Parasha Vayeshev 5784
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Me
Me
This week we read Parasha Vayashev (Genesis 37:1-40:23) as we continue through the journey of the development of the tribes of Israel. The Parasha begins in chapter 37 with a reminder that Jacob, much like his father and grand–father, was a sojourner in the land of Canaan, then says it is going into he genealogies of Jacob. However, rather than simply dictating the names of Jacob’s sons and their sons and so on, we actually dive in immediately with the narrative of Joseph’s interactions with his brothers. Particularly things like Joseph being one of the youngest of the brothers, yet seemingly in a position of management over his older brothers, a position from which he has to bring back bad reports about his brothers’ actions while shepherding. But we also see that Jacob plays a huge part in the dynamic of Joseph’s relationship with his brothers because Jacob makes no effort to hide that Joseph is clearly his favorite son.
Then we read of Jospeh’s dreams which he can’t help but share with his family even though he doesn’t quite understand them, and they create an even bigger rift in the family dynamic. And, despite no one truly knowing yet what they mean or if they will amount to anything, Jacob (a man who has had dreams of his own come true) gets on to Joseph for flaunting them, but because of his own experiences he holds onto the dreams in the back of his mind waiting with great anticipation to see how they play out.
Then the rest of chapter 37 is the narrative of Joseph being sent by daddy dearest to spy on his brothers and their plan to kill Joseph, which turns into them selling Joseph into slavery instead and then slaughtering a goat and spreading the blood on Joseph’s robe to make Jacob think Joseph was eaten by a wild animal.
(And in case you didn’t notice this Torah nugget: Jacob fools Isaac with the slaughter of a goat, Jacob is fooled by his sons with the slaughter of a goat)
And closing out chapter 37, we see Joseph sold into Egypt to Potiphar.
In Chapter 38 we take what is seemingly a detour from the character development journey focused on Joseph and make a pit stop in the life of Judah (the same one who had the idea to sell Joseph). In this account we read of Judah and Tamar (and you can read it for yourselves to dig into the full weight of that awkwardness.)
In chapter 39 we see Joseph seems to be able to succeed in any scenario, no matter how much crisis he faces. He becomes the head of Potipher’s house and Potipher’s wife tries to seduce him then has him imprisoned for attempted rape when he refuses. But in jail he is he successful and insanely blessed and becomes the head inmate. No matter what he faces, no matter what the world throws at him, much like Daniel, Joseph is always faithful and waits on the Lord. And in this he is blessed.
Finally, in chapter 40 we see Joseph and his connection to dreams reappear as he interprets the dreams of the imprisoned chief cupbearer and chief baker. The dreams come true exactly as Joseph interprets and he asks the chief cupbearer to remember him and get Pharaoh to set him free from jail too. But, chapter 40 ends with the cupbearer forgetting all about Joseph, and Joseph’s streak of terrible things happening to him continues For two more years.
We
We
God
God
As you can tell from reading Parasha Vayeshev, it is not only the introduction of Joseph but also gives us a sneak peak into the various causes and effects that are part of the puzzle of how Joseph lands where he lands in order to setup what God uses him to setup for Israel. But, we’re going to focus on a specific aspect of Joseph’s narrative today, and as we do I want us to keep this principle in mind…
Principle: Whereas G-d blesses the faithful, the enemy will always try to wreck the faithful.
(Repeat)
Parasha Vayeshev
Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh, commander of the bodyguards, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there.
But Adonai was with Joseph. So he became a successful man in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
His master saw that Adonai was with him and that Adonai made everything he set his hand to successful.
Joseph found favor in his eyes, so he served him as a personal servant and he made him an overseer over his household; everything that was his he entrusted into his hand.
From the time that he made him an overseer in his house and over everything that belonged to him, Adonai blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph; Adonai’s blessing was on everything that belonged to him, in the house and in the field.
So he released everything he owned into Joseph’s hand. With him in charge, he did not think about anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and handsome in appearance.
