Day 1 (Monday)
Genesis 45:1-28 (Joseph Reveals Himself to his Brothers)
Last time, we saw Joseph plant his silver cup in Benjamin’s bag, as well as placing all the money that his brother’s had paid for the grain in their respective bags, and then send them on their way home. Once they were on the road, he sent his steward after them, accusing them of theft, and they promised that if his cup was found, the one who had it should die, and the rest of them should be slaves. The steward refused this offer, and said that only the one with whom it was found would be a slave, and the rest of them could return home in peace. When the cup was found in Benjamin’s bag, however, they all immediately tore their clothes and returned to Egypt, to Joseph’s house. Once there, he again offered to let them leave, but instead Judah stood up, told once more the story of how much their father loved Benjamin, and begged Joseph to take him in Benjamin’s place, so that their father would not die of grief. We noted that this exhibited profound repentance by Judah…this time, we will finally see Joseph reveal himself to his brothers.
Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers
45 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him; and he cried, “Make every one go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
4 So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, I pray you.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”
9 “Make haste and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry; 10 you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have; 11 and there I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come; lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty.’”
12 “And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 You must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Make haste and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
16 When the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. 17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan; 18 and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’ 19 Command them also, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20 Give no thought to your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 The sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each and all of them he gave festal garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five festal garments. 23 To his father he sent as follows: ten asses loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way.”
25 So they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. 26 And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart fainted, for he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived; 28 and Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive; I will go and see him before I die.”
Reading 9 – 747 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note how thoroughly Joseph has laid aside any resentment against his brothers; as he sees their true and genuine (and unforced) repentance, he cannot conceal himself from them any longer, and has no reason to either. So he reveals himself, promises them only good things, expresses his love and forgiveness, tells them not to be afraid, and that even in their sin they have been instruments of God for the salvation of all their family, and indeed of all the world. Considering what he has experienced at their hands, it is truly and absolutely remarkable, but we should be very clear that there have been two stages to this. In the first, he has set aside a desire for revenge, and contrived a way for them to go their way in peace, if they are as they were when he was young…he has not forced a reconciliation, but has chosen to do good to them regardless, without revealing himself to them. In the second, however, once he has tested them and found that they are changed, that the fruits of repentance are evident in them, then he reveals himself to them and reconciles himself with them. So the story of Joseph is a good guide for what actual forgiveness looks like.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Joseph and Asenath – 6
Last time we saw Aseneth rid herself of all her finery, of the idols of her former gods, and of the rich food that had been dedicated to them. She clothed herself in mourning clothes, and then (quite dramatically) humbled and humiliated herself, putting a belt of sackcloth around her waist and pouring ashes upon her head. She fasted for seven days, weeping for her sins and errors, and then she began to speak to herself about how, having forsaken the gods and the wealth of her parents and her people, she was now effectively an orphan and an outcast. In that state of bereavement and helplessness, she remembered that the God of Joseph was known to be merciful and loving to those who turn to Him, and she decided to pray to Him. This time, we will see her confirm this intention and begin to pray.
James H. Charlesworth, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the New Testament: Expansions of the “Old Testament” and Legends, Wisdom, and Philosophical Literature, Prayers, Psalms and Odes, Fragments of Lost Judeo-Hellenistic Works, vol. 2 (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 1985), 202–238.
Aseneth’s second soliloquy on how to take courage to pronounce God’s name
15 And Aseneth rose from the wall where she was sitting and turned to the window looking east and straightened up on her knees and spread her hands out toward heaven. And she was afraid to open her mouth and to name the name of God. And she turned again away to the wall and sat and struck her head and her breast with (her) hand often, and said in her heart without opening her mouth:
16 (What) a wretched (woman) I (am), and an orphan and desolate,
my mouth is defiled from the sacrifices of the idols
and from the blessings of the gods of the Egyptians,
17 And now, in these tears of mine and the ashes strewn around and the filth of my humiliation,
how shall I open my mouth to the Most High,
and how name his terrible holy name,
(and be sure) that the Lord will not be angry with me,
because in (the midst of) my lawless deeds I have called on his holy name?18 What shall I now do, wretched (that) I (am)?
I will rather take courage and open my mouth to him
and invoke his name.
And if in fury the Lord strikes me
he himself will again heal me;
and if he chastises me with his whips,
he himself will look again on me in his mercy;
and if he is furious at me in my sins,
he will again be reconciled with me and forgive me every sin.
So I will take courage to open my mouth to him.
Aseneth’s confession of sin and prayer for acceptance
19 And Aseneth rose again from the wall where she sat and straightened up on her knees (12:1) and spread her hand eastward and looked with her eyes up toward heaven, and opened her mouth to God, and said:
12 1 (2) Lord God of the ages,
who created all (things) and gave life (to them),
who gave breath of life to your whole creation,
who brought the invisible (things) out into the light,
2 who made the (things that) are and the (ones that) have an appearance from the non-appearing and non-being,
(3) who lifted up the heaven
and founded it on a firmament upon the back of the winds,
who founded the earth upon the waters,
who put big stones on the abyss of the water,
and the stones will not be submerged,
but they are like oak leaves (floating) on top of the water,
and they are living stones
and hear your voice, Lord,
and keep your commandments which you have commanded to them,
and never transgress your ordinances,
but are doing your will to the end.For you, Lord, spoke and they were brought to life,
because your word, Lord, is life for all your creatures.
