Sorry this one is long, I am doing 3 chapters!
My Summary
Ch. 42: Jacob sends his sons (except Benjamin) to Egypt to get food. Joseph was in charge of giving out the food. He recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. Joseph accuses them of being spies. The brothers protest that they are just a family out to buy food. They have a father and younger brother at home. Joseph, after putting them in jail for 3 days, commands them to leave Simeon and return with Benjamin to prove their story. Joseph also puts their money back into their sacks with the food. The brothers return home where Jacob refuses to let them return with Benjamin. Ch. 43: When the food runs out Judah convinces his father that they have to take Benjamin with them to get food or they will all die. Jacob agrees and the brothers go back to Egypt. When they arrive Joseph invites them into his house for a feast. They try to return the money from before to Joseph's servant, but the servant refuses. Joseph is overcome by emotion when he comes in and sees Benjamin. At the feast Joseph seats the brothers by age, astonishing them. Ch. 44: Joseph instructs his servant to put Joseph's silver cup into Benjamin's bag and sends the brothers off. He then sends the servant to stop them and demand to know why they stole the cup. The brothers say they are innocent and offer death to the thief and slavery to the rest if it is found. The servant offers slavery to the thief and freedom for the rest. The cup is found in Benjamin's bag and the brothers return to Egypt. Judah pleads with Joseph to release Benjamin and even offers himself to serve in Benjamin's place.
Random Historical Things
1. The cultural taboo of Egyptians not sitting with foreigners at the dinner table (at the end of chapter 43) is attested to in other ancient histories of Egypt.
2. Early Christian commentators saw a image of Jesus in Joseph. The brothers tried to harm Joseph, but they very harm they tried to commit led to their salvation from starvation. In the same way, we crucified Jesus, but the cross led to our salvation from our sins.
3. Judah's speech to Joseph begging him to release Benjamin is the longest speech in Genesis.
And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...
1. One application we can continue from our past chapters is that the sovereign working of God to protect and bring together the elect family is in effect. The family that is supposed to produce the nation that will produce the king that will produce the Savior is separated and dying. We see God's provision for food for Jacob's family. We see God setting up the circumstances that will lead to the family being brought together in Egypt. This fulfills what God told Abraham in Gen. 15 about his descendants being in a foreign land before God bring them back to the Promised Land. We see that God always fulfills His plans even when it seems like things are going in the opposite direction!
2. One of the biggest things we see in these chapters is the consquence of sin. The brothers believe they are being punished for what they did to Joseph. Ironically, they are afraid of being sold into slavery, which is exactly what they did to Joseph. We see that Reuben is not able to convince Jacob to send Benjamin with them. Reuben has lost credibility because of sleeping with Jacob's concubine. Simeon, who slaughtered the people of Shechem, is kept in jail for a period of time. We see that God can, and does, still use us in spite of our sin. However, we suffer the consequences along the way. Let us take sin seriously and fight it! However, if we have fallen into sin, do not be discouraged! God's plan is still active!
3. We also see God's unbelievable ability to change lives! The brothers were jealous of Joseph's coat and special treatment. However, when Benjamin is given a special blessing (33:29) and a bigger portion (33:34) that jealousy is gone. When they are given an opportunity to save themselves and abandon Benjamin to slavery (as they did to Joseph), they choose to go with him. Judah even offers himself to save Benjamin! What a change God has wrought in these men! Once selfish, petty and scheming, they are now willing to put themselves on the line for their brother. Cain asked the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" The brother answer with a resounding, "Yes!" No matter how bad we start out, God is always changing us. His sanctification of us is always ongoing. Take heart, for God is shaping you into the person He wants you to be!
4. I know this has been long, but I have 1 more thought. Joseph was not even recongnizable to his brothers because he looked like an Egyptian. The Bible says that Joseph's silver cup was used for divination. This would have been done by mixing oil and water and trying to magically divine things. Egypt was rubbing of on Joseph. If his family had not come and been reunited with him, would it have been long before Joseph would have been worshipping the gods of the Egyptians? We have to always be careful not to become so much like the world that we would not be recognized as different.
