A Disturbing Interpretation to A Disturbing Situation...

This week, we are looking at a section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of Genesis. Yesterday, we looked on as Joseph found himself in jail, isolated separated from the relationships that he had developed. However, Joseph was not alone, because the Lord was active and at work in his life. And as the prison warden watched the Lord’s activity in Joseph’s life, he responded by promoting Joseph to the position of chief trustee. Joseph became the warden’s right hand man and was placed in charge of all of the prisoners.

After being promoted to the position of chief trustee by the prison warden, Joseph was joined in prison by the cupbearer and baker of the king of Egypt, who was also known as Pharaoh.  Moses tells us that these men offended Pharaoh. Moses tells us that as Joseph went to serve and attend to the needs of the cupbearer and baker one morning, he noticed that they were dejected. Joseph discovered that the reason why these men were wretched and disturbed revolved around a dream that they both had the previous evening. And while their dreams were different, their response to the dreams was the same.

The cupbearer and baker were not wretched and disturbed as a result of having a dream. The cupbearer and baker were wretched and disturbed because there was no one there who could explain what the dream meant. These men felt like the answer to what their futures held was right before them, but just out of their grasp. Upon discovering the reason for their wretched and disturbed state, Joseph makes a simple statement that reveals a great deal about his character: "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please."

You see, Joseph, recognized that the Lord was present and actively at work in his life. And because Joseph knew that the Lord was present and active in his life, he felt comfortable and confident to ask to hear the dreams, because he trusted that the Lord would provide him the ability to explain these dreams. Today, we see how these officials responded to Joseph’s offer in verse 9:

So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream, behold, there was a vine in front of me; and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes. "Now Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh's hand." Then Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh's cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer. "Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house. "For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon."

The cupbearer, feeling like he had nothing to lose, shares his dream to Joseph. And without hesitation, Joseph responds by explaining the dream in incredible detail. Joseph’s interpretation, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded like this: “Within three days Pharaoh will summon you into his presence and forgive you. Pharaoh will then give you your job back and will place his confident trust in you just as he had previously.”

After providing the interpretation, Joseph then asks “only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.” Joseph is basically asking “please remember what I did for you when you get out of here and stand before Pharaoh. Please do me a favor and mention what I did for you to Pharaoh and help get me out of this prison, because I am innocent and should not be here”. Joseph is simply asking the cupbearer to respond to the favor that he had done for him by returning the favor. Moses then reveals for us how the baker responded to what he saw and heard in verse 16:

 When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, "I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head; and in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head." Then Joseph answered and said, "This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you."

As the baker heard Joseph provide the cupbearer a positive explanation of his dream, he also decided to share his dream with Joseph. The baker was hoping that he would receive a similar response. And just as it was with the cupbearer, Joseph, without hesitation, responds by explaining the dream in incredible detail.

Joseph’s interpretation, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded like this: “Within three days Pharaoh will summon you into his presence and will pass judgment upon you. Pharaoh will order that you be impaled upon a tree and left there to hang and be exposed to the elements so that birds of the air can feast on your decaying and dead carcass.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I imagine that was not what the baker wanted to hear.

Now imagine yourself as the cupbearer and baker. Place yourselves in their shoes. How would you respond to Joseph’s explanation of your dream? What would you be thinking? What would you be feeling? Would you trust that Joseph’s explanation was true? As the cupbearer would you be excited? As the baker, would you be worried? After all, Joseph is just some foreigner who is in prison for attempting to rape your boss’s wife. How could he possibly know what was going to happen?

Friday, we will see whether or not Joseph was right…

Dreams That Disturb...

During this fall at the church where I serve, we have been traveling on a journey with a man named Jacob and his family in a section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Genesis. This week, I would like for us to spend our time together by picking up where we left off last week. As we jump back into this section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of Genesis, we find Joseph in jail, isolated separated from the relationships that he had developed. However, Joseph was not alone, because the Lord was active and at work in his life.

And as the prison warden watched the Lord’s activity in Joseph’s life, he responded by promoting Joseph to the position of chief trustee. Joseph became the warden’s right hand man and was placed in charge of all of the prisoners. Joseph was the vehicle that God was using to reveal himself to the warden, even when doing the right thing did not result in the right result for Joseph. And it is in this context that we jump back into the book of Genesis, beginning in Genesis 40:1. Let’s look at it together:

Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned. The captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he took care of them; and they were in confinement for some time.

Moses brings us into this section of the book of Genesis by explaining that after being promoted to the position of chief trustee by the prison warden, Joseph was joined in prison by the cupbearer and baker of the king of Egypt, who was also known as Pharaoh.  Moses tells us that these men offended Pharaoh. Now the word offend here, in the language that this letter was originally written in, is the same word that is translated elsewhere as sin. This word conveys the sense of being blameworthy and violating ones trust.

To understand why this is so significant, we first need to understand what the cupbearer and baker did for Pharaoh. The cupbearer was a high level official in the Egyptian government who served Pharaoh the beverages that he drank and also ensured that those beverages were not poisoned by sampling the drink in Pharaoh’s presence. Similarly, the baker was another high level official who served Pharaoh the food that he ate and also ensured that the food was not poisoned by sampling the food in Pharaoh’s presence.

