It is hard to believe that the organizer of the our Bible put so much rich text in one day's reading. We could camp on today's reading for several days. I just love the story of Joseph. There are so many questions to ponder:
- Why did his brothers say there were 12 brothers? (42:13) They thought Joe was dead.
- What was the real motive behind Joseph's scheme?
- Did he plan his scheme out or did he make it up as he went along?
- Why did Judah become the spokesperson for the family when Reuben was the first born? Was Reuben so troubled from what happened that he could not handle the first born's responsibilities?
Today's lesson took me to a place that I have not been when I read this story before: in the dusty sandals of the brothers. It pained me to think of the years they spent in agony over what they had done. They lived with the burden of this deception for 15 years. Girls, that is a long time to carry around "junk in the trunk."
I have tried to imagine all of them sitting around the fire with their father eating and sharing fellowship then suddenly, the sting of the past hits one of them and the tone of the entire evening changes. Or perhaps they'd be out in the fields remembering what is was like to see Joseph coming to "check up" on them and realized that is was not so bad after all to have the younger brother around. Don't you know that played out the scene of telling Jacob the story in their heads thousands of times. Oh, and the sleepless nights, you know they had them. Maybe some of them, well we know for sure Judah, fell into more sin.
Fifteen years is too long to carry around the burden of past sin. It brings nothing but heartache and creates a canyon between us and our Father. The sooner we can confess and empty the junk from our trunk the sooner we can live in freedom to be who He wants us to be.
I love the reunion scene between the brothers. 45:14-15:
Weeping with joy, he embraced Benjamin, and Benjamin did the same. Then Joseph kissed each of his brothers and wept over them, and after that they began talking freely with him.
Can you hear the years of tears of sorrow, repentance, and regret? Can you hear the tears of joy, forgiveness, and acceptance? The scripture tells us "they began talking freely with him." Freely indicates the hard feeling were gone and family was reunited. I can picture in my mind's eye Joseph asking about Jacob and going from brother to brother catching up on life.
How harmful it is for us to harbor sins of the past. Doing so redirects our future to travel on sod we were never meant to travel. Let's ask God to show us anything that we need to get rid of from our past that is misdirecting our present and future. Be intentional about listening to His voice. Sometimes He speaks with thunder and sometimes you have to be close enough to hear His whisper.
Have an awesome weekend sistas'!
12 Comments:
What came to mind about Judah stepping forward is the scriptures in 2 Chron. 20:15-21, where the Lord said to send out the praisers first, Judah's name means "praise"...just a thought. It talks about the battle being the Lord's and Jacob surrendered(Gen. 43:14)two years later his sons returning with Benjamin.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Raylene
Boone, IA
Love your questions...I will surely be pondering them today!
I always cry when i read about Joseph recognizing them when they don't recognize him and he turns his back to weep over them. I think we would free so much love in our lives if we would but humble ourselves.
I also wondered why Jacob was fearful for Benjamin's life...did the favortism now rest on Rachel's other son? And, I wonder if the rejection the sons felt was a generational sin passed through their mothers/Leah and would be felt regardless if there were any sons by Rachel or not. I'm pondering today. Happy weekend!
I love the title of this post! I can hear the song in my head...will probably hear it all day now :o)
You're right - there was so much in today's reading. I appreciated all your thoughts and questions. In thinking about Joseph's scheme, it turned out to be a wonderful way for Joseph to see how his brothers really felt now about Rachel's other son. Their actions reveal that their hearts have changed.
I too questioned why Judah came forward. Years later we read of the tribe of Benjamin staying with the tribe of Judah when everyone else deserted it.
My focus today was on all the verses that spoke of Joseph weeping. My heart was touched by his tender heart. There are times in our life when tears are our only response. Words fall short of expression. Nothing audible could convey our emotions. Tears are a universal language. They speak for themselves. Words would only mar their sacred shedding. Tears speak louder and clearer than the most trained voice.
For many years I was one who guarded herself against tears. I would set my jaw and close myself off from feeling. My heart was hard and cold. I didn’t want to be moved by pain that would cut deep. I wanted to be strong. I wanted to stay in control. The Lord has done an amazing work on this callous heart of mine. He took what was dead and numb and has birthed sensitivity and compassion. He has given me His heart for others and has thawed ice.
Joseph’s heart was pliable, forgiving, kind and filled with love. I pray my heart will be as well.
Have a blessed weekend,
Joy
Wendy - great questions. I love reading the life of Joseph. I loved how He has reminded me that even though "bad" things happen to me that His hand is still on it all.
Thanks again ladies for all of your comments on here - I love reading them all!
