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Post  Admin Sat 16 Apr 2011, 5:30 pm

April 16, 2011

The Hinge of History
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Exodus 1:1--22

Baby Moses opened his eyes on a world very different from our own. Although neither his mother nor father knew it, the birth of this man-child launched a series of events that would change the course of nations and shape the destiny of millions. History would turn like a hinge on that birth. The world would never be quite the same again.

The day came, after the deaths of Joseph and the Pharaoh who had promoted him, that a new Pharaoh stepped onto the throne. He, too, ruled, then passed the crown to the next Pharaoh. Finally, after several centuries, the name Joseph became virtually unknown. Few remembered the famine. Less recalled the golden oceans of stored grain. No one recollected how a wise, young Jewish prime minister had stepped out of obscurity to save the day. That was ancient history. Irrelevant. And the bilateral policy established between Joseph and some long-gone Pharaoh? Completely forgotten.

This new Pharaoh despised the growing Hebrew population. How had they even come to be there? No one knew for sure; the reports had been filed away in some obscure, dusty archive.

But one thing about these multiplying Hebrews could not be ignored: They seemed to pose a threat. And a threatened Pharaoh was not a pleasant Pharaoh to have around.

The Egyptians looked upon the growing number of Israelites (a "mighty people," Pharaoh called them) with dread. The Hebrew word translated "dread" is kootz. It means "to have an abhorrence for and horror, a sickening feeling." When the officers of Egypt noted the swelling population of Hebrews from month to month and year to year, they felt sick in the pit of their stomachs. Had there been coffee shops in those days, John and Jane Egyptian might have sat at those little round tables and said over their lattes, "Man, this problem is getting out of hand. Our demographic plan isn't working. We've got to stop their growth! If we don't limit these foreigners now, they'll be running the country in a few years."

And so the hammer blows fell as the brutality increased. When Pharaoh saw that the harsh conditions of slavery didn't achieve his ends, he turned up the persecution dial yet one more terrible notch.

Infanticide.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Fri 15 Apr 2011, 3:42 pm


April 15, 2011

Led by Grace
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 50:1--21

"Am I in God's place?" Joseph asked them. Had he been a lesser man, he could have played "king of the mountain" and filled the role of God. "Grace killers" do that sort of thing. They exploit the power they have over others. They play a cruel and unfair game when they have someone cornered, someone who is vulnerable and at their mercy.

Joseph refused to do that. He didn't do it earlier at their reunion, and he doesn't do it now. In his obedience to God, he was restrained by feelings of tender mercy as he communicated God's grace. "Am I in God's place?" he asked his brothers, saying, in effect, "Brothers, listen to me. Let's get this cleared up for the last time. I know what you did, and I know what you meant by it. I know you meant to do me evil. Okay? I understand all that. That was your plan. But God had other plans, and He turned the results of your evil intentions into something good. At one time I did not understand all this, but that time is long past. Get this straight---God meant it all for good." Joseph never stood taller than at this moment in his life. As Churchill would say, it was his "finest hour."

Guard your heart when you have the power to place guilt on someone else. Refuse to rub their nose in the mess they've made. Remember the father of the Prodigal Son. Best of all, remember Joseph. "Don't be afraid," he comforted them kindly. "I will provide for you and your children."

I love the words of George Robinson's timeless hymn: "Led by grace that love to know."¹ It is especially pertinent here, because it so beautifully describes Joseph, who, like Christ, had a love that would not cease.

Joseph was led by grace. He spoke by grace. He forgave by grace. He forgot by grace. He loved by grace. He remembered by grace. He provided by grace. Because of grace, when his brothers bowed before him in fear, he could say, "Get on your feet! God meant it all for good."



1. From “I Am His and He Is Mine,” words by George Wade Robinson (1838-1877) and music by James Mountain (1844-1933).

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Thu 14 Apr 2011, 11:32 am

April 14, 2011

Those Final Moments
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 49:1--33


Despite his age and infirmity, Jacob's memory was nothing short of remarkable. He could name each one of his boys, and he could describe their individual natures and recall with pertinent detail the lives they had lived. Although he had not always disciplined them appropriately or wisely, he knew his sons well. No doubt the Lord assisted at this touching moment of his life by providing the prophetic insight passed on by this aging father. From the firstborn, Reuben, through the youngest, Benjamin, Jacob blessed not only his sons, but the twelve tribes that would descend from them.

After this, Jacob gave them specific instructions about where he was to be buried, in keeping with the promise Joseph had made to him earlier. And then, this beautiful statement: "When Jacob finished charging his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people" (Genesis 49:33).

