The Life of a Dreamer- Fight or Flight

Genesis 39 is the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife.  This is the original desperate housewife story.  Potiphar buys Joseph as a slave and places him in charge over the entire household.  Potiphar’s wife takes notice of the young, handsome man in her house and she attempts to seduce Joseph.  At every turn Joseph refuses her advances.  One day Potiphar’s wife sets her trap.  She sends everyone out of the house so that she and Joseph are home alone.  She grabs Joseph and brazenly demands that he take her to bed.  Joseph flees leaving his cloak in her hand.  When Potiphar returns his wife lies about the events of the day resulting in Joseph being sent to prison.

There is a moral to this story that we can benefit from.  We should flee temptations and fight sins.  Too often we do the opposite.  It is foolish to try and fight temptations.  An alcoholic should not sit in a bar and resist the urge, instead he/she should flee from the bar as quickly as possible.  When faced with temptation it is time to retreat.  Sins are different.  We should stand and fight sins tooth and nail.  It is not wise to hide from our sins or to try and run away from our sins.  Fleeing will not make the sin go away.  When there is sin in our lives we need to gather allies, pray hard, meditate on scripture, and fight until the sin is defeated.  So, the moral of today’s lesson is to flee temptations and fight sins.

The Life of a Dreamer- Playing the Hand You’re Dealt

In the story of Joseph there is this interesting phenomenon that repeats itself throughout the story.  Whatever is put within Joseph’s hands is blessed.  It’s like he has some divine Midas touch.  Potiphar notices and promotes Joseph to a leadership position, the jailer notices and promotes Joseph to leadership, and Pharaoh takes notice and makes Joseph number two man over all Egypt.  Everything that is placed in Joseph’s hands is blessed.  Now, it would be too easy to say that Joseph was dealt a good hand, but this is not so.

Joseph was sold as a slave and thrown into prison.  Most of us would say Joseph was dealt a lousy hand.  However, Joseph was able to transform his situation into a winning hand.  There is no secret to his success as the scripture spells out plainly how this was accomplished.  In Genesis 39 verse 2 it says that, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.”  When enslaved (dealt a lousy hand) Joseph remained true to God and the Lord was with him.  Genesis 39:21 says, “But while Joseph was there in prison, the Lord was with him… and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.”  My personal favorite is Genesis 41:16 in which Pharaoh asks Joseph to interpret his dreams.  Joseph answers, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”   Joseph gives the credit for his success to the proper recipient- God.

We are all dealt seemingly lousy hands sometimes.  Being true to God and giving Him glory for our success is the trick for turning a lousy hand into a winning hand.  Despite some lousy circumstances everything placed in Joseph’s hands was successful in the end.  Joseph did not quit, whine, or rebel.  He trusted in God, did the best he could in any circumstance, and came out victorious.  When life throws you off course take a breath, trust God, do your best, and be ready to give God the glory when success comes.

The Life of a Dreamer- In Awe of the Big Picture

Last week I spent my mornings walking the beach and gazing out across the Atlantic.  I love the ocean and am mystified by its size and power.  Ever have that feeling of awe and wonder when in the presence of something much larger than yourself?  This is exactly the feeling I get when I come to Genesis 37.  Here is why this chapter amazes me… God reveals the big picture. 

Let me set the scene.  Joseph has provoked his brothers’ jealousy to the point that they are plotting to kill him.  A plan is hatched and murder seems eminent when Reuben (the eldest) intervenes.  Instead, they sell Joseph as a slave and he is whisked away to Egypt. 

This tragic turn of events starts a chain reaction which results in the formation of the nation of Israel.  Moreover, Joseph’s presence in Egypt will result in the salvation of Egypt and surrounding nations.  God will transform this sinful act of brotherly jealousy into a history changing event.  This story provides insight into a God who is sovereign over time and circumstance.  Not only does God transform evil into good, He also brings about the prophetic dream that started the mess to begin with.  Everything comes full circle when Joseph's brothers bow before him as predicted. 

We can understand this even more deeply with a series of, “what if” questions.  What if Joseph’s brothers had killed him?  Their whole family would have starved to death in the coming famine.  What if Joseph had not been thrown in prison?  He would never have brought his family to Egypt forming the nation of Israel.  On and on it goes.

