July 14, 2024

Too Soon to Quit

Genesis I. Introduction: Too Soon to Quit!

a man born February 12, 1809:

• Age 7—His family was forced out of their home on a legal technicality.

• Age 7—He had to go to work cutting trees, plowing, and harvesting to help support his family.

• Age 9—His mother died and his family lived almost in squalor.

• Age 12—His new mother, a widow with three other children, sought to have him receive some formal schooling, but he attended school less than a year.

• Age 22—He worked as a store clerk in a failing business, then joined the army for eight months.

• Age 23—He ran for the Illinois legislature.

• Age 24—He bought a store on credit with a partner.

• Age 25—He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives (and again at ages 27, 29, 31).

• Age 26—His business partner died, leaving him with a huge debt that took years to repay.

• Age 27—He obtained a license to practice law.

• Age 28—Legend claims that after courting a girl for four years, she refused his proposal of marriage.

• Age 29—He was defeated for speaker of the state legislature.

• Age 31—He was defeated for elector.

• Age 33—He married.

• Age 37—On his third try he was elected to U.S. Congress.

• Age 39—He was defeated for reelection to Congress.

• Age 41—His four-year-old son died

• Age 46—He was defeated for U.S. Senate.

• Age 47—He was defeated for vice-presidential nomination.

• Age 49—He was defeated for U.S. Senate again.

• Age 51—He was elected President of the United States.

• Age 56—He died April 15, 1865.

That’s the record of Abraham Lincoln,

What if Abraham Lincoln had quite at 22, or 31, or 49? We don’t get to know what God’s timing is and why He allows what He allows. But we do know it’s always too soon to stop pursuing doing what’s right and good.

Today we are going to return to the story of Joseph. When we left Joseph he was trapped in prison and forgotten by two men he had just helped. Let's pick up the story today.

Pharaoh has a Dream

Genesis 41:1–4 ESV

1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, 2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.

OK pharaoh has a dream now we've got to remember that in the Bible and especially during this time in history the Egyptians put a lot of stock in dreams. They expected dreams to tell them something. And so pharaoh has this dream and now if you look at the content of the dream you've got several cows swimming in the Nile river. And this wasn't unusual cows would frequently submerged himself in a body of water to hide from flies and the sun. Much the same way we submerge our bodies in water to get away from the sun and bugs :) so far the Dream is pretty straightforward

And then you get to the point where seven more cows come out of the river and eat the other cows. That's the point where you would be surprised in the dream :)

Genesis 41:5–7 ESV

5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. 6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

OK he has a second dream and it's about 1 stalk of grain. And then a second stalk sprouts up with seven more ears period now this E wind that the passage refers to is called the kizim wind and it blows in from the desert in the late spring and early fall and if it keeps going long enough it kills vegetation. Think about it, Egypt was a land surrounded by desert. If the wind blew for too long in any direction it's going to sandblast whatever you have planted. As opposed to what we have surrounding us for hundreds of miles in Indiana.

Nevertheless within the ears swallow up the fat ears and Pharrell wakes up. Have you ever had one of those moments where you have a wonky dream you can't quite figure out and then you wake up.?

So later on when Joseph is talking we learned that these two dreams coming back-to-back supposedly means something's gonna happen right away.

And so pharaoh quickly gathers together people who might be able to give him insights as to what these mean.

Genesis 41:8 ESV

8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

So just like the story of Daniel the leader of the Kingdom has a collection of men who claimed to have mystical knowledge and the ability to understand things like dreams. Now the interesting thing or odd thing in this story is that they couldn't interpret the dream. The reality is the cow and the river are all major symbols in Egypt the cow represents the earth and the Nile represents fertility in the land. So these are symbols that they should have gotten. But either way God was setting the stage for Joseph to be asked to help.

Genesis 41:9–13 ESV

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 11 we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”

And suddenly the chief cup bear remembers something :) do you ever have those times where you wish someone would remember to keep the word or remember to take care of a problem? We can't control other people. We can't make other people be the people we want them to be. The best we can do in our circumstances is to do the right thing and to trust God. You can waste a lifetime waiting and hoping for people to make different choices or be different. If Joseph had spent his entire time in the prison upset with the cup bearer or frustrated at how the cup bearer had forgotten him he might not have been prepared for the opportunity that God was putting right in front of him.

Genesis 41:14 ESV

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.

