When Presented With Challenging Tasks - Genesis 41:1-57

NOTE: It is Saturday, April 12, 2008, 10:45 AM, and this lesson for April 27 is the last early posting. All of the lab work and preliminary papers were completed last Thursday and my surgery is set for April 15, at 6:30 AM. Dr. McCoy says that I should be able to return home in three or four days at most. God willing, I will take up my blanket and walk again. I covet your prayers!

I have found from my study of the Bible that it is dangerous when we condemn any person for their deeds, actions or reactions. We also need to be careful about condemning those that are in authority for the way they judge the accused that come before them. It doesn’t matter how we think men in the Bible should have conducted their affairs; we must always remember that God was involved, and the situation is as it is because God has a plan and a purpose for each of his creation. Let us review the background that leads to today’s lesson.

God’s plan included the birth of Joseph into a family with eleven brothers that hated him so much that they kidnapped him when he was seventeen and sold him to Egyptian traders that in turn sold him to Potiphar, chief officer of the Pharaoh in Egypt. Joseph was trustworthy and became Potiphar’s most trusted servant. Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph and he was cast into prison. He befriended a cupbearer that was in the same prison and it led to a pardon for the cupbearer who should have returned the favor, but he forgot Joseph. Add now the years of service and jail time and Joseph must be about twenty four years old.

Consider each person and event at the time it happened and it seems fair and natural to condemn several people. We may have condemned Jacob for his failure as a father in disciplining his sons. We could say that Joseph should have declined to brag about his future domination over his brothers. His brothers were far from Christians in their treatment of their brother. Anyone in the slave trade is in the wrong business. Potiphar’s wife committed lust and lied. And Potiphar should have been a better judge of people. These statements all seem to be the truth; however if any one of them had failed to do what they did, Joseph would not have grown into the strong man that he is today with an abiding faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The last one that failed to help Joseph was the cupbearer, and that was about two years before Pharaoh’s dreams in this lesson.

You should read the first part of chapter forty-one that describes the two dreams of Pharaoh regarding the seven fat and seven lean cows and the seven stalks with withered heads and seven stalks loaded with grain. He was troubled about the meaning of these dreams and he called in his wise men and magicians to interpret the dreams. In Egypt this was an accepted source of unknown information. Pharaoh’s wise men were not able to find the meaning of his two dreams.

The Bible confirms that there were wise men and magicians in those days that could perform miracles. They had surprising powers but they were demonic in nature and therefore always subject to the greater power of God. In Exodus 7: 11, a well known incident is recorded where the magicians were able to perform the same kinds of magic as the servants of God…but God’s works were more powerful and prevailed. These men could read the stars, predict the future, interpret dreams and do other magic.

Admittedly, I have misjudged people when I should not. I castigated the cupbearer for not helping Joseph two years ago when he helped the prisoner gain his release. It now seems evident that the cupbearer really did simply forget to tell the king about Joseph—because now he is reminded of that situation, and he immediately told the king that he knew a man that could interpret his dreams for him. Indications are that he told the king that the young Hebrew with this power was Joseph because the king called for him to be brought to the palace to help him understand his dreams.

Allow me to depart from the story to remind all of us that two years have passed. Joseph had been incarcerated in a dungeon with the usual inhuman surroundings all this time with no visible hopes of release. His faith had not failed him. Some-times we find ourselves entrapped by circumstances over which we have no control and we must depend totally upon our faith and prayers and God’s promises. It is not unusual for us to find the way out of our dilemma at a time or for a reason that is unexpected. That is the way God works in the lives of his people. It is our responsibility to be constantly ready to do that which is required of us in order to receive God’s help. This is known as being in the will of God. Do you daily seek the will of God for your life?

Was Joseph ready when the call came? Not physically, because he had to shave, shower and dress appropriately to meet the king. However, and more important, he was ready spiritually. He realized that he did not have the power to interpret a dream and was ready to depend upon God to do it for him. Said another way, he did not know how to interpret a dream but he knew a God that could do it. Hang on to this thought. It is not enough for you and me to know about God—but we must know God. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who will walk into your jail with you and sustain you while you are there WHEN YOU ARE PRESENTED WITH A CHALLENGING TASK of working your way out of your bad situation?

