Joseph left home on a road trip filled with twists and turns that changed his life, and there are probably parallels between his long-ago journey and the one you are on today…so what can you learn from them?

Joseph and his Journey

Genesis 37:2-5, 17b-24, 28

Brothers sold Dad’s despised “favorite son”

Genesis 37 seemed to blend perhaps three different stories about Joseph, each giving a slightly different reason for why his brothers hated him. But the reasons weren’t mutually exclusive. Family therapists know that being a “chosen child” like Joseph often skews relationships and emotional growth. Oldest brother Reuben could only think of an idea that was hardly less than leaving Joseph to die in the empty cistern. Slavery in Egypt seemed like little more than a drawn-out death sentence.

• Based on your growing-up years, is it easier for you to identify with young Joseph, enjoying his privileged status as dad’s favorite, or with his brothers, feeling undervalued and ignored? How have you found that God, the source of what the Bible called “steadfast love,” can be a “fixed point” helping you grow beyond the wounds flawed family dynamics can leave on any of us?
• Reuben and Judah had just enough moral courage to stand up to their brothers and say, “No, don’t kill Joseph. We don’t want blood on our hands.” On the other hand, they didn’t have the courage to tell Jacob, “Dad, Joseph isn’t dead. We sold him to traders going to Egypt.” How morally courageous are you? In what areas do you want to become braver?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, people betrayed you, but you did not allow that to knock you off course. Help me find in your love the source of strength to move beyond any pain I experience from others. Amen.

Prayer: O God, free me from the desire for revenge on others. Instead, give me the moral courage to stand for what is right, especially on behalf of those who are powerless. Amen. 

Genesis 39:1-3, 6-20

Joseph was unfairly jailed due to a rich Egyptian’s scheming wife

Instead of nurturing depression and bitterness, Joseph showed such capable integrity that Potiphar, his Egyptian master, “put everything he had under Joseph’s supervision.” Yet Genesis didn’t say, “Joseph was amazing,” but “The LORD was with Joseph.” Alas, Joseph also greatly impressed Potiphar’s wife. He refused to betray his master’s trust and rebuffed her advances. Potiphar had no choice but to believe his wife (even if he didn’t believe her) and sent Joseph to prison.

• Partly because it’s told in broad brushstrokes, this story makes Joseph’s rise in Potiphar’s esteem sound almost effortless. Do you think that was the case, or did Joseph need to work hard and wisely in order to make his Egyptian master’s household run smoothly? Does God’s blessing relieve you of the need for effort and wisdom, or does God tend to work through those qualities in your life?
• Joseph, knowing how much Potiphar trusted him, might well have gotten some sensual pleasure and kept his position at the head of the household. But he refused to betray Potiphar’s trust, and it cost him—outwardly, at least. Have you ever chosen not to do something wrong, even though you could “get away with it”? As you look back, are you glad you preserved your integrity or not? For what reasons?

Prayer: O God, free me from the desire for revenge on others. Instead, give me the moral courage to stand for what is right, especially on behalf of those who are powerless. Amen. 

Genesis 39:21-23, 41:9-16, 37-41 

Vaulted from pit to prime minister, Joseph gave God the glory 

A Hebrew slave unfairly jailed by a rich Egyptian owner—how could Joseph escape that fix? God helped Joseph explain dreams for two fellow prisoners. After two years, Pharaoh’s restored steward finally remembered Joseph (still in jail) when the king had baffling dreams. Pharaoh, impressed by Joseph’s discernment, made an unexpected (no doubt shocking to ambitious Egyptian officers) choice.

He freed the Hebrew and made him his chief deputy, with power over all of Egypt! 

• Egypt’s ruler said to Joseph, “I heard that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.” Joseph’s answer was prompt and clear: “It’s not me. God will give Pharaoh a favorable response” (41:16). Joseph could have easily taken the credit Pharaoh offered him, but his day-by-day choices before this moment had formed an honest character. What choices are you making each day to build the character God desires you to have?
• Joseph used his power to save his family (and all of Egypt) from famine. Near his life’s end, he was sure Israel’s future was not in Egypt and made the Israelites promise he’d be part of the Exodus to come (cf. Genesis 50:24-26, Exodus 13:19). Pastor Hamilton wrote of life’s big hurts, “This kind of wound does not disappear after a day. I picture the boulder being chipped away, a little at a time.” * How did God guide Joseph to turn the pain of his brothers’ betrayal into lifesaving action?

Prayer: Merciful God, how powerfully Joseph exemplified the spirit of your kingdom as he saved his brothers and his Egyptian captors. Keep growing in me a capacity to embody and act out your mercy. Amen.

