King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Monday,
Chapters: Genesis 37-39
Message: God Has A Dream
Hello My Friend,
I have a dream, a ministry that teaches teenage and young women how to walk with Christ, that have been handed a life that had no hope for them. To be the mother figure they so desperately need, as God would put it, [Psalms 113:9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.]. I have come to the conclusion that this is exactly what God has led me to do, and He has been telling me to do this for a very long time now. Let me tell you, until we do the things that God is calling us to do, we are going to jump from one thing to the next, trying to find what truly brings us purpose, but never satisfied. This has been me, but I do not count any of the things that I attempted as failures, each every one of those things were used so that I could be used for the very calling that God has given me, [John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.]
There are different types of dreams, we have those images in our head that our subconscious tends to give us when we are sleeping. Then we have those hopes that we have of our future, those images in our heart that we so desperately long for. Then there is the most vivid dreams of all, those are the ones that God gives us, those images way down deep in the soul of the one Jesus saves, these are the dreams that only God can and does fulfill for His purpose, and in His time. And now we come to Joseph, the first son that Jacob had with his beloved Rachel. Jacob favored Joseph more than them, and his brothers knew that, which made them envious of him. He had these crazy dreams at the age of seventeen, but they were actually not so crazy to his brothers.
[Genesis 37:1-5 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.]
[and they hated him yet the more.] I really do not think Jacob loved them any less, but all they saw was that their brother was this goody goody, who told their father every bad thing they did and they despised him for that, and especially the dreams. Even his own father rebuked Joseph when they told him about the dreams,
[Genesis 37:6-11 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.]
[but his father observed the saying.] Although Jacob did not like that Joseph was kind of boasting about these dreams, he did not put it past him. I imagine since Jacob knew that Joseph was godly, and also coming from his own experience, he could see something like that happening. When God has big dreams for us it does not mean that we do not mess up we mess up just as much as anyone else, it means that we have a heart for God, we are faithful, and willing to be used of Him, He will have big dreams for us, [Psalms 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.]
Jacob sent his sons to Shechem to feed the sheep, which apparently he left a flock there, he calls on Joseph to go and check on them, but when he arrived in Shechem they were not there, [Genesis 37:15-20 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.]
[they conspired against him to slay him.] Let me tell you, the longer I walk with Christ the more I discover that He protects my every step, even if my dreams are getting in the way of His dreams and start doing my own thing for a while, and He does the same for all His chosen. Now, God had big dreams for Joseph, He was going to use this situation to fulfill those dreams. He intervened, first with Reuben, by telling his brothers not to kill Joseph, [Genesis 37:21-24 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.]
[to deliver him to his father again.] Reuben’s intention was to actually go back for him after his brother’s left, but again, God had bigger dreams for Joseph. That was when Judah stepped in, [Genesis 37:25-29,36 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt. And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.]
[an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.] While Joseph’s brothers told their faith that he was killed by a wild animal and he is mourning, Joseph is sold once again as a slave to the king’s (Pharaoh) captain of the guards. The brother’s on the other hand, not knowing what really was to come of him started separating, Judah moved further into Canaan, and married a woman, of whom he had three sons with.
[Genesis 38:1-6 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her. And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.]
[whose name was Tamar.] Tamar was the pawn in all this, having to be passed down from son to son because God was not pleased with them. And in a bizarre turn of events, it was Tamar that Judah would have a son with. [Genesis 38:11-15 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house. And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep. And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.]
[he thought her to be an harlot;] Judah looking for some comfort for a night, ended up being with his own daughter-in-law, Tamar conceived and had twins, [Genesis 38:28-30 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.]
[therefore his name was called Pharez.] Judah did not know it, but God would use this bizarre situation for another dream, to preserve his seed in not only bringing David, the apple of God’s eye, into the world, but His very own begotten Son also, [Matthew 1:1-3 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;]
Now, if there is anyone in the Bible who can teach us about uses every situation in His dream for us, it is Joseph. It turns out that it was not such a bad thing being sold as a slave when it is God who has big dreams for us, [Genesis 39:1-4 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.]
[and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.] One of the most incredible things is that while God is preparing us until He fulfill those dreams we are going to face some tribulation, which will in turn not only prepare us, but bless us. Sadly, our faithfulness to Christ, and the prosperity it brings, often brings more trouble. Someone was watching Joseph, Potiphar’s wife, and she was not too pleased with him when we rejected her proposal, [Genesis 39:7-8,12,16,20-21 And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.]
[But the LORD was with Joseph,] Joseph could have fought with them, but he chose to make the best of the situation and even made a positive impact on people in prison. While none of the things that happen to us are really God’s will for us, He knows that they are going to happen, He will never let one bad thing from keeping us from fulfilling His dream for us, and will even use them to make that dream come true, [Romans 8:28-29 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Genesis 39:9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?]
Today’s Prayer: God, There is not one soul that You create that You do not have big dreams that it would believe in You, then in turn Your Son, whom we would receive as our Saviour, and be chosen by Jesus to do some great thing for You. Of course, You already know our fate the second we are born, and yet You will use every situation to fulfill that dream should we follow come to You through Your Son. Once we do, You are there with us every step of the way, and will make use of every situation to make sure Your dream for us is fulfilled. While I know I have taken some wrong turns in my attempts to follow my own dreams, You still have a plan and a purpose for everything I have done. Lord, thank You for loving me, never forsaking me, and always having better dreams for me, for they truly are what brings purpose in this life. I love You Lord, and pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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