We continue today in this
series entitled, “The Certainty of
Providence,” and the big idea that we are trying to establish in our hearts
is how we can be certain that God
works all things together for our good and His glory. In Genesis
41, we see God’s providence begin to unfold as Pharaoh promotes Joseph from
the prison to the palace. What we learn
from the chapter is that God is faithful
to vindicate the suffering of His servants in His time and that His providence
will be seen in our lives if we will wait
on Him. Today I would like you to consider
three reasons that we should wait on God:
I.
God is Faithful in His Timing (41:1-13)
[41:1] After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed
that he was standing by the Nile, [2] and behold, there came up out of the
Nile seven cows attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.
[3] And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile
after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. [4] And
the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
[5] And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears
of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. [6] And behold, after
them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. [7] And the
thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and
behold, it was a dream. [8] So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and
he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh
told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
[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.” (Genesis 41:1-13 ESV)
Let’s review for just a
second. Joseph has been kidnapped and
sold as a slave by his own brothers. As
a slave in Egypt, Joseph honored God by resisting temptation and for that God-honoring
obedience, was falsely charged and thrown into an Egyptian prison. In that prison, he met a person who could
potentially do something about his situation, but this person completely forgot
about Joseph. He has now spent two long,
silent years in prison and it does seem on the surface that everyone has
forgotten about Joseph, even God.
It is in this chapter
that we begin to see that God has not
forgotten about Joseph. What has looked
like one bad break after another turns out to be the providential working of
God. We see a “checkmate” of sorts
culminate in this chapter. God has
Joseph in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. God gives Pharaoh this pair of dreams at
exactly the right time. God causes the
cupbearer to remember Joseph at exactly the right time. It’s like a game of chess that you think you
are winning when suddenly your opponent moves a single piece and says,
“Checkmate!”
We are encouraged yet
again to remember that God is always faithful in His timing. He is working His perfect plan in His perfect
time. That’s part of what providence
means. In the end, only God is
sovereign. Joseph is not ultimately the
victim of his brother’s betrayal, of Potiphar’s anger, of the cupbearer’s
indifference, or even the rule of Pharaoh (Prov.
21:1). In the end, Joseph is only a
victim of the providential working of a faithful God.
The question for us is
that same as it was for Joseph: can we wait on God? In John Calvin’s commentary on these verses,
he wrote, “that nothing is more improper,
than to prescribe the time in which God shall help us; since he purposely, for
a long season, keeps his own people in anxious suspense, that by this very
experiment, they may truly know what it is to trust Him.” [1] In
the silence and uncertainty, God is trying to teach us to wait on Him and His timing.
II.
God is Faithful in His Revelation (41:14-36)
[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.” [17] Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream
I was standing on the banks of the Nile. [18] Seven cows, plump and
attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. [19] Seven
other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never
seen in all the land of Egypt. [20] And the thin, ugly cows ate up the
first seven plump cows, [21] but when they had eaten them no one would
have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the
beginning. Then I awoke. [22] I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on
one stalk, full and good. [23] Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by
the east wind, sprouted after them, [24] and the thin ears swallowed up
the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who
could explain it to me.”
[25] Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams
of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
[26] The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are
seven years; the dreams are one. [27] The seven lean and ugly cows that
came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the
east wind are also seven years of famine. [28] It is as I told Pharaoh;
God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. [29] There will come
seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, [30] but
after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be
forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, [31] and
the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow,
for it will be very severe. [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.” (Genesis
41:14-36 ESV)
There are many things
that are going on in this section, but the main idea is what God is revealing
to Pharaoh through Joseph for the good of all. And in God’s revelation, He is showing His mercy
to Joseph and to Pharaoh through Joseph.
He is calling a pagan man who thinks he is god to trust Him and he
will! Pharaoh is going to act on faith
in the God of Israel!
Here we have two
applications: in every circumstance God desires to reveal Himself to us
and through us. He wants us to learn
that He is a God who reveals what His people need to know, when they need to
know it. He also wants us to view every
circumstance as a platform from which to point others to Him because everyone
needs Him, both prisoners and Pharaohs.
