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(1.) Walk Thru The Word for Today: Gen. 41: 1- 8 (ESV)
(2 Years Later Pharaoh Needs Dream Interpretation)
1After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, 2and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.3And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. 5And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. 6And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. 7And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.8So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh. After this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt.2And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.
(2) Walk Thru The Word for Today: Gen. 41: 9– 16 (ESV)
(Pharaoh Calls Joseph Who Says God Interprets Dreams)
9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 10When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 11we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 12A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 13And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”
14Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. 15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
(3) Walk Thru The Word for Today: Gen. 40: 17 – 27 (ESV)
(Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dream)
25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine.
28It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.
(4) Walk Thru The Word for Today: Gen. 41: 33 – 38 (ESV)
(Pharaoh Acknowledges God’s Anointing Is On Joseph)
28It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. 33Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
37This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
(5) Walk Thru The Word for Today: Gen. Gen. 41: 39 – 45 (ESV)
(Joseph Is Promoted To Save The World From Famine)
39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 43And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
(6) (Yellow – Not In Your Notes)
The New Testament explains God’s principles
The Old Testament Shows us the processes of how those principles work in our lives!
- The Old Testament traces a family bloodline to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- God nurtures that family into a society that will receive & safeguard His Word
- God’s Old Testament Word points to and prepares us for His Messiah!
- The Old Testament uses the members of that bloodline as the primary examples to demonstrate how God works in the lives of His people then and now.
- The New Testament shows how Christ fulfills the Old Testament through His redemptive “Born Again” experience, and how God uses the transformed disciples to spread the Gospel and explain God’s principles that transform our lives and civilization!
(8) Gen. 37 – 47 Joseph’s Life Represents How God prepares us for Service by guiding us through various experiences.
God called Joseph to save the world from a famine. All Joseph knows is he will rule over his family (Gen 37)
To save the world from a famine one must be in an organized society, where there is infrastructure (roads & facilities), a command & control culture to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people. So God transfers Joseph to Egypt which is the last place a Hebrew would want to be. God also must develop Joseph’s skills by providing him with experiences that give him expertise in …
- food (agricultural) production, management & distribution, which Joseph learned on his daddy Jacob’s ranch. (Gen 37)
- how Pharaoh’s court & government operates, which Joseph learned in the service of Potiphar a member of Pharaoh’s court (Gen 39)
- how to deal with shrewd, conniving people, which Joseph learned in Prison. (Gen 40 & Psalm 105:16-25)
Joseph’s challenge is to be faithful to walk as a believer in the God of The Bible, even though he does not understand at what stage of God’s plan his life is in at any given time or part of this journey!
(9) Gen. 39: 1-6&9 Joseph has 2 more years of being faithful while forgotten!
Gen. 39: 21-23 — Despite how Joseph feels, and the ignoble and humiliating circumstances he is in …
1After two/2 whole years [of Joseph being faithful while forgotten!]… 9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses (sinful penalty against Joseph) today.
Though (Gen 40:10)The Cup Bearer was in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, when he got out he lacked compassion for Joseph, and failed to mention to Pharaoh that Joseph was claiming to be innocent.
But to assist his Pharaoh, whom he apparently likes, he mentions how 11we dreamed on the same night, and… 12A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant (male slave) of (Potiphar’s) the captain of the guard (Pharaoh’s bodyguards) who is an accurate interpreter of dreams — meaning one who is “a prophetic explainer and forth-teller of the divine will.
(10) Gen. 41: 2–8 God Uses Disturbing dreams To Compel Pharaoh To Call Joseph from confinement
Gen. 39: 21-23 — Despite how Joseph feels, and the ignoble and humiliating circumstances he is in …
1… Pharaoh has 2 dreams that he was standing by the Nile, 2and behold, The ugly ate the attractive, and the thin and blighted swallows the plump.
- 4… ugly, and gaunt (destroying, harmful, treacherous, wicked, wretched) thin cows ate up (entirely consumed, devoured,) the seven attractive, plump (beautiful, fair, handsome) cows.
- Gen 41:5-7 6And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. 7And the thin ears swallowed up (engulfed, ruined) the seven plump, full ears.
- The dream seems so real that Pharaoh awoke, and behold (was surprised) it was a dream.
- This also tells us that since man’s fall into sin in Eden we have to work to maintain the good and beautiful things God provides. We need to be discerning about how both good and bad/hard times come and go.
8So in the morning Pharaoh’s spirit (inner being, soul) was troubled, (anxious, stirred & impelled to action) and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise (sages, noted for discernment and powers of judging matters prudently) men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
(11) Gen. 40: 16-19 Pharaoh Calls Joseph Who Gives God Glory As The Dream Interpreter
Gen. 41: 14-16 14Then Pharaoh sent and called (made a proclamation that they shouted) Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit (dungeon). And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.
If you feel like you are in a pit, keep being faithful to God there, because in a matter of a few moments it can change!
15And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” So Pharaoh calls Joseph to exercise the gift God has given him. Pharaoh asks Joseph to serve in his area of strength and gifting.
16Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God (Septuagint: Without God it is not possible to give Pharaoh an answer about his welfare.) will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (An answer that will give you peace, and secure your well-being.)
(12) (Yellow) Gen. 40: 16-19 Our Ministry to deliver God’s word, Will & Intentions
If you were Joseph and you were called before Pharaoh, and God delivered to you the interpretation of the message his dreams convey, would you tell Pharaoh …
- “I’ve been unjustly imprisoned. If you get me out, I’ll tell you my dream.”
- Only tell the first 7 year favorable part of the message, but leave out the negatives about the 7 years of famine, because you don’t want to seem like a downer and scare Pharaoh and his court.
- “God loves you, man, and you should focus on that” “
- “I do not want to compromise what God is saying on this matter, so here goes the truth …
What is God’s Will for Joseph and us to say on this matter?
Col 1:28-29 28Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
God foretells our fate (the outcome of one’s life that is beyond a person’s control, as determined by God’s Supernatural Power) ultimate through His word which can be reinforced with dreams.
Zechariah 10: 1-4 1Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field. 2For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd. 3“My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like his majestic steed in battle. 4From him shall come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler—all of them together.
(13) Gen. 41: 19 – 23 (ESV) Pharaoh is Patriotic and does what is right to save his people
Pharaoh is patriotic which Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says is to be
- “Inspired by the love of one’s country;
- directed to the public safety and
- actuated to achieve the public’s welfare.
- Webster says “Welfare” is “Exemption from any unusual evil or calamity; the enjoyment of the common blessings of life; prosperity; happiness; applied to persons, and the enjoyment of peace and prosperity, or the ordinary blessings of society and civil government; applied to states.[bctt tweet=”These 10 Commandment rights are referenced in the Declaration of Independence as our “inalienable rights,” are also are known by people like John Locke as the “natural” rights God secures for us in the 10 Commandments. ” username=”LibertyCF3″]
(14) (Yellow) Let’s Examine The Patriotism and Religion of Mark Twain, Who was a civil war veteran (This information comes from historian Bill Federer who publishes “The American Minute” online media journals. Bill Federer notes:
Samuel Langhorne Clemens was a Confederate veteran, but only after 2 weeks obtained a discharge to work for his brother Orion, who was secretary to Nevada’s Governor.
Mark Twain wrote the best-selling books:
-Tom Sawyer (1876); The Prince and The Pauper (1882); Life on the Mississippi (1883); -Huckleberry Finn (1884); Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur’s Court (1889); and Joan of Arc (1896).
In his book Innocents Abroad *published in 1869), which established his reputation as a writer, Mark Twain described Syria under the Ottoman Turkish Empire: “Five thousand Christians … were massacred in Damascus in 1861 by the Turks …
Mark Twain recorded what he called the “Mohammedans…thirst for loo noting “, in a short time 25,000 more Christians were massacred.”
… Narrow streets ran blood for several days, and that men, women and children were butchered indiscriminately and left to rot by hundreds all through the Christian quarter … the stench was dreadful.
… All the Christians who could get away fled from the city, and the Mohammedans would not defile their hands by burying [what they called] the ‘infidel dogs.’… The thirst for blood extended to the high lands of Hermon and Anti-Lebanon, and in a short time twenty- five thousand more Christians were massacred …”
Mark Twain described Jerusalem under Ottoman Muslim rule: “Rags, wretchedness, poverty and dirt, those signs and symbols that indicate the presence of Moslem rule.”
Mark Twain saw first-hand the difference between life the US under what I term “The Biblical Basis of The Bill of Rights,” which is the application of Biblical Christianity to civic life and life under the rule and application of another religion to civics.
Regarding Twain’s Religion
Answering Bible skeptics, Mark Twain said:
“If the Ten Commandments were not written by Moses, then they were written by another fellow of the same name.”
Twain’s religious views fluctuated from being
- sarcastically irreligious,
- ridiculing organized religion,
- declaring “the universe is governed by strict and immutable laws”;
- to raising money to help build a Presbyterian Church, and
- stating “the goodness, the justice, and the mercy of God are manifested in His works.”
Twain’s daughter Clara related: “Sometimes he believed death ended everything, but most of the time he felt sure of a life beyond.”
Mark Twain stated in 1909: “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.
It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: ‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'”
The day after Halley’s Comet made its nearest approach to the Earth, Mark Twain died April 21, 1910, having his funeral in New York’s “Old Brick” Presbyterian Church.
Mark Twain stated: “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.”
Government deserves our support when it treats we-the-people according to the 10 Commandments. LCF actually exists to love God first, according to the greatest commandment, and then we support this country called the USA, which was founded upon the virtues of the freedoms God secures for us in Ten Commandments, and we love our neighbors enough to advocate that those rights continue to be extended to them!
These 10 Commandment rights are referenced in the Declaration of Independence as our “inalienable rights,” are also are known by people like John Locke as the “natural” rights God secures for us in the 10 Commandments. These rights include …
- per Commandment # 6 the right to not be murdered;
- per Commandment # 7 the right not to be sexually molested
- per Commandment # 8 the right not to have our property stolen or confiscated.
- per Commandment # 9 the right not to have our 4-P’s — meaning our persons, people, positions, and possessions coveted by people who would use government power to deny us the blessings God gives provides.
These rights also include those safeguarded by 10 Commandments 1-4
- per Commandment # 1 we have the right to worship The God of The Bible and only the God Who reveals Himself through The Bible
- per Commandment # 2 we have the right to worship The God, and call whatever else is worshipped in His name an idol.
- per Commandment # 3 we have the right to honor The name of God publicly. America’s Founders in the first amendment linked 1) Freedom of Religion with 2) Freedom of Speech, because you can’t exercise and practice one without the other. They gave us the ability to freely and peacefully assemble because they wanted to encourage us to have Bible studies during our lunch times at work, and in the evenings and mid-week and weekend church services, so we’d learn our Bible, and would know upon what our Constitution is based. They encouraged us to “Redress the Government for Grievances — meaning that if people who administer the US government at any level, town, city, county, state, federal, stray from “Treating We The People According To The Ten Commandments, which The Bill of Rights secures, then mass yourselves together and drag your government back onto a Biblically Godly path!
- Thus per Commandment # 4 we have the right to worship God openly on His proclaimed Sabbath days and other occasions!
- We also have a right per Commandment # 5 to the family sanctity, honor, privacy God gives it in The Bible — as long as we are not violating any of the other 10 Commandments while doing so.
Today in our beloved USA we need to work to obtain principled leaders who understand that the freedoms referenced in the Declaration of Independence as our “inalienable rights,” are the “natural” rights God secures for us in the 10 Commandments!
And all God’s people at LCF say … Amen!
(15) Gen. 39: 1-6&9 Joseph is an example of how waiting on the lord never is in vain!
Isaiah 40: 28-31 Our Discipleship Destiny Lies In How Well We Wait On God
Isaiah 40: 28-31 — 28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. (Meaning, God’s understanding is unfathomable!)
29He gives power to the faint, (weary hearted who are exhausted and weak from physical fatigue) and to him who has no might he increases strength. (Meaning, our own strength is not a factor in our ability to serve God!)
30Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; (Meaning, age / youthfulness is not a factor in our ability to serve God!)
31but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Meaning, waiting for the LORD is the determining factor in our ability to serve God!)
- I endeavor to make it easy, by keeping my conscience pure, by being obedient to keep my eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
Heb 12: 2
NIV — fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
NLT — We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
ESV — looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
NAS — fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
KJB — Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Keeping our eyes on Christ includes us seeing Christ as the risen and resurrected Lord, who is seated at the right hand of God in Heaven, administering the affairs of our salvation and His plan in our lives here.
(16) Joseph Waited On God The Right Way & so can we
Isaiah 40: 31 (ESV) Waiting Right On God
Is. 40:31 Waiting Right on God means …
- standing our ground in Christ & waiting expectantly
- In 17th -18th Century Britain, “The Waits” were street carolers
- Waiting on God means to serve Him as a singing, worshipping attendant (Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,)
- endeavoring to keep our consciences pure, by being Faithfully Obedient in the middle of challenging circumstances
- to eagerly, expectantly, patiently look forward to God resurrecting us from our current challenge
Remember Paul and Silas were singing in prison in Acts 16: 16 – 40
I’m Waiting Well
(To The Tune of Jingle Bells)
I’m waiting well, waiting well.
Trusting all the way.
That God knows best
What’s for my life
I’m trusting while I wait!
(17) Let’s Pray that God ReAwakens, ReInvigorates & ReEstablish Us in Our Calls In Christ!
Let’s Pray:
May God grant us the capacity and will power to wait on Him, while we faithfully continue to do His work His Way! [email-download-link namefield=”YES” id=”279″]
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