Those who have eternal hope, though grieving over the instant loss death brings and the painful absence that follows, must remember and will be comforted by the realization that when the believer is taken from this life, he or she is gathered into the place of the saints. As it says, Jacob was "gathered to his people." Absent from the body, face to face with the Lord. How simple yet how sacred the moment. With one quiet and final sigh, the old patriarch joined those eternal ranks.

John Donne, seventeenth-century English poet, was not only one of that country's great poets but also one of her most celebrated preachers. He wrote eloquently about death:

All mankinde is of one Author, and is one volume; when one Man dies, one Chapter is not torne out of the booke, but translated into a better language; and every Chapter must be so translated. God emploies several translators: some peeces are translated by age, some by sicknesse, some by warre, some by justice; but God's hand is in every translation; and his hand shall binde up all our scattered leaves againe, for that Librarie where every booke shall lie open to one another.

God translates the life of an individual after death, and only then can we measure the significance of that life.




Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.




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Post  Admin Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:46 am

April 13, 2011

Lasting Impact
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 48:5, 10--11, 14--16

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 and in doing that divided Joseph's inheritance in the land of Canaan between them. "Joseph's first two sons would enjoy equal status with Jacob's first two sons [Reuben and Simeon] and in fact would eventually supersede them. Because of an earlier sinful act, Reuben would lose his birthright to Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, and thus to Joseph's sons."

All of this becomes greatly significant later in the history of the nation of Israel, and it makes this last scene with Jacob and his grandsons extremely important.

Perhaps it is my own practical nature, but I see something of great value for us here also. It has to do with how and where Jacob died in contrast to how and where we die. Jacob died on his own bed, at home. Rarely does that occur today. We have fallen upon strange times. Birth has become more and more of a family affair, often with the entire family being present in the "birth suite" when the baby is born. Wonderful change from the way things used to be! On the other hand, death has become relegated more and more to the cold and sometimes uncaring comfort of professionals and the sterile environment of a busy hospital and, later, the funeral home or graveside chapel. Only in recent years have we begun to see the hospice movement growing, where people are allowed to spend their last days at home with those they love alongside to support them and encourage them in their final earthly journey.

Joseph's sons were with their grandfather as he approached those final moments. They felt his hand on their foreheads and heard his tender, wise words of blessing. "May God bless the nation as He blesses you." What a moment! Perhaps Manasseh and Ephraim were kneeling beside their granddad. What a lasting impact for good on the lives of those two young men!



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Tue 12 Apr 2011, 11:20 am

April 12, 2011

Final Promise
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 47:27--31


"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. Frequently I have heard spouses or children tell of promises they made to a dying mate or a parent. But what about this strange gesture of placing one's hand under the thigh of another? What's that all about?

Brown, Driver, and Briggs, old but still reputable authorities on the Hebrew text, suggest that this sealing of the promise was done by placing the hand beneath the lower back or beneath the buttocks. Joseph promised to do as his father asked, and he also indicated this symbolically by placing his hand under Jacob. It was an oath-taking posture common at that time.

"Promise me before our God, Joseph, that you will bury me back in my father's land. Promise to bury me over there in Canaan, the land of our people, not here in Egypt. God brought us to Egypt so we could survive the famine, but I want to be buried in the land of our forefathers, along with Abraham and Isaac and Leah. Take me back there. Don't bury me in Egypt. Swear before God that will not happen." And Joseph swore to keep this promise to his father.

On Jacob's tombstone, Joseph could have placed the words: "He worshiped." Years earlier, of course, "He deceived" might have seemed more appropriate, but now that Jacob was almost a century-and-a-half old, he had come a long way with God. At the end of his life, one of his final acts was to worship the God he had both wrestled with and served. In his old age he urged Joseph to remember that Canaan---not Egypt---was the Promised Land, so he made his son promise to make his final grave there.




Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Mon 11 Apr 2011, 1:02 pm

April 11, 2011

The Test of Integrity
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 47:18--25

The people came to Joseph with their hands empty and open, and he responded by upholding their dignity and treating them with respect. And keep in mind, he had everything, but they had nothing. "Our money is gone! Our food is gone!" They were completely at Joseph's mercy.

He didn't shrug his shoulders and give them a handout. He didn't put them on welfare. Instead, he told them to bring him what they had---their livestock---and in exchange he would give them food.

A year later, with the famine still going strong, all of their livestock were gone, and they were back on their knees with their hands empty and open, saying, "Help us, Joseph. What do we do now? Buy our land for food. Buy us---we will serve Pharaoh. Only help us get through these awful years." In their desperation, they put themselves entirely at Joseph's mercy.

What is striking is that Joseph did not abuse that power---not once! God had raised him up from slavery, and he never forgot how marvelous a deliverance that was. To whom much has been given, much is required.