When Joseph appeared before the Pharaoh, the king said, “I have heard that you can interpret dreams.” Note Joseph’s answer. “I can not but I know the Holy God who can and will give you the answer HE desires.” It is important that we understand what Joseph said. God will always give us an answer for our problems, but it may not be the answer we want…it will be whatever God desires it to be in our lives. There is another very important concept here that we can not afford to overlook. Joseph was careful not to take credit for this super-natural power. The first thing he did was…give all the credit to God. We have some very successful business men in our class who have a great number of special talents that have sustained you. Do you constantly give God the credit for the successes you have enjoyed?

Pharaoh must have been impressed with Joseph because he told him about the two dreams and waited for the interpretation. As the saying goes, there was some good news and some bad news. Both dreams were the same and were only repeated to emphasize that God had already made up his mind and there would be reprieve. The seven fat cows and seven good heads of grain meant that there would be seven years of plenty in the land. The seven lean cows and seven withered heads of grain told him that there would be a seven year famine that would follow the good years. He then warned the king that he must use the good years to store up enough food and supplies to last the nation through the famine that would follow.

Joseph did not stop there. He gave the king a fourteen year survival plan by spelling out step by step what he must do. The only way the nation would survive was through this careful planning, which included one man to be the Commissioner of Agriculture who could supervise and increase the crops to be raised and plan and implement a storage system large enough to house the food that would be needed to feed the nation for seven years of growth.

And now, for the rest of the story! What happened is a well known Bible story that most of us have read about since we were in children’s church. I only hope we can find out more details about why things happened as they did and who was really responsible for the outcome. Pharaoh and his officials thought that they had heard the truth from a man that had a spiritual connection with a God that they had never known existed. They were not a converted people, but they became a convinced people; and they exercised a great amount of faith in Joseph, but also in God. The new assignment for Joseph made him the number one man in authority in all of Egypt—over the land and resources and the people, over everything but the king and his throne. I am no authority on the educational system of that day, but I have read no where that Joseph has been to school one day. Surely there was some kind of home schooling, or even organized programs to teach the elite and those who were in leadership roles. The one thing I do know: this was the day WHEN JOSEPH WAS PRESENTED WITH HIS MOST CHALLENGING TASK. He had demonstrated his abilities to get things done right and with integrity; but other than that why was he chosen?

What was the overriding circumstance that caused Pharaoh to choose Joseph? Let him tell us. “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.” Then he gave Joseph his signet ring which was the official stamp of authority that sealed any document that Joseph approved. He was second in command in Egypt with only the king as his superior. He was given the robe of fine linen and the king’s chariot—a Cadillac Stretch with an experienced chauffeur.

In the 46th verse we finally know for sure how old Joseph is; he was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh the King of Egypt. He went from prison walls to the palace; from a prisoner to second in command in the nation within a matter of days, maybe even a few hours. In seven years he saved Egypt from a famine that might have completely destroyed the nation. There had been famines before in that part of the world and it did not take seven years to make one catastrophic. It is difficult for us to imagine what the results could have been. There was no refrigeration so only dry storage could be made available. They had been living from year to year, and now enough storage for seven years was needed. Grain was most important for the people to eat and food for animals that would furnish milk and meat.

Joseph and Egypt were successful beyond anyone’s fondest dreams. The famine came, over Egypt and all surrounding nations. Joseph was able to sell food from the storage houses and keep the nation going. He even had excess that was sold to surrounding countries that came to him to buy food that kept others from perishing.

****One last thought is that world wars cause famine in many of the same ways that drought does. It robs us of our resources, able bodied men and women, and puts survival in jeopardy. The only way we can evade a third world war is for us to find a Joseph that is led by God, who will call on God to intervene in our behalf. And he can not do it alone…unless…and until…our people turn from their wicked ways and submit to the will of our Lord.

