Genesis 42

Sometimes when it looks dark, God is just starting to work wonders!

God had blessed Jacob with many herds. With the famine in the land, the family was running out of food and so were all of those cattle and sheep. Jacob had heard that there was food in Egypt, so he gathered his sons and cautiously sent them down after food. He was leery, because he had lost his favored wife and his eldest son from that marriage and he didn't want to loose anyone else. 

He sent the men with gifts and money to pay for everything they might purchase. They were in hard times, but God had provided mightily for them. Here shows an example for our lives when we are in fear of the unknown or of perceived troubles. God had already prepared a way for all of them before hand they just weren't aware of it. So it is in our lives, when we are in fear of change, many times God has already worked it out ahead of time for us. Sometimes, when we sin things down work out right, but the wages or sin our death, so we can expect sin to foul things up. Joseph sees his brothers and decides to try them out and test their intentions. Genesis doesn't record this, but it is almost as if he is see if their hard hearts have softened over the years. He calls them spies and wants proof they are who they say they are. He tells them not to come back unless they bring their youngest brother with them. 

Joseph has witness that his brother's hearts have changed, and he sells them food and returns their money. He keeps Simeon and knows all of their plan because he understood everything that they said but spoke to them through and interpreter. After they return to Jacob, they tell him all that has happened and he is greatly distressed and says he'll never let Benjamin go to Egypt. Little do they all know that God is going to not only deliver them, but have a great reunion as well. 

Genesis 41

Pharaoh's Dream and God's interpretation!

If we wait and remain faith, God will use us again and again for his purpose. Pharaoh was troubled by dreams and no one could interpret the dreams for him and no one could calm him down. The butler finally remembers that he forgot all about Joseph, the one who told him his dream and what it would mean. He confesses to Pharaoh, and Joseph is sent for. 

As always Joseph makes it clear that he will not interpret the dream, but the God of Heaven will reveal all that is hidden. So it will be with us on the day of judgment, nothing will be hid. Joseph reveals that the seven goodly kine and the seven ill kine stand for seven years to come, some of feast and seven more of famine. Joseph by the hand and revealing power of God is able to reveal what all the magicians and soothsayers could not. It will again be the same for us, by God's hand we can accomplish much for the spread of the Gospel, but the accomplishments of this world will all fade. 

Pharaoh now sees the wisdom and power in Joseph by the hand of God and makes him the ruler over all of Egypt and puts him in charge of the seven years of gathering for the seven years of famine. Joseph becomes what he was for his father, for Potipher and also for the jailer. Joseph becomes the man in charge by the hand of God. God not only blesses Joseph, but blesses Egypt because of Joseph. Joseph marries and has Manasseh and Ephraim while living as a ruler in Egypt. God is about to make his hand known to all of his brethren, and to the entire world. 

Genesis 40

As hard as the wait is, God is always on time!

In these first few years that Joseph is sold into slavery, things go well, then poorly. He was the ruler of Potipher's house, but wrongly accused and sent to jail. Now in jail he makes the acquaintance of the chief baker and butler of Pharaoh. They are in jail for upsetting Pharaoh and are having nightmares. Joseph, as seems to always be the case, is willing to help and is looking after the welfare of the people in jail. How Joseph shows compassion on others when it looks like he is the one who needs compassion is an example of Christ's love for us. 

These dreams are similar in parts but different totally in outcome. Isn't this the way of Salvation? We have two paths, one leads to life and light and the other to damnation and death. He interprets these dreams giving all credit to God and taking none for himself, as it should be. The butler has a promising future with Pharaoh, but the baker does not. The baker's dream is interpreted and fulfilled, the baker soon dies at the hand of Pharaoh. As it is with these two servants of Pharaoh, so it is with us that like is short and we will soon be on our way to the end of life's journey.

Joseph asks the butler to remember him and his situation when he returns a position of honor before Pharaoh. The butler unfortunately forgets this request and it seems that once again Joseph draws the short straw and is sent to suffer unjustly. We find out though, that is far from the truth and God has a plan to not only deliver him, but all of his family and future generations of the Hebrews as well. 

Genesis 39

Bad things do happen to good people, but according to God's purpose.

Joseph does what he always does, and that is do the best job he can. If Joseph grumbled and complained about his misfortune, the Bible doesn't record it. He is put as a slave in Potiphar's house and becomes not only a servant, but the overseer of all that Potiphar owns. God is not limited, we only limit ourselves by not believing fully in him. 

