The morning Manna will be provided at 6am. Thanks.

Studying Genesis in the SSnet.org series Lesson 12, may the Holy Spirit be the speaker to your heart.

The Topic today is: "Joseph's official Egyptian cup of Divination"

The Opening Hymn will be 229 "Spirit of the Living God"

The Sabbath School Quarterly, downloadable from SSnet.org in the Teacher's Edition is on page 154 and for the laymen edition or Standard Edition, on page 100.

The SSnet.org site allows anyone, anywhere to read the lesson in their own language. Choose your own language to see God speaking also to your heart.

---It is typical of all governments to consist of believers, unbelievers, agnostics, nihilists, pagans, superstitious persons.

---They bring their gifts to a ruler and it can be anything. In Joseph's case it was a divination considered cup by his pagan Egyptian audience.

---Joseph believed God and did not believe in their pagan ideas. As long as they close their eyes when he prayed to the one true God for them, the cup can stand there. He hoped they would focus on his true words and not the fake cup.

---He did not believe in its power Ellen White says in Patriarchs and Prophets. 229.

---It is interesting in the previous chapter in Genesis 43:23 that the servant who talked to the brothers about the treasure in their sacks used the same faithful language that they knew.

---"Peace be to you fear not, your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks, I had your money".

---In Genesis 43:24 they washed their feet. John 13 washing of the disciples’ feet by Jesus was not just a cultural habit like this one with the brothers. John 13:17 instituted a ceremony that Adventist are to follow until the Second Coming.

---Joseph was to act a villain and non-religious but when he saw Benjamin his passions overcame him and the Hebrew honest religion of his heart dropped out of his mouth automatically: "God be gracious to you, my son" Genesis 43:29.

---It is time for homecoming. And Joseph had a plan. The cup.

---If he just asked his brothers to bring his father, they may trick again, he may have wondered?

---He had to force them to bring the father.

---Joseph was so overcame with passion that he did not realize that he insisted five times that a portion from before him be given to Benjamin. Someone was counting.

---The brothers also counted and related that to Jacob. Moses wrote it down. It is not imagination but history.

---Leaving Benjamin behind desturbed Judah. He proposes to give himself as sacrifice (Genesis 44:33).

---Dr. Doukhan compared the "instead" giving of Judah with the "instead" giving of the ram for Isaac and the "instead" giving of Christ for us in Romans 5:8.

---Salvation includes the core element of "instead". After that salvation also includes the element of "therefore I will follow His obedience and be perfect as He is perfect in my carefulness of my intentions, motivation, thoughts. daily activities".

---Substitution and Example is the complete gospel that is unfortunately not the message of most current Reformed churches. Cheap gospel focuses only on a thin layer of Jesus romanticism.

---Edward Heppenstall in Christ our High Priest warns us against preaching a "cheap gospel" without obedience preaching, overcoming preaching, perfection preaching. (Heppenstall chapter 3 paragraph 61). If sin can be forgiven without judgment, it is cheap grace. Judgment is by our works he also said. Works are obedience by the enabling grace of God.

---We are not asked to embrace sin and invite them to church. It is the person that is invited and divine grace will do the transformation. "They do not stay the same" says Charles Brooks.

---In the sermon "God in bad company" on Youtube, Charles Brooks spelled out that an alcoholic will stop drinking. A smoker stop smoking. God will wash their hearts and face and body and put new clothes on. They become changed. No "stay as you are" sermons.

---Joseph could see that his brothers really changed. They were not the same any longer. Reunion and staying together was possible. Joseph planned for it.