Genesis 41:41-49August 24, 2014Pentecost11#1928page 1
41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout 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 Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 4sevenDuring the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
Hi Kids,
[Show a picture of a cloud]What is this?If someone is sleeping [show a person in a bed] and this cloud is floating over them with someone or something in it [put the cloud over the person’s head], what do you suppose this person is doing in his or her sleep?It’s a way to show that the person is dreaming. Do you ever dream when you are sleeping?Are they dreams that make you smile?Or dreams that are scary? When you wake up, do you wonder “why did I dream this?”In the Bible God tells us that sometimes he spoke to people through dreams.Somehow God let those people know that he was speaking to them.Sometimes he gave dreams to people who didn’t know him so that they would talk to a believer and learn what God meant.
With the sermon we will visit the country of Egypt over 1,000 yearsbefore Jesus was born.Its king had two dreams, but didn’t know what they meant.That really bothered him.He asked the people who were supposed to be very wise what their meaning was, but they couldn’t figure it out either because they didn’t trust in God.Finally a person who worked for the king remembered that when he was in jail he had a dream and there was a man there who told him what it meant.That man was Joseph.So the king had Joseph brought from jail to explain the king’s dreams.
God guided Joseph to tell Pharaoh that the dreams meant that God would give seven years of plenty of food growing for everyone, and then seven years of no food growing. Joseph then suggested that the King get busy right away by having someone save up food from the good seven years so the people wouldn’t starve during the seven bad years of famine.Pharaoh did just that.He chose Joseph for the job.And later, during the seven bad years, Joseph’s father, Jacob, and his brothers would come to Egypt to buy food so they wouldn’t starve.God used this way to get Joseph and his family back together, and keep them alive to bring us Jesus many years later.
Dear redeemed sinners who are blessed with forgiveness that gives eternal life,
God has the power to make the impossible happen.He did it to make Joseph’s dream come true.As a result JOSEPH IS TRANSFORMED FROM DREAMER TO DREAM EXPEDITORin the Bible section for today’s study.But you may be thinking to yourself, “It is Pharaoh’s dream that set things into motion for Joseph to be put in charge of one of greatest empires the world has known.” You are correct about how Joseph was elevated to the most powerful person in the Egyptian empire at this time second only to Pharaoh himself.But that is not the dream which started all this.I am talking about (1.) Joseph’s dreams had resulted in sibling strife.
In fact, in Genesis 37 you have two dreams to pick from. Remember how Joseph had told his family that he dreamed that he and his brothers were cutting grain stalks, tying the stalks together, and laying the bundles in the fields waiting to be taken to the threshing floor to separate the grain from the chaff?He said his bundle stood upright and the brother’s bundles gathered around it and bowed down to it.In addition to hating him because their dad spoiled him, Joseph’s brothers hated him all the more for this dream.And then, when Joseph told his second dream, where the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed to him, that only heated their anger all the more.They became jealous and ended up selling him into slavery to get rid of him.
Joseph was faithful to the Lord even as a slave.He eventually was blessed to become the manager of the estate of Pharaoh’s captain of the Guard.The wife of this high ranking Egyptian tried to get Joseph to sin.When he refused, she also came to hate him and tell lies that landed him in prison.Joseph remained faithful and God again brought success to his actions.Joseph, the dreamer was about to become Joseph the dream interpreter.
The Pharaoh’s baker somehow offended Pharaoh, as did his cup bearer, the person in charge of tasting ahead of time what the Pharaoh would drink to make sure no one gave the Pharaoh poison. These two men ended up in jail with Joseph.There they each had a dream that made them a gloomy Gus because they could not figure out the meaning.Joseph noticed this and said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God?Tell me your dreams.”Then he explained the dreams.Two years later when Pharaoh had 2 dreams which really bothered him, but no one could figure them out, the cup bearer brought up that Joseph, a man in prison, was able to interpret dreams.We see God at work as (2.) Joseph, the slave, was called from prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dream.
Again Joseph gave all credit to God.He said when standing before Pharaoh, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires” (Genesis 41:16).Pharaoh’s dreams gave the same message.Seven fat cows coming out of the Nile River and a stalk of grain with seven healthy plump heads meant there would be seven years that Egypt would have lots of food.The seven skinny cows that came out of the River and ate the fat ones, and the seven scrawny withered heads of grain that ate the healthy heads stood for seven years of famine that would follow the years of abundance. Then Joseph advised Pharaoh to choose “a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt” to assemble a group of people to store up grain during the seven good years in preparation for the seven years of famine to follow.And guess what?God was at work again.(3.)Joseph was given full authority in Egypt to implement the solution.