Unfortunately for Joseph Potiphar's wife has a straying eye and it is looking toward Joseph. He spurns her advances for a long time, but finally he is caught alone in the house with no one else around and after he runs off from her, in her jealously she makes a story about the cloak he left behind in his haste. Potiphar comes home and his wife tells him all about the story that didn't happen. She even has the gall to blame it on Potiphar because he purchased Joseph. I believe the fact that Potiphar spares Joseph's life and puts him in prison shows God's hand and his own distrust of his wife. 

Again, we don't hear any grumbling or complaining from Joseph, and before long God blesses and he is running the prison like he ran Potiphar's house. We know that through all of this God was putting Joseph in the right place at the right time. If he had cursed God and given up, he never would have delivered his brothers and all of Israel during the famine. The same is in our lives, no matter how bad it might get, serve God with all your heart and God will be faithful in the end. 

Genesis 38

Self-righteousness has a way of coming back on us

Judah was not ignorant of the command given to his father and grandfather not to marry into the Canaanites. He finds a friend in Hirah, and while hanging out with him, instead of his own family, he finds a Canaanite woman, Shuah and marries her. With Shuah he has three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah. Er marries a woman named Timnah and lived his life in evil the bible says; so God slays him. Whether he is slayed by his own evil living or just outright struck down by God, I suppose it ends the same. Following Jewish custom, Onan is now supposed to marry her and raise up children in his brother Er's name. Onan wants no part of this and refuses to give her children in her brother's name and God slays him as well. 

Judah intervenes and tells Timnah to stay at her father's until Shelah is old enough to be her husband. Time passes and is so often the case, we forget our vows and promises and during this time Judah's wife dies. While trying to forget his sorrow he decides to go into a harlot, but the surprise is on him because he unknowingly lays with and impregnates his daughter-in-law who laid in wait for him. 

After time passes and word comes back to him that Timnah is pregnant, Judah, who hasn't lived a life for God since he left his family to go live with the Canaanites, gets fired up and says that his sinful daughter-in-law must be put to death to pay for her 'sins'. Timnah has a secret for Judah and when she presents him with the signets he left as a token to pay her for their rendezvous, he is immediately humbled and says out loud that she has been more just than he has.  

Timnah ends up having twins, Pharez and Zarah. During delivery Zarah puts him arm out and he is marked with a scarlet thread to show he was the first born, which is important to Jewish law and tradition. Astonishingly though, Pharez ends up coming out first. Pharez will become important because it is through his line that kind David and the Kind of Kings comes. The circumstances that brought you into this world do not matter as much as what you do in this world once you are here. 

Genesis 37

'And the Lord was with Joseph'

If anyone could have said 'Woe is me' is was Joseph. His brothers hated him, he was sold into slavery and his situation seemed to get worse with every passing day. Hadn't God showed him great visions in his dreams? Wasn't he supposed to be some kind of ruler? Now look at him, he's a slave for an Egyptian, bought and sold for a price, not even his brothers made a dime off of his servitude because they were not mindful of him before he was captured into slavery. 

This Joseph that I describe above though, thankfully and praises to God, we never get to meet. We never meet the 'woe is me' Joseph. We meet and stay with the 'God is my helper, him will I serve no matter what' Joseph. This Joseph is a forerunner of Jesus Christ, this Joseph is a man despite his situations and not because of them, loved the Lord with all his heart. This is the 'no excuses' Joseph and we are all better off for meeting him. 

Joseph is purchased by the caption of Pharaoh's guard. Joseph does what he always does and goes about doing the best job he can. It doesn't take long for Joseph to be in charge of the entire household of the captain. Unfortunately the captain's wife takes a sinful liking to Joseph and speaks lies and evil of him after he embarrasses her by shunning her advances. Of course the captain comes home and is outraged at this news and sends Joseph off to jail. The fact that Joseph keeps his life shows God's hand and the favor Joseph was able to create with this captain despite such a heinous charge. 

So now that Joseph is in jail and has an even greater reason to feel rejected of God, he does what he does best. Joseph puts God first place, works hard, and then becomes the right hand man for the keeper of the prison. This is what today's Christian ought to be, the best at upholding God's righteousness and working hard. In Luke chapter 16 verses 8 through 12, 8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

Not only in spiritual endeavors, but in secular endeavors, let's do the best job God allows us to do, so that when God wants to move in our life, we have influence not only those that love and serve God, but those that we have been in contact with in our daily lives. 

Spotlight for July 21st 2013

Bill Glass

This weeks spotlight is on Bill Glass. He was a standout football player for Baylor University and the Cleveland Browns. Later toward the end of his football career he started a prison ministry that has not only served and saved some in prison, but through his ministry he has discovered what is needed most of all to combat crime and sin, and that is a strong family.

You can read all about it on his site.

Bill Glass Champions for Life