and the Swift Current Corps on 31 July 2011
by Captain Michael Ramsay
Click HERE to read the sermon: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/09/acts-23-1-11-punch-in-mouth-or-terrible.html
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Acts 23: 1-11: The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Punch in the Mouth)
Presented to each the Nipawin and Tisdale Corps 23 September 2007
and the Swift Current Corps on 31 July 2011
by Captain Michael Ramsay
Click HERE to read the sermon: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/09/acts-23-1-11-punch-in-mouth-or-terrible.html
and the Swift Current Corps on 31 July 2011
by Captain Michael Ramsay
Click HERE to read the sermon: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/09/acts-23-1-11-punch-in-mouth-or-terrible.html
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Genesis 41: Seven Years of Abundance
Presented to Swift Current Corps, 24 July 2011
By Captain Michael Ramsay
One of my daughters collects stuffed and ornamental cows; when she was involved in 4-H, it was the cow programme she was interested in. We have pictures of her with my mom’s cousin’s cows around Tisdale, Sk. So being as we read about Pharaoh’s dream with the fat cows and the skinny cows, I asked her to share some cow jokes with me. She found me one or two. I found a couple more. Here we go:
What do you call a sleeping bull?
(A bull-dozer.)
What could you call a newborn calf?
(A new moo!)
Do cows give milk?
(No, you have to take it from them.)
How would you get a cow in your car?
(You promise to let her steer.)
What is a milking barn full of happy cows called?
(A merry dairy.)
Where do cows go when they want a night out?
(To the moo-vies!)
What did the bored cow say when she got up in the morning?
("It's just an udder day")
What's a cow's favourite musical note?
(Beef-flat)
How did the farmer find his lost cow?
(He tractor down.)
What sound do you hear when you drop a cow?
(Cowboom!)
Why did the bow-legged cowboy get fired?
(Because he couldn't keep his calves together.)
Why are round hay bales not as good for cows?
(Because they need a square meal.)
Did you hear about the cow that couldn't give milk?
(She was an udder failure.)
Why did the cow have a bell around its neck?
(Because its horn didn’t work.)
Knock, knock (Who’s there?)
Cowsgo (Cowsgo who?)
No, silly, cows go ‘moo’
In our story today we are actually addressing a very serious situation. There is about to be a famine throughout the country of Egypt.[1] The government of the day is well aware of it and our text today (Genesis 41) tells us what they are going to do about it.
We read a few moments ago that God lets Pharaoh’s government know that a famine is coming and God also makes provision for the people so that they can survive the famine. Joseph and Pharaoh obey God and people are saved.[2] We remember the flood story with Noah (Genesis 6-9; cf. also Matthew 6:25; Luke 1:53, 6:21). This is somewhat reminiscent of that: a flood was coming and God let people know about it so that presumably none needed to perish but alas some chose to do so. We know too that in the NT – still to come in the Biblical record, but firmly established in our own historical record now – that God sent His only begotten Son to earth so that no one needs to perish but sadly some people still do make that choice (John 3:16-21). But back to our story at hand – God warns the Pharaoh government of the impending calamity and the hereditary monarch, Egypt’s Head of State, Pharaoh, himself, heeds the warning from YHWH and appoints Joseph to make provision in the years of abundance in preparation for the impending years of famine; he does this by raising taxes by 20% (Genesis 41:33).
Now it doesn’t say how the people reacted to a 20% increase in taxes but if it was in this day, place, and age; I can’t imagine that a 20% tax hike would be a popular measure but Pharaoh obeys God on Joseph’s advice and does it anyway and all in all it appears actually to go really well as far as we know. Egypt has seven years of economic prosperity. Genesis 41:37 records that “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” Everything is seemingly good. Everyone is presumably happy. The land is producing and God, through Joseph and increased taxation, is storing up for future famine (Genesis 41:30). These are the seven years of abundance.[3]
These years of abundance remind me of pictures I have seen of the roaring 20s. Actually it is not too different from that at all because we know what came after the years of abundance in the ‘roaring twenties’ – they were followed by the ‘dirty thirties’, the ‘Great Depression’ and the Second World War. Famine followed abundance.
But now in our text, it is the good times. It is the years of abundance and, Genesis 41:37, “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” Everything is good. Everyone is presumably happy. Genesis 41:30, “but seven years of famine will follow them, then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten and famine will ravage the land.”
In the so-called ‘Western World’, in the English-Speaking Empire, in North America, and in Canada today, it seems that we are experiencing our years of abundance right now:
q A new car, I noticed driving by the lot the other day costs upwards of $20 000.00 and there are no shortages of nice cars in this community. According to Statistics Canada, in total, the value of car and truck sales in Canada hit a record high of nearly $54.6 billion. The average sale price of a new motor vehicle in this country rose to about $32,700.[4] These are the years of abundance.
q Houses here cost hundreds of thousands of dollars -these are the years of abundance - but guess how much the average house sells for in Vancouver, BC, where Susan the 2/3rds of the kids and I spent some time?
o Average price for a new home in Vancouver costs between $900 000 and 1 million dollars. These are the years of abundance.[5]
q Apparently a few years ago when we had our last majority government with Chrétien, Canada had so much economic success that it was even beyond belief. These are the years of abundance.
