From the Pastor's Study
Photo by thiago japyassu on Unsplash
What are you waiting for in your life? Really sit back and think about it for a second. Maybe you are in the midst of a family situation or physical pain that you would say you are waiting for it to stop. Maybe you are waiting for kids to get a bit older, or have a bit more money in the old account, or hit a certain level of your career. Why are you looking forward to these things? If I could venture a guess, based on my own mind, we’re really looking for peace. It’s not really looking for nothing happening in our lives, just the ability to move through life only thinking about what is in front of you. The characters in our passage this story have many things occupying their minds. We’ve got a famine, a grave concern we’ve not had to feel; we have lingering guilt from a two decade’s old betrayal; we have a family conflict stemming from favoritism strengthened from loss; most severely, we have the crushing parental dread of a child potentially in harms way. Where on earth does this family find peace? They are so far in the hole. We can say that they need to trust God, and we find evidence here that they do, but it is pretty buried in a lot of other motivations? Can they find peace, and if they can, can we? Today, our main point is this: God can use even fear-filled obedience to bring peace to His people. God can use even fear-filled obedience to bring peace to His people. In these first ten or so verses, we aren’t seeing the ideal of unshakeable faith in this family, but there are some bright spots. If you remember from last chapter, we left Jacob refusing to let Benjamin go down to Egypt, effectively consigning Simeon to life-long prison in Egypt. However, some time has passed as they’ve gone through all the grain. He approaches the brothers to tell them to go get a little bit more food. But there’s a problem: they can’t get any without Benjamin coming with them! That old family wound again! Jacob’s fear flares into another wild accusation towards the brothers: the only reason he is in this position is because of their loose lips, certainly not his fearful hesitation! He blamed them for the loss of Simeon, so why not this? The men respond to this with the obvious truth that they are just as surprised as Jacob, but it is Judah who steps forward to actually solve the fight: he will personally offer his life in exchange for Benjamin. Judah is appealing to a couple things here. One, unlike Reuben, he puts himself at risk, not a grandson, and then subtlety in verse 10, tells Jacob that this could have been over with already. It has been such a delay, they could have come and gone twice. This is an appeal to pragmatism and personal emotional comfort of Jacob. What is missing here in this exchange? ANY reference to the promises of God! Has He not promised that Israel would be a great nation? That there would be descendants and a blessing protecting them from the nations surrounding them? Has not God already delivered Israel’s grandfather from the very country he fears to go? In Israel’s response, he relies on a few coping mechanisms to deal with the fear. He resorts to an old trick, send a gift. After all, it seemed to work with Esau (see chapter 33), so let’s do that with this “lord of the land.” Obviously, we will attempt to return the money, after all, maybe the whole thing is just a misunderstanding (a misunderstanding that happened with ten sacks that all happened to belong to the same family? A stretch—but whatever you have to tell yourself). These aren’t wrong things to do, of course, but they make a poor substitute for God’s promises. We are always looking for iron-clad guarantees on everything from shake weights to parenting, but there is no formula for making life the way you want it. In fact, the only real guarantee we have from the Bible is that there will be trials (James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7). Yet even in the midst of trials, we can answer Gordon Lightfoot’s question: “Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turns the minutes to hours?” by saying that it is in wave itself, for it sent by God’s own hand (Hebrews 12:11). Suffering refines the very faith it is attempting to break. We of course, wouldn’t choose that path which is why we try to grease the wheels as it were. What if I do make sure I read my Bible every day? What if I pray for an hour a day? What if I become a preacher, go to this parenting conference? Will that mean I won’t have to suffer? No. There is no formula to avoid suffering, because that is the usual way we are made more like Christ. More of us is painfully chipped and shaped away, as the image of Christ emerges. As an anonymous poet wrote in a piece called “The Sculptor” “‘Tis as the marble groweth less, the likeness growth more.” However, to his credit, we see the reason why he is called Israel rather than Jacob in verses 13-14a. He actually does offer up his son, and offers up a prayer for mercy. Keep that in mind, as we will return to this word later. It closes with a less than “heroic,” “if I am bereaved, I am bereaved” (Ian Duguid, ESV Commentary, 378). Kinda pessimistic resignation. Not exactly spotless faith, but it is obedient nonetheless. And perhaps a deeper faith than we think. As one commentator points out, when his sons disappear over the horizon, Israel is left by himself. No sons, potentially seeing them for the last time, means he is really going to have believe what God said about “descendants like the sand of the sea” (Duguid, 378). The story picks up with increasing drama as the brothers—all of them this time—make it to Egypt. Joseph sees that they have indeed followed through on bringing Benjamin, so it is time to move to the next phase of testing. He instructs his steward to invite them for lunch. Now, we might think this is a sure sign of favor, but the brothers aren’t so sure. For one, Egyptian officials kept dungeons in their houses, so going to the house wasn’t necessarily a guarantee of safety (Duguid, 379)! Second, they already suspect that God is after them for what they did to Joseph, and there is nothing like a guilty conscience to make one a little jumpy. They imagine all the possibilities: they will surely be beaten, enslaved, and even the donkeys will be taken! Does anyone think of the donkeys?? Trying to head off these troubles, they fall over themselves to present the money that they think this is all about, but the steward, in on the ruse, responds that the money must have simply appeared in their sacks as a gift from God. No need to worry. God is truly watching out for them in deeper ways than they could possibly imagine. Rather than being beaten, enslaved, and