JOSEPH A CHARACTER STUDY BY ROMMEL FERNANDES

Intro: I spent the whole month of July, 2010 during my quiet time, reading chapters on the life of Joseph in the Book of Genesis. What an encouraging and a challenging time it was for me! I was so impressed by Joseph's life that I decided (after talking to my wife) to name our soon to come first baby either Joseph or Josephine (depending on its gender). A baby girl came out, and because the name Josephine sounded too common to my family and my wife's family, I decided to name her Daniella (after my other hero prophet Daniel).

Dont be put off by my coarse language here. I am your brother so accept me as I am and learn to put up with other people who dont behave like you want them to. May God bless you, challenge you, train you, and use you mightily for His glory wherever He wants to just like He used Joseph thousands of years ago. Down here, our only goal is to do what God has sent us on earth for.

GENESIS 37 The Message 1 Meanwhile Jacob had settled down where his father had lived, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the story of Jacob. The story continues with Joseph, seventeen years old at the time, helping out his brothers in herding the flocks.

When seventeen years of age, Joseph was pasturing the flock with his brothers. What do those who are seventeen years old do today? Spend time on Facebook or Orkut finding a boyfriend or girlfriend. Isnt it? Or busy playing computer games or cricket. Joseph didn't spend time looking for a girlfriend or watching games being played in the neighborhood. He was involved in his father's business. If you want God to use you in a mighty way when you are about 30 years old (like he used Joseph), you need to stop wasting time in un profitable activities. Spend time studying the Bible. One thing that you will notice about Joseph is that from the time he was a boy till he died, he was a hard working person. Why do you think God cannot use most of the pastors in our land? Because they are lazy people. The only work they do is deliver recycled sermons. It is because of boring sermons that it becomes difficult for people to sit in church without their minds wandering.

These were his half brothers actually, the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought his father bad reports on them. The Bible does not tell us what the bad things they did were. But Joseph did the right thing by reporting them to his father. According to the pledge, all Indians are your brothers and sisters. So if you see any person doing something wrong at your work place, you need to report him to your father (Supervisor) there. Dont say, Kiske baap ka jaatha hai? Us se panga kyon le loon (What am I losing if he does that? Why should I make an enemy?) It is your moral duty to report wrong doers.

3-4 Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was the child of his old age. And he made him an elaborately embroidered coat. When his brothers realized that their father loved him more than them, they grew to hate himthey wouldn't even speak to him. Jacob made a mistake by playing favoritism. He made an even bigger mistake by making it very obvious by gifting Joseph with a beautiful coat. Nobody likes favoritism be it at the work place or at home. Make sure that you dont have a blue eyed boy and are fair in all your dealings. In Goa, you see fathers having a soft corner for their daughters and mothers showing a lot of love for their sons. Be like a cat. A mother cat shows love to all its kittens equally.

Josephs brothers would not greet him. In Israel people greet each other by saying, "Shalom" (which means peace). Today, in our churches too there are people like Josephs brothers who wont greet you with a, Praise the Lord." It may be because they are jealous of you or because you offended them in some way. Joseph's brothers openly expressed their hatred for him. In our churches we also have malicious people who will say, "Praise the Lord" and will pretend to like you, but in their hearts they are actually hoping to see your downfall or waiting for the day they can put a knife in your back.

5-7 Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said, "Listen to this dream I had. We were all out in the field gathering bundles of wheat. All of a sudden my bundle stood straight up and your bundles circled around it and bowed down to mine." 8 His brothers said, "So! You're going to rule us? You're going to boss us around?" And they hated him more than ever because of his dreams and the way he talked. If you get to become a leader at your work place when you are young, be careful with the way you talk. Older people dont like to report to younger people. If there are older people working under you, treat them with respect. The elders of Israel personally went and told David to be their king. Why was that? He was a humble person. Here Joseph was just 17 and did not know how to talk. God had to deal with him and change him completely so one day there would not be even a little bit of pride left in him. Its natural for a person to boast by saying, You know what? I got promoted after spending just one year in this company! And its very difficult to remain humble when your Manager feeds your ego and makes you feel that you are smarter than others. He does that so he can get work done from you. Never forget that God hates pride more than anything else.

9 He had another dream and told this one also to his brothers: "I dreamed another dream the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to me!" Joseph rubbed salt into their wounds. We need to learn when to stop. We know that both these dreams were given to Joseph by God because they got fulfilled. In the Old Testamental period, God spoke to a lot of people through dreams but now He speaks to us through the Bible. So if you are in the habit of standing up in church on Sundays, telling people about your dreams and attempting to appear like a prophet, dont do that anymore. Make sure that you dont drink too much beer on Saturday evening. Thatll may be prevent you from getting weird dreams.

There are some people who get bad dreams and then they worry about them. Since nothing happens in the lives of believers without Gods knowledge, there is no need to. Then there are others who get wet dreams. Such people should take care that they dont think about dirty sexual stuff when they are awake. Dreams are often a result of what people think about when they are awake. By filling your minds and meditating on things true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable (Philippians 4:8), you will no longer end up with wet underwear when you wake up in the morning. God may still speak to some people through dreams even today if He wants to.

10-11 When he told it to his father and brothers, his father reprimanded him: "What's with all this dreaming? Am I and your mother and your brothers all supposed to bow down to you?" Now his brothers were really jealous; but his father brooded over the whole business. Jacob thought that Joseph had gone too far so he reprimanded him. Discipline your children if they talk what they should not (things that will hurt or irritate people). Teach them to respect all human beings. Make them address your maid, your driver, the postman or the person who comes to collect your garbage as uncle or aunty.

12-13 His brothers had gone off to Shechem where they were pasturing their father's flocks. Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers are with flocks in Shechem. Come, I want to send you to them."Joseph said, "I'm ready." Another translation says that Joseph said, I will go. There was no reluctance shown by him. It was not without reason that Joseph was Jacob's favorite. Jacob loved him because he was an obedient boy. All the others displeased their father. The eldest Reuben slept with his wife Bilhah, Levi and Simeon had spoilt his name by deceiving and killing people and the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah did bad things. Joseph was one lone bird with different feathers.

14 He said, "Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing and bring me back a report." He sent him off from the valley of Hebron to Shechem. We read in Genesis 33:19 that for a hundred pieces of silver, Jacob had bought a plot in Shechem from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. So why was he worried about the welfare of his sons when they were there? This is because, some years before, his daughter Dinah had been raped at that place by the prince of Shechem, so two of his sons - Levi and Simeon took revenge for their sister by

deceiving the inhabitants. They took their swords, entered the town without opposition, and slaughtered every man there including Shechem its prince and his father. When the rest of Jacob's sons came on the scene of slaughter, they looted the entire city in retaliation for Dinah's rape. Flocks, herds, donkeys, belongings - everything, whether in the city or the fields - they took. And then they took all the wives and children captive and ransacked their homes for anything valuable. The Canaanites and the Perizzites from the other towns knew about this so Jacob was worried that they may attack his sons.

15 A man met him as he was wandering through the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?" In India, if you are asking for directions to a place, you better ask 3 or 4 people before proceeding. People may confidently point in a direction but may not actually know where the place you are looking for is located. Like teachers in Bible colleges they don't like to say that they don't know and will make things up.

16 "I'm trying to find my brothers. Do you have any idea where they are grazing their flocks?" 17 The man said, "They've left here, but I overheard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph took off, tracked his brothers down, and found them in Dothan. Notice Joseph's perseverance. He doesn't go back to his father when he doesn't find them in Shechem, saying, "You know what, dad? They weren't in Shechem. I don't know where they've gone. They'll come back when it's time. Let's not worry." Had Jacob returned back without doing the work that he had been sent to do properly, he may not have become the Prime Minister of Egypt one day. The little tasks that you do every day, may be the key to you getting a big task one day! A lot of people want to be used by God. But they cannot be used because they aren't really concerned about the welfare of their brethren. They are more concerned about the fame that comes by being used by God. Joseph wanted to know how his brethren were doing so he took great pains in walking a long distance. People, how are you going to know about the welfare of your colleagues if you dont cause inconvenience to yourself? Yes, your work breaks are for you to eat and chill. But you are not your own. Your time belongs to God. You are on earth on a mission. Never forget that.

How much inconvenience do you put yourself through to go and check the welfare of your brethren? If you truthfully say the pledge that all Indians are your brothers and sisters, you won't make lame excuses again when the pastor schedules hospital visitation to check the welfare of the lost.

18-20 They spotted him off in the distance. By the time he got to them they had cooked up a plot to kill him. The brothers were saying, "Here comes that dreamer. Let's kill him and throw him into one of these old cisterns; we can say that a vicious animal ate him up. We'll see what his dreams amount to." Josephs brothers were upset with him because of his dreams. In this age, God gets upset with people who waste the time of other people by giving strange interpretations in church of their dreams. Their, God is telling us... or God is saying to us statements make Him furious. The Lords name should never be taken in vain.

21-22 Reuben heard the brothers talking and intervened to save him, "We're not going to kill him. No murder. Go ahead and throw him in this cistern out here in the wild, but don't hurt him." Reuben planned to go back later and get him out and take him back to his father. Reuben was the eldest and he should have been the one who needed to get offended by Josephs dreams but he was not bothered by them at all. This is because he didnt have an ego. Its only people with a big ego who get offended easily. Someone says something that pokes them in the butt and they say, How could he say that? or How dare he talk to me like that? Fights in churches start because of egos. Two big people cannot fit into one bag!

23-24 When Joseph reached his brothers, they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing, grabbed him, and threw him into a cistern. The cistern was dry; there wasn't any water in it. Dothan is there even today. If you go to Israel the local guides will take you to a pit and tell you that Joseph was put into it (al though common sense will tell you that it may not be the same one. The gullible ones will go back and tell church members back home that they saw the exact pit that Joseph had once been put in). Praise God whichever pit you are in today will be empty soon as God will stretch forth His hand to lift you out of it. Don't be like those silly believers who prefer to remain in the pit as they want to hear comforting words from their fellow believers. You can't achieve anything for God by remaining in the pit.

25-27 Then they sat down to eat their supper. Joseph was crying in the pit and here they were ignoring his cries and sitting down to enjoy a meal. "How cruel they were! How could they do that?" you may ask. Well, that is exactly what you are doing when you throw a prayer letter asking for your money into a waste bin and sitting down to eat a tasty meal when the children of a missionary, that prayer letter was appealing for, are going to bed hungry.

Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way from Gilead, their camels loaded with spices, ointments, and perfumes to sell in Egypt. These Ishmaelite traders knew the ABC of business - find out what people want and supply it to them. Egypt needed stuff for embalming and for seasoning food, so these traders sourced spices from far away places like India and then traveled miles to deliver it. If you are jobless, don't blame God and don't put prayer requests in church anymore. God is tired of listening to such prayers. God has already given you an answer to your prayer. There is a job waiting for you in your town square. Buy a loaf of sliced bread, butter, tomatoes, potatoes, ketchup and some paper plates and make sandwiches for people. Anybody can make sandwiches or omelets. When people pass by and look at you, they will stop and have your sandwiches. If you don't have an ego, you can achieve anything in life. Many of the millionaires and the billionaires in this world, started with something small. When you make enough money, rent a shop. In places like Mumbai, people love to eat on the road and roadside stall owners make more money than those who own food shops. By Gods grace, you may one day end up owning a chain of fast food restaurants. That was just an example. You know your strengths. If you are educated, there is so much you can do by sitting in front of your computer at home. You can work as a freelancer, recruiting candidates for call centres or IT companies. Use the time that youve saved on travel to do Gods work.

Judah said, "Brothers, what are we going to get out of killing our brother and concealing the evidence? Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let's not kill himhe is, after all, our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed.

If only this fact dawned on you that the person who you have not been speaking to for many years for something wrong that he did to you years ago is after all your brother, you would forgive him and hug him. We all hurt each other by our words or actions, knowingly or un knowingly because we have a sinful flesh. But we should also be quick to forgive and accept forgiveness from others.

28 By that time the Midianite traders were passing by. His brothers pulled Joseph out of the cistern and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites who took Joseph with them down to Egypt. Most probably they made him travel on foot as he was just a slave they had bought. Those who are godly will suffer for bring righteous.

29-30 Later Reuben came back and went to the cisternno Joseph! He ripped his clothes in despair. Beside himself, he went to his brothers. "The boy's gone! What am I going to do!" 31-32 They took Joseph's coat, butchered a goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. They took the fancy coat back to their father and said, "We found this. Look it overdo you think this is your son's coat?" 33 He recognized it at once. "My son's coata wild animal has eaten him. Joseph torn limb from limb!" 34-35 Jacob tore his clothes in grief, dressed in rough burlap, and mourned his son a long, long time. His sons and daughters tried to comfort him but he refused their comfort. "I'll go to the grave mourning my son." Oh, how his father wept for him. 36 In Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, manager of his household affairs. Many years ago, Jacob had deceived his father using a goat. Here we see his sons deceiving the budda (their old man) using the same thing - a goat! In this life we will reap what we sow! GENESIS 39 New Living Translation 1 When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Here we see Joseph being sold to Potiphar. The Bible doesnt tell us that Joseph was afraid or scared when he reached Egypt. One would expect to see that considering that he was just a 17 yrs old boy.

So why wasnt Joseph scared? The answer lies in Gen 12. Many years before, there was a famine in Canaan, so his great grandpa Abraham had gone to Egypt with his beautiful wife Sarah. Abraham was a new believer then, so he didnt know God that well. He was scared of the Egyptians. He thought that they would kill him if they knew that Sarah was his wife. So he told her to tell them that she was his sister. She was taken into Pharoahs harem. God then showed Abraham who He really was A God who cared for and protected people who followed Him. He struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarah, Abraham's wife. Pharaoh got scared and commanded his men to escort him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him. When Joseph was young he must have been told this story. It must have taken them about 2 weeks to get to Egypt from Dothan which was a distance of about 300 miles. In those days they traveled for about 20 miles in a day either on a donkeys back or on a camels back or by foot. Along the way, Joseph must have come to know from the Ishmaelite traders that they were going to Egypt. Suddenly he remembered this incident and that calmed his fears. He knew that His God was there in Egypt and that He would protect him just like He had protected his grandma. There was another incident that took place years before. The passage is Genesis 30:22-24: God has taken away my shame God has removed my disgrace God remembered Rachels plight God remembered Rachel and answered her pleading and made it possible for her to have children. And [now for the first time] she became pregnant and bore a son; and she said, God has taken away my reproach, disgrace, and humiliation. Notice the line, Then God remembered Rachel." When he was little, Rachel must have told him that the God who they believed in was a prayer answering God. He was a God who took away shame and disgrace and who remembered her plight. If He could do that to his mom, He could do that to him as well. That is why Joseph was cool when they reached Egypt and he remained cool in the most trying situations he faced throughout his life. I want to tell you that what you teach your kids when they are young, will remain with them throughout their lives.

Depending on that, your munna or gudiya (child) will either bring you joy or humiliation. He knew that wherever he was, God would never forget him and would hear his prayers.

2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. What does being successful mean here? Did he start earning a lot of money? Did he build his own house? Or did he rise up in social status? Neither of these things happened. He remained a slave who was not paid any money and he lived in his master's house. So why does the Bible say that he was successful? Being successful meant that he could do whatever task was assigned to him. In those days slaves had to do hard work like plowing, planting, and harvesting. They also had to do household work like grinding wheat to make bread, cooking, cleaning, and hauling water for food and washing. He may have learnt the Egyptian language quickly while the other slaves took time. Let me tell you that even if you don't have any savings in the bank, you need to consider yourself successful, if you are able to carry on with your daily tasks without any problem. The world's definition of success is different. According to it, when you've built a villa for yourself, when you've made a million, when you have a Mercedes gaadi etc. you are successful. Don't let the world influence you. Read the Bible carefully so you know what the biblical values are.

3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. How did Potiphar know that the Lord was with him? Because Joseph told him! The Darby Translation says that Potiphar knew very well that the Lord was with him. There was no doubt in his mind who the Lord was. At your work place, do people know that you are able to work efficiently because the Lord is with you? Or they don't because you take all the credit and make them feel it's because of your smart way of doing things and it's only because of your abilities?

Is it that they don't even know the God you follow because you are ashamed to discuss religion at your work place? Are you afraid that the HR Manager will tell you to resign if you talk about your God to your colleagues? Joseph wasn't afraid. His boss was the chief executioner of Egypt who could get him killed. Yet he had the himmat (balls) to talk about his God even to him.

4 This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. 5 From the day Joseph was put in charge of his masters household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphars household for Josephs sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. In the Old Testamental period, when people were faithful to Him, the Lord blessed them in the material realm. This is not always the case in the New Testamental period. When things dont run smoothly in you life, and when there is not enough food on the table or chicken curry to have or new clothes to wear, it doesnt mean that the Lords blessing is not there on your life. The great apostle Paul did not have food to eat. Not once or twice but many a times. He used the word, Often. He says, Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. This was not voluntary fasting. The Message translation clearly says that he was frequently driven to fasting by want (and not by choice). Today we have a lot of fasting prayer meetings. People attend them after having a big meal at home. So big that the stomach needs a lot of time to digest it! That is not fasting. That is resting after feasting. He did not have clothes to keep his body warm in cold climate so he shivered. Again he used the word, Often (2 Corinthians 11:27). Paul was a servant of God and had read about God feeding Elijah using ravens. Nothing of that sort happened with him. He did not question God, Lord, I have always served you faithfully. Why are you making me suffer like this? If he had children of his own, he would not have asked, Lord, why are you making my children suffer? Pauls commitment to God was real. It did not depend on whether God blessed him materially or not. He could give thanks to God and rejoice in every difficult place or situation - when he was put in a dungeon (Philippians 4:4) or when he was physically abused (Acts 16:22:-25). Many a times, God tests us but we can come out victorious every time. What an encouragement Paul is to us! Joseph too never complained when he was made to suffer later in prison.

6 So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didnt worry about a thingexcept what kind of food to eat!

Like Potiphar, God too gives big responsibilities to people who do little tasks faithfully. No one may catch you doing stuff that you should not at your work place but God is watching everything. Till you stop being crooked, He will not be able to use you.

Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, 7 and Potiphars wife soon began to look at him lustfully. Come and sleep with me, she demanded. People make such passes when you get too close to them. You allow them to touch you. In the beginning it is a pat on the back or a high five for a job well done, then it becomes a shoulder massage or a head massage to ease work tension and one evening it becomes a massage of the clitoris or the boobs at a company sponsored over night picnic at a resort when both you and that other person have sipped too much of wine. Don't allow anyone to touch you except when it's a handshake to congratulate you for something. In our churches, we need to may be follow our Indian cultural way of saying a Praise the Lord to a member of the opposite sex with folded hands (like our Politicians). People greet each other like that in some churches. You make look old fashioned when you do that, but it will preserve your sexual purity. This tradition was started by people in India to prevent contaminating themselves by shaking hands with people from the lower castes. Today it can prevent you from contaminating yourself sexually. When going on a tea break at work, don't get into the habit of going out alone with a member of the opposite sex in your team. It won't be long before that person gets emotionally involved with you since you've nicely played Mr.Counsellor or Mr.Comforter for her personal problems at home.

8 But Joseph refused. Look, he told her, my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. 9 No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God. Joseph was a loyal and a God fearing man so he refused to sin sexually. Had some of the boys or men of our day been there in Josephs place, they may not missed this chance for their day dreams to come into reality. They may have enjoyed themselves and then asked forgiveness from God. God forgives all sins, but the consequences for such sins can be unbearable. They can go down to the 3rd and the 4th generation.