q Teachers have been taking job action here recently for a further raise. They are evidently now, with just a bachelors degree - not a Masters or Doctorate or anything – and some seniority able to earn about $100 000 a year for teaching school. These are the years of abundance.
q There are apparently more TVs than people in Canada. No one needs a TV but there are even TVs in prisons in this country. Some flat screen TVs in this country can cost upwards of $2000.00 . These are the years of abundance.
q We have so much abundance in this country: did you realize that each bomb that Canada is dropping on the North Africa right now costs $100 000.00. That’s $100 000.00 per bomb. That’s not including aircrafts, pilots, wages, other machinery and personal. It costs $100 000.00 for each bomb we are dropping on Libya alone.[6] If we can spare that money than these are certainly the years of abundance.
q More about the abundance of the military: Our neighbours to the south, the leaders of the English-speaking Empire, do you know how much they spent on their military last year alone? $698 billion; almost $700 billion; that is 7/10th of a trillion dollars just on the military alone.[7] Here, these are the years of abundance. We have abundance galore!
Genesis 41:37, “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” Everything is good. Everyone is presumably happy. Genesis 41:30, “but seven years of famine will follow them, then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten and famine will ravage the land.”
q Today, 1.02 billion people in the world are hungry.[8] Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today, 1 billion people in the world live on less than $1 a day.[9] Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today, nearly one in three people die prematurely or have disabilities due to poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies.[10] Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today, throughout the world, 170 million children suffer from malnutrition, more than 100 million never attend school, 230 million have no access to secondary education, and almost 250 million work to pay for their own needs and those of their families. Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today and over the next ten years, 40 million children in Africa alone will lose their parents as a result of AIDS. Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today, 800 million people have no access to health care. Famine is ravaging the land.
q Today, 1.6 billion people in the world have no access to drinking water.[11] Famine is ravaging the land.
Genesis 41:37, “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” Everything is good. Everyone is presumably happy. But, Genesis 41:53, “The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end.” Praise be to God though: God provides; Joseph listens to God; Pharaoh listens to God; and Pharaoh’s government serves God by raising taxes 20% to provide relief for those suffering. Joseph believes and obeys God. Pharaoh believes and obeys God. Joseph and Pharaoh heed God’s warning signs of the impending famine; Pharaoh submits to God and Joseph submits to God and His provision for the people by raising taxes and storing up for the impending famine (Genesis 4:39-45). God provided for the people and Pharaoh and Joseph obeyed God to distribute those provisions (cf. Exodus 23:6,11, Leviticus 19:10,15, 23:22, 27:8, Deuteronomy 15:4, 15:7, 15:11, 24:12-15, 1 Samuel 2:8, Psalms. 22:26, 34:6, 35:10, 82:3, Isaiah 61:1, Ezekiel 16:49, 18:12, 22:29, Amos 2:7, 4:1, 5:11-12, 8:4-6, Zechariah 7:10.).
For much of the world today the seven years of abundance have come to an end and the famine is here but we in Canada are still in our years of abundance. God has told us during our years of abundance about the famine that is killing people – men, women, and children around our world today – but the question is, are we listening to God like Joseph listened to God and like Pharaoh listened to God? From our abundance, are we distributing God’s provisions to our brothers and sisters in need like Pharaoh and like Joseph did or are we just selfishly squandering this abundance on ourselves and watching them die?
Did you know that if the top 22 countries (of which Canada is one) gave less than just 1% of their budgets to eradicate poverty a year; it would be eradicated? Did you know that Canada, as one of these affluent, high-tech industrial society in the trillion-dollar class[12] with a GDP $1.574 trillion (2010 est.) and budget expenditures in excess of $677 billion (2010 est.), has promised to give almost that 1% but we are not keeping our promise. Our current government is not living up to our commitments. We are not worshipping God in obedience like Joseph. did We are not worshipping God in obedience even as much as Pharaoh. We are not heeding the warning signs God is giving us. Not only are we not raising taxes the 20% that Pharaoh needed to raise, we are not even providing the less than 1% it would cost us to eradicate poverty.[13] This is disgusting actually. Can you believe that in Canada, which once considered ourselves a Christian country, we now vote overwhelmingly in favour of tax cuts instead of providing for the poor, the needy and the destitute? Can you believe that in Canada we have the audacity to ignore and defy God in ways that even this Egyptian Pharaoh would not dare by refusing to provide for others out of God’s abundance?[14] Today it is, Genesis 41:37, “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” Everything is good. Everyone should be happy. But for much of the world, Genesis 41:53, “The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end.” God provided for the people in Egypt, Joseph and Pharaoh’s government listened to Him and even though there was a famine in the land, people didn’t need to perish and they were saved (cf. John 3:16-21). If we repent, and obey God then we too today can be saved.
This is how bad it is today with us neglecting to worship God in obedience and in providing for our neighbour. Did you know that the number of people in the world who suffer from malnutrition as a result of hunger is greater than 1.2 billion and the number of people in the world who suffer from malnutrition as a result of over consumption is also greater than 1.2 billion?
