February 3rd, 2016, was a Friday night. It was a big night because my Dad’s Christian rock band was reuniting for the first time in 15 years, and I was asked to sing with them on one of their songs. Every 80’s rock band had to have at least one power ballad - Guns and Roses had “Patience,” Poison had “Every Rose has its Thorn” - even Stryper had "Honestly” and my dad’s band had a ballad called ‘Altar Call.’
Now I was invited to sing this song for the 2016 reunion show, because years earlier I had recorded it for the band’s final album. Flash back with me to the 1990’s, the band was at its height, and I was still in high school. My dad woke me up out of bed one night, saying he needed my vocals on a new song he was recording, his power ballad - his worship song - called Altar Call. And he could’ve asked my mom to sing it, she was home that night, and my mamma had the voice of an angel! I, on the other hand, was dead asleep.
But while I was sleeping, God was working. He was setting a plan in motion that would unfold over the course of my adult life, in ways that I never could have dreamed.
My dad woke me up in the middle of the night, and half asleep, I went downstairs to his studio in the basement and recorded my part.
Flash forward with me to 2016, with my Dad’s guitar in hand and sporting his band’s t-shirt, I sang that song one last time - and I couldn’t have known it then - but that night of the reunion concert, was the very beginning of a series of events that would alter the course of my entire life, and send my whole family on a journey that none of us could ever have anticipated!
Which brings us here, to the 3rd week of our Dreams and Destiny series, taking an in-depth look at the biblical account of Joseph. So far, we’ve seen our hero Joseph be sold into slavery in Egypt – where he is purchased by – OF ALL PEOPLE – a high-ranking officer in Pharaoh’s court named Potiphar. Potiphar noticed that there was something unique about this Hebrew slave of his – he recognized that “the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.” And we begin to see the hand of God at work in and through the circumstances of Joseph’s life.
Potiphar entrusted his entire household to Joseph and gave him responsibility over everything he owned. Joseph went from being his father’s favorite, to being Potiphar’s favorite
But as quickly as Joseph rose from obscurity to prominence, he was cast back down to prisoner status when Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of trying to take advantage of her. That’s where our story picks up today, Joseph is in prison, unsure of his fate. But we’re reminded at the end of Genesis chapter 39, that the Lord was WITH Joseph - even in prison. ***Again, we see the hand of God working in and through the circumstances of Joseph’s life, even in prison. He eventually became the prison warden’s FAVORITE and was put in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. And it isn’t hard to see why. Joseph was a man of character. We saw it last week when he refused the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife. And we’ll see it again this week as the story continues.
So turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 40 verse 6, that’s on page 36 if you’re using a house Bible. And while you’re turning to Genesis chapter 40:6, I want to remind you of 2 ways we have for you to interact with the message this morning.
First, we have these Activity sheets posted at the entrances – because, this whole Joseph series, like the Joseph the musical, has had a sort of a ‘Sunday school’ vibe to it.
I mean, we’ve got this enormous set behind us, which, by the way, how many of you have already seen our production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat? It’s such a fun show, the cast and crew have done an incredible job, and it may have already been mentioned, but I need you to know, these pillars behind me were hand painted by one of our very own, incredibly talented congregants, Mr. Jim Fansler!
We really are blessed to be part of such a creative church community! So, grab an activity sheet if you haven’t done so already, and be inspired to be creative today!
We also have an interactive “Dream Wall” in the lobby just outside these doors - it was designed to be a place where you can share with us the dreams that God has for you.
One person wrote:
• God’s dream for them is to be ‘The best father and FUTURE GRANDFATHER!’ Congratulations to you. That’s exciting and we celebrate your new grandbaby with you!
• Another person said God’s dream for their lives was to break the chain of family dysfunction. That’s a powerful dream, and I agree! Yes, and Amen! With God’s help, may it be so!
• Another person said their dream was that God would be glorified through the telling of their healing story! That’s beautiful! We need to hear your story!
So please, take advantage of these interactive elements as a way to help you engage with this series in a more personal and meaningful way.
