Joseph and his Brothers

Genesis: The Foundational Story  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  30:59
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Sermon Introduction

If you are anything like me, then you have often sat and wondered, where did I come from? I don’t mean this question in the big sense, the sense of “Where did all humans come from?” But rather, in the sense of, what were my parents like when they were younger? What were my grandparents like, or their grandparents like before them? What similarities do we share? How are we different? Some of you have had the privilege to know your family line very well and some of you still have your parents, grandparents, and some of you even your great grandparents.
I wonder, have you ever asked them to recount for you the stories of the years gone by, or have them tell you about the string of stories that have led them up to their current point in life?
I remember back in the spring, I went with brother Mike to visit his parents after his dad had taken a bad fall. First we went and sat outside the window of where his mom was, and then a little later, we went and sat outside of where his dad was. It was very interesting to sit and listen to them talk back and forth, and I could see the similarities between Mike and his parents.
Have you ever wondered about the stories of generations gone by that have led you to by sitting in the chair you are in this very morning?
A few years ago, my wife did an Ancestry DNA test as a Mothers Day gift. She was excited and eager as she awaited the results to return and when they did, they came back as roughly 98% England. Looking back, this shouldn’t have surprised us that much given that her maiden name was Williams.
This year, thinking that with a last name like Schiesser it should have more interesting discoveries and insights, we decided that I should do an AncestoryDNA test as well. So we did, and the results, although having a bit more diversity, still basically summarized to the same conclusion, which is that I am Caucasian.
Show ethnicity results:
While the ethnicity estimation isn’t all that surprising, what I did find absolutely fascinating was the storied of the community that my DNA is matched to.
Show Settlers Slide
I know we have all seen enough maps this weeks to make us never want to see another map for the rest of 2020 - but the DNA test revealed that I have shared ancestors that settled in central Appalachia, and more specifically in Southwestern Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. So I did some research
Show immigration Slide
and found out that in the 1700’s England banished more than 50,000 of its countrymen to America as punishment for everything from petty thievery to highway robbery. Most convicts were shipped to Virginia and Maryland to work on large cotton and tobacco plantations owned by aristocratic families. Others sold themselves into indentured service to pay for their overseas passage. At the same time, decades of war and famine motivated thousands of Germans to leave southwestern Germany and seek refuge in Pennsylvania.
To me, this is absolutely fascinating things, because we realize that we are not merely people based on the result of 1 specific thing. Think about your own life, and the steps that led to you being here today. Are you here because you merely woke up this morning and decided out of the blue to attend this worship service? Or are you here because of multiple chapters in a much larger story?

Scripture Introduction

Genesis: The Covenant Comes to Life Session 11 a Blessed Nation: (Genesis 39 – 41)

There’s a certain “genre” in children’s songs which involves remembering a long string of events that all build on one another somewhat unpredictably — “The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” “The Bump on the Log in the Hole on the Bottom of the Sea,” “The Hole in the Bucket,” “The Austrian Who Went Yodeling” — you could probably add your own favorites. The challenge, of course, is to remember everything in order as the story builds. Did you ever consider the fact that the style of such far-out stories is actually anchored in biblical tradition? Truth is stranger than fiction, and the way God strings together characters and details in his own story (and ours) is an amazing testimony of his sovereignty and grace. Joseph’s story is certainly an example of that.

We pick the story up here in Genesis chapter 37, verse 2.
Genesis 37:2–11 ESV
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. 5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Family Issues

We see in the opening lines here of the account of Joseph issues that we have seen all throughout this book, and that is that there are family issues. This should not surprise us, given the fact that we ourselves have our own family issues. Thus we should take courage, that as we are the people of God, all of us who believe in Jesus Christ, we still have our own internal family issues, so too did the chosen people of God from the very beginning. Notice, the favoritism showed by Israel here to his son Joseph
Genesis 37:3 ESV
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.
This was the same kind of favoritism that was shown to him from his mother Rebecca.
And notice the hatred of his brothers towards the 17 year old Joseph, not because the fact that he delivered a bad report about them, but because of Israels favoritism (verse 4).
Then notice the next part, this part about the 2 dreams given to Joseph. The first about the sheaves in the field and bowing down to Joseph and the second about the sun, moon and stars bowing down to him.

