Forgiveness Pt. 8: The [Light] Sound at the End of the Tunnel

I have read the story of Joseph several times during my lifetime but I admitted in yesterday’s declaration (BLOG) Even I Can See That: Forgiveness Pt. 7 that I discovered a new truth.  Joseph forgave his brothers without knowing if he would ever see them again.  He didn’t forgive with his mind or lips, this is only possible by forgiving with one’s heart.  It didn’t matter that his brothers were in a different country.  Joseph’s heart was with him (literally in his body) and he went through whatever process to make a decision to forgive them which is evident by his language.  So far we have not referenced any scriptures which quote Joseph as identifying himself as a slave, he refused to allow the sound of those words leave his mouth, instead he tells the cupbearer and baker that he was “stolen” or “kidnapped” – depending on what version of the bible you read.  How is it that Joseph who has no Pastor, Teacher, Apostle, Bishop, Bible, Bible App, family, mentors, Victory Room, 6:00 am prayer call, etc. There is no one to speak into or over his life to help him with what was the most devastatingly difficult process he had or would ever face, family, hurt?  If anybody had a justification for holding on to un-forgiveness Joseph would get my vote.  He didn’t use the excuse of needing to face his accusers he simply let it go.  Making the choice to “simply” let go doesn’t mean it was easy.  At the end of the day God is our source for EVERYTHING, including the ability to forgive those who hate us, even if you are your hater. 

Tania Not Tanya Nugget:  True forgiveness can only come from the heart, everything else is lip service which is a step below a lie.  Naw, I’m kiddin’ it’s a lie posing as 1/8^th of the truth.  Well not really, it’s a lie, even if the lie you tell is to yourself.  I know you probably want it to be a gray, white or “ernge” lie, but it’s a real one, for real, I’m not making this up.  Guard your heart from being a pretender; guard your heart from abuse, further hurt, lies, things that are negative that may cause you to become ill—physically, mentally and/or spiritually.  Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.  Proverbs 4:23 (AMP)    

Genesis 41:  The empty sound of no one coming to his rescue had been ringing in his ears for two full whole years since the cupbearer was released from Pharaoh’s dungeon and the head baker was beheaded (no pun intended).  Joseph continued to serve in excellence as he waited and believed God for release.  In my mind I tried to imagine which situation was better: a slave hounded by an OG snap (aka Cougar, aka older woman that likes much younger men) or being a slave-prisoner.  As much as I hate to admit it, at least he was able to move more freely, sleep in a comfortable bed, take care of his hygienic needs, eat better food, etc. but that kitty cat “on his line had to be the business”.  And then it happened.  Pharaoh had a dream two years later that disturbed him enough to wake him from his sleep but when he went back to sleep he dreamed a dream even more troubling than the first.  When morning came he was irritated, angry, confused and perplexed so he called for all of his top magicians but none of them could interpret the dream.  I want to say that the cupbearer remembered Joseph miraculously, but I have a feeling he remembered how much he disliked being imprisoned and how much he liked his head so he probably thought of Joseph at that point.

In ancient times when things didn’t go the way the Pharaoh (or a King) wanted he could order that the offender be tortured, imprisoned and/or killed on the spot he didn’t have to really have a reason.  Needless to say, upsetting him made for a highly stressful situation for every and anyone.  At any rate the cupbearer falls over his words apologizing for not alerting Pharaoh about Joseph sooner and that Joseph interpreted a dream for he and the baker that was 100% accurate.  I can just hear the sound from Pharaoh as he roared: "WHAT, YOU KNEW OF AN INTERPRETER AND YOU SAID NOTHING?!!!!!!!!! BRING HIM TO ME AT ONCE.”  Given that Joseph’s whereabouts Pharaoh knew that it would take a while for them to present him properly because of the conditions of the dungeons.    

Tania Not Tanya Nugget:  Can we have a Selah moment right here (press pause)?  You know what it feels like when you’re funky and can’t wait to get in the tub or hot shower right?  That’s probably how Joseph felt magnified except his funky anxiety was probably multiplied by 178,000.  I realize that God’s favor was over Joseph but there were certain amenities that were not available during that time period as they are now for county and state prisoners. 

Directing your attention back to Genesis 41:9-14.  This is what I imagine took place:  The guards rush in and practically yank him from the dungeon, scaring the living daylights out of him.  He has no idea what is happening because the guards are practically carrying him somewhere but where?  His mind is racing and the sound of his heart is pounding so loudly he wonders if the guards can hear it.   The palace was massive, he tried to take it in but they were moving too fast and his mind was full of so many possibilities that he really couldn’t take it in.  He wasn’t sure but it seemed as if they were going deeper into the palace which was a good sign because he didn’t imagine executions took place in this immaculate edifice.  Besides, that couldn’t be a possible outcome, he knew God had better for him.  They reach what he thinks is their destination a bathhouse!!!  He stands there in confusion because he doesn’t know if this is where he will now be serving.  They order him to disrobe and bathe.  He looks dumbfounded and this time the guards bark orders at him to bathe.  In about 1.5 seconds he is naked and in a tub that’s so large 20 overweight people could fit in it and there would still be room.  He submerges himself completely under water and begins to pray: Father, what’s happening? The sound of the father’s silence is deafening. Am I to be executed?  More silence.  Has my family finally come for me?  Louder silence, and then he hears the sound of a still small voice:  For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men 1 Peter 2:15 (NLT).   The tears rush out and mix with the bath water that is quickly turning a murky gray from all of the residue of the pit (mistreatment, hurt, envy, jealousy, hatred, slavery, loneliness, false accusations and Pharaoh’s grimy dungeon).  He’s down there so long that the eunuchs panic and splash the water to get his attention.  He surfaces to the top with the force of an athletic swimmer.  They give him scented soap to wash his body, hair and beard which he gladly does as he praises God inwardly for what is about to happen.  Though he is absolutely clueless of what’s next he has learned to trust God and go with the flow.   

The eunuchs hurry him out of the pool and give him a large towel spun with fine Egyptian cotton (the finest in all of the world even in the 21^st century).  They hurry him off to another room full of oils which overwhelmed his senses, he had never smelled anything so beautiful.  They tell him to quickly pick one and he selects one that is slightly earthy with a hint of sweetness.  As he oils his body he can barely contain the joy that is bubbling up in his spirit.  They hurry him to yet another room where a eunuch was on standby to cut his hair, shape and trip the beard he wanted to keep.  From there he was escorted to a dressing room where a set of garments were neatly folded on an exquisitely designed oak table along with a pair of new leather bound sandals!!!!  These new garments replaced the raggedy ones that were weighted with mourning, disappointment, dirt, etc.  He quickly dressed himself, slips his feet in the sandals and after he fastens the strap on his left foot he stands up and sees a glimpse of himself in the full length beaten brass mirror for the first time in his life.  He is stunned at the reflection of the grown man in the mirror.  He can’t believe how much he looks like his father, it’s amazing.  He sees the eunuch approaching him from behind with a beautiful garment in his hands and without missing a beat the eunuch raises the garment to Joseph’s shoulders and guides his arms in each arm hole of the robe made of Egyptian silk and many colors as it falls freely over his body like the righteousness of God falls over us.  To console those who mourn in Zion to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3 (NLT) Joseph can no longer contain his emotion.  He knows from having served with Potiphar that these are garments for officials. The eunuch keeps his hand on Joseph’s shoulder and says: it’s ok, it’s ok but we have to hurry or Pharaoh will be highly upset.  

He wipes his face with his towel, takes another look in the mirror, pops his collar (though the others have no

idea what he’s doing) and quickly follows the eunuch to wear the guards are pacing with impatience.  They walk hurriedly to another location, but Joseph’s steps are different this time because ALL of the uncertainty is gone.  He immediately finds his rhythm for his new found swag and as he follows the rhythm of his own drum playing audibly only to him.  With every destined step he takes he feels his calling come alive and as he continues to walk it out he steps back into dignity, purpose, passion and self-respect as every step shoots confidence up his spine and settles in his scarred heart.  They finally arrive at these massive double doors with pure gold handles and hinges that were elegantly but oddly decorated.  One door had an engraving of one large bundle of wheat surrounded by 11 smaller bundles and to his astonishment the other door was decorated with a large sun and moon surrounded by 11 stars.  Joseph’s knees buckled at what was before him, his dream coming to life in more ways than one.  Thankfully the guards were there to catch him.  He could hardly believe what he saw.  He heard the trumpet blast on The Other Side the sound was deafening, and then it happened  ….

To be continued ....

In His Excellent Servcie

Tania Not Tanya

Forgiveness Pt. 7: Even I Can See That

We discovered in the blog yesterday that after being thrown in jail because of the false allegations of Potiphar’s wife Joseph quickly learned to navigate the “system” and was again elevated to a leadership position while he was a slave-prisoner.  He did such an amazingly incredible job that the Warden (head jailer) put Joseph in charge of all of the prisoners and allowed him to "reign" over the prison as he saw fit and NEVER checked on him again.  Was this because of Joseph?  In part, but primarily because of God’s favor over his life. Genesis 39:23.  By now Joseph has to have recounted the dreams he had while living with his family.  Even though he wasn’t with them parts of the dreams were coming alive, especially the parts about everyone bowing to him, which simply translated into him

being in a leadership position, not that he was better than anyone.   I have no doubt that The PP Committee (Pity and Party) showed up unannounced frequently but Joseph refused to open the door to doubt, fear, discouragement, blame, anger, etc.  He was anything but a dummy which is why I believe he could finally start to see a ray of hope, even while in jail.  The hope wasn’t like a bright shining star but there was enough that even Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles could see the hand of God moving in Joseph’s life and though he couldn’t identify it completely he knew God was up to something.

How else could he explain two elevations to managerial positions as an inexperienced young slave boy?  Think about it, Joseph was managing OGs doing time, some longer than he had been alive.  He didn’t have to prove himself to anybody, it was is if God made everyone cooperate and roll out the “red carpet” for him.  God took what Joseph had and multiplied because Joseph was willing.  Had he participated with the PP Committee, God would have found another source to work through and reward.  Two scriptures come to mind as it relates to Joseph’s managerial promotions:  

Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together.  Matthew 25:21 (NLT;) and

When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.  Luke 12:48b (NLT)

Tania Not Tanya Nugget:  Never allow the lack of experience to be the reason you don’t pursue your dream(s).  If you put forth your best natural effort, God will step in with his super efforts and create a supernatural success story customized just for you.  His only criteria is found in Isaiah 1:19 (NKJV): If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land.

Let’s pick the story up at Genesis 40.  Two of Pharaoh’s officials, his head cup bearer and head baker ticked Pharaoh off and he had them thrown in the palace jail were Joseph was. He interacted with them on a regular basis enough to know their moods and personalities.  One night they both had dreams and when Joseph greeted them the next morning he noticed they appeared depressed so he asked them what was wrong.  They responded that they had dreams but there was no one to interpret them.  Again, dreamers were very important, highly respected and sought after during ancient times as I stated in Forgiveness: Part 1.  Joseph’s response was: “Don’t interpretations come from God?  Tell me the dreams.”  Genesis 40:8 (The Message) So far the scriptures have only told us about two dreams that Joseph interpreted: 

Genesis 37:5-7 (The Message):  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; and

Genesis 37:9 (The Message):  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!

Tania Not Tanya Nugget:  Based on his confidence in Genesis 40:8 it seems logical that Joseph may have had other dreams that he interpreted (for himself or others) and they came to pass, why else would he be so confident?  God may have spoken to him in dreams to show him how to strategically maneuver in his new world, etc.  God is not limited to one specific type of communication with us.

Genesis 40:9-11 (The Message) First the head cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream there was a vine in front of me with three branches on it: It budded, blossomed, and the clusters ripened into grapes. I was holding Pharaoh’s cup; I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and gave the cup to Pharaoh.” Joseph’s interpretation was that within three days, Pharaoh was going to release him and return him back to his previous position.  Joseph asked that when the cupbearer was released that he tell Pharaoh about him so he could get out of there because: “I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. And since I’ve been here, I’ve done nothing to deserve being put in this hole.” Genesis 40:15 (The Message)

Tania Not Tanya Nugget: Does it sound like Joseph is finally complaining? Or does he seize the opportunity to ask for what he wanted?  Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it James 4:2 (NLT). We don’t have the right to complain if we don’t position ourselves for the right help.  Lastly, Joseph says he was “kidnapped” the KJV says he was “stolen”.  It appears that Joseph has already forgiven his brothers for selling him into slavery and rather than accuse them, he is careful about the language he uses.  That is not an accident.

Genesis 40:16-17 (NLT): When the head baker saw how well Joseph’s interpretation turned out, he

spoke up: “My dream went like this: I saw three wicker baskets on my head; the top basket had assorted pastries from the bakery and birds were picking at them from the basket on my head.” Joseph interpretation was that in three days he was going to be be-headed and impaled on a post and the birds were going to pick his flesh off his bones.”

In three days’ time both officials were summoned by Pharaoh and judgment was passed over them exactly as Joseph interpreted, but the cold part about it was that the cup bearer forgot all about Joseph, he never mentioned him to Pharaoh. 

I’m out of time.  We will pick it back up tomorrow.

In His Excellent Service

Tania not Tanya

Forgiveness Pt. 6: But I’m Innocent!!

Yesterday we learned that: 1) Joseph adjusted to his new lifestyle exceptionally well given the circumstances which may have appeared to be hopeless.  His attitude, faithfulness and obedience to God allowed him to live in favor while serving as the head of Potiphar’s household as a slave; 2) the characteristics of integrity, diligence, dependability, leadership, etc. that Joseph was despised for by his brothers were traits that helped him to excel and obtain recognition at this phase in his life; 3) Potiphar’s entire household was blessed because of the favor on Joseph’s life (e.g. property, money, crops, etc.); 4) Joseph was fine as aged wine and Potiphar’s nameless wife was an undercover OG snap (aka, Cougar, aka older woman on the prowl for youngsters) who was “on Joseph’s line” (aka she wanted to have sex with Joseph); 5) He refused to compromise his values and commitment to Potiphar his earthly master but primarily because of his commitment to obeying God – at 17 years old.  As a result of his stand, he was thrown in jail, that’s where we left off.  Generally speaking when a slave is found guilty or suspected of disobedience they are tortured, killed and/or both, but in this case, Potiphar threw him in jail.  Was is it because he was a weak slave master?  Had his nameless wife cried foul before?  Or was it the hand of God over Joseph’s life?  Correct, it was the latter.  God’s favor will cause us to show up at the right place at the right time; it will cause people with the power, ability and influence to help us and it will cause people to go out of their way to help us, even those that spitefully use us including our enemies.  Psalm 110:1 (NLT) The Lord said to my Lord, sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.    You can catch up to the story by visiting my blog page: http://dailyflicker.blogspot.com/ 

Let’s pick up where we left off with Joseph being thrown into Pharaoh’s jail after being accused by his slavethat is not this.   Joseph was an Egyptian slave.  You can imagine that he had similar feelings to anybody else who was falsely accused except his would have been multiplied by 150,000.   There was no public defender; pending court date; bail bondsmen; OR (release on your Own Recognizance) legal aid; prisoner advocates; ACLU; Human Rights Commission; three meals and a cot;  orange, blue or white uniforms, no phone calls; money on his books; commissary on Thursdays or visits from family, friends or “pot’nahs”.  Did I mention that Joseph was a slave at the mercy of his earthly master Potiphar, prison officials, other prisoners in general population and on top of all of that, he was PRETTY!!!! (aka strikingly handsome -- Genesis 39:6-7).  Guys with pretty faces don’t generally do very well in prison from what I hear. 

master’s wife of attempted rape, tried by the accused woman’s husband (who had influence with the Warden because he was an Officer in Pharaoh’s palace) and sentenced by the same man.  I don’t know if any of you have ever been falsely accused, but I can guarantee you

·       Genesis 39:19-20 (The Message) When his master heard his wife’s story, telling him, “These are the things your slave did to me,” he was furious. Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the jail where the king’s prisoners were locked up.

Most people would have probably lost it (and all hope) after this second blow below the belt, assuming that they were being punished for something they did wrong and if they were affiliated with a church, some of those people would have volunteered to participate on the accusation committee.  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly Christians assume the worse instead of remembering that God allows us to go through many challenges to build areas in our lives (faith, strength, courage, etc.) but he also allows us to go through things to get us from one level to the next and if we fail the test we repeat it very often in a different format.  Quite naturally if we willfully sinned against God there will be repercussions and he will discipline us accordingly just as a parent would discipline a child for willful disobedience.  Revelations 3:19 (NLT):  I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.  Just as no rational thinking loving committed parent would arbitrarily discipline their child(ren) for no cause neither will our heavenly father.  But make no mistake about it, if we need to be disciplined we will get it lovingly.   

·       Genesis 39:21-23 (The Message) But there in jail God was still with Joseph: He reached out in kindness to him; he put him on good terms with the head jailer. The head jailer put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners—he ended up managing the whole operation. The head jailer gave Joseph free rein, never even checked on him, because God was with him; whatever he did God made sure it worked out for the best.

Tania Not Tanya Nugget:  All of the positive references in the scripture above equal God’s favor but what is amazing is that EVERYTHING Joseph decided to do was not only blessed, but God made sure he succeeded.  There were no errors and blundering mistakes.  He can and wants to do the same thing for us.

It appears that Joseph is a magnet to ill treatment but even with the crappy treatment by others, Joseph still has favor with God.  Have you noticed that there is not one scripture text which refers to Joseph’s complaints, not one single time?  While I am not in any position to assume anything, it would be wrong to state that Joseph was a whiner, because we have no documentation to support that statement.  How can someone suffer as much as Joseph and not complain?  Well in my humble opinion there are a couple of scenarios to consider:  1) God gave Joseph the grace to face these challenges without complaining at all; or 2) he didn’t verbalize his complaints to others, he “manned up” when in the presence of others but when he was alone with God, he poured his heart out not necessarily in the form of complaints but asking for his help, wisdom and knowledge.  I am more apt to lean towards both scenarios: 1) God’s grace allowed Joseph to go through the fire like superhero; 2) because Joseph was human, he had to have a way to express his emotions with someone he could trust, who better than God.  We are not privy to it because he talked to God privately about his journey and concerns.    That’s how God designed this journey, that we seek him first, acknowledge him in all of our ways so he can direct our path, but we seek our own path first and then when we can’t find it we want to lean on God to bail is out.

Here’s Joseph as a young adult now about to face another phase in life where he is about to experience the unknown.  Now he has to learn another new culture, the life of an inmate.  Innocence or guilt is irrelevant at this point because his master has passed judgment.  Now he must quickly and accurately read the other inmates to determine who he can and cannot talk to which requires that he stay to himself initially and become a keen watchmen, determining the hierarchy level, who the "shot caller" is, etc.  Because he is a man of integrity respecting other people’s property and talking about the stuff that happens behind “the wall” isn’t an issue, but he has to remember that snitching in this environment can get him “kilt”.  His resolve to “keep goin, keep goin, keep goin, keep goin” releases God’s favor in his life yet again.  Before you know it he was in charge of the entire jail (like a 21^st century jail house Trustee but magnified by 200,000) and God blessed every cotton pickin’ thing Joseph as the “slave prisoner” was in charge of.   

This is a great place to stop because I’m out of time.  We will pick it back up tomorrow.

In His Excellent Service

Tania not Tanya

Forgiveness Pt. 5: If Looks Could Kill

We ended the series on Forgiveness with Pt. 4: Murder was the case with Rueben the eldest sibling who appeased the other nine brothers by suggesting that they throw Joseph in the pit (dry well) where he would die without them actually murdering him as they initially wanted to do.  He probably felt confident that while he left the nine at camp and Joseph in the pit it would give the nine time to cool off and teach Joseph a lesson on his perceived obnoxious behavior.  His plan to secretly free Joseph when he returned from the business that caused him to leave the group was admirable but the problem was that his timing was off.    Joseph was led to Egypt as a slave after being sold by the nine, all of whom were envious of his relationship with their father, Israel, with the exception of the eldest Rueben.  As treacherous as these brothers were, it is puzzling as to why Rueben didn’t demand that they go after Joseph.  Instead to cover their devious behavior they created a master lie that Joseph must have been ripped to pieces based on the circumstantial evidence presented to their father– the custom made coat of many colors he designed for Joseph.  If you want more insight or want to catch up on the previous blogs you can visit my blog page: http://dailyflicker.blogspot.com. 

Tania Not Tanya Nugget:  When God speaks or gives a directive, it is essential that we act when he says regardless to whether you fully understand, agree or know what to do.  God rarely gives all of the details related to the assignment, instead he opts to give us information on an as needed basis.  He does so by giving you directives as you go, not before and as you carry out the assignment you start to connect the dots as things become clearer.  Mastering God’s timing is more detrimental than you can imagine including the fact that God is NOT obligated to give you a second chance for that particular assignment.  God doesn’t need us, he chooses us for his good pleasure and while I will not pretend to know the mind of God what I can say from experience is that when we obey God he: 1) rewards us (not necessarily with money but it can definitely be a part of the reward); 2) we grow in our faith which is invaluable; and 3) if others are involved in our assignment they are blessed.  It’s a win, win, win all the way around.  However, if we punk out (e.g. doubt God, wear the muzzle of fear like a banner of honor, second guess him and/or our abilities, engage in pity parties – ours and other peoples) we initiate self-inflicted defeat.  God loves us too much to allow us to fail.

Let’s pick up with young 17 year old Joseph and the sequence of events that happened after he was forced from his family and homeland.  Time will not allow us to fully dissect Genesis 39 which tells the story, so I will paraphrase the events to give a brief overview: 1) Joseph was sold to Potiphar an Egyptian Officer for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt; 2) God’s favor was over Joseph’s life even in what appeared to be madness – part of that favor was quickly learning the language and customs, not to fit in but to survive; 3) God caused Potiphar to favor Joseph (not in a sick lustful way, I would imagine more as a father figure.  How can I be so sure? Because Genesis 39:2 says: God’s favor was over Joseph); 4) he was allowed to live in Potiphar’s house (the custom was for slaves to sleep in slave quarters); 5) he became Potiphar’s personal aide I am sure in part because of Joseph’s attention to detail, excellence, his desire to please, integrity, dependability, trustworthiness, etc. all of the characteristics his brothers despised; 6) he excelled so quickly and well that Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his entire household, he was the shot caller as a young slave; 6) from that point on the blessing of God reigned over Potiphar’s household, EVERTHING Potiphar owned: money, investments, property, crops, etc.

You cannot pay for God’s favor and even though Joseph was a slave in a foreign country God’s hand was over Joseph’s life (in the middle of this storm he had it made while in this unfamiliar territory).  He was protected, well cared for, in a leadership position and he is mature enough to handle all of this, including the psychological trauma of being sold into slavery.  I can imagine that the temptation to press “rewind” at night, during festivals, celebrations, Potiphar’s family gatherings etc. may have been challenging.  Joseph was a real person with real emotions but he was handpicked by God for this assignment and was equipped with everything he needed to do the job with excellence.  It is remarkable to me that even while Joseph is a slave, he gives nothing but excellence.

 

Genesis 39:6-7:  Joseph was FINE!!!!! He wasn’t cute or handsome, he was strikingly handsome. snap, a cougar (older woman who wants a younger man).  This kitty cat was on Joseph’s line -- had the hot’s for Joseph.  I can imagine her looking at him lustfully; making excuses to go in his space or have him come to hers; giggling like an innocent school girl at things that weren’t funny or over-laughing at things that were; tricking herself into thinking that Joseph wanted to get on her line, etc.  She finally made her move and demanded that he have sex with her. 

