Written by: Cathy Burton
Genesis 39 v 16-18
She kept his coat until her husband came home, and she told him the same story.
She said, “This Hebrew slave you brought here came in to shame me! When he came
near me, I screamed. He ran away, but he left his coat.”
Notes
This scripture comes from the story when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph.
When he ran away, she managed to hang on to his jacket. She then later accused
him of attempting to rape her and kept hold of the jacket as proof.
I think she must have been pretty shocked that Joseph wouldn’t sleep with her. She was probably hurt by the rejection and then allowed her hurt to breed retaliation. This only got her into more problems, though, as she then ended up lying about the situation. But I’m not here to point the finger and judge Potiphar’s wife.
An important thing that we can reflect on is: “Whose jacket am I hanging on to?” Who has disappointed me, offended me, hurt me, or whatever. We can choose to hold on to this hurt, just like Potiphar’s wife held on to the jacket. Or we can choose to let go and forgive.
Life is too short to live with an unforgiving attitude. I know that horrendous things happen to good people; it always seems to be the way. However, we can choose our own responses to things that happen to us. We can choose to forgive those people who wrong us. Sometimes we even get angry with God and need to ask for forgiveness.
Unforgiveness as a state of mind can really bring your heart and mind down. With forgiveness comes freedom. Jesus taught us to forgive.
Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we honour your holy name. We ask that your kingdom come
now. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our
food today, as usual, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those
who sin against us. Don’t bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the
Evil One. Amen
(Matthew 6 v 9-13, The Living Bible)
Genesis 39 v 19-23
When Joseph’s master heard what his wife said Joseph had done, he became
very angry. So Potiphar arrested Joseph and put him into the prison where the
king’s prisoners were put. And Joseph stayed there in the prison.
But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him kindness and caused the prison warden
to like Joseph. The prison warden chose Joseph to take care of all the prisoners,
and he was responsible for whatever was done in the prison. The warden paid
no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s care because the LORD was with
Joseph and made him successful in everything he did.
Notes
Joseph was framed and misunderstood. We get to read both sides of the story
and see that he had been wrongly accused. He went from being a top employee
of Potiphar to becoming a prisoner in the in the king’s jail.
As we read on, we see that the Lord was with Joseph at all times and although in prison, Joseph still gained favour with the warden and ended up in a place of responsibility. The warden didn’t even have to pay attention to Joseph, because he was competent at his work and had earned his trust.
There are three things we can learn from this:
1. When we are misunderstood and wrongly accused, God doesn’t leave our side. He always understands, and we just need to keep our communication lines open with God. He understands us better than anyone else ever could. He even understands us more than we understand ourselves!
2. God is with us in the highs and the lows. It’s easy to forget about him in the highs, so we should try and take time to thank and praise him for the good things in our lives. It’s also easy to shut God out, or blame him in the lows. We have to be real with God (read some of the Psalms for examples of this!) because he’ll see through us anyway. Rather than run away from God in the bad times and look for comfort in destructive things, run to him.
3. Like Joseph, we should try to live competently and commit our plans to God. Joseph’s relationship with the warden is a good example. We, in whatever we are doing, can try to honour people - be they friends, colleagues, employers, teachers or spouses - and so glorify God in our daily lives.
Prayer
Jesus, thank you that you love me and you know me. Thank you that you created
me to be in communication with you. Don’t let my forgetfulness get in the way
of our relationship. I want to commit my day to you today, that what I do will
honour you and bless others. Amen
Genesis 40 v 1-4
After these things happened, two of the king’s officers displeased the king—the
man who served wine to the king, and the king’s baker. The king became angry
with his officer who served him wine and his baker, so he put them in the prison
of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was kept. The captain
of the guard put the two prisoners in Joseph’s care, and they stayed in prison
for some time.
Notes
Joseph was an established prisoner by the time the two king’s officers were
thrown into his care. I imagine that if they were the king’s officers they were
probably experienced, well-learnt and well-spoken people. I expect that prison
was the last place they expected to be, unless they knew they had committed
a crime.
The Bible says they stayed in prison for some time, giving Joseph an opportunity to get to know them. Joseph was able to relate to their needs as he had experienced the same as what they were going through: the fear, isolation, rejection, stigma, accusation, the injustice of “guilty until proven innocent”. I’ve never been in prison, but I’m hazarding a guess that they would feel a few of these things. Joseph, however, knew exactly how to relate to them, serve them and help them if need be.
