As we are still in the prologue of the book of John, I think it would help us to realize that John is not interested in merely presenting a biography of Jesus.  We are all, I’m sure, more or less familiar with the history of Jesus Christ.  So to simply retell the story of Christ’s life on earth would have limited benefit, especially in light of the fact that the synoptic gospels had already been written quite some time before.  But what John is presenting in his gospel is doctrine:  the facts about Jesus which according to John’s stated purpose in chapter 20:31, “these things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” 

So as we pointed out last time, John doesn’t start his gospel as a biography might begin – with the birth of Jesus – but he starts with the theology of Jesus; that He was in the beginning with God, and He was God.  So in the first five verses, John establishes that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and in Him was life and the life  was the Light of men.

Now last time we spent a lot of time talking about the significance of Jesus being called the Word.  Today I would like to focus on the statement that Jesus, or the Word, was Light.  I believe John as well as many other Bible writers give great emphasis to the fact that Christ is the personification of Light.  In fact, Jesus Himself frequently applied that designation to Himself.  For instance, in John 8:12, “Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’” 

Interestingly, Jesus there presents the Light as being integral to life, which is exactly how John presents it in vs4: “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”  Now in order to understand the connection between life and light which both Jesus and John were speaking of, it’s necessary to once again go back to Genesis chapter one.  In the creation account, we have not only the historical, factual record of the beginning of creation, but I believe there is incorporated in the story of creation an allegory which illustrates certain themes of salvation.  

So look at Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”  So God was in the beginning, before time, existing in three persons who were one God.  And we see all three in this passage; God the Father, the Spirit of God and the Word of God. 

God created the heavens and the earth, and they were formless and void, and the Spirit of God moved over them, and God said, or we could say the Word said, “let there be light.”  And there was light in the darkness, and the light was good.  God doesn’t say the darkness was good, but that the light was good. 

But if you look down at day four, in vs.14, you notice that God made the sun and the moon and the stars.  So the light that God made in the first day was not light which came from the sun, moon or stars, but light that emanated from somewhere else.    And to add even more mystery,  in day three, God made plants and seeds and trees, which sprouted even though there was no sun created at that time. 

So what we can discern from this passage is that God existed in three persons, and the Word was life, creating the heavens and the earth, and the Word became Light, which was the light of the world, and it was a real light emanating from life which caused plants to sprout and life to exist.  Science tells us that light is simply a visible form of energy. So you cannot have light without a source of energy, and what the Bible is teaching is that the energy of all life and producing light is none other than the Word of God who was with God and who was God.

So now we can better understand the relationship of life and light as John said in vs. 4, “in Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”  Because He was the life, nothing came into being without Him, nothing had life without Him.  He is the source of life as Paul said in Acts 17:28, “for in Him we live and move and exist.” 

John then is saying that the Word was life, He was the source of all life, He is spiritual life and physical life and God manifested that life as Light.  First in creation, and secondly in the Word, and thirdly in salvation. 

You don’t need to turn to it, as I’m sure you are all familiar with it, but in the third chapter of Genesis there is recorded the fall of man.  God said if you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will surely die.  But we don’t see Adam and Eve fall down dead after biting into the fruit.  But what we do see is God removing them from the Garden of Eden.  He removed them from His presence and when man was removed from the source of life, the light went out and man died spiritually.  That divine spark that man was made with – made in the image and likeness of God – was extinguished.  And man surely died.  I liken it to a potted plant that sits on your porch which flourishes when it is in the sun, but if you were to put it in your closet it would surely die.  It may still look somewhat alive a few days later perhaps, but eventually it would shrivel up and die.  And so with man, when he was cut off from the Light of life, his spirit died. 

That is why God describes the world without Christ as darkness.  The scriptures use that description over and over again in both the Old and New Testaments to describe the world that we live in. For example, in the book of Job the world is pictured repeatedly as being in darkness, without understanding, without hope.  And that lack of divine understanding is what darkness illustrates. We live in darkness, separated from God and from the life of God.  We are lifeless, formless and void, without the light of God.  But then God spoke, and said “let there be light, and the light shone in the darkness and separated the darkness, and it was good.” 

Now last week we said about vs. 5 that some manuscripts translate the phrase as the darkness could not overpower it, rather than the KJV translation which says the darkness could not comprehend it.  And there are merits to the first translation, as I pointed out last week.  Light triumphs over darkness.  Christ triumphs over darkness, ie, sin, the world, death and Satan.  But there is also merit in translating it as comprehend.  The darkness does not comprehend it, or apprehend it.  And today we want to lean more in that direction because that is the idea presented it the following verses.  The Light appears, shines in the darkness, but the world in darkness does not receive the Light, does not understand the Light, and ultimately rejects the Light.

This idea of comprehending the Light is evidenced further by John in vs. 10 and 11; “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”  See, that is saying that the world did not comprehend Him.  They saw the Creator of the universe, the source of all life in human form, and did not understand Him, and ultimately rejected Him.  Man was in darkness, and though the Light appeared, he did not accept it, did not understand it, and so rejected the light and returned to the darkness.

Now man’s lack of comprehension results in God’s compassionate desire to help men to believe in the Light.  And to do that He raises up men to testify of the Light.  Vs. 6. “There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.”  Were it not for the fact that the apostle John had just said the world did not comprehend the Light, we might wonder at the abruptness of the introduction of John the Baptist.  But now we can understand that God sent John in order to bear witness of the Light.  To explain the Light. 

I think it was Matthew Henry who said, “That is indicative of the severity of the darkness and blindness of men that they needed a witness to the light.”  And I agree that man’s depravity has blinded him to be able to see the Light.  But I also think his depravity is so great that he rejects the Light because He doesn’t want to be ruled by the light.  Back in Genesis 1 God said about the lights of heaven that they were to govern the day and govern the night.  And I believe that indicates the contrary nature of man’s fall and of his rebellion.  He wants to govern himself.  He wants to decide what is right and what is wrong.  God said the light is good.  Man says I will decide what is good. 

In John 3:19-20 Jesus said, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”  See, man loves evil, so he loves the darkness.  He doesn’t want anyone to be a ruler over him.

That love of darkness reminds me of an old song by Simon and Garfunkel, “The Sound of Silence.” The apostle Paul quoted Greek poets so I guess it’s ok if I quote modern poets. Now  I doubt that Simon and Garfunkel intended their song to be meant in the way I understand it, but it’s interesting that the songwriter says, “Hello darkness my old friend…” Man loves darkness. He prefers it, welcomes it.  And it’s even more interesting that Paul Simon correlates the sound of silence, the lack of speech as resulting in a darkness of life in which people lived without life, without words.  It’s ironic that the great theologian John Calvin translated the Word in John 1 as Speech.  Paul Simon describes this darkness as silence where words do not penetrate, though prophets warn of the peril of rejecting it.  But the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made.  His last two stanzas say; “Fools,” said I, “You do not know. Silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you. Take my arms that I might reach you.” But my words like silent raindrops fell And echoed in the wells of silence.  And the people bowed and prayed To the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning In the words that it was forming. And the sign said, “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls And tenement halls And whispered in the sounds of silence.”