Unbeknownst to Joseph and Potiphar, Potiphar’s wife was an OG

He wouldn’t do it. He said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master doesn’t give a second thought to anything that goes on here—he’s put me in charge of everything he owns. He treats me as an equal. The only thing he hasn’t turned over to me is you. You’re his wife, after all! How could I violate his trust and sin against God?” She pestered him day after day after day, but he stood his ground. He refused to go to bed with her.  Genesis 39:8-10 (The Message)

She was a tenacious woman and refused to take no for an answer so she pestered him every day, day after day and each time he refused.  He found as many ways as he could to avoid her, but there were times when he had to be in her presence.  On one of these days he came to the house to do his work and none of the household servants were there. She grabbed him by his coat and said: “SLEEP WITH ME!” He ran out of his coat and out of the house and left her standing there looking like an absolute idiot. When she realized that he had left his coat in her hand and run outside, she called to her house servants: ““Look—this Hebrew shows up and before you know it he’s trying to seduce us. He tried to rape to me but I yelled as loud as I could. With all my yelling and screaming, he left his coat beside me here and ran outside.”  Genesis 39:11-15 (emphasis added).

I realize there is a school of thought which believes it is challenging for our youth to live as virgins until they are married (which is God’s perfect plan no matter how unpopular it is in the 21^st Century).  But Joseph is a clear example of living a pure and sanctified life (not by what he wears on the outside but how he is dressed on the inside with integrity, obedience to God and self-respect).  He has no youth pastor, youth rallies, YouTube, FB, Twitter, Instagram, bible or anyone to encourage him.  He is a slave in a foreign country, sold out by his own relatives, with nobody to physically encourage him except God his father, which is not bad at all, but imagine his state of mind.  He is possibly 18 or 19 by now full of testosterone on overdrive and he turns down the opportunity thrown at him by an OG Snap who’s on his line like a cat in heat.  It’s the perfect set up because he had no mother figure in his life as he grew up motherless because his mom died giving birth to his younger brother, Benjamin when he was probably a toddler.  For real??  God you allowed him to be tempted like that?  Yes because he knew Joseph’s character and that he was equipped to pass that test, which means that you young and older men can pass that same type of test.  I don’t wanna make this about Mrs. Potiphar, but she is so insignificant that we don’t even know her name and since she was so bold, I have a feeling Joseph was not her first victim.

When Potiphar got home she was beside herself with grief, shame and humiliation, not for the

reasons Potiphar assumed, but because Joseph turned her down and probably made her feel like the old fool she was.  I can hear her in her mind saying:  “how dare that little Hebrew boy insult me, obviously he forgot I'm Mrs. Potiphar, well you gone learn “tah-day” sweetie, you don’t tell me no.”  As she recounted the story she probably cried real tears because she was really "hot" now, hotter than fish grease that this slave boy turned her down. After hearing her story Potiphar probably demanded Joseph and the entire household appear before him, and then he no doubt lit Joseph up like fireworks in July as he cussed, ranted and raved about Joseph betraying him, etc. humiliating him even further and then threw him in jail immediately, the jail he ran with no questions asked.  I can just see Mrs. Potophar in my mind with her mouth curled up in a devious snarl as the corners of her mouth dripped with revenge (like his brothers when they sold him into slavery for no reason other than being uniquely created for God's special assignments). Baby, if looks could kill Joseph would have died 10 deaths that day.   WAIT A MINUTE!!  Who throws a slave in jail?  Joseph wasn’t an Egyptian citizen he was a slave.  Potiphar would have had every right to castrate, torture, whip, and then kill Joseph, but he threw him in jail, the jail he managed.  I'm sure everybody at that house walked away from that scene scratching their heads in confusion, including Potiphar.  Who does that?

This is a great place to stop because I’m out of time.  We will pick it back up tomorrow.

In His Excellent Service

Tania not Tanya

Forgiveness Pt. 4: Murder Was the Case or Not

After hearing this week about the dysfunctional family that Joseph was assigned to by God, I have a feeling you may look at your family dysfunction through a different set of lenses, I know I do.  I won’t go into detail about the challenges his family had because we have talked about it for the past three days.  If you want more insight or want to catch up on his family you can read my blogs on “Forgiveness” at: http://dailyflicker.blogspot.com.  

To our dismay we learned yesterday that Joseph’s idiot brothers, full of envy now turned to hate, sold him into slavery to a band of merchants headed to Egypt.  Joseph pleaded with his brothers for mercy but his cries were as effective as pleading to a brick wall.  Slave trading was legal during ancient times so they technically didn’t commit a crime, but morally and ethically they broke every law in the book.  The upside is that they could have killed him as they originally planned or left him to die alone of starvation, exposure to the elements or depression, but God…  How can I mention God and Joseph in the same paragraph?  I’m glad you asked.   Obviously I know the ending but I also know God’s character.  We’ll talk about that a little later in the story.  For now, I just ask that you trust me. 

We will pick up today:  Later Reuben came back and went to the cistern—no Joseph! He ripped his clothes in despair. Beside himself, he went to his brothers. “The boy’s gone! What am I going to do!”  Genesis 37:29-30 (The Message).  As the eldest, Rueben had more responsibility than the other brothers, he was technically the next in charge from a hierarchal perspective and he had influence over them, at least while they were in his presence.  The bible does not say specifically where Rueben was when Judah, the idiot brother that suggested they sell Joseph into slavery, but I would imagine that he was out tending to the flock.  Remember, they were away from home because they were shepherds and had travelled to this distant land for the rich pasture and plentiful water.  Joseph was sent alone by his father to check on the status of his brothers and everything went to hell in a hand basket.  I don’t believe Rueben ever intended for his little brother to be harmed and he certainly had not thought of selling him off.  He probably made the other brothers think he was going along with their cockamamie scheme to appease them and to allow them to let off some frustration.  In all honesty I believe Rueben was also trying to teach Joseph a lesson about his obnoxious behavior even if it was innocent.  Joseph was excited about the dreams he had and in his excitement, rather than seek direction for obtaining the interpretation from his mentor (his father, Israel) he blabs it to his brothers completely uncensored.  Nothing wrong with that if your folks love and tolerate you, but he was so naïve and inexperienced he didn’t realize he sealed his own fate.   If you know people don’t like you and you share two separate dreams in which they are bowing down to you, that’s a little cocky, but he was a kid.  His brothers were grown men starting their own families but they were insecure.

