BSF Genesis: Week 28: Day 2

Today’s Scriptures

Questions:

3.
Nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit                        Served others, declined Potiphars wife, accepted prison

in humility value others above self                                            Placed loyalty to master and warden over own self interest

taking the nature of a servant                                                    Served Potiphar, served household, served prisoners

obedient                                                                                        All glory to God, obedient to God and men

4.
He, through God, interpreted the dream of the cupbearer and asked him to remember him before Pharoah.  2 years later, he did.

5.
Number 7.  Cows out of a river, skinny cows eating fat cows, 2nd dream, 7 , grain swallowed up other grain

6.
16.I cannot do it but God can, 25.God has revealed 28.God has shown what He is about to do 32.firmly decided by God and God will do it soon

My Daily Journal:

I love the way that God reached out and grabbed Pharaoh’s heart.  We tend to focus so much on Joseph and his brothers in this story that we can miss Pharaoh.

As the leader of what was probably the most significant nation on the face of the earth Pharaoh would have been a very wise and powerful leader.  As a leader, however, he recognized several key limitations.  One was information.  He could only make decisions based on the information he had available.  The second was weather and it’s impact on food supplies.  No amount of sorcery or magicians could accurately predict the weather and it’s affects on harvests.  As today’s politicians know “it’s the economy”, leaders of that day would have known, “it’s the food.”

So this is exactly how God got Pharaoh’s attention.  He gave 2 dreams to pharaoh.  He could have given the dreams to anyone to communicate to Pharaoh, but he made them personal to him.  But, while He gave Pharaoh the dreams, he did not provide him with the ability to understand their meaning.  Without that, they were simply troubling dreams.

God withheld the ability to interpret the dreams from anyone who would not testify to the fact that the interpretation came from God.  Enter Joseph.

And the result?  Gen 41:38-39, Pharaoh recognizes the God of Israel.  He seeks to put someone with the spirit of God in charge and turns everything over to God through the stewardship of such a man.

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One thought on “BSF Genesis: Week 28: Day 2”

  1. If one compares Joseph with Jesus, contrast the heart of Pharaoh with the heart of Pilate…..both were pagans, in positions of absolute authority, and had to judge the integrity of humble, God-honoring servants summoned before them. Both Pharaoh and Pilate were made aware of disturbing dreams (Pilate’s wife) and took very different approaches to interpretation of their meaning. One submitted to the providential leading from the God of Israel. The other did not. The rest is history. In the end, God is in absolute control. Throughout human history, those in positions of high authority are mere pawns profoundly influenced by the sovereign power of the Ancient of Days….then and now.

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