Man rejects the light because he loves the deeds of darkness. I was talking with someone the other day about society and how the rejection of God’s law produces anarchy. The depravity of man is fully revealed when there is no fear of detection or punishment.  That’s why when law and order breaks down there is chaos and rioting and looting.  When people can act out their basest desires without fear of retribution society can quickly become a terrifying thing.  And that is why the scriptures refer to us Christians as being salt and light in the world.  The law of God stifles corruption, it acts as guard against anarchy.  The light of God’s word drives back the darkness and keeps it from overpowering the creation. 

So John was to be a witness of the Light; to testify of the Light.  He was the first prophet to appear on the scene in 400 years.  He was to prepare the people’s heart to receive the Light.  And how did John do that? By preaching, “repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”   Man needed to repent of his evil deeds, his rebellion, his sin in order to receive the Light which leads to life.

Notice though the apostle John makes a point of saying John the Baptist was not the Light, but he was sent to bear witness of the Light.  In other words, John the Baptist was one of the lights of heaven, bearing witness of the Light of God, reflecting the Light of God to the world by word and deed.  John was like the light of the moon in relation to the sun.  He reflected the Light.  He was not the source of light, but he reflected the Light of Christ to the world.

And I want to point out another word in vs.6 that bears mentioning.  And that is the word sent.  John the Baptist was sent by God to bear witness.  John is a model preacher.  He was by all accounts a prophet of God.  He did not tailor his message to the world’s agenda. He did not survey the interests of society and then tailor his message to their perceived desires. He wasn’t seeker friendly.  But he preached the message from God to the world.  He did not try to be popular.  He did not rise to great prominence in order to build a huge church and exalt himself.  But he said about Jesus; “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  He simply preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I was talking with someone the other day about pastoring.  And the conversation eventually ran the gamut from sizes of churches, to denominations, to what seminary someone had graduated from, and I said as far as I’m concerned, and I think I can safely say that as far as God is concerned, there are only two characteristics that are important when it comes to pastors. One you have to be born again.  I think that eliminates about half of the pastors in churches across America right there.  And at least half of the other half would be eliminated by the second requirement, which is that you have to be called by God.  Or to use the apostle John’s words, you must be “sent by God.” 

 I’m afraid there are a lot of people in pulpits today that are not sent by God. And it’s apparent because they don’t preach the gospel. If God calls you, then He will equip you.  He is the one that gives us the Spirit to empower the message, He is the source of  wisdom and discernment.  You can have all the charisma and all the charm and all the degrees and a huge building and the acclaim of men but if you have not been called by God to preach the gospel then all those things are not going to be of any benefit to fulfilling the purpose of God.  And furthermore, I cannot understand why Christians would want to sit under those pastors, but I guess it goes back to the principle that we love darkness rather than light, because the light exposes our evil deeds.

But whether or not you are called to be a pastor, all Christians are sent to be witnesses of the gospel. Jesus said in Matt. 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

All of us are to bear witness and testify to the Light of the gospel.  Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, he commissioned his followers in Acts 1:8 saying, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Now though John introduces John the Baptist here, the emphasis is not really on him but on the Light.  And so he goes on to say about the Light in vs. 9, “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”  Now just as John the Baptist was a minor light, a reflection of Christ, so all the prophets of old were reflections of the light of heaven.  And I believe that there was light that came through the word given through the prophets, which became the Old Testament scriptures.  I also believe that even as Genesis 1 illustrated, there was the light of creation which Paul said in Romans 1 was enough to teach man that there was an eternal God. Paul said in Rom. 1:20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” That was the Light of the world seen through creation that enlightens every man.

But in the next verse Paul says that though they recognized that it was divine light, they rejected it and were plunged into even greater darkness. Rom. 1:21 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

In Matthew’s gospel he quotes from the prophet Isaiah referencing the advent of Christ as being like a great light coming to a people living in darkness.  Matt. 4:15-16  “THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI,BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES– “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT,AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH,UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”  This great light spoken of by the prophet Isaiah was none other than the Light of the world.  The Light of Life.  Jesus Christ.

But as vs.10 and 11 tell us, the Light came into the world that existed through Him, and yet it did not receive Him. “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”  Paul said virtually the same thing in 1Cor. 2:14, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

Actually, that’s what I think Genesis 1 is indicating when it says after the heavens and the earth were created and still  in darkness, that the Spirit of God moved upon the waters and then the Light appeared.  Though the Light has come into the world, it is necessary for the Spirit of God to move on the hearts of men if they are going to receive Christ.  Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.”  Now God draws people in many ways, but one way is through the witness and testimony of His people, particularly His preachers.  God has ordained that by the foolishness of preaching men would be saved. 1Cor. 1:21 “For since in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”

And that leads us to the conclusion of this paragraph concerning the Light of the world, in vs.12-13. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”  Man is rebellious and depraved, rejecting the rule of his Lord, rejecting the Light of the truth for the sake of loving his own sin and wickedness.  But the Light of God persists, piercing the darkness, the Spirit of God moves upon his heart in conjunction with the preaching of the gospel by the witnesses of the Light, and some believe and receive Him and are saved.

There is on the one hand the responsibility of man to respond and receive the Light, and on the other hand the necessity for God to extend unto man the grace to believe the gospel.  And the outcome is that when man believes and receives Christ he is born again, moved from darkness into light, from death to life, reborn spiritually whereas he was previously dead in his trespasses and sins.  When we receive the Light, the Light produces life, spiritual life, eternal life.  We are made alive with Christ.  We are made a new creation.  We walk no more in darkness but in life. Eph. 5:8 “for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.”  And Col. 1:13 says, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”

To those who receive the Light, we are now made children of Light, even children of God.  Not by blood, that is we are not saved on the basis of human lineage.  Not by heredity.  Not by the will of the flesh.  We are not saved by self effort, or works, in order to become righteous.  Nor by the will of man, not by the decree of man, not by the decree of a priest or church or institution.  But by the will of God. 