Again, we are vague on who came up with the plan to kill a goat and smear blood all over Joseph’s coat but they were all in cahoots with the plot to tell their father that they “found” the coat and allow him to draw conclusions about Joseph’s death.  I can imagine that Rueben was irate with all of them and probably went so hard in the paint on Judah that he felt like he was two years old.  Now he has to clean up the mess.  Going after the merchants was out of the question, but why?  Was he somewhat relieved that Joseph was out of their hair; were there too many merchants to fight to get their brother back or was it all a part of God’s plan.  It was the latter and the more we get into the specifics of the story you will understand why.

Tania Not Tanya Nugget:  Is it possible for God to stand back without intervening when we go through the type of hell that Joseph was facing?  Absolutely.  Is it because he is mean and really doesn’t love us?  Absolutely NOT.  God was not punishing Joseph he was setting him up as a step up.  Stop thinking that everything bad or unfortunate that happens to you is punishment.  How will you ever have a testimony without a test?  How will you ever know God as a healer, restorer, deliverer, etc. if you never face any challenges related to the above?  News flash: You won’t.  Where there is no growth there is death, plain and simple and God wants us to grow and live vibrant lives. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 (NLT).

Let’s continue with the story: After they rehearsed the story over and over and over on the way home, they swore each other to secrecy and then most likely Rueben shared the bad news with their father, Israel and presented the “circumstantial evidence”, the coat smeared with blood.  They go into the story about when, where and how they found the coat, possibly wondering why Joseph would have been out there alone given the dangers, blah blah blah blah, skillfully shifting part of the blame to the father.  I am sure that Israel accepted the blame eagerly because it all appeared to make sense.  He knew there was a little tension between his sons, but I am sure he felt he had no reason to suspect his sons as treacherous, conniving, murderers capable of killing their brother?  He accepts the news and is overwhelmed with grief.  He tears his clothes and puts on sackcloth (very coarse black fabric or camel’s hair cloth wound around the waist) worn during mourning periods or penitence, all of which was a common practice for Middle Eastern mourning.

Meanwhile, Joseph is among people that speak a language he is not familiar with.  He is bound most likely to

other slaves as he walks in silence to his destination wherever that is completely and utterly confused by what happened.  He had just left the love of his father’s home where he had more than enough to eat, servants, a warm place to sleep and now he is bruised, scarred, tired, thirsty, hungry and walking in a fog.   I am sure he probably accepted the fact that his brothers really did hate him, but what about his father?  Did my father really set me up?  That’s impossible, I know he loves me.  There is no knowledge of the length of the trip but I believe in his confusion he remained confident step by every terrifying step, I can imagine him silently calling on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (now called Israel) and without knowing how, I believe that he was confident that God was going to help him.  He learned that survival skill from his father while he sat at his feet and was taught specific things that his brothers were not because they didn’t have the assignment that Joseph had.  

The brothers never calculated the full cost of deceiving their father.  It was 12 kinds of hell all around their

household.  When Poppa was miserable, everybody felt it.  He wouldn’t eat, there were no celebrations, the only conversation he had was about his son Joseph as he mourned his loss day in and day out.  Can you hear him?  “GOD, WHY ME!!!!?  WHY DID YOU TAKE MY SON!!!?  I SHOULD HAVE NEVER LET HIM OUT OF MY SIGHT!!!?  JOSEPH I AM SO SORRY!!!!!; MY SON, MY SON, MY SON!!!!!; I WILL NEVER FORGIVE MYSELF!!!!, etc.” The raw emotions of: grief, sadness, anger, hurt, frustration, blame, confusion, guilt, must have permeated the atmosphere based upon the lies and deceit that filled their air space.   I can imagine the deadly stares that Rueben gave his idiot brothers every time they heard their father wailing or lamenting over Joseph.  I can also imagine Rueben himself for going along with this plot or catching Judah alone and just slapping him upside the head like: “you see what you’re putting the old man through, you idiot!!!”

Tania Not Tanya Nugget:  One lie led to another, which led to another and now the brothers are worse off than when Joseph was in their presence.  Envy and jealousy will kill you.  You have to deal with it at its core and get rid of it.  That nasty foul spirit festered like nasty cancerous cells that spread quickly throughout their family.  Lies and willful deceit eventually catch up with you and when they do, you better be prepared to pay the price and sometimes it can cost you your life.  It’s so much easier to forgive and move on.

Joseph finally arrives in Egypt.  He has more than likely heard about it but this is his very first trip.  He is sold to one of Pharaoh’s officials and at the young age of 17 is quickly elevated to the position of Manager of household affairs.  Without even knowing it Joseph was being prepared for this very position, but he’s a slave. 

In closing, we are all slaves to our circumstances if that is the position we chose to take.  Joseph was a slave physically but clearly he didn’t carry himself as one.  I don’t need to know all of the details to understand why he would be appointed as the "Manager of Household Affairs" and he was only 17!  Remember, he was trustworthy, responsible, dependable, resourceful, tenacious, and a problem solver, etc. all of which was instilled in him as a very young child by his father and on top of that he had the favor of God over his life. 

This is a great place to stop because I’m out of time.  We will pick it back up on Monday.

In His Excellent Service

Tania not Tanya

Forgiveness Pt. 3: Everything Costs Something?

We have been talking about the dysfunction amongst Israel’s blended family, a direct descendant of Abraham and the current patriarch of his family.  While there were several issues with the family including: four babies momma’s living together -- two were his wives and full blooded sisters (Rachel and Leah) and two were his concubines Bilhah and Zilpah; his eldest son, Rueben, had sex with Bilhah; two sons (Simeon and Levi) killed all the men of an entire township because one of the townsmen raped their sister, Dinah.  Clearly these cats were nothing nice and were not to be played with.  Perhaps Israel favored Joseph so much because he realized how treacherous his other sons were and maybe he tried a different approach with raising Joseph than he had with the others.  Whatever the case, he openly favored Joseph which caused his 10 older brothers to be envious which turned to full blown hatred.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  Galatians 5:19-21.

