TUESDAY 24 August 2021 “Dreams” (Genesis 39:21-41:16)

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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

When someone says they have experienced God’s Blessing, I wonder what you think? Have you been greatly blessed by God at some memorable point in your life? When was it, how did it happen and how did it affect you?

In our journey through the Bible, we’ve been traveling with Joseph lately. Yesterday we left him in an Egyptian prison where he’d been thrown by his boss (slave owner) Mr. Potiphar. Joseph had been falsely accused by Mrs. Potiphar of what we would today call ‘sexual harassment’. She had been seducing Joseph daily, and he consistently refused her advances and even her overt appeal that he come to bed with her. Finally she became angry and framed him. Her husband flew into a rage when hearing her lies and even though he had trusted Joseph with everything he had, Mr. Potiphar had Joseph imprisoned.

Genesis 39:21 says: “While Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him. God showed Joseph kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” Now that is outrageous isn’t it my friends? We don’t know exactly what this means in practical terms, for I’m sure there were prison guards and prison systems which remained in place, but it seems to me the prison warden had somehow become so impressed with Joseph’s integrity and reliability that he was given freedom, responsibility and authority within the prison!

Three times in Genesis 39 I notice this phrase “The LORD was with Joseph, and the LORD gave him success in whatever he did”. I’m assuming this means Joseph had a strong sense of contentment and confidence that God was fully aware of his situation and was actually working in the circumstances to give Joseph great favor in the eyes of both Mr. Potiphar, his slave master, and the prison warden. If you’ve been a supervisor of employees or a teacher of students or coach of an athletic team or a leader of any group of people, what are some of the behaviors or attitudes you watch for which tells you that a particular person you are leading is rapidly earning your respect and you want to reward them in some way? How about a willingness to learn what you are teaching; or a respect for your leadership; or a teachable spirit; or a high work ethic or a self motivation? I suspect Joseph demonstrated all these and more. Look around your network of relationships my friends. Who are those in which you see these rare attributes?

Chapter 40 of Genesis is the sad reality that you and I live in a world of broken promises. Two of Joseph’s fellow prisoners are named and both have dreams which they tell to Joseph. He says to them humbly: “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” (Gen. 40:8) and after hearing them, Joseph gives both men a clear and accurate interpretation of their dream. One of them, Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer, was going to be recalled out of prison and reinstated to his former position of serving the Pharaoh. The other, Pharaoh’s chief baker, was going to be killed! Both men were shocked by Joseph’s interpretations and Joseph asked the chief cupbearer to remember him, and at an appropriate time do what he could to get Joseph out of prison.

Can’t you see Joseph walking both men out to the prison gate… “now you guys, don’t forget me down here! Remember what I’ve done to help you. I’d be grateful for whatever you can do to help get me out of here. You know I’m innocent…” I have no idea what the communication system was in that prison, but Genesis 40 tells us Joseph evidently heard news that Pharaoh did reinstate his chief cupbearer to his former position but he also had the chief baker killed. But then… silence. Day after day Joseph waited, week after week, month after month. For two whole years Joseph waited. Nothing! Even though the cupbearer was in Pharaoh’s presence every day, perhaps several times a day, evidently he’d forgotten Joseph.

But do you remember Genesis 39 had three times said “The LORD was with Joseph”? So the record says “When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream…” (Gen. 41:1) In fact the Pharaoh had two very disturbing dreams one right after the other and they sent the most powerful man in the world into a tailspin! The dreams were so vivid they frightened him, so Pharaoh searched for help. “In the morning the Pharaoh’s mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.” (Gen. 41:8) I wonder if you see something happening here my friends? Have you found that when you come to the end of your resources and you have nowhere else to turn, THERE is when God can do really great things in your life? We all have a desire to be self-sufficient but God has designed us to be God dependent, did you know that.

Here’s what I mean… God designed your body and mind to need air, fresh air, every few seconds, and not just any type of air, but pure, clean God made air. Try not breathing for the next 2 or 3 minutes and see what happens! God designed us to be God dependent, even if we don’t want to admit it! Oh, and we need water every few hours don’t we. God made our bodies that way. Do you know what dehydration is? But God made us for more than simply needing God supplied air and water, God made us to recognize our need for a relationship with God and that our lives function best when we live in a friendship relationship with God communicating with Him often and following His leading in our lives. Pharaoh didn’t know anything about that, and God was using these dreams to awaken a hunger in this powerful man, for knowing God. How has God done that in your life my friends? How have you responded to a growing desire to know God?

Suddenly the chief cupbearer to the Pharaoh, who evidently was seeing the Pharaoh get more and more agitated when no one could interpret his dreams, spoke up: “Today, I am reminded of my shortcomings…” and the chief cupbearer told the Pharaoh about his time in prison and meeting Joseph there, and how Joseph had accurately interpreted his dream. Do you see this was God who stirred a memory in that man? Do you begin to see something supernatural happening here? The record says: “So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had saved and changed his clothes, he was brought before the Pharaoh.” (Gen. 41:9-14) Look at him, my friends. Strong and handsome, even though he’s been down in the prison dungeon for perhaps 3 years!

But look now, into Joseph’s eyes, a prisoner standing before the most powerful man in the world. What do you see? No anger, no resentment, no bitterness, even when he glances over at the chief cupbearer standing over there, off to the side. Joseph has this look on his face that suggests he is both content and confident that this moment is a God prepared moment and he’s ready for whatever might happen. Look at the Pharaoh walking around Joseph inspecting him. “I’ve had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.” Silence hangs in the air. Joseph stands at attention in honor of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh is standing right in front of him now, looking deeply into his eyes. What should he say? Will God give him an understanding of the dream? “I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to the Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he seeks.” (Gen. 41:16)

Let’s pause right here for today my friends. Look around the room. Magicians, wise men, royal officials of Pharaoh’s court, the chief cupbearer and a prisoner fresh from the dungeon. What has God done to bring together this group of people, in this royal throne room, at this particular moment in history? I wonder if Joseph thought of his family, his brothers, his father Jacob, the dreams he had when he was young? Did Joseph replay in his mind the day his brothers grabbed him and threw him into a pit, and later drew him up and sold him like an animal to a traveling caravan? Did Joseph think of his years with Mr. Potiphar and then Mrs. Potiphar’s seductions and lies about him? What emotions did Joseph wrestle with in this moment? I wonder if Joseph did as Nehemiah did many years later… and prayed as he stood before this powerful man who held his life in his hands?

I urge you to consider my friends, that God is working these types of critical, strategic, holy moments frequently, all around the world in our day…and it may be He’s preparing one for you. Will you be ready? Is your relationship with God in tune enough that you’ll be patient, watching for God to work, and then ready when God brings the strategic moment that He has prepared for you?

Here’s a song to help us contemplate the significance of these moments…

Today’s Scripture is Genesis 39:21-41:16.

Choose below to read or listen.

Genesis 39:21-23

Genesis 40

Genesis 41:1-16

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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