Genesis 41:8-40

Pharaoh had two disturbing dreams, and for some reason he required an interpreter. Verse 8 tells us that “he sent for all of the magicians and wise men of Egypt.” Seriously, NONE of them could figure out what these dreams meant?? They seem pretty straightforward to me! Seven fat cows swallowed up by seven “lean, ugly cows”, and seven good heads of grain swallowed up by seven “worthless heads of grain?” None of the wise men could figure that out?? Beth Moore conjectures that they knew what the dreams meant but did not want to be the bearers of bad news, and possibly end up in the dungeon or worse.

So Pharaoh sought the help of Joseph, after the forgetful cupbearer recommended him. Joseph, who understood his place before God, refused to take credit for his interpretation:

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.”


“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” (Gen 41:15-16)

And Joseph, unlike the fearful magicians and wise men of Egypt, had no trouble telling the truth, as God revealed it to him:

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. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 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.


“It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 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. (vs. 25-32)

Joseph recommended that Pharaoh begin to immediately take action and plan for the famine by appointing commissioners to store up the food during the good years to be ready for the bad ones. Pharaoh recognized a good administrator when he saw one, and, even more importantly, he recognized where the talent came from [just so you know, as an English major it pains me to not write, “. . . from where the talent came,” but it just sounds so stuffy!]:

So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”


Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 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.” (vs.38-40)

Now, had it been me who had been put in this position of leadership, I’d be thinking, “Oh no! Wait until they find out that I have no clue!” Joseph had just been exalted to a very high position in Egypt. Could he possibly be ready for such authority? Of course he was ready! Not only had God been preparing him for exactly this kind of work through his administrative duties in Potiphar’s household and in the prison, but, by this time Joseph had to be thoroughly convinced that God was with him and would guide him, and that God would never call one of His children to do something without also giving him everything he would need to complete the task. Next, we’ll see just how important Joseph became to the nation of Egypt, and the entire known world of his time.

 

Genesis 41:1-14

It’s amazing how a small phrase in scripture can say so much! Look at the beginning of chapter 41:

When two full years had passed. . . Oh my gosh! Two FULL years! Beth Moore reminds us that is 730 days of waiting! Remember that Joseph had already been in prison for a long time before the cupbearer was sent there, so the two years is just how long he had been forgotten. I love what Beth says about this: . . . we can almost hear the echo in the hollow of a clock’s relentless tick, “Nothing yet! Nothing yet!” Time can be a liar. Heaven is replete with angelic activity as God faithfully completes in the spiritual realm what He will release in the visible realm when the time is right. (The Patriarchs, P. 187)

It may LOOK like nothing is happening, but God is working in the spiritual realm at all times! This made me think about the many times in my life that I have had to wait for something, and looking back I can see God’s timing has always been just right. So often He makes us wait just so we KNOW that the eventual answer is from Him and so that only HE will get the glory. Always, He is working out something in our lives. So, I’m also wondering if any of you have stories of your own that you would share with us about waiting?? I would LOVE to hear them!

Now, let’s get on with Joseph’s release already! :)

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


He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. (Gen 41:1-7)

This finally reminded the cupbearer of his promise! I can see him hitting his head, thinking, “Oh, my gosh - Joseph!!” He related to Pharaoh how Joseph had correctly interpreted his dream and that of the chief baker.

One important thing that Beth Moore notes about this cupbearer: we know that God was sovereign in the timing - He could have given Pharaoh the dreams at any time - but that does not negate the responsibility of the cupbearer who forgot his oath to Joseph, who had encouraged him in his time of need in prison. And, in fact, the cupbearer takes full responsibility in verse 9. Let’s look at three different translations of what he said:

I do remember my faults this day. (KJV)

Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. (NIV)

Today I have been reminded of my failure. (New Living Translation)

I have been focusing on the idea of our waiting, but this story is also about how we may have kept others waiting, too. Can you identify with the cupbearer here? Have people ever depended upon you and you let them down by forgetting them? Did you casually promise to pray for them, and then forgot? Think about the years your parents spent caring for your every need. Have you neglected them in their old age? One of my biggest regrets in my life is a time when I disappointed my mother when she needed me most!

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. (vs. 14)

Really? He was “quickly” brought?? It couldn’t have been fast enough! I’m imagining how good it must have felt to get cleaned up and shaved! Like being at a spa! Tomorrow we’ll see how God, having fully prepared Joseph for this moment, finally used him to bless millions!

Genesis 40

Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. (Gen 40:1-4a)

Two men came into Joseph’s prison. [Did you see that it was in the house of the “captain of the guard?” Remember that the captain of the guard was Potiphar!] Potiphar assigns these two men to Joseph’s care (guess that tells us what Potiphar knew about his wife’s charges against Joseph. . .). We aren’t told what offenses landed them in prison, but we can speculate, based on the outcome, that the cupbearer was most likely innocent, while the baker was probably guilty.

Each of these men had a strange dream on the same night, a dream that bothered each man greatly. Joseph saw their sad faces, and he asked them “What’s up?” They gave him the perplexing details of their dreams, and Joseph, the dreamer of dreams, showed his gift from God as an interpreter of dreams. He interpreted the dreams this way: the cupbearer would be restored to his position in three days, but in three days the chief baker would be hanged!  Joseph had one request of the cupbearer:

But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. For 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.” (vs. 14-15)

Sure enough, in three days both men were called out of prison to appear before Pharaoh. The cupbearer was restored to his place of honor, while the baker was taken out and hanged. Joseph must have been anxiously waiting for word to come that he, too, would be freed. However, one of the saddest passages to read is the last ending of this chapter:

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

Oh, do you feel the weight of this? It is repeated twice for emphasis. Joseph was completely forgotten by the cupbearer! We can imagine Joseph waiting for word of his release, believing it to be imminent. Yet, no word came. First a few days went by, then several weeks, then months - and still no word. Talk about a wilderness experience!

I’m wondering if Joseph ever felt despair. Did he remember his own dreams from his youth and wonder if God would ever fulfill them? Would he ever again see the light of day? Had God forgotten him, even as the cupbearer did? Beth Moore reminds us of the following verses - ones you may want to memorize if you are feeling forgotten by someone or even by God:

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”


“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! (Isaiah 49:14-15)

Even though we forget Him all of the time, and spend much of our days without thought of Him, God NEVER forgets us - we are in His thoughts constantly (Psalm 139:17-18). And as we wait for the one most important promises of God, the return of Christ, let’s remember that God does not forget that promise, either. God’s timetable is not ours. Joseph ended up waiting for two years before he was finally remembered. The world has been waiting for two thousand years for Christ’s return. During his imprisonment, Joseph was being prepared by God for what was coming, even as you and I are being prepared for an eternity with God. Will we be ready when He comes? It could be today - it could be tomorrow - it could be years. Let’s not get weary in the waiting, but trust that God is doing a work in us to prepare us!

 

Genesis 39:11-23

If you and I are going to be victorious under tidal wave temptation, we are wise to rehearse in advance our reasons for standing firm. (Beth Moore, The Patriarchs, P. 180).

In yesterday’s passage we saw that Joseph gave Potiphar’s wife a strong explanation of why he was refusing her advances (vs. 8-10). Joseph had been bombarded daily with her proposals, but he had resolved to be faithful to God. He didn’t make that decision in the moment - he had long before determined what was righteous and that he would stand firm. When he finally ran from Mrs. Potiphar, she was left humiliated and angry, and she wanted vengeance. She quickly hatched a plot to frame him:

When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”


She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” (Gen 39:13-18)

Beth Moore points out that, by calling in the servants, Potiphar’s wife put pressure on Potiphar to act on the charges. She played the race card in calling him that Hebrew, and she even shifted blame to Potiphar in the same way Adam did to God in the Garden: “that Hebrew slave you brought us. . .”

When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. (vs.19-20)

Potiphar burned with anger, but my bet is that it was not at Joseph, but his wife! I’m sure he knew her character - even as he knew Joseph’s - but he was forced to respond with firmness, because the other servants were watching. By rights he could have had Joseph executed on the spot, but instead threw him into prison. Even as Pilate could find nothing against Jesus, but responded to the crowd, Potiphar chose not to do the right thing, but the expedient thing. Once again, Joseph was seemingly abandoned.

However, we read the following in verses 20b-23:

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.


Once again, the LORD was with Joseph in everything and everywhere! “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

We will see that God was absolutely sovereign in the life of Joseph. Joseph was being trained and used by God for the salvation of His chosen people. Joseph would need to practice being continually conscious of the presence of God - even when he didn’t see Him or feel Him. He would need to learn to lean on God for everything - including wisdom. He learned that when God was all he had, God was all he needed!

Are you feeling abandoned, betrayed, falsely accused? Are you questioning God and wondering if He’s gone on a break and doesn’t see what’s happening, because He just isn’t answering your prayers on your timetable? Stay tuned! The LORD is not finished refining Joseph (or you) - even though no one else is faithful to Joseph - God IS! The next chapter is a good one!

Genesis 39:6b-11

We read yesterday about how Joseph’s presence brought an overflow of blessing from God to Potiphar’s household. Potiphar saw the hand of God on Joseph, but apparently his wife, a cougar on the prowl, saw only a hunk:

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” (Gen 39:6b-7)

According to Beth Moore, this is the only time Scripture describes a man as “well-built and handsome.” She points out that being so good-looking can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. For a young man, like Joseph, the attention of Mrs. Potiphar, would be a curse! She worked her feminine charms on him daily:

But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.


One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. (vs. 8-11)

Paul wrote to young Timothy, “Flee youthful lusts.” (2 Tim 2:22) Joseph avoided even being around Mrs. Potiphar. When she made her advances he rebuffed her, telling her he could not “sin against God.” And Jon Courson points out that it was this attitude that enabled Joseph to bear up under the temptation. Courson writes:

This is what is known throughout Scripture as “the fear of the Lord.” Joseph was in constant awareness of the “there-ness” of God - an awareness equally convicting and comforting. Yes, he was severed from his family and his country, but Joseph knew he was never alone. (Courson’s Application Commentary: Old Testament, P. 176)

Joseph could have sat down and tried to talk things over with this woman. He could have counseled her about her marriage or attempted to convert her to his God. But he actively avoided her, and, finally, ran from her. Often Christian pastors have a struggle with “pastor worship” from a congregation, and need to daily fight this fight. Ethical pastors will avoid ever being alone in a room with a woman, because they are so aware of the potential for disaster - even in just the appearance of wrong. We, too, would be wise to avoid anything which tempts our thoughts to stray. If certain music can carry you back to the good old days with an old boyfriend, avoid the music! If you receive a Facebook friend request from an old flame, DON’T accept it! If even going to a class reunion will be a possible temptation, DON’T go!

Joseph did all the right things, and yet, we’ll see next that it did not keep him from painful trials! Practicing the presence of God, as Joseph did constantly, will be what keeps him from falling into despair. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

 

Genesis 39:1-6

We return to the story of Joseph. When we last saw him, he was headed south into Egypt with a caravan of Ishmaelites!

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.


The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. (Gen 39:1-6)

Verse 2 says it all: “The LORD was with Joseph. . . “ And just in case you missed it, the idea is repeated in verses 3 and 5! Joseph just happened to be purchased by Potiphar, a high-ranking official in Egypt, the captain of the guard. Potiphar, a pagan, saw something special about Joseph. It was obvious to him that the LORD was with Joseph and blessed everything Joseph undertook. So Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his entire household, relaxing in the blessings he received because of his association with Joseph. What a testimony to Joseph’s character that Potiphar could see that Joseph was different!

Remember that here was a young man who was betrayed by the very people who should have loved him, was forcibly uprooted from family and home, and sent into a foreign culture as a slave. He went from being the apple of his father’s eye to a man in chains, sold to the highest bidder. He had every reason to be depressed or even hateful, but, because he was still the apple of his Heavenly Father’s eye, he was able to rise above the betrayal and trust God. He had never left the LORD’s presence, and therefore reflected the light of God to others. Amazing!

And, because Joseph trusted and relied on God, even in the worst of circumstances, those around him were also blessed. Wouldn’t that be great if that could be said of us? That others might be blessed through their association with us - AND that they would recognize the source of the blessing as God alone?? That is what I’m praying for today and for this school year - for my students and the parents in my classroom - that they would be blessed by being in my class this year, and that they would recognize God as the difference!

Genesis 38 - a final word

If all that God wanted to do in giving us His Word was to relate a bunch of entertaining stories, He certainly accomplished that, as this chapter has shown us. We saw deception and intrigue, scandalous behavior, and a great climax with the revelation of Judah’s sin. However, this whole book is really about redemption. As much as we almost cheer when Judah is “outed,” we need to remember that this is not the end of the story. We saw yesterday that Judah immediately acknowledged his responsibility for what happened with Tamar when he saw the evidence:

“She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again. (vs. 26)

Beth Moore points out that this is the beginning of change for Judah, and that, by the end of this book, we will see a transformed Judah. Hallelujah! She writes the following:

The recognition of his own sin over another’s was the beginning of his transformation. Come to think of it, it always is.


If “character change is what Genesis is all about”, and if Abram became Abraham and Jacob became Israel, what are you and I becoming? Hebrews 4:12 tells us God’s Word is alive and powerful and so sharp that it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow. The most dramatic “cure” for certain cancers is a bone marrow transplant. God’s Word is meant to get all the way into our bones, curing our character sicknesses with the most dramatic of all marrow transplants. Christ is our donor. A perfect match for all infirmed. (The Patriarchs, P. 177)

Since my dear sister, Jodi, just underwent a complete bone marrow transplant, Beth’s words take on even more significance for me. Jodi has been given brand new marrow that is now cancer free! Her old, cancer-ridden marrow, that would have led to certain death, has been completely replaced with spanking clean, pure marrow! She has been saved from death to life! This is the work that Jesus has accomplished in our sin-ridden lives!

And what about Tamar? She had certainly been wronged by this family! She had been widowed, then used like a harlot by her brother-in-law, then set aside and forgotten by her father-in-law. Though we can’t excuse her actions in this chapter, we can certainly understand the pain that motivated her. Did God change her and redeem her? Well, her inclusion in the line of Christ, along with that of several other pagan women, shows us how God has been weaving His story of redemption through ALL mankind and to ALL mankind from the beginning. Her story has been set out for all to see for thousands of years now. She not only has her name in God’s Book, she surely must have her name in the Book of Life. She became, with the birth of Perez, the great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother of King David! (I hope I counted those correctly in Matthew 1)

This is what Paul spoke about in Romans 8:28:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.


Our sovereign God has been working continuously to redeem mankind, not only from sin, but from the law that had no power whatsoever to save us. He has grafted all who believe in Christ into this family:

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. (Gal 4:4-7)

WOW!