Joseph (4)

v.21 This section starts out with a very significant phrase. “But the Lord” This is especially significant seeing what Joseph has been through up to this point. These “But God” statements are actually incredibly frequent in scripture and meant to bring us great peace and comfort.

Acts 13:29–30 ESV

29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead,

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Psalm 49:15 ESV

15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah

Psalm 34:19 ESV

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV

3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

Ephesians 2:13 ESV

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Acts 7:9–10 ESV

9 “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him 10 and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.

No matter how bad things may seem, it is only because of God’s divine intervention (But God) that things are not much worse than they are. For this reason we can be grateful to God even in the midst of severe difficulty.

In Chapters 40-41 we see a series of 2’s taking place that drive a thread throughout the story of Joseph.

In the beginning of Joseph’s story we heard the 2 dreams that he had, in 40 we see the 2 chief officials and their 2 dreams, in 41 after 2 years Pharoah has 2 dreams from which Joseph interprets them and leads to his rise to power over Egypt.

In verse 32 we see why that number is so important in this story.