Now as you might imagine, these positions required unquestioned trust and allegiance to the Pharaoh. So while Moses does not tell us specifically what they did to end up in prison, the cupbearer and baker had sinned against the Pharaoh in a way that had violated that trust and allegiance. Pharaoh responded to their violation of trust and allegiance by placing them in the maximum security prison, where those who rebelled against or displeased Pharaoh were confined.

And this prison was under the jurisdiction of Potiphar, who was the head of the secret service of the nation of Egypt. Moses tells us that Potiphar commanded the prison warden to place Joseph, who was now the chief trustee, in charge of taking care of the cupbearer and baker, who most likely had some role within the secret service that Potiphar oversaw. Joseph was charged with the responsibility to serve and attend to their needs while they awaited trial before Pharaoh for the crimes that they had been accused of.

You see, Potiphar still trusted Joseph enough to entrust him with the care of these two very important government officials as they awaited trial. And as the cupbearer and baker awaited trial, they had an experience in prison that left them both very unsettled, as Moses records for us beginning in verse 5:

 Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected. He asked Pharaoh's officials who were with him in confinement in his master's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?" Then they said to him, "We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please."

Moses tells us that as Joseph went to serve and attend to the needs of the cupbearer and baker one morning, he noticed that they were dejected. This word dejected literally means to look wretched, pitiful, and disturbed. Joseph, who was responsible for their well being, responded to what he saw by immediately asking the men what the problem was. Joseph then discovered that the reason why these men were wretched and disturbed revolved around a dream that they both had the previous evening. And while their dreams were different, their response to the dreams was the same.

To understand why the cupbearer and baker responded to these dreams the way that they did, we first need to understand how dreams were viewed in the culture of the day. In the culture of the day, dreams were viewed as a gift from the gods that unlocked what the future held for men. And because of that view, there were individuals who were viewed as experts that specialized in the interpretation of dreams. However, the cupbearer and baker were in prison. And because they were in prison, these officials did not have access to the experts, who they believed could interpret their dreams and unlock their futures.

You see, the cupbearer and baker were not wretched and disturbed as a result of having a dream. The cupbearer and baker were wretched and disturbed because there was no one there who could explain what the dream meant. These men felt like the answer to what their futures held was right before them, but just out of their grasp. Upon discovering the reason for their wretched and disturbed state, Joseph makes a simple statement that reveals a great deal about his character: "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please."

Joseph’s statement, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: Hey guys, don’t be so disturbed. You don’t need those experts to interpret your dreams, because it is God that is the One that interprets dreams. And God is right 100% of the time. So why don’t you tell me your dreams and I will find out from God what your dreams mean. Then I will explain what they mean to you”. You see, Joseph, recognized that the Lord was present and actively at work in his life. And because Joseph knew that the Lord was present and active in his life, he felt comfortable and confident to ask to hear the dreams, because he trusted that the Lord would provide him the ability to explain these dreams.

Tomorrow, we will see how these officials responded to Joseph’s offer…

Doing the right thing in God’s sight does not always result in the right result in the sight of others....

This week, we are looking at part of the story of a man named Joseph that is recorded for us in the very first letter in the Bible, called the book of Genesis. Wednesday, we looked on as Moses revealed that Joseph’s bosses wife wanted to undress Joseph and acted on her desire by propositioning Joseph. However, Joseph responded to Potiphar’s wife’s offer to have sex by rejecting the offer. Potiphar’s wife was persistent and as Joseph went into his house to do his work as usual, there were no other servants in the house. Potiphar’s wife, taking advantage of this unusual situation, grabs Joseph by his clothes and aggressively takes the initiative: Joseph let’s have sex.

And once again Joseph was even more persistent when it came to his rejection of her offer. Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife as she snatched some of his clothes off his back. Rejected and spurned once again, the frustrated wife of Potiphar releases her anger by falsely accusing Joseph of attempting to rape her. And as evidence, she points to the very piece of clothing that she had snatched from Joseph’s body.  Potiphar’s wife then shifted the blame onto her husband by accusing him of sexual harassment and an unsafe home environment in front of the rest of the slaves. Then she waits until Potiphar returns home. Moses records for us what happened next in verse 17:

Then she spoke to him with these words, "The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside." Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, "This is what your slave did to me," his anger burned. So Joseph's master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.

Upon returning from work, Potiphar got an earful from his wife: “The foreign slave who you brought into our home to harass me attempted to rape me, but I screamed and scared him off. Look for yourself; here are some of his clothes that he left behind as evidence”. Moses tells us that as Potiphar heard his wife’s accusations against him and his personal assistant Joseph, his anger burned. Now this phrase, in the language that this letter was originally written in literally means to kindle and become hot.

You see, Potiphar was fired up in anger; he was hot in rage at his personal assistant. Potiphar responded to his wife’s accusation by arresting Joseph and placing him in the maximum security prison, where those who rebelled against or displeased Pharaoh were confined. Now this morning, here is a question to consider: Why didn’t Potiphar just have Joseph executed? After all, in the culture of the day, execution was the normal sentence for such a crime. I mean, if he was so fired up in anger, why even keep Joseph alive?

While Moses does not give us the answer, I believe that instead of having his slave executed, Potiphar had him imprisoned, which would give him time to fully investigate the alleged crime. You see, I don’t think that Potiphar was fully convinced that Joseph had attempted to have sex with his wife. After all, Potiphar had seen the evidence of the Lord’s presence and activity in Joseph’s life. Potipahr had seen Joseph live his life in a way the revealed and reflected God to him. And the Lord was blessing Potiphar as Potiphar promoted Joseph. I mean this seemed so unlike Joseph.

Now imagine yourself as Joseph. Place yourself in his shoes. You know that the Lord has been present and active in your life. You know that the Lord has used you in Potiphar’s life. And you know that you repeatedly did the right thing, even though it was not the easy thing to do. And now you find yourself in jail, falsely accused, even though you did the right thing and trusted God. What would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? What questions would you be asking?

Now, I don’t know about you, but I would be tempted to ask, “God where are you and why did you allow this to happen?” And maybe you are here this morning and those are questions that you are asking. Maybe you have been doing the right thing, but you are not experiencing the right result of doing the right thing in your life. And you are wondering “God where are you and why did you allow this to happen? I am trusting you and following you; I am doing the right thing. Why am I not experiencing the right results, especially when it comes to how others are treating me”? We find the answers to these questions in Joseph’s life in verse 21:

But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph's charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph's charge because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made to prosper.

Moses tells us that while Joseph once again found himself enslaved, this time in jail, isolated separated from the relationships that he had developed, he was not alone, because the Lord was with him. And the Lord was not just present; in addition the Lord extended kindness to him. Now the word kindness, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means faithful devotion.

And in the Lord’s faithful devotion to Joseph, the Lord granted Joseph grace in the presence of the prison warden. Once again, Joseph found approval in the eyes of another that was in a position of power. And that favor and approval from the prison warden resulted in a promotion for Joseph. Even though Joseph was confined after being accused of a most serious crime, Joseph was promoted to the position of chief trustee. Joseph became the warden’s right hand man and was placed in charge of all of the prisoners. And just as it was when Joseph was Potipher’s right hand man, the prison warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s control.

You see, as the prison warden looked at Joseph the prisoner’s life, he saw the evidence of the Lord’s activity in Joseph’s life. You see, the Lord’s activity in Joseph’s life resulted in Joseph achieving success in whatever he was involved in. And as the prison warden watched the success that Joseph was having, he recognized that it was the Lord that was responsible for Joseph’s success. Once again, Joseph was the vehicle that God was using to reveal himself to the warden, even when doing the right thing did not result in the right result for Joseph.

And it is here, in this seemingly tragic turn of events in Joseph’s life, that we see God reveal to us a timeless truth. And that timeless truth is this: Doing the right thing in God’s sight does not always result in the right result in the sight of others. Just as doing the right thing in God’s sight by resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife did not result in the right result for Joseph in the sight of others, doing the right thing in God’s sight does not always result in the right result in the sight of others.

However, just as it was for Joseph, while doing the right thing in God’s sight does not always result in the right result in the sight of others, it does result in a life where the Lord is present and that the Lord can use to reveal His Son Jesus to others. You see, just because God is silent, that does not mean that God is absent. Just as a teacher is silent, but present, while their students go through a test, the Lord is fully present when His followers go through a test. And when we respond to the tests that we experience here on earth by doing what is right in God’s sight, even though we may not always experience a right result in the sight of others, the others will have seen Jesus in us. Because, as we have seen this morning, doing the right thing in God’s sight does not always result in the right result in the sight of others

So here is the question to consider: How are you responding to the tests that you face here on earth? Are you responding to those tests by doing the right thing in God’s sight, even though doing the right thing in God’s sight does not always result in the right result in the sight of others? Or are you responding to those tests by focusing on receiving the right result in the sight of others at the expense of doing what is right in God’s sight?

A Temptation In The Midst Of Success....

This week, we are looking at part of the story of a man named Joseph that is recorded for us in the very first letter in the Bible, called the book of Genesis. Yesterday, we saw that even though Joseph had been sold into slavery in a foreign land, the Lord was with Joseph. And as a result of the Lord’s presence and activity in Joseph’s life, Joseph became a successful man. In spite of living as a slave away from family and friends, Joseph was prospering.

As Potiphar looked at his slave Joseph’s life, he saw the evidence of the Lord’s activity in Joseph’s life, which resulted in Joseph achieving success in whatever he was involved in. And as Potiphar watched the success that Joseph was having, Potiphar promoted Joseph to the position of being his personal servant. Joseph became Potiphar’s right hand man and was placed in charge of all of the affairs of his estate. Joseph was appointed to oversee and manage all of Potiphar’s property and servants.

Moses then tells us that from the time that Joseph received his promotion, the Lord blessed the Egyptians house and that the Lord’s blessing was upon all he owned.And here we see God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 coming to fruition in the life of Joseph. The Lord was blessing Potiphar as Potiphar promoted Joseph.

And things seemed to be looking up for Joseph. As a result of the Lord’s presence and activity in his life, Joseph had risen from common slave, to household servant, to Potiphar’s personal assistant. Joseph’s life seemed to be taking a turn for the better. And as things took a turn for the better, we see Joseph come face to face with a temptation that flowed from his success in the second half of verse 6:

 Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. It came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."

When Moses says that Joseph was handsome in form and appearance, this phrase literally means that Joseph was handsome in shape and sight. Joseph was a buff, good looking dude. Potiphar’s wife, upon seeing Joseph, looked with desire at him. Now this phrase literally means to lift up one’s eyes at something.  So Potiphar’s wife saw Joseph and lifted her eyes with desire “whoa! What I would like to do to him”. But Potiphar’s wife did not simply want to undress Joseph with her eyes. Potiphar’s wife wanted to undress Joseph and acted on her desire by propositioning Joseph: “Lie with me”. Have sex with me Joseph. Now that is cutting to the chase.

Now imagine yourself as Joseph. Put yourself in his shoes. Life for you has taken a turn for the better. You have been promoted to be Potiphar’s personal assistant. You are in charge of his estate and his servants. And Potiphar is a busy man as he is the captain of the secret service for the Egyptian government. So Potiphar is gone a lot. And here comes his wife and offers to have sex with you.

How would you respond? I mean, how would Potiphar find out if you did have sex with his wife? You are in a position where you can arrange the circumstances so that no one else would be around and no one would ever know. So what would you do? How would you respond? We see Joseph’s response in verse 8:

 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. ⁹ "There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?"

Joseph responded to Potiphar’s wife’s offer to have sex by rejecting the offer. And in his rejection of her offer, we see Joseph provide the reasons for that rejection. First, Joseph rejects the offer because it would violate the trust that Potiphar had in Joseph. Potiphar had given Joseph a great deal of responsibility because he trusted him and Joseph was not about to do anything that would fail to meet his expectations and violate that trust.

Joseph then asks a rhetorical question that reveals the second reason for his rejection of her offer: “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" Notice that Joseph does not ask “how could I do this great evil against your husband?” No, Joseph recognized the timeless reality that, at the end of the day, our selfishness and rebellion against others is ultimately against God.

You see, Joseph recognized the evidence of God’s presence and activity in his life. Joseph recognized that God was using him as the vehicle to reveal himself to Potiphar. Joseph recognized that this selfish and rebellious crime against Potiphar would misrepresent God to him. And Joseph understood that this crime and rebellion was ultimately against God and that he would be accountable to God.

So, in light of all that God had done for him, how could he even consider rebelling against him? Moses then reveals how Potiphar’s wife responded to being rejected in verse 10:

As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. She caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me!" And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called to the men of her household and said to them, "See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed. "When he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside." So she left his garment beside her until his master came home.

Moses reveals for us that Potiphar’s wife was persistent and would not take no for an answer. However, while Potiphar’s wife was persistent, Joseph was even more persistent. Moses tells us that Joseph did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. In other words, not only did Joseph refuse to have sex with her, Joseph avoided being in her presence alone altogether. Joseph strived to live his life in a way that was above reproach. Joseph strived to live in a way that no one would be able to point a finger of accusation at him that was accurate.

Unfortunately for Joseph, he still had to enter into the house to fulfill his responsibilities as Potiphar’s personal assistant. Moses tells us that one day Joseph went into his house to do his work as usual. This time, however, there were no other servants in the house. Potiphar’s wife, taking advantage of this unusual situation, grabs Joseph by his clothes and aggressively takes the initiative: Joseph let’s have sex. And once again Joseph was even more persistent when it came to his rejection of her offer. Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife as she snatched some of his clothes off his back.

Rejected and spurned once again, the frustrated wife of Potiphar releases her anger by falsely accusing Joseph of attempting to rape her. And as evidence, she points to the very piece of clothing that she had snatched from Joseph’s body. But this morning, notice how Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses Joseph: "See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed. When he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside."

Potiphar’s wife blames Potiphar for bringing a foreign slave into their lives in order to make sport of us. Now the phrase make sport literally means to play around or harass. So Potiphar’s wife shifts the blame onto her husband by accusing him of sexual harassment and an unsafe home environment in front of the rest of the slaves. Then she waits until Potiphar returns home.

Friday, we will see Moses reveal for us a timeless truth through Potiphar’s response to his wife’s accusation…

God's Presence In Spite Of Distance...

During this fall at the church where I serve, we have been spending our time together in a sermon series entitled 12.  During this series, we are looking at a section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Genesis. In this series, we are traveling on a journey with a man named Jacob and his family.

Last week, we looked at a bizarre and disturbing event involving Jacob’s son Judah that revealed for us the timeless truth that our investment in rebellious relationships will lead us toward rebellious behavior. Just as it was for Judah, when we invest in relationships that rebel against God and God’s word, we run the risk of those relationships leading us to rebellious behavior, because our friendships and our relationships determine the quality and direction of our life..

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together by picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump back into this section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of Genesis, we will see the focus of this story shift back to Joseph, who was one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Moses makes this shift beginning in Genesis 39:1. Let’s look at it together:

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

Moses brings us into this section of the book of Genesis by providing us the context and characters of the story. Two weeks ago, we looked on as Joseph’s brothers, as a result of their father Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph, seethed with anger and jealousy. And out of that anger and jealousy, Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit and then asked the question “should we sell him or should we kill him?”