10 She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. Potiphar's wife was a shameless woman who didn't understand the meaning of the word no. If you have such retarded, desperate and shameless women at your work place, you better resign and find take up a job elsewhere. The new job may not pay you well or make you travel more, but God will bless your salary and make you flourish there. In Young's Literal Translation, Gen.37: 36 reads as, And the Medanites have sold him unto Egypt, to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, head of the executioners. Could it be that Potiphar was not able to satisfy his wife sexually? We dont read of him having any children. If true, that may explain why she tried to woo Joseph all the time. It appears that Potiphar used to come home from work at night tired, wanting to go to sleep after having food and not in a mood for sex. His wife may have been spending time in front of a mirror all day beautifying herself for her husband and fantasizing about him making love to her. When he knocked on the door, she used to probably run in a horny mood and did not even get a loving peck on her cheek from him. How disappointing that would have been! Thats a lesson for all men. You need to satisfy your wives. Masturbation is a sin. May be you are tired of having sex with the same woman in the same way for years. Read a book on sex (from a Christian perspective) along with your wife and try having sex in different positions. Sister, you need to understand that the missionary position is not the only way God wants you to have sex in. May be you need to buy some sexy lingerie to woo your man (husband). Dress up to look appealing to you hubby. Moving about in an old Indian nighty isnt going to make his limp dick hard. You can try sex in different places in the kitchen, in the shower, in a bath tub. Show some expressions during sex. Men dont like to have sex with a person who acts like a log of wood. Its not worldly to appear sensual or sexy. And dont be afraid of making sounds. Men like that too. Learn to speak in a sexy way before and during sex. Sex should never be a lets get done with this as soon as we can thing because the Holy Sprit has left the room. The Holy Spirit doesnt leave the room if youre having sex with your own spouse.

11 One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. 12 She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, Come on, sleep with me! Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.

13 When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled, 14 she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. Look! she said. My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me. 16 She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. 17 Then she told him her story. That Hebrew slave youve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me, she said. 18 But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me! 19 Potiphar was furious when he heard his wifes story about how Joseph had treated her. Potiphar may have been actually furious with his wife. Because of her he lost an able administrator. If he had sided with Joseph, it would have been shameful for him. We know that he knew that Joseph was innocent as he didn't get him killed then and there. We read later that when Pharoah had his Chief Baker and Chief Butler put in prison, Potiphar assigned Joseph to take care of them. He wouldn't have done that if he believed Joseph had tried to rape his wife.

20 So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the kings prisoners were held, and there he remained. At first Potiphar made him suffer in prison (Psalms 105:18) but later on he may have heard the real story from Joseph and he did not make him suffer anymore.

21 But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. 22 Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. 23 The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed. The Lord blesses those who honor Him by obeying His words. A Christian should not be like unbelievers who keep looking at the wall clock in the office all the time and go home early when the boss is not around. He should be a person who is hard working, efficient and someone who reaches the work place on time and goes home on time. He should not give headaches to his boss or to anybody else in the office.

GENESIS 40

New American Standard Bible 1 Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned. Some say that these two important people were sent to prison, because they were a part of a coup to assassinate Pharoah. Others say that it was because Pharoah found a fly in his wine and sand in his bread. If the latter was true, then Pharoah reminds us of many Christians of our day who get offended / upset with little things. Check yourself how you conduct yourself every day. You praise the Lord as soon as you wake up because you had a sound sleep. Soon after that you head towards the toilet to empty your stomach, singing, This is the day that the Lord has made, and find the door bolted from inside. Your wife had an emergency while preparing breakfast for you and is taking a long time in there. You get upset as you wonder why she couldnt go later when she has the whole day to use it being a house wife. Then you see her wandering around the apartment with a toothbrush in her mouth when you have specifically told her to do that activity only in front of the wash basin. She gets you tea without sugar because she thinks that sugar is bad for your body. The tea has milk and you hate milk but according to her, milk is good for a person. The egg fried has less salt than you want because she thinks that too much salt is bad for you. You get in the train and someone stamps on your foot. Then a person standing besides you opens his mouth to ask you from which door he needs to get out at a particular station and you almost faint as he hasnt brushed his teeth in the morning. Can you be give thanks to God in all these circumstances?

4 The captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he took care of them; and they were in confinement for some time. The captain of the bodyguard was Potiphar and he wanted Joseph to take good care of the political prisoners, because they were important people. The butler for example was there around Pharoah all the time. If Pharoah needed to drink something, the butler had to taste it

first. Pharoah trusted him and even took his advice. Like later on, when the butler told him about Joseph's power to interpret dreams, Pharoah immediately summoned him. Today also people behave like Potiphar. They help people only if they will be of help later on. Something more is expected of believers living in the New Covenant era. Paul tells us to take tender care of those who are weak (1Thessalonians 5:14). Joseph cared for the people who had been placed under him. How is it with you? Are you only interested in getting productivity from the people you are in charge of?

5 Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected. 7 He asked Pharaoh's officials who were with him in confinement in his master's house, Why are your faces so sad today?" These two guys were assigned to his care. When he looked at their faces he knew that something was wrong. Do you look around and see people in need? Or are you only focused on your own productivity, your promotion, your own welfare? Wherever God has placed you, it is to glorify Him and to help people around. Never forget that. Ask people, "Dude/Girl, what's wrong? You don't seem like yourself today." When they tell, empathize with them, comfort them and pray for them. Go on your food break and pray for them. You won't die if you skip a meal. It'll do a world of good for your stomach which desperately needs some rest. The Holy Spirit who dwells you in you will give you the right words to say if you've not been grieving Him. Make use of the opportunities God sends your way. Your friends will tear and throw the gospel tracts you give them into a garbage bin. But if you help them when they are in distress, they will have a special place in their heart for you and your words when they've come out of the crisis. Then give them a Gideons Bible so they can learn more about the God you worship. Most of the time, it costs time.

8 Then they said to him, "We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it " Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please." Joseph was a person who liked to give God the glory all the time. No wonder God lifted him up one day. God likes such people. It appears that in the past God had revealed to Joseph what certain dreams meant. That is why he could confidently tell that God interpreted dreams. He told them to tell the dreams that they saw.

9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream, behold, there was a vine in front of me; 10 and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes. 11 "Now Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh's hand." 12 Then Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; 13 within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh's cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer. 14 "Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house. Joseph made a mistake of looking to people for a favor. If you do that, most of the time you will get disappointed.

15 "For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon." Joseph did not name the people who had wronged him

16 When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, "I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head; 17 and in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head."

18 Then Joseph answered and said, "This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; 19 within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you." When you have to tell someone something unpleasant, don't hide it. For example you know what will happen to people who don't accept Jesus as their Lord & Savior. Don't rationalize in your mind, "I don't think that a loving God will send billions of people who dont believe in Him to hell."

20 Thus it came about on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh's hand; 22 but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. When people don't listen to you, it is natural to get frustrated because of the loss you suffer. But the good news is that, their stupidity can work out for your good too. Ultimately it is God's will that will come to pass and His will is the best. When you do a favor to someone, don't look for a favor in return. If that person you help is a person who has a sense of gratitude, he will without you asking for it. The Darby Translation says that the chief butler, when things prospered with him, forgot his interpreter. We do the same thing. When things are going well, we forget God. The butler forgot Joseph but God had His time. You may be fed up in the situation you are in right now because you have been in it long enough. The All Wise God knows how long you need to be in it. Whatever situation you are in, however painful it may be, it is for your own good. It may be to develop godly character, to teach you to depend on God, or to train you for future work in the kingdom. One good thing about Joseph is that he never bad mouthed people who let him down. The Bible doesn't tell us that Joseph called the butler a harami (an asshole / son of a bitch). Even when he rose up and became the butler's boss 2 years later, he did not kick his balls.

If we were in Joseph's place, I think the first thing we would have done is kicked the ass of that ungrateful fellow or subtly removed him from the post using someone else so the trail did not lead back to you desk. Because he reacted in a godly way most of the time, God could use him mightily and because we react negatively and bitterly, God can't use us in a big way. There is no need to tell people, "You know what? That person wronged me!" Jehovah God is watching everything and He will see that justice is done. He will ensure that the person who made you suffer will suffer in equal measure. This world's system of justice is corrupted. Even high court judges and cops can be bribed today. This doesnt mean that you should not approach the authorities in your locality. If someone has broken the law, you should, because God has appointed them to do justice for you but if they dont, you should not get disheartened. Justice will eventually be done by God. Dont pray, Lord, you have seen what that person has done to me. I leave him to You. God expects us to have a forgiving heart. Jesus forgave the people who hanged him on a cross.

GENESIS 41 The Message 1-4 Two years passed and Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile River. Seven cows came up out of the Nile, all shimmering with health, and grazed on the marsh grass. Then seven other cows, all skin and bones, came up out of the river after them and stood by them on the bank of the Nile. The skinny cows ate the seven healthy cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5-7 He went back to sleep and dreamed a second time: Seven ears of grain, full-bodied and lush, grew out of a single stalk. Then seven more ears grew up, but these were thin and dried out by the east wind. The thin ears swallowed up the full, healthy ears. Then Pharaoh woke upanother dream. 8 When morning came, he was upset. He sent for all the magicians and sages of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but they couldn't interpret them to him. The magicians and wise men of Egypt could not interpret the dreams as they were not in touch with God. Only those who know God can interpret rightly. Today when a young person cannot understand a biblical doctrine, the wise men (pastors and elders) will try to interpret and their interpretation will be coughing up what was passed on to them by their church founder.

They don't know that the interpretation that has been passed on to them from generations before was corrupted by pagan church councils influenced by pagan emperors. Only a man who has been in touch with God, who has spent time in studying the Bible thoroughly by not lifting verses out of context can interpret convincingly that a Pharoah (new believer) will accept it. Thank God for the internet which enables us to study church history and question the truthfulness of the doctrines that have been passed down to us from pagan influences. For a long time, people believed a lie till God gave a revelation to Martin Luther when he spent time in studying the scriptures. God reveals His truths only to the diligent student of His word. Has it occurred to you that there may be other doctrines which you believe in that may not have been formulated by taking the whole Bible into consideration? The wise men would not have dared to fool Pharoah as he would have knocked their balls off. But the ignorant wise men of our day (pastors and elders) are fooling believers Sunday after Sunday.

9-13 The head cupbearer then spoke up and said to Pharaoh, "I just now remembered somethingI'm sorry, I should have told you this long ago. Once when Pharaoh got angry with his servants, he locked me and the head baker in the house of the captain of the guard. We both had dreams on the same night, each dream with its own meaning. It so happened that there was a young Hebrew slave there with us; he belonged to the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us, each dream separately. Things turned out just as he interpreted. I was returned to my position and the head baker was impaled." See how God works. The butler had forgotten Joseph. But he happened to be around when Pharoah shared his dreams with the magicians and wise men. God cured the fellow of amnesia and he suddenly remembered what Joseph had done two years earlier. Many a times people come to their senses a little late. When they realize their mistake forgive them. That was what Joseph did. Because of his mistake, Joseph had to be in prison for 2 more years. But that mistake worked out for Joseph's good. If you love God, the mistakes of people that cost us dearly can work out for our good. Imagine if he had gone and told Pharoah two years before that Joseph's interpretation of his dream was right. Would Pharoah have believed the butler? Would he have promoted him so high?

