Genesis 41 speaks of Joseph interpreting dreams for Pharaoh, which eventually leads to his appointment as general manager of Egypt. Two years of being forgotten were immediately erased and his whole life turned around. He was thirty years old. So, 20% of GDP is what is saved for 7 years of rainy days to come. It typical equilibrium fashion, everything came full circle. It is interesting to see how Joseph "played" his brothers. Was this a form of revenge? Why drag it out? Since we know that at the end it was one big happy reunion. Maybe, having read about Joseph's immediate ancestors, it was in his blood.

Psalm 18 is a rather long Psalm and reads a lot like a battle cry. In David's desire to conquer, he calls upon God. I wonder if this was written before a big battle, or if they are reflections after a successful campaign. I guess it would be easier to write something like this in hindsight. Perhaps the more dreary Psalms are those written in anxiety just before a battle. Psalm 19 is very illustrative. Bestowing human characteristics to the heavens, I sense that David was in a good mood to be able to think/compose like this. He talks about tents, bridegrooms and race champions. All unrelated yet all used to describe the rejoicing towards God. Then there is more illustrative descriptions of the Law of the Lord. Imagine being so passionate about a set of rules! He concludes by asking God to keep him from willful sins, and ends with a sort of disclaimer: "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight..."

Interesting how Matthew 7 starts off with a passage about judging others. Why does Jesus talk about not throwing sacred things to dogs and pigs to conclude this passage. Is judging others with a double standard the same as being as foolish in throwing away something valuable? The next passage talks about asking God which resulting in receiving. Again, it ends with what seems an unrelated illustration: do to others what you would have done to you... How is asking God for things in faith the same as loving your neighbor? Jesus' teachings are like short snippets. Kind of like Sesame Street - good for those with short attention spans. It is interesting reading them all together, because you usually only hear about one passage on its own during a sermon. It would have been neat to be in the crowd when He gave His sermon on the mount. Matthew 8 describes what happens after the sermon on the mount. He heals a man with leprosy and commands him to give the priests that gift that Moses commanded. What is that?