January 30, Tuesday

Devotional Thoughts for This Morning

“Who You Gonna Call?”

Genesis 41:16

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

When you have a question, where do you go? All of us have go-to sources: a knowledgeable friend, Google, Reddit, even Yahoo Answers! Last year, I experienced a situation in which a colleague had told leaders of my team something untruthful about what I had done (others brought it to my attention). I was shocked and upset. Unsure of what to do, I consulted several places: I went to my manager, I read dozens of Harvard Business Review articles on dealing with conflicts—in short, I tried to get all sorts of opinions.

But, of course, the Spirit prompted me to pray. Once I did, I knew that God wanted to deal with the matter in a different way than I had been urged to. While others suggested confronting my colleague and clearing my reputation directly with the leaders, God called me to first forgive immediately and work meekly in the meantime. I see now that by allowing God to work, the truth eventually prevailed, and our relationship was preserved (even improved over the last year). There was no shortage of opinions available, but the one I should have sought first was God’s.

Pharaoh wanted an answer, and he hoped that Joseph would be the one to give it. But Joseph directed Pharaoh to see that it is not people that we should always rely on. God is the one who gives wisdom and provides the solution. While we are blessed to have others care deeply about our circumstances and share experience, we should always seek God first when making decisions and clarifying mysteries.

Today, if God places a quandary in front of us, let us go to Him first and ask how He would like us to solve the problem. Let us not trust our own experience; let us intentionally ask Him to guide us and lead us. We might find that God, in His infinite wisdom, has a different plan than our mere understanding will suggest. Let us become a people who habitually go to Him first before everything else!

Prayer: Father, we want to seek You first above all else. Please build in us the habit of seeking Your wisdom first before anything else. Help us avoid becoming “wise in [our] own eyes,” and teach us to approach You humbly in every moment. We want to be guided by You in all our ways. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 18

Lunch Break Study

Read James 1:5-8: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Questions to Consider

In addition to asking for wisdom, what other quality should we ask for when seeking God?
There are two parties in this exchange: the asker, and God. What does James say about God that ensures He is trustworthy in this exchange?
After asking for wisdom, what is the next step? How well do we practice this in our lives?

Notes

The person seeking wisdom shoud also be one of faith. The person who asks with doubt is not anchored in faith that God hears and provides. Therefore, he cannot be strong-minded and live with conviction in all circumstances. Wisdom would be wasted on such an individual.
God is able to bestow wisdom. He also gives generously and impartially. Also importantly, God gives to us without reproach, never holding against us how we may be lacking before Him. Because God is able but generous, we can come to Him knowing that He will readily answer our prayer for wisdom.
James points out that faith in our asking is a necessary part of receiving wisdom. This suggests that acting on faith is the required follow-up after we seek God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom will be displayed when we also proceed in humble faith that He guides us.

Evening Reflection

Was there an opportunity for you today to seek God’s wisdom in a strange circumstance? How do you know if it was God’s wisdom rather than yours? Let’s pray over the fruit of our actions and thoughts and pray for more opportunity tomorrow to seek and exercise His wisdom.

January 29, Monday

The AMI QT devotionals for January 29-February 4 are provided by Christine Li. Christine graduated from University of Pennsylvania and currently lives and works in New York City. She attends Remnant Church in Manhattan.

Devotional Thoughts for This Morning

“Sharing (Stories) is Caring”

Genesis 41:9-10

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. ¹⁰Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard.

When I was in college, my servant’s team decided we would start sharing our testimonies during small group. I recounted an experience of healing that God had miraculously worked in my life. Later, to my surprise, four people approached me independently, all sharing how they were going through similar hardships and, through my story, had been encouraged to believe that God could heal and restore them. Afterwards, I began to see that all experiences God puts into my life (both miracles and hardships) are not just for my own benefit, but for others as well.

Here in this passage, we see that the cupbearer has finally broken his silence after two years and now shares about his experience of God through Joseph’s interpretation of dreams. No one knew that dreams could be divinely interpreted, but because the cupbearer testified, Pharaoh and all the listeners learned what God is able to do. From one man’s testimony, God’s might was displayed!

As people of God, we can practice testifying of the work God can do. Not only will we be reminded of His faithfulness in our lives, but we can help others understand more of the ways He moves around us. Some people might read the Bible and think that God’s works were for another people of another time; however, when they hear us witness about His hand in our lives, they will be reminded that He is present and active in our world.

Today, let’s be on the lookout for an opportunity to testify of what God has done (or is doing) in our lives. It does not have to be a grand story; sometimes, the smallest movements of God will be a great encouragement for others to know Him better. Let us cultivate a habit of praising Him for every big and small work so that our communities will ascribe to Him all the honor due His name!

Prayer: Father, help us to be a thankful people who testify about Your work in our lives. May we attribute every single thing to Your hand – not our own work, cleverness, or luck. Let our witnessing be an encouragement to one another to see You clearly and praise You together. Use our stories to showcase Your work so that others may come to glorify You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 17

Lunch Break Study

Read John 4:1-7, 28-30, 39-42 (In spirit of sharing testimony, we’ll make some observations about encountering Jesus. We will focus on selected verses from the entire passage in Chapter 4)

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John ²(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), ³he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. ⁴And he had to pass through Samaria. ⁵So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.^[^a^]

⁷A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” …

²⁸So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ²⁹“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” ³⁰They went out of the town and were coming to him. …

³⁹Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” ⁴⁰So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. ⁴¹And many more believed because of his word. ⁴²They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Questions to Consider

Describe the nature of the circumstances when the woman encountered Jesus.
Describe how the Samaritan woman told others about Jesus.
Describe how the other Samaritans came to know Jesus. What hand does she have in their relationship with Jesus?

Notes

The Samaritan woman wasn’t looking to meet Jesus or encounter Him that day. But God came to meet her exactly where she knew she would be (in that location, in her shamefulness during the heat of the day when she avoided society). While she knew not what she was going to ask for, He was ready to give her more than she knew.
We can note some observations on witnessing based on how she described her encounter with Jesus: she merely told others about her experience with Him. She did not rely on any reputation or clout to draw others to Him; she did not have to embellish her stories. By being faithful to proclaim what God had done, she drew others to Him. We may find that we, too, are surprised by the outcome when we share with others.
At first, the Samaritans had only heard about Him from the woman. But they acted on their curiosity and came to know Him. By encountering the living Christ for themselves, they heard Him and eventually followed Him. For us, let us be faithful to proclaim what good news we know and remember that, for others to believe, God Himself will draw them in and meet with them personally.

Evening Reflection

During the course of the day, did God bring up anything to mind to share with others about God or someone to share it with? Ask Him to give you the faith that the prompting comes from Him as well as the courage to act on it.

January 28, Sunday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Genesis 40:8-22

“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” 9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.” 12 “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. . .. 16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18 “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.” 20 Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— 22 but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.

Dreams and their interpretation have probably fascinated people since they first started sleeping (when Adam lost his rib to Eve? 😊). Most dreams seem to linger in the half-slumber of early morning only to fade away by the time we are done brushing our teeth; but with some dreams we know as soon as we wake up that we’ve just experienced something out of the ordinary, and we ask ourselves, “What does this mean?” We aren’t taught to seek meaning; it is just instinctive: we know that without a good interpretation, a dream is just a dream. So where do interpretations come from, and how do they come about?

In today’s passage, we see that the revelation Joseph received was certainly divine, but we can also see that this kind of revelation may not be as mysterious and inaccessible as it may seem. When he heard the dreams, did the interpretations just come to him out of the blue heavens? Did Joseph just know? It may have all come together for him in that moment, but it appears that elements could also have been naturally revealed in a way that set the backdrop. From this, some possible principles of the art of dream interpretation:

First principle: Look at the imagery. For both dreams, the imagery gave strong clues as to the overall message. In the cupbearer’s, there was fruitful imagery and an actual scene of him doing what he used to do. Not hard to arrive at, “Maybe it means you’re going to get your old job back,” even without God’s help. The baker’s dream was less straightforward, but birds eating the bread that had been meant for Pharaoh was certainly something a baker would not have wanted to see happen professionally, and it would have been natural for any listener to lean towards an unfavorable interpretation based on the imagery alone.

Second principle: Connect to what is going around you. It would not be a stretch to assume that Joseph (as well as the dreamers) knew that Pharaoh’s birthday was coming in three days— perhaps knowledge they were all the more privy to, being imprisoned in the home of an official who would have been invited to the party. But when Joseph heard the cupbearer’s description of the three branches (the clusters ripening suggesting the fullness of time had come, the vine’s blossoming as soon as it budded suggesting this time was coming quickly), it’s not hard to imagine how he could have arrived at “in three days” with some help from God.