We discovered that there were seven things that Joseph’s brothers did to him::

1. They hated him because their father favored him.  Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses. Proverbs 10:12 (NLT); Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin. Leviticus 19:17 (NLT);
2.  They envied him and the relationship Joseph had with their father.  It is possible that because Israel knew he blew it with the older sons, that in his old age he finally figured out what to do and he got it right with Joseph.  Most parents don’t learn the art of parenting until they have grandchildren;
3.  They conspired against him to kill him;
4.  They were going to kill him until Rueben, the oldest came up with an alternative;
5. They stripped him of his covering (custom designed by their father) leaving him vulnerable to the elements but they also stripped him of what that coat represented to them, their father’s protection of Joseph;
6. They threw him in a pit (empty well).  Again, these brothers were cold hearted, treacherous, heartless, calculating, murderers who would cut your throat without thinking twice.  It’s ironic that Joseph ended up related to these hard thugs?  He was an absolute square, the odd man out, who represented everything they were not.  The rivalry was generational because their mothers (Rachael and Leah blood sisters) were rivals possibly since childhood.  Israel (formerly known as Jacob) was tricked into marrying Leah who had weak eyes (Genesis 29:17 AMP). I’m thinking she may have had a lazy eye or was cross eyed.  Israel loved Rachael who was beautiful and shapely (Genesis 29:17 CEB).  To add insult to injury Joseph was very handsome.  None of  this is Joseph’s fault but the rage, anger, rejection, hurt, hostility, etc. his mean ugly brothers had towards their father was taken out on him.
7. They sold him into slavery:  Saying this is a lot easier than comprehending it.  I absolutely abhor the thought of slavery.  I cannot imagine selling even my enemy into slavery but how in the world does one (or nine in this case) justify selling their own relative, never to be seen again.  There is no money back guarantee for slaves. If you’re dissatisfied, return for a full refund.  This is a great place to start:

Genesis 37:25-27 (paraphrased): It seems to me that this band of idiots was not going to be satisfied until Joseph was completely eliminated from their presence altogether.  Initially they wanted him dead but Judah came up with the idea of selling him as a slave when they spotted a group of merchants on their way to Egypt passing nearby.   It is possible that Judah initially went along with the thought of killing Joseph because of the peer pressure from the others, however, he is certainly not an advocate of Joseph’s because he comes up with another plan to get rid of him.  His justification is that Joseph is their brother and if they sell him into slavery his blood won’t be on their hands.  What an oxymoron!!!  At any rate he convinces the other idiots to go along with this cockamamie thoughtless idea. 

After all hope is lost Joseph who lay at the bottom of the pit, possibly asleep from utter exhaustion hears some noise above.  Not sure if he is dreaming or awake until he feels the rope they threw down tickle his face.  As he is aroused from his sleep and fully awake, he can hardly contain the excitement.  The naïve young 17 year old awakes first and thinks out loud "I knew this must have been a practical joke.  My brothers aren’t as bad as everyone says, they are pulling me out of the pit."  As the brothers pull and heave him out Joseph is ecstatic to see them but the strange eerie feeling he had before they threw him in the pit is still looming overhead.  The brothers blank faces are trying to tell him something but he cannot interpret it.  One of them tell him to wipe his face.  Another one gives him a cleaner set of clothing, but they offer him nothing to eat or drink though they clearly have enough food to share because he can see the food right in front of them all.  He sees Judah approaching with a strange man.  Judah gives the signal and two of his brothers grab him, bind his hands with rope and they push him towards the man.  Joseph knows these are Midianites because they have Arabic accents and to his horror he sees the sales transaction take place right in front of his eyes for a lousy 20 pieces of silver.  The look of terror in Joseph’s eyes screamed at them for mercy as it burned an unforgettable memory in his brothers’ minds that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.  Joseph was so shocked by all of the events that had transpired in less than 24 hours that he didn’t even bother using the little voice he had left to plead for them not to sell him off as a slave.  Instead, he straightened his back, stuffed the tears way down deep and walked to his destiny like a “growed” up man and he never looked back as he silently called on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (now called Israel)

the way his father had taught him.

When Rueben returned later that evening he went to check on Joseph but he was gone.  He had no idea that the other idiots had sold the boy off to the merchants.  He tore his clothes as a sign of mourning and he was beside himself with worry and despair has he returned to his brothers to tell them that Joseph was gone.  They took Joseph’s coat, butchered a goat and covered the coat with goat’s blood and then they took the lie to their father and told him that they found the coat and asked if he recognized it.  When he recognized it he tore his clothes and mourned for Joseph and really long time.  His sons and daughters tried to comfort him but he refused and said he would go to the grave mourning Joseph. 

The idiots didn’t calculate the cost of the scheme nor did they think it through completely, instead they

allowed their emotions to dictate their outcome much like we do today.

As I close I want to raise the following points:

•  Rueben went along with the brothers to a certain degree, he never had any intentions of killing Joseph and he certainly wasn’t down with selling him, which leads me to believe he did care for Joseph;
• The brothers didn’t actually “tell” the father that Joseph was murdered, but they led him to believe that he was.  Same difference.  They were all accessories, they knew the truth and withheld it;
• I know we can all identify with that one.  Not really telling the lie but not really telling the truth
•  They were not prepared for the father’s reaction which was to mourn for Joseph until he himself died; and
• They thought by getting rid of Joseph that he would pay more attention to them but it created an even greater distance between them than was there before.

There’s a lot more to the story, we will pick it up tomorrow for sure.

