The Bible In One Year Day 26 (Genesis 49 - 50, Job 41 - 42, Psalms 17)

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The end of Genesis 

But Joseph replied to them: "Have no fear. Can I take the place of God?  Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.  Therefore have no fear. I will provide for you and for your children.  By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.  (Genesis 50: 19 - 21)

God Responds to Job 

 

The Lesson of Job 
Commentary Saint Joseph Edition New American Bible 

The lesson is that even the just may suffer, and their sufferings are a test of their fidelity.  They shall be rewarded in the end.  Man's finite mind cannot probe the depths of the divine omniscience that governs the world.  The problems we encounter can be solved by a broader and deeper awareness of God's power, presence, and wisdom.  

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A Daily Defense 

DAY 26 The Book of Acts and History

CHALLENGE: “Acts is not a reliable account of the history of the early Church. It is a work of ideology.” 

DEFENSE: Acts is an extremely reliable history. Every historian has a point of view, and the fact that Luke was writing from a Christian point of view does not mean he was inaccurate. 

The book of Acts is based on the evidence of eyewitnesses, like Luke’s Gospel (Luke 1:2). It is easy to tell who the eyewitnesses in Acts were: Peter is a major source for chapters 1 to 12, Paul for chapters 13 to 28, Philip for chapter 8, and Priscilla and Aquila for chapter 18. Luke himself was an eyewitness for what scholars call the “we” passages, where the narration switches from third person to first, describing what “we” did (16:10–17, 20:5–15, 21:1–18, 27:1 28:16).

Luke’s attention to detail is shown in many ways. For example, in chronicling the travels of Paul, he gives specific information about the time it took to arrive at different locations. 

This information is accurate, and it could not have simply been looked up in a reference work in the ancient world. This suggests Luke or someone in Paul’s circle kept a travel diary. The fact that Luke does not give parallel information about travel times in the first part of the book, when Peter dominates the narrative, shows that Luke was faithful to his sources. He used the information they provided and did not invent such details. 

The archaeologist Sir William Ramsay, initially a skeptic of Acts, reviewed the evidence and concluded: Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy; he is possessed of the true historic sense; he fixes his mind on the idea and plan that rules in the evolution of history; and proportions the scale of his treatment to the importance of each incident. He seizes the important and critical events and shows their true nature at greater length, while he touches lightly or omits entirely much that was valueless for his purpose. In short, this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians (The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament, chapter 18). 

Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist