Dei Time

“We’re Not Spies!”

Dei Break

Genesis 42:9 - 43:34

Being accused of spying (vs.9), a capital offense, terrified the brothers. All of their fears and guilt surfaced after over twenty years of silence—they had sinned (Verse 21 is the only confession of sin in Genesis), and God's punishment had at last come.

Joseph, understanding his brothers' argument without their knowledge, turned from them to cry (vs.23-24). If his plan was revenge, there would have been no tears. He would have smiled in satisfaction at their suffering. He needed to have them all together for something, but not vengeance.

Verse 27 records the brothers' terror at discovering that the money for the grain was still in their possession—not only were they charged as spies, now there would be the charge of theft! The journey back to Canaan without Simeon was about 250 miles (about two weeks). Arriving home, the brothers learned Jacob wasn't about to let his youngest travel to Egypt. His words reveal that the old man still greatly favored his two youngest sons over the others.

The brothers returned to Joseph with gifts not found in Egypt (43:11), and therefore of great value, along with Benjamin. Their fear, fret, and stress must have grown in the month of roundtrip travel, plus the time involved in consuming the purchased grain. What other charges might the "Egyptian" have come up with while they were gone?

However, things seemed to go better this time. They were invited to eat with Joseph, and saw him seat them in order of age—one of those "statistically impossible to do accidentally" events (vs.33). Joseph honored Benjamin with five times as much food as the others. Though it was customary to honor a special guest in most cultures, to give five times over was almost unheard of. Meanwhile, the Egyptians at the dinner ate separately, abhorring the idea of eating with the Hebrew foreigners.

As the story continues, it appears that Joseph wanted to see if his brothers were the same hate-filled men that he had known years before. Was Benjamin safe? Had the brothers changed? How would they react as he maneuvered them into a dangerous situation?

Next time: Benjamin is Accused

Famine and Family

Dei Break

Genesis 41:41 – 42:8

Joseph was catapulted from prison into a position second only to Pharaoh. He received an Egyptian name which some experts interpret as "sustainer of life". His Egyptian wife's name meant "she belongs to Neith" (a goddess of the Egyptians).

On, or Heliopolis, was not a god, but a city near modern Cairo in which Asenath's father, Potiphera, served. It is a city well known to archaeologists. There is a 69 foot obelisk in New York City's Central Park described as "Cleopatra's Needle". It is one of two found in Heliopolis, and the King Tut treasures include a fan with an inscription saying that he hunted near the city.

If Joseph was so faithful to God, why did he marry a pagan woman (41:45)? The answer probably lies in Joseph's unique situation. Pharaoh, who had the power to honor or execute, chose Asenath for Joseph. For Joseph to refuse her might have been a great insult.

Asenath must have been an outstanding woman to have been chosen for Joseph. She bore two sons with Joseph. It is not recorded that Joseph ever married a wife from his own people. For once, one of God's faithful leaders apparently remained monogamous. We are not told anything negative about Asenath, a worshipper of foreign gods. Who knows what influence Joseph's stories about God may have had on her? Might she have become a believer?

How much grain was stored in the seven years of plenty? Enough to supply all of the peoples in the known trading world during the seven famine years—years when the granaries would not have been refilled (41:57).

And who should show up from Canaan to buy grain? Joseph's brothers, still arguing with each other and their father (42:1). They stood before this powerful "Egyptian" who controlled the food supply for the entire region. He was dressed in Egyptian garb and make up, waited on by servants and courtiers, looking nothing like an Israelite—and certainly not recognizable to the brothers who thought he had died years before.

Next time: We're Not Spies!

Pharaoh’s Cows

Dei Break

Genesis 41:1 – 41:40

Isis, the Egyptian goddess thought to keep the crops and herds thriving, was often pictured wearing cow horns. In his dream Pharaoh saw cows acting strangely. He saw the holy Nile River that kept the land fertile. The presence of both of these may have left the ruler determined to discover the meaning of his dreams, but the Egyptian wise men and magicians couldn't provide it (vs.8). God would only reveal their meaning through Joseph.

The cupbearer finally remembered to tell Pharaoh about Joseph (vs.12). After thirteen years in Egypt, he was about to be brought to the ruler of the land.

