Turn in your Bibles please to Genesis chapter 39. Today we are resuming our study of Genesis, and in particular the story of Joseph. We saw last time in our study that Joseph was a type of Christ. But that does not mean that every thing that happens to Joseph is correlated in the life of Christ, but there are some significant things that are typical of the life of Christ. Primarily, Joseph was a type of Christ in that he was despised and rejected by his brothers, he became a slave, as Christ became a servant, he went through a time of testing as did the Lord Jesus, and he became the Deliver of his people.
Today, we will be looking at the temptation of Joseph, the gift of interpretation of dreams that Joseph is given, and the exaltation from prison to second in the kingdom of Egypt. And we will be reading from chapter’s 39-41. That’s a lot of reading, but I would prefer you to hear the word of God relate the story than to hear me summarize the story in my own words. Because I believe that the word of God is more powerful than simply a telling of a narrative.
So you will remember that when we left off last time Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers, who had originally planned to kill Joseph, but Judah had intervened with a plan to sell him to some passing traders. And so the Ishmaelites sold him as a slave to an Egyptian named Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard.
39:1, 2 “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.”
The most important statement in that paragraph is “the Lord was with Joseph.” We are told that Abraham was justified by faith, and so we understand that Jospeh was a man of faith, and thus accepted by God. As a result, the Lord was with him. That’s what it means to be accepted by God, to be saved. The Lord is with you. The Spirit of the Lord was upon Joseph. That’s the blessing of salvation. We have the presence of the Lord in us and with us, forever. Even though Joseph had been severely mistreated and sold into slavery and taken to a foreign land away from his family, the Lord was with him.
So having the Lord with him did not mean that he would not suffer. It did not mean that he would not be hated. It did not mean he would not be tempted. It did not spare him from imprisonment. Sometimes people who become saved think that, or are told that, if you come to Christ all your problems and difficulties will disappear. But the truth of the matter is that often the difficulties and trials really start when you become saved. The advantage that you have though is that the Lord is with you in and through your trials. Jesus said “In this world you will have tribulation, but take courage for I have overcome the world.”
But even in the midst of this trial of slavery, it says that the Lord made him a successful man. Vs3 Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and [how] the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph; thus the LORD'S blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. So he left everything he owned in Joseph's charge; and with him [there] he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.”
I do not suggest that the Lord indicates here that this “success” Jospeh experiences is a universal promise for every Christian. But I do think it’s a universal principal that the Lord will bless His people. The promise given to Abraham concerning his children was that the Lord will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. And to a certain extent, that principle was being manifested in Joseph’s life. But not only because the Lord was with him, but because Joseph was with the Lord. Joseph lived his life in a way that was pleasing to the Lord. To walk with the Lord is a life of obedience to God’s word that results in God’s blessing upon your life. And we enjoy the blessing of Abraham as the children of faith.
Notice also that Joseph is handsome. Now most of us would consider that to be handsome or beautiful was a blessing. But sometimes it can be a curse, or if not a curse, then certainly a hindrance. Being good looking in the eyes of the world can attract the wrong kind of attention sometimes.
Vs 7 It came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, with me [here,] my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”
The most important statement in this paragraph is “how then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” The culture of the Egyptians did not really have a problem with immorality, even in the case of marriage. The original word for Potiphar’s position indicated that he may have been a eunuch. Being a eunuch was a means by which pagan king’s kept people in trusted positions in their kingdom. Now of course, Potiphar was married, but he may have married for other reasons. Then again, we don’t know this for sure. But the word “officer” does mean in many cases “eunuch.” If that’s true, then there could have been some justification in the mind of his wife for wanting to take Joseph, and perhaps even a bit of justification in Joseph’s mind that he could do this thing.
But the important thing is that Joseph recognizes that it was a sin first and foremost to the Lord. It was a great evil. And it wasn’t mitigated by the culture, or that society, or by the fact that it could be justified on some sort of physical level, or that they were both consenting adults. It certainly wasn’t justified on the basis that love is love. Recognizing that it was a sin against God didn’t mean that Joseph hated Potiphar’s wife. It meant that he loved God more.
Folks, we are not going to have victory over sin in our life if we don’t call sin, sin. If we don’t love God more than we love the sin. Jesus said if you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Vs 10 “As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her [or] be with her. Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. She caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me!" And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.”
2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee youthful lust.” That doesn’t mean that only young people can have lust. Old people can lust as well. And we can lust after a lot of things, not just sexual lusts. We can lust after power, after position, after popularity, after property. The ten commandments label lust as coveting. Coveting is wanting what is not yours.
Joseph though is about 20 years old. He’s at an age where sexual desire is at it’s peak. And the way he deals with it is to flee. Let me suggest that that is the best way to deal with lust. Flee from it. Don’t try to engage it, or wrestle with it. Don’t try to debate it. Flee from it. And let me say further, that sin starts in the mind. If you give in to it in the mind, then it’s going to be no battle at all in the flesh.
The other thing I will say about that is that when you put yourself in the wrong physical situation, then it becomes almost impossible to get out of it. Don’t put yourself in a place where you are alone with the opposite sex and there is no one around to see what you’re doing. And if you do find yourself in the wrong place, then just get out of there. Don’t try to wait it out. Don’t try to deal with temptation on your own. Run out of there. And that’s not only true in sexual temptations, but any environment in which evil is being done, or considered being done, just remove yourself physically right away. That may be an office environment, it may be a boardroom, it may be at a friend’s house, any place where you find that there is a temptation to do evil, leave that place immediately. It’s better to lose your job than to lose your soul. It’s better to lose friends than to go to a bar and hang out with them and drink with them, and find yourself succumbing to temptation.
Jesus said, in Matt. 18:9 "If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.
Vs13 When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called to the men of her household and said to them, "See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed. "When he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside." So she left his garment beside her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with these words, "The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, "This is what your slave did to me," his anger burned. So Joseph's master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.”
There is a saying that is from a 17th century playwright which you may be familiar with. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Sounds like a verse in the Bible, but it’s not. The point being though that a woman’s love can turn to hate in a heartbeat if you should show contempt for her overtures. Joseph had not mistreated this woman other than to object to her advances, but when she finally saw that he would rather run than be with her, she gets angry and wants to see him punished. It’s very likely a charge of rape or attempted rape against a slave would mean his death. But the fact that he is not put to death, but put in prison may indicate that Potiphar had some reason to doubt his wife. But he was probably scared of her as well so he put Joseph is prison.
But the Lord was still with Joseph even in prison. Vs 21 But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph's charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible [for it.] The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph's charge because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made to prosper.”
Col 3:22-24 says, “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who [merely] please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
That verse is not condoning or advocating slavery but establishing a principle that is true whether you are a slave or a servant, or an employee or any position where you work for another. And even you independent contractors work for someone. The person that hired you is in effect your employer. Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men. Joseph employed that principal even in prison. And I can assure you that an Egyptian prison was not a country club environment. And yet Joseph was exemplary in his conduct even in prison. He didn’t employ the idea that “everyone is doing it.” That when in Rome, do as the Romans do. He did what was pleasing to the Lord even in prison.
In correlation of Joseph with the Lord Jesus, we know that He was called the Servant of the Lord, and that He was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin. And we know that He suffered unjustly at the hands of His accusers.
In chapter 40 we read that Joseph interprets the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s top servants, the baker and the cupbearer. I’m just going to read most of this without a lot of commentary. Ch. 40:1 “Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the [same] place where Joseph was imprisoned.”
Notice that this captain of the bodyguard is the same position that Potiphar had. So it’s possible that Potiphar was over the prison that Joseph was in, and he has given Joseph the rule over all in the prison. If that is really the case, then it strengthens the idea that Potiphar imprisoned Joseph for political expediency to placate his wife, but continues to favor Joseph even in prison. But I can’t be dogmatic about that. But it does sort of correlate with Pilate who for political expediency ordered Jesus to be crucified to placate the Jewish leadership.
Vs 4 The captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he took care of them; and they were in confinement for some time. Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his [own] dream [and] each dream with its [own] interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected. He asked Pharaoh's officials who were with him in confinement in his master's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?" Then they said to him, "We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell [it] to me, please.”
I find that interesting. A lot of people claim dreams and visions and seem to have no trouble finding an interpretation to that dream. But both Daniel and Joseph seem to have been given the interpretation of dreams as a gift of God, and yet on their own, they do not claim such a power. I would beware of people who claim to know the interpretation of their dreams. From my perspective, I put no emphasis on dreams whatsoever. I’ve had a lot of dreams and I don’t think any of them have ever come true, and for that I am thankful. I would discourage you from seeking revelation from God in dreams.
There is a reason that God spoke through dreams and visions in those days. And that is because there was no written scripture available. So God spoke occasionally through dreams, or visions. And in correlation with Jesus, in effect, He was the interpreter of the word of God. He was the Word made flesh. It is said of Christ in Luke 24:27 “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
Vs 9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream, behold, [there was] a vine in front of me; and on the vine [were] three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, [and] its clusters produced ripe grapes. "Now Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh's hand." Then Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh's cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer. "Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house. "For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon." When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, "I also [saw] in my dream, and behold, [there were] three baskets of white bread on my head; and in the top basket [there were] some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head." Then Joseph answered and said, "This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you." 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.
