Read: Genesis 42: 29-38

Reflect:
In ancient times, idols were made by men but worshiped as gods. Today an idol is a bit harder to recognize. “An idol is anything in our lives that occupies the place that should be occupied by God alone. Anything that…is central in my life, anything that seems to me…essential…An idol is anything by which I live and on which I depend, anything that…holds such a controlling position in my life that…it moves and rouses and attracts so much of my time and attention, my energy and money” (D.M. Lloyd-Jones). Jacob certainly has an idol as we can see in his response to his sons’ report about their trip to Egypt. Jacob’s focus isn’t on the providentially returned money or the abundance of food in Egypt. Rather, he is very focussed on himself. Jacob’s response to Reuben, which is presumably spoken in the presence of his eleven remaining sons, was shocking to me: “My son (Benjamin) will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and he is all I have left. (ouch!) If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.” Jacob’s desperate cry is that, if something happened to Benjamin, his life would no longer be worth living. God will never leave him, as was promised to him (see Genesis 28:13-15), but, to Jacob, if Benjamin is gone so is all hope. The love Jacob had for Joseph and now directed toward the other son he had with Rachel had become greater than his love for God. That is an idol. There are things in my life that I have had to surrender to God, things that I was treasuring more than Him, things that I was holding onto with clenched hands. I am slowly learning that Jesus fully satisfies and agree with the words of this old hymn, that when you “turn your eyes upon Jesus, and look full in His wonderful face, then the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” Jesus exceeds our expectations, provides for our needs, and fulfills our desires. Christ alone can provide the satisfaction and joy we so desperately seek.

Pray:
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) Thank God that Jesus fully satisfies and ask Him to show you any idols in your life that are preventing you from fully enjoying and glorifying God. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

Read: Genesis 42: 6-24

Reflect:
The story of Joseph involves a number of mentions of imprisonment. Joseph was in prison for several years after being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife. Joseph had his brothers put in prison for three days, accusing them of being spies. There is another type of prison, however, that is perhaps not as evident but just as binding – the prison of guilt. The brothers felt they were being punished by God for their sins committed long ago. Reuben maintained his innocence, saying he had been an advocate for Joseph. The brothers therefore sinned after they had been admonished to do right, which further added to their guilt. Psalm 107:10 says “Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains….Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind, for He breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.” The Psalmist wrote these words many years ago but they are applicable now, as many people today are in chains, shackles, or prisons. These chains come in many forms. There are Christians in some parts of the world who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus and find themselves imprisoned in actual chains. There are others who struggle with addictions and habits that they just can’t seem to shake. Feelings of shame, guilt, fear, bitterness or unforgiveness can weigh people down, like chains, and prevent them from living a life of freedom. Many, who do not know the Lord, wander in darkness, enslaved with a yoke of bondage around them. So many chains! Praise God that there is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain, to cut through what we cannot break on our own! We have freedom in Christ from any and all forms of chains, slavery and bondage. How wonderful to live life fully and freely!

Praise/Worship:
Listen to the song “Chainbreaker” by Zach Williams and rejoice that we have a pain taking, way making, prison-shaking Saviour! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGYjKR69M6U

Read: Genesis 41: 46-56

Reflect:
In the Bible, names seem to be important. The book of Genesis, especially, seems to be full of names enriched with meaning. Names were bearers of the person’s identity, often saying something about that person’s character or their situation. For example, Isaac’s son Esau was so named simply because his name means ‘hairy’, which is what he was. His brother Jacob was so named because Jacob means ‘he grasps the heel’, which is a Hebrew idiom for ‘he deceives’. This seems appropriate as Jacob did a lot of “jacobing” in his life! Sometimes God gave new names to people to instill a new vision for that person’s life, or a new role He wanted them to play in His Kingdom. God made a radical promise to childless, 99-year-old Abram that he would be a “father of many nations” and so changed his name to Abraham to instill in him God’s mighty promise. The fisherman Simon is renamed ‘Peter’ by Jesus. ‘Peter’ means ‘rock’, and he was to be the rock of Jesus’ Church (Matthew 16:18). Even though Peter showed himself to be quite lacking in the stability and integrity one might expect from a rock, Jesus continued to trust him to fulfil his calling. In our reading today, Joseph had two sons and gave them Hebrew names that specifically acknowledged God’s goodness to him. The first he named Manasseh, “… because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” He named his second son Ephraim, “fruitful,” because of the blessing God poured out on him and enabled him to give to others in “the land of my suffering.”

Pray:
Meditate on these two names for Jesus and praise Him for who He is and what He has done:

1. Jesus is a common Jewish name ‘Yeshua’, which is derived from the word meaning ‘to rescue/deliver’. “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

2. Matthew also describes Jesus as ‘Immanuel’, which means ‘God with us’. Jesus was indeed God himself dwelling with mankind.

Read: Psalm 105: 16-22

Reflect:
Do you ever wonder how God could use you? Do you see yourself as “just a mom,” “only a teacher,” “too young,” “too old,” or “hardly magnificent”? Until this moment, those around Joseph saw him as a mere Hebrew slave. Now, the ruler of the most powerful kingdom on earth, who worshipped Egyptian gods, recognized that Joseph’s wisdom came from God Almighty. Pharaoh said, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.” Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the palace and all of Egypt. Joseph’s power would only be second to Pharaoh himself. The psalmist would later speak of Joseph’s redemption from dungeon to palace as an expression of God’s faithful care for his people (Psalm 105:16-22). Joseph’s redemption from the dungeon was more than the amazing result of an unexpected audience before Pharaoh. It was God and His plan that put Joseph into leadership over all of Egypt. God used years of suffering to teach Joseph to depend on Him and experience His presence. Joseph’s own trials must have created in him a sensitivity to suffering and a desire to alleviate the suffering of others. He learned to simply and boldly deliver God’s message. Joseph spoke what God revealed – whether positive or negative, whether about the fate of an individual (the cupbearer and baker) or the fate of a nation. He showed integrity as a slave, a prisoner and a ruler. God had greater plans in mind for Joseph than Joseph had in mind for himself. God developed a great leader in the dungeon, elevated him to the palace and through him, impacted his family, Egypt and eventually the world.**

Pray:
Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.

**Bible Study Fellowship, Genesis 2021

Read: Genesis 41:1-16

Reflect:
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph boldly declared, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Joseph, obviously bright and gifted, would naturally have desired to be released from prison. Surely he longed for a favourable outcome from this opportunity of interpreting Pharaoh’s dream. Yet he deliberately refused to take credit for what only God could do. Attempting to steal God’s glory is a serious matter. In Acts 12 Herod Agrippa was instantly struck down because he accepted the people’s praise and did not give glory to God. It says in Psalm 42:8 “I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another.” C.S. Lewis struggled with the idea that God demands our praise and commands us to give Him glory. However, he soon realized that this “stumbling block” was due to his misconception of God and a misunderstanding of what praise really is. He noticed that people spontaneously praise whatever they value, and also urge others to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists, in telling everyone to praise God, are doing what all people do when they speak of what they care about. “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.” While God as our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer certainly deserves our praise, isn’t it amazing to realize His lovingkindness towards us, by commanding us to give Him praise, is offering us the supreme in joy and fullness of life? It makes you want to shout out loud and share the goodness of God with others!

Pray the following verses:
Psalm 115:1 “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.” Psalm 72:18-20 “Praise the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!”

I don’t know about you but I really do want to “do everything to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) – my marriage, raising my children, working, spending money, housework, cooking, interacting with neighbours – all to the glory of God. I also desire to be like John the Baptist and say about Jesus, “He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30). But to be honest there is part of me that wants a little glory, which wants to increase a bit right along with Jesus. To think, that in light of who God is, I would ever desire people to think well of me, it makes no sense. God is the only one who is worthy of all worship and all praise and all adoration, the only one whose name ultimately matters, the only one who can save, the only one who is Lord and King overall.