* Adam Hamilton; Rob Simbeck, ed. Forgiveness: Finding Peace Through Letting Go. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2012, p. 95.

Psalm 105:16-22, 34:4-6

What Israel learned from Joseph

Psalm 105 poetically recounted Israel’s early history, including portions of Joseph’s story as Genesis told it. Psalm 34 probably grew from a time when David, though already anointed king, still had to use all his wiles to keep jealous King Saul from killing him. Its language harked back to Joseph. It’s “someone who has had to cry out, a different word, used elsewhere of the Israelites crying out in Egypt.” * Both Psalms praised, not human ingenuity, but God’s guiding providence.

• In “Stone the Crows” in the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Joseph sings, “Anyone from anywhere can make it/If they get a lucky break.” ** Neither Genesis nor Psalms said Joseph got a “lucky break.” The Hebrew writers said the real story was that God’s people, like Joseph, needed patience to trust God’s work, which is sometimes done unseen in the background of life. Which perspective do you find more persuasive to guide your life?
• Psalm 105 answered the question, “What do we have to be grateful for?” “It…doesn’t relate to what God has done for a particular generation….It reminds Israel to be grateful for the extraordinary sequence of events that lay at the foundation of every century in its life….The story will go on to tell shows how Yahweh is the one from whom Israel is to seek help.” *** How can Joseph’s story teach you to trust God, instead of asking, “What have you done for me lately”? Prayer: Lord Jesus, especially when things get tough, I find it hard to think beyond the current week or month. Teach me to trust in the long sweep of your work with and for your human servants, from Joseph all the way to now. Amen. 

* John Goldingay, Psalms for Everyone, Part 1: Psalms 1–72. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013, p. 107. ** From the 1999 film version of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ with Lyrics by Tim Rice & Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

*** John Goldingay, Psalms for Everyone, Part 2: Psalms 73–150. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014, p. 106.

Acts 7:9-18, 10:38

God was with Jesus even more than with Joseph 

Acts 7 told of an energetic early Christian named Stephen on trial for his life, charged with serious religious offenses (cf. Acts 6:13-14). His response was very much like Psalm 105 (which we read part of yesterday)—reciting the history of God and God’s people, including Joseph. “God was with him” echoed Genesis 39:2, 21, yet Joseph’s brothers rejected him (as the leaders rejected Jesus). In Acts 10, Peter shared Jesus with Roman soldiers, using that same phrase from Joseph’s story.

• Stephen’s defense wasn’t a set of random Bible stories. “Joseph was rejected by his brothers, but God used him to become the ruler of all Pharaoh’s household….When his brothers needed food, the man they had to go to was the man they… rejected….he was gracious to them and gave them what they needed. Were there already some in Stephen’s audience who saw where this was going?” * How did Joseph’s story point to Jesus, who fully lived out God’s presence with us?
• Acts 10 showed that “the first apostles went on telling and retelling the stories which Jesus himself had told, but they quickly found that they had another story to tell which was even better: the story about Jesus himself….it was the focal point of the true story of the creator God and his world…. Second, it was the story in which the name of Jesus himself was front and center.” ** How can you, like the apostles, share that the story of Jesus is in the end the most epic tale of all?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Daniel, David, now Joseph—all their stories were chapters of the story that led to and continues with you. Let me weave my life, too, into your great saving story. Amen.

* Wright, N.T., Acts for Everyone, Part One: Chapters 1-12 (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 110). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.

** Wright, N.T., Acts for Everyone, Part One: Chapters 1-12 (The New Testament for Everyone) (pp. 166-167). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20, 2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Timothy 6:11

Run away from evil at all costs, as Joseph did 

The apostle Paul used one aspect of Joseph’s story to shape his counsel to new Christians living in the rampantly immoral city of Corinth. “Avoid” in 1 Corinthians 6:18 was the Greek verb pheugō. With his extensive rabbinic Bible knowledge, Paul no doubt knew that Joseph’s story used that verb. “Genesis 39:12 [LXX or Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Old Testament] uses pheugō to describe Joseph’s successful escape from Potiphar’s wife: ‘He fled out of her house’” (cf. Gen. 39:13, 15, 18).” * The same Greek verb occurred twice in the letters to guide the young pastor Timothy in leading his churches. In 1 Timothy 6 it did not relate to specifically sexual morality at all, but to avoiding the trap of trusting in material wealth rather than God caring provision for our needs.

• Sometimes we feel as though Christian living is nothing but negative commands, a long series of “don’ts.” It’s important to recognize that the apostle’s guidance “contains both negative and positive aspects.” ** “Pursue” translates another strong but positive Greek verb, sometimes rendered as “strive for” or “try your best to.” As you reflect on Joseph’s story, how do you see his life reflecting the positive qualities in 1 Timothy 6:11, which grew from the same character that enabled him to flee from the temptation offered by his master’s wife? How can you keep your life open to pursue all the good qualities God wishes to build into you?

Prayer: King Jesus, I give myself to you. Use who I am to flee from evil, but more to positively bless my circle of influence. Fulfill your promise to keep growing me as I walk with you. Amen. 

* Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, comment on 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 in G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, ed., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007, p. 714.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

Opening Scripture: Acts 19:1-7

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.        

MONDAY 6.27.22   Acts 18:23, 19:1-7

The Holy Spirit – Active Agent of New Life

Do you recall that on his second missionary journey, Paul wanted to go to Ephesus, but the Holy Spirit somehow kept him from it? He tried again on his third journey, and got there. Early on, he met some disciples whom John the Baptist (or a follower of his) had baptized. They didn’t know about Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Paul showed them that John had pointed forward to Jesus, and that the Holy Spirit’s power continues Jesus’ work in giving us a new inner life. Baptized in the name of Jesus, they began to experience that power.

• John the Baptist’s ministry was powerful (cf. Matthew 3:1-12), and not everyone who heard him or whom he baptized was present when he baptized Jesus. It makes sense that there were people who accepted John’s message about repentance but didn’t know all about Jesus’ life, teaching, and resurrection. How fully do you understand your faith? What helps you to keep deepening that understanding, and experiencing the Spirit’s life-changing power?
• Scholar N. T. Wright noted, “Luke does not say that tongues always accompany such baptism.” (In fact, he wrote the opposite in a letter to Corinth—cf. 1 Corinthians 12:27-30.) Wright added, “The main thing Luke is doing in this story is to introduce Paul’s work in Ephesus, and to show that … he was concerned with the spirit’s powerful work both in the lives of individuals and out into the wider community.” When have you sensed the difference between ministry or service done with purely human effort, and that done when the Spirit’s power is present?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for calling me, not just to repent over and over, but to keep growing through the power of the Holy Spirit working in my heart and my life. Amen.

TUESDAY 6.28.22   Acts 19:8-17

Two Years of Preaching in Ephesus

Ephesus was a major travel and commerce center (three main Roman roads ran through the city). Paul preached there for two years, first in the synagogue, then in Tyrannus’ lecture hall.

Luke said that after two years, “everyone living in the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks— heard the Lord’s word.” Some traveling exorcists tried to “borrow” Jesus’ name as a gimmick. The results showed clearly that “Jesus” was not a magic word, but a real Lord to take seriously.

• Luke’s description of Paul’s ministry showed the presence of what we call “knowing God” (“convincing arguments”), “loving God” (“the Lord Jesus in the highest regard”) and “serving God” (“unusual miracles” of healing). In what ways have you been able to include all three dimensions in your faith journey? If one or two are weak, how might you allow God to strengthen them in you?

• Earlier in Acts, Luke told of a man named Simon who offered to buy the apostles’ power for his own use (cf. Acts 8:9-24). Here the exorcists just assumed that “Jesus” was a magic word—that all they had to do was repeat it, without any understanding or life commitment. Have you or someone you knew ever tried to invoke the name of Jesus to bail you out of a problem or crisis without a life commitment to his lordship?

Prayer: Living Lord, sometimes I’d like your power to work on my problems or challenges. Remind me that what I need most is your power at work inside me, rather than on the things outside me. Amen.

WEDNESDAY 6.29.22   Acts 19:18-22

Choosing the Gospel Over Sorcery

As in most major cities, many Ephesian citizens held political or economic power. Some also sought to exercise a more mystical kind of power, through the dark arts of sorcery or magic. But a greater power—the greatest power—had come to town. Luke wrote, “The Lord’s word grew abundantly and strengthened powerfully.” One sign was that people who believed Paul’s message then got rid of sorcery scrolls worth roughly 50,000 days’ wages!

• Jesus often stood what seems to us like economic “common sense” on its head (cf. Matthew 6:25-34, Luke 19:1-10). There’s no hint that the Ephesian believers thought of re-selling their sorcery texts to others, despite their great value in a world where scrolls were hand-copied rarities. Have you ever had to “burn” anything of value in order to follow God faithfully? If so, was it worth whatever the economic cost?
• Ephesus (and the whole Greco-Roman world) had limited medical expertise, even less emotional awareness, and served a pantheon of fickle gods who seemed to harm humans more than they helped. Finding Jesus’ power, many of them broke cleanly from their past. Scholar William Barclay wrote, “It is all too true that many of us hate our sins but either we cannot leave them at all or we do so with a lingering and backward look. There are times when only the clean and final break will suffice.” Is there any place in your life where you need to make a clean, final break from something hurtful and wrong?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Ephesus was a center of power, and Paul was a traveling, tent-making preacher. Let his power, your power, be the kind of power I seek, a power than can truly change the world by changing hearts. Amen.

