Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 40-41 NIV, Ch. 42-43 ERV

Podcast Introduction

This is the Law Monday. We’ll read Genesis 40-43. And the episode title is “That’s Quite A Gift.”

And it’s the twelfth of December, so we’ll have Christmas Question number 12 today, sent in by Derek Shack. Of course, our Christmas expert, James Cooper of whychristmas.com has an answer for him.

Today’s music will be a beautiful rendition from a certified beautiful lady with a beautiful voice…literally…not just saying it. She’s a former Miss Louisiana, and she won a talent award for her singing in the 1996 Miss America pageant.

Comments on Genesis 41

I’ve read these chapters many times, but never gave a lot of thought to a certain part of the gifts that Pharaoh to Joseph when Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams. Can you guess what part I’m talking about?

I never thought about the fact that Pharaoh gave Joseph a wife. But this woman was not just any woman. Her name was Asenath, and she was the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 

So let’s look at this. What was On? On was a city located about ten miles northeast of what is today the city of Cairo. On was also known as Helipolis, or “The City of the Sun”. It was the capital of the worship of the sun god, Ra. 

Joseph’s new father-in-law, Potiphera, was the high priest of On, and his title was “Greatest of Seers”. 

So Joseph married into a very important family, befitting his new position in Pharaoh’s kingdom. And Pharaoh chose this family for a second reason. In making Joseph part of this family, he was showing that he believed that Joseph was also a “seer”, or prophet equal to, or even greater than On’s priest.

You might question the marriage between one of God’s people and someone with a foreign background, especially one with a false God. 

Remember that Joseph had no choice in the matter. He was, in fact, still a subject of Pharaoh. The fact that God did not hold this against Joseph, I believe, is shown in that the two sons borne of the marriage, Manasseh and Ephraim, became two of the tribes of Israel. 

James Cooper on the Wisemen

Read more HERE.

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Genesis 40-43: That’s Quite a Gift (LSFAB S13E072)

[TEASER – 0:00]
This woman was not just any woman.

[INTRO S13E072 – 0:09]
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. How are ya? This is a daily podcast and you and I are reading the entire Bible together in a year. Thank you for coming along. The website is lifespringmedia.com. And this is The Law Monday. We’ll read Genesis 40 through 43. And the episode title is “That’s Quite a Gift.”

And today is the 12th of December so we’ll have Christmas question number twelve, today, sent in by Derek Shack. Our Christmas expert James Cooper of whychristmas.com has an answer for him. Today’s Christmas carol will be a beautiful rendition from a certified beautiful lady with a beautiful voice – literally. I’m not just saying it. She’s a former Miss Louisiana and she won a talent award for her singing in the 1996 Miss America Pageant. So yeah, she is certified.

Before we read, let’s pray.

[OPENING PRAYER – 1:06]
Our gracious heavenly Father again, we thank you for your Word. And I ask that you would bless our time reading it today. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Okay, let’s begin.

[GENESIS 40 (NIV) – 1:19]
Genesis, chapter 40.

(1) Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. (2) Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, (3) and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. (4) The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.

After they had been in custody for some time, (5) each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.

(6) When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. (7) So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”

(8) “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”

Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

(9) So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, (10) and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. (11) Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”

(12) “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. (13) Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. (14) But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. (15) I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”

(16) When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. (17) In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

(18) “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. (19) Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”

(20) Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: (21) He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— (22) but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.

(23) The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

[GENESIS 41 (NIV) – 4:07
Genesis, chapter 41.

(1) When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, (2) when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. (3) After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. (4) And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

(5) He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. (6) After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. (7) The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.

(8) In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

(9) Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. (10) Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. (11) Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. (12) Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. (13) And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.”

(14) So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

(15) Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

(16) “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

(17) Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, (18) when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. (19) After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. (20) The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. (21) But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

(22) “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. (23) After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. (24) The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”

(25) Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. (26) The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. (27) The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

(28) “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. (29) Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, (30) but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. (31) The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. (32) The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

(33) “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. (34) Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. (35) They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. (36) This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

(37) The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. (38) So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”

(39) Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. (40) You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

(41) So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” (42) Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. (43) He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

(44) Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift a hand or foot in all Egypt.” (45) Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

(46) Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. (47) During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. (48) Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. (49) Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.

(50) Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. (51) Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” (52) The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

(53) The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, (54) and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. (55) When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”

(56) When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. (57) And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.

[GENESIS 42 (ERV) – 11:08]
Genesis, chapter 42.

(1) During the famine in Canaan, Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt. So he said to his sons, “Why are you sitting here doing nothing? (2) I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go there and buy grain for us so that we will live and not die!”

(3) So ten of Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to buy grain. (4) Jacob did not send Benjamin. (Benjamin was Joseph’s only full brother.) Jacob was afraid that something bad might happen to Benjamin.

(5) The famine was very bad in Canaan, so there were many people from Canaan who went to Egypt to buy grain. Among them were the sons of Israel.

(6) Joseph was the governor of Egypt at the time. He was the one who checked the sale of grain to people who came to Egypt to buy it. Joseph’s brothers came to him and bowed before him. (7) Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted like he didn’t know them. He was rude when he spoke to them. He said, “Where do you come from?”

The brothers answered, “We have come from the land of Canaan to buy food.”

(8) Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not know who he was. (9) Then Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about his brothers.

Joseph said to his brothers, “You have not come to buy food! You are spies. You came to learn where we are weak.”

(10) But the brothers said to him, “No, sir, we come as your servants. We have come only to buy food. (11) We are all brothers—we all have the same father. We are honest men. We have come only to buy food.”

(12) Then Joseph said to them, “No, you have come to spy on us!”

(13) And the brothers said, “No, sir, we come as servants from Canaan. We are all brothers, sons of the same father. There were twelve brothers in our family. Our youngest brother is still at home with our father, and the other brother died a long time ago.”

(14) But Joseph said to them, “No! I can see that I am right. You are spies. (15) But I will let you prove that you are telling the truth. In the name of Pharaoh, I swear that I will not let you go until your youngest brother comes here. (16) One of you must go back to get your youngest brother while the rest of you stay here in prison. Then we can prove whether you are telling the truth or not. If you are not telling the truth, then by Pharaoh, I swear that you are spies!” (17) Then Joseph put them all in prison for three days.

(18) After three days Joseph said to them, “I am a God-fearing man. Do this, and I will let you live. (19) If you are honest men, one of your brothers can stay here in prison, and the others can go and carry grain back to your people. (20) But then you must bring your youngest brother back here to me. Then I will know that you are telling the truth, and you will not have to die.”

The brothers agreed to this. (21) They said to each other, “We are being punished for the bad thing we did to our younger brother Joseph. We saw the trouble he was in. He begged us to save him, but we refused to listen. So now we are in trouble.”

(22) Then Reuben said to them, “I told you not to do anything bad to that boy, but you refused to listen to me. Now we are being punished for his death.”

(23-24) Joseph was using an interpreter to talk to his brothers, so the brothers did not know that he understood their language. He heard and understood everything they said, and that made him want to cry. So he turned away and left the room. When he came back, he took one of the brothers, Simeon, and tied him up while the others watched. (25) Joseph told the servants to fill the bags with grain. The brothers had given Joseph the money for the grain, but he didn’t keep the money. He put the money in their bags of grain. Then he gave them what they would need for their trip back home.

(26) So the brothers put the grain on their donkeys and left. (27) That night the brothers stopped at a place to spend the night. One of the brothers opened his sack to get some grain for his donkey. And there in the sack, he saw his money! (28) He said to the other brothers, “Look! Here is the money I paid for the grain. Someone put the money back in my sack.” The brothers were very afraid. They said to one another, “What is God doing to us?”

(29) The brothers went back to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him about everything that had happened. (30) They said, “The governor of that country spoke rudely to us. He thought that we were spies! (31) We told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies. (32) There are twelve of us brothers, all from the same father. But one of our brothers is no longer living, and the youngest is still at home with our father in Canaan.’

(33) “Then the governor of that country said to us, ‘Here is a way to prove that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me. Take your grain back to your families. (34) Bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know if you are honest men or if you were sent from an army to destroy us. If you are telling the truth, I will give your brother back to you. I will give him to you, and you will be free to buy grain in our country.’”

(35) Then the brothers started taking the grain out of their sacks, and every brother found his bag of money in his sack of grain. When the brothers and their father saw the money, they were afraid.

(36) Jacob said to them, “Do you want me to lose all of my children? Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone, and now you want to take Benjamin away too!”

(37) But Reuben said to his father, “Father, you may kill my two sons if I don’t bring Benjamin back to you. Trust me. I will bring him back to you.”

(38) But Jacob said, “I will not let Benjamin go with you. His brother is dead, and he is the only son left from my wife Rachel. It would kill me if anything happened to him during the trip to Egypt. You would send me to the grave a very sad, old man.”

[GENESIS 43 (ERV) – 16:45]
Genesis, chapter 43.

(1) The famine was very bad in that country. (2) The people ate all the grain they had brought from Egypt. When that grain was gone, Jacob said to his sons, “Go to Egypt and buy some more grain for us to eat.”

(3) But Judah said to Jacob, “But the governor of that country warned us. He said, ‘If you don’t bring your brother back to me, I will refuse to talk to you.’ (4) If you send Benjamin with us, we will go down and buy grain. (5) But if you refuse to send Benjamin, we will not go. The man warned us to not come back without him.”

(6) Israel said, “Why did you tell him you had another brother? Why did you do such a bad thing to me?”

(7) The brothers answered, “He asked lots of questions. He wanted to know all about us and about our family. He asked us, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother at home?’ We only answered his questions. We didn’t know he would ask us to bring our brother to him!”

(8) Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Let Benjamin go with me. I will take care of him. We have to go to Egypt to get food. If we don’t go, we will all die—including our children. (9) I will make sure he is safe. I will be responsible for him. If I don’t bring him back to you, you can blame me forever. (10) If you had let us go before, we could have already made two trips for food.”

(11) Then their father Israel said, “If it is really true, take Benjamin with you. But take some gifts to the governor. Take some of the things we have been able to gather in our land. Take him some honey, pistachio nuts, almonds, spices, and myrrh. (12) Take twice as much money with you this time. Take the money that was given back to you after you paid last time. Maybe the governor made a mistake. (13) Take Benjamin, and go back to the man. (14) I pray that God All-Powerful will help you when you stand before the governor. I pray that he will let Benjamin, and also Simeon, come back safely. If not, I will again be sad from losing my children.”

(15) So the brothers took the gifts to give to the governor. And the brothers took twice as much money with them as they took the first time. This time Benjamin went with the brothers to Egypt.

(16) When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his servant, “Bring these men into my house. Kill an animal and cook it. They will eat with me at noon today.” (17) The servant did as he was told. He brought the men into Joseph’s house.

(18) The brothers were afraid when they were taken to Joseph’s house and said, “We have been brought here because of the money that was put back in our sacks the last time. They will use this as proof against us and steal our donkeys and make us slaves.”

(19) So the brothers went to the servant in charge of Joseph’s house. (20) They said, “Sir, I promise this is the truth. The last time we came, we came to buy food. (21-22) On the way home, we opened our sacks and found our money in every sack. We don’t know how it got there, but we brought that money with us to give it back to you. And we have brought more money to pay for the food that we want to buy this time.”

(23) But the servant answered, “Don’t be afraid; believe me. Your God, the God of your father, must have put the money in your sack as a gift. I remember that you paid me for the grain the last time.”

Then the servant brought Simeon out of the prison. (24) The servant led the men into Joseph’s house. He gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he fed their donkeys.

(25) The brothers heard that they were going to eat with Joseph, so they worked until noon preparing their gifts for him.

(26) When Joseph came home, the brothers gave him the gifts they had brought with them. Then they bowed down to the ground in front of him.

(27) Joseph asked them how they were doing. Then he said, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?”

(28) The brothers answered, “Yes, sir, our father is still alive.” And they again bowed before Joseph.

(29) Then Joseph saw his brother Benjamin. (Benjamin and Joseph had the same mother.) Joseph said, “Is this your youngest brother that you told me about?” Then Joseph said to Benjamin, “God bless you, my son!”

(30) Joseph felt a strong desire to show his brother Benjamin that he loved him. He was about to cry and didn’t want his brothers to see him, so he ran into his private room and cried there. (31) Then Joseph washed his face and came out. He regained control of himself and said, “Now it is time to eat.”

(32) The servants seated Joseph at a table by himself. His brothers were at another table by themselves, and the Egyptians were at a table by themselves. The Egyptians believed that it was wrong for them to eat with Hebrews. (33) Joseph’s brothers were seated at a table facing him. The brothers were looking at each other because, to their surprise, they had been seated in order, from the oldest to the youngest. (34) Servants were taking food from Joseph’s table and bringing it to them. But the servants gave Benjamin five times more than the others. The brothers continued to eat and drink with Joseph until they were drunk.

[COMMENTARY – 21:54]
I’ve read these chapters many times, but never gave a lot of thought to a certain part of the gifts that Pharaoh gave to Joseph when Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams. Can you guess what part I’m talking about?

I never thought about the fact that Pharaoh gave Joseph a wife. But this woman was not just any woman. Her name was Asenath, and she was the daughter of Potiphera, a priest of On.

What was On? On was a city located about ten miles northeast of what is today the city of Cairo. On was also known as Heliopolis, or the City of the Sun. It was the capital of the worship of the sun god Ra.

Joseph’s new father in law, Potiphera, was the high priest of On and his title was “greatest of Seers.” So Joseph married into a very important family befitting his new position in Pharaoh’s kingdom. And Pharaoh chose this family for a second reason. In making Joseph part of this family he was showing that he believed that Joseph was also a seer or prophet equal to or even greater than On’s priest.

Now, you might question the marriage between one of God’s people and someone with a foreign background, especially one with a false god.

Well, fret not, remember that Joseph had no choice in the matter. He was, in fact, still a subject of Pharaoh. The fact that God did not hold this against Joseph, I believe, is shown in that the two sons born of the marriage, Manasseh and Ephraim, became two of the tribes of Israel.

[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 23:32]
Well, I hope you found this as interesting as I did as I did the research. What do you think? Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511? And you can also comment at comment.lifespringmedia.com, or shoot me an email. I do read every comment and there’s a good possibility I’ll play your voicemail on the show or read your note, unless you ask me not to.

Tomorrow is History Tuesday, and we’ll begin the book of 1 Samuel by reading the first five chapters.

[CHRISTMAS QUESTIONS – 24:03]
Christmas question number 11 came in from Derek Shack, and I really liked this. He sent in his question, with a $22.22 donation. I encourage this. More questions with donations, please. Here’s what he said. “Thank you for your courage and God bless you.” And he signed it, Derek Shack from Luzerne, Michigan. He said, “My Christmas question is this. What is the significance of the gifts brought by the wise men? Gold seems to make sense, but why would a baby or his parents need frankincense and myrrh?” Well, Derek, that’s a great question. And yes, it is a great question. I said that on purpose. Well, James Cooper, you’re up.

[JAMES COOPER ANSWERS – 24:43]
Indeed, gold, frankincense and myrrh do seem rather strange gifts to give to a baby and the family of a young child. Well, what about the wise men and why did they bring these gifts with them? Well, all the Bible tells us about the wise men is that they came from the east. That’s not really much is it? Well, the wise men or the Magi were probably from an area which is now in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Yemen, or even what’s southern Turkey or northern Syria. And although they’re now often called the Three Kings, the Bible certainly doesn’t say that they were kings, just wise men, or that there were three of them. But they were Magi, and that word comes from the Greek word “magos”, which is where the English word “magic” comes from. And “magos” itself comes from an old Persian word, “Magupati”. This was the titles given to priests in a sector of ancient Persian religions such as Zoroastrianism, they would have probably been very rich and held in high esteem in their own society and by people who weren’t from their own country or region. I’ve looked at what the Star of Bethlehem might have been in a previous episode. So if you’d like some more information on that, please go and have a listen.

So after a detour to Jerusalem and meeting a very grumpy Herod, the wise men found Mary and Jesus. It doesn’t mention Joseph in this section at all. And it’s probably likely that Mary and Joseph and Jesus were living in Bethlehem or Jerusalem, and possibly in a normal house. By this time, Jesus would have been aged between one and two. It says that they turned up and they opened their treasure chests. That’s a literal translation. So we’re not just talking little bits here. We’re talking treasure chests.

And yes, the gifts of gold. frankincense and myrrh do seem very strange to give to a baby. Gold? Well, gold, we know what gold is. Gold’s gold. But frankincense and myrrh? Well, they’re resins from a tree, which is very odd. Well, odd to us, but sort of normal back then. Both frankincense and myrrh have medical uses, and were and still are used in many religions. And they were and still are very valuable. At the time of Jesus, both frankincense and myrrh would have been worth much more than the gold itself. Frankincense is still used in many churches around the world, especially Catholic and Orthodox churches, and showed that people would worship Jesus. And myrrh is a perfume that is and was put on dead bodies to make them smell nice. This symbolized that Jesus would suffer and die. The gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh would have also been useful as currency when Mary and Joseph and Jesus had to escape to Egypt. So not only was God using these symbols as a sign of Jesus’s life, and his power and his kingdom to come, he was also providing a practical solution to Mary and Joseph and Jesus’s very shortly coming needs.

So when you hear about gold, frankincense and myrrh in the Christmas story this year, although they might sound a bit unusual to us now, back then they were very symbolic and actually turned out to be very practical.

[STEVE WEBB – 27:37]
Well, now that we know more about the gifts it makes a lot more sense, doesn’t it? Thank you for the question, Derek, and also for the donation. We all learned something today, I think. And again, James, thank you for your outstanding answer. Of course, you can find out a lot more at whychristmas.com.

Send in your Christmas questions and possibly be one of the ticket winners to see the movie “Jesus Revolution” which will be released in February of 2023. Each question you send will get you one entry whether or not I use your question on the show, and I’ll be giving away two pairs of two tickets to the movie, “Jesus Revolution.” Plus, of course, we’ll have another drawing on the Christmas Day show for a signed copy of my book “Webb’s Easy Bible Names Pronunciation Guide,” and for that drawing for each question I use on the show you’ll get an entry. So send your questions in to Steve at Lifespring media.com and put “Christmas question” in the subject line.

Oh, and I did mention that I encourage the submission of questions accompanied by a donation. Well, whether you donate or not will not have any effect on the drawing just in case you’re wondering.

[BOOSTAGRAMS – 28:40]
I’d like to acknowledge a boostagram I got the other day of 100 sats from the Fountain app. The username is @hendrixobi. He was listening to the “Mark 1-2: When Faith Has Legs” episode, and he sent a praying hands emoji. Well, thank you for that @hendrixobi. I appreciate it. God bless you.

And you too can send boosts and boostagrams to the show. All you have to do is use one of those great podcast apps like Fountain which by the way pays you as you listen. So how cool is that? You can find out more about Fountain at fountain.fm. They’re one of the apps that makes it as easy as possible to get started with sats. It is getting easier every day.

[LIFESPRING WHY CHRISTMAS PODCAST – 29:28]
Here’s a suggestion for something you might want to do when this episode is over. Right after the episode to stay in the Christmas mood. Be sure to listen to the Lifespring Why Christmas podcast. There’s a new one every day from now to Christmas Day and James Cooper and I are giving away a signed copy of Bryan Duncan’s Christmas CD “A NehoSoul Christmas.” Be sure to subscribe at lifespringwhychristmas.show or on your podcast app search for Lifespring Why Christmas. The show’s hosted by the Christmas expert, James Cooper and some old dude. At least James is good.

I’d love to hear your comments on the show. Do that at +1-951-732-8511 or by going to comment.lifespringmedia.com or send me an email at st***@*************ia.com.

[SUPPORT THE SHOW – 30:13]
Well, Christmas is obviously just around the corner. Would you be willing to put the Lifespring Family Audio Bible on your gift-giving list? And something else that’s just around the corner is the 33rd anniversary of the wedding of the Lovely Lady LeeAnn and me. Or is that the Lovely Lady LeeAnn and I? Well, I’m not sure but if you’d like to put us on your gift giving list, this is where you can give:

[JINGLE SINGERS – 30:35]
lifespringmedia.com/support.

[OUTRO S13E072 – 30:46]
Today’s Christmas Carol is “O Come, O Come” sung by Karmyn Tyler. Now, Karmyn is another friend of mine that I met through podcasting. She is a former Miss Louisiana and you’ll see in a moment that she’s got a beautiful voice. I don’t recall exactly how we met. Somehow we exchanged emails not very long after I began the Lifespring podcast, and I became acquainted with her mom Suzie via email somewhere along the way. Well, when Karmyn and I first began to trade emails, I believe she lived in Texas and then around 2007 or so she decided to move to LA to pursue her singing and acting career. And her mom asked if LeeAnn and I would sort of be here for her if she needed anything. Well, of course we said yes. And so I told Karmyn that if she ever needed anything, she could call us. Fast forward a few months and we invited Karmyn to our house for our annual family Labor Day pool party and barbecue, which she came to, along with her parents who had traveled out from Texas to see her for the Labor Day weekend. So it really was a fun day. We probably had 25 or 30 family members and the Tylers all fit in wonderfully. Today, she’s a voice teacher and we still keep in touch, though she’s now living in New York City.

Here’s Karmyn singing “O Come, O Come,” and I will have a link to her website karmyntyler.com on the show notes page at lifespringmedia.com/s13e072.

Until tomorrow may God bless you richly. Thanks so much for making me a part of your day. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

[KARMYN TYLER SINGS “O COME, O COME” – 32:22]
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law
In clouds of majesty and awe

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Transcript corrected by Denise