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Bible Study WELCOME TO A DEEP LOOK AT GENESIS

Day 97 Wednesday 7/23/14 Genesis 39:11-18 False Accusation.

As I start this segment, I have always told people who were in some kind of trouble, God always defends the innocent. It was around 1988 when a fellow who was the boy friend of a young woman who attended the church that I was the pastor. He phoned me and said he was going to go to jail for rape. He asked me to pray for him because he was innocent. I told him, God always defends the innocent. He landed in jail and in about a month I visited him. I was able to lead him to Christ and we talked for awhile. I told him to just trust his Savior, if anyone could get him out of jail, it was Jesus. A couple of months went by and I got a call from him that the woman had recanted her accusation and he just got out of jail. As far as I know, he followed the Lord.

It's interesting that Potiphar's wife placed some of the blame on her husband because he was responsible for bringing this Hebrew into the household to laugh at her and try and force himself on her. When Potiphar came home, he heard her story, lie, and really got upset. I can't believe that he didn't question Joseph, but it probably wouldn't have done any good because he would favor his wife over this Hebrew. Apparently there was a lot of tension between the Egyptians and Hebrews which didn't help matters.
 
reba said:
Why God does what He does puzzles me... To me all this mess was God's plan
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I wonder how one of these people Joseph, etc. saw the mess they were in. Did they know it was God's plan or did they just keep trusting never knowing for sure? If not will they ever know? I'd like to think someday God will explain it all.
 
Doubt this will set well with a lot of folks... I sorta see God running a huge chess board... the kings and queens bishops etc He is more hands on .. thinking of Noah, joseph Abe, Pharao, King David, Judas... the thief on the cross, Pilate , Mary etc as the top pieces .... most of us are pawns... He does not love us pawns less.. I can clearly see in scripture His direct hands on peoples life.. There are so many more people that are not mentioned in Scripture and all have value .. think i will find the sofa... :couch
 
reba said:
Doubt this will set well with a lot of folks... I sorta see God running a huge chess board... the kings and queens bishops etc He is more hands on .. thinking of Noah, joseph Abe, Pharao, King David, Judas... the thief on the cross, Pilate , Mary etc as the top pieces .... most of us are pawns... He does not love us pawns less.. I can clearly see in scripture His direct hands on peoples life.. There are so many more people that are not mentioned in Scripture and all have value .. think i will find the sofa... :couch
Click to expand...

Maybe a pawn is more important than you think; have you played chess ? Also it's good to think about what Paul said about the "weaker members"

1Co 12:22-25 NAS77 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; (23) and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, (24) whereas our seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

 
Day 98 Thursday 7/24/14 Genesis 39:19-23 Jail Bird.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. :rollingpin In this case Potiphar's wife. With apparently no examination of the charges against Joseph. He was immediately confined to the prison on or near Potiphar's house. :gavel Potiphar could have brought a death sentence against Joseph but because of Joseph's loyalty and God's watch care over him, he was committed for an undetermined amount of time. Several Jewish writers say that Joseph was in prison for 10 to 12 years.

Wherever Joseph went "The Lord went with him." :sohappyNow I would think that Potiphar realized that in the absence of Joseph, there was an absence of great success. Hey Potiphar, your success has gone south! :crying

Now the keeper of the prison inherits the blessings and success that once was Potiphar's. :woot2 Because of the blessings that God had placed on Joseph, the Sheriff sat back and took it easy. Everything was given to Joseph to care for.:cool
 
Tomorrow's Study: Day 99 Friday 7/25/14 Genesis 40:1-15 Dream's and the Dreamer.

I'm leaving for Maine tomorrow, Friday. I'm also leaving the study in Reba's capable hands. :wave2
 
That's a good idea Reba. Thank you. I will not post Fri. Sat. & Sun. I will now post Day 99 Monday.

Day 99 Monday 7/28/14 Genesis 40:1-15 Cup of Dreams.

We will look at the butler (KJV), cupbearer (ESV), today. First, I find it interesting how our Mighty God orchestrates events in peoples lives to generate His future course of events.

In this section we have the cupbearer of Pharaoh. It is my understanding that there were more than one cupbearer in the service to Pharaoh and his guests. Apparently there was some kind of aggression from the cupbearers and bakers to Pharaoh. Since it is the understanding of the Jewish writers that there was more than one cupbearer, the chief one would be responsible for the actions of the others under him.

The cupbearer has a dream. Since in prison, there are no magicians to interpret his dream, he jumped at the offer of Joseph to interpret his dream. Joseph told him that in three days, Pharaoh would "lift up his head" (this phrase is found in several different uses), meaning, in this case, that Pharaoh would restore the cupbearer to his previous position as chief cupbearer. It could be that a cupbearer under his control was found guilty, and our chief cupbearer was released from prison.

Joseph asked the chief cupbearer to remember him to Pharaoh, because he was still stuck in prison for something that he didn't do.
 
How often do we think this or that happens in our lives by chance.
We can see clearly see in this short passage the Mighty Hand of our Lord... orchestrating the 'chess board' using the people around Joseph .... raising Joseph's statice while he is in prison .

Some how it is interesting the 'example used is 'fruit of the vine' the cup. and the good ol 3 days....
 
What I see with Joseph, his brothers, and his father, is that God let man's natural inclinations take their coarse in order to bring about His plan.
Jacob favoring Joseph = Joseph being the first born of the wife Jacob truly loved.
The brothers = natural jealousy because of this favoritism, and Joseph's dreams from God fueled this jealousy into full blown rage.

God caused all the pre-existing conditions that lead to this point. Jacob having to flee, being tricked into marrying Leah who he didn't love, then marrying Rachael who he did love. Then only two sons being born to the one he loved. Benjamin is Rachael's but Rachael dies giving birth to him.
 
Day 100 Tuesday 7/29/14 Genesis 40:16-19 Baked Up Dream.

Verse 16 introduces us to Pharaoh's Chief Baker. As I mentioned before, this Baker, being Chief, had others helping him, sort of Journeymen bakers.

I suppose that when we dream a very vivid dream, we wonder if it has any significance. I have wondered, have I been there before? Who are these people, they are so life like. Will I see them in the future? There are times when I come across a house in a distant city and I recognize it, but have never visited that city before. Could it be that it was in a dream? ooooooooh spooky! Here in our study, the Chief Cupbearer gets a favorable answer to his dream which gives our baker courage to ask Joseph to interpret his dream.

Oh oh, bad news. We have a much different interpretation for the baker. This is my guess, with the Cupbearer, he was apparently found innocent of a plot against Pharaoh, it must have been one under him who was guilty, not the Chief Cupbearer. In this case though, the Chief Baker was found guilty and will pay the penalty. There is an old saying amongst those who are in jail, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time."

The Chief Baker heard from Joseph, "in three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and hang you on a tree." This was a very gruesome death. First our baker will be decapitated, probably with a sword, then without his head, he would be hung on a tree. I thought, "how can he be hung without a head?' Apparently a pole with a cross beam, like a cross would be fixed in the ground and his arms would be fixed to the beam. He would be hung where people could see that crime against the Pharaoh results in death. A Jewish writer said that he would be left there for the birds to consume his flesh.
 
Day 101 Wednesday 7/30/14 Genesis 40:20-23 A Royal Birthday.

The various Jewish writers that I have studied, all say that even though this day was a celebration of Pharaoh's birthday, on this day the Chief Cupbearer, or Butler and the Chief Baker stood trial for their accused crimes.

I'm thinking that this trial was carried out very early before the party would begin because Pharaoh needed these men, or replacements to serve him at his party. The term "lifted up the head" has many meanings. Since both of the accused are "heads" over others in their trade, it could mean that. Since this was a trial, it could mean that their names were called out to appear before the judge. In our study, it has two meanings. One to restore to the previous position, the other to be decapitated.

The Targum of Jonathan believes that the crime against Pharaoh was to poison him. The Chief Cupbearer was found innocent. He was restored to his high post and probably left to get ready to put the cup once again in Pharaoh's hand.

The Chief Baker suffered a different fate. The phrase "lift up the head" was literal! He was sent to the gallows to have his head cut off and to hang by his arms on a tree.

Everything concerning God's chosen people have in God's mind "a time". Even though the cupbearer forgot about Joseph, as Reba has said, "it is all orchestrated" by our all knowing God and Savior.
 
Just some thoughts.

V20 - I think the three days is signification, rather like a resurrection. The Pharaoh has a feast for his servants, he examines the butler (cupbearer) and the baker.
V21 - He restores the cupbearer, Israel to bear bring the cup with the wine, the Messiah, redemption through Him and delivered Him up.
V22 - He does not choose the other nations and they are cutoff. I think there is something relevant in that upper most of the three baskets is the baker's food and is only eaten by the birds, having no nourishment for man.
V23 - But then the cupbearer forgets about Joseph, a type of the Messiah, as Joseph had asked him to in V14.

Gen 40:14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:
 
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