Lasting Impact

Because Joseph had been a special son to Jacob, Joseph’s sons were special to their grandfather as well. The NIV study notes on this portion of the text state that Jacob, at his death, adopted Joseph’s first two children as his own.

Read More

Final Promise

“Swear to me, Joseph—promise me this,” Jacob said. “Place your hand under my thigh and swear.” Making promises to the dying is nothing unusual. That is still done today.

Read More

Tender Mercies

Pharaoh swept his hand out wide, so as to include all that vast land of Egypt, and said, “It’s all yours, Joseph.” Then he took off his signet ring and put it on Joseph’s hand. You know what that ring signified, don’t you?

Read More

Humility When Promoted

There stood Joseph right before him, meeting all the requirements. But even then, when it seemed appropriate for Joseph to volunteer, he restrained. The king, however, knew Joseph was the man for the job.

Read More

Lessons in Adversity

This is a good time to call to mind several lessons we can learn from Jacob’s family and Joseph’s adversity. The first is obvious. No enemy is more subtle than passivity. When parents are passive, they may eventually discipline . . .

Read More

God’s Training Manual

Before we get better acquainted with Joseph, let’s take a quick glance at some background information. It will help if you remember that his biography falls neatly into three distinct segments.

Read More

Never the Same

“Nathan then said to David, ‘You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. I also gave you your master’s house . . .”‘”

Read More

Live Like It Today

When I think of fallen people, my mind returns to an ancient example, King Saul, the tall, dark, handsome monarch of the Hebrews. What an impressive specimen of humanity!

Read More

Temporal Rewards for Those Who Serve God

I’ll be candid with you. I have never read anywhere else in the Bible what God revealed to me in 2 Corinthians: “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

Read More

Par for the Servanthood Course

Paul was no criminal. The man was innocent of wrong . . . yet he was misunderstood, mistreated, hunted like a wounded deer, and hated by those who once respected him. In 2 Corinthians 4:9, Paul states we are “struck down.”

Read More