Genesis #43 - Joseph #4 - "In Bringing His Plans About Pt. 1" (Gen 41:1-45)

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So if you have a Bible, and I hope you do, take it in turn with me to Genesis chapter 41.

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Genesis chapter 41. Genesis 41. We are in a sermon series at the moment that we have entitled

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Joseph, the hidden hand of God. Joseph, the hidden hand of God. And this is week four of that series as we work our way through the life of Joseph.

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And we also finish our study in the book of Genesis because that's our habit around here. We take the time to work through books of the

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Bible, allowing the point of the text to be the point of the messages, and to allow God to speak to us directly from his word.

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And so the book of Genesis chapter 41, book of Genesis chapter 41, and we'll be reading verses 1 through 14.

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Genesis chapter 41, verses 1 through 14. If you grabbed one of the red hardbacks that we give away, and by the way, if you did grab one, that's our gift to you, so you can keep that.

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Genesis chapter 41 will be on page 36. Genesis chapter 41.

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And we're gonna read verses 1 through 14. We're actually gonna go all the way down to verse 45, but just for our reading, verses 1 through 14.

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So Genesis 30, Genesis 41, excuse me, from verses 1 through 14, page 36 in the red hardback

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Bibles that we give away. Can I invite you, if you're able to, to stand with me as we read

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God's word. Genesis chapter 41, beginning in verse 1.

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Brothers and sisters, these are God's words to us this morning. At the end of two years,

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Pharaoh had a dream. He was standing beside the Nile when seven healthy -looking, well -fed cows came up from the

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Nile and began to graze among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the

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Nile and stood beside those cows along the bank of the Nile. The sickly, thin cows ate the healthy, well -fed cows.

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Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep and dreamed a second time. Seven heads of grain, plump and good, came up on one stalk.

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After them, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, full ones.

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Then Pharaoh woke up, and it was only a dream. When morning came, he was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men.

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Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, Today I remember my faults.

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Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guards.

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He and I had dreams on the same night. Each dream had its own meaning. Now, a young Hebrew, a slave of the captain of the guards, was with us there.

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We told him our dreams, he interpreted our dreams for us, and each had its own interpretation.

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It turned out just the way he interpreted them to us. I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.

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Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon.

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He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to Pharaoh. The gospel is the flower phase, but this word of our

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God will abide forever. Allow me to pray, ask for God's help, and then we will launch ourselves into this text this morning.

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Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank you once again because we have this wonderful privilege of being able to worship together.

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We thank you for the gift of the Lord's day that we're able to come and to worship, to fellowship with one another, and to sit at your feet and hear your word.

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So Father, we ask that as we engage in this sacred time where you speak to us as your people, pray that you would give us hearts that are open to hear all that you have for us.

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May your spirit be at work both in the person who's speaking and in your people who hear, so that Jesus would be made much of, so that we would be strengthened in our faith, and that ultimately you would receive all the glory.

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And Father, as we pray that for ourselves, we also pray for our friends just up the street from us, Anchor Church, pray for Pastor Dave Gomez as he's preaching through 2

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Corinthians 5 this morning. Pray for them, pray for everything that's going on there, pray for their witness in this valley.

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Pray that you would use them to bring people to yourself, to strengthen disciples, and to glorify yourself.

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We pray that for them, and we pray that for us even now as we come to your word. Asking it in Jesus' name and for his sake.

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Amen. Please be seated. For a few moments this morning,

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I'd like to speak to you about the hidden hand of God in bringing his plans to pass.

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The hidden hand of God in bringing his plans to pass.

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If I say the words, I love it when a plan... I grew up on episodes of The A -Team.

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That and Knight Rider, but that's a different sermon for another time. I grew up watching that show because I was born in the 90s, so it was just about the time when the show had ended,

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I think it ended in 87. So it was still run on TV in the UK pretty regularly, and I grew to love that show.

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But even if you've never watched the show, you probably know that line by reputation. It's John Hannibal Smith who says that line, and he says it with a sort of characteristic smugness.

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Every time that they put a plan in place, and it seems to work out. As ridiculous as the show was, and in a lot of ways, it was incredibly ridiculous.

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As ridiculous as the show was, I think we can agree that there's something deeply satisfying about when plans come together.

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There's something satisfying about when we plan something, and then the thing that we plan succeeds.

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And yet, if we're honest, a lot of our plans don't always come together, do they? You could say it's almost human for plans not to work.

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Actually, somebody did say that. Very famous line, the best plans of mice and men often go awry.

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There's a famous John Steinbeck book called that. Human plans can and will fail.

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Even the best of them. Human plans can and will fail, but thankfully,

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God's plans never fail. Not that God says this, but you could almost say that God is the only person in all of the universe who can say every single time,

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I love it when a plan comes together. Because God's plans never fail.

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They never have, and praise his name, they never will. This is our fourth message in the life of Joseph, and this morning we're in chapter 41.

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For those of you who are visiting, who haven't been following us in the series, last time we left Joseph in jail.

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After being falsely accused of trying to assault his master's wife. But even in jail, we saw that God's presence was with Joseph, even in this unpleasant circumstance.

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While he was in jail, he had a couple of people committed to his charge. Pharaoh's cup bearer and Pharaoh's chief baker.

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Well, he interprets the dreams of both the cup bearer and the baker, and it ends up with the cup bearer being released.

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And the baker being hanged. And if you remember at the end of chapter 40,

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Joseph asks, if I was to get real quick, chapter 40, just over the page in your Bible. Chapter 40 in verse 14.

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So Joseph says, 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.

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He asks, please don't forget me. If I've done anything good for you, which of course he had, don't forget me in here.

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Well, the text ends on the sad note, verse 23. Yet the chief cup bearer did not remember

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Joseph. He forgot him. And as we drop into this chapter, you have to wonder how

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Joseph had to be feeling in this moment. Verse 1 makes us understand two years have passed.

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How is Joseph feeling in this moment?

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I have to imagine that he is a little disappointed, perhaps. Perhaps a little disillusionment has set in.

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Perhaps he's growing a little unsure about what God is doing. But one thing that becomes very apparent as you read this narrative and as you come to this chapter is that God was definitely doing something.

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Just like he is in our lives, even when it seems as though nothing is happening the way it should.

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Even when it seems like plans are not coming together. We have a lot to look at this morning.

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As you can see, we're not looking at the whole of chapter 41. We will pick it up next week, but there's so much rich truth in this chapter.

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But I really want to just boil it down to just one central idea for you this morning. If you don't remember anything else I have to say, remember this.

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That God orders all things in line with his plan.

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So, trust in his process. As we read this passage, it's going to be very apparent that God indeed had a plan.

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And that he was ordering things to bring his plan about.

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And since he has a plan, that calls for us to trust in his process.

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So, God orders all things in line with his plan. So, trust in his process.

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To kind of show this to us this morning, I want to consider four acts of God in our text.

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Four acts of God as God works out his plan. And what we're going to see is that, yes, these are things that happen in this passage.

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But these are things that happen in our lives as well. So, four acts of God in our text as God works out his plan.

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Both in this text and in our own lives. Can I invite you, first of all, into this passage?

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And let's see how, first of all, God discloses his plan. How God discloses his plan in verses 1 through 8.

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Again, as we jump into chapter 41, this is the third time in Genesis that we've seen a pair of dreams.

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So, if you've been following us in this study, dreams, in London we have a saying that bosses always come in pairs.

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Well, in Genesis, dreams always come in pairs. So, remember at the beginning of this series in chapter 37,

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Joseph has two dreams. And then last week in chapter 40, the baker has a dream and the cupbearer has a dream.

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And now, we open up this passage in verses 1 through 7 and Pharaoh has a couple of dreams.

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Now, the dreams are going to be repeated later on and I'm going to focus on the content of those dreams later on in our study this morning.

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Because for a minute, I don't want to focus on the what of those dreams. I want to focus on the why.

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Why these dreams and why Pharaoh? Well, that's actually kind of a multi -layered question.

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There's different levels to answering this question. On one level, as you read the

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Bible as a whole, and I always encourage you, never just read a passage in isolation. You always want to be thinking about how the whole

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Bible story comes together. As you read the Bible as a whole, there's actually a number of times where kings and dreams are paired together.

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So, in 1 Kings chapter 3, Solomon comes to the throne.

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And as he comes to the throne, God appears to him in a dream. And that's where the famous request is made for the wisdom that he needs to rule.

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And God says, well, since you didn't ask me for riches or power, I'll give you the wisdom, but I'm also going to throw away riches and power.

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Daniel chapter 2 has that famous dream where Nebuchadnezzar sees this statue.