It's amazing how facial hair can mean something important. In other places in the Old Testament having a beard shaved is an insult or it's a sign of great grief. So it would have made sense for Joseph to to not shave. And of course we don't know what options are available to him in prison. But it was common in Egypt to shave and so Joseph did what respected his local cultural context what showed respect to the pharaoh.

Genesis 41:15–32 ESV

15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. 18 Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. 19 Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, 21 but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. 22 I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, 24 and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.” 25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.

OK so we see Joseph here's the dreams from pharaoh and gives an interpretation twice. And he's pretty bold here because it's a negative interpretation. Bad stuff is gonna happen to Egypt. Normally if you're giving news to a ruler if at all possible you want it to be good. And then something interesting happens in the story next.

Joseph’s Life is Completely Changed, Again

Genesis 41:33–36 ESV

33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”

Have you ever had a moment where you felt like God was leading you to say something? God was challenging you to talk to that friend. God was calling you to call someone who you knew was hurting. God was nudging you to reach out to that stranger who needed help.

Last week I was going to the license Bureau to get a new drivers license. I walked in and took the number 330. As I sat down I walked past an elderly lady holding on to 316. I didn't think anything of it until I realized that the number they were at was 325. As they made their way through the numbers to my number I realized that the elderly lady hadn't moved. So when I went out to my spot I simply told the person at the desk and she sent a manager over to help this lady who hadn't been able to hear her number get called. I offered to let her take my space I don't share this to Brad guy shows just another example of a little thing where God nudged me to pay attention and to speak up for someone else.

Joseph is standing before the leader of all Egypt and he gives unsolicited advice. Farrowed in ask him for his opinion about what he should do to run his Kingdom. And even in our day and age unsolicited advice when someone doesn't want your advice they're not always willing to receive it.

But Joseph gives advice to pharaoh encouraging him to store up food and save it for the bad years. Of course we know from Joseph's history working in the House of potiphar and in the jail that the guy was pretty good at administration. So whether it is God making him really bold and brave to speak up to pharaoh or it was God working through Joseph's life showing him that he really had a gift for this administrator thing whatever the case Joseph spoke up and and gave a solution.

Genesis 41:37–57 ESV

37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over 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 the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, 48 and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. 49 And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured. 50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” 52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” 53 The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” 56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

You know what can happen when you speak up? Your world can change. Sometimes we are afraid that if we speak up to help someone or if we reach out to show concern for someone they will reject us. Or if we make a suggestion the suggestion will just get put down like it's a bad idea not worth considering. And those ideas and those things are always possible. But some moments in our lives when we pay attention to God's leading speaking up will change our history speaking up will be the thing that changes our lives.

Pharaoh loves Joseph's idea and promotes him to basically ruler of Egypt. Or at least all of the agriculture of Egypt. He's given all sorts of accessories that show his status and is given a place to live is given a wife and he has two children and then he gets to work and does a fantastic job storing up grain.

You know what's fascinating in the account of Joseph is the reality that in Egypt religion and government were woven together. Joseph's wife is part of a priestly house. A family of people who worked at the temples. And in Egypt the whole country is full of temples and places where they worship the dead and gods and all sorts of things like that. But Joseph managed to live in Egypt have a wife from Egypt have close relationships with Egyptians and yet he remains faithful to God throughout all of this.

Joseph is certainly someone worth us studying in our lives today. We spend so much time living in a world that worships many other things. Let's remain true to God wow making our world better like Joseph did.

Never Give UP

So today we've seen how Joseph went from prison in a moment to being second in command over Egypt. He's got a wife and kids by the end of this story. But let's not forget that he spent over 13 years since the time he was sold as a slave until he got to this point. 13 years.

Sometimes following God and trusting him to keep his promise simply means persisting keeping going and not giving up.

A number of years ago during World War 2 the Prime Minister of England Winston Churchill gave this famous speech to his former school which was broadcast throughout the country. In it he uses his gift for language to challenge the British people never to give up in a time when they were getting bombed nightly.

Here’s part of the speech:

Genesis IV. Life Application: Just Keep on Keeping On!

You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination. But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period—I am addressing myself to the School—surely from this period of ten months this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our school history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated.

Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.

England won the war along with our help.

As believers in Jesus we can trust in God's promises. We can trust that God is faithful. But what he calls us to is to never give up to never give in never never never in nothing great or small larger petty never give in except to the convictions of honour good sense and to the word of God. Stay faithful brothers and sisters stay persistent in following God.