Genesis 41

It's chapter 41, and Donald will come and read for us.

Genesis 41. Let's hear the Word of God.

When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream.

He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat,

and they grazed among the reeds. And after them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile

and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows.

Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had a second dream.

Seven ears of corn, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk.

After them, seven other ears of corn sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind.

The thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven healthy, full ears.

Then Pharaoh woke up. It had been a dream.

In the morning, his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt.

Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.

Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard.

Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.

The young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard.

We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.

And these things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us.

I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.

So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.

When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, I had a dream, and no one can interpret it.

But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.

I cannot do it, Joseph replied to Pharaoh.

But God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile.

When out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.

After them seven other cows came up scrawny and very ugly and lean.

I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt.

The lean ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first.

Even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so.

They looked just as ugly as before.

Then I woke up.

In my dreams I also saw seven ears of corn, full and good, growing on a single stalk.

After them seven other ears sprouted, withered and thin and scorched by the east wind.

The thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven good ears.

I told this to magicians, but none could explain it to me.

Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same.

God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

The seven good cows are seven ears, and the seven good ears of corn are seven ears.

It is one and the same dream.

The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterwards are seven ears,

and so are the seven worthless ears of corn scorched by the east wind.

They are seven years of famine.

It is just as I said to Pharaoh, God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.

Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,

but seven years of famine will follow them.

Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.

The abundance in the land will not be remembered,

because the famine that follows it will be so severe.

The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms

is that the matter has been firmly decided by God,

and God will do it soon.

And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man,

and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.

Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land

to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.

They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming,

and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh

to be kept in the cities for food.

This food should be held in reserve for the country,

to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt,

so the country may not be ruined by the famine.

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials,

so Pharaoh asked him,

Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,

Since God has made all this known to you,

there is no one so discerning and wise as you.

You shall be in charge of my palace,

and all my people are to submit to your orders.

Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.

So Pharaoh said to Joseph,

I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh took a signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger.

He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.

He had him ride in a chariot as his second in command,

and men shouted before him,

Make way!

Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,

I am Pharaoh,

but without your word,

no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.

Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphonath,

and gave him Asenath,

daughter of Potipharah,

priest of Onn,

to be his wife.

And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

Joseph was 30 years old

when he entered the service of Pharaoh,

king of Egypt.

Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence

and traveled throughout Egypt.

During the seven years of abundance,

the land produced plentifully.

Joseph collected all the food produced

in these seven years of abundance in Egypt

and stored it in the cities.

In each city,

he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.

Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain,

like the sand of the sea.

It was so much that he stopped keeping records

because it was beyond measure.

Before the years of famine came,

two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath,

daughter of Potipharah,

priest of Onn.

And Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh

and said,

it is because God has made me forget

all my trouble and all my father's household.

The second son,

he named Ephraim and said,

it is because God has made me fruitful

in the land of my suffering.

The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end

and the seven years of famine began,

just as Joseph had said,

there was famine in all the other lands,

but in the whole land of Egypt,

there was food.

When all Egypt began to feel the famine,

the people cried to Pharaoh for food.

Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians,

go to Joseph and do what he tells you.

When the famine had spread over the whole country,

Joseph opened the storehouses

and sold grain to the Egyptians.

The famine was severe throughout Egypt

and all the countries came to Egypt

to buy grain from Joseph

because the famine was severe in all the world.

To Genesis chapter 41,

Genesis 41 · chapter mention

to notice in particular,

in this great chapter,

God's timing and God's deliverer.

The Joseph story is epic in its scale, isn't it?

It takes a long time even to read it.

And here we're reminded of this movement

in the story of Joseph.

We began with him,

sort of riches,

glory in his father's house.

Then we see him in rags.

Now we see him in riches again

in Pharaoh's palace.

There's a great drama,

a great sweep of drama taking place in his story.

But also the Joseph story is a great illustration for us

of the Bible's big story.

You know, what's the Bible all about?

