Remembered and Rewarded by God
Gen. 41
You are seventeen years old and, without asking, your dad decides to make you the favorite of 12 brothers, a fact that he does not hide from your brothers. In fact he goes out of his way to make it known. You now have to deal with your jealous brothers. Come to find out their jealously deals with them and you get caught in the middle being sold as slave to a man from a country that is not your own. You are taken to the man’s house in his country and overtime you are put in charge of the entire house. All of a sudden your master’s wife notices you and attempts to seduce you. You refuse and she accuses you of attempting to rape her. You are blamed and yet blameless, nevertheless, you are put in prison. Once again, overtime, you are put in charge of everything. You do a huge favor for someone and in return you ask him to remember you to help get you out of prison. He promptly forgets you. Two years come and go. Your thirtieth birthday passes.
Such is the life of Joseph – a man who was stretched and strengthened by God; a man who up to this point in our study has had to endure living in a pit of slavery and imprisonment for thirteen years; a man who for those same thirteen years has trusted in God, in His sovereignty and His faithfulness, every step of the way. Joseph is indeed a man who has shown himself to be blameless and faithful for thirteen years.
Now, all of a sudden, the ruler of the country sends for Joseph.
Can you begin to imagine everything that was running through his mind?
He must have been thinking – at long last, is this going to be the end of the pit; has God’s timing come? Is it time for me to reap the rewards for remembering God during my time in the pit?
Gen. 41 tells us that it was indeed time for Joseph to reap the rewards for remembering God in the pit.
However, questions remain. What did the rewards look like? Just how did God reward Joseph? And, can we as Believers expect the same if we, like Joseph, cling to God during our times in the pit? Will we as Believers be rewarded by God when we remember Him?
This morning we want to carefully look at Gen 41 in order to answer these questions.
My prayer is that we will understand that God will indeed reward us for persevering in the pit. More so, my prayer is that we will understand exactly what the true rewards are and just how God can and will use them in our lives.
We will do so by first doing an overview of the chapter, followed by going back to look at the details of just how God rewarded Joseph, and then close by examining how it all relates to us as God’s followers today.
Let’s turn in our Bibles to Gen. 41 and begin.
The first 13 verses can be summarized as – Joseph is remembered by the cupbearer.
Gen. 41:1-13
1 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.
2 And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass.
3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.
4 The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.
5 He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good.
6 Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.
7 The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
8 Now in the morning his spirit was troubled, so 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 to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would make mention today of my own offenses.
10 “Pharaoh was furious with his servants, and he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker.
11 “We had a dream on the same night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.
12 “Now a Hebrew youth was with us there, a servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we related them to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his own dream.
13 “And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my office, but he hanged him.”
So as you can see the Cupbearer, after two years, remembers Joseph.
The next 33 verses, 14-46 can be summarized as – Joseph is requested by Pharaoh. –
Gen. 41:14-46
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
So, first Joseph is requested by Pharaoh to interpret dreams.
In 17-23 Pharaoh relays his dreams to Joseph which are just as we read earlier.
Let’s pick it up in the middle of vs. 24.
24 Then I (Pharaoh) told it (my dream) to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
25 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
26 “The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one and the same.
27 “The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine.
28 “It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29 “Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt;
30 and after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ravage the land.
31 “So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe.
32 “Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.
33 “Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 “Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance.
35 “Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them guard it.
36 “Let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish during the famine.”
So Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams.
Now Joseph is requested by Pharaoh to be in charge of all of Egypt.
Let’s continue with verses 37-46.
37 Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.
Joseph Is Made a Ruler of Egypt
38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?”
39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are.
40 “You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.”
41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
42 Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck.
43 He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45 Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.
46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.
As we read, Joseph is requested by Pharaoh to interpret dreams and to rule the land.
Now let’s look at the final 12 verses, 46-57, which can be summarized as –
Joseph is rewarded by God.
Gen. 41:47-57
47 During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth abundantly.
48 So he gathered all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields.
49 Thus Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure.
So, Joseph successfully stored up plenty of food during the time of abundance.
Now we will read about Joseph’s new family.
50 Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
52 He named the second Ephraim, “For,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
So Joseph now has a family.
The final 5 verses tell us that during the seven years of famine that Joseph sold food not only to the Egyptians, but to all the people of the earth as well.
53 When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end,
54 and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.”
56 When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
57 The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
So that is the overview of the chapter, let’s now go back and see the details of God’s rewarding of Joseph.