When All Hope Seems Lost - Genesis 39:21-30

Considering the length of the war in Iraq with no peaceful settlement in sight, how do you think the President of the USA feels each morning when he arises? With the war in progress, the national debt climbing, the rapid decline of morals in America, and growing unemployment how do you feel and what are your overriding thoughts? There is an old saying that depicts ones condition when existing conditions make life miserable; it is like being between “a rock and a hard place.” I think America is standing in the hard place and the rock is rolling down the hill. In addition to the above national problems, and especially without God, each one of us has our own personal problems to face alone. I sometimes wonder how anyone can maintain their senses and any kind of hope for the future without knowing the promises God has made and faith to believe he will fulfill his promises. Joseph and the three Hebrew boys are examples for us to follow.

Jews and soldiers held in German prisons were sometimes tortured by placing a thumb or the whole hand in a vice that was tightened slowly until the pain became unbearable. Whether pressure is physical or mental, when applied to the point of causing pain it brings out either the best or worst in any man. At some point [maybe even more than once] in our lives, most of us have felt as if we were held tightly in a vice that is relentlessly closing. Do you ever have experiences like this? The only way out of our turmoil today is for every believing citizen, including the President, to exercise the use of our abiding faith.

Sometimes through no fault of our own we may be surrounded by difficulties that seem hopeless. I started above with problems of the world but more often they are individual and personal. For example it really gets personal when there is a family relationship gone bad; when you are the one out of work; when financial security is lost; or one has a bad health problem. Some of the normal reactions are such as depression, apathy, hostility or all loss of hope. Our lesson today proves that believers have a better way and that is to learn to practice our faith even WHEN ALL HOPE SEEMS LOST.

In a short review we will be reminded that Joseph has already experienced what it is like to be between a rock and a hard place. On his last visit into the country to check on his brothers he found that they were willing to kill him because of their jealousy. They threw him in a cistern from which he could not escape without help, and then decided to sell him to a slave trader. God saved his life. He started as a purchased slave [not a man but property like a horse] working for Potiphar and soon worked his way into great favor and was made the king’s head butler with total responsibility for the kings holdings, and Potiphar trusted him. God is still working in his life. Then he had the experience with the wife of the king wherein he was falsely accused; and this is equally as frustrating as being sold by his own brothers. Potiphar had prospered from the day Joseph arrived and realized that God was with the young man. He was imprisoned, but by holding on to his faith, he found that God had soon brought relief from being imprisoned by his being placed in charge of the prisoners. Not only he, but the warden was experiencing great rewards that were the results of his believing in and favoring Joseph. It is easy to conclude that even in difficulties, Joseph by faith never wavered.

I think that it is most interesting that Joseph was not executed for the charge of rape. It was law in Egypt at this time when any commoner raped a woman of royalty it meant sudden death. Since Potiphar was the judge and jury, why didn’t he have Joseph hanged? I can only think of two possible reasons. Most likely he did not believe his wife was truthful. Or, he may have already begun to see the hand of God working through Joseph and did not want to kill the goose that was laying the golden eggs. Both of these reasons could have been true. What do you think?

To the fathers and grandfathers who read this lesson I speak now and remind you that the successful life of Joseph was made possible only because of the teaching of his father, Jacob who had taught him the basic truths about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was taught that he was a chosen vessel and that God would bless him and his people through him. Though now in prison he was maturing physically, mentally and spiritually. God was not punishing him, but was polishing him for even greater service. Now I ask you dad, or granddad have you taught your sons what it really means to fully depend upon God? It is never too late, and you will never be prouder of anything you ever do. One more reminder, the Bible is not written as a piece of literature to be read for pleasure even though it can be just that. These are real life circumstances to show us what we should do when confronted with life’s problems. If we learn from their experiences then our lives can be saved without having to invent the same wheel.

Another experience is recorded in Daniel 3:17 that is as crucial as this one in Joseph’s life. Remember the Hebrew boys that were thrown into the burning furnace because they would not bow down and worship a golden image? You talk about ‘living faith’ theirs was. These boys were valuable to this king; he really did not want to see them die but his own men had put him between a rock and a hard place and he had no choice. He gave them every chance to relent and they refused. We should always remember their reason. They said, “Our God can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire….But even if he does not rescue us.….we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue.” Even if God does not remove the thorn in our flesh, we must still praise him and worship him because he is our sovereign.

