Thou shalt be over my house

Genesis 41: 38-44: “And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”

This section reminds us of Matthew 25: 21 (“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”) Joseph may have been precocious when he was younger but he still stayed within the bounds that were set by his father. Later he was faithful in Potiphar’s house even when brought under significant temptation. He was put in jail for his faithfulness and then the Lord gave him some responsibilities in the jail. We can say that Joseph was faithful over a few things and he proved himself time and again. When he had proved himself to be faithful then the Lord gave him the opportunity to be the ruler over many things. We cannot predict what God will do in our lives but we can always be faithful wherever we are. That is all that we have been called to do. We are not called to be faithful to impress God but to be faithful because we love God (see John 14: 15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”). However, “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” (1 Cor 6: 3) we have high and honourable tasks set aside for us to do.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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What He is about to do

Genesis 41: 25-37: “And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 

Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine. And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.”

The Lord warned Pharaoh that there was a famine coming. Without this warning most of the people in that part of the world would have perished, including the whole family of Israel. However, the Lord had other plans and they were saved. Joseph was used to having dreams so he was the best one to interpret the dream. Because Joseph was able to interpret the dream, really a nightmare, he was also able to give Pharaoh the advice he needed to survive this period of famine. Joseph was the first person to suggest income tax to be gathered on a regular basis, rather than a tax raised when the king or leader needed the money. This re-established an important principle: God always cares for His people even though things might seem to be impossible.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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In my dream

Gensesis 41: 17-24: “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow: And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke. And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good: And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.”

They say that children will get nightmares if they watch violent or horror movies before they go to bed. In this case Pharaoh had a nightmare that would be sure to cause him many more nightmares. It’s amazing how real dreams seem to be while we are having them. Pharaoh must have been terrified by this nightmare. After all there were good healthy cattle that were eaten by bony and unhealthy cattle. That would have looked real at the time and, no doubt, quite terrifying. Later he saw some good ears of grain that were devoured by ears of grain that were moth eaten and useless. It is not a wonder that he woke up afraid and wanted to know what the dreams meant. The question was, who on earth could make sense of a dream like that? Pharaoh was saved from many more nightmares because Joseph was on hand and Joseph knew the Lord so he was able to interpret the dream and give Pharaoh some comfort. There is a much more terrifying dream that every person on the earth faces today and that is the certainty of the eternal fires of hell. However, the Lord Jesus Christ is on hand to give us comfort and security. He had already suffered for our sins and paid the full price of our redemption. No one ever has to face the nightmare of the fires of hell for ever because they can believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and have everlasting life instead.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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God shall give Pharaoh an answer

Genesis 41: 15, 16: “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

Joseph knew that the credit for understanding the dream and the future belonged to God. He was not willing to take credit for something that he didn’t do. This should be as true today as it was then but the sad thing about some parts of the church is that some people are took quick to take personal credit for something that God has done. If we were willing to humble ourselves before God and give Him the credit then we would be surprised at what He will do.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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I do remember

Genesis 41: 9-14: “Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker: And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.”

At last the butler or cupbearer remembered Joseph. He promised to remember Joseph but he forgot all about him as soon as he was back in his old environment. A cupbearer was a very important man in those days. Rulers were afraid of being poisoned and the cupbearer had to bring every drink to the Pharaoh or king and then taste the drink from the king’s cup in his presence so that the king could be sure that the drink wasn’t poisoned. This meant that the cupbearer spent a lot of time with the king and was a close friend and trusted advisor. After all, he was always around just in case the king got thirsty. This meant that the man who could help Joseph was in position for two years while Joseph had to languish in prison. However, if the cupbearer had told Pharaoh earlier than this he may have had Joseph released but Joseph would not have been there to interpret his dream. He would probably have gone back to his homeland. According to God’s perfect timing, Joseph was waiting, on hand, for Pharaoh to have the dream that Joseph could interpret for him. Everything was perfect and God’s timing meant that the world would be saved.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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He called for all the magicans

Genesis 41: 8: “And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.”

Finally Joseph was where the Lord wanted him to be after many years of preparation. This is a good example of the fact that good people can suffer even though they are obeying God. (Compare this with John 9: 1-3 “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” and Heb 12: 5-7 “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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At the end of two full years

Genesis 41: 1-7: “And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.”

