Our Mess, His Masterpiece

Brentwood Baptist Church

Our Mess, His Masterpiece

Forgotten

Genesis 40-41:45

August 28, 2016

PREPARATION

> Spend the week reading through and studying Genesis 40-41:45. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation.

> Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group.

> Pray for our pastors, the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their receptivity to the study.

HIGHLIGHTS

Biblical Emphasis: Even though things appeared dismal for Joseph, God was working on his behalf and preparing him for the future.

Teaching Aim: Although God’s timing differs from ours, we can trust Him and His faithfulness.

Memorize: Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands. -Deuteronomy 7:9, HCSB

INTRODUCTION

As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going.

·  Have you ever forgotten something significant (i.e. a deadline, meeting, birthday, anniversary, appointment)? How did you respond when you realized you had forgotten?

·  Have you ever received a great deal of help from someone who wanted nothing in return? If so, what was your impression of that experience?

·  In biblical times, dreams were very significant. Are dreams still credible, or do they carry less significance since God primarily communicates with His children through the Scriptures? Explain why you feel the way you do.

There are few things more distressing than feeling overlooked and forgotten. As the storyline deepens, we find Joseph in prison serving time for a crime he didn’t commit. Since being sold by his own brothers into slavery, he had enjoyed favor in Potiphar’s household and then found himself down and out again when Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of sexual assault. But God remained with Joseph and showed him favor with the prison guards. As the plot unfolds, we’ll see that God is orchestrating Joseph’s story in a way that proves He was faithful in every twist and turn of events. Even in our darkest hour, God is in control of everything that happens to us.

UNDERSTANDING

Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic.

> Have a volunteer read Genesis 40:1-23.

·  While in prison, Joseph became personal attendant to the king’s cupbearer and baker, both of whom were also imprisoned. What do these circumstances reveal about God’s providential work in Joseph’s life?

·  While there, the cupbearer and baker had dreams. What were their states of mind after their dreams (v. 7)?

As a result of God’s providence, Joseph met the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. Both of these men held high royal positions but had offended their master and were put in prison under Joseph’s care. The cupbearer’s job was to protect the king by making sure the food and wine he was served was safe to eat and drink (Neh. 1:11–2:1). Both men served in close proximity to the king and therefore were in powerful positions, having the opportunity to have the king’s ear. Each of these royal servants had dreams on the same night, and each dream carried a meaning of its own.

·  Joseph noticed that the men were distraught and he asked what was bothering them. What does this gesture tell us about Joseph’s character?

·  Before Joseph interpreted the dreams, he acknowledged that true interpretations belong to God (v. 8). How can we model this aspect of Joseph’s character in our own lives?

Dreams played a significant role in the life of leaders in Egypt. The ability to interpret dreams was a highly respected skill. To this point, Joseph had only contemplated and pondered his own dreams. The fact that Joseph was observant and sensitive enough to notice that these men were distraught shows that he was a kind and discerning man. Also, the fact that Joseph gave glory to God (Gen. 40:8) shows that Joseph was humble.

·  The cupbearer was the first to share his dream with Joseph. How did Joseph interpret the dream? What was the one thing Joseph asked the cupbearer to do (v. 14)?

As the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph he described a vine with three branches that budded, blossomed, and then ripened. He then described taking Pharaoh’s cup and squeezing grape juice into it, presenting the cup to Pharaoh. Joseph interpreted this as a positive dream, with the three branches representing three days until the cupbearer was restored to his position. Joseph asked that when this came to pass, the cupbearer would remember him by telling his story to Pharaoh so he would be released from prison.

Encouraged by the cupbearer’s favorable interpretation, the baker also shared his dream with Joseph. However, the interpretation that Joseph passed on to the baker foretold that in three days Pharaoh would hang him on a tree. Neither the cupbearer nor the baker’s reaction is recorded in the text. However, Joseph’s interpretations were accurate and both came to pass just as he said they would. The chief cupbearer, however, forgot Joseph and he remained in prison.

·  How do you think Joseph felt when he realized the cupbearer forgot him and he would remain in prison? How do you think you would’ve responded?

> Have a volunteer read Genesis 41:1-36.

For two additional years, Joseph remained in prison serving time for a crime he didn’t commit. Pharaoh, the highest ruler in Egypt, had two dreams that troubled him so much he summoned his staff to see if anyone could interpret them. Pharaoh had good reason to be worried. If these dreams were referring to Egypt, they were dealing with his two greatest assets—his grain and his cattle. As Pharaoh shared his dreams with his staff, the cupbearer remembered Joseph.

·  After two years without a change in Joseph’s difficult circumstances, what might he have been tempted to doubt or question? What discouragement or hopelessness might he have faced?

·  What promises or truth do you think Joseph clung to in this time?

·  What does this passage reveal about God’s character and timing? Are they dependent on our understanding and expectations?

Joseph interpreted both of Pharaoh’s dreams and repeated his interpretation twice. Even though it was a disturbing message, Joseph was faithful in giving faithful interpretation. Joseph explained to Pharaoh that his dreams were one in the same and that God had revealed what he was about to do. The dreams revealed seven years of abundance and would be followed by seven years of famine. Joseph said the famine would be so severe, the abundance would be forgotten. Joseph then gave Pharaoh bold advice. It’s likely that Joseph’s boldness was prompted by a sense of God’s guidance, or he wouldn’t have risked spending more time in prison. Joseph counseled Pharaoh that wise management could limit or at least reduce the amount of devastation that was coming. Storing the grain from each of the years of abundant harvest would supplement the grain from the years of famine. He encouraged building storehouses as a part of the plan.

·  In verses 15-16, Joseph was again tempted to accept the glory and recognition for interpreting dreams, but faithfully did not. Why do you think he chose not to?

·  If Joseph had claimed the ability to interpret dreams as his own, would he have been seen any differently than Pharaoh’s magicians and wise men? How would this have diminished God’s glory?

> Have a volunteer read Genesis 41:37-45.

Pharaoh elevated Joseph to a place of great authority and honor in Egypt. Joseph had been in Egypt for 13 years, and in one day his circumstances changed dramatically. God’s timing is not always the same as what we think it should be, but God’s timing is perfect. There will be seasons in life when we are tempted to believe that God has forgotten us. However, God never forgets His children.

·  Take a minute to read Hebrews 5:7-9. In what ways did Joseph’s story foreshadow Jesus’ experiences in the New Testament?

·  We often feel we are entitled to anger, frustration, and bitterness in response to unjust suffering and treatment. How does this idea conflict with the way Joseph handled his suffering? How does it conflict with the way Jesus handled His?

Just as Joseph interpreted the cupbearer’s dream of being restored to his position, so Joseph was restored to the position God promised in Joseph’s own dream as a young boy. In the same way, Jesus also was ultimately restored to His heavenly position after suffering on the cross and being resurrected from the dead. In each of these stories, God showed that He is a promise-keeping God who is always sovereign—even through our trials and suffering—in ways and at times that we may or may not perceive in the present. He will not forsake us, and He will not stop working for our good.

APPLICATION

Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives.

·  Are you waiting for God to act in a specific situation? How does Joseph’s story encourage you to trust God’s timing?

·  Joseph’s opportunity to minister began when he noticed the men looking distraught and expressed concern (v. 40:6-7). What ministry opportunities might you miss by failing to notice and act when someone near you looks the same? How could you become more aware of these opportunities?

·  Re-read verse 38 from this week’s passage. How did Pharaoh describe Joseph? Do the people in your life—family, coworkers and neighbors—see you as a person in whom the Spirit of God lives? What can you do differently this week to make the Spirit’s presence more evident to others?

PRAY

Give thanks to God for never leaving or forsaking us. Pray that each group member will trust God to act in His perfect timing. Thank God for being in control of every circumstance and for working every situation for our good.

COMMENTARY

Genesis 40-41:45

40:1-4. After Joseph had been imprisoned for a number of years and was now 28 years old (41:1,46), Pharaoh “became furious” ( was angry; Hb qatsaph) with two high-ranking officials (Hb saris), the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. Though Potiphar was also a “captain of the guard,” this detention center was apparently located in someone else’s house since it was the same location where Joseph was confined. Because of their high rank, the cupbearer and baker were given certain privileges even in prison: Joseph, as a young Hebrew slave, was assigned as their personal attendant. The officials stayed in prison for “days” (some time).

40:5-8. During their confinement the royal cupbearer and baker each had a dream during the same night—the third and fourth non-Israelites to have dreams with divinely inspired meanings (cp. Abimelech, 20:3; Laban, 31:24). When they awoke the men were distraught (lit their “faces were bad”) because there was no professional Egyptian dream interpreter present. Joseph told them that accurate interpretations belong to God. And since the Lord was with Joseph even in prison (39:2,21,23), the men were directed to tell their dreams to him.

40:9-15. The chief cupbearer, who was an adviser and security officer for Pharaoh, was the first to tell his dream to Joseph. While aspects of the dream seemed to portray something positive— blossoms... grapes, placing the cup in Pharaoh’s hand—other aspects were doubtful, particularly the three branches. Joseph explained that the branches represented the next three days, after which Pharaoh would lift the cupbearer’s head (or release him from prison; cp. 2Ki 25:27) and restore him to his position. Confident that the interpretation was accurate, Joseph pleaded for the cupbearer to remember him, mention him to Pharaoh, and arrange to get him out of prison. Joseph’s release was a matter of simple justice since he had done nothing to deserve imprisonment.

40:16-19. Heartened by Joseph’s positive interpretation of the cupbearer’s dream, the chief baker shared his dream. As with the previous dream, this one contained ambiguous elements—particularly the three baskets of white bread and the birds—that needed a clear interpretation. This time the meaning was a dark one: Pharaoh would release the chief baker from prison and hang him on a tree (or possibly “impale” him “on wood”). The birds eating white bread symbolized the birds that would eat the baker’s body.

40:20-22. Consistent with the dreams’ divinely inspired interpretations, the two officials were released from prison three days later, on the festive occasion of Pharaoh’s birthday. The “birthday” could either refer to Pharaoh’s physical birth or to his accession day, the day he became king and thus was believed to have become a son of the Egyptian god Horus. Just as Joseph had foretold, Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his previous position, but hanged the chief baker.

41:1-7. Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world of his day, was also the Egyptian who received dreams from God that were far-reaching in their implications. His two dreams, both on the same night, had essentially identical plots, though the images were different. Both had 14 items, seven healthy and seven thin and sickly. In both dreams the seven healthy things appeared first, only to be consumed by the afflicted ones. Both were symbolic since they contained features not found in the real world.

41:8-14. These dreams clearly indicated trouble, but exactly what trouble was the question. To unravel the mystery, Pharaoh summoned all the court magicians, who would have received instruction from ancient Egyptian scrolls of dream interpretation; some of these ancient scrolls, dating to the Twelfth Dynasty (1973-1786 b.c.), have been recovered by archaeologists. Pharaoh also summoned all of Egypt’s wise men to assist in the critical task of discerning the dreams’ meanings. However, no one could interpret the dreams satisfactorily.