having donkeys confiscated, their feet are washed! Simeon is returned! Even the donkeys are fed! God has truly taken care of everything. But then, the music stops, the drama of the moment is tense as Joseph, the lord of the land, enters the room. Promises and prayers are answered in this moment. The brothers, all of them, bow. Chapter 37 finally fulfilled. But then, Benjamin and Joseph’s eyes lock. Joseph utters the words, “May God be gracious to you” and then leaves because compassion wells up in him so much he must run out to cry it out. Now, this part of Genesis is where Moses shows us his literary skill under the inspiration of the Spirit and a deep example of the benefits of deep Bible study. If you want to learn more, join us next week on Sunday night as we dive deeper into the topic. The word used here translated “gracious” shows up four times in Genesis. One of them is here, obviously, and two of those times follows the phrase “lifted up his eyes and saw.” The last time we saw this was when Jacob confronts Esau in chapter 33:5-6. You don’t even have to know Hebrew! It is a reminder how the last time Jacob thought his family was in threat and sent a gift on ahead of him. Esau embraced him and all was well. God does it again! But what about that fourth time? That showed up in the last chapter, where the ESV translators rightly translated the word “begged” referring to Joseph at the bottom of the pit. The very grace they denied him, he bestows! And it gets more! The word translated “compassion” is related to the word “womb,” one dictionary (BDB) called it “brotherly feeling.” The fact that Moses writes “mother’s son” sells that emphasis. Now, that isn’t the first time this word has shown up in this chapter. It shows up in only one other place in Genesis, in Israel’s prayer for “mercy.” It’s the exact same word! He has unknowingly prayed that brotherly feeling would be shown to Benjamin by his brother and God answers that prayer! Even in the midst of faith just strong enough to pessimistically trust his Lord. Peace is on its way. The word for peace, Shalom, shows up four times in this chapter (Duguid, 377), and God is well on the way to creating it. And it all starts because of the presence of Benjamin, who, so far, hasn’t said a word. Wouldn’t you love to go back in time and tell these brothers what is afoot? They’ve likely checked and triple checked that the double money and almonds were in the sack. They likely rehearsed what they were going to say to this lord of the land to convince that they are honest, when the key to everything is walking right beside them, Benjamin. What if you could tell them that this whole thing is a test meant to make them faithful, and the tester is their own brother who loves them so much he can barely look at them without tears? Would they not have entered that house hiding behind Benjamin? Would they have thought about confiscated donkeys? No! Double money and almonds were the very last thing on Joseph’s mind So why do we? Well, you might say, we don’t have the same guarantee. You’re right, we don’t, we have a better one! Your life is refining you to be more like Christ, and while you are called to live the way God calls you to in obedience to His law, that will not be what the Father is looking for on the day of judgment. When I stand before God on that day, I’m not pulling up my resume! I’m not bringing double coins, I’m hiding behind Christ saying, “I’m with Him!” Don’t come into God’s throne room bringing things you think He’ll be impressed by. That’s what the false converts of Matthew 7 say. “Did we not do such and such?” What does that matter? Did you know the Son, and more importantly, does the Son know you? Are you with Jesus? Are you united to Him? You don’t accept Jesus into your heart, He accepts you into His! Has He? That is the most important question you can possibly know the answer to. Literally nothing else matters. To literal hell with the things that you think impress God. It isn’t the sermons you’ve listened to, the Bible studies you’ve led, the prayers you’ve prayed, these things you ought to have done without neglecting faith in Christ. You aren’t saved by works of the law, but by the grace of Christ. Have you come to Him as a beggar, desperately realizing that standing in Christ’s throne room without His grace is mortal danger? Have you thrown yourself at His mercy? If you have, it is prayer that He loves to answer. He tells you to come to Him, and He will go with you. That is what will allow you into heaven. In the same way that the presence of Benjamin allowed the brothers to enter the house of Joseph, so will being with Jesus allow you into heaven. Now, lest you think that believing this sort of thing would make you sin more not less, let’s apply this logic to the brothers. Imagine yourself coming up to them while they are arguing back in Canaan about leaving with Benjamin. You step in and say, “Hey guys, listen, Joseph is alive. He is the lord of all the land. He’s the one who has provided the food you ate and the money back in the sacks. In fact, this whole thing is about trying to get you guys to get along and reconcile both with him and with each other. You still gotta go to Egypt to get the grain, but you don’t have to worry. Oh, he told me to give you this letter. He said it has everything he wants you to know.” Do you think for even a moment that they wouldn’t bring the almonds, too? in fact, I bet they pack up everything! “Joseph is alive and loves us?! After all we did? Don’t stop at the almonds! Bring the tents, the sheep! Dad, we’ll carry you to Egypt if we have to! We will live as kings in the most powerful kingdom in the world!” Would they not sing the whole way? Would they not have that letter memorized by the time they got there? What’s stopping you? Jesus, whom your sins crucified, is alive and loves you. He invites you this day to repent of your sin and turn to Him. Take the offer of grace, relying only on that. And yes, we gather together to worship Him on Sunday. Think you can make it? Kids and adults, that’s where you find peace. Everything you go through is from Jesus’ nail-pierced hand, and you are going to a place that this same hand is preparing. Along the way, there’s something you can do. Israel was old, unable to make the journey, but he could pray. The brothers were inexperienced, but they could walk. Benjamin was young and silent, but he could be there. Each one has something they could do, but even each one of those things was a gift of God’s grace, too. So, peace be to you, if you are walking in Christ. You just never know what He is up to. But as we will see in the chapters to come, He’s usually up to something pretty good.
