Genesis 18:25

Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

From Background Notes [BN] for July 5th & 6th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The quarrel of the colonies with Great Britain appealed to "the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of [their] our intentions", saying as much in its closing paragraph [Declaration of Independence]. This is remarkable language, again found only in the Congressional version before publication.

Genesis 39:19

When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 28th & 29th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Which is worse: a pit or a prison? For certain, the pit had no water, according to our writer. Presumably prison did. But then again, Joseph ends up in both places without just provocation. He could have whined, "it's just not fair!"

Genesis 39:1

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 28th & 29th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Potiphar must have marveled at his Hebrew servant. Not only was Joseph successful, he brought blessing to the house and field of his master.

Genesis 37:19-20

“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

From Background Notes [BN] for June 28th & 29th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief". Those words were not written about Joseph, but about the Suffering Servant of the Lord in Isaiah 53. Yet...

Genesis 37:5

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 28th & 29th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Joseph comes to play a pivotal role in advancing the purposes of God for his people. Therefore, the life of Joseph is not just about him as a solitary hero who attracts notoriety for his own exploits, but belongs to the larger narrative in the flow of salvation history.

Esther 3:2

All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 21st & 22nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Xerxes makes Haman, a descendent of the Amalekites, the vizier. Ironically, Amalekites were ancient enemies of Israel, and Mordercai and Esther's own genealogies trace back to King Saul's father, Kish. It was Saul who failed to completely destroy the Amalekites when God ordered it centuries before.

 

Esther 7:7

The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 21st & 22nd written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Our photographic copies of the original Masora reveal other interesting "accents" to the biblical text, one of them in the book of Esther. In four different verses (1:20; 5:4; 5:13; 7:7) the scribes, when they copied the Hebrew Text, made certain letters larger than others.