We will see three ways in which God rewarded Joseph.
The first one is seen in vs. 38-39.
38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?”
39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are.
The first reward God gives Joseph is the reward of wisdom.
“Divine spirit” can also be translated “spirit of God”. In other words the Spirit of God came to Joseph and gave him wisdom in order to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. The Spirit also gave Joseph wisdom to tell Pharaoh just how he should respond to the meaning of the dreams.
Wisdom in the OT is best defined as the ability to acquire knowledge and put it to use or apply it. It is given by God and meant to be used to glorify God.
Joseph took the wisdom God gave him and used to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. God gave more wisdom and Joseph used it to tell Pharaoh what to do in light of the meaning of his dreams. God gave more wisdom and Joseph used it to rightly govern the land during the years of plenty and then the years of famine.
Had God not given the wisdom to Joseph, Joseph would have been taken right back to jail. He would not have been able to share with Pharaoh any of what he shared and Joseph would have been back in the pit. God rewarded Joseph with wisdom, wisdom to interpret dreams, wisdom to plan for a national crisis, and wisdom to carry out that plan. Any failure along the way would probably have landed Joseph back in jail, however, this did not happen because God gave Joseph the reward of wisdom.
The second reward God gives Joseph is found primarily in vs. 16.
16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
Let’s also read 25, 28, & 32.
25 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
28 “It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
32 “Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.
Who is the subject doing all of the action in these verses?
The second reward God gives Joseph is the reward of humility.
Verse 16 literally reads – Apart from me, God will answer the peace of Pharaoh.
Again, in verses 16, 25, 28, 32, 32 – God is always the subject doing the action.
True Biblical humility to most Christians is simply the opposite of pride. Humility is looked at in terms of not bragging or boasting, not announcing our good deeds, not showing off, and not drawing attention to ourselves.
In truth these are secondary to true Biblical humility.
True Biblical humility is best defined as depending upon God.
If you were to do a careful study of the characteristic you will always find it linked to one who is wholly depending upon God. Joseph showed his complete, total utter dependence upon God. Over and over again he made God the doer of the actions. As a result, he did not become proud. He did not try to take any credit for himself, nor did he try to take any away from God. Just as he had been doing all along, he remembered God. Why, because God gave Joseph the reward of humility.
The third reward God gave Joseph, in addition to wisdom and humility, is found in verses 50-52.
50 Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
52 He named the second Ephraim, “For,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
The third reward God gives Joseph is the reward of peace.
If you were to read 50-51 in the original language of Hebrew, here is what you would read –
50 Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has “manassehed” me.
52 He named the second Ephraim, “For,” he said, “God has “ephraimed” me.
Note that again, Joseph makes God the subject, the one doing the action.
Joseph did not allow his success to cause him to forget the fact that God was the one giving the blessings.
The name Joseph gave his sons were both names that honored God. Despite being given a new name by Pharaoh, a name that did not honor God and a name that is only once referred to in Scripture, Joseph named his children to honor God.
Based upon the name Joseph gave his first son, he is saying, God has given me peace with the past. God has allowed him to ‘forget’. This does not mean it is gone from his memory; it means that the sting of it is not affecting his life in the present. It means that Joseph trusts that his past happened for a reason. He is not embittered by the events in his past, but rather he has been made better by them. God allowed Joseph, instead of being bitter with his past, to be at peace with it. He also gave him peace in present.
We know this based upon the name he gave his second son. ‘Fruitful’ is not a focus on all that he has obtained, it is a focus on the fact that he now has the ability and opportunity to live in this foreign land as he thought he would live back in his own land. He is pleased with the present. That is to say that he will continue to trust God even though he is living in the midst of the place where all of his afflictions took place. He will continue to trust Him even if, due to living in the land of his affliction, more is to come. Keep in mind, the last time he was made a leader was accused of rape. Instead of fearing the present, Joseph praised God for making his life fruitful.
So God “Manassehed” and “Ephraimed” Joseph. God gave Joseph the reward of peace with both his past and his present.
Wisdom, humility and peace – three wonderful rewards God gave to Joseph.
Finally let’s take a look at just how all of this relates to us as followers of Christ today?
Now some of you may be saying, “wait a minute. What kind of rewards are those? Why did you not talk about the position, the power, the respect, the authority, the fame, the signet ring, the wife, the two sons, and all the things that Joseph received?”