In His Excellent Service

Tania not Tanya

Forgiveness Pt. 2: Ten on One

In yesterday’s blog we learned about the dysfunction of the first family, Abraham’s grandson Israel (formerly known as Jacob).  Their specific dysfunction was largely in part because of the poor decision making practices of Israel, the current patriarch of the family, who was openly partial to his favorite son, Joseph. We also learned that Joseph who is 17 at the time of this story was different from his 11 brothers.  He was: obedient, a young man of integrity, trustworthy (his father could trust him to snitch on the older brothers when they were away working -- not necessarily a bad thing but it created even more problems for Joseph).  He was also a gifted dreamer which was a huge deal in ancient times.  God very often relayed messages to his people through dreams so they were taken very seriously as they believed that they were receiving messages from above.  Given this respect for dreamers it was unacceptable to lie about dreams and was seen as a form of blasphemy.  Israel was well aware of all of this and he distinctly recognized Joseph’s gift (Genesis 37:11).  In Joseph’s case this gift was new for him and since there were no books, YouTube, bibles, preachers, prophets or mentors he had to cultivate his gift through trial and error which can be very painful emotionally and physically.

There are seven things that Joseph’s brothers did to him: 1) they hated him because their father favored him, for his words and because of his dreams.  Ironically the Jews hated Christ for some of the very same reasons; 2) they envied him: Joseph’s brothers envied his position and affection with their father just as the Jewish brethren envied the relationship Christ had with his father.   Don’t be fooled, envy is self-destructive; 3) they conspired against him: just as the Jewish brethren plotted the assassination of Christ, so did Joseph’s brother which is where we’ll pick up.

Genesis 37:12-27: If you will recall from yesterday’s blog we ended with Israel openly rebuking Joseph (i.e. reading his mail) for the last dream he shared about them bowing down to him.  Shortly after that the brothers left for a business trip herding their flock to an area approximately 50 miles away which was rich with grass and water.  It was about a 24 hour trip on foot herding cattle not including breaks which I am sure they did to rest and rest the flock.  Israel had no way to communicate with them about their progress, etc. so he sent young Joseph who was more than eager to act as his father’s representative.  When he arrived at the place he thought they would be he couldn’t find them.   He could have easily turned back, but he was dependable and eager to please his father so he questioned people he came into contact about seeing his brothers and used the tracking skills his father taught him (e.g. human footprints; hoof prints, animal droppings, etc.) and he tracked them down to their exact location.  That took some skill, commitment, diligence and tenacity.  His brothers spotted him in the distance and at least one of them said: “here comes that dreamer” probably with as much sarcasm as he could muster up.  They had no idea that God was grooming Joseph to be a "master of dreams" because they believed he was a pretender.

Tania Not Tanya nugget:  Don’t be discouraged if close family members and/or friends do not take your gift and/or calling seriously.  They are too common to you to respect you, but that doesn’t mean you don’t possess what it takes to do the work God has called and appointed you to do.  As challenging as it may be, you’ve gotta bite the bullet and go for it or you can miss it altogether (by choice) and try to please them.  For realz?

They went into to full planning mode to come up with a way to commit premeditated murder.  They literally meditated on how they would kill him, get rid of the body  and lie to their father about what happened to him.  But God!!!  He used the older brother Reuben who rather than standing up to all of them alone, used wisdom by appeasing them with the suggestion of throwing Joseph in the cistern (a dried up well) and leaving him there to die.  The thought of dying a torturous death alone (starvation, thirst, isolation, possibly insect or animals nibbling on you is even worse than having your throat slit and dying instantly.  I can imagine the misplaced testosterone permeating the air while they dapped or high-fived each other about finally getting rid of their pesky brother (their own flesh and blood like he was a useless piece of trash).  My God, the thought blows me away.  Unbeknownst to the other devious brothers Reuben’s plan was to return by himself and free Joseph later.

I can also imagine Joseph approaching his brothers; relieved that he actually found them and that he could

give a positive report to their father when all of a sudden they grabbed him, ripped off the special covering (coat of many colors) his father custom designed for him and then they threw him in the well.  We’re talking about a well that contained water at one point which I imagine would have been a little deeper than a six foot drop.  There was nothing nice or gentle about nine grown men ripping his clothes off and throwing him down the well.  As naïve as Joseph was he probably thought it was a practical joke even though I am almost sure every fiber in his being was screaming: “Joe, hey man, it’s something off about all of this!!!!!!”  But his rational naivety probably said:  “No, they’re my brothers and they love me; they’re just kidding around.”   However, when the reality of the truth knocked him upside the head can you imagine the shock, disappointment, confusion, panic, terror and all of the other feelings that came rushing in on him at once as he finally realized something was very wrong.   Can you hear him calling to them: “Hey, yawl wassup?  I been down here long enough the joke is over.”  “Simeon, Levi, can you hear me?”  “Dan, Judah, is anybody there?!!!”  “Come on man, I gotta use it!!!  “Judah!!!”  “Hey yawl, this ain’t funny no more!!!!!!!!!!!!!” “HELLO!!!!!  IS ANYBODY THERE?!!!!!!!!  HELP, PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP!!!!!!!  “CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?!!!!!!!!!!!!! The isolated silence must have been deafening to him.  The anguish that he felt as he was overcome with even more emotion as he no doubt begged for help, possibly screaming until his throat was parched and soar, his voice now barely audible as he heaved in the dry dirty air in the old well which filled and burned his lungs.  His brothers heard him but refused to listen to his cries for help.  How absolutely cruel.

I guess the nine of them were worn out and worked up an appetite from ganging up on their little brother like cowards.   Joseph’s screams for help was like sick background music to their ears as they had the audacity to sit down, rest and eat.  They were void of compassion for human life.   Let’s remove the fact that he was their brother, he was a human being.  How can anyone rationalize or justify the cries for help from another human being as they yell to the top of their voice.  If that’s not cold and calculated I don’t know what is.  Can you imagine that?  I thought two on one was an unfair fight, but ten on one.  Wow, that’s a cold piece of work.  . 

A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.  Proverbs 14:30 (NKJV).  The NLT version says envy (jealousy) is like cancer to the bones.

Envy (Webster): a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another’s advantages, successes, possessions, etc.

Jealous: (Webster): resentment against someone because of that person’s rivalry, success or advantages. 

I am seriously out of time and there is so much more to cover so we will pick it up tomorrow.

In His Excellent Service

Tania not Tanya