Have you ever thought that all that has happened in you life was God positioning you in the place for your purpose? Worship Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) https://youtube/watch?v=Jbe7OruLk8I He Has Made Me Glad https://youtube/watch?v=_jukcsdEUHU Here I Am To Worship https://youtube/watch?v=oHlSB822sQ0 Jesus Messiah https://youtube/watch?v=9_jnk8dgxrQ Positioned with Purpose Genesis 41:1–57 We cannot reach the end of a long journey in one great leap. We must take a step—and another step. Sometimes our path leads through rough terrain or takes frustrating detours. We may believe our ordeal will never end—and that we face it alone. But God never abandons His people. Although we can’t see where He’s leading, we can trust that He has a purpose for every steep climb and every valley. The times we find most difficult may be the very occasions God is positioning us for in His work in unfolding the next part of His plan. Joseph endured an unjust imprisonment for more than two years. He must have wondered what God’s purpose was during that time. In spite of his faithfulness to God, his troubles continued to drag on. Joseph could not see what his life had in store, but God had a purpose. Every perceived setback actually brought Joseph one step closer to the fulfillment of that purpose. In Genesis 41 we see how Joseph’s perseverance finally paid off. 1. Perseverance and Dreams (Genesis 41:1–13) A. Two Years - Genesis 40 closes with the cupbearer being restored but neglecting to remember Joseph. Chapter 41 propels us two years ahead in Joseph’s story. Although those two years were not recorded in Scripture, we can imagine how slowly that time passed for Joseph as he hoped for word from Pharaoh’s court. We know he continued serving in the “house of confinement” and that he had as much freedom and responsibility as could be expected under the circumstances. After two years, however, Joseph likely gave up any hope that the cupbearer would remember him and petition Pharaoh on his behalf. Fortunately, something was about to jog the cupbearer’s memory. B. Two Dreams - Like his servants two years prior, Pharaoh was beset by troubling dreams that he could not understand. The narrative opens with the recounting of these dreams. Pharaoh later repeats the details to Joseph. Such repetition seems to serve the literary purpose of ordering the story around pairs or doubles—two royal officials and their two dreams, the passage of two years, Pharaoh’s two dreams each told twice, the repetition of the earlier dreams and their outcomes—all culminating in Gen 41:32: “And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream [meant] that the thing [was] fixed by God, and God [would] shortly bring it about” (ESV). The repetition emphasizes the inevitability of what was about to happen; the matter was established, God had already decided. In other words, Joseph’s interpretation would surely come to pass. 2. Remembrance and Interpretation (Genesis 41:9–40) A. Joseph Remembered - Pharaoh’s wise men and magicians were at a loss to explain the dreams. When the cupbearer overheard the exchange, he recalled his own experience with Joseph. The cupbearer’s tale of how Joseph correctly interpreted his dream prompted Pharaoh to action. He immediately brought Joseph out of prison. In Genesis 41:14, the narrative uses the Hebrew word bor, meaning “pit,” likely an intentional link to Gen 37:24—the beginning of Joseph’s ordeal. The word also echoes Joseph’s own words in Gen 40:15, where he alludes to his past troubles of being kidnapped and unjustly confined in a “pit.” Joseph’s story pivots on this reversal of fortune. His early dreams of authority over his family tumbled him into the pit—his long ordeal of slavery and imprisonment. Now, Pharaoh’s dreams pull him out of the pit and initiate the fulfillment of his dreams. With Joseph’s arrival, Pharaoh wasted no words: He explained that Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams had come to his attention and that he was in need of those services. Pharaoh then recounted his dreams, yet he added a new detail: The consumption of the fat cows by the gaunt cows did not change the appearance of the bony, underfed cows. B. Joseph Interprets - Joseph then revealed their meaning, indicating that both dreams pointed to the same future: Seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine. As Joseph’s words indicated, God chose to reveal the future to Pharaoh—not because he could prevent it, but so he could prepare for it. Joseph then went beyond Pharaoh’s request for an interpretation of the dreams. Without hesitating or giving Pharaoh a chance to respond, Joseph advised him on what he must do to deal with the impending crisis. Joseph treated the interpretation as an absolute certainty that demanded immediate action. C. God Recognized - Joseph refused to take