Simply put, these are not true rewards. These are earthly blessings that are given by God to whomever God chooses. There are plenty of people in this world with all of these things and more, and they have no regard whatsoever for God.
Earthly blessings are not the promised reward of obeying and persevering.
There is no promise anywhere in the Word of God that He will make everything better if we persevere in trials. There is no promise anywhere in all of Scripture that says, trust God in difficult situations and he will reward your perseverance with earthly blessings.
There is no promise if you faithfully endure a terrible job situation that God will reward you with a better job. It may happen, but if it does it is a by product of the Godly character that has been developed.
Earthly blessing is simply not promised in Scripture when we persevere.
If we are persevering – obeying – simply for perceived and desired earthly blessing, then we are obeying – persevering – for the wrong reason.
What if Joseph had received none of the above mentioned earthly blessings? What if after his meeting with Pharaoh, he was thrown back into jail?
Imagine that Joseph is again affected by the jealousy of others – this could easily happen; he is a Hebrew ruling over so many Egyptians who feel they are more deserving.
Imagine if he is again accused of rape – again very possible.
Would all of these mean that God had abandoned him?
If you are evaluating God’s faithfulness in rewarding perseverance by the amount of earthly blessing you receive, then yes God abandoned him.
However, if you are evaluating God’s faithfulness in rewarding perseverance by acquiring and applying Godly character than no, God did not abandon him. Not only did He not abandon him, but He rewarded him with the best reward possible – Godly character.
The true reward of perseverance is Godly character.
Now you may say – okay, but you still have not said how all of this relates to us as Believers today.
I’m glad you asked, please allow me to try and explain.
There are three ways, all taken from the Word of God.
Psalm 73:25-28
These are words spoken after the psalmist was looking to earthly blessing for strength and significance.
25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.
1 – Godly character draws us closer to God.
Wisdom, humility, and peace draw us closer God.
Rom. 8:28-29
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn – or the most glorified - among many brethren.
The good that God causes to happen is for us to be made more like Christ so that Christ may be glorified. In other words –
2 – Godly character enables us to glorify God in all things.
We love to quote and claim 28 and ignore 29. The problem is that verse 29 does exist.
The good God causes is our being more Christ-like and Him receiving glory among mankind.
Everything we do should be done for the glory of God.
God makes this perfectly clear in 1 Cor. 10:31 – Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. This is a command we are to obey.
Wisdom, humility, and peace enable us to glorify God in all things.
James 1:2-3
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
There is much more to James 1, however, what we want to highlight is that –
3 – Godly character prepares us to be able to walk by faith at all times.
If you find yourself back in the pit, earthly blessings are going to be at best of temporary assistance and at worst no assistance at all.
Earthly blessing are based in positions, possessions, emotions that can all change. Godly character is based in truth – God’s truth – that can not change.
Wisdom, humility, and peace remove the need for worry and fear and give us the ability to patiently trust God in all situations, all throughout our earthly lives.
Godly character gives what earthly blessings can not give – a readiness for when you are in yet another pit.
Wisdom, humility, and peace enable us to walk by faith at all times.
Nearness to God, glorifying God, walking by faith in God, I would not trade any one of those for all the earthly in the world.
Listen to the words of one Christian author –
I wonder if any of us look at Christ and, in the middle of terrible trial, say He is enough, and mean it? Or watch cherished dreams shatter and with renewed vigor pursue the greater dream of knowing Him better, and do so with gratitude for the privilege? Do any of us know what it is to suffer betrayal and rejection and count it all joy, not only that we’re deemed worthy to suffer for the name but also that now we have unique opportunity to reveal what Christ is like to our abusers? Do we value knowing God and glorifying Him – no matter what’s happening in our lives – more than depending on God and using Him to make our lives more fulfilling?
I worry that we’ve twisted the message of the Cross into a promise that God will provide us enough creature comforts on earth, whether material or spiritual, to keep the journey to heaven reasonably pleasant till we get there. We think it’s His job to see to it that we feel pretty good here till we feel forever good there. Modern Christianity, in dramatic reversal of its biblical form, is now all about us.
God remembered and rewarded Joseph.
He rewarded him with wisdom, humility, and peace – with Godly character.
As a result Joseph was drawn closer to God; he glorified God; and he was prepared to trust God in any future pits.
May we too persevere for the rewards of wisdom, humility, and peace.
May we, through Godly character, be drawn near to Him, glorify Him, and walk by faith in Him in at all times in all situations.