Failing to deal with our past only traps us in the past and keeps us from our future...

We have been looking at an event from history that is recorded for us in a section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of Genesis. We looked on as Jacob’s sons, desperately needing food, approached Joseph and bowed to the ground as a customary sign of respect for his position as Prime Minister. However, while Joseph’s brothers failed to recognize Joseph, Joseph clearly recognized his brothers. Twenty years after being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph was now face to face with his brothers. And just like the dream that Joseph had when he was with his brothers; Joseph’s brothers were now bowing before him.

Joseph responded to the appearance of his brothers by harshly accusing them of being enemy spies who were on a reconnaissance mission to discover the exposed and unprotected areas of the nation in preparation for a future attack. Joseph’s brothers, recognizing that they were in serious trouble, and unaware of who they are talking to, deny the allegations by claiming that they were honest men.

However, instead of revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph turns up the heat by repeating the allegation. You see, by turning up the heat, Joseph was hoping to get more information about his father and the rest of the family. Joseph’s tactics worked, as his brothers defended themselves by pointing to their father and their youngest brother who were back in the Land of Canaan waiting for the famine relief that they had come to seek. What the brothers did not know, however, was that they were speaking to the brother that they had assumed had died long ago after being sold into slavery.

And now, some twenty years later, Joseph’s brothers believed that they were experiencing this principle play out in their lives. Joseph, upon hearing the conversation, was overcome with emotion. The brothers did not realize that they had just admitted to their brother the wrong that they had committed against him. After composing himself, Joseph begins to give the test in the second half of verse 24:

 But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them. So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there. As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. Then he said to his brothers, "My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack." And their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"

Moses tells us that Joseph chose Simeon and placed him into custody. The test was whether or not the brothers would bring back Benjamin, who was the second son of Jacob’s wife Rachel, for the life of Simeon, who was the second son of Jacob’s wife Leah. Joseph then ordered his servants to provide the brothers the food that they had come for, along with supplies for their trip home. And, to make the test all the more interesting, Joseph secretly placed the money that they had brought with them to buy the food in the sacks with the food.

 As they stopped for the evening on their way home, one of the brothers opened his sack of food to feed the donkeys, only to find the money in his sack. Upon telling his brothers that he had found his money in his sack, Moses reveals for us that the brother’s hearts sank. Now this phrase literally means that their hearts stopped beating. Their hearts skipped a beat in fear as they trembled and asked a powerful question "What is this that God has done to us?"

You see, the brothers were overcome by the feeling that their past had caught up with them. The brothers were overcome by their past selfishness and rebellion that was now trapping them. The brothers were overcome with the reality that they were deserving of judgment by God for what they had done to their brother. The rest of the brothers did not dare to look in their sacks for fear that they too would find the money that they had brought with them to buy the food in the sacks with the food. Moses then records for us what happened next in verse 29:

 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, "The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country. "But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies. 'We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.'  "The man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go. 'But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.'" Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed.

Moses explains that upon arriving back at their fathers in the Land of Canaan, the brothers recounted the story of what had happened in Egypt. The brothers recounted the accusation of the Prime Minister and the conditions of the test that he had given them. The brothers recounted how one of the brothers had opened his sack on the way home only to find the money that they had brought with them to buy the food in the sack with the food.

Then as the brothers unpacked the food that they had brought back from Egypt, their worst fears were realized, as every sack contained the money that they had brought to buy the food. When they saw all the money with all the food, they were dismayed. This word is a word picture of being shot with arrows of fear. Fear was now piercing the hearts of every family member. And it is here that we see Jacob respond to the story he had heard in verse 36:

 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me." Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my care, and I will return him to you." But Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow."

Jacob’s response, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “You are making me childless. First, Joseph went for you and did not come back. Now, Simeon went with you and did not come back. And now you want me to let you take Benjamin with you? You kids are against me. This is your fault.  And I will not even consider Rueben’s offer to use two of his children as collateral for Benjamin. Benjamin is staying with me, because if a tragic accident happened to him that killed him, I would die from overwhelming sorrow.” You see, Jacob could not even consider the future of his son Simeon by allowing Benjamin to travel to Egypt because he had failed to deal with the past loss of his son Joseph.

