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Posts Tagged ‘joseph’

The Greater Blesses the Lesser

Posted in Bible Study, Genesis, God, God Stories, Responsibility, Service, tagged , , , , , , on February 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Genesis 46-47, The Greater Blesses the Lesser. When Jacob and his family arrive in Egypt, Joseph brings his father in to meet Pharoah. Pharoah is the king of Egypt, the highest office in the land. While he has elevated Joseph to the highest administrative role in all the land, ultimate authority still rests with Pharoah. Yet when Jacob enters into Pharoah’s presence it is Jacob who blesses Pharoah… twice. From our perspective millennia later, we know that the relationship between Israel and Egypt has been a tumultuous one with slavery, genocide, war and general distrust, but in this case honor and blessing are given. It seems incongruous that Jacob is the one doing the blessing in the context of Israel needing deliverance from the famine and Egypt being the place of that rescue.

But in the bigger picture, God is already at work implementing His amazing act of cosmic deliverance. Through the cruel acts of Israel’s sons, Joseph was sent to Egypt to prepare for the famine. Joseph’s interpretation of the dreams and his wise accumulation of resources prior to the famine saved Egypt and Israel. God was working through Jacob’s family to deliver the Pharoah and his people. And God, who had wrestled with Jacob many years prior, spoke to Jacob at Beersheba, He was directing him to settle in Egypt in preparation for His next cosmic move. We know God’s work through Abraham’s descendants was just getting started but already we see worldly powers recognizing and submitting to God’s blessing through His people.

We are called to continue God’s blessing into the world we live in. We are not called to be uninvolved observers, but rather active participants in God’s redeeming work today. And we do that from the place of staying close to the Father and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

LORD, you have blessed us richly by drawing us into relationship with you. Teach us and lead us into divine conversations where you bless through our words and actions. May your mercy, grace, truth and love flow from our lives in such a way that others come to know you. Jesus, be lifted up. Jesus, be exalted. Jesus, be glorified in us and through us today.  

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Time and Waiting

Posted in Bible Study, Genesis, tagged , , , , , , , on February 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Genesis 41-42, Time and Waiting. Being a person inclined to activity, I have not always appreciated waiting. In fact, choosing between waiting quietly or finding something TO DO while I am forced to wait is not really a choice. The term “killing time” was invented for people like me. Yet, I recognize that I have not exactly aligned with God’s best in this. While God exists outside of time, He was intentional in placing us into the context of time. Much of what God desires to do in us is framed by time. In fact, much of His most consequential work is a product of His grace experienced over time. In today’s reading we see God’s use of time in the lives of Joseph, his brother’s, and even for the people in the ancient near East in Joseph’s day.

If God had not given the dream to Pharoah, had Joseph interpret the dream, and given seven years of abundance to prepare for the seven years of famine, the entire region would have suffered. As it was, there was grain enough for Egypt and the surrounding areas because the seven years of abundance was wisely used thanks to Joseph. This theme of using time wisely is subtle but important in Joseph’s story.  Joseph had been separated from his birth family for at least 20 years by the time his brothers came seeking to buy grain. In that time God had raised and blessed Joseph to the second highest official in the land of Egypt. We must remember that for 13 years of that time he was either a slave or a prisoner. That would be waiting of a rather mean and challenging sort. But God’s work in the intervening years also did a work in Joseph’s brothers. There seems to be real remorse on their part for what they did to their brother.

As I ponder and pray this morning, my mind goes to many wonderful things God has done in my life over time. Thankfulness flows naturally. Then I consider the things I am still waiting for. Joseph’s story helps me to recognize that God is at work even when I don’t see immediate results. He is there in the midst of my waiting. He is ever present and He is at work. My faith is stretched in waiting. Knowing He has heard my prayers and met my needs before, I know I can trust Him with those that are still to be seen. And for this, I can wait.

Thank you, faithful LORD. We wait on you today.