"So, brothers and sisters in Christ, just as Judah and his brothers came to see that God was caring for them all the way along, so much we. God has always been, and still is, about the utter transformation of His people."
Kent Hughes in Preaching the Word: Genesis
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
What I Have Decided to Do
I have decided to wait until Thursday and do 1 blog post for chapters 42-44. They tell 1 story and it would be hard to break them up into separate applications. See you Thursday!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Genesis 41: I Knew This Convict Once Who Was Good at Dreams...
My Summary
Pharaoh has some crazy dreams, and nobody in his court can interpret them. The butler remembers Joseph and tells Pharaoh about him. Pharaoh brings out Joseph and Joseph tells him that there are going to be 7 good years followed by 7 years of famine. Joseph suggests putting someone in charge of saving up food from the good years to last through the famine. Pharaoh does that and more. He puts Joseph in charge of the whole kingdom, second only to Pharaoh. He also gives Joseph an Egyptian wife, through whom Joseph has two sons. When the famine comes, Joseph uses the food he saved to feed Egypt and many come from surrounding nations to find food.
Random Historical Things
1. The Egyptian magicians had a school where they wrote "dream books." When they needed to interpret a dream, they would match things in the dream to things in the books and come up with their interpretation.
2. Joseph was 30 when he was made prime minister of Egypt. Since he was 17 when his brothers sold him into slavery, we can see that he has been in Egypt 13 years! We do not know exactly how that time was split between Potiphar's house and prison, but we know at least two years of it was spent in prison.
And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...
1. God uses Christians to bless nations. Egypt was not God's elect nation, however, just in their interaction with godly Joseph, their nation is blessed. We do not want to lose sight of the fact that the reason Egypt was blessed was to provide food for Israel and his family. Primarily God was watching out for His chosen people. However, In keeping with the promises to Abraham, Egypt also was to enjoy the blessing of provision because of their involvement with Joseph. We as Christians can be a blesssing to those around us and to our nation. For example, God blessed America through the faith of the founding fathers, even though not everyone in America was a Christian.
2. Joseph again shows the courage to share his faith in God. Pharaoh was considered a deity in Egypt, but Joseph immediately claims that only God knows the answer. Then he proceeds to tell Pharaoh that God is going to determine the future of Egypt, not Pharaoh. We should never be afraid to share our belief that God is sovereign over all and use every circumstance as an opportunity to make His greatness known!
3. It is interesting that Joseph reveals the dreams not as what God knows will happen, but what God will cause to happen. God is not just peering into the future, He is the author of the future. He knows what will happend because He will cause it to happen. No matter how rough things get, do not doubt God's power over the future!
Pharaoh has some crazy dreams, and nobody in his court can interpret them. The butler remembers Joseph and tells Pharaoh about him. Pharaoh brings out Joseph and Joseph tells him that there are going to be 7 good years followed by 7 years of famine. Joseph suggests putting someone in charge of saving up food from the good years to last through the famine. Pharaoh does that and more. He puts Joseph in charge of the whole kingdom, second only to Pharaoh. He also gives Joseph an Egyptian wife, through whom Joseph has two sons. When the famine comes, Joseph uses the food he saved to feed Egypt and many come from surrounding nations to find food.
Random Historical Things
1. The Egyptian magicians had a school where they wrote "dream books." When they needed to interpret a dream, they would match things in the dream to things in the books and come up with their interpretation.
2. Joseph was 30 when he was made prime minister of Egypt. Since he was 17 when his brothers sold him into slavery, we can see that he has been in Egypt 13 years! We do not know exactly how that time was split between Potiphar's house and prison, but we know at least two years of it was spent in prison.
And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...