Our politicians are well aware of this. Dr. Jack Layton commented a few years ago that “50,000 people die each day in the Third World and Canada can do its share to ease suffering.” One BQ MP made this sage observation (s)he said, “The problem of poverty is not God’s fault; it's man’s, the resources are here. The economy is here. We just need to share what there already is.” But we aren’t. God has provided. We aren’t doing our part.
Genesis 41:37, “during the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.” During Canada’s years of abundance the land has been producing plentifully but sadly we have not been worshipping him by obeying Him in providing for the marginalized. We have been defying Him in ways that the Pharaoh of today’s pericope would never even dare. Today I encourage us to worship God by distributing His abundance to those who need it rather than just squandering it on ourselves.
Ignoring God’s warnings that he has given us as clearly -even more clearly actually than he gave to Pharaoh and Joseph- is defiance. This defiance of God on our nation’s part here as we neglect our brothers and sisters is bad enough but there is more. Catherine Booth said, “Friends, are you more concerned about relieving temporal distress than you are about feeding famished souls? If you are, you may know where you Charity comes from – [hell]” (Papers on Godliness, p 27-28). And “All other objects and aims of life [are] subservient to the one grand purpose of preaching the Gospel to every creature and striving to win every soul with whom they come in contact to its salvation” (The Salvation Army in Relation to the Churches, pp 31-32).[15]
We mentioned the flood of Noah’s time earlier: We remember the flood story with Noah (Genesis 6-9). There a flood was coming, God was about to drown the world in His sorrow because of our sin and still God mercifully lets people know about it in advance so that presumably none needed to perish but alas some chose to do so. We know too that years later, God sent His only begotten Son to earth so that no one needs to perish but sadly some people still do make that choice (John 3:16-21; cf. TSA doc. 6). This is sad. We have had the gospel shared abundantly in this country. We have had years of abundance from God. Now we apparently have a famine of the word and the work of God coming; so I ask us have we stored up for ourselves treasures in heaven by sharing the gospel with those around us (Matthew 6:19-20)?
My appeal to us today is this: We here are still in our years of abundance Judging by the news we may be coming to the end of it but we need to take the time in our abundance to worship God with our obedience. If we would like to provide for the physical needs in the world, you are welcome to put more of God’s abundance in the offering plate on a weekly basis or grab a sign up sheet here to buy a Gift of Hope to provide for people in this world in abject poverty.[16] And I also encourage us all as good Salvationists and good Christians, to worship God by obeying His command to share the gospel even unto the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20). Pray for the salvation of your friends and neighbours. Invite them to worship with us here. Invite them to serve the Lord. He really does wish that none should perish and He has made the provision that, as we are faithful, even we can be saved.
Let us pray.
[1] Cf. Derek Kidner, Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1967 (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 1), S. 209, re: the historical severity of Egyptian famines.
[2] Cf. Gordon Wenham, Genesis 16-50 (WBC 2: Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2000), 393.
[3] Cf. John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Genesis/Exposition of Genesis/VI. The Account of Jacob (37:1-49:33)/G. Joseph's Interpretation of Pharaoh's Dreams (41:1-36), Book Version: 4.0.2
[4] Ashley Ker, 'New Motor Vehicle Sales: 2006 in Review' Statistics Canada. Report available on-line (viewed July 2011):
[5] Canadian Real Estate Association, 2007 – 2008. Accessed through Canadian Living. Available on-line (viewed July 2011): http://www.canadaliving.org/house-prices-canada.html
[6] CBC News, ‘Canada drops 240 bombs in Libya air campaign’
Posted: May 25, 2011 4:35 PM ET. Available on-line (Last Updated: May 25, 2011): http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/05/25/libya-cda-bombs.html
[7] Judd Legum 'REPORT: U.S. Military Spending Has Almost Doubled Since 2001', Apr 11, 2011.
[8] UN Food and Agriculture Organization
[9] The World Bank, "World Development Indicators 2007."
[10] World Health Organization (WHO), "Malnutrition."
[12] CIA Factbook, ‘Canada’, Available on-line (viewed July 2011): https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html
[13] Make Poverty History.ca, Available on-line (viewed July 2011): http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/learn/issues/reduce-global-poverty
[14] But Cf. Walter Brueggemann, Genesis (Interpretation 1: Louisville, Ken.: John Knox Press, 1982), 330.
[15] Cited from Sheepspeak Commentary, ‘Catherine Quotes’ Tuesday July 19, 2011. Available on-line: http://renewnetwork.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html#4325604199288793490
[16] The Salvation Army, ‘Gifts of Hope’. Available on-line at: www.salvationarmy.ca/giftsofhope
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Genesis 39:2a: Prosperity
Presented to Swift Current Corps, July 10, 2011
By Captain Michael Ramsay
Only a portion of the full sermon was actually preached. The following closely approximates what was actually spoken from the pulpit. To read the full version, click HERE.
