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“Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and He overthrew those cities” (Genesis 19:24-25).

“Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness [lots of free time] … neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy” (Ezekiel 16:49).

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned many times in the Bible. They were very wicked cities, and God destroyed them in the time of Abraham. Prior to their being destroyed, they had everything — a beautiful climate, well-watered land, plenty of food, and a relaxing life. The Bible says that it was “well watered every where … even as the garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10). However, their wickedness was so great that the Lord destroyed those cities, as we see in our first verse today. The Dead Sea in that area is a reminder of the judgment that God inflicted on them, for the destruction of those cities was intended to be an example to all those who came later. Brimstone is another word for sulphur, which gives off toxic fumes when it burns. There is quite a bit of it on the shores of the Dead Sea.

The destruction of those cities probably occurred about 450 years after the flood of Noah, and most people would have heard about the flood. Shem, one of the sons of Noah, was still alive when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. How quickly men forgot the flood, and once again turned to wickedness!

Ezekiel describes the problem with Sodom, as it says in our second verse for today — plenty of food, pride, and a careless ease, that thought that everything would just go on in prosperity for them. You and I who live in Western countries live in that kind of a world today. We have plenty to eat, and are provided for in every way. But judgment will overtake this world soon, and especially that part of the world that has known the gospel and has had the Bible.

When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He spoke several times about the responsibility of those cities where He had lived, and had done many of His mighty works of miracles. He said clearly that it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment, than for those cities. So it will be with much of the Western world. God judges according to our responsibility, and will judge very severely those who have had the Word of God, and have turned away from it.

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“Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Good were it for that man if he had never been born” (Mark 14:21).

This is one of the most solemn verses in the Bible, and refers, of course, to Judas Iscariot, who was one of the disciples of the Lord Jesus. But he was not a true disciple, even though he kept company with the Lord Jesus all through His earthly service, and did everything the other disciples did. Like the other disciples, he spoke about the Lord Jesus, preached to people, performed miracles, cleansed lepers, and probably even brought dead people back to life. He acted so much like all the other disciples that when the Lord Jesus told them that one of them was going to betray Him, the true disciples had no idea whom the Lord was talking about.

Judas had one serious fault; he loved money. When he saw a chance to make some money, he was ready to betray the Lord Jesus. He had seen the Lord Jesus escape easily from those who wanted to arrest Him before, and he thought it would happen again. But this time the Lord Jesus allowed Himself to be taken.

It is a most awful statement that the Lord Jesus made about Judas — “Good were it for that man if he had never been born.” That could never be said about someone who eventually got saved. No matter how hard a life you or I may have had, or how bad we may have been, if we accept Christ as Savior, we will end up with Him in heaven. In that case, no one could say that it would have been better if we had not been born! This statement by the Lord Jesus could be said only of someone who went into a lost eternity. It is better not to be born, than to end up in hell. It is most solemn to think that a man who knew the Lord Jesus so well, and spent between three and four years in His company, ended up like this. Let us all take a warning from it. We can grow up in a Christian home, memorize verses from the Bible, listen to the Bible being read, even read it ourselves, and spend time with other Christians, yet we may not be saved. I hope no one who reads this is in this awful position!

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“Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

I live in Canada, where snow is common in winter, and most of Canada gets quite cold in winter. Some parts are colder than others, of course. Around the Great Lakes, and especially Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, the climate is milder, because of the warming effect of the lakes. Also in southwestern British Columbia the climate is milder, because of the Japan Current in the Pacific Ocean. But in other regions of Canada it can get very cold in winter.

Two days ago we received almost 50 cm. of snow; that is more than 20 inches. It slowed everything down, but most people were able to get to work, as the snowplows did their job well, and most of the roads were clear. Today several more inches of snow fell.

Snow is very white and beautiful when it falls, and the whole landscape looks clean and nice at first. But then, as snowplows begin to move it away, and the road crews put salt and sand on the roads, it does not look quite so pretty. Then of course people walk on it, and again, it is not as beautiful as before.

