Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20000416.htm

GENESIS: THE SOURCES OF GOOD AND CALAMITY IN OUR ORIGINS
Part III - God's Ongoing Program Of Countering Man's Apostasy At Babel
DD. Round Twenty-Nine - DEALING With Temporal Setbacks To The Fulfillment Of God's Promises
(Genesis 39:1-40:23)
  1. Introduction
    1. We believers can start off believing God's Word is true, that He will fulfill His promises to us.
    2. However, when we start out trusting the Lord's promises to counter negative circumstances only later to see events turn temporarily worse than when we initially believed in God, we can be tempted to abandon faith in God or in His Word or in our even interpreting correctly His promises so as to understand them!
    3. Joseph faced such temptations, and how he overcame in them with God's interaction is instructive for us:
  2. DEALING With Temporal Setbacks To The Fulfillment Of God's Promises, Genesis 39:1-40:23.
    1. God's two dreams to Joseph in Genesis 37:6-8, 9 foretold his ruling over his family and the nations.
      1. His first dream of eleven sheaves bowing down to him predicted Joseph's rule over his brothers, 37:6-8
      2. Joseph's second dream of the sun, moon and eleven stars bowing down to him predicted he would have an international reign, for such astronomy symbols pictured rulers to the people of the Ancient Near East, cf. 37:9, 10-11; Rev. 12:1; Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 86.
      3. The fact that Joseph's dream is repeated in form in Revelation 12:1 shows us the dream was from God!
    2. Joseph's hope in God's fulfillment of these dreams equipped him to find hope in the truth of God's promise of elevation so he could withstand the temptation of Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39:1-9.
      1. After going into Egypt, Joseph was sold as a slave to Potiphar, a captain in Pharaoh's guard, 39:1.
      2. In this role, God blessed Joseph so that he was elevated as steward over all of Potiphar's estate, 39:2-6.
      3. When Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph, he used his elevation blessings over Potiphar's estate as evidence that God's past dream promises about his rise in power would come true: thus, he refused to commit adultery with Potiphar's wife ultimately out of respect for God, Gen. 39:7-9.
    3. However, though resisting her advances, Joseph was slandered and imprisoned in spite of his faith, an apparent temporal setback to the fulfillment of God's elevation promises to him, Genesis 39:10-20.
    4. Though experiencing such setbacks, Joseph saw God's hand at work which led him to keep trusting God, God's promises and the accuracy in his even accurately understanding God's promises,Gen. 39:21-40:23:
      1. In prison, Joseph was given favor with his overseer so he again was elevated, Gen. 39:21-23. This fact would have encouraged Joseph that God's promises, though confusing, were still true.
      2. In this role, Joseph saw an apparent opportunity to free himself by interpreting dreams, Gen. 40:1-22:
        1. Pharaoh became unhappy with both his butler and baker, demoting them to prison, Gen. 40:1-3.
        2. Both men dreamed, and Joseph interpreted both men's dreams to reveal that in three days the butler would be restored to his position, but the chief baker would be hanged, Genesis 40:4-19.
        3. Joseph put a word in with the butler to remember him before Pharaoh upon his release so Joseph could be elevated out of prison to where he thought God wanted him to be, Genesis 40:14-15.
      3. Yet, the restored butler forgot about Joseph, another postponed fulfillment to God's promise, 40:23.
      4. However discouraging being forgotten by the butler might have seemed on the surface, Joseph had enough information supplied in the event to keep trusting in what he knew of God's promises:
        1. Joseph learned from interpreting the baker's and butler's respective dreams that his understandings of God's initial elevation promises in his original dreams were yet ACCURATE! (Ibid., p. 91)
        2. Also, though going from one tragic situation to another, whether it was being sold into slavery, being slandered by Potiphar's wife or being forgotten in prison, Joseph was progressively moving closer to Pharaoh's court! Thus, Joseph could discern he was being set up by God to RISE!
        3. Also, in each situation he was given oversight, another evidence God would keep His promise!
Lesson: APPARENT TEMPORARY setbacks to God's fulfilling His promises to the believer are handled by his looking to see GOD'S signals IN these apparent "setbacks" as hints that His promises are true, that God is still faithful and that we CORRECTLY understand His promises to us so as to know WHAT to believe! Thus, like Joseph, we are equipped to keep trusting in God's promises for us.

Application: We need to view temporal "setbacks" with the eye of faith, not with a merely human eye!