Burunche’s Blog

Genesis 42: 25-38 Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan

“Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out, and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.

At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack. “My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.”

Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them: “The man who is the lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.

But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’

Then the man who is the lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go. But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”

As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.

Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is happening against me!”

Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”

But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

You must feel really sorry for the remaining nine brothers! Ten men went to Egypt and now they have returned without Simeon. To make things even worse, Jacob lambasts them for losing Simeon, as if they had a choice, and for the request to bring Benjamin and return to Egypt. Jacob refers to Benjamin as “my son,” but all these other men are also Jacob’s sons. Now it’s obvious that Jacob really only values Rachel’s children, disdaining those born of Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah. More now than ever, Jacob demonstrates his failings as a father and grandfather. Tragically, Jacob behaves as if he only has two sons and the remainder of his progeny are simply hired servants. To Jacob, these other sons are useful for herding animals and running to Egypt to bargain for grain, but he doesn’t love them. Even though Reuben is willing to give his own sons into Jacob’s care and allow Jacob to kill them if Benjamin doesn’t return, Jacob doesn’t care. Obviously, Jacob also doesn’t love his grandchildren either.

Few things are more painful than being born to an unfavorite wife in a polygamous family. During our first missionary term, we lived with a businessman who had three wives-one was a virtual prisoner in the house, one was the youngest and the favorite, and the remaining wife had separated from this man but remained dependent on him for her children’s expenses. We once watched as that wife was forced to stand nearly two hours in the blazing noonday sun before this man would deign to give her the money for her children’s school fees. Another friend was the child of an unfavorite wife. When the results of the Senior Secondary School leaving exam were cancelled the year he wrote the exam, his father refused to pay the exam fees the next year, leaving him without the results he needed to go on for further education. Yet another friend, a hospital administrator, and the son of an unfavorite wife, had had to earn his high school fees by selling tea and bread at the roadside. Years later, when our friend was succeeding, he happened to meet his father. This man’s father was so out of touch that the only help he offered this man was a job weeding on his farm. Even in cultures where polygamy is uncommon, families may be shattered by repeated divorces. Family members may be unsure of anyone’s love because the family dynamics are in a continual state of flux.

Gaining peace under such circumstances is a near-impossibility as long as you are looking for peace from family members. Only God can truly give us peace. Perhaps you have come out of a highly dysfunctional situation, one in which you have never known peace. But God knows everything about your struggles, and God can give you His deep abiding peace, a peace that nobody can take away.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel torn up inside by family problems. We have no peace and no idea of how to get it. Please help us to look to You and allow You to heal us and soothe our souls. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 42:1-24  Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt

“When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”

“Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan. Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked.

“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”

Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food. We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Just as I said, you are spies! And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

So Joseph imprisoned them for three days, and on the third day he said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God. If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you

go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households. Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.”

And to this they consented.

Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

But Reuben replied: “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them. And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.”

Well, the day of reckoning has finally arrived, that day Joseph dreamt about so long ago. Joseph is now the second most important man in Egypt, the one controlling grain sales, and his brothers have come bowing before him to buy grain. At first, Joseph questions them and accuses them of being spies. On the basis of that accusation, Joseph imprisons his brothers for three days. At this point, Joseph might be excused for thinking that a small taste of prison won’t hurt his brothers after the years he has already suffered. But then Joseph relents, releasing all the brothers apart from Simeon, and ordering the remaining brothers to return to Canaan and bring their youngest brother to him.

Why does Joseph choose Simeon as the hostage? Remember that years ago, Simeon did something wrong and Joseph reported Simeon to their father Jacob. Simeon likely retaliated by urging his brothers to sell Joseph to the slave traders. Joseph may be reveling in a bit of payback time. But is Joseph really enjoying all this? Granted, Joseph speaks roughly to his brothers; however, when Joseph hears his brothers discussing his capture and realizes that Reuben tried to save him, he retreats into another room and weeps bitterly.  

