Title: Pharaoh's Dream Joseph's Dream!/Genesis 41
Content Title: Pharaoh's Dream Joseph's Dream!
Bible: Genesis 41
Date: 1998. 8. 16 (Sunday) Sunday afternoon at Mission Church
<Review>
1. God also sends people.
2. It is also God who gives dreams at the same time at night.
3. Only God can interpret the dream. Interpretation cannot be done except by Almighty Hannah.
4. Relying on people is useless.
5. It is also in God's hands to make Joseph forget.
Two years later... (verse 1) / Now, the time God has ordained has come. Joseph must have waited two years with impatient and anticipation, waiting for the mercy of the chief cupbearer. And now it's almost time to give up.
<Pharaoh's dream> / Verses 1-8
1. Pharaoh is standing by the riverbank (verse 1). / This river must be the Nile River. The Nile River is the lifeline of Egypt. The god of the Nile is a god who is greatly worshiped along with the sun god.
2. The dream of seven different cows (verses 2-4) / Seven beautiful and fat cows came up from that very river and were grazing on the reeds. How nice would it be to see? But after a while seven other ferocious and skinny cows, never seen before, came up from the same Nile and ate up the seven beautiful cows. But the cow was still ferocious and filthy, and it didn't look good at all.
I woke up for a while and then went back to sleep...
3. The dream of the seven different heads of grain (verses 5-7) / I dreamed again and saw the seven heads of grain, full and full on one stalk. He would have been satisfied with that. But immediately the seven heads of grain, thin and dry by the east wind, came out and devoured the seven heads that had been faithful before that. After all, the seven heads of ears were weak and did not look any better.
Pharaoh woke up.
4. Pharaoh's agony (verse 8) / The next morning after the dream, Pharaoh's heart was troubled. The dream made Pharaoh's heart impatient and very distressed. This too is from God. There must be dreams worse than this, but after you had this dream, your heart wanted to know the contents of the dream, and you couldn't bear it.
Example) Anguish after dreaming of King Nebuchadnezzar -> Daniel's interpretation
5. No one can interpret (v. 8) / He called all the magicians and wise men of Egypt and told them the dream, but no one could interpret the dream. This is natural, because demons cannot know what God wants to do. The magicians of Egypt were so skilled in magic that they turned water into blood and made a serpent with a staff. But if God does not allow it, no one will know.
Ex.) The work of God's people is like the work of God's people. Because his life belongs to God, the devil can never show the future.
<Joseph coming out of prison> / verses 9-24
1. The chief cupbearer thought of Joseph (verses 9-13). / He remembered his transgressions. And with remorse, he told Pharaoh about Joseph. When God makes Joseph's dream come true, no one can say that he has helped him achieve it. That glory is not shared with people.
2. Joseph comes out of the prison in a hurry (verse 14) / When the king has Joseph called, there was a riot in the prison. Then he quickly removed him from prison, and immediately shaved his beard, changed his clothes, and stood before King Pharaoh. God approves, and when God's time comes, He will release us from prison in such an instant.
To us, this seems like a reversal of drama in an instant, but in fact, Joseph's 13 years of life up to now, pure, holy, and faithful in front of people, have come to fruition.
3. Interpretation of the dream is to God (verses 15-16) / When Pharaoh says, "You... are able to solve it..." Joseph replies, "This does not belong to me, but to God." . Look at Joseph who exalts God thoroughly!
ex) Anyone who exalts himself, even if he works miracles, is not a true man of God.
4. Stated Pharaoh's dream (vv. 17-24)
<Joseph Interpreting Dreams> / verses 25-36
1. 7 years of abundance, 7 years of famine / The dream is that the next 7 years will have unprecedented abundance, and the next 7 years will be a severe famine, so you will not even remember the previous years of abundance, and the land of Egypt will be destroyed by famine .
2. God showed Pharaoh what He was going to do (verses 25-32) What you showed me in advance was to show me how to prepare for this job. Joseph goes on to mention that Pharaoh had a relationship with God. Although he worships idols, the truth is that God is the ruler of all the land of Egypt.
3. Measures against dreams (verses 33-36) / Joseph urgently appointed a man of understanding and wisdom to rule over the land of Egypt. They are told to have each city do the work of collecting and storing it. In other words, it is said that, in addition to the existing ones, a special countermeasures organization to prepare for the 7 years of famine should be established, and the grains should be harvested and stored well during the 7 years of abundance.
The dream God gives is not just to know, but to always recognize the event through the dream and to deal with it effectively. The basis of countermeasures is prayer, and the second is active countermeasures.
Ex) If you showed disaster in your dream, you were given to pray for this first and to prepare for this second. It was not given to me to just pretend to know or pretend to be divine.
<The rise of Joseph> / verses 37-46
1. The circumstances of the ascension (v. 37) / Pharaoh and all his servants favored Joseph's proposal. God is making everything so smooth. In a situation where no one could interpret the dream and no one took any measures, he made clear harm and alternatives so that no one could reject it.
2. Reason for ascending (verses 38-39) / Because he was moved by the Spirit of God, and therefore he is the most understanding and wise person.
3. Joseph's position (verses 40-44) / Ruled all the land of Egypt. All obeyed Joseph's command. In fact, he took the power of the Pharaoh. He took off Pharaoh's seal ring (right of approval) and put it on Joseph, put on linen clothes, put a gold chain around his neck, put him on a chariot next to the king, and everyone fell down to Joseph and made him swear an oath of obedience. In other words, he became the authority of the Provisional Government under martial law. He was entrusted with the full power of Pharaoh. Nothing was approved or enforced except through the hands of Joseph.
4. The age of Joseph (verse 46) / It is said that he was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh. This is the age at which one can enter office in Egypt. Although Joseph's suffering seems long, God made him the prime minister at the youngest time he could entrust his work. God led him to the fastest path.
<Joseph's duties> / Verses 45-49, 53-57
1. Touring all the land of Egypt (verses 45-46) / The first thing Joseph did when he became prime minister was to patrol all the land of Egypt. This is very important Joseph's sincere attitude. It is only when you know the country you will rule that you can rule it well, and you can make a plan.
So are we. When you do something, accurate information about it is important. Accurate planning is only possible when accurate information is available.
Ex) The plan of evangelism, the plan of shepherding, the plan of missions requires sincerity to examine everything accurately first.
2. During a bountiful year, grain was stored in a city with fields (verses 47-49) / According to the interpretation of the dream, for 7 years, the land was very fertile, so we enjoyed a year of abundance like never before. And he saved one-fifth of that in each city, and the number was as great as the sand of the sea, so that the counting ceased.
And Joseph did not have to bring grain into Pharaoh's palace. It was stored in the local castle where the field is located. This is for work efficiency. This is to make it easier to harvest and store, and to sell grain later. Joseph had already implemented local self-government.
3. Grains began to be sold during the seven years of famine (verses 53-57) / The good years finally ceased and seven years of severe famine began. The people cried out to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh delegated all authority over the grain to Joseph. And Joseph opened all the warehouses and began to sell grain.
The famine was severe not only in Egypt, but all over the world. So people from all over the world also came to Egypt to buy food for Joseph. This allowed Egypt to form a rather powerful government in times of famine. All possessions and all land belonged to Pharaoh.
<Joseph's family> / verses 45, 50-52
1. Wife (verse 45) / Joseph took Asenath, daughter of Potipera, the high priest, as his wife by Pharaoh. This was to marry a nobleman so that he would not have any trouble as a politician in Egypt. Moreover, she is the daughter of the all-priest, that is, a priest who worships foreign gods. But, whatever the method, I believe that it is the spouse God gave to Joseph. And through her, they gave birth to Manasseh and Ephraim, who fulfilled God's will.
Ex) Some people are unsure about their marriage, so are they really my spouse? Or is it the wrong marriage? There are people who are skeptical. But obviously, the Allah spouse is God-given.
We can get married just like that without any clear certainty, but this is our weakness. If you always have a sword-like intelligence and perfect feelings of love to make a right choice, there will be about 1 in 100 people who make the right choice.
Even if our motives are not very clear, if it is a normal marriage, believe that it is a spouse given by God who rules everything! And live with faith and work hard!
2. Begotten two sons (verses 51-52) / Joseph, the father of faith, finally gave birth to a son. Joseph's feelings of giving birth to a son in a foreign land must have been different.
Manasseh: God has made me forget all my troubles and all my father's housework.
Ephraim: God has made me fruitful in the land of my toil.
Looking at his son, Joseph is praising the God of love and justice, who washes away his sufferings and compensates for his hard work.
Summary: Reason for Joseph's Suffering / Podium
1. Father's house's pulpit / Father's love and shepherding labor. His father's love would have enabled Joseph to rely on God's supreme love without doubting in the midst of despair.
2. Dream Podium / To avoid relying on people due to the persecution of our brothers.
3. The pulpit of slavery / To work diligently in any environment and experience the lives of ordinary people and ordinary people.
4. The refinement of temptation / Gives the ability to reject the temptation of a woman.
5. Podium for prison sentences / You must have met a lot of politicians from the royal family along with the podium to rely on God in any environment. In this way, he would have come into contact with the things going on in the palace.
There is nothing in God's refinement that should be discarded.
All things work together for good.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Hallelujah!
only believe!
only thanks!