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Depicting all of the kingdoms that would follow, his kingdom and all the kingdoms that would follow. It's very similar, by the way, when you read

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Daniel 2 with Genesis 41. There's a lot of interesting parallels there. So, that's one level of things that's going on.

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But, of course, kings aren't the only ones who dream in the Bible. There are lots of dreams in the Bible.

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Joseph's technically not a king, and he has dreams in Genesis. So, dreams are not only for kings.

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So, again, we're back to this question, well, why this and why now?

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Well, there's another level to this. So, yes, there's an interesting pairing of kings and dreams in the Bible, but there's another level to this.

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There's the reality that this is just who God is. And he's God in the sense that he's a

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God who makes his will known. He's a

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God who discloses his will. Think about this.

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Is God obligated to tell us anything? No, God is not obligated to tell us anything.

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God would be perfectly righteous and perfectly just to not tell us a single thing about himself. Dutch -American theologian,

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Louis Burkoff, said, quote, If God had not revealed himself, worship would have been impossible. Man could not possibly have had any knowledge of God if God had not made himself known.

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And for those of us who've been in this long study of Genesis, we keep seeing time and time and time again that God is a

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God who speaks. He is a God who reveals himself. He is a

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God who discloses his will. So, again, there's no surprise here. This is just another moment of God doing

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God things, if you will. But I think there's one more level to this.

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So there's the reality that, OK, we see kings and dreams paired in the Bible. There's the fact that God is a God who reveals himself. And one of the ways he does this is in dreams.

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But there's another level to this. And I think here's where we start to get to the real beating heart of this passage.

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Here we get to the real point of this narrative. And it's this. Can I put it to you that God doesn't just reveal his will for individuals.

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But at times, God reveals his will for the nations.

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That God doesn't just have a will for individuals. He has a will for nations.

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If you were lucky enough to grab one of the study guides this morning, you'll see that I put a bunch of references there in the Bible to where God directly addresses not just individuals, but nations.

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And there are a lot of them. Because while God has special concern for his covenant people, as you read the

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Bible, it becomes apparent that God is no provincial deity. That God is not a tribal

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God who is the possession of one group of people alone. The Bible's overwhelming message is that Yahweh, the

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God of creation, is the God of all the earth. And I put it to you that Pharaoh is getting that message in real time.

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Not to mention, Egypt is going to play a crucial story, a crucial part,

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I should say, in the story of his covenant people. So actually, it's kind of important that he engages directly with Egypt to a degree.

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But more on that later on in our study of Genesis. But now Pharaoh has these dreams, these two dreams.

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And verse 8, he awaits from his dream. So look with me at verse 8. When morning came, he was troubled.

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Pause for a moment. I have to imagine that Pharaoh had dreamed lots of times before. What was it about this set of dreams that troubled him?

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The text doesn't explicitly tell us. Was it the fact that it came in pairs?

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Was it the fact that it's a really weird set of dreams? Was it the repetition of the number 7?

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Was it the fact that you have the same thing more or less happen in both dreams? We're not told why he's troubled.

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We're just told that he is troubled. And he's troubled because he doesn't have a clue what this means.

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God has disclosed his plans to Pharaoh. He might not know it yet, but this is

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God at work. God discloses his plans.

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And then here's the second act of God we see in this passage. He discloses his plans. And secondly, he mobilizes his plans.

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God discloses his plans. And then he mobilizes his plans. In verses 9 through 14.

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Pharaoh has questions. And Pharaoh cannot get answers. And we've already gotten a little bit of an insight into Pharaoh.

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That an angry Pharaoh is not good for business. Pharaoh has questions and can't get answers.

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But it just so happens that there is someone in Pharaoh's court.

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Who has experience with a dude who can interpret dreams. So look at verse 9 with me. Verse 9.

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Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, Today I remember my faults. Pharaoh was angry with his servants.

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And he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guards. He and I had dreams on the same night.

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Each dream had its own meaning. Now a young Hebrew, a slave of the captain of the guards, was with us there.

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We told him our dreams. He interpreted our dreams for us. And each had its own interpretation.

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It turned out just the way he interpreted them to us. I was restored to my position.

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And the other man was hanged. I don't think it's by accident that the cupbearer uses this language of remembrance.

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Remember Joseph had asked him to remember him. And then he promptly forgot.