Joseph was ready and waiting even though no one else in the world knew. He was a prophet in every respect. He had a message from the Lord and was told to deliver it to Pharaoh. God used Pharaoh because no one else in the world, at that time, had the power to implement a scheme that would save the world from this great famine, or drought, that was coming soon. At some stage, every Christian will be a prophet in the true sense of the word. In the Bible, a prophet is not someone who tells the future but someone who gives God’s message to one or more people. It is just that the Israeli prophets, of those times, came to remind the people that they weren’t keeping the contract they had made with God. The future aspect always referred to the implementation of the penalty clauses of the contract. However, the Lord was only interested in bringing his people to their knees so that they would obey Him (see Deut 30: 1-3 “And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.”) Every Christian is called upon to obey the Great Commission, that is, to preach the gospel (Mark 16: 15, 16 “And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.”) Anyone can be a prophet today for the future response to the gospel message is sure (John 3: 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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But forgat him

Genesis 40: 20-23: “And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand: But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.”

Joseph told the two men what their dreams meant and three days later his predictions came true. We know, later, the Joseph told Pharaoh that God interpreted dreams rather than him, and we can assume that Joseph told these men the same thing. Joseph asked the butler to tell Pharaoh about his problem but he forgot to do what he was asked. Joseph must have had a sense of hope for a while but slowly his hope would have melted away as time went by. In fact, he had to wait for two years before anything happened. It seems as though waiting is an essential experience for anyone who devotes their lives to serving the Lord. Abraham had to wait for 25 years, Caleb had to wait for 40 years and the Jews had to wait for seventy years before they came back from Babylon. This doesn’t mean that God had forgotten because He doesn’t forget. He is working for our good and His timing is perfect.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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In my dream

Genesis 40: 9-19: “And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head: And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.”
Later in this history Joseph was to interpret a dream for Pharaoh that seemed to be quite obscure, certainly beyond the understanding of any of his experts. The Lord prepared the way for this by giving these two men obscure dreams as well. Joseph told both men the interpretation of their dreams in precise terms and then went on to ask them to remember his in his situation. In many ways this short episode in Joseph’s life is the most important because it led to other events that changed the course of world history. We should never despise the seemingly small and meaningless events in our lives because God is in control of everything and if we are faithful in small things then we can be trusted to be faithful over large things. (see Matt 25: 21, 23 “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”)
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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And they dreamed

Genesis 40: 5-8: “And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.”

Joseph understood how the Lord worked and he was experienced with dreams. This is in contrast to Samuel’s early days when the Lord’s word was precious (see 1 Sam 3: 1 “And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.”) The people in those days had rejected God’s word and they were no longer in a position to hear what He had to say to them. However, Joseph was different, in spite of his difficult circumstances he didn’t stop trusting and obeying the Lord, therefore, he was able to hear what the Lord had to say to him. In those days they didn’t have any of the Bible readily available so the Lord communicated by visions. The Lord had an important message to give to Pharaoh but Joseph had to be in a position where Pharaoh would listen to what he had to say. The Lord put these two high officials in prison and gave them dreams so that Joseph could develop a reputation as someone who could interpret dreams. They had their dreams but Joseph was humble enough to give the credit to the Lord. Does this mean that we are to look for visions from the Lord and special people to interpret them for us so that we can know what God’s will for our lives will be? NO! God’s will for each Christian is substantially the same. We are to follow the advice that the Lord gave to Joshua “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Josh 1: 8) That is, we are to read and meditate on God’s word daily. We are to “Pray without ceasing. (1 Thes 5: 17) This doesn’t mean that we are to pray every minute of every day but remember “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” (Luke 18: 1) Finally, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Phil 4: 6) When we do all these things then we will have real peace when it comes to making the simple decisions in our lives and we won’t need dreams. However, it still good to have a vision for our lives; “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Prov 29: 18)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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After these things

Genesis 40: 1-4: “And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.”

While it seemed that Joseph was going through his darkest hour things were just starting to come together. He was in prison and looking after other prisoners because the Lord was with him. Finally the means of his final deliverance arrived in the prison but he didn’t know it. No doubt these two men were arrogant and difficult to deal with because they had been in very important positions in Pharaoh’s administration but Joseph still continued to do his job even though the circumstances were trying for him. Sometimes our responsibility before God is to do the job that we have been given now and trust the Lord. He is in control and will always work for our good. We can’t all expect to end up like Joseph did but we can all be sure that we have everlasting life if we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Because the Lord was with him.

Genesis 39: 21-23: “But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.”

The most interesting part of this episode of Joseph’s life is that he had to be in prison in Egypt before he could be in a position to influence Pharaoh. If he had remained as the spoilt son living in Canaan he would have died in the worldwide famine that was coming in a few more years, so would his family and all the Egyptians as well. However, God was at work and God is still at work today. The Lord Jesus Christ said “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matt 10: 29-31) The Lord also said “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” to Jeremiah (Jer 1: 5) If we take these two verses together we can say that God knows all about each one of us and is working our lives, just as He did in Joseph’s life. If things are hard and you feel despised and rejected today, take comfort in the Lord Jesus Christ because you are more valuable than many sparrows and He knew about you before your grand parents were born.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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But he refused

Genesis 39: 7-20: “And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out. And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out. And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.”

