DISAPPOINTMENT

Genesis 40:20-41:57
Bob Bonner
September 16, 2007

How often do you have to change your plans? How many times have your expectations, your dreams, seen a radical change due to circumstances beyond your control? How many times have you counted on something that seemed so sure to happen, but then didn’t?

How about those situations when you prayed, waited on God, and maybe, like Gideon in the Old Testament, you laid out a fleece so as to get a sign from God to move ahead, and when you did and felt like you had God’s green light, and you had a real peace about the situation because you knew that God would be working to bring everything about, and then everything got switched?!

Those times are really hard to understand and hard to take. Disappointment clutches your emotions and can, if not dealt with properly, emotionally cripple you. So, what are you to do when a major disappointment rocks your world? That’s one of many things we want to see in our study of God’s Word, Genesis 41.

In our study of Genesis, we have been looking most recently at Joseph and his troubles. At age 17, Joseph had a dream from God that basically said that one day in the future, he would rule over his older brothers and father.  He then shared this dream with them and they didn’t take to it kindly. As a supreme act of rejection, his brothers kidnapped Joseph and sold him into slavery in Egypt where he was bought by Potiphar, a wealthy high-ranking official in Pharaoh’s government. Potiphar was the “captain of the body guard,” which made him a very powerful man. He was the chief executioner who determined whether or not individuals were to live or die. While under Potiphar’s employ, Joseph rose up through the ranks and proved himself to be a valuable administrator over Potiphar’s estate, so much so that there was not one thing that Potiphar didn’t trust him with. Then, Potiphar’s wife attempted and failed to seduce Joseph, but accused him of having tried to seduce her, and Potiphar ended up throwing innocent Joseph into jail. The fact that Potiphar did not execute Joseph leads us to conclude that Potiphar probably didn’t believe his wife was telling the truth and that Potiphar had hopes of somehow getting Joseph back out of jail. While in jail, Joseph won the favor of the prison warden, who entrusted to him the oversight of the other prisoners. And then, two special VIP prisoners, the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker were thrown into jail, and placed under Joseph’s care. While in prison one night, both of these VIP’s had their own individual dreams that they could not interpret. Joseph, by the power of God, was able to interpret their dreams. The bottom line of their dreams was that the cupbearer would be returned to his position in Pharaoh’s court and the baker would be executed. Before leaving, Joseph made the cupbearer promise that he would tell Pharaoh all about the injustice he was suffering, and that he deserved to be freed. Indeed, the cupbearer is freed and the baker is executed, and this is where we will pick up our story this morning.

But before we begin reading, allow me to help you understand the timing of all of this. According to the chapter we are about to study, Genesis 41, we know that when Joseph is let out of prison, he is 30 years of age. That means that 13 years have passed from the time that he was sold into slavery at the age of 17 and when he became the V.P. of Egypt. What we really don’t know is for how long he was in prison during those 13 years and how many years he spent serving as Potiphar’s chief administrator. However, I believe that J. Vernon McGee has about as good a guess as anyone. Without going into his detailed reasoning, McGee suggests that in the 13 years between Joseph’s arrival in Egypt and his release from prison, that Joseph only spent 3 years in prison, and 10 years as Potiphar’s personal administrative supervisor. And after 10 years of loyal service, he was thrown into jail. 

Let’s start our reading in Genesis 40:20, to get the emotional backdrop which is so important to fully understanding Genesis 41. At this point Joseph is still in jail and the cupbearer and baker are about to be sent back to Pharaoh as guests of his birthday party. So, 40:20-23 reads, “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. Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream,...”

As we look at verse 1, I would suggest that sometimes it is really good to consider what the Scripture says or includes as compared to what it could have left out. Such is the case with this verse. Moses just as easily could have recorded “Now it happened at the end of two years, that Pharaoh had a dream...” But Moses didn’t write that. Instead, he deliberately added the word “full” to the “two years,” something he did to stress that this period of time was not just two years, but two very long, monotonous, unspectacular, slow moving grind...of wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! two years. Those were miserable years for a man who had been extremely busy for the previous 10 years administrating a huge estate! It provided a long time to think about the mistreatment that comes as a result of the undeserved rejection of family, untrue accusations by Potiphar’s wife; the unfair abandonment of the cupbearer, and the unexpected restriction of not being able to do his job, which he had done so well for maybe the past 10 years.