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And he immediately says, I remember. It's exactly the same word. I remember my faults.

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This word remember, you remember from last week. No pun intended. You remember from last week that this word carries this idea of covenant faithfulness.

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It's not just a memory of someone that comes to mind. It's the idea of, yes, this is me doing what

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I have said I will do for this person. The cupbearer forgot.

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Until now. I mean, in one sense, I mean, better late than never. But I might need to ease up on him a little bit.

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Because as much as we can say better late than never, he's not late at all in one sense, is he?

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Let me zoom out for a second because this actually gets kind of interesting. Joseph had been forgotten in prison.

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But God remembered him in his affliction. I go back there because do you know where else in the

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Bible this language is used of God remembering someone in their affliction? If you need a little reminder,

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Exodus chapter 2 verses 24 and 25. God heard the groaning of the children of Israel. And God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

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And God saw the Israelites and God, Exodus 6 .5.

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This is where God is having that conversation with Moses. He says, furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the

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Israelites whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves. And I have remembered my covenant.

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Remembrance in the Bible is a big deal. The original audience, who we never want to forget when we study the

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Bible. The original audience, this generation of Jewish people who are about to go into the promised land and who are hearing this recitation of God's law in full for the first time.

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The original audience would have heard these words in Genesis and said, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.

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The history would be fresh in their minds that God hadn't forgotten

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Joseph. Who, spoiler alert, will be a deliverer for his family. And God hadn't forgotten them.

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And so he sent them a redeemer. The cup bearer might have forgotten

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Joseph, but God doesn't forget. Remember this word, remember it's a word of covenant, faithfulness.

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Hey Kofi, what does this have to do with the cup bearer remembering? Simple, simple actually.

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God brought the memory of Joseph to the forefront of this man's mind at the right time.

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Precisely because Joseph is a covenant son. And because Joseph is critical to God's greater plan being fulfilled.

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And so in a sense, the cup bearer isn't late at all. Yes, he's responsible for his forgetting.

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But even in the midst of that, God is using that to mobilize his plans. And if I can pause for a moment, isn't that, isn't it always the way that God works that he doesn't work to our schedule, but to his?

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Isn't it like God to get the wheels turning, to get plans mobilized on a different timeframe to ours?

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I mean, think about it for a moment. Would Joseph have liked a get out of jail free card a little bit earlier?

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I imagine he would. I like what one writer.

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Actually, my brother Lucas who's visiting put me onto this writer, Warren Gage. He has an excellent study of the life of Joseph called the story of Jacob and Joseph.

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In that book, he says this, quote, Joseph is a man of great faith.

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Wow, excuse me, Joseph is a man of great faith. His comments to the cup bearer indicate that there may still be a place in Joseph's heart that bases his faithful deliverance on man, not

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God. This may be why God allows Joseph to wait another two years.

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Time enough for this faith in man to die. So that Joseph will see that his deliverance and ultimately the salvation of the world from famine will come only from God.

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Can I put it to you that maybe, just maybe, Joseph was truly believing.

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Let's be clear. I don't think Joseph's an unbelieving man at this point in the narrative.

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Couldn't it be that Joseph was both truly believing in God. And yet still had a little bit to learn.

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Actually, I definitely think that's the case. You know why? Because you can be sitting here today and you're truly believing in the

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Lord and yet don't you have a little bit to learn? Don't I have a little bit more to learn? God starts to mobilize his plans through the testimony of the cup bearer as he remembers his people once again.

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Joseph may have wished it didn't take two years and a jogged memory, but God wanted it this way and so it was.

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And I can't help but read this passage and it reminds me of another moment in the history of God's people where things went a different direction than they should have.

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I can't help but think of another situation involving an innocent man who was punished for crimes he didn't commit.

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I can't help but think of another situation that involves the fate of not just a single nation, but people from all the nations.

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A situation where one of God's sons, God's ultimate son if you will, seemed forgotten by God, but wasn't forgotten when it mattered most.

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It looks bad, but I love what Psalm 1610 says, speaking of Jesus. You will not abandon me to shale, you will not allow your faithful one to see decay.

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You see, this pattern of the forgotten being remembered, can

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I put it to you, that pattern finds its ultimate fulfillment in the very gospel that we love and cherish as God's people.

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And just like with Joseph, that wouldn't have happened without sinful men getting,

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I have to pause here for a moment, I don't know where everyone in the room is in terms of their walk with God.