1. God uses Christians to bless nations. Egypt was not God's elect nation, however, just in their interaction with godly Joseph, their nation is blessed. We do not want to lose sight of the fact that the reason Egypt was blessed was to provide food for Israel and his family. Primarily God was watching out for His chosen people. However, In keeping with the promises to Abraham, Egypt also was to enjoy the blessing of provision because of their involvement with Joseph. We as Christians can be a blesssing to those around us and to our nation. For example, God blessed America through the faith of the founding fathers, even though not everyone in America was a Christian.
2. Joseph again shows the courage to share his faith in God. Pharaoh was considered a deity in Egypt, but Joseph immediately claims that only God knows the answer. Then he proceeds to tell Pharaoh that God is going to determine the future of Egypt, not Pharaoh. We should never be afraid to share our belief that God is sovereign over all and use every circumstance as an opportunity to make His greatness known!
3. It is interesting that Joseph reveals the dreams not as what God knows will happen, but what God will cause to happen. God is not just peering into the future, He is the author of the future. He knows what will happend because He will cause it to happen. No matter how rough things get, do not doubt God's power over the future!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Genesis 40: I Dreamed a Dream
My Summary
The Pharaoh's baker and butler offended him, so he put them in the same prison as Joseph. Joseph got put in charge of them. He noticed one day that they seemed distressed. He asked them why and they told him they had both dreamed the night before, but there was nobody to interpret them. Joseph asks them to tell him their dreams. He tells the butler that his dream means he will be restored to his position in 3 days, but the baker's dream means he will be executed in three days. Joseph asks the butler to remember Joseph when he is free. Joseph's predictions come true, but the butler forgets about Jacob once he is back in Pharaoh's palace.
Random Historical Things
1. Most commentators agree that the "captain of the guard" in verse 3-4 is Potiphar. If this is the case, then Jacob's political prison is actually in Potiphar's house or attached to it.
2. You may wonder why it distressed the butler and baker so much that they had no one to interpret their dreams. So what? I have dreams all the time. However, in ancient culture dreams were very important. Since they worked in Pharoah's court they would have had access to priests and professional dream interpreters. Now they are in prison and there is no one to interpret for them. Add that to the fact that they both had similar dreams in the same night in such a dire circumstance, and you can understand why they were distraught.
And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...
1. The biggest thing to see in this passage is God's faithfulness to Joseph. God brings someone into Joseph's life who just happens to need a dream interpreted. Joseph just happens to be blessed with the gift of dream interpretation from God. This person also is a close servant to the Pharaoh, who is also going to need a dream interpreted. Of course, this will lead to Joseph being released. However, at first it will seem as if the plan has failed. The butler forgets about Joseph! Even in the midst of disappointment, however, God is still at work! Do not be discouraged! He has a plan! Calvin points out that even though God could do something miraculously, He often chooses to work in seemingly normal ways that come together to do something miraculous.
2. Another thing to notice in this passage is the witness Joseph is able to be to the butler. He tells the butler that God is the master of dreams. He does not use "el" which is a generic name for God, but he uses "Yahweh" which is Israel's personal name for God. He makes sure the butler knows that Joseph's God is the master and not the gods of Egypt. We should always give the One True God credit when we are able to do something great!
The Pharaoh's baker and butler offended him, so he put them in the same prison as Joseph. Joseph got put in charge of them. He noticed one day that they seemed distressed. He asked them why and they told him they had both dreamed the night before, but there was nobody to interpret them. Joseph asks them to tell him their dreams. He tells the butler that his dream means he will be restored to his position in 3 days, but the baker's dream means he will be executed in three days. Joseph asks the butler to remember Joseph when he is free. Joseph's predictions come true, but the butler forgets about Jacob once he is back in Pharaoh's palace.
Random Historical Things
1. Most commentators agree that the "captain of the guard" in verse 3-4 is Potiphar. If this is the case, then Jacob's political prison is actually in Potiphar's house or attached to it.
2. You may wonder why it distressed the butler and baker so much that they had no one to interpret their dreams. So what? I have dreams all the time. However, in ancient culture dreams were very important. Since they worked in Pharoah's court they would have had access to priests and professional dream interpreters. Now they are in prison and there is no one to interpret for them. Add that to the fact that they both had similar dreams in the same night in such a dire circumstance, and you can understand why they were distraught.