This was Joseph’s family growing up: his dad is a deceiver who caused problems with his brother and didn’t get along with his in-laws; his mom is a thief – not only that – what she stole were idols of foreign gods. Joseph’s dad has children with a number of different women and Joe’s oldest brother has an affair with the mother of a couple of his own half-brothers. Another brother of Joseph’s runs into the problem with the prostitution scandal and two more brothers trick and murder a whole community’s males before the rest of his brothers carry of all their possessions, their wives and their children. If you think your family growing up was a little messed up, Joseph can give you a bit of a run for your money in that regard, I’m sure. But remember that, though this may not seem like a great life, still to come Genesis 39:2a states, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
This now brings us to Genesis 37. Joseph is no longer a child. Here we meet Joe as a young man of 17 years old. Now 17 – even if some people don’t think so in today’s world – in those days it is plenty old enough to be carrying your own load in life. People would often be starting their own families by then. Not Joseph. Joseph, like we said was a little bit spoiled (Genesis 37:3,4). There was no physical reason that we know of as to why Joseph couldn’t be out in the fields working with his brothers but he wasn’t and not only was he not working like his brothers but when he got the opportunity, it says –Genesis 37:2- he tattled on his brothers. He told on them. But still to come, Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
And there is more: Not only did Joseph report on his brothers to his dad but Joseph’s dad made no bones about the fact that Joseph was his favourite son; so while Jacob sent his other boys out to work for a living he lavished at least one fancy gift on Joseph (a coat of many colours, ornamental robe, or a long-sleeved garment depending on your translation) [4] who he let stay around the house.
Now Joseph’s brothers, after we find out that Joseph is spoiled and Joseph tells on them, Genesis 37:4 states that “when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” So the family relations are heating up a little bit. There is more than a little bit of understandable rivalry between Joseph and all his half-brothers. It is in this context that Joseph, this privileged son, has some dreams. These dreams’ – which have the apparently obvious interpretation that his whole immediate family, including his brothers and his father will bow down to him – are fine but maybe not so wise is the fact that Joseph tells his brothers and his dad the dreams. As you can imagine, this does not go over quite so well with his brothers. Genesis 37:8b “…and they hated him all the more because of his dream AND what he said to them.” His brothers had absolutely had it with him; so when a while later their dad sends Joseph to find them with the flocks they decide to take action. They have had enough. They take him, throw him into a pit and try to decide whether they are finally going to kill him or not. Remember – as least two of the brothers had murdered people before (Genesis 34:25). It is then that some slave traders happen by and the brothers decide to take advantage of the situation and they sell their brother into slavery, telling their father that he is dead. The salve traders sell him into slavery with an Egyptian official.[5] He is 17 (18 at the oldest by now) and about to begin a life of slavery. It is at that point that we run across this interesting verse. It is at this point that the verse that we keep coming back to appears in the narrative; Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
Joseph’s family life, as we have been discussing, was not the greatest but as one can imagine a terrible home life probably beats being a slave in a foreign country but it is as a slave where it records Genesis 39:2, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” This is key. This prosperity is not wealth. He is a slave. This prosperity is not luxury. He is a slave. This prosperity is not freedom to do what he wants when he wants. He is a slave. Joseph is a teenager who has been sold into slavery in a foreign country – where I imagine he doesn’t yet even know the language. He is a slave completely against his will without even specified terms for release. This is the condition that he is in when where it records Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
Let me tell you some more about this prosperity.[6] While Joseph is a slave, his master’s wife takes a liking to him. She wants to fool around with him a little bit – have an affair. Joseph will have none of this and spends much of his time trying to avoid her. She finally gets so upset at Joe for not giving into her attempts at seduction, that she accuses him of sexual assault and his master has Joseph thrown into prison. This is what it looks like in the house of his Egyptian master when and where it says that the LORD was with Joseph and he prospered.
Joseph is then sitting in prison in a foreign country charged with a crime that he didn’t commit with no specified length or end to his sentence. This prison, while it was reserved for prisoners of important people, was no 21st century Canadian prison (not that these are a picnic by any means) - there is no TV, no Charter of Rights and Freedoms, no early parole; just a dark dungeon, or a pit as some translations (KJV, ESV) refer to it, where you live out your days with the other prisoners. This is what it looks like when, Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.” This is what his prosperity looked like. No money, no luxury, no freedom, just slavery and then just sitting in a dungeon (or pit) in a foreign country with no hope of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. How many of us would consider this prosperity? I want us to remember this to the next time someone that believes the prosperity heresy tells us that when you are a good Christian you won’t get sick and you will always have all the money and freedom that you want. It is not true. That is NOT what God’s prosperity looks like. What God’s prosperity in our lives looks like is when God’s work is being done through us.[7] Joseph prospered with no money, no luxury, no freedom, just sitting in a dungeon (or a pit) in a foreign country with no hope of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. Genesis 23b reiterates directly in the prison context, just like in the slavery context, so that we don’t forget, “that LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” And this success and this prosperity are mentioned after he was sold into slavery and then when he is spending time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The Lord’s blessing on Joseph is NOT mentioned in the context of his being released from slavery and prison. His prosperity is noted in the 13 years (almost half his life to this point) that he spends in slavery and later confined in prison.
