Genesis 37-50
Joseph
Week 7 September 2 – 6, 2019
Monday September 2
Joseph Enslaved – Genesis 37-38
Reading this first portion of Joseph’s story, you can see that a great injustice was done to Joseph by his brothers. Surely attempting to murder and then selling your brother into slavery is not an appropriate response to sibling squabbles. However, you can also see how Joseph was reaping what he had sown. Their anger was the result of the way he spoke to his brothers and treated them with condescension. Joseph can be seen as the hero of this story or the victim, but really he is a person who made mistakes, made bad choices, and paid the consequences. He treated everyone around him as if they were inferior and as a result he was humbled in a violent way. Our troubles are often a result of our own words and actions, we must recognize that truth. As we are humbled also, we can be encouraged to remember that this is not where Joseph’s story ends. Even as a regular person who made bad choices in his relationships and paid the price, God still used that time as a humbling beginning to the great work that would be done through Joseph. We will all be humbled, many times over, but just remember that in the humbling process you have two choices. You can wallow in victimhood, or you can take responsibility for yourself and change the way you make your choices in the future.
Activity: You may feel like you have been the victim of injustice and that very well may be true. However, you don’t have to stay in that mindset. Decide to move forward, asking God to help you learn what there is to learn from that time and leave the rest behind.
With Children: Ask your child if there is a time where someone has hurt their feelings. Help them talk through that experience and find something constructive. Pray over your child, that they would grow in self control and understand how to learn from every situation, in humility.
Tuesday September 3
Slave to Sovereign – Genesis 39-41
Joseph is again treated unjustly and left to the mercy of those who would seek to abuse him. Have you ever felt like you were were not heard? Your motives were judged and you were punished unfairly? This happens a lot along the way, and many times we never get the chance to defend ourselves or we face consequences that we don’t deserve. When you’re hurting as Joseph must have, betrayed and punished by everyone around him, all there is left to do is lean into God. Joseph did not let his situation and treatment stop him from doing his best in every position he found himself. He applied a godly ethic to every part of his life and even when the people around him didn’t see his value, God knew that each heartbreak was a step along the way. You might feel like you’re in that place right now, or maybe you’re haunted by what has happened in the past. Continue to press on, lean into God, and trust that He will bring you to success and healing as you follow His ways.
Activity: What hardship are you struggling with at the moment, or what past injustice still haunts you today? Have you allowed yourself to fall into a place of complacency or blaming your shortcomings on what has been done to you? Write down this declaration and say it out loud, keeping it with you to you remind you that God is with you and fighting for you every day. “I am a beloved child of God. As I follow God with all of my heart, every evil thing falls away and every good thing is added.”
With Children: Practice this declaration with your child, and remind them of it often. “I am a beloved child of God. As I follow God with all of my heart, every evil thing falls away and every good thing is added.”
Wednesday September 4
Famine – Genesis 42-43
Joseph did not reveal himself to his brothers or punish them for their actions against him but also did not immediately trust them. He put them through many tests to see if their character had changed and if they were trustworthy. As it turns out, they had changed quite a bit and one proof of their character was that they returned the money that Joseph had hidden in their luggage. We see from Joseph that you can have true love and forgiveness in your heart, while still using wisdom to choose who to trust with the most important parts of yourself. It’s important to remember also that people can change and grow for the better, just like you do. Joseph was no longer the young boy who taunted his brothers with his status, and his brothers were no longer the boys who were ruled by anger and hate. Joseph helped his brothers and was very generous toward them with his resources and his forgiveness, while keeping the more intimate parts of himself safe. As a representative of the God we serve, it is our duty to be generous in every way, just as our God is generous with us. On a certain level this does open us back up to being hurt again, but we can use wisdom in how we allow others to effect us. Joseph was determining whether he would continue to be used and abused if he revealed himself to his brothers, and that is something that we can do, too. A person may not be safe for us and it is okay not to enter into an intimate relationship, but it is not okay to hold a grudge. God will give you wisdom for everything, if you just ask Him! He’ll even help you decide which people to let all the way in, and who you can love generously without allowing them to affect you negatively.
Activity: Are you holding a grudge today? Write down the name of the person who has offended you and make this declaration aloud: “You are a beloved child of God. As you follow God with all of your heart, every evil thing falls away and every good thing is added.” Be generous in your thoughts, words, and actions toward them, and speak blessings into their life.
With Children: Ask your child if there is someone who they find hard to love. Maybe there’s a bully in their life or a friend who hurt their feelings. Tell them how God forgives and loves us when we hurt His feelings, and so we must forgive and love those who hurt us. That doesn’t mean we have to let them keep hurting us, but it does mean that we change the way we think about, talk about, and treat that person. Help your child write down the name of this person and speak this declaration aloud: “You are a beloved child of God. As you follow God with all of your heart, every evil thing falls away and every good thing is added.”
There won’t be any more devotions available this week, but please finish reading through Genesis 50!
