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10-Genesis-C40^41-Forget_and_Fruitful.hwp|
Genesis 40:1-41:57 Key Verse: 41:51,52 God Made Me Forget and Fruitful. “Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, `It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household.' / The second son he named Ephraim, `It is because God' has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.'" This lesson begins with Joseph at the lowest point of his life. He is a slave in a foreign land, and he is in prison, accused of a crime which he did not commit. There is no one he can get help from. From a human point of view, he has no hope of getting out. But God's plan for Joseph was slowly unfolding. If he had not been thrown into prison, he might have lived and died as a servant in Potiphar's house--and no more. But through his prison experience, God opened the way for him to become prime minister of all Egypt, second only to the king. 1. It belong to God. Joseph was put in the prison where the king's prisoners were kept. This prison must have been under the authority of Potiphar, the captain of the king's guard and Joseph's master. Sometime later, two of Pharaoh's officials were put in the same prison. One was the king's chief cupbearer and the other, the king's chief baker. Their jobs may seem to be menial, but actually they were very high level jobs. The cupbearer was frequently in the king's presence. The baker also could go near to the king because he dealt with king's food. Joseph had to take care of the two officials. Even in prison, he had to be a slave to other prisoners. One day they looked depressed. Joseph found that they had each had a strange dream. Their dreams seemed to have special meaning, but they had no one to interpret the dreams. Then, what was Joseph's answer to the officials? Look at verse 8. "We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." Joseph wanted them to tell their dreams to him. But he did not say he could interpret their dreams. He said God would let him know the meaning of their dreams. Joseph was in prison without his own fault. But he did not doubt God's love and power. He still believed God was the source of his wisdom. He still believed God was watching over him. To Joseph, God was God who he should worship and depend on even in any circumstances. The two dreams were very similar in many ways and also very different. The cupbearer's dream was good news: his head would be lifted up and he would be restored to his former position within three days. But the baker's dream was bad news: His head would be lifted up on a gallow in three days. Joseph told the meaning of the dreams as God said to him. He did not debase the good news. He did not sugar-coat the bad news, either. After telling the meaning of the dreams, Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him when he was restored to his former position. Joseph put hope for his freedom in the cupbearer's favor. After three days, things really happened just as Joseph had interpreted. However, things Joseph had asked for did not take place. The cupbearer completely forgot about Joseph. He was like a sheep who did not know his shepherd's love and grace. Joseph had to stay in the cold, dark prison. He had to wait for the time of God. 2. God will give the answer. Two full years after the cupbearer's release, this time Pharaoh had a dream. It was a powerful dream, but Pharaoh could not understand it. So he sent for all the wise men in his kingdom to tell him the meaning, but no one could interpret it. It was at this moment that the cupbearer remembered Joseph. He told Pharaoh that things had turned out exactly as Joseph had interpreted his dream. Finally, Joseph was brought out of the dungeon to stand before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to him, "I had a dream last night and none of these men can tell me what it means. But I have heard that you can interpret dreams, and that is why I have called for you." Wow! How big the chance was! This was like a job interview for his whole life. If he was hired as a royal dream reader, he could be free and live a splendid life! Then, what was Joseph's answer to Pharaoh who might be his boss? Look at verse 16. "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." When people have a job interview, they never say, "I cannot do it." They always say, "Oh, yeah! I know that. No problem. I can do it if only you give me this job. Please believe me." But Joseph was different. He did not advertise himself to Pharaoh. Instead, Joseph revealed only God's name. It is not Joseph, but God who will do it. This was the same answer as he gave to the two officials in the prison. Even if he went through hardships, he still try to glorify God and depend on him. Then, what was Pharaoh's dream? Seven skinny cows came out of the Nile River and ate up seven fat cows. Then, a second dream followed. Seven skinny ears of corn ate up seven fat, plump ears of corn. Now, how did Joseph translate these dreams? Joseph told Pharaoh that God had firmly decided to grant Egypt seven years of abundant crops, followed by seven years of severe famine. Joseph also added some advice which the