BSF Genesis Week 28 – The Notes are Good

BSF Genesis: Week 28, Day 5

Questions:

15.
a.
wept loudly, come close to me, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves – it was to save lives, God did this, tell and bring father, threw his arms around them and wept

b.
embracing, wept, spoke truth and willingness to sacrifice for each other

16.
be truthful and heartfelt. Forgive and see God’s good in all.

My Daily Journal:

I loved Genesis 45:1.

We have talked over the past few weeks about the parallels between Joseph and Christ and how, in many ways, Joseph was a foreshadowing pointing to Christ. I think we see that so strongly in verse 1.

I’m a dad and there are times I need to use my dad voice and make decisions that, while not necessarily popular, are in the best interests of my family. I have to discipline my children and allow them to make mistakes even when I know they are mistakes. My natural desire is to protect them, to help them, to do for them and provide for them. But for them to grow and learn, I have to control that nature and allow them to experience and learn.

In Genesis 45:1, we see how God has placed that same “control” for Joseph to direct with his brothers. Then, Joseph could control himself no longer and we see the heart of God that beat inside Joseph pour out. What did he do when he was “out of control”? He poured out love. He poured out tears of joy. He poured kisses upon his brothers. He hugged them. He forgave them. He told them about God. He told them not to condemn themselves. He provided a new home for them. He provided everything they would need for themselves, their children, their grandchildren. He commanded them to reunite the entire family.

So, what does your “out of control” look like?

BSF Genesis: Week 28, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

11.
a.
They would understand the feeling of being falsely accused, his brothers had thought of Joseph as a spy for their father – a snitch

b.
They would feel being falsely imprisoned

c.
They would see the pain of separation

d.
They would see the pain they brought to his father

e.
Tested their honesty

f.
Test of jealousy and favoritism

g.
Would they stand up for a brother or sacrifice him

h.
Test of sacrificial love

12.
42:13 spoke honestly, 42:21 our sin, 28 God has done to us 43:12 2xsilver 28 bowed down prostrate, 34 feasted freely 44:16 we are all slaves 33 volunteered as tribute for Benjamin

13.
a.
God is Almighty and in control of all

b.
grant mercy before the man

c.
let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you

d.
If I am bereaved, I am bereaved.

e.
Trust in God and submit fully to his might and mercy

14.
submission, thinking first of others (his father, brother), substitutional sacrifice, honor to his promise

My Daily Journal:

I took exception to one of our questions. I don’t think it was Joseph that was testing his brothers. I think it was God who was testing and training the brothers through Joseph. Why now would we bestow the credit onto Joseph when all along he has time and again funneled it all to God?

With that perspective, God allowed the brothers to experience all of the things He had used to train up Joseph. Accused of being a spy, falsely accused, falsely imprisoned, the pain of separation, the fear of being without any power or authority, being a slave, having their clothing torn, etc., etc., etc.

By living these experiences they did not just have to imagine what their actions had wrought, they could fully empathize. They fully understand and, as a result, Judah’s willingness to be a substitutional sacrifice was all the more powerful when he pleaded at the throne of the almighty ruler. (catching the parallels to Christ?)

Speaking of parallels, the other one that I enjoyed was when Joseph made Benjamin the cupbearer, by literally having him bear the cup in his bag. He could have put any item in Benjamin’s bag, a candlestick, a ring, but he chose to have him bear the cup.

From this, first we are reminded of the cupbearer to Pharoah. Look at all the parallels, he was thrown into prison but later redeemed and restored to his position of honor to the Pharaoh. The cupbearer was the messenger to carry the message, when appropriate, to Pharaoh to set Joseph free from bondage. Benjamin is the one Joseph turns to to testify that he is his brother to restore the family to Joseph. The cupbearer’s actions set things in place to save his nation from starvation. Benjamin is thrust into the same role with his nation – doing nothing but remembering and being willing to testify.

Secondly, we are reminded of Christ and the cup He drank on the cross to pay the price of our sins. The fact that Christ comes from the line of Judah and Judah is the one giving the speech of substitutional sacrifice should not be missed.

BSF Genesis: Week 28, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

7.
16.I cannot do it but God can, 25.God has revealed 28.God has shown what He is about to do 32.firmly decided by God and God will do it soon 38.find anyone with spirit of God 39.God made known to you 51.Manasseh, God made forget 52. Ephraim.God made fruitful

8.
a.
1. Dreams are one and same, 2. Seven good years, 3. Seven years of famine 4. firmly decided and happening soon

b.
1. find discerning and wise man 2. put him in charge of the land 3. appoint commissioners to take 20% of harvest 4. Store up the grain. 5. Keep it in cities for food 6. use reserves during famine

9.
God has made all known to you, no one so discerning and wise, in charge of palace, all people submit to your orders, Only with respect to the throne will I be greater. In charge

10.
a.
Faith, discernment, wisdom, ability to speak to royalty, honor, truthfulness

b.
The fact that he knew it was nothing he had earned or deserved, in the same way that he had not earned or deserved the hard times. It was simply a new coat

c.
Seek daily to do the will of God and remind everyone that He is all glory, honor and praiseworthy

My Daily Journal:

Did you catch the provision in the math?

Joseph is 100% confident in the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams. 7 years of plenty, 7 years of famine. Later we see him talk with his brothers and say we have seen 2 years of famine and we have 5 left. It wasn’t approximately 7 years. It was 7 years.

So, how much food to you need to hold in store from the 7 years of plenty to prepare for exactly 7 years of famine? 1/7th of the harvest per year for 7 years would provide the exact right amount of food for all the people of Egypt. That is about 14.3% per year.

So how much food did God have Joseph tell Pharaoh to store up? 1/5th! 20%!

Was he hedging? Adding a bit extra just in case? Or was there provision in the amount held to expand Egypt. Maybe to bring another hungry nation into the land of Goshen in the very midst of the famine?

BSF Genesis: Week 28: Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

3.
Nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit Served others, declined Potiphars wife, accepted prison

in humility value others above self Placed loyalty to master and warden over own self interest

taking the nature of a servant Served Potiphar, served household, served prisoners

obedient All glory to God, obedient to God and men

4.
He, through God, interpreted the dream of the cupbearer and asked him to remember him before Pharoah. 2 years later, he did.

5.
Number 7. Cows out of a river, skinny cows eating fat cows, 2nd dream, 7 , grain swallowed up other grain

6.
16.I cannot do it but God can, 25.God has revealed 28.God has shown what He is about to do 32.firmly decided by God and God will do it soon

My Daily Journal:

I love the way that God reached out and grabbed Pharaoh’s heart. We tend to focus so much on Joseph and his brothers in this story that we can miss Pharaoh.

As the leader of what was probably the most significant nation on the face of the earth Pharaoh would have been a very wise and powerful leader. As a leader, however, he recognized several key limitations. One was information. He could only make decisions based on the information he had available. The second was weather and it’s impact on food supplies. No amount of sorcery or magicians could accurately predict the weather and it’s affects on harvests. As today’s politicians know “it’s the economy”, leaders of that day would have known, “it’s the food.”

So this is exactly how God got Pharaoh’s attention. He gave 2 dreams to pharaoh. He could have given the dreams to anyone to communicate to Pharaoh, but he made them personal to him. But, while He gave Pharaoh the dreams, he did not provide him with the ability to understand their meaning. Without that, they were simply troubling dreams.

God withheld the ability to interpret the dreams from anyone who would not testify to the fact that the interpretation came from God. Enter Joseph.

And the result? Gen 41:38-39, Pharaoh recognizes the God of Israel. He seeks to put someone with the spirit of God in charge and turns everything over to God through the stewardship of such a man.