This is significant. It doesn’t tell us that he prospered and the LORD was with him when he was the favourite son of a well-to-do herdsman who received special attention and pampering from his dad. The author of Genesis doesn’t specifically say that the Lord was with Joseph and that he prospered when he was riding in the chariot alongside Pharaoh and receiving all the benefits and privileges of being second in command in the entire Egyptian empire. It says that he prospered when he was in slavery and it says that the Lord gave him success when he was in prison. Success and God’s prosperity is not financial well-being and a self-indulgent, easy life at all. What prosperity is is when God’s work is being done. When Joseph is worshiping, serving, and giving credit to God in the midst of his suffering is where we hear of the LORD’s blessing and where we see Joseph’s real heart of worship.
I think that this is important for us today as we worship the Lord. We need to recognize the really tough times -when we are in the pits of our lives- as opportunities to be encouraged to serve and to worship the Lord. These times are not definitely divine punishment; these times are definitely not times of being forsaken by the LORD. God promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5). What God’s prosperity in our lives looks like is when God’s work is being done through us. So when we are in the dungeons and pits of our lives, when life is its most challenging, when we are completely overwhelmed and when we cannot solve our problems on our own, if we take the focus off our predicament and off of our own selfish desires (as legitimate as they maybe) and if we instead concentrate on the LORD and fully trust and worship Him; if we do this then I believe that we will find that even in these times of trouble and distress that –like Joseph – we will see the LORD is with us and that we will prosper in our worship and in our relationship with God even and especially in our very trying times.
Let us pray.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Bil Keene, The Family Circus, Available on-line at www.familycircus.com
[2] Cf. Fredrick C. Holmgren, “Holding Your Own Against God! Genesis 32:22-32 (In the Context of Genesis 31-33),” Interpretation: a Journal of Bible and Theology 44, no. 4 (1990): 5-17. It may not just be family discord that kept them separate. It may have been a desire to maintain the benefits of his independence, birthright and blessing. If his family intermingled too closely with the larger Edomite populations they ran the risk of being absorbed into Esau. This also could be a reason God kept them apart.
[3] Cf. Michael Ramsay "Word Study: to bless, blessing (Hebrew: brk)," Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (Fall 2005). Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com./Word_Studies_Michael_Ramsay.htm#blessing
[4] T. Desmond Alexander, ESV Study Bible on-line. Note on Genesis 37:3: The Hebrew expression used to denote this cloak is used elsewhere only of a garment worn by King David's daughter Tamar (see 2 Sam. 13:18). The actual design of the cloak is uncertain; as the esv footnote explains, the translation here is based on the understanding of the Septuagint translators (Gk. poikilos, “many-coloured”). The alternative is “a robe with long sleeves” (cf. the text and esv footnote of 2 Sam. 13:18, which uses the same Hebrew expression). Available at: http://www.esvbible.org
[5] Derek Kidner, Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1967 (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 1), S. 196: On the name Potiphar, recognizably Egyptian, see the brief discussion in The New Bible Dictionary (ed. J. D. Douglas et al., 1962). Officer is strictly ‘eunuch’, but the term became a general synonym for ‘courtier’. The translation captain of the guard is debatable but probably right. The alternative is ‘chief butcher’, supported by etymology (from the verb ‘to slaughter’, as in 43:16; cf. 1 Sam. 9:23f., ‘the cook’), also by lxx and by the use of a similar title in Egyptian for a kind of major-domo (J. Vergote, Joseph en Égypte, Louvain 1959, pp. 31–35). Captain of the guard, however, accords with Potiphar’s command of the prison (40:3f.) and is clearly correct in 2 Kings 25:8.
[6] John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Genesis/Exposition of Genesis/VI. The Account of Jacob (37:1-49:33)/E. Joseph in the House of Potiphar (39:1-23), Book Version: 4.0.2: This is not a story of the success of Joseph; rather it is a story of God's faithfulness to his promises.
[7] John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Genesis/Exposition of Genesis/VI. The Account of Jacob (37:1-49:33)/E. Joseph in the House of Potiphar (39:1-23), Book Version: 4.0.2
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Genesis 39:2a: The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.
Presented to Swift Current Corps, July 10, 2011
By Captain Michael Ramsay
Only a portion of the full sermon was actually preached. To read the shortened version click HERE
Only a portion of the full sermon was actually preached. To read the shortened version click HERE
I used to love The Family Circle /Family Circus comics as a kid.[1] Rebecca really loves them now as she has a lot of my old comic books that she will read and re-read to herself and sometimes she invites me to read them with her as well. I pulled out a few pictures of family discord or arguments from Bil Keane’s comics here – they actually aren’t so easy to find.
This Family Circus seems to work pretty well together. Today we are going to talk about a family on the other extreme. Today we are going to speak about Joseph’s family.
