Joseph Ge 37-50
SAY JOE... WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
Joseph is the favorite son of Jacob, and his brothers know it and Jacob gives Joseph a COAT OF MANY COLORS which does not set well with his brothers Ge 37:3
Joseph is the favorite son of Jacob, and his brothers know it and Jacob gives Joseph a COAT OF MANY COLORS which does not set well with his brothers Ge 37:3
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Can you feel the love between Joseph and his brothers? No.. neither can I. How about your opinions on Jacob as a father? Hmmmm. Jacob was as good as a father as a brother or a husband. The only thing Jacob has going for him is God is faithful to Abraham, his son Isaac, and now Jacob.
So after being tossed into a pit, Joseph is then sold into slavery and on his way to Egypt… and we will return to Joseph in a bit, but first…
While Joseph is going to Egypt, I must share one more JAW DROPPING side step. It concerns the story of Judah, his sons, and his daughter-in-law Tamar. Judah's son Er marries Tamar, but God takes his life because he is so wicked.
No details are offered, but when God took a life in the Old Testament, you were more than your garden-variety sinner. So Judah tells his next son, Onan, to sub in for Er and be ‘husbandly’ to Tamar. Well, let’s just say Onan did not ‘completely’ obey, and so God took his life, too. Fascinating family heritage we have brewing here. It is not the easiest chapter in the Bible to read, and even dream of saying AMEN or HAL-E-LOO-YA YOU-ALL!! This is one of those shake my head with my mouth hanging open look passages. Ge 38
No details are offered, but when God took a life in the Old Testament, you were more than your garden-variety sinner. So Judah tells his next son, Onan, to sub in for Er and be ‘husbandly’ to Tamar. Well, let’s just say Onan did not ‘completely’ obey, and so God took his life, too. Fascinating family heritage we have brewing here. It is not the easiest chapter in the Bible to read, and even dream of saying AMEN or HAL-E-LOO-YA YOU-ALL!! This is one of those shake my head with my mouth hanging open look passages. Ge 38
So Judah, who sees a pattern here, does not want to lose any more sons to marriage to Tamar.. so he sends her back to her parents. Well, sometime later. Judah’s wife has died, and he is traveling and comes to the city of Enaim, where he meets this young woman who he thinks is a prostitute and so asks her price for a ‘date.’
It is critical to the jaw-dropping effect of these passages to now note that this woman who is believed to be a prostitute is actually Tamar (his daughter-in-law). EWwwwwww. Now Tamar and Judah agree that the going price for sex will be A GOAT Ge 38:17
Okay, this sounds to me more like another Monty Python skit than scriptures.. but it is not.
It is critical to the jaw-dropping effect of these passages to now note that this woman who is believed to be a prostitute is actually Tamar (his daughter-in-law). EWwwwwww. Now Tamar and Judah agree that the going price for sex will be A GOAT Ge 38:17
Okay, this sounds to me more like another Monty Python skit than scriptures.. but it is not.
MEANWHILE, BACK IN EGYPT, WE FIND JOSEPH working as a slave to Potiphar until after literally running from the repeated advances of Potiphar’s beautiful young DESPERATE HOUSEWIFE, he is falsely accused and imprisoned for making advances on the above-mentioned lovely Mrs. Potiphar.
So Joseph, at this point, is living your typical This BAD DAY gone worse turns INTO TIME IN THE BIG HOUSE. So, in prison, we now find Joseph interpreting dreams again. His brothers were not amused by his ability to interpret dreams, so I don’t know why he thought he should continue, but he does. In fact, I don’t know how a person knows they can interpret dreams.. but Joseph does.
So Joseph, at this point, is living your typical This BAD DAY gone worse turns INTO TIME IN THE BIG HOUSE. So, in prison, we now find Joseph interpreting dreams again. His brothers were not amused by his ability to interpret dreams, so I don’t know why he thought he should continue, but he does. In fact, I don’t know how a person knows they can interpret dreams.. but Joseph does.
So the well-known story of Joseph interpreting the dreams of the Pharaoh’s Cup Bearer and the ‘Royal Baker’ now occurs. The cupbearer is restored to his former position, and the baker.. well.. he will not be buying. NECK TIES. Ge 40
However, even though the cupbearer is restored to his position, he forgets to tell Pharaoh about Joseph UNTIL Pharaoh starts having troubling COW DREAMS. Ge 41
Carl, the Cup Bearer, finally remembers to tell Pharaoh about Joseph and his dream-telling prowess, so Joseph interprets the dream as relating to 7 great years of crops, followed by 7 years of drought.
However, even though the cupbearer is restored to his position, he forgets to tell Pharaoh about Joseph UNTIL Pharaoh starts having troubling COW DREAMS. Ge 41
Carl, the Cup Bearer, finally remembers to tell Pharaoh about Joseph and his dream-telling prowess, so Joseph interprets the dream as relating to 7 great years of crops, followed by 7 years of drought.
JOE RUNS THE SHOW Pharaoh decides to follow Joseph's interpretation. He releases Joseph from prison and he is the COO (chief operating officer). And while Joseph is running the show in Egypt, Pharaoh sips Margaritas on his yacht, running up and down the Nile.
Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream came true, of course. Seven great years of crops are followed by 7 years of drought and famine.
Then, the drought finally reaches his long-lost family. This brings up a series of moments for Joseph to mess with his brothers. I don’t have cartoons YET to capture the awkward, devious fun that Joseph puts his brothers through. But it is a great moment, and it all leads to …
Luke, I am your Father!! This is when Joseph reveals to his brothers who he really is. WHAT A KODAK MOMENT!! Ge 45
The moral of these stories?? Again.. God is faithful and orchestrates a complex web of circumstances and choices to show his love and care. God’s faithfulness is never dependent on the perfection of those he loves. Need Genesis examples so far... Abraham told fibs, and so did Isaac; Jacob was a conman, BUT.. all these flawed men were obedient and faithful to God.
Need more examples?? Moses was a murderer, Jonah was a reluctant missionary, the Apostle Paul, Peter denied Jesus, and Rahab, the prostitute, to name a few. It always returns to God’s grace being greater than our sins.
And of course... the important message to be learned in Ge 50:20 is when Joseph speaks to his brothers. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
The moral of these stories?? Again.. God is faithful and orchestrates a complex web of circumstances and choices to show his love and care. God’s faithfulness is never dependent on the perfection of those he loves. Need Genesis examples so far... Abraham told fibs, and so did Isaac; Jacob was a conman, BUT.. all these flawed men were obedient and faithful to God.
Need more examples?? Moses was a murderer, Jonah was a reluctant missionary, the Apostle Paul, Peter denied Jesus, and Rahab, the prostitute, to name a few. It always returns to God’s grace being greater than our sins.
And of course... the important message to be learned in Ge 50:20 is when Joseph speaks to his brothers. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