I doubt that. Where was the proof? The Chief Baker would have been dead already. With whom would Pharoah have cross checked? Only when he himself had dreams which Joseph was able to interpret did that have a big impact on him. God knew that Joseph had to be in the prison for two more years to get trained some more. When the right time came, He gave him the responsibility He had been preparing him for. So don't crib, "Because of that fellow I suffered for so long so I won't forgive him so easily." In the days that you suffered, God was working in your life, to prepare you for something useful or to develop character in you.

14 Pharaoh at once sent for Joseph. They brought him on the run from the jail cell. He cut his hair, put on clean clothes, and came to Pharaoh. 15 "I dreamed a dream," Pharaoh told Joseph. "Nobody can interpret it. But I've heard that just by hearing a dream you can interpret it." 16 Joseph answered, "Not I, but God. God will set Pharaoh's mind at ease." Egypt did not need FEBA / Vishvawani radio, God TV or a Gideons International camp. Joseph was enough for the whole of Egypt. He was a walking billboard. He had gotten into the habit of telling about the God who believed in whenever he could. He did not think, There is a time for everything. Let me tell about God to Pharoah some other time. Let me first prepare the ground. Let him see my godly life and ask me how Im living it. Then Ill tell him that I live such a life with the help of my God! He was a courageous boy. He used the name of God four times in this passage before the mighty heathen king of his day. It is like standing in front of the chief of the RSS today and telling him about Jesus. When you get into that habit, you dont fear anybody anymore. Joseph is an example for the young people of our day. The young people of our day want to be noticed. Some of them will go to any extent to catch the attention of people. You hear people saying, "My boss never praises me," or "He never gives me any credit." Don't seek for praise from people. All the abilities you have, have been given to you by God. When someone tells you, "Wow, you're so talented" or "You're so good at this" why don't you give God the glory and say, "You know what? Whatever I have, has been given to me by the God who created me." Do you think that if you speak like that, you'll look like an odd ball? May be you will. But you'll please God immensely. He loves it when we serve the purpose of our existence - to glorify Him in all that we do and say.

Joseph had gotten into the habit of glorifying God and God lifted him up very high. God did the same thing to David because he too was concerned first and foremost about glorifying His name. If you are a God fearing person, and you come across people who are disturbed and troubled, God will speak through you and set peoples mind at ease.

17-21 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile. Seven cows, shimmering with health, came up out of the river and grazed on the marsh grass. On their heels seven more cows, all skin and bones, came up. I've never seen uglier cows anywhere in Egypt. Then the seven skinny, ugly cows ate up the first seven healthy cows. But you couldn't tell by lookingafter eating them up they were just as skinny and ugly as before. Then I woke up. 22-24 "In my second dream I saw seven ears of grain, full-bodied and lush, growing out of a single stalk, and right behind them, seven other ears, shriveled, thin, and dried out by the east wind. And the thin ears swallowed up the full ears. I've told all this to the magicians but they can't figure it out." God cares for people so some times He repeats his warning messages. If you still dont listen, you will get destroyed. If there is anything in your life that is displeasing the Lord about which He has warned you, get rid of it. There is no sin that you cannot overcome.

25-27 Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's two dreams both mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh what he is going to do. The seven healthy cows are seven years and the seven healthy ears of grain are seven yearsthey're the same dream. The seven sick and ugly cows that followed them up are seven years and the seven scrawny ears of grain dried out by the east wind are the sameseven years of famine. 28-32 "The meaning is what I said earlier: God is letting Pharaoh in on what he is going to do. Seven years of plenty are on their way throughout Egypt. But on their heels will come seven years of famine, leaving no trace of the Egyptian plenty. As the country is emptied by famine, there won't be even a scrap left of the previous plentythe famine will be total. The fact that Pharaoh dreamed the same dream twice emphasizes God's determination to do this and do it soon. 33-36 "So, Pharaoh needs to look for a wise and experienced man and put him in charge of the country. Normally, if you give an idea and it is implemented, you would want to be made the project head. But Joseph was a humble man. He was not the one who would boast about himself and his abilities.

He says, "Pharaoh needs to look for a wise and experienced man." If we were in place of Joseph, I think we would have said in our minds after saying these words to Pharoah, "You know what? You don't need to look elsewhere, that kind of a man is standing right in front of you!" How many times when you are passed over for a promotion, you go outside for a coffee break and seething with rage say to your colleagues, "They promoted him because he licked the Manager's ass! They only play politics here!" Why would you react in that way? Because you don't have the spirit of Joseph. You can't even consider thinking that there may be a smarter person besides you. Be a humble man like Joseph throughout your life and God will let others lift you up. They will notice that you are discreet, understanding, proficient, experienced, wise and the right person to handle the job.

Then Pharaoh needs to appoint managers throughout the country of Egypt to organize it during the years of plenty. Their job will be to collect all the food produced in the good years ahead and stockpile the grain under Pharaoh's authority, storing it in the towns for food. This grain will be held back to be used later during the seven years of famine that are coming on Egypt. This way the country won't be devastated by the famine." 37 This seemed like a good idea to Pharaoh and his officials. 38 Then Pharaoh said to his officials, "Isn't this the man we need? Are we going to find anyone else who has God's spirit in him like this?" 39-40 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "You're the man for us. God has given you the inside storyno one is as qualified as you in experience and wisdom. From now on, you're in charge of my affairs; all my people will report to you. Only as king will I be over you." 41-43 So Pharaoh commissioned Joseph: "I'm putting you in charge of the entire country of Egypt." Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his finger and slipped it on Joseph's hand. He outfitted him in robes of the best linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He put the second-in-command chariot at his disposal, and as he rode people shouted "Bravo!" Joseph was in charge of the entire country of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh told Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but no one in Egypt will make a single move without your stamp of approval." 45 Then Pharaoh gave Joseph an Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah (God Speaks and He Lives). He also gave him an Egyptian wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On (Heliopolis).

What a name Pharoah gave to Joseph. It was true. God did speak to him through Joseph. If only our friends and colleagues can say the same thing about us. Just a single incident was able to convince Pharoah that Joseph's God was a living God who spoke and gave peace. God not only gave Joseph a big promotion, he also got him married to a girl from an influential family. In those days, the priests in Egypt were upper class people who had a lot of wealth. Joseph's people were gypsies. These Egyptians can certainly teach a lesson to the aristocratic, caste minded believers of our day who still marry people from the same culture and caste. Joseph got married to Asenath who was the daughter of a pagan priest. Imagine your son fell in love with the daughter of a pagan temple priest and married her. What would you do? You would of course forsake him and your daughter in law till may be your grandchild was born and after that you would forgive them. And church believers would harp about this for many years to come. People need to learn to forgive and forget. I'm not saying that you should allow all this. But if it happens you need to forgive. This happens because parents don't spend enough time with their children teaching the Word of God. When children are taught to obey every single commandment of God, then they will be careful when they are going to take one of the most important decisions of their lives. They are not going to let their emotions or feelings to influence them.

And Joseph took up his duties over the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he went to work for Pharaoh the king of Egypt. As soon as Joseph left Pharaoh's presence, he began his work in Egypt. Notice these words, As soon as Joseph left Pharaoh's presence, he began his work in Egypt. Joseph was not a person who wasted time. He knew that he did not have much time as the famine would be coming soon. Look at the believers of our day. They see the signs around them which point out to Jesus imminent coming and yet they waste their time by watching movies, working over time to make more money, holidaying in exotic locations etc. Preaching the gospel to the lost souls is not a priority for them at all.

47-49 During the next seven years of plenty the land produced bumper crops. Joseph gathered up the food of the seven good years in Egypt and stored the food in cities. In each city he stockpiled surplus from the surrounding fields. Joseph collected so much grainit was like the sand of the ocean!that he finally quit keeping track. 50-52 Joseph had two sons born to him before the years of famine came. Asenath, daughter of Potiphera the priest of On, was their mother. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh (Forget), saying, "God made me forget all my hardships and my parental home." He named his second son Ephraim (Double Prosperity), saying, "God has prospered me in the land of my sorrow." Joseph's wife did not influence him. We know this because if she had, the Bible would have told us about it like it told us about King Solomon. She let him name both their sons. Even while naming his sons, Joseph glorified God. He chose names that would remind him of God's goodness for as long as he was alive. Today parents want to put names that sound nice and not the old Biblical names that carry meaning behind them. There are even fights while deciding names. The father wants the child to be named after its grandfather and the mother will object to it. Why do people fight over such petty issues? Because like Joseph they still haven't learnt to glorify God in everything they do. If you disobeyed God and married an unbeliever, then Josephs case should encourage you. God can use you to influence the life of your life partner and you can still bring up your children in the fear of the Lord. May be church believers have been mean to you. Just forgive them and forget about them and make it your priority to glorify God (who is merciful and forgiving) in all that you do from now on so your spouse will one day be able to say like Pharoah, God speaks and He lives!

53-54 Then Egypt's seven good years came to an end and the seven years of famine arrived, just as Joseph had said. All countries experienced famine; Egypt was the only country that had bread. 55 When the famine spread throughout Egypt, the people called out in distress to Pharaoh, calling for bread. He told the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph. Do what he tells you." 56-57 As the famine got worse all over the country, Joseph opened the store-houses and sold emergency supplies to the Egyptians. The famine was very bad. Soon the whole world was coming to buy supplies from Joseph. The famine was bad all over. There is a spiritual famine in our land. What are you doing to help people in need? Look at the pagans going from one holy site to another to get a divine blessing on their lives. Look at them

torturing themselves to seek Gods approval. Many of them are in search of the truth. You know what the truth is. Are you sharing it with them? Or is your only goal in life to get well settled and to retire early?

