LastCall: Amazing Grace (Genesis 37:23-36) -Bob Caldwell

Amazing Grace

  “So Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.’ And his brothers listened.” -Genesis 37:26-27

Divine appointments are as precise as the movement of our solar system. The unseen hand of God’s sovereign power to interpose His own purposes upon the outworking of human history is amazing. God had ordained that Joseph would be placed in a series of events that would eventually place him at the highest levels of Egyptian power.

To get him started in this process, first God uses the jealousy and hate of Joseph’s brothers. Then Rueben’s intervention followed by Judah’s in this passage that resulted in selling Joseph as a slave to a caravan headed to Egypt. And it just so happens that the pit they had thrown Joseph in was located next to a major caravan route.

The thread of God’s eternal purposes for each of our lives is individually placed by God as it moves through the choices of people and the events of life. And there are times, like these graphic examples in Joseph’s life, when it’s undeniable. Undeniable yet equally unexplainable. Which is really not unlike many things in our universe we will never fully be able to explain, yet we accept them as fact.

This should hopefully result in a calming faith in the midst of events that seem totally out of control. You never know where God’s divine interruptions and appointments may take you.

Genesis 37:23-36

 So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. 24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25 And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. 26 So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

29 Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes. 30 And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?”

31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32 Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?”

33 And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

36 Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

v. 25 Sat Down to Eat – Shows the callousness of heart that hate and envy can create.

v. 26 What Profit“Betsa” (Heb.) A word used to describe unjust gain or plunder. Again we see the callousness of their hearts in wanting to make money from their treatment of Joseph.

v. 27 He is Our Brother – Judah’s motivation seems to be fear of divine reproof (Gen. 4:10, 9:5).

v. 28 Midianite – There is the interchange of Midianites and Ishmaelites in verses 25 through 28 because the name Ishmaelites was used at times as an inclusive term for the nomadic tribes that originated from the cousins of Israel (Judges 8:24).

v. 29 Twenty Shekels – The average price for a slave was 30 shekels of silver (Ex. 21:32). The lower purchase price was likely due to the effort of the Midianites to be able to realize a profit when they sold Joseph in Egypt.

v. 30 Where Shall I Go – Reuben was the oldest and would be held primarily responsible by Jacob for what happened to Joseph.

v. 34 Tore His Clothes – To do so along with putting on sackcloth, which was a coarse cloth that was extremely discomforting to the skin, was a sign of mourning.

v. 36 Potiphar – This is an Egyptian name that has been verified by archeological findings.

Captain of the Guard – This was the person who would be in charge of the royal bodyguard whose duties included the execution of capital sentences ordered by the king.

Devotions with Emotion

Michael James Stone

Fair Use Notice

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

Last Call

‘Your Devotion with Emotion’

This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them. 

Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

Last Call Digest

“the simple format”

Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity, operates by you, with you, and for you. “Freely you have received, freely give”  Pass this on, everywhere you can, anytime you can, anyway you can. You will be blessed if you do. mrnetbizness@gmail.com

Last Days of the Last Generation                                                                                 “Last Generation”

                                      The simple format                                                                                      “the prophecy site just about prophecy”

Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity Journalist

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.

The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

Posted via email from The Last Call Digest

Translate