In prison Joseph was placed in charge of the king’s cupbearer and a baker. The baker was in charge of preparing and presenting food for the king and the cupbearer chose and presented the wine and he tasted of everything to make sure that it was not contaminated. The Book does not say, but my guess is that they had tried to poison someone in power and got caught. The Pharaoh had personally placed them in prison. One morning when Joseph greeted them he said they looked distraught—he knew they were worried about something more than just being in prison. Remember the two dreams that Joseph had about his rise to power? The meaning of his dreams was that he would become ruler over his brothers. That was the start of his experiences with dreams and interpretation of dreams. The prison guard did not know about Joseph’s dreams, but he had assigned these two dreamers to Joseph. Was this a coincidence? I think not. It was a part of God’s overall plan. Nothing is happenstance when God is the perpetrator.

Joseph found that both of these men had dreamed strange dreams, both the same night. He told them that dreams belong to God. This is important; don’t miss what I am saying. This proves that he wanted God to get all credit for anything he did—he did not want the Egyptians to misunderstand and start thinking that he had any kind of supernatural powers. Joseph is acting as a witness for God. You and I are God’s witnesses here and now. You can see from this that one aspect of good witnessing is being able to recognize opportunities when they are present and being able to relate God to the other person’s experiences. It always requires great courage to speak to others about their problems. The cowards way out is to rationalize that this is none of my business; I’ll be quiet!

There is no doubt that God used dreams to convey messages and therefore there was no witchcraft involved. Joseph asked what their dreams were. The cup bearer told Joseph his dream first. Joseph told him that his dream meant that he would soon be released and restored to his cupbearer’s position serving the king. Then he asked the cupbearer to tell the king about Joseph and his ability to interpret dreams.

The baker liked what he heard about the first dream and told Joseph his dream about the three baskets of bread on his head with the birds eating the bread. He was not as fortunate as the cupbearer, because Joseph told him that in three days he would be beheaded and hanged to a tree for the birds to eat. Read about the dreams and you will know that the interpretation was supernatural—God at work through Joseph, his chosen vessel. You are a chosen vessel with a job to do.

Three days after Joseph had explained the meaning of the dreams, it was the king’s birthday and he threw a big party and invited all of his officials to attend. The main event of the day was witnessed by all present at the feast. The cupbearer was set free and returned to his original position as the taster for the king. The baker was hanged as Joseph had predicted, in public for all to witness. If someone does you a great favor do you remember him for it? Wouldn’t it have been the Christian thing to do in this case? Wonder why the cupbearer forgot Joseph’s good deed? He did. Has anyone ever befriended you? Did you repay by befriending him? God had a reason to see that the cupbearer forgot and we will find that reason in the next few chapters. Let us sneak ahead just one verse and look.

God must get pleasure from watching his children who are willing to hold on and depend on their faith in God and his promise not to forsake us. Sometimes he will wait years to answer our prayer that requested him to act yesterday. It was two years before Joseph got another chance to be set free. Friends, 730 days and nights in prison seems like eternity to a young man who is not guilty of any crime; he was not only completely innocent, but he was God fearing, and Christ like.

Do you have a sustaining problem of some kind that you have prayed about asking God for help? Do you pray for Him to remove the problem? Or, do you pray for faith and strength to endure the problem? You may pray for both. God will answer the prayer. His answer may be NO. If you don’t get an immediate positive answer I beg you not to blame God. His will shall prevail. Just remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the furnace; it was impossible for them to live—but they did. Remember Joseph—he did succeed. Remember Paul, in my opinion he was the greatest laborer God ever had in his field of harvest, but he was martyred with the thorn still in his side.

On April 15, Dr. McCoy replaced a worn-out metal hip with a new one. Then I will have two metal hips and one metal knee. My prayer is that my little faith will grow just a little bit. Who knows, I may be able to move mountains! Pray for me.

When Tempted to Sin - Genesis 39

The Bible tells us that “Anyone who says that he has no sin is a liar and there is no truth in him.” Vandiverism tells us that “Anyone who has reached adulthood and says that he has never been tempted is a liar and the truth is not in him.” Therefore the question is what you will do when you are tempted? And it is not if you are tempted. No man has ever lived without confronting devastating temptations. There is only one way that any person can survive those that are deadly and that is by having a working knowledge of God’s word; he must utilize the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit. There has only been one perfect man on this earth, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and even He faced temptation from the Devil in person [Matt. 4: 1-11]. Satan is no respecter of man.

The inspired word of God tells us that Christian people will practice and prove their faith by always resisting temptation to do wrong—regardless of the cost. It is not our place to judge people but the word also tells us that “by their works ye shall know them.” As we study this chapter in Genesis it is made plain that there have always been women who would flaunt their beauty with the specific intention of enticing the man that they desire. Common sense tells us that because of the way most women were treated in Bible times, they probably had more reason to tempt men than do the more honored women of today.

We know from the circumstances that existed in Sodom and Gomorrah that sexual perversion has always existed and that it was widely and openly practiced in these cities. We also know that it is an abomination in God’s sight. The circumstances today bother me more because of the use of movies, television, and the internet to openly advertise pornography in ways that make it accessible to all ages, in fact they zero in on young children and young adults. You may not agree with me, which is Ok. But it seems to me that because of the use of all the new inventions used in advertising…and the availability automobiles and planes helping people to be highly mobile the blight on America even exceeds that in Sodom.

Believers as well as non-believers face temptations of all kinds and at all times. There are many other things out there that tempt men—sex may be the worst, but it is not the most. In the corporate world today, doing wrong is simply considered the everyday cost of doing business. Price fixing, the hiding of losses from stock holders, fine print in policies and contracts, kiting money, withholding needful information, fixing elections and the list is endless. In our society, many of the participants think that the only sin is getting caught breaking the law.

Many people [especially non Bible readers] do not know temptation when they face it. If they do not know what God thinks, they do not know what to resist and for sure do not understand how God helps us to resist. Then there are those that know enough about the scripture to understand that something is scripturally condemned, but it appears to them that God is withholding something that is good that is needed and desired. Some simply think that anything that is obviously needed and desired can not be wrong. I can think of no better way to prove what I am saying than to ask you to go to Genesis 3: 1-7 and read about Adam and Eve in the Garden. The book does not indicate that Eve was evil or corrupt, no; she simply was deceived by Satan. There was nothing wrong with the fruit; God simply forbid her to eat it and she broke his command. If we yield to temptation…we will pay the price…they did [see 3: 18-19 and Romans 6:23]. One thing the deceived will learn is that there really is a big difference between something that is truly needed and something that is only desired. Need and desire have different meanings.

God made man as a unique being. Man’s needs such as for food and water are made known to him by a God given physical discomfort signal. If the need for water and food is not met, discomfort becomes pain, and if still not met, can cause physical death. Mans desires such as for alcohol or sex are made known to him by an inward stimulus that generates in his mind and heart. He may become uncomfortable from abstention, but it is not fatal. It is just the reverse…it becomes fatal spiritually when it is obtained.

I can hear many saying right now…man this could never happen to me. Don’t bet.
As a last reminder, and a perfect example of the discussion in today’s lesson we will look for a moment at a Godly man who, when tempted, he went with his desire and not his need. Who? King David intentionally looked and saw what he wanted. His desire overruled his knowledge of right and wrong. No man has ever paid a greater price for one sin that led to many, even murder. How could David, the man that won God’s own heart, make this great mistake?

Have you read the lesson text, chapter 39? There is an excellent four point sermon found in this chapter.

• The conditions that led to temptation 1-6.
• His Christian like reasons for refusal to submit to temptation 6-9
• Determination to resist the evil of temptation 10-18
• The cost paid rather than be unfaithful

REVIEW: Joseph was seventeen when sold and must have been about eighteen or nineteen years old when the slave trading Ishmaelites who bought him from his brothers sold him to Potiphar in Egypt. There were two main gods worshipped by the Egyptians. Amon was the original god of Thebes and Re or Ra was the sun god. Later they united their gods for political reasons and called him Amon-Re. Pharaoh and his subjects worshiped Amon-re, and many other minor gods—Pharaoh considered himself a god and demanded that people worship him.