king had not asked for: He advised the king to put someone in charge of the agriculture of Egypt and strictly gather grain during the years of plenty so that there would be enough to eat in the years of famine. His plan was to save money in the time of abundance and prepare for the rainy day. Pharaoh could have been angry with Joseph. According to his words, God was the true king of Egypt. Pharaoh cannot do anything against famine, while God controls the whether and gives abundant harvest. Then, what was Pharaoh's response to Joseph's words? To our total surprise, Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the whole land of Egypt! Pharaoh said, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God? I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift a hand or foot in all Egypt." Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence with Pharaoh's signet ring on his finger. He was dressed like a prince and given a late model chariot for his personal use. He was second only to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt. Whenever he rode around the streets, someone ran before him shouting, "Make way! Make way! Bow down! Here comes Joseph." For a day, from a miserable slave to the glorious prime minister! Certainly it was a miracle. It can be explained by God's providence. It was God' mysterious and wonderful grace for the one who keeps his faith in any hardships and trials. We may have a difficult situation saying, "I do not see the way out. Does God care about me and remember my situation?" That is the reason why God has given us this story of Joseph. God is absolutely good. God does love us. No matter how painful our hardships may be, God is planning a wonderful thing for us. God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. I have suffered from severe headache. I did not do anything just like a dry bone in the Ezekiel's valley. It was so painful that I thought I would rather die. However, because of the headache, I stopped running forward blindly just for myself and began looking for the most important in my life. I began to attend the church and listen to the words of God. My grandmother had been against the church. She rejected all invitations to faith in God. However, when she saw her grandson suffering from the disease, she came to the Almighty and began to pray. She attended the early morning prayer meeting everyday until she passed away hoping for the eternal kingdom of God. My headache did not seem good in human viewpoint at the moment. However, God changed it into the good for grandmother and me. God gave us the eternal life. God gave us the best. Now I really thank God for my long suffering. I pray God may fulfill his good purpose through my adversities. I pray we may all find God's purpose in our current condition and keep firm faith to the end now matter how much painful our suffering may be. 3. I forgot and bore fruits twice. For seven years both Joseph and Egypt prospered. But Joseph firmly believed God's word: There would be a famine. To most people, it seemed as if the times of prosperity would go on forever. But by faith, Joseph stored up grain and kept careful records until there was so much grain that it was impossible to keep records. It was like the sand of the sea. During that time, God blessed Joseph with two sons. He named the first one Manasseh, which means "forget." Joseph's brothers tore him away from his father and sold him as a slave in a foreign land. Potiphar threw him into prison as a rapist, even if he was innocent. But Joseph did not have any grudge against all of them. He did not try to revenge himself on them. It was because God used all the things to make the good for him. Joseph just forgave his enemies and just forgot all painful memories over to God. His second son he named Ephraim, which means "twice fruitful." God had not only saved his life from despair, but had made his life very fruitful. He became prime minster of Egypt and did his job successfully. He got married and became father of two sons. He would save all people from famine, including his family in Canaan. Eventually, he would be used as a tool for God's plan to save people from their sin and death. He had nothing to be desired. His life was filled with abundant fruits God poured out on him . Today, we see a dramatic turning around of a man' life. He was in the lowest point as a slave, but he tasted a fruitful happy ending as a prime minister. This might be impossible from a human viewpoint, but God did accomplish it indeed. God changed all troubles into the good for the man who believed in God to the end. Sometimes we fell into such darkness that we can't take even one step. Sometimes life feels like a big ocean that we cannot swim across. However, we don't have to be afraid. We don't have to be worried. It's because Joseph's God is our God. In all of our adversities, God has a good purpose for us. What we have to do is just keep faith in him. God holds us when we stick to him. I pray we may keep faith in God to the end in any circumstances. I pray we may also taste the sweet happy ending after sufferings and troubles. |
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