Joseph- Raised for God's Purpose.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning my friends, I hope you are well today.
Can you imagine that the month of January is close to being over… just a few more days and we will be in the month of February.
Hard to imagine....
Let me ask you a question.....
If you r world was turned upside down tomorrow, how do you think you would handle it?
If you lost all that you had, if tragedy struck your life....do you think you could still rejoice and have faith?
I think honestly we can, why? I have seen many, many people handle life’s tragedies with a great deal of grace, it is God’s work in their life without a doubt.
But I’ve seen a few act negatively when things happen…
Our response to the events of life honestly depends on the our relationship with the Lord. How deeply that relationship runs in our life, if He (the Lord) is our life.
For the last few weeks, we have been looking at the life of Joseph, a favorite son Of Jacob who loves the Lord his God.
His life has been filled with many blessings, and at the same time His life has been filled with hardship, suffering and disappointment.
There might be some who would say, just give up. Let go and give up. You’ve failed, your life is over… those voices are just the voices of Satan my friends, like Job’s wife who told him to just curse God and die....
Joseph did not give up....We cannot give up, you know why?
God was with Joseph and God is here with us… He most certainly hasn’t given up on us, How can we give up as well.
So this morning I want to share ore of Joseph's life with you… from chapters 40-41.
In these chapters you will find stories of Faith, Character and God’s plan for His people.
So let me share these three thoughts with you.....
1.) Thrown in Prison, 2.) Forgotten by Others and 3.)Delivered by God’s Purpose
So lets go to our text today and then we will recap a bit....
20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
Now remember where Joseph has come from… being a favorite son to being sold as a slave to Egypt under the charge of Potiphar. And there the Lord blessed him and allowed him to rise in power in Potiphar’s house charged with managing everything from the house to the field so that all that Potiphar worried about was his meals.
But Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him and in her failure she struck out in revenge and accused Joseph of improprieties... No one would believe the word of a slave and soon Joseph found himself being thrown into office.
And that it our first point my friends..
1. Thrown into Prison...
1. Thrown into Prison...
How sad it is to be innocent and to have no one believe you. That is the fact of Joseph’s life....
Potiphar believed the story his wife told him, her proof being the coat Joseph wore each day. It was there, left by Him as he pulled out of it and tried to run away from her and her advances.
Potiphar would not believe the word of a slave over that of his wife… so Joseph is thrown into prison
Joseph is punished for a crime he did not commit and we have found proof of his incarceration it in Egyptian documents from that time. Why he was not executed is not complete know, outside of the fact that God has greater plans for him in the days to come
And one piece of information is a blessing for us to see, is that fact that whether he was in the wilderness pit or the prison of Pharoah, we know that the Lord was with him. Joseph was not alone in his suffering, in his confinement…or in his freedom in the days to come...
This truth is important my friends, why? Because of it, because he was not alone, we know that God will show him favor.....
Look again at verse 21
21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
Break this verse down....
A. The Lord was with Joseph… He was not alone, The presence of the Lord was in that place with him.
B. Showed Him steadfast love.... the word showed means that God’s love was made available to Him, it was not withheld, God loved Joseph and made sure Joseph was aware of his presence and love. How do we know this to be true?
It is shown through the actions of of the jailer. the phrase “steadfast love” is the Hebrew word “Hesed, it can also be translated as mercy or favor. The jailer is used by God to extend these actions toward Joseph in such a way that Joseph knows the Lord is with him.
Remember last month at Christmas as we talked about Mary, the angel told here that the Lord’s favor was upon her.. It is that same type of presence and care my friends.
C. and finally the last portion of the verses says “...Gave Him favor in the sight of the chief of the prison.... “ The chief of the prison treated him differently, ultimately Joseph's ability, his ways are revealed to the Chief and the Chief puts him to work. But again the reason for all this is the Lord work in the jailer’s life and in Joseph’s life as well.
The Lord gave Joseph such success that nothing is withheld from his hand, He is in charge…under God’s plan.
Now it is interesting that this chief of the prison is not named but there is a great deal of speculation that this person might have been
This is a reoccurring theme my friends, Joseph is favored, held in high regard and then the chair is pulled out from underneath Him. and then it happens again and again as God is moving him closer and closer to place he has prepared for him.
Q. Let me ask you a question. have you ever considered the thought that what seems to be failure and disappointment may just be the stepping stones God is using to draw you closer and closer to the plans He has set for you.
Never forget my friends that no matter the place you find yourself in, be faithful, do your best… God is in control.
Do you believe that?
I hope so....
Now lets move to our second thought today....
2. Forgotten by Others...
2. Forgotten by Others...
Let’s start with a question....
Q. Have you ever felt betrayed and or forgotten by others?
I think there are many who have felt this way at one time or another in their life. The reasons, well they are many… And while it is nothing compared to Joseph, we still say we can identify with Him.. But it is something that hurts, it is something that robs people of peace and joy.
Joseph experienced this at times and I imagine it was hard to bare the weight of such circumstances, but God sustained him.
One such time occurs for Joseph while in prison, he hoped, he trusted that a person or persons might help him… but soon He was disappointed...
Lets go to our text...
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.
5 And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” 8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”
So Joseph is serving in prison, and he is being blessed by God and having success. And we are not told the name of the Jailer, some think it might have been Potiphar himself..
So while Joseph is confined to prison and serving steadfastly before the chief jailer and before God…2 new people are confined to the prison.
The Cup Bearer and the Chief Baker…
Now as verse 1 states, some time later, we know a period of time, maybe a year, maybe longer...have passed and Joseph has served faithfully… He was 17 when sold into prison, we believe he is 26 to 28 years now..
Now these two men, the cup bearer and baker commit some offense before Pharoah and it is of such a nature that these men are arrested, taken into custody and confined to prison… There the are in the care of Joseph.
And while there the Bible tells us that they both have a dream.. and they are puzzled, they are questioning the meaning of these dreams and they are downcast. For they have no one to tell them the meaning of these dreams..
Lets go back to the text...
7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” 8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”
So here Joseph inquires of these two men, why are you downcast? Now these men explain the situation… and after hearing them say, there is no one to interrupt our dreams…Joseph says ““Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me...”verse 8b
So the dreams are explained to Joseph and He gives an interruption to those dreams...
Verses 9-15 we hear the dream that the King’s cup bearer had been given and Joseph gives the interpretation that he would soon be restored to his position and when the interpretation came true, Joseph asks that the cup bearer remember him… listen to what he says..
Verses 13-15
13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”
Joseph asks that the Cup Bearer remember him and mention his plea before Pharoah himself, for he was carried away from his land and people wrongly and he surely has done nothing to deserve this treatment of imprisonment.
Joseph hoped his interruption might win Him some favor and have a opportunity to plead his case...
Please remember me....
As for the baker, well his dream meant death, his dream was not favorable...
And it all came true as the Lord had given Joseph the interruption of the dream.
Look with me at verses 20-23
20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
There we see, Joseph was forgotten… He hoped a man might help him after it all came true… but again he has been forgotten and still in prison he waits… working, serving and remaining faithful to God.
But the good news was, God was with him, God had not forgotten Him and my friends, God has not forgotten you in the midst of your trials, the suffering and pain you are experiencing.
God is there and He loves you.... This I know and believe...
Now this takes me to just one last thought today..
3. Delivered by God’s purpose...
3. Delivered by God’s purpose...
As we move into Chapter 41 we see that the Lord has sent a series of dreams to Pharoah himself ( Gen 41:25), dreams to warn, dreams to prepare, dreams to save the people and the world from what was about to happen...
And especially save a people who were central to God’s plans...
Now we know that these dreams come to Pharoah a couple of years after the cup bearer has been restored to serve beside of Pharoah.
Pharoah is puzzled, he needs an interruption for these dreams, he knows they are important.. But there is no one who serves him, not even his own wise men, or magicians who can answer the question .....what do they mean.
But the cup bearer puts a proposal before Pharoah...
Lets look at verses 9-13
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.”
Now when Pharoah heard this, he called for Joseph to be brought to him from the prison… verses 14-16
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. 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.”
Notice this… they clean him up, shave him meaning the head and dress him properly so that he can stand in front of Pharoah.
And upon meeting Pharoah .. he assures Pharoah that God will give a favorable answer…
The dreams are one Joseph tells Pharoah.... The dreams reveal a series of events that speak to 7 years of abundance, 7 wonderful plump, healthy looking cows… the meaning is 7 years of great gain among the lands as it relates to the grains and other crops that they raise to sustain the people.
And the dreams also speak to 7 years of a barren land following the time of plenty. 7 thin, skin and bones cows reveal a time of scarcity… a time when the world would suffer greatly under a massive famine.
So as Joseph gives Pharoah the interruption of the dreams, and with it a plan to work through the problems...
Lets go back to the text...
32 And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. 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.”
Joseph reveals it is a fixed matter, God is at work and it will happen as surely as he is alive and standing in front of Pharoah...
Pharoah you need a person to be in charge of this and this alone… to help save you, the people of this land and the world...
And Pharoah listened… I really believe that God made HIs heart receptive and open to the Word of the Lord.
He and his court were favorable of the plan Joseph gave, which I would say God gave him and Pharoah appointed Joseph to be that man...
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.”
Wow....
My freinds.. God has raised Joseph up for his plans.. he has given him a new home, a new position, a new name and a new wife… God has indeed blessed Joseph and Joseph rises to the second highest position of the land, only under Pharoah.
13 years have passed, verse 46 says says he was 30 years old when he entered Pharaoh's service.
For 13 years, he has been a servant, a slave, spending the most of those years working and serving in Pharaoh’s prison but God was with him..
Have you ever felt that your struggle will never end, that you will never find rest or help in your circumstance..
Please remember my friends, God is with you.
He is at work in you and is always at work for your good for your blessings...
The question is, will you trust him today, will you be patient and allow him to work and provide the answers you need in your life and not step ahead of Him..
Will you trust him
God is at work … you might feel isolated, you might feel forgotten by others, but He has not forgot you and is at world to raise you up for His purposes my dear firends