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I don't know if you know the Lord Jesus or not, but if you don't, he's the one

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I was speaking of by the way in that situation. Through the sinful actions of men, he brought about, or God through him, brought about the salvation of not just a people, but any person who will trust and believe in him.

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And so if you hear something you don't know him, can I invite you to do that, to trust and to believe in him.

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Coming back to our text, through the remembrance of the cup bearer, a series of events are going to be set up that lead to the salvation of not just Egypt, but also

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God's covenant people. Coming back to our text, so end of our text there in verse 14,

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Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to Pharaoh.

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Things are moving quickly, if I can put it like this. Cinderella is going to the ball.

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God discloses his plan to Pharaoh, he mobilizes his plan through the remembrance of the cup bearer, and then number three, he lays out his plan.

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He lays out his plan, that's going to cover verses 15 through to 36. So we're in verse 15.

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Joseph is now in front of Pharaoh. And again, Pharaoh has questions, and has no answers.

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So verse 15, did you notice that Joseph doesn't get to say a word yet? Pharaoh just starts the conversation in verse 15.

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Pharaoh says 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.

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In one sense, this is Joseph's time to shine. I mean here he is, he's in front of one of the most powerful men in the world.

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Lay your cards right, and you could be out of jail before the sun is down. I've got to be honest, at least that would be my thought process in this moment.

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The Egyptians were something of a mystical people, I have to be honest. I probably want to ham it up a little bit.

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I don't know if you've ever been to go see a magician show before. You know, they kind of ham it up and exaggerate it a little bit, you know, build the mystique of what they're doing.

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Maybe it's just a weird way my mind works. This is Pharaoh, I might need to, back home we have the same, throw some razzle -dazzle at him and see if that works.

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But that's not Joseph's mindset here. That's actually not been his mindset since he got to Egypt.

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We saw it in chapter 14, we see it again here. So verse 16, he says, after being told,

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I've heard that you can hear a dream and interpret it. Verse 16, I am not able to, Joseph answered Pharaoh. It is

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God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer. Joseph doesn't take this moment and say, shine the spotlight on me, let me work.

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What's the modern expression? Let him cook. He doesn't say that here. Joseph recognizes that he wasn't the one to give

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Pharaoh the answer he wants. It's God and his will.

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That's our center stage here. No amount of smoke and mirrors and parlor tricks from Joseph would give

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Pharaoh an answer. It was either going to be all God or nothing.

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And beloved, can I urge you, don't sleep on this. Joseph rightly understands that this is bigger than him.

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That yes, here he is standing before Pharaoh. This open door of opportunity, as it were, standing before him.

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And yet, he doesn't make it about him. If I can pause that way of application for a moment.

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Think through this question with me for a moment. When God opens doors, are those doors open for us or for his glory?

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Speak for me personally. I've had to grapple with this of late personally. Is God's provision primarily about me or about him?

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Is Joseph standing before Pharaoh in this moment about the giftedness of Joseph?

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Now hear me on this. I'm not saying, if we make this more broad for a moment. I'm not saying the hard work doesn't get noticed or get us attention.

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Proverbs 22, 29. Do you see a man who is skilled in his work? He will stand before kings.

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He will not stand in the presence of the unknown. It's a truism in the world that God has made that excellent work gets noticed.

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So please don't hear me as saying we should reject that. In fact, actually, I think in a lot of ways our society could do well to remember that.

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But with whatever opportunity God gives us, we are always faced with the decision. Am I going to make this opportunity about me?

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Or am I going to make this opportunity about God and his glory? Joseph understood that it wasn't about him when it was all said and done.

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It had to be somewhat liberating for him. So we come back to our text.

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And as we come back to our text, Pharaoh recounts the two dreams that he had. So again, verse 17 to 21, you have this first dream with seven healthy cows that emerged from the

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Nile. They are grazing along its banks, as it were. And then along comes seven sickly cows.

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And they eat up the healthy ones. But instead of being made healthy, they remain sick.

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And then you have dream number two in verses 22 to 24. Again, very similar. Seven heads of grain on a stalk.

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And they're eaten up by seven thin and scorched heads of grain.

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But they stay thin and scorched. Two very different dreams.

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And yet, both dreams lead to one very clear conclusion. So pick up with me in verse 25.

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Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, Pharaoh's dreams mean the same thing. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

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The seven good cows are seven years. And the seven good heads are seven years.