Joseph can’t leave Egypt; he’s up to his neck in responsibility. If Joseph is to see his brother Benjamin and his elderly father, he must create a situation that will force both of them to come. What Joseph is doing is very necessary, but he isn’t enjoying this process nearly as much as he has anticipated. After years of being in Egypt and listening to the Egyptian language, Joseph’s brothers’ speech is music to his ears. The familiar cadence and the expressions are stirring forgotten memories in Joseph’s heart. Now Joseph is remembering good times he has enjoyed with these men and revenge is swiftly losing its appeal. To learn that Reuben was never involved in the plot against him and wanted to save him brings a kind of healing Joseph has never anticipated. But he has to play the part of the harsh aristocratic Egyptian official, no matter his actual feelings.

If someone has hurt us deeply and we then have opportunity to get revenge, what will we do? There is a saying that “Revenge is a dish best served cold,” but really, revenge only creates more problems. Matthew 6:14-15 tells us, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.“

James 1:19-20 also says, “My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.” Jesus even advised his disciples that if someone slapped them on one cheek, they should turn the other, so that their adversary could slap that as well.

Tribalism is one of the curses of Africa. No matter how honest a person might be, if a tribe mate or a family member comes requesting special favors, it is very difficult to refuse them. By the same token, human resource managers in various companies might favor those from their tribe over others who are equally deserving of promotion. At the same time, there are long-standing frictions between various tribes that go back hundred of years. Recently, one speaker in a large meeting referred to another one of the guests from a different tribe as his “slave.” And here in Ghana, if a member of one tribe refers to a member of another tribe as his “playmate,” I look for the closest exit. It’s not play that’s being referred to here, but conflict.

God is the Author of peace and God is not a God of confusion. Revenge only brings confusion and a reaction from the opposite party. Such conflicts never die down but escalate, hurting untold numbers of innocent people. And once the demons have succeeded in creating conflict in one location, they can spark conflict in other places as well. During the Northern Ethnic Conflict of 1994, places in southern Ghana that had been peaceful for years suddenly erupted with chieftaincy disputes and land disputes. As I am writing this, a village about 50 miles north of us has become a “no-go” zone because of a chieftaincy conflict. Health workers have had to withdraw for fear that they may become casualties.

In today’s lesson, Joseph sees his dreams come true, but the experience is anything but enjoyable. Reality is not matching the mental pictures Joseph has been cherishing during his years of prison. Truly, paybacks don’t bring peace.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, some who are reading these words may have been badly hurt and may have been considering ways they can get revenge. Speak to their hearts and calm them. Let these loved ones know that revenge is unnecessary and will only lead to worse problems. Give them peace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 41:53-57 “When the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt. When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.”

WOW! Only a few years ago, Joseph was languishing in a prison, disgraced, abandoned, and seemingly forgotten by everyone, including those whom he had helped. But God had not forgotten Joseph; He was using Joseph’s problems to shape him into an administrator and leader who would save untold numbers of people from starvation.

James 1:2-3 tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Joseph has suffered through years of imprisonment but has learned a great deal about managing logistics and people. Now God has promoted Joseph into a position of great power and authority, all because Joseph has trusted God and not himself. When Joseph has interpreted dreams, he has always been careful to give God the credit. Through the years, Joseph has worked steadily, learning as much as possible and observing everything around him. By the time Joseph reached Egypt, the Egyptian government was already highly developed, quite a change for a boy from a sheep camp. Joseph needed those years in which to mature and to learn.   

The late Colin Powell was the son of Jamaican immigrants and grew up in the South Bronx in New York City. Powell learned Yiddish while working for Eastern European Jewish shop keepers and also served as a Shabbosh goy, a non-Jew who would do simple things for observant Orthodox Jews on the Sabbath. Powell once described some of his fellow shop employees as men who would stand on street corners boasting of the great things they would do in the future. Sadly, all those men did was to boast; meanwhile, Powell worked his way through high school and university and joined the ROTC, Reserve Officers Training Corps, while in university. Powell gained his military commission through the ROTC and became a U.S. Army officer. Eventually, Powell rose to become President Ronal Reagan’s National Security Advisor, and later the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense.

