GENESIS AND EXODUS (13)

GENESIS 41-44

JOSEPH’S EYPTIAN RULE

                                     

Key Passage: Genesis 43- 44

CHAPTER	41	CHAPTER 42	CHAPTER 43	CHAPTER 44
Pharaoh’s Vision	Joseph’s Vindication	Brother’s Visit	Benjamin’s Visit	Joseph’s Vengeance
Joseph Exalted	from Prison	Brother’s Humbled	in the Palace

OVERVIEW       A difficult dream sent by God to Pharaoh jars the memory of the chief butler, and Joseph is soon promoted from prisoner to prime minister because of his God-given insight. The dream is a reliable forecast of the prosperity and famine in the years ahead. The worldwide famine prompts Jacob to send 10 sons to Egypt for grain, where Joseph, recognizing the immediately, proceeds to teach them a painful lesson. A series of confrontations builds up to the climax in chapter 44, where the brothers unknowingly fulfill the boyhood dreams of Joseph.

“For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great” (Psalm 25:11).

OUR DAILY WALK   For years, Joseph’s brothers had lived with their cunning deception of Jacob. The secret was so complete that Jacob probably blamed himself for the loss of his favorite son. And the other sons, though seeing the agony experienced by their father, maintained their conspiracy of silence at his expense.

But they overlooked one witness to their crime-God. As Judah discovered: “God has uncovered your servant’s guilt” (44:16). God gave them time to set things right, then He applied pressure. The result was a band of frightened men who seemed to be haunted by the memory of their lost brother. Guilt, anxiety, and uncertainty were their constant companions until their wrong was set right through confession and restoration.

As a sinner in the presence of God, you have two choices. You can carry the anxiety of your “secret” sins until God chooses to expose them. Or you can confess those sins to God and to those you’ve wronged, and as a result find forgiveness and peace. Because of Jesus’ death, you can take steps today to make things right with a brother or sister, pastor or neighbor, spouse or roommate. Will you do it?

INSIGHT   Whatever Happened to the Tribe of Joseph?

Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, were later “adopted” by Jacob (48:5). Consequently, the descendants of Joseph would later comprise two tribes of Israel, named respectively for his two sons.

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

GENESIS AND EXODUS (12)

GENESIS  37-40

JOSEPH’S ENSLAVEMENT and IMPRISONMENT

Key Passage: Genesis 37, 39

CHAPTER 37	CHAPTER 38	CHAPTER 39	CHAPTER 40
Joseph Sold	Judah Shamed	Joseph Framed	Joseph Forgotten
Beloved Son	in Canaan	Trusted Steward	in Egypt

OVERVIEW       Beginning with chapter 37, the narrative focuses on the next generation: Joseph, dreamer of dreams. Though the favorite son of his father, Jacob, Joseph alienates himself from his brothers by his forthrightness. Envy grows into hatred, until finally the brothers sell him into slavery. Taken to Egypt, Joseph continues to suffer injustices, first at the hands of Potiphar’s wife, and later from the forgetful chief butler. While Joseph is resisting the temptation of immorality, his brother Judah fall prey to the same sin. Clearly something is needed to insulate the chosen family from moral corruption for the next four centuries while it multiplies into a might nation.

The best of saints have borne the worst of sufferings

OUR DAILY WALK   “I know some of the things I do to be accepted by my friends are wrong. But if I don’t go along, they’ll laugh at me.”

Joseph could relate to that statement. He learned firsthand the consequences of doing what was right. He could have avoided much discomfort by deciding to disobey his father or to give in to Mrs. Potiphar. Loyalty to his convictions carried a price tag.

But faithfulness had its compensations too. Note the repeated expression in chapter 39: “The Lord was with Joseph.” Which would you rather be: a guilt-ridden brother trying to explain Joseph’s disappearance. Judah trying to untangle the mess created by his lack of restraint, Potiphar’s frustrated wife, or Joseph? Only one of those individuals was truly free.

Where is compromise threatening to dull your faith? Ask God to give you the courage to stand true to Him with love and tact. Then take the next opportunity to set the record straight and make your convictions known to all parties involved.

INSIGHT   Clothes Mark the Man

Joseph’s famous “coat of many colors” was probably an ornamented, ankle-length coat with long sleeves. It identified the wearer as a favorite son and perhaps indicated Jacob’s intent to make Joseph chief heir of the family fortune

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

GENESIS AND EXODUS (11)

GENESIS 32-36

STRUGGLE of JACOB and ESAU

Key Passage: Genesis 32

CHAPTER 32	CHAPTER 33	CHAPTER 34	CHAPTER 35-36
Jacob’s Encounter with an Angel	Jacob’s Encounter with Esau	Dinah’s Encounter with Shechem	Jacob’s Encounter with God
Jacob’s	Struggles with Esau	Jacob’s Family	Struggles

OVERVIEW       In chapters 32-36, Jacob the schemer becomes Jacob the servant of God. After leaving his Uncle Laban, Jacob fears the inevitable reunion with his estranged brother, Esau. But before he can be reconciled to Esau, he must first be reconciled to God. At the ford of Jabbok he wrestles with the angel of the Lord, insisting on a blessing before he will release him. The angel assures him of God’s continued presence, and leaves him with a new name – Israel (in Hebrew, the name Israel sounds like “he struggled with God”; see Genesis 32:28)-and a permanent limp. After an emotional reunion with Esau, Jacob returns to Canaan, where God confirms the promises He made to Abraham and Isaac-promises of a large posterity and a new homeland.

                       A steward is one who owns nothing,                             yet is responsible for everything.

OUR DAILY WALK  Is it possible to be a rich Christian in the will of God? That question would have brought a chuckle from Abraham or Jacob. Both men were fabulously wealthy in their day. Jacob in particular shows how a person blessed by God can gain great amounts of earthly goods. His own personal testimony is found in 32:10: “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. “When he first crossed the Jordan, all Jacob owned was the staff in his hand and the clothes on his back. Now some 20 years later, it takes two companies of men to carry all of God’s blessings back across.

Reflect on the material possessions God has given you. Could it be that God has prospered you so that you in turn might be a blessing to others? If so, who are the “others” God has brought into your life for that purpose? If God brings someone to mind, write that individual’s name in the margin. Then let Jesus’ own words in Acts 20:35 spur you to action.

INSIGHT   When God Prospers Someone, Look out!

Beginning with nothing, Jacob amasses such wealth over 20 years that when he left for Canaan he could afford a gift of 550 animals for his brother Esau without straining the family budget.

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

GENESIS AND EXODUS (10)

GENESIS 27-31

    JACOB’S BIRTHRIGHT and DREAM

Key Passage: Genesis 27,29

CHAPTER 27	CHAPTER 28	CHAPTER 29 -30	CHAPTER 31
Jacob’s Stolen Blessing	Jacob’s Dream	Jacob’s Wives and Children	Jacob’s       Quick Exit
Jacob’s	Spiritual Life	Jacob’s Family	Life

OVERVIEW Chapter 27-31 introduce the third major character of the patriarchal era: Jacob (“he grasps the heel”, supplanter”, or “deceiver”), a man who lives up to his name. The theft of the family blessing intended for his twin brother, Esau, demonstrates his scheming character. But it is through Jacob that God’s promises – made more than a century and a half earlier – begin to be fulfilled in greater degree. During a 20-year stay in Haran, Jacob works for one wife and gets three more in the bargain, fathers 11 sons and a daughter, and amasses huge quantities of livestock and servants – the nucleus from which God will fashion a new nation.

OUR DAILY WALK  For every Jacob, you’ll usually find a Laban. For every individual who insists on doing things his own way, giving God a helping hand, there is often a painful head-on collision with someone who is a least his equal as a schemer.

Laban became God’s rod of discipline in Jacob’s life. There’s no doubt God was accomplishing His purpose with Jacob despite his stubbornness and conniving (28:15), but Jacob could have spared himself 20 years of grief if he had learned to wait on God.

Have you noticed “The Laban Principle” at work in your own spiritual life? God’s stroke of discipline may be applied by a family member, a fellow employee, a creditor. But the goal is always the same: to help you develop spiritual maturity.

Write out a one-paragraph description of what you are going to do the next time you feel like rushing ahead of God. Chances are, before the week is out you’ll need it – and use it.

 INSIGHT   Marital Bliss . . . or Marital Blisters?

The wisdom of God’s original one man/one-woman blueprint for marriage is illustrated in the sad example of Jacob’s household, where jealousy, bickering, and scheming between Leah and Rachel were regular occurrences. Refresh your memory of family life God’s way by rereading genesis 2:23-24. Then look up 1 Kings 11:1-8 to discover another man for whom multiple wives meant multiplied woes.

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

Genesis and EXODUS (9)

GENESIS 25-26  

ISAAC’S FAMILY and WORKS

Key Passage: Genesis 25:19 – 26:5

CHAPTER 25			CHAPTER 26
Abraham’s Death	Jacob’s Birth	Esau’s Birthright	Isaac the  Deliverer	Isaac the   Farmer	Isaac’s Well-Digger
	The Family of Isaac			The Work of Isaac

OVERVIEW       The story of Isaac continues, focusing on his family and work. Though Abraham has died, God’s promises to him live on in his son Isaac and his twin grandsons, Esau and Jacob. Sin, too, lives on – as demonstrated by Jacob’s theft of his brother’s birthright (Genesis 25:33) and by Isaac’s limitation of his father’s deception (Genesis 26:7). Despite human failings, God’s covenant remains sure, as He says to Isaac: “I will…confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham” (26:3).

                Learn to put your hand on all spiritual blessings                        in Christ and say, “Mine.”

OUR DAILY WALK  “God has no grandchildren.” This means that each generation must be personally related to God by faith. It’s not enough that our parents trust Christ as their Savior we must make a commitment ourselves. It is a personal, individual decision. We become a child of God by faith in Christ. So do our children and our grandchildren. Seen that way, it’s clear that God has no grandchildren.

And so it is with the promises of God. Each succeeding generation must learn to receive and rest in them personally in order to enjoy their benefits. God has promises for us today that Christians have been claiming for centuries.

Check up on our relationship with Christ. Is it strictly firsthand, based on personal faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross? Or are we relying on secondhand knowledge from our parents, our church, or our friends, to get us through? We can become a child of God right now by believing on His Son (John 1:12). Then we can discover the joy of finding God’s timeless promises true in our own life. But the choice is ours. God said “I will…” what do we say?

INSIGHT   A Family Tradition

The cave of Machpelah, near Mamre, was originally purchased by

Abraham from Ephron the Hittite as a tomb for Sarah. It would soon become the burial place for Abraham himself (25:9); Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah (49:30-31); and Jacob (50:13).

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org

GENESIS AND EXODUS (8)

GENESIS 21- 24
ISAAC’S BIRTH and SARAH’S DEATH

Key Passage: Genesis 21:1 – 22:19

CHAPTER 21	CHAPTER 22	CHAPTER 23	CHAPTER 24
Isaac’s Birth	Isaac’s Birthright	Sarah’s Death	Isaac’s Bride
Abraham’s faith	Vindicated	Abraham’s	Faith Verified

OVERVIEW       The climax of more than 20 faith-stretching years for Abraham and Sarah comes in the birth of Isaac, their miracle son and heir. But soon Abraham’s faith is tested again as God calls upon him to sacrifice that treasured son upon an altar. Abraham obeys, showing that the experiences of the past two decades have not been in vain. For his faithfulness to the point of death, God rewards Abraham with further assurances of blessing. In the closing years of Abraham’s life, a time saddened by Sarah’s death, there remains one important detail: finding a suitable bride for Isaac.

                     Only in obedience can we discover the                               great joy of the will of God.

OUR DAILY WALK   Have you ever wished you had a timer that would tell you exactly when God was going to fulfill His promises in your life? A way to tell with assurance when your prayer would be answered for a helpmate, the salvation of a loved one, the end of an extended illness? Abraham must have wished for such a timer on many occasions as he waited year after year for the son God had promised to give him. But in the birth of Isaac, God demonstrated that, though His promises may not come speedily, they will come certainly. “At the very time God had promised him” (21:2), He fulfilled His long-standing covenant.

It's easy to impose our own preconceived timetable upon God’s promises…and difficult to deal with the frustration and anxiety that result when God doesn’t answer “on time” according to our expectations. Perhaps we could instead: Memorize Genesis 21:1-2. And let the words remind us throughout the day the timing of the Creator of time is always perfect.

INSIGHT   The Issue Was Obedience

God’s command to Abraham to offer Isaac did not mean God was condoning human sacrifice (a common pagan practice in Abraham’s day). Rather, God was testing Abraham’s faith in His covenant promises. Check Hebrew 11:17-19 and James 2:21-23 for added insight into this event.

Playwright Janet Irene Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts

www.biblestoriestheatre.org

info@biblestoriestheatre.org