Sunday, January 10, 2010
January 13 ... Genesis 38 - 40 "Joseph's Rescue Lands Him in Prison"
Genesis 39:2 - God was with Joseph. Oooh how I want that for my life. And even though in a palace behind closed doors, Joseph knew in his heart he could not violate the trust of his God and sin against Him. Never! So he ran from temptation. Wonder how I "let go" of my temptation. Am I running from it? Seems like yesterday I was vindicating myself in a situation---stagnating and it stinks! So there goes Joseph to jail...and verse 39:20 says "God was with Joseph. God reached out in Kindness." That's so tender! I would so have loved to speak with Joseph in the prison and ask him how he was thinking now about God and that rescue caravan. His rescue landed him in prison. But God was with Him so what does it matter where you are---palace or prison. Then, what maybe two years later, an opportunity to interpret Pharaoh's dream comes. Joseph interprets it right! Gen 40:23 - FORGOTTEN a.g.a.i.n. That's 3 major times...forgotten by his brothers; forgotten by the cupbearer; forgotten by Pharaoh. Joseph found something within those four prison walls that could not keep him bound. He found Peace. He found Rest. Am I looking for my circumstances to change or for my heart to find rest in the midst of my mess. Joseph found a good God who didn't deliver Him out of his prison...at least not yet.
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I had similar thoughts today. When we feel like we are in the worst possible place or situation, Gen. 39:2 & 20 says, "Even there, God is still with us".
ReplyDeleteMay we with God's help have Joseph's courage to stand true, to remain loyal and not compromise.
Joseph was forgotten,yet right in that dark "hole" (whether it's a cistern or 4-walled, dank prison cell), his God ministered to him. I have to ask myself how I can be blinded to feel alone in my hard situations. I've known both--a sure and carrying God through my difficult times, and an unbearable loneliness at others all while claiming to walk with the Lord. The only difference was the condition of my heart to be open to receive Him. He was always there. "Even there, God is still with us."
ReplyDeleteAnd what about Tamar sleeping secretly with Judah to shame him into offering her to his son? There's a lot of deception going on, and so far, women don't look too upstanding in their manipulative and seductive ways. How many times I have tried to control a situation in my own bumbling, manipulative way, and not asked God to make things right. My impatience and arrogance in assuming it SHOULD be made right on my account cause me not to flee temptation, not to courageously wait and act honorably. Joseph learned a few things in those dark holes because he left his heart open to God, and God was with him, even there.
'Nise, I pray with you that we may have courage and not compromise, remaining loyal.
I noticed the same thing, Bev. Joseph refuses to violate the trust of God and sin against Him, so he ran from the temptation of Potiphar's wife.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how in the moment that I'm tempted, I don't always immediately recognize that it's violating the trust of God. I get focused on what I want. I had one of those situations yesterday. Someone asked me to do something that I KNEW was the right thing to do, what God wanted me to do, despite a change in circumstances. I agreed to it without reservation, yet I was hurt and angry after I got off the phone. I really had to wrestle with God about my sinful thoughts. When it came down to it though, I want to please God, not man, and can't demand that things go my way or feel good. Joseph certainly didn't have circumstances go his way, yet he chose to continue to trust in God. What an example, as Bev said, of the heart finding rest in the midst of a mess.
I, too, am really enjoying reading through the Message with each of you. Your comments are so helpful and insightful and make this time very enjoyable for me.
I'm sure encouraged and challenged as I read the group's reponses. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us all.
ReplyDeleteI've read and studied Genesis many times before; however, these verses jumped off the pages as I read them recently:
ReplyDeleteGenesis 38:24-26 (NIV)
"About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.
Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!"
As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are."
Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again."
Judah concealed his own sin, yet came down harshly on Tamar for her sin. Why is it that the sins we try to cover up are the ones that anger us the most when we see them in others?