0 Comments
Photo by Marko Ivanov on Unsplash
How can we use our fear to grow spiritually? What do your fears tell you about yourself? Have you ever gotten an out of the blue or late night call from someone who doesn’t normally call you like that? There is often a sense of fear at least wondering what might be wrong or what might suddenly be expected of you. The cryptic “We need to talk…” text is even worse! The three dots means you did something! The worst case scenario is when you know, or at least are pretty sure you know, what those three dots mean. You know what you did, and now you have been discovered. Now, it is one thing to receive that communication from a friend or parent, but what if on the caller ID it read, “God”? What comes to your mind? “Did He see what happened the other night? What is He going to ask me to do? What topic do I need to make sure we stay FAAARR away from?” When we feel the twinge in our conscience, that is something like getting that phone call. Or when we feel our chest tighten up when thinking about a worry of ours, it is an invitation to consider what God might have to say about those emotions. Today we are going to consider our main point: God prods our fears to shape our faith. We are going to see these next few chapters develop our characters in some pretty profound ways. There will be many echos of what we have seen before in Genesis that will resolve in some interesting ways. I invite you over these next few weeks as new semesters start, as we approach the back half of the year, to consider along with these characters how God may be calling you to grow. This week, we will see how God lays His hand on them and in the coming weeks, we will see how God shapes them. God prods our fears to shape our faith Right at the beginning, we revisit Jacob, remember him? He has had quite a storied story, and at this point in the narrative, it has been about 10 or so years since we last saw him. What has changed, and what hasn’t? Well Jacob looks much less passive than in the past! Look how he takes charge over these sons! “Don’t just stand here” he says, in effect, “go get some food from Egypt.” Identifying needs and affecting solutions, this guy! He sends 10 sons down to Egypt so they can collect as much grain as they possibly can. In case there’s a per-person limit, Jacob will send as many resources as he can in order to care for his family. But there is one thing missing, conspicuous in his absence, there’s a son staying behind. Benjamin, the youngest son, Rachel’s youngest, brother of Joseph, is held back lest harm come. That’s a powerful fear. He is holding back another portion of grain, another back to pull a load, why? He doesn’t trust the other sons. In verse 36, when they’ve explained to him that they need Benjamin to go with them on a return trip, Jacob blames them for the loss of Joseph and Simeon (Matthews). The “you” is plural, which translated into our tongue is “Y’all.” “Y’all have deprived me of my sons.” Notice that he briefly imagines losing Benjamin saying that he is “the only one left.” As Matthews put it, “That Benjamin is “the only one left” states what the brothers had known all along: Benjamin was the only son who counted in their father’s eyes.” Favoritism has reared its ugly head again. He is being asked to give up his son—in his mind, his only son— whom he loves. Sound familiar? By the time we get to the end of the chapter, it isn’t looking like much has changed with Jacob. Sins like that have a way of hanging on, and there is often no shortage of reminders that they are there. While it doesn’t feel like it at the time, this is a mercy of God that He often won’t let you hold onto a known sin without reminder. Whether you use that reminder as mainly one of the grace of God or your failure is up to you. But this prodding of fears isn’t limited to just one main thing. This can be a multifaceted experience, even a group one, as we look at the rest of our passage. We are reminded of three key plot points in this section, Joseph is the governor of the land, the brothers don’t recognize him, but he recognizes them. He decides to make put them through a series of tests, but what is he looking for? One scholar points out that Joseph already knows they aren’t spies, but doesn’t really know if they are honest men. Is Benjamin really alive, or did Jacob’s favoritism claim another? For that matter, is Jacob himself still alive? There is really only one way to find out, and that is to ensure that they come down to Egypt. However, maybe a little testing, some refinement, might be necessary (Matthews). Joseph starts out by accusing them of being spies, which is an odd thing to claim. One scholar pointed out that they all came in a group together, ethnically different from all the Egyptians and anyone else who would be there, and were likely dressed similarly. If they were spies for some foreign government, they might be the worst spies you’ve ever heard of (but then again you HAVE heard of them) (Matthews). I think this is the first test in taking them through what he went through. He was likely accused of being a spy when he was sent to bring a report on the brothers. They maintain their innocence, while Joseph maintains their guilt, but offers a way to prove otherwise: send one of them back to bring Benjamin down while the rest stay in prison. A three day stay with Pharaoh’s Finest might help them sort out who is going and who isn’t (Matthews). After the three days, Joseph shows mercy: only one needs to stay, but the rest can go back bringing in the grain. They better come back, though, for that is the only way that they can prove themselves to be “honest men” and get their leftover brother back (v. 19). Mercy at the pit, more than his brothers showed—and they know it, because they remember it. The words are as profound as they are pitiable: “in truth we are guilty” Their consciences wouldn’t let them forget the sound of Joseph’s increasingly desperate voice for mercy. And if conscience forgot, Reuben sure didn’t. The brother’s reaction moves Joseph to tears. This, along with a few other instances of Joseph’s emotion, shows that Joseph isn’t doing this to be mean. He needs to know how the family is doing and how the family is behaving. And at the very least, the brothers show signs of remorse. He can tell these are true words, because he made them think he couldn’t understand Hebrew, the language they spoke with each other (v 23). He heard what was really in their heart because they spoke like they thought no one was listening. What do you say when no one is listening? What conversation is carried on in your mind that you think is hidden? That’s the real heart. Would you fear such things come to light? It points where growth needs to happen. He releases them from prison and sets about the next test. On top of the grain, he gives each one their money back. Not only is he providing for their next trip back for more grain, but he is setting up the acid test for the brothers. They have to come back with Benjamin in order to get Simeon back and thus prove they are honest men. How well is that going to go over when it is obvious that they didn’t pay? They kept records of things like that. We’ve found ancient receipts carved! They are going to have to go back to the man who obviously will remember them and look like dishonest men to get their brother back. Will they take such a risk? They feel their guilt so strongly, that when they find that first bag, they assume that this is the judgment of God. Ross put it this way, “The brothers, who knew they were guilty, could perceive that it was God’s retributive hand, for this was the second time they had come home with money, having abandoned a brother to prison in Egypt.” (653-4). When they get home, things go from bad to worse. One man’s money might have been written off as an honest mistake, but every single brother’s money returned? Shenanigans. We return where we started with Jacob. How on earth could you convince this man to send Benjamin now? He simply refuses. Reuben offers an obviously extreme oath that Jacob could take two of his sons if Benjamin doesn’t come back, and obviously Jacob doesn’t take that. What sort of consolation would that be to Jacob? Brave words, but words alone they are. And it is here that the chapter ends. It would appear that everything is the same at the end as the beginning minus Simeon. But God has moved, and we will see that development next chapter. Everyone’s fears are set up, identified. The brothers remember their guilt of past sins. Jacob is reminded of his favoritism, and possibly the actions of his grandfather Abraham. What did he do when confronted with the call to sacrifice his actual only son, Isaac, Jacob’s father. He might have contented himself with the word that was given to Isaac the last time a famine hit in Genesis 26:2. God had told Isaac not to go down to Egypt in the time of famine. Maybe he rationalized his obvious fears in religious language saying, “Well, I shouldn’t have gone down to Egypt in the first place! That’s what God told my father.” But of course, that isn’t what God told Jacob. Jacob can see what he must do, but at the moment, doesn’t have the courage to do it. No excuse will change that, and I think deep down, he knows it. What are you hoping God doesn’t notice? What fear are you not bringing to Him? Obviously not all fear is pointing to a need of spiritual transformation. We should all be afraid to walk blindly onto 280. Being afraid of a painful surgery is normal. So I’m not talking about that kind of fear, but you knew that. What is that sin you are keeping in the shadows that needs to be brought into the light? What thing are you running from that you know God has told you to do? Maybe it has been to be faithful with your finances. And I’m not just talking about tithing but using it responsibly. Or faithful with your time, your energy, your eating, sleeping, your prayer life. Those things that you say, “Yeah, I know, I need to do that.” If you have something you are saying that to, then God is highlighting exactly what you need to be working on. Now, you’ve got one big advantage over these brothers in that you know you have help. The brothers at this moment have no idea that the person giving them the test is their brother who loves them and who has every intention of bringing them redemption. The One giving you your test is infinitely more so. Jesus is closer than a brother, and a friend of sinners. You needn’t be afraid when He finds a fear. He’s just going about the business of refining you further. Kids, trust your parents. Bring them your fears, your questions. I know this is easier to do when you are younger and can’t manage a water cup, but even you teenagers here, practice opening up. Not just because your parents love you and want to help you, but you need to develop the habit of facing fears, and bringing them to someone who will help you. Adults, keep doing this. Don’t live life alone and afraid. God hasn’t called you to that life. In fact, He’s called you to exactly the oppostie in Philippians 4:6–7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Don’t just sit with your fears. Bring them to Jesus. If there is nothing you can do about them, leave them with Jesus. If they are a result of sin, embrace the opportunity to repent when fears arise and find the freedom on the other side. Jesus died to forgive all your sins AND build in you a holy life that brings peace. Don’t settle for less. 
