It’s interesting that after Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, we took a detour last week with the story of Judah and Tamar.  This week we’re back on track with the adventures of Joseph following his being sold in Ishmaelite slavery.  Look at the wording in verse one of Chapter 39, “Joseph had been taken down into Egypt”…here we go again, friends, with that word “down”!  It usually means life has taken a turn and most of the time its not for the best, but look also at the wording in verse 2, “the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered”.  That phrase makes all the difference.

I asked if you would find at least four provisions by the Lord in Joseph’s journey.  Here are my suggestions:

1.      Provision Number One:  From the very beginning Potiphar, the captain of the guard, one of Pharoah’s officials in Egypt, bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites.  First impressions make all the difference, friends, and I think Joseph’s first impression was a good one.  We never read where Joseph is complaining or feels sorry for himself.  He appears to take life one day at a time and looks for opportunity to show himself a good and faithful worker.

2.    Provision Number Two:  Potiphar takes Joseph into his home.  Not living as an ordinary servant, Joseph is given the chance to prove himself and this he does.  Joseph becomes Potiphar’s assistant and is now in charge of all Potiphar’s household and belongings.  God granted Joseph favor to handle Potiphar’s possessions and both men prospered.  Potiphar, in turn, worried about nothing (scripture tells us) but what he was going to eat.

3.    Although all the blessings and provisions are positive to this point, the actions of Potiphar’s wife cause Joseph distress.  She wants him, he denies her advances and she makes up lies about his intentions.  The provision from God?  Provision Number Three:  A way out!  “But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.”  Potiphar becomes insanely angry and put him in prison.  But this prison was where the king’s prisoners were confined.  Maybe better than general population?

4.    Provision Number Four:  Now Joseph finds favor in the eyes of the prison warden.  The warden puts Joseph in charge of all the prisoners.  And once again, “the warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.”

Isn’t it great to know regardless of what happens to us or what situation we find ourselves, God is always there?  As long as we give our allegiance to our Lord, the Savior of our souls, we can withstand the task at hand and, as a bonus, God will bless us and those whom we serve.

Lord, you are gracious and good.  Help us to have a clearer vision of our duty as a Christian and to stand with the armor of God firmly attached not only to our bodies, but to our souls.  May you be given the honor due your name in everything we say and do.  Thank you, Lord.  Amen.

For next week’s assignment:  Read Chapter 40

As Joseph continues his time in prison working now as the assistant to the warden, he is put in charge of two of the king’s prisoners, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.  We are not given the exact reasoning why these men are in prison, but they are in confinement.  They each have a dream and need interpretation of these visions. 

1.      Explain the cupbearer and the baker’s dreams. 

2.    What prerequisite did Joseph give before interpreting the dreams?

3.    What was the interpretation of each dream?

4.    Why do you think Joseph is given this opportunity to interpret dreams?  

As I begin the comments for this week, I noticed that I didn’t give any questions for Chapter 38.  That is probably due to the fact that there was so much information for my readers and participants to digest.  I was constantly amazed at the nuggets that kept coming before me!  But let’s get onto Chapter 38.

This entire story revolves around Jacob’s son, Judah.  Remember, I’ve often said beware of those sentences that begin with he went “down”.  In verse one of chapter 38, Judah is reported to have left his brothers and “went down to stay with a man of Adullam” and so the story begins.  Judah marries and has three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah.  After time passes and Er is of the age to marry, Judah finds him a wife, Tamar.  But Er wasn’t a nice person, so the Lord put him to death.

Next in line comes Onan.  If you remember some of the teachings of the Old Testament, if a brother has a wife that hasn’t given birth to offspring and that brother dies, the next brother in line needs to marry his brother’s wife in order to have children in his brother’s name.  It’s actually called a Levirate marriage and the outline is given in Deuteronomy 25:5-6.  Here’s what scripture says, “If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family.  Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.  The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.” 

Evidently Onan wasn’t on board with this idea and when he slept with Tamar he “spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother”.  Wrong move.  Onan was put to death also.  So the next logical move is the third son, Shelah.  This son must have been a bit younger because Judah asks Tamar to wait until he is older and this son will also be given to her. 

Time passes and Judah doesn’t give Shelah to Tamar as quickly as Tamar thinks should happen so she takes matters into her own hands.  She takes off the clothes of a widow (wonder how long she had been wearing this attire?) and dresses as a prostitute and waits for Judah to approach her on his way to shear sheep.  With a veiled face, they have an encounter (of the physical kind) and the payment for her services is to be a young goat.  Tamar, being an astute woman, asks for something tangible to keep until the pledge is fulfilled.  Judah gives her his seal and its cord and his staff. 

Tamar returns home and changes back into the widow’s clothing, but she becomes pregnant.  Meanwhile, Judah fulfills his pledge by sending his friend to the place of the encounter to find the woman and give her the young goat.  Of course, she is not found.  Judah assumes he is free from his pre-agreed upon arrangement since he attempted to fulfill his obligation.

Later when the news gets out that Tamar is pregnant, Judah demands she be brought out and burned to death believing she has been unfaithful to the family name.  The items given to Tamar by Judah when they slept together are revealed and Judah realizes he should have kept his promise of giving Shelah to Tamar as he had previously agreed.  Tamar gave birth to twins, Perez and Zerah.  An interesting note; when the boys were born the mid-wife saw a hand come out and put a scarlet thread around it thinking this boy would be the firstborn.  However, this son was second.  Perez was the firstborn and the scarlet thread was on the hand of Zerah.  Might be good to make a mental note of this fact.

Lord, you are righteous and good.  As we read through these accounts of Jacob’s sons who are the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, we are constantly reminded that you use ordinary sinful individuals to bring about your will and the fulfillment of your promises.  You are the only “sure fact”, God.  We are dust.  We can only “be” through the power of our Holy Creator.  Help us to be worthy, Lord.  In the name which is above every name, Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen.

For next week’s assignment:  Please read Chapter 39, Joseph ad Potiphar’s Wife

If you’ve not read this story, it’s an interesting one.  Deceiving women were noted in the earliest of times, my friends.  List at least four evidences of God’s protection upon this young man, Joseph, as we follow him from being sold to his entrance into Potiphar’s home and beyond.