III.God is Faithful in His Provision (41:37-57)
[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.” [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. [44] Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am
Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the
land of Egypt.” [45] And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah.
And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So
Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
[46] Joseph was thirty years old when he
entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the
presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. [47] During
the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, [48] and he
gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of
Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the
fields around it. [49] And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like
the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be
measured.
[50] Before the year of famine came, two sons
were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them
to him. [51] Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he
said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.”
[52] The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful
in the land of my affliction.”
[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. (Genesis 41:37-57 ESV)
Here we see God provide
for Joseph and for the world through Joseph.
What we see God provide for Joseph is ultimately healing. He restores him and makes him both forgetful
and fruitful. The names that Joseph
gives to his two sons are Hebrew names that are praises to God.
I think there is a
twofold application here. First, we need
to see that God can and will heal our hearts if we will wait on Him. He can cause us to forget our hardships and
be fruitful in our affliction.
Friend, I don’t know your
past, but I do know this: God can get you past your past. Many people remember what they should forget
and forget what they should remember.
God can make you forget what you need to forget. But there is more! God can also make you fruitful in your
affliction. He can make you rich in your
poverty.
Second, There is another
provision we do not want to miss in this chapter. God also provides food for the world and
saves them from starving to death through Joseph. Here the blessing of Abraham is seen on the
nation of Egypt as well as the known world (Gen.
12:1-3). We need to hear the call
this passage gives us as the people of God.
We too are called to take the blessing of Abraham, which Galatians 3:8,16 says is Jesus Christ,
to the world so they will be saved.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation and provision of God that we
must proclaim in our good times and bad times for the salvation of others.
In the life of Joseph so
far, we see this cycle of him being exalted and then humiliated. He was exalted by his father and humiliated
by his brothers. He was exalted by
Potiphar and humiliated by Potiphar’s wife.
He was exalted by the keeper of the prison and humiliated by the
cupbearer. Why? It is because this is the pathway to maturity
for all of God’s saints. There are lessons
and joys that we learn in trials that we don’t learn anywhere else. 1
Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt
you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
This was also the path of
the One who is greater than Joseph, THE Suffering Servant. He was His Father’s beloved Son and was also
betrayed by His own for silver. Like
Joseph, He was tempted and did not sin.
Like Joseph, He was falsely accused and suffered His fate along with two
other prisoners. And just as the pit
could not hold Joseph, the grave could not hold Jesus! God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and
exalted Him to the right hand of the throne.
And there is coming a day where, just as every knee in the known world
had to bow to Joseph, every knee in the universe will bow to Jesus Christ and
every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Phil. 2:10).
His is the ultimate story of providence and His salvation is infinitely greater than that which
Joseph offered. The salvation that Jesus
offers is the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life with God forever. But just as salvation from this famine came
only through Joseph, this great, eternal salvation is offered only through
Jesus.
So, here is the big idea
again today: God is faithful to
vindicate the suffering of His servants.
Sometimes He will do so in this life, and sometimes He will do so in the
next. But be certain of the truth that
He will. The question in our lap today
is this: we will wait on God?
[13] The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all
the children of man; [14] from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all
the inhabitants of the earth, [15] he who fashions the hearts of them all and
observes all their deeds. [16] The king is not saved by his great army; a
warrior is not delivered by his great strength. [17] The war horse is a
false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. [18] Behold,
the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his
steadfast love, [19] that he may deliver their soul from death and keep
them alive in famine. [20] Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and
our shield. [21] For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his
holy name. [22] Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we
hope in you. (Psalm
33:13-22 ESV)
[62:1] For God alone my soul waits in
silence; from him comes my salvation. [2] He alone is my rock and my
salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2 ESV)
[5] For God alone, O my soul, wait in
silence, for my hope is from him. [6] He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken. [7] On God rests my salvation and my
glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. [8] Trust in him at all times, O
people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah (Psalm 62:5-8 ESV)
[5] I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and
in his word I hope; [6] my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for
the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. [7] O Israel, hope in the
LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful
redemption. (Psalm
130:5-7 ESV)
[28] Have you not known? Have you not heard? The
LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not
faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. [29] He gives
power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. [30] Even
youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; [31] but
they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not
faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV)
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