Third principle: Go with what God is doing in the moment. If we look at the two dreams, the first seems “easier” (i.e., more intuitive) than the second. But when the baker asks Joseph to interpret his second, more difficult dream, because God had just revealed certain themes in the first (i.e., work-related, to be fulfilled in three days), Joseph could see the baker’s dream as running along parallel lines. For instance, Joseph may not have arrived at “three days” or “in the fullness of time” solely based on the three baskets on the baker’s head, but the number three connected the second dream to the first, and in this way the interpretation of the second, more difficult dream, flowed out of the first.

Through all of the above, seeing how the interpretation of a dream can come about can encourage us to take a stab at something that should not just be relegated to the realm of “fortune tellers” or other strange types of people. As Joseph said, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” So let’s take back, as we are doing in other areas as well, what belongs to Him.

Prayer: Lord God, be both in my waking and in my sleeping. Help me to be more aware of You at work all around so that I may, understanding the times and what You are doing in the moment, learn to interpret the signs You give. And when You reveal, may I be ready to respond. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 16

January 27, Saturday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Genesis 40:9-15

So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.” 12 “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”

“I know I’m supposed to be here for and ministering to Marybelle, but when I pray, why do I keep feeling that God is speaking to me about my own issues? I seem to be getting distracted.” While we are right to feel we shouldn’t be allowing ourselves to become the center of things when we’re supposed to be serving others, at the same time, should it be surprising that when we are serving others, God does a work in and for us as well?

“Remember me and get me out of here.” (v. 14, paraphrased)

Looking at Joseph’s success in prison, one can sometimes forget that it wasn’t easy for him to be there. He wanted out. Though he was staying at the home of a master who still seemed to view him with favor, even after a major crisis had threatened their relationship (Gen 39:19-20; 40:3-4, 7), his room at that home was still just a dungeon, his position still that of a slave. As prison manager, Joseph had risen in position as far as he could go under the circumstances, but what he was in charge of was still just a jail. His life was not at all going according to plan (as a young man wired as an administrator, no doubt he had had a plan). Though up to this point, the author has mainly been highlighting Joseph’s prosperity in adversity, here he reminds us of truly how adverse Joseph’s circumstances were: far from his own real home and family, forced to work as a slave, wrongly accused and misunderstood (=unhappy home life, work life and emotional/social life).

“This is what it means . . .” (v. 12)

Yet when Joseph receives the interpretation of the dream, hope arises. The reminder of the sorry state of his life (v. 15) appears in the context of his sharing it with someone who would soon be in a position to deliver him from it (v. 14). Though the dream was for the cupbearer, when Joseph interprets it, it also becomes a dream for him (i.e., having bearing on his life). When we exercise our gifts in service to others, we often think at first that we are just coming alongside to help, only to realize later that God had a reason for choosing us to be the very person to serve that other in this matter. Our well-beings are all connected; this is the beauty of God’s design for humanity. So whether it be in prayer, teaching, counseling, or other kind of serving, let us embrace ministering to one another today, trusting God’s love is expansive enough to cover us all, even at the same time.

Prayer: Lord God, help me to die to myself today and simply serve others, remembering that this can be the very way You release blessing in my own life, remembering that serving others is not in conflict with having my own needs met. I take you at Your word, that the one who loses their life for You will find it.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 14-15

January 26, Friday

Devotional Thoughts for this Morning

Genesis 40:2-8

Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, 5 each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” 8 “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

“How are you doing? Doing OK?” Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Israel with the saints of the Church of Southland and overseas workers from various places. I have many good memories of the trip, including enlightening teachings in historical settings, the beauty of the seasides, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Traveling in a group of about a hundred people, we didn’t always get to have extended conversations, but an impression that’s particularly stayed with me has been that of different people at various points throughout the trip greeting me with a kind, quick but sincere, “How are you doing? Doing OK?”

