March 12

GENESIS 40

⁹ So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, ¹⁰ and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. ¹¹ Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” ¹² Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. ¹³ In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴ Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. ¹⁵ For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”   – Genesis 40:9-15

GENESIS 40 THE CHIEF CUPBEARER’S DREAM

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

When Joseph asked the two imprisoned officials about their dreams

The chief cupbearer shared his dream about the vine and three branches

When the branches’ blossoms came out, it ripened into grapes

Then the king’s cup was in the dreamer’s hand and placed it in his hands

Joseph interpreted the dream that the three branches are three days

And in three days, the Pharaoh will reestablish him in his office

Joseph reminded him to remember him when that happens

So that he can be pulled out from prison and go back to his land.

What an interesting dream interpreted by Joseph. This was one of the first dream interpretations that Joseph did when he was in prison. It was in prison that the Lord blessed him with such an ability to interpret dreams. Because the Lord was with him all these times, he was able to accurately interpret this dream. He reminded these two officials at the onset of their sharing of the dream that interpretation comes only from God. Despite all that he went through, Joseph never forgot to give credit to God and never forgot that all that he has are gifts from God.

REFLECTION

• Why do you think God gave this gift of dream interpretation to Joseph in prison?

March 10

GENESIS 39

¹⁹ As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. ²⁰ And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. ²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. ²² And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. ²³ The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed. – Genesis 39:19-23

GENESIS 39 POTIPHAR PUTS JOSEPH IN PRISON

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

Potiphar believed his wife’s accusation of Joseph

He didn’t even ask Joseph’s side as he fumed in anger

Joseph was taken by his master to the king’s prison

But the Lord never left Joseph and still gave him favor

The keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all prisoners

Whatever Joseph did in that prison walls, the Lord made it prosper.

The malice and slander that Potiphar’s wife had over Joseph’s character poisoned her husband’s trust in Joseph. Interesting that he never pondered on those many years that Joseph did everything for him and that he didn’t have to manage anything that he owned. Anger overtook him and made a rash decision to put Joseph in prison without even hearing his side. After all, he trusted him that long. He was blinded by his wife’s sly and cunning ways to get rid of someone who rejected her sexual advances. Anger that isn’t processed always leads to unhealthy results. In this case, it was to break his trust to Joseph. It was also to his detriment because now, he had to attend to all that Joseph responsibly did for him.

No one can hurt anyone who belongs to God, the psalmist says in Psalm 105 that no one is to touch or harm his people. Psalm 34 also says God let angels encamp around them.

REFLECTION

• How is this passage a message of hope for those afflicted with suffering?

March 6

GENESIS 38

²⁰ When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. ²¹ And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute^[b] who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” ²² So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’” ²³ And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” ²⁵ As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” ²⁶ Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again. ²⁷ When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. ²⁸ And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez. ³⁰ Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

                                                                   – Genesis 38:20-30

GENESIS 38 TAMAR AND JUDAH’S SINS EXPOSED

The acts of Tamar deceiving his father-in-law so she can have a son and Judah using a harlot to appease his grief from his wife’s passing are both sins. Tamar’s deception was an offshoot of her vengeance for Judah not keeping his promise to have Shelah marry her when he was of age. Judah’s sexual sins were exposed when he tried to shame Tamar after discovering her pregnancy. His judgment on her bounced back at him when Tamar showed the signet, cord and staff that belonged to him. Humans automatically hide their sins until they are visibly confronted by proof of such acts. The reaction of remorse and repentance were evident when Judah admitted that his dismissal of his promise to Tamar to marry Shelah made Tamar more righteous than him. The twin sons of Tamar, one of which will be our Savior’s ancestor was the outcome of this sexual act of Judah and Tamar.

REFLECTION

• How is “hiding” a clear manifestation of sin? Why do sinful people hide?

March 3

GENESIS 37

²⁵ Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. ²⁶ Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? ²⁷ Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. ²⁸ Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. ²⁹ When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes ³⁰ and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” ³¹ Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. ³² And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” ³³ And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” ³⁴ Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. ³⁵ All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. ³⁶ Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard. – Genesis 37:25-36

GENESIS 37 JOSEPH’S PLIGHT

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

After being thrown into a pit to be killed by his own brothers

Judah decided to earn money by selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites

Joseph was taken to Egypt and reported as dead to their father

Jacob tore his garments and mourned for his beloved son for many days.

We get a glimpse of the evil that resulted in the jealousy that the brothers had against the favorite son of Jacob. Although Reuben had his own plan to rescue Joseph, that failed because of Judah’s spontaneous decision to sell him and earn from doing so. He made it look like they were cleaning their hands from the blood if they killed Joseph but it still showed their evil hearts that were guiltless as they got rid of Joseph’s presence in their lives. The pain of the special treatment to Joseph was harder for all of them to bear as Jacob continued to give him more favor and not treat them all equally.

REFLECTION

• How did God use evil and turned it for good in this predicament of Joseph?

March 2

GENESIS 37

¹² Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. ¹³ And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” ¹⁴ So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. ¹⁵ And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” ¹⁶ “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” ¹⁷ And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.¹⁸ They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹ They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. ²⁰ Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” ²¹ But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” ²² And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. ²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. ²⁴ And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.  – Genesis 37:12-24

GENESIS 37 THE PLOT TO KILL JOSEPH

After Joseph narrated his two dreams to their brothers and father, he was despised by the brothers. Now, Israel wanted to check up on his others sons in Shechem so he sent Joseph there but they were in Dothan. A stranger led Joseph to find them, but as soon as he was approaching them, the brothers began to plot to kill Joseph. They planned to tell their father that he was attacked by an animal and place blood on his special robe made for Joseph. They hated him so much because he was treated differently by their father. Their jealousy led them to murder him. This is what happens when envy takes over people and when there is unequal treatment of others.

Reuben, the eldest, came to the rescue of Joseph, but only halfway. He was still okay to put him in an empty pit and be sold as a slave. You’d think that he was truly going to save him, but he also thought of sending him away as a slave to whoever buys him.

REFLECTION

• Why did Reuben only halfway saved Joseph?

March 1

GENESIS 37

⁵ Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. ⁶ He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: ⁷ Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” ⁸ His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.⁹ Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” ¹⁰ But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” ¹¹ And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.  – Genesis 37:5-11

GENESIS 37 JOSEPH’S TWO PROPHETIC DREAMS

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

Joseph had two dreams that got him in much trouble

First, he dreamed of bundles of grain in the field that stood up

Joseph’s bundle was in the middle while theirs gathered around it

These sheaves around the middle bowed down to Joseph’s

The next dream was about the sun, moon and stars bowing down

All the eleven stars were also bowing down to Joseph

Then Jacob rebuked his son for it seemed like they too were bowing to him

All of Joseph’s brothers got so envious of him, so Jacob kept the dreams to himself.

Joseph’s first prophetic dream was scorned by his older brothers. They couldn’t bear thinking of the older ones being under the reign of the younger. They already had a hard time accepting that Joseph was the favorite of their father. It is aggravating to hear that he will have authority over them. Of course, they took it literally and not like a prophecy.

The second dream was another prophetic dream he shared to them as well. Jacob gently rebuked his son to protect him from further negative reactions from his brother, but took note of it. He knew that God can manifest his plans in a dream, so he kept quiet about it.

REFLECTION

• How were these two dreams prophetic also of Jesus’ coming and his authority?