Arthur Gordon, writing for a national periodical, says this about the importance of personal integrity:

Year after year businessmen study college records, screen applicants, and offer special inducement to proven people. What are they after, really? Brains? Energy? Know-how? These things are desirable, sure. But they will carry a person only so far. If he is to move to the top and be entrusted with command decisions, there must be a plus factor, something that takes mere ability and doubles or trebles its effectiveness. To describe this magic characteristic there is only one word: integrity.¹

Integrity keeps your eyes on your own paper during the test. Integrity makes you record and submit only true figures on your expense account. Integrity keeps your personal life pure and straight. Integrity restrains us from taking unfair advantage of others.



1. Arthur Gordon, "A Foolproof Formula for Success," Reader's Digest (December, 1966), 88.


Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Sun 10 Apr 2011, 9:22 am

April 9, 2011

Loyalty Test
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 46:31-34

Joseph efficiently thought through a plan of operation that would get his family settled. He rehearsed the plan with those who were involved and then, as we will see in a moment, presented the plans to his boss for final approval. Joseph never assumed that he could just go ahead with his plans, despite his high level of authority and responsibility. He always deferred to his employer.

One complaint that I often hear leveled against Christian employees who work for Christian employers is presumption---the expectation of special treatment because they're members of the same spiritual family. They expect certain privileges, higher salaries, or vacation perks or other benefits, not because they have earned or deserve them, but simply because they serve the same Lord. We see no such spirit of entitlement happening with Joseph.

Joseph knew how the Egyptians thought and reacted. He had not only worked with Pharaoh but had thoroughly studied and observed the man and his people. That explains why he warned his brothers, "Look, shepherds are loathsome to these people. You're not in Canaan anymore, you're in Egypt. And when you're in Egypt, you have to think like an Egyptian. So I want you to tell Pharaoh that you are keepers of livestock." This was the truth. He wasn't asking them to lie, but to avoid using a word or concept---shepherd---that was repugnant to Pharaoh and his people.

Joseph settled his family in the choicest part of the land of Egypt, in an area located in the fertile Nile Delta, as Pharaoh had ordered him to do.

Do you serve under someone else's authority? Obviously, most of us do. How's your spirit, your attitude, toward that person to whom you answer? Having the right attitude or spirit of cooperation can be especially tough if the person to whom you answer is a difficult individual or an incompetent leader, one whose weaknesses you know all too well. This is not only a test of your personal loyalty, but a test of your emotional maturity.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Fri 08 Apr 2011, 11:22 am

April 7, 2011

God in the Move
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 46:1--7

Yes, old Jacob had learned some hard lessons about what happened when he did not talk with God and walk with God. Therefore, he wanted to be sure that God was in this. This was a big move for all the family. Thankfully, by now, Jacob had matured into a seasoned and wise old man. He stopped and waited, willing to learn whether the move to Egypt would be accompanied by the presence and blessing of God.

It must have been a great moment when, in the night, he was awakened by the voice of God, calling, "Jacob, Jacob."

"Here I am," he replied quietly.

"I am God, the God of your father, Isaac. Don't be afraid to go down to Egypt, for it is there that I will make you a great nation. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will also bring you back to this land again. And your son Joseph will be with you when you die."

This is a major moment not only for Jacob and his family, but for all of Israel. This is an early prophetic reference to Israel's great Exodus from Egypt. Go back and read the Lord's words to Jacob once again. Notice the promise, "I will also surely bring you up [to this land] again."

Making a major move can be one of the most insecure times we face in life. Pulling up roots in one place and trying to put them down in another can be not only fearful but depressing. That's why I think it's wise to pause here and understand the value of Jacob's hearing God's voice of approval. I've known people who have taken years to adjust---and some who simply never adjust. For the Christian this is heightened by a sense of wonder over whether God is in the move. And even when we feel assured that God is in it, we can still experience times of uncertainty and displacement. I'm referring not only to a geographical move but also to a career change or a domestic move from single to married. Big, big changes! The assurance that God is with us during such alterations in lifestyle and adjustment periods is terribly important.

As children of God, we're to listen to the voice of God and ask, Is God in this? Does this please Him?



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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April 8, 2011

Final Family Reunion
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 46:28--30

Think of what it must have been like. After more than two decades, Jacob once more held the son that he had given up for dead. After all he had been through, Joseph embraced his aging father---the man he had missed so much, the one he feared he would never see again. He could feel the bones across his back as he held the old man in his arms. How long it had been! How much he had missed him! There the two men stood, staring into each other's eyes. Weeping one moment, laughing the next. What a grand family reunion.

Jacob said the only fitting thing as soon as he could control himself: "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive" (Genesis 46:30).

There is another type of reunion noted in Scripture---the final, ultimate family reunion that is the hope of every child of God.

On that day we'll all hear the blast of a trumpet. I know some who expect to hear the melodious strings of a harp. Not me. I expect to hear the lonely whine of a harmonica---because my dad is there in glory, awaiting my arrival. And on that "great gettin'-up morning," our entire family will be reunited forever in the presence of the Lord.

The reality is, though, that no matter how precious your memories, it does not matter the way you were. What matters is the way you are. No amount of solid family ties will fit you for heaven. Only through Christ will you be included in His family roll call.

We can be thankful for the recording chamber of our memories that keeps us young. But what we really need at this important moment is the deep assurance that we are His. Only then can we look forward in hope to that ultimate and final family reunion.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Wed 06 Apr 2011, 12:12 pm

April 6, 2011

The Nature Within
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 45:16--28

Joseph's brothers not only had plenty to eat on the way, but had also been given new clothing. They had all that they needed---and they once again had it in abundance! These men must have really looked like something when they returned to Canaan, a land drying up under those lingering years of famine.

Notice, however, the one directive Joseph gave them: "Don't get into an argument on the journey!" He knew those men, didn't he? I can't help but smile at times in these biblical stories when little tidbits like that are inserted. Centuries may come and go, but human nature stays pretty much the same. It's impossible to erase depravity.

Not very many men can carry a full cup without its disturbing their equilibrium. Sudden wealth or promotion can be a tottering experience, both for the recipient and those surrounding him or her. Superiority, inferiority, arrogance, and jealousy can easily begin to hold sway. If you question that, check on those who win the lottery. Very few can handle the financial windfall.

Joseph had given his brother Benjamin more than he had given to the other brothers. He gave them all provisions and gave each of them new garments, but he gave Benjamin three hundred shekels of silver and five new garments. No doubt Joseph remembered well what had happened years before when he had been given more than the others, but he had his own reasons for giving Benjamin these items. He didn't want that to result in a fight. "So don't argue about it!" he told his brothers.

I think it is safe to say that we are to trust one another, but we are never to trust one another's nature. That's one of the reasons parents give their children the warnings that they do. Parents understand their children's natures better than their offspring do. It's not a question of trust; it's a matter of knowing the nature within.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Tue 05 Apr 2011, 12:06 pm

Walk by Faith
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 45:10--15

If you're under the impression that you are going to be great because of some accomplishment you've achieved but harbor wrong attitudes, you're in for a terrible jolt. Greatness comes in the sweet-spirit attitudes of humility and forgiveness toward others. Joseph sets before us a magnanimous example. How beautifully forgiving he was, how generous in his mercy.

It takes God to make the heart right. When I have a wrong attitude, I look at life humanly. When I have a right attitude, I look at life divinely. That's the real beauty of Joseph's life. That's the kernel of truth his life represents. He was great, mainly because of his attitude.

And there are specific lessons that grow out of that single truth. Let me offer at least three for your consideration.

First: When I'm able, by faith, to see God's plan in my location, my attitude will be right. God sent me . . . God sent me . . . God sent me. Not until you can relax and see God in your present location will you be useful to Him. A positive theological attitude will do wonders for your geographical latitude.

Second: When I'm able, by faith, to sense God's hand in my situation, my attitude will be right. I don't begin the day gritting my teeth, asking, "Why do I have to stay in this situation?" Instead, I believe that He made me the way I am and put me where I am to do what He has planned for me to do.

Third: When I'm able, by faith, to accept both location and situation as good, even when there's been evil in the process, my attitude will be right. When I can say with Joseph, "but God meant it for good," then I become a trophy of grace.

Joseph shows us that the only way to find happiness in the grind of life is to do so by faith. A faith-filled life means all the difference in how we view everything around us. It affects our attitudes toward people, toward location, toward situation, toward circumstances, toward ourselves. Only then do our feet become swift to do what is right.

You say you want to be considered great some day? Here's the secret: walk by faith, trusting God to renew your attitude.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Mon 04 Apr 2011, 3:28 pm

April 4, 2011

Attitude Adjustment
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 45:8--9


On top of his forgiveness and reassurance, he "made them an offer they couldn't refuse." He urged them to return and bring their father to this land, where they could enjoy relief from their barren existence.

Joseph said, "Brothers, I have seen a change in your lives. You care about our father and one another, and you never did before. You care about Benjamin, more than even your own lives. What a change!"

Attitude is so crucial in the life of the Christian. We can go through the Sunday motions, we can carry out the religious exercises, we can pack a Bible under our arms, and sing familiar songs from memory, yet we can still hold grudges against the people who have wronged us. In our own way---and it may even be with a little religious manipulation---we'll get back at them. But that is not God's way. Here, He shows us the right way. He gives us the example of Joseph, great man that he was, being supportive, merciful, gracious, generous, and unselfish. He's not through showing how deeply he cares for them. Look at this next scene!

"Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him" (Genesis 45:14--15).

I would imagine they "talked with him!" They had about twenty-five years' worth of talking to do. And I am confident that every time they went back and started to rehearse their wrongs, Joseph stopped them. "We're not going there. That was then, this is now. God had a plan, and it's all worked out for our good and His glory. Let's talk about that."

The late great preacher, John Henry Jowett, used to say that a minister doesn't deserve an hour to preach a sermon if he can't give it in one sentence. So let me give you this sermon in a sentence: Greatness is revealed mainly in our attitude.


Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Sun 03 Apr 2011, 4:12 pm

INSIGHT FOR LIVING
April 1, 2011

Final Exam, Part One
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 44:1--16

The sons of Jacob were not far from the city when they looked back and saw the prime minister's steward overtaking them. Once he caught up, he accused them of stealing from the Egyptian leader. "How could you do such a deceitful deed, after having been treated so well?"

They did not hesitate to let the steward examine their sacks of food, beginning with Reuben, the oldest. But lo and behold, when the steward got all the way down to the youngest, he found the silver cup in Benjamin's sack!

They had to return to the city with the steward, of course, where they were immediately ushered into the prime minister's presence. There, Judah did the talking.

This confession from Judah's mouth was amazing. But this was precisely what Joseph had been waiting for; this was why he had given the final exam. They passed. In fact all the brothers made straight A's on the first part of the test.

In speaking for his brothers, Judah did not attempt to justify himself or the others, nor does he try to pass the blame off onto Benjamin. Unlike before, they didn't turn on Benjamin and reject him as they had Joseph so many years ago. Judah says, in no uncertain terms, they were all guilty.

Given their history, this is an amazing admission. A real change had begun in their attitude. Think about the fact that these words were coming from the mouth and heart of Judah!

Joseph wanted to know whether his brothers were able to read the hand of God into daily life, even in things that seemed unfair. Even in misfortune and death. He wanted to see if their vertical scope was clear. And now he heard this confession coming out of Judah's mouth, who laid the guilt on all their shoulders. "Before God we have been found out. We are guilty! Our iniquity has been discovered."

I believe that in his confession Judah was actually going back over twenty years earlier and was referring to those days when they not only hated their brother Joseph but turned against him and sold him into slavery. Had it not been for Reuben, they would have murdered him. This now haunted these men. Judah had begun to realize that God did not overlook an unrepented offense.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

April 2, 2011

Final Exam, Part Two
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 44:17--34

This was Joseph's second part of the final exam. First came the vertical test. Had his brothers gotten to the place where they read the hand of God into their daily life? Yes. They had demonstrated this in their attitude. Next came the horizontal test. Which would they choose, themselves or Benjamin? Had there been any change in their hearts over the years?

So Joseph said, "I would never punish all of you for one man's crime. The cup has been found in your youngest brother's possession, so he is the one I will punish. He will forfeit his freedom and become my slave. The rest of you, go in peace. You can return to your father."

Following this pronouncement comes a shocking speech: "Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me---for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?" (Genesis 44:33--34).

Do you realize who is saying this? Again, it is Judah. These "unexcelled" words were coming from the same man who, twenty years earlier along with his brothers, proposed without remorse, "Here comes that dreamer, Joseph. Let's kill him and say that a ferocious animal devoured him." Shortly after that cold-blooded proposal, he rationalized, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Let's sell him to the slave traders instead."

Yet here he is now, pleading for his youngest brother. Added to that, he is pleading on behalf of his aging father.

A few years earlier, Judah could not have cared less what his father thought, since his father had always shown favoritism to Rachel's sons. In fact, the violence and cruelty Judah and his brothers perpetrated against Joseph was an indirect act of cruelty committed against their father.

Now, of all things, this same man is exhibiting a sacrificial attitude. "Take me instead. But send Benjamin back home. I cannot bear to imagine such grief that would overtake my father." No, it's not the same man; Judah has changed.

No doubt about it. All his brothers were becoming transformed men, and Joseph recognized this. Repentance had done its work.

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Fri 01 Apr 2011, 2:31 pm


March 31, 2011

A Reflection of Christ
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 43:33-34

Joseph's life offers us a magnificent portrayal of the grace of God as He came to our rescue in the Person of His Son, Jesus. So many come to Him, like Joseph's guilty brothers, feeling the distance and fearing the worst from God, only to have Him demonstrate incredible generosity and mercy. Instead of being blamed, we are forgiven. Instead of feeling guilty, we are freed. And instead of experiencing punishment, which we certainly deserve, we are seated at His table and served more than we can ever take in.

For some, it's too unreal. So we desperately plead our case, only to have Him speak kindly to us---promising us peace in our own language. We then try to fend off His anger by bargaining with Him, thinking our hard work and sincere efforts will pay Him back for all those evil past deeds we're guilty of. But to our astonishment, He never even considered our attempts important enough to mention. What we had in mind was earning just enough to silence our guilt, but what He had in mind was overwhelming us with such an abundance we'd realize we can never, ever repay.

What a beautiful picture of Christ at the cross, bearing the sins we committed, forgiving us in the process. Isn't such grace amazing? The One who was rejected is the same One who goes the limit to get us reunited with Him.

Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him. (Isaiah 30:18)

Do you long for Him? I've got great news! In an even greater way---greater than you could ever imagine---He longs to be gracious to you. He is offering you all the things you hunger for. The table is loaded, and He is smiling, waiting for you to sit down and enjoy the feast He prepared with you in mind. Have a seat---grace is being served.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Wed 30 Mar 2011, 4:16 pm

March 30, 2011

A Banquet of Grace
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 43:31-34


Joseph's brothers were astonished at the way they were being treated. They had expected any number of things to happen to them, including possible death, but certainly not this. Now here they were, seated according to age, dining with the prime minister. And what a feast! They were served fresh garden salads, thick T-bone steaks, fried okra, overstuffed baked potatoes, cornbread, black-eyed peas, and big glasses of iced tea (if Egypt was anything like Texas)! Besides that, the prime minister unloaded more food from his own table.

Benjamin, interestingly, was served portions five times the size of the other men. Those hungry Hebrews must have thought they'd died and gone to glory. Benjamin himself may have thought, I know I'm thin, but this is ridiculous. What's going on here?

By now Joseph was totally oblivious. This is Benjamin! My brother! He was so ecstatic, so overjoyed that he just kept piling on the food. Sounds like something an older brother would do for one he hasn't seen in ages, doesn't it? Especially when the elder is full of forgiveness and grace!

Amazing, isn't it, how Joseph's acts of grace freed up everyone around the tables. At the outset, there were feelings of anxiety and dread as guilt held them in its grip. Their fear had known no bounds as they returned to Egypt, wondering what they would face.

Within a brief span of time, they found themselves treated kindly, sitting around a banquet table loaded with food, and, of all things, relaxing in the joyful presence of royalty. What relief! Better than that, what grace! They were the recipients of favor they hadn't earned and kindness they didn't deserve. And they were overloaded with an abundance of provisions they could never repay. Is anyone surprised they were astonished and no longer afraid? Their fear was now displaced by grace. Why? One reason---Joseph. This great man, though not as yet known to them to be their brother, determined to forgive their mistreatment and, instead, demonstrate great grace. Rather than remind them of their wrongs and force them to pay for their cruelty and injustices from years gone by, he showed them favor to the maximum extreme. This reunion was really a banquet of grace---on full display---thanks to Joseph, a man of integrity and forgiveness.




Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Tue 29 Mar 2011, 2:12 pm

March 29, 2011

Strength to Weep
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 43:24-30

Suddenly, this great man, this strong-hearted and efficient prime minister of a mighty nation, collapsed inside. Like the rest of us, great men and women encounter those times in life when they can no longer restrain their emotions. Composure flies away, and feelings take control. That was what happened to Joseph at this long-awaited moment in time. It is at such sacred crossroads words fail us. Often we need to get alone to gain our composure. Joseph did.

"Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there" (Genesis 43:30).

Can't you imagine the scene? All of a sudden, the handsome, confident leader of millions has rushed to his bedroom and collapsed in sobs. All those years passed in review. All the loneliness. All the loss. All the seasons and birthdays and significant occasions without his family. It was too much to contain, like a rushing river pouring into a lake, swelling above the dam. His tears ran, and he heaved with great sobs. All of a sudden, he was a little boy again, missing his daddy.

There have been times in my own life when I've had doubts, when I've stumbled over great cracks that appeared in my world. I've had those times when I climbed into my own bed and wept, crying out to God, just as you have. Such is life, especially when you decide to be real rather than protect some kind of super-confident image. It's comforting to realize we're in good company in times like that, isn't it?

Joseph was a great and powerful man, admittedly, but he was also a real human being with real human emotions, who could step out of the corridors of power and have the strength to weep his heart out.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Mon 28 Mar 2011, 5:32 pm

Calming Response
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 43:16-23

Guilt always does a number on us. It certainly did on Joseph's brothers. Though standing before an unnamed, soft-spoken servant from Egypt, whom they had never really known throughout their lives, they poured out their confession.

"We don't know how the money got back in our sacks the first time, but here it is. We've brought it all back. We also brought additional money to buy more food. That's why we're here . . . to buy food."