3 With you I take refuge, Lord,
(4) and to you I will shout, Lord,
to you I will pour out my supplication,
to you I will confess my sins,
and to you I will reveal my lawless deeds.
4 Spare me, Lord,
(5) because I have sinned much before you,
I have committed lawlessness and irreverence,
and have said wicked and unspeakable (things) before you.
5 My mouth is defiled from the sacrifices of the idols
and from the tables of the gods of the Egyptians.
(6) I have sinned, Lord,
before you I have sinned much in ignorance,
and have worshiped dead and dumb idols.
And now I am not worthy to open my mouth to you, Lord.(7) And I, Aseneth, daughter of Pentephres the priest,
the virgin and queen,
who (was) once proud and arrogant,
and prospering in my riches beyond all people,
am now an orphan, and desolate, and abandoned by all people.
6 With you I take refuge, Lord,
and to you I bring my supplication,
and to you I will shout.
7 Rescue me before I am caught by my persecutors.
8 For (just) as a little child who is afraid flees to his father,
(8) and the father, stretching out his hands, snatches him off the ground,
and puts his arms around him by his breast,
and the child clasps his hands around his father’s neck,
and regains his breath after his fear,
and rests at his father’s breast,
the father, however, smiles at the confusion of his childish mind,
likewise you too. Lord, stretch out your hands upon me as a child-loving father,
and snatch me off the earth.9 (9) For behold, the wild old lion persecutes me,
because he is (the) father of the gods of the Egyptians,
and his children are the gods of the idol maniacs.
And I have come to hate them,
because they are the lion’s children,
and have thrown all of them from me and destroyed them.
10 And the lion their father furiously persecutes me,
11 (10) but you, Lord, rescue me from his hands,
and from his mouth deliver me,
lest he carry me off like a lion,
and tear me up
and throw me into the flame of the fire,
and the fire will throw me into the hurricane,
and the hurricane (will) wrap me up in darkness
and throw me out into the deep of the sea,
and the big sea monster who (exists) since eternity will swallow me,
and I will be destroyed for ever (and) ever.12 (11) Rescue me, Lord,
before all this comes upon me.
Rescue me, Lord,
the desolate and solitary,
because my father and my mother disowned me and said,
“Aseneth is not our daughter,”
because I have destroyed and ground (to pieces) their gods,
and have come to hate them.
13 And I am now an orphan and desolate,
and I have no other hope save in you, Lord,
and no other refuge except your mercy, Lord,
because you are the father of the orphans,
and a protector of the persecuted
and a helper of the afflicted.14 Have mercy upon me, Lord,
and guard me, a virgin (who is) abandoned and an orphan,
because you, Lord, are a sweet and good and gentle father.
15 What father is as sweet as you, Lord,
and who (is) as quick in mercy as you, Lord,
and who (is as) long-suffering toward our sins as you, Lord?
(12) For behold, all the gifts of my father Pentephres,
which he gave me as an inheritance, are transient and obscure;
but the gifts of your inheritance, Lord, are incorruptible and eternal.
1096 words
Reading 6
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note how Aseneth began the passage determined to ask the Lord for mercy, and then turned back briefly in despair before pressing on with her decision. We see in this a reality that often comes to us when we undertake to repent, that we believe (or perhaps are tempted to believe) that God will not accept our prayer, and therefore we turn away from it. Aseneth’s conclusion is the correct one, however; she says that even if God does not receive her prayer, she will still cast herself upon His mercy and love, and confesses that even if He does reject and punish her, that He will be merciful to her after. This is what trust in God looks like, even in the face of demonic temptation and lies; even if God were to reject us, as they assure us that He will, we should still turn to Him, because He is always merciful, even after correcting us. Whatever He brings upon us, we cleave to Him, for with Him alone is life and light and salvation.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 3 (Friday)
Acts 6:1-15 (Seven Chosen to Serve; Stephen Arrested)
Last time we saw the Apostles before the Sanhedrin, and saw Gamaliel urge the council to take a “wait and see” approach, since if the movement and teaching of the Apostles was not from God, all experience from the past gave them every assurance that their movement would wither to nothing. Conversely, he said, if it was indeed from God, then nothing they could do would have any chance of succeeding. They took his advice (more or less), but nonetheless they had the Apostles flogged and whipped, and ordered them not to preach any longer; the Apostles left there rejoicing that they were found worthy to suffer for the name of the Lord, and continued to preach without any pause. This time, we will see what happens as the Church continues to grow.
Seven Chosen to Serve
6 Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. 2 And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, 4 while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.”
5 What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
The Arrest of Stephen
8 Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. 11 Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
12 They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. 13 They set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.” 15 And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Reading 10 – 379 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how things have developed, that on the one hand, the religious leaders themselves have held to their intent to wait and see what happens with the Apostles and those who follow Jesus Christ, and even many of the priests (if not the high priests) are receiving the Gospel. On the other hand, however, we see Stephen, one of those seven selected to assist the Apostles in the care for the people, engaged in a dispute with what are effectively a group of students, and refuting every argument they make; in anger, they find people willing to accuse him of blasphemy, and this leads the Sanhedrin to arrest him and bring him in for trial.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?