Dr. Ben Carson began life as the son of an illiterate single mother in the slums of Detroit, but he eventually became head of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University. Although Carson’s mother could not read, she made sure that her children frequented the local library, bringing home books that they would read to her. Carson credits his mother’s example of hard work and faith as one of the major reasons for his later success.

Both Powell and Carson continues to serve as sterling examples of the heights one can reach by learning all the lessons early struggles can teach. Sadly, Powell died in 2021 from complications of COVID; however, Carson still has a vibrant ministry and continues to speak into millions of lives.  

At the time I was growing up on a Midwestern farm, mechanization of farm work had yet to arrive. Much of the work involved hard manual labor; there were very few overweight farmers in my community. Because our landlord was reluctant to make improvements on our house, we didn’t have pipe-born water in the house until I was 5 and we continued to use an outdoor toilet until I was 13. Late in the summer, the water level in our wells would dwindle, and we frequently had to send our laundry to my grandparents’ place to save the water at our place for our animals. Little did I know that God was preparing me to live in a remote northern Ghanaian village without electricity or running water.

Years ago, Paul E. Billheimer wrote an excellent book based on the Book of James entitled Don’t Waste Your Sorrows. In that book,  Billheimer emphasizes that sorrows are not meant to punish but to teach and we need to learn as much as we can from our suffering.

Are you in a difficult position, one from which you would like release? Do you feel you are between a rock and a hard place? Ask God to show you what He wants to teach you during this time and praise Him for the lessons He is going to give you. Just as James has said, God wants you to be “mature and complete, lacking nothing.” And as Billheimer has pointed out, don’t waste your sorrows! When you accept your position, as difficult as it might be, and learn what you can from it, you will gain peace.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us feel trapped in unpleasant situations. Help us to realize that You have placed us there only for a season and that the sooner we learn our lessons, the more quickly our situations will change. Thank You for answering our prayers for help. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 41:46-57  The Seven Years of Plenty

“Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.

During the seven years of abundance, the land brought forth bountifully. During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields around it. So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure.

Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh,  (“making to forget”) saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.” And the second son he named Ephraim, (“twice fruitful”) saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

The Famine Begins

When the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt. When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.”

Now Joseph understands why he has had to suffer! As Joseph makes plans and gathers grain in preparation for the coming famine, he travels throughout Egypt, witnessing first-hand many of the things his fellow prisoners have described. God blesses Joseph with two sons whose descendants will later become the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Then the famine arrives.

Why does God allow famines? Why hasn’t God simply allowed there to be sufficient rain so that nobody will suffer? God has allowed weather to act in cycles, and now is the time for a severe drought. But God is going to work through that drought because it is the drought that will eventually bring Joseph’s family to Egypt and will reunite them all.

Isaiah 55:8-11 tells us, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”

One pastor friend was fond of saying that “We are only in advertising while God is in management.” Only God knows the end from the beginning, and only He can give perfect advice. Only God knows why natural disasters must occur when they do. Many times, God allows a disaster to change the course of our lives, forcing us in the right direction when we would have remained in a bad situation or would have refused to take chances. May we trust God so much that we will simply welcome disasters and then ask God to reveal how He wants to use this in our lives. But we must be careful not to become bitter, for bitterness blocks God’s blessings.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You, even in the face of disasters, knowing that You can work all things out for good and for peace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

Genesis 41:1-45

The Dreams of Pharaoh

“After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile, when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside the well-fed cows on the bank of the river. And the cows that were sickly and thin devoured the seven sleek, well-fed cows.

Then Pharaoh woke up, but he fell back asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind. And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream.

In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guard. One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted

them for us individually. And it happened to us just as he had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have received word about you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

“I myself cannot do it,” Joseph replied, “but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, sickly, ugly, and thin, came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt! Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first. When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke.

In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind. And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones.

I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”

At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have the same meaning. Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine.

It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten and the famine will devastate the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, since the famine that follows it will be so severe.

Moreover, because the dream was given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by God, and He will carry it out shortly.

Now, therefore, Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh take action and appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. Under the authority of Pharaoh, let them collect all the excess food from these good years, that they may come and lay up the grain to be preserved as food in the cities. This food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine to come upon the land of Egypt. Then the country will not perish in the famine.”