Whenever someone who trusts in the Lord is doing well the enemy and father of lies attacks that person and tries to destroy them and so stop them from bringing glory to the Lord’s name. A good example of this is found in Job 1: 9-12 (“Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.”) This shows us a few things: first Satan cannot test us without asking permission from the Lord; (compare 1 Cor 10: 13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”) secondly Satan manufactures lies about us because he wants to spoil any pleasure the Lord may find in His people. Joseph, the righteous man, was accused of an evil deed that he hadn’t done as was put in jail. This should have been the end of Joseph's story but the Lord was working to place Joseph in the right place at the right time.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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He left all that he had in Joseph’s hand

Genesis 39: 5, 6: “And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.”

When a person trusts in the Lord that person can be sure that the Lord will prove to be worthy of that trust because the Lord is faithful. In this case, Joseph was only young and he had been forcibly taken away from his home. He was forced to work as a slave but he still trusted in the Lord. This doesn’t mean that every Christian can expect the Lord to make them prosperous and successful in their lives. Sometimes we have to remember the lesson the Lord Jesus Christ taught his disciples in John 9: 1-3 (“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”) God deals in our lives so that His works might be displayed in them.  But God is faithful (see 1 Cor 1: 9 “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”, 1 Cor 10: 13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”) and He will always work for good in our lives (see Rom 8: 28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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The Lord was with him

Genesis 39: 1-4: “And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.”

Joseph was no longer in control of his own destiny. We are encouraged, these days, to make sure that we always stay in control of our own destiny. We know that we have to set goals and write down our dreams so that we can make sure that we achieve what we set out to achieve in our lives. However, there are times when everyone loses control of their own destiny. Sometimes we do something foolish or at other times we are the victims of another persons malicious or foolish acts. In those case we can remember Joseph, or other heroes of faith. The Lord was with Joseph but this was because he maintained his faith in the Lord and the fact that the Lord was in control of his life. Joseph didn’t lose sight of the fact that the Lord promised Abraham that his descendants would spend time in Egypt but then they would come out of Egypt (Heb 11: 22 “By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.” compare this with Gen 15: 13 “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;”) Even if we feel as though we have lost control of our lives we can still trust the Lord because He hasn’t lost control of anything.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Pharez and Zarah

Genesis 38: 27-30: “And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.”

This is another one of those stories that give credibility to this history. Why on earth would a story like this be included if it wasn’t true? This gives us the continuing story of conflict that went on within families, for example, between Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob and now Pharez and Zarah. The major issue seems to be an innate appreciation of the importance of the Lord’s blessing. Things are so much better today for the blessing belongs to whosever believeth rather than to just one of brothers. The blessing also comes to us at no cost whatsoever even though previously it came through struggle at first or keeping the Law later. While there is no price to pay for the blessing today, it cost the Lord Jesus Christ His life.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Lest we be shamed

Genesis 38: 23-26: “And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her. And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff. And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.”

Judah didn’t worry about paying the woman that he assumed was a prostitute because he couldn’t find her. Not long after that he discovered that his daughter in law was pregnant. This is where we discover the double standards of that day. While it was okay for Judah to go and have a sexual relationship with a woman, even though they weren’t married, he was ready to kill Tamar for doing the same thing. If she hadn’t been wise enough to keep the proof that he was responsible for her pregnancy she would have been burnt to death for being a prostitute. She was extra wise in this whole episode because Judah had also sent one of  his friends to pay the price that she had asked. Judah wouldn’t have been able to deny that he was involved in that encounter. When the men came to take her to be burnt she showed Judah the ring, bracelet and walking stick. At this stage Judah realised that he had not fulfilled his obligations to her and acknowledged that she was more righteous than he was. So she became pregnant with the child that she would have expected when she first married Er Judah’s oldest son. This child would now become Judah’s heir as the legal son of his first born son. In Matthew 10: 16 the Lord Jesus Christ said “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” When we deal with people of this world we have to be careful because some people are not trustworthy. However, in Titus 1: 15 we read, “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” It is hard not to treat people according to our own standards. How does a person like Nathanael (see John 1: 47 “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”) survive in this world. We just have to trust the Lord (see 1 Cor 10: 13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”) We can have confidence that He will always deal with us for good (Rom 8: 28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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There was no harlot in this place

Genesis 38: 13-22: “And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep. And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face. And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not. Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.”

