Genesis 45

Dear RTB’ers,

Joseph and his brothers, again. A few days ago I spoke of confession: Then they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; for that reason this distress has happened to us.” (Genesis 42:21) They had confessed their sin to one another. We are reminded of the power of corporate confession in James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

So the brothers have gotten this far with their confession to one another. And in today’s reading they see their sin standing before them, exposed with Joseph’s full knowledge. Now, however, finally, somehow they must confess their sin to their father – or not. Scripture does not tell us of the brothers’ confessing to their father, Jacob, what they had done. Recall that they had slaughtered a goat and bloodied Joseph’s robe, with a suggestion to Jacob that a wild beast had apparently killed Joseph. (Genesis 37:31-33) In today’s passage the brothers return to their father, And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” (v. 26a) No real confession in that statement. They could have kept their sin hidden: “I guess we were wrong about that wild beast killing him.” Possibly nothing was ever said about their selling Joseph to Midian traders. What really happened between the brothers and Jacob? We don’t know. Possibly this unconfessed sin festered in their lives?? All’s well that ends well?? Not according to the Psalmist: When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality failed as with the dry heat of summer. [Then] I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not hide my guilt; I said, “I will confess my wrongdoings to the LORD”; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:3-5) So, did the brothers (ever) confess? We’ll never know.

Blessings!

---

See also: January 15 / Genesis 43:16-46:34

Genesis 44

Dear RTB’ers,

Joseph and his brothers, again. The bulk of today’s reading (Genesis 44:16-34) is Judah speaking to Joseph, recounting Jacob’s relationship with Benjamin and offering himself up as Joseph’s servant in place of Benjamin. He had made this offer to his father in yesterday’s reading (Genesis 43:9) and now he is following through.

Let’s look further at Judah. First, he is making this offer in fulfillment of the promise he made to his father, but also he is doing it out of the love he has for his father: …when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant, our father, down to Sheol in sorrow. (v. 31) Second, Judah has twin boys back home (Genesis 38:18b, 27-30) and is willing to abandon them forever, again on behalf of his father. Finally, although Benjamin surely would be proclaiming his innocence, Judah does not know the truth – and even if Benjamin is lying, Judah is willing to proceed with his offer, again because of the depth of love that he has for his father.

Although we have only Judah offering himself up in place of Benjamin, there is an obvious connection here with Jesus’ death. First, Jesus has given up His life for ours in obedience to His Father, “Not My will, but Your will be done.” (Luke 22:42) Second, with His death, Jesus is willing to separate Himself from His Father’s love for that one and only moment in all of eternity, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) Finally, Jesus knows that we are sinners, that we have been lying to Him and to ourselves all our lives, but again it is His hatred of sin and the depth of His love for us: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) If Judah in his fallen humanity can offer up such sacrificial love on behalf of one man, how much more, how much deeper is Jesus’ eternal love for each and every one of us!

Blessings!

Genesis 43

Dear RTB’ers,

Joseph and his brothers, again. There is one character in today’s chapter who is seldom acknowledged, Joseph’s house steward. Yet, beyond the main characters (Jacob, the brothers, Joseph) he plays a key role as an intermediary. He is simply following Joseph’s orders: … he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.” The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph’s house. (Gen. 43:16b-17) The story continues: And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house …So they went up to the steward of Joseph’s house and spoke with him at the door of the house… (Gen. 43:18a-19) The steward did as he was instructed, but he did it with a kind and gracious heart, saying “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” … [and he had] … given them water, and … given their donkeys fodder… (Gen. 43:23-24) Genesis 43:32b tells us exactly how gracious this house steward was:  and the Egyptians … could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. A couple thousand years down the road, we’ll see similar words and behaviors from other intermediaries:  …the angel Gabriel … said to her, “Do not be afraid…” (Luke 1:26, 30); … And an angel of the Lord … said to them, “Do not be afraid…” (Luke 2:9, 10) God at work, way back when, again later, then again and again, and still…!

Blessings!

Genesis 42

Dear RTB’ers,

Joseph and his brothers, again. Put yourself into the story today. I’m playing the part of one of the brothers. I go back to Genesis 37 where we sold Joseph into slavery and tricked our father into believing that he is dead. Now we’re being charged with spying the land and we’re defending ourselves. We put on humility, but even then part of our defense is an outright lie, “…one is no longer alive…” (Gen. 42:13b), spoken to that one who is, in fact, very much alive! We proclaim our strongest defense, “…we are  honest men…” (Gen. 42:11b) Laughable! Eventually we come to the fact that our horrible sin from years past has come to roost: Then they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; for that reason this distress has happened to us.” (Gen. 42:21) Finally, we admit that we are sinners.