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The dreams mean the same thing. The seven thin sickly cows that came up after them are seven years.

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And the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind are seven years of famine.

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It is just as I told Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt.

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After them, seven years of famine will take place. And all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten.

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The famine will devastate the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows it.

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For the famine will be very severe. Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God.

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And he will carry it out soon. So these two dreams are actually pretty simple.

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Seven years of a bumper crop followed by seven years of dust bowl.

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Yay! And then not so yay. But did you notice something in this passage as I just read it from verse 25 to 32?

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Let me point out to you. Verse 25, Joseph says, Pharaoh's dream means the same thing.

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God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. Same line is repeated in verse 28.

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Just as I told Pharaoh, God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Verse 32, since the dreams were given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God.

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And he will carry it out soon. Get it?

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Catch it? Pharaoh might be all powerful. Oh, excuse me. Pharaoh might be powerful.

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All powerful in Egypt. We'll put it that way. Pharaoh might be all powerful in Egypt. But he's not all powerful where it really matters.

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Because this is more than just the meaning of a couple of dreams he had one night. This is the sovereign will of God being laid out in real time.

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You know, as I was studying this text this week, I couldn't help but, you know, come back to this.

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I couldn't shake it. So I finally just wrote it down in my notes. I didn't forget it. But have you ever thought about the fact that nothing has ever happened to God?

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Let me say that again. Nothing has ever happened to God. Think about that for a moment.

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God doesn't know what it is for stuff to come out of nowhere. Events don't happen to him.

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They happen to us because we're human. I don't know what's going to happen 60 seconds from now.

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So things happen to me. But nothing has ever happened to God.

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If you want a Bible verse for that, Ephesians 1 .11, one of my favorite verses.

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Because in him, in Jesus, we have also received an inheritance because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will.

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I know that for some that cannot sound like good news, but walk with me for a sec. Because actually I think it's very good news.

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I have no doubt that even in a room of this size, that some of you are walking through some very rough and difficult situations.

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Our regulars here at Redeemer will know my summary of life when it comes to trials. You can probably say it as I'm about to say it.

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That when it comes to life, you are either in a trial, you are walking into one, or you're walking out of one getting ready for the next one.

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Now true, that's in relation to trial. I don't think that's all life is. I'm not trying to be a

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Debbie Dowler this morning. But the reality is when it comes to trials, there's only one of three states you could be in.

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In one, out of one, or getting ready for the next one. Think about it with me.

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When those moments come, and they will, when those moments come, do you want a

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God who's experiencing suffering just like you? Do you want a

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God that things are happening to in real time just like you? There are

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Christians, put aside the matter of whether genuine Christians or not, but there are

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Christians who argue theologically that yeah, we want a God like that. That a God who knows all things and nothing happens to, that God's not relatable.

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He's not relational. But again,

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I ask, for those who say yes, we want a God who's like that. Do you really want a

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God who is like you when tough times come? Think about that for a moment. Do you want a

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God who, I don't know how you respond to tough times. For me it's one of two things. Either I get really stoic about it, or I basically think the sky is falling.

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Do I want God to operate like me?

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Do you want a God that things happen to? Or a God for whom nothing happens to Him?

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I put it to you, the God of the Bible is a God for whom nothing happens to Him. He makes things happen.

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And if I can comfort you this morning, when things happen to you, and they will.

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My favorite verse is in the book of Job. Man is born to trouble like sparks fly upward. At some point, something will happen to you.

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When things happen to you, and they will. And I put it to you that there is no greater comfort than a

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God for whom nothing has ever happened to Him. In his time in Egypt, it's very apparent that Joseph has learned a thing or two.

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Joseph knew his God. And so he could trust that what his God says will happen.

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And yet, for knowing who God is, and the fact that nothing happens to Him, and He is not moved by the circumstances of His creation.

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Even knowing that, Joseph doesn't do what, unfortunately, some Christians on the other end of the spectrum, if you will, like to do.

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God is sovereign, so I don't need to do anything. God is in charge, so, yeah, no big deal.

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Just look at verse 33. He doesn't just stop with, here's what's going to happen. God said it's going to happen. Here's what it is. Verse 33.

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So now, let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.

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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.

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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 that they may preserve it.

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It says food. 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.

