the notes are good – Page 8 – The Notes are Good

BSF Genesis: Week 29: Day 5

Questions:

10.
a.
He bi-passed Joseph and gave blessing to his 2 sons, Ephraim and Manasseh

b.
Cane and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Shem Japheth Ham

11.
47:31 – Every agreement Jacob made was not only with another man but with and through God. Important to remember in dealings with other – also and always includes God and praise should always go to Him.

12.
Angel of the Lord – Pre-incarnate Christ

13.
May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh

14.
21-22I am about to die, but God will be with you[h] and take you[i] back to the land of your[j] fathers. 22 And to you I give one more ridge of land[k] than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.

My Daily Journal:

I was convicted by Jacob in the agreement he formed with Joseph regarding burying him in the tomb of the patriarchs. It wasn’t the agreement itself or his desire to be buried back in the promised land. But it was his approach to the agreement as related to us in verse 31. Jacob approached every agreement he made with another to be not only an agreement with that person but also one bound by God. And, why not? Should we be making agreements without God? Should God be a part of everything we commit to? Verse 31 says “”Swear to me,” he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff (or Israel bowed down at the head of his bed).”

I make a lot of agreements. I’m making promises and agreements every day at work. I make commitments to my wife and children and to my friends and church. I make a lot of deals. If my word reflects my faith, then I should ask God to be a part of each of those agreements and I should praise Him for each of them. I’m convicted to how this would affect both the deals I make and my behavior and commitment to them. Too often I’ll agree to something, but become distracted and not give it my all. But if worship and prayer were part of every commitment I make, then what extra power and strength I would have in more court to honor those and reflect God’s glory in my word and actions.

We talked in our circle about doing more to point the glory to God alone in our daily lives and dealings. I believe this passage helps teach us that begins in the beginning of those dealings, by prayer and praise before and as we make the commitments. By including God here, it is only natural that the glory for the work accomplished also go to Him.

BSF Genesis: Week 29, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

8.
a.
God promised to return him to the promised land. He made his son swear an oath to bury him in tomb of the patriarchs. All the time he worshipped God.

b.
Reassurance of a heavenly home. to create a focus on the eternal not the temporal

9.
a.
1. Collected money for payment for food v14, 2. collected livestock for payment for food v16, collected land and servitude for payment of food v 20-21

b.
It gave people autonomy and choice. Even though they entered servitude, they did it logically, willingly and with their own free will and choice. They bought their food, not a welfare state – prepared them to again work and grow and build once the famine ended. It also allowed them to separate themselves from all their worldly possessions, turn them over to a benevolent ruler and then take on the yoke of doing his work.

c.
No, only that he was able, through Pharoah’s kindness, to find a home for his family

d.
Finances, investments, accepting the generosity of others

My Daily Journal:

I think there are great lessons from the passage today, both in terms of how we should help others as well as how we should live our own lives.

The model presented in this story to help those in need is one of providing a “hand up” rather than a “hand out.” It did not dis-empower or dishonor the Egyptian people, just the opposite – it allowed them to exercise their free will. I am a fan of authors such as Bob Lupton and Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert and I believe this scripture supports the approaches they take and recommend.

More personally, however, it also provides a model for our approach to being citizens of God’s kingdom. God gives us the opportunity to shed our desires to cling to things of this world. He gives us choice and freedom, even though (as was the case in Egypt) there is only one truly logical choice. It is only when we release our ability to “pay our own way” that we can receive the biggest blessing of all. As in Egypt, when the people bought their own way, all they received was daily food. But when they turned themselves over full, they received the seeds to grow food, not only to feed themselves but also to feed others.

BSF Genesis: Week 29, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

5.
a.
66, plus his family = 70

b.
God’s covenant was with them too, the promise to take them there and bring them back – the entire house of Israel

c.
Name written in heaven in the book , in the book of life that will be opened on judgment day

6.
a.
So they could survive the famine. So they could be one nation and one people. So they could be reconciled and restored as a family.

b.
Goshen was the best part of the land of Egypt for raising livestock. It was the area for livestock and their shepherds. The Egyptians found this a detestable occupation and so did not cross-marry with them (preserving them as a unique people)

7.
Not constrained by current societal custom. Egyptians would not eat with Hebrews, yet Pharaoh put one in charge of all food supply. Welcomed Joseph’s family and gave them his herds to tend. Despite them working in an occupation Egyptians detested, Pharaoh accepted blessing from Jacob

My Daily Journal:

The list of names in Genesis 46 in light of the passage in Revelation 20 has some interesting depth. First, is the question of is this an all inclusive list of names. Second is why, if they were so good with counting sheep, is their math so bad. Third, and most importantly, is, why is this here and who cares.

We know from verse 26 that this is not everyone because it does not count the sons’ wives.

In terms of the count – I can’t make it exact. Dinah might be the missing person in the list to get to 66, since Er and Onan were dead. I’ve included the list below – if anyone has a better idea, let me know. Some things we just might not know. Like, what was going on that Jacob had all these boys and only Dinah and Serah listed as daughters? Exodus 1:5 says he had 70 children in total, replacing Joseph with Ephraim and Manasseh and including Dinah in the list does equal 70.