Amy - Kingston ON
I love how God sees the big picture and we are reminded of this so clearly when His plan is played out and described by Joseph.
God placed Joseph right where he needed to be; gave him the life experiences he needed to have; so he could save his family's lives years later. I pray for more trust that my life will play out for God's will to be done. I don't like being in pits; never have and never will...but I hope that when I find myself in one again that I remember Joseph's attitude and commitment to God.
I also noticed a foreshadowing of Jesus with Gen 44:30 - "Our Father's life is bound up in the boy's life". Anyone else see that?
Have a good weekend...keep reading!
Morgen - MN
Jacob’s favoritism was still screaming at me in today’s passage.
In verse 37 Reuben says to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I don’t bring Benjamin back to you. I’ll be responsible for him, and I promise to bring him back.” But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and HE IS ALL I HAVE LEFT. (It seems that Jacob’s 10 other sons mean very little to him.)
Verse 43:6 reads, “Why were you so cruel TO ME?” Jacob moaned. “Why did you tell him you had another brother?” (Jacob’s filter is very self-directed.)
As Judah pleads with Joseph for Benjamin’s safety, he retells the family history and recounts Jacob’s words, “Then my father said to us, ‘AS YOU KNOW, my wife had two sons.” (I’m sure Jacob told the boys over and over through the years about Rachel being the love of his life, and probably very little about the moms of his other sons.)
In the scene with Joseph, Judah states, “And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father’s life is BOUND UP in the boy’s life. If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die… My lord, I guaranteed to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.’” (It sounds like the 10 have finally given up trying to get Jacob to notice them as individuals and now seek only what Jacob wants.)
Jacob himself was his mother’s favorite while his brother was his dad’s. He knew the pain of being unimportant to a parent, and yet he did the very same thing. What I’ve learned from this is that having favorites is very easy to fall into, but the consequences are very long-lived and painful.
Today I contemplated on the truth that no man can do anything to us that God doesn't allow--and that He won't turn to our good. (Romans 8:28)
There is such peace in that! Have a good weekend everyone.
Luanne
Wisconsin
I've always thought that the story of Reuben and his mis-deeds was intereting. Reuben is the one who slept with his father's concubine, and then later saved Joseph from his brothers by suggesting that they put him in the cistern - which led to his being sold into Egypt - instead of being killed.
I wonder if Reuben was trying to cover his tracks (of sleeping with his father's concubine) by trying to do something good (save his father's favorite son from being killed).
Unfortunately, we find later in Genesis that it didn't work. When Abraham was on his deathbed and called the sons together so that he could give his final directives he said, "(3) Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. (Sidenote: Reuben must have had some glimmer of hope here!) (4) Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it." (Sidenote: Reuben has lost all hope.)
I know it doesn't really matter, and we all know that God works things according to his own plan. But I also believe that the 'ancients' surely had the same thought processes as we do...... 'Can I get out of this mess by doing something realy good?'
Fortunately, our sins are forgiven and forgotten. Praise God!!
Again we see a foreshadow of Christ as Joseph was sent before his family to preserve life. Because of Christ dying in our place, no we have eternal life with the Father. Joseph never forgot his dream throughout his pit and palace experiences.
My prayer is that we would all pause in our “pits” and remember God is always working for us to fulfill his perfect plan for our lives and his people.
Have a restful weekend ladies!
Debbie - North Carolina
Hey, Wendy! My daily NIV Chrono reading has not been in synch with the NLT Chrono of late. But your Genesis reading today lines up perfectly with a portion of scripture our Gather & Grow will be covering tonight in Lysa's book "...Walk in Faith".
I love this scripture! And when they all were reunited, I wrote in my Bible margin "Family Reunion"! Now, I am singing the song your title is from "Reunited and it feels so good"....
I have gotten a special fondness for Reuben and Benjamin. :)
Have a great weekend!
Warm blessings,
Sharon
Below is what Dr. David Jeramiah said yesterday in his daily Bible writings....
The earliest, and still the best, biblical example of a steward is Joseph--the favorite son of Jacob who was sold as a slave into Egypt by his jealous brothers. So rich was the blessing of God on Joseph that his Egyptian master, the wealthy Potiphar, made Joseph the overseer and manager (steward) of his entire household. Joseph was responsible for everything: finances, the other servants and employees, and Potiphar's reputation as it related to all his affairs. A steward's chief occupation is to do what his master would want done. To that end, a steward's responsibilities can be summed up in the words loyalty and faithfulness.
The thing I noticed is how often Joseph wept. He obviously loved his family much, and was greatly pained by the loss of them for so many years. Yet he forgave them so freely. He is a much bigger person than I am. Lots of learning here.
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