And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...
1. The biggest thing to see in this passage is God's faithfulness to Joseph. God brings someone into Joseph's life who just happens to need a dream interpreted. Joseph just happens to be blessed with the gift of dream interpretation from God. This person also is a close servant to the Pharaoh, who is also going to need a dream interpreted. Of course, this will lead to Joseph being released. However, at first it will seem as if the plan has failed. The butler forgets about Joseph! Even in the midst of disappointment, however, God is still at work! Do not be discouraged! He has a plan! Calvin points out that even though God could do something miraculously, He often chooses to work in seemingly normal ways that come together to do something miraculous.
2. Another thing to notice in this passage is the witness Joseph is able to be to the butler. He tells the butler that God is the master of dreams. He does not use "el" which is a generic name for God, but he uses "Yahweh" which is Israel's personal name for God. He makes sure the butler knows that Joseph's God is the master and not the gods of Egypt. We should always give the One True God credit when we are able to do something great!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Genesis 39: Joseph Is Too Hot For His Own Good
My Summary
After Joseph's brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites, the Ishmaelites sold him to Potiphar. Potiphar was one of Pharoah's ministers. Potiphar made Joseph one of his household servants. Since the blessing of God was on Joseph, everything Joseph did was blessed and all of Potiphar's household was blessed. Potiphar recognized the blessing on Joseph and put him in charge of everything. Potiphar's wife thought Joseph was hot stuff so she asked him repeatedly to sleep with her. Joseph refused every time. Finally she had him in the house with her by themselves, so she grabbed his cloak to try to seduce him. Joseph refused and ran away leaving his cloak with her. She told Potiphar he had tried to rape her. Potiphar puts Joseph in the royal prison where the blessing of God on Joseph continues. The jailer recognizes the blessing and puts Joseph in charge of all the prisoners.
Random Historical Things
1. Older translations list Potiphar as a eunuch, however since he had a wife he obviously was not. The word translated eunuch can also just mean "minister" or "officer"
2. The phrase "Joseph was well built and handsome" goes to great lengths in the Hebrew to emphasize how good looking he was
3. The "cloak" that Potiphar's wife grabbed from Joseph could refer to either a shirt-like cloak or his pants. Either was he would have been running away half naked! This is the 2nd time a cloak has been used to lie about Joseph (his brother showed his bloody coat to his father)
4. It is probable the Potiphar had some doubt about Joseph's guilt, otherwise he would have put him to death. Egyptian law dictated death as a penalty for adultry with free citizens, obviously it would have been just as bad (if not worse) for a slave. Potiphar may have doubted his wife's word over Joseph's word, but of course he had to side with his wife!
And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...
1. We see God's providence/blessing! God promised the patriarchs that He would be with them and bless them and that all the world would be blessed through them. He fufills that promise to them no matter what. Abraham lies about Sarah being his wife and ends up with a bunch of riches (Genesis 12). Jacob deceives his father and brother and runs to Laban and God still blesses him and protects him. Here, Joseph has been sold as a slave, but God is still with him. God even blesses those who treat Joseph well (Potiphar and the jailer) like He promised He would (Gen. 12:3). God has chosen these people to bring salvation to the nations through Jesus, and He is going to be with His chosen people no matter what. Even if we sin or have bad things happen to us, God is still going to continue using us, blessing us and sanctifying us. It does not mean we won't pay for our sin (Jacob deceived his father to steal the blessing/ Jacob's sons later deceive him to make him think Joseph is dead), but God remains faithful! God's work in our lives continue regardless of circumstances! Rest on the sovereignty and faithfulness of God when things go wrong, whether they were your fault or not!