Is this really a story from several thousand years ago? Or is this ourselves a few years back? Or just last year? Or last week? Or yesterday? Put yourself into your own story and bow down (Gen. 42:6b) to that One who is very much alive. Tell Him what He already knows. But unlike the brothers, don’t sugarcoat it. Put on real humility: confess and be forgiven. Thank you, Lord.

Blessings!

---

See also: January 14 (2023) / Genesis 41-43:15

Genesis 41:14-57

Dear RTB’ers,

Joseph and Pharaoh. Joseph is living a yo-yo life. He’s up, he’s down, he’s up, he’s down, he’s up. He is his father’s favorite; he is hated by his brothers and gets sold off to Potiphar; he is in charge of all of Potiphar’s house and fields; he gets sent to jail; he is put in charge of his fellow prisoners and interprets their dreams; his hopes of release are dashed as he endures an “unending” prison sentence; he is released, interprets Pharaoh’s dreams, and becomes “prime minister” of all of Egypt. He’s UP!

So we might wonder about Joseph’s reactions to those ups and downs. Sadly, we see him prideful and arrogant with his multi-colored tunic and relating his dreams to his brothers and parents. Then we sense what must have been a change in spirit as he is put in charge of all that Potiphar owns. We see him take the moral high ground in response to Potiphar’s wife’s advances – and it costs him dearly with prison time. But it’s this time in prison where we see how Joseph dealt with his down times: But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the LORD was with him. And whatever he did, the LORD made it succeed. (Genesis 39:21-23) The LORD was working in his life and in the lives of those around him – and Joseph recognized it: “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” (Genesis 40:8b) He maintained his faith in God and had confidence in God working things out. So his down time was still “up”!

I suspect that many (if not most) of us have had our own yo-yo life. We’re up, we’re down, we’re up… What is our response to those ups and downs? When we’re up, do we give glory and thanks to God for all His provision? And equally important, when we’re down, do we look up? Wherein lies our hope, our confident deliverance? When we’re down, look up!!

Blessings!

Genesis 40:1-41:13

Dear RTB’ers,

Joseph, the interpreter of dreams. Today’s passages, with Joseph interpreting the dreams for Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and chief baker are setting the foundation for tomorrow’s reading where Joseph will interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. So, what to make of dreams? Joseph has the answer for the interpretation of dreams, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8b) Knowing that, Joseph then accepts his role as God’s agent and speaks the interpretations that God has given him.

But what about the dreams themselves, those of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker and of Pharaoh? I’m sure that we can all agree that these dreams came from God, that they were all part of His plan for Joseph. But with all that, my human head asks about the two-year lapse between the chief cupbearer’s release and his remembering Joseph. I’m thinking about Joseph during those two years, already serving time for no wrong done, now hoping for his release. Was that a depressing time for him? And I think about the cupbearer, how when he finally remembered Joseph, how he must have been guilt-ridden for having forgotten Joseph for those two long years. The strange thing about those two years is that Joseph did not have a 730-day calendar in his head or on his wall. He didn’t know that he only had two more years to serve; he was in prison with no release date. What was he thinking during this time? What was his attitude toward God?

So, let’s go forward two thousand years, visiting Paul while he sits in prison, also not knowing his release date. What is he thinking during this time? What is his attitude toward God? Here are his words:

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Philippians 1:18b-26

To live is Christ, and to die is gain. GLORY!!

Blessings!

Genesis 38-39

Dear RTB’ers,

Today, two contrasting stories of sexual relations in the Old Testament– Judah and Tamar, Joseph and Potiphar’s wife.