God is the giver of life, and He gives it to whoever believes in the Son of God, whoever receives Him.  To receive Christ as our  Savior and our Lord, and as our God.  That’s what it means to receive Christ.  To know Him, to accept Him and trust Him and to bow to His rule over our life.  To know all that He is, and all that He is to be, to believe it, and then to trust Him.  To trust in His atonement for our sin. To trust Him to raise us from the dead. To know that Christ is good, even as God said the light was good. And we must submit our lives completely  to the very source of life and then walk in the Light, even as He is in the Light.  1John 1:7, “if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

I will just close by asking one question;  have you received the Light of the world? Have you been born again to spiritual life as a child of God?  As many as receive Christ, to them God gives the right to be the children of God.  That is a promise of life that lies waiting for you to receive, if you will just believe who He is and trust Him with your life.  Don’t reject him and stay in the darkness.  Come to the Light, and receive life.

Turn in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 42.  You will remember that in our study of Genesis, we reached the point where Joseph had been delivered from prison in Egypt, where he had been a slave, and promoted to the second highest position under Pharaoh. You might say that he was the prime minister of Egypt.  We all know that to be true, but I wonder if we truly appreciate how incredible it was for an incarcerated slave to be made the prime minister of the largest empire in the world in a single day.  

And of course, God arranged for that promotion of Joseph in order to provide for His people during a severe famine.  Joseph had interpreted Pharoah’s dreams which foretold of a coming famine of such severity that it would affect all the known world for seven years. And because of Joseph’s insight, they were able to put aside grain in storage during the seven plentiful years which would provide for the seven years of famine.

In fact, let’s read from the last two verses of chapter 41; “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.  [The people of] all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.”

About 30 years ago, long before I moved to the beach and began this church, I was an antique dealer living in Belair Maryland. I was fairly successful in that business and had reached a certain plateau of recognition in my field and was doing very well. I built a house that was a Williamsburg style reproduction on a large tract of land.  And it seemed I regularly found what I used to call a national treasure, or hitting a home run.  I thought that God blessed me in that business, and that He was prospering me because I was a Christian.

But then I encountered a series of circumstances in my life starting with illnesses that completely debilitated me. These events had a snowball effect that within about three years had practically caused me to lose my health, to go bankrupt, lose my home and all the things that accompany a train wreck of one’s life.

Of course, like most people who go through a great crisis, I tried to find answers in the Bible. I prayed for deliverance and restoration. I didn’t know if God was causing it all or allowing it to happen, or why. I got my heart right with God as much as I knew how.  I prayed constantly and read my Bible constantly and sought wisdom from the Lord.

Somehow, through seeking the Lord, I became hopeful and then convinced that I was going through a crisis similar to that presented here in the life of Joseph and that if I could just hang on for 7 years, then God would overturn the spiritual, physical and financial famine in my life and I would then see restoration, that God would bring me up out of “prison,” restore my finances and health.  I saw a correlation in my life between the 7 years of famine and what I was going through, and that if I could just get through that 7 years, God would restore me.

I say all of that to illustrate that as Christians we can easily be guilty of poor exegesis of scripture, and  convinced of things that the Bible does not promise because we have taken scripture out of context or misinterpreted it altogether.  We can incorrectly apply the word of God, even though we might be as sincere as we can be, as dedicated to the Lord as we can be. I had taken some elements of this story of Joseph out of context and wrongly applied them to my situation. I had conjured up promises in scripture which were not there. I thought if I applied faith to those promises that God was obligated to answer them according to my desire.  

And consequently, not only did I go through seven years of the worst circumstances that I could imagine, but at the end of that time,  I almost lost faith in God altogether because He did not do what I though He had promised.  He did not restore me to the former prosperity and health that I had thought that He would.  In fact, my situation continued on for  several years  more after that seven year period before I began to slowly climb out of all those circumstances, and in fact I am still dealing with some of the ramifications of it today.  However God did use that long period of testing and trials to work a spiritual change in me, and actually get me to the point where I was willing to serve Him as a preacher of the gospel.

So I tell you all of that to caution you that we must be careful what we extrapolate from scripture. We must accurately divide the word of God, and guard against interpretation in light of our agenda and our priorities, rather than submission to God’s purposes and plan.

But there are principles in this story though that we can safely apply to our lives today. And one of those principles is that God uses trials and difficulties in our lives as a means of sanctification.  God uses fiery trials to purify us, to burn off the dross in our lives.  

And there is another principle we see here, that God may combine His blessing and fiery trials which seem to run concurrently.  Joseph was suffering as a slave, and suffered by being incarcerated, yet at the same time, God was with Joseph and caused blessing and favor to be given to him both in slavery and in prison. Another principle is that God did not eliminate the trial or shorten the trial because of Joseph’s faith or faithfulness. God had a plan, and He sustained Joseph through the trial.  Joseph was 17 when he was sold into slavery, and he was 30 years old when Pharaoh exalted him to the position of prime minister. 

And another principle is revealed in the passage we are looking at today, which is the  process of Joseph recognizing his brothers and causing them to go through a period of testing in which God awakened their consciences and convicted them of their sin concerning the betrayal of their brother.  God uses conviction to bring them to repentance,  which must come before He will bring them to reconciliation.

So we read in chapter 42  vs 1, “Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”  He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy [some] for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.”  Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt.  But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm may befall him.”  So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan [also.]

We might surmise that at the mention of Egypt, Jospeh’s brothers felt a pang of guilt. I’m sure it wasn’t the first time in these 20 some years that they had thought of the evil that they did to their brother, and perhaps wondered what had happened to him, whether he was even still alive or not. But as Jacob noted, they were staring at one another when he had mentioned going to Egypt, because they all felt the same pang of their conscience, knowing that it was to Egypt that Joseph had been sold into slavery.  The whole world was going there to buy grain during the famine, and yet they had no desire to set foot there, lest their guilty consciences remind them of the great evil that they had done.

But nevertheless, the patriarch demanded they go, and so they did, although Jacob was wise enough not to let Benjamin, the other son of Rachel, go with them.  Perhaps he suspected all along that something had gone amiss with Joseph because of his other sons. And there was no way he would trust them again with the second son of Rachel.

Vs 6 Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with [their] faces to the ground.  When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”  But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him.  Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land.”  Then they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.  “We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.” 

Its really ironic that they claim they are honest men. They were guilty of dishonesty and treachery of the lowest level.  But it’s typical of man that when he thinks of himself, he really doesn’t see himself as being an evil person.  We tend to gloss over our sin while putting other’s sins under a microscope. But repentance cannot begin without first a conviction of your sin, and a confession of it.

 Yet Joseph said to them, “No, but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land!”  But they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers [in all,] the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive.”  Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you, you are spies;  by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here!  “Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” So he put them all together in prison for three days.

Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger: He spoke through an interpreter (he did not yet want to reveal that he spoke Hebrew), and did not reveal his identity to his brothers, but treated them roughly instead. Joseph did this guided by the Holy Spirit. This wasn’t taking revenge or twisting the knife. The Bible says that one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of our sin.  And so God planned it this way not only to save them from famine but to bring them under conviction, leading to repentance, that He might bring reconciliation with God and with Joseph.