Genesis 39:2a says, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.” Now Joseph was born in what would be modern day Iraq, the same as his great grandfather. His dad and granddad, however, were born in Palestine. Joseph was the second youngest of 12 sons and at least one daughter – a good Saskatchewan farm-size family. Joe’s dad, Jacob - sometimes called Israel - worked for his father-in-law as a herdsman, a shepherd in what would be modern day Iraq when Joseph was born. He raised goats and sheep until one day Joseph’s dad secretly quits his job; Joseph’s mom steals a bunch of statues of idols from her dad -who remember is her husband’s boss- and they flee the country as fast as they can. Now as you can imagine, they don’t get too far with 11 or 12 children and a whole bunch of sheep and goats in tow but they try to sneak away and they are caught fleeing but providentially Joe’s mom doesn’t get caught with the idols she stole because when her dad’s servants are looking for them she sits on them and then tells her dad that she can’t get up because she was having her time of the month. Joseph’s mom and dad then survive this ordeal and get to where they are going – Palestine, where Jacob, Joseph’s dad, was raised (Genesis 31). This happens when Joseph is a little kid.
Now if you think that Joe’s dad here had problems with his in-laws, that was nothing compared to the problems he had with his own family before Joseph was born. Remember, we just said he fled his in-laws place in the midst of secrecy. Well, do you know how he wound up meeting and staying with his in-laws in the first place? It was because he made his own family so mad at him that he had to flee his home before they killed him (Genesis 27:41-46). He got along okay with his mom. He was a bit of a mama’s boy actually. But he was always lying, tricking. And Joseph’s dad’s name, Jacob, do you know what it literally means? It means the deceiver. And he lives up to that name: he arguably tricked his brother, Joseph’s Uncle Esau, out of his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34) and he definitely tricked his father, Joseph’s Grandpa Isaac, into giving him Uncle Esau’s blessing (Genesis 27:1-40) – then he fled the country. So there were, needless to say, tense times when Joseph’s dad returned home with Joseph, and the other children. As a result of the tension and Jacobs’s anxiety (probably, cf. Genesis 33:1-11)[2] Joseph’s dad lies to his Uncle Esau one last time –even though Uncle Esau forgives him everything - before they decided to just part ways and live apart (Genesis 33:13-17). That is a little bit about Joseph’s dad.
Now about Joe’s mother: Joseph’s mother – Rachel- wasn’t his dad’s first wife. Joseph’s dad loved his mom and he wanted to marry her but on his wedding night he got so drunk that he actually married her sister …by accident and consummated the marriage with her sister… by accident (Genesis 29:22-25). In those days they didn’t really have divorce. Joseph’s dad still wanted to marry Joseph’s mom so he married her too (Genesis 29:26-30). Now here is something that I find interesting as well: it says that Joseph’s dad, Jacob, didn’t like his first wife – who was Joseph’s Aunty Leah– very much but… that didn’t stop him from having four children with her (Genesis 29:31-34), so I think he must of liked her a little bit – those kids, Joe’s older half-brothers came from somewhere. Now if you think Joseph’s family is messed up now, it gets worse. But remember, Genesis 39:2a says, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
Joe’s mom is jealous of her sister having these four kids with her husband because she can’t get pregnant. Now, in those days there are no fertility clinics so in order to address the fact that she can’t have children with her husband, Joseph’s mom Rachel, tells one of her employees – her maidservant, Bilhah - to go and have sexual relations with her husband and Rachel will keep the child (Genesis 30:1-7). Joseph’s dad seems to be okay with this and apparently he has ongoing relations with Bilhah for quite some time (anything to keep his wife happy) because she gives birth to 2 sons.
Now if you think this is messed up, it gets worse still: Joseph’s Aunty Leah who is still married to Joe’s dad becomes jealous that Rachel’s employee (now Jacob’s concubine) is having children and giving them to her sister so she goes to Joseph’s dad and tells him to go and have relations with one of her employees – her maidservant, Zilpah – so Jacob, Joseph’s dad, being the dutiful husband of two sisters that he is, has relations with Zilpah and they have a child (Genesis 30:9-13). Eventually Rachel too has a child and that is Joseph; then years later after they move to Palestine, she has another child, Benjamin. Joseph’s mother then dies in childbirth (Genesis 35:19). But, Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
So this is what Joseph’s family looks like. Joseph has 4 half-brothers from his dad and his Aunty Leah, who is his dad’s first wife. Joseph has two half-brothers from his dad and his Aunty Leah’s employee. He has two-half brothers from his mom’s employee and he has one younger full-brother plus at least one half-sister.
Now needless to say this was not the best home environment in the whole world. It doesn’t get much better either. As you can imagine Joe’s half-brothers don’t always get along with each other, him or their dad. There is a little bit of rivalry and Joseph’s dad makes it a whole lot worse. He’s really not a great dad. He has absolutely no control over his sons and let me tell you a little bit about how Joseph’s brothers turned out.
His oldest brother Reuben at some point has an affair or at least a one-time encounter with his father’s concubine, Bilhah. Bilhah, if you remember, was Joseph’s mother’s servant that she gave to Reuben’s father to make children. So Reuben has this affair with the mother of his two younger brothers, Dan and Naphtali. Reuben has relations with his half-brothers’ mother and his dad finds out about it (Genesis 35:22). Remember too that Reuben, his dad, his mom, his dad’s concubines, and all Reuben’s brothers are living together in the same place. It was a bit of a mess. They’re just blessed that Bilhah didn’t get pregnant from that[3] – this family tree is confusing enough. That was Reuben.
