Old Aberdeen Mission, Sun 19^th October 2003

 

From Prison to Power

 

Reading:        Genesis 41

 

Introduction

The story of Joseph is a familiar one in this generation; it is perhaps the one story from the Bible that most people know, at least in summary form.

God uses pictures to reveal His purpose

God has his own ways of bringing his word to the attention of those who otherwise would be indifferent to it. He loves to use pictures to reveal his purposes.  These pictures may be painted with words, like the parables Jesus loved to tell.  Or they may be painted in history, using the lives and experience of individuals, families and nations. And in the story of Joseph we have a masterpiece of revelation of the heart of God.

Joseph - a picture of amazing grace

In this story we learn that God is a God of "amazing grace"; a God who forgives and then gives and gives; a God who has nothing but the best in store for those who reach out to grasp his hand; a God who shows mercy to the miserable, rescues the downtrodden, gives sight to the blind, freedom to the prisoner, salvation to the sinner, and then, as if this were not enough, puts his clothes upon them, his ring on their finger, his name on their birth certificate, and says "welcome to the royal family". As Paul quotes to the Corinthian church, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him - but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit" (1 Cor 2:9).

Conviction in spite of circumstances

Joseph would have endorsed that! Did he have any conception of God's intentions for him for good? I am sure he had no idea that he would become second in command in the greatest civilisation of his day. And yet God had revealed to him, through a dream, of a day to come when even those in his family who naturally ranked higher than him would bow to his authority. In the folly of his youth he responded to this with pride and arrogance, and paid a bitter price. But through the long, lonely days and nights of his slavery and prison experience this revelation must have been the only anchor he could cling to. "No matter my circumstances," perhaps he would say to himself, "I am convinced that nothing in all creation will be able to separate me from the love of God." If you have reached out to grasp God's hand of mercy and grace then you can be assured of this for yourself too. Let's look in a little more detail at the chapter of Joseph's story before us today.

 

 

 

The depth of his pit

Written off

The terrible words in Genesis 40:23 tell it all.  The chief cup-bearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.  Everybody had written off Joseph. Even his father, the one who loved him so dearly, had made him no more than a painful memory (Gen 41:51). Benjamin had taken Joseph's place in his father's affections.

Humanly speaking, without hope

Consider his position. In those early days of slavery do you not think he would have consoled himself with thoughts of rescue? Surely my father, who loves me so dearly, will leave no stone unturned until he has found me and redeemed me? He knew nothing of the terrible lie his brothers had told to their father. He knew not that his father believed him to be dead. And in the early days of imprisonment, do you not think he would have held on to the hope that Potiphar would learn of his wife's unfaithfulness, that Joseph would be vindicated, and he would be re-instated?  It didn't happen.  An finally, he pinned his hopes on Pharoah's butler. But as the weeks and months went by, and as news filtered through to him of the butler's re-instatement in pharoah's service without any mention of Joseph, even that hope would have died.

The Lord was with him

Genesis 39:23 records that "the Lord was with Joseph". This was the only certainty in a life stripped of everything else. The Lord paced those cold stone floors; the Lord sat through those lonely nights. One day the Lord himself would submit himself to a far worse experience (cf Phil 2:6-11), and Joseph's experience pictured and foreshadowed this truth. God was preparing Joseph for a glorious future, but in doing so he stripped him of every other means of hope except hope in God himself.

 

The genuineness of his faith

The test of faith

Pharoah said to Joseph, "I have heard it said that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."  Here was a challenge to Joseph. One thing remained that had not been stripped away. He could interpret dreams. An now was the opportunity to use this for his own benefit.

The confession of faith

Gen 41:16 "Joseph replied, 'I cannot do it, but God will give Pharoah the answer he desires'."

I believe all of heaven cheered right then and there. These are not the words of one who has lost his faith, or who has concluded that trusting God is a waste of time.  Do you not think that the enemy of our souls was not shouting right then to Joseph, "how can you say that when God has done nothing to give you what you desire?" Do you think that Joseph was unaware of the fact that suggesting to Pharoah, the high priest of all the Egyptian gods, that he needed to seek help from Joseph's God, was not far short of inviting swift execution? Do you think it had not crossed his mind that if he played his cards right he might have his prison sentence reprieved?

This is the true essence of faith. I cannot, but God will.

The effect of faith

Pharoah said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so wise and discerning as you." (Gen 41:39). True faith always testifies to who God is and what he does, and encourages others to trust him too. True faith affects and challenges others.

 

The height of his elevation

So Pharoah said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt" (Gen 41:41).  He dressed him in robes, placed a ring of authority on his finger, a gold chain of office around his neck, and a chariot in which to ride.

God is in the transformation business

Here is a picture of what God is like. He loves to transform Cinderella into a princess. He loves to take what is broken and written-off, and use it to achieve his greatest accomplishments.  In Joseph we have a picture of how Christ would descend to the depths on our behalf and then be exalted to the highest position in heaven. It is also a picture of how God delights to transform every one of us, from rags to riches, from grime to glory.

God does not leave us in our wretchedness

Man's philosophy says, "I am who I am, and I aim to be myself."  God says, "you are far short of my intention for you, but I am willing to transform you into my likeness." Man says to God, "you must accept me on my terms, and if so I will serve you".  God says to man, "You must come to me on my terms, and if I will make you my own child."

God intends the very best for us

God has plans for us far beyond our wildest dreams. Right now, says John, we are royalty; the prospects for the future are unknown but incredibly exciting (1 John 3:2)

 

"We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes, not on what is seen, but on what is unseen" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).