And in this, we see Joseph as another picture of Jesus. Jesus sees who we are long before we see who He is. He recognizes you for who you really are, not who you pretend to be, He sees you as one who has sinned against God — and yet He still loves you and works  to bring you to reconciliation to Him.

Notice also that Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them. Joseph wasn’t just playing games with his bothers. It’s quite possible that if it were up to Joseph, he would have revealed himself to his brothers right then and there. But God recalled the dreams to his mind and guided him to be an instrument for the conviction and restoration of his brothers.

It’s interesting also that Joseph puts them in prison for three days. Joseph had suffered in prison for years through no fault of his own. But God uses three days in an Egyptian prison to humble them, and get them willing to submit to what He wanted them to do.

Vs 21 Then they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.”  Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”  They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them.  He turned away from them and wept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

Their guilty conscience told them this complicated mess was because of the way they treated Joseph before. The quickness with which they associated these events with their sin against Joseph meant they often remembered that sin. In fact, I think Reuben’s response about how this was a reckoning for his blood might indicate that they thought that surely Joseph had died as a slave in Egypt. They didn’t expect him to survive for 25 years. But God was quickening their conscience, that He might bring them under conviction.  There wasn’t really a logical connection between their current situation and their previous treatment of Joseph, but a guilty conscience sees every trouble as the penalty for your sin.

Joseph was overcome with emotion as he saw and understood this work of God in the conscience of his brothers. God had to do a deep work in the hearts of these brothers for the relationship to be reconciled. There could be no quick and easy, “We are sorry, Joseph!” in this situation. Simply being sorry for the consequences of your sin is not repentance.  God guided events so the brothers saw their sin clearly and repented completely before Joseph’s true identity was revealed and their relationship was restored.

Vs 25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them.  So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there.  As one [of them] opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.  Then he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack.” And their hearts sank, and they [turned] trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

Whether he was aware of it or not, God guided Joseph to do some strange things that would bring about true repentance and reconciliation with the brothers. God was working His plan through Joseph. This wasn’t just as if Joseph was playing practical jokes on his brothers or just trying to make life difficult. We don’t know how much he may have sensed it, but this was all guided by God.

So we see that Joseph gave them provisions and even gave them their money back  before they were reconciled to him. They had yet to repent or ask forgiveness — yet He loved them and provided for them. He was gracious to them and they didn’t even know it!  In the same way, Jesus provides for us while we were yet sinners, and gives us  undeserved grace. Some of His providence we can see immediately, some we may not understand until later — but He gives to us even before we were reconciled to Him.

But the goodness of Joseph, much like the goodness of God, only increased the guilt of their conscience.  Notice they say, “What is this that God has done to us?”  They seem to be starting to recognize that God must be working through these events, though they don’t understand it.

Vs 29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country. But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.’ The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take [grain for] the famine of your households, and go. But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’”

Vs 35 Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, every man’s bundle of money [was] in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed. Their father Jacob said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.”  Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him [back] to you; put him in my care, and I will return him to you.”  But Jacob said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

The fact was, that Jacob believed a lie.  He had believed the lie of the brothers concerning Joseph. He believes that Simeon is no more, though we know that wasn’t true, and God would restore Simeon as well as Joseph to him.  But what that illustrates is that if we believe what isn’t true, whether it be a lie of the devil or a lie of man, then believing a lie can deprive us of the blessing of what is true.  

The truth of the gospel  tells us that God provides forgiveness, and life. But the lie of the devil says that our sin is too great, that God will not forgive us.  The lie of the devil says that the life that God gives is bondage, that we will lose our freedom, while in fact our sin is bondage.  But if we believe the lie, then in effect we make it true. We must believe the truth, and the truth will set you free.

At the very moment Jacob was saying “all these things are against me,” God was working out His plan. There was a plan in all this, even when Jacob couldn’t see it or feel it.The plan was not only good for Jacob and his family but would impact all history. God was working all things together for good (Romans 8:28).

The motto of too many Christians is all these things are against me. We see our trails as just needless suffering. We even think God must be against us. We see the present circumstances as a dead end that blocks our way, that we cannot circumvent. Instead, our motto should be 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.  God isn’t saying that every individual circumstance is good in of itself, but that God can and will work everything, even what seems evil,  together for good to those who love God, who the people who are called according to His purpose.

Jacob, however, is still learning to trust God.  Jacob had wrestled with God his whole life, always trying to maintain his independence, trying to direct the outcome of his life to his advantage.  God wanted what was best for Jacob, though Jacob doesn’t seem to want to trust God completely.  But through these twisted, circuitous ways, God will bring about reconciliation for Jacob and  his sons, and provide for them a way of escape from the famine, and make them into a great nation according to the promise given to Abraham.

God’s promises to Abraham would be fulfilled, and His plan for the Savior of the world of whom Joseph was a type, His plan would be fulfilled through the lives of these unfaithful, unworthy men. God had spoken to Abraham so many years before back in Genesis 15:13-14  [God] said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.

God has a plan that He is working through the ages, to bring many sons into His kingdom, to give us a future and an eternal inheritance.  He brings us to glory through many sufferings and trials, but He has determined that we would be made into the sons and daughters of God by His grace and mercy and by His provision. We must simply trust God and submit to Him as Lord, and He will work everything together for good.

Turn in your Bibles please to Genesis chapter 39. Today we are resuming our study of Genesis, and in particular the story of Joseph. We saw last time in our study that Joseph was a type of Christ. But that does not mean that every thing that happens to Joseph is correlated in the life of Christ, but there are some significant things that are typical of the life of Christ. Primarily, Joseph was a type of Christ in that he was despised and rejected by his brothers, he became a slave, as Christ became a servant, he went through a time of testing as did the Lord Jesus, and he became the Deliver of his people.

Today, we will be looking at the temptation of Joseph, the gift of interpretation of dreams that Joseph is given, and the exaltation from prison to second in the kingdom of Egypt. And we will be reading from chapter’s 39-41. That’s a lot of reading, but I would prefer you to hear the word of God relate the story than to hear me summarize the story in my own words. Because I believe that the word of God is more powerful than simply a telling of a narrative.

So you will remember that when we left off last time Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers, who had originally planned to kill Joseph, but Judah had intervened with a plan to sell him to some passing traders. And so the Ishmaelites sold him as a slave to an Egyptian named Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s bodyguard.

39:1, 2 “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.”

The most important statement in that paragraph is “the Lord was with Joseph.” We are told that Abraham was justified by faith, and so we understand that Jospeh was a man of faith, and thus accepted by God. As a result, the Lord was with him. That’s what it means to be accepted by God, to be saved. The Lord is with you. The Spirit of the Lord was upon Joseph. That’s the blessing of salvation. We have the presence of the Lord in us and with us, forever. Even though Joseph had been severely mistreated and sold into slavery and taken to a foreign land away from his family, the Lord was with him.