In yesterday’s passage, we saw that Joseph had been put in charge of those with him in the prison and made responsible for all that happened there (39:22). What did this mean and how did he carry out his duties? What we get a glimpse of today is that he served people by asking the very question, “How are you doing?” or in his words, “Why do you look so sad today?” (v. 7)

He had been assigned to attend to the former cupbearer and baker to Pharaoh. The three of them were fellow prisoners (v. 7), and over time, they developed among themselves a relationship that allowed them to have this exchange: Joseph being able to sense that something was wrong, their being willing to share, his offering to help. Regardless of their official rankings, whether he was above or below them, because he was prison manager or prison slave, the role we see Joseph taking on here is that of a shepherd and servant leader.

Joseph’s faithful service over time that earned their trust, his attentiveness to their state, his caring enough to get involved, and his willingness to serve others with his God-given gift: all these were how he took responsibility for those who had been put under his charge. Whether we are called to servant lead a small group, a family, or even just one or two people in outreach or discipleship, Joseph demonstrates a model for all of us to admire and follow today.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be sincerely attentive to people around me today. The blessing I have received, help me to pass on to others. In your name I pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 13

Lunch Break Study

Joseph has the dubious honor of being the first prisoner in the Bible. He is followed by a long, illustrious line of others including John the Baptist, Peter and Jesus himself. Paul, the last prisoner of the Bible, wrote the letters below:

Read Philemon 1: Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker—

Ephesians 4:1: As a prisoner for the Lord…

Ephesians 6:19-20: 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Philippians 1:12-14: 12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Colossians 4:10: Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you…

Questions to Consider

When Paul refers to himself as a prisoner, do you think he is doing so literally or metaphorically?
How did Paul spend his time in prison? What was his main concern? (Ephesians 6:19-20, Philippians 1:13)
How did Paul’s imprisonment affect other believers? (Philippians 1:14) When we hear about believers in prison for the sake of the gospel today, what is our response?

Notes

When Paul writes of being a prisoner of Christ, he is not meaning this in just a purely metaphorical way. He was literally in prison when he wrote many of his letters that eventually became our New Testament.
Sharing the gospel, even in prison.
It encouraged them to share more boldly rather than becoming afraid.

Evening Reflection

Spend some time thinking about and praying for believers around the world who are in prison for the sake of the gospel. Pray that they (as well as we ourselves) may continue to declare it fearlessly, as we all should.

January 25, Thursday

Devotional Thoughts for this Morning

Genesis 39:20-23

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Pat and Lorraine meet up every so often for dinner with a group of their friends from college. As they commiserate about the challenges of their respective work situations, some because of their bosses and co-workers, others because of the seeming meaninglessness of their jobs, none are fully aware, but each is being prepared for greatness.

Sometimes situations in life can feel like prison. Dark, with limitations all around, not much room for hope or dreaming. What can happen in a prison? At the end of chapter 39, Joseph goes from working as a slave to being imprisoned as a criminal slave—as if being a slave were not a huge enough restraint already on one’s freedom…

Yet as before, Joseph prospers in this latest of a series of increasingly unfavorable situations, because the Lord is with him. He gains the favor of people in important positions and is given an extraordinary level of responsibility, with opportunities to exercise and develop his administrative skills. Those giving him responsibilities trust him, a criminal slave, wholly and completely (=minimal management). All this would prepare him for the role God had created and placed him in Egypt for: to become a great administrator in a position to save not only his family but a nation of God’s people. At the time of his imprisonment, did he realize what a miracle he was experiencing? Or was he depressed because he was incarcerated and his job was to attend to the needs of criminals?

God is able to shine His light into the dark; the greater the darkness, the greater His glory in overcoming it. His power can break through the seeming limitations, giving us an unusually free reign; He can continue to do all that He wants to do, in and through us. Whatever darkness may come, God will come with us into it and can enable us to flourish in it.

So let us not be disheartened at or fear such situations, especially if they arise because of what we do for the sake of righteousness, our faith, and His glory.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the encouragement of how You worked in Joseph’s life. Whether in a current, limit-full situation or at the prospect of what darkness could come, help me not to be dismayed but to seek Your kingdom first and your righteousness. Help me to see Your light.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 12

Lunch Break Study

The end of Chapter 39 echoes the way it begins. Compare the two passages below:

Read Genesis 39:1-6a: Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Genesis 39:20-23: Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Questions to Consider

What are some of the repeated words and phrases in the two passages?
What do you think is the author’s purpose in such intentional repetition?
What happens when the Lord is with someone? (vv. 2-6, 21-23) Which of these manifestations of God’s presence and faithfulness do you feel most in need of today?