Joseph Given Charge of Egypt

This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”

Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I hereby place you over all the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck. He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission, no one in all the land of Egypt shall lift his hand or foot.”

Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, meaning “God speaks and lives,” and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.”

That morning when Joseph got up, he was still in a dungeon and still in slavery. But by evening that same day, Joseph would be a free man and the second most powerful person in the kingdom of Egypt. What happened? God moved in. Pharoah had two frightening dreams and none of his priests or soothsayers could interpret them. That’s when the cupbearer remembered Joseph’s interpretation of his dream and recommended him to Pharaoh. It’s likely that Pharoah had already learned about Joseph, since the prison warden had handed over the management of the prison to Joseph. Now Pharaoh learned that this same man might also interpret his dreams and give him peace.

Long before Pharaoh’s summons, God was already preparing Joseph for this moment. First, God stripped Joseph of a family situation in which he was a spoiled younger son. Next, God brought Joseph to Egypt, where he would work in an upper-class household before being unjustly thrown into prison. Then God allowed Joseph to remain in that prison, gaining administrative experience as he listened to his fellow prisoners describing their lives. Since poor people were more likely to wind up in prison than rich people, Joseph got a good idea of life in Egypt from the ground up. These insights would later save millions of people in Egypt. Now God was allowing the cupbearer to remember Joseph’s interpretations of dreams just in time to recommend him to Pharaoh. But none of this would have been possible had Joseph been a slacker.

Joseph gained his freedom because he was willing to give of his best even when unjustly imprisoned. Refusing to waste time in self-pity, Joseph tackled jobs given to him and did them well, learning everything he could in the process. Not only did the prison warden recognize Joseph’s worth, but God also approved it. Now Joseph was getting the opportunity to demonstrate the results of all those years of hardship.

Sometimes we might look at others and wonder why they are progressing while we seem to be stuck in a rut. But what are you doing while you are in that rut? Are you learning everything you can about that rut or are you merely indulging in pity-parties? Joseph became fabulously successful; however, God approved his work just as much when he was still in prison as He did once Joseph was free. God knows our hearts and God knows when we are really trying and when we are not. Sometimes we feel that nobody is watching, so why try? God is watching and the trying is worth everything. Don’t give up! Do your best and God can give you peace.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, some of us are very tired! We’ve been struggling to do good work but nobody seems to care. Help us to remember that we are working for You and not just for people and that You always see our efforts. Give all in this situation Your peace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 40:1-23 “Some time later, the king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant.

After they had been in custody for some time, both of these men—the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison—had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.

When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were distraught. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so downcast today?”

“We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes.

Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and placed the cup into his hand.”

Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer. But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison. For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they should have put me in this dungeon.”

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head. In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

Joseph replied, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift your head off of you and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh of your body.”

On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted the dream to them. The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.”

Reading this story from a modern perspective, we might not understand the importance of the cup bearer or the chief baker. The position of cup bearer was a highly sensitive one for the cup bearer not only brought Pharaoh’s wine to him but also sipped a tiny bit to make sure it wasn’t poisoned before giving it to Pharaoh. Cup bearers were expected to always be cheerful, and it was Nehemiah’s sorrow that gained the attention of the King of Babylon centuries later. The chief baker had a place of equal importance for he was the one who would prepare the royal bread, not leaving the task to flunkies, and he might also have been required to taste a small bit of the bread in the Pharaoh’s presence to ensure that it was sound.

How and why these two men offended Pharaoh is uncertain, but rulers could make life-changing decisions on a whim as happened in this case. Both men had disturbing dreams and both described their dreams to Joseph. Joseph’s question to them reveals his humility: “Don’t interpretations belong to God?” Joseph’s interpretations come true, and he begs the cup bearer to put his case before Pharaoh; however, giddy with relief at being freed and returned to his position, the cup bearer forgets.

Sometimes we do things for people, expecting that they will be grateful, only to find they have taken us for granted or that they feel they are entitled to our help and have no need to thank us. The question at such points is this: are you doing the right thing in hopes of being appreciated or are you doing the right thing out of integrity? If you are acting in integrity, then appreciation is nice but not essential. But if you are only doing things for people in hopes of paybacks, you will always be disappointed, for people will never value your efforts as much as you do.