On the suggestion of Judah, the rest of the brothers agreed that they should sell Joseph. The brothers then sold Joseph for 20 shekels of silver, which was the going rate for slaves, to a band of Ishmaelite traders.  Joseph was then taken to the nation of Egypt and sold into slavery to a man named Potiphar, who was the head of the secret service of the nation of Egypt under Pharaoh, who was the ruler of Egypt.

Moses tells us that even though Joseph had been sold into slavery in a foreign land, the Lord was with Joseph. Now this phrase reveals the reality that the Lord was present and actively at work in Joseph’s life. And as a result of the Lord’s presence and activity in Joseph’s life, Moses tells us that Joseph became a successful man. In spite of living as a slave away from family and friends, Joseph was prospering.

Joseph was successfully able to earn a position working as a house slave, instead of working in the fields like the vast majority of slaves. And as Potiphar observed Joseph’s prosperity and success, in spite of his circumstances, Potiphar came to a conclusion that launches us into this story in verse 3:

Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and how the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph; thus the LORD'S blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. So he left everything he owned in Joseph's charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate.

As Potiphar looked at his slave Joseph’s life, he saw the evidence of the Lord’s activity in Joseph’s life, which resulted in Joseph achieving success in whatever he was involved in. And as Potiphar watched the success that Joseph was having, Potiphar recognized that it was the Lord that was responsible for Joseph’s success. You see, Joseph was the vehicle that God was using to reveal himself to Potiphar. And as a result, Moses tells us that Joseph found favor in Potiphar’s sight. Now this word favor is the same word that is translated grace in our English Bibles.  In other words, Joseph found approval in Potiphar’s sight.

And that favor and approval from Potiphar resulted in a promotion for Joseph. Joseph was promoted to the position of being Potiphar’s personal servant, which would be similar to what we call a personal assistant in our culture today. Joseph became Potiphar’s right hand man and was placed in charge of all of the affairs of his estate. Joseph was appointed to oversee and manage all of Potiphar’s property and servants.

Moses then tells us that from the time that Joseph received his promotion, the Lord blessed the Egyptians house and that the Lord’s blessing was upon all he owned. The Lord granted Potiphar success and prosperity. Potiphar, recognizing that his promotion of Joseph had resulted in success and prosperity for himself and his family, responded by giving Joseph even more responsibility. Moses tells us that, with Joseph in charge, Potiphar did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now this phrase was an idiom of the day that referred to one’s private affairs. So, with the exception of Potiphar’s private affairs, Joseph was in charge of everything.

And here we see God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 coming to fruition in the life of Joseph. The Lord was blessing Potiphar as Potiphar promoted Joseph. And things seemed to be looking up for Joseph. As a result of the Lord’s presence and activity in his life, Joseph had risen from common slave, to household servant, to Potiphar’s personal assistant. Joseph’s life seemed to be taking a turn for the better. And as things took a turn for the better, we see Joseph come face to face with a temptation that flowed from his success.

We will look at that temptation tomorrow…

Our investment in rebellious relationships will lead us toward rebellious behavior...

This week we have been looking at a strange story that is recorded for us in the first letter in the Bible, called the book of Genesis. Wednesday, we saw that a woman named Tamar was send by her father in law Judah to live with her father as a widow after the death of her husband. Judah promised Tamar that she is engaged to Shelah, then sends her to live with her father until Shelah grew up. 

However, Judah basically lied to Tamar by promising a marriage to Shelah, all the time knowing the he would not give Shelah to Tamar in marriage. You see, Judah was not concerned about Tamar, but believed that Tamar was the problem and did not want the same fate to occur to Shelah. Judah sent Tamar to live with her father so that he would not be responsible to take care of her. Moses explains that after spending years living with her father as a widow, Tamar came to the realization that Judah had lied to her. Shelah was now old enough to be given in marriage, but Judah failed to follow through on his promise that the two would be married.

Tamar’s realization of Judah’s deception, combined with the death of Judah’s wife, led Tamar to come up with her own deceptive plan. Tamar decided that she would deceive Judah by dressing like a prostitute and stationed herself at the gateway of Enaim, which would have been a prominent street corner that Judah would have to pass by. After making all of the necessary planning and preparations, we see Tamar set this trap of deception for Judah which resulted in Judah and Tamar having sex.

And just as she had hoped and planned, Tamar became pregnant. After attending the party, Judah returned home and attempted to send payment to get back his I.D. and credit cards. However, Hirah is unable to find the prostitute and returned home to tell Judah the news. Judah not wanting to be viewed as someone who was taken advantage of and tricked by a prostitute decided to give up on his attempt to get back his possessions. Judah, who was more concerned with his reputation than doing the right thing, then justifies and rationalizes his selfishness and rebellion by saying “hey, at least I tried”.  However, Judah was not prepared for what happens next, as we see in Genesis 38:24:

Now it was about three months later that Judah was informed, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the harlot, and behold, she is also with child by harlotry." Then Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned!" It was while she was being brought out that she sent to her father-in-law, saying, "I am with child by the man to whom these things belong." And she said, "Please examine and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?"

Three months later, Judah is informed that Tamar is pregnant. Judah response is immediate and intense: "Bring her out and let her be burned!" In the culture of the day, being burned at the stake was a punishment for illicit sexual intercourse and adultery that painted a word picture that said that just as Tamar burned with passion to have sex outside of marriage, she was to be burned at the stake.