Judah, another one of Joseph’s brothers later gets into this really confusing mess when he sleeps with his own daughter-in-law who was pretending to be a prostitute and then she gets pregnant (Genesis 38).
And then there is Levi and Simeon, two other of Joseph’s half-brothers. Their full sister was sexually assaulted by a Hittite named Shechem. Shechem’s dad brings him over to meet Jacob to try to make amends. His dad says that he will do whatever they ask to try and make it right. Joseph’s brothers imply that all is forgiven - their two family groups will intermarry, they say. Their sons will take the other’s daughters as their wives and vice versus with everyone living happily ever after as one family group but there is just one condition, Shechem and all the Hittite males living in the area must get circumcised. They do and when all the adult males are at the height of their pain from the procedure, two of Joseph’s brothers Levi and Simeon sneak into the camp and kill them all and steal all their possessions and even carried off all their women and children. Jacob then decides it is time to move again (Genesis 34). But we are coming quickly to the time, Genesis 39:2a, where “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
To recap, this was Joseph’s family growing up: his dad is a deceiver who caused problems with his brother and didn’t get along with his in-laws; his mom is a thief – not only that – what she stole were idols of foreign gods. Joseph’s dad has children with a number of different women and Joe’s oldest brother has an affair with the mother of a couple of his own half-brothers. Another brother of Joseph’s runs into the problem with the prostitution scandal and two more brothers trick and murder a whole community’s males before the rest of his brothers carry of all their possessions, their wives and their children. If you think your family growing up was a little messed up, Joseph can give you a bit of a run for your money in that regard, I’m sure. But remember that, though this may not seem like a great life, still to come Genesis 39:2a states, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
This now brings us to Genesis 37. Joseph is no longer a child. Here we meet Joe as a young man of 17 years old. Now 17 – even if some people don’t think so in today’s world – in those days it is plenty old enough to be carrying your own load in life. People would often be starting their own families by then. Not Joseph. Joseph, like we said was a little bit spoiled (Genesis 37:3,4). There was no physical reason that we know of as to why Joseph couldn’t be out in the fields working with his brothers but he wasn’t and not only was he not working like his brothers but when he got the opportunity, it says –Genesis 37:2- he tattled on his brothers. He told on them. But still to come, Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
And there is more: Not only did Joe report on his brothers to his dad but Joseph’s dad made no bones about the fact that Joe was his favourite son; so while Jacob sent his other boys out to work for a living he lavished at least one fancy gift on Joseph (a coat of many colours, ornamental robe, or a long-sleeved garment depending on your translation) [4] who he let stay around the house.
Now Joseph’s brothers, after we find out that Joseph is spoiled and Joseph tells on them, Genesis 37:4 states that “when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.” So the family relations are heating up a little bit. There is more than a little bit of understandable rivalry between Joseph and all his half-brothers. It is in this context that Joseph, this privileged son, has some dreams. These dreams’ – which have the apparently obvious interpretation that his whole immediate family, including his brothers and his father will bow down to him – are fine but maybe not so wise is the fact that Joseph tells his brothers and his dad the dreams. As you can imagine, this does not go over quite so well with his brothers. Genesis 37:8b “…and they hated him all the more because of his dream AND what he said to them.” His brothers had absolutely had it with him; so when a while later their dad sends Joseph to find them with the flocks they decide to take action. They have had enough. They take him, throw him into a pit and try to decide whether they are finally going to kill him or not. Remember – as least two of the brothers had murdered people before (Genesis 34:25). It is then that some slave traders happen by and the brothers decide to take advantage of the situation and they sell their brother into slavery, telling their father that he is dead. The salve traders sell him into slavery with an Egyptian official.[5] He is 17 (18 at the oldest by now) and about to begin a life of slavery. It is at that point that we run across this interesting verse. It is at this point that the verse that we keep coming back to appears in the narrative; Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
Joseph’s family life, as we have been discussing, was not the greatest but as one can imagine a terrible home life probably beats being a slave in a foreign country but it is as a slave where it records Genesis 39:2, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” This is key. This prosperity is not wealth. He is a slave. This prosperity is not luxury. He is a slave. This prosperity is not freedom to do what he wants when he wants. He is a slave. Joseph is a teenager who has been sold into slavery in a foreign country – where I imagine he doesn’t yet even know the language. He is a slave completely against his will without even specified terms for release. This is the condition that he is in when where it records Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.”
Let me tell you some more about this prosperity.[6] While Joseph is a slave, his master’s wife takes a liking to him. She wants to fool around with him a little bit – have an affair. Joseph will have none of this and spends much of his time trying to avoid her. She finally gets so upset at Joe for not giving into her attempts at seduction, that she accuses him of sexual assault and his master has Joseph thrown into prison. This is what it looks like in the house of his Egyptian master when and where it says that the LORD was with Joseph and he prospered.
