We all have times that we want to give up. We started so well, with big dreams and vibrant aspirations, but along the way something happens. People mistreat us, we do the wrong thing, or situations arise that seem to come out of nowhere at all. Suddenly, we find ourselves ready to give up on careers, relationships, and callings that we had every intention of seeing through till the end.
In our reading today, Joseph goes through some difficult things. Falsely accused of rape, thrown in prison, and then he is even forgotten by the friends he made while locked up. This guy just cannot catch a break. Most of us would have thrown in the towel on our dreams. Not Joseph, he stays true to God and before we get to the end of chapter 41, just look how things are starting turn.
Are you contemplating giving up? Has the pressure just been too much? What if you persevered for one more day? One more week? One more month? Who knows what kind of breakthrough may be just around the corner? Don’t give up now!
-Pastor Conley
Genesis 39–41 (MEV)
1 Now Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.
2 The Lord was with Joseph, so that he became a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper.
4 Joseph found favor in his sight and served him. So he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put under his charge.
5 From the time that he had made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph. So the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.
6 So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and he had no concerns regarding anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and well-built.
7 After a time, his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “My master does not concern himself with anything concerning me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my charge.
9 There is none greater in this house than I. He has kept nothing back from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
10 She spoke to Joseph every day, but he did not listen to her about lying with her or being with her.
11 But it happened one day that Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was there.
12 She caught him by his clothing, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his clothing in her hand and fled and got outside.
13 When she saw that he had left his clothing in her hand and had fled outside,
14 she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in a Hebrew among us to humiliate us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.
15 When he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his clothing with me, fled, and got outside.”
16 She laid up his clothing next to her until his master came home.
17 She spoke to him using these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me.
18 When I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his clothing with me and fled outside.”
19 When his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your servant did to me,” he became enraged.
20 Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison.
21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 The keeper of the prison committed all the prisoners that were in the prison to the charge of Joseph. So whatever they did there, he was the one responsible for it.
23 The keeper of the prison did not concern himself with anything that was under Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it to prosper.
1 Sometime after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, with the chief of the cupbearers and with the chief of the bakers.
3 So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.
4 The captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he attended to them. They continued to be in confinement for some time.
5 Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation.
6 Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them and realized they were sad.
7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in the care of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”
8 And they said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter for it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”
9 The chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream, a vine was in front of me.
10 And in the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms shot forth and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.
11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it. The three branches are three days.
13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand in the same way you did before when you were his cupbearer.
14 But remember me when it is well with you, and show kindness, I pray you, to me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.
15 For I was indeed kidnapped out of the land of the Hebrews, and I have done nothing that they should put me in the dungeon.”
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and I had three white baskets on my head.
17 In the uppermost basket there was all manner of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”
18 Joseph answered and said, “This is the interpretation: The three baskets are three days.
19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift your head from off you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
20 It happened on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker among his servants.
21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position again, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.
22 However, he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet, the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
1 After two whole years, Pharaoh had a dream that he was standing by the Nile.
2 Seven fine-looking and fattened cows suddenly came up out of the river, and they grazed in the meadow.
3 Then seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the riverbank.
4 The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine-looking and fattened cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.
5 He slept and dreamed a second time. Seven ears of grain suddenly came up on one stalk, plump and good.
6 Then seven thin ears, scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them.
7 The seven thin ears devoured the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream.
8 In the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “Today I remember my offenses.
10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in confinement in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker.
11 And we had a dream in the same night, he and I. We, each of us, dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.
12 A young Hebrew man was with us there, a servant to the captain of the guard. We told him and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each man he interpreted according to his own dream.
13 It happened just as he interpreted. He restored me to my position, and the baker was hanged.”
14 So Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came to Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream to interpret it.”
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me. God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, I stood on the bank of the Nile.
18 And suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fattened and fine-looking, and they grazed in the reeds.
19 Then seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt. I have never seen such ugliness in all the land of Egypt.
20 And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
21 And when they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as before. Then I awoke.
22 “I also saw in my dreams seven ears of grain, full and good, suddenly come up on one stalk.
23 Then seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprang up after them.
24 And the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. 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 and the same. God has shown 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.
27 The seven gaunt and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine.
28 “It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29 Seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt.
30 However, there will arise after them seven years of famine. All the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will consume the land.
31 The abundance will be unknown in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.
32 The reason the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice is because the matter is established by God, and God will soon bring it to pass.
33 “Now, therefore, let Pharaoh seek out a man who is discerning and wise and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officials over the land and collect the fifth part of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven abundant years.
35 Let them gather all the food from those good years that come and lay up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
36 This food will be for a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt, so that the land does not perish during the famine.”
37 The counsel seemed good to Pharaoh and to all of his servants.
38 Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
39 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
40 You will be over my house, and according to your word all my people will be ruled. Only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
41 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
42 Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand and arrayed him in clothes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 Then he had him ride in the second chariot which was his, and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man will lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45 Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-Paneah, and he gave him a wife, Asenath the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 In the seven abundant years the earth brought forth plentifully.
48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which was in the land of Egypt and laid up the food in the cities. He put in every city the food of the fields which surrounded the city.
49 Joseph gathered great quantities of grain as the sand of the sea until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure.
50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, “For God,” he said, “has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.”
52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, saying, “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 The seven years of abundance that were in the land of Egypt ended.
54 The seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but there was food in all the land of Egypt.
55 When all the land of Egypt was hungry, the people cried to Pharaoh for food, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. Do whatever he says to you.”
56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, and the famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt.
57 Moreover, all countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was so severe in all the lands.