GENESIS 42 New Living Translation 1 When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, Why are you standing around looking at one another? 2 I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise well die. When we are in need, we need to use our common sense and go to people for help. That is God's way of taking care of us. There are some people in full time Christian missions who don't tell people about their needs and then they boast about their great faith in God by saying, "I never reveal my needs to anyone but God." There is usually a lot of pride behind that statement and not dependence on God. It requires humility to take help from others. When people say that they dont make their needs known to anyone besides God, they are making it very obvious that they have needs that have to be taken care of. They are actually dropping hints about their needs. Paul did not operate in that way. He told church believers directly, "I will be coming there. Please keep a guest room for me! (Philemon 22) or, "I am sending Epaphroditus, welcome him with Christian love! (Philippians 2:25-30). How did he tell? By sending prayer letters! Prayer letters are not letters sent to beg as some people refer to them. Such proud people have not read the Bible properly. The Bible is very clear that a laborer is worthy of his wage and that full time servants of God have to be supported by those with secular jobs. Like the Israelites supported the Levites. If you don't tell people they will never know and will think all is well with you. Since people are naturally selfish, they need to be taught to give. The best way to teach them is to send them prayer letters about your ministry. Your ministry better be a genuine one cause if it's just a money making machine, God will judge you and your family terribly. Those of you who have pride and are ashamed of asking, please don't quote famous people of faith like George Muller or our very own Bakht Singh. Bakht Singh did not have to tell about his needs to people, because people already knew that he was running a ministry and gave generously. You are not a famous Bakht Singh. People today are in the habit of giving to famous people because they think that God will bless them for

that. If you are serving God in a jungle, no one will know about you if you've gone there on your own. You cant survive on wild honey and karghosh (wild rabbits). Making your wife and children suffer unnecessarily is foolishness. The Bible is very clear that we need to reveal our needs to people and just not to God. Gone are the days when He used to drop food stuff from the sky. Every church that has surplus cash should sponsor a missionary. The money put in the box as tithes is not meant to be spent on ourselves for love feasts. If you need to have love feasts, contribute money equal to or more than what you would spend on your family for a meal in a restaurant. A church should not have a lot of surplus cash. God's money is meant to be used for the extension of His kingdom and not to be kept in a bank or to build palaces in the future. The church committee should sponsor missionaries in proportion to the monthly income from tithes.

3 So Josephs ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain. 4 But Jacob wouldnt let Josephs younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, for fear some harm might come to him. Jacob didnt seem to have faith in God. If a person has faith in God he wont even pray the common prayer that people pray every morning, Lord, I am going out, please take me safely and bring me safely back home. Send your angels to surround me and save me from accidents. He wont pray such a prayer because he knows that he wont die before Gods appointed time. He wont want to be saved from an accident because he has learnt to accept whatever comes from his Heavenly Fathers hands with thanksgiving.

5 So Jacobs sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine was in Canaan as well. 6 Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground. 22 years had passed by. Joseph was 17 when they had sold him, 30 when he became Prime Minister, the 7 years of plenty had gone and they were in the 2nd year of famine (Gen.45:6).

7 Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. Where are you from? he demanded. From the land of Canaan, they replied. We have come to buy food. 8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didnt recognize him. 9 And he remembered the dreams hed had about them many years before. He said to them, You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.

10 No, my lord! they exclaimed. Your servants have simply come to buy food. 11 We are all brothersmembers of the same family. We are honest men, sir! We are not spies! 12 Yes, you are! Joseph insisted. You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become. 13 Sir, they said, there are actually twelve of us. We, your servants, are all brothers, sons of a man living in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is back there with our father right now, and one of our brothers is no longer with us. 14 But Joseph insisted, As I said, you are spies! 15 This is how I will test your story. I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you will never leave Egypt unless your youngest brother comes here! 16 One of you must go and get your brother. Ill keep the rest of you here in prison. Then well find out whether or not your story is true. By the life of Pharaoh, if it turns out that you dont have a younger brother, then Ill know you are spies. 17 So Joseph put them all in prison for three days. 18 On the third day Joseph said to them, I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live. 19 If you really are honest men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison. The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. This will prove that you are telling the truth, and you will not die. To this they agreed. 21 Speaking among themselves, they said, Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldnt listen. Thats why were in this trouble. 22 Didnt I tell you not to sin against the boy? Reuben asked. But you wouldnt listen. And now we have to answer for his blood! Hard times are either a punishment for our past sins or God's opportunities to develop godly character. In this world we always reap what we sow. So if God takes you through hard times, it is time for introspection. For e.g. if your wife is not able to bear children after many years of marriage, ask yourself, "Is this because I messed with a girl's life in my younger days when I was in college? May be it is." Ask God for forgiveness and stop messing with people from then on. He may open your wife's womb after that if you pray earnestly without going to a famous preacher. If He doesn't, it's not because He is upset with you. His will for your life is something else - to go to an adoption centre and adopt a baby or two. To give life to those little ones who were abandoned by their biological parents.

God will bless your wife and you for that and give you many years of happiness while you bring them up. Go to parents who have adopted kids and ask them how their life is. The natural impulse is to say, "I don't want to go anywhere and I don't want to adopt someone else's kid! I want God to give me my own child with my own genes!" To God what is important is not whether a kid looks like his dad physically or not or if he becomes as tall as his dad. It is whether he looks like Himself or not when he grows up. All children are ultimately God's children who have been loaned to their parents so they can raise them in His fear, for His glory and for His work. The moment you become possessive and make a kid your idol, it displeases God.

23 Of course, they didnt know that Joseph understood them, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter. 24 Now he turned away from them and began to weep. When he regained his composure, he spoke to them again. Then he chose Simeon from among them and had him tied up right before their eyes. 25 Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the mens sacks with grain, but he also gave secret instructions to return each brothers payment at the top of his sack. He also gave them supplies for their journey home. 26 So the brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home. 27 But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to get grain for his donkey, he found his money in the top of his sack. 28 Look! he exclaimed to his brothers. My money has been returned; its here in my sack! Then their hearts sank. Trembling, they said to each other, What has God done to us? 29 When the brothers came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them. 30 The man who is governor of the land spoke very harshly to us, they told him. He accused us of being spies scouting the land. 31 But we said, We are honest men, not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One brother is no longer with us, and the youngest is at home with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 Then the man who is governor of the land told us, This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take grain for your starving families and go on home. 34 But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know you are honest men and not spies. Then I will give you back your brother, and you may trade freely in the land. Telling the truth hurts some times but tell the truth. Always. All liars will end up in hell (Revelation 21:8).

35 As they emptied out their sacks, there in each mans sack was the bag of money he had paid for the grain! The brothers and their father were terrified when they saw the bags of money. 36 Jacob exclaimed, You are robbing me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me! People who say, Everything is gone against me are those who dont believe that God is in control or that God loves them deeply.

37 Then Reuben said to his father, You may kill my two sons if I dont bring Benjamin back to you. Ill be responsible for him, and I promise to bring him back. 38 But Jacob replied, My son will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and he is all I have left. If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave. God had removed Jacobs object of affection so He could be the number 1 person in his life. That didnt happen. Jacob was still grieving for his son whom God had taken away. Some people never learn from their mistakes.

GENESIS 43 The Message 1-2 The famine got worse. When they had eaten all the food they had brought back from Egypt, their father said, "Go back and get some more food." 3-5 But Judah said, "The man warned us most emphatically, 'You won't so much as see my face if you don't have your brother with you.' If you're ready to release our brother to go with us, we'll go down and get you food. But if you're not ready, we aren't going. What would be the use? The man told us, 'You won't so much as see my face if you don't have your brother with you.'" 6 Israel said, "Why are you making my life so difficult! Why did you ever tell the man you had another brother?" 7 They said, "The man pressed us hard, asking pointed questions about our family: 'Is your father alive? Do you have another brother?' So we answered his questions. How did we know that he'd say, 'Bring your brother here'?" 8-10 Judah pushed his father Israel. "Let the boy go; I'll take charge of him. Let us go and be on our wayif we don't get going, we're all going to starve to deathwe and you and our children, too! I'll take full responsibility for his safety; it's my life on the line for his. If I don't bring him back safe and sound, I'm the guilty one; I'll take all the blame. If we had

gone ahead in the first place instead of procrastinating like this, we could have been there and back twice over." 11-14 Their father Israel gave in. "If it has to be, it has to be. But do this: stuff your packs with the finest products from the land you can find and take them to the man as gifts some balm and honey, some spices and perfumes, some pistachios and almonds. Jacob tells his sons to take balm and spices as gifts for Joseph. The gifts that Jacob told his sons to take for Joseph would have reminded him of the grave evil that they had done against him (Gen.37:25) After his brothers had sold him, for almost two weeks he traveled with the traders carrying spices, balm and myrrh to Egypt. His brothers were planning to take these gifts to curry his favor, but they could actually have made him furious.

And take plenty of moneypay back double what was returned to your sacks; that might have been a mistake. Take your brother and get going. Go back to the man. And may The Strong God give you grace in that man's eyes so that he'll send back your other brother along with Benjamin. For me, nothing's left; I've lost everything." What did Jacob mean when he said that he had lost everything? He had lost only Joseph. In Chapter 46 we read that he had 66 sons and grandchildren living with him not counting his daughters in law. But for him Joseph was everything. We can see how much love Jacob had for Joseph just by this single sentence If you had a father like Jacob, you would of course feel hurt by words like these. That made you feel that your father didnt think much about you. They were hurt and angry and that is why they sold Joseph. As long as he was there they thought that they would never be the objects of their fathers affection. God sees all this. God Himself is impartial. If you see, we dont see God punishing the 10 brothers for what they had done to Joseph. Their only punishment was that they never could get their father to love them like he loved Joseph or Benjamin - the sons of his favorite wife.