We have spent years working in a remote location with shortages of medicines, supplies, etc. Many times we have had to function without electricity or running water. We have continued to work because we know that God has called us to be here. Whether or not our efforts are appreciated, we are working for God and not for popular approval. Interestingly enough, it is generally our poorest patients who have been most ready to demonstrate their gratitude while others have taken our efforts as their due. And then there is the matter of divine timing.

In this story, Joseph is hoping that the cup bearer will resume his position, put his case before Pharaoh, and that he will be swiftly released. But God knows that if Joseph is released at this point, he will be just another Hebrew wandering around Egypt. God is keeping Joseph managing that prison because Joseph is learning first-hand lessons in practical administration that he can’t get anywhere else. And God is reserving Joseph until such time as the land of Egypt desperately needs him. At the right time, God is going to deliver Joseph from prison and raise him up to become the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, something that will not happen if Joseph is freed now.

Remember: as long as you are working for God, God will reward you, and His reward system far outstrips human rewards. And also remember that God’s timing is perfect. Most of us want things to happen instantly and we are frustrated when we don’t get our way. But God has not forgotten you. Perhaps you are in a time of preparation similar to the time Joseph spent managing that prison. Learn as much as you can from your current situation, for it will never come again. And don’t worry about people being grateful or ungrateful. God sees. God knows. And God will reward.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to learn as much as we can in our present situations and not to expect gratitude from those we are helping. You are the One who will reward and Your rewards are far greater than anything humans can give us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 39:1-23

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

“Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.

When his master saw that the LORD was with him and made him prosper in all he did, Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant.

Potiphar put him in charge of his household and entrusted him with everything he owned. From the time that he put Joseph in charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on everything he owned, both in his house and in his field. So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted everything he owns to my care. No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”

Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or be with her. One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household

servant was inside. She grabbed Joseph by his cloak and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.

Joseph Falsely Imprisoned

When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me, but when I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” he burned with anger. So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined.

While Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden, who put all those held in the prison under Joseph’s authority, so that he was responsible for all that was done there. The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him and gave him success in whatever he did.”

Well, Joseph has made it to Egypt and has had the great fortune to be purchased by Potiphar, a top-ranking military commander. It doesn’t take long for Potiphar to realize that Joseph is one bright guy, and honest as well. After a series of problems with previous major-domos, Potiphar is frankly relieved to find that Joseph is brilliant, hard-working, and skilled at managing the household. Evidently, Joseph has learned a few things while growing up in a family with eleven brothers.

Whatever Egyptian culture is, the sexual mores are fairly loose, particularly when it comes to slaves sleeping with the mistress. Potiphar’s wife is an upper-class Egyptian, possibly from a priest’s family, and she feels she has ultimate power over the entire household. This snobbish lady is totally unprepared for her handsome Hebrew slave to refuse her advances. How dare this low-borne individual scorn her? When a new hairdo, new clothes, and new makeup don’t succeed in enticing Joseph into her bed, Potiphar’s wife traps him, seizes his cloak as he flees, and then lies about the situation to her husband. Potiphar is properly incensed and immediately sends Joseph to jail. But after Joseph has been in the prison for a while, the prison warden realizes Joseph’s talents as a manager and gives him authority to run the prison.

Why is Joseph succeeding wherever he goes? The key is simple: “because the Lord is with him and gives him success in whatever he does.” Why is the Lord with Joseph? Although Joseph has started out as a mouthy teen-ager ratting out his older brothers, he has evidently gained some humility and he has integrity. The incident with Potiphar’s wife has taught Joseph to be very careful about all his relationships and to avoid the appearance of evil, that is, to avoid getting into compromising situations. It’s possible that the situation with Potiphar’s wife might have been unavoidable; this lady is quite capable of dispatching the rest of the household on various errands, leaving only Joseph and her at home so there would be no witnesses. Now that Joseph is in prison, there are many of his fellow prisoners who would also like to betray him so that they could move into his position. God is the One protecting Joseph.