Parasha Vayeshev
Joseph is sold into slavery, finds tremendous favor from the Lord even while enslaved…
But what happens next…? (Talk about Potiphar’s wife trying to seduce Joseph)
Then she kept the garment with her until his master came home.
She spoke the same words to him saying, “The Hebrew slave that you brought us approached me to fool with me.
When I raised my voiced and screamed, he left his garment with me and fled outside.”
Now when his master heard the words his wife spoke to him saying, “Such are the things your slave did to me,” his anger burned.
Then Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So there he was, in the prison.
Parasha Vayeshev
But Adonai was with Joseph and extended kindness to him and gave him favor in the eyes of the commander of the prison.
The commander of the prison entrusted into Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison, so that everything that was done there, he was responsible for it.
The commander of the prison did not concern himself with anything at all under his care, because Adonai was with him, and Adonai made whatever he did successful.
Parasha Vayeshev
Joseph goes from enslaved to imprisoned, yet in both scenarios he experiences tremendous divine favor and finds himself in unique positions of influence and power. Not quite what Joseph would have pictured with regards to his earlier dreams, but definitely not quite as bad as he could have had it enslaved and imprisoned.
(Talk about cupbearer’s and chief baker’s dreams—cupbearer restored to power and chief baker’s death)
Then it happened on the third day—Pharaoh’s birthday—that he held a banquet for all his servants. He lifted up the head of the chief of the cupbearers and the head of the chief of the bakers among his servants.
He restored the chief of the cupbearers as his cupbearer, and he put the cup on the palm of Pharaoh’s hand.
But the chief of the bakers he hung. It was just as Joseph had interpreted for them.
Yet the chief of the cupbearers did not remember Joseph—indeed, he forgot him.
Parasha Vayeshev
Principle: Whereas G-d blesses the faithful, the enemy will always try to wreck the faithful.
Parasha Vayeshev
(We see a similar scenario in Ezra as the Jews who have returned to and are rebuilding Jerusalem)
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for Adonai the God of Israel,
they approached Zerubbabel and the leading patriarchs and said to them, “Let us build with you, for like you we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here.”
But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the prominent patriarchs of Israel said to them, “It is not for you and us to build a House for our God—but we alone will build it for Adonai the God of Israel, just as Cyrus—king of Persia—has commanded us.”
Then the people of the land began discouraging the people of Judah and making them afraid to build.
They bribed advisors in order to thwart their plans all the days of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Parasha Vayeshev
(Immediately after Cyrus dies Ahasuerus begins his reign and the discouraging people write a letter to him requiring him to force the Jews to stop rebuilding)
Principle: Whereas G-d blesses the faithful, the enemy will always try to wreck the faithful.
Parasha Vayeshev
(In Matthew 10 we see Yeshua sending the 12 Disciples out to minister on His behalf and Yeshua is warning them of what they will face)
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues.
You will be brought before governors and kings because of Me, as a witness to them and to the Gentiles.
But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you should say, for it shall be given to you in that hour what you should say.
For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Parasha Vayeshev
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before you.
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But you are not of the world, since I have chosen you out of the world; therefore the world hates you.
“Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
“But all these things they will do to you for the sake of My name, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin.
“He who hates Me also hates My Father.
If I had not done works among them that no one else did, they would have no sin. But now they have seen and have hated both Me and My Father.
So is fulfilled the word written in their Scripture, ‘They hated Me for no reason.’
“When the Helper comes—whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—He will testify about Me.
Parasha Vayeshev
Principle: Whereas G-d blesses the faithful, the enemy will always try to wreck the faithful.
Parasha Vayeshev
What then shall we say in view of these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is the one who condemns? It is Messiah, who died, and moreover was raised, and is now at the right hand of God and who also intercedes for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Messiah? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
As it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”
But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord.
You
You
(Call worship team up and unmute)
We
We
Principle: Whereas G-d blesses the faithful, the enemy will always try to wreck the faithful.
Parasha Vayeshev