Photo by Cody Fitzgerald on Unsplash
What is God doing? It’s a question we ask from time to time, and what we are really asking is how do we find out? How does God speak today? Joseph’s life is about to take a radical turn. God is about to reveal the reason why everything has gone the way that it has and give another generation deep confidence in his ability to work through all circumstances, including through some rare means. Central to this passage are these two dreams of Pharaoh and Joseph’s ability, with God’s help, to reveal the interpretations of them. We will see this pop up again in the Old Testament when we get to the prophet Daniel of Lion’s Den fame. These are the only two occasions where we will see a Hebrew practice dream interpretation, so this is a rare moment in Scripture (Matthews). Both times are strange visions with no real obvious interpretation. We know that God can speak very clearly, even with pagan rulers, through dreams. We have even seen that in Genesis when God warns Abimelech in a dream not to touch Sarah, Abraham’s wife: Genesis 20:3 “But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” No ambiguity there, huh? God was able to protect Sarah even when Abraham wasn’t. So why not just do that here with Joseph? Couldn’t God have intervened on Joseph’s behalf through a very clear dream like that to Pharaoh? Couldn’t he have just spoken to Pharaoh plainly about a famine coming and, oh by the way, you need to use Joseph as your administrator? He could have. So why? Let’s explore that as we tackle our main point today: God’s control is comprehensive, and God’s control is good God’s Control is Comprehensive We open with Pharaoh dreaming a dream about cows and grain and the Nile river. For us today, if we were to have a dream like this, we would assume that it was nonsense and doesn’t have any real bearing on our lives, but that is not Pharaoh’s position on it. For the Egyptians, dreams were messages from the gods, so they took those very seriously—and in this case, he happens to be right. The subjects in these dreams are not random either. While we might not think much about cows, grain, and rivers, to the Egyptians, those were everything. They worshipped the Nile river, and when you hear about the importance of the river to the nation’s economy, you can understand where they are coming from. The Nile was the reason why there was usually grain in Egypt. You didn’t have to depend on the rains, because you could (usually) count on the river (Ross). If you could have a river, you can have grain, which means you can have livestock. Seeing diseased and thin everything isn’t just an economic crisis, but a crisis of faith as well because of their faith in the Nile. This would be like an American dreaming about a 1930s style crash of the stock market. It has downstream effects on every aspect of life. So Pharaoh wakes up and all the information he has is terrible things to come but no real understanding of when, why, or how to potentially set it right. He calls in his professional class of dream interpreters, his panel of experts, and, as usual with a panel of experts, they aren’t helpful. I remember seeing a cartoon of a man dragging himself through the desert, and upon seeing a table with people sitting behind it exclaims, “Oh, thank God, a panel of experts!” We are very quick to run to a panel of experts when we have a problem. Experts are great because at the end of the day, you just consult them, you don’t actually have to do what they say. They are there to give counsel, not commands. Turns out doctors know a lot until they tell us something that we don’t actually want to do. Suddenly that doctor doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I’m all about listening to the Public Health people when they told me not to eat salad because of an E. Coli outbreak a number of years ago, but laughed at them when they said I couldn’t eat raw cookie dough because of eggs. They’ve got their expertise, but it’s my life. Expert advice isn’t divine revelation. And it turns out divine revelation not only correctly diagnosis my problem, but also commands I take His solution. I believe it was Mark Twain who said, “It isn’t the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me but the parts I do understand.” It turns out that what Pharaoh needs isn’t expertise but revelation. Thankfully, there is one forgetful cupbearer, who suddenly remembers he knows a guy who has actually done this before. Suddenly, Joseph’s life is about to change very suddenly again. The two year wait is suddenly over, and he is hauled out of the pit, shaved, and given a new set of clothes (there’s that clothing theme again). Pharaoh starts the exchange by going over Joseph’s resume. He asks that Joseph confirm that he can, in fact, interpret dreams. Now what Joseph does next is absolutely everything you shouldn’t do in a job interview. The very first word out of his mouth is a single word translated here, ‘It is not in me.” In other words, “I can’t interpret dreams.” Yikes! Joseph! Here’s your shot! You thought getting the ear of the cupbearer would help you out, and now you’re standing in front of the king and the first thing you do is undermine confidence in yourself! What’s worse is that you then say that God is the one who will give the answer to revelation! This is a religious slap! Pharaoh is also supposed to be divine, a god among men. And here Joseph is reminding Pharaoh that his supposed divinity isn’t doing anything but that there is another God, the God of the Hebrews, the God of this until-five-minutes-ago prisoner is the one who holds the answer. Not only holds the answer, but is the one in charge of the food, the Nile, and Pharaoh can’t really do anything to stop it. Instant rejection on the job search website. But this is exactly how a worshiper of God can and should talk. Why? Because they serve a God fully in control. Joseph doesn’t have to cow tow to Pharaoh’s religious sensibilities. He doesn’t have to lie to exalt himself to get ahead. He knows that God has decided that he shall rule, and if God