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Joseph, a dream come true
Title: Joseph, a dream come true Aim: To note that God’s wisdom can enable us to help others. Scripture: Genesis 41:25–40 Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, Genesis 41:25–32 Most of the narrative in the last 14 chapters of Genesis concerns the life of Joseph. The faith this favored son of Jacob showed amid distressing circumstances has encouraged believers down through the centuries. Because of sibling rivalry and resentment, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt. Then, once Joseph became the slave of Potiphar, the quality of his character began to show itself. Joseph did not wallow in self-pity, but energetically carried out the tasks set…
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Tamar in Genesis: Rabbit Trail or Key to Understanding the Joseph Story?
I’m happy to have Carolyn Custis James as my guest today. In Vindicating the Vixens, she contributed the chapter on Tamar. In November she served on a panel of contributors who talked about narrative analysis at the national meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, Rhode Island. Here are some quotes from her remarks: [In the Genesis narrative] just as the Joseph story reaches a fever pitch and readers are on the edge of their seats, instead of following Joseph into Egypt, the narrator follows Judah away from his family into Canaanite territory and into a salacious R-rated story involving prostitution with his daughter-in-law, Tamar. From a literary perspective, the narrator’s…
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Stepping from the Shadows
His dark shadow looms in the distance—heart pounding with trepidation and grief. He saw in the sacred pages that something like this would happen. So he made the proper plans. Now he must step from the shadows, stand, and speak. His simple but significant act is recorded in all four of the gospels. Yet somehow we often overlook him during Passion Week. Joseph of Arimathea spent much of his discipleship in secret. He enters the cross scene at the last second, securing the Savior’s body just as the Sabbath descends upon Jerusalem. His final act fulfills prophesy and finishes the sovereign plot. It’s easy to rush over this part of…
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The Nature of Grace
“Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people.” (Genesis 50:20, The Message). It’s embarrassing to admit, but for almost a decade now, I’ve viewed Genesis 50:20 as simply the verse that brought me comfort* after a painful breakup. He was my first serious boyfriend, I was infatuated with being in love, and I was truly shocked that someone would dump me in such an abrupt and callous manner. So in my 19-year-old mind, I categorized my ex-boyfriend’s actions as “evil” but took heart that God had “good” (read “someone better…
