Trusting Obedience and Worship

Exodus 4:18-31 

18 So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.”  And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
    19 Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.” 20 Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.  21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”
    24 And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!” 26 So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.   27 And the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him. 28 So Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

After God called Moses and his stubbornness and doubts were answered by God, he obeyed by first asking permission from his father-in-law because he would be taking his daughter and grandsons away to Egypt.  God moved Jethro to see God’s hand in this, and allowed it with a blessing of peace.  God first assured Moses that there was no longer a death threat against him, for the old Pharaoh had died, and we can assume that any who were charged with finding Moses were no longer in a position to pursue him or were no longer there either.  God also told him up front that the wonders He gave him to convince Pharaoh would not budge that hardened heart of stone (1 Samuel 6:6, Romans 9:17-18) and let God’s people go to worship Him.  Israel as a chosen people were God’s firstborn, and refusing to let them go would mean He would kill the firstborn of Pharaoh (and his people, Egypt).  Moses heard and knew these things before witnessing them later unfold.  We often miss this.  There is a cryptic scene where the Lord apparently was against Moses along the way until his wife circumcised her son, then God sent Aaron to meet Moses at the mountain of God.  Moses conveyed all God spoke and commanded him to do, and they met together with Israel’s elders to tell them all together.  The signs Moses demonstrated to them helped convince them to faith in God’s promises of coming deliverance.  They worshipped God.  We also should be ever moved to worship the Deliverer of our souls from God’s wrath and judgement on our sin by the grace of Christ and His work for us which we could never contribute anything to.  We heard and trusted (Romans 10:17) God’s gospel in Christ Jesus and were so forgiven and justified by that grace of His work alone for us.  We worship by the trust of God-given faith and rejoice in being His chosen people! 

Trust and Obey to Speak

Exodus 4:1-17 

1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” 2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”  He said, “A rod.”  3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”  6 Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. 7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. 8 “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. 9 And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
    10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”  11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”  13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”  14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”

After meeting God and speaking with Him, after being commissioned to go back to Egypt where he was wanted for murder to command the Pharaoh to let His people go, Moses looked for reasons why he could not do God’s will.  He thought they would not believe the message because of the way he looked or sounded, that they would not believe that he talked with God and was sent by Him.  Therefore, God gave him miraculous signs to perform as proof, the rod turning into a snake and a hand turning leprous at will.  But God knew they would refuse to believe and refuse to listen and comply anyway, and told Moses one other thing He would then do (there would be more, but were not mentioned here yet).  Moses was to pour water onto the land of Egypt and watch it become blood on that dry land.  Moses again made excuses about not being eloquent or a good orator; God reminded him Who makes everyone to speak, hear, or see.  God would therefore do his thinking and speaking.  Moses asked God to find someone else, angering the great I AM, and God gave him Aaron to be his spokesman.  Moses was to be given the words to give to Aaron as God’s, and he was to take the rod for the signs as commanded.  He needed only to trust and obey.  How often we refuse to speak the way and when God gives us opportunity to do with the words of life, the good news of His work in Jesus Christ?  Let us learn from Moses’ example what not to do, and do as commissioned and commanded in faith and boldness (holding nothing back as Paul affirms in Romans 1:16).  We are to speak liberty to the captives of sin’s bondage. 

I AM to Deliver God’s Chosen

Exodus 3:1-22 

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”  And he said, “Here I am.”  5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
    7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”  11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”  12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
    13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”  14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ 18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

While Moses was wandering with the sheep, God came to talk with him through a burning bush.  He saw the flame that did not consume the bush, and went to look at it when God called his name from out of the fire.  What might Moses have been thinking!  Moses replied with ‘here I am,’ and trembled in the presence of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  While taking off his sandals before the Holy One, he heard God’s compassion for His suffering people’s bondage in Egypt, and the command for Moses to go as sent out for their deliverance (salvation).  Of course, Moses asked who he was to do this, a poor shepherd without power or influence.  God assured him that He would be with him.  That is ever more than sufficient.  But Moses was worried what answers he could give for God’s people to follow him out of the oppression of their enslavement, especially the question of who God is who sent him.  God told him that He is who He is, implying that He has no creator, no beginning, no final end, but the eternally existing Almighty One.  The Great I AM told him and us that is always His name, and told Moses to gather Israel’s leaders, her elders, and let them know God sees and hears, and will deliver them into the promised land from that of bondage.  He now delivers us from the bondage of sin into His heavenly kingdom in Christ as we are reminded in Acts 17 and other places.  Moses was told to command Pharaoh in God’s name, as His ambassador, to let God’s people go, and that they would not be allowed until His mighty hand struck Egypt with terrible wonders, and then they would leave with plunder as a parting recompense.  We who are God’s chosen in Christ likewise have been set free from sin’s enslavement, and now have all riches in the heavenly places in Christ, who also said He is the I AM (John 8:58)! 

Salvation by Promise Through a Deliverer

Exodus 2:1-25 

1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. 2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. 5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. 6 And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”  7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”  8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child's mother. 9 Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
    11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”  14 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”  So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.
    16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.  18 When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”  19 And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”  20 So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”  21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”
    23 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

Following the edict by pharaoh to kill all male babies and the godly disobedience of the midwives, Moses was born, abandoned to find life, and then taken into pharaoh’s household as an adopted son.  Drawn from the water was his name, and he grew up nursed by his own mother and then educated and given a position of power by that adoption.  There came a time, however, when the suffering of his real people, the chosen of God, became too much to bear witnessing.  He took action to kill an oppressor, but when the matter came to pharaoh’s attention, he went from an adopted son to a wanted man who faced execution.  His own people mocked him as a self-appointed ruler or deliverer, so with opposition on all sides, Moses ran away from Egypt into the desert.  There he found solace, a wife, and a child after again standing up for someone oppressed.  When that pharaoh died, the people of God cried out even more with increased oppression; then God proclaimed there the time had come for the release by His covenant.  We see here how God chose a deliverer who was rejected, yet who could only see the need of his people and their salvation from suffering and death.  In like manner, God sees the suffering of all under the weight of sin and finally sent His only Son as the ultimate and true deliverer for eternity.  He looked as His chosen and acknowledged us, and acted to remember the new covenant as the original made to Adam (Genesis 1:28, 3:15) and to Abraham (Genesis 12:2) and Isaac and Jacob for deliverance from sin and the evil one who oppresses mankind, making us a kingdom of priests to our God in Christ. 

Choosing Life Over Law

Exodus 1:1-22 

1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). 6 And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. 7 But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
    8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; 10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. 13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.
    15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”  19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”  20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. 21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.  22 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

The children of Israel, God’s chosen people, were indeed fruitful and multiplied greatly as God commanded and promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It is written that the land was filled with them; this is what made the new Pharaoh afraid of what God was doing, and led him to oppress those of God in his earthly kingdom.  He imagined they would side with invaders, and so leave their land.  He thought that the prosperity of Egypt would falter if they left, yet did not work with them, but tried to exterminate their lives, prosperity, and influence by forced labor and murdering their babies.  The midwives chose to ignore the government law and did not murder the babies, however, and were honored by God for doing the right thing.  Even now babies are murdered, even before birth, to limit God’s work of us being fruitful and multiplying to fill the earth.  Some will resist the inhumane and ungodly laws of the land and refuse to commit such atrocities, but others will follow the leaders with evil intent who are set against God and His Christ.  We who are His choose His life and hold it to be ever precious. 