First, Judah and Tamar. Judah takes (marries) a Canaanite woman known only as the “daughter of Shua” (Genesis 38:2). Together they have three boys – Er, Onan, and Shelah. Years pass and Er marries Tamar. Er dies, leaving behind no children, so Judah sends his #2 son, Onan in to Tamar. But whenever he went in to her, …he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. (Genesis 38:9b) So Onan dies and Judah refuses to give his third son, Shelah to Tamar, fearing to lose him also. Tamar dresses as a prostitute, Judah goes in to her, she becomes pregnant by Judah and gives birth to twins. So in this story we have

1. Judah marrying a Canaanite woman
2. Onan refusing to “do the right thing”
3. Judah refusing his third son to Tamar
4. Tamar dressing as a prostitute, making herself available to her father-in-law, and
5. Judah having relations with this “prostitute”, his daughter-in-law.

So, can five wrongs make a “right”? Apparently so, in that one of the children from this Judah-Tamar relationship, Perez becomes one of King David’s forefathers and later, Jesus’ own ancestor. If God can bring a Messiah out of this sad state of affairs, what can He do with the things that we have messed up in our lives?

Now, Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, a bit less dramatic. Joseph does all the right things, does not go down that adulterous path that his brother, Judah took – and his “righteousness” puts him in jail. So much for “doing the right thing”, eh? Stay tuned…!

Blessings!

Genesis 37

Dear RTB’ers,

Today we begin the story of Joseph, a story that will carry us all the way to the end of Genesis. The authors of Search the Scriptures have so much regard for this entire story that they have set aside a separate day twelve days from now for Jospeh’s complete story – on March 29 our reading is “Genesis 37-50”, no new material. So, we begin Joseph…

Many of us know this story – Joseph’s many-colored tunic (a Sunday School favorite), his being sold into slavery, Reuben and Judah intervening on his behalf to save him from death, the brothers’ deception, Jacob’s mourning for the loss of his son. Except for bits and pieces here and there, it’s difficult to find anything new, to see any major item that we don’t already know.

In this Joseph story we will see Joseph as a “type” of Jesus. Already we have two items that relate forward to Jesus. First, we have Joseph being sold for twenty shekels of silver (Genesis 37:28); Jesus was later betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). Second, we see a lamb slaughtered instead of Joseph (Genesis 37:31); Jesus is the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36; see also Genesis 22:8; Isaiah 53:7; I Corinthians 5:7; I Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:12, 12:11, 13:8).

Many of you also have memories of this story. What do you recall? What stuck out for you?

Blessings!

---

See also: January 13 (2023) / Genesis 37-40

Genesis 36

Dear RTB’ers,

I didn’t have much to contribute yesterday, maybe even less today. One wonders at God including a full chapter on Esau’s descendants, when God’s promises of land and progeny have been given to Isaac. Esau moves south and southeast from Canaan to Seir, presumably driving out the current inhabitants, the Horites (Gen 36:20-30), and becomes his own mighty nation, Edom.

As Search the Scriptures references, we read more from the prophet Obadiah about Edom enjoying the devastation of Israel by foreigners. Where Edom is mentioned in Obadiah 1 my Study Bible has further references to Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, and Malachi, so Edom, as Israel’s “relative” is important in Israel’s history. Later, as Israel leaves Egypt and travels toward the Promised Land, Edom refuses to allow Israel passage through its land and Israel is forced to take a much longer roundabout route. So as we continue to read through the Bible, when Edom is mentioned, we’ll know its connection to Esau and Jacob.

I’m intrigued by Esau’s moving to Seir, away from Canaan. Clearly the 20-year separation from his twin has softened his heart, even meeting Jacob as he returned from their uncle, Laban, and joining Jacob in burying their father. I’m guessing that over the years that Esau has recognized that both the birthright and the blessing went to Jacob and that he needs to make his own path.

Blessings!

Genesis 35

Dear RTB’ers,

A number of short items…

As I was reading our passage this morning, I was thinking that we had a “clean” chapter – no deceit, no trickery, no devastation. Then in Genesis 35:22 Reuben lays with Bilhah, his half-brothers’ mother and Jacob’s concubine. Sad.

Today we see Jacob as the changed man that we honor as one of the three patriarchs of Israel (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob): Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone. (Gen 35:3)

I am always saddened when I read of Rachel dying at childbirth, of Jacob losing the woman he loved. I think of my own mother dying with five young children and how my father must have felt to have to experience this.

We have no record of Jacob ever seeing his mother again. There is no happy family reunion with Isaac and Rebekah, not even any mention of Rebekah except that of her nurse, Deborah’s death and burial (Gen 35:8). Also, we only have two verses mentioning Isaac – his age and his death and burial by Jacob and Esau (Gen 35:28-29)

Blessings!