Alright we’re going to start in chapter 40, but before we do, let me pray for us.
Alright we’re in Genesis chapter 40, Joseph is in prison, and one day, 2 additional prisoners arrive. A baker, and a cupbearer, both of whom served in Pharaoh’s court.
We are told that both men had ‘offended the King,’ but we’re not told what they did that made Pharaoh angry enough to throw them in jail. We can, however, make an educated guess…
Both men were responsible for the King’s food supply. And if something Pharaoh ate or drank made him sick - it was literally, off with your head!
So, we’re filling in the blanks a bit here, but we can imagine that Pharaoh had likely fallen ill, and had one of 2 people to blame - the cup-bearer or the baker! And since he couldn’t immediately identify who the culprit was, he threw them both in jail! This is where we’ll pick up the story in Genesis chapter 40 verse 6:
We read:
6 When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. 7 “Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them.
8 And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.”
“Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”
You see, while Joseph was sleeping, God was working. He was setting a plan in motion that would unfold over the course of his life, in ways he never could have dreamed.
Now I want to pause here, because already in this story we can catch a glimpse of Joseph’s character. He’s around 28 years old at this point in the story. He had been sold into slavery when he was 17, meaning he’s already spent over a decade of his life in captivity in Egypt. In that time span he had risen to the top of the ladder in Potiphar’s home, only to wind up down at the bottom again, falsely imprisoned in Potiphar’s jail, a victim of a false accusation. Someone’s lie put him in jail.
So is he sulking? Is he dejected? Is he angry? Bitter? Spiteful? Cynical? Do we see him despairing? What can these three verses tell us about Joseph’s demeanor in prison?
Well first of all, we see him taking notice of the feelings of others. And he doesn’t just notice them. He inquires of them - “Why do you look so worried today?” I don’t want to gloss over this part of the story, because I think it’s important.
Joseph himself was a victim of injustice, but it didn’t harden his heart toward others, or toward his God! It says in verse 6 he noticed that they both looked upset. Now, I had to ask myself how many times have I noticed that someone looked upset? Visibly upset? And I just kept going about my business, ‘I don’t have time for that! I don’t know what their problem is today?! But clearly something ain’t right with them.’ And it’s easier to ignore that person, than to do the harder thing, the more compassionate thing, and lean into their feelings. Joseph leaned in. He saw that they were upset, and he cared enough to ask why. And little did he know, but through this small gesture of human decency and kindness, this gesture of leaning into someone’s distress, God laid the groundwork for everything that was to come.
We’re about to see how
God works in and through the circumstantial details of the lives of his people, to reveal His ultimate plan.
Joseph asked the new guys why they looked so worried. Only then did he learn that they had both suffered disturbing dreams in the night. In ancient Egyptian society, dreams were thought to be messages from the gods. That’s why they were so upset that no one could interpret their divine meaning.
This is where the strength of Joseph's character is revealed. Instead of volunteering himself, he volunteers His God! He says, “interpreting dreams is God’s business.”
The name he uses for God is Elohim. It means the ‘Supreme God above all gods’ or the ‘One True God.’ It’s a word that emphasizes God’s might and His power. Somehow, despite his 11 years in captivity - he has not lost sight of his God. His circumstances have not hardened his heart against his God. Instead of allowing the tragic events of his life to push him further away from God. He leans in. He leans into what he believes to be true about His God –
• Elohim is all powerful.
• Elohim is sovereign.
• Elohim is the God above all gods.
And you, baker and cupbearer, if your little g ‘gods’ are teasing you with dreams and hidden messages, my God, my capital G God, my God Elohim will interpret your dream for you - because dreams are His business. I love the confidence of Joseph in prison. His confidence in His God, his unbreakable spirit. The strength of his character.
Theologian Donald Grey Barnhouse once said:
“The secret of power is character, but the secret of character is God.” - Donald Grey Barnhouse
***
Joseph is a powerful man, because he is a man of character.
But he is a man of character, because he KNOWS THE POWER OF HIS GOD.
“Interpreting dreams is God’s business” … so let’s hear it!