any credit for his interpretations—a response that likely surprised Pharaoh. Joseph faithfully proclaimed that God alone was responsible for the interpretations, just as he did earlier with the cupbearer and baker. Joseph recommended that Egypt’s agricultural affairs be placed under the oversight of a “discerning and wise” man who would manage the surplus from the good years to create a reserve food supply for the bad years. Pharaoh recognized that his “wise” men—who failed to interpret the dreams—were not wise enough for this role and declared that they would find no one more qualified than Joseph himself. Pharaoh attributes Joseph’s wisdom to God, rhetorically asking, “Can we find a man like this in whom is the spirit of God?” (Gen 41:38–39). 3. Promotion and Influence (Genesis 41:41–57) A. Joseph’s Promotion - Pharaoh promoted Joseph on the spot—apparently making him second-in-command over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh also invested Joseph with the symbols of his high office: the royal signet ring, a gold chain, and public acclamation of his authority in Pharaoh’s second chariot. Joseph’s acceptance of the office and Pharaoh’s agreement to Joseph’s plan are quietly and quickly assumed in the narrative. Joseph’s assimilation into Egyptian society became complete when he received an Egyptian name and married into a prominent Egyptian family. Joseph was given the name Zaphenath-paneah, which probably means “God speaks and he lives.” Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of an Egyptian priest from the religious center of On (or Heliopolis) where the Egyptian sun gods were worshiped. While the narrative refrains from passing judgment on Joseph’s acceptance of an Egyptian bride, it never mentions her again except as the mother of Joseph’s two sons. It also never refers to Joseph by his Egyptian name. B. Joseph’s Focus - While Joseph’s prominent position in Egyptian society was important for God’s ultimate purpose for Israel, the focus remains on his connection with Israel, not on his new life in Egypt. The names Joseph chooses for his two sons reflect his attitude about his new life in Egypt. He calls his first son Manasseh—a pun on the Hebrew word meaning “cause to forget”—explaining that God has helped him to forget his separation from his family. He names his second son Ephraim, which relates to the Hebrew verb meaning “be fruitful,” explaining that “God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortune.” These names emphasize his acceptance of God’s blessing even in the midst of his personal struggles. C. Joseph’s Influence - After enduring years of wrongful imprisonment, Joseph found himself at the pinnacle of power in Egypt. His story not only became an example for later Jews, it served as a narrative form for telling similar stories of God’s providence and faithfulness for Jews in foreign contexts. Daniel is taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. As the story progresses, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that troubles him deeply. He summons the wise men, but no one can tell him the meaning of his dream. Daniel tells Arioch, the servant in charge of carrying out Nebuchadnezzar’s commands, that he can interpret the king’s dream. After telling the king both his dream and its interpretation, Daniel is elevated to a position of high honor in the court. The king recognizes God’s providential action in Daniel’s life and credits God with the honor He deserves. True to form, Daniel’s career in the court of a foreign king follows the same pattern as Joseph’s. God’s sovereignty propels the dramatic development and resolution in both stories. Both Daniel and Joseph stand in awe of God’s character—as do the foreigners in whose courts they serve. Nebuchadnezzar tells Daniel, “Truly your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings” (Dan 2:47). Pharaoh likewise recognized that Joseph was a man “in whom is the spirit of God” (Gen 41:37). Suffering and God’s Sovereignty - When we need encouragement to endure difficult times while trusting in God’s plan, we can find inspiration in Gen 40–41 and the story of Joseph. These two chapters illustrate how to endure hardship while maintaining trust, and they demonstrate how faithful perseverance paves the way for God to work His divine plan through our lives. Joseph’s patient endurance leads to blessing—for himself, his family, Egypt, all those caught by famine, and the future nation of Israel. Had he not been imprisoned—wrongly, for standing true to his faith—Joseph may never have risen to prominence in Pharaoh’s court. God orchestrates our circumstances for His glory and His purpose. But we must be faithful and obedient to see those plans come to fruition.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 00:13:01 +0000
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