If this were a Bruce Willis "Die Hard" movie, Joseph would have sneered at Pharaoh, done a quick turn-around on the palace guards and conquered the whole country in a sixty minute fight scene. After the battle he would have claimed his true love and ruled happily ever after, but God's victories are often quieter and even more amazing. Think of it—Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers; made house master for the captain of Pharaoh's bodyguard; accused of attempted rape (for which the prescribed punishment was 1,000 lashes); tossed into prison; again entrusted with many responsibilities; and finally met two court officials whose dreams he interpreted. Oh…and then was forgotten again for two more years.

Cleaned up, freshly shaved, looking a little more like a wise dream interpreter (vs.14), Joseph came to Pharaoh not in fear, but in confidence, knowing that God had brought him to this place. Now a man thirty years old, Joseph knew that all of the things that had happened to him were quietly being controlled by God. He didn't know that God's plan for him was soon to climax in a great famine.

After hearing Joseph's plan for the survival of Egypt, who else could Pharaoh choose to organize the effort (vs.39)? In all of Egypt only Pharaoh would be more powerful than Joseph (vs.40), and God had done it all without a fight scene. Why? What did God have in mind? Who was He about to surprise?

Next time: Famine and Family

   

Dreams Come True

Dei Break

Genesis 40:1 – 23

"God, please teach me patience and be quick about it." How would we react to years of slavery and imprisonment? How would our faith stand the test? We live in a culture of fast fixes, fast riches, fast travel, fast decisions, etc. The idea of waiting for God is foreign to us. We even have a hard time with St. Paul's statement that he had learned to be "content". We forget that to St. Paul, and to Joseph, "content" didn't mean silent, lazy, or satisfied.

Joseph was content—not in his situation, but in his confidence that God was in control. He was never satisfied to just sit, even when he really didn't know what might happen next. Because he knew Who was in control of his life, Joseph just got on with his daily tasks. He could grow in experience and knowledge and focus on other people instead of himself. His faith in God enabled him to thrive in situations that most certainly could have killed others, and his faith meant that he could look beyond himself to see the troubled expressions of the baker and the cupbearer, and ask if he could help.

We don't know why these two were in prison, but Pharaoh would not simply forget the offences of high court officials, which is what the cupbearer and the baker were. Perhaps the end of the story indicates not only Pharaoh's birthday celebration, but that he had been determining which was the real culprit.

The dreams of the two prisoners were not like our dreams, which are generally caused by too much pizza or too much stress. God sent these dreams as part of His plan for Joseph's life.

Nor was Joseph's dream interpretation an example of fortunetelling. He was given interpretations by God for God's reasons. He was not a magician nor did he consult the dead, or spirits, or his own imagination. He plainly told his hearers that only God could interpret dreams—an important message for a people who had often consulted seers and magicians for dream interpretation, and would do so again.

Next time: Pharaoh's Cows

    

   

Honored Servant

Dei Break

Genesis 38:1 - 39:23

Judah first sins in chapter 38 by marrying a Canaanite. The two sons that resulted were evil (vs.7 & 10)—probably due to their Canaanite religious leanings. By refusing to father offspring to be raised by his brother's widow as his brother's sons (the obligation of a brother at that time) Onan was apparently trying to guarantee himself the firstborn brother's double inheritance. If he had given Tamar a son (37:9), that son would have received his father's inheritance. Judah failed to obey the same law when he would not give his third son to Tamar (vs.14). Judah again erred when he consorted with what he thought was a Canaanite temple prostitute (vs.15). It would seem that Judah was significantly influenced by the surrounding pagan customs. Do you think that Christians today are influenced by their worldly surroundings? Why doesn't God keep us from this?

What about Tamar? She had been misused, but pretending to be a Canaanite temple prostitute was surely not God's direction. But, she proved to Judah that he had wronged her and she bore two sons as a result of her encounter with her father-in-law. Can God use the sinful situations we get ourselves into? (BTW: Perez was an ancestor of Jesus, as was the sinful Judah.)

Chapter 39 gets back Joseph. Things started to look up after the powerful and wealthy captain of the Pharaoh's body guard purchased him as a house slave. Potiphar (37:36) grew to respect Joseph and left him charge of the household. But Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph and then force him into an affair (39:12). Though he was innocent, Joseph was a slave denying the charges of an official's wife. Potiphar could have had him executed, but did not. Was Potiphar an unhappily married man who chose not to execute a young servant he knew to be innocent?

Finding himself in prison, Joseph's ability brought him to a respected position of leadership there too. What is with this guy? He has been abused and cheated, yet wherever he ends up, he rises to prominence rather than sinking into despair. How would you define Joseph? Where does he get his perseverance and attitude? How is your perseverance when the job place is unfair or friends fail?

