Title Sky Work (Genesis 41:1-8)
Contents
(Genesis 41:1-8)
Last week, the city of Seoul announced that the city hall main building was floating in the air and excavating under it using a new, state-of-the-art construction method called the 'USEM'. The huge building (5,810 tons) is floating and the soil is being dug from below. Others were completely unaware of what was going on under the ground.
I once visited the International Friendship Exhibition in North Korea. In this place, 70,000 pyeong was secured by digging the basement of Mt. Myohyang to the 6th floor, and a total of 275,000 gifts from Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il were on display. Can you imagine how big it is? Under the beautiful Mt. Myohyang, a building of an unimaginable scale was built deep in the ground.
There are words that have similar meanings to this underground work. It's an underwater job. These behind-the-scenes works are continuously carried out wherever humans exist, including in the political world. In fact, the hidden work has a bigger impact than the outwardly exposed work. Would God do this kind of under-the-ground work? The answer is 'Yes'. However, as the nuance of this word is related to human behavior, it gives a dark meaning, and it is negative because it seems that he is wearing a garment called 'Kwon Mosulsu' (權謀術數). So, what if we call God’s work under the ground “work in the sky”? Because God is doing His will in heaven. The most typical form of sky work can be found in the text.
Baro dreams. Two things happen in relation to this dream. The first is the fact that many of the fortune-tellers and wise men of Egypt failed to interpret the dream (Gen. 41:8). Who were the Egyptian fortune tellers and wise men? Is there something they haven't answered until now?
Everyone, have you ever been to a fortune teller or a shaman because it was so frustrating? Have you ever seen those people who can't answer? King Nebuchadnezzar could not remember what the dream was, so he called all the sorcerers, fortune tellers, and sorcerers to interpret what he had dreamed and what the dream meant. It's really absurd.
But today, the king vividly remembered the dream he had had. All you need to do is interpret it appropriately. But there was no one to interpret. Why?
Second, this dream reminds me of how the cupbearer, who had completely forgotten about Joseph, interpreted the dream by Joseph in prison two years ago. Pharaoh immediately calls Joseph, who is imprisoned, to interpret the dream. How do I explain this case? This is 'sky work'. It was God who made Pharaoh king of Egypt dream a dream. It is God who made the magicians of Egypt not open their mouths in front of that obvious dream, just as they sealed the mouths of the hungry lions in the lions' den. It is God who brought to mind Joseph, who had completely disappeared from his mind, through that dream after two years. It is God who made it possible to interpret Pharaoh's dream, which so many magicians in Egypt could not interpret, without difficulty. God was working in heaven without an inch of error.
What the hell is Joseph doing, so that God is moving the king, the magicians, and the cupbearer? Where is the starting point? For whom does God work? To whom do you extend this grace? The chief cupbearer and the chief baker appeared in front of Joseph, who was thrown into the prison. Joseph finds a light of sorrow in them (Genesis 40:6). “Why is there a light of sorrow on your faces today?” (Genesis 40:7b). Joseph's situation is, in a word, 'my nose is crooked'. But he doesn't go too far, he approaches like a good Samaritan and tries to help them. This little interest, this little love, became the spark that sparked the work of the sky.
Even if I am in a difficult and difficult situation right now, when I pay attention to the people next to me and try to join them in their difficulties and help them, the heavenly work towards me will begin. However, when we are having a hard time, we instinctively approach people who are stronger than us with more interest.
But the Bible tells us to reach out to those in need the more we do it. It is our Lord who is with those in need. Therefore, reaching out to people in need is not just reaching people in need, but approaching the Lord. Pay more attention to people who suffer more than me, people with darker complexions, and have a heart to help with even a single word of encouragement. That will be the beginning (端初) and God's work in heaven will begin.
Joseph didn't just interpret dreams. Joseph did one thing. “If it goes well with you, think of me and be gracious to me, and tell Pharaoh what is going on, and deliver me from this house” (Genesis 40:14). Joseph asked the chief cupbearer to tell him about his situation with an earnest heart. Didn't Joseph, who earnestly asked people like this, pray before God? Joseph prayed earnestly for him. Then he finally remembers Joseph. “The chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I remember my sins” (Genesis 41:9). Joseph's prayer for the cupbearer was never in vain. It was a prayer for him, but it was actually a prayer for himself.
Dear saints!
There is sky work. This is God's work. God did heavenly work for Joseph. He moved the king, shut the mouths of the sorcerers, and moved even the heart of the chief of the drinker to proceed with the sky work. What did Joseph see and do this marvelous thing? He had compassion for his neighbors. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall find mercy” (Matthew 5:7). This heart was expressed in the attitude of praying for others.