So having the Lord with him did not mean that he would not suffer. It did not mean that he would not be hated. It did not mean he would not be tempted. It did not spare him from imprisonment. Sometimes people who become saved think that, or are told that, if you come to Christ all your problems and difficulties will disappear. But the truth of the matter is that often the difficulties and trials really start when you become saved. The advantage that you have though is that the Lord is with you in and through your trials. Jesus said “In this world you will have tribulation, but take courage for I have overcome the world.”

But even in the midst of this trial of slavery, it says that the Lord made him a successful man. Vs3 Now his master saw that the LORD was with him and [how] the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the LORD’S blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him [there] he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.”

I do not suggest that the Lord indicates here that this “success” Jospeh experiences is a universal promise for every Christian. But I do think it’s a universal principal that the Lord will bless His people. The promise given to Abraham concerning his children was that the Lord will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. And to a certain extent, that principle was being manifested in Joseph’s life. But not only because the Lord was with him, but because Joseph was with the Lord. Joseph lived his life in a way that was pleasing to the Lord. To walk with the Lord is a life of obedience to God’s word that results in God’s blessing upon your life. And we enjoy the blessing of Abraham as the children of faith.

Notice also that Joseph is handsome. Now most of us would consider that to be handsome or beautiful was a blessing. But sometimes it can be a curse, or if not a curse, then certainly a hindrance. Being good looking in the eyes of the world can attract the wrong kind of attention sometimes.

Vs 7 It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me [here,] my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”

The most important statement in this paragraph is “how then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” The culture of the Egyptians did not really have a problem with immorality, even in the case of marriage. The original word for Potiphar’s position indicated that he may have been a eunuch. Being a eunuch was a means by which pagan king’s kept people in trusted positions in their kingdom. Now of course, Potiphar was married, but he may have married for other reasons. Then again, we don’t know this for sure. But the word “officer” does mean in many cases “eunuch.” If that’s true, then there could have been some justification in the mind of his wife for wanting to take Joseph, and perhaps even a bit of justification in Joseph’s mind that he could do this thing.

But the important thing is that Joseph recognizes that it was a sin first and foremost to the Lord. It was a great evil. And it wasn’t mitigated by the culture, or that society, or by the fact that it could be justified on some sort of physical level, or that they were both consenting adults. It certainly wasn’t justified on the basis that love is love. Recognizing that it was a sin against God didn’t mean that Joseph hated Potiphar’s wife. It meant that he loved God more.
Folks, we are not going to have victory over sin in our life if we don’t call sin, sin. If we don’t love God more than we love the sin. Jesus said if you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Vs 10 “As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her [or] be with her. Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.”

2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee youthful lust.” That doesn’t mean that only young people can have lust. Old people can lust as well. And we can lust after a lot of things, not just sexual lusts. We can lust after power, after position, after popularity, after property. The ten commandments label lust as coveting. Coveting is wanting what is not yours.

Joseph though is about 20 years old. He’s at an age where sexual desire is at it’s peak. And the way he deals with it is to flee. Let me suggest that that is the best way to deal with lust. Flee from it. Don’t try to engage it, or wrestle with it. Don’t try to debate it. Flee from it. And let me say further, that sin starts in the mind. If you give in to it in the mind, then it’s going to be no battle at all in the flesh.

The other thing I will say about that is that when you put yourself in the wrong physical situation, then it becomes almost impossible to get out of it. Don’t put yourself in a place where you are alone with the opposite sex and there is no one around to see what you’re doing. And if you do find yourself in the wrong place, then just get out of there. Don’t try to wait it out. Don’t try to deal with temptation on your own. Run out of there. And that’s not only true in sexual temptations, but any environment in which evil is being done, or considered being done, just remove yourself physically right away. That may be an office environment, it may be a boardroom, it may be at a friend’s house, any place where you find that there is a temptation to do evil, leave that place immediately. It’s better to lose your job than to lose your soul. It’s better to lose friends than to go to a bar and hang out with them and drink with them, and find yourself succumbing to temptation.

Jesus said, in Matt. 18:9 “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.

Vs13 When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I screamed. “When he heard that I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.” So she left his garment beside her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with these words, “The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; and as I raised my voice and screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned. So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.”

There is a saying that is from a 17th century playwright which you may be familiar with. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Sounds like a verse in the Bible, but it’s not. The point being though that a woman’s love can turn to hate in a heartbeat if you should show contempt for her overtures. Joseph had not mistreated this woman other than to object to her advances, but when she finally saw that he would rather run than be with her, she gets angry and wants to see him punished. It’s very likely a charge of rape or attempted rape against a slave would mean his death. But the fact that he is not put to death, but put in prison may indicate that Potiphar had some reason to doubt his wife. But he was probably scared of her as well so he put Joseph is prison.

But the Lord was still with Joseph even in prison. Vs 21 But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible [for it.] The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph’s charge because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made to prosper.”

Col 3:22-24 says, “Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who [merely] please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

That verse is not condoning or advocating slavery but establishing a principle that is true whether you are a slave or a servant, or an employee or any position where you work for another. And even you independent contractors work for someone. The person that hired you is in effect your employer. Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men. Joseph employed that principal even in prison. And I can assure you that an Egyptian prison was not a country club environment. And yet Joseph was exemplary in his conduct even in prison. He didn’t employ the idea that “everyone is doing it.” That when in Rome, do as the Romans do. He did what was pleasing to the Lord even in prison.

In correlation of Joseph with the Lord Jesus, we know that He was called the Servant of the Lord, and that He was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin. And we know that He suffered unjustly at the hands of His accusers.

In chapter 40 we read that Joseph interprets the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s top servants, the baker and the cupbearer. I’m just going to read most of this without a lot of commentary. Ch. 40:1 “Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the [same] place where Joseph was imprisoned.” 

Notice that this captain of the bodyguard is the same position that Potiphar had. So it’s possible that Potiphar was over the prison that Joseph was in, and he has given Joseph the rule over all in the prison. If that is really the case, then it strengthens the idea that Potiphar imprisoned Joseph for political expediency to placate his wife, but continues to favor Joseph even in prison. But I can’t be dogmatic about that. But it does sort of correlate with Pilate who for political expediency ordered Jesus to be crucified to placate the Jewish leadership.

Vs 4 The captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he took care of them; and they were in confinement for some time. Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his [own] dream [and] each dream with its [own] interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected. He asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” Then they said to him, “We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell [it] to me, please.”

