Genesis
40 – 43
Joseph is in prison and things get interesting. Verses 40:2
& 3 talk about his new guests:
2-3 Pharaoh
was angry with his two attendants, and so he put the chief cupbearer and the
chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard in the same
prison where Joseph was confined.
During the time these two were in prison,
both had a dream. Joseph interprets both dreams for them and quickly the dreams
come true. Unfortunately for the baker, his dream was fatal for him. Although
the cupbearer did promise Joseph to mention him immediately like he promised, this
did not happen until two years later where in chapter 41 he finally does.
Verse 41:16 has Joseph addressing the
Pharaoh:
I cannot do this,
but God will answer Pharaoh’s request and relieve your concerns,
Think about this, he has an ability to get
out of prison. The Pharaoh is asking to interpret a dream and a “yes” would get
him out, instead he say “I cannot”. Think about this, in the 20 years away he
has learned to humble himself before God and give God the credit. Think about
how God choose an arrogant young buck to save Israel, but first he had to
humble himself. And that took 20 years!!
As you read this story it is amazing how
circumstances are set in place for Joseph to save the nation of Israel. If
Joseph had been a humble servant to his older brothers, he would have never
been sold into slavery. If the queen had not been manipulative he would have
never been tossed in jail. If he had not been in jail the cupbearer would never
had known God would interpret dreams through him. If the cupbearer had
instantly got Joseph out, he may not have been in the position to interpret
Pharaoh’s dream, which put him in the position to save the nation of Israel.
Think about this the next time you are in
need and living in a low spot. God may just be molding you for something great,
if not he may just be correcting a behavior not pleasing to God. Either way,
like Paul, we should be joyful in all things, because there is an ultimate
purpose in everything even though we may not see it in the moment.
Verse 43:30 has this odd game Joseph is playing with his
family:
Joseph
hurried from the room because he was overwhelmed with affection for his
brother and was afraid he would cry in front of everyone. So he went
into a private room and wept there.
I am not sure why he did not initially come
out and disclose who he was to his brothers, but his emotions got the best of
him often. This was the second time he ran from his brothers so not to cry in
front of them. I assume he may have been worried that they were going to do him
harm, or maybe he just wanted to ensure his family would be fully reunited. Whatever
the reason, this is an interesting one as to the workings of God in saving
Israel.
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