As you look across 66 books that are contained,

and it's really telling one great story.

Who is God?

And how can I know this God?

What's wrong with the world?

And how can I be saved

so that I might know and enjoy God?

And so you read the Old Testament

before Jesus comes,

and you see that it's all pointing forward

towards Jesus.

It's like the shadows before the substance comes.

You read the New Testament,

and you see that it's reflecting back

on the life of Jesus,

the death and the resurrection of Jesus,

and its significance for the church,

and indeed for the world.

So there's one big story,

and this big chapter, I think,

can help us to see so much of the good news

at the heart of the Christian faith.

And to summarize these 57 verses,

what we see here is the all-powerful God

who is working to his perfect timetable

to raise up a savior

who is the answer to human distress

so as to bring blessing to the world.

That's the gospel,

as we'll see as we get into this story.

First thing to look at,

God's timing and God's control.

So here is Moses,

and he's writing the story of Joseph,

and he wants us to see very clearly

God is in control,

and his timing is perfect.

Now, how does he do that?

Well, we see it throughout our text.

So verse 16,

we discover God is the God

who gives answer to dreams.

In verse 28,

we discover God is the God

who will bring these seven good years

and seven years of famine.

We see in verses 51 and 52

as Joseph names his sons

an awareness of God's providence and control.

God has made me.

God has made me.

So it's there in the flow of the text,

but it's also in the theme of the dreams

that we get through the story of Joseph.

So very quickly,

some of us haven't been here

since we began our Joseph story.

Joseph at the age of 17

has a couple of dreams sent by God

announcing to Joseph

that he will be raised up

to a position of prominence

so that his family will bow down to him.

Now his brothers,

they don't like this message to say the least.

They hate Joseph anyway

because he's the father's favorite.

They hate him all the more

because of these dreams

and so they sell him into slavery in Egypt.

And while in Egypt,

he'll go from being a slave to being a prisoner,

but while he's in prison,

so somewhere between the ages of 17 and 30,

we find Joseph both a slave

and a servant and a prisoner.

Somewhere during that time,

around the age of 28,

another prisoner comes,

the cupbearer of Pharaoh,

and he too has a dream

and Joseph interprets that dream

and it's a favorable interpretation

because he has returned

to the place of honor with the Pharaoh.

God gave him the interpretation.

God was announcing

that the cupbearer would be back

beside Pharaoh

so that,

chapter 41,

verse 1,

when two few years had passed,

Pharaoh would now also have a dream.

So here's our third dream

and what happens?

The cupbearer,

verse 9 to 13,

he remembers.

Joseph.

He remembers.

There's someone in prison

who's able to interpret the dream for you,

Pharaoh,

and because of that sequence,

Joseph finds himself

in the palace of Pharaoh.

Joseph finds himself

in the position

where he can be,

effectively,

the savior for the world

because this famine hits hard.

And so what we see

by the end of the chapter,

we've got Joseph

somewhere around the age of 37,

so about nine years pass

in the course of chapter 41,

and we can see that his dream

from 20 years earlier

is beginning to come to pass,

but it's not fully realized yet.

God is in control

in this long drama

of Joseph's life.

At any point in the story,

someone might have asked,

has God lost control?

There was this dream

about Joseph

and glory and honor,

but look at him.

He's a slave.

Look at him.

He's a prisoner.

Look at him.

He's been forgotten

by the cupbearer.

But as Moses invites us

to take this wide-angled view,

we recognize

God has not lost control

because God never loses control.

That's one of the central teachings

of the Bible about God.

He is our creator.

He is the one who sustains our life.

He is the one who plans all things

according to his will,

his way, and his timetable.

He is the sovereign king.

For Moses' first readers,

for the newly established people of Israel,

as they're wandering in the wilderness,

as they haven't reached

their final destination,

this is good news.

It's good news for them to hear

that God who rescued you,

just as he promised from Egypt,

you can trust him.

