A Message to Those Who Wait

You have probably heard the phrase, "Good things come to those who wait." The phrase is generally attributed to the author of a poem titled Tout Vient A Qui Sait Attendre (Tu vie a qi se atonde), which is French for All Things Come to Those Who Wait.

It was written by English poet Lady Mary Montgomerie Currie under her pseudonym Violet Fane. The poem goes like this:

ALL hoped-for things will come to you

Who have the strength to watch and wait,

Our longings spur the steeds of Fate,

This has been said by one who knew.

'Ah, all things come to those who wait,'

(I say these words to make me glad),

But something answers soft and sad,

'They come, but often come too late.'

This morning, as we focus on our eyes once again on the life of Joseph, I have titled the sermon A Message to Those Who Wait.

Violet Fane's poem describes a person who gladly hopes that all good things will come to those who wait, but ends in the disappointing observation that when the good things do arrive, it's too late.

I want to take you this morning to a verse that we have been looking at and referring to for the last few weeks. That verse is Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

And Joseph is about to find out the purpose of all these trials that he has been through. Like that video we just watched, Joseph started off as a 17 year-old. Good quality iron, but raw none the less. God has taken Joseph and put him though rough times. Conspired against by his brothers, Joseph ends up in a pit, his first taste of fiery trials.

He's taken out, but only to be hammered with the reality that he is not being shown mercy or grace. Instead, life hits Joseph with the reality that he is now destined to be a slave. The blows continue to rain down on Joseph as the merchant caravan he is now bound to makes its way to Egypt, a land that holds Hebrews in very low regard. Joseph is sold to Potiphar, and as time goes by, it seems like life is finally getting better for Joseph as he rises to be the head overseer of Potiphar's house.

But he's plunged back into the fire when Mrs. Potiphar falsely accuses Joseph of an attempted rape, and Potiphar remands Joseph to the king's prison. For years, Joseph stays in that prison, there also rising in honor and influence. He is made the overseer of a group of prisoners, and he serves them.

When one day a new arrival of prisoners includes the Pharaoh's butler and baker, they are placed in Joseph's care.

Joseph interprets their dreams: a favorable interpretation for the butler, but a death sentence for the baker. When Joseph next speaks to the butler he tells him, "Remember me when you are restored to your old position. Tell the Pharaoh about me and how I was arrested under false charges. Put in a good word for me." But the hammer falls on Joseph's life when he realizes that the butler has forgotten all about Joseph. And for two more years, life just beats up poor Joseph.

This is where we pick up today. Turn with me to Genesis chapter 41. We'll read verses 1-8.

And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. 2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. 3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4 And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6 And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. 7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. 8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

Two years after the butler is released and reinstated to his former position, Pharaoh has two dreams in one night. These were very unsettling dreams. Dreams that felt very real for Pharaoh until the moment he awoke and realized they were simply dreams.

His first dream is about 7 kine, or cows. They come up out of the river, and if you are familiar with the geography of Egypt you will probably correctly assume that the river mentioned is the Nile. The Nile river is what made Egypt so fertile and prosperous and accessible. The Egyptians even went so far as to worship the Nile River.

So up out of this sacred river come 7 cows. These were fat cows, and they proceeded to go to a meadow and eat.

But shortly after, 7 more cows come up out of the river. These cows are not fat and are not well-fed. They are skinny. These skinny cows go and stand beside the fat cows, and as they take their place beside the fat cows, they begin to eat, not the grass in the meadow where they stand, but they eat and swallow up the fat cows. As this happens, Pharaoh wakes up.

It is the middle of the night, so he lies back down to go back to sleep, and there he dreams a second dream.

He dreams of a stalk of corn. Out of this cornstalk come 7 very ripe and plump. & ears of nice, juicy corn. Then, on the same stalk, 7 ears appear, but they are blasted by an east wind. They are not plump and ripe, they are weather beaten and in bad shape. These thin ears of corn devour the fat corn. This must have been a very terrifying dream for Pharaoh, because he wakes up, thinking what he has seen is real. He looks around and realizes, "Whew, that was just a dream!"

When morning comes, the Bible says that his spirit is troubled. He is worried about these dreams; he can't shake them. So he calls all the magicians and wise men. These were not your David Copperfield magicians or David Blane Mind Freak style magicians, these were people that communed with spirits and used various techniques to tell the future and interpret dreams. Pharaoh is so worried about what he dreamed of, he doesn't just call the magicians and wisemen of his court, he has every one of them that are in Egypt come.

It isn't until the last one gets there that Pharaoh tells them his dreams, and to his disappointment, none of these men can give an interpretation.

You as crew of documenters following the life of Joseph, are of course in the prison with Joseph. But you here this commotion and you here from the guards about the royal decree that has gone out for all magicians and wisemen to gather before Pharaoh. Something big is obviously going on, so you send a couple of people to cover whatever is happening in the palace.

You arrive to see that Pharaoh is desperately seeking advice about what his dreams might possibly mean, but look at who he is seeking advice from. He is seeking advice from ungodly people. What did Joseph tell the Butler and Baker about dream interpretations? The interpretations belong to God. Well none of these men that Pharaoh had called were men who followed God.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have been using Psalm 1 to show how Joseph was blessed, joyful, and prosperous. Joseph was careful what kind of company he kept and from whom he took advice. He delighted in the Lord and therefore, everything he did prospered. But here you have the exact opposite playing out.

Pharaoh is surrounding himself with people who looked to the stars and to omens and meditations and false gods to know the future, but no one could tell Pharaoh his dreams. These men would have been men that were directly involved with witchcraft and spiritism, communicating directly with demonic spirits. Pharaoh surrounds himself with these men and asks for there advice, and in a perfect opposite of Psalm 1, that speaks of a man that does not surround himself with evil people, Pharaoh receives no answers and receives no joy or peace.

You and your camera crew catch the frustrated, disappointed, and worried look on Pharaoh's face as he sits back in his throne.

Then, beside the Pharaoh, the butler's face lights up and is full of surprise, as if a light has just turned on in his mind. His eyes go wide and he facepalms for a moment, and then he begins to speak. Look at what he says in verses 9-13

Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: 10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker: 11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. 13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

"There was a man I met in prison, a Hebrew man, and he interpreted my dream and the baker's dream perfectly. Exactly what he said would happen happened!"

Genesis 41:14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

I can imagine Joseph making his rounds in the prison, when suddenly, a guard runs up to him with the news that the Pharaoh himself wants to see Joseph. Can you imagine the whirlwind of activity that follows? Joseph can't just go the way he is before Pharaoh, he's got to get cleaned up, but he as to do it fast. So he changes clothes, he shaves his beard and tries to make himself a presentable as he can and is brought before Pharaoh.

Genesis 41:15-16 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

So Pharaoh tells Joseph his dilemma. "I have had some dreams and no one seems to be able to interpret them. I hear you are the 'dream guy.'"

At this time, a pitfall presents itself once again to Joseph. This is a pit he has seen before. What do you think the temptation is for Joseph? To take credit for himself. Pride. Don't you think that it was a huge temptation for Joseph to act out of self-interest and respond, "Yeah, I'm the dream guy. And if you expect me to interpret your dream, it's going to cost you some reparations for all the unfairness that I have been through." Do you think 17-year-old Joseph would have been able to steer clear of this pit? NO!! Joseph was a bit arrogant as a teen. He happily announced to his whole family that they were all going to bow before him.

Was it true? Yes.

Was it worded lovingly or in any kind of consideration? No.

But Joseph sees the pit of pride and arrogance, he steers clear and gives his answer to the king. "I am not the dream guy. If there is anyone who knows the meaning behind dreams, it is God, and He will give you the interpretation, and He will give you peace."

Pharaoh proceeds to tell Joseph his dreams, and he ends with, "but there was none that could declare it to me."

