Monday, March 26, 2012
The Faithfulness of God: Genesis 41:1-57
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Never Forgotten: Genesis 40:1-23
Have you ever felt forsaken or forgotten, like no one cared? You are not alone. Most of us have known what it is like to feel forgotten, forsaken, and mistreated at some point in our life. And if you haven’t, you need only to be patient!
Before we reach the end of Genesis 40, this is exactly how Joseph will be tempted to feel. This is a chapter where Joseph becomes completely forgotten by everyone, everyone but God. What we will learn in this chapter is that even when we have been mistreated and it seems that we have been completely forgotten and forsaken, God remains “with” His people.
By way of reminder, I want to repeat again the two explanations that God being “with” us meant last week. First, that God being with us means that He is not only there, but is active. He is at work for our good and His glory. Second, God’s being with us also means that He is there showing us “hesed” in the midst of what we are walking through. He is showing covenant loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, goodness, mercy, love, and compassion.[1]
The question that this chapter will answer for us is: how are we as the people of God supposed to express our hope and faith in God when we feel forsaken and forgotten?
I. In Our Suffering, We Express Our Faith in God by Looking Outward (40:1-19)
a. Serving Those Around Us (1-4)
[40:1] 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.
In our trials, there is an incredible temptation to focus inwardly and think only of us. This is especially true when it seems that we have been forsaken and forgotten. We want to sit around licking our wounds and feeling sorry for ourselves. F. B. Meyer called this the “gratification of lonely sorrow.” Now that is an interesting statement, isn’t it? What is gratifying about lonely sorrow? Self-pity is, because it screams to the world, “What about ME? Stop and take notice!”
Joseph makes the most of his time in prison by serving others rather than feeling sorry for himself. We will see shortly that this was a genuine service and not just a job. Joseph cared about Pharaoh’s chief officers.
Learn something from this passage: every trial you experience will put others in your circle. They may have been there all along or they may become part of your circle as a result of your suffering, but you will find others around you. This is one of God’s ways of networking! The question is this: will you look outward or inward in your suffering? Will you look for ways to serve others that God has put in your circle in the midst of your suffering or will you crawl into the corner of your own pity party?
b. Pointing Those Around Us to God (5-8)
[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.” (Genesis 40:5-8 ESV)
Here we see another aspect of what it means to have an outward focus in our suffering: pointing others to God. This is what Kent Hughes calls Joseph’s “God reflex.” When tempted, Joseph pointed Potiphar’s wife to God (39:9). When he gets opportunity with these prisoners, He points them to God. And he will do the same thing with Pharaoh too (41:16). Joseph’s words here remind us of Daniel’s in Daniel 2:28, where he seizes the opportunity to tell king Nebuchadnezzar that when there wasn’t a man in Babylon who could interpret the king’s dream, there was “a God in heaven” who could!
Joseph is pointing these prisoners to the only One who can help them in their plight and is doing so with great confidence. He knows his gifts and is ready, willing, and confident to use them to serve others as a way to point them to God.
c. Speaking the Truth in Love to Those Around Us (9-19)
[9] So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, [10] and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. [11] Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.” [12] Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. [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.”
[16] When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, [17] and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” [18] And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. [19] In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.” (Genesis 40:9-19 ESV)
The final way that we see Joseph looking outward in His suffering is in His speaking the truth to others around Him. In one case this meant encouragement; in the other it meant saying some truly hard things. How easy would it have been to make up something to tell the baker? Joseph tells him the truth. As Chuck Swindoll says, “He was not winning friends; He was representing God.”
Have you ever considered that we, like Joseph, have a message of good news and bad news to tell? The bad news is that we are all rebels before God and that there will literally be hell to pay. The good news is that God loves rebels and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for them in their place and that they can be saved from God’s wrath by repenting and putting their faith in Jesus. Are you faithful to telling that news to others, even when it is hard?
Whom do you find in your circle of suffering? Church, God desires to showcase His all-satisfying worth in our suffering. He wants a watching world to learn that His steadfast love is better than life (Ps. 63:3). This is what an outward focus preaches to that watching world: that we are rich even in our suffering and are willing to share our treasure through serving and speaking.
II. In Our Suffering, We Express Our Faith in God by Looking Upward (40:8-23)
a. Hoping in God’s Truth (8-22)
[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. (Genesis 40:20-23 ESV)
There are two ways that this passage encourages us to look upward in faith, and the first way is to hope in the truth of God. The truth that I am speaking of is this truth of God’s being “with” us. We are to hope in the certainty of providence.
This pair of dreams in Genesis 40 is the second of three pairs of dreams in the Joseph story (Joseph’s, the prisoner’s, and Pharaoh’s). One can’t help but remember the first pair of dreams when they read these, and I think that we are meant to. These two dreams are meant to remind Joseph of his own two dreams and are a reminder to him that God is making good on the dreams He gave to Joseph through the dreams He is giving to others. Joseph can be certain that God will bring about his dreams just as he did the dreams of these two prisoners. God’s providence is certain.
So these dreams remind us that God is still “with” Joseph even when everyone else has forsaken and forgotten him. The way this chapter ends begs us to ask the question of whether or not God had forgotten Joseph too. He has not forgotten His servant. He is “with” him still. That is the truth that gives rise to hope in Joseph’s life and ours as well. God is always “with” us, working for us and showing steadfast love to us, even when we feel forsake and forgotten by everyone else. You are never forsaken or forgotten.
b. Hoping in God’s Timing (20-23)
The second way that we are encouraged to look upward in this chapter is by hoping in the timing of God. There is one very important difference between Joseph’s pair of dreams and the other two pair of dreams that we see in the Joseph story. The dreams of the prisoner’s and the dreams of Pharaoh both included a time frame for fulfillment. Joseph’s dreams included no such time frame. This is because God wants Joseph to trust Him and His timing in the fulfillment of his own dreams.
Consider this: had Joseph not been betrayed, he would not haven ended up in Egypt as a slave. Had he not ended up in Egypt as a slave, he would not have been falsely accused and imprisoned. Had he not been falsely accused and imprisoned, he would not have met the chief cupbearer. Had the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph and got him out, he would not have been waiting in prison when Pharaoh had his dreams of the coming famine and would not have been there to interpret them. And had he not been there to interpret those dreams, God’s people along with the rest of the known world would have starved to death.
Friend, God’s ways are not our ways. They are higher and they are better (Is. 55:8-9). God uses the suffering of Joseph to mold Joseph into a spiritual warrior, to save His people, and to save the nations.
Are you willing to hope not only in the truth of God but also the timing of God, even if it takes a while? Are you willing to trust Him? That is the most important issue in your life.
The reality is that you are never forsaken or forgotten by God in your suffering. On the contrary, you can be certain that God is “with” you. And one thing that He is doing is molding you into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, so that you can be a showcase of His all-satisfying worth to a watching world. This is the message of 1 Peter 3:14-16: “But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”
Consider also James 1:2-4: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
There is one who is greater than Joseph who can identify with feeling forsaken and forgotten. His name is Jesus Christ. As He hung on the cross, He cried out to His Father, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) Jesus was forsaken so that we could know that we never would be. His work on the cross has paid for our sins and brought us near to God. And those who have been brought near will never be far again! Believe that. Breathe that. Walk in that truth. Never let go of the truth that God will never let go of you. And if you have never given your heart and your life to Jesus Christ, I invite you to come to Him today and embrace the God who will never leave you or forsake you. You will not find a love like that anywhere else in this universe.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
The Providential Presence of God: Genesis 39:1-23
What does it mean to be successful? And what is the secret to being successful? We must always be careful to define success Biblically because there are times where prospering before God looks like failure to the world. And it is my assumption that many times we do not take God’s work of providence into account when we consider what a successful life would be.
I’d like you to think of God’s providential working in our lives is as a dance that God is inviting us to join Him in. Today we will see a man named Joseph join the God who is at work in this dance, and we will see that when we join God, His providential presence becomes the secret to true success in our lives. We find our deepest joy and greatest victory when we take His hand and join Him in this dance. And we take His hand by placing our faith in His providential presence at work for us.
