Seder 36: Isaiah 51-52: Time to Wake Up

 In Isaiah 51:9-10, God's people in exile pray, "Awake, awake," asking God to intervene on their behalf as he had in the Exodus from Egypt.  

God responds by encouraging the people to concentrate on following him, the Creator and Ruler of the Universe, and not to worry about their oppressors (verses 12-16).  

God goes on to say that it is the people who need to wake up (51:17; 52:1) and have faith so that they will be ready to follow him when he takes action on their behalf.  In 51:7-13, he states that their time of punishment is over, and now their enemies will be punished.  In 52:1-12, he affirms that he will indeed rescue his people again in a new Exodus.  The whole world will see this great event (v 10).  

Seder 36: Gen 39-40---Though in Prison, Joseph Does not Give Up

 When Joseph would not respond to the advances of Potiphar's wife, she retaliated, telling her husband that Joseph had tried to rape her.  Potiphar then had Joseph put in the palace prison.  

The fact that Joseph was not put to death is evidence that God was with Joseph.  Some have speculated that Potiphar suspected Joseph was innocent but had to do something to appease his wife.

To Joseph it must have seemed that no good deed goes unpunished.  He had done what was right under difficult circumstances, and he had been rewarded with imprisonment.  

But Joseph clearly did not give up.  Again his abilities were evident, and he was placed in charge of the other prisoners (Gen 39:21-23).  

We see Joseph's positive, can-do attitude, and his faith in God, in his interactions with the cupbearer and baker of Pharaoh who were also in the prison.  When both of them had troubling dreams on the same night, Joseph urged them to tell him about their dreams (Gen 40:5-8).  

Both dreams were full of "threes":  three branches for the cupbearer, three baskets for the baker.  The cupbearer dreamed that he was back at work, filling Pharaoh's cup.  The baker's dream had him trying to provide Pharaoh with bread, but he was in a more passive role,  with birds taking the bread from him.  

Joseph knew from his own experience that dreams with divine messages come in pairs.  He also probably knew that a birthday celebration for Pharaoh was coming up in three days.  These things may have helped him see the meanings of the dreams.  At any rate, God led Joseph to a correct interpretation by some chain of reasoning.  

Joseph's dream interpretations planted a seed in the mind of the cupbearer.  That seed would bear fruit in due time.  

Seder 36: Gen 39---Joseph Resists Temptation

Genesis 39 resumes the saga of Joseph, who was sold as a slave in Egypt to Potiphar, the captain of the guard under Pharaoh.  Joseph's managerial talents soon became evident, and Potiphar eventually felt confident placing Joseph in charge of his household affairs (vv 1-6). 

Potiphar's wife, however, had a different kind of household affair in mind.  In an ancient example of sexual harassment, she tried to seduce Joseph.  The Book of Jubilees pictures her putting pressure on him for a year.  

But Joseph withstood the pressure and refused to give in to Potiphar's wife.  Although he was far from home, he had not lost his connection to the God of Jacob and the teaching he must have received from Jacob as a child.  

Joseph's example has always been important for those who are striving to resist sexual temptation.  Paul had Joseph's example in mind when he admonished early Christians to  "flee from sexual immorality" (1 Cor 6:18).  

The book of Fourth Maccabees, a philosophically-oriented work from the Second Temple period, holds up Joseph's example as proof that it is possible to obey the 10th commandment (You shall not covet) by the mastery of reason over emotion (4 Macc 2).  

Seder 36: Psalm 77---From Distress to Confidence Via Meditation on God's Wondrous Works

In Psalm 77, an individual lament, the psalmist (probably Asaph) prays about a severe trial.  In distress, he cannot sleep.  

His struggles lead to questions:  

"Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?  Has his steadfast love forever ceased?  Are his promises at an end for all time?  Has God forgotten to be gracious?  Has he in anger shut up compassion?"  (vv 7-9)

Pondering these questions, he thinks back on all that he knows about God, and is assured that all the questions have negative answers.  Based on God's track record as Creator and faithful Deliverer, he knows that he is safe in God's hands (vv 11-20).  

In the next psalm, number 78, Asaph emphasizes the importance of rehearsing God's mighty works from the past for future generations, "so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments" (verse 7).  Psalm 77 gives an example of Psalm 78:7.  The psalmist sets his hope in God by remembering God's great works. 

Note added Oct 13, 2022:  For further reflections on Psalm 77 from biblical scholar Richard Middleton, see this blog post and its links.