When we go through hard times, it can sometimes be all-consuming - we just can’t see beyond the now and here. With time, though, those difficult times develop us and mould how we react to later situations. Sometimes others can reap the benefits of our experiences and not feel so isolated in their pain.
When we can, we take strength from the fact that suffering sometimes brings strength not only to us but to others around us, although it doesn’t seem like it at the time. It’s important though not to think: “Oh that happened to me – you must feel like this…” Rather, it’s a case of knowing that God has given you a deep understanding of how a person feels, if you have been there yourself. It’s a case of gently being available to them to comfort, pray and love.
Prayer
I love you, Lord, for you hear my voice; you hear my cry for mercy. Because
you turn your ear to me, I will call on you as long as I live… I was overcome
by trouble and sorrow, then I called on you, Lord, “O Lord, save me.” The Lord
is gracious and righteous. our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects
the simple-hearted. When I was in great need he saved me. Amen
(Paraphrase of Psalm 116, based on the New International Version)
Genesis 40 v 5-8
One night both the king’s officer who served him wine and the baker had a dream.
Each had his own dream with its own meaning. When Joseph came to them the next
morning, he saw they were worried. He asked the king’s officers who were with
him, “Why do you look so unhappy today?”
The two men answered, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can explain
their meaning to us.”
Joseph said to them, “God is the only one who can explain the meaning of dreams.
Tell me your dreams.”
Notes
“When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were worried.”
So here was Joseph, in prison himself with probably enough to worry about of
his own – if he chose to. Yet Joseph still had time to look beyond himself and
his own circumstances to see how others were doing.
He noticed their cares, and he cared about them too. Then he acted upon them: “Why do you look so unhappy today?” I ask myself, how often do I take time to notice other people’s cares, or even notice other people? In our busy lifestyles, do we really bother to ask each other: “Hey, what’s bothering you?” with the complete integrity which would mean hanging around for an explanation (which may take a lot longer than we anticipate)?
It’s listening and offering attention to a person that can shed light on their situation. It’s not that we’ve got all the answers and that we must have it all sorted and are in some way better. It’s just that through love, light can be brought into a situation.
Joseph had an incredible gift of interpreting dreams, which was a great tool to glorify God. By being there for someone, with full ears and eyes open, we can glorify God by genuinely loving our brothers, sisters, enemies, strangers, whatever!
Jesus tells us in the gospels to look out for the poor. I take that to mean poor in wealth, health, spirit, mind, etc. So, just like Joseph, that includes noticing those people’s needs in the first place, and then responding in a loving way.
Prayer
Jesus, give me your heart of compassion for the poor. Please help me to realise
what is going on around me. Help me to take a step back from my busy life and
look out for the needs of others. Help me to become more like you, less focused
on me, but on you and what you want me to do. Amen
Genesis 40 v 9-15
So the man who served wine to the king told Joseph his dream. He said, “I dreamed
I saw a vine, and on the vine were three branches. I watched the branches bud
and blossom, and then the grapes ripened. I was holding the king’s cup, so I
took the grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I gave it to the king.”
Then Joseph said, “I will explain the dream to you. The three branches stand
for three days. Before the end of three days the king will free you, and he
will allow you to return to your work. You will serve the king his wine just
as you did before. But when you are free, remember me. Be kind to me, and tell
the king about me so I can get out of this prison. I was taken by force from
the land of the Hebrews, and I have done nothing here to deserve being put in
prison.”
Notes
Joseph had an incredible gift for dreaming and interpreting dreams. The man
who served wine to the king told Joseph about his dreams. Joseph said, “I will
interpret your dream.”
What confidence Joseph had in his gift. It’s like me having the confidence to say: “Show me a common garden vegetable and I will know what it is!” It seems that Joseph had that much clarity and that much confidence in his ability to interpret dreams.
I believe that Joseph’s confidence is a reflection of his walk with God. It seems to me that the closer we walk with God, the more we can use his gifts effectively. The closer we are to God, the more available and aware we become of the spiritual gifts that God gives us.
In the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 12 v 1-11, there is a list of some of the spiritual gifts that God gives, such as the gift of faith, discernment, to prophesy, to preach, to do miracles, and more. I think it’s quite exciting that we can’t just go out and get these gifts from God; God has to give them to us.
