“Living in the Waiting (Genesis 40 - 41)” | 8/1/2021
Genesis 40 - 41 | 8/1/21 | Thad Yessa
How many of you have ever waited for something? Your teenager to finish getting reading, your child who insists they can carry the heavy bag on their own, in the drive thru waiting for that delicious cup of coffee, for that next job promotion, for the doctor to come back to the room to give a diagnosis, or for Jesus to come back.
We enter back into the story of Joseph to one who has been waiting a long time.
Genesis 39:20-23
20 And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
But as you might recall Joseph’s life hasn’t always been one of false accusations and prison. Joseph at one time had a pretty good life, he was loved very deeply by his father, and was even given two dreams by God that pointed to the fact that Joseph in some capacity would reign in a way that would put him over his mother, father, and brothers, indicating that he would have a very bright future, BUT all of that has changed his brothers hated him, threw him in a pit, and sold him into slavery. He finds himself in Potiphar’s home doing well for himself, until Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses him of trying to take advantage of her. Now Joseph finds himself yet again in another pit, so much for God’s promises.
Genesis 40:1-23
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.
Let’s Pray
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Personify Selflessness
After “some time” in custody (Gen. 40:4), Moses tells us the royal cupbearer and baker whom Joseph now serves each have a dream “with its own interpretation” (v. 5). Since Egyptians believed dreams were predictive, the cupbearer and baker would expect their dreams to offer clues about the future. There was a special class trained to interpret dreams in ancient Egypt, and an entire corpus of literature was devoted to the explanation of such visions. But what the cupbearer and baker don’t know is that Joseph himself has experience with dreams, and just so happens to be with them.
One quick side note: Sometimes in passages like this one we can get distracted and miss the main point. One of the potential distractions in this text is the dreams that come with interpretation. You may be wondering if the crazy dream that you received one million dollars last night is about to come true, my interpretation is that is unlikely. So what do we do with dreams? We ask the question can God speak through dreams? YES! We see it in the life of Joseph earlier in the book, now, and in the next chapter. There are 21 recorded dreams, so yes very clearly God can speak through dreams. But the next question to ask is God speaking to me in a dream? Maybe. There are many different ways to answer this question, God could be, there are many reports of unbelievers having dreams and ending up in a Christian church and recieving Christ. But God not only gives the dream He is also the one who provides the interpretation for the dream. I think we need to remember that yes God can speak through dreams, but more importantly God has given us His word which does tell us how to live and follow him.
In prison, these officials do not have access to professional interpreters, and so they are troubled with uncertainty (v. 6). Their attendant Joseph quickly notices their worry and learns what is behind their troubles (vv. 7–8a). His reply reveals the strength of his faith and his spiritual maturity. He has spent years waiting for his lot to improve, but Joseph still believes God is with him and will give him the meanings of the dreams. Thus, he confidently asks to hear them. Also, Joseph explicitly declares that the interpretation of dreams comes by the Lord’s inspiration (v. 8b). In his younger years, Joseph proudly paraded his interpretive abilities (37:5–11). Having been humbled in prison, Joseph now affirms his talent is a gift from on high.
Joseph’s empathy for the cupbearer and baker moves him to inquire about their emotional state (40:6–7). Think about it if you were in Joseph’s shoes, sold into slavery by your own brothers, wrongly accused, and far from home, are you going to care much about how distraught someone else looks?? Probably not. Such compassion is required of God’s people, and it must be evident in our own lives.
Col. 3:12 - Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Even Jesus came to empathize with us in our weaknesses Heb. 4:14–16 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Certainly Christ’s empathy with us is greater than Joseph’s empathy with the prisoners. Nevertheless, as John Chrysostom writes, “Even when he [Joseph] found himself in prison, he gave evidence of his characteristic virtue and was concerned to relieve the sadness of others” Genesis, 63. May we also empathetically minister to those who are suffering.
The selflessness that helps us, minister, to others is worked in us by the Holy Spirit as we seek to model the compassion of Christ and as He comforts us in our own sufferings. Matthew Henry comments, “Communion in sufferings helps to work compassion towards those who do suffer.” The problems and tragedies we face help us to learn to minister to other people. When you suffer, ask God to use the experience to increase your compassion for others.