The promised land will come.

come,

have faith in God's perfect timing.

And you know,

those truths about God never change.

We need those truths too.

We need that encouragement

that we have a God

who we can trust.

We have a God

whose word

and whose promise

never fails

for his people,

for his plans.

And in particular,

not only do we see

God is directing things,

we see God is directing things

for a particular purpose.

God is directing

history here

so that he might

keep his promise

to bless

and to save

through the family of Abraham.

Genesis chapter 12.

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

From your family,

Abraham,

will come blessing

to the nations,

will come blessing

to the world.

Joseph is a small part

of how that is going

to work out

as he is sent

to be the people's savior

from this famine.

And that climaxes,

that blessing

to the nations

from the family of Abraham,

that climaxes

when God sends

his own son,

Jesus,

to be born of a woman,

to be born

in the family line

of Abraham

to bring ultimate blessing

and salvation

to all those

who will trust in him.

So we see very clearly

God's timing

and God's control.

What we also see

very clearly

in our story here

is human trouble

and distress.

And it begins

with Pharaoh's

troubled sleep.

I wonder

if you've known

that experience

of having

a disturbing dream

and you wake up

with a start

and your heart

is racing

and you can feel

the sweat

on your face

and you're distressed,

agitated,

confused.

And sometimes

it can take a while

to realize

it was just a dream.

But you know,

for Pharaoh,

he doesn't have

that resolution

to the tension

and the agitation.

because in the Pharaoh's

story,

because it's part

of the Joseph story,

we know

that this dream

is sent by God

to reveal

future reality.

And that future reality

contains within it

the distressing

and disturbing news

of famine for Egypt

and indeed

for the world.

That's what's

in those dreams

in verses 2 to 7.

You've got the fat cows

and then the skinny cows

and the skinny cows

eat up the fat cows

but they're still

as skinny as they were.

And you've got

the really good grain

and the bad scorched grain

and it swallows it up

but it's still

the same.

Verse 8,

we're told

Pharaoh's mind

was troubled.

So he sent

for all the magicians

and wise men

of Egypt.

Pharaoh told them

his dreams

but no one

could interpret them.

And then the cupbearer

remembers Joseph

and Joseph

is brought in

and Joseph

for God

interprets

the dream.

And what we see

as the chapter

progresses

is what begins

as personal distress

for Pharaoh

on earth

with those dreams

about

becomes national distress

as Egypt is told

famine will come

in seven years time

so you better get ready.

And that then

becomes

global distress

as the countries

find themselves

in famine

and need to know

what they can do.

This is a dramatic story.

If this was happening today

it would dominate

world headlines.

Global famine

in this story.

What do we make of it?

Now again

we need to remember

here's Moses writing

the first five books

of the Bible.

He's written

the book of Genesis

and in the Genesis story

we are

introduced

to the reason

why

death comes.

We are introduced

to the reason

why

there is suffering.

We are introduced

to the reason

why there is threat

that looms

on our horizon

because we are

introduced to

the fall

of Adam and Eve.

They were created

in a perfect environment

to enjoy

perfect relationship

with one another

and with God.

There was no famine

in Eden

but then

sin came

and as they

decided

to mistrust

and distrust

God and His word

as they decided

life would be better

for them

making up

their own rules

and refusing

to listen

to God's voice

or to submit

to God

as king

sin came

and with sin

came suffering

and curse

and death.

And so Moses

has introduced

us to that

reality

and we will see

throughout

the book of Genesis

the threat

of death

and suffering

that looms

because of

this fall

into sin.

And it's important

for us to recognize

the importance

of verse 8

because we are

reminded

in a very

deliberate way

here is Pharaoh

and he faces

trouble and distress

but it's a problem

that neither

human power

nor human wisdom

is capable

of fixing.

Who is Pharaoh?

Pharaoh is the

most powerful man

of his day.

He is

the great

superpower.

He has

all resources

at his

fingertips

but that is

not and will

not be enough

to spare him

from the

disaster

that is

coming.