Joseph is then sitting in prison in a foreign country charged with a crime that he didn’t commit with no specified length or end to his sentence. This prison, while it was reserved for prisoners of important people, was no 21st century Canadian prison (not that these are a picnic by any means) - there is no TV, no Charter of Rights and Freedoms, no early parole; just a dark dungeon, or a pit as some translations (KJV, ESV) refer to it, where you live out your days with the other prisoners. This is what it looks like when, Genesis 39:2a, “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.” This is what his prosperity looked like. No money, no luxury, no freedom, just slavery and then just sitting in a dungeon (or pit) in a foreign country with no hope of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. How many of us would consider this prosperity? I want us to remember this to the next time someone that believes the prosperity heresy tells us that when you are a good Christian you won’t get sick and you will always have all the money and freedom that you want. It is not true. That is NOT what God’s prosperity looks like. What God’s prosperity in our lives looks like is when God’s work is being done through us.[7] Joseph prospered with no money, no luxury, no freedom, just sitting in a dungeon (or a pit) in a foreign country with no hope of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. Genesis 23b reiterates directly in the prison context, just like in the slavery context, so that we don’t forget, “that LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” And this success and this prosperity are mentioned after he was sold into slavery and then when he is spending time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The Lord’s blessing on Joseph is NOT mentioned in the context of his being released from slavery and prison. His prosperity is noted in the 13 years (almost half his life to this point) that he spends in slavery and later confined in prison.
This is significant. It doesn’t tell us that he prospered and the LORD was with him when he was the favourite son of a well-to-do herdsman who received special attention and pampering from his dad. The author of Genesis doesn’t specifically say that the Lord was with Joseph and that he prospered when he was riding in the chariot alongside Pharaoh and receiving all the benefits and privileges of being second in command in the entire Egyptian empire. It says that he prospered when he was in slavery and it says that the Lord gave him success when he was in prison. Success and God’s prosperity is not financial well-being and a self-indulgent, easy life at all. What prosperity is is when God’s work is being done. When Joseph is worshiping, serving, and giving credit to God in the midst of his suffering is where we hear of the LORD’s blessing and where we see Joseph’s real heart of worship.
I think that this is important for us today as we worship the Lord. We need to recognize the really tough times -when we are in the pits of our lives- as opportunities to be encouraged to serve and to worship the Lord. These times are not definitely divine punishment; these times are definitely not times of being forsaken by the LORD. God promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5). Instead when we are in the dungeons and pits of our lives, when life is its most challenging, when we are completely overwhelmed and when we cannot solve our problems on our own, if we take the focus off our predicament and off of our own selfish desires (as legitimate as they maybe) and if we instead concentrate on the LORD and fully trust and worship Him; if we do this then I believe that we will find that even in these times of trouble and distress that –like Joseph – we will see the LORD is with us and that we will prosper in our worship and in our relationship with God even and especially in our very trying times.
Let us pray.
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[1] Bil Keene, The Family Circus, Available on-line at www.familycircus.com
[2] Cf. Fredrick C. Holmgren, “Holding Your Own Against God! Genesis 32:22-32 (In the Context of Genesis 31-33),” Interpretation: a Journal of Bible and Theology 44, no. 4 (1990): 5-17. It may not just be family discord that kept them separate. It may have been a desire to maintain the benefits of his independence, birthright and blessing. If his family intermingled too closely with the larger Edomite populations they ran the risk of being absorbed into Esau. This also could be a reason God kept them apart.
[3] Cf. Michael Ramsay "Word Study: to bless, blessing (Hebrew: brk)," Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (Fall 2005). Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com./Word_Studies_Michael_Ramsay.htm#blessing
[4] T. Desmond Alexander, ESV Study Bible on-line. Note on Genesis 37:3: The Hebrew expression used to denote this cloak is used elsewhere only of a garment worn by King David's daughter Tamar (see 2 Sam. 13:18). The actual design of the cloak is uncertain; as the esv footnote explains, the translation here is based on the understanding of the Septuagint translators (Gk. poikilos, “many-coloured”). The alternative is “a robe with long sleeves” (cf. the text and esv footnote of 2 Sam. 13:18, which uses the same Hebrew expression). Available at: http://www.esvbible.org
[5] Derek Kidner, Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1967 (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 1), S. 196: On the name Potiphar, recognizably Egyptian, see the brief discussion in The New Bible Dictionary (ed. J. D. Douglas et al., 1962). Officer is strictly ‘eunuch’, but the term became a general synonym for ‘courtier’. The translation captain of the guard is debatable but probably right. The alternative is ‘chief butcher’, supported by etymology (from the verb ‘to slaughter’, as in 43:16; cf. 1 Sam. 9:23f., ‘the cook’), also by lxx and by the use of a similar title in Egyptian for a kind of major-domo (J. Vergote, Joseph en Égypte, Louvain 1959, pp. 31–35). Captain of the guard, however, accords with Potiphar’s command of the prison (40:3f.) and is clearly correct in 2 Kings 25:8.
[6] John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Genesis/Exposition of Genesis/VI. The Account of Jacob (37:1-49:33)/E. Joseph in the House of Potiphar (39:1-23), Book Version: 4.0.2: This is not a story of the success of Joseph; rather it is a story of God's faithfulness to his promises.
[7] John H. Sailhamer, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Genesis/Exposition of Genesis/VI. The Account of Jacob (37:1-49:33)/E. Joseph in the House of Potiphar (39:1-23), Book Version: 4.0.2
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