But note this tragic fact: the chief cupbearer forgot about Joseph, he did not follow through with his promise. Why? We really don’t know and it doesn’t matter. What we do know is that those were difficult years. Just picture the wide range of emotions Joseph experienced languishing there in prison, waiting to hear from the cupbearer. The hope and expectation rose excitedly during the first few weeks after the cupbearer’s release. Every time Joseph heard the prison doors open, he would walk over to see who it was, for he just knew he was about to be released. But week after week passed until he no longer walked over to the prison door. He would look up, but his hope had been disappointed so often, there was just little need to bother walking over any more. Then eventually, some months later, his hope that the cupbearer would remember him had vanished altogether. He knew that the cupbearer was not going to help him; he was not appealing Joseph’s case before Pharaoh.

No doubt, sudden bursts of awful disappointment occasionally surged through Joseph during these months. For here was a man—a friend—in high places who had the power to help him, but he had forgotten Joseph. Joseph could easily have lost all hope and become desperately depressed, wondering if there was any need to go on. He could have become angry with the world and everyone in it. For after all, the very people who had been the closest to him had been the very ones who had failed him so miserably: his brothers, his master, Potiphar, for whom he had worked so hard; and now the cupbearer, whom he had served so well and encouraged so much. They had all failed and disappointed him, and Joseph had every right to be disappointed in them. 

Then, in God’s perfect time, Pharaoh has this dream, really two dreams rolled into one, which will eventually lead to Joseph’s release. We pick up the story in the middle of verse 1: “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. 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. And 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.’ So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph,...” And in the next few verses he repeats the dream to Joseph. In verse 25-36, Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream. “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. 

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.’”

Joseph rightly explains to Pharaoh that the key to the success of making food available to the masses amidst a famine required the right man. If you got a man who lacked integrity or didn’t care about the people, that man could become a tyrant and dictator, using food as his leverage to enslave them. Hence, Joe’s first recommendation was for the Pharaoh to find the right man of character, intellect, administrative ability and wisdom. It had to be a man the people would trust, a non-self-seeking man because, it would be necessary for him to levy a “double tithe” or a 20% tax on the produce of Egypt during the years of plenty. 

All of this made sense to Pharaoh, so he turns to his servants in verse 38-45 and asks, “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.

Joseph had been given geographical control over all of the land of Egypt. With the Pharaoh’s signet ring, he could “sign” any financial document, giving him total financial authority. Having been given the royal robe, he immediately has been given social prestige that included royal privileges such as his own private chariot with a personalized license plate that read “2” or “second-in-command.” Having the Pharaoh’s necklace placed around his neck declared that he had political power equal to the Pharaoh --what he said was law. Finally, in the religious arena, by giving Joseph the daughter of the priest of On, Joseph had the same religious stature of deity as did the Pharaoh. Basically, Pharaoh wanted others to realize that Joseph was no ordinary man. When people saw him, they were to treat him as though he was Pharaoh himself.

One might wonder how it is that these Egyptians would have so easily accepted a Hebrew as a ruler. Well, at this particular time in history, the Hyksos kings were on the throne of Egypt. They were not native Egyptians, but were Bedouins from the Arabian Desert. They were a nomadic group and for a period of time they came in and took over the throne of Egypt. Pharaoh was actually closer in nationality to Joseph than to the Egyptians and this gave him confidence in Joseph. Actually, these Hyksos kings found it a little difficult to find someone in Egypt who would be loyal and faithful to them. Faithfulness was certainly a characteristic of Joseph. God had moved in his life and had produced in him a faithfulness to the task and to the people he served. I believe this explains why Joseph found such a ready reception from Pharaoh at this time.

