REMEMBER:
JOSEPH BAR-JACOB SOLD INTO SLAVERY: GENESIS 37:
GOD ACCOMPLISHES HIS SOVEREIGN WILL:
WE LEARNED ABOUT JOSEPH’S DREAMS: TO RULE OVER HIS BROTHERS.
WE LEARNED ABOUT JOSEPH’S JOURNEYS: TO BE TAKEN TO EGYPT AND SOLD INTO SLAVERY.
REMEMBER:
JUDAH BAR-JACOB SOLD OUT TO SIN: GENESIS 38:
GOD CAN CREATE SOMETHING GOOD OUT OF INTENTIONAL SIN.
THESE PRECEDING CHAPTERS EXPLAIN THE CRUCIAL REASON FOR GOD’S MAN BEING IN EGYPT.
The MORAL CANCER OF THE PAGAN CANAANITE SOCIETY Is Eating Away At Jacob’s Family.
God Will Remove Israel Temporarily From Canaan.
Soon Joseph Will Rise To Power In Egypt.
Will Be In A Position To Deliver His Own People.
THESE PRECEDING CHAPTERS EXPLAIN THE PURITY OF JOSEPH COMPARED TO THE CORRUPTION OF JUDAH.
JUDAH FACED THE TEMPTATION OF SEXUAL PROMISCUITY AND FAILED.
JOSEPH FACED IT AND FLED IN VICTORY.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IS THE FOCUS OF THIS CHAPTER AS WELL:
GOD IN HIS SOVEREIGNTY:
IS ALWAYS IN ORDER.
IS ALWAYS ON TIME.
IS ALWAYS PRECISELY CARRIED OUT. IT IS EXACTLY AS IT SHOULD BE.
EXACTLY AS IT SHOULD BE:
IT IS THE BEST POSSIBLE SCENARIO FOR GOD TO BE GLORIFIED THE MOST IN THIS WORLD.
GOD IS CARRYING OUT EXACTLY AS IT SHOULD BE FOR HIS MAXIMUM GLORIFICATION.
THIS IS THE PLAN OF THE LORD THROUGH ALL OF THE CHAOS OF THIS WORLD EVEN TODAY.
OUR TEMPTATION IS TO QUESTION WHERE IS GOD IN ALL OF THIS CHAOS.
PSALM 139: WHERE SHALL I GO FROM YOUR SPIRIT AND FROM YOUR PRESENCE.
GOD IS WITH US. GOD IS EXACTLY WHERE HE PROMISES TO BE.
OUR FAITH IS IN CHRIST JESUS. HE IS WITH YOU AND WITHIN YOU BECAUSE OF THE MERITS OF CHRIST.
NOW:
THE DETAILS OF GOD'S PERFECT PLAN.
JOSEPH BAR-JACOB INTERPRETS PHARAOH’S DREAM AND RISES TO POWER.
TWO THINGS OF PROVIDENCE:
THE ADVANCEMENT OF JOSEPH.
THE CARE OF JACOB AND HIS FAMILY IN A TIME OF FAMINE.
KEY TAKEAWAY:
THE LORD DIRECTS THE AFFAIRS OF MEN.
FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE FEW WHOSE HEARTS ARE UPRIGHT WITH HIM.
GOD GIVES HIS PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE THE WORLD AROUND THEM.
OUTLINE:
I. PHAROAH’S DREAMS (41:1–13).
JOSEPH IS REMEMBERED.
II. JOSEPH INTERPRETS AND ADVISES (41:14–45).
JOSEPH IS TESTED.
III. JOSEPH’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS (41:46–57).
JOSEPH IS ELEVATED.
INTRODUCTION:
A. The Life Of Joseph Is A Story To Tell The Journey FROM SLAVERY TO RULER.
For This Was All Made Possible By The Grace Of God.
Only The Sovereign Work Of God Could Take A Slave And Make Him A Ruler In Egypt.
