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Dec. 30, 2022
A People Set Apart
As we assess our lives and make new year’s resolutions, let’s learn an important lesson found in this week’s Torah reading. God used Joseph to save his family from famine, but it meant moving them to Egypt. Joseph knew the dangers of the paganism of Egypt, so he ensured Pharoah would look down upon his family and thereby be separated from Egyptian society. This wise move guaranteed the survival of the children of Israel as a people. The message is clear not to look for affirmation or inclusion from a godless society but be set apart for His purposes.
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The Torah is the name of the first five books of the Bible. In Hebrew the word Torah means "instruction." The Torah is rich in lessons that we can all benefit from so join Susan each week as her Shabbat Shalom devotionals will be based on the Torah portion read that week in synagogues all around the world.
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A People Set Apart (Out of Zion Episode #158)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,560
Well the holidays are winding down and it's time to start preparing ourselves
2
00:00:04,560 --> 00:00:09,920
for the new year and all of our new year's resolutions and to prepare our hearts
3
00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:15,040
we're going to catch up on our last tour portions which have an important lesson
4
00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:21,040
an appropriate lesson for us. So welcome to this week's Shabbat Shalom devotional
5
00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:25,600
when I seek to share just a little inspiration and bring a little piece to
6
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:31,060
the close of your very busy week. Well we paused our tour reading the last two
7
00:00:31,060 --> 00:00:36,920
weeks in order to deal with the subjects of Hanukkah and then Christmas. So this
8
00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,200
week we're going to play catch up we're going to cover ten whole chapters from
9
00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:49,880
Genesis chapter 37 to chapter 47 and this is the story of Joseph. We all know
10
00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,920
the story we heard it in Sunday school we heard it when we were children but
11
00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:59,840
Joseph had some dreams and which seemed to say that he was going to be greater
12
00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:06,400
than his brothers and even his father and this caused a lot of jealousy and
13
00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:11,400
hatred and bitterness so his brothers ended up selling Joseph into slavery.
14
00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:16,000
He's taken to Egypt and there he is bought as a slave by Potiphar and he's
15
00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:22,640
working in Potiphar's house where he is then falsely accused by Potiphar's
16
00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:28,600
wife and he's put into prison but yet in prison he begins to interpret dreams and
17
00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:33,920
so next thing we know Potiphar has a dream and he needs or I should say
18
00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:38,680
Pharaoh has a dream and he needs it interpreted so they call upon Joseph
19
00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:44,960
and this is the beginning of Joseph's rise to power. Well he begins to prepare
20
00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:50,880
Egypt during seven years of plenty for seven years of famine that God has
21
00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:57,080
showed him are ahead and sure enough the famine begins and his brothers come down
22
00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:04,020
from Canaan in order to buy grain. He plays with them and then finally he
23
00:02:04,020 --> 00:02:09,680
reveals to them he is their lost brother Joseph and he tells them to bring their
24
00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:15,600
father Jacob which they do and he comes to live in the land of Egypt. So there's
25
00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:20,640
so many lessons so many things we could talk about in that story. So I want to
26
00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:26,200
focus on a lesson at the very end of the story of this week's reading. It's that
27
00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:32,200
Joseph knew the dangers of the pagan Egyptian society. He had grown up in it
28
00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:40,560
and he knew that for the survival of his family they needed to be apart from the
29
00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:45,800
Egyptians and he knew that they must stay out of the influence of this society.
30
00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:51,440
They should not assimilate into it and be lost as a people. So he tells them that
31
00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:56,400
when they go before Pharaoh what to say and we're going to read it in in chapter
32
00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:04,080
46 verse 33 and 34. So it should be when Pharaoh calls you and says what is your
33
00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:09,920
occupation that you shall say your servant's occupation has been with
34
00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:16,880
livestock from our youth even till now both we and also our fathers that you
35
00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:24,520
may dwell in the land of Goshen for every shepherd is an abomination to the
36
00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:30,920
Egyptians. Now this is interesting. Joseph is telling them to claim to be a
37
00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:38,480
people that are an abomination or are loathsome to the Egyptians. He wanted to
38
00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:45,440
keep his family separate from the Egyptians. Yes this separateness would
39
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:49,600
place them into the very fertile land of Goshen where they were going to
40
00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:56,560
prosper. But verse 34 says that Joseph didn't do it for the fertile land. He
41
00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:02,760
he told them to do it because they would be looked down upon by the Egyptians.