 In verse 45 we read about Joseph’s preparation for the coming famine by administrating his plan to store and preserve grain. “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.”

After his initial survey of the land, the text mentions that Joseph went throughout all the land of Egypt a second time to gather a more detailed unit-by-unit survey of the agriculture and other productive occupations of the Egyptians. He was then able to organize with his assistants, a comprehensive program of conservation during the good years ahead.

Then, after he began collecting grain, he assured the people that the food he was collecting was really for their own future use, by storing it around each city. In so doing, he proved that the 20% taxation of grain was exacted fairly and stored equally everywhere, so that no one could complain of discrimination or profiteering.

Even though Joseph found quick acceptance and success during his first few years of service to the Pharaoh, he still struggled during those years with the deep hurt of rejection and injustice done him by his brothers. He probably struggled for years with homesickness and wondered what had ever happened to his father. The reality of this struggle is revealed in his naming of his two sons born during this seven years of plenty. “Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, ‘For,’ he said, ‘God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.’ He named the second Ephraim, ‘For,’ he said, ‘God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.’

The names of those two sons, born years apart tell us a great deal about the difficult process of Joseph’s struggle with his memories of his recent past. You see, in those days, people often gave names to their children that reflected some major event of the time, or emotional state of the parent. In this case, these names of his children reflect Joseph’s memories of his “troubles,” his homesickness for his “father’s household” and his “affliction.” And they certainly reveal his feelings toward those who had been the cause of it all.

For instance: The name of his first son was “Manasseh” which literally means “one who causes to forget.” The idea here is that by the time this first child was born, God had caused the removal of the sting of a bad memory; or God had freed Joseph from the controlling emotions of past hurts. 

Think about all the things that Joseph would liked to have forgotten: rejection by his brothers, the humiliation of being stripped of his robe and thrown in a pit, over hearing the argument among his brothers as to whether to kill him or not, the bartering with the slave traders for him, the leaving of his family behind, the slave block of Egypt, being exposed daily to sexual temptation, falsely accused, years in prison, the cupbearer’s forgetting to remember him to Pharaoh, lonely hours dreaming and thinking about Dad and home. He never forgot those things and they stung every time he remembered them. 

What God did for Joseph before the years his first son was born was to enable him to forget the emotional pain that was associated with injustices he had suffered in the past. No longer was Joseph in bondage to his past experiences, plagued by obsessive thoughts of revenge. God had healed him from the sting of memories.

But by the time his second son was born, things had really changed inside of Joseph. Hence, he called his second son, “Ephraim” which means “to be fruitful.”  By the time the second son was born, God had caused Joseph’s life to be a success. He had moved on from past hurts and had been used by God to serve well God’s purposes and those around him. He was a new man.

But now, with verse 53, we enter into the tough season of Joseph’s administration. The seven years of famine begin. “When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.’ 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.”

Just to keep the chronology right, Joseph is 37 at this time. It has been 20 years since he saw his family. At this point, the almost 22 years of Judah’s life as recorded in chapter 38 have taken place. Hence, it is probably about 2+ years of famine before Jacob sends his sons south to Egypt for food. By then Joseph will be 39 when he first see his brothers after 22 years.

We can learn many lessons from Joseph’s experience of facing major disappointment bordering on disillusionment. If we follow his example in the midst of facing disappointment, life can still be lived to the fullest today.

Here’s one lesson we can take away from Joseph’s experience: Although people will disappoint you, God never will. When disappointments hammered Joseph’s life, he deliberately chose to trust God.  When all others would have tried to persuade him otherwise, Joseph knew God and therefore trusted in God’s character, His purposes and promises. 

And that points to another lesson: Trusting in God’s character, purposes and promises enables one to endure anything, rather to just end or to give up. Joseph never gave up.