A few years ago, the Lord dealt with me in a sinful path I was going down, after repentance and a long hard road to freedom I finally found victory from the temptation and sin. However, over the past few months someone I have recently met is caught up in the same sins I faced a couple of years ago. It has been hard to not judge critically and jump to conclusions about their character. I find myself often admitting my sins to the Lord and asking for forgiveness, because I know the true reason for my reaction comes from my own history with the exact same sin.
Late here, but I really wanted to keep on with this reading. I'm still trying to memorize scripture and it's been my focus this week.
ReplyDeleteAh, Judah and Joseph.
Two brothers.
Judah marries a Canaanite woman and has 3 sons. Two of them so anger God, they die.
The widow is sent home to her father...shamed with no child to hold in her arms. No name to pass on.
She seems forgotten by those who should have cared for her.
Do you see satan in this mess?
I certainly do. Judah made poor choices, his two sons grievously sinned against God and died, Judah fears Tamar (?) what's with that? His sons were the ones to blame, but he blames Tamar!
Does satan realize that the Seed (Jesus) must come through Judah?
Has satan set out to cut off this line?
If you go to the New Testament and read about the lineage of Christ, Tamar is in the line of Christ and her name is given. God remembered Tamar by including her name in the actual lineage of Jesus Christ. Bath Sheba is mentioned but not by name. Why is that? Does God not name Bath Sheba because she is not HIS? Does God name Tamar because she is HIS?
Was God overcoming the evil of satan in Judah's family when Tamar disguised herself and was approached by Judah for sex?
Miraculously, she is pregnant, and with twins!
I'm sorry if I offend anyone here, but I just believe that this was a moment of triumph for the continuation of the line of Christ. What satan set out to destroy, victory came through a woman named Tamar...
I know it may appear like all of this was wrapped up in sin, it was, but God's plan has been under attack since the beginning. And satan intended to destroy the line of Christ.
Intervention came here. Abram withheld the fact that Sarai was his wife (deception). So many other instances of this happened, too. I am offended by this but I also realize that the ten commandments had not been given to mankind yet. And we all are sinners, needing our Saviour.
Anyway, these are just my ponderings on Tamar. I'm not judging her for what she did, mostly because I know her name is honored in the recording of the line of Jesus Christ, Matthew 1:3a:
"Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,"
Here we see the defeat of satan's plan and God using our messes for His Glory.
That will teach, my friend.
And now, let's look at Joseph.
ReplyDeleteGen 39:6-8a
"Joseph was a strikingly handsome man. As time went on, his master's wife became infatuated with Joseph and one day said, 'Sleep with me.' He wouldn't do it."
One word:
INTEGRITY
I cannot count the number of times I have had this one man of God encourage me to do the right thing.
Joseph obeyed. He even fled from the APPEARANCE of evil!
I have used that to decide when to flee in some of my own situations. You can't wait until you are IN the situation, you have to RUN at the appearance of evil.
I love Joseph. Everything about his recorded life has been a strong influence in my own faithwalk. He is described by some as a type of Christ in the Old Testament. But he was human and he had really horrible things happen to him without any recording of sin being the cause of it. God used Joseph to help his brethren through a time of intense famine.
And God has used Joseph in my life to choose to be a person of integrity, no matter what things look like. God's plan is not always revealed to us as we walk by faith and not by sight. But if we will choose to be a woman of integrity, we will win out in the end.
He fled temptation.
Let that be a WORD to us.
And remember this, sometimes God elevates us up in this world so that we can help the brethren. It may be that our fellow Christians need us to stand in the gap for them. It may be that someone in our own family needs us to stand in the gap for them from our place of authority/blessing.
ReplyDeleteOr it may mean the Israel needs us to stand in the gap for them.
Don't be afraid if you see God elevating you up to a position of authority/responsibility/blessing. He may be calling you to be a Joseph for Him to use in our world today.
Choose to be a person of integrity.
I am reading the one year Bible chronologically and doing a study at church with it...but I am reading all of the beautiful words that Bev write and all of your coments and I am reading 66 Love Letters which God is using in my life and heart big time. I've always loved the story of Joseph and how God teaches us new things out of it each time we study it or read it. You all are blessing my socks off with your insight.
ReplyDelete