In ancient times, a man's seal, cord, and staff were the symbols of his identity, much as a driver's license is today.
Many seals are found in archeological sites, giving us outside verification of people that existed during certain times and places mentioned in the Bible.
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My suggestion would be to start a notebook and add to the time line as we work our way through the Bible. In my "study" notebook, I have genealogies, outlines, time lines, etc. This aids in my understanding and comprehension of the Bible. Of course, it is up to you whether to keep a notebook or not!
Timeline: 1526 b.c.- Moses' birth 1446 b.c.- The plagues and the first Passover 1446 b.c.- The exodus 1446 b.c.- The Ten commandments & Mt. Sinai 1446-1406 b.c.- The desert wanderings Outline: I. Preparation for Israel's Deliverance from Bondage (1-4) II. Israel's Deliverance from Bondage (5-18) ---a. Pharaoh's Resistance and the Lord's Reassurance (5:1-6:27) ---b. Plagues on Egypt (6:28-12:36) ---c. The Exodus from Egypt to Mt. Sinai (12:37-18:27) III. The Covenant at Sinai (19-24) IV. The Tabernacle for Worship (25-40) ---a. Instructions for Tabernacle Construction and Furnishings (25-31) ---b. The Golden Calf (32-34) ---c. Tabernacle Construction (35-40) Written: It is believed that Moses wrote Exodus (which means departure) during the time of wandering. Of course, later audiences did add updates, etc. But the basics are believed to have been written by Moses. Audience: Later Israelites would read (or have read to them, more often) Exodus for the purpose of understanding their origins, understanding their God, and understanding the laws that he placed them under. It is the equivalent of us reading the gospels in order to understand where Jesus came from and what his message was. One of the major themes is actually God's love for the people. Many people who read this book today comment on the "wrathful God of the Old Testament"....but look how much God loved them: he provided their basic needs in the desert with manna, and then with quail when they complained about the manna.....he gave them basic laws to help them become better people....he performed miracles to save them from bondage....the list could go on and on. It is important when reading to discard any "current" views of the books, and try to read it fresh each time, even if you've read it ten times before! ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis: Chapters 47-50 (reading after lesson)
Joseph uses the famine to collect first all of the livestock, secondly all of the farmland, and lastly, the very persons (they become slaves) of every Egyptian for Pharaoh. It is arguable that he also is profiting from this.... Question: Is it fair/moral of Joseph to take these peoples every possessions and also their freedom? Why or why not? Do you believe there could be a better course of action...if so, what? Do you think his harsh land policy led to the Hebrews later slavery? I skipped the many blessing of Jacob because it is widely believed that the blessings were later added during the "kings" phase of Israel. Jacob was insistent that he be buried with his ancestors in Canaan. His sons, especially Jacob, carried this wish out. Question: Do you think our burial place is important, since we believe in the resurrection? Is cremation an option? (This is of course, an OPINION....just let us know what you think!) ~Reading: Genesis: Chapters 47-50 (47:11-14) As Pharaoh had ordered, Joseph settled his father and brothers and gave them holdings in Egypt on the pick of the land, in the region of Ramses [Goshen]. And Joseph sustained his father and brothers and his father's whole household, down to the youngest, with food. Since there was no food in any country because of the extreme severity of the famine, and the lands of Egypt and Canaan were languishing from hunger, Joseph gathered in, as payment for the rations that were being dispensed, all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan, and he put it in Pharaoh's palace. (47:20) Thus Joseph acquired all the farm land of Egypt for Pharaoh, since with the famine too much for them to bear, every Egyptian sold his field; so the land passed over to Pharaoh. (47:25-26) "You have saved our lives!" they [the people in Egypt] answered. "We are grateful to my lord that we can be Pharaoh's slaves." Thus Joseph made it a law for the land of Egypt, which is still in force, that a fifth of its produce should go to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did none pass over to Pharaoh. (49:28-29) [Jacob pronounces blessings on everyone] All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said about them, as he bade them farewell and gave to each of them an appropriate message. Then he gave them this charge: "Since I am about to be taken to my kindred, bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies in the field of Ephron the Hittite [in Canaan]. (50:14) After Joseph had buried his father he returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all who had gone up with him for the burial of his father. [Joseph takes care of everyone for years] (50:24-26) Joseph said to his brothers: "I am about to die. God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Then putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued, "When God thus takes care of you, you must bring my bones up with you from this place." Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. He was embalmed and laid to rest in a coffin in Egypt. ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapter 46 (reading after lesson)
There is a touching scene in which Jacob and Joseph are re-united. There is Joseph's usual craftiness by having his brothers get together and all say they are shepherds in order to settle in Goshen. And most importantly, there is God's promise to Jacob in his dream that he will deliver him from Egypt. God is making a threefold promise here, though Jacob may not have known it at the time. He is promising Jacob that he will have his remains returned to Canaan after death. He is promising the Hebrews that they will be delivered from Egypt during their slavery. And he is promising the Jewish people that their Messiah will be brought from Egypt, which Jesus was, after his parents fled there. God's promises always come true. There is no doubt of that. Question: Have you personally had God answer a prayer? If you're willing, will you please share? The apostles thought Jesus would be back for the End Times before their lives were over. And tens, if not hundreds, of times since then people have thought the world was going to end. Jesus himself said that only the Father knew when that time was. I actually met someone today who believes it is the end times and that the world is ending in 2012 (December 21st to be exact)....this is a smart, articulate person. Who believes, in her ignorance, that she knows what Jesus said no man would know. Question: Have you met people who are preaching the end times? Are they preaching Jesus' message? Or their own message? Now, don't get me wrong, I'm NOT claiming to know when the end times are. We may be in them. I don't know...I don't think so, but I don't know. I'm simply saying that if someone is proclaiming something against what Jesus said....don't listen to them! Question: What is the wildest claim you have heard from someone...a claim that just made you scratch your head and say "Where in the world did they get THAT?" ~Reading: Genesis: Chapter 46 (1-7) Israel set out with all that was his. When he arrived at Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. There God, speaking to Israel in vision by night, called, "Jacob! Jacob!" "Here I am," he answered. Then he said: "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you a great nation. Not only will I go down to Egypt with you, I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes." So Jacob departed from Beer-sheba, and the sons of Israel put their father and their wives and children on the wagons that Pharaoh had sent for his transport. They took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Thus Jacob and all his descendants migrated to Egypt. His sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters- all his descendants- he took with him to Egypt. (28-34) Israel had sent Judah ahead to Joseph, so that he might meet him in Goshen. On his arrival in the region of Goshen, Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot and rode to meet his father Israel in Goshen. As soon as he saw him, he flung himself on his neck and wept a long time in his arms. And Israel said to Joseph, "At last I can die, now that I have seen for myself that Joseph is still alive." Joseph then said to his brothers and his father's household: "I will go and inform Pharaoh, telling him: 'My brothers and my father's household, whose home is in the land of Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds, having long been keepers of livestock; and they have brought with them their flocks and herds, as well as everything else they own.' So when Pharaoh summons you and asks what your occupation is, you must answer, 'We your servants, like our ancestors, have been keepers of livestock from the beginning until now,' in order that you may stay in the region of Goshen, since all shepherds are abhorrent to the Egyptians." ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapters 44 (part 2) & 45 (reading after lesson)
Note Judah's complete surrender and offer to save his brother Benjamin. What devotion! And how at odds with his behavior years earlier, especially since Benjamin is also Jacob's favorite- which was the situation that originally led to their betrayal of Joseph. Question: Are there events in your life which have caused you to change your behavior, even if in a small way? Joseph tests his brothers before trusting them again. But God forgives us without any test, and being all-knowing, knowing that we will make many more mistakes, and still loves us. Question: In what ways can we attempt to imitate that love? Joseph bluntly states that him being sold into Egypt was God's will and that he is now fulfilling God's will by being "ruler" over Egypt in Pharaoh's stead. Questions: In what areas do you KNOW God is directing you? How do you feel when you do something you know God wants or would want you to do? ~Reading: Genesis: Chapters 44 (part 2) & 45 (44:17) "Far be it from me to act thus!" said Joseph. "Only the one in whose possession the goblet was found shall become my slave; the rest of you may go back safe and sound to your father." (44:30-33) [Judah said] "If then the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, whose very life is bound up with his, he will die as soon as he sees that the boy is missing; and your servants will thus send the white head of our father down to the nether world in grief. Besides, I, your servant, got the boy from his father by going surety for him, saying, 'If I fail to bring him back to you, father, you can hold it against me forever.' Let me, your servant, therefore, remain in place of the boy as the slave of my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers." (45:4-10) "Come closer to me," he [Joseph] told his brothers. When they had done so, he said: "I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt. But now do not be distressed, and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here. It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of you. For two years now the famine has been in the land, and for five more years tillage will yield no harvest. God, therefore, sent me on ahead of you to ensure for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance. So it was not really you but God who had me come here; and he has made of me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his household, and ruler over the whole land of Egypt. "Hurry back, then, to my father and tell him: 'Thus says your son Joseph: God had made me lord of all Egypt; some to me without delay. You will settle in the region of Goshen, where you will be near me- you and your children and your grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything that you own.'" (45:25-28)So they left Egypt and made their way to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. When they told him, "Joseph is still alive- in fact, it is he who is ruler of all the land of Egypt," he was dumbfounded; he could not believe them. But when they recounted to him all that Joseph had told them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent for his transport, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. "It is enough," said Israel. "My son Joseph is alive! I must go and see him before I die." ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapter 43 (part 2) & 44 (part 1) (reading after lesson)
What a predicament for the brothers: they had promised their father to bring back Benjamin, and then he is caught STEALING, which means he must stay in Egypt as a slave! Question: Do you think the brother's believed Benjamin when he proclaimed his innocence? Or did they assume he was guilty and still love him anyway (later we'll see definite proof of their love for him)? Question: Have you ever been falsely accused of something or felt that people were accusing you in their minds? How did it make you feel? Do you think it affected your relationship with them? Joseph is a gracious and kind host, if a bit unorthodox (giving the youngest choice portion, concern for their family). Question: In your everyday life, are there places you can be "a gracious host," by showing extra kindness or showing interest in their lives? Where are they? What could you do? ~Reading: Genesis: Chapter 43 (part 2) & 44 (part 1) (43:15) So the men [Jacob's sons] got the gifts, took double the amount of money with them, and, accompanied by Benjamin, were off on their way down to Egypt to present themselves to Joseph. (43:24-31)The steward then brought the men inside Joseph's house. He gave them water to bathe their feet, and got fodder for their donkeys. Then they set out their gifts to await Joseph's arrival at noon, for they had heard that they were to dine there. When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought inside, while they bowed down before him to the ground. After inquiring how they were, he asked them, "And how is your aged father, of whom you spoke? Is he still in good health?" "Your servant our father is thriving and still in good health," they said, as they bowed respectfully. When Joseph's eye fell on his full brother Benjamin, he asked "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you told me?" Then he said to him, "May God be gracious to you, my boy!" With that, Joseph had to hurry out, for he was so overcome with affection for his brother that he was on the verge of tears. He went into a private room and wept there. After washing his face, he reappeared and, now in control of himself, gave the order, "Serve the meal." (44:1-2) Then Joseph gave his head steward these instructions: "Fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his bag. In the mouth of the youngest one's bag put also my silver goblet, together with the money for his rations." The steward carried out Joseph's instructions. (44:10-12) But he [the steward, after he caught up with the brothers] replied, "Even though it out to be as you propose, only the one who is found to have it shall become my slave, and the rest of you shall be exonerated." Then each of them eagerly lowered his bag to the ground and opened it; and when a search was made, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest, the goblet turned up in Benjamin's bag ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapter 43 (part 1)
Jacob (Israel) doesn't agree to them going back until supplies are exhausted (obviously putting them all at risk of starvation, including Benjamin). Again, Israel is reluctant to send his beloved Benjamin into possible harm's way. Judah takes the role of orchestrating the argument to allow them to go back to Egypt. His passionate words "you can hold it against me forever" are at contrast with his very next sentence which talks about "dilly-dallied." Israel agrees to let them go, but only after making sure they have sufficient gifts to help assure his beloved son's return. Though he does accept reality and God's will with his final words, "As for me, if I am to suffer bereavement, I shall suffer it." Often we humans are reluctant to accept the reality of the situations we are in. We try to "fool" ourselves and pretend that we have control of everything, that everything will be all right if we "just do this or just do that". Even the most miserable of souls are reluctant to invite God into their hearts. Oh, we cling to our independence with every fiber of our being. We forget that it is our independence that hurt us in the first place. God gave us free will and independence, because a true relationship of love needs independence. If one person is completely subject to another, love cannot exist. But the gift of free will is often a burden to us. We forget in our everyday life to daily ask God to dwell within our hearts and to keep a constant flow of conversation (or meditation) with God. Israel accepts God's will in his last sentence. A great saint said "I will suffer whatever is pleasing to God." This is the ultimate acceptance of God!! What a blessing it would be if we could all strive to be like this. Attempting to do "good works" and forcing ourselves to do "what we think God wants" is a foolish waste of time. We must accept God into our hearts with every bit of longing we have...then the good works and the correct behavior will flow out of us through his grace. Question: When have you denied God presence in your heart? Why did you do so? Is there a moment in which you were completely open to God’s presence in your heart? What caused it (besides God)? ~Reading: Genesis: Chapter 43, part 1 (1-14) Now the famine in the land grew more sever. So when they had used up all the rations they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and procure us a little more food." But Judah replied: "The man strictly warned us, 'You shall not appear in my presence unless your brother is with you.' If you are willing to let our brother go with us, we will go down to procure food for you. But if you are not willing, we will not go down, because the man told us, 'You shall not appear in my presence unless your brother is with you.'" Israel demanded, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man that you had another brother?" They answered: "The man kept asking about ourselves and our family: 'Is your father still living? Do you have another brother?' We had to answer his questions. How could we know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?" Then Judah urged his father Israel: "Let the boy go with me, that we may be off and on our way if you and we and our children are to keep from starving to death. I myself will stand surety for him. You can hold me responsible for him. If I fail to bring him back, to set him in your presence, you an hold it against me forever. Had we not dilly-dallied, we could have been there and back twice by now!" Their father Israel then told them: "If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the land's best products in your baggage and take them down to the man as gifts: some balm and honey, gum and resin, and pistachios and almonds. Also take extra money along, for you must return the amount that was put back in the mouths of your bags; it may have been a mistake. Take your brother, too, and be off on your way to the man. May God Almighty dispose the man to be merciful toward you, so that he may let your other brother go, as well as Benjamin. As for me, if I am to suffer bereavement, I shall suffer it." ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapter 42 (reading below lesson)
First, note how Joseph tests his brothers with his request. These are the same brothers who believe that they are guilty of fratricide. Question: Does God test us? If so, how? If not, why not? Second, even Jacob, a great man of faith, cries out to God, "Why must such things always happen to me!" He has been blessed with a wife he loved, another wife, and TWELVE children...yes, losing a child no matter the circumstances is horrible, but he has practically seen God, and certainly had God's assurances about the future of his descendants. Question: Are they times when we cry out, "Why me?!" Why is it hard to remember that God loves us even when we are suffering? How do you help yourself to remember that God is always there during those times? ~Reading: Genesis: Chapter 42- Joseph’s Brothers Travel to Egypt (1-5) When Jacob learned that grain rations were available in Egypt, he said to his sons: "Why do you keep gaping at one another? I hear," he went on, "that rations of grain are available in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, that we may stay alive rather than die of hunger." So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy an emergency supply of grain from Egypt. It was only Joseph's full brother Benjamin that Jacob did not send with the rest, for he thought some disaster might befall him. Thus, since there was famine in the land of Canaan also, the sons of Israel were among those who came to procure rations. (17-26) [Joseph accuses his brothers of being spies] With that, he locked them up in the guard-house for three days. On the third day Joseph said to them: "Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man. If you have been honest, only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison, while the rest of you may go and take home provisions for your starving families. But you must come back to me with your youngest brother. Your words will thus be verified, and you will not die." To this they agreed. To one another, however, they said: "Alas, we are being punished because of our brother. We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us, yet we paid no heed; this is why this anguish has now come upon us." "Didn't I tell you," broke in Reuben, "not to do wrong to that boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now comes the reckoning for his blood." They did not know, of course, that Joseph understood what they said, since he spoke with them through an interpreter. But turning away from them, he wept. When he was able to speak to them again, he had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes. Then Joseph gave order to have their containers filled with grain, their money replaced in each one's sack and provisions given them for their journey. After this had been done for them, they loaded their donkeys with the rations and departed. (29) When they got back to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. (33-34) "Then the man who is lord of the country said to us: 'This is how I shall know if you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, while the rest of you go home with rations for your starving families. When you come back to me with your youngest brother, and I know that you are honest men and not spies, I will restore your brother to you, and you may move about freely in the land.'" (36-38) Their father Jacob said to them: "Must you make me childless? Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone, and now you would take away Benjamin! Why must such things always happen to me!" Then Reuben told this father: "Put him in my care, and I will bring him back to you. You may kill my own two sons if I do not return him to you." But Jacob replied: "My son shall not go down with you. Now that his full brother is dead, he is the only one left. If some disaster should befall him on the journey you must make, you would send my white head down to the nether world in grief." ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis: Chapter 42 (part 2) (reading below lesson)
One area that I glossed over below is that Joseph is given a new name by Pharaoh: Zaphnath-paneah. He is also given a wife and has two sons. The name "Zaphnath-paneah" means "God speaks, He lives." Pharaoh giving him this name is a small, but telling thing! Pharaoh, who has for his whole life worshipped multiple Gods, is listening to a Hebrew man who is bold enough to tell the Pharaoh of Egypt about his God. And Pharaoh listens to the obviously good advice, follows it, and elevates the man who gave him the good advice. This is not the view of Egypt that we will come to take later....we must remember, when looking at a country, area, or time period, that much of the general attitude of the day is determined by the leaders of those areas. This Pharaoh is open to the idea of the one true God, and elevates a foreigner to high position. Also note: Joseph's two sons, despite being born of an Egyptian wife, become two of the greatest tribes of Israel....what a change from later in Israel's history, when a foreigner is basically unwelcome, and certainly, unclean! Questions: Joseph allows God to lead him, and he causes changes. In what area have you allowed God to lead you? Even if you didn't see any changes, are you setting a good example in your everyday life? While we must always respect one another, is there a time you have "stood up" for God? ~Reading: Genesis: Chapter 41 (part 2) (33-42) [Joseph said] "Therefore, let Pharaoh seek out a wise and discerning man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Pharaoh should also take actions to appoint overseers, so as to regiment the land during the seven years of abundance. They should husband all the food of the coming good years, collecting the grain under pharaoh's authority, to be stored in the towns for food. This food will serve as a reserve for the country against the seven years of famine that are to follow in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish in the famine." This advice pleased Pharaoh and all his officials. "Could we find another like him," Pharaoh asked his officials, "a man so endowed with the spirit of God?" So Pharaoh said to Joseph: "Since God has made all this known to you, no one can be as wise and discerning as you are. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people shall dart at your command. Only in respect to the throne shall I outrank you. Herewith," Pharaoh told Joseph, "I place you in charge of the whole land of Egypt," With that, Pharaoh took of his signet ring and put it on Joseph's finger. He had him dressed in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. (47-48) During the seven years of plenty, when the land produced abundant crops, he husbanded all the food of these years of plenty that the land of Egypt was enjoying and stored it in the towns, placing in each town the crops of the fields around it. (53-57) When the seven years of abundance enjoyed by the land of Egypt came to an end, the seven years of famine set in, just as Joseph had predicted. Although there was famine in all the other countries, food was available throughout the land of Egypt. When the hunger came to be felt throughout the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread, Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph and do whatever he told them. When the famine had spread throughout the land, Joseph opened all the cities that had grain and rationed it to the Egyptians, since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt. In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain, for famine had gripped the whole world. ~~~~~Lesson: Genesis: Chapter 41 (part 1) (reading below lesson)
This story has so many great aspects to think about, along with the fact that it is beautifully written. First, the patience that Joseph demonstrates. The story really skims over the two plus YEARS that Joseph spent in jail. Yes, God blessed his work at that time, but still, over two years without freedom, having to eat what was given to you, having to sleep where you were told, etc. Joseph demonstrates amazing patience, simply by the fact that it is NOT mentioned how he dealt with those years. Secondly, the interpretation of dreams. It is common in our society today, as it was long ago, to believe in interpretation of dreams, those who could contact the dead, fortune-telling, etc. Joseph says flat out: "It is not I, but God." It is so easy in our society today, where being "open-minded" and "non-judgmental" are the keystones of the secular faith. Yes, being open-minded is good, Jesus was open to all sorts of people, and certainly didn't judge them. BUT, he also said "Go forth and sin no more." The secular view of proper behavior any more is that the only sin is to believe that people sin. If you say, "I don't think that's right," imagine the looks you'll get. In fact, you've probably gotten them yourself. We must remember in today's society that loving others does not mean condoning their sin; that being "open-minded" does not mean being "empty minded", and that not judging someone doesn't mean being honest about what sins they are committing. And everything we apply to other people, we must doubly apply to ourselves. If we are going to have a moral opinion about something, we must constantly work on ourselves so that we are a shining example of a Christian, not someone who embarrasses the very term Christian. When or where have you stood up and made a moral statement, no matter how small? What do you wish you could change in our society? Is that something you've already worked on in yourself? Is there a particular point in this story that makes an impression on you? (As always, FEEL FREE TO COMMENT WITH YOUR ANSWER OR ANYTHING ELSE!) ~Reading: Genesis: Chapter 41 (part 1) (1-16) After a lapse of two years, Pharaoh had a dream. He saw himself standing by the Nile, when up out of the Nile came seven cows, handsome and fat; they grazed in the reed grass. Behind them seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile; and standing on the bank of the Nile beside the others, the ugly, gaunt cows ate up the seven handsome, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had another dream. He saw seven ears of grain, fat and healthy, growing on a single stalk. Behind them sprouted seven ears of grain, thin and blasted by the east wind; and the seven thin ears swallowed up the seven fat, healthy ears. Then Pharaoh woke up, to find it was only a dream. Next morning his spirit was agitated. So he summoned all the magicians and sages of Egypt and recounted his dreams to them; but no one could interpret his dreams for him. Then the chief cupbearer spoke up and said to Pharaoh, "On this occasion I am reminded of my negligence. Once, when Pharaoh was angry, he put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the chief steward. Later, we both had dreams on the same night, and each of our dreams had its own meaning. There with us was a Hebrew youth, a slave of the chief steward; and when we told him our dreams, he interpreted them for us and explained for each of us the meaning of the dream. And it turned out just as he had told us: I was restored to my post, but the other man was impaled." Pharaoh therefore had Joseph summoned, and they hurriedly brought him for the dungeon. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he came into Pharaoh's presence. Pharaoh then said to him: "I had certain dreams that no one can interpret. But I hear it said of you that the moment you are told a dream you can interpret it." "It is not I," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God who will give Pharaoh the right answer." (25-32) Joseph said to Pharaoh: "Both of Pharaoh's dreams have the same meaning. God has thus foretold to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven healthy cows are seven years, and the seven healthy ears are seven years- the same in each dream. So also, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, as are the seven thin, wind-blasted ears; they are seven years of famine. It is just as I told Pharaoh: God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are now coming throughout the land of Egypt; but these will be followed by seven years of famine, when all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. When the famine has ravaged the land, no trace of the abundance will be found in the land because of the famine that follows is- so utterly sever will that famine be. That Pharaoh had the same dream twice means that the matter has been reaffirmed by God and that God will soon bring it about. |
Jennifer Becker Landsberger
Who am I? Freelance writer (magazines, websites, & copywriting), Catholic, military wife, and Mensan. Double Bachelor's in History & Psychology. Witnessing by charity and love are above all. Studying the Bible and beyond helps me on this quest. Feel free to join my walk into the Bible.
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Oh creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with a loving knowledge of you, that I may bring you like to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries what you have revealed. Categories
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I promise: 1. I will pray that God's grace helps illuminate all of our interactions- both those of simple reading and more active conversations. 2. I will communicate with you respectfully and civilly. These are (rightly) issues which we feel passionate about. But even in disagreements, I will respect you fellow "seekers of truth." 3. I will not fall into negative behavior or words, such as insinuations, exaggerations, blames, or personal attacks. I respectfully ask you to do the same. 4. I will pray we will all find the truth and strive to fulfill the two greatest commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) This site will occasionally feature paid posts! I always 100% verify everything I endorse. You will not see posts for products or sites I would not use myself.
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