Many of us have found ourselves in working situations not unsimilar to those of Joseph’s. During my career as a female surgeon, I have occasionally encountered male colleagues willing to engage in sexual harassment. Nowadays such incidents are reportable; however, even now, women must be careful, lest they gain reputations as troublemakers and find themselves without a job. There are many companies where the politics of survival is labyrinthine. Coworkers you view as colleagues may be plotting to undermine you to get ahead. We are currently watching friends in another part of Ghana who are struggling with victimization in the workplace. The wife joined a company a year ago and has worked long hours as their office manager while being paid a pittance. Now she wants to leave that company to start her own business at home; however, the company is trying to hold her to a contract that she has never seen and has never signed. Our friends may wind up in court to settle the matter.

We have no control over the choices other people make; however, we can control our own choices. We can choose to act with integrity and honesty, working diligently wherever we find ourselves. When we are working to the glory of God, God will help us. We are sorry our friends are suffering at present; however, we are certain that ultimately God will deliver them from this untenable situation. In the meantime, the wife is doing the best work she can and has peace that God will help her.

Perhaps you too feel trapped; you don’t particularly like your job but you must work to support your family and yourself. Ask God to help you do the best work possible in that situation and then ask Him to guide you into the work He wants you to do. In Psalm 32:8 God promises, “I will lead you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my eye upon you.” Even if you feel lonely and frustrated, remember that God is still watching and that He has not forgotten you, nor will He forsake you.  

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all who read these words to work to Your glory with honesty, integrity, and diligence, knowing that You will reward them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 38:1-30 Judah and Tamar (1 Chronicles 2:3-4)

“About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite. There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her. So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er. Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan. 5Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.

Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”

But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother. What he did was evil in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well. Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.

After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah. When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.

When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”

“What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she asked.

“I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered.

But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”

“What pledge should I give you?” he asked.

She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.

Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her. He asked the men of that place, “Where is the temple prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”

“No temple prostitute has been here,” they answered.

So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No temple prostitute has been here.’”

“Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did and her this young goat, but you could not find her.”

About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.”

“Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”

As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”

Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.

The Birth of Perez and Zerah

When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb. And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced. But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez. (Breakthrough) Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah. (Dawn)”

Leave it to the Bible not to sugarcoat anything! In Bible times, preserving a family’s lineage was very important. We don’t know how Er sinned against God, but his sin was so terrible that God struck him dead. When Onan, Er’s brother, was having intercourse with Tamar, Er’s wife to preserve Er’s line, he spilled the semen on the ground to avoid giving his brother any heir. Perhaps Onan assumed that with Er out of the way, he would collect Er’s portion as the eldest son. Impregnating Tamar might endanger Onan’s chances of becoming rich through inheritance, and Onan refused  to take that risk.

God struck Onan dead as well, but now what was Tamar to do? Without a husband or a child by a brother-in-law, Tamar had little standing in the family. Tamar anticipated that when Shelah, the last son, was grown, she would be given to him as a wife, probably a second or third wife; however, Reuben evidently felt that Tamar was bad luck and refused to do so. Finally Tamar took the matter into her own hands, masquerading as a prostitute and enticing Reuben to have sex with her. But Tamar was savvy enough to realize that without proof of the father of her unborn child, she would be killed. Tamar collected Judah’s staff, his seal with which he did business, and the distinctive cord from his robe as surety and then returned home. Later, when Judah learned Tamar was pregnant, he wanted to burn her until Tamar confronted him with the proofs she had collected. Judah recognized that Tamar was doing everything to preserve Er’s line and that she was more righteous than he, Judah, had been.

Tamar gave birth to twins, Perez, “Breakthrough,” and Zerah, “Dawn.” Sorting out the inheritance must have been a nightmare because Zerah stuck his hand out first and the midwife put a red thread around his wrist, but then Perez actually forced his way out first. The Bible never tells us how the family handled that problem.