But the really important question is the final one. Why is this here? There are many reasons. Genealogy creates relevance. This is a real account of real people. But I think it is deeper than that and helps clear up something from the Revelation passage. Rev 20:12 says, The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. That can be troubling to people. Is it faith or works? How does this fit?

This is where the Genesis 46 passage becomes a key. What do all these names in print have in common? Not what they did (although we have written accounts of some of that throughout Genesis). They are listed here because of the family to which they belong. In the same way, we can have confidence in the book of life not because of what we do or don’t do but because we have been adopted to be brothers with Christ. I picture a cross reference (no pun intended) index for all believers’ names in the book of life – an asterisks that says simply, “see Jesus”. In the same way that we discussed last week Joseph giving all the glory to God, Christ paid the price in full for all of the “good works” that we are incapable of doing to be perfect in judgment.

—————————–

	Jacob
1	Reuben		1	1
2	Hanok		2	2
3	Pallu		3	3
4	Hezron		4	4
5	Karmi		5	5
6	Simeon		6	6
7	Jemuel		7	7
8	Jamin		8	8
9	Ohad		9	9
10	Jakin		10	10
11	Zohar		11	11
12	Shaul		12	12
13	Levi		13	13
14	Gershon		14	14
15	Kohath		15	15
16	Merari		16	16
17	Judah		17	17
18	Er	Dead		18
19	Onan	Dead		19
20	Shelah		18	20
21	Perez		19	21
22	Zerah		20	22
23	Hezron		21	23
24	Hamul		22	24
25	Issachar		23	25
26	Tola		24	26
27	Puah		25	27
28	Jashub		26	28
29	Shimron		27	29
30	Zebulun		28	30
31	Sered		29	31
32	Elon		30	32
33	Jahleel	33 in all	31	33
1	Gad		32	34
2	Zephon		33	35
3	Haggi		34	36
4	Shuni		35	37
5	Ezbon		36	38
6	Eri		37	39
7	Arodi		38	40
8	Areli		39	41
9	Asher		40	42
10	Imnah		41	43
11	Ishvah		42	44
12	Ishvi		43	45
13	Beriah		44	46
14	Serah	sister	45	47
15	Heber		46	48
16	Malkiel	16 in all	47	49
1	Joseph	In Egypt		50
2	Manasseh	In Egypt		51
3	Ephraim	In Egypt		52
4	Benjamin		48	53
5	Bela		49	54
6	Beker		50	55
7	Ashbel		51	56
8	Gera		52	57
9	Naaman		53	58
10	Ehi		54	59
11	Rosh		55	60
12	Muppim		56	61
13	Huppim		57	62
14	Ard	14	58	63
1	Dan		59	64
2	Hushim		60	65
3	Naphtali		61	66
4	Jahziel		62	67
5	Guni		63	68
6	Jezer		64	69
7	Shillem	7	65	70

BSF Genesis: Week 28, Day 5

Today’s Scriptures

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 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.

BSF Genesis: Week 27, Day 4

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

8.
a.
He came to them in the morning. He noticed they were dejected. He inquired. He witnessed (interpretations belong to God?) He told them what God interpreted in their dreams

b.
To witness to both men. To be remembered by the cupbearer and be shown kindness, to be mentioned to Pharaoh as wrongfully imprisoned

c.
Rely on God. Pay attention and be fully present each day with them. Look for their concerns and turn them over to God. Be honest with them.

9.
a.
It is not of man or by man but comes from God alone

b.
The feeling of being forgotten. But, also, the feeling of unjustness. He was imprisoned in Potiphar’s house. He would have been able to see all that was under him before but now instead of a slave he was a prisoner. While Potiphar didn’t believe him (or did but had to save face with his wife) Potiphar continued to use Joseph and rely on the blessings of God delivered through Joseph.

10.
Hard work, care, concern, patience, honesty, trustworthiness, management, presence

My Daily Journal:

There were a number of things in today’s lesson that grabbed me. One was the pain and disappointment that people often feel when they are cast out of a relationship but still in the same physical location. This made me think about the pain and disappointment divorce can cause. Like Joseph and Potiphar, there was a change of relationship, but Joseph still lived in his household and still interacted with him.

Secondly, one of the men in our group pointed out that this was the first prison ministry on record. An interesting bible trivia point.

Third, I was struck by how present Joseph was with the cupbearer, baker and God. When we go through hardship it can be distracting and cause us to distance ourselves from others. Sometimes we create that situation by allowing ourselves to become distracted by things we clearly do not hold in higher value but we let fill our attention. For example, our family was at dinner in a restaurant and I noticed another table with a mom, dad and 2 children. Mom and dad both had their phones out texting or surfing or playing games. Who knows, they may have been texting each other. But they were totally ignoring the kids. While they were at a restaurant eating as a family, they weren’t present. For us to be like Joseph and find opportunities to witness, to take peoples’ burdens and lay them at the feet of God (as he did), we must first be present.

What is distracting me that I need to turn off? When do I need to fill my mind more with meditating on the word of God than surfing on facebook?

Our TL pointed us to 2 Corinthians 10:5 and the challenge to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

BSF Genesis: Week 27, Day 3

Today’s Scriptures

Questions

6.
a.
my master has withheld nothing from me except you. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? Not only did he flee the scene but he let go of his cloak

b.
Recognize it as a sin against God, not just men and not just myself. Look for God’s strength and provision and blessing

7.
a.
While he was a servant, he was put in charge of everything in the household and in the field. Recognized and relied on God being with him and showing him favor and kindness through his obedience

b.
By being with me and continuing to teach me to trust and rely in Him alone and not myself. By reminding me to be humble and obedient and show that all the glory is His.

My Daily Journal:

There are some great lessons in temptation in today’s lesson with Joseph. To start with, Joseph knew the rules and didn’t try to bend them or find loop holes. His right and wrong were black and white, not scales of gray. In this regard he recognized that to do wrong was not only against his earthly master but was a sin against God. When we do wrong we tarnish our ability to reflect God’s righteousness.

Within this I also found it very interesting that Joseph had to part with his cloak to be obedient to God. His brothers had already stripped him of his ornate coat, a gift from his father. Now Potiphar’s wife strips him of the cloak given to him as a slave by his master. Each of these trials seems to result in stripping coats from Joseph. This brought to mind the process involved in refinishing furniture. I wonder if God might have a new coat planned in Joseph’s future that, to wear, he needs to abandon his old uniform.

What do I need to let go of so God can bless me with something new? How firm is my conviction to keeping my mirror clean to reflect God’s full glory instead of tarnishing it with sin?

BSF Genesis: Week 27, Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

3.
a.
Lord is present, Lord gives success, Lord is with people (like Joseph)

Shows kindness and grants favor

Be strong and courageous for God is with us wherever we may go. Expects obedience

b.
Obedience, avoidance of sin, walking in the path of the righteous, meditating on the law (the scriptures) day and night

4.
He was trustworthy. Potiphar was a leader of men and he saw Joseph’s trustworthiness and character. These were not of his own, but a gift from God who continued to bless him and bless everything he did (to the benefit of Potiphar)

5.
a.
Faith in God and in His promises delivered through dreams and a walk with the Lord. He had sustained Joseph through everything so far

b.
through prosperity

My Daily Journal:

Potiphar trusted Joseph because Joseph was trustworthy. Joseph was worthy of trust (trustworthy) not because of his own background, status, heritage, power, position or wealth but because Joseph trusted God. Joseph showed his obedience to God by trusting in Him. God showed his love for Joseph and his power and mercy by blessing everything that Joseph oversaw.

So what does obedience and trust mean. Our Joshua 1 and Psalm 1 references are great illustrations, and I love the way they paint the picture. As parents we learned that it is important not only to teach your kids what not to do but to teach them what to do instead. I remember teaching woodworking. It was important to not only say, don’t put your hand there, but to also say, put your hands here and here instead.

These aren’t do’s and don’ts, but proper methods of teaching and learning. Don’t be afraid, don’t be terrified, don’t be discouraged but instead be strong, be courageous, obey the laws, know that God is with you wherever you may go. Do not walk in step with the wicked, do not stand in the way that sinners take, do not sit in the company of mockers, but instead delight in the law, meditate on it day and night, stand in the assembly of the righteous.

BSF Genesis: Week 26, Day 5

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

12.
intermarried with canaanites. Er and Onan, Judah’s sons, both put to death because of wickedness. Things later forbidden (prostitution) are treated as normal

13.
Continued to intermarry with Canaanites, not living as a separate people. They would have no longer been God’s people

14.
No, he too had a Levirate obligation to father children for his son through her. He started the path of unrighteousness

15.
a.
She desired to honor her husband by continuing his line. She was righteous

b.
Gentiles married into the family of Judah

16.
Blames her in 24, confesses in 26

17.
It is factual. She was grafted into the house of Israel through faith, struggle and righteousness

My Daily Journal:

In verse 26 not only does Judah confess his sin but he acknowledges Tamar’s righteousness. This means more than she did something right. The word used here is tsadaq. This is the same word used to describe Noah (Gen. 7:1), the Law (Deu. 4:8), David (1 Sa. 24:17), and even Yahweh (2 Ch. 12:6).

In this story it is easy to get lost in the graphic nature of what is going on. But there is a very interesting thought and application that we can apply from the then and there to the here and now. It is the idea of “unexpected righteousness.” If both Tamar and Judah were called in to court and each gave testimony, the court would surely side with Judah. He is a man, he is wealthy, he comes from a noble and strong family in the lineage of Abraham and Jacob. But we see here it is not the person in the position of authority (Judah, the patriarch and son of Israel) but someone quite unexpected (Tamar, a widow and a foreigner) who is found to be righteous. A label of righteousness is earned and preserved by being such, not given because of social status. (kudos to http://www.theropps.com/papers/Winter1997/Genesis38exegesis.htm)

How we need to remember this is our view of others in the church and in future believers. This was the main tripping stone of the leaders of the law with Jesus – how could this be the messiah? – this is not what we expected. We see in God’s economy that righteousness is from the inside out, not the outside in.