The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Romans. Chapter 15 verse 4, “For whatever was
written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” And hope is certainly what we find as we study the life of Joseph in the Old Testament book of Genesis.
So where did we leave off? Remember, as we have been studying and watching Joseph grow from a somewhat prideful teenager to a trusting, servant of God in his late twenties, we talked about your story too, your life that contains sufficient material for a great novel! And Joseph’s life certainly contained sufficient material to be recorded throughout history. When we left off, Joseph had been put in prison because of lies and deceit, not on his part but on the part of the others, specifically Poitphar’s wife. Potiphar (Pharaoh’s captain of the guard) had taken Joseph in after he was sold to slave traders in route to Egypt and ultimately placed him in charge of his entire household. After a series of events, Joseph found himself in prison, yet he once again was placed in authority, this time in charge of the inmates. All of this due to the fact that; “The Lord was with Joseph and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.” Remember, while in prison he interpreted the dreams of the Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker, (the cup-bearer was released into the care of the Pharaoh and the baker was put to death.) And as the cup-bearer left the prison walls, Joseph asked him to remember him in the presence of the Pharaoh. And he did. Only he forgot for a couple of years while Joseph remained behind in his secluded dungeon.
So we find mention in chapter 41 of Genesis where the Pharaoh of Egypt had a series of dreams and needed someone to interpret them. Scripture says that he called the wise men and magicians in the land, everyone who could possibly interpret dreams, yet he found no one. Interesting to note that the term ‘magicians’ translated from the Hebrew text means ‘men versed in sacred writings.’ So in walks Pharaoh’s chief butler, his trusted cup-bearer saying, “I remember my faults this day” and told the Pharaoh of a young Hebrew man, a servant of Potiphar, who was with him in prison and was able to understand dreams. “Oops, sorry, I kind of forgot to mention this earlier,” he said.
Pharaoh called Joseph up at once, and after a bath, a two year shave and a change of clothes, Joseph stood before the ruler of Egypt. Pharaoh asked him about his dreams and Joseph replied that “It is not in me; but God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” Can you imagine Joseph’s response? After years of imprisonment, years of discouragement, this is Joseph’s ticket out. All he has to do is interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and take the credit for himself. He’ll be an instant star. Who is this wise man, the one who Pharaoh found? But instead, in Joseph’s humility and integrity, he gives all the power in his life over to God. “It’s not me Pharaoh; it is God who has chosen to work through ordinary me.” “So I’ll speak for God, and if we listen, we both might learn something.” Why was Joseph so humble? I believe God was working on his heart through his affliction. Joseph knew he could endure whatever God put in his way, that God would make a way, and that included any future conflict he might encounter.
Joseph was not bitter or resentful. He was not out for revenge, even though others had hurt him and treated him badly. Throughout the rest of Joseph’s life from his current age of 30 years old until he died 80 years later, we will never hear one word of resentment on his heart from his lips. Not a word of blame, not a ‘get even’ word, not a word of bitterness or rebuke. Joseph would be in a position to strike back, a great position of authority, life and death stuff, but he never did. So in Genesis chapter 41, here are Pharaoh’s dreams and here is God’s response through ordinary Joseph.
“As Pharaoh stood by the river, suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat and they grazed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, but they were ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows by the river. And the seven ugly and gaunt cows ate the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke but soon fell back asleep. Then he had a second dream where seven heads of grain came up on one stock, plump and good. Then, seven thin heads of grain sprang up after them, thin grain wilting by the wind out of the east. And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads of grain.” So Pharaoh awoke again, this time with a troubled heart. With all of the educational and technological advances within the Egyptian Empire, you’d think they would have at least invented Tylenol PM by then! Pharaoh had no idea what these dreams could possibly mean. And in walks Joseph, the moment he has been awaiting, for two long years now.
Joseph listened as Pharaoh recounted his two dreams and replied; “The two dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. The seven good cows and seven fine heads of grain are seven prosperous years. The seven ugly cows and thin heads of grain represent seven years of famine. Indeed, seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt, but after them, seven years of famine will arise, and all the years of plenty will be forgotten. The severe famine will deplete the land. This dream was repeated twice to Pharaoh because God has established it and will shortly bring it to pass.”
And now watch what Joseph says. “Now, therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint officers over the land to collect one fifth (20%) of the produce throughout all of the land each year during the seven plentiful years. That food shall be a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine that will follow. Because of this reserve, the people of the land will not perish.”
Can this be true? Joseph recommended that Pharaoh find the wisest, most discerning man in all of the land to rule over Egypt, reporting directly to Pharaoh himself. I find this incredibly humbling again. If I were Joseph, after being falsely accused and thrown in prison for over two years, I would have said, “I’m your man!” “Think about it Pharaoh, you’ve already summoned the wisest men from all over the land of Egypt and none of them rose to the occasion. But I did. Therefore, I am the greatest of all; you’d be crazy not to choose me!” But Joseph didn’t say that. He said “let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man to guide Egypt over the next fourteen years plus.” And I’m sure he volunteered to help Pharaoh find the very best person. And now listen to what Pharaoh does next.