A note about dreams

The bible doesn’t say much about dreams. So let me give you what little I know about them. The Bible is very clear about the manner in which God does use some dreams to speak to his people. You will notice that this is not the first dream we’ve heard about in this book so far. Recall from last week that God spoke to Jacob through a dream in chapter 37. So then the question arises, does God speak through our dreams today? I think the answer is yes, although this is most likely not normative, and not necessarily something that should be sought after. I have heard on occasions, specifically in the Muslim communities where God has spoken to people in their dreams to go talk to someone they had never meet, in order that they might hear the Gospel and be saved.
Moving on
Genesis 37:12–36 ESV
12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. 18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. 29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” 31 Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” 33 And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
We see in the rest of this chapter that the brothers have decided to act on their hatred of their brother. Their father has sent Joseph to check in on his elder brothers and they decide to take the opportunity to carry out the evil that is in their hearts toward him.
Its interesting isnt it? That these same brothers had been so zealous for their sister in chapter 34 to the point of carrying out their revenge upon a whole city, are now so enraged at their fathers favoritism that the want to murder their brother.
However, we see in verse 22 that Reuben wishes to deliver Joseph back into their fathers hands and says lets throw him in the pit. As they were eating they see these mercantile tradesmen passing by and think that its better to at least make some money off of their brother, so they sell him for 20 shekels.
Friends where is God in all of this?
Lets go back to Genesis 15 just for a minute. Notice in
Genesis 15:13–14 ESV
13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
Here we have God telling Abram that his generations will be oppressed and afflicted for 400 years in a land that is not the promise land. And here we see in Genesis 37 that God is setting the stage. Because in
Genesis 37:36 ESV
36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
One of Abrams generations is being sold into Egypt. These events which seem to be merely by chance, notice the fact that the brothers had actually went further then shechem and up to Dotham, the fact that a caravan of traders just so happened to be passing by as the brothers were sitting there, the fact that Reuben stopped them from killing their brother - all of these seem to be as if by chance or mere random probability, and yet, it is God moving the pieces around.
Do you despair the days you are living in? Does having Joe Biden as a the president cause you great concern? Friends, we need to remind ourselves that nothing is by accident or chance. All things are under his control and are being directed by his hand. When you find yourself pacing back and forth, flipping through the news channels, having your mind racked with anxiety, remind yourself again that it is God who is at work.
This is why our responsive reading and the scripture reading both came out of Psalm 105. There, the Psalmist is telling us again to give thanks to the Lord who is the one moving all of the pieces of our lives together. He is the one writing our chapters.

