Monthly Archives: February 2012
Joseph: a test for his brothers
Genesis 44. Joseph’s cruel test of his brothers reveals their heart. They feel the guilt over what they had done to him, and they feel concern for their father – whom they have also wronged. Time had not erased the … Continue reading
Joseph: a feast for his brothers
Genesis 43. The brothers returned to Egypt with Benjamin, not knowing whether they would live or die – since the money they had given the governor before had been secretly put back into their bags. Zaphenath-paneah had ordered that they … Continue reading
Joseph: “there comes a reckoning”
Genesis 42. Joseph’s ten brothers go to Egypt to buy food during the famine and encounter governor Zaphenath-paneah. He appears to mistrust them, and takes Simeon as prisoner. He insists that they return to Canaan and fetch their youngest brother, … Continue reading
Joseph: sons of prosperity
Genesis 41:37-57. After so many years of slavery and poverty – Joseph finally gets to be free. The true test of his character begins. He talked about God a lot while he was down in the pit. What does he … Continue reading
Joseph: out of the pit
Genesis 41:1-36. Joseph had been retrieved from a pit and sold to slave traders. That is how he wound up in Egypt. He was wrongfully accused by his master’s wife, and thrown into another “pit” – a prison. Years later, … Continue reading
Posted in dependence upon God, Joseph, ministry, witness, works, worship
Tagged Genesis 41
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Joseph: the prisoners’ dreams
Genesis 40. Day after day, Joseph did his duty, attending to the other prisoners in “the pit” (15). He waited for some clue that God was not through with him – that he still had a destiny. That clue came … Continue reading
Joseph: Potiphar’s wife
Genesis 39. The ironies of Joseph’s story are many. Here is a man that God has destined for greatness – yet he winds up exiled from his people in a foreign land. He is “handsome in form and appearance” yet … Continue reading
Judah: for adults only
Genesis 38. This chapter interrupts the story of Joseph in Egypt, and is not likely to be made into a children’s cartoon. There is a clear picture of God’s judgment upon those who do evil (supposedly) in secret (Er, Onan, … Continue reading
Israel: losing the favorite son
Genesis 37. Israel had many sons, but Joseph was his favorite. Imagine the sorrow he must have felt when his other sons brought him the coat that he had given Joseph – battered and bloodied. No wonder he put on … Continue reading
Esau: blessed, but not the blessed
Genesis 36. This chapter contains mostly genealogical information about Esau and his descendants. It explains how his family became prominent in the land of Seir, and eventually possessed all the land. The Israelites in Moses’ day would call them the … Continue reading
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