Thurs.’s Devo - The Story of Joseph

Read: Genesis 37:1-38:30; Matthew 12:22-45; Psalm 16:1-11; Proverbs 3:27-32 Jacob’s generation is the story of his son Joseph. Joseph was feeding the flock with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah which means Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. Joseph came home and told his father some news about them that was unacceptable. It didn’t help that Jacob favored Joseph more than any of the sons and made with his own hands a robe for Joseph that was like kings wore. They couldn’t say anything nice to Joseph because of their jealousy. *** Joseph had two dreams. In the first dream he was binding sheaves with his brothers in the field and their sheaves bowed down to his. He told his brothers and they hated him even more. Then he told them and his father the second dream. In this one the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. His father rebuked him for thinking he and his mother would one day bow to him. But, his father kept it in mind. His brothers just hated him more. *** The brothers saw a way to get rid of Joseph when they went to Shechem with the flocks. Joseph was sent to find them and when they saw him coming they conspired to kill him. Reuben talked them into putting him in a pit with plans to save him later. They stripped Joseph of his robe and when they saw some traveling Ishmaelites on their way to Egypt, they sold Joseph to them. *** They took Joseph’s robe and smeared it with blood and took it back to their father to identify and assume he was killed by wild animals. Jacob said he would mourn till he saw Joseph in death. *** Judah went to visit his friend who’s name was Hiram. He saw a Canaanite woman and married her. She had a three sons: Er, Onan and lastly Shelah. Judah found Tamar for Er to marry but he was so wicked, God killed him. Onan married Shelah to raise up children for Er but he refused to give his seed to her, so God killed him also. Judah told Tamar to wait until Shelah was old enough and he would give her Shelah to marry. *** Meanwhile, Judah’s wife died and it became obvious that Shelah had grown and he was not given to Tamar. Tamar was told that Judah was going to Timnah to shear his sheep so she veiled herself and sat in a tent along the way posing as a prostitute. Judah stopped to give her some business. He offered a calf for payment. She asked for his signet and cord and staff as collateral. He agreed and had sex with her. As soon as he left, she took down her tent and went home. *** Judah sent the calf to pay her but they could’t find her so finally gave up. In the meantime, Tamar became pregnant and Judah was told she had prostituted herself out. He wanted her brought out and burned but she sent his signet, cord and staff and said she was pregnant by this man. There was no way Judah was going to kill his seed. He said that she had been more righteous than him because he had not give her Shelah. *** When it was time for her to give birth, twins were in her womb. One of the boys put out his hand and the midwife put a scarlet thread around it. But the other brother came out first. She named him Perez because he “broke through”. The other brother was named Zerah which means “brightness or scarlet”. *** Jesus was hated by his brothers with even more vengeance than Joseph was hated by his. Jesus cast out a demon and the man saw and spoke for the first time. Jesus was accused of being the ruler of demons. Jesus explained that a kingdom divided against itself could not stand. If he casts the demons out by the Spirit of God then surely the kingdom of God had come upon them. He warned them of speaking blasphemy agains the Holy Spirit. It was unforgivable on earth and in the judgment. *** They had bad hearts so they would not be able to do good things. Everything they said would be held against them in God’s court of law. (God’s Miranda rights!) *** They asked Jesus for a sign which he gave them every day. Since they were blind to all he was doing he told them the only sign they would be able to read would be the sign of the prophet Jonah. He was in the fish three days and nights just like Jesus would be in the grave. They both resurrected. *** Jesus said that when a lewd unclean spirit left a man it would look for another to inhabit. It would come back to the person it left to see if it finds that man’s soul empty, it would return with seven more and the state of that person would be much worse than before. That was his description of their generation. *** Lord, we are indeed a people in need of your wisdom and mercy. Help us live our lives trusting you and not taking matters into our own hands. We pray for great grace.