Family Issues

This takes us to chapter 38, which I wont read in its entirety this morning. But notice, that the end of chapter 37 ends off with Joseph being carried down to Egypt and notice that in chapter 39 it opens with Joseph being brought down to Egypt. Thus chapter 38 seems apparently to be sandwiched in here as if its a small side story, or a small commercial break from the larger story.
In it we find the story of Judah, who ends up having 3 sons. Er, Onan, and Shelah. These sons were all from a canaanite woman name Shua. Er then marries a woman named Tamar, but before Er and Tamar are able to have children, notice
Genesis 38:7 ESV
7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death.
Here we see that Judahs oldest son was wicked and that because of that God killed him. So the Levirate marriage laws said that if a woman’s husband dies before a child is born, it is the duty of the next eldest brother to bear a child by the widow so that the brothers line would continue. So Judah gives his next son Onan to Tamar. But Onan was also wicked in the sight of the Lord and he decided that he did not actually want his brothers line to continue, so you read in verse 9 that he started the process but decided not to finish it. The lion-share of the inheritance would almost always go to the older son and his family, thus Onan decided that if Er and Tamar did not have a line, that he would be the recipient of the family inheritance. So we read in verse 10 that God puts him to death also.
From there the account tells of Judah not giving to Tamar his third son Shelah because he feared that like his other two sons, he would lose this one as well. So as Judah was making a business trip, Tamar dresses up as a temple prostitute and when Judah sees her on his business trips he sleeps with her on a promise of future payment. Tamar being exceptionally cunning here asks for a pledge of payment in the form of some personal effects of Judahs. You see she asks for in verse 18 for the signet, the cord and his staff.
Over the course of time, it is found that Tamar is pregnant and when Judah hears of it, he orders for her to be put to death, and Tamar gives Judah the personal items and says by the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.
From there we see in verse 26 that Judah says that Tamar is righteous, not in her masquerading, but in the sense that he has been more unrighteous. Here again we have the story of two twins being born, and again we have some weird things happening in eutero. As with Jacob and Esau as they struggled inside the womb of Rebekah, so these two struggled right up to the point of birth, with one child, Zerah, sticking out his hand first and then drawing his hand back we see Perez being born.
What does this story tell us, and how does it fold into the larger narrative of Genesis and of the Bible?
Well for starters, we see again the sin of masquerading. Masquerading is nothing new for this family. Recall it was Jacob who masqueraded as Esau to steal the blessing from Isaac. It was Leah who masqueraded as Rachel on Jacobs wedding night. It was the bloody coat that the brothers used to masquerade as the death of Joseph.
Time and time again we see that God will use the sin of masquerading to bring about his plan.
Second we see that God chose not the oldest brother here. As with Jacob, being younger than Esau, so Perez being younger than Zerah, and yet God chooses him to be the one through whom his promise will be carried out.
For notice in the opening chapter of the new testament in the Genealogy of Christ,
Matthew 1:2–3 ESV
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
God worked through all the obstacles of these family issues to ultimately bring about the incarnation of God the Son. God’s plan cannot be stopped, even in spite of my sin and your sin, God’s plan will be brought about. This provides us with a steadfast confidence in all of our situations.

Faithful Integrity

Next we see faithful integrity. The narrative shifts back to Joseph in chapter 39
Genesis 39:1–20 ESV
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. 6 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. 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.” 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. 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. 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.
The differences in chapters 39 and 38 are very very stark. Both Judah and Joseph were separated from the rest of their brothers for a time, but notice the differences. Judah was free to do what he wanted. Joseph is sold into slavery and unable to make any of his own choices. Judah has two sons who are wicked and God kills. Joseph was blessed by the Lord. Judah sleeps with his daughter in law thinking her to be a temple prostitute. Joseph ignores the temptations of Potiphar’s wife.
Now think of Joseph compared to Adam. Both were put by God in places where they were blessed with everything they could possibly need, with restrictions on just one thing - for Adam, the tree of knowledge, for Joseph, Potiphar’s wife.
Notice for Joseph, the reasoning why he couldnt sleep with Potiphar
Genesis 39:8–9 ESV
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?”
It was his understanding of God that kept him from sinning. Adam in the garden did not view his sin of eating of the tree of knowledge as a sin against God. And yet it was. It was the divorcing of the created from the creator.
Friends, when you are faced with a temptation of sin in your life, what logic runs through your head? Is it the logic of children, I shouldnt do this because I was told not to do it? I think that logic is great for children. I want Abram, right before he balls his fist up to punch his sister in the face to think “Wait a minute, Dad told me not to do this.” But that logic really only works when he is a child.
No, we should see every temptation of sin in our life as a means to glorify God by saying I dont want to do this thing. If I do, then I will bring shame upon me and upon my God. When I sin, I am sinning against God. If you view the temptation in your life in this way I am telling you you can defeat the sin in your life.