It is

true that

wealth can

act like a

bubble

and it can

save us

from much

suffering

and heartache.

Resources

can do much

to insulate

us

but power

is a bubble

that can burst

and it can be

lost

and it does

not spare

us

and it

will not

spare

Pharaoh

from

suffering.

Sometimes

we lose

sight of

that.

As society

I think we

expect that if

people are

wealthy and

successful

then nothing

bad can

possibly ever

happen.

and it's

one of the

reasons why

tragedies,

sudden deaths

of famous

people is

so shocking

to many.

Death invades

that reality,

challenges us

with the

brevity of

life.

It reminds us

that no matter

how much

we have

we are

still weak

and we

will one

day die.

And human

power and

wealth doesn't

spare us

from that.

Human

wisdom

doesn't

provide an

answer.

The wise

men of

Pharaoh's

court,

I guess

like every

wise man,

would like

to believe

ideas can

fix the

world but

here they

find themselves

clueless as

to how to

help Pharaoh

in his

distress.

the wise

in our

generation,

just like

every

generation,

would expect

that more

legislation

and better

education

and tighter

security

will lead

to life

being good

and life

being perfect.

But what we

see is that

regardless of

how good

legislation is,

still there

is suffering

in nations

and societies,

still there

is hurt,

still there

is death.

So often

the wise

are looking

for answers

in the

wrong places,

looking for

superficial fixes

when the

problem with

humanity and

society lies

at the heart

level.

It's where the

Bible goes,

saying the

problem lies

in the human

heart.

That's what we

need to fix

and that's

something only

God can

fix.

As the

chapter moves

on, we see

the distress

as it moves

from Pharaoh

to Egypt

to the end

of the chapter.

The famine

is severe

in all the

world.

Here is a

problem that

everybody is

facing.

famine.

And it's a

great illustration

of sin

and its

effects.

One of the

themes of

the book

of Genesis

is the

seed

theme.

And we

can see that

in this

chapter,

both negatively

and positively.

The famine

is a result

of the

seed

in the

ground

not

growing.

Here is

part of

that curse

that came

because of

sin.

That growth

and fruitfulness

is affected

because Adam

and Eve

did not want

to live

under the

good rule

of God.

Because of

sin, the

earth fell

under a

curse.

The environment

is affected.

Adam was

told,

you will

toil to

produce

food.

So at

the roots

of this

famine,

at the

roots of

all disaster

and suffering,

is the

consequence

of our

rejection

of God.

We

recognize

the world

is a

beautiful

place

because God

has made

it beautiful,

but the

world is

also broken

because of

our sin,

because of

the mess

that we

have made.

And what

becomes clear

in Genesis

41 is

that as

people,

we cannot

save

ourselves

from

suffering,

from a

biblical,

taking the

whole picture

of the

Bible,

we cannot

save

ourselves

from this

sin that

leads to

death,

which is

the greatest

crisis for

the human

race in

every generation.

But that

seed theme

that we find

in Genesis

also has a

positive element

because it

speaks to us

of God's

grace.

So after

Adam and

Eve had

sinned and

rebelled

against God,

there was a

promise that

from the

seed of the

women would

come one

who would

crush the

head of

the serpent,

there would

be one who

would win a

decisive victory

over the

powers of

evil.

And then in

Genesis 12,

the seed from

Abraham's family

who would bring

God's blessing

to the world.

And so our

story, even

as it moves

towards global

crisis, is

also at the

same time a

message where

there is hope

because of

God's promise,

God's promise of

a rescuer who

will come.

Here in this

story, we see

him in Joseph,

but Joseph

represents Jesus.

That's what we

want to look at

next, God's

chosen deliverer

comes.

One of the

wonderful things

that this chapter

does and that

the Bible does

is it highlights

that God's

salvation comes

from the humble

place, comes

from the lowly

place, comes

from the

unexpected

place.

Who is the

hero of

Genesis 41

at a human

level?