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The LORD Was With Him

Posted in Bible Study, Genesis, God, Prayer, Responsibility, The Father, Trials, tagged , , , , , on February 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Genesis 38-40, The LORD Was With Him. It would have been easy for Joseph to give up and throw the towel in at numerous points along the way. In yesterday’s reading his brothers first sought to kill him but were turned away at the last minute by the oldest brother, Reuben, and they sold him into slavery instead. Today we see him serving as a slave for a decade before he is lied about and thrown into prison. He had taken the high moral ground with his master’s wife only to have her turn on him when he wouldn’t have sex with her. Talk about being punished for doing the right thing. And then in prison, he interprets the dreams of two of the king’s servants only to have them forget him when they have a chance to put in a good word for him. (I guess we can give the baker a pass since the interpretation he got coming true wasn’t exactly memorable in a positive way!)

Jacob / Israel, Joseph’s father, had a number of occasions through the years where the LORD spoke to him to direct his steps. We don’t get that kind of insight into Joseph. Scripture doesn’t describe God speaking to him in the same way. What we do see is the phrase “the LORD was with him” four times in today’s reading and then we see both natural and supernatural gifting that sets Joseph apart from others. Joseph’s actions are primarily on the up and up. We don’t see the deception and manipulation that characterized his father’s life as a young man. Instead, he is the recipient of “harm” because of deception and manipulation. What is beautiful to see, and a character trait to emulate, is that he did not stop trusting in the LORD who was with him. Even in the “unfair” situations he kept finding himself, he continued to rely on the LORD who was with him. And in the readings thus far, God has already used him to bless others. I can’t wait to see what the LORD does next with this kind of faith.

LORD, Joseph’s faith is impressive. I can only imagine the times he was mistreated and the temptation to despair. Yet you remained with him and he continued to put his trust in you. I can picture the head jailer remembering Joseph’s comments about you leading him to bring the cupbearer and baker to Joseph so that you could provide the interpretation of their dreams. LORD, help us to have such faith. A faith that endures adversity.  A faith that paints a picture of you because of how we live and the words we speak. And may others be blessed in coming to know you because we freely shared the LORD who is with us.

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Wisdom to Stay Silent

Posted in Genesis, Holy Spirit, Prayer, tagged , , , , , , on February 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Genesis 35-37, The Wisdom to Stay Silent. I have come to realize, through painful lessons of opening my mouth when it would have been best left shut, that there is great wisdom to staying silent and only speaking when it is appropriate. Mark Twain is credited with the saying, “best to be quiet and thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.” There are a few times when this might have applied for me, but I am speaking of something a bit different. Having walked with the LORD for many years now and having experienced His grace and gifts in some pretty amazing ways, I have not always been as wise in talking and sharing about those gifts as I should. In fact, God’s blessings are wonderful to receive, but they do not all fall on us equally or at the same time. There is common grace which is available to every living being. But God will bless us beyond common grace, and it is often gifting to support our calling. The problem is that God’s gifts are received by us while we are still in the process of being sanctified. I don’t know about everyone else, but I know that I still have areas where pride, impatience, and greed have somewhat of a hold. And like Joseph, sometimes we can talk about things in a way or at a time that is not the wisest choice.

God gives Joseph two prophetic dreams. As the next to youngest son, he is very low in the pecking order of a house full of boys. Yet his dreams suggest superiority over his brothers (and even his parents!) Right there is when the alarm bells of pride should go off, and silence and contemplative prayer would be a good response. Instead, Joseph blurts out his dreams in the middle of the family meal (okay, I added the family meal part, but he makes sure everyone knows how special he is). His dad had already made Joseph a bit of a pariah among the boys by treating him with special affection. By bragging about his dream, Joseph unwittingly sets the stage for a being kidnapped and trafficked by his brothers. God, being sovereign and outside of time, knows all this is going down and He will work through it to bring those prophetic dreams to pass. I can’t help but think that silence and waiting on God’s timing would have resulted in a much less painful ascension for Joseph.

Father, our prayer is simple today. Help us to be silent when that is called for. Help us to speak when that is appropriate. And LORD, give us the wisdom to know the difference between the two.

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