Judah convicts Tamar of having an affair while engaged, even though Judah never intended to let them get married. Judah hypocritically condemns Tamar for the very same behavior that he had unknowingly committed with her. And now, as Tamar faced death, it was time for her to spring the trap.

As Judah, along with a crowd of people from the city gather to watch her public execution for adultery, Tamar asks Judah to examine and investigate the evidence that was in her possession. Tamar asks for the investigation because the evidence would prove who the other guilty party was in the affair and would bring the other guilty party to justice as well.

Now imagine yourself as Judah. Place yourself in his shoes. Your daughter in law, who you lied to, who you believe has committed adultery, you sentence to death. And then your daughter in law hands you your I.D. and credit cards. And you realize that you had sex with your daughter in law. Now you realize that you are the one guilty of having an affair. What would you be thinking? How would you respond? We see Judah’s response in verse 26:

Judah recognized them, and said, "She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not have relations with her again.

Judah, exposed for the hypocrite that he was, responds by making a statement of moral relativism; “she is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her my son Shelah”. In others words, Judah states that while neither one of them were in the right, Tamar was more in the right than he was. You see, from Judah’s point of view, while Tamar was guilty of deceiving Judah, Judah was guilty on two counts. Judah was guilty of lying to Tamar and Judah was guilty of having an affair. Moses then explains that Judah refrained from having sex with her.

Now who says the Bible is boring? This is one of the most bizarre and disturbing stories in the entire Bible. And it is in this bizarre and disturbing story that we see God reveal for us a timeless truth. And that timeless truth is this: our investment in rebellious relationships will lead us toward rebellious behavior. Just as it was for Judah, just as it has been for humanity throughout history, our investment in rebellious relationships will lead us toward rebellious behavior. Andy Stanley summarizes this timeless truth this way: “Your friendships will determine the quality and direction of your life”.

Just as it was with Judah, when we invest in relationships that rebel against God and God’s word, those relationships will lead us toward rebellious behavior. Judah invested in a deep friendship with Hirah that led him to change how he viewed God and the world. Judah invested in a marriage relationship that led Judah to embrace the culture of the land of Canaan. And each investment in these rebellious relationships moved Judah further away from doing what was right in God’s sight.

And the influence of those rebellious relationships influenced Judah to lead his children to invest in rebellious relationships that led toward rebellious behavior. And in the same way today, when we invest in relationships that rebel against God and God’s word, we run the risk of those relationships leading us to rebellious behavior, because our friendships and our relationships determine the quality and direction of our life.

And intuitively we know this to be true, don’t we? For many of us here, we can look in the rearview mirror of our lives and see how this timeless principle played out in our lives. And for many of us here this morning, perhaps our greatest regret stems from our involvement in a relationship that rebelled against God and God’s word and led us toward rebellious behavior.

Fortunately for us, we see that God is able to extend grace and mercy to overcome the rebellious behavior that results from our investment in rebellious relationships, as we see Him do in the life of Judah and Tamar in verse 27:

 It came about at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb. Moreover, it took place while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This one came out first." But it came about as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" So he was named Perez. Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.

Moses tells us that Tamar later gave birth to two twins, named Perez and Zerah. And it would be Perez, who was the result of the selfishness and rebellion of Judah and Tamar, that would become a part of the family tree that God would use to bring His Son Jesus into the world.

God used the selfishness and rebellious behavior that was the result of Judah’s investment in rebellious relationships to provide an opportunity for all humanity to be rescued from their selfishness and rebellion. And when we respond to God’s investment in us through Jesus Christ we can experience forgiveness and the relationship with God that we were created for.

So here are some questions to consider: What relationships are you investing in that are shaping you spiritually? What friendships? What dating relationships? Where are the relationships that you are investing in leading you to? Are the relationships that you are investing in leading you to Jesus?   Or are the relationships that you are investing in leading you away from Jesus?

From Strange to Stranger...

This week, we are looking at a story from the very first letter in the Bible, called the book of Genesis. Yesterday, we saw Judah chose to disconnect from his family and connect with this culture. By developing a friendship with a man named Hirah, who was from the land of Canaan.  Judah’s close relationship with Hirah began to change how he viewed the world. As time went on, the influence of that relationship led Judah to marry someone who also embraced the culture of the land of Canaan, which further influenced his view of God and the world. And the influence of his relationship with his wife led Judah to guide Er to marry Tamar who also embraced the culture of the land of Canaan. With each relationship Judah moved further away from doing what was right in God’s sight.

While Judah’s relationships moved him further away from God, his son Er was wholeheartedly opposed to God. After the Lord responded to Er’s selfishness and rebellion by killing him on the spot, Moses tells us that Judah commanded his son Onan to have sex with Tamar so that she could have a child to carry on the name of Er. You see, Judah is not concerned about taking care of his daughter in law Tamar; he is only concerned about his dead son. Now if that is not strange enough, look what happens next in verse 9:

Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother. But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD; so He took his life also. Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up"; for he thought, "I am afraid that he too may die like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.