I love the steward's reassuring response: "Be at ease," he told them. The Hebrew Bible says, simply, "Shalom." The steward, who knew their well-known language, used their word for peace. He said, in effect, "Hey, shalom, men---be at peace. Settle down. Don't be afraid." And then this Egyptian even witnessed to them about their God. "Your own God is the one who put the treasure in your sacks. Nobody thinks you stole it. I know what happened; I was the one who put it there. I was the one who had your money. It was a treasure from Elohim, the God of your father."

They were in agony, wondering when the other shoe was going to drop. Instead, the steward said, "Shalom! Elohim has done it again." What a reproof! And, by the way, what an interesting surprise that this Egyptian steward understood such sound theology. No doubt, it was the result of Joseph's influence through the years. He personifies what we considered earlier---vertical perspective.

Joseph's brothers had never thought to relate the return of their money to the abundant grace of God. Why? Because guilt had kept them from seeing God's hand of grace in their lives. (It always does!) Yet the unmerited favor of God had been demonstrated in abundance to them: grain in abundance, money in abundance. And now their brother Simeon is restored to them, healthy and whole. Mercy in abundance.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Sun 27 Mar 2011, 5:28 pm


March 26, 2011

God's Directions
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 43:1-12

Judah put it on the line. "You can't continue to delay and deny the situation. I'll take responsibility for Benjamin's life. If anything happens to him, I will bear the consequences for the rest of my days. Come on, Dad, let's cooperate. If we hadn't delayed this long, we could already have been down there and back twice with food."

Judah offered to take the blame, even though blaming is a futile exercise. Yelling at darkness doesn't make it light. But we like to blame. "Dad," said Judah, "if you want to blame somebody, blame me. But let Benjamin go. Man, we're dying here."

Aging Jacob reluctantly gave in. He responded with what I would call tolerance and uncertainty. First he denied and delayed. Then came blame and deceit. And now, finally, tolerance and uncertainty. The old man was one tough nut to crack!

Perhaps his response went something like this: "Oh, all right. If you have to do it, then here's the procedure I want you to follow." See his attitude? And then he reverted to another old pattern. He ordered them to take gifts, things that were native to Canaan. If he had lived in the days of Solomon, he would have claimed Proverbs 21:14: "A gift in secret subdues anger, and a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath."

Years before, he had done that with his brother, Esau, and it had worked. It might work with the Egyptian prime minister too.

Jacob could see all kinds of schemes, but he still refused to see God's hand at work. He could not say, "Look, boys, we don't know what all this means, but we do know that we're confused and we need God's help. Let's trust God for protection and insight on this. Let's ask Him to give us direction on what to do."

Parents, this is an appropriate time for me to urge you to call your families to prayer. "Hey, kids, let's pray about this before we leave the breakfast table." Or, "Let's spend some time Saturday morning asking God for direction in this situation. We don't know what to do." Maybe one of your sons or daughters is edging into rebellion. Listen to them. Listen longer than normal. Try hard not to butt in. Admit it when you're not sure how to respond. Then sit down and pray together, asking for God's direction.


Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Sat 26 Mar 2011, 11:17 am

New Perspective
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 42:25-28

Joseph's brothers wanted to get out of Egypt, like, fast. When the sacks of grain were loaded on their donkeys, they immediately began their journey back to Canaan. But something happened on the first night they stopped to rest and feed and water the animals. When one of the brothers opened a sack to get food for his donkey, he saw that the money he had paid to the prime minister of Egypt was tucked into the top of the bag.

"I can't believe this!" he exclaimed. "Look! My money has been returned. It's here in the sack."

The other brothers quickly opened their sacks and discovered that their money had been returned to them also.

Instead of being happy about this surprise, however, they were frightened. "Their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another." The Hebrew word that is translated "trembling" is the same word used in 1 Samuel 14:15 to describe a giant earthquake. It's also used in Genesis 27:33 to describe the trembling of Isaac when he learned that his son Jacob had stolen Esau's birthright. In fact, we read there that Isaac "trembled violently." He shook, literally! That's what Joseph's brothers began to do. They began to shake. They began to tremble as they looked at one another. It was then they said, "What is this that God has done to us?"

I love that statement. Not only are they now feeling the full brunt of their own guilt, they are also sensing God's hand in this. "What is God doing?"

When God softens a seared conscience we begin to gain a different perspective. Sometimes we become victims of the kind of treatment we have meted out to someone else. When the harm, the hurt, or the pain that we brought on someone else is visited upon us, something begins to change within us. God begins to break through our hard shell and soften our hearts that had become calloused.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Fri 25 Mar 2011, 11:38 am

March 25, 2011


A Horizontal Viewpoint
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 42:29-38

When Jacob learned what had happened, the old gentleman shriveled in fear. Rather than saying, "Thank God, He is at work. Men, He loves us and watches over us. In His care we are all safe," he responded negatively and horizontaIly.