Every interpretation of Joseph proved to be true. In fact, the specific words and phrases spoken to the cupbearer in verse 13 and the baker in verse 19 are echoed in the conclusion so as to underline the precision with which Joseph’s predictions were fulfilled. You have to be wondering if this gave Joseph hope that his own dreams would come true as well! For eleven years he had believed that his dreams would come true. He had never wavered in his conviction, despite his circumstances. And now he had solid objective evidence of his power, through God, to interpret dreams. He had interpreted this pair of dreams. So now he was doubly sure that his own two dreams would be fulfilled.
Which points us to how Joseph lived his whole life. Even when the cupbearer forgot...
Prioritize Faithfulness
Gen. 41:1-49
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[b] 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.”
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?”[c] 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!”[e] 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.
Joseph now finally being remembered by the cupbearer, pointing out the obvious fact that people at times will fail you, but that’s another sermon. So Pharoh now has these two dreams, that he says, “No one can interpret, but I have heart it said about you that you can hear a dream and interpret it.” This next verse in 16 is critically important, Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” Joseph could have easily taken advantage of this moment being like yeah of course I can interpret the dream! But instead he says, don’t look to me to interpret your dream, but look to God. Joseph is showing us the example of what it looks like to prioritize faithfulness. He is pointing back to nope, I am just a no body but I can act as the mouth piece for the almighty God.
Remember those these weren’t necessarily good dream interpretations, yes, seven years of good harvest, but also seven years of really hard, livetaking famine, not really the news you want to deliver to the most powerful man in the world. Le alone remind hime that God showed Pharaoh this dream twice there is no mistaking the meaning.
Pause if you have been paying attention to the life of Joseph, then what he just said is very important. God gave Pharoah two dreams to show that they were determined by God to come to pass. Just in the last chapter God also gave two dreams and both of those dreams came to pass. Joseph has to be thinking of what we studied a couple weeks ago in chapter 37 with his TWO dreams that he has not lost faith in what God had promised him. This is exactly how and why Joseph has been able to carry on with his life, living faithfully in a far away land, and why he hasn’t completely given up on God.
Think back to last week, do you think it was just by chance Joseph became powerful in Potiphar’s house? Or the fact that he was running things in the prison? NO, Joseph is living like
Colossians 1:10 describes,
so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God
Joseph isn’t casually doing good work for Potiphar or for jailkeeper because it’s fun, he is doing it in order to please the LORD.
No matter what the circumstances may be in your life, good or bad, God’s call is still the same, to live a life of faithfulness that points others to see that there has been a change in your heart that can not be explained.
If we finish out that section of Colossians 1 we see that:
so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Pharaoh proves this point starting in verse 37 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.[d]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.
Not only did Joseph live faithfully for God, but pursued faithfulness in his work. He did the very best that he could. I think this last part might seem simple but friends, wherever God has placed you, in school, stay-at-home, overseeing lots of people, in a job that you really don’t love, we are called as believers to do the best that we can, not to get a promotion, not to receive more love, not to get a new job, but to give God glory. Prioritizing faithfulness means that regardless of the season that we find ourselves we walk in a manner that brings glory and honor to God.
Pursue Dependence
Gen 41:50-57
Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.” 52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”
56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
Finally, things seem to starting turning around for Joseph, the land of Egypt is saved, he is married, and is blessed with two boys Manasseh and Ephraim. Names in biblical times carry much more weight than names do today, I received my name simply because my mom liked it. But Joseph choses these names for a very specific reason, to point back to his need of God in his life. Everytime he calls his sons names he will be reminded of how God had not left him, even though at times it may have felt like it. The story of Joseph is one of rises and falls, being clothed and unclothed.
No matter what you are experiencing, sweet or bitter, good or evil, no matter how long it’s lasting, he has not left you alone.
In the midst of trouble and suffering, it can be difficult to believe that the Lord knows exactly what He is doing. So often it is easier to despair, believing that God has abandoned us and that He will not keep His promise to work all things together for the good of His children (Rom. 8:28). But our Father is sovereign, and He is working for our ultimate good and for the advance of His kingdom even when things seem darkest to us.