God Sovereignly Uses Man’s Evil Intent for Good

Genesis 50:1-26

1 Then Joseph fell on his father's face and wept over him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.  4 Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, 5 ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ”. 6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
    7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering.  10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.  12 So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. 13 For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. 14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father. 
    15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.  18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”  19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
    22 So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. 23 Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph's knees.  24 And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Israel was embalmed and mourned many days by both his people and those of the Egyptians.  Then Joseph asked for Pharaoh’s permission to travel with most of Israel’s people (and many of Egypt as well) to travel back to the promised land in Canaan for burial in the family plot given by God and paid for with a just price by Abraham.  Then they all returned to Egypt until the appointed time to come back to inherit the promised land.  Joseph’s brothers were afraid because they had sold off Joseph into slavery, and so they made up words from their father Israel to forgive and spare them.  But Joseph knew that judgement was the Lord’s, and he further understood how God sovereignly uses even man’s evil plans for His greater good; nothing could stop God from arranging and allowing events for His ultimate good and glory (Romans 8:28).  Joseph also looked forward to when God would deliver Israel as a nation out of Egypt into that promised land await them in His duly appointed time.  We learn from this example for us of His chosen people as individuals and the whole in Christ that God allows our sinful actions, forgives us with our repentance (1 John 1:9), and calls us by promise into a better heavenly country (Hebrews 11:16) out of the bondage of sin, the eternal kingdom of His presence now within us and to be set up on a new earth in the new heavens where He reigns before us forevermore (Revelation 21:3-4).  Jesus Christ has paid the just and required price to purchase the promised land by His death and His tomb in place of our burial plot (just as Abraham paid a just price for the promised land and his burial place) and His resurrection to prove the truth of His eternal covenant and promise.  Amen, it is and shall ever be so according to God’s certain and immutable word, from the book of Genesis as beginning of all things to the final opening of the Lamb’s book of life in the end! 

Promised Ruler and Kingdom

Genesis 49:1-33 

1 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: 2 “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.
    3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. 4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it—He went up to my couch.
    5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. 6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in JacobAnd scatter them in Israel.
    8 “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?  10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. 11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.
    13 “Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; He shall become a haven for ships, And his border shall adjoin Sidon.
    14 “Issachar is a strong donkey,  Lying down between two burdens;  15 He saw that rest was good,  And that the land was pleasant;  He bowed his shoulder to bear a burden, And became a band of slaves.
    16 “Dan shall judge his people As one of the tribes of Israel. 17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, A viper by the path, That bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward. 18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!
    19 “Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, But he shall triumph at last.
    20 “Bread from Asher shall be rich, And he shall yield royal dainties.
    21 “Naphtali is a deer let loose; He uses beautiful words.
    22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall. 23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him. 24 But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob. (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),  25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above,Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
    27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he shall devour the prey, And at night he shall divide the spoil.”
    28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.  29 Then he charged them and said to them: “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite as a possession for a burial place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth.” 33 And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

Jacob named Israel now gives blessings to his children, along with prophetic announcements of how God will lead and use them in their tribes.  Most of them were not to have a lasting effect on the future, but Judah is specially called out, for the scepter of the ultimate rule of the Messiah comes from his lineage, not the others.  Even though Joseph was used to deliver God’s chosen children out of bondage in Egypt, the Lion of the tribe of Judah is the one with absolute reign over them and we who are in Christ.  So Jacob blessed each of his children as was fitting in God’s providence and choosing.  His final charge to all of them was to bury him in the first piece of promised land bought by Abraham where he and Sarah were buried, along with Isaac and Rebekah, and with Jacob’s wife Leah.  The land of promise was where they all wanted to end up together as God had promised it personally to each of them.  We have been similarly been promised a kingdom and heavenly country which cannot be taken away nor fade away.  It is an eternal promise of life with God in Christ which we have been given by grace through faith.  There we will all as members of His chosen family be gathered together. His promise is absolute and immutable. 

God’s Eternal Choosing and Blessing

Genesis 48:1-22

1 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your father is sick”; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” 8 Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, “Who are these?”  9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.”  And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”  12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said:
    “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
    The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
    16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
    Bless the lads;
    Let my name be named upon them,
    And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
    And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”  19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”  20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.  21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”

The time came closer for Israel’s death, so Joseph came to his father with his sons born in Egypt.  Jacob sat up in bed and reminded Joseph of God’s calling and promise to make him and his descendants fruitful and multiply, repeating the promise to God’s chosen ones since Adam and Eve, and to inherit the land promised them as an everlasting land. He laid claim to Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born in Egypt; recovered as as Reuben and Simeon were who were thought lost forever.  Israel proceeded to bless the younger of Joseph’s sons, and Joseph thought his aging father made a mistake until told it was God’s choice who to put His hand on.  They were blessed with the names of Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob who was Israel, that God would multiply their descendants in the present land (and the promised one to come).  He ended with God’s will for them to return to that promised land while reminding Joseph of how he had been given more.  We also in Christ inherit an eternal kingdom by the kind of trust as Abraham, by faith in God’s choosing for a better heavenly country because God promises.  No matter how long we were enslaved by sin here, we have been delivered out of bondage and into the marvelous light of God in the face of Jesus Christ!  This is truly God’s eternal choosing and blessing. 

God’s Providential Guidance and Provision

Genesis 47:27-31 

27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years. 29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.”  And he said, “I will do as you have said.”  31 Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.

God had miraculously arranged events from dreams of deliverance to slavery to deception to deliverance from famine and death.  He brought His chosen people down to Egypt by putting His chosen servant Joseph in charge by God-given wisdom and skills.  Now we see all His people settled in the fertile part of a foreign land where they were exceedingly fruitful and multiplied as commanded and promised.  Even Israel (Jacob) lived far beyond what he thought.  But when he was ready to die at last, Israel called Joseph out of all his sons to have him promise to bury him in the promised land given by God, and not in this temporary place of rescue and respite.  Joseph promised to do as he said, swearing it would be so.  We learn here of God’s guidance and providential provision, of the temporal country over the promised one to look forward to (Hebrews 11:9, 15-16), and His sovereign care for we who are His chosen people by His great hand of grace.

Sowing and Reaping in God’s Sovereign Care

Genesis 47:13-26 

13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.  15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.”  16 Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.  18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.”

20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's. 21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.  23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.  25 So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.” 26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh's.

As the great famine progressed from Egypt even to Canaan, the money from the sale of grain was stored in Pharaoh’s house.  The people of the lands ran out of money after this, and the solution was given to Joseph that they could barter their livestock for bread instead. When the animals were all Pharaoh’s, then the land of the people was bartered, leaving both livestock and land, the riches of the people, in the ruler’s hands.  Then Joseph told the people to take that seed and plant it, sowing for the future as the drought was coming to an end with its famine.  After they lost everything but their lives, hope was now to be sown.  Along with this chain of events arose the law in Egypt to give a tribute tax of one-fifth of their harvest, sustaining the people as a pattern for the future government taxation which would also sustain the people in troubled times in the future.  We learn most of all of God’s sovereign grace to deliver His people in the land they live in by giving wisdom and direction as to Joseph for the good of all.  He gives rain for both the just and unjust, for His chosen people and those in whose land they live in.  We see also that God owns all as ruler and we offer part of what He gives us back to Him as a tithe of thanksgiving and to sustain and feed His people.  This is sowing and reaping in His sovereign care. 

Confidence of Faith in the Shepherd’s Care

Genesis 46:28 - 47:12 

28 Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen. 29 So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.  30 And Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.”  31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’ 33 So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 that you shall say, “Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”
    47:1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen.” 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?”  And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.” 4 And they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”  5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”  7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?”  9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” 10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.  11 And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number in their families.

Israel arrived in Egypt to escape the famine, and followed Joseph’s advice to take everyone to the fertile area of Goshen for their flocks.  Notice how they were told to emphasize the fact that they were shepherds because the Egyptians considered tenders of sheep to be abominable and repulsive.  With their gods, they could not love the Shepherd of God’s sheep not see the rich example of shepherds as a picture of the true God’s care for His people in this way; their pride made them see only dirty and dumb animals, and equated those caring for them as the same.  Pharaoh listened to Joseph and told him they were those shepherds and received the best of the land.  God cares for His people and gives them His best by promise.  He gave His people confidence to trust in His care.  We also are under the great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and some are also under-shepherds who care for the outcast in the world’s view, but who are all precious in His sight.  Though the sheep are despised by the world in the pride of the spirituality blind, we know who leads us and tends to us, and have the confidence of faith as security. 

A Nation Conceived and an Eternal Kingdom

Genesis 46:1-27 

1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”  3 So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”  5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. 7 His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.
    8 Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob's firstborn. 9 The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. 14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.  16 The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17 The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. 18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.
    19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 21 The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22 These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.   23 The son of Dan was Hushim. 24 The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.
    26 All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all. 27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.

Israel began the journey to Egypt out of famine and into temporary prosperity until the times would change and slavery would make more than four hundred years seem like forever.  Yet a nation was conceived, if only to lie dormant as it grew until God lifted it up.  He promised Israel who was formerly Jacob that same promise before, that He would bless and multiply Jacob into Israel’s nation.  God promised to take him there and bring a nation back from all his children and their children who journeyed in the faith of Abraham and Isaac with him.  The names of the twelve tribes of Israel and their children are recorded for us, along with the total number of sixty six in addition to the four there, making the new nation starting with seventy people of God’s children of promise.  Likewise, Jesus Christ started the heavenly kingdom with the twelve (though one was replaced before Pentecost), and that Kingdom of promise by faith in His creation and working will continue to be fruitful as He multiplies it, never to be shaken or fade away. This is not so with the fleeting nations and crumbling society we see in our present time; all will be shaken and fall, so our confidence remains in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! 

He is Ever Faithful Who Promises

Genesis 45:1-28 

1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 
      9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.” ’. 12 “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”  14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.  16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, “Joseph's brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. 17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan. 18 Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land. 19 Now you are commanded—do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come. 20 Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ”
    21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. 22 He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. 23 And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey. 24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.”  25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. 26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. 28 Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

God’s big reveal of His plan is finally revealed.  Joseph reveals himself to his brothers who he sent for that they may be saved from destruction, and he assures them with comfort and grace.  He sees the bigger picture from God’s view in the heavens over what his siblings have done, telling them not to be grieved or angry with themselves for hating him and selling him off to become a slave in Egypt.  He reveals God’s plan to deliver and preserve His people, them and their descendants, through these circumstances.  Joseph spoke of how God raised him up as second to Pharaoh to accomplish His will, and must have reminded them of his earlier dreams of all bowing to Joseph.  That was simply a foreshadowing of what was to come, not pride or arrogance to dominate his family, and they must have contemplated this as it was all unveiled before them now.  Pharaoh encouraged them to go back and bring everyone down to Egypt to live in the best of the land because they were his beloved Joseph’s family.  Deliverance from famine was at hand, though prophecy pointed to over four hundred years of suffering before the final deliverance would come (Genesis 15:13-14, Exodus 12:40-41).  Israel finally believed and went to see his lost son before he died, with renewed joy and hope for the future of his descendants as promised since Abraham.  We also can rejoice in God’s absolute sovereign grace to save us in Christ to the uttermost, no matter what we need suffer along the way.  He is ever faithful who promises.  We can rely on God’s sovereign plan absolutely and in all circumstances.  We who are in Christ Jesus have this certain hope.  We cannot be disappointed, so we need not be swayed by our circumstances. 

Facing Consequences of Jealousy

Genesis 44:1-34 

1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack. 2 Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ” 6 So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. 7 And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. 8 Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house? 9 With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves.”  10 And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.” 11 Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. 12 So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.
    14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”  16 Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”  17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.”  18 Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23 But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’  24 “So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. 25 And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Then your servant my father said to us, “You know that my wife bore me two sons; 28 and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since. 29 But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’  30 “Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life, 31 it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 32 For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34 For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

Joseph had place a valuable cup in Benjamin’s sack, along with each one’s money that they paid for their food in each one’s sack.  Then he caught up with them, searched, and found the cup in order to take Benjamin into captivity.  He claimed it was because he could read events as if divination, playing on the theme of his previous dreams in their minds to prepare them when they discovered who he was and how God had provided a foretelling of events.  Jacob (Israel) had his life bound up with Rachel’s sons, Joseph and Benjamin, and now the others were distressed for the heartache they were now further causing him.  They now saw the consequences of their hate and jealousy, and were trapped in it.  We also need to watch our actions, not basing reactions and choices on anything but love for each other, and doing as we would have done to us.  The consequences otherwise bring only heartache to all.  

God’s Sovereign Grace is Merciful

Genesis 43:1-34 

1 Now the famine was severe in the land. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.” 3 But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ”  6 And Israel said, “Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?”  7 But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”  8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”  11 And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. 14 And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!” 
    15 So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.” 17 Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.  18 Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.”  19 When they drew near to the steward of Joseph's house, they talked with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, “O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food; 21 but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. 22 And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”  23 But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
    24 So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. 25 Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.  26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. 27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”  28 And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.  29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.”
    32 So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. 34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

Israel and his sons eventually ate all the food they brought back from Egypt, and they were again facing starvation.  Finally their father agreed to let them take Benjamin to get Simeon back.  They also took gifts of appeasement and twice the money returned to their sacks before which were to pay for the grain the first time, just in case it was not looked at as a mistake.  The steward of Joseph the Pharaoh’s right hand man told them when they arrived that God must have put the money there, because he had theirs as payment already.  They went into Joseph’s house and readied themselves to eat there.  They all bowed down to him as lesser sheafs of wheat.  Joseph was moved to tears upon seeing Benjamin again, but hid it from them all, then returned to have them served a meal.  Joseph had arranged their seating by age to their astonishment, giving the youngest five times as much as the rest.  They then ate and were happy together, yet still not knowing their twelfth sibling was hosting the feast.  We see here how God arranged the smallest detail in bringing Israel’s sons together and put the one sold off as dead with a God-given dream of ruling over them to do exactly that, for their saving from a certain death by starvation.  His sovereign grace is merciful when finally seen. 

What Has God Done, or What We Have Done?

Genesis 42:25-38 

25 Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man's money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. 27 But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”
    29 Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: 30 “The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. 34 And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ ”
    35 Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.”  37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”  38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”

After the brothers of Joseph left Egypt to return to their father Jacob, they found that the money they paid for the grain was put back in their sacks.  This was a big problem because they had already been accused of being spies, and now appeared to be thieves as well.  They left Simeon their brother as collateral until they could bring back Benjamin to prove they were telling the truth, and now that seemed in jeopardy as well.  What did they do?  They immediately blamed God by asking what He had done to them.  Jacob refused to allow them to take another son from him, having now lost one of Rachel’s and being asked to risk losing the other who was the last reminder of her to him.  Reuben (Genesis 37:21) offered the life of his own sons in exchange if they did not bring all back safely, yet Jacob still refused to consider the matter, not wanting to endure more sorrow to his own death by grief.  We see how the murderous plot of the brothers fueled by jealousy now cost them increasingly more, and Reuben who spoke out against the selling of Joseph and deception of his death to their father, even he was remorseful and wanting redemption from his part in not stopping their sin against God and man.  We also will sometimes ask what God has done to us instead of what we have done to ourselves and how He works to redeem us. 

God’s Working for Good and Glory through Adversity

Genesis 42:1-24 

1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3 So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.” 5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.  6 Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?”  And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”  8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!”  10 And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all one man's sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”  12 But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”  13 And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.”
    14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ 15 In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!” 17 So he put them all together in prison three days.  18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. 20 And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.”  And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”  22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.” 23 But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

God’s appointed extensive famine eventually brought Jacob to send ten of his known remaining eleven sons to Egypt to buy food from their brother whom they sold off and who Jacob was led to believe was dead by their treachery.  Joseph as the governor, the head sheaf as it were (Genesis 37:7-8), now had them bowing to his authority.  He was not recognized because of the Egyptian grooming, and because God blinded them to his identity until the time was right and His people were brought there to be multiplied and to suffer (Genesis 15:13-14) for their ultimate good and God’s glory.  Joseph therefore accused them of spying on Egypt as they pleaded with him and said they had lost one brother already (without admitting they were responsible).  He sent them back to bring their other youngest brother, Benjamin, from the same mother as Joseph.  After three days cooling off in prison, he sent them back.  Reuben’s conscience saw their guilt and debt of blood for blood as due atonement.  Joseph heard them speak Hebrew and did not let on, but bound Simeon and kept him there.  We see here how God demands an atonement of death for death, blood to redeem life.  We also see how God’s sovereign grace warned of this whole situation out of their sin to be worked for good through suffering for His ultimate glory. 

