Genesis 41: Joseph's Breakout Moment

Journey through the Book of Genesis with me.  The plan is simple. Read ONE chapter a day. Blog or journal 5* things you learned that you previously didn't know and ask 5* questions about the chapter that you'll ponder all week. Let's go!

** You'll probably learn way more than 5 things and have more than 5 questions about each chapter. That's totally fine. The more the merrier! 

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GENESIS 41:1-57

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1: Based on Joseph’s analysis (v.32) that “the doubling of [a dream] means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about”, is it fair to surmise that when one experiences a vivid/prophetic dream repeatedly (at least, twice), it not only WILL come to pass, but it will do soon?

QUESTION 2: What must have been going through Mrs. Potiphar’s mind when she received the news that the man she falsely accused was now the prime minister of the land (Second only to Pharaoh)?

QUESTION 3: Why did all the wise men and magicians of Egypt not simply just make up an interpretation for Pharaoh’s dream?

QUESTION 4: Like Pharaoh in verse 8, how many sitting presidents have prophetic dreams about the present/future condition of their nation and are “troubled in their spirit”? How might this lead you to pray for the current president?

QUESTION 5: Like Pharaoh in verse 25, how many sitting presidents has God shown what He is about to do in their nation? How might this lead you to pray for the nation and the government today?

QUESTION 6: Did Joseph discern the meaning of the dream immediately because he had the gift of interpretation or had God revealed its meaning to him prior to his meeting with Pharaoh?

QUESTION 7: Was the solution to the famine something Joseph discerned because God revealed to him in advance, or is Joseph simply a wise economist?

WHAT I LEARNED

INSIGHT 1: Joseph had to wait for two painful years before being released. Hope may have been waning.

INSIGHT 2: In spite of having found favor with the captain of the guard, Joseph being “quickly brought out of the pit” (v.14) graphically conveys just how rough his time in prison must have been.   

INSIGHT 3: Joseph’s time in prison strengthened his relationship with and reliance on God so that when he’s presented with the opportunity to impress Pharaoh, he immediately defers to the One who had been with Him through his incarceration, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (v.16)

INSIGHT 4: A prayer for every follower of Jesus Christ in the workplace or in ministry: “Jesus, grant us wisdom and discernment to excel at work so that our bosses and coworkers who observe our efforts would say, “ Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?" (V.38)

INSIGHT 5: Though Pharaoh did not know the God of Israel; he recognized (through his own religious outlook) that there was a greater God who had granted Joseph a portion of His Spirit’s wisdom.

INSIGHT 5: On this afternoon at age 30 (v.46), the first part of Joseph’s dream as a teenager (Genesis 37:5-11) begins to be fulfilled.

INSIGHT 7: The names of Joseph’s sons tell the story of God’s faithfulness to him – “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.”

INSIGHT 8: God's timing in Joseph's release is impeccable. Had Joseph had his way 2 years earlier and the king's cup bearer pled on his behalf to be released, Joseph would have come out of prison to a mediocre life, and very possibly, even a difficult life. He was a slave in a foreign land with no money and no friends outside of prison. He wouldn't have been able to return home because his brothers could not afford to have him seen alive. God, in His infinite wisdom selected the place and time when Joseph's release would serve him best, and that was at the end of year two when Pharaoh had a nightmare that required an interpreter. 

PRAYER: "Lord, keep me steady where you see fit until your divinely appointed time is set."

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