From The Prison To The Palace Series

No Ordinary Joe: From the Prison to the Palace

Genesis 41

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

11-28-2021

Over Night Success

At 8:00 pm February 9, 1964, a record 73 million people turned in to the Ed Sullivan show to watch four mop top Brits from Liverpool named John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Many of you can remember watching the Beatles for the first time. [Slide]

Although they were was already popular in England, this appearance started Beatlemania in the U.S. Soon after, the Beatles had the top five songs on the Billboard charts and in 1964 alone they had 29 songs hit the top 100, including 6 number ones!

You may think that the Beatles were overnight successes, but you would be wrong.

Between August 1960 and December 1962, the Beatles played over 250 nights in the seedy seaport city of Hamburg, Germany and venues often demanded they play five to eight hours a night. The shows were not glamorous. They played for audience of drunk sailers and bored prostitutes, and afterwards crashed on bunk beds above the clubs. Early on they were even reduced to playing background music at a strip club.

By the time they played the Ed Sullivan show, the Beatles had played thousands of shows and had perfected their sound.

[Slide] Angry Birds, the successful app game, was software maker Rovio’s 52nd attempt in eight years of trying - an effort that almost lead them to bankruptcy.

[Slide] James Dyson created 5,126 prototypes of his vacuum cleaner before one actually worked.

[Slide] Do you know why it’s called WD-40? Water Displacement - 40th Attempt!

After studying Genesis 41, It might be tempting to consider Joseph an overnight success but we will learn today the truth of Steve Jobs famous quote:

[Slide] “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.”

Turned with me to Genesis 41.

Prayer.

Joseph forgotten ?

When we last left Joseph in “As Egypt Turns,” he had interpreted two officials dreams and the cupbearer was released.

But Joseph has a request of the cupbearer.

[Slide] “But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.” (Gen 40:14-15)

Joseph is confident that what he had said will come to pass and when it does, he asked the cup bearer to do four things:

* Remember me

Show me kindness. The Hebrew word is “hesed,” better translated mercy.

mention me to Pharaoh

And get me out of here!

Why? Because he didn’t deserve to be there! He was innocent. Not Shawshank innocent, really innocent. He has done nothing to deserve being sold into slavery and the only reason he’s in prison is because of a lie.

I’m sure the cup bearer hugged Joseph and said that he would absolutely remember him.

“The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.” (Gen 40:23)

How could the cup bearer do this? How could he forget someone who literally predicted his restoration to power?

And think through that conversation with me. “Pharaoh, when I was in prison, which of course I’m not mad at you about O great king, I met a guy who wanted to get out and claimed he was innocent.” ?

Pharaoh cocks his head and says, “Sooooo…you are saying that I, a king and a god, made a mistake and put an innocent man in prison? Is this what you are saying? I just want to make sure.”

He had to wait until the time was right. And we will learn next time that that time was two years in the future!

Let’s look at the first five words of Genesis 41:

“When two full years had passed…”

Can you see Joseph the next few days? He would look out the cell windows longingly. Surely, any minute, they will be coming to set him free.

A day goes by. Then a week. Well, that guy has a lot of catching up to do, he’ll tell Pharaoh about me soon. Then month. Then a year. Then another year.

730 days. Over 17,000 hours. Hours of waiting and wondering. I’m sure there were times when Joseph was tempted to despair. He must have at least once looked toward the sky and said my favorite prayer, “Really? Come on!”

But Joseph’s faith and courage were being strengthened and the covenant -keeping God was working behind the scenes for His glory and Joseph’s ultimate good.

Remember John Piper’s quote:

[Slide]“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life and at any given time you may be aware of three of them.”

We are about to find out why the cupbearer forgot Joseph. It starts with Pharaoh having a dream.