Finally, we see that there is a destructive force at work.  Satan is trying to bring about ruination through jealousy and hate.  Even when Satan is successful, God is able to bring about the ultimate good.  Being sold into slavery, attempted seduction, and imprisonment all result in Joseph becoming the number two guy in all of Egypt.  Nothing can thwart God or infringe on His sovereignty.   

The Life of a Dreamer- Pomp in Bad Circumstances

(Genesis 37)

Seventeen year old boys are not known for their restraint.  Modified mufflers and revving engines announce the arrival of some teenage boy into our usually quiet neighborhood.  So, Joseph was not unlike modern teens when he strutted around in his ornamental coat.  The robe that was a special gift from his father; a richly decorated robe that declared his position as the favored son.  Nor is it surprising to see Joseph deliver a bad report about his brothers in an attempt to win even more favor with his father.  Seventeen year old boys will often compete with their brothers especially trying to one-up older siblings.  Anger and jealousy are the natural response from the brothers in question, but in a family with a history of dysfunction such pomp is only going to lead to bad circumstances.

One night God reveals the future to Joseph in a dream.  The dream reveals that Joseph’s family will bow down before him.  Being true to form Joseph brags about the dream to his brothers bringing their anger to a climax.  In their rage they begin to plot Joseph’s murder. 

It is interesting to note that the dream was true and the events would come to pass.  In a few short chapters we will find Joseph’s family bowing to him.  However, truth is not always met with receptivity.  We can speak truth in the lives of people and be met with anger and hate.  Jesus spoke truth and was murdered for it.  We need to be careful about how and when we speak truth.    Ephesians 4:15 tells us that we need to speak the truth in love.  Too often we speak truth to show superiority, to boast of our knowledge, or to prove someone else wrong.  These abuses of power will overshadow the truth and result in anger or jealousy.  There is no room for pomp in the life of a Christian.  Follow the example of the apostle Paul who said he could only boast in Christ Jesus.  Likewise, learn from Joseph.  God revealed truth to Joseph and he used that knowledge to rule over his brothers.  We, who have truth, need to be wise in how we speak that truth to the world.  We need to speak the truth in love.

The Life of a Dreamer- A Son of Dysfunction

We begin our study of Joseph with a survey of his family.  His father, Jacob, was a schemer of the highest degree.  In the course of his trickery and in the midst of his deceiving ways (Genesis 29) Jacob falls in love.  Rachel the boss's daughter and she is beautiful.  She catches his eye and steals his heart so that Jacob is willing to work seven years for her hand in marriage.  In one of the most entertaining and ironic twists in the Bible Jacob is tricked into marrying Rachel's older (uglier) sister Leah.  Unhindered Jacob works another seven years and marries Rachel.

By Genesis chapter 30 the dysfunction of this family hits full tilt.  God, being a just God, cannot bear the mistreatment of Leah in this story.  Therefore, Rachel is left barren while Leah gives birth to sons.  However, God is merciful and answers Rachel's prayers resulting in the birth of Joseph.  A favored son born to a favored wife. 

Knowing this background is valuable in understanding the rest of Joseph's story.  The angst and jealousy that will spill forth against Joseph began brewing in his family even before he was born.  The same is true of us.  Who we are, and what we experience in childhood is the result of our parent's and even grandparent's decisions.  A divorce, alcoholism, church attendance (or lack thereof) and many other decisions have generational impact.  The decision to play favorites in a family is especially devastating.  However, God works all things out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  This reassuring sentiment will be a theme throughout the story of Joseph and will be repeated often in this study.  Whatever dysfunction you were born into... God can redeem it.  Whatever mess generations before you made can be transformed by the God of all creation.

The Life of a Dreamer- A Study of Joseph

I really enjoyed the study of David that our group did in the spring and I am looking forward to diving into another in depth study.  Choosing a topic was difficult until Joseph came up in my morning devotionals with my kids.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy the story of Joseph.  The depth of this tale is especially appealing.  Within this story one can see how God is sovereign, how God works for the good of those who love him, how messed up family dynamics can be, how hard work and determination pay off, and the amazing power of forgiveness. 

My goal is to post once a week (hopefully Wednesday or Thursday) and to generate some discussion.  If you have not opened your Bible in a while, then please join in.  My prayer is that God will bring great blessing to many through this study.  God blessed Joseph in everything he did... He can do the same for you!