Factual Interpretation

Things seem to go from Bad to Worse for Joseph. First sold into slavery by his brothers, he is unjustly accused of fooling around with his masters wife, now he is thrown into prison with no end in sight
Genesis 39:21–40:23 ESV
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. 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.” 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.” 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.
Summarize
Did you notice that God has not abandoned Joseph? The evidence that God is still with him is in chapter 39:21 but the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love. Not only that, but when these men had dreams, Joseph asked them the rhetorical question there in verse 8, Do not interpretations belong to God?
Now if we were in Joseph’s shoes, it would be very easy for us to despair and be depressed, and yet thats not what we find here. When we look at this situation with eyes of faith versus eyes of doubt, we cannot help but see God in the story. He is there helping Joseph all along. How we view our own circumstances affects how we act in them. Although God is the clearly the man behind the curtain, orchestrating every detail of the story, Josephs actions are important. Despite his circumstances we see Joseph choosing to trust God. He factually interpreted the dreams of the prisoners, even when the interpretation was bad news. Here we see the sovereignty of God on full display and yet we also see the responsibility of man on full display.
This is what
Philippians 2:12–13 ESV
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
means. We are too work in our present circumstances, because it is God underneath of our working, working.
Notice chapter 41
Genesis 41:1–36 ESV
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.” 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.”
Here again, we see Joseph giving the factual interpretation of Pharaohs dreams.
You see it is one thing for Joseph to recognize God’s handiwork and give him credit for it. It’s another thing for the Egyptians to learn more about Joseph’s God.
You see Joseph just told Pharoah that God is about to bring about a severe famine in the land. It wasnt going to be happening by chance, or by merely random events. But no, it would be God who brought it about
notice in verse
Genesis 41:32 ESV
32 And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.
It is Gods power that is about to cause this thing to happen. As we will find out next week, God’s purpose and plan in this is again to bring about what he foretold Abram in Genesis chapter 15 and what we see happen at the end of chapter 47 where we see Israel and his sons settling in the land of Egypt.
But imagine what this sounded like to Pharaoh. You see the Egyptians were not that concerned with whether or not it rained. You see they had a much more sure and steady reliance on the Great river Nile. This river that had served them well during other famines. Do you remember the first famine we seen in the book of Genesis? It was with Abram and Sarai. God had called them into the land to which he was promising them, and when they got there the canannites were there and what else? A famine. And where was it that Abram and Sarai fled?
Genesis 12:10 ESV
10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
You see when other areas were affected by famine, it was Egypt that prospered due in large part because of their reliance on the river not the rains.
Certainly then, any deity who could cause such a severe famine on EGYPT must be a powerful deity indeed.
Genesis 41:37–56 ESV
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.
Genesis: The Covenant Comes to Life Session 11 a Blessed Nation: (Genesis 39 – 41)

On the surface, Joseph is being “made” by Pharaoh. Everything he is given comes from Pharaoh’s hand: his office, status, privilege, name, wife — everything. He is “reborn” as a servant of Pharaoh. The irony is that from the standpoint of Genesis, it is not the hand of Pharaoh that has remade Joseph but the hand of God. For all that Pharaoh did, God brought Joseph to the recognition of Pharaoh, and God gave Joseph wisdom and success. In the end, Joseph is not first and foremost Pharaoh’s man, but God’s man. He is not Pharaoh’s instrument of economic survival; he is God’s instrument of salvation

Genesis: The Covenant Comes to Life Session 11 a Blessed Nation: (Genesis 39 – 41)

Our role in redemptive history is obviously not the same as Joseph’s. And yet we also are made in God’s image, called to live as his people.

How are you doing as God’s image bearer?
Genesis: The Covenant Comes to Life Session 11 a Blessed Nation: (Genesis 39 – 41)

Joseph’s life points us to the greatest image-bearer of all — Jesus Christ. More than anyone, Jesus acted faithfully through humbling circumstances and was raised to a position of great honor and responsibility in order to save his people. God’s Spirit was in him, and everything turned out exactly as he said it would, including his death and resurrection.

Friends, how well do you know God’s story? How many times could you add to this story: God created the earth, which led to the creation of man, which led to......
That story culminates in God’s people worshipping him in heaven forever.
How well do you know your own story? What people, books, events, good or bad, either on purpose or accidently, led to you sitting in this service this morning?
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