We pick up the story in verse 9:
9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream first. “In my dream,” he said, “I saw a grapevine in front of me. 10 The vine had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon it produced clusters of ripe grapes. 11 I was holding Pharaoh’s wine cup in my hand, so I took a cluster of grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 “This is what the dream means,” Joseph said. “The three branches represent three days.
13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you to your position as his chief cupbearer. 14 And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. 15 For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.”
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given the first dream such a positive interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream, too. In my dream there were three baskets of white pastries stacked on my head. 17 The top basket contained all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them from the basket on my head.”
18 “This is what the dream means,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets also represent three days. 19 Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh.”
CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE??!! How awkward was that moment??!!
You can imagine the excitement of the baker, listening to Joseph deliver the positive interpretation of the cup-bearer’s dream! What good news! What a relief! What a gift! The scripture tells us, the baker only spoke of his dream because he overheard the positive interpretation his cellmate’s dream received.
But then the bad news. Joseph delivers the worst, most horrific interpretation imaginable - and then the baker has to sit there - in prison, waiting to find out if Joseph’s dire prophecy will come true or not.
Now, I read a handful of commentaries, studying about this whole business with the baker - and my favorite quote is actually from Tim Ayers’ (no surprise there) a quote from his class notes when he taught on the book of Genesis. Tim said:
“What is being described is a beheading-followed-by-impaling the body on a post and allowing the birds [and any other beasts or insects] to destroy the rotting corpse. This is a great indignity.” - Tim Ayers
Personally, I can’t think of anything more undignifying than being beheaded, followed by being impaled, followed by being eaten by birds and wild animals. A great indignity, indeed.
And sure enough, it all came to pass 3 days later. The baker was executed, the cupbearer set free - and Joseph… was left to rot in jail for 2 more years.
Despite Joseph’s plea, the cupbearer did not remember him after he was restored to his position in Pharaoh’s court - that is, until Pharaoh himself had a dream.
Let’s pick up the story again in chapter 41, starting at verse 1:
Genesis 41 says:
“Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. 2 In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. 3 Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank. 4 Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.
5 But he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain, plump and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. 6 Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind. 7 And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.
8 The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant.
9 Finally, the king’s chief cupbearer spoke up. “Today I have been reminded of my failure,” he told Pharaoh. 10 “Some time ago, you were angry with the chief baker and me, and you imprisoned us in the palace of the captain of the guard. 11 One night the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning. 12 There was a young Hebrew man with us in the prison who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he told us what each of our dreams meant. 13 And everything happened just as he had predicted. I was restored to my position as cupbearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole.”
You remember, Pharaoh?? The baker you impaled on a pole!! Anyway, there’s this other guy in Potiphar’s prison who can interpret dreams, you should check him out…
The scripture says Pharaoh called for Joseph immediately. Remember, it had been 2 years since Joseph’s interpretation of the cup-bearer’s dream came true. 2 years since the cup-bearer’s release from prison. 2 years of Joseph faithfully doing whatever menial task was set before him, overseeing the prisoners, day in and day out. 2 years of being forgotten.
But for 2 years, while Joseph was sleeping, God was working. He was setting a plan in motion that would unfold over the course of his life, in ways he never could have dreamed.
Suddenly, one day the prison door opened, and the guard called for Joseph, who had been summoned by Pharaoh himself, to do what he had done years earlier - interpret dreams.
This is Joseph’s big moment! His one shot at freedom! He can’t mess this up. So he shaves and gets a change of clothes to be more presentable before the King. And when he is brought before the throne, Pharaoh says “I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.”
I can just feel Joseph’s heart pounding.
Now’s his chance! It would have been prime time for Joseph to shine! Afterall, he has a pretty good track record when it comes to interpreting dreams.
But his answer to Pharaoh in verse 16 is not self-promoting, or self-aggrandizing in any way.
In fact it’s the exact opposite. Verse 16:
16 “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”
But God…
“The secret of power is character, but the secret of character is God.” - Donald Grey Barnhouse
Joseph is a powerful man, because he is a man of character.