It's Joseph.

Now who is

Joseph?

In Egypt, he

is a foreigner,

a slave,

and a

prisoner.

And where

does he come

from?

Not from power

and prestige,

he's summoned

from the

king's dungeon.

The answer

to the problem

facing Egypt,

facing the world,

doesn't come

from the mighty

and the powerful.

The answer

doesn't come

from the wise

men of the

royal court.

It doesn't lie

in the resources

of Pharaoh the

king.

It comes from

this humble

and unexpected

place.

And this

has always

been God's

chosen way

of working.

Joseph is

in Abraham's

family.

Abraham gets

that wonderful

promise,

your family

will be as

many as the

stars in the

sky.

Your family

will be a

blessing to the

world.

Kings will

come from you.

That promise

is given to

Abraham,

married to

Sarah,

very old,

and with

no children.

That's a

small beginning,

an unexpected

place to

announce salvation.

But it

emphasizes God's

grace and

God's glory.

Or think

about the

nation of

Israel.

So they've

just been

called by

God to

be his

people.

Israel

wasn't the

great superpower

of its day,

not even

close.

A tiny

nation at

this point,

weak and

landless and

vulnerable,

but God

has called

them to

himself,

and he's

made a

covenant

commitment to

them,

and he's

given promises

to them,

and given

them this

message that

they will

be his

messengers

bringing light

to the

world.

Through that

tiny nation,

salvation would

come.

It's the same

for us as a

church.

Paul says,

not many

powerful,

not many

noble were

called,

because God

delights to

work in the

weak and the

small.

The church

can seem

weak and

small and

insignificant to

our society,

perhaps to

ourselves,

but in

God's hands,

God can use

his church,

and God has

always used

his church,

weak as we

are, for

his purposes,

so that God

gets the

glory.

And when we

think of

salvation coming

from the

humble place,

and the low

place, and the

unexpected place,

don't we see

this is true in

the story of

Jesus?

Here is

Jesus, the

eternal Son of

God, but in

human terms, how

does he enter

the world?

He is born in

a stable, in a

backwater town, to

a poor young

mother.

And as he

grows and as he

begins his

ministry, he is

seen by the

religious establishment

as mixing with

the wrong crowd.

Here he is

spending his

time with the

poor and the

sinners, not the

religious elite.

He's seen to be

working in the

wrong place.

He's working up

in Galilee.

That's a bit of a

mixed background.

Why is he not

in Jerusalem?

That's where kings

should be.

That's where the

power people are.

Jesus is called a

blasphemer.

He's called a

false messiah.

people cannot

marry up his

low place with

his high claims.

And he will be

crucified, dying

in apparent

weakness.

But, as the

Bible declares, in

his death is God's

loving response to

our need.

As God, as

Jesus dies for our

sin and in the

place of

sinners.

So, Jesus takes a

low place in

order to

rescue and

deliver.

And it's

announced and

foretold in the

story of Joseph.

What else can we

say about Joseph as

deliverer from our

text?

We see some

wonderful scenes

here.

In verse 16,

we see very

clearly, Joseph is

God's man.

Here he is, brought

into the palace from

the prison.

Pharaoh tells him

he's got a dream.

I've heard it said

of you that when you

hear a dream, you

can interpret it.

I cannot do it,

Joseph replied to

Pharaoh, but God

will give Pharaoh the

answer he desires.

So, here is Joseph

standing in front of

Pharaoh.

Pharaoh who

describes himself as

a son of the

God.

And Joseph boldly

says, the true

God, he will give

interpretation.

Joseph has God's

spirit.

It's amazing, even

Pharaoh can see it,

verse 38, as

Joseph announces

his plans for how

to prepare the

nation for

famine.

The plan seemed

good to Pharaoh

and to all his

officials.

So, Pharaoh asked

them, can we find

anyone like this

man, one in whom

is the spirit of

God?