I find that interesting. A lot of people claim dreams and visions and seem to have no trouble finding an interpretation to that dream. But both Daniel and Joseph seem to have been given the interpretation of dreams as a gift of God, and yet on their own, they do not claim such a power. I would beware of people who claim to know the interpretation of their dreams. From my perspective, I put no emphasis on dreams whatsoever. I’ve had a lot of dreams and I don’t think any of them have ever come true, and for that I am thankful. I would discourage you from seeking revelation from God in dreams.

There is a reason that God spoke through dreams and visions in those days. And that is because there was no written scripture available. So God spoke occasionally through dreams, or visions. And in correlation with Jesus, in effect, He was the interpreter of the word of God. He was the Word made flesh. It is said of Christ in Luke 24:27 “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Vs 9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, [there was] a vine in front of me; and on the vine [were] three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, [and] its clusters produced ripe grapes. “Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer. “Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house. “For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.” When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, “I also [saw] in my dream, and behold, [there were] three baskets of white bread on my head; and in the top basket [there were] some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.” Thus it came about 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 cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand; but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

I want you to look at those dreams, and ask yourself how anyone could have come up with the interpretations that Joseph did. I don’t think so. The Lord had to have first of all given the dreams to the cupbearer and the baker, and secondly given the interpretation to Joseph of the dreams, because there is no logical way that you could arrive at that interpretation unless it was from the Lord.

But Joseph was hopeful that in the case of the cupbearer, he would remember Joseph and relate to Pharaoh what he had done, and that he was being imprisoned unjustly. But like so many who are saved from a crisis situation, when they are delivered from the crisis, they seem to forget it and those who helped them. My dad who was in the service in WW2 and Korea used to call that a foxhole conversion. When you’re in the foxhole, which was a pit dug in the ground, and the mortar fire was raining down all around you, you become a prayer warrior, promising God all kinds of things if He would just deliver you. But when the battle is over and you return to normal duty, all your promises to God are quickly forgotten.

Well, eventually, after two more long years for Joseph, the cupbearer will remember Joseph when Pharaoh has a dream he can’t interpret. Gen 41:1 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass. 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. The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, [it was] a dream. 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.”

So actually, Pharaoh has two dreams. And all that I can say about those dreams is that none of his wise mean could interpret those dreams, and I’m sure none here today could have interpreted those dreams. It would seem that in Egypt in those times they placed a great deal of importance on interpreting dreams. Maybe the same magical powers that people today ascribe to fortune tellers or palm readers, the ancient Egyptians attributed to wise men and magicians. But none of those wise men or magicians who were supposed to be able to interpret were able to do so. Because these were no ordinary dreams. These dreams were prophecies regarding the future, given by God, which Joseph would interpret by God’s divination.

Vs9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would make mention today of my [own] offenses. 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. We had a dream on the same night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his [own] dream. “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. 1And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my office, but he hanged him.” 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. 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.” Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”

I don’t think Joseph was trying to show his humility here. I think he genuinely does not have the ability within himself to understand the dreams. But he knows that God has given the dream, and that God knows the interpretation of the dream.

And so Pharaoh repeats the dream to Joseph about these seven fat cows grazing, and these seven lean cows coming up and eating up the fat ones. And then the other is there were these full ears of corn and these thin, withered ears of corn and the withered corn starts eating up the full ears of corn until there’s just nothing but the skinny, withered ones left.

Vs. 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. The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one [and the same.] 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. It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; 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. So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it [will be] very severe. 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.”

It is interesting that these dreams came in pairs. Joseph’s first dreams was in pairs. In his first dream, it was the sheaves that bowed down to his sheave and in the second dream the sun, moon and the stars bowing down to him. With the butler and the baker, there were two dreams. And now these dreams of the king are in pairs. Both of them having to do with sevens. Seven fat and seven lean. And the lean eating up the fat. And notice that Joseph says that the repeating of the dream twice means that the matter is determined by God and He will quickly bring it about.

It is also interesting that God, on certain occasions gave to pagan rulers insights into the future. God gave to Nebuchadnezzar a vision into the future which was interpreted by Daniel. I imagine it was because of their position in relation to the children of God. As they would have control over the people of God, God is showing them that He is actually the sovereign ruler who controls the events of mankind. God has given us prophecies in scripture, not so that we can know exactly all the details what’s going to happen and when, but so that we might know that He is sovereign over the affairs of men, and that His plans and purposes will be carried out.

But then Joseph adds something that is kind of interesting. I would suggest that he must have remembered his own dreams that he had when he was back in Canaan, and that the dream meant that his family would bow down to him one day. And perhaps that’s why Joseph decides to break protocol here with Pharaoh and give him some unsolicited advice. This would hardly be the kind of thing that a prisone – a slave – would have the nerve to say to Pharaoh, unless he recognized that this might be the way God had provided for him to be delivered from prison, and actually be placed in the exalted position that his dreams had indicated.

So he says in Vs 33 “Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 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. 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.] 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.” Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants. Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. 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.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 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. 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. 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.” 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. 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. During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth abundantly. 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. Thus Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring [it,] for it was beyond measure.”

As Joseph is cited often in his circumstances a type of Christ, so we see here a correlation of Christ humbled as a servant, as a man, but obedient unto death, and then exalted by God to the highest glory. Phl 2:5-11 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I trust that you will bow to the Lord Jesus as King, confessing Him as your Lord and Savior. It is He that can save you from the condemnation of death that awaits all men. It is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment. The only hope is that at the judgement you will be able to say, I belong to Christ by faith in Him. By His righteousness we are saved from the wrath to come. God has provided a Deliverer who has gone before us, paid our penalty, and provided for our eternity. Confess Him as Lord that you may be saved.

Last Friday I was driving by a Roman Catholic church and I saw that it was packed in the middle of the afternoon, presumably for their Good Friday service. Did you know that the Catholic teaching says that if you skip church on a holy day, and you don’t have some reason such as being disabled or something like that, then you are guilty of a mortal sin? That’s a sin unto damnation, as opposed to a venial sin, which isn’t so bad. The Catholic Church has established that the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is a holy week. And so they have mandatory church services that are on what they call Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and of course, Easter Sunday.

Of course, the New Testament church observed the Lord’s Day on Sunday, the first day of the week, in commemoration of the resurrection. So we celebrate the resurrection every Sunday. But there is some basis for the belief that the Emperor Constantine, when he designated Christianity as the state religion of the empire, established many so called holy days to replace existing pagan holidays by changing the deity celebrated, and simply calling it by a Christian name. Thus Easter replaced a pagan Spring deity celebration called “Eostre”, which celebrated a fertility goddess. Perhaps the correlation of Easter with eggs comes from that association, but another tradition claims it has to do with the prohibition of eating eggs during Lent. But of course, there is no mention of the word Easter in the Bible, nor any symbolism of an egg used in the Bible to illustrate the trinity or the resurrection, or anything at all about Lent for that matter. But unfortunately, the evangelical church in America has retained a lot of the holy days and ceremonial practices of the Catholic Church in their attempt to be considered orthodox or liturgical.