Notes

a) “had been taken,” “had taken him there,” “took him” (vv.1, 20)
b) “the Lord was with Joseph,” “success in everything,” “found favor” (vv. 2-5, 21-23)
c) “put him in charge [of everything],” “did not concern himself” (vv. 4-6, 22-23)
To highlight how God remains the same, even though circumstances change, even going from bad to worse.
That person can receive provision and kindness, succeed, prosper, find favor with people, come into a position of unusually great influence – all this, in circumstances that may seem extremely limiting and not of one’s own choosing. So take heart and have hope in him.

Evening Reflection

Reflect on the day, looking for manifestations of God’s favor on your life, and then thank Him.

January 24, Wednesday

The AMI QT Devotionals from January 22-28 are provided by Kate Moon. Kate, a graduate of Yale (BA) and Columbia University (MA), has been serving the Lord in E. Asia for 15+ years. After taking a one-year hiatus, she has returned to grace us with her wonderful insights drawn from God’s Word. Thank you.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Genesis 39:11-20

One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house . . . .16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” 19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

There is an episode in a T.V. series where the good guy gets the bad guy by planting a microphone in his tooth when he goes to the dentist. The good guy is able to hear and record everything the bad guy says, 24/7, and the bad guy quickly incriminates himself. It was enough to make one stop and think, “What if someone recorded everything I said, 24/7? Would my life and words stand up to the test? What kind of person would I be revealed to be?”

Potiphar’s wife bears false witness against Joseph, telling outright lies about him, and Joseph ends up losing everything: his master’s trust, home and job, not to mention his honor, reputation and freedom. Because there is no third-party witness, it is just his word against hers, and perhaps to emphasize how little weight his word carried at the time, any defense he may have been given a chance to make is not even recorded here.

Interestingly, however, the story that ends up getting told throughout the generations is not Potiphar’s wife’s version but Joseph’s. At the time the supposed event occurred, it was just the two of them in the house, so there is no one who would have known what really happened besides them. So how did this story end up getting told in Genesis? I’m sure Potiphar’s wife never imagined that Joseph would one day become right-hand man to Pharaoh himself, a man in a position more than able to expose her infidelity and dishonesty to the world. She had lied brazenly, confident that no one would ever find out; now even people living thousands of years after the fact know.

Most of us may not be going around telling outright lies about others, but are our stories honest and fair or do we tell them with half-truths that put us in a better light (and perhaps even misrepresent others)? Would we have reason to be embarrassed if truth were exposed? We don’t want to live in a state of paranoia or fear, but from time to time, such questioning can check our hearts.

Prayer: Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you. Purify my heart that in my speech I might not sin against you. May I use words in such a way that I would have nothing to fear from exposure.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 11

Lunch Break Study

Taking a second look from a different angle: what shadows of Jesus do we see in Joseph’s life?

Read Genesis 39:12-20: She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house . . .14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed . . .” 16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” 19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

Isaiah 53:5-9: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities . . . and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all . . . 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

(Note: Though Isaiah 53 does not literally describe Jesus, many, including authors of the New Testament, take this chapter to be a prophecy describing the role he would fulfill.)

Questions to Consider

In what ways did Potiphar’s wife attribute to Joseph actions and attitudes that were actually her own (i.e., lay her sins on him)? (Gen 39:12,14,17)
How were the punishments that Joseph and Jesus bore similar? (Gen 39:19-20, Isa 53:8-9)
The men in both passages are depicted as being in more passive roles; yet, what was the main difference between them in terms of how much their wills were involved? What is it that makes Jesus greater? How does this make us love Him more?

Notes

She had been the one seducing Joseph, but she accuses Joseph of seeking to sleep with her. She accuses him of “making sport” of them, but she is the one who is playing with Joseph’s life.
They both bear the wrath of the one who was wronged by the sin; both punishments involved a separation, a cutting off from a prior life and an important relationship; both end up among the wicked and the rich
Though to his credit he was suffering for being righteous, Joseph’s taking on of another’s sin and its consequences was incidental and involuntary. Jesus, on the other hand, came into this world specifically and intentionally to take on all our sin, out of a love for and desire to save us.

Evening Reflection

Did I live today in a way that I would be unafraid to have broadcast to the world? If so, praise the Lord for his grace. Is there anything I did or said today that I would be embarrassed to have exposed? Freely come to the One who came for that very reason, because we needed His grace and mercy.

