E-pistle for June 26, 2009
Posted by: info <info@...>
E-pistle
Dr. Dan Hite, President FreeWay Foundation June 26, 2009
Joseph's Dream of Destiny
(Genesis 37:1-36)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on why Joseph was hated by his brothers
1. Because he brought a bad report about them to their father, Jacob . . .
whether Joseph merely was obeying his father's orders or being a
"tattle-tale" is not clear from this Scripture, vv. 1-2.
2. Because he was their father's favorite son of his favorite wife, Rachel,
Joseph became the object of criticism and envy, vv. 3-5, 11.
3. Because his father favored him with obvious preferential treatment by
giving him a distinctive tunic of many colors, v. 3.
4. Because he told his brothers about his two prophetic dreams, vv. 5-11.
II. Meditation: on Joseph's dreams of destiny
1. Dream One: While binding sheaves in the field, Joseph's sheaf arose
and stood upright, but the brothers' sheaves bowed down to his, vv. 6-7.
2. Interpretation: Joseph would reign in dominion over his brothers, v. 8.
3. Dream Two: The sun, moon, and stars all bowed down to Joseph, v. 9.
4. Interpretation: Joseph's father (sun), his mother (moon), and his brothers
(stars) all would bow down before him, v. 10.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual principles taught in this chapter
1. It is usually unwise to share God's personal vision or revelation with
others . . . especially with unbelievers, I Corinthians 2:14.
2. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery and many years passed . . .
between God's vision and its fulfillment, there always is a time of
testing of a person's faith.
3. God is able to overcome all malice, betrayal, and lies . . . He can bring
good out of bad, Romans 8:28.
4. "What goes around comes around" or "Chickens always will come home
to roost" . . . just as Jacob deceived his father, Isaac, to obtain Esau's
blessing, so also Jacob's sons deceived their father about the violent
"death" of Joseph, vv. 12-36; Numbers 32:23.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Be open to see God's spiritual vision and to hear God's prophetic word
about my personal destiny in life.
2. Expect a long and tedious period of delay between God's promises to me
and their fulfillment, II Peter 3:8-9.
3. With living and growing faith, trust in the Lord to accomplish His will for
me, in me, and through me.
4. Be absolutely sure that God knows my sinful nature, and that He will
repay my deeds with His righteous (poetic) justice . . . my only hope is
Christ's mercy and grace, Romans 6:23.
Tamar Outsmarts Judah
(Genesis 38:1-30)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the Canaanite woman named Tamar
1. "Tamar" means "date palm."
2. This Tamar is listed as a part of the lineage of Jesus Christ, Matthew 1:3.
3. This Tamar is NOT David's daughter listed in II Samuel 13.
4. This Tamar was cited a part of the blessing which the elders pronounced
when Ruth married Boaz, Ruth 4:12.
II. Meditation: on Tamar's ill treatment by Judah (one of the 12 sons of Jacob)
1. Tamar was the wife of Judah's eldest son, Er, a wicked man who died
without producing a son, vv. 6-7.
2. Judah gave Tamar his second son, Onan, for the purpose of producing
a son in the name of the dead man, Er, vv. 7-8.
3. Onan refused to impregnate Tamar, so God took his life, vv. 9-10.
4. Judah refused to allow his third son, Shelah, to become Tamar's husband
because he feared for Shelah's life . . . Judah believed that Tamar was
"bad luck" on husbands, vv. 11, 14.
III. Revelation: on God's use of Tamar's scheme to teach
1. Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and agreed to have sexual
relations with her father-in-law, Judah, vv. 12-15.
2. Judah and Tamar agreed upon a price (one goat), but Tamar asked for
Judah's signet (ring), cord, and staff as a pledge, vv. 16-18.
3. Tamar resumed her role as Judah's daughter-in-law; Judah searched but
could not find the "harlot" to pay his debt, vv. 19-23.
4. Three months later, when it became obvious that Tamar was pregnant,
Judah wanted to have her burned as a harlot . . . but she produced his
signet ring, cord, and staff to prove that he was the father; twin boys
were born: Perez and Zerah, vv. 24-30.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Live according to God's laws (not attempting to circumvent them or "to
find a loop-hole") . . . The Levitate Law required a dead man's brother
to marry his childless widow and father a son who would assume the
dead man's name and inherit his portion of the Promised Land,
Deuteronomy 25:5-10. (See Ruth 2:20, 3:2, 9-13; 4:1-11; Matthew 22:23-33)
2. Realize that Almighty God can and will accomplish His perfect will,
sometimes even using unworthy people and sinful actions to bring
about His ultimate good, Romans 8:28.
3. Refrain from making any hasty judgments, condemning a person who
"obviously" is guilty of a gross sin, Matthew 7:1-5. Remember that
pride goes before a fall, (Proverbs 16:18).
4. Confess my own guilt and sin before the Lord, recognizing that I am a
dirty (but forgiven) sinner myself. Judah was right when he said, "She
has been more righteous than I, v. 26.
Failures – But Not Quite
(Copied from "Good Stuff")
· After Fred Astaire's first screen test, a 1933 memo from the MGM
testing director said, "Can't act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little."
Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.
· A relatively unsuccessful marketer of restaurant equipment, he didn't
sell his first hamburger until age 52. At a time when many people
prepare for retirement, Ray Kroc built McDonald's from a handful
of hamburger stands into the world's largest food chain.
· When his older brother was killed during WWII, he first withdrew
Into a shell. Then he began to listen to the radio to ease his pain.
Soon he was dreaming about hosting his own radio show. That led
Dick Clark to start American Bandstand.
· Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper for lacking ideas. He also
went bankrupt several times before he build Disneyland.
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