Ponder for a moment the miracle.Joseph, a total foreigner, a prisoner, an ex-slave, a man 30 years old is put in charge of a huge empire on the spot.There is no vetting process, no screening or background check.When Pharaoh heard Joseph’s recommendation he asked his officials, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” (Genesis 41:38)He then said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is not one so discerning and wise as you.You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders.Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” (Genesis 41: 39-40)
In all of Egypt no one had more authority than Joseph except Pharaoh.And he had received Pharaoh’s signet ring to verify this.Every command he gave and signed with the imprint of that ring was as if Pharaoh had said it.And Joseph who was givena fancy, colorful, long sleeved , flowing rob by his father at age 1seven which ticked off his older brothers, was again given “robes of fine linen and …a gold chain around his neck.”Only this time he had the full respect of all.When the seven years of famine would bring his older brothers to him, they would show great respect not knowing it was their once despised brother.
Pharaoh made the Egyptian nation feel more comfortable with Joseph by giving him an Egyptian name and a wife from a prominent family as well.Joseph appeared totally Egyptian, so much so that his brothers didn’t know him.But these didn’t change his heart.He remained faithful to the true God, so much so that his will commanded that his mummified body be carried back to the land God has promised his people way back at Abraham’s time.But that’s a study for another time.
(4.) Joseph used the seven good years to save up the abundance.He served Pharaoh, King of Egypt, faithfully.He went throughout the land and had granaries built in all the cities.He filled them with “huge amounts of grain” produced around them.These granaries would be the local distribution centers in the famine years.
A Christian trusts that God will provide—even when the plan makes no sense to us.Sold as a slave by hisbrothers, Joseph could have despaired of God’s care and love.In faith, however, Joseph trusted in God toprovide for his needs and his future. Year after year, God did just that and raised Joseph from the depths ofprison to dizzying heights of power. And it was all so God could provide for his people. He used Joseph as his tool to fill the granariesduring the seven fat years that he might give bread to the people during the seven lean. So great was God’sblessing that they stopped counting the grain!
(5.) God provides for believers through unbelievers at times(Genesis 42).The grace in God’s provision can be seen not only in thethousands of Egyptians saved from starvation, but most especially in the grain he provided to Jacob and hissons during the famine. Though he was sold as a slave, God made Joseph top administrator that he might be God’s handin providing food to preserve the bloodline of the Savior. How often we look at our lives and see only problemsand none of the possibilities that God would work in us and through us! Look at Joseph and learn again totrust God to provide.
I remember when studying at the seminary when God gave us the wonderful blessing of our first child.But she came with some large medical expenses because she was so pre-mature.My dad said use the assistance the state offers.I have been paying taxes all these years and to see them used in this way is a welcomed sight.And the taxes paid by others who weren’t all believers was also part of the assistance we received.God provides for believers through unbelievers at times.
Jesus’ disciples needed to learn to trust the Lord as well.They looked at the crowd of well over 5,000 people and said “we can’t possibly feed them!”Jesus in essence said, “God can.”We at times look at the challenges in our life and become overwhelmed.We throw up our arms; look at the ground with the resigned conclusion, “No way can we get all that we need!”Jesus assures you, “God can and will give you what you need.He gives you daily bread.”How can you be sure of this no matter what disaster has hit you, no matter how bleak today and tomorrow appear?Jesus comforts us by saying “Don’t worry about food or clothing or housing.My Father, and your heavenly Father as well, will take care of these things.“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:25ff).
Joseph rose from dreamer, to dream interpreter, to dream expeditor.He hit some big holes on his journey, but he trusted in the LORD’S promises no matter what life did to him.To be in God’s kingdom is to have God’s gospel comforting and motivating our heart.To be in God’s kingdom means to have Jesus’ perfection as our beautiful robe to wear.We are declared to be holy as if we have obeyed every commandment flawlessly.We are declared sinless because Jesus’ innocent blood has washed us clean of all the ways we have disobeyed God.We have God’s approval and instruction to feed people with the gospel that is the power to work faith in Jesus in hearts to save souls.God’s forgiveness is so abundant that we can give it to everyone and announce with confidence, “All the sins of your lifetime are forgiven in Jesus.Believe it and live forever.Amen.”