Egypt had fertile lands for feed and pasture all along the Nile valley, and depended upon agriculture for their livelihood. The flooding of the Nile furnished the water used for irrigation even in Bible times. Therefore, much of the time their crops along the Nile were plush while other areas without irrigation were without food. Pharaoh maintained a huge army to protect invaders from moving in on their limited good lands along the river.

The date of Joseph’s arrival in Egypt is not known for sure. Josephus indicates that it was during the period of the Hykos rulers who were originally from the Canaan area who conquered Egypt and ruled there for about 150 years. If they were the Canaanites, it explains why they accepted Joseph so well. You will remember the promise made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he would bless them and their families, and that anyone that blessed them would also be blessed. You should also be aware that the king or president of Egypt was called a Pharaoh and there are more than one Pharaoh discussed in the Bible.

The people in the land were either very rich or very poor. Potiphar was one of the very rich who lived in a huge castle furnished with hand made expensive furniture, who enjoyed parties, huge portions of the finest fruits and foods and the wine flowed red. Joseph’s arrival at his castle brought God’s blessings. Every thing Potiphar touched turned to gold and the country began to prosper. Joseph was so efficient that he soon gained the favor of everyone he knew and worked with in the kingdom. He advanced in popularity and was soon placed in charge of the Potiphar mansion. Again his age by this time is not known for sure; because some years may have passed before he got into trouble…he must have been somewhere around twenty or twenty-one, handsome, well built, strong, and a very eligible bachelor.

There are no gruesome details written about any kind or mistreatment or neglect of the wife of Potiphar. It may have been that he was too old or to busy as captain of the guard and did not give her the time she expected. One writer in one of my commentaries indicated that she fell in love with Joseph, but I do not believe this to be true. If she had loved him, she would never have lied about him and caused him to be cast in prison. We do not intentionally hurt or try to destroy those that we love. The Bible simply says that she “Took notice of Joseph” and I believe that this was simple lust, the same as men have for beautiful women. She invited him to share her bedroom; and when he ignored her, she continued the pursuit.

Joseph then explained to her that it was sinful and wrong. Her husband trusted him and he did not want to betray that trust. Oh, the scorn of a woman! She became angry and accused him of rape, for which Joseph was sentenced to prison. Go back to the eleventh verse and read about her devious way of entrapment. She must have actually tried to undress Joseph. He ran from her probably not even aware that she had his coat in her hand. Adding to the sin of lust, she lied saying that he had tried to molest her. This proves to me that she was not truly in love with Joseph. Nothing is stronger than a woman’s love for her man. Neither is anything more damaging to a man than the scorn of an angry woman.

When Potiphar returned to the castle his wife told him that Joseph had tried to make sport of her, and no one can actually blame him for his anger that overwhelmed him, most men would have believed their wife in such a circumstance. Potiphar, probably with guards at his side, personally cast Joseph in to the prison where other prisoners of the king were confined.

While in prison, the prison guard began to sense his powers and worth. God began to bless the prison guard and he gave Joseph credit for the improvements and placed Joseph in charge of the jail. Why? The prison and its keepers were being blessed because God had promised to bless those that blessed Joseph. Allow me to share a thought that has just now come to mind. I have questioned the sincerity of some of the well known TV evangelist that constantly encourage the wealthy to contribute thousands, and also seem to try to make the poor feel uncomfortable if they do not give a portion of what they do have. If the evangelists are truly chosen of God to be his servant on this earth…why would he not prosper them? And if this be true…wouldn’t God also prosper those that supported his servants? My better judgment warns me that I should be very careful when I try to judge men about their ulterior motives. If I have sinned in this area, may God forgive me. It might be well if our class would reconsider this matter within a forgiving spirit.

NOTE: My hip replacement is scheduled for 6:00 AM, April 15, Please pray for the medical staff.

