Genesis 37:1-40:23
“Ya’akov continued living in the land where his father had lived as a foreigner, the land of Kena’an” (Genesis 37:1).
Excerpt:
Joseph’s Life in Egypt
In Genesis 14:13, Abram is referred called a Hebrew. Hebrew comes from the word ivrit and means to ‘traverse or cross over a boundary.’ The word can also mean ‘sojourner’ or one who makes his home as a stranger in a foreign land.
Some gentile believers in Yeshua refer to themselves as Hebrews when they ‘cross over’ and begin to understand the Torah continues to be valid even today. A true Hebrew, like Abraham, ‘crosses over’ from a world of darkness into the light of life making them a ‘sojourner’ in the world. Joseph became a sojourner in Egypt –– a foreign land with foreign customs.
Joseph is sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the Captain of the Guard. He is put in charge of Potiphar’s household and entrusted with all his possessions. Potiphar puts great faith in Joseph’s ability and integrity that he has no concern for anything except the food he eats.
“Adonai blessed the Egyptian’s household for Yosef’s sake; Adonai’s blessing was on all he owned, whether in the house or in the field” (Genesis 39:5).
Joseph is well-built and handsome, and Potiphar’s wife is attracted to him. She tempts him to sleep with her, but Joseph stands against her temptations and maintains his integrity (Genesis 39:9). She continues to coerce him trying to break his will, but he not only continues to refuse her, he maintains his distance from her. After being rejected too many times, she grabs his robe, and he flees her presence leaving his robe in her hand. Completely humiliated she uses the discarded robe to discredit Joseph’s moral standard to her husband, “This Hebrew slave you brought us came in to make a fool of me. But when I yelled out, he left his robe with me and fled outside” (Genesis 39:17-18).
Joseph is thrown into prison, but Elohim remains with him. The prison warden sees Joseph’s value and makes him supervisor over all the prisoners. Joseph prospers.
“But Adonai was with Yosef, showing him grace and giving him favor in the sight of the prison warden” (Genesis 39:21).
“One of the elders said to me, ‘Don’t cry. Look, the Lion of the Tribe of Y’hudah, the Root of David, has won the right to open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw standing there with the throne and the four living beings, in the circle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been slaughtered. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the sevenfold Spirit of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of the One sitting on the throne. When he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down in front of the Lamb. Each one held a harp and gold bowls filled with pieces of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people; and they sang a new song, ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals; because you were slaughtered; at the cost of blood you ransomed for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation. You made them into a kingdom for God to rule, cohanim [priests] to serve him; and they will rule over the earth’” (Revelation 5:5-10).
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