“The advice given by Joseph was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all of his servants and Pharaoh asked, ‘Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” So Pharaoh set Joseph over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh gave Joseph an Egyptian name, ‘Zaphenath-paneah’ and a wife named ‘Asenath.’ Later she would bear Joseph’s two sons named Manasseh and Ephraim. (Recognize those two names from the future twelve tribes of Israel?) There is a line in the theatrical production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat” that I have always liked. Pharaoh says to Joseph. “I was wise to have selected you, and you were wise to agree.” Win/Win! I believe that’s how God works. God answers one prayer by answering another. Now think about answered prayer in your own life. Think of the times where God answered your prayer, by also answering another. I know I have told you this story, but it bears repeating again. There have been many powerful answered prayer examples throughout my life including the start of this very church, but this particular example occurred when I was in my early twenties. I love this story and every detail is true!
I was praying, while two other adults, a brother and his family in Santa Barbara and his sister and her family in Hawaii, were praying as well. You see, we were praying for exactly the same thing ……. only different. Bottom line, I needed a place to live. A friend of mine suggested we pray together, and literally write down the specifics regarding our prayer request. First the where? We were both working in the city of Glendale California, so we’d need to be in the downtown area close by our work. Second, the what? A house would certainly be nicer than a small apartment, so we wrote that down. It would need to have two bedrooms, and be completely furnished, because we had no furniture to speak of, and it would be nice if it had a fireplace in the living room. It would also be great if it had a nice backyard with fruit trees and lots of grassy areas. Third the when? The sooner the better. And then of course the how? We made a note that a first and last month or any kind of security deposit couldn’t be required. Oh, and did I mention that we really didn’t have any money to speak of, so this furnished house with all the amenities would need to be rent free. Not too much to ask, really? Not for God. The second day following this specific prayer I was asked to see the Pastor of our church. I had just begun serving as youth minister of the church, and was just getting to know the church family members. Entering his office my pastor asked if I knew of anyone who could perhaps be helpful in a situation he had just been made aware of. Did I know of someone in need of a place to live? He proceeded to explain. A long-time member of the church had recently passed away. She lived by herself in a beautiful little two bedroom house in downtown Glendale. It was nicely furnished, fruit trees in the backyard, and it even had a fireplace in the living room! In speaking with her son and daughter who both lived far away, my pastor told me they were praying that God would direct them to someone trustworthy who could live in their Mother’s house and watch over it for a year or so while they put things in order. Someone to water the plants, stay in the house and keep it secure. And in turn, they would certainly not charge any rent in exchange for the services.
He asked if I knew of anyone who perhaps needed a place to live. After quietly thanking God for this miracle answer, I informed my pastor of our prayer request. One answered prayer answered by another answered prayer. Win/Win! Search Scripture and you will find countless examples of God answering one prayer by answering another. Certainly true in Joseph’s life, true in the life of Abraham, Elijah, Peter, the apostle Paul and of course throughout the life of Jesus Christ.
Remember the scripture verse from chapter 39, “The Lord was with Joseph and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.” God works in win/win situations. After all, He created us all, He can certainly work out situations to His Glory. What about prayer in your life?
Joseph rose from the pit of the dungeon to second in command, not because of what he did but because of who He knew. We all know that it’s always good to know someone in high places, right? How much higher can you get than God? Joseph trusted that God would use his circumstances for ultimate good. We see it in Joseph’s life now and we will see that God will use him for His ultimate good in the future. Yes, Joseph thrived in his lifetime and was instrumental in reuniting his family. Yet, God’s plan for Joseph’s life wasn’t fulfilled until hundreds of years later, really. We read in the beginning of Exodus that after Joseph died, there were only 75 faithful descendents of Jacob (Joseph’s father) living in Egypt and God would use them in a powerful way. Moses is born, the 75 grew to over 2 million and years later the 12 tribes and God’s chosen nation of Israel was established. And you can trace it all back to Jacob, his sons and truly the ultimate faithfulness of Joseph. Not the bitterness and resentment of Joseph. Not the revengeful and hateful Joseph. But the faithfulness, through both good and the bad, the successes and failures, all of the circumstances and events throughout his life. “The Lord was with Joseph and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.”
God still uses people in incredible ways. He changes lives when we least expect it. He uses people and situations for His good. Think about where you are in your lives today. The people who have helped to mold you, and to shape you. The good and the not so good. The life changing situations you may encounter and have already experienced - God uses them all and will continue to do so if we just trust in Him. God always makes a way when there seems to be no way.