When Others Hate You - Genesis 37 and 38

I was very fortunate to have Dr. Roy B. Allen as my advisor to guide me through the doctoral program at the University of Arkansas. He was head of the department of School Administration which was my chosen field. As we were planning my course of studies he advised me to choose Psychology as my minor field. At that time in life, I had some interest in the field of Psychology but did not realize how important the background would be to a Superintendent of Schools. It is closely related to, and forms the basic foundation for students of counseling. There are two strengths that are absolute necessities in order for a superintendent to be successful in Public School Administration. He/she absolutely must understand how to develop and control the budgeting and financing of the school and must be able to work with people—parents, teachers, and students. School is a people business. The two most stressful responsibilities are the proper handling of the people’s money and the thoughtful, caring, and responsible counseling of people. Dr. Allen taught us that the two greatest hazards of being a superintendent was that we were forced to get into the people’s pocket books and responsible for other people’s children.

The greatest people problem connected with school hinges around broken and blended homes. A major percentage of ‘problem-students’ in the public schools come from one of these homes. I am not sure which leads the list. The broken home comes first. There is usually a season of turmoil when parents are going through the problems that lead to divorce. The children are caught in the middle of a fight between the two people they love most. Then comes the divorce which forces the children to choose—or they are forced to accept the parent that will be their guardian.

The blended families come next when the divorced parent with children are married to another divorcee who also has children. The impossible situation is finalized when the couple then has children of their own. It is impossible for me to explain all of the different ramifications that cause fear, hatred, and all kinds of accusations either real or imagined in the lives of this three-way family. The school is often the place where all of this turmoil turns good people into discipline problems that are sometimes impossible to correct. The final consequence often results in bad grades, failures, drop-outs and in the past few years guns and dead students and teachers. The problems do not end at graduation, but continue on the college campuses, and all through life.

Did this problem start in the mid 1960s here in America? No, not hardly. Read the two chapters being covered in today’s lesson. What do you think life was like in Jacob’s household during the time his kids were growing up? There were four mothers in the family, two of them considered as concubines, and only one of them, Rachel, was actually loved by the husband and all of the sixteen older ones knew what was going on. When Rachel died a new struggle arose as the three women left behind started to vie for Jacob’s affection. The problem is complicated even more because since Jacob had loved only Rachel, he showed favoritism to the two sons that she bore, which were Joseph and Benjamin. Ten boys now believe that their own father does not care for them and the one daughter is considered to be a whore because she placed herself in the position of being raped. This home provided a breeding ground for hatred, jealousy and misunderstandings.

I truly believe that my God given purpose in this life was to be a school teacher, administrator and counselor of students, parents and teachers. However, if they would have had public education at that time in Jacob’s nook of Canaan Land and I had been superintendent of their school, admittedly I would have tendered my resignation.

We should keep in mind that Jacob spent twenty years of his life in Paddan-aram working for Laban. He only loved Rachel; but was tricked into marring four women to whom twelve children were born by the time he escaped, and started home to Canaan Land. The last two lessons have covered is trip home, chased by Laban, dreading to meet his mad brother, wrestling with God, making up with Esau, moving into Shechem, the rape of his daughter Dinah, and the killing of Shechem and all the men in the city.

Jacob eventually moved his family and followers to the southern part of Canaan; in Beersheba, back in the area that had been settled earlier by his father, Isaac. This means that he had left the fine farm lands around the Bethlehem area where life was a bit easier and more profitable, and moved to the edge of the southern desert that bordered Egypt. At that time the area was inhabited by Hittites, Canaanites, Perizzites, and Egyptians. Most of these people were herders who pastured sheep and goats in the arid open fields of wild grass and because of overgrazing they were forced to move their herds to find food. This area is located in the southern part of the Southern Kingdom known as Judah. Life there was difficult, with hot days and cold nights that made the life of a shepherd uncomfortable and lonely.

Having this information is easier for us to understand the constant movement of Jacob’s family between the arid southern regions and the highlands around Shechem. There were constant warring between the tribes of Egyptian, Hittites and smaller tribes of Canaan. Ironically this place and the troubles there can be observed in the daily news of struggles along the Southern Gaza Strip in tomorrow’s news. [Now Read 37: 1-11.]