I want you to look at those dreams, and ask yourself how anyone could have come up with the interpretations that Joseph did. I don’t think so. The Lord had to have first of all given the dreams to the cupbearer and the baker, and secondly given the interpretation to Joseph of the dreams, because there is no logical way that you could arrive at that interpretation unless it was from the Lord.
But Joseph was hopeful that in the case of the cupbearer, he would remember Joseph and relate to Pharaoh what he had done, and that he was being imprisoned unjustly. But like so many who are saved from a crisis situation, when they are delivered from the crisis, they seem to forget it and those who helped them. My dad who was in the service in WW2 and Korea used to call that a foxhole conversion. When you’re in the foxhole, which was a pit dug in the ground, and the mortar fire was raining down all around you, you become a prayer warrior, promising God all kinds of things if He would just deliver you. But when the battle is over and you return to normal duty, all your promises to God are quickly forgotten.
Well, eventually, after two more long years for Joseph, the cupbearer will remember Joseph when Pharaoh has a dream he can’t interpret. Gen 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. 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. 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.”
So actually, Pharaoh has two dreams. And all that I can say about those dreams is that none of his wise mean could interpret those dreams, and I’m sure none here today could have interpreted those dreams. It would seem that in Egypt in those times they placed a great deal of importance on interpreting dreams. Maybe the same magical powers that people today ascribe to fortune tellers or palm readers, the ancient Egyptians attributed to wise men and magicians. But none of those wise men or magicians who were supposed to be able to interpret were able to do so. Because these were no ordinary dreams. These dreams were prophecies regarding the future, given by God, which Joseph would interpret by God’s divination.
Vs9 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. 1And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my office, but he hanged him." 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.”
I don’t think Joseph was trying to show his humility here. I think he genuinely does not have the ability within himself to understand the dreams. But he knows that God has given the dream, and that God knows the interpretation of the dream.
And so Pharaoh repeats the dream to Joseph about these seven fat cows grazing, and these seven lean cows coming up and eating up the fat ones. And then the other is there were these full ears of corn and these thin, withered ears of corn and the withered corn starts eating up the full ears of corn until there's just nothing but the skinny, withered ones left.
Vs. 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.”
It is interesting that these dreams came in pairs. Joseph’s first dreams was in pairs. In his first dream, it was the sheaves that bowed down to his sheave and in the second dream the sun, moon and the stars bowing down to him. With the butler and the baker, there were two dreams. And now these dreams of the king are in pairs. Both of them having to do with sevens. Seven fat and seven lean. And the lean eating up the fat. And notice that Joseph says that the repeating of the dream twice means that the matter is determined by God and He will quickly bring it about.
It is also interesting that God, on certain occasions gave to pagan rulers insights into the future. God gave to Nebuchadnezzar a vision into the future which was interpreted by Daniel. I imagine it was because of their position in relation to the children of God. As they would have control over the people of God, God is showing them that He is actually the sovereign ruler who controls the events of mankind. God has given us prophecies in scripture, not so that we can know exactly all the details what’s going to happen and when, but so that we might know that He is sovereign over the affairs of men, and that His plans and purposes will be carried out.
But then Joseph adds something that is kind of interesting. I would suggest that he must have remembered his own dreams that he had when he was back in Canaan, and that the dream meant that his family would bow down to him one day. And perhaps that’s why Joseph decides to break protocol here with Pharaoh and give him some unsolicited advice. This would hardly be the kind of thing that a prisone - a slave - would have the nerve to say to Pharaoh, unless he recognized that this might be the way God had provided for him to be delivered from prison, and actually be placed in the exalted position that his dreams had indicated.
So he says in Vs 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." 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. 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.”
As Joseph is cited often in his circumstances a type of Christ, so we see here a correlation of Christ humbled as a servant, as a man, but obedient unto death, and then exalted by God to the highest glory. Phl 2:5-11 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I trust that you will bow to the Lord Jesus as King, confessing Him as your Lord and Savior. It is He that can save you from the condemnation of death that awaits all men. It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment. The only hope is that at the judgement you will be able to say, I belong to Christ by faith in Him. By His righteousness we are saved from the wrath to come. God has provided a Deliverer who has gone before us, paid our penalty, and provided for our eternity. Confess Him as Lord that you may be saved.
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