Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 39-41.

First I want to take note that it was thirteen years from when Joseph started this sequence of events and when he entered into Pharoah’s service as the second most powerful man in Egypt.  I am not sure there what significance that has, but those recording the events thought it was important to note that he was 17 years old when the events began and that he was 30 years old when he entered Pharoah’s service.  Let’s follow what happens to Joseph from when he was 17.  I am going to guess that Joseph was no more than 18 when his brothers turned him over to the slaver traders who took him into Egypt and sold him there.  Which means he would have probably been between 20 to 25 years old when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him (I would guess he was closer to 20 than to 25).  He then spends several years in prison before providing a dream interpretation to Pharoah’s cupbearer when he was 28.  Now let’s track Joseph’s life up to this point.  At 17, his wealthy father used him as his right hand to manage his assets, sending him to check that his older brothers were managing their father’s goods properly.  His brothers betrayed him, made it clear they were thinking of killing him until one of them convinced the rest to sell him into slavery.  As a slave, things couldn’t get much worse, but Joseph keeps his head up and is soon running his master’s household.  Then his master’s wife tries to seduce him and when he will not give in, accuses him of rape.  He is sent to prison, which is a worse place then when he entered slavery.  But, he continues to keep his head up, maintains his faith in God, and rises to a position of some respect.  I want to note that even though he made the best of his circumstances each step was worse than the one before.  From his father’s right hand man to chief slave of a wealthy man to managing the prisoners, as a prisoner, in a jail.  He gets an opportunity to do a favor for a man with the ear of the ruler of the kingdom, but nothing comes of it (or so it seems).  When he finally comes before the Pharoah, he says that he cannot do as Pharoah asks, but that God can.  Despite things going wrong for him repeatedly, Joseph never let himself become mired in despair.  Each time he found himself in a worse situation he merely did the best he could in the circumstances in which he found himself., trusting God to take care of him.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 39-41.

I usually try to avoid writing a blog which goes over the point which has been made time and again about a passage, but today’s passage contains a basic, obvious point which is too important not to talk about again.  Joseph’s life went terribly, but he never saw it as a reason to live as a victim.  His brothers planned to kill him, then decided it would be better to sell him into slavery, where they thought he would be worked to death, but Joseph did not allow it to stop himself from doing the best that he could.  That work ethic resulted in him rising to a position of power within the household of one of the most powerful men in Egypt, although he was still a slave.  Then, when everything was going well for him, he was imprisoned on false charges.  Once again, he refused to retreat into despair, but instead did the best he could and rose to a position of some standing, although admittedly still a prisoner.  Then, after the cupbearer was released, he remained a prisoner for two more years.  Yet, he appears to have continued to do his best throughout that time.  If at any time Joseph had given in to despair, he would not have been in the position where God could use him to save his family.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Genesis 39-41.

It feels like I write this every year, but I want to focus on how Joseph gives us a model on how we should deal with set backs in our lives.  Despite the many set backs Joseph experienced in his life he never stopped doing the best he could.  When his brothers sold him into slavery and he ended up in Potiphar’s house, he worked hard and to the best of his abilities so that he rose to a position of importance in Potiphar’s household.  Then he was falsely accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison.  Once more, he worked hard and to the best of his abilities, rising to a position of importance.  Then God gave him an opportunity to bring himself to the attention of those who could get him released from prison, and they forgot him and left him to rot.  Finally, in God’s time, he got the opportunity to be released from prison.  And at every step along the way Joseph honored God and gave credit to Him for his success.  When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, he rejected the offer on the basis that he would not sin against God.  When he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s two servants in prison, Joseph gave credit to God.  When he interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, he once again gave credit to God.

Yesterday, I wrote about how very recent archeology shows that there was indeed a kingdom of Edom in the time period covered by the kings of Edom listed in yesterday’s passage.  Today, I spent a little time to see what modern archeology might say about Joseph.  I found that while we do not find a record of someone who matches Joseph we do find a record of a period of good years and famine years which fit that described here.  As importantly, we do not have record of who served in the role which the Genesis account of Joseph suggests that Joseph filled.  But there is a record of a Canaanite (Joseph would have appeared as a Canaanite in Egyptian records) serving in a similar role.  We have no reason to believe this particular Canaanite was Joseph, but it confirms that a Canaanite could fill have risen to that role in Egypt.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 39-41.

If anyone had the right to give up because “God”, or “the world”, or “fate”, was against them, that person was Joseph.  He was his father’s favorite son and worked to please his father.  Then his brothers plotted to kill him, but decided to sell him into slavery instead.  But he did not mope and complain about his circumstances.  Instead, he worked hard and rose to a position of responsibility and privilege.  Then he was falsely accused of attempted rape and jailed.  Again, he could have despaired, but he did not.  He applied himself and once more rose to a position of responsibility and privilege.  The thing is, each time the level to which he rose was lower than the one which he held before his trial.  Yet, he still remained faithful to God.  In this last position he gave hope to a fellow prisoner, asking to be remembered when the other was released.  The other prisoner was released and failed to remember Joseph for two years.  When Joseph’s opportunity came, he refused to claim any special ability.  He gave all of the credit to God.  Let us seek to follow Joseph’s example and recognize that whatever hardship we face is an opportunity to do God’s will.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 39-41.

I think that the story of Joseph is a lesson about perseverance and not giving in to circumstances.  He was his father’s favorite son with all of the privileges which came with that.  Then his own brothers sold him into slavery.  But he did not let that get him down.  He still used his abilities as best he could.  Then, he was lied about and thrown into prison on the basis of a false accusation (and probably beaten up pretty good along the way).  There in prison he once again applied his skills to the best of his ability.  Then he helped out a fellow prisoner, who promptly forgot about him for two years.  In all that time, he never forgot God, nor did he attempt to take credit for the gifts which God had given him.  He could have easily given in to despair, but he did not.  He could have used what happened as an excuse to quit.  He did not.  He continued to do his best to do God’s will.