Snow is mentioned a number of times in the Bible, mostly in the Old Testament. Sometimes people got leprosy, and their skin looked white, like snow. In another place Job mentions the “treasures of the snow.” I am not sure what he was referring to, but in some parts of the world they depend on heavy snowfall in the mountains, which then melts as spring and summer arrive, and supplies water for those living in the valleys. For those people, a good “snowcap” is a real treasure.

But then the Lord says that when we come to Christ, our sins will be as white as snow. White in the Bible speaks of purity, and when our sins are washed away by the blood of Christ, we are as white as snow. David goes a step further in Psalm 51:7, when he says to the Lord, “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Even though we may have committed some serious sins, the blood of Christ can make us perfectly fit for God’s presence.

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“And Israel [Jacob] said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you” (Genesis 48:21).

“And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you” (Genesis 50:24).

When Jacob was about to die, he recognized that he was nearing the end of his life in this world, and told Joseph that though he was going to die, God would be with him. Perhaps even in your young life you have had someone die who was close to you, perhaps a grandmother or grandfather, or even a good friend. It is hard when this happens, and Jacob knew it would be hard for Joseph when he died. Joseph would miss his father very much. But he reminded Joseph that God would be with him — the One who would never die. It is the same with us today. We may lose good friends and older relatives, as they go to be with the Lord, but the Lord is the same, and He will always be with us.

But then, when Joseph was about to die, he said something different. He was looking on to the time when the Lord would deliver the children of Israel from Egypt, and bring them into the land of Canaan. He knew that while they were doing well in Egypt, yet it was not the place where they were to stay. God had promised Abraham that He would give his children the land of Canaan, and Joseph remembered this.

Because of this, Joseph reminds his brethren that he was going to die, but that God would surely visit them. It took some time, for the children of Israel stayed in Egypt about another 140 years after Joseph died, and had a very difficult time, for a new Pharaoh became king. He did not know Joseph, and when the children of Israel became very numerous, he made them into slaves. But eventually the Lord raised up Moses, who led the people to freedom with the Lord’s power.

You and I are also enjoying the fact that the Lord is with us, but we must also remember that this world is not our home. We are waiting for the Lord to come and take us home to be with Him. God will surely visit us too!

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“So he [Joseph] sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way” (Genesis 45:24).

Joseph had told his brothers who he was, and had been very kind to them. He told them to go home and bring their father down to Egypt, and that he would look after them. He even gave them wagons to take home, so that their father could ride comfortably down to Egypt, instead of having to ride on the back of a donkey or a camel.

However, when Joseph sent his brothers home, according to our verse for today, he said to them, “See that ye fall not out by the way.” This simply means, “Make sure that you do not get fighting among yourselves on the way home.” Isn’t it sad that Joseph had to say that? Why would he need to tell them something like that? They had just been shown every kindness, and could look forward to coming down to Egypt and being looked after by Joseph. Why would they get to quarreling among themselves?

Joseph knew his brothers very well, and knew that they tended to have frequent disagreements. They might start fighting over who was to blame for selling Joseph into Egypt, and perhaps even fighting about who would have the best place in Egypt. Joseph knew they needed this warning.

It is also true for us who are Christians. We have been redeemed with the blood of Christ, and are on our way to heaven. God has provided everything for us along the way, and promised to look after us until we are safely home there with Him. Yet how many times Christians seem to find something about which to quarrel with one another. It is not a good thing, for people in the world see this, and then tend to make fun of us. The Lord Jesus could say to His disciples, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). Let us take care to display that love before the world around us.

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“And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack” (Genesis 44:12).

If you read the story in Genesis 43 and 44, you will find that eventually Jacob allowed Benjamin to go down to Egypt with his brothers, because there was no other way to get food. But then it seems as if Joseph plays a mean trick on them. After giving them a good meal in his home, he gives them their wheat and lets them start out for home. But he tells his steward, the man in charge of his house, to put his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack, to make it look as if Benjamin stole it. Then he tells the steward to catch up with them, and find the silver cup.

