust Him to bless them and make them successful (as He measures success) wherever they are.

Some people think they can’t be blessed unless they are in authority, in charge of things. Jesus lived and taught a better way – a life as a servant.

– Jesus said, If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be the servant of all. (Matthew 20:26)
– Jesus said and lived this principle: For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. (Matthew 20:28)
– There are many wonderful titles for Jesus the Messiah, but one of the most meaningful is Servant of the Lord (Matthew 12:18, Isaiah 42:1). Yes, He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and the King of Kings – yet Jesus is also a servant, the ultimate servant.

Believers can and must learn the blessing of being a servant; if it isn’t forced upon a believer, then they can choose it.

Even at this early point when it seemed Joseph had no control over circumstances – and indeed he had none – God overruled the evil or unpredictable choices of man to accomplish His eternal purpose. The LORD made Joseph a successful man.

By his trust in God, diligent work, and blessing from God, Joseph showed Potiphar that God was real, and that the LORD was with Joseph. Followers of Jesus should live out the same principle today; others should see the difference Jesus makes in the life of believers by the way they work.

It is a great blessing to say of anyone, the LORD was with him. Think of the contrast between Joseph and his brothers. The brothers were not sold as slaves and they slept in their own beds among their own families. At the same time, Joseph was a slave, but free because the LORD was with him. The brothers were free, but slaves to secrets, shame, and guilt.

In Jesus Christ, the Servant of the LORD, it is true: the LORD is with you.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 39

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