Day 26, January 26 Bible Reading
Day 26, January 26
Gen. 37 Joseph’s two dreams / Joseph is sold into slavery
Gen. 38-39:10 Judah and Tamar / Joseph and Potiphar’s wife
Gen. 39:11-23 Joseph is falsely imprisoned
Gen. 37
37:1-2 Joseph was working out in the field with his brothers -- Dan and Naphtali (from Bilhah) and Gad and Asher (from Zilpah) -- and being the good boy that he was, he felt obliged to tattle on them. We have no idea what they did, but considering what comes next in the story, it doesn’t sound like they lived very righteous lives.
37: 3-4 Joseph’s tunic and robe of many colors was said to be the same robe Adam wore, then worn by Cain, Nimrod stole it, Noah, Shem, Esau and Jacob. It was made from the skin of a serpent and hence reflected many colors. It was made for the ruler (and priest) of the earth, or the heir of the earth. Now you know why his brothers hated him
37: 5-8 Dream 1, Sheaves bow. Combined with the coat, this is why his brothers asked” Shall you INDEED reign over us, or have dominion over us”. What is it about Joseph who just speaks what comes to the top of his mind. What is it about him that he has to say everything? Do you have people in your life, or are you the type of person, that your emotions get the better of you and you just have to tell everyone everything, instead of just being pensive, thinning first?
37: 9-11 Dream 2, Sun, moon, stars all bow to him. Of course he tells them all. His father though kept the matter in mind. Just as it was prophesied that Joseph’s family would all bow before him, so it was prophesied by both Isaiah and Paul that every knee would bow before Jesus.
37: 12-14 Israel thought his sons were tending to the flock in Shechem. Remember Shechem? That was the place where their sister Dinah was raped and the sons of Israel massacred the town. Why did Israel send Joseph as a scout to his brothers to bring back word, knowing their history?
37: 15-17Joseph did not find them there but in Dothan. Dothan was the place in 2 Kings 6 here Elisa opened the eyes of his servant to the angelic army of God when they were visited by the King of Syria
37: 18-24 The brothers scheme to kill him, to mock him and to prove that his dreams will come to nought. Notice the same dreams that indicated Joseph destiny was the cause of his misery. Reuben, the same one who slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Judah surprising halted the murder, in a plan to rescue him later. Was that God intervening?
37: 25-36 Now both the Midianites and the Ishmaelites were involved in Joseph being bought and sold into slavery in Egypt. We know that Ishmael was Abraham’s son by Hagar. Midian was also Abraham’s son by Keturah. So he was bought by relatives. It seems to be a very small world at this time!. Joseph was sold for 20 shekels to Egypt. A shekel of silver is worth 320.00 US today. Poor Jacob. His days are full of grief and sorrow.
Gen. 38-39:10
38:1 It seems that Judah decided to move out of the house and live alone. Maybe the drama of Joseph being sold was too much. Sometimes when sons or daughters moved out of the house because of conflict or trauma, they create trauma and a mess of their own, because they never really dealt with it.
38:2-5 Jacob married a Canaanite woman name Shua (something he should not have done) and had three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah
38:6-10 How would you like God to kill your two sons, your firstborn for being wicked and the second son for not impregnating the wife of your dead brother. Onan spilling seed on the ground is always given as the reason that masturbation is wrong. That’s nonsense.
From this story, the incident had NOTHING to do with masturbation. It was about the intention of Onan not to give a son to his brother. That intention was evil in God’s sight. It was a custom to sleep with your brother’s wife and have sons FOR HIM.
This was the custom back then. Lot Daughters’ appealed to that when they said “Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come into us as is the custom of all the earth.” [Gen 12:31]
Look at this, God did not kill Lot’s daughters right? So why did God ‘kill’ Onan, but did not kill the daughters of Lot for sleeping with their Father. It was his deception in not fulfilling the custom and providing a seed to his dead brother.
38:11-12 Judah told Tamar to remain a widow in her father’s house until his youngest son grew up. He is afraid his youngest son would be killed. Poor Judah lost his daughter too. Shelah is the only kid left.
38:13-16 I think that Tamar realizes Judah was playin games and had no intention of giving her Shelah as a husband. So she set out to concoct a scheme to get pregnant by her father in law, just like Lot’s daughters did. Notice God did not kill Tamar for this. She took off her widow’s clothes and put on a veil. Judah thought she was a harlot and asked to sleep with her.
38:17-23 So time for the negotiation. What is the payment Judah will make to the harlot ahem, his daughter in law Tamar? A young goat. Not sure what Tamar would do with a goat. To make sure she gets paid in goat, she asked for a pledge of his signet ring, cord and staff. Then she disappeared when he went for the goat. Poor Judah. He could not find Tamar to give her the goat. Before he shamed himself further he stopped.
38:24-30 Well Tamar was smart. When the town accused her of being a harlot, because she was pregnant, she had proof she had been with Judah, when Judah was about to condemn her. He was the first one to shout “Bring her out to be burned”. How many times men are quick to condemn women for being pregnant? Especially when men do the same nonsense? How many times have you seen pastors quick to condemn pregnant women in front of a church in front of everyone? They are like Judah, with their own skeleton in their closets
God blessed Tamar with twins, two sons, one for each opportunity lost. Perez who breached and Zerah who put out his hand first but was born second.
Can God turn a dysfunction into good, even long term good? Why yes. Christ the Messiah was born through Perez [Matt 1:3]. That is why this story is in the Bible. How about that.
Gen. 39:11-23
39:1-6 Joseph was put in Potiphar's house and God blessed him. It helped that Joseph has a great disposition. Potiphar trusted everything into his hands. And by the way, he is a handsome chap too.
39:7-18 Now we have the reverse of Tamar. Where Tamar had Judah's pledge, Potiphar’s wife had Joseph’s robe as a false pledge, a false evidence of an alleged impropriety or rape, when it was her who made advances to him. Poor Joseph. Can’t catch a break. At least he had his integrity. So in this me-too environment, is it taboo to highlight that women also can be predators, or accuse men of rape, or be abusers in a marriage or hold bitter grudges? Women are not always right, and it is time to break that mental stronghold.
39:19-23 So the scripture says “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” My question is, why didn;t God should Joseph mercy by NOT having him thrown to the pit, or sold, or falsely accused by a woman, or betrayed by his family? Note, God having mercy is NOT about rescuing you from every hurt and trouble in your life. God having mercy is lessening the “sentence” while you are experiencing your trouble and pain. It is making the best and even excelling in your prison, while He is planning to restore you and break you out. Remember the lesson from Job? God is with you in your good times, when he is allowing you to be creative, when he allows you to be ruined, and He is in your ruin, and when he restores you.
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