Moses tells us that instead of fulfilling his responsibility to help Tamar become pregnant and have a child to carry on his older brother’s name, Onan wasted his seed on the ground. So, Onan would basically have sex with Tamar and then withdrawal from her in order to prevent conception from occurring. However, to fully understand what Onan was doing here, here is some additional information. The first piece of information we need is that the word when in verse 9, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means whenever. So Onan repeatedly slept with Tamar for the pleasure, but refused to follow through.

In addition, Onan was putting his own interests before that of Tamar and Tamar’s future child. You see, if Tamar had a son, then Tamar’s son would get the inheritance. However, if Tamar remained a childless widow, then Onan would receive the inheritance. Moses tells us that Onan’s behavior was displeasing to the Lord, so He took his life also. The Lord responded to Onan’s selfishness and rebellion by killing him as well.

What made Onan’s sin so displeasing to the Lord is that while Onan gave the appearance that he was being responsible by sleeping with Tamar, in reality he was deceiving others. Onan slept with his sister in law because he did not want the humiliation and shame that would come from that refusal. Onan slept with Tamar for the pleasure and the perception of responsibility while actually refusing to fulfill his responsibility by withdrawing.

Onan was not killed by God because he practiced birth control. Onan was killed by God for his selfish rebellion and deception of others and for using Tamar for pleasure like a prostitute. Moses tells us that Judah, unaware of Onan’s selfish rebellion and deception, responded to the death of Onan by sending Tamar to live with her father as a widow.

Now for Tamar, this was one of the few options that she had. At this time in history, a widow could either remarry a brother in law or another man, remain celibate and attempt to support herself, which was very difficult in the culture of the day, or return to her father’s house. And since Judah’s youngest son Shelah was too young to marry Tamar, Judah promises Tamar that she is engaged to Shelah, then sends her to live with her father until Shelah grew up. 

However, Judah basically lied to Tamar by promising a marriage to Shelah, all the time knowing the he would not give Shelah to Tamar in marriage. You see, Judah was not concerned about Tamar, but believed that Tamar was the problem and did not want the same fate to occur to Shelah. Judah sent Tamar to live with her father so that he would not be responsible to take care of her. Now if you think the story could not get any stranger, look what happens next in verse 12:

 Now after a considerable time Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and when the time of mourning was ended, Judah went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. It was told to Tamar, "Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep." So she removed her widow's garments and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gateway of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.

Moses explains that after spending years living with her father as a widow, Tamar came to the realization that Judah had lied to her. Shelah was now old enough to be given in marriage, but Judah failed to follow through on his promise that the two would be married. And Tamar’s realization of Judah’s deception, combined with the death of Judah’s wife, led Tamar to come up with her own deceptive plan.

After Judah had mourned over the death of his wife, he and his Canaanite friend Hirah headed on an out of town trip to a nearby town to oversee the shearing of his flock of sheep. In the culture of the day this was a festive time of celebration, with lots of eating and drinking, similar to an Oktoberfest celebration today. Tamar, upon hearing that Judah would be traveling to this celebration, decided that she would deceive Judah by dressing like a prostitute and stationed herself at the gateway of Enaim, which would have been a prominent street corner that Judah would have to pass by.

Tamar believed that Judah would be vulnerable to deception as a result of his newly single status and partying mindset as he traveled to the big celebration. After making all of the necessary planning and preparations, we see Tamar set this trap of deception for Judah in verse 15:

  When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, for she had covered her face. So he turned aside to her by the road, and said, "Here now, let me come in to you"; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?" He said, therefore, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." She said, moreover, "Will you give a pledge until you send it?" He said, "What pledge shall I give you?" And she said, "Your seal and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand." So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. Then she arose and departed, and removed her veil and put on her widow's garments.

Moses tells us that when Judah saw Tamar on the street corner by the gateway to the city, he assumed she was a prostitute, as the veil covered her true identity. Judah then approached Tamar and got right down to business. Judah basically says “Come on now; let me have sex with you”. Tamar responded to Judah’s advances by deceitfully asking “what will you give me in trade or pay me?” You see, Tamar let Judah set the price so that she would not be seen as trying to take advantage of him financially.

However, while Judah set the price, it was Tamar who demanded a pledge, which was a security deposit that would serve as collateral for payment. And what Tamar demanded for the security deposit was Judah’s seal and cord. If Tamar was making this demand today, she would be demanding Judah’s driver’s license and credit cards. In addition, Tamar demands Judah’s staff, which was another form of identification. Upon striking an agreement, Judah and Tamar had sex. After their encounter, Judah headed off to the party, while Tamar removed her costume and returned home to live as a widow.

And just as she had hoped and planned, Tamar became pregnant. After attending the party, Judah returned home and attempted to send payment to get back his I.D. and credit cards. However, there was a problem, as we see in verse 20:

 When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand, he did not find her. He asked the men of her place, saying, "Where is the temple prostitute who was by the road at Enaim?" But they said, "There has been no temple prostitute here." So he returned to Judah, and said, "I did not find her; and furthermore, the men of the place said, 'There has been no temple prostitute here.'" Then Judah said, "Let her keep them, otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her."