B. The Life Of Joseph Is A Story To Illustrate The Sovereign Work Of God In His Family.
From The Human Side: How Should We View All Circumstances In Life?
Joseph Suffered Great Injustice At The Hands Of His Brothers.
Was Framed By Potiphar's Wife.
Was Forgotten By The Butler.
From The Human Viewpoint: We See How One Could Become Irritated And Frustrated.
From The Divine Side: Were These Events Permitted To Prepare Joseph For The Lord's Work?
From The Divine Viewpoint: We See God In All The Details Accomplishing His Will.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD SEEN THROUGH JOSEPH IN EGYPT: GENESIS 41:1-57.
I. PHAROAH’S DREAMS.
JOSEPH IS REMEMBERED.
Pharaoh Dreams That Seven Fat Cows Appeared Followed By Seven Lean Ones.
Later He Dreams Of Seven Good Ears Of Corn On A Stalk Followed By Seven Poor Ones.
NOTE: The Butler Had Promised To Mention Joseph To Pharaoh But He FORGOT !!
These Were Not Wasted Years.
God Was Training Joseph In Patience So As To Make Him A Good Ruler (Romans. 5:3).
Why Were There Two Dreams?
The Doubling Of The Revelation Was Designed For Special Emphasis.
It Proved The Certainty That God Would Bring This To Pass.
THE MAGICIANS (SORCERERS WHO DEAL WITH EVIL SPIRITS) COULD NOT INTERPRET THE DREAMS.
1. Pharaoh's Magicians Were Unable To Interpret His Dream.
Why? God Brought This Dream And One Who Knew God Had To Interpret It.
Worldly Wisdom And Spiritual Wisdom Are Two Different Things.
Spiritualy Wisdom Requires Godly Grace.
2. Then The Opportunist Butler's Memory Suddenly Returned.
When He Suggested Joseph, The Pharaoh Summoned The Prisoner Immediately.
NOTE. The Butler Was A Link In The Chain Of Circumstances IN GOD'S PLAN.
II. JOSEPH INTERPRETS AND ADVISES.
JOSEPH IS TESTED.
JOSEPH GIVES EXPLANATION TO PHARAOH:
His Dreams Reveal 7 Years Of Plenty And 7 Years Of Famine For Egypt.
God Alone Will Be The Interpreter.
Joseph Gives All The Glory To God For His Interpreting Ability.
Who Brought The Famine? God Did.
In His Sovereignty, God Permitted Much Suffering To Humans.
Yet, This Was All Part Of God's Plan For His Own People.
JOSEPH GIVES ADVICE TO PHARAOH:
Joseph Tells Pharaoh:
He Must Appoint A Wise Leader.
He Must Set Up A Special Staff To Prepare For The Coming Famine.
NOTE: Joseph Does Not Mention Himself For The Job. He Is Totally Unselfish.
JOSEPH GIVES OVERSIGHT TO THE LAND OF EGYPT:
Pharaoh's Selection For The Job Of Preparing For The Famine Is Joseph.
It Is Obvious To Him That God Is With Joseph.
It Is Obvious To Him That Joseph Is The Wisest Man In Egypt.
Pharaoh As The Ruler Of All Egypt Establishes Joseph, Second Only To Himself.
NOTE: Pharaoh Recognized That Joseph Knew God.
Pharaoh Did Not Believe In Joseph's God.
But He Recognized That He Was Real To Joseph.
Joseph Did Not Compromise His Position Before Pharaoh.
God Blessed Him For His Stand.
NOTE: Joseph Began To Rule When He Was 30 Years Old.
God Had Prepared Joseph For 13 Years For This Position.
He Came To Power As A Relatively Young Man.
He Ruled For 80 Years Until His Death At 110 (50:26).
NOTE: God Placed Joseph In This Position.
Pharaoh Seemed Ready To Receive Joseph As A Ruler.
The Hyksos Kings Were On The Throne Of Egypt.
