Joseph the Interpreter of Dreams

Review

What were the two main things that caused Joseph's brothers to hate him?

What does James 1:14–15 say about how sin grows — and how did we see that play out in the brothers' story?

Reuben was the oldest brother. What should he have done, and what did he do instead?

How did the brothers cover up what they did to Joseph — and what does Numbers 32:23 say about that plan?

We said even hidden sin leaves visible damage. What are three ways sin damages you even when no one finds out?

Sin rots trust

Sin poisons relationships

Sin hardens the conscience

Joseph found success in Potiphar's house. What was the real reason for that success?

What did Joseph do when Potiphar's wife tempted him — and what does that teach us about how to handle temptation?

Joseph did everything right and still ended up in prison. What verse did we use to explain that kind of unjust suffering?

1 Peter 4:12 — "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."

What did we say you should do while you are in the pit — and what verse backed that up?

Entrust your soul to God and keep doing good — backed by 1 Peter 4:19: "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."

Fill in the blank: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for ___________."

Lesson:

Joseph a Servant to Prisoners (Gen 40)

We ended last week with Joseph unjustly thrown into prison so that is where we will pick up the story tonight turn to Gen. 40

Genesis 40:1–4 “1 Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.”

Innocent Joseph served guilty prisoners

I want you to notice something about this prison set up. Now i don’t know exactly how prisons worked in agent Egypt. But here we have innocent Joseph and a guilty cup bearer and baker.

But look what it says in verse. The captain of the guard appoints Joseph to be with them and attend them. Not only is Joseph forced to be in prison unfairly while he is in prison he is literally forced to serve those who are guilty.

It doesn’t get much lower than that.

Joseph interprets the prisoners' dreams

But then the two guilty prisoners have some dreams

Chief Cupbearer — Freedom in three days

The cup bear dreams about a vine with three branches. He doesn’t understand the dream so he comes to Joseph and see’s if he can help.

Joesph gives him the good news. That in three days he will be lifted up out of prison and back into Pharoh’s service.

Chief Baker — Death in three days

The baker hears this good news and tells Joseph about his dreams as well. He dreams about cake baskets on his head that the birds were eating from and he wants to know what that means.

And Joseph tells him that in three days Pharoah will lift his head from his body and hang him on a tree and the birds will eat your flesh.

As you can imagine the chief baker is not to excited about his interpretation.

Joseph pleads to be remembered

But Joesph goes to the cupbearer the one who is going to be freed and he pleads with him to remember him when he is sent free. He explains to him the situation and he asks the cupbearer to please help him when he gets out of prison.

Joseph's interpretations come true

Sure enough three days later Joseph’s interpretations come true. The baker is killed and the cupbearer is set free.

So Joseph has some hope. He thinks maybe now i can be free. Maybe now i can go home. Maybe now i will be remembered.

Joseph is forgotten

Genesis 40:23 (ESV)

23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Can you imagine what it must have felt like to be Joseph in this situation. It’s not like he had a phone to give the guy a call. It’s not like he was ever told sorry I tried my best to get you out but it’s no going to work.

I imagine every time Joseph heard that door open or a guard talking he must have thought finally they are coming for me. They are coming to get me out of this pit. Finally I have been remembered and I can go free.

But every time that door opened it only lead to disappointment Because down in the pit Joseph had been forgotten.

In fact look at the next verse in chapter 41.

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams (Gen 41:1–36)

Pharaoh's dreams — two years later

Genesis 41:1 “1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,”

Two years went by. Two years Joseph rotted away in the pit. He Father thought he was dead, his brothers wanted nothing to do with him, and the cup bearer had forgotten him.

Two years he rotted away in that prison. Can you imagine what that must have felt like.

But Pharaoh has a dream.

7 cows plump and well fed cows come walking up out of the nile but behind them were seven ugly cows and the ugly cows ate up the fat cows.

And then he dreamed again

This time about seven ears of grain plump and growing well but seven thin ear of grain swallowed up the seven plump ears.

This freaked Pharaoh out so he looked for someone who could interpret his dreams.

No one can interpret

But no one could be found who knew what the dreams meant.

Cupbearer remembers Joseph

But then after two years the cupbearer finally comes through. He tells Pharaoh of this guy named Joesph who correctly interpreted his dreams.

So Pharaoh quickly brings Joseph out of the pit and tells him the dream.

Joseph interprets — 7 good years, 7 years of famine

Joseph's plan to survive the famine

Joseph tells Pharaoh that he needs to appoint someone to over the land of Egypt to prepare the land and the people for the coming famine.

They need to take all of the abundance of the first 7 years and store it away so they would have something to eat during the 7 years of famine.

Pharaoh liked this idea look at verse 37

Joseph Rises to Power (Gen 41:37–57)

Joseph given second in command

Genesis 41:37–41 (ESV)

Joseph Rises to Power

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.”

