G37 Life of Joseph, one of the 12 brothers (12 tribes)

What kind of relationship with his brothers?

G37:2-4 “...bad report ... Israel loved Joseph more ... varicolored tunic ... they hated him... not ... on friendly terms ...”

G37:5-11 dreams “... bow ... hated even more ... jealous ...”

What did they do?

G37:18 “...plotted against him to put him to death...”

G37:21,22 Reuben rescued him, intending to restore him to Israel

G37:25-28 Sold for 20 shekels of silver.

G37:36 “...Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer...”

Who else was sold for silver, and ended up saving?

Matt.26:15 Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver.

G38 Inappropriate behavior of Er, Onan, Tamar, and Judah.

G38:1-6 Judah/Shua have sons Er, Onan, and Shelah. Er marries Tamar.

Why did Er and Onan die?

G38:7 “... Er ... was evil ... so the LORD took his life...”

G38:8-10 Onan “... was displeasing ... the LORD; ... took his life also...”

Why did Tamar deceive Judah?

G38:14 “...Shelah had grown up... not given...”

How is God faithful in spite of man’s failure?

G38:17,18 Judah pays for sex with Tamar “... and she conceived by him...”

G38:24-26 Judah must admit to his unrighteous act.

G38:27-30 She has twins, Perez and Zerah

Matthew 1:3 “...Judah was the father of Perez ... David ... Jesus”

Judah sells Joseph into slavery, has inappropriate relations with his

daughter-in-law, and yet the promise of God is still fulfilled.

G39-41

Why was Joseph successful?

G39:2 “...The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man...”

G39:4 Joseph found favor in Potiphar’s sight, oversees everything.

Did Joseph have it easy?

Success, Noticed, Favored, Tempted, Prison, 2nd in command.

John 16:33 “...I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world...”

G39:20 Thrown into jail for something he didn’t do.

G39:21 “...the Lord ... gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer...“

G40:5-22 Cupbearer and baker have dreams. Joseph accurately interprets as cupbearer to be restored and baker to be killed.

G41:1-37 Two full years before he gets out to interpret Pharoah’s dreams.

G41:46 Joseph becomes 2nd only to Pharaoh at the age of 30.

What does Joseph’s story tell you about God?

Does He accomplish His purposes in spite of unfairness?

Do we usually focus on fairness?

Why did God interact with Pharaoh in a dream?

Will God use anyone He pleases to accomplish His purposes?

G42 Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt, return with grain.

How can a person get free from long-standing guilt?

G42:8 Joseph recognized them, they didn’t recognize Joseph.

G42:21 “...truly we are guilty... ”

G42:25 Joseph provides them with grain and secretly returns their money.

Why didn’t they say “What has the Egyptian done to us”?

G42:28 “...My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?...”

G43-G45 They return to Egypt for more food.

G43:16,18 Joseph prepares to dine with them. The brothers are afraid.

G43:30 Joseph gets emotional when he sees Benjamin.

How had the brothers changed?

G44:1-5 Joseph again sets them up for failure.

G44:16 Again, “...God has found out the guilt...”

G44:33 Judah now willing to give up self for another.

How does God work beyond human understanding?

G45:5 “...God sent me before you to preserve life...”

G45:8 “...it was not you who sent me here, but God...”

This was the core group of 12 that was to bring forth the Jewish nation, the people of God.

Later there would be 12 disciples that would to bring forth the Church Age.

It took time for God to bring the brothers to usefulness.

It took time for Jesus to bring the disciples to usefulness.

It takes time for the Holy Spirit to bring us to usefulness.

G46 God assures Jacob that he can go down to Egypt

How many of the tribe of Israel went to Egypt?

G46:27 “... All the persons ... who came into Egypt were seventy...”

Spoiler - How many left Egypt in the Exodus?

Ex.12:37 “...600,000 men, aside from children...”

Where did they settle/why?

G46:34 “...‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may live in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians...”

G47

What did Pharaoh gain because of the famine?

G47:14 All the money. G4717 All the livestock. G47:20 All the land.

What was the tax rate in Egypt?

G47:24 “...And at the harvests you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones...”

How long did Jacob live in Egypt?

G47:28:”...Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years...”

G48 Jacob’s last days

How were the blessings given by Isaac and Jacob similar?

G48:17-20 “...the younger brother shall be greater...”

G49 Jacob prophesies concerning his sons.

G49:3-4 Reuben, firstborn, uncontrolled, lost preeminence.

G49:5-7 Simeon and Levi, violent, self-willed, to be scattered.

G49:8-12 Judah, lion, ruler.

G49:13 Zebulun, to dwell on the seashore.

G49:14-15 Issachar, strong donkey, slave at forced labor.

G49:16-18 Dan, serpent in the way.

G49:19 Gad, raider.

G49:20 Asher, rich food, royal dainties.

G49:21 Naphtali, beautiful words.

G49:22-26 Joseph, blessed, blessed, blessed

G49:27 Benjamin, wolf that devours the prey.

G49:28 “...He blessed them, ... with the blessing appropriate to him...”

Do we understand the power of the spoken word?