But he is a man of character, because he KNOWS THE POWER OF HIS GOD.
Again, Joseph makes it clear that the glory does not belong to him. Just as before, he knows that “Interpreting dreams is God’s business.”
And so, the King details his dreams to Joseph who immediately interprets their meaning. The 7 healthy cows and the 7 stalks of wheat represented 7 years of plenty. And the 7 scrawny cannibal cows and the 7 shriveled up heads of cannibalistic wheat, represented 7 years of famine that would follow the 7 years of plenty. The message was simple. Over the next 7 years of bumper crops, build storehouses to gather all the excess food you can. The food you gather in these years of plenty will be enough to carry your kingdom through the impending years of famine.
Verse 37 says:
Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?”
***By the way, this is the first mention we see in the Bible of a man being filled with God’s Spirit. And it wasn’t a fellow Hebrew, a fellow believer in the One True God - no - it was someone on the outside of the family of God’s chosen people - someone who had all sorts of wild beliefs and many pagan gods. This outsider was able to recognize the Spirit of the One True God in Joseph. Just let that sink in for a minute. Joseph’s life so exuded the Spirit of God, that he couldn’t help but point others to God in all that he did. Interpreting dreams is God’s business! God can tell you what it means and set you at ease! He represented his God - in everything he said and did! He exalted his God above himself. And so, his God exalted him.
Verse 39
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. 40 You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”
It’s the ultimate feel-good story of redemption and triumph! Pharaoh gives him an official signet ring, adorns him with gold and dresses him in fine linen, and parades him through town in a chariot, ordering everyone in his kingdom to bow down before his newly appointed 2nd in command. JOSEPH! The Hebrew slave, once falsely accused and unjustly imprisoned, now hailed as the man with the plan - in charge of the entire land of Egypt.
Pharaoh sees that Joseph is married into a prominent family, securing his place in Egyptian high society. And as the 7 years of plenty go by - the gravy days - the time of abundance and prosperity, Joseph has 2 sons. He names his firstborn Manasseh - which sounds like the Hebrew word which means ‘causing to forget.’ He says, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” Joseph marks the joyous arrival of his firstborn son, with a pronouncement that he has let go of the hurts from his past. Joseph let go and leaned into his God. God made him forget all his troubles!
And it’s interesting that right after that, right after he let go - he had a second son, whom he named Ephraim. Ephraim means doubly fruitful. He said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”
God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief. Joseph is referring back to the more than
13 years he spent living in the land of his grief. That’s a long time to be living in the land of grief. But God…
For more than 13 years, while Joseph was sleeping, while Joseph was living, while Joseph was faithfully attending to whatever was placed before him, no matter the situation he was facing - during those long years in the land of his grief, God was working. He was setting a plan in motion that would unfold over the course of his life, in ways he never could have dreamed.
If Joseph hadn’t been so hated by his brothers, he might never have been sold into slavery.
And if he hadn’t been sold into slavery, he would have never ended up overseeing Potiphar’s house.
And if he hadn’t overseen Potiphar's house, he wouldn’t have been falsely accused and unjustly imprisoned.
And if he hadn’t been unjustly imprisoned, he would have never met the baker and the cupbearer.
And if he had never met the baker or the cup bearer - if he hadn’t bothered to lean in with compassion and ask them why they looked so upset that day - he would have never interpreted their dreams for them.
And had he never interpreted their dreams for them, the cupbearer would never have mentioned him to Pharaoh.
And if the cupbearer had never mentioned Joseph to Pharaoh, the King’s dreams would have gone uninterpreted.
And if the King’s dreams had gone uninterpreted, all of Egypt would have starved to death as the famine destroyed the land. And not just Egypt, but the surrounding nations as well, including a yet unknown, tiny nation of Israel, which at the time consisted of only Joseph, his father Jacob, and his 11 brothers and their families.
You see, God had always been working, setting into motion a plan that would unfold in ways no one could have dreamed!
He had always been at work, in the circumstances of Joseph’s life, from the time he was a young boy with wild dreams, to his time spent at the bottom of a well, to his time served in a prison cell, to his time spent at the top of the world, as second in command to the most powerful man in in the known universe!
God was working in the midst of ALL of it! Causing all things to work together for the good of Joseph. And not just Joseph, but for the good of his people. And not just for the good of his people, but for the good of the world, as Joseph’s God-given wisdom would save the nations from starvation!
God works in and through the circumstantial details of the lives of his people, to reveal His ultimate plan.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Joseph, or if it’s you, or if it’s me.
That Friday night in 2016, at my dad’s reunion concert, the one where I sang that song I had recorded years earlier, in the middle of the night, way back when I was a teenager - that night I was singing alongside my dad’s old friend, who used to play electric guitar in the band way back when, we’re talking 1990.
It just so happens, that guitar player who I hadn’t seen since I was a kid, lived in Fishers and attended Grace Church. A few months later, in the fall of that same year, there was an open position at his church. They were looking to hire a worship leader, and because I had sung that song with him at that reunion concert earlier that year - he thought of me and he called my Dad. He asked my dad if he thought I’d be interested in applying for the job. Fun fact… I was not at all interested in applying for the job. But God…
The Lord was working through the circumstances of my life, as he had been all along, preparing the way, preparing my heart, molding me, and strengthening my character, because He had a plan - and that plan that was not my plan. No. My God, Elohim, the Supreme God above all gods, had a plan beyond my wildest dreams. And it would involve sacrifice, and facing fears, and trusting Him in uncertain times. It would involve pain and loss, and grief, and even death. But God.. God has made me fruitful in the land of my grief.
New things began to grow, and hope began to spread, as God’s plan, God’s dream for my life, included the development of perseverance, and the love and support of new friends, whom I cherish! And God’s plan keeps unfolding with new lessons learned and new opportunities set before me, not because I’m anything special, but because I love Him, and I belong to Him, and He has filled me with His Spirit, and I am called according to His purpose!
Romans 8:28 reminds us that
“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
The Greek word for ‘work together’ in that verse, sunergeo - [soon - air - geh - oh], it means to be a fellow worker. To cooperate with or help with work. It literally means we work together. God and me, God and you, we are working together for the good of advancing His purposes here on earth. God is working together with us - those of us who love him - who are called.
1 Corinthians 1 says
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Oh come on, church can we just boast in the Lord for a minute? All of Joseph’s trials lead him to a place of gratitude! Of boasting in the Lord! He says ‘God made me forget my troubles, and God has made me fruitful!’
As we move into our time of reflection this morning here’s what I want to you be thinking about:
Place yourself in God’s grand story - his story of YOUR life! Where have you seen him at work? Remember, God works in and through the circumstantial details of the lives of his people. That means YOU! Where have you seen him at work in the past? And where do you see him at work today?
None of us know the future, but we know who holds the future - how might God be developing your character right now, to prepare you for what He has in store for you? My challenge to you is to lean in like Joseph did. Maybe you’ve faced a series of setbacks. Maybe you’ve fallen on hard times. Maybe you are still in the land of your grief – if that’s you, my friend - believe me when I say, God is with you! He has not forgotten you.
God works in and through the circumstantial details of the lives of his people, to reveal His ultimate plan.
That means YOU! He is with YOU in the land of YOUR grief. HE IS WITH YOU! Don’t resist Him with a stubborn heart. Don’t allow the tragic elements of your story to harden your heart toward God - lean in. If you have to, reach out your hand like Joseph’s father Jacob did when he wrestled the angel and say I will not let go! I won’t let go until you bless me! I will not let go of you, Elohim.
“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
If you love God and you care about His purposes, that promise is for you. Lean into Him, church. He is calling you. Sarah’s going to play softly for the next few minutes, and as she does, please use this time to reflect on God’s presence in your own life. Take these next few moments of quiet space and place yourself in His ultimate story. Lean into Him, to who you know him to be! As He was with Joseph, so He is with you. Your God is with you.
Reflection: God works in and through the circumstantial details of the lives of his people, to reveal His ultimate plan. Where have you seen him at work in the past? Where do you see him at work today?