While Judah wanted to pay the prostitute, more importantly, Judah wanted to get his I.D. and credit cards back. So Judah sends his Canaanite friend with payment. However, Hirah is unable to find the prostitute and returned home to tell Judah the news. Judah not wanting to be viewed as someone who was taken advantage of and tricked by a prostitute decided to give up on his attempt to get back his possessions. Judah, who was more concerned with his reputation than doing the right thing, then justifies and rationalizes his selfishness and rebellion by saying “hey, at least I tried”. 

However, Judah was not prepared for what would happen next. We will look at what happened next on Friday…

A Disconnect When It Comes To Our Connections...

During this fall at the church where I serve, we are spending our time together in a sermon series looking at a section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Genesis. This week, as we continue in this series, I would like for us to spend our time together by picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump back into this section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of Genesis, we will see the focus of this story shift from Joseph to another one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Moses makes this shift of us beginning in Genesis 38:1. Let’s look at it together:

And it came about at that time, that Judah departed from his brothers and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her. So she conceived and bore a son and he named him Er. Then she conceived again and bore a son and named him Onan. She bore still another son and named him Shelah; and it was at Chezib that she bore him.

Moses brings us into this section of the book of Genesis by explaining that after leading a plan to sell his brother Joseph as a slave, Judah separated from his brothers. Instead of heading back to Hebron with the rest of his brothers, Judah went to the city of Adullam, which was located 15 miles northwest of Hebron. There Judah connected and developed a friendship with a man named Hirah, who was from the land of Canaan.

To understand the significance of this friendship, we first need to understand something about the Canaanites, who were the people that resided in the land that God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The first thing that we need to understand is that the people who inhabited the land of Canaan were some of the most inhumane and cruel societies that ever lived. These were societies that sacrificed their infant children to false gods; these were societies that were involved in sexual behavior that was so twisted and perverse I cannot even begin to describe in mixed company. In fact, many historians and archeologists describe the Canaanite society as being perhaps the most wicked society that ever existed.

Yet, in spite of this reality, Judah chose to disconnect from his family and connect with this culture. Judah then further connected with this culture by pursuing and marrying a Canaanite woman named Shua. Despite the fact that Judah’s grandfather and father had been warned against marrying anyone from the land of Canaan; despite the fact that his father Jacob had made sure not to marry a person from the land of Canaan, Judah chose to develop an intimate relationship and marry someone who came from a different religious system and view of God and the world.  And as a result of this relationship, Judah became the father of three sons, who were named Er, Onan, and Shelah. Moses then reveals what happened as Judah’s children grew up in verse 6:

 Now Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, so the LORD took his life. Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother."

When his oldest son Er reached the age of marriage, Moses tells us that Judah found a Canaanite woman named Tamar to be his wife. Instead of following the example of his great grandfather Abraham and his grandfather Isaac, who guided their children to women who shared the same view of God and the world, Judah guided Er to a woman who held a diametrically opposed view when it came to God and the world.

You see, Judah’s close relationship with Hirah began to change how he viewed the world. As time went on, the influence of that relationship led Judah to marry someone who also embraced the culture of the land of Canaan, which further influenced his view of God and the world. And the influence of his relationship with his wife led Judah to guide Er to marry Tamar who also embraced the culture of the land of Canaan. With each relationship Judah moved further away from doing what was right in God’s sight.

Moses then reveals the impact that the influence of these relationships had on the lives of Judah’s children. While Judah’s relationships moved him further away from God, his son Er was wholeheartedly opposed to God. Moses describes Er as being evil in the sight of the Lord. Now while we are not told exactly what Er had done, this word evil literally means to be morally corrupt. Er was so morally corrupt that the Lord took his life. In other words, the Lord took him out; the Lord killed him.

After the Lord responded to Er’s selfishness and rebellion by killing him on the spot, Moses tells us that Judah commanded his younger brother to “Go in to your brother's wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." To which we say “what”? A natural question that arises here is “so Dave, are you saying the Judah commanded Er’s younger brother to sleep with Er’s wife so that she could have kids? Isn’t that adultery? Isn’t that incest? Why would Judah ask Onan to do that, because that seems jacked up? ”

If those questions are running through your mind, I want to let you know that those are great questions to be asking. And to understand the answer to these questions, we first need to understand two things. The first thing that we need to understand is what is called levirate marriage. Levirate marriage maintained that if brothers lived together, and if one of them died without children, one of the surviving brothers was to either marry or take his wife and father a child with her. The child born of this levirate relationship would then carry on the name of his deceased father and eventually inherits the family estate. Now, the brother in law can decline this obligation, but to do so would result in public humiliation and disgrace. We see this occur later in the Bible in the story of Ruth.

Now this leads to the second thing that we need to understand, which is that what Moses is describing here refers to a specific time in history with a specific group of people. This is not a timeless principle; this principle does not apply today. During this period, as God was creating and establishing what would become the Jewish nation, Jacob, his twelve sons, and their descendants were responsible for populating and controlling the land. So the levirate marriage was established to make sure that land and property, along with the name and family tree of a dead brother, would not disappear.

Now with all that in mind, notice that Judah does not command Onan to marry Tamar. Instead, he only commands Onan to have sex with Tamar so that she could have a child to carry on the name of Er. You see, Judah is not concerned about taking care of his daughter in law Tamar; he is only concerned about his dead son.

Now if that is not strange enough, tomorrow we will see this situation get even stranger…