White Memorial Men’s Bible Study
Genesis - Fall 2015
Lesson 9: Joseph and his brothers part 1
Read Genesis 37-41
3 Questions:
Q1: This, our section of Genesis, begins like this: “This is the story of the family of Jacob” (verse 2).
Thus begins our transition of God’s covenant from Jacob to his sons. Of note is that of the first son, and
only son mentioned in the first 11 verses (37: 1 - 11). Who is he? Are the other sons ever named? We
are told that the brothers “hated him” (verse 4)? Given what you have read thus far, are your surprised
by the family situation that these 12 sons of Jacob find themselves in? Why or why not?
Q2: Chapter 38 is all about Judah. It is the one chapter dedicated to Judah. The others center around
and mainly focus on Jacob, Joseph, and Benjamin. As you read this story of Judah and Tamar, what do
you make of it (is it only a severe unrighteousness or a portion of unexpected and unmerited mercy)?
Read Matthew 1:1 -4. Is the naming of Judah, Tamar, and their twins a surprise to you? What does it
say about the capacity of God to both forgive and move beyond our easy assumptions?
Q3: Chapters 39-41 are about Joseph’s early days in Egypt. Choose one of these:
a. 39: 7 - 15 - Joseph resists Potiphar’s wife.
b. 40: 1 - 15 - Joseph uses his God-given power to interpret dreams.
c. 41: 25 - 37 - Joseph helps Pharaoh and is rewarded.
Which one of these moments tells us the most about the character of Joseph? What does your choice
tell us about how God is shaping his life and walking along side of him?
3 Insights:
I1: Walter Brueggemann says this of the “Joseph cycle”:
“The theme of the Joseph narrative concerns God’s hidden and decisive power which works in
and through but also against human forms of power. A ‘soft’ word for that reality is providence. A
harder word for the same reality is predestination. Either way — providence or predestination - the
theme is that God is working out his purpose through and in spite of Egypt, through and in spite of
Joseph and his brothers. The purpose of God is announced in the dream at the beginning of the
narrative. Neither Joseph nor his family knows what they are dealing with. The narrator gives no hint
that this is from God. The God of this narrative does not appear, speak, act, or intrude. But there is no
doubt about his governing intent and capacity.” 1
Take some time and look for any speech from God in Genesis 37 - 41. Find the voice of God anywhere?
God who has spoken with Abraham, wrestled with Jacob, is largely silent. And, yet God is in control.
Take some time and think about providence and predestination. Is there a difference?
I2: Genesis 38 — called by Brueggemann a “curious story” — is actually much more than curious. It is
among the most complex moments in all of the book of Genesis. This is especially true at the end. Be
1
Walter Brueggemann. Genesis. WJKP, Louisville, KY, 1982. Page 293.
sure and read 38:26 a couple of times. Judah’s speech and reaction are really important. Does Judah,
whose behavior is terrible for much of the chapter, finally get something right at verse 26? What do you
make of his morality? John Goldingay writes,
“Judah’s comment when he is found out shows he has faced up to the facts. He makes a
beautifully succinct statement that provides a model for us twenty-first century men when we fall. ‘She
is in the right, not me.’ He does add a reason. ‘I did not give her to my son Shelah.’ But he does not turn
that into an excuse. His being scared has been mentioned earlier, but here Judah refers to his action, not
his fear; it constitutes the reason he is guilty, not an appeal to extenuating circumstance.” 2
I3: The term Hebrew appears very rarely in Genesis (first at Genesis 14:13 and at 39:14). For an
interesting google search, google the term Habiru (or Hapiru) — or, just look at link 1 below. It is worth
noting the sneering and enmity in Potiphar’s wife as she says (39:14) that “my husband has brought a
Hebrew among us to insult us!” Perhaps here the sneering is foreshadowing of the trouble to come
between the Egyptians and the Hebrews (see the book of Exodus)? It is also worth noting that once
Potiphar has Joseph thrown into prison, this is the second time Joseph has been “in prison.” The first
prison is the pit where his brothers threw him right before he was sold into slavery (which is its own kind
of prison). Maybe that is a sub-text of the whole Joseph cycle — that Joseph, though in prison, can yet
be faithful and Joseph’s imprisonment in Egypt is a foretaste of Hebrew enslavement in Egypt. As usual,
Genesis functions on multiple levels and draw us into the power of its text.
3 Links for further study:
L1: Fascinating article about the tribes the Egyptians called the Habiru or Hapiru — not the etymological
similarities between these words and Hebrew. Really interesting articles all over the internet. Here is
the Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habiru .
L2: There are hundreds of great works of art depicting Joseph and his brothers. This portrait is very
interesting to me. Look at the pit. Look at the camels. Notice Joseph’s missing coat (where is it? What
role does it play in the story, and how naked does Joseph look without it?) Does Joseph look like Jesus?
Is this accidental or intentional?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Friedrich_Overbeck_002.jpg
For further reading:
2
John Goldgingay. Genesis for Everyone. WJKP Louisville, KY. Page 136.