Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

We’ll get back to Joseph tomorrow, but in chapter 38 we take a break to look at his brother Judah.  He gets married and has three sons.  They grow up and the oldest marries.  We aren’t told what his sins were, but God takes his life for the sins he committed.  Tradition is that the next brother should take the brother’s wife and produce an heir.  Tradition also was that the oldest son received a double share of the inheritance.  If he has no heirs, the shares are equal.

The second son also dies at the hand of God because he refuses to try to get his new wife, sister-in-law, pregnant.  Note the method he uses.  Judah’s third son is not old enough to marry.  Tamar, the daughter-in-law is returned to her father.  This means she has no chance of producing an heir for her husband.

This is where the story takes an even stranger turn.  She ends up pregnant by her father-in-law.  He is shown that she was the woman that he thought was a prostitute.  Judah proclaims her more righteous than he.  She has twin sons.  Another strange story is told about their birth.  Why do you think the red string was tied to the hand of one before the birth?

I told you we would come back to Joseph in 39. We learn that Joseph is trusted by his owner Potiphar. Joseph took this responsibility to heart. His master’s wife decided she wanted him sexually. Joseph refused.

The trap she set for him was one he could not escape. Even after being thrown into prison Joseph continued to work hard and be a faithful servant to the warden. Why didn’t he just decide he had enough of God and become like most other people.  We need to learn from this example.  Don’t become discouraged when Jehovah wants to help you prepare for a task, he needs you to handle.

Two new characters are introduced in chapter forty.  The King’s baker & cupbearer both displease him and find themselves in prison.  Joseph ministers to them as he does to all the inmates.  When both are distressed after they have dreams, he tells them what God says the night visions mean.

Observe the detailed description of the dreams.  Can you give a prophecy for each before you read Joseph’s explanation of the meanings?  Understand that he is not the one that interprets the dreams.  He was a dreamer.  This is his first time to reveal God’s message.  This is the preparation for what is going to transpire.

Joseph asks the cupbearer to remember what he has done for him when his job is restored to him.  It would seem to us that the time is longer than it should be.  Often, we believe that things don’t happen fast enough.  Tomorrow we will see how this situation was supposed to develop.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger