Our Savior Lutheran Church

Last Week

Last week we saw how the Lord was with Joseph during his imprisonment and how He blessed Joseph. This week we focus on a corollary of faithful endurance: patient waiting is painful and unpleasant.

To Get Us Started

We’ve all heard the humorous prayer: “God, give me patience, and give it to me now!” We know that’s not the right approach to patience. However, it’s easier to spot a bogus grab at patience than it is to pursue the proper approach.

1. Which of these bumper stickers best captures your level of patience when you drive a car?

a. Road rage – Next 20 miles

b. Visualize world peace

c. My other car is a broom

d. Beam me up, Scotty. There’s no intelligent life down here.

e. Get in. Sit down. Shut up. Hang on.

2. When you were a child, what was the hardest part about waiting for Christmas?

The Word

The Joseph stories highlight three sets of dreams: Joseph’s pair, the cupbearer’s and baker’s pair, and Pharaoh’s pair (Genesis 37; 40; 41). In Genesis 41, which features Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph wakes up one morning in a dungeon as a scruffy, forgotten jailbird and goes to bed that night in a palace as a pampered celebrity – second-in-command of all Egypt.

Genesis 40:23-41:16, 25-34, 37-40

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

40 [1] When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, [2] when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. [3] After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. [4] And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

[5] He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. [6] After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted--thin and scorched by the east wind. [7] The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.

[8] In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

[9] Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. [10] Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. [11] Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. [12] Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. [13] And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged."

[14] So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

[15] Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."

[16] "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."…

[25] Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. [26] The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. [27] The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

[28] "It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. [29] Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, [30] but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. [31] The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. [32] The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

[33] "And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. [34] Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. …

[37] The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. [38] So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"

[39] Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. [40] You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."

Observations

Life’s most difficult moments come when we want something to happen but can’t do anything about it. All we can do is to be patient and wait! Unfortunately, life is filled with these “moments.” It’s a reality of life. However, the pain that accompanies patience intensifies even more when we find ourselves in a position of being misunderstood and maligned, unable to defend ourselves without creating more misunderstanding.

Observation 1

Learning to wait patiently strengthens our confidence in God without reducing the self-confidence we need to function in life.

Joseph did not lack self-confidence. If anything, at age 17, he probably had too much. Or perhaps more accurately, he had not balanced it properly with confidence in God. However, all of Joseph’s difficulties provide no evidence that he ever lost his self-confidence.

How clear this was when he emerged from prison to stand before Pharaoh. Had he lacked self-confidence on the one hand, or had he been over confident on the other, he would have tried to impress Pharaoh with his own abilities. But Joseph’s response was in essence, “I cannot do it, but God can.”

Men and women of God forced to live in circumstances totally beyond their control emerge knowing even more than ever that, without God, they can do nothing. Their faith, though “refined by fire,” comes forth like gold. Its “genuineness” is proved (1 Peter 1:7). At the same time, their self-confidence develops but is focused on Jesus Christ.

Observation 2

A period of waiting often allows time for us to develop true character and to reflect that character to others.

Though Joseph must have wavered often, he never turned away from God. Though tempted to be bitter, immoral, and proud, he never let down his guard. How else could these qualities have been developed and revealed?

How true in a Christian’s life! Many things we can learn only through a period of waiting. Often that period must be in a context of adversity. I’ve seen this happen in the lives of many men and women I’ve had the privilege of discipling over the years. Some have faced incredible difficulties. And yet, in the midst of these adversities, they’ve often grown closer to God. though they’ve sometimes wavered and regressed, I’ve seen them bounce back, more committed to “growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness” (Ephesians 4:13).

Observation 3

A period of waiting often creates opportunities for advancement that may not happen otherwise.

God’s timing was perfect in Joseph’s life. Because it was, Joseph was not only released from prison but promoted by Pharaoh to the highest position in the kingdom.

This can be true in our own lives – if we are patient and wait for God’s timing. Though our opportunities may be far more limited in scope than Joseph’s, they will be there. Our temptation is to get in a hurry – especially if everything is not going our way.

This waiting, of course, is not an excuse for inactivity, laziness, or indecisiveness. Joseph never rationalized his circumstances. In fact, his self-confidence and inner motivation were very obvious when he suggested to the king that he needed a wise man to oversee the Egyptian economy, knowing full well that the king would probably conclude that he, Joseph, was that man. But he took that step only when he knew in his heart that God’s “red light” had turned “green.”

Observation 4

A period of difficulty and pain helps us develop wisdom we otherwise might not have.

At the age of 17, Joseph was naïve and tended to be prideful. Somehow he thought his brothers should have understood his dreams – that they would someday bow down to him. But 13 years later, he was able to respond to Pharaoh with great wisdom and humility that was far beyond his years.

So it is in our own Christian lives. If we can see adversity – even false accusations and false treatment – as an opportunity for growth, it can enable us to develop wisdom and judgment far beyond our own years!

To Discuss

3. When has God rewarded your patience with a resolution to a problem that you didn’t expect?

4. Joseph waited patiently for two years after doing his best to get out of jail by using his connection with Pharaoh’s cupbearer (Genesis 40:14-15). When you face problems that require patience, do you tend to rely too much on fixing them yourself, or do you tend to rely too much on passive waiting on God? How does Joseph demonstrate a good balance of these two extremes?

5. Pharaoh wasn’t upset when he woke up after each of his dreams. He seems relieved that they were just dreams (Genesis 41:7). How might you explain why “when morning came, he was troubled” (v. 8)?

6. The magicians and wise men of Egypt had to know that Pharaoh’s dreams had a “bad news” interpretation. They just didn’t know what the number seven meant or what bad things eating good things meant. Why were they unable to interpret the dreams, or even to take a guess? Why was Joseph able?

7. Based on the comments of the cupbearer (vv. 9-13) and Pharaoh (v. 15), what kind of resume could you write for Joseph as a dream interpreter? How might Joseph have written that resume?

8. Why did Joseph want to keep the emphasis on God during his dream interpretation (vv. 25, 28, 32)? What might have happened if he’d not done so?

9. What experiences during Joseph’s enslavement on Potiphar’s vast estate and his incarceration in the royal prison prepare him to advise Pharaoh about how to deal with the famine? What does this reveal to us about God’s almighty power?

10. Do you think Joseph ever expected that Pharaoh might appoint him to administer the famine relief? Why or why not?

11. If you tend to be an impatient controller during problems, how can you give God the reins? If you tend to be a passive waiter, how can you better recognize and seize divine opportunity?

12. When you face ongoing difficulties, what promises of God give you hope so you can be extremely patient? What was Joseph’s hope based on?

13. Are difficulties and persecution absolutely necessary to develop character traits such as patience? Why or why not?

Next Week

This week we saw how God rewarded Joseph’s patient endurance in the face of injustice. In the week ahead, let patience bring a measure of God’s peace to your heart as you deal with life’s struggles. Next week we will see how maturely Joseph handled great success because of the hardships he had endured.