It must be sweeps week because here is the big dramatic reunion scene you’ve been waiting for. Overcome with emotion, Joseph drives everyone out except his brothers then tells them everything. He also tells them not to worry about selling him into Egypt because that was God’s doing.
Genesis 45
Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all of them and he cried out “Make everyone go out from me!” And no man stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
Continue readingA few chapters back, I mentioned it would be a good time to talk about theater as a a metaphor for life. I wrote that copy before recording the scripture reading and the discussion. I then immediately forgot that I had even said that. The analogy will work anywhere between Genesis 40 and 50, and really the first chapter of Exodus. So let’s read Genesis 44 then I will explain what I mean about the theater.
Genesis 44
Joseph commanded the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth.
Continue readingThey waited as long as they could but eventually the grain runs out and it becomes necessary to return to Egypt. Jacob does not want to let Benjamin go with them but they really have no choice as Joseph was quite clear. They are apprehensive about facing him again because of the money being found in each sack after their first visit. There is a lot that can go wrong on this second trip but by the end of this chapter it looks like everything will turn out great.
Genesis 43
The famine was severe in the land.
Continue readingOne of the things that got Joseph in trouble was his dreams, the ones that indicated his brothers and even his parents would bow to him. As the famine spreads across the region and drags on for what Joseph knew would be years, his family was bound to show up sooner or later.
Note: if you read a translation that says corn, or ears of corn in chapter 41, that is not necessarily wrong. Corn used to be a general term for all grain. Maize was indigenous to North America, the Egyptians did not grow what we call corn today.
Continue readingWe know that Joseph can interpret dreams. The chief butler knows that Joseph can interpret dreams, he just forgot about helping him out after being restored to his position in Pharaoh’s house. Then after Pharaoh has troubling dreams, that his wise men and magicians are no help with, the chief Butler is like “Oh yeah, now I remember…”
Genesis 41
At the end of two full years, Pharaoh had a dream: and, behold, he stood by the river.
Continue readingThe events of Joseph’s life have brought him to a prison in Egypt for a reason. It may not seem like it, but this is the right time and right place for him to do God’s will. This seems like a good time to talk about theater as a metaphor for life.
Genesis 40 After these things, the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
Continue readingWe have seen some messed up stuff in Genesis already; we’re about to witness some more. Any person in the Bible that does anything seems to have some tragic or fatal character flaw. God uses messed up people because that’s the only kind there are. Just wait ’till you see what God’s makes out of this mess, though.
Genesis 38
At that time Judah went down from his brothers, and settled near a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
Continue readingGenesis 37 records a pivotal moment in the history of Israel. This is the beginning of how Israel winds up in Egypt for 400 years so that God can bring them out in the book of Exodus.
Genesis 35 tells us again that Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel, and carefully lists his 12 sons grouping them with the mother of each. This information will be important throughout the history of the Hebrews/ Jews and of some importance to Christian scholars. You might want to bookmark that chapter and refer to again some time. Chapter 34 was about the defilement of Dinah and her brother’s violent response to it; some parts of the Bible are more useful to us than others. If you enjoyed the John Wick movies maybe this chapter is in your wheelhouse.
I don’t know what to tell you about Genesis 36. This chapter records the family history of Esau’s descendants.
Continue readingRachel is going to have a second son, giving Jacob a total of 12, but dies in child birth. Isaac also dies at the end of this chapter but he was 180 years old; he lived to see Jacob return and be reconciled to his older brother Esau.
Genesis 35
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The Master's Table 