has confirmed that, nothing will stop it. One commentator put it this way talking about Joseph’s using the word “God” here: “He goes from the prison to the throne of the king and this is his first word. This speech is as pious as it is frank. He who is aware of God is humble and fearless at the same time.” (Benno Jacob, quoted by Ross, 641, emphasis mine). Pharaoh lays out his dream to Joseph as before and closes with the line, “And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.” I almost imagine Pharaoh gesturing to his panel of experts with disappointment. Joseph picks up and says, “God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.” Interestingly, the words “explain” and “reveal” are the same word but in slightly different forms here in these verses. It is almost to say, “Yes, the experts tried to reveal, but God is the one who is going to reveal.” Sure enough, Joseph lays out exactly what God is going to do. He is going to cause seven good years of harvest (read: the Nile is His instrument), and then He is going to cause seven years of severe famine. Not only is He going to do this, it is set, fixed, absolutely going to happen, which is why He said it twice. The Good News is, He is letting you know this so that you can prepare for it. Thankfully, Joseph, also has the step by step solution to weathering this famine. What a God! God’s Control is Good Now, did you notice that there is one glaring question that Joseph doesn’t give any elaboration on, and for whatever reason Pharaoh doesn’t ask? No one says why this is happening! And do you know what the answer is? To exalt Joseph to his high position, thus fulfilling the dream promise to him, bring his family back together to survive, thus keeping the promises to Abraham, which gives the Amorites time to repent of their sins before the Israelites come out of Egypt and take over their land (Genesis 15:6). God working, isn’t he? That’s some comprehensive sovereignty. Now, I know, we presbyterians just love talking about God’s sovereignty, as we should, but God being in control actually isn’t the comforting thing. It’s the fact that God is in control AND good. He is in control and keeps His promises. That He will fulfill His Word made to this seemingly random family in the middle East such that He will trigger a world-wide famine to ensure His purposes for them are fulfilled. That’s Who’s looking after you! And do you know what’s even better than that? He does this not for the powerful and noble, but the lowly sinner. Israel wasn’t an impressive nation. God, from our perspective should have invested in Egypt. But instead His eye was on its lone Hebrew prisoner. Just as He promised, He exalts Joseph over all of Egypt! Now, what does this mean for us? Well, we often want to consult panels of experts, too, don’t we? We want to find an interpretation of our lives that we like. Often the most consulted panel is a panel of one, ourselves. We can’t run our lives on the interpretation of anyone but God. All of us are just too small on our own. You’ve heard of that story of five blind men trying to describe an elephant, right? There is one who is at the trunk who says than an elephant is long and skinny, there’s another at the tail saying it is short and furry, while another is at the leg saying it is tall and thick. People use that illustration to say that no one has the whole truth, so just make it up as you go. Ironically, they think that they see. They say, “Oh, God is so full, so complex, that no one could possibly see it in all His mystery, so we won’t even try.” They’re correct in that we can’t understand Him without help, but unlike an elephant, God has spoken! He has spoken clearly here in His Word! We don’t have the excuse that God is too complicated to obey! He has revealed Himself right here. He gave Pharaoh a confusing dream and then sent someone to explain. God has done so again. He has spoken in the Old Testament, and then He sent Someone to fulfill it. Jesus Himself, THE Word of God, came and lived on this Earth. He didn’t just say more words, but demonstrated what love looks like. He left us with an example so high we could never reach it, which is why He died on the cross for your sin and mine. He isn’t just revelation; He is salvation! This is the reality you have to keep in mind when we say God is in control. The God who pays the penalty for sin Himself on the cross is the God who is bringing everything into your life good and bad. He doesn’t always explain why. He didn’t here with Pharaoh. But a God who doesn’t forget His promises, Who personally sacrifices for your salvation is up to something. We’ve got to trust Him. Kids, you get the best practice with this. Your parents love you more than you can know, and when they give you a “no,” it is for your good. You need to learn to trust that they are working for your good. That will teach you how to trust God’s good purposes for you. So parents, model that well. For the rest of us, don’t seek to interpret your life through the eyes of experts, or family, or culture. Interpret your life through the eyes of God. Your life isn’t just a set of data that you supply meaning to. God gives you the data and then tells you what it means in His Word. You don’t have to go around looking for other sources of knowledge. Don’t wait for dreams. God already wrote it down for you. And if you aren’t obedient enough to read, much less follow, a clearly written, often footnoted Bible with study notes, why do you think God should believe that you are going to listen to a dream? It’s right here. Am I saying you can’t ask for help from other godly people? Of course not. The Proverbs say that in a multitude of counselors there is wisdom, but that wisdom has to come from God’s Word. No, the Bible can’t tell you where to invest for retirement, but it will tell you how to view your money which will absolutely guide those decisions. Even the way you react to your life needs to be viewed and interpreted by God. We don’t react to our lives through complaint, as if a God who sacrificed His Son for me did not exist. 