You can imagine the brothers’ feelings when they find the cup in Benjamin’s sack. Joseph says Benjamin must stay in Egypt and be his servant, and the rest could go home. What would the brothers do now? Would they just leave Benjamin there? No, Judah offers to stay in Egypt in Benjamin’s place, so that Benjamin could go home.

At this point Joseph knows that his brothers are really repentant, and he tells them who he is. He tells them that he will look after them in the land of Egypt, and to go and bring their father down with them.

Again, all this reminds us of the Lord Jesus. Benjamin was the only brother who was not involved in selling Joseph into Egypt, yet he is the one in whose sack the silver cup is found. Would the other brothers let the only innocent one among them suffer? But the Lord Jesus was the only One who had never sinned, yet He bore that awful load of sin on Calvary’s cross. No one offered to take His place, for no one else could bear our sins. Benjamin had not stolen the cup, either. It had been put there deliberately by Joseph’s steward. But now Judah was willing to take Benjamin’s place, instead of allowing him to suffer. Tomorrow we will see what happens when they start out for home again.

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“And the famine was over all the face of the earth” (Genesis 41:56).

“And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn [wheat] in Egypt … And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them … and spake roughly unto them” (Genesis 42:3, 7).

We will return now to the story of Joseph and his brothers. It happened just as Joseph had interpreted Pharaoh’s dream. There were seven years of very good harvest, but then began the seven years of poor harvests. Jacob and his family needed food, and when he heard that there was wheat available in Egypt, he sent Joseph’s ten brothers there to buy some. But of course, the person they had to buy it from was Joseph! Worse still, Joseph recognized them, although they did not recognize him. Now what would happen?

Joseph could have said to himself, “Now that I am a powerful man, here is my chance to take revenge on those awful brothers of mine that sold me as a slave. I will put all of them in jail.” He could also have said, “Now that I am powerful, I can forgive them. All the bad things they did to me happened many years ago. I will just forget about it.” Or, Joseph could have immediately told them who he was, just to see the looks of surprise and concern on their faces.

But Joseph did not do any of those things. He loved his brothers, but he wanted them to realize the wrong they had done, and to repent of it. That is why he started out by speaking roughly to them, and accusing them of being spies. If you read the whole story in Genesis 42, you will see that Joseph insisted that they bring their youngest brother Benjamin down to Egypt. As a guarantee that they would do this, Simeon (one of the older brothers) would have to stay in Egypt as a prisoner until they came back again.

However, Joseph did two things that showed his love for them, even though they did not understand it. First of all, he gave some extra food for their journey, and secondly, he gave them back the money they had brought to pay for the wheat in their sacks.

The Lord Jesus has treated us in grace too. Even though we did not want Him, He loved us, and died to save us. But in order to be saved, there needs to be repentance for our sins, and the Lord often deals with us before we are saved, to make us realize that we are sinners.

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“Their land also is full of silver and gold … their land is also full of horses … their land also is full of idols” (Isaiah 2:7-8).

The prophet Isaiah prophesied to the nation of Israel, specifically to Judah, more than 700 years before the Lord Jesus was born into this world. Although God had not yet brought judgment down upon the people, He shows clearly through Isaiah how bad they had become. They were a wealthy people, with plenty of silver and gold. Also, they had many horses, and in those days horses and chariots were the main part of a good army. No doubt they had confidence in those horses and chariots, and felt that they could defend themselves.

However, the Lord then says that the land also was “full of idols.” They still had Solomon’s temple, and still carried on with the worship of the Lord to some extent, but they were mixing it with the worship of false gods. Eventually God was going to have to judge them for this. They had been warned before, and now Isaiah gives them another warning.

