Bible Study - Overcome (3) - Overcome Being Forgotten - Genesis 39:21-23; 40:5-8, 20-23 - November 2, 2014

Bible Study – Overcome (3) – Overcome Being Forgotten – November 2, 2014

This is lesson three (3) in our series entitled “Overcome: Living beyond Your Circumstances.

Our focus scripture is Genesis 39:21-23; 40:5-8, 20-23.

Keep doing what GOD has gifted you to do. All that we do should be to glorify GOD. It is easier to obediently serve GOD when we are in right relationship with GOD through our faith in CHRIST. When we are in right relationship with GOD, we are at the center of HIS will. That does not mean that we are in the place we want to be but we are in the place GOD wants us to be. When we are in the center of HIS will, we trust Him in all circumstances.

Joseph was in prison because of a false accusation. Did that have a negative effect on Joseph’s trust in GOD, his love of GOD or his attitude toward GOD? No!

Let’s read Genesis 39:21-23:

21 But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph’s authority, and he was responsible for everything that was done there. 23 The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did successful.

Joseph was put into the place where the king’s prisoners were held for disposition – sentencing, punishment, release or execution. Even in prison Joseph was a model prisoner.

Keep in mind that Potiphar was the “captain of the guard.” It is likely that the king’s prison was attached to or part of Potiphar’s house. Again Joseph made lemonade after he was given lemons and the prison warden gave Joseph great responsibility. This is a tribute to Joseph and to GOD.

Once the warden gave the responsibility to Joseph, he did not worry about it. Do you think that Potiphar might have given a little advice to the warden? I think so. To me it also indicates that Potiphar likely knew the truth about what happened between his wife and Joseph.

Joseph was exactly where GOD wanted him. It so happened that two of the king’s officials were also in that same prison. We do not know why they were there but the important thing is that GOD knew that they would be there. Did GOD make them do something which would result in them being in prison at just the right time? Or did the foreknowledge of GOD allow HIM to know that they would be in that prison at that precise time? GOD’S ways are higher than our ways and HIS thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Let’s explore who was in prison with Joseph and the role they would play in GOD’S plan for Joseph and the future of the Israelites.

Let’s read Genesis 40:1-4:

1 After this, the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to them, and he became their personal attendant. And they were in custody for some time.

GOD had Joseph placed in direct contact with these two officials of the king.

Let’s read Genesis 40:5-8:

5 The Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were confined in the prison, each had a dream. Both had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they looked distraught. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” 8 “We had dreams,” they said to him, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

The two officials of the king were his wine steward/cupbearer and his baker. It is thought that each official supervised a number of others. They were important officials to the king. But something happened and the king had them placed in the king’s prison where Joseph was being held and serving.

The wine steward and the baker both had dreams the same night and woke up puzzled about the meaning of their dreams. If they had not been in prison they would have gone to their local dream interpreter and gotten an explanation. It would have been wrong but it would have likely satisfied them.

Joseph entered where these two men were being held and immediately observed that both of these men were distraught. Joseph asked Pharaoh’s officers why they were so sad? They told him that both had had very vivid dreams and they needed someone to explain their dreams to them. Joseph, the dreamer, told them that only GOD can interpret dreams.

I know many years ago, I had a very vivid dream and woke up and prayed and asked if there was any meaning to the dream and if so to reveal it to me. I went back to sleep and I was taken back though the dream and each thing was explained to me. It was so vivid that I had it typed. About 10 years ago I was going through some papers and found it, thinking that it was not truth, I shredded it. Most of the dream is still in my memory and in light of today’s events has meaning. A portion of my dream focused on the plan to alter the truth of the Gospel of CHRIST which only those who knew the truth could discern. It involved the Middle East and Africa. Russia was involved.  GOD reveals matters through dreams but HE gives the interpretation. If you have such a dream keep in mind that only GOD gives the interpretation.

These two men revealed their dreams to Joseph.

Let’s read Genesis 40:9-19:

9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream there was a vine in front of me. 10 On the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” 12 “This is its interpretation,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. 13 In just three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand the way you used to when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when all goes well for you, remember that I was with you. Please show kindness to me by mentioning me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this prison. 15 For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should put me in the dungeon.” 16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was positive, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream. Three baskets of white bread were on my head. 17 In the top basket were all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18 “This is its interpretation,” Joseph replied. “The three baskets are three days. 19 In just three days Pharaoh will lift up your head —from off you—and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat the flesh from your body.”

The dream of the wine steward was positive. So the baker may have thought that Joseph only wanted to give good news but little did he know that Joseph listened to GOD and spoke truth.

The term “lift up your head” carries the idea of a person who was ashamed or felt downtrodden for something he or she had done or of which he or she may have been accused is forgiven or exonerated and restored. Once the person is restored he or she could act confident and hold his or her head high. In our scripture, it could also mean “to call a person into the presence of the king.” The term was also used to take a census thus “to count heads.” With the wine steward it was clear that he would be restored to his original position but the baker would be hanged.

Joseph requested the wine steward to remember him when he returned to his original official position of serving the king. Joseph gave the wine steward a brief review of his circumstances.

Why did Joseph ask the wine steward to mention him to the king as recorded in verse 14?

Joseph had requested the wine steward to remember him to the king when he was restored. The wine steward/cupbearer/butler was a trusted position. The wine steward was often the person who had the king’s ear. He was a trusted advisor and a member of the royal court responsible for the king’s security and safety of the food and beverages the king consumed. 

Let’s read Genesis 40:20-23:

20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he gave a feast for all his servants. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. 21 Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position as cupbearer, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had explained to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

On the third day, Pharaoh threw a party and invited all of his servants. The scripture states that it was a birthday party. Bible scholars debate whether or not it was actually the king’s birthday or the day he was crowned king, either way it was a celebration. It was a festive occasion.

The king “lifted up the heads” of the wine steward and the baker, which can be good news for those taken out of confinement. The wine steward was restored to his former duties. The baker likely thought Joseph’s interpretation of his dream was wrong when he was released from prison. Unfortunately, his momentary joy was turned to fright and doom because the king had him hung. The scripture reveals that he was impaled. Genesis 40:22 (New Living Translation)

22 But Pharaoh impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had predicted when he interpreted his dream.

Genesis 40:22 (The Message)

22 And then he impaled the head baker on a post, following Joseph's interpretations exactly.

The thinking is that his head separated from his body when he was hung and the king had his head impaled on a stick or post for all to see. It was a clear message from the king to his servants.

When Sadam Hussein was hung, his head separated from his body. Even in our times there are reports that ISIS beheaded children, adults and impaled their heads on posts. It sends a chilling message, which reveals the true source of such barbaric acts, Satan.

Verse 23 reveals that the wine steward forgot. He might have been afraid to mention it that soon after being restored but GOD had a plan. Simply, GOD’S timing is always perfect. At the right moment, GOD allowed the king to have a dream and then the wine steward thought about Joseph.

Let’s read Genesis 41:1-57:

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

1 Two years later Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile, 2 when seven healthy-looking, well-fed cows came up from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside those cows along the bank of the Nile. 4 The sickly, thin cows ate the healthy, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5 He fell asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk. 6 After them, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh woke up, and it was only a dream. 8 When morning came, he was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I remember my faults. 10 Pharaoh had been angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guard. 11 He and I had dreams on the same night; each dream had its own meaning. 12 Now a young Hebrew, a slave of the captain of the guards, was with us there. We told him our dreams, he interpreted our dreams for us, and each had its own interpretation. 13 It turned out just the way he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.” 14 Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said about you that you can hear a dream and interpret it.” 16 “I am not able to,” Joseph answered Pharaoh. “It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” 17 So Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when seven well-fed, healthy-looking cows came up from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds. 19 After them, seven other cows —ugly, very sickly, and thin—came up. I’ve never seen such ugly ones as these in all the land of Egypt. 20 Then the thin, ugly cows ate the first seven well-fed cows. 21 When they had devoured them, you could not tell that they had devoured them; their appearance was as bad as it had been before. Then I woke up. 22 In my dream I had also seen seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, coming up on one stalk. 23 After them, seven heads of grain —withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind—sprouted up. 24 The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this to the magicians, but no one can tell me what it means.” 25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads are seven years. The dreams mean the same thing. 27 The seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven worthless, scorched heads of grain are seven years of famine. 28 “It is just as I told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt. 30 After them, seven years of famine will take place, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows it, for the famine will be very severe. 32 Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and He will carry it out soon. 33 “So now, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this: Let him appoint overseers over the land and take a fifth of the harvest of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 Let them gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. Under Pharaoh’s authority, store the grain in the cities, so they may preserve it as food. 36 The food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will take place in the land of Egypt. Then the country will not be wiped out by the famine.” Joseph Exalted 37 The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God’s spirit in him?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as intelligent and wise as you are. 40 You will be over my house, and all my people will obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, clothed him with fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, and servants called out before him, “Abrek!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but no one will be able to raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt without your permission.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah and gave him a wife, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

Joseph’s Administration

46 Joseph was 30 years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced outstanding harvests. 48 Joseph gathered all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and put it in the cities. He put the food in every city from the fields around it. 49 So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance—like the sand of the sea —that he stopped measuring it because it was beyond measure. 50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the years of famine arrived. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On, bore them to him. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, meaning, “God has made me forget all my hardship in my father’s house.” 52 And the second son he named Ephraim, meaning, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” 53 Then the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every country, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. 55 Extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt, and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh told all Egypt, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.” 56 Because the famine had spread across the whole country, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, for the famine was severe in every land.

So how long did it take until Joseph was placed as second in command in Egypt?

Joseph was 17 when his brothers sold him to the Ishmaelites. Let’s compare Genesis 37:2 and Genesis 41:46. Genesis 37:2: At 17 years of age, Joseph tended sheep with his brothers. The young man was working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought a bad report about them to their father.

Genesis 41:46: Joseph was 30 years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.

It is thought that Potiphar’s wife may have propositioned Joseph for approximately 11 years. Joseph was in prison for 2 years. Joseph had asked the wine steward to remember him to Pharaoh when the wine steward was in prison but he forgot. Did he forget? Or did GOD use the wine steward’s nature to delay mentioning Joseph to the king until the right moment? GOD was preparing the events according to HIS plan and purpose for Joseph and ultimately the Israelites, HIS chosen people, for 13 years.

Joseph remained faithful to GOD and as we read in the final scripture even the king recognized and acknowledged that the wisdom Joseph came from GOD.

Wisdom comes from knowing GOD by having the right relationship with HIM through faith in CHRIST. Joseph maintained his faith in GOD in spite of his circumstances. GOD knew Joseph’s heart and called him to carry out HIS plan and purpose. Joseph glorified GOD in all that he did. He trusted GOD even when GOD seemed to be inactive in his life or possibly forgotten him.

Joseph was a powerful witness to those around him. Do others see CHRIST in us as we obediently serve HIM even when we are seemingly in a bad place in our lives? Have you ever thought GOD had forgotten you? Hebrews 5b-6:

“- for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you. 6 Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Blessings!!!