Photo by Andrik Langfield on Unsplash
Could you have predicted what the last five years of your life would contain? I can tell you that there is at least one year none of us saw coming. The number of jokes about 20/20 vision, seeing clearly the way forward in a new decade were made viciously ironic in arguably one of the most confusing years of our generation. Even here locally, we could never have guessed exactly who we would lose and when, leaving us astonished year after year. But we also couldn’t have predicted the joys of the last five years either. Who would have guessed the number of children that now sit in our midst! Many of them didn’t even exist five years ago! We’ve added many new families, grown our school, and seen our denomination grow and stay faithful to God. As much as things have indeed changed in the last five years, most day to day operations felt like, well, day to day operations. It seemed like many weeks or months would go by where we just waited. That great theologian Dr. Seuss once weighed in on waiting in his book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go. In the midst of a lifetime of travels, the great doctor said, you will find one place that will fill you with dread, the waiting place. It is a place where everyone is just waiting, waiting for a phone call or a train to come in, and he calls this “a most useless place.” Instead, he says, you should be going where the boom bands are playing, where things are happening. Now, the venerable doctor is onto something, but his emphasis isn’t quite right. Though waiting is often seen as a blight, and stirs our minds to see it not right, it isn’t the wait that is useless, you see, it is often the means God forms you to be. Things aren’t only happening with the boom bands. Things are always happening, even in the waiting place, because our God is always at work, not in fits and starts, but never slumbering or sleeping. We will see our two points today God is working even when you don’t see it and God’s return motivates our faithful working. God is working even when you don’t see it Our chapter opens picking up where we left off in Joseph’s life, yet another pit. He has been there long enough to gain the trust of the prison warden and put in charge of most everything. But being in charge of prison is still to be in prison. This isn’t a fun place, as Ross points out, the evidence of this comes in Psalm 105:17–18 “he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;” and his own pleas to be released in verse 14 (632-33). He has been here for “some time,” and we really have no way of knowing exactly how long. We must remember that the only reason he is here is because he did the right thing. As one commentator mentions, “Joseph’s greatest setback arose out of his greatest moral victory” (Matthews). In the midst of this, two more prisoners are added, a cup bearer and a baker. Joseph is assigned to serve them, and once again we are told that they all continued for “some time.” Again, no way to know exactly how long. This is something that I am sure happened many times in Joseph’s life. Prisoners go in, they go out, nothing really separating one day from another. This is a waiting place if ever there was one. Joseph shows us the model of not wasting your wait. Now, Joseph has no idea how this story is supposed to work out. We know that this cupbearer is going to be the key, but Joseph doesn’t know that. Even if he could somehow guess that maybe this cupbearer could potentially help him, it is “some time” before Joseph has any sort of opening. He can’t see God moving, but we can. We laugh at all the Israelites scared of Goliath, because we know that he is going to become a proverb. We can see God setting up the board for the lives of the Biblical characters, but we have to learn that He doesn’t change. One day, God moves visibly for Joseph. The servants have dreams that they are disturbed by and want the interpretation of. Dreams were often considered messages from the gods, and countries like Egypt had a class of people who specialized in dream interpretation. Joseph steps up and says that, actually, only God has the key to dreams, and he can help them (Matthews). Now, imagine if Joseph gives up here. As Ross points out, how have Joseph’s other interpretations of dreams gone (633)? How accurate are his dreams? It would be easy for Joseph to throw up his hands and say, “God must want to use someone else to interpret dreams, because look at how my dreams of rulership turned out. Cupbearer Guy, maybe you really do need a magician, because God sure doesn’t seem to reveal things.” Imagine being a time traveler at that point in the story. You aren’t allowed to tell the him how things are going to turn out, and you hear Joseph in a low moment say those things to the cupbearer. You would be beside yourself. “Don’t stop trusting God, now! Do you have any idea what is about to happen?” He would turn to you, probably wondering why you’re shouting at him in English and say, “it has been eleven years since I was stolen from my family. Exactly how much longer do you want me to keep trying for this?” Have you been there? Been there in parenting? Been there in being honest at your job when no one else is? Been there in a hard marriage? You know what you’re supposed to do, but it doesn’t seem to be actually getting you anywhere. You see other people not following God and getting better results. You begin to ask, “Has God really said?” Joseph doesn’t do that. He keeps his faith in God’s promises to him and keeps doing what is right. Joseph just keeps going, being faithful to God, fighting back discouragement and hears their dreams. For us who are familiar with the story, the interpretation seems obvious, but that is only because we know what the interpretation is. It is like re-reading a mystery novel. The first read through was, well, a mystery! But once you know the ending, you say to yourself, “It was obvious the whole time! The dog never barked!” No, it wasn’t obvious, and it isn’t here either. The details here of the three grapes and three baskets: how did Joseph know it was three days for the both of them? Even if he knew Pharaoh’s birthday was coming up in three days, it still could be three years from now on Pharaoh’s birthday. Or it could be three days for cupbearer, three months for the baker, and vice versa. This story is meant to tell us that