The closer we are to God the more aware we become of what he wants to give us, or has already given us! Joseph was in a stinking prison cell, his relationship with God being much focused. So when his time came to use his gift of interpreting the dreams of others he was right there. He was walking closely with God, so he was able to walk and talk with confidence.
Prayer
Jesus, please help me to keep close to you, whatever my situation. I want you
to be my focus, and I want to be ready to hear your voice for direction in my
life. I thank you that you have gifts for me, which are there to glorify you.
I pray that I will be able to use the gifts you’ve given me to point others
to you, Lord. Amen
Genesis 40 v 16-19
The baker saw that Joseph’s explanation of the dream was good, so he said to
him, “I also had a dream. I dreamed there were three bread baskets on my head.
In the top basket were all kinds of baked food for the king, but the birds were
eating this food out of the basket on my head.”
Joseph answered, “I will tell you what the dream means. The three baskets stand
for three days. Before the end of three days, the king will cut off your head!
He will hang your body on a pole, and the birds will eat your flesh.”
Notes
The baker saw that Joseph’s explanation of the wine server’s dream was good.
Joseph, however, had bad news for the butler. I wonder how he must have felt
having to deliver such awful details to the baker. Today’s reading ends pretty
gruesomely and with a really glum message: “He will hang your body on a pole
and the birds will eat your flesh.” Hmm, nice.
That’s where the Bible leaves it. But I have to go on and imagine the scene of those next few days. Joseph had just told the baker he would be dead in three days. How awful that must have been for them both. Joseph had three days to comfort that man, three days to tell him that God loved him, even though his life was to end.
When the Twin Towers terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, happened, after the initial shock I couldn’t help thinking that life is so short and fragile. Life can be snuffed out in an instant.
I began to think about my loved ones, about the delicateness of life. I started to think: “What if I haven’t told them enough about how Jesus loves us all so much that he wants to share eternity with us?”
I’m not one for going up to people and banging them on the head with a Bible. But I do know that I’ve got to “be” Jesus to others and be ready to talk about my faith at the right time for them, with love and compassion. We need to realise that we don’t always have all the time that we think we have and we have to grab each opportunity as it comes our way, always with a humble and loving attitude.
Prayer
Jesus, I pray for my friends and family who aren’t aware of you, Lord. I pray
that you will be their peace and comfort in times of trouble. Lord, please draw
near to them and reveal yourself to them. I pray also that you use me to bring
comfort to people around me, to bring your perspective into the lives of others,
in a humble and loving way. Amen
Genesis 40 v 20-23
Three days later, on his birthday, the king gave a feast for all his officers.
In front of his officers, he released from prison the chief officer who served
his wine and the chief baker. The king gave his chief officer who served wine
his old position, and once again he put the king’s cup of wine into the king’s
hand. But the king hanged the baker on a pole. Everything happened just as Joseph
had said it would, but the officer who served wine did not remember Joseph.
He forgot all about him.
Notes
The officer who served wine had a pretty short memory! “He forgot all about
him.” I wonder how such a profound experience could have been forgotten about.
The wine server, thrown in prison, had a weird, vivid dream. This Joseph guy
interpreted it for him, and then everything turned out just as the interpretation
said.
I wonder if the wine server let the experience wash over him, or if he was just plain selfish or stupid! Who knows? It was pretty careless to forget - although he did remember Joseph two years later at a pretty crucial time.
Sometimes people forget to thank me, or show their appreciation for things I do for them. It’s very annoying sometimes, when I’ve gone out of my way to help someone out, and then not even an ounce of appreciation comes back to me. Or at least that is what is perceived!
It’s difficult to keep a good attitude when this happens, as I then start to feel superior to that person, building myself up to be the one worthy of a “Thank you – you’re so kind”! Or, on the other hand, sometimes I feel forgotten and then insecurity can engulf me! It’s then that I have to really just try and remember:
WHO I am “doing things” for and living for = GOD
and also:
WHO AM I if people forget me? = God’s child, and God remembers me all the time.
Joseph probably struggled with this, but by this time in his life he had been rejected, forgotten, overlooked and misunderstood so many times, even though, painful as this was, I think he knew who he was in God and what he meant to God. What a liberating place to be!
Prayer
O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar…
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
(Psalm 139 v 1-2 & 13-14 New International Version)
Father, please help me to remember who I am in your eyes, not the eyes of myself or others. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken
from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993
by Word Publishing Milton Keynes