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JANUARY 21
scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of
heaven is like a householder who brings out of
his treasure things new and old.”
13:57 A prophet…in his own country. This is 53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had fin-
an ancient proverb paralleling the modern ished these parables, that He departed from
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saying “Familiarity breeds contempt.” They there. When He had come to His own coun-
knew Jesus too well as a boy and a young man try, He taught them in their synagogue, so
from their own town—and they concluded that they were astonished and said, “Where
that He was nothing special.Verse 58 gives the did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty
sad result (see Mark 6:4). works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not
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His mother called Mary? And His brothers
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James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sis-
wicked from among the just, and cast them ters, are they not all with us? Where then did
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into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing this Man get all these things?” So they were
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and gnashing of teeth.” offended at Him.
51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not
all these things?” without honor except in his own country and
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” in his own house.” Now He did not do many
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52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every mighty works there because of their unbelief.
DAY 20:What did Joseph understand about the interpretation of dreams?
Oneiromancy, the science or practice of interpreting dreams, flourished in ancient Egypt
because dreams were thought to determine the future. Both Egypt and Babylon developed a pro-
fessional class of dream interpreters. Deuteronomy 13:1–5 shows that such dream interpreters
were part of ancient false religion and to be avoided by God’s people. By some 500 years later, a
detailed manual of dream interpretation had been compiled. Unlike Joseph, neither butler nor
baker understood the significance of their dreams (see Gen.37:5–11),and the sadness they project
in Genesis 40:5 expresses their belief that the dreams required an interpretation.
Joseph believed that when it came to dreams that the “interpretations belong to God”(v.8).He
was careful to give credit to his Lord (see 41:16). Daniel, the only other Hebrew whom God allowed
to accurately interpret revelatory dreams, was just as careful to do so (Dan. 2:28). Significantly, God
chose both men to play an important role for Israel while serving pagan monarchs and stepping
forward at the critical moment to interpret their dreams and reveal their futures.

January 21 Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.
8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his
spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for
Genesis 41:1–42:38
all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men.
Then it came to pass, at the end of two And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there
41 full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and was no one who could interpret them for
behold, he stood by the river. Suddenly there Pharaoh.
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came up out of the river seven cows, fine look- 9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh,
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ing and fat; and they fed in the meadow. Then saying: “I remember my faults this day.
behold, seven other cows came up after them 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants,
out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by and put me in custody in the house of the cap-
the other cows on the bank of the river. And tain of the guard, both me and the chief baker,
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the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine 11 we each had a dream in one night, he and I.
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looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. He Each of us dreamed according to the interpre-
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slept and dreamed a second time; and sud- tation of his own dream. Now there was a
denly seven heads of grain came up on one young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of
stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven the captain of the guard. And we told him, and
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thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man
up after them. And the seven thin heads he interpreted according to his own dream.
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devoured the seven plump and full heads. So 13 And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for
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