THURSDAY 6.30.22   Acts 19:23-41

A Riot about Artemis (or about money)

When some Ephesians burned their sorcery scrolls, they set the stage for real trouble. Some Ephesian silversmiths who made profitable temple and goddess statues were furious. They rioted because Paul taught, “Gods made by human hands aren’t really gods.” Their leader Demetrius claimed their protest was about reverence for the “great goddess Artemis” (verse 27). But his real concern showed in verse 25: “you know that we make an easy living from this business.”

• The theater in Ephesus seated about 25,000 people, and it was full of angry people shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Yet Luke wrote, “Paul wanted to appear before the assembly.” In this case, disciples and government officials kept him from taking the risk, but Paul wanted to seize any chance to talk to people about Jesus. What risks of any kind are you willing to take for Jesus? Have you ever been like the disciples and government officials, helping someone else avoid a foolish risk?
• Demetrius cleverly exploited the human tendency to favor what is “ours” over anything we see as “foreign.” To his fellow craftsmen, he talked about profits, but he got the mob to defend “their” local goddess Artemis. Have you ever seen hometown pride or patriotism turn into a mindless, irrational defense of “ours” over “theirs”? How can we love our city and country without absurdly assuming that “ours” is always better, just because it’s “ours”?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, keep me from becoming a Demetrius, protecting his profits by appealing to the worst in people. Help me keep growing like Paul, a person passionately committed to serving and sharing you everywhere. Amen.

FRIDAY 7.1.22 Acts 20:1-12

Revisiting Macedonia and Troas

After the riot led by silversmiths, Paul left Ephesus. He spent three months in Macedonia and Greece, strengthening the churches there. He was determined to go to Jerusalem, taking an offering from the Gentile churches to help poverty-stricken Jewish Christians as a sign of the unity of all believers (cf. 2 Corinthians 8-9, probably written from Ephesus). In Troas, God’s power used Paul as its instrument to give life back to a young man who fell after dozing off during a long discussion.

• We sometimes picture Paul as a “lone wolf,” a solitary hero. In verse 6 of today’s reading, Luke listed the names of six different people who were traveling with Paul at this time. It turns out Paul was a team builder and tireless mentor. He knew he had much to share with others, and that he needed them to help make his work effective. How good are you at enlisting the gifts of others to work with you in serving God?

• Luke wrote that in Troas Paul, in “a discussion” (don’t you wish Luke had said what it was about?) talked “until midnight,” and then “right up until daybreak.” Yet when the young man Eutychus fell asleep and took a potentially disastrous fall, Paul didn’t scold him, but called on God’s power to restore him to life and health. Next time you get restless because a sermon has gone beyond 30 minutes, remember Paul at Troas!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, guide me to the people who can make my service stronger. Keep me aware of the people I can bless, encourage and guide on their journey. Let your life-giving power flow through me. Amen.

SATURDAY 7.2.22   Acts 20:13-38

Paul’s Heartfelt Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

As he set out for Jerusalem, Paul asked the Ephesian church elders to meet him in a nearby port city. He reviewed the essential principles of his time with them and urged them to keep on serving Christ as faithfully as he always tried to. It was an emotional meeting. Paul had a strong sense that his enemies were likely to be stronger in Jerusalem than in any of the other cities where he had preached. The Ephesians wept as he told them, “I know that none of you will see me again.”

• Paul wrote to the Corinthians (again, probably from Ephesus) about a crisis in Asia in which he was afraid he might not survive (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:8-10). Luke didn’t describe that crisis in Acts, but he quoted Paul as saying in this farewell speech, “I served the Lord with great humility and with tears in the midst of trials that came upon me because of the Jews’ schemes” (verse 19). Then Paul added, “I’m going to Jerusalem. I don’t know what will happen to me there. What I do know is that the Holy Spirit testifies to me from city to city that prisons and troubles await me” (verses 22, 23). Remember, people who change the world don’t quit. Where is God calling you to exercise perseverance and hope in the face of difficulty right now?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for standing by Paul, whose life and writings bless and inspire me. Give me something of his courage and faith, as I do whatever you set before me. Amen.