What lessons can we learn about preserving peace in the family? First, raise your children as well as possible; Judah evidently did a poor job of raising his sons if God had to strike two of them dead. Second, don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep. Judah’s dishonesty with Tamar his daughter-in-law led to his unwittingly committing incest when he refused to marry Tamar to his third son. Tamar was doing the best she could to be true to her late husband, becoming pregnant and giving birth to sons who could carry on their father’s line. For a virtuous woman to have to prostitute herself must have been agony for Tamar, but she carried through.

The amazing thing about this story is that if you read Matthew 1:3 or Luke 3:33, you will see the genealogy of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus and you will see Perez’s name in that lineage. Perez, a child born of incest, is still recorded as an ancestor of the Messiah. This fact should give hope to each of us, particularly those of us who might feel ashamed of our families of origin. God is not nearly so concerned about the family into which we have been born as He is what we do with the challenges life throws at us. Just as the name Perez means “Breakthrough,” we can break through the mental and emotional chains that bind us with God’s help. As you consider these verses, ask God to show You what He wants to do with your life. I guarantee the answer will knock your socks off!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, some of us may feel like Tamar, caught in bad situations not of our making. Help us to find Your solution to these problems and help us to remember that You are the One who writes the scripts for our lives and not someone else. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 35:23-26 “The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali. And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher.

Genesis 37:1-36 Joseph’s Dreams

“Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.”

“Do you intend to reign over us?” his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and his statements.

Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.

Joseph Sold into Egypt (Acts 7:9-14)

Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem. Israel said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending you to them.”

“I am ready,” Joseph replied.

Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.”

So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem, a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”

“I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”

“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another. “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”

When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said. “Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.

And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.

Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed. So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes, returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”

Jacob Mourns Joseph

Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.”

His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

In the beginning of the story, Joseph is a spoiled brat and an insufferable tattle-tale. Because Joseph is Rachel’s older son and Jacob has loved Rachel more than Leah, Bilhah, of Zilpah, Jacob foolishly demonstrates his favoritism by giving Joseph a special robe, one fancier than those of any of his eleven other brothers, a really stupid blunder in an already dysfunctional family. If Jacob is going to hand out robes, he needs to give everyone a robe and to make sure they are of equal quality. Joseph brings in stories about his half-brothers, the children of Bilhah and Zilpah. Why does Joseph concentrate on these men? Perhaps they really have done something bad, but Joseph might be afraid to accuse Leah’s children or his little brother Benjamin. Then it gets worse; Joseph has two prophetic dreams and is idiotic enough to share them with the family. Naturally, all the family members are incensed! What kind of rubbish is this?

Why does Jacob send Joseph out to check on his brothers, rather than sending one of his many servants? Is Jacob secretly hoping that Joseph will get a reality check when he sees the conditions under which his brothers are toiling? Does Jacob envision some kind of incredible loving moment when the older brothers welcome Joseph with open arms? Sadly, the only thing this ploy accomplishes is to give the brothers who are already bearing grudges the opportunity to get rid of Joseph permanently, and they do. The brothers fake Joseph’s death, but with unexpected consequences. While these men have been hoping that Jacob will shower them with love now that Joseph is out of the way, instead, Jacob goes into a prolonged period of mourning and refuses to be comforted. Meanwhile, Joseph is dragged off to be sold as a slave in Egypt and purchased by the captain of the guard.

Jacob was the younger of twins and his mother’s favorite. Sadly, Jacob may never have learned effective parenting before having to run for his life when he outsmarted Esau, his father’s favorite. From the poor treatment of Jacob’s sons, it appears that he has learned virtually nothing.

While Jacob may have felt that he was the FATHER and therefore everyone should pay attention to him, he failed to realize that he was wounding most of his sons by withholding affection from them and lavishing it on Joseph and Benjamin. Perhaps Jacob only felt he had a limited amount of love and chose to focus on Rachel’s sons. For someone claiming to worship God, Jacob certainly didn’t handle his family wisely.

Favoritism in families is a major problem, one that leaves scars for a lifetime. When one or two children have medical problems, the healthy ones may well find themselves being given last choice on everything. My husband hates pink because when he was little, his twin brother and he were given hand-me-down suits. One suit was blue checked and the other was -guess what? Pink checked. Since my brother’s twin was suffering some kind of heart problem, he naturally was given first choice, leaving my husband to wear pink in a society and at a time when no right-thinking little boy would ever be caught dead in anything pink!