Judah got on with his life while Tamar wasn’t able to get on with hers because Judah wasn’t assuming his responsibility on her behalf. She was a prisoner of her culture but he was free to come and go as he wanted. While she was forced to stay in her father’s home he was free to do whatever he wanted to do. Tamar devised a plan whereby she would remind him of his responsibilities. This plan may offend our politically correct sensibilities today but it was just about the only way that she could escape from the imprisonment that Judah was forcing on her. She disguised herself and pretended to be a prostitute. Judah, now a widower felt the need to take advantage of this woman beside the road. In those days, the Canaanite religions were fertility religions, much like the neo-animistic (conservationist) religions today, they believed that sexual intercourse was a way of worshipping their god; this was encourage fertility and enrichment. Tamar was wife and made sure that she kept evidence to show that Judah was involved, that is why she kept his signet, bracelets walking stick. Judah promised to pay her for her services but she left that place and kept his identity symbols (these were much like identity documents that many people carry with them today). She knew that these would be her defence later and would make Judah understand that he had not fulfilled his duty to her. When Judah sent the payment she had left and he didn’t want to look stupid so he kept quiet about the whole episode.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judah was comforted

Genesis 38: 11, 12: “Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house. And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.”

Judah knew what his responsibility was when his second son died and he pretended to do what was required by making a promise to Tamar. However, he had no intention of keeping his promise and continued with his life as though nothing had happened. After a while his wife died and he went through the mourning phase but still didn’t do anything to help his daughter-in-law. His position was quite different to Tamar’s. She didn’t have anyone to care for her and had to live with her father while he was free to do whatever he wanted to do and go wherever he wanted to go. Judah’s actions remind us of Matt 21: 28-30 (“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.”) Our words may give people a good impression but our actions show who we really are. It is easy to miss what someone is saying because we can’t hear their words over their actions.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Judah went down

Genesis 38: 1-10: “And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her. And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.”

Later in the history of Israel the Judah’s tribe became the kingly tribe but at this stage there is very little to recommend Judah or his children. The Adullamites were one of the local tribes living in Canaan. (We learn this from Joshua 12: 1, 15, “Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:” ... “The king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;” It seems as though Judah didn’t really feel the need to remain separate from the Canaanites as Isaac and Jacob had done, at their parents’ urging. Judah’s first two sons were evil, the first one was wicked and the second one refused to do his duty before the Lord. Judah had a third son but he decided that he didn’t want to risk his third son so he failed to satisfy this same obligation before the Lord. The other major person in this sorry episode is Tamar, she was innocent of any wrongdoing but suffered the serious consequences of other peoples’ sin. Tamar, however, is one of three women mentioned by name in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ (see Matthew 1: 3, 5 {Tamar, Rahab and Ruth} the ‘wife of Uriah’ is also mentioned.) until we get to the end of the genealogy where we discover that Joseph was the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born who is called Christ (Matt 1: 16). This illustrates a very important principle: we cannot help what other people do to us but we are in complete control of what we think and the attitudes that come from those thoughts.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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They sold him

Genesis 37: 36: “And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.”

This story shows evidence of the Lord’s hand; when Joseph went down to Egypt, the Lord prepared a place for him to stay until the Lord’s timing was right. Even though Joseph was the man that the Lord later used to save his family from death by starvation, he had some very important lessons to learn in humility. He was betrayed by his brothers and was innocent in this episode but he still needed some training. It is often hard for us to understand how the Lord is working in our lives as we move forward but when we look back at the end of every period of our lives we can see that the Lord was at work. This is part of living by faith. At the end of this experience Joseph was able to say “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50: 20)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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The child is not

Genesis 37: 29-35: “And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go? And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no. And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.”

Reuben thought that he had managed to save Joseph from death but, foolishly left him with his brothers. He came back believing that everything was okay but was devastated to find that Joseph was no longer there. He went back to his brothers in genuine grief and told them that their young brother was gone. They knew what had happened and carried out their hard hearted plan to trick their father. They took his hated symbol of supremacy and dipped it in blood. There was no way for Jacob to know that it was just animals blood and with evil hearts they told Jacob that they found a coat and they weren’t sure if it was Joseph’s or not. Even though every adult is completely responsible for the thoughts they think and the actions that flow from these thoughts, these young men just continued with the bitter competition they had known throughout their lives. Jacob had many opportunities to treat Leah with love but he had only ever though about himself. He reaped the rewards of his own behaviour. Jacob went into a period of mourning that continued for the rest of the years that he was separated from Joseph. The brothers probably didn’t realise that this would happen because they had only know him as a hard hearted, unloving man but now they found out. Reuben had the chance to let his father know what had happened to Joseph but he kept quiet preferring to keep away from his father’s anger after his previous sin. This dysfunctional family continued on its dysfunctional way.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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