Does all this remind you and me of the world we live in today? In the so-called Western world, we have enough money, and most countries have good armies, navies, and air forces to defend themselves. Many people in Western countries are confident that everything is going to be all right, and that their good life will just keep on going.

But there are also many idols. They are not the same kinds of idols that are spoken of in our verse for today. Most people we know do not have physical idols in their home. Rather, their idol is in their heart. What we have instead are the things of this world — nice homes, fancy cars, boats, summer cottages, good food, nice clothes, and many other things. There is nothing wrong with any of these things, and they do not have to become idols, but if they are what people’s hearts are going after, those things can make them forget about eternity. Satan is using all this to persuade people that everything will be all right. Many will end up like the rich man in Luke 12, who trusted in his good harvest, yet did not realize that he would die that night.

It is very important to consider our souls’ salvation, and to accept the Lord Jesus now. Then we can live for Him in this world, and know where we will spend eternity.

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“Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day … And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 41:9, 41).

Two years after the dreams of the chief butler and chief baker, the Lord allowed Pharaoh to have two dreams. You may read about them in Genesis 41. Pharaoh realized that these dreams meant something, but no one could help him understand. But then the chief butler remembered how Joseph had interpreted his dream, and Pharaoh called for Joseph. Joseph quickly shaved, changed his clothes, and came into Pharaoh’s presence.

When Pharaoh told his dreams to Joseph, Joseph immediately explained to him what the dreams meant. There were going to be seven years of good harvests in Egypt, followed by seven years of poor harvests. Not only did Joseph explain the dreams, but he gave Pharaoh some advice. He told Pharaoh to set a wise man over all the land of Egypt, who would arrange to store up 20% of all the good harvests, so that there would be food during the years of poor harvests. Pharaoh thought this was a good idea, and chose Joseph to be the man in charge.

Suddenly everything changed for Joseph. Instead of being in prison, he was the highest person in the government of Egypt, next to Pharaoh himself. He had his own chariot, and when it went down the street, everyone had to bow down out of respect for him. It was worth waiting all that time in prison, for now God had put him in a high position.

All this will happen to the Lord Jesus too. Today this world does not want to hear about Him, but when He comes and judges this world, and then sets up His kingdom, we read that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10). Men may mock at the Lord Jesus now, but in a coming day all will own Him as Lord.

The chief butler had a chance to honor Joseph when he was a prisoner, but he forgot about him. Later on, he too had to bow before him. How much better it is for us to believe on the Lord Jesus now, and own Him as our Lord and Savior today.

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“But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house [prison] … Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him” (Genesis 40:14, 23).

If you read the whole of Genesis 40, you will see that both the chief butler and the chief baker of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had done something to displease him. They were put in prison, where Joseph was, and one night each of them had a dream. When they told their dreams to Joseph, he was able to tell them what their dreams meant. The chief butler would be restored to his place as butler, but the chief baker would be executed. And so it happened, but then the chief butler forgot all about Joseph, although Joseph had asked him to use his influence with Pharaoh to try and get him released from prison.

Why was the chief butler given back his position, while the chief baker was hanged? We are not told why Pharaoh did this, but in their dreams there is something that shows us why it happened. The chief butler brought ripe grapes, which he pressed, and then gave the cup to Pharaoh to drink. He brought to Pharaoh that which speaks of the blood of Christ, and he was forgiven.

But the chief baker brought only baking for Pharaoh, and the birds came and ate it. There was nothing in what the chief baker brought that spoke of redemption, and he was executed.

It was sad that the chief butler forgot about Joseph, for Joseph had been very kind to him. But when things were going well and he was back in Pharaoh’s court, he was not concerned about a man in the prison who was a slave.

Are we sometimes like that as Christians? The Lord Jesus has asked us to remember Him in His death, yet some believers forget about Him, and do not bother to do this. I am sure that Joseph was sad as he realized that the chief butler was not going to remember him, and the Lord Jesus feels it too, when we forget His request to remember Him.

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