Recognizing he's

equipped in a

unique way, called

clearly, God's hand

is with this man.

And Joseph, too,

identifies with

God's people.

And we see that in

what happens in his

own family life and

personal life.

So, in verse 44

onwards, as

Pharaoh introduces

Joseph to the

establishment, what

does he do?

he gives him a

new name.

Let's put

Egyptian culture

on him.

He's given an

Egyptian wife,

and that wife

comes from a

line of

pagan

false

worship.

But what do we

see about

Joseph?

In verse 50

to 52, we see

two sons are

born.

They're not given

Egyptian names.

They're given

Hebrew names.

He hasn't lost

his identity.

He hasn't lost

his sense of

connection to the

people of God

and to his

father's house.

He identifies

with the people

of God.

And in verse

57 and in

verse 55,

Joseph is

clearly revealed

to us as

God's answer

to human

need.

When Egypt

cries to

Pharaoh,

Pharaoh says,

don't come

to me,

go to

Joseph.

He's the

one who

can help

you.

Do what he

tells you.

And then in

verse 57,

all the

countries came

to Egypt

to buy

grain

from

Joseph.

Moses is

very deliberate.

God has

raised

Joseph up

so that he

is seen

to be

the deliverer

for the

world.

From the

distress that

they are

facing through

Joseph comes

blessing.

Just as God

has been

promising all

along.

And in this

chapter, the

promise of

Jesus is

everywhere.

Jesus isn't

just God's

man.

He is God

who became

man in

order to be

our deliverer.

Jesus is

spirit-filled.

He is empowered

for ministry

by the

filling of

the spirit.

Jesus is

the one who

left heaven

to become

one of us,

to identify

with us

in our

need, so

much that

he'd be

baptized for

us, that

he would

then go to

the cross

to die

in our

place for

us.

And Jesus

offers salvation

to the world,

to anyone

who believes,

regardless of

culture,

or race,

or background.

He is

God's

chosen

deliverer.

How should

we respond

to the

Jesus story

as we see

signpost to

it here in

chapter 41?

one.

We certainly

need to be

like the

cup bearer

who recognized

it was wrong

of him to

forget about

Joseph.

It is wrong

for us

to forget

about Jesus,

to push him

to one side

as if he is

no big deal,

as if his

identity and his

death on the

cross and his

resurrection and

return to glory

is of no

consequence to

him.

Jesus is the

central figure

in history

and he needs

to be central

to our lives

as the only

hope for a

broken world.

We also

would do

well to

follow

Pharaoh,

respond

like

Pharaoh.

What does

Pharaoh do

for Joseph?

First of all,

he honors

Joseph and

we should

honor Jesus

in our

lives,

recognizing

here is

God's

rescuer.

And just

as

Pharaoh

told

Egypt,

we should

go to

Jesus.

We should

listen to

him.

We should

trust in

him.

And indeed,

this is our

message to

others.

Once they

come to

us,

we can fix

your problems.

We say,

go to

Jesus.

We found

the one

who can.

We need

to be like

the nations

of verse

57 who

come streaming

to Joseph,

coming empty,

needing to

be filled.

We need

to come

to Jesus

in our

need to

recognize

he is the

bread of

life,

to recognize

he is the

one who

can satisfy

and who

can save.

Nothing

changes.

in all

of history.

The world

still needs

God's

Savior.

You and

I still

need

God's

Savior.

The story

of Joseph

is an

old story,

it's an

ancient

story,

but it's

a vital

story for

you and

me as

it points

us towards

Jesus,

as it

reminds us

of the

reality of

human

distress

and

suffering,

as it

reminds us

that we

are by

ourselves

despite

our

resources

unable

to fix

all that

is broken

in our

hearts

and in

our

world.

It

points us

beyond

ourselves

to God's

provision,

to God's

Savior,

to a hope

that comes

from God.

This story

points us

squarely

to Jesus,

to the

cross of

Jesus,

as my

hope and

your hope

to date.

Thank you.