2. On a moral note, it is interesting to notice the language of verses 8-10. Obviously there is a lesson about resisting tempation, especially sexual temptation. Notice that the wife only says a few words, "Sleep with me!." Joseph responds with a speech and a list of reasons why he shouldn't. He was prepared to resist! He did not just say no, he tried to show her how it was wrong. The other thing to notice is that he would not "go to bed with her or even be with her (Vs. 10)." The Hebrew gives the sense that not only would he not sleep with he, he would not even recline in a comfortable position with her. Literally "lay on the bed and hang out." Not only should we attempt to remain pure, but we should not even put ourselves in compromising situations!
Ok so this is my first post! I hope you enjoyed it. Any questions or comments would be welcome!
After Joseph's brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites, the Ishmaelites sold him to Potiphar. Potiphar was one of Pharoah's ministers. Potiphar made Joseph one of his household servants. Since the blessing of God was on Joseph, everything Joseph did was blessed and all of Potiphar's household was blessed. Potiphar recognized the blessing on Joseph and put him in charge of everything. Potiphar's wife thought Joseph was hot stuff so she asked him repeatedly to sleep with her. Joseph refused every time. Finally she had him in the house with her by themselves, so she grabbed his cloak to try to seduce him. Joseph refused and ran away leaving his cloak with her. She told Potiphar he had tried to rape her. Potiphar puts Joseph in the royal prison where the blessing of God on Joseph continues. The jailer recognizes the blessing and puts Joseph in charge of all the prisoners.
Random Historical Things
1. Older translations list Potiphar as a eunuch, however since he had a wife he obviously was not. The word translated eunuch can also just mean "minister" or "officer"
2. The phrase "Joseph was well built and handsome" goes to great lengths in the Hebrew to emphasize how good looking he was
3. The "cloak" that Potiphar's wife grabbed from Joseph could refer to either a shirt-like cloak or his pants. Either was he would have been running away half naked! This is the 2nd time a cloak has been used to lie about Joseph (his brother showed his bloody coat to his father)
4. It is probable the Potiphar had some doubt about Joseph's guilt, otherwise he would have put him to death. Egyptian law dictated death as a penalty for adultry with free citizens, obviously it would have been just as bad (if not worse) for a slave. Potiphar may have doubted his wife's word over Joseph's word, but of course he had to side with his wife!
And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...
1. We see God's providence/blessing! God promised the patriarchs that He would be with them and bless them and that all the world would be blessed through them. He fufills that promise to them no matter what. Abraham lies about Sarah being his wife and ends up with a bunch of riches (Genesis 12). Jacob deceives his father and brother and runs to Laban and God still blesses him and protects him. Here, Joseph has been sold as a slave, but God is still with him. God even blesses those who treat Joseph well (Potiphar and the jailer) like He promised He would (Gen. 12:3). God has chosen these people to bring salvation to the nations through Jesus, and He is going to be with His chosen people no matter what. Even if we sin or have bad things happen to us, God is still going to continue using us, blessing us and sanctifying us. It does not mean we won't pay for our sin (Jacob deceived his father to steal the blessing/ Jacob's sons later deceive him to make him think Joseph is dead), but God remains faithful! God's work in our lives continue regardless of circumstances! Rest on the sovereignty and faithfulness of God when things go wrong, whether they were your fault or not!
2. On a moral note, it is interesting to notice the language of verses 8-10. Obviously there is a lesson about resisting tempation, especially sexual temptation. Notice that the wife only says a few words, "Sleep with me!." Joseph responds with a speech and a list of reasons why he shouldn't. He was prepared to resist! He did not just say no, he tried to show her how it was wrong. The other thing to notice is that he would not "go to bed with her or even be with her (Vs. 10)." The Hebrew gives the sense that not only would he not sleep with he, he would not even recline in a comfortable position with her. Literally "lay on the bed and hang out." Not only should we attempt to remain pure, but we should not even put ourselves in compromising situations!
Ok so this is my first post! I hope you enjoyed it. Any questions or comments would be welcome!
What I Am Posting About
I am going to start putting up posts about the chapters of the Bible I am studying. I will give my own summary of the chapter, talk about any interesting (to me) historical aspects of the passage and give some principles for us to learn. I hope this is helpful and enjoyable for someone!
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