Next time: Dreams Come True

A Boy and His Marvelous Coat

Dei Break

Genesis 36:1 - 37:36

It will be interesting to watch for the Edomites as we read through the Old Testament. These descendants of Esau were often in conflict with Jacob's descendants, God's chosen covenant people. Isaac told his son Esau God's word that someday the Edomites would break from under Israel's domination. Hundreds of years later the Edomite, Herod the Great, through his friendship with Rome, would rule Israel. If you have seen the movie, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" you may have noticed that the final scenes of the story were filmed at Petra, desert cliffs capital city of later Edomites.

Chapter 37 introduces Joseph. It is apparent from the story that Jacob (Israel) was not a relationship-building father. His other sons were much older, yet we see in them an immature and sinful animosity toward Joseph (vs.4). What a sad comment on the family. Being a patriarch of God's people did not guarantee happiness nor force a man to stay close to his God. Jacob was far closer to God than he had been before the great struggle with his Lord, but still he did not turn easily to God in times of need.

At age seventeen, Joseph was either naïve or arrogant, or a little of both. He shared his dream of dominance with his brothers in spite of their animosity toward him for his position in Jacob's affection (vs.3). As the youngest son he would not ordinarily have an honored place in the family, but his mother had been Rachel, the wife whom Jacob had loved so much more than her sister Leah.

At his brothers' hands Joseph tumbled from a place of prominence in the heart and house of a wealthy father into the fear of being murdered (vs.24) and then finding himself sold as a slave in Egypt (vs.36). His brothers, unbelievably, returned to their father with Joseph's tunic soaked in goat's blood—to convince him of his favored son's "death" (vs.33). They were willing to live that lie. Only God's intervention could bring this family back together, but it would take many years.

Next time: Honored Servant

   

Joys and Trials

Dei Break

Genesis 33:1 - 35:29

God had blessed Esau materially, and also blessed him with a forgiving spirit. The encounter so feared by Jacob was one of tears and fellowship (33:4). The honor shown Esau by Jacob may have been a caution against the elder's retaliation, but perhaps it also reflected a new Jacob; one who has finally recognized the sin in his own life. This Jacob is no longer the same man whom Esau hated. When he finally reaches Shechem, Jacob names an altar "God of Israel", Israel being the new name given to him during his wrestling with God.

Chapter 34 is filled with sex, intrigue, plotting, and revenge, but not a word about seeking God's counsel in the situation. Unbelievably, Jacob's sons even used the sign of God's covenant in their plot of murder. The actions of Simeon and Levi would never have been approved by God. (Genesis 49 records that this violence was committed "in their self-will.")

As Jacob prepares his family for a move commanded by God (35:1), we find that many of his descendants were worshiping false gods. Most of the people of the time believed that there were many gods. They often worshiped gods of fertility, gods of war, and other gods that came into their lands with new settlers. Some worshiped these gods and the God of Jacob. The false idols had to be given up. The earrings also had to go (35:4), not because they were too flashy, but probably because they were worn as amulets of magic. The pillar set by Jacob was a common mark of a covenant or important event. This cleansing of false gods from among God's people will be repeated many times in the Old Testament.

Isaac, out of the story for some time, was still living. He actually outlived his daughter-in-law, Rachel, and into the time after Joseph's disappearance. His death again reunited Jacob and Esau.

Chapter 35 ends with a listing of Jacob's (Israel's) twelve sons whose descendants would become the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel.

Next time: A Boy and His Marvelous Coat

Jacob’s Escape

Dei Break

Genesis 31:1 - 33:20

Laban continued to play the part of the bereaved and misunderstood father, but not convincingly, as his daughters fled with Jacob. Why did Rachel steal the household gods? (31:19) Several reasons have been suggested: they probably related to fertility blessings; they were sometimes used for divination; they may have just been part of the worship learned from her father; but perhaps the most likely is that their possession could have legally guaranteed that the family inheritance would pass to the daughters and Jacob according to local laws. Whatever the reason, we see in Rachel a willingness to deceive that was almost equal to her husband's.

Having been warned by God not to force the issue of departure (31:24), Laban suggested establishing a covenant. Many church members have heard the blessing/benediction, "May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other," found in verse 49. Far from a loving, caring prayer, the words reflect a mood of distrust. Laban was saying something like, "May the Lord keep an eye on you when I can't, so you can't do me harm." The men had in reality concluded a non-aggression pact, and parted forever the next day.