42
00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:09,000
They would be set apart and kept separate. Remember we talked earlier about how
43
00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:15,960
that holy means to be set apart for God's purposes. Here the Israelites were set
44
00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:20,760
apart for his purpose. Otherwise they may have assimilated. They might have
45
00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:26,000
intermarried. They may have lost their faith and been swallowed up in the people
46
00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:31,600
of Egypt. Joseph did not just feed his people and save them that way but he
47
00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:37,040
played and he also placed them in a fertile area. But most importantly he
48
00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:43,920
kept them separate and apart for their survival. Now as we look ahead at 2023 I
49
00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:50,080
think we need to ask ourselves are we seeking affirmation and inclusion by a
50
00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:56,880
godless and sinful world or are we happy to be looked down upon and to live
51
00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:01,640
separately where we can obey and follow our God and live according to his
52
00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:07,600
righteousness. These are good questions as we're facing a new year and something
53
00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:27,720
to ponder over this weekend. And with that I'm going to wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,560
Well the holidays are winding down and it's time to start preparing ourselves
2
00:00:04,560 --> 00:00:09,920
for the new year and all of our new year's resolutions and to prepare our hearts
3
00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:15,040
we're going to catch up on our last tour portions which have an important lesson
4
00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:21,040
an appropriate lesson for us. So welcome to this week's Shabbat Shalom devotional
5
00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:25,600
when I seek to share just a little inspiration and bring a little piece to
6
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:31,060
the close of your very busy week. Well we paused our tour reading the last two
7
00:00:31,060 --> 00:00:36,920
weeks in order to deal with the subjects of Hanukkah and then Christmas. So this
8
00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,200
week we're going to play catch up we're going to cover ten whole chapters from
9
00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:49,880
Genesis chapter 37 to chapter 47 and this is the story of Joseph. We all know
10
00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,920
the story we heard it in Sunday school we heard it when we were children but
11
00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:59,840
Joseph had some dreams and which seemed to say that he was going to be greater
12
00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:06,400
than his brothers and even his father and this caused a lot of jealousy and
13
00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:11,400
hatred and bitterness so his brothers ended up selling Joseph into slavery.
14
00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:16,000
He's taken to Egypt and there he is bought as a slave by Potiphar and he's
15
00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:22,640
working in Potiphar's house where he is then falsely accused by Potiphar's
16
00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:28,600
wife and he's put into prison but yet in prison he begins to interpret dreams and
17
00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:33,920
so next thing we know Potiphar has a dream and he needs or I should say
18
00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:38,680
Pharaoh has a dream and he needs it interpreted so they call upon Joseph
19
00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:44,960
and this is the beginning of Joseph's rise to power. Well he begins to prepare
20
00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:50,880
Egypt during seven years of plenty for seven years of famine that God has
21
00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:57,080
showed him are ahead and sure enough the famine begins and his brothers come down
22
00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:04,020
from Canaan in order to buy grain. He plays with them and then finally he
23
00:02:04,020 --> 00:02:09,680
reveals to them he is their lost brother Joseph and he tells them to bring their
24
00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:15,600
father Jacob which they do and he comes to live in the land of Egypt. So there's
25
00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:20,640
so many lessons so many things we could talk about in that story. So I want to
26
00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:26,200
focus on a lesson at the very end of the story of this week's reading. It's that
27
00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:32,200
Joseph knew the dangers of the pagan Egyptian society. He had grown up in it
28
00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:40,560
and he knew that for the survival of his family they needed to be apart from the
29
00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:45,800
Egyptians and he knew that they must stay out of the influence of this society.
30
00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:51,440
They should not assimilate into it and be lost as a people. So he tells them that
31
00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:56,400
when they go before Pharaoh what to say and we're going to read it in in chapter
32
00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:04,080
46 verse 33 and 34. So it should be when Pharaoh calls you and says what is your
33
00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:09,920
occupation that you shall say your servant's occupation has been with
34
00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:16,880
livestock from our youth even till now both we and also our fathers that you
35
00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:24,520
may dwell in the land of Goshen for every shepherd is an abomination to the
36
00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:30,920
Egyptians. Now this is interesting. Joseph is telling them to claim to be a
37
00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:38,480
people that are an abomination or are loathsome to the Egyptians. He wanted to
38
00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:45,440
keep his family separate from the Egyptians. Yes this separateness would
39
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:49,600
place them into the very fertile land of Goshen where they were going to
40
00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:56,560
prosper. But verse 34 says that Joseph didn't do it for the fertile land. He
41
00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:02,760
he told them to do it because they would be looked down upon by the Egyptians.
42
00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:09,000
They would be set apart and kept separate. Remember we talked earlier about how
43
00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:15,960
that holy means to be set apart for God's purposes. Here the Israelites were set
44
00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:20,760
apart for his purpose. Otherwise they may have assimilated. They might have
45
00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:26,000
intermarried. They may have lost their faith and been swallowed up in the people
46
00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:31,600
of Egypt. Joseph did not just feed his people and save them that way but he
47
00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:37,040
played and he also placed them in a fertile area. But most importantly he
48
00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:43,920
kept them separate and apart for their survival. Now as we look ahead at 2023 I
49
00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:50,080
think we need to ask ourselves are we seeking affirmation and inclusion by a
50
00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:56,880
godless and sinful world or are we happy to be looked down upon and to live
51
00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:01,640
separately where we can obey and follow our God and live according to his
52
00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:07,600
righteousness. These are good questions as we're facing a new year and something
53
00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:27,720
to ponder over this weekend. And with that I'm going to wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
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