But as Paul said to the foolish Galatians who wanted to go back to certain ceremonial laws again, he said, Gal 4:9 “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”

The sad thing is though as I saw this great crowd of people arriving for the Catholic service I was struck by the fact that by and large, the vast majority of those attending those services were probably not saved. Now you might be horrified to hear me say that. And to tell you the truth, we all should be horrified to hear that. Some of you sitting here this morning were saved out of the Catholic Church, and I suppose you could add some credibility to that statement.

But how can I say that these sincere, God believing, religious people are not saved? The answer is because they are guilty of the same mistake that the Jews were guilty of. Paul says in Romans 9:30-32 “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at [that] law. Why? Because [they did] not [pursue it] by faith, but as though [it were] by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.”

The Catholic Church teaches that you are saved by works. The first work is baptism, which is usually done in infancy. They teach that baptism imparts a certain measure of righteousness to one’s account, and then subsequent practices or works that you do in life add or accrue righteousness to your account. At the age of 12 you have confirmation. Then you must attend mass regularly, in fact, on every holy day. You must go to catechism classes. You must take the eucharist often, since by that they teach that you ingest the righteousness of Jesus Christ. You must go to confession, say endlessly repetitive prayers to the virgin Mary who intercedes for you. But not one of these things alone do they say will save you. But they do believe that all of those things, if done religiously, will accrue righteousness to your account so that your righteousness outweighs your sinfulness, and thus you have a pretty good chance of entering into the kingdom of heaven. Or at least, get far enough along in Purgatory that you won’t have to spend too much time there.

So the point is that a person can know all the facts about the Passion of Christ, go through the stations of the cross, celebrate the resurrection, take communion every week, and yet still come short of salvation. You can observe various so called Christian rituals and ceremonies conjured up by the church, , go to mass on all the so called holy days, and still fall short of the kingdom of God. In fact, Isaiah 64:6 says all of our righteousness is as filthy rags before God. You can even know all the details about the life of Jesus Christ; that He is the Son of God, that He died on the cross and rose from the dead and still not be saved. So it is horrific that millions of people are sincerely attending church services today commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, hearing the story of the resurrection and yet they are not saved.

In fact, I am horrified by thoughts that keep me up at night, that there might be some of you sitting here today, who may be considered sincere, respectable God fearing Christians, yet you have not been saved. And that’s possible because many so called Christians have never realized that they are lost, that they are a sinner condemned to death. You cannot be saved until you first recognize that you are a sinner, lost and without hope.

What constitutes salvation then? What must we do to be saved? First, you must recognize that you are a sinner, and that you are hopelessly lost. That’s one of the dangers of being baptized as an infant. There is a degree to which many people think that they have become a Christian at birth by being baptized, even though they had no choice in the matter. That’s the danger of joining a church and giving intellectual assent to the teachings of the church and yet never being born again. So recognizing that you are a sinner and then repenting of your sin is fundamental. Then believing that by the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ He can forgive you for your sins, because He has paid the penalty for your sins by dying on the cross. And by trusting in Him as your Lord and Savior, God transfers your sin to Him, and HIs righteousness to you, so that you are considered righteous in the sight of God.[1Pe 2:24 says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” That’s what it means to be saved, to have new life in Christ. Dying to the sinful flesh, and living in the Spirit.

One of the best illustrations of salvation, being born again is found in the thief on the cross. He was being put to death for his sins. But he recognized that though he had done things deserving of death, Jesus had not. He recognized that Jesus was Messiah the Lord and that He would rise again from the dead. All of that theology was wrapped up in the simple statement he made to Christ, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus answered him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” This man died on the cross as a sinner, but He lived in the Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ.

So the point that I want to emphasize, is that salvation is “by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” Salvation is not accomplished by works, by attending religious ceremonies, by baptism, by catechism’s, by taking the eucharist, by knowing the facts about Jesus’ birth, or knowing about His death on the cross, or by rehearsing the details of His resurrection. Salvation is realizing that you are a sinner, hopelessly lost and condemned to eternal death, and that your only hope is through Jesus Christ, and trusting solely in Him and in HIs mercy to save you.

Now we are going to look at what I believe is the climax of the life of Jacob as an illustration of salvation by grace through faith. I’m skipping over a few chapters in the life of Jacob and we come to the point in chapter 32 where he has left Laban his father in law and taken his wives, children, and all his servants and his flocks and he is headed back to Canaan after a 20 year hiatus. This twenty years were marked by Jacob living according to the wisdom of the flesh, trying to out manipulate and out deceive his father, his twin brother, his father in law, and even God. But God has not been much on Jacob’s mind up to this point, until he starts to leave for Canaan.

However, God has never forgotten about Jacob. God has visited him on more than one occasion, and in fact, God had told him in chapter 31: 3 “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” So God has told Jacob to return, and He has promised to be with him. But we will see that does not allay Jacob’s fears. However, true to His word, even as Jacob travels, God gives evidence that He is with him. Chapter 32vs 1: “Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. Jacob said when he saw them, “This is God’s camp.” So he named that place Mahanaim. Which means two camps.

The Bible says that some have entertained angels unawares. I would suggest that happens sometimes even when we are unsaved. Heb 1:14 says, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” But in this case, Jacob recognizes that they are angels. But seeing angels doesn’t save Jacob, and their presence doesn’t assure him of God’s protection, and so he comes up with a plan to protect himself.

Vs 3 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He also commanded them saying, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, “I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now; I have oxen and donkeys [and] flocks and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.”‘” The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies; for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”

Jacob’s chicken’s were coming home to roost. Or as the Bible says, “surely your sins will find you out.” He’s convinced that Esau still hates him and is planning on killing him. After all, with less than 400 men, Abraham had slaughtered 5 kings. Esau is a mighty hunter, and so Jacob assumes that this is an army coming to meet him with the intent of doing him harm. He doesn’t trust God to protect him, even though he has angels encamping around him. So he reverts to his same old tricks in hopes of somehow placating Esau.

But now, when he is in fear for his life, he finally prays to God. If I remember correctly, this is the first time Jacob prays to God in 20 years. He did respond to God 20 yrs earlier when he had the vision of the ladder, and he gave God a promise that if God took care of him, then God would be his God. But that was not really prayer. But now as the consequences of his sin seem to be coming back to haunt him, he realizes the need to call upon the Lord.

So Jacob prays in vs 9 “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’ I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff [only] I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. “Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me [and] the mothers with the children. “For You said, ‘I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.'”