I think of another Old Testament saint’s life that proved this to be true. Many scholars believe that Job lived around the time of Abraham. Job was certainly one who faced a lot of distress, disappointment and tragedy in life. He lost his children, his business and his wife turned into a shrew. On top of that, his “friends” turned on him in his time of need. Rather than comfort him they condemned him. Yet, Job continued to trust, seek and worship God. Like any of us, he had questions he wanted answered. He was confused as to why all this was happening to him and why God would allow it. When he initially cried out to God for understanding, he couldn’t understand why God felt so distant or aloof. Yet, with all of that, Job never really lost his confidence in the Lord. One day, in the midst of his ordeal, Job declared of God, “But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:10-12. 

In those words, I shall come forth as gold, Job is not saying, “When God has tried me, I will make a million!” Or, “When God has tried me, I’ll get everything back that I lost.” Or, “When He has tried me, my wife will say she’s sorry and will make things right.” What Job is declaring here is that when God has tried him, he personally, internally, will become like refined gold, precious and of precious use to the Master. Job knew that somehow God was at work behind the scenes to produce something good in Job’s life, and Job was willing to surrender to God’s workings in his life.

Likewise, Joseph knew something of God’s goodness and character. Joseph also knew that through his dreams, God had promised him that one day Joseph would rule over his family. That hadn’t happened yet, and although he was in jail at the time, he knew that somehow this would one day be true.

In the meantime, Joseph had to surrender to God’s working in his life, no matter how strange and confusing it may have been. Yes, his disappointment at the events that had surrounded his imprisonment was huge. But disappointment for Joseph did not rule his heart and lead him into bitterness and revenge because he surrendered to God’s promised perfect will. If he knew English, Joseph’s attitude of surrender would have come from changing one letter in the word “disappointment.” He would have changed the letter “d” to “h,” changing it to “His appointment.” Trusting in God’s promises changes “disappointment” into “His appointment.”

One final lesson: Think how often those closest to us hurt and cause us pain. How often they fail us! How often they mistreat us and bring suffering into our lives! How often they make a commitment to us, and either simply forget their promise or change their minds somewhere in midstream. For two full years, Joseph sat in prison to rehearse the disappointments of his 28 years of life, feeling forgotten. Yet Joseph never uttered a complaint or revealed any bitterness toward anyone. Furthermore, when he was eventually freed and placed in a very powerful position, there was no expression of revenge or paybacks.

Throughout the rest of his 70 years as the VP of Egypt, we have no record of one word of resentment coming from Joseph’s heart or from his lips. Not a word of blame against the brothers; not a word of bitterness against Potiphar’s wife, not a word of rebuke to Potiphar or the cupbearer. 

How would you have felt if you were Potiphar’s wife, knowing you had falsely accused the now second-most powerful man in all of Egypt--Joseph? How would you have felt if you were Potiphar and you knew that you had thrown an innocent man into prison, one who had served you faithfully? How would you feel if you were the cupbearer and you realized that you had broken your promise to Joseph while in prison?  I bet you would have been looking for a place to hide. Yet Joseph did not seek revenge against any of them. As he would later say of his brothers, “They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” Joseph’s lack of a vengeful spirit, his forgiveness of all is not only a mark of his integrity, but his salvation.

Joseph was in a position to get even with them all, but he chose not to.  Why? Chuck Swindoll said it best when he stated, “I have never met a person who truly understood and embraced grace who also continued to hold a grudge. That “aggressive forgiveness” removes the stings and replaces them with waves upon waves of gratitude to God.”

He is so right on! The lesson: People will always disappoint you, therefore you must be ready and willing to forgive.  If physical abuse is involved, we should get out of the situation if at all possible. We are not to indulge nor give license to evil and suffer abuse when we can prevent it. We should flee from being harmed if we can. But we must also be forgiving. God wants us to take our mistreatment and learn to forgive through it. He has forgiven us for the greatest of wrongs, that of rebellion, of standing as an enemy against Him. He forgave us even before we knew we needed forgiveness or even asked for it! But when we do ask, He faithfully forgives. And you know what? We are told in Ephesians 4:32, that He expects us to forgive others in exactly the same way.

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