Joseph is seventeen at the time of this incident and he is working as a shepherd boy along with the sons of his father by two different wives. These were Joseph’s half-brothers. In the second verse we find that his half-brothers have been dishonest is some way and he feels led to tell his father about the incident. The Bible does not say what they had done, nor does it state what Israel did about it. My guess is, from past history and the incident at Shechem, he did nothing about it. If you had been in Joseph’s place would you have reported the incident? Was it tattling on his brothers? Or, was it justified? One thing is sure, it caused the brothers to hate Joseph even more than before.

Now I refer back to the introduction to this lesson on page one, and suggest you read verses three and four. Joseph was the first son born to Rachel [the wife he loved] and he was born in Israel’s old age and he loved Joseph more than the others. Are these valid reasons for favoring Joseph? It surely had its repercussions, and the ‘Coat-of-many-colors made for and given to Joseph did not help matters one bit. The book says that when they saw the special robe; “They hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” The title today is: WHEN OTHERS HATE YOU.

Vandiverism is my own philosophy—it is what I think, and admittedly it can easily be wrong, and should never be taken as truth, I use it occasionally hoping to make you think for yourself. Vandiverism says that the heart of this problem lies in the fact that Reuben was the firstborn of the twelve sons of Jacob and should be line to receive the birthright and blessings of his father. Ten more boys followed him, and were all older than Joseph, and they felt that they should be considered before him. To all of them it appeared that the partiality being shown to Joseph was an indication that their father was unfair to them. A craving for wealth, property, prestige and power lit the fires of hatred in their hearts.

Joseph had two dreams that incriminated him in his brother’s sight, and seemingly he may have used bad judgment in sharing the dreams with his father and the boys. He dreamed that it was harvest time and they were shocking their grain. His shocks of grain remained standing while the shocks belonging to the rest bowed down to his shock. Of his second dream he said; “The son and moon and eleven stars were all bowing down to me. This second dream even bothered his father and caused him to ask if he was saying that the time would come when his father, mother and eleven brothers “Would bow down to the ground before him.” Sine scholars think that he used poor judgment in relating the dreams. Some say it showed immaturity on his part and may have been done in an arrogant way. The new testament is full of incidents where Christ had to reprimand his people, tell them things they did not want to hear, and did not appreciate, but he always found a right time and place to talk to them and a loving way to express himself. At seventeen, there was a lack of past experience, maybe he was as some would say a little green behind the ears.

Just in case you are wondering about the dreams, as to whether or not they were real, you won’t have to wonder too long. Later in Egypt, you will learn that Joseph had a special gift for interpreting dreams; and much of his strength and honor in Egypt came to him because of this special ability. Too, the family did bow to him; therefore I have no doubt about his sincerity and truthfulness regarding the dreams. I may have a bit of doubt about the judgment he used in telling all of them at this time.

Now we come to one of the best known stories recorded in God’s word. The word does not say ‘all’ of his brothers, but evidently all were involved. His brothers were with his father’s flock, evidently had been out several days and grazed down the pasture and had to move on to near Shechem and new grass. Jacob or Israel, they are the same, became worried that the boys had not reported in some time and he sent Joseph to check on them and bring him word regarding their success. Joseph went where they were supposed to be and found that they had moved. A witness told him the direction they had taken toward Shechem, so he continued until he found them.

When the sons saw Joseph in his splendid robe approaching them, they planned to kill him. Surely you know this story—read it again in the latter verses. One thing stands out. Reuben, the older man, defended Joseph and insisted that he not be murdered. Now I wish to let you decide; was Reuben honest in his care and protection, or was he afraid that he would be the logical one for his father to blame if something happened to Joseph? For some reason Reuben was the one out watching the heard when the Medianites came by the well and bought Joseph as a slave for twelve shekels. When Reuben returned and heard what had happened he was either mad or scared for he rent his clothes in anger or fear.

The brothers killed a goat, drenched Joseph’s robe with the blood and returned home and told Jacob what had happened. The father rent his clothing and mourned for his son whom he thought had been killed by a wild animal. Joseph was both loved and hated.

We now look into the future, follow the life of Joseph and find that even though his brothers hated him—he did not hate in return; instead he forgave his brothers and longed to see his father. God blest him, and prospered him so that he could use his wealth and positions to one day make it possible for the family to be reunited.