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So, yes, God is sovereign, and God knows what's happening, and nothing happens to God. Yet, the knowledge of that mobilizes action.

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More on that again as we work our way through Genesis later. So I'm not going to labor that point too long. Joseph has given

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Pharaoh the information that he needs, and even a blueprint for action. We've seen that God discloses his plan.

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He mobilizes his plan. He lays out his plan. Let's go ahead and land the plane this morning with God securing his plan.

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We've seen that God secures his plan. Verses 37 to 45.

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Pharaoh has been given quite the sit -rep. You know what a sit -rep is? Situation report. He knows what's about to happen.

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Yes, he's been given a debrief. That's a good word for it. So verse 37. The proposal pleased

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Pharaoh and all his servants, and he said to them, Can we find anyone like this? A man who has

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God's spirit in him? So Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you are.

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You will be over all my house. Verse 40. And all my people will obey your commands. Only I as king, literally only

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I as it relates to the throne, will be greater than you.

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Verse 40. Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt. I have to imagine in this moment that Joseph is having an out -of -body experience.

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Wait, what? He's just gone from convict to counselor in 60 seconds.

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Verse 42. Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand. His signet ring, remember that from when we looked at Judah?

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That was an official means of basically signing documents.

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Basically anything official required that. He takes it off his hand and he gives it to Joseph.

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Put it on Joseph's hand. Clothes him with fine linen garments. I'm not sure what they wore in prison.

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They didn't wear orange jumpsuits. Whatever it is, he's not wearing that anymore. Clothes him with fine linen garments and placed a gold chain around his neck.

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He had Joseph ride in his second chariot and servants called out before him, make way. So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

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Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh and no one will be able to raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt without your permission.

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I mean, I've heard of meteoric rises, but this is something else. And that's where this section of the story ends.

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Joseph has gone from, like I said, convict to a counselor. He's gone from being in jail to not just being free, but now he's basically the prime minister of the country.

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I could end the sermon with some Pollyanna type stuff. You know, if you work hard,

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God will open doors for you. Just believe. If you know me well enough, you know

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I'm not going there because that's not the point of this passage. Because remember why

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Joseph has to be in Egypt? Taking notes, Genesis 15, 13,

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God told Abraham, your descendants are going to be in a land of slaves for 400 years. And afterwards,

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I will bring them out. How do we get from there to here?

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Well, Israel has to end up in Egypt. Well, that can't work if Egypt is wiped out because of a famine.

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So yes, we can celebrate the exaltation of Joseph. This wasn't in my notes, but you know what comes to mind?

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How did Potiphar's wife feel in this moment? I'm a big sci -fi fan.

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One of my favorite shows is Doctor Who. I would pay for a ride in the TARDIS to go see that look. Well, women weren't typically allowed in Pharaoh's court, apart from his queen, so maybe she wasn't in the room.

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But when the news got back to her, this Hebrew guy answered

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Pharaoh's dream, and now he's prime minister. This is not part of my sermon. This is just the interesting thoughts that whirl around in my brain.

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What did she have to think in this moment? Oh, I am so toast. But again, that's not really the point.

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The point is this. God is bringing his plan about perfectly.

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There's still so much rich truth in this chapter that, like I said, we're not going to finish it. We'll pick it up next week. But can

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I leave you with this? It's a couple of verses from one of my favorite hymns that I think sums up this section of God's word so well.

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God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.

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You fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.

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His promises will ripen fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.

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The hymn ends with this. Blind unbelief is sure to err and scan God's work in vain. But God is his own interpreter, and he will make it plain.

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And Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are a God who is indeed working out all things for your glory and for our good.

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That even in the difficulties of life, you are at work. Father, we thank you that you are a

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God for whom nothing is happening to. And yet, that doesn't mean that you are unmoved or uncaring about what happens.

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You are working all things out for your glory and for our good. So Father, help us that we would submit to your sovereign hand in everything.

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That we would submit to your will and to your way, even when it doesn't seem to make sense to us.

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Father, we thank you that you remembered your covenant, not just the covenant that you made with the nation of Israel, but you remembered your covenant that you made between yourself and your son.

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And at the right time, you sent the son to be the savior of the world with the

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Bible. Help us to trust in him in everything. And I pray for anybody who doesn't know him, that they would come to know him, that they would rest in and receive in and trust in him.

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We thank you for your word, which is spoken to us today. And we ask for your blessing upon it as we think and meditate on it.