But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison (Gen. 39:21).
Following the events surrounding Dinah’s rape, Jacob experienced a spiritual renewal (Gen. 35:1-15). Joseph, having still been a young and impressionable boy at the time, reaped the benefits of that renewal and flourished under the direction of both his earthly and heavenly fathers. Thus, at seventeen, we find that he is honest and forthright, often to the great dismay of his elder brothers (37:2-11). With envy and hatred in their hearts, they conspired to do away with their father’s favorite son (37:19-20). Ruben, the eldest, talked the others out of cold-blooded murder, but he did not possess the strength of character necessary to stand against them completely. At his suggestion, Joseph was stripped of his coat and placed in the pit. Ruben intended to retrieve him later and return him home to their father, but before this could occur, the other nine sold him to passing Ishmaelite merchants for 20 pieces of silver (37:25-28).
As a slave in the land of Egypt, Joseph had every cause to be bitter and angry at his circumstances. Yet Scripture records that the exact opposite occurred. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian (39:2). Instead of turning inward in bitterness and fear, Joseph lived confidently under the guidance of God. He stood firm in the principles of God even when doing so caused him to lose everything a second time. There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God (39:9)?
By that point, most of us would probably have been saying, “What have I done to deserve this? Why has God turned His back on me?” Joseph, however, never lost faith. He never doubted his own actions, which were undertaken in the service of the Lord, and he never doubted the caring presence of God. Consequently, the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Even in prison, Joseph counted his life as a success because it was lived for the Lord.
Although much of today’s reading is focused on Joseph, chapter 38 steps outside that narration for a moment and returns us to the land of Canaan, where we read of the marriage of Judah, Jacob’s fourth-born son, and the birth of his first three sons (38:1-5). We learn of the marriage and subsequent death of his oldest son, Er, and the duplicity and death of his second son, Onan (38:7-10). We read of Judah’s broken word to his daughter-in-law, Tamar (38:11-14), which resulted in the crafty conception of twin sons born to Tamar and fathered by Judah (38:27-28). Finally, we witness the birth of Perez, the “impatient” twin who “broke through” and was delivered first, even though his brother’s hand had already emerged. As Perez drew his first breath, God established the next link in His chain, the line of descent that would continue, unbroken, until the coming of the Messiah and the fulfillment of God’s most enduring promise.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life(John 3:16).
Thought for Today: The difficulty or ease of the roads we travel will become insignificant when we arrive at the judgment seat of God.
Christ Portrayed:By Joseph, who was rejected by his own brothers, sold for 20 pieces of silver to Gentiles, and unjustly imprisoned, but who eventually became their savior and a world ruler (Gen. 37:28; 41:39-40).
Word Studies:37:2 evil report = of sinful things they were doing; 37:7 made obeisance = bowed in respect; 37:11 observed = pondered; 37:22 rid = rescue; 37:29 rent = tore his clothes as an act of grief; 37:34 sackcloth = a coarse, loose cloth worn as a sign of mourning; 38:2 took = married
Pray for Staff:Tifany Parisi • Government Official: Rep. Thomas Massie(KY) • Country: Nicaragua (5,848,641) Central America • Major Language: Spanish • Religious Freedom • 58.5% Roman Catholic; 23.2% Protestant; 0.9% Jehovah's Witness; 1.6% Other; 15.8% None • Prayer Suggestion: Confess your sins to the Lord; He is merciful and forgiving (Dan. 9:4-9).
Optional Reading Matthew 13