So let's look at Joseph's response:

Genesis 41:25-36 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. 27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. 28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. 35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

Five times in his conversation with Pharaoh, Joseph is careful to give God the credit for all of this. He mentions God five times and credits Him with the dream, the interpretation, power of nature, sovereignty, and the grace to warn Pharaoh twice in one night of the coming famine. Do you hear the difference between this Joseph's communication style and the Joseph we first encountered in Chapter 37?

Joseph not only reveals the interpretation, but God gives him a solution for the upcoming problem as well. So Joseph tells Pharaoh, "What you need to do is find someone that is wise and prudent man and set him in charge of a task that will involve all of Egypt. He needs to hire officers that will gather 1/5 of all the food that is harvested in the 7 years of plenty that way, when the years of famine come, there will be a surplus of food, and it will not cause devastation to the country.

He's not even suggesting himself here. Listen, Joseph could have easily turned in a resume showing his years as a trusty administrator to Potiphar and in the prison. His references included high ranking, trusted officers in Pharaoh's court, but he doesn't. All he does is offer up the interpretation and solution that God has given him. He is standing before the king humbly, and we are finally going to see one of God's principles in action: Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up. God honors those that walk with Him in humility, and this is exactly what Joseph has done. He has not taken a bit of credit, and all along the way he has given all honor to the Lord.

This has an immediate and lasting effect on this Pharaoh. Genesis 41:37-46 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? 39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: 40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. 41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh agrees with the solution that Joseph gives him. He looks around his throne room, and who has he assembled there that day? All the wise men and magicians of Egypt. The wisest and most trusted people in all of Egypt are there in Pharaoh's presence, and he looks at his servants and says, "Do y'all know [Pharaoh had a southern accent], Do y'all know where we can find anyone like this man, Joseph, who has the Spirit of God in him?"

He takes a look at Joseph and goes, "Yup, there is no one here that is wiser than you, and since God showed you the interpretation and the solution, you get to be the one that implements it. But not only that, Joseph. You are going to be over my house. But not only that, Joseph, you are going to rule over all Egypt; the only person you answer to is me. I am setting you all over the land of Egypt."

And to prove it, and as a symbol of all the power and authority that Joseph now has, Pharaoh takes off his ring and gives it to Joseph. This would have been a special signet ring or a ring that was readily identifiable as having royal jewels inset. This was the king's ring. Whoever had the king's ring, had the king's power. Notice that Pharaoh did not have a prime minister's ring made for Joseph; Pharaoh gave Joseph the king's ring.

But not only that, prison clothes are not fitting for a man in Joseph's new station, so he gets a change of clothes. And before your eyes and the eyes of all the people gathered in that throne room, you see Joseph get the king's power, he gets a gold chain, and now he gets the king's black MasterCard so that he can go on a shopping spree and get himself some nice Armani suits. But how is he going get to Madison Avenue from the palace? Well, he's not gonna walk!

Joseph get's the second best ride in all the land. Pharaoh goes to his garage and Joseph can't have the $28M Rolls-Royce Boattail, but he can have $13.5M Bugatti. But wait, there's more! He gets an entourage, and everywhere he goes, people go before him and cry out, "Joseph is coming, bow the knee."

Look at verse 44. Pharaoh looks at Joseph and says, "Now remember, I'm still Pharaoh, but the level of authority you have now means that no one in all of Egypt will even think about doing the most menial of tasks without your approval." He then proceeds to give Joseph a new name: Zaphnathpaaneah. This name has been looked at by many different scholars in their attempt to accurately determine the meaning of the name. There are a varied different beliefs on what it means, based on the hieroglyphs that would be used to spell it out. Interpretations of the name Zaphnathpaaneah vary but include: the man who knows things, the finder of mysteries, explainer of secrets, God speaks and he lives, the living one and sustainer of the land, and last, but not least, salvation of the age, or savior of the world.

These interpretations of the name are based on interpretations of the Egyptian language, Coptic Egyptian understanding, the Hebrew rendering of the Egyptian name, among other translation considerations. Either way, it is clear that anyone of these interpretations of the name would suit Joseph and his position and what he eventually does for the nation of Egypt.

In addition to all this, he is given a wife with whom he will later have two children. In the space of a few hours, Joseph has gone from rags to riches, from prison to palace, from powerless to the second most powerful man in Egypt.

And remember, this is really important, better than all that, better than having the second best chariot, access to the national treasury, command over the military forces, and power over everyone, look what Joseph accomplished: 38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? 39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this... In a nation that is pagan, that worships over 2,000 gods, a nation that looks down on the Hebrews and therefore on their God as well... Because of Joseph's humility, integrity, and boldness, the leader of this nation has no alternative but to acknowledge that Jehovah, the God of Joseph and the God of the Hebrews, bested his 2,000 gods that could not give an interpretation of the dreams, let alone a solution. Joseph has effectively been a witness for God in the presence of the king and all the wisemen, magicians, and the whole royal court!

God has been shaping Joseph over the last 13 years. God has molded Joseph into a man that cannot be bought, who isn't interested in settling scores, will speak boldly, and will give God the credit.

He was not ready at 17, but now at 30, after all the trying and testing and forging and hammering Joseph is now able to stand with integrity, boldness, and humility. The product is worth the process.

Get this: the process was brutal, but it is worth it!

The end of verse 45 tells us that "Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt," This means he made his rounds as he did his job. We see that indeed, Egypt saw great fruitfulness over the next seven years. The land brought forth by handfuls is the description that the Bible gives.

Genesis 41:48-49 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. 49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.

Joseph was promoted and honored by God because Joseph had stayed faithful. He didn't know what God had planned for him. He just knew that gad had a plan and that He was in control. I imagine that every day for 13 years Joseph wondered "Why?" And for 13 years he just did the next right thing. We mentioned before that the primary characteristic of Joseph's life was the presence of God. For 13 years, that is what Joseph pursued, regardless of his status or what place he was in.

This molded and changed Joseph into the man God made him to be the day that he stood before Pharaoh and not a day sooner.

Joseph was thrust into this journey at 17, stripped and thrown into a pit like raw piece of iron thrust into a forge. At 17 all Joseph had was potential. He loved God. I believe he sought after God even before then. But he was raw material. He was a billet of steel that a blacksmith sees. You and I, we see a steel bar, a steel billet, and all we see is a hunk of metal. You place that before a master smith and he sees potential. He sees the sword that can be drawn out of that piece of metal.

Much like that, Joseph's brothers just saw a hunk of junk, a useless piece of metal. Jacob, his father, seemed to see some potential in Joseph. Joseph just thought he was a nice shiny piece of metal. But God saw the final product, and began in Joseph's life a process that would be painful, would be uncomfortable.

But you cannot get good quality sword without putting steel to fire. Without subjecting hot steel to forceful blows from a heavy hammer. Even when the shape is drawn out, and it looks complete, it still has to go through extreme heat and then tempered by plunging it in cool liquid. This heating and striking and subjection to extreme temperatures, the final grinding and filing and polishing are the only things that can turn a hunk of steel into a sharp, resilient, and effective tool.

We don't have time to get into it today, but I will try to make a point of it later in the series to answer the question that many of you may have thought or may be thinking. "Why Joseph? Couldn't God have used someone in Egypt to save Egypt and the surrounding nations? It seems like any half-way wise person could come up with a solution and implemented it like Joseph did. If the dream interpretation belongs to God, could God not have given that interpretation to any Egyptian that was wise and left Joseph alone?"

If you have ever had these questions, good. If you have never had these questions, you should, and you shouldn't be afraid to ask them. We will get into them later in the series, but I hope that it is enough for now just to say this: We often think of this story detached from the rest of Jewish history. The saving of Egypt and the surrounding areas is often viewed as "the big picture" in all this. But it is only a fraction of the picture. If the saving of Egypt were the big picture, then God could have used an Egyptian to accomplish this task. But this event, with Joseph in the lead part, affects the future of the formation of the nation of Israel; the visibility of God as all-powerful and sovereign, not just to the Jews, but to every surrounding people group in that region; and a realization for the future descendants of Israel that God can be trusted because He is 100% faithful.

And that is why it has to be Joseph. And that is why God has to put him through all these things, so that Joseph can one day stand before Pharaoh and be successful in the task that that we just saw him take on. But not just be successful at doing a job, but successful at conveying the power of God to a pagan nation.

We have been looking every week at how Joseph is a representation of Jesus. Let's look at everything up until now in Joseph's life.

Joseph - Betrayed by brothers, sold into slavery, placed into prison, exalted over everything now saving the world.

Remind you of Jesus much?!

This is all a picture of Jesus, and God was shaping Joseph to be that way.

Before we move to the invitation, I would like to close with the poem that we opened with.

ALL hoped-for things will come to you

Who have the strength to watch and wait,

Our longings spur the steeds of Fate,

This has been said by one who knew.

'Ah, all things come to those who wait,'

(I say these words to make me glad),

But something answers soft and sad,

'They come, but often come too late.'

I want to point out that this is a poem that was written with an earthly point of view. It was a view, as we have started to look at on Wednesdays, that could be described as "under the sun," i.e., not taking God into consideration.

And when we do not take God into consideration, things always turn out bleak. Kind of like the end of this poem: [All things] come, but often come too late. The wonderful thing about waiting on God, however, is that He is never late.

I have heard it said that God is never late, rarely early, but always on time in bringing to pass the things he wants for us.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. it will happen, and it will happen in due season.

Joseph had to wait. He was a slave for a season, a prisoner for a season, but now it is his promotion season.

[Pray to start the invitation]

Invitation:

What is God shaping you to be? Let me give you the simplest answer: I have no idea.

But I do know this: the product will be worth the process. In the end, whatever hammer blows you are going through right now, whatever heat you are experiencing now, don't give up, because in the end, the product will be worth the process.

If you are here this morning and you are going through hard and trying times, you have something that Joseph didn't have: you have a church that is hear to pray for you and help you and encourage you. But regardless, If Joseph was able to successfully go through what he went through with no one there to support him but God, it tells me that God is enough for what ever I am going through. It is nice to be able to have the support of people around you, but we all know that people are imperfect and that sooner or later they will disappoint. So lean all your weight on the God who is 100% trustworthy and faithful and who loves you.

---

Life Group: Genesis 41:1-49

We left Joseph after the message in absolute authority in the nation of Egypt (second only to Pharaoh), honored above everyone else, an ex-slave who now had servants of his own, an ex-prisoner who now had the authority to throw people in prison. For 13 years though, Joseph had been a slave and prisoner. What lessons did he learn throughout that time that serve him well in his current position?

We often want God to rush us through hard times or to spare us completely from them. How would 17 year-old Joseph have handled things differently than the 30 year-old Joseph who has gone through all the things he went through?

What are character building times have you gone through in the past?

What difficult times are you going through right now?

What areas is God working on your life though these times?

What accomplishments do you have to your name? Talents, awards, positions of influence or power, promotions at work, special privileges, children, etc.

Do you actively seek to give God the credit for those things?

How do you/how could you actively seek to give God the credit for the accomplishments in your life?

God has a plan for your life. Joseph saw, at the end of his life, a sliver of the reason why he had to endure all those hardships, but he never saw the big picture while he was on earth. Our lives will be similar. At the end, there we will be able to look back and say, "God did this and allowed that so that __________." But we still will not comprehend fully the bigger impact that we could have.

Do not give up on God. Don't take a break from spiritual things or from following God. It does get hard sometimes, but the product is worth the process. God is forming you into something that will bring honor to Him and be a blessing to others.

If you believe that you have already messed up and are beyond use, take hope in the message we find in Jeremiah 18:1-4 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

As long as we have breath, God wants to mold you into something. Even if you have "messed up God's plans" (which God, being omniscient, was never caught of guard by), God can still take you and reshape you until you are made into the vessel that He has in mind for you.