Again he is given second in command this time not over Potiphar’s house but over all of Egypt the most powerful nation in the world at this point.

Do you get this?

Joseph who was sold into slavery, thrown into prison and forgotten is now the second most powerful person in the entire world….

In the book of Habakkuk God gives this amazing line to the Habakkuk who is complaining to God about the state of Israel and God tells Habakkuk, “I am doing a work in your day that you would not believe if I told you.”

Joseph had some pretty lofty dreams didn’t he. He dreamed that one day his brothers would bow down before him and from what we can tell Joseph trusted God and believed these dreams God brought him.

But do you think that if someone came to Joseph in prison after two years of being forgotten and mistreated that in a few short days he would be the second most powerful man in the entire world?

No of course not but God was doing a work in Joseph’s day that he would not believe if he was told.

There was not one second of suffering in Joseph’s life that God was not using.

If Joseph had never been thrown in the pit and sold into slavery he would not have made it to Egypt .

If he had not been falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison he wouldn’t have meet the cupbearer.

If the cup bearer had remembered Joseph right away and Joseph would have been given his freedom two years before Pharaoh’s dream who knows where he would have been. He probably would have made it back to his Father by then.

But no God was meticulous in everything he did to Joseph to bring about something he would not have believed if he was told.

And the same is true for you.

God is doing something in your life right now that you would not believe. And can i just say this. God is meticulous in his plan. There is not one moment of suffering. Not one iota of pain that he is not using for your good and his glory.

Think about your own life. How many times have you said something like:

"If only my parents hadn't gotten divorced.""If only I hadn't lost them.""If only my friends hadn't turned on me.""If only they hadn't betrayed me.""If only nobody knew what I was carrying.""If only I could take back what I did.""If only that hadn't been done to me."

We say those things because we are standing in the middle of the story. We can only see what is right in front of us. Joseph couldn't see it either. Rotting in that pit for two years he had no idea what God was doing.

But what if — twenty years from now — you look back at the hardest thing in your life right now and say:

"If my parents hadn't divorced, God never would have done what he did in me."

"If my friend group hadn't fallen apart, I never would have grown closer to God.

"If I hadn't made that mistake, God never would have shown me the grace he showed me."

"If that hadn't been done to me, God never would have done what he is going to do through me."

God is not surprised by your suffering. He is not scrambling to fix it. He was there before it started, he is in the middle of it with you right now, and he already knows how he is going to use it.

There is not one moment of your pain that he is wasting.

Oh but this is really cool you need to see this look at verse 42 Genesis 41:42–43 (ESV)

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.

Does this remind you of anyone? A slave exalted into such promince that everyone before him bows the knee?

Philippians 2:5–11 (ESV)

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant/slave, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

But we will come back to Jesus in a second. Let’s keep going.

Joseph gathers grain in abundance

Jospeh follows through on his plan and gathers the abundance. It says at first he was counting the excess of grain but at some point it was so much they couldn’t keep track of it all. But eventually the seven years came to an end. Look at verse 54

Joseph supplies the world with grain in famine

Genesis 41:53–57 (ESV)

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.

Gospel Application

God used Joseph's unjust punishment to bring salvation to the world

Did you catch verse 57 lets read it again.

Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

The whole earth came to Egypt because the famine was severe over all the earth.

God used the unjust suffering of his innocent servant to bring salvation to the entire world.

Does that sound like anybody you know?

This is the key right hear. How do you know that God won’t forget you in the pit?

Because lets be honest you deserve to be forgotten. Because of your sin you deserve for God to turn his back on you. The scripture is clear. The wages of sin is death.

If you looking at yourself and thinking well I’m a pretty good person God will remember me. Everything will work out in the end. Then you are sorely mistaken.

Your sin has separated you from God. You don’t deserve his attention.

Jesus took the forsakenness we deserved

But in Matthew 27:46 it tells us the story of what happened to Jesus on the cross. It says

“46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?””

Jesus the perfect, innocent Son of God took the forsaking you deserved. The only man to ever lived that deserved God’s full attention and care was forsaken on the cross.

How do you know that God has not forsaken you? Because on the cross Jesus was forsaken in your place.

Jesus was forsaken so that you would be remembered.

God turned his back on his Son to ensure that he would never turn his back on you.

Maybe you are here tonight and you have never trusted Jesus. You are still in the pit. You are still carrying the weight of your sin and you are hoping that being a good person is enough. It's not. But Jesus was forsaken so that you don't have to be. You can trust him tonight.

Maybe you are not questioning whether Jesus is real. Maybe you just don't believe he is working in your story. You are in the pit right now and it feels like God has forgotten you. He hasn't. The cross is the proof. You can surrender that doubt to him tonight.

God is at work in your suffering for your good and his glory. You may not see it yet. Joseph didn't see it either. But not one moment of your pain is being wasted.

One day you will look back at the hardest thing in your life and say what Joseph said — what you meant for evil, God meant for good. Trust him with it.