You may have suffered a fate similar to my husband’s; you may have been the most responsible child while others less responsible received more attention and more goodies. Perhaps you have struggled to overcome feelings of inferiority all your life. But take heart! God’s love is so deep that He has plenty to go around and has no need to play favorites. Tell God all about it and ask Him to heal your hurts so that you can move forward without envying others. God will gladly do so.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us have been wounded by families who played favorites. Help us to realize that You always love us and that You don’t play favorites. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 35:16-29

Benjamin Born, Rachel Dies

Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult. During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”

And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. (Ben-oni could mean son of my sorrow or son of my strength.)  But his father called him Benjamin. (Benjamin means son of my right hand.) So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Jacob set up a pillar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day.

The Sons of Jacob (1 Chronicles 2:1-2)

Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder. While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher.

These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

The Death of Isaac

Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. And Isaac lived 180 years. Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”

Remember when Israel and his company left Haran and Rachel stole the household gods and then lied about it? At that time, Israel was so certain that nobody in his group would have done such a thing that he said anyone found with those gods should die. Now that curse is coming true, and Rachel is dying in childbirth. By the time Jacob/Israel left Haran, he had been married to Rachel and Leah for several years and had eleven sons; yet there is no evidence that he has ever taught any of his family members about the One True Living God. As far as Israel’s family is concerned, Elohim is Israel’s thing, not theirs. That’s why Rachel feels the need to steal the family household gods.

Rachel names her last son Ben-oni meaning, “Son of my sorrow, or Son of my strength,: perhaps because she is giving all her strength for him to live as she dies. But Israel names him Benjamin, meaning “Son of my right hand,” possibly indicating the place Benjamin will have in the family and in Jacob’s heart.

Shortly after Rachel’s death, there is another family tragedy; Reuben, Leah’s first-born, rapes Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant and Israel’s concubine and the mother of two of his half-brothers. Why should Reuben do such a thing? Is this horrible act a reaction to Israel’s grief over Rachel’s death or to the loving name Israel has given to Benjamin? After all, as the eldest son, Reuben has great expectations of paternal blessings and wealth far above those of his other brothers. Perhaps Reuben fears that Israel will favor Benjamin and that he will lose out. Perhaps Reuben is trying to get his father’s attention. Certainly, Reuben has no respect for either Bilhah or his father; otherwise, he wouldn’t do such a horrible thing. This family’s interpersonal relationships don’t augur well for the future.

Why are these family relationships so messed up? Everything goes back to Jacob/Israel and his lifetime of trickery. Evidently, Israel has never taught his family members any of the lessons he has gained from the results of either his trickery or that of his uncle Laban. Israel has never renounced all the deceit he has practiced; instead, he has kept it to himself in hopes that others have not noticed. Israel has never taught his family anything about the One True Living God. Perhaps Israel has tried to leave all the child rearing to his wives and concubines, not realizing that boys learn their behavioral patterns from their fathers and that he has set a terrible example.

The practice of deceit has blighted this family. Both Abraham and Isaac were willing to sacrifice their wives to save themselves. Then there’s Rebekah, who was willing to deceive Isaac so Jacob could steal Esau’s blessing. And we mustn’t forget tricky Uncle Laban, Rebekah’s brother in Haran, who systematically cheated Jacob changing his wages ten times. Finally there’s Jacob/Israel, who has not only stolen his twin brother’s blessing and his birthright but has also manipulated his sons into wiping out the city of Shechem to avenge the rape of his daughter.

The amazing thing about God’s relationships with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is that He has continued to work in their lives despite their glaring failures. God knows each of us and He knows our weaknesses and our shortcomings; yet, He still loves us anyway. Divine love is truly a miracle and a mystery. At the same time, we must notice that Jacob/Israel’s failings as a husband and father have warped his family’s relationships emotionally and spiritually. If you want peace, don’t deceive!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to walk in Your Truth and not to descend to deceit or manipulation. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.