God is the one who interprets these dreams. Only two figures in Biblical history interpret dreams, Daniel and Joseph, but they both make clear that it is God who reveals their meanings (Matthews). They are trusting Him, not their personal talents. Joseph passes along from God that the cupbearer is going to be restored (lifted his head) and the baker is going to be executed (lifted his head from him!). Now, Joseph asks the cupbearer to put in the good word for him. A cupbearer was a good guy to know. They were the ones who were trusted to keep the king from getting poisoned. They would sip his wine and taste his food for him to make sure it isn’t going to kill him. As such a person of trust, he often had the ear of the king (ISBE, 837). It makes sense that Joseph would attempt to secure his own release. The three days pass, and exactly what Joseph said happened. The cupbearer was restored and the baker was hanged. Clearly, what God says, goes, and that will be critical to remember for the next chapter. But there is one heartbreaking outcome, the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph. We will see in the next chapter that this forgetfulness lasts for two full years. What a disappointment for Joseph! How close to freedom that must have felt. He got the ear of the chief cupbearer, the most trusted officer in the land, and it has only been three days since he spoke to him! He is with Pharaoh now! I’ll bet Joseph was packing his bags! But alas, the waiting place endures for two more years. The cupbearer may have forgotten, but God hasn’t. At the right moment, He will call Joseph, but not before. You can’t rush God, though many people try. In Jesus’ ministry, we remember when Lazarus got sick. News reached him that Lazarus was sick, but Jesus stayed put until Lazarus died (John 11:6 “So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”). The sisters told Him that if He had only been there, Lazarus wouldn’t have died. He got there “too late.” Of course, we know exactly how that story went, don’t we? We find out that He waited in order to raise Lazarus from the dead, the greatest miracle yet! Jesus was working even as He was waiting. The waiting place sure looked useless to Mary and Martha, but on the other side of Jesus’ work, it becomes obvious that Jesus was worth the wait. God’s return motivates our faithful working. So how do we wait like Joseph does? After all, we don’t have a dream like he did, laying out specifically what his life is supposed to be. It’s true, we have something better. Look with me at James 5:7–11 “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” This is in a context where James has just told us not to presume we know what tomorrow will bring (James 4:13-15) and not to trust in riches that we have laid up (James 5:1-6). He tells us to wait like two kinds of people. The first is waiting like a farmer. He’s planted his crops and is trusting that God will provide the rain. He isn’t pacing the fields yelling at clouds. He is being patient about it. He gives another example of the prophets in verses 10 and 11. How did things go for them? Typically, not well (Hebrews 11:35-38). But they were considered blessed because they remained steadfast even under trial. Both the farmer and the prophet know that God provides in His timing, so they work faithfully and leave the results to God as they wait. They wait with expectation. The peace to be able to do this comes from the expectation that God is really going to work all things out. If you are waiting for circumstances to all line up, the house clean, the lawn finally set, enough money in the bank, surrounded by friends, and the laundry done you’ll never wait with patience. Look to the future, as Joseph did, to the destiny that is yet to come. The God that these kinds of people are trusting in is a compassionate and merciful God who is at the door. I know, it has been a long time and Jesus hasn’t come back yet. But aren’t you glad He waited until you were born? I am. I know that was hard for the many generations before me, but I’m glad He waited for me. So I’ll gladly wait for Him. The promise that I will live forever in total joy and happiness for all eternity is an even better promise than saying my family will bow to me one day. It’s a bigger promise. So what if the wait is a little longer? It could be that the cupbearer has come into our jail. It could be just a little bit longer. So how do I want God to find me when I am called up? Grumbling in the corner about how life hasn’t gone quite the way I wanted it to? Or do I want Him to find me doing what He told me to do? And I can look at Him and say, “I was expecting you.” Kids, you know how you’re always wanting to be older, because when you’re older and taller you can do more things? It can feel like your life is just filled with not being able to drive or play with cooler toys. But right now God is teaching you the most important thing in the world: He is teaching you to how to wait on Him. The kid who learns how to wait well has the most fun. God wants you to have a good life. But in order to have that good life, you have to learn how to wait for God to give it to you. That doesn’t mean you just sit around all day! Waiting on God isn’t staring at a wall. Waiting on God means doing what He says. Stay busy being obedient to your parents and kind to your siblings. Trust me, if you spend your time serving God and not thinking about yourself, it won’t feel like waiting at all. Parents, have we not experienced that? When you dedicate your life to serving that little human God gave you we all say at the end, “The years went by so fast.” Dedicate your life to serving God, and the years will pass. Even if at times they seem to crawl by, hour by hour, those lengthy times are given as a gift to you to serve the One who died for you. Is that not the point of your life? Remember that “why.” You’re here to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Of course you don’t see how it all is going to play out, but you know Who is playing it out. Eternity is coming. Of what a few more years? He has promised 2 Corinthians 4:17–18 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine; but God, who called me here below, will be forever mine. |
AuthorThis is where our Pastor posts weekly sermon manuscripts and other writings. Archives
November 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed