Bible Study - Pitfalls (3) - The Pitfalls of Injustice - Genesis 39:21-23; 40:4-8, 20-23 - February 6, 2022
Bible
Study – Pitfalls (3) – The Pitfall of Injustice – February 6, 2022
This
is lesson three (3) in our series entitled, “How to Avoid Life’s Pitfalls.”
Our
focus scripture is Genesis 39:21-23; 40:4-8, 20-23.
Press
forward in spite of injustice.
When
we have been dealt a raw deal, what are we to do? Generally, we want to
retaliate. But when you are under arrest and in jail how do you retaliate or
would you trust GOD that HE had a plan for you?
We
studied in last week’s lesson that Joseph had built his Spiritual foundation
upon the One True GOD and he trusted GOD with his life and his path forward. Joseph
still trusted GOD. Joseph knew his own heart and that he did the right thing in
GOD’S eyes. Therefore, looking at his situation was not GOD’S punishment but it
was a time to trust GOD. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
We
had a fair amount of discussion about the predicament Joseph found himself.
Let’s go back and read Genesis 39:10-20:
10 Although she spoke to Joseph day after
day, he refused to go to bed with her.[e]
As you recall the literal interpretation of
verse 10 is “just come lay on the bed next to me.” These are my words, “come
on, I just want you to lie next to me.” Oh yeah! Little by little she wanted to
break Joseph. She was the aggressor. She had another plan as we read on ---
11 Now one day he went into the house
to do his work, and none of the household servants were there.[f] 12 She
grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment
in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. 13 When
she saw that he had left his garment with her and had run outside, 14 she
called her household servants.
Notice – verse 11 - 11 Now
one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household
servants were there.[f]
The household servants were not there yet
when she screamed and called, her household servants appeared. Like I mentioned
in last week’s lesson, “the walls have eyes and ears.”
“Look,” she said to them, “my husband brought
a Hebrew man to make fools of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, and
I screamed as loud as I could. 15 When he heard me
screaming for help,[g] he left his garment beside
me and ran outside.” Adam pointed to Eve and Eve pointed to the serpent.
Potiphar’s wife pointed to her husband and Joseph “to make fools of us!” Do you
think the servants bought into that lie? I think they knew the truth and I
think Potiphar knew, among the household servants, who he could trust to tell
him the truth.
16 She put Joseph’s garment beside
her until his master came home. 17 Then she told
him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to
make a fool of me, 18 but when I
screamed for help,[h] he left his garment beside
me and ran outside.”
She staged the scene and denigrated Joseph.
Notice in verse 17 Potiphar’s wife’s story from us to me. Oh my!
19 When his master heard the story
his wife told him—“These are the things your slave did to me”—he was
furious 20 and had him thrown into
prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined. So, Joseph was there in
prison.
Joseph in Prison
21 But the Lord was with Joseph and
extended kindness to him. He granted him favor with the prison
warden. 22 The warden put all the prisoners who
were in the prison under Joseph’s authority,[i] and he was responsible for
everything that was done there. 23 The warden did
not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority,[j] because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did
successful.
Do you think, if Potiphar had
believed his wife’s account of events that the prison warden would have placed
Joseph over the prisoners and the prison? I believe Potiphar learned the truth
about what happened between Joseph and his wife. But Potiphar did not want to
upset his wife by pardoning Joseph, which he did in a way to maintain peace
with his wife.
It is
likely that Joseph knew that since he was placed in Pharaoh’s jail it might
have given Joseph some idea that GOD had placed him where HE wanted him to be.
Let’s explore!
Let’s read Genesis 39:21-23:
Joseph
in Prison
21 But
the Lord was with Joseph
and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor with the prison
warden. 22 The warden put all the prisoners who
were in the prison under Joseph’s authority,[i] and
he was responsible for everything that was done there. 23 The
warden did not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority,[j] because
the Lord was with him,
and the Lord made
everything that he did successful.
As the old saying goes, “cream rises to the
top.” Joseph continued to serve the LORD in prison. Again, when one is handed
lemons, make lemonade. Joseph continued to serve the LORD.
GOD provides opportunity and when HE does, we
need to accept it. It is not long before opportunity comes knocking.
GOD is the GOD of order. It is when we get
ahead of GOD that we get into trouble. Joseph went about the business that GOD
had opened up to him.
Let’s read Genesis 40:1-8:
Joseph
Interprets Two Prisoners’ Dreams
40 After this, the king of Egypt’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 guards in the
prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of
the guards assigned Joseph to them as their personal attendant, and they
were in custody for some time.[a]
The
term “sometime” can mean a long time. It was not just an overnight stay in prison.
5 The king of Egypt’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.”
Our
LORD desires for us to be vigilant and look for opportunity to help others in
their times of need. When we see someone who looks sad, distraught, under a
burden, etc. that is our invitation to ask him or her, “what is troubling you
or how can I help you? But why do we hesitate? What are we afraid of? Often, we
do not want to get involved. Some of the time(s), we may not be physically able
to get involved but we can pray or we may know of someone who can assist the
person in his or her issue.
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.”
According
to the mental health community, all people have dreams. Some we may recall.
Some may be scary and others very pleasant. When we have dreams, we can ask
JESUS to help us understand them. if there is something we need to know from
the dream, as Christians, The Holy Spirit will give us the meaning either at
the moment or at the moment GOD desires for us receive HIS message regarding the
dream. DO NOT SEEK THE INTPRETATION FROM A FORTUNTELLER!
Our
scripture breaks here but the scripture which follows is too rich to leave out
---
Let’s
read Genesis 40:9-19:
9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and
said to him, “In my dream there was a grapevine in front of me; 10 and
on the vine were three branches. Then as soon as it budded, its blossoms burst
open, and its clusters produced ripe grapes [in rapid succession]. 11 Now
Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and squeezed them into
Pharaoh’s cup; then I placed the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” 12 Then
Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches
represent three days; 13 within three more days Pharaoh
will lift up your head (present you in public) and restore you to your
position; and you will [again] put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand just as [you
did] when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only think of
me when it goes well with you, and please show me kindness by mentioning me to
Pharaoh and get me out of this house. 15 For in
fact I was [b]taken (stolen) from
the land of the Hebrews by [unlawful] force, and even here I have done nothing
for which they should put me in the dungeon.”
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation [of
the dream] was good, he said to Joseph, “I also dreamed, and [in my dream] there were three cake baskets on my head; 17 and
in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but
the birds [of prey] were eating [these foods] out of the basket on my
head.” 18 Joseph answered, “This is the
interpretation of it: the three baskets represent three days; 19 within
three more days Pharaoh will [c]lift up your head and
will hang you on a tree (gallows, pole), and [you will not so much as be given
a burial, but] the birds will eat your flesh.”
When
GOD gives us a gift, we must speak truth or act as led by GOD. Joseph did not
alter the truth of the dreams as GOD revealed to him. Does this mean all of our
dreams are something GOD is revealing to us? NO! When we dream dreams that seem
to be something GOD desires for us to know, then ask HIM, as a Christian, to
reveal the reason for the dream to you.
I had
a dream that was so vivid when I woke up, I asked JESUS to help me understand
the dream if it was from HIM. I went back to sleep and the Holy Spirit took me
back over the dream and interpreted it step by step. This was a number of years
ago and the dream is still being fulfilled today. I quickly add that I am NOT
endorsing those who claim to know what dreams mean. You can purchase books
written about dreams. There is but one source; Seek your answers from GOD. Ask
HIM to reveal the meaning to you, if it is from HIM. GOD does speak through
certain dreams. When HE does, ask HIM to reveal to you what it or they mean to
you.
Now
back to our focus scripture.
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 elevated[e] the chief cupbearer
and the chief baker among his servants. 21 Pharaoh
restored the chief cupbearer to his position as cupbearer, and he placed the
cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But Pharaoh hanged[f] the chief baker, just
as Joseph had explained to them. 23 Yet the chief
cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
(e) he lifted up the head of
On
the third day after Joseph interpreted the dreams, the cupbearer was restored
to his job but the baker did not fare well. The baker was hung. Did the dream
give the baker time to accept the One True GOD of Joseph as his GOD? We do not
know. What do we know? GOD had revealed to Joseph the interpretation of the
dreams. The GOD of Joseph is truth and reveals truth.
As
you recall in verses 13 and 14, Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him when
the cupbearer was restored to his job as cupbearer. In verse 23, we read that the
restored chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot about him. In
Hebrew, the word, remember, carried the idea of “taking action.” It goes beyond
just thinking about Joseph but doing something that would help Joseph. But GOD
did not forget that the cupbearer had a role to play in GOD’S plans for Joseph.
WOW,
GOD does not forget. HIS plans will be fulfilled.
Remember
– “Trust in the dark what you have learned in the light.” GOD cares for each of
HIS children. Amen!
How
long did Joseph have to wait until GOD would call the cupbearer into remembering
and taking action? Let’s read Genesis 41:1:
41 At the end of two years Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the
Nile,
GOD called the cupbearer into action at the right moment. What
do we do when GOD presses the pause button in our lives? Do we fret or do we
trust?
In next week’s study, we will see GOD’S plan unfold to
preserve the lives of many people groups in the surrounding area and the plan
GOD had for Joseph. Our GOD is awesome and can be trusted even in the dark
times in our lives!
Blessings!!!
posted by Bible Study | 11:47 AM
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