15-16 The men took the gifts, double the money, and Benjamin. They lost no time in getting to Egypt and meeting Joseph. When Joseph saw that they had Benjamin with them, he told his house steward, "Take these men into the house and make them at

home. Butcher an animal and prepare a meal; these men are going to eat with me at noon." 17-18 The steward did what Joseph had said and took them inside. But they became anxious when they were brought into Joseph's home, thinking, "It's the money; he thinks we ran off with the money on our first trip down here. And now he's got us where he wants ushe's going to turn us into slaves and confiscate our donkeys." 19-22 So they went up to Joseph's house steward and talked to him in the doorway. They said, "Listen, master. We came down here one other time to buy food. On our way home, the first night out we opened our bags and found our money at the mouth of the bag the exact amount we'd paid. We've brought it all back and have plenty more to buy more food with. We have no idea who put the money in our bags." 23 The steward said, "Everything's in order. Don't worry. Your God and the God of your father must have given you a bonus. I was paid in full." And with that, he presented Simeon to them. 24-25 He then took them inside Joseph's house and made them comfortablegave them water to wash their feet and saw to the feeding of their donkeys. The brothers spread out their gifts as they waited for Joseph to show up at noonthey had been told that they were to have dinner with him. 26 When Joseph got home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought and bowed respectfully before him. 27 Joseph welcomed them and said, "And your old father whom you mentioned to me, how is he? Is he still alive?" 28 They said, "Yesyour servant our father is quite well, very much alive." And they again bowed respectfully before him. 29 Then Joseph picked out his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son. He asked, "And is this your youngest brother that you told me about?" Then he said, "God be gracious to you, my son." Joseph had not seen Benjamin in a long time so his brothers could have brought somebody else to pose as Benjamin. Jacob himself could have sent one of his servants as Benjamin. But Jacob had changed over the years. He was not a liar anymore. He had learnt that there is no use in lying to get something. He had lied to get Esaus birth right but his elder brother had also been greatly blessed by God materially so much that when Jacob offered him presents, he refused to take them and said, Brother, I have plenty. Keep what you have. It didnt do any good by lying. Because of that one lie, he could never see his mom again. If God wants to give something, He will give it to you.

You dont have to lie to get anything a job or a marriage partner. If God has decided that the job be yours or that person be your life partner, you will get that job / person and nothing / no one will be able to prevent that from happening. Surprisingly Joseph believed his brothers. A tree is known by its fruit. May be he believed them because they had told him a truth the last time they had met him about one of their brothers not being alive.

30-31 Deeply moved on seeing his brother and about to burst into tears, Joseph hurried out into another room and had a good cry. Then he washed his face, got a grip on himself, and said, "Let's eat." 32 -34 Joseph was served at his private table, the brothers off by themselves and the Egyptians off by themselves (Egyptians won't eat at the same table with Hebrews; it's repulsive to them). The brothers were seated facing Joseph, arranged in order of their age, from the oldest to the youngest. They looked at one another wide-eyed, wondering what would happen next. Would you sit down for a meal with somebody who had hurt you? If yes, you have a large heart. If no, you need to cry out to God for forgiveness. Do you know that the Bible says that if you dont forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will not forgive you His trespasses? Read Matthew 6:15. Who said these words? Jesus, isnt it? Do you believe that Jesus is God? Do you believe that heaven and earth will pass away but Gods words will not pass away? Can you go to heaven if God doesnt forgive your sins? Do you think that God listens to you when you pray to Him when you dont obey His commands? You can pray to Him by calling Him Heavenly Father but He will not listen to your prayers if you dont listen to Him! Because He is good and lets the sun shine on good and evil people, you may not have a lack of food and clothes and you may do well in your business but your soul will go to hell when you die. Just read the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 18:23-35 to see how serious God is about us forgiving people. Going to church every Sunday, giving tithes and offerings, taking part in outreach activities, attending Bible study sessions, having responsibilities in church etc. are not going to buy you a seat in heaven.

In heaven there will only be people who obeyed Gods words when they were down here on earth. Heaven is not a place for those who carry grudges, for those who have unforgiving hearts, for those who dont obey all of Gods commands. We see Joseph doing something here that he picked up from his father - showing partiality. May be Jacob did that and piled Josephs plate with the best pieces of lamb curry. Dont ever do such things in your house. Normally grandparents do that to their pet grandchildren, fathers do that to their daughters, mothers do that to their sons. These actions cause scars in the minds of children that take a long time to heal. Sometimes these scars dont heal if you dont go to the Holy Spirit for help. You have produced children, love them equally. Enough of this favoritism bull shit! If you are grandparents, love all your grandchildren equally.

GENESIS 44 Amplified Bible 1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. Joseph wants to test his brothers. It is not wrong to test people. God tests us too.

2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, with his grain money. And [the steward] did according to what Joseph had said. 3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4 When they had left the city and were not yet far away, Joseph said to his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, Why have you rewarded evil for good? [Why have you stolen the silver cup?] 5 Is it not my master's drinking cup with which he divines [the future]? You have done wrong in doing this. 6 And the steward overtook them, and he said to them these same words.

7 They said to him, Why does my lord say these things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 Note that the money which we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. Is it likely then that we would steal from your master's house silver or gold? 9 With whomever of your servants [your master's cup] is found, not only let that one die, but the rest of us will be my lord's slaves. 10 And the steward said, Now let it be as you say: he with whom [the cup] is found shall be my slave, but [the rest of] you shall be blameless. 11 Then quickly every man lowered his sack to the ground and every man opened his sack. 12 And [the steward] searched, beginning with the eldest and stopping with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they rent their clothes; and after each man had loaded his donkey again, they returned to the city. The renting of clothes shows that they cared a lot for Benjamin and their old father. Its interesting to see that the brothers did not accuse Benjamin. They were filled with despair that the cup was found in his sack. In 13 years time the brothers had changed completely. They were the same people who had once sold one of their brothers. Here there are so concerned about their little brother that they walk back to the city. The could have sent Benjamin back with the Palace Manager and then gone and told their father that Benjamin had stolen a cup because of which he would be a slave in Egypt. But they cared about their old father and would not have been able to give him such a piece of heart renting news.

14 Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, for he was still there; and they fell prostrate before him. 15 Joseph said to them, What is this thing that you have done? Do you not realize that such a man as I can certainly detect and know by divination [everything you do without other knowledge of it]? 16 And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord? What shall we reply? Or how shall we clear ourselves, since God has found out and exposed the iniquity of your servants? Behold, we are my lord's slaves, the rest of us as well as he with whom the cup is found.

17 But [Joseph] said, God forbid that I should do that; but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for [the rest of] you, arise and go in peace to your father. 18 Then Judah came close to [Joseph] and said, O my lord, let your servant, I pray you, speak a word to you in private, and let not your anger blaze against your servant, for you are as Pharaoh [so I will speak as if directly to him]. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father or a brother? 20 And we said to my lord, We have a father--an old man--and a young [brother, the] child of his old age; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's [offspring], and his father loves him. 21 And you said to your servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him. 22 And we said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should do so, his father would die. 23 And you told your servants, Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you shall not see my face again. 24 And when we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. 25 And our father said, Go again and buy us a little food. 26 But we said, We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man's face except our youngest brother is with us. 27 And your servant my father said to us, You know that [Rachel] my wife bore me two sons: 28 And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn to pieces, and I have never seen him since. 29 And if you take this son also from me, and harm or accident should befall him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow and evil to Sheol (the place of the dead). 30 Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life and his soul knit with the lad's soul, 31 When he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die; and your servants will be responsible for his death and will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became security for the lad to my father, saying, If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.

33 Now therefore, I pray you, let your servant remain instead of the youth [to be] a slave to my lord, and let the young man go home with his [half] brothers. 34 For how can I go up to my father if the lad is not with me?--lest I witness the woe and the evil that will come upon my father. Judah is willing to stay back in Egypt and be a slave in place of his little brother. Seeing all this affection that the brothers had developed for their old father and for Benjamin, Joseph was touched.

GENESIS 45 NIV
1

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it.
3

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Sometimes even after looking back we don't see the big picture - God using the bad deeds of people for our good. We still hold grudges against people. When someone comes to you to apologize for the wrong that they have done, dont say, Its easy to say sorry. Sorry cannot make a dead man live again. You should have thought before doing such a thing! Say instead, Dont feel bad about it, brother/sister. I forgave you long ago. I need to thank you. You helped me develop godly character. We hear people saying, Ive forgiven him but Ill never trust him again. Joseph was not like that. He had forgiven them and he trusted them when he saw that they were truthful. If God had taken the stance that people take about not trusting people who had let Him down, Peter would not have got a big responsibility after Jesus resurrection.

Joseph was like Jesus even though he lived centuries before Him. God forgives us and He trusts us with responsibilities when He knows that we are going to let Him down again and again in the future. What if you give somebody a chance and he lets you down again? Then be like God and forgive him again. 70 times 7 (Matthew 18:21-22).
9

Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay. If only the wealthy Christian businessmen in our land realized that all they had was because of the Lord, they would behave just like Joseph and help the needy people in their church. Its a shame when there are poor believers in a church where there are also rich believers. A person becomes rich when he hoards. Jesus is very clear that we should not store treasures down here.
10

You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near meyou, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.' This sharing mentality is rarely found today. When people give it is always only when they know that they can get back. Why do some people give only to famous preachers? So they can get powerful prayers back in return! One believer lives in a rented place while another believer owns three flats. Is God not watching all this? Imagine that a father has two sons one brainy who gets a high paying job and becomes wealthy and the other being average in studies can only manage to get a low paying job. During their summer vacation the children of both these sons go to the house of their grandparents. The children of the wealthy son go well dressed, have expensive toys and speak good English due to being put in a good school and the children of the poor son wear old clothes, dont have toys and speak only broken English as their father could manage to put them only in a vernacular medium school. How would the grandfather feel?
12

"You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly." 14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. 16 When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy

the fat of the land.' 19 "You are also directed to tell them, 'Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.' " 21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22 To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way!" 25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They told him, "Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt." Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, "I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

GENESIS 46 21st Century King James Version 1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke unto Israel in the visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here am I. 3 And He said, "I am God, the God of thy father. Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation. God could have multiplied the children of Israel in Canaan. Why did He have to take them to Egypt? There was a reason for this. The Egyptians were different from the Canaanites. The Egyptians did not like the Israelites so they wanted them to stay in a separate place. They did not want to marry them or have sex with them (Potiphar's wife was an exception).That was the only way God could preserve them with a distinct identity. By staying in Goshen, they could worship Him alone. Had they stayed in Canaan, they would have intermarried with the Canaanites as some of them had already done. They would probably even worship their gods as a lot of them did in the future. God wants to preserve our identity. God wants us only for Himself. He cannot bear seeing us having any idols. Everything that the Lord does in our life is for a purpose!

4 I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes." We hear a lot of negative things being said about Egypt. But here God Himself tells Jacob not to be afraid of going there. There is no place on earth that is God forsaken. Our God is everywhere. We now hear of Christian housing societies and crap like that. The developers advertise them saying that it will be good for the children as they will have a godly influence. That is not Gods will for us. He wants us to live where pagans live so our light can shine in the darkness. Children can have a godly influence at home and in the church. We dont have to shield them.

5 And Jacob rose up from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 And they took their cattle and their goods which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: 7 his sons and his sons' sons with him, his daughters and his sons' daughters; and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt. 8 And these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. 9 And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch and Pallu, and Hezron and Carmi. 10 And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 And the sons of Judah: Er and Onan, and Shelah and Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah and Job, and Shimron. 14 And the sons of Zebulun: Sered and Elon and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah. All the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three. 16 And the sons of Gad: Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. 17 And the sons of Asher: Jimnah and Ishuah, and Isui and Beriah, and Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.

18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. 19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, bore unto him. We read in Genesis 41:45 that Pharaoh gave Joseph an Egyptian wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On (Heliopolis). Today there is a lot of praying to God for a life partner. Here Joseph did not have time for prayer even (May be he prayed while in prison. The Bible doesnt tell us). Somebody chose a life partner for him and he accepted her. John Wesley and William Carey had difficult women for wives but their wives didnt affect their spirituality. All people have been created by God and He doesnt mind you marrying any of his sons or daughters provided you love the person you marry and are faithful to that person for as long as that person is alive / you are alive. It may be Gods will that a person marry three women in his life time. Not marrying them at the same time. He has to remarry after the first wife dies and the second wife dies. How will God tell you today that so and so is the person He has created for you? Through an audible voice, a sign or your pastor? Most of the time people marry people who they want to marry because they have all the points on their lists. And they make others believe that it is Gods choice! Christians have points on their list that are no different from those found on the lists of unbelievers. Christian girls think that their marriage partner should: - Be tall and handsome - Have a high paying job or a government job - Be from the same denomination - Be a graduate at least - Not be from a lower caste

If it is a Christian girl from Goa, then the boy she wants to marry should be working on a ship.

Christian boys think that their marriage partner should: - Have a good looking face and a nice figure - Be from a well to do family - Be from the same denomination - Be able to give the dowry asked for - Not be from a lower caste

God created Eve for Adam. Did they both live happily ever after? Eve led Adam to sin! Rebekah was Gods appointed wife for Isaac. Did they live happily ever after? She fooled her husband through her son Jacob! What does this tell us? That you can get a partner that God created for you and yet you may not have a great married life if both of you dont live in the fear of God all the days of your life. So the important thing is not just praying for a life partner. It is praying with your partner after you get married! When was the last time you prayed as a couple? Make it a daily thing. Morning worship or evening family prayer with Bible study should be a life long habit. That is one way your children will become familiar with the Word of God and come to know God as a living One who answers prayers. Your marriage will be long lasting if you dont lust after other men like Potiphars wife and not give in to temptation like Joseph. So be careful with your eyes and with your hands when you get out of your house and till you get back to your house. You may say, I never touch women in my office with my hands. Good. Can you say the same thing about your eyes? Do you know that you can touch people with your eyes? Why do people become uncomfortable when you stare at them? Thats because youve touched them with your dirty stare.

The eyes betray people most of the time. Dont look for compatibility while looking for a life partner. Only people who are selfish and those who want an easy life want compatible partners with the same likes and dislikes. The more different your partner is from you, the more you can grow spiritually. Such a partner will test your patience every day. But if you keep denying yourself, one day you will become like Jesus. If youre looking for compatibility, let it be in the area of Gods work. Like both wanting to serve God among the same tribal group. Its so easy to fool others. For e.g. Theres a good looking sister who wants to work in a particular tribal belt. A brother comes to know about that. Even though he doesnt have a burden for the adivasis there, he lets it be known to everybody that he too has the same desire so that piece of news can reach that girl. He wants to catch the attention of that girl. Many prayers that boys pray publicly are with that intention to appear spiritual to the girls around. A lot of Indian Christian boys (not red Indian, our own brown skinned and dark skinned Indian boys!) from poor families have fooled white skinned women from the West by faking a burden for ministry. The only burden they ever had was a financial one which they wanted to get rid of. To get the geese that lay golden eggs, they said prayers that they didnt mean (using vocal variation techniques to sound very spiritual), went for outreach with tracts in hand and a shoulder bag full of copies of the New Testament when they didnt really care for lost souls and fooled everybody around with their false spirituality. But no one can fool God. Yes, there is hope for such despicable people too and the ministries that theyve opened if they repent because our God has a large heart and because of the godly wives that theyve married.

21 And the sons of Benjamin were Belah and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; all the souls were fourteen. 23 And the son of Dan: Hushim. 24 And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel and Guni, and Jezer and Shillem. 25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bore these unto Jacob; all the souls were seven. 26 All the souls who came with Jacob into Egypt, who came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six. 27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph to direct his face unto Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. 30 And Israel said unto Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive." 31 And Joseph said unto his brethren and unto his father's house, "I will go up and show Pharaoh, and say unto him, `My brethren and my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come unto me. 32And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks and their herds, and all that they have.' 33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you and shall say, `What is your occupation?' 34 that ye shall say, `Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we and also our fathers,' that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians." 29 Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; as soon as he appeared before him, he fell on his neck and (Y)wept on his neck a long time. 30 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive." How they loved each other.

31 And Joseph said to his brethren and to his father's house, I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, My brethren and my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come to me; 32 and the men are shepherds, for they have been occupied with cattle; and they have brought their sheep, and their cattle, and all that they have. 33 And it shall come to pass that when Pharaoh shall call you and say, What is your occupation? 34 then ye shall say, Thy servants are men that have been occupied with cattle from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers; in order that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.

Joseph helped his brothers in property matters because they didnt know how things worked in Egypt. If you are a real estate consultant, may be you can help your Christian brothers and sisters if they are looking to buy an apartment or a property. If theyre not wealthy people, dont think about your commission. The Lord will bless you. And is someone tells you that you shouldnt be talking about such worldly matters in the church, tell them to read this chapter.

GENESIS 47 The Message 1 Joseph went to Pharaoh and told him, "My father and brothers with their flocks and herds and everything they own have come from Canaan. Right now they are in Goshen." 2-3 He had taken five of his brothers with him and introduced them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked them, "What kind of work do you do?" 3-4 "Your servants are shepherds, the same as our fathers were. We have come to this country to find a new place to live. There is no pasture for our flocks in Canaan. The famine has been very bad there. Please, would you let your servants settle in the region of Goshen?" Joseph was not ashamed to introduce his brothers to Pharoah in spite of their lowly occupation. He may have learnt table manners by staying with the sophisticated Potiphar and to dress well by observing him dress but he never forgot his roots. He always remained humble. Unlike some pseudo believers of our day, he was not the kind of person who would make you feel uncomfortable because of his social status, knowledge of fine arts, wine and etiquette etc It wont take God much time to give a kick on the butts of those stupid believers and make them fall flat on their faces.

5-6 Pharaoh looked at Joseph. "So, your father and brothers have arriveda reunion! Egypt welcomes them. Settle your father and brothers on the choicest landyes, give them Goshen. And if you know any among them that are especially good at their work, put them in charge of my own livestock." 7-8 Next Joseph brought his father Jacob in and introduced him to Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked Jacob, "How old are you?"

9-10 Jacob answered Pharaoh, "The years of my sojourning are 130a short and hard life and not nearly as long as my ancestors were given." Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and left. 11-12 Joseph settled his father and brothers in Egypt, made them proud owners of choice landit was the region of Rameses (that is, Goshen)just as Pharaoh had ordered. Joseph took good care of themhis father and brothers and all his father's family, right down to the smallest baby. He made sure they had plenty of everything. 13-15 The time eventually came when there was no food anywhere. The famine was very bad. Egypt and Canaan alike were devastated by the famine. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan to pay for the distribution of food. He banked the money in Pharaoh's palace. When the money from Egypt and Canaan had run out, the Egyptians came to Joseph. "Food! Give us food! Are you going to watch us die right in front of you? The money is all gone." 16-17 Joseph said, "Bring your livestock. I'll trade you food for livestock since your money's run out." So they brought Joseph their livestock. He traded them food for their horses, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. He got them through that year in exchange for all their livestock. 18-19 When that year was over, the next year rolled around and they were back, saying, "Master, it's no secret to you that we're broke: our money's gone and we've traded you all our livestock. We've nothing left to barter with but our bodies and our farms. What use are our bodies and our land if we stand here and starve to death right in front of you? Trade us food for our bodies and our land. We'll be slaves to Pharaoh and give up our landall we ask is seed for survival, just enough to live on and keep the farms alive." 20-21 So Joseph bought up all the farms in Egypt for Pharaoh. Every Egyptian sold his landthe famine was that bad. That's how Pharaoh ended up owning all the land and the people ended up slaves; Joseph reduced the people to slavery from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 Joseph made an exception for the priests. He didn't buy their land because they received a fixed salary from Pharaoh and were able to live off of that salary. So they didn't need to sell their land. 23-24 Joseph then announced to the people: "Here's how things stand: I've bought you and your land for Pharaoh. In exchange I'm giving you seed so you can plant the ground. When the crops are harvested, you must give a fifth to Pharaoh and keep four-fifths for yourselves, for seed for yourselves and your familiesyou're going to be able to feed your children!" 25 They said, "You've saved our lives! Master, we're grateful and glad to be slaves to Pharaoh."

26 Joseph decreed a land law in Egypt that is still in effect, A Fifth Goes to Pharaoh. Only the priests' lands were not owned by Pharaoh. See how Pharoah took care of his pagan priests. See how the pagans in our land take care of their priests today. The pagan priests in our land always have a big belly showing in front of them. The offerings of heathen temples run into crores of rupees.

27-28 And so Israel settled down in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property and flourished. They became a large company of people. Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years. In all, he lived 147 years. 29-30 When the time came for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said, "Do me this favor. Put your hand under my thigh, a sign that you're loyal and true to me to the end. Don't bury me in Egypt. When I lie down with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me alongside them." "I will," he said. "I'll do what you've asked." 31 Israel said, "Promise me." Joseph promised. Israel bowed his head in submission and gratitude from his bed.

GENESIS 48 Amplified Bible 1 Some time after these things occurred, someone told Joseph, Behold, your father is sick. And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim [and went to Goshen]. 2 When Jacob was told, Your son Joseph has come to you, Israel collected his strength and sat up on the bed. When your parents are not well, go and visit them. They will feel better. When your children have a vacation, the temptation is to go to an exotic location (a resort with a pool having half naked women all around) for which your company will foot the bill. Go with your children and visit your parents or your wifes parents instead. It will do the grandparents, your children and your wife a world of good. Your children will treasure these memories of being pampered by their dadas and dadis for a long time. That sort of family bonding cant be made in a resort where you leave your children in the games room and your wife in a beauty parlor while you go to get a sensual body massage from a woman or sit near a pool to sip cocktails and watch the bums of women in thongs. That will only make your dick hard. So go to your ancestral place.

Give respect to your parents for as long as they are alive. You are who you are today because of them. Things have gone well with you because of the blessings of your parents and their prayers.

3 And Jacob said to Joseph, God Almighty appeared to me at Luz [Bethel] in the land of Canaan and blessed me 4 And said to me, Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make you a multitude of people and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession. 5 And now your two sons, [Ephraim and Manasseh], who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine. [I am adopting them, and now] as Reuben and Simeon, [they] shall be mine. 6 But other sons who may be born after them shall be your own; and they shall be called after the names of these [two] brothers and reckoned as belonging to them [when they come] into their inheritance. 7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died at my side in the land of Canaan on the way, when yet there was but a little way to come to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem. 8 When Israel [almost blind] saw Joseph's sons, he said, Who are these? 9 And Joseph said to his father, They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place. And he said, Bring them to me, I pray you, that I may bless them. 10 Now Israel's eyes were dim from age, so that he could not see. And Joseph brought them near to him, and he kissed and embraced them. 11 Israel said to Joseph, I had not thought that I would see your face, but see, God has shown me your offspring also. 12 Then Joseph took [the boys] from [his father's embrace] and he bowed [before him] with his face to the earth. 13 Then Joseph took both [boys], Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right, and brought them close to him. 14 And Israel reached out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, crossing his hands intentionally, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 Then [Jacob] blessed Joseph and said, God [Himself ], before Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac lived and walked habitually, God [Himself ], Who has [been my Shepherd and has led and] fed me from the time I came into being until this day,

16 The redeeming Angel [that is, the Angel the Redeemer--not a created being but the Lord Himself] Who has redeemed me continually from every evil, bless the lads! And let my name be perpetuated in them [may they be worthy of having their names coupled with mine], and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them become a multitude in the midst of the earth. 17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, it displeased him; and he held up his father's hand to move it to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn; put your right hand upon his head. 19 But his father refused and said, I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people and shall be great; but his younger brother shall be [c]greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations. 20 And he blessed them that day, saying, By you shall Israel bless [one another], saying, May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh. And he set Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 And Israel said to Joseph, Behold, I [am about to] die, but God will be with you and bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you [Joseph] one portion [Shechem, one mountain slope] more than any of your brethren, which I took [reclaiming it] out of the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.

GENESIS 49 New Living Translation Jacobs Last Words to His Sons 1 Then Jacob called together all his sons and said, Gather around me, and I will tell you what will happen to each of you in the days to come. 2 Come and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father. 3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, the child of my vigorous youth. You are first in rank and first in power. 4 But you are as unruly as a flood,

and you will be first no longer. For you went to bed with my wife; you defiled my marriage couch. Discipline your children but never ever curse them. Reuben may not have done what he did if his father had been strict with him when he was a little boy. If incest was possible in those days, it can happen even today. People in our land should not bring in the huggy wuggy culture from the West. Care should be taken that there is not much mingling of the opposite sexes even among cousins. A man is a man and a woman is a woman however young or old, a physical touch can lead to sex. Only stupid broad minded people who dont listen to the words of God (It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 1 Corinthians 7:1 KJV) need to go to an abortion clinic. Prevention is better than cure.

5 Simeon and Levi are two of a kind; their weapons are instruments of violence. 6 May I never join in their meetings; may I never be a party to their plans. For in their anger they murdered men, and they crippled oxen just for sport. 7 A curse on their anger, for it is fierce; a curse on their wrath, for it is cruel. I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob; I will disperse them throughout Israel. 8 Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will grasp your enemies by the neck. All your relatives will bow before you. 9 Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lionesswho dares to rouse him?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the rulers staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor. 11 He ties his foal to a grapevine, the colt of his donkey to a choice vine. He washes his clothes in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth are whiter than milk. 13 Zebulun will settle by the seashore and will be a harbor for ships; his borders will extend to Sidon. 14 Issachar is a sturdy donkey, resting between two saddlepacks. 15 When he sees how good the countryside is and how pleasant the land, he will bend his shoulder to the load and submit himself to hard labor. 16 Dan will govern his people, like any other tribe in Israel. 17 Dan will be a snake beside the road, a poisonous viper along the path that bites the horses hooves so its rider is thrown off. 18 I trust in you for salvation, O Lord!

19 Gad will be attacked by marauding bands, but he will attack them when they retreat. 20 Asher will dine on rich foods and produce food fit for kings. 21 Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. 22 Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey, the foal of a wild donkey at a spring one of the wild donkeys on the ridge. 23 Archers attacked him savagely; they shot at him and harassed him. 24 But his bow remained taut, and his arms were strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. 25 May the God of your father help you; May the Almighty bless you with the blessings of the heavens above, and blessings of the watery depths below, and blessings of the breasts and womb. 26 May the blessings of your father surpass the blessings of the ancient mountains, reaching to the heights of the eternal hills. May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph, who is a prince among his brothers.

Some of your brothers will have a bigger responsibility in Gods kingdom than you. Some of them will be destined to be famous because of their Bible teaching / preaching abilities. You dont have to be jealous. You have your place and work in the kingdom too.

27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, devouring his enemies in the morning and dividing his plunder in the evening. 28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said as he told his sons good-bye. He blessed each one with an appropriate message. Jacobs Death and Burial 29 Then Jacob instructed them, Soon I will die and join my ancestors. Bury me with my father and grandfather in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30 This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a permanent burial site. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah. 32 It is the plot of land and the cave that my grandfather Abraham bought from the Hittites. 33 When Jacob had finished this charge to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his ancestors in death.

GENESIS 50 Amplified Bible 1 Then Joseph fell upon his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. Joseph loved his father very much because his father also had given him a lot of love. We are in the New Testamental period so we can love our parents even if they did not give us love when we were little. You can forgive them even if they were mean to you.

2 And Joseph ordered his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Embalming was a costly process. Jacob had told him to bury him in the land of Canaan and if Joseph had to take his body that far without it getting decayed along the way, it was necessary

to get it embalmed. His father was important to him and obeying his words was important to him even if it cost him a lot of time and money. Is that the same with you, when you think about your Heavenly Father and obeying His words?

3 Then forty days were devoted [to this purpose] for him, for that is the customary number of days required for those who are embalmed. And the Egyptians wept and bemoaned him [as they would for royalty] for seventy days. 4 And when the days of his weeping and deep grief were past, Joseph said to [the nobles of] the house of Pharaoh, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, to Pharaoh [for Joseph was dressed in mourning and could not do so himself], saying, 5 My father made me swear, saying, I am about to die; in my tomb which I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me. So now let me go up, I pray you, and bury my father, and I will come again. 6 And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear. 7 And Joseph went up [to Canaan] to bury his father; and with him went all the officials of Pharaoh--the nobles of his court, and the elders of his house and all the nobles and elders of the land of Egypt-Why did all the officials have to go? Jacob had not done anything for them. It was because of Joseph! He was their boss and he had always treated them with respect and cared for them when they were in need (during the days of the famine). This was their way of showing their loyalty. I have worked both in full time missions and in the secular world under many bosses but just two of them treated me like Joseph had dealt with his subordinates. All the rest have only been egg heads who were only interested in getting work done from me. In a mission organization I worked with there was enough money to buy cars for the top leaders and to put their children in costly schools but there was no money for the dental treatment of junior brothers on the field. Those brothers had to suffer and ultimately lose their teeth due to decay. God is watching all that is going on in mission organizations today and one day these gandoos (un caring leaders) will be judged. How true that saying is, Gods grind mill grinds slowly but surely!

8 And all the household of Joseph and his brethren and his father's household. Only their little ones and their flocks and herds they left in the land of Goshen.

9 And there went with [Joseph] both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company. 10 And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond [west of] the Jordan, and there they mourned with a great lamentation and extreme demonstrations of sorrow [according to Egyptian custom]; and [Joseph] made a mourning for his father seven days. Dont mourn too much. If your loved one was a believer he/she has gone to a better place. So be happy. Sometimes its so difficult to comfort some brethren. They cry like babies and act like its the end of the world. God gives life and God takes it. We have no right to ask Him, Why God did you take him away? He was so young! God does as He pleases. Your devotion to God should not change if He takes away your idol.

11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning for the Egyptians. Therefore the place was called Abel-mizraim [mourning of Egypt]; it is west of the Jordan. 12 Thus [Jacob's] sons did for him as he had commanded them. 13 For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, which Abraham bought, along with the field, for a possession as a burying place from Ephron the Hittite. 14 After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brethren and all who had gone up with him. 15 When Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Perhaps now Joseph will hate us and will pay us back for all the evil we did to him. 16 And they sent a messenger to Joseph, saying, Your father commanded before he died, saying, 17 So shall you say to Joseph: Forgive (take up and away all resentment and all claim to requital concerning), I pray you now, the trespass of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you. Now, we pray you, forgive the trespass of the servants of your father's God. And Joseph wept when they spoke thus to him. These fellows were making things up to save their asses. It is better to die by being truthful than to live longer by telling a lie.

18 Then his brothers went and fell down before him, saying, See, we are your servants (your slaves)! 19 And Joseph said to them, Fear not; for am I in the place of God? [Vengeance is His, not mine.] 20 As for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are this day. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid. I will provide for and support you and your little ones. And he comforted them [imparting cheer, hope, strength] and spoke to their hearts [kindly]. 22 Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's household. And Joseph lived 110 years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation; the children also of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up on Joseph's knees. 24 And Joseph said to his brethren, I am going to die. But God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land to the land He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob [to give you]. What encouraging words Joseph spoke by praising God as the one who keeps His word! Today the talk when a patriarch is going to die revolves around property matters. It should revolve around spiritual inheritance.

25 And Joseph took an oath from the sons of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you will carry up my bones from here. 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. However big a person may be, he will one day end up in a coffin. We came into this world empty handed and we will leave this world empty handed. Remember this always. This will prevent you from being covetous or jealous. The important thing is whether the time between the cradle and the coffin is used to accomplish what God has sent you on earth for. Joseph lived a life that glorified God every step of the way. What about you?

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