I. The Providential Presence of God Prospers Us in Our Trials (38:1-6a, 20-23)
a. God with Us (1-6a):
[39:1] Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. [2] The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. [3] His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. [4] So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. [5] From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. [6a] So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. (Genesis 39:1-6a ESV)
Joseph is prospering in a trial here. And the author of Genesis goes to great lengths to make sure we do not miss why Joseph is prospering: because “the Lord was with Joseph.” This is put forth as the reason that Joseph prospers: because God was “with” him. Notice that God’s being “with” Joseph doesn’t simply mean that He is there, but that He is there working. He is causing Joseph to succeed. He is giving Joseph favor in Potiphar’s sight. So when we read that “the LORD was with Joseph,” we need to understand that it is not just the presence of God being spoken of, but the providential presence of God being described. He is not simply there; He is there at work for His glory and Joseph’s good. It is a description of God’s active faithfulness to Joseph in particular and His people in general.
Let me also point out that this passage is not teaching what some call the “prosperity gospel.” The reason we can be certain that the “prosperity gospel” is not being taught here is because Joseph is a slave! Also, things don’t get better for Joseph in this chapter, but worse. He is suffering unjustly as this chapter begins and he is going to suffer even more unjustly before it is over.
[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. (Genesis 39:20-23 ESV)
Joseph goes from being a slave to a being a prisoner! And where is God in all of this? Look at verse 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.” Catch this: Joseph is not protected from his circumstance; he is protected in his circumstances.
Now here we learn another thing that God being “with” Joseph means: that He is showing Joseph “steadfast love.” This is one of the most beautiful words in the Hebrew language: “hesed”. There is no English word that can adequately translate “hesed” because so much is wrapped up in that one word. It means covenant loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, goodness, mercy, love, and compassion.[1]
This is important to remember: when everything seems to go wrong, we can still be certain that God is showing “hesed” to His people. He is still keeping covenant. He is still being faithful. He is still being good. He is still showing steadfast love to us. This is ultimately what it means for God to be “with” us.
And know that if you belong to God, know that God is “with” you. Matthew 28:20: “And behold, I am WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the end of the age.” Hebrews 13:5-6: “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will NEVER LEAVE YOU nor FORSAKE YOU.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Is this not the message of Romans 8:31-39, that nothing can separate us from the steadfast love of Jesus Christ? Our God is with us!
Also, don’t miss another thing that is at work here. He is thrown in to prison precisely where the “king’s prisoners were confined” (20). If you know the Joseph story, you know that Joseph is now one man away from Pharaoh. What looks like a set back is actually progress in God’s providential plan.
b. Us with God:
But we can’t stop here. We also need to see Joseph’s faithfulness in this account. This chapter shows us two ideas side by side: (1) God’s faithfulness to Joseph and (2) Joseph’s faithfulness to God. This is the dance of providence. What Joseph does is walk by faith in the God who is providentially “with” him. And in trials, Joseph shows us what walking by faith looks like: always making the most of our situation for God’s glory. Joseph believed that he was ultimately God’s slave and ultimately God’s prisoner, and he sought to bring God glory wherever he found himself. And hear me on this: you are only free to do that when you have rested your hopes in the promise that God is with you.
This is what it means for us to dance with God in this dance called providence: to walk by faith in the God who is with us and bring Him glory wherever we find ourselves. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” And as we walk by faith with our providential God , our testimony is to be a witness to those around us. Potiphar recognized that God was with Joseph. This Matthew 5:14-16 in action: [14] “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
So to sum this first point, we are saying that providence is a dance in which God is always with us, working for us, and showing steadfast love to us and that He is also asking us to take His hand and join Him on the dance floor. We do so by waling by faith in a way that brings Him glory and is a witness to the world around us. And when we take His hand, we find a prosperity that the world cannot take away in our trials.
II. The Providential Presence of God Protects Us in Our Temptations (38:6b-19)
[6b] Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. [7] And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
In this passage we meet the original “desperate housewife”! This “cougar” is on the prowl after Joseph!