James 3:6 “...the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell...”

Matt.4:4 quotes Deut.8:3 “...Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God..."

Isaiah 55:11 “...My word ...which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it...”

G50 Embalming, mourning, burial

G50:3 40 days to embalm.

G50:3 70 days of weeping.

G50:13 buried in the Machpelah cave.

How did Joseph’s thoughts differ from his brothers?

G50:15 “...When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!..."

G50:20 “...you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive...”

 

Exodus:

EGYPT - symbolic of the world.

Joseph’s godly life prevented disaster.

Was this consistent with God’s intention to bless the world?

Unfortunately, the same world that God calls us to bless, can also enslave us.

E1:

Will the promise still exist?

E1:5-6 “...All the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt. Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation...”

E1:8 “...Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph...”

What didn’t the new king know?

E1:8 “...a new king arose over Egypt ...who did not know Joseph..”

The God that Joseph served? The God that blessed Egypt?

What did his ignorance create?

E1:10 “...let us deal wisely with them ... or they will multiply...”

E1:11 “...they appointed taskmasters ... to afflict them with hard labor...”

E1:14 “...they made their lives bitter...”

E1:16-17 “...if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; ...But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them...”

How quickly can a nation lose awareness of God?

What happens when a nation forgets?

People who don’t fear God, but fear for their own life preferences, will kill babies to further their cause.

It happened with the Pharaoh of Egypt.

It happened with Herod of the Rome Empire (Matt.2:16).

It’s happening in America. Why is abortion a major divisive issue?

Is there blessing for doing what is right?

E1:20 “...God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty...”

E1:21 “...Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them...”

E2 Moses is born, saved in a basket, claimed by Pharoah’s daughter.

E2:11-12 Moses kills an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew.

E2:15-21 Moses flees to Midian, marries Zipporah.

E2:23 The king of Egypt dies.

Had God forgotten His covenant? Was He acting according to His promises? (Genesis 15:13)

E2:23-25 “...the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God...God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant ...and God took notice of them...”

Our appeals to God should center on His promises, not on our selfish preferences. Discover what He’s doing and join Him.

E3 God calls Moses

God interacting? How does God get your attention?

E3:2 “...The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush ...the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed...”

E24:17 at Mt.Sinai, “...the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top...”

Deut.4:23,24 The people were warned not to forget “...For the Lord your God is a consuming fire...”

Heb.12:28,29 New Testament challenge to “...offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire...”

1 Cor.3:11-15 Building on the one true foundation, Christ - “...the fire ...will test the quality of each man’s work...”

What is consumed? What remains?

E3:5 “...remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground..." < Holiness Video >

Remember Cain and Abel, that God has approved ways to approach Him - Casual or Cautious, Careless or Careful,

Heb.4:16 “...let us draw near with confidence [boldly] to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need...”

Job 38:2 “...Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?...”

Heb.7:25 “...Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them...”

His part? [intercede, save] Our part? [draw near]

Heb.10:22 “...let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water...”

Why did God ask Moses to approach Him at the bush?

E3:7,9,10 “...I am aware of their sufferings ...I have seen the oppression ...I will send you to Pharaoh, ... bring My people ... out of Egypt."

Do we respond like Moses?

E3:11 “...who am I to go...”

In a world of suffering and oppression, does God still use people to free people? Why do we approach God? For ourselves, or others?

Does God know exactly how things will occur?

E3:19-22 “...the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion ...I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles ...and after that he will let you go ...I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; ...you will not go empty-handed ...you will plunder the Egyptians..."

Release from the bondage of this world’s prisons comes through struggle.

We must not grow weary. Wait for the promises. It’s worth the wait.

E4:1-9 Moses is empowered - staff/snake, leprosy/healed, water/blood.

How did Aaron end up in Midian?

E4:14-16 “...your brother Aaron ...speaks fluently...I will be your mouth and his mouth ...he shall speak for you...”

What assurance did Moses receive? What warning?

E4:19 “...Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead...”

E4:21-23 Perform the wonders before Pharaoh “...I will harden his heart ...he will not let the people go ...I will kill your (Pharaoh’s) ... firstborn...”

Why is it important to keep our part of the covenant?

Exodus 4:24-26 “...Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and threw it at Moses' feet, and she said, "You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me." So He let him alone. At that time she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood" - because of the circumcision...”

E5 Moses and Aaron approach Pharaoh

Does the world honestly say “I do not know the Lord”?

E5:1 “...Thus says the Lord ... Let my people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness...”

E5:2 Pharaoh said “...Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice ...I do not know the Lord ...”

When God is up to something, do things immediately improve?

E5:6,9 “...That same day ...Let the labor be heavier...”

E5:21 The Israelites said "...you have made us odious in Pharaoh's sight and in the sight of his servants...”

E6

Does God care if we are odious to the world. Do we?

E6:1,2,7 “...Then the Lord said ...you shall see what I will do ...I am the Lord; ...I will be your God...”

Who decides when we see the hand and strength of God?

Israel was in slavery in Egypt twice as long as the USA has been a country.