And it is here that we see God reveal for us a timeless truth that has the potential to powerfully impact our relationship with God and others. And that timeless truth is this: Failing to deal with our past only traps us in the past and keeps us from our future. Just as it was for Jacob and his family, just as it has been throughout history, failing to deal with our past only traps us in the past and keeps us from our future.

Throughout this story, we see how our ability to deal with the past impacts our ability to move forward in the future. Of all of the members of Jacob’s family, Joseph was the one who you would think would be most trapped by his past in a way that kept him from his future. After all, it was Joseph who had been sold as a slave by his brothers. It was Joseph who had been wrongly accused by Potiphar’s wife. It was Joseph who had been a forgotten man in prison after the person who invested in him failed to return that investment.

However, throughout his life, Joseph dealt with the past, by leaning into doing the right thing and trusting God with the results of his obedience. Joseph allowed God to use his past to prepare him for the future as he trusted God with his past hurt, pain, and disappointment.

Joseph’s brothers, on the other hand,  never dealt with their past. Joseph’s brothers never came clean to God or to their father about what they had done to their brother. Instead, Joseph’s brothers covered up their past with twenty years of deceit and deception. And after twenty years, Joseph’s brothers now found themselves trapped by their past in a position that threatened their future.

Jacob never dealt with his past hurt, pain, loss and disappointment over his son Joseph. Instead of dealing with the past, he covered up the past by replacing Joseph with Benjamin.  And after twenty years, Jacob now found himself trapped by his past in a position that threatened his future.

So here is the question to consider: Have you dealt with your past? Have you dealt with your past selfishness and rebellion by confronting it, confessing it, and repenting from it so that you can move forward to the future? Or is past selfishness and rebellion that you have not dealt with now trapping you in the past and keeping you from your future?

Have you dealt with your past hurt, pain, loss, and disappointments by giving up your right to be right and trusting God as the just judge who is full of grace and truth? Or are past hurt, pain, loss, and disappointments that you have not dealt with now trapping you in the past and keeping you from your future?

Being Put To The Test...

This week, we are looking at an event from history that is recorded for us in a section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of Genesis. Yesterday, we looked on as Jacob’s sons, desperately needing food, approached Joseph and bowed to the ground as a customary sign of respect for his position as Prime Minister. However, while Joseph’s brothers failed to recognize Joseph, Joseph clearly recognized his brothers. Twenty years after being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph was now face to face with his brothers. And just like the dream that Joseph had when he was with his brothers; Joseph’s brothers were now bowing before him.

Joseph responded to the appearance of his brothers by harshly accusing them of being enemy spies who were on a reconnaissance mission to discover the exposed and unprotected areas of the nation in preparation for a future attack. Joseph’s brothers, recognizing that they were in serious trouble, and unaware of who they are talking to, deny the allegations by claiming that they were honest men.

However, instead of revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph turns up the heat by repeating the allegation. You see, by turning up the heat, Joseph was hoping to get more information about his father and the rest of the family. Joseph’s tactics worked, as his brothers defended themselves by pointing to their father and their youngest brother who were back in the Land of Canaan waiting for the famine relief that they had come to seek. What the brothers did not know, however, was that they were speaking to the brother that they had assumed had died long ago after being sold into slavery. Today, we see Joseph’s response to their denial and explanation in Genesis 42:14:

 Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you, you are spies; by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here! "Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies." So he put them all together in prison for three days.

Joseph explains to his unknowing brothers that he was going to put them to the test to determine if they were really honest and upright men. The test that would prove their honesty and integrity would be for one of the brothers to return to their father Jacob and bring back with them their youngest brother Benjamin, while the other brothers remained in Egypt as prisoners.

You see, from Joseph’s perspective, if they had sold him as a slave because he was the favorite son of his favorite wife Rachel, then what have they done to his younger brother Benjamin? Joseph wanted proof that Benjamin was really alive. But that was not the real point of this test, as Moses reveals for us in verse 18:

 Now Joseph said to them on the third day, "Do this and live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified, and you will not die." And they did so.

After giving his brothers a small taste of the confinement that he had experienced for years, Joseph calls his brothers into his presence and explains that the terms of the test had changed. By saying "Do this and live, for I fear God” Joseph is saying “As a way of demonstrating that you can trust that my word is true and that I am reliable, I am going to change the terms of the test”.

Joseph then explains that instead of sending one to their father while leaving the other nine behind in custody, he was willing to send nine to their father while leaving only one in custody. In addition, Joseph would provide them food to take back with them to their family. So Joseph’s brothers received the food that they had come for and were able to return back home, minus one brother. If they brought their younger brother back with them, they would prove that they were honest and upright men. If they did not return with their youngest brother, the one brother that remained in custody would be executed.

Now a natural question that arises here is “why would Joseph change the conditions of the test?” First, Joseph changed the conditions of the test in order to make sure enough grain would be able to be carried back to Jacob and the family. Second, by changing the test, Jacob would not be excessively stressed about the possibility of losing nine sons instead of one son. And third, by changing the conditions of the test, there would be nine voices that would be persuading Jacob to allow Benjamin to make the trip to Egypt instead of just one voice.

You see, the test is not simply whether or not they would bring Benjamin back. The real test is whether or not they would leave a brother behind. Would the brothers abandon another brother as they once abandoned Joseph over twenty years earlier? Were the brothers still angry, jealous, and deceptive? Or had the brothers changed to be honest and upright men? That was the test. After revealing the test, Moses then reveals the brothers response to the test in verse 21:

 Then they said to one another, "Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us." Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy'; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood." They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them. He turned away from them and wept.

The brothers basically say to one another “Truly we are now bearing the consequences of what we did to our brother when we ignored his agony and his cries for grace and pity. Now we are experiencing the agony that he had experienced”. Rueben, however, steps back to defend himself. Rueben basically says “hey don’t lump me in with the rest of you guys. This is not my fault. I told you not to sin against him, but, no, you would not listen to me. And now his blood is seeking us out”.

You see, Joseph’s brothers believed that they were experiencing what the Bible teaches in Galatians 6:7 that we reap what we sow. And the brothers were now learning that hard way that when it comes to this principle, we reap later and we reap greater. We experience the consequences of our sin later in life and we experience the consequences greater in life. And now, some twenty years later, Joseph’s brothers believed that they were experiencing this principle play out in their lives. Joseph, upon hearing the conversation, was overcome with emotion. The brothers did not realize that they had just admitted to their brother the wrong that they had committed against him.

Friday, we will discover a timeless truth as we see Joseph begin to give the test…

An Unexpected Encounter...

This fall at the church where I serve, we have been spending our time together looking at a section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Genesis. Last week, we ended our time together with Joseph, who was the man with the plan as Pharaoh’s right hand man, opening the storehouses of grain to sell to the people of the world as the severe famine began to weigh heavily on the world. Joseph’s planning and preparation resulted in people from all over the Middle East coming with money to buy the food that was only found in Egypt, which made Egypt the wealthiest nation and the unquestioned power in the world.

And it is in this context that we find Jacob and his family impacted by the famine. So let’s we jump back into this section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of Genesis, beginning in Genesis 42:1:

Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, "Why are you staring at one another?" He said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die." Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "I am afraid that harm may befall him." So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.

Moses brings us back into the story of Joseph by explaining that as Jacob and his family suffered under the severe drought and famine that had spread across the region, Jacob came to understand that there was grain in Egypt. Word had gotten to Jacob that there was food to be found and that was for sale in Egypt. Jacob, upon learning that there was food for his suffering family, responding by asking his adult sons a question: “Why are you staring at one another?" In other words, Jacob is saying “Why are you standing around here doing nothing?”

Jacob then commands his sons to head down to Egypt to purchase some food before the family suffered starvation as a result of the drought and famine. Moses explains that while ten of Jacob’s sons went to Egypt, Jacob kept Benjamin behind. Jacob explained to the rest of his sons that the reason he was keeping Benjamin behind was because he was afraid that harm may befall him. Now this reason, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: Benjamin is staying behind with me because I am afraid that a tragic accident could happen to him that would kill him”.

Now a natural question that arises here is “why would Jacob keep Benjamin behind? I mean isn’t Jacob concerned for the safety of the rest of his sons? What makes Benjamin so special that Jacob would want to protect him so?” The reason that Jacob did not send Benjamin was due to the fact that Benjamin had taken Joseph’s place as Jacob’s favorite. Benjamin was the only son left from Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel, which made him Jacob’s favorite.

