How Blessings Are Multiplied

Now it came about after these things that Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. When it was told to Jacob, “Behold, you son Joseph has come to you,” Israel collected his strength and sat up in the bed. Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and He said to me, “Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you for an everlasting inheritance. Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.”
Genesis 48:1-5 

Intro: There are two things I want to point out in these verses: The central theme (chapters 48-49) and a footnote

1. The central theme in chapters 48-49 is blessing
   – the source of blessings Jacob doled out, “God Almighty . . . blessed me” (48:3)
   – the blessing was divine and dynamic
   • it was because he was blessed, he was able to bless
   – the time had come to pass on the blessing
   • Joseph brought his two sons for this reason
2. The footnote (v. 7) — Jacob recalls Rachel’s death
   – with a deep sigh, the old man says, “Rachel died on me”
   • he still feels the heartache of losing his lover
   • the woman for whom he was willing to work fourteen years
   – it’s hard to lose someone precious and supportive, especially when you still have a long way to go

The footnote introduces a sub-theme in these chapters
– the blessings collide with the realities of family disappointments, misconduct, and hardships

Something subtle happened in verses 1-7

It’s not likely we would catch it on our first reading Continue reading →

How to Answer When God Calls

So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.” Genesis 46:1-3

Intro: This last week, Derek Nichols posted on Twitter a poem his younger brother wrote

Within twenty-four hours it had been re-posted more than 100,000 times
– what’s remarkable about the 24 lines of verse that eighth-grader Jordan wrote:
• it can be read backwards as well as forward and read backward the message is reversed
– I’ll give you just a sample in the first three lines of his poem:

“Our generation will be known for nothing.
Never will anybody say,
We were the peak of mankind.”
(Now read the lines from bottom to top)

Our negative perspectives are usually formed by way we read things
– for example: our personal history, our current circumstances, and the behavior of others
• if we can find another way to read our situation, we can form a positive perspective
– Joseph’s story is about finding an alternative reading
• it has to do with learning to read from the end – as in Philippians 1:6

For I am confident of this very thing, that He whoo began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

• reading our lives in reverse from this point may help us see that our momentary challenges are doable

Beersheba was the last outpost before entering the desert wilderness

The text reads, “So Israel set out,” but the Hebrews says he “took his journey” or “journeyed on”
– venturing onto the desert road to Egypt was the next step in an ongoing journey
• but first, Jacob wanted to secure his connection with God
– in the sacrifice, Jacob was turning himself toward God with his whole being
• God responded with encouragement to continue on
• our private meditation on God’s words to Jacob will be richly rewarded
• every phrase is meaningful
– “Then Jacob arose from Beersheba . . .” — he got up and got going

Just as we come to the crucial moment, the story is interrupted Continue reading →

Revelation and Reconciliation

Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. Genesis 45:1-3 

Intro: We ended last week with a real cliffhanger

Joseph had put the squeeze on brothers until they broke
– he was satisfied with what he discovered through the pranks he played on them
• they were not only able to admit their guilt, but they indicated a true change of heart
– Joseph’s game ended with Judah’s speech
• Joseph felt it was time to lose the disguise and reveal the truth, “I am Joseph!”

Vv. 1-3, Earlier, Joseph had turned away each time he broke down

Not this time – he could not control himself — the dam broke and a flood of emotion swept over him
– “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?”

Now, we must try to get inside his brothers’ minds

1. Suddenly he was addressing them personally – in Hebrew!
2. He was saying a name they had not dared to speak
3. He was telling them that he is Joseph
   • it would be like seeing a ghost
   • after the string of calamities they suffered, this is the worst
   ○ they were speechless – silenced by terror

Vv. 4-5, Joseph had to continue to take initiative

“Come close” – he needed to close distance between himself and them Continue reading →

Purposeful Pranks

Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?” Genesis 42:1

Intro: This next episode begins wit a scene change

Joseph is now well-placed in Egypt, controlling the largest stockpile of food in the world
– the scene cuts to the humble campsite of his father
• feeling the pinch of the famine, Jacob hears about food in Egypt
• he sends his sons to buy grain in Egypt, but did not send Benjamin with them
○ his inner motivation is revealed: “I am afraid that harm may befall him”

Cut to Egypt
Joseph, while managing the grain distribution, spotted his brothers
– he immediately recognized them – but disguised himself (repeated for emphasis in verse 8)
• in essence, he made himself invisible so he could mess with them
– he accuses them of being “spies,” but they deny it, claiming to be “honest men”
• I think that angered him, remembering what they did to him

“Honest men! What about taking my coat from me and throwing me in a pit to die?! What about selling your own brother to slave-traders on their way to Egypt?! What did you tell father when I never returned home? Honest men! No, it is as I said to you, you are spies.”

○ to satisfy himself that they have changed, Joseph has to test them, as he said, to see “whether there is truth in you”
○ he threw them into prison – as he had been thrown into an Egyptian prison
• three days later, he made his decision as to what he was going to do with them Continue reading →

The Land of Affliction

Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. Genesis 41:1

Intro: In the last exciting episode, we left Joseph stuck in prison

He asked Pharaoh’s cupbearer to remember him and mention him
– both remember and mention translate same Hebrew word
• Strong’s definition: “to mark (so as to be recognized)”
– I’m pointing this out, because it comes up again in today’s story
• the story swings on the themes of remembering and forgetting

It had been “two full years” since the cupbearer had forgotten Joseph
– the Hebrew reads, “two years of days”
• when waiting anxiously for something to happen for us, each passing day seems long
• Joseph was aware of every day that filled those two years

The introductory “behold” transports us into Pharaoh’s dream — we are now seeing through his eyes
– there are two more “beholds” in his first dream
• we might remember that Joseph used three “beholds” when he told his first dream to brothers
– in Pharaoh’s second dream there are two more “beholds” and then a final “behold” in verse 7

Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

• the “beholds” at the beginning and end of his dream sequence creates a verbal enclosure for it

Pharaoh’s dreams launched him into terrifying world
– it looked like his Egypt–he stood by the Nile–, but its animals and events were surreal Continue reading →

When the Hour Comes

When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”  Luke 22:14-20

Intro: We set aside our ongoing study when we observe Communion

We do not have to learn something every Sunday
– we do not have to be inspired or motivated fixed or straightened out every time we meet
– some of these times we need nothing other than to be with God
• we need these opportunities to renew our decision, our  faith, and our connection with God
○ what comes to mind is Psalm 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

We need an experience of God rather than another lesson about God

“When the hour had come . . .”

Every hour may consist of sixty minutes, but some hours are longer than others
– if you’ve ever sat in the waiting room of a hospital, you know those can be long hours

The quality of one hour can be radically different from another hour
– there are some moments we would live over and over if possible
– others we wish would could wipe from our memory–and also from history

Luke is simply telling us that the time had come to eat the Passover meal
– but this particular hour was bigger than that
• twice Jesus says, in effect, “This will never happen again”
– something from beyond time had entered this hour and it stretches the hour extending into the future
• so Jesus can talk about a “remembrance” of this event Continue reading →

Let God In

Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. So he put them in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned. Genesis 40:1-3

Intro: As you read through the story, be aware of the following:

■ Joseph was twenty-eight years old when these things took place
■ a “cupbearer” or “butler” was a wine-server who chose, sampled, and recommended wines to the king
– he held a powerful position, always standing next to the king
■ the butler’s dream was elaborate, containing seven visual images and lots of action
■ the baker’s dream was sparse but wild, contained only three visual images and one action
■ both of their dreams incorporated symbols of their occupations

God makes his next move

God has an objective, but he doesn’t pursue it with brute force
– the game board on which he makes his moves is the natural world
• it’s cluttered with humans who have their own objectives
○ their objectives may interfere or conflict with his
○ but God doesn’t violate their free will
• God can use any situation humans construct
○ he works through the ordinary circumstances of our everyday lives
– if it were a chess match, God knows every possible move and every countermove
• he never loses–he always achieves his objectives Continue reading →

The Question of Character

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Genesis 39:1-2 

(If you are not familiar with the story, please read the entire chapter)

Intro: The chapter begins and ends with parallel statements

• the Lord was with Joseph
• whatever he did the LORD made to prosper
• Joseph found favor in the sight of his master and jailer
• Joseph was over all of Potiphar’s “house” and the jail “house”

Between these textual bookends, the center of the chapter reports the attempted seduction

The point of this episode is to highlight Joseph’s sterling character

In this regard, his story bears a strong resemblance to other stories in the Hebrew Scriptures
– especially Esther and Daniel, where we find:

1. A Hebrew in exile and alone
2. Faces great risk and personal sacrifice
3. Up against fierce antagonists
4. The quality of each of these characters is outstanding
5. Each one finds “favor” with their (Gentile) supervisor
6. Each one rises in prominence and holds an office close to the ruler or king
7. Each one uses their position to promote the welfare of their people

– the lesson of these stories taught Israel how good God’s man or woman behaves in exile
• therefore, Joseph’s character, like Esther’s and Daniel’s, is a crucial element in story

Joseph rides the emotional roller coaster

We are on the emotional roller coaster whenever our circumstances carry us up and down Continue reading →

Big Apologies

The reason we did not live stream on Sunday was because our technician was under the weather. We had planned to provide a video feed this week when we opened a conversation about Genesis chapter 38 in place of our usual Bible study. We are sorry we were not able to share it with those of you who were hoping to join us online. At any rate, a good questions were raised and several very insightful observations were made.

Make sure you have read Genesis 38 before looking at the notes that follow, which outline the topics that came up on Sunday:

Background information

This episode is definitely out of chronological sequence. It would have been impossible for Judah to meet a Canaanite woman, father three sons, watch them grow until the oldest two reached a marriageable age, see both of them die, suffer the death of his wife, and some time later father two more children by Tamar in the space of time it took Joseph to travel from Canaan to Egypt! 

Notice that the last verse of chapter takes us to the same scene in the first verse of chapter 39, but from two different perspectives (from Canaan, 37:36, and in Egypt, 39:1). This tells us that the brief account of Judah’s story overlaps this one episode in the ongoing story of Joseph’s life.

Besides building suspense as we wait to learn what will happen to Joseph in Egypt, the strange account of Judah’s marriage and what followed, provides an interlude between the story of Jacob, Judah’s father (chapters 27-37) and Joseph, Judah’s brother (chapters 39-50).

If the storyteller is not concerned with historical sequence, he nevertheless finds a unity of themes in chapters 37-39 that he artfully connects. For example: Continue reading →