What Dreams May Come...

As we continue our journey through Genesis, we find that Joseph is NOT where he dreamed he would be! Not by a long shot!

And… this was not a dream that he came up with on his own… His was a dream given to him by God!

IF God had given Joseph the dream… then why was it that things were not playing out like Joseph expected?

Before we answer that… has anyone ever been in a place you did not expect to be, but you knew it was the place God had for you for such a time as this?

Maybe God had given you clear direction or maybe even a glimpse of where you would end up… but your journey has not yet reached that destination. It can be an interesting place to be for sure!

Joseph was NOT where he dreamed he would be… BUT GOD was with him. That was made evident in the last chapter we studied in Genesis. In fact, it was stated four times throughout that chapter.

So… where is it that we find Joseph tonight in our study? He is in prison. But He is NOT just any ordinary prisoner.

Chapter 39 ended by telling us that the warden observed God’s blessing on Joseph. Because of this, Joseph was given charge of all those held in the prison.

If it were possible to work up the ranks while being held in confinement, then that is what I might call this situation. Only it wasn’t just what Joseph could do or be… God’s favor was observable on his life.

So… how can someone display the favor of God while living in such an unfavorable situation? Doesn’t the fact that Joseph was in prison mean that Joseph really didn’t have God’s favor on his life?

Having the favor of God on our lives is not something that is determined by our immediate circumstances.

Prosperity is not necessarily a sign of favor.

In Joseph’s case, freedom was not necessarily a sign of favor.

Having things go your way is not necessarily a sign of favor.

I believe… that God’s favor on our lives is something observed through the God-honoring heart of the believer.

We can have nothing by the world’s standards but choose to honor God.

We can be bound by physical chains but choose to honor God.

We can hit road blocks and have “bad luck” but still honor God.

Consider Job for a moment… the man went through a terrible situation for sure… yet God honored Job because Job honored God in the gain… and in the loss.

You give and take away...

So Joseph is in a place he never dreamed he would be… prison… doing a job he never dreamed he would do… prison caretaker… and he encounters two people he might have never encountered because of where he was.

Enter the cupbearer and the baker.

Genesis 40:1–5 NIV

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.

Two of Pharaoh’s officials did something that made the ruler mad. So mad he threw both of them into prison - the same prison that Joseph was being held in.

Now… what are the chances that these three guys: Joseph, the baker, and the cupbearer, would have crossed paths anywhere else but within this prison? I would guess the chances were slim to none!

But what would come… of this encounter?

God brought three dreamers together… in a prison… and it is far from being a coincidence.

It was hardly a place any one of them dreamed of being… but one man, Joseph, was operating in the favor of the Lord, and the other two had lost favor in the eyes of Pharoah. What happens next would set the stage for Joseph’s rise to power… but not before he would all but be forgotten by one of the men he is about to help.

Joseph Remained Faithful.

Faithfulness is the key, church. No matter our circumstance we need to remain faithful to the Lord.

When these guys show up in prison, Joseph could have just gone about his business and let them be. But Scripture says something happens to cause Joseph to take notice of them.

Genesis 40:6–7 NIV

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?”

Why do you look so sad today? THEY ARE IN PRISON!!! They had been removed from their positions as officials and were now bound in chains! That seems like the obvious answer to me!

But that wasn’t it… something else had caused them great distress - it was the dreams. They had NO IDEA what they meant. Was more harm coming their way? What was to come of the dreams they had been given?

My point is… Joseph could have kept walking. Who cares if they faces of those Pharoah put in prison were sad? They obviously did something to deserve this punishment… let them be sad!

BUT… this was NOT the mentality that had gained God’s favor in Joseph’s life! Joseph didn’t operate according to what the world saw as appropriate, Joseph honored God in his actions.

These two officials were owed no special treatment. But Joseph chose to honor the Lord by showing compassion to them in their distress.

Once that door was opened, Joseph was able to speak to their lives by giving them the interpretation to their dreams.

Compassion has a way of opening doors… especially undeserved compassion.

We are very much a reap what you sow culture and society. Our culture believes you will get or receive what is coming to you - good or bad.

When someone is in a bad place for bad behavior… we tend to let them feel the weight of their decision.

And really, this is not a bad thing when we stop and analyze it.

As Missionary Jack Smart had told us, there is a difference between showing mercy towards someone in a bad place and enabling someone to remain in a bad place.

Consider the story of the prodigal son… he did not realize the depth of his situation until he was out of money and NO ONE would come to his aide.

These guys were already facing the punishment for their actions, but Joseph stepped in and offered clarity to that which was bothering them.

The compassion that Joseph shows these guys doesn’t do anything to relieve their prison sentence, but he does offer a sense of comfort by giving them the interpretation.

These guys were unsure of what their fate would be… they had upset the king of the land. What hope did they have?

And with that… we begin to remember and understand the weight many people today feel: The weight of knowing that the wages of sin is death… and that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

Praise be to God, He did not LEAVE US ALONE in that death sentence but instead He sent Jesus Christ to give His life in place of ours! It is the most incredible act of mercy and compassion this world has ever seen!

Do we deserve it? NO! But He changed it all for us! He did this NOT so we could remain in sin but that we might be delivered from it!

God did not gives us life to the full through Jesus that we might keep on sinning… His life wasn’t given to enable our life of sin… it was given that we might walk away from that life of sin!

Joseph acted with compassion...

Even though one interpretation was favorable and the other not so much, He told them the truth. And in his kindness, he asked to be remembered when the cupbearer stood before Pharoah… but things didn’t pan out like Joseph hoped they would.

Faithful… but Forgotten

The cupbearer forgot to return the favor!

Genesis 40:20–23 NIV

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.

FORGOTTEN!!! Joseph shows compassion regarding the two officials, but the one remaining official forgets to mention Joseph!

Imagine watching the two officials be called upon by Pharaoh and expecting to see some kind of turn around in the next few days. As each days passes… Joseph’s hope in the official began to diminish.

How far does the forgetfulness of the official go? TWO FULL YEARS GO BY!

The official may have forgotten to mention the kindness of Joseph to Pharaoh, but God had not forgotten Joseph.

We get no details of what took place in those two years. In fact, the time span would have gone on longer had something significant not taken place: Pharaoh… has a dream. We will talk more about that next week, but my point is God will use that dream to speak to Pharaoh and to bring Joseph back to the memory of the official who had forgotten him in prison.

Sometimes we might feel overlooked, or even forgotten in the eyes of this world. Sometimes we scratch someone’s back hoping they will scratch our in return… but it doesn’t always happen that way.

Should that keep us from blessing others? Absolutely not. The golden rule is treat others the WAY you want to be treated, not in the same way they treat you.

Joseph remains faithful although forgotten by the official. And God continues to bless him because of the position of his heart.

Joseph goes through a lot before he reaches the age of 30 years old. He experiences some unfavorable seasons… he finds himself in places he never dreamed of being… yet he kept his heart in the right place.

People might do you wrong. Circumstances might do you wrong. Seasons might go a direction you never expected. But God will NEVER do you wrong.

He may allow you to walk through difficult seasons, but He will never leave you or abandon you in those seasons.

And… God will use those seasons to increase our faith and trust in Him. His faithfulness to us is proven. We will remain faithful to Him?

Joseph’s God-given dream had not died because of his current circumstance. God’s dream for Joseph remained.

The world cannot take away from you that which the Lord has promised. Keep your eyes on Jesus and trust in Him to get your through.