Moses tells us that the ten sons responded to father’s command by heading down to the land of Egypt to buy food for the family. However, upon arriving in Egypt, as Jacob’s sons stood in line to obtain food to make it through the famine, something happened that they did not expect, which we see in verse 6:

Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, "Where have you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food." But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him. Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, "You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land." Then they said to him, "No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. "We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies." Yet he said to them, "No, but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land!" But they said, "Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive."

Now, as we discovered last week, Joseph, as Prime Minister of Egypt, was second in command of the nation and was responsible for overseeing the famine relief supply program. Moses tells us that Jacob’s sons, desperately needing food, approached Joseph and bowed to the ground as a customary sign of respect for his position as Prime Minister.

However, while Joseph’s brothers failed to recognize Joseph, Joseph clearly recognized his brothers. Twenty years after being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph was now face to face with his brothers. And just like the dream that Joseph had when he was with his brothers; Joseph’s brothers were now bowing before him.

Now a natural question that arises here is “well how come Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him. As we discovered last week, Joseph had been given a new name. In addition, because the Egyptians prided themselves in being a clean shaven people, Joseph had lost the beard and was dressed in Egyptian clothing. Joseph’s brother’s however, still appeared with their beards and their Hebrew clothing.

Now imagine yourself as Joseph. You are now face to face with your brothers, who twenty years earlier had sold you into slavery. What thoughts would be running through your mind? What emotions would you be feeling? How would you respond?

Joseph responded to the appearance of his brothers by harshly accusing them of being enemy spies who were on a reconnaissance mission to discover the exposed and unprotected areas of the nation in preparation for a future attack. Joseph’s brothers, recognizing that they were in serious trouble, and unaware of who they are talking to, deny the allegations by claiming that they were honest men. This little phrase literally means to be morally upright and honest.

Now can you imagine what was running through Joseph’s mind at this point? “Really, you guys are morally upright and honest men? So you were being morally upright and honest when you sold me as a slave?” However, instead of revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph turns up the heat by repeating the allegation. You see, by turning up the heat, Joseph was hoping to get more information about his father and the rest of the family.

Joseph’s tactics worked, as his brothers defended themselves by pointing to their father and their youngest brother who were back in the Land of Canaan waiting for the famine relief that they had come to seek. What the brothers did not know, however, was that they were speaking to the brother that they had assumed had died long ago after being sold into slavery.

Tomorrow, we will see how Joseph responded to his brother’s denial and explanation…

God uses our past experiences as preparation for His future plans...

This week, we are looking at a story from the life of Joseph from a section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of Genesis. Yesterday, we saw the Lord use Joseph to reveal what the future held for Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt. Joseph explained to Pharaoh that after seven years of amazing prosperity, there would be seven years of famine that will be so severe that everyone would forget how great the previous seven years were. However, instead of stopping there, Joseph is not done talking, as Moses reveals for us beginning in Genesis 41:33:

  "Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. "Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. "Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh's authority, and let them guard it. "Let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish during the famine."

After explaining Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph decides to give Pharaoh some advice. Joseph’s advice, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Pharaoh, I recommend that you look for an intelligent man who has demonstrated the skills in his life to produce positive results and I would put him in charge of collecting 20% of all the food that is produced during the next seven years. This man would also be responsible to make sure that this food is properly stored and protected from those who would want to steal the food when the drought and famine comes. By following my recommendation, the nation will not be ruined by the famine, but instead would end up prospering in the midst of the famine”.

Can you imagine the guts that Joseph would have had to have to make such a recommendation to Pharaoh, the most powerful man on the planet? I mean Joseph is a foreigner who is in prison for attempting to rape the head of the secret services wife. He has no position or power, he has no influence. What would make him think that Pharaoh would take his advice? We see how Pharaoh responded to Joseph’s recommendation in verse 37:

 Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants. Then Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?" So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. "You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you." Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, "Bow the knee!" And he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh responded to Joseph’s recommendation by basically saying “You know what Joseph, that sounds like a good idea and I think you are just the right man for the job. I mean where else are we going to find a man like you who has the Spirit of God with him like you do? Since God is obviously with you and has declared what is going to happen to you and what we should do, then you are the man for the job.”

You see, the Lord’s activity was evident in Joseph’s life. Once again, Joseph was the vehicle that God was using to reveal himself to others. And Joseph made sure to point people to God’s activity instead of taking credit for God’s activity in his life.

And as a result of the evidence of the Lord’s activity in his life, Pharaoh promoted Joseph to the position of Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph was second in command in the nation. Joseph was given Pharaoh’s signet ring, which gave him financial authority over the nation. Joseph was given the second chariot, which was the equivalent of Air Force Two. And everyone was to pay attention and make way for Joseph; no one could do anything in the nation without Joseph’s permission.

You see, Joseph was given the position of Prime Minister because Joseph had demonstrated that he was prepared for the position. And now, just as Joseph had been put in charge of Potiphar’s house and was the head of the secret services right hand man; just as Joseph had been put in charge of the prison and had become the warden’s right hand man; Joseph was now placed in charge of the nation of Egypt and was Pharaoh’s right hand man. And to make sure that Joseph would be respected by the nation of Egypt, Joseph was given a new name and an Egyptian wife so that he would be accepted as being an insider who was part of Egyptian culture. Moses then reveals for us how Joseph responded to his new position in versed 46:

 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth abundantly. So he gathered all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. Thus Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure.

After spending thirteen years in slavery; after spending thirteen years on a rollercoaster of circumstances that went up and down; after recognizing that doing the right thing in God’s sight does not always result in the right result in the sight of others; after recognizing that our investment in others does not always result in a return on our investment, Joseph was now in a position to powerfully impact the lives of a nation.

Joseph, as he had repeatedly demonstrated during his thirteen years in Egypt was successful and prosperous as a result of his integrity and trustworthiness. But not only was Joseph prospering in his role as Prime Minister of Egypt; Joseph was also prospering as a husband and father, as we see in verse 50:

 Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." He named the second Ephraim, "For," he said, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."

Moses tells us that Joseph’s marriage to Potiphera resulted in the birth of two sons. And here we see Joseph respond to Lord’s presence and activity in his life throughout the past thirteen years by honoring Him in the naming of his sons. Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh, which means one who causes to forget. Joseph then had a second son, whom he named Ephraim, which means fruitful. Instead of focusing on his past circumstances, Joseph’s focus is on the God who preserved and provided for him in the midst of those circumstances. Moses then concludes this section of the book of Genesis by giving us a glimpse into the beginning of a devastating drought and famine in verse 53:

 When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do." When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

Moses reveals for us the reality that after seven years of amazing prosperity, the drought and subsequent famine arrived, just as Joseph had declared it would. However, this famine was not simply in Egypt; this famine impacted the entire Middle East. Yet, while the nations around Egypt suffered, the nation of Egypt still had food. Eventually the effects of the famine began to impact the nation of Egypt as well.

However, as the nation came to Pharaoh to seek food, Pharaoh simply directed them to his right hand man Joseph, who was the man with the plan. And just as Joseph had planned, as the severe famine began to weigh heavily on the world, Joseph opened the storehouses of grain to sell to the people. Joseph’s planning and preparation resulted in the nations coming with money to buy the food that was only found in Egypt, which made Egypt the wealthiest nation and the unquestioned power in the world.

And it is here that we see God reveal for us a timeless truth that can powerfully impact our perspective and our relationship with God. And that timeless truth is this: God uses our past experiences as preparation for His future plans. Just as it was with Joseph, just as it has been for humanity throughout history, God uses our past experiences as preparation for His future plans.

You see, Joseph’s thirteen years of slavery were experiences that God used in preparation for His future plans with Joseph. God used Joseph’s experiences as Potiphar’s personal assistant to develop the character and convictions that were necessary to be used by God as Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph’s experiences helped him to do the right thing, even when it wasn’t the easy or popular thing to do. Joseph’s experiences helped him learn that doing the right thing in God’s sight does not always result in the right result in the sight of others.

God used Joseph’s experiences as the prison warden’s chief trustee to develop the integrity and the proper motives that were necessary to be used by God as Prime Minister of Egypt. Joseph’s experiences helped him to learn that our investment in others does not always result in a return on our investment.

And in the same way today, our past experiences are powerful tools that God uses to shape within us the right character, the right convictions, and the right motives that prepare us for the future plans that He has for us.

So here is a question to consider: How does God want to use your past experiences for His future plans? How do your past experiences, both good and bad, prepare you for what God wants to do in you and through you for the future?

From Prison To Pharaoh's Presence...

This week, we are looking at a story from the life of Joseph that is recorded for us in a section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Genesis. Tuesday, we looked on as Pharaoh, after losing a night of sleep as a result of two nightmares that he did not understand and that left him disturbed, called for all the magicians and wise men of the nation. The magicians were religious priests who specialized in the interpretation and explanation of dreams. As we discovered last week, in the culture of the day, dreams were viewed as a gift from the gods that unlocked what the future held for men. 

However, neither the religious leaders nor thinkers of the day could explain what these dreams meant to Pharaoh. So Pharaoh was left disturbed and angry as a result of a lack of explanation of what these nightmares meant for Pharaoh and his future. And it is in this context, as Joseph languishes in prison as a seemingly forgotten man, that we see the man who had returned to his position but had forgotten about the person who helped him return to his position, suddenly remember a favor that had been asked of him some two years earlier in Genesis 41:9: 

 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, "I would make mention today of my own offenses. "Pharaoh was furious with his servants, and he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker. "We had a dream on the same night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. "Now a Hebrew youth was with us there, a servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we related them to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his own dream. "And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my office, but he hanged him."

In other words, the cupbearer says to the most powerful person on the planet at this time in history “Uh Pharaoh, remember when I violated your trust and allegiance and you placed me and the baker in the maximum security prison. Well, while I was in prison there was this Jewish guy that was the servant of the head of the secret service who had been accused of trying to rape the head of the secret services wife. Well, when we were in jail we had these dreams and he was able to explain them to us and the thing is that he was right. He explained that you would forgive me and give me my job back and you did. And he explained that you were going to pass judgment and impale the baker and you did. So maybe he could help?” We see Pharaoh’s response to what he heard in verse 14:

  Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer."

Pharaoh responded to the information by sending his officials to run and get Joseph from prison in order to bring him into his presence. However, because the Egyptians prided themselves in being a clean shaven people, Joseph needed to lose the beard, take a shower, and get on some clean clothes in order to appear before Pharaoh. After a shower and a shave, Joseph is brought before Pharaoh, who gets straight to the point. Pharaoh basically says to Joseph “I had a nightmare that no one can explain to me, but I have heard about you. The word is that you can explain dreams, so can you?”

Now, at this point Joseph has an opportunity to shine. Joseph has an opportunity to get back at the cupbearer who had forgotten about him. Joseph has an opportunity to plead his innocence before the man who could set him free.

But that is not what Joseph does. Joseph does not say “that’s right, I can interpret dreams.” Instead Joseph says the exact opposite. Joseph explains “it’s not me who explains the dreams, it’s God who is the One who works through me to explain the dreams. And I am confident that God will answer Pharaoh completely in a way that will result in peace and prosperity for you”.

You see, instead of absorbing the glory that Pharaoh wanted to give him, Joseph deflected that glory to God. Instead of focusing on his circumstances, Joseph here is focusing on the Lord’s presence and activity in the midst of those circumstances. After hearing Joseph’s positive answer, Moses records for us Pharaoh’s response in verse 17:

  So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile; and behold, seven cows, fat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass. "Lo, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such as I had never seen for ugliness in all the land of Egypt; and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. "Yet when they had devoured them, it could not be detected that they had devoured them, for they were just as ugly as before. Then I awoke. "I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk; and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them; and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."

As Pharaoh shared his dreams with Joseph, we are given some additional details of the dreams and a glimpse into the fear that these dreams brought to Pharaoh. You see, Pharaoh had never seen Arizona cows before. After all, Egypt was the bread basket of the Middle East, so cows were always healthy looking. And these Arizona looking cows scared Pharaoh. After all, they ate the healthy cows and still looked like they were starving to death. And Pharaoh had never seen sickly corn that had been dehydrated by a scorching desert wind.

And, if none of his religious leaders or thinkers could declare what these dreams meant to him; and if he as Pharaoh, who was viewed as a god, could not explain or understand what these dreams meant, what did that mean for the nation of Egypt and for himself as their leader? How could Pharaoh lead his people if he could not understand this dream? You see Pharaoh was afraid and uncertain. However, while Pharaoh was uncertain, Joseph was certain, as we see in verse 25:

Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. "The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one and the same. "The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine. "It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. "Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; and after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ravage the land. "So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe. "Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.

Here we see the Lord use Joseph to reveal what the future held for Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt. Joseph explains to Pharaoh that after seven years of amazing prosperity, there will be seven years of famine that will be so severe that everyone would forget how great the previous seven years were. In addition, Joseph reveals to Pharaoh that the reason for the two dreams was so that Pharaoh would clearly understand that these events were certain to occur and would be occurring soon. Nothing was going to prevent what God was about to do.

However, instead of stopping there, Joseph is not done talking. Tomorrow we will see what Joseph has to say to the most powerful person on the planet…

A Troubling Nightmare That Jars A Memory...

During this fall at the church where I serve, we have been spending our time together looking at a section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Genesis. Last week, we looked as Joseph invested in the Pharaoh’s cupbearer by serving and attending to his needs while in prison and explaining a dream that left the cupbearer in a wretched and disturbed state, only to be forgotten. We discovered the timeless truth that our investment in others does not always result in a return on our investment.

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together by picking up where we left off last week. As we jump back into this section of the very first letter that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of Genesis, we are going to discover another timeless truth that can powerfully impact our perspective and our relationship with God. So let’s discover this timeless truth together, beginning in Genesis 41:1:

Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he  was standing by the Nile. And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.

Moses brings us back into this section of the book of Genesis by explaining that two years after Joseph had invested into the life of the Pharaoh’s cupbearer by serving and attending to his needs while in prison and explaining a dream, Joseph remained a forgotten man in prison. Instead of returning the favor that Joseph had done for him, the cupbearer returned to his position and forgot about the person who helped him return to his position. And after a period of two years, as Joseph languished in prison as a seemingly forgotten man, Moses tells us that Pharaoh had a dream that woke him from a sound night’s sleep.

Now to fully understand this dream and its impact on Pharaoh, I want us to take a minute to imagine what this dream really looked like. So I want you to imagine seven large and fat cows that look like the cows on the Chick-Fil-A commercials grazing on grass next to a river. Now picture seven Arizona cows, you know cows that are just skin and bones like we have around here. And in your dream these seven Arizona skin and bones cows become carnivorous and kill and eat the fat Chick-Fil-A cows.

Now can you picture that in your mind? That’s not a dream, that’s a nightmare. After being awakened by this nightmare, Moses records what happens next in verse 5:

He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

After fighting off the effects of the first nightmare and falling back to sleep, Pharaoh is awakened by a second nightmare. To picture what Pharaoh experienced in his dream, think of it this way. Imagine seven juicy ears of corn that would be dripping with butter being gulped down by seven ears of corn that had been left outside on your driveway on a windy summer day in the middle of July here in Bullhead City Arizona. Again, can you picture that in your mind? The dream again disturbed Pharaoh out of a restful night sleep. Moses then reveals how the effects of these nightmares lingered in Pharaoh’s mind in verse 8:

Now in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

Now when Moses says that Pharaoh’s spirit was troubled, he is revealing for us the reality that these nightmares left Pharaoh unsettled and disturbed. And after losing a night of sleep as a result of these nightmares that he did not understand and that left him disturbed, Pharaoh called for all the magicians and wise men of the nation. The magicians were religious priests who specialized in the interpretation and explanation of dreams.

As we discovered last week, in the culture of the day, dreams were viewed as a gift from the gods that unlocked what the future held for men.  However, neither the religious leaders nor thinkers of the day could explain what these dreams meant to Pharaoh. So Pharaoh was left disturbed and angry as a result of a lack of explanation of what these nightmares meant for Pharaoh and his future.

And it is in this context, as Joseph languishes in prison as a seemingly forgotten man, that we see the man who had returned to his position but had forgotten about the person who helped him return to his position, suddenly remember a favor that had been asked of him some two years earlier.

Tomorrow, we will see what happens next…

Our investment in others does not always result in a return on our investment...

This week, we have been looking at a section of the very first letter in the Bible called the book of Genesis. Wednesday, we looked on as Joseph, who was the Chief Trustee in prison after being falsely accused of attempting to rape the head of the secret service of the nation of Egypt, was charged with overseeing the chief cupbearer and baker of the nation of Egypt.  As Joseph went to serve and attend to the needs of the cupbearer and baker one morning, he noticed that they were in a wretched and disturbed state as a result of a dream that no one could explain. These men felt like the answer to what their futures held was right before them, but just out of their grasp.

However, because Joseph knew that the Lord was present and active in his life, he felt comfortable and confident to ask to hear the dreams, because he trusted that the Lord would provide him the ability to explain these dreams. The cupbearer, feeling like he had nothing to lose, shares his dream to Joseph. And without hesitation, Joseph responded by explaining the dream in incredible detail.

As the baker heard Joseph provide the cupbearer a positive explanation of his dream, he also decided to share his dream with Joseph. The baker was hoping that he would receive a similar response. However, the chief baker received a very negative explanation. Today, we see Moses reveal whether or not Joseph was right in verse 20:

 Thus it came about on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh's hand; but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Three days after Joseph explained the cupbearer and baker’s dreams, Moses tells us that Pharaoh celebrated his birthday by throwing a huge birthday party and feast for all of the government officials. And during the birthday celebration, Pharaoh decided to summon the cupbearer and baker into his presence, just as Joseph had said. And just as Joseph had said, Pharaoh forgave the cupbearer, gave him his job back, and placed his confident trust in him once again. And just as Joseph had said, Pharaoh passed judgment upon the baker and ordered that the he be impaled and left upon a tree.

Yet, in spite of all that Joseph had invested in the cupbearer by serving and attending to his needs while in prison; in spite of Joseph investing the time to explain the dream that left the cupbearer in a wretched and disturbed state; Moses tells us that the cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. The cupbearer did not respond to the favor that Joseph had done for him by returning the favor. Instead, the cupbearer returned to his position and forgot about the person who helped him return to his position. And as we will discover next week, Joseph remained a forgotten man in prison for two more years.

Now imagine yourself as Joseph. Place yourself in his shoes. First, you do the right thing in God’s sight by resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife, which results in you being wrongly accused of rape and placed in prison. Then, an opportunity arises where you invest the time to do someone a favor in the hopes that they will respond to the favor that you have done for them by returning the favor. Instead, they totally forget about you and do not return the favor. Now, you are Joseph.

How would you feel? What would you be thinking? How would you respond? Maybe you are here this morning and you can totally relate to Joseph. Maybe you are here and you feel like you are always investing and giving to others, but are never receiving anything in return. If I have described you, what you are experiencing is not a new thing. What you are experiencing is a human nature thing. And it is in this event in history that we see God reveal for us a timeless truth regarding our relationships with others. And that timeless truth is this: Our investment in others does not always result in a return on our investment. Just as it was for Joseph with the cupbearer, just as it has been for humanity throughout history, our investment in others does not always result in a return on our investment.

And if we were to have a conversation, I imagine that all of us could share a story where we have experienced this timeless truth play out in our lives. I imagine that all of us could share a story where we invested time, energy, and resources into others, only to never have that time, energy, and resources invested back into our lives. I imagine all of us could share a story where you have done someone a favor in the hopes that they will respond to the favor that you have done for them by returning the favor, only to be sadly disappointed.       

You see, the question isn’t whether or not you will invest in others only to not see a return on that investment. The question is “how are you going to respond when you do not see a return on your investment”? And the reason why this question is so important is because the answer to this question often reveals the motives behind our investment in others, doesn’t it? The answer to this question reveals whether we selfishly invest in others simply to get something later from others in order to build us up. The answer to this question reveals whether we invest in others in order to build up others.

Next week, we will discover the motives that drove Joseph’s investment in others. In the meantime, here is the question for us to consider: how are you going to respond when you do not see a return on your investment in others? And why do you invest in others? Do you invest in others to build you up? Or do you invest in others to build others up?