[8] But he refused and said to his master's wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. [9] He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” [10] And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.
Sexual promiscuity was very common among slaves and their owners in this culture, which makes Joseph’s refusal all the more remarkable. Joseph refuses to sin here for three reasons. First, he views it as a sin against his master. Second, he views it as a sin against the sanctity of marriage. Joseph views marriage as sacred. Finally, and most importantly, he views it ultimately as a sin against God. The Bible teaches us that all sin is ultimately against God (Ps. 51:4). God sees and will judge all sin. Joseph not only understands this but also believes this. He fears God, which is actually another expression of His faith in God. Fear of God is an expression of faith in God to see and judge sin. But in spite of Joseph’s refusal, Potiphar’s wife does not stop her advancements toward Joseph.
[11] But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, [12] she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
We also learn a great deal about the nature of temptation in this chapter, especially sexual temptation. Notice first that men are not the only people who struggle with sexual sin. Also, we see here how sexual sin begins with the eyes (7), and we are reminded to guard our own. And finally we learn from this passage that sometimes the best way to fight temptation is to flee from it (12). This is the command of 1 Corinthians 6:18: “Flee sexual immorality.” Paul instructed young Timothy to “flee youthful passions” (2 Tim. 2:22). If you meet a lion on a path, you don’t stand and fight, you run for your life! God promises us to always provide a way to escape temptation (1 Cor. 10:13) and sometimes that way is to run. And remember, that when we run from temptation, we are running to God!
[13] And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, [14] she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. [15] And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” [16] Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, [17] and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. [18] But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”
[19] As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. [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. (Genesis 39:6b-20 ESV)
Joseph ends up in prison, but let me say again that he is ultimately successful before God because he doesn’t fall to temptation. In the end, honoring God is all that ultimately matters. If God is pleased, we have been successful.
This passage does call us to develop such an esteem for the providential presence of God that we refuse to sin even when no one is looking and take drastic measures not to do so. It call us to walk by faith by fearing God. In our temptations, this is what it means to take God’s hand and join Him in the dance of providence. God’s providential presence is a fortress of protection when we are tempted if we will walk by faith. When you’re tempted to sin in times where it seems no one is looking, pray that God would cause you to (1) be aware of His presence and (2) both fear and savor His presence. Choose to believe that Christ is better than the empty pleasure offered by the sin in front of you.
Also, we need to walk by faith in the fact that God is able to help us in our temptations. The power of the gospel is power to help you have victory over sin. This doesn’t mean that you will be perfect. It doesn’t mean that you will not be sinless, but it does mean that you will sin less. It does mean that victory is there for the taking if you will lay hold of it by faith.
In closing, let’s do remember that even Joseph could not be a “Joseph” without the Lord’s being “with” him. So Joseph is a commendable example, but we need to go further and make the connection as to why he is such a commendable example: because God is providentially “with” him.
We need more than a good example. We need someone who can resist temptation for us. We need someone who can stand and defeat it rather than have to run from it. Jesus Christ in the only such person in history. He was tempted, He withstood, and just as Joseph’s victory earned him a prison cell, Jesus’ victory earned Himself a cross. But in dying on the cross, He won our ultimate victory. He stood, fought the lion and won. His is even our source of victory now when we trust Him and He is our substitute when we fail, and He becomes both by us placing faith in Him. I cannot over emphasize the importance of faith today. That is why this “dance” analogy is so important. You must see every trial and temptation as the hand of God extended to you, inviting you to join Him. Say “yes” to Him today.
God is with you! Settle this in your heart today. The issue is not if we will ever be tried or tempted. The issue is always if we will believe in, trust in, hope in, and depend upon the God who is with you when tried and tempted. Will you? When we trust God (when we walk by faith), we find that God becomes a rock and a fortress for us. At the end of it, we either trust Him or we don’t. Fear, worry, anxiety, etc. come from not trusting in God, from not walking by faith. Rather than freaking out and running from God, we are to run to Him and hide in Him. We are to take His hand and join Him in this dance of providence.