Genesis 42: What Goes Around Comes Around

Well, well, well.  Look who dropped down to Egypt to pick up some food for their family in the midst of this terrible famine!  It is ten brothers from the land of Canaan.  They say that they are all the sons of one man.  They have one other brother, the youngest, still at home with their father.  And they have one brother who is no more.  (Of course, that brother who is no more just happens to be the one to whom they are telling their story and trying to buy grain from.  The beauty part is that they have no idea they are standing before their brother Joseph!)

Psalm 56: In God I Trust

Americans are used to hearing the phrase, "In God We Trust."  It is printed on our currency and makes a handy motto.  It kind of just rolls off the tongue and sounds almost soothing.  But what if we were to personalize this expression and make it first person singular?  How would we feel about saying, "In God I Trust?"

Genesis 41: Reversal of Fortune

One thing that is very true in the Bible as well as in our daily life: Things change.  As the old proverb steadfastly testifies to every age, "This, too, shall pass."  For Joseph, his time spent in slavery and in prison came to an end, and he was catapulted into a position of authority.  For Egypt, seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine, and the nation would be transformed.

Genesis 40: Dreams Can Come True

Joseph may have been in prison, but he didn't languish there.  He kept busy, helping administer in the jail despite his difficult circumstances.  One of the lessons we see in the life of Joseph is to bloom where you're planted - to make the most out of the situations you find yourself in.  Joseph consistently did that, and it always prepared him for advancement.  Even if it sometimes took quite awhile for him to be noticed.

Genesis 39: A Woman Scorned

You know what they say about "hell hath no fury...?"  Well, our friend Joseph is about to discover the truth of that timeless proverb.  Who knows?  Maybe it was even Joseph that coined the phrase after his experience in Egypt!

Genesis 38: Shades of Jerry Springer!

Because of its cultural distance from us, Genesis 38 can be a little confusing.  Who is at fault, and why?

Genesis 37: Bye, Bye Joseph

I have heard contrasting opinions when it comes to Joseph.  Some see him as an innocent victim of family dynamics that resulted in him suffering unjustly due to the jealousy of his brothers.  Others view him as a snot-nosed little brat who tattles on his brothers and has delusions of grandeur when he dreams of being exalted among his family.  How do you see him?