January 23, Tuesday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Genesis 39:6-9

So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” 8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

Lorraine’s* co-worker, Marybelle, had a slightly independent and rebellious streak, and it was often getting them into trouble. When Lorraine wasn’t sure about a decision they were making and thought they should run it by their manager, MB would say, “Why do we always have to tell him everything?” When Lorraine wanted to work on a project a little more, MB would say, “It’s good enough. Why do you always have to make everything so perfect?” Afterwards, when her manager would call her into his office (= she’d done something wrong), Lorraine would find her initial instincts had been right. Lorraine didn’t like getting into trouble, but she also just wanted things to be peaceful between her and MB.

(*Names, characters and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.)

One cue Lorraine could take from Joseph today is the principle of living and working to please one master and one alone. If Joseph had been living to please people, he could have easily lost himself trying to figure out how he could both honor his master and please his master’s wife at the same time. But for Joseph, it was simple: to honor God was to honor his master, which meant to say “no” to his master’s wife. It is impossible to please everyone because people will want opposite things from us, often at the same time. Better to acknowledge earlier on the unfeasibility of this strategy for life and go with something more sound. What kept life simple for Joseph and also enabled him to maintain integrity was his determination to live life right in the eyes of God (v. 9).

Our parents want one thing, our in-laws another; our bosses want one thing, our spouses another. When everyone is important but everyone has conflicting interests, how can we avoid getting caught in the middle or ending up compromising what we know is right? Only by living to please God first.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see all decisions through the lens of, “Does this honor You or is it sin against You?” When I place You first, making the best decisions for all involved will take care of itself. Free me from any people-pleasing tendencies and help me to walk in your ways. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 10

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8: As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Questions to Consider

In this passage, what does it mean to live to please God? (vv. 1-3)
What aspects are related to the command to “avoid sexual immorality?” (vv. 3-6)
Concepts like “sanctified,” “holy,” and “not like those who don’t know God” are a running theme throughout this passage. How is the call to be holy related to this particular command? How set apart are your views on this subject from those of society? (vv. 7-8)

Notes

To be sanctified, specifically by avoiding sexual sin.
Believers were to control their bodies in a way that set them apart from what were perhaps cultural norms; they were also specifically commanded not to sin against their brothers and sisters in this particular way.
To be holy is to be “set apart.” Perhaps in that culture, much the same as ours, the concept of sexual morality was seen as just rules made by people (v. 8) that we could take or leave. The real battle was, therefore, not just physical but in the mind, and to win, believers had to set themselves apart by rejecting the prevailing mindset of the day to align themselves with God’s.

Evening Reflection

Tonight, ask yourself these questions: How many of the decisions that I made today were to please God vs. to please people or be in line with the society at large? When I made decisions based, first of all, on whether or not God would be pleased, did I experience His peace? (This is the real way to achieve peace in life, Lorraine 🙂 If so, thank the Lord.

January 22, Monday

Kate Moon, our AMI missionary in E. Asia, will provide our QT Devotional for January 22-29.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Genesis 39:1-5: 1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.

Pat* had been hired by a team leader he felt valued and respected by, but three months into his new job, this leader left the company—and his new supervisor was a terror. Everything Pat did seemed to irritate his new supervisor, who often demeaned him in front of his teammates. He was unhappy but couldn’t change jobs for at least another year, since it wouldn’t look good on his resumé. Have you ever felt stuck in a bad situation through circumstances not under your control?

At 17, Joseph begins his young adult life in just such a manner. The first verse of this chapter states twice how Joseph ended up in Egypt, both times highlighting that it was not of his own accord: He had been “taken down to Egypt” by Ishmaelites who had “taken him there.” He was in a bad situation through circumstances beyond his control, and at this point, he had several choices as to how he could react: 1) blame others (his brothers for selling him, his father for favoring him) and become either an angry, bitter person or lost in self-pity; 2) blame himself (“If only I hadn’t told them about the dreams,” or “If only I hadn’t worn that coat so often,”) and become lost in a sea of regret; or 3) rebel by being passive-aggressive—not doing his best on the job. He may very well have gone through all of these phases in his heart, but it looks like in the end, the choice he made was this: to trust God and do his work according to godly principles. How do we know? Because the text says that God blessed everything that Joseph did.

Are you currently in an unfavorable situation at work or home because of circumstances beyond your control? Such situations are truly difficult and frustrating to be in, but what choice will you make today?

Prayer: Lord, I accept that I cannot be in control of all things and say that I trust that You are still at work, even in unfavorable situations in my life. Would you help me to be faithful in honoring you and so to experience you in the midst of it all? In your name I pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 9

Lunch Break Study

Read the following passages: Genesis 1:26-28: 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Genesis 12:1-3: 1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Questions to Consider

Why did God create human beings? For what role or purpose? (1:26, 28)
Why did God set apart a certain group of people? In what position are they in relation to all other people? (12:2, 3b)
In what ways do you see Joseph’s life fulfilling the two passages above, even as he found himself in an unfavorable situation? How do these verses and his example challenge you?

Notes

To rule over all created things (v.26), under God’s authority, at his command, with his blessing (v. 28). To be God’s stewards over all creation.
To receive God’s blessing and become a blessing to all people.
Joseph managed well what was given to him and became a blessing to another people. To be a faithful steward and a blessing to others, even under circumstances I may not love, is to fulfill my fundamental calling as a human being and one who is of the people of God.

Evening Reflection

Reflect on these questions: Did anything happen today to place me in a situation not of my own choosing (i.e., not under my control)? How did I choose to handle or react to being in such a situation? Did I manage faithfully what God entrusted me with today? Did I bless others today?

January 21, Sunday

The AMI QT devotionals from Jan. 15-21 are provided by Cami King. Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), is currently serving as a staff at Journey Community Church in Raleigh.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

TAMAR | ANYTHING BUT A PROSTITUTE

Genesis 38:24-30

After three months Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, and as a result she has become pregnant.” Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” Then she said, “Identify the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her again. 27 When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28 While she was giving birth, one child put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” So he was named Perez. 30 Afterward his brother came out—the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand—and he was named Zerah.

I can’t tell you how many times over the years that I’ve heard Tamar characterized as a prostitute. Tamar was not a prostitute. She, through levirate marriage laws (see Thursday’s QT), was legally entitled to a son from the family into which she was married—first from her husband, then his brothers, and finally her father-in-law. Although it seems icky to us today, this was their custom. Judah was ultimately responsible for Tamar because he brought her into his family and under his covering (remember they lived in a patriarchal society). And he failed (big fat F!) to care for her. He sent her back to her own people to live as a widow (i.e. as a woman who has no one to care for her).

Furthermore, the text doesn’t suggest that Tamar prostituted regularly. If anything it suggests the opposite (v. 21). Instead, Tamar was forced to devise a plan (vv. 12-26) and reduced to disguising herself as a prostitute to have even the slightest chance of bearing a son—a chance to which she was legally entitled. Tamar thus broke no laws. She didn’t sleep around; she slept with Judah. She wasn’t promiscuous; she was strategic. And at the end of the day, Judah honored her by calling her righteous and God honored her with two sons—a common theme in the Old Testament (God honored women by giving what brought the most honor in their culture—children).

Tamar, the discarded Cannanite woman who was brought into this mess of a dysfunctional family and under the covering of a rebellious member of the people of God (Judah wasn’t even following the laws of God in the first place!), risked it all and, in so doing, single-handedly preserved the family line through which the Messiah would ultimately come (see Matthew 1:3).

I would be remiss if I didn’t draw our attention to the themes so freely discussed in this text –namely human trafficking and exploitation and its devastating effects on the vulnerable. If God includes these topics in God’s Holy Text, shouldn’t we be mindful of them as God’s Holy People? God is a God who covenantally loves the broken, people conditioned by and bound up in sinful systems and corrupt cultures, people like you and me. The people of God were (and are) not such because their way of life was perfect or even as God desired. They were God’s because God chose them. That’s it. And God worked within, around, and even against their broken systems for the good of the righteous and for the glory of His name. God hasn’t changed. So may we, God’s people, be His hands and feet in doing likewise in our world today.

Prayer: Gracious God, You have revealed Yourself to us in Your Word, and for that, I am thankful. The Bible is just not only a collection of stories from long ago, it is a picture of how You do life with broken people. Help me to learn from the success and failure of those who’ve gone before me. Make me part of the redemptive work You are doing in the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 8