They Were Not Native Egyptians But Were Bedouins From The Arabian Desert.
Pharaoh Was Closer In Nationality To Joseph Than The Egyptians.
This Must Have Given Him Confidence In Joseph.
The Hyksos Kings Were Later Repelled From Egypt. Exodus 1:8.
Now There Arose Up New King Over Egypt Which Did Not Know Joseph.
III. JOSEPH’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
JOSEPH IS ELEVATED.
JOSEPH MARRIES ASENATH:
Pharaoh Fully Naturalized Joseph.
Pharaoh Changed His Name: Zaphnath-Paaneah (Revealer Of Secret Things).
Pharaoh Gave Him Asenath, The Daughter Of The Priest Of On, For A Wife.
Joseph Married An Egyptian.
Apparently Joseph Felt That The Lord Intended This Marriage.
Sensitive To God's Leading He Obviously Took It As God's Will.
Is It Reasonable To Assume Joseph Led His Wife To The Lord?
JOSEPH HAS TWO SONS: MANASSEH AND EPHRAIM:
Manasseh Means FORGETTING.
Could This Be Because God Caused Joseph To Forget.
The Injustice Of His Brothers,
The Mistreatment By Potiphar,
The Years In An Egyptian Jail,
The Lonesomeness For His Family In The Promised Land.
God In Grace Removed Thoughts Of The Past And Put Love In His Heart.
Ephraim Means FRUITFUL.
God Blessed Joseph Mightily And He Was Fruitful In All He Did.
He Could Have Been Bitter, Hard And Critical About Life.
God Blessed Him With A Whole New Life With Great Authority.
God Blessed Joseph BECAUSE JOSEPH Believed God.
He Had Great Power But Did Not Forget His God.
It Did Not Go To His Head.
He Knew How To Trust God In Prosperity As Well As Adversity.
JOSEPH BECOMES THE 2nd MOST POWERFUL MAN OF HIS TIME:
This Famine Was In Egypt And All Over The Middle East.
Every Egyptian Was Dependent Upon Joseph.
The Survival Of Surrounding Countries Were Dependent Upon Joseph.
Joseph Was A Great Man But His Greatness Was Related To His Humility.
Great Authority Needs Divine Grace To Keep Him Humble.
RECAP:
INSURES HIS SERVANTS WILL ARRIVE EXACTLY WHERE HE WANTS THEM TO
WE ARE EXACTLY WHERE GOD WANTS US TO BE FOR THIS MOMENT
INSURES HIS SERVANTS WILL TRANSITION EXACTLY WHEN HE WANTS THEM TO
HE WILL CHANGE THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN HE IS READY TO
INSURES HIS SERVANTS WILL RECEIVE EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS THEM TO
ALL THINGS ARE FOR HIS GLORY AND OUR GOOD TO THOSE THAT BELIEVE IN HIM.
NOTE:
GOD EXALTED FAITHFUL JOSEPH OVER ALL EGYPT BY:
GIVING HIM SUPERNATURAL WISDOM.
GIVING HIM THE ABILITY TO INTERPRET DREAMS.
GIVING HIM THE SKILL IN POLITICS, THE ECONOMY AND STATESMANSHIP.
JOSEPH PREFIGURED MOSES AT THE FOUNDING OF ISRAEL.
DANIEL AT THE END OF ISRAEL’S MONARCHY.
ALL THREE WERE OPPRESSED CAPTIVES.
ALL THREE CAME TO POWER IN A HOSTILE LAND:
BY PITTING GOD’S WISDOM AGAINST THE WISE OF THIS WORLD.
BY DISPLAYING THE SUPERIORITY OF GOD’S WISDOM.
BY REVEALING HIS RULE OVER THE NATIONS.
THEY PREFIGURE JESUS CHRIST, THE INCARNATE WISDOM OF GOD.
WHO WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD TO RULE THE WORLD.
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