~~~~~Lesson: Genesis, Chapter 40 (reading below lesson)
1) Today, Joseph first interprets dreams, which will lead to an important change in his life, the life of his family, and the life of his descendants. And it all started while he was in prison. The simplest of actions, helping another in whatever way he could, led to an entire change in Joseph's life...though it took awhile for that change to occur. We also have the curious doubling (two dreams) that we noted earlier. This is a literary effects used throughout the book to show how God "ties things together." Questions: Has a small action in your life led to big changes? Did you even realize at the moment how important that small action was? What can we learn from this story to apply to our everyday life? ~Reading: Genesis: Chapter 40 (2-5) Pharaoh was angry with his two courtiers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the chief steward (the same jail where Joseph was confined). The chief steward assigned Joseph to them, and he became their attendant. After they had been in custody for some time, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt who were confined in the jail both had dreams on the same night, each dream with its own meaning. (8-9) They answered him, "We have had dreams, but there is no one to interpret them for us." Joseph said to them, "Surely, interpretations come from God. Please tell the dreams to me." Then the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. "In my dream," he said, "I saw a vine in front of me..." (12-14) Joseph said to him: "This is what it means. The three branches are three days; within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your post. You will be handing Pharaoh his cup as you formerly used to do when you were his cupbearer. So if you will still remember, when all is well with you, that I was here with you, please do me the favor of mentioning me to Pharaoh, to get me out of this place." [Joseph interprets baker's dream] (20-23) And in fact, on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, when he gave a banquet to all his staff, with his courtiers around him, he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and chief baker. He restored the chief cupbearer to his office, so that he again handed the cup to Pharaoh; but the chief baker he impaled- just as Joseph had told them in his interpretation. Yet the chief cupbearer gave no thought to Joseph; he had forgotten him.”
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~~~~~Lesson: Genesis: Chapter 39 (reading below lesson)
1) Throughout the earlier story of the patriarchs, we often discussion "if" people's actions were used by God. QW discussed about whether Laben cheating Jacob out of his first choice as wife was a way to increase Jacob's offspring, if Rebekah's actions to help Jacob "steal" Esau's blessing, etc. For the first time in the story of the patriarch's, it is written clearly that God blessed Joseph's actions and helped him to prosper. 2) Joseph is falsely accused. If Joseph fled with his cloak behind, it is fully likely that he fled completely naked. Even if he wasn't, the most he would have had underneath was a thin tunic. This is important to understand why her having the cloak was such a big deal. "Cloak" is NOT interchangeable with "coat" in our current language. It is more interchangeable with "clothes!" 3) Even while falsely accused and thrown in prison, God helps Joseph and blessed him. Again, it is clearly written out what God was doing. We don't have to guess. Questions: Have you ever been falsely accused of something? Did you struggle to understand how God could use or could do that to you?? Have you attempted to follow God's will and felt that someone else was thwarting your attempts? Has someone asked for your advice, and you gave them what you felt God would want them to do and then they specifically ignored the advice they asked for? ~Reading: Genesis: Chapter 39 When Joseph was taken down to Egypt, a certain Egyptian (Potiphar, a courtier of Pharoah and his chief steward) bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. But since the Lord was with him, Joseph got on very well and was assigned to the household of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and brought him success in whatever he did, he took a liking to Joseph and made him his personal attendant; he put him in charge of his household and entrusted to him all his possessions. From the moment that he put him in charge of his household and all his possessions, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; in fact, the Lord's blessing was on everything he owned, both inside the house and out. Having left everything he owned in Joseph's charge, he gave no thought, with Joseph there, to anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was strikingly handsome in countenance and body. After a time, his master's wife began to look fondly at him and said, "Lie with me." But he refused. "As long as I am here," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, but has entrusted to me all he own. He wields no more authority in this house than I do, and he had withheld from me nothing but yourself, since you are his wife. How, then, could I commit so great a wrong and thus stand condemned before God?" Although she tried to entice him day after day, he would not agree to lie beside her, or even stay near her. One such day, when Joseph came into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were then in the house, she laid hold of him by his cloak, saying, "Lie with me!" But leaving the cloak in her hand, he got away from her and ran outside. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand as she fled outside, she screamed for her household servants and told them, "Look! my husband has brought in a Hebrew slave to make sport of us! He came in here to lie with me, but I cried out as loud as I could. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran away outside." She kept the cloak with her until his master came home. Then she told him the same story: "The Hebrew slave whom you brought here broke in on me, to make sport of me. But when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and fled outside." As soon as the master heard his wife's story about how his slave had treated her, he became enraged. He seized Joseph and threw him into the jail where the royal prisoners were confined. But even while he was in prison, the Lord remained with Joseph; he showed him kindness by making the chief jailer well-disposed toward him. The chief jailer put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners in the jail, and everything that had to be done there was done under his management. The chief jailer did not concern himself with anything at all that was in Joseph's charge, since the Lord was with him and brought success to all he did.” |
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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