When God spoke to Jacob twenty years before in Bethel, in the vision of the ladder to heaven, I said concerning that vision that it was a visual and verbal presentation of the gospel. The gospel means good news, because it is the promises of God given to man. I also said that the word blessing is really a term that indicates salvation in it’s fullness. But at that time, Jacob did not reciprocate with faith in God and honor Him as his Lord. He gave a conditional promise back to God, that basically allowed him to continue to serve his own interests until such a time as when he felt that God had sufficiently proven Himself to him.

But now in this time of crisis, with impending death just right around the corner, Jacob calls on the LORD and reminds Him of HIs promises which He had made to him. He quotes God’s promises back to Him. Secondly, he humbles himself and you might even make the argument that he shows repentance to some degree. “I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant.” He also seems to indicate that rather than when he first had the vision he considered God to be something like a totem, or a genie or good luck charm on his life, now he gets his theology right. He says he is God’s servant. Not God is his servant. But he is God’s servant. That indicates that he recognizes that God is the Lord, and he is the servant of the Lord.

And thirdly, he says “I am unworthy…” The attitude of one who is depending on their works or their righteousness is that they are worthy. God owes them salvation because they have earned it. But the penitent says that they are unworthy. I’ve done nothing to deserve your mercy. I can do nothing to earn it. I can only humble myself and plead for mercy.

Fourthly, he says, “deliver me I pray.” That has been translated in some versions as “save me I pray.” Jacob believes the consequences of his sins have come to attack him. So he pleads with God to deliver him from the wrath of Esau which would result in his death. Rom 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

But though he calls upon the Lord to save him, yet he is not willing to wait for the Lord, or trust in the Lord to save him. So he makes one final effort to save himself. Vs 13 “So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau: two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. He delivered [them] into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on before me, and put a space between droves.” He commanded the one in front, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these [animals] in front of you belong?’ then you shall say, ‘[These] belong to your servant Jacob; it is a present sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.'” Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the droves, saying, “After this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.'” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” So the present passed on before him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.

So basically Jacob tries to bribe his brother not to cause him harm. This was not an uncommon of a practice in those days when a marauding king came to a vulnerable town, the king of town may send a present to the other king as an attempt to avoid bloodshed. Give him the loot he’s looking for and maybe your lives will be spared. Obviously, Jacob is attempting something similar. But rather than trust in God, he is trusting in his gifts to placate Esau. Jacob was willing to surrender his sheep and goats, but not willing to surrender to the Lord to take care of him. I wonder if we are guilty of trying to bribe God in order to get His blessing. What attempts do we make to give up something, hoping to placate God?

Well as God promised, He never forsakes Jacob. When nightfall comes, and Jacob is left alone, the Lord comes to Jacob. Vs 22 Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had. Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Jacob was left alone. Sometimes God has to get you alone, often in the dead of the night, in order to get your attention. The busyness of life often keeps us from facing our eternal destiny. But when we are alone, when it finally gets quiet, then the Lord is able to convict us of our need of salvation. I remember years ago being in California, and coming under the sense of despair, that I desperately needed to get right with God. I don’t know why but I walked a couple of miles to the beach and then walked the beach for hours struggling with my thoughts, and struggling with the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Finally, when it was dark, I went home and hid in my garage with the lights off, and there finally surrendered my life to the Lord.

God comes to Jacob in the dark, when he’s all alone. God comes in the form of a man, what we call a theophany. That man was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Jacob didn’t wrestle with the Man. Instead, the Man wrestled with him. God wanted to rid all of Jacob’s proud self-reliance and deceitful scheming, and He came to make Jacob surrender. (Johnny Cash, “when the man comes around.”)

You know, a man might rebel against God and seem to be able to hold his own – for a while. But at any time, God could break a man by just the touch of His finger. It’s the patience of God that waits, it’s the mercy of God that holds back His wrath while he lets man try to wiggle his way out of God’s grip.

I think that when it says, “And when He saw that He did not prevail against him…” I think that is God sees that Jacob is not giving up. He’s determined not to submit to the Lord. Perhaps at first, Jacob only sees a man coming at him in the dark. He doesn’t know it’s the Lord. But as the night wore on, and the struggle continues until the dawn starts to break, Jacob begins to understand that it must be the Lord he is fighting against. And yet, even as that reality sinks in, Jacob doesn’t give up. He is bound and determined to maintain his independence, even if he is found to be fighting against God Himself.

But the Lord merely touches the socket of his hip and Jacob’s hip is dislocated. God reveals that His strength is so much greater than man’s that all that is needed to subdue him is just a touch. Jacob is unable now to fight against the Lord – all he can do is hold onto the Lord. There is a major change in the dynamics of the wrestling match as the dawn starts to break.
At first, Jacob was wrestling trying to get the man to let him go or to get away from the Lord. But as the dawn nears he actually starts clinging to the man. Jacob won’t let Him go. The Lord said, ““Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” As I said, I think the word “bless” is actually a euphemism for salvation. Finally, rather than fight against God, Jacob clings to the Lord. And he desires salvation more than anything else.

Hosea 12:3 says that Jacob sought the blessing with tears. “In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought His favor.”

When my children were little, and I had to cross a busy street, I would tell them to hold my hand. Of course, they wouldn’t want to and would often try to wiggle free. But I would hold tightly their hand. However, what I wanted to teach them was to hold tight to my hand. And sometimes, when they were scared, they would hold on tightly. God wants Jacob to hold on tightly to His hand. And after a long night of fighting against God,God wounds him and he finally does hold onto Him and won’t let Him go until he knows that God has saved him. What a perfect illustration of salvation. Not on our merits, but on the merits of Him we are saved. And faith is clinging to Jesus who is strong enough, and powerful enough to save us.

Vs 27, The Lord said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there.

Of course God knew his name was Jacob. He wanted Jacob to confess what he was, a supplanter, a deceiver, a manipulator. But the Lord changed his name. Revelation 2:17 says that to those who overcome, God will give them a new name. A new name is part of the blessing of salvation. Israel means “God rules.” Jacob had tried to rule over his own life, but now he recognizes the Lord must rule over him, if he is to have life.

Jacob prevailed by surrendering. And in surrendering God did bless him. God gave him a new name, a new inheritance, a new life, a new nature. No longer is he the supplanter, trying to overthrow God and man, but he is now dependent upon his God.

Vs 30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, {which means the face of God} for [he said,] “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.

Jacob would walk from this day on leaning on his staff because of this dislocated hip that God had touched. Jacob needed a constant reminder that he was totally dependent upon the Lord and not upon his own merits, or wit, or works. And from this day on, when Jacob called on the Lord or talked about the Lord, he no longer referenced Him as the God of Abraham and Isaac, but he called him my God, the God of Israel.