Delivered Through Trials to Save Many

Genesis 41:37-57 

37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”  39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”  42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
    46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly. 48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. 49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.  50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house.” 52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”  53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.” 56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. 57 So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.

Joseph demonstrated God’s knowledge and wisdom, and was put over all Egypt except for the throne of Pharaoh so that he would administer the storing and later distribution of grain in the prosperous and famine times.  He went from disliked for God’s hand on him by his family to being sold as a slave, to being falsely accused, to such a time as this prepared for him and his people.  Pharaoh even gave him a wife from whom Manasseh and Ephraim were born, signifying forgetfulness of hard times and fruitfulness going forward.  When he had successfully stored grain beyond measuring, the famine hit and the people had food.  Yet the famine extended far beyond Egypt, and those in other countries came to Joseph to buy food also.  God had allowed such suffering to put Joseph in the right place in the right time to save many.  How will He not direct our lives as well for the gospel’s sake to deliver many others eternally?  

God’s Direction Given to be Safe and Secure

Genesis 41:1-36 

1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. 2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. 8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
    9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, 11 we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”  14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.” 16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
    17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. 18 Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 19 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22 Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 24 And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
    25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. 28 This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; 30 but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. 31 So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. 32 And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.  33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.”

Two years after Joseph gave God’s interpretation of the dreams of the Pharaoh’s butler and baker, the king of Egypt had his own disturbing set of dreams.  They were of cows and grain, plentiful and lean; each ate the lesser version of itself in the dreams.  He was so troubled by these images that he summoned all the wise men and magicians of his kingdom, but none could tell him what the Pharaoh had dreamed and the meaning.  That is when the chief butler remembered Joseph and his request to talk to the king after being reminded of his own dream and God’s hand in revealing the meaning and its fruition it to Joseph.  Pharaoh brought Joseph from the dungeon and asked him to interpret, but Joseph made it clear that it was not in him but in God to do so.  Pharaoh explained his dreams and how nobody could explain them.  Joseph was given the sense by God and laid out the fact that both dreams were about the same thing; seven good and plentiful years of harvest, and seven extremely lean years of famine to follow.  He was then moved by God to advise the potentate to set an overseer over Egypt and others under him to store away grain in the plentiful seven years to feed the people in the empty seven years to come afterwards.  This reserve of food, this food bank as it were, would keep the nation from perishing.  Here we see God’s straight forward answer to both save a nation and provide for Joseph’s future generations who were to become the chosen nation of Israel.  God gives wisdom in many ways to keep what is His safe and secure from all alarms.  

Dreams Reveal His Sovereign Grace

Genesis 40:1-23 

1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while. 5 Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man's dream in one night and each man's dream with its own interpretation. 6 And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad. 7 So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the custody of his lord's house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”  8 And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.”  So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”
    9 Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, 10 and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. 11 Then Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.”  12 And Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days. 13 Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler. 14 But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. 15 For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”
    16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head. 17 In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”  18 So Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”   20 Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

After Joseph had been falsely imprisoned for a while and given charge over other prisoners because God’s hand was on him in wisdom and grace, two others from Pharaoh’s court joined him in the prison.  The head jailer put Joseph in charge of them, and that is when he heard their unsettling dreams.  Joseph stated clearly that interpretation of dreams belongs to God alone, and that He would tell Joseph what they meant if they told them to him.  He also begged them to tell the Pharaoh about how he was kidnapped, sold, and falsely accused that he might be set free from the dungeon.  He interpreted their dreams, one ending in restoration, the other in punishment of death.  Both came true, but the butler who did not do it forgot all about Joseph and did not speak to Pharaoh about him.  We see that our desires to interpret dreams are faulty and presumptuous, but if God tells us what they mean the result will be interpreted in light of His sovereign grace and not our own desired outcomes.