Readers Guide: “The Word for Today” Wednesday, September 26, 2012 Read – Genesis 39 & 40 The story picks back up with Joseph sold on the auction block in Egypt. His buyer is Potiphar who was an Egyptian official, the captain of the guard. As we begin to listen to this story we need to recall that God had promised to bless Abraham and his descendants. Joseph is blessed and so is everything and everyone associated with him. That is the heart of the story at this point. So we might think that the story of Joseph is not going to turn out too bad after all. Unfortunately for Joseph, Egyptian families seem as plagued as Israelite ones. Potiphar’s wife seeks an elicit relationship with Joseph who will not give in to her wishes and Joseph finds himself in prison. The story turns out to be bad after all. But, soon we begin to hear that even in prison Joseph is blessed along with everything and everyone associated with him. Maybe the story will not turn out so bad after all. Soon dreams reenter the story. Fellow-prisoners have dreams and Joseph is given the interpretation of those dreams by God. These prisoners are not commoners – they are the chief baker and the chief butler of Pharaoh. Joseph’s interpretation comes true and it appears that he will soon be rescued by the butler who only needs to remember to tell Pharaoh about Joseph. Perhaps the story will turn out okay – but the butler forgets. Do you see that pattern in the story? This too must have been one of the favorite stories that Jewish people loved to tell. It’s a story we like too, isn’t it?