His sons had not only returned with the food they needed, but also with all of their money. They had been given grain from Egypt free of charge. All the prime minister had asked was that they prove they were not spies by returning with their youngest brother and claiming Simeon who had been left as a hostage. Yet Jacob saw none of this as God's provision. He froze in fear and focused on a worst-case scenario.

As soon as he heard they had left their brother in Egypt, he jumped to the conclusion that Simeon was dead. "Joseph is dead. Simeon is dead. Everything is against me," he moaned. He began to sound paranoid and self-pitying. "All these things are against me!"

Last time I checked, Jacob was supposed to be the patriarch of the clan, the spiritual leader. Yet, with a quick glance behind the scenes, as we sneak a peek through the back door of the tent, we see Jacob as he really is.

It's one thing for us to sit with book in hand and read the story, knowing what the outcome will be, and say with a shrug, "I'll tell you this, I sure wouldn't have done that. I would have trusted God if I had been in that situation." But would you really? Well, then why didn't you trust Him last week? What was it that kept you from seeing God's hand in that matter you couldn't handle last month? Call to mind your most recent major test. Did you rest calmly in Him? Or did you push the panic button out of fear?

Negative thinking. A horizontal viewpoint. A closed mind to something that is unexpected and new. That's why we tend to panic. Because, humanly speaking, you and I have been programmed toward defeat. We have formed habits of response that leave God out of the picture. We don't actually announce it in those words, we just model it and rationalize around it by calling it something else. And aren't we relieved God didn't put our biography into print?





Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Post  Admin Tue 22 Mar 2011, 12:59 pm

Tender Mercies
by Charles R. Swindoll


Read Genesis 41:41-46


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? It was the platinum charge card of that day. It was the way the king stamped the invoices, the laws, or anything else he wanted to verify or validate with his seal. Now Joseph had that ring on his finger, placed there by the Pharaoh himself. Joseph wore the authority of the king's imprint.

Joseph's Cinderella-like promotion was incredible. But when God determines the time is right, that's the way He operates.

When the reward comes, thank God without pride. Only God can bring you through and out of the dungeon. Only God can reward you for your faithfulness. If He has, be grateful, not proud. Remember, with humility, that it is God who has put you there.

Some of you are on the verge of promotion and you don't even know it, because God doesn't announce His appointments in advance. What you have to do, while you wait, is to believe His promises. While in the darkness of your dungeon, by faith, trust him to bring the light of a new dawn. In the winter of your discontent, believe there'll be a spring.

The God of Joseph will stay beside us during the dungeon days; He will not forsake or forget us. He will be there during the blast of the winter storm, holding out the promise of springtime. He will be there through the darkest night, quietly reminding us of the promise of morning light.

Joseph learned that a broken and contrite heart is not the end, but the beginning. Bruised and crushed by the blows of disappointment and unrealized dreams, he discovered that God had never left his side. When the affliction ended, he had been refined, and he came forth as gold. He had become a person of greater stability, of deeper quality, of stronger character. God's promises are just as much for us as they were for Joseph. His grace is still at work. His tender mercies accompany us from the pit to the pinnacle.



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

---
Taking Responsibility
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Genesis 42:1-24

Put yourself in Joseph's sandals. How must he have felt as he heard their words? So far as his brothers were concerned, he no longer existed! He was buried in the graveyard of their memories. He was "no more." Out of sight, out of mind, gone forever.

Three times Joseph accused them of being spies. Then, in one of their responses, they unwittingly gave him information he wanted. They told him that his father and Benjamin were still alive!

We can imagine what was surging through Joseph's mind: "I wonder if Benjamin is healthy and strong. And what about my father? Is he too old to remember? Oh, how I long to see my entire family. How tempted I am to tell them who I am---they'll be shocked! What I really wonder about is the condition of their hearts."

Joseph chose Simeon as hostage and had him put in shackles there in his brothers' presence. Why did Joseph pick Simeon? We might think he would have chosen the firstborn, but that was Reuben, who had tried to save Joseph's life back at the pit when they all teamed up against him. Perhaps Joseph remembered Reuben's attempt to intervene on his behalf, and instead chose the second eldest brother, Simeon, to remain behind.

"Then they said to one another, 'Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us'" (Genesis 42:21).

In the original language, the "we" in their conversation is emphatic! "We are guilty . . . we saw the distress of his soul . . . we would not listen."

The first step toward softening a seared conscience is taking responsibility for one's own personal guilt. The brothers did not blame their father for being passive. They did not blame their brother Joseph for being proud or arrogant or favored. They did not diminish the wrong by saying they were too young to know any better. They used the right pronoun when they agreed together, "We are responsible! There is no one else we can blame!"



Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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