After a separation of many years Jacob feared meeting Esau. What if his brother still wanted to kill him? What if Esau's men killed them all? Jacob's actions seem a combination of plotting and prayer. Perhaps his heart still waffled between trusting his own strength and trusting God. That would do much to explain his strange encounter.

What about the wrestling story? Can anyone wrestle with God and win? Jacob did, but not because he was stronger than God. Jacob the trickster, the manipulator, the man who tried to run on his own power, was confronted by the God Who loved him. For the first time in his life, Jacob found himself clinging to God, pleading with God not to leave him. Could God have broken Jacob's grip and disappeared? Of course, but He chose to stay and in staying He demonstrated to Jacob that he could not win against God and that he didn't really want to.

Next time: Joys and Trials

The Trickster is Deceived

Dei Break

Genesis 29:15 - 30:43

Laban wanted his older daughter, Leah ("Cow"), to marry first, as was the custom, so he tricked the trickster into marrying the wrong girl (29:23). Verse 17 says that Leah's eyes were weak, which probably means that her eyes were not beautiful, or perhaps more lightly colored than the dark eyes that were most admired. Jacob agreed to wed both sisters but had to work a total of fourteen years to pay for them.

Again we see the strife and bickering that resulted from Jacob's polygamy. Clearly this was not God's intent or plan. God's plan would have worked much better.

We saw the childbearing custom described in 30:3 earlier in Genesis, in the account of Sarah and Hagar—a slave bearing a child that would legally belong to the father's wife. It seems to have worked out better this time. Perhaps Sarah's motives were ambiguous? Perhaps Hagar was a stronger personality? We aren't told the details.

Rachel and Leah continued the contest of child bearing for years. The "mandrake deal", in which Leah rented Jacob for a night, involved a root thought to be a powerful aphrodisiac (30:14).

Jacob's lack of control over the whole situation and his failure to turn to God for solutions is pretty obvious, as is God's loving care of this man and these women, in spite of their sinful nature.

Laban and Jacob thought alike. Laban tricked Jacob, and then schemed to keep him around for his own gain. (Integrity wasn't one of his strong points.) Laban had no strong regard for God, since he had "learned by divination"–an action forbidden by God—that he was being blessed on account of Jacob (30:27). Jacob agreed to stay longer, but demanded certain conditions (vs.31)

Why Jacob's strange request worked seems a combination of factors. Laban, thinking the spotted animals far more rare, meaning fewer flocks for Jacob, (vs.33-34) greedily complied. Jacob was a very good breeder, matching the weaker part of the flock for Laban and the stronger for himself. However, God was also at work, as shown by the tremendous success of Jacob's efforts.

Next time: Jacob's Escape

Jacob Dreams

Dei Break

Genesis 28:10 – 29:14

During his journey to Uncle Laban in Haran, Jacob had a dream about God. It wasn't because Jacob had done well that God blessed him. God came to him in spite of his behavior, not because of it—He never gave up on Jacob and He never gives up on us either.

Jesus, in John 1:51, referred to the ladder in Jacob's dream when He told Nathanial that he would "see the heavens opened up and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." Jacob could not provide, or even climb, the ladder into God's presence. God's only Son would be the "ladder" to His Father's presence, though His birth into our world was still hundreds of years in the future. Jacob was unable to understand the concept of Christ, but he could understand the promise that God would provide a way of salvation.

Jacob, however, was still a long way from really understanding God's grace in his life. After the dream, Jacob the trickster and manipulator said that if God would fulfill His promises then "the Lord will be my God" (vs.20-21). Jacob had a lot of growing to do before becoming a man of strong faith. He still lacked a faith like that of the three men in King Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, who said to the furious king, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us….. But even if he does not…we will not serve your gods…" (Daniel 3:17-18)

Arriving in Haran must have been an emotional experience for Jacob. This was the homeland of his grandfather and mother. He had never visited it before, yet he challenged his cousins to get busy and stop lying around the well during the workday.(29:7) (Though he was probably correct in his assessment of his cousins, might his boldness mark a lad spoiled by his mother?) After this, Jacob helped Rachel with her regular task of watering the flocks and enjoyed an exciting meeting with the uncle he had never met.

Next time: The Trickster is Deceived

(Note: The original title projected at the end of the last blog article has been postponed until next time. Thanks for your patience!)