Sunday, June 6: God in the Wings

Some people will tell you all about their “God sightings:” “And then God told me this, and now He wants me to go over here, and He told me to tell you that you should…”  I’m not going to debate whether these are real or not, but rather I’m going to point out two things.  First, this kind of thing is not a normal occurrence throughout the Bible, even in the New Testament.  Second, this is not something Joseph himself would say, for he had a very different perspective on God

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Saturday, July 5: Family Reunion

Introduction: Once the reunion celebration has died down, Joseph’s family has to attend to the details.  Joseph invites everyone to Egypt: his father, brothers, their families, and all their livestock.  

Jacob’s family of shepherds was moving to a land that was more settled than Canaan, and therefore more difficult for herdsmen to roam freely.  By Pharaoh’s grace, they were offered the opportunity to settle in the northeastern province of Goshen.  Here, near the Sinai penin

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Friday, July 4: A Homiletical Interlude, Part 2

Introduction: Have you had the experience of forming an idea, then testing out that idea to see if it works?  Sure you have! From the earliest days of trying to fit a block into a hole, to solving a complex Algebra equation, forming and testing theories is what we do.  

About ten years ago I had an idea about this Joseph story – a theory.  When this first occurred to me I thought it was a fleeting connection – something that, when examined from all angles, would fade into t

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Thursday, July 3: A Homiletical Interlude, Part 1

Introduction: Think back over what happened yesterday.  When all hung in the balance, Judah put himself forward and pleaded for the life of Benjamin.  Not for his own sake, or even for his brother’s sake, but for the sake of his father: “How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

Let’s take a moment and think about what we just saw.

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A Homiletical Interlude (Part 1)

At this point, what everyone knew was laid o

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Wednesday, July 2: Judah's Moment

Introduction: The best baseball pitchers are masters at hiding the ball: holding their arm in such a way that the batter doesn’t see the ball until it leaves his hand.  Since a 90-mph fastball takes about 0.4 seconds to reach the plate, every hundredth of a second counts toward a batter’s ability to react.  The pitcher wants to take the batter by surprise.

The best storytellers hide their pitches as well.  You’ve read enough to know a master storyteller: they often hide the

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Tuesday, July 1: The Darkest Hour

Introduction: Relief. For one morning at least, Jacob’s sons can breathe easily.  They are returning home with food, the goodwill of the governor of Egypt, and, most importantly, with every member of their party.  Everything had gone according to plan.   

But what they don’t know is that the governor’s silver cup is in Benjamin’s sack.  A trail of dust appear behind them.  The fateful moment for this family has arrived.   

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The Darkest Hour; Genesis 44

“Why have you done th

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Monday, June 30: A Peculiar Dinner

Introduction: Jacob’s sons are finally returning to Egypt for more grain, and this time they’re bringing along their youngest brother, Benjamin.  Jacob didn’t want to let him go, but nobly decided that this risk was better than letting dozens of people die of starvation.   

I’ve often wondered: “What did Benjamin think of all this?  Being dad’s favorite hadn’t been done Joseph any favors, so I can’t imagine it had made Benjamin’s life easier.  “Thanks Dad, but it would real

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Sunday, June 29: Flashback: Judah's NIghtmare

Introduction: There’s a scene in Wayne’s World when the guys figure out they can save the day because of something a random security guard told them weeks ago: “Wow, what an important detail!  Though it seemed extraneous at the time.” 

Such is the common treatment of Genesis 38: an extraneous detail that seems to intrude on the Joseph story.  Genesis 37 ended with Joseph a slave in Potiphar’s house.  Genesis 39 picks up where 37 ended.  Chapter 38… is a story about the weir

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Saturday, June 28: The Mystery Deepens

Introduction: Ten of Jacob’s remaining sons go to Egypt to buy grain, but the bargaining session goes awry.  Accusing the brothers of being spies, the governor offers a bargain: they can return home with grain, but one brother must remain as hostage.  If they return with their youngest brother, the governor says he will trust them and let them all go free.  

Who is this governor, and what is his deal?  Jacob’s sons don’t know.  You know that this governor is Joseph, the bro

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Friday, June 27: The Brothers Appear in Egypt

Introduction: Joseph, hated by his brothers, imprisoned by his master, has risen to second-in-command in Egypt.  The wisdom he received from God allowed him to interpret God’s plans, and now he was guiding Egypt through a terrible famine.  Seven plentiful years were put up in the shed; the seven years of scarcity were upon them. 

Joseph was in charge of the distribution: who gets what, and for how much.  And not just for Egypt: the famine was widespread, and so was the need

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Thursday, June 26: What Pharaoh's Dreams Meant

Introduction: We enter a tense scene.  God has given Joseph the ability to interpret dreams.  Pharaoh (the king) had two of them in the same night: Seven skinny cows eating seven fat cows; Seven skinny heads of grain eating seven fat heads of grain.   

He sent for Joseph, in prison, to interpret them.  “No one can do it,” Joseph replied.  “But God can…”

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What Pharaoh's Dreams Meant, from Genesis 41

Picture the scene.  Pharaoh, king of Egypt, nervously hoping this foreign pri

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Wednesday, June 25: Pharaoh's Dreams

Introduction: For over a decade Joseph has been in Egypt: first as a slave, then as a prisoner.  In both cases he had done nothing to deserve his fate.  And in both cases, he rose through the ranks to positions of authority.   He even accurately interpreted dreams for the king’s baker and cupbearer.  

But he’s now suffered another slight: when the cupbearer returned to Pharaoh’s service, he forgot Joseph.  So Joseph remains in prison…

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Pharaoh's Dreams, from Genesis 41

“When

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Tuesday, June 24: The Baker and the Cupbearer

Introduction: Joseph has twice suffered from the treachery of others.  First his brothers sold him into slavery and told their dad he had died.  Then his boss’s wife got him thrown in prison for an attack that didn’t happen.  But Joseph has again gained trust and favor through integrity and hard work.  We catch up with him “some time later.”

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4) The Baker and the Cupbearer, from Genesis 41

After years in prison, Joseph was joined by two of the king’s own servants: his baker

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Monday, June 23: Rising and Falling

Introduction: Joseph has been sold into slavery, but his father believes his favorite son is dead.  We now find Joseph in Egypt, working for the captain of the king’s guard.  

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3) Rising and Falling, from Genesis 39

Joseph rose quickly in the house of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard.  In a short time, Potiphar trusted him to govern the whole household: “So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anyth

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Sunday, June 22: What Joseph's Brothers Did

Introduction: Yesterday we learned that Joseph was the 11th brother out of 12 sons of Jacob, and that he was dad’s favorite.  Both Jacob and Joseph did things that made the brothers jealous, whether they had intended to or not.  

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2) What Joseph’s Brothers Did, from Genesis 37

So one day, Jacob sent Joseph to find his brothers and give him a report.  They were about sixty miles from home, tending the sheep, when they saw him coming across the field.   “Here comes that dream

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