Overview of: GenesisToday's Reading:
Gen. 42:1 - 43:38
"Joseph's Brothers"
Focus Verses: Genesis 42:18-20
18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die." This they proceeded to do.
Insight:
What a surprise it must have been for Joseph when his brothers showed up in Egypt to buy grain. They appeared before him and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. He remembered the dreams he had as a young boy, and now here he was seeing their fulfillment. But wait! In his dreams there were eleven stars bowing down to him, yet here were only ten of his brothers.
What if they weren't telling the truth about his brother Benjamin? What if they were lying and had done something to him along the way. Joseph knew first-hand what they were capable of doing.
Joseph was moved by the remorse they seemed to have, and he showed them kindness by giving them the grain they needed and returning their money. Joseph was also determined to teach them a lesson and to make sure his youngest brother was alive and secure.
What a strange thrill it must have been for Joseph to realize God had been moving in the story of his life. Every step along his winding way, God was weaving and working to save Joseph's family from famine and death.
Response and Action:
I will put my trust in God. Because I believe God knows my future and is at work for good, I will seek him with my whole heart. I will read and meditate upon the Scriptures. I will pray for strength and guidance. I will strive to live with integrity. I will pursue righteousness. I will persevere in the confidence that God is present and active and faithful.
O God, teach me to walk with you in faith. Help me to seek you and love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Give me peace and assurance in my heart and mind as I entrust my life to you. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.
New Testament for Today: 2 Timothy 1:12b
12b I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
In Context: 2 Timothy 1:3-14
Proverb for Today: Prov. 11:6
"The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires."
Resources:
Step by Step: Divine Guidance for Ordinary Christians
by James C. Petty
