Sermon 08-14-2011

Psalm 67                                                                                         Genesis 39:1-9

“Joseph, the Interpreter of Dreams.”

        A few years ago, I was working in Simsbury, Ct. as an Associate Minister for

youth and young adults. Every year we, the senior pastor and I took the confirmation class to Salem, MA. The Witch Museum there has a connection with the history of the congregationalism and the witch craft events that happened. It was important for the class to have this experience. At lunch time they were allowed to hang out in town and find lunch on their own. We had two rules, one, that they were always in groups of three and two, do not go to a “palm reader.”

        One year temptation won out a 16 years old girl, she went to a “palm reader,” an interpreter of her future. Later on our way back home, she was sharing with some friends her experience. The results of breaking the rule, had unpredictable consequences, the girl was told that she was going to die at 20 years old. When she went home she started to have nightmares, ended up in the hospital sick from the anxiety and she also needed physiological care.

        I share this to say that there are unknown consequences to our decision making. It is sadder still when a previous warning has been given. Sound familiar? How many times have we ignored rules, warnings and advice?

PRAYER

        As we follow the story of Joseph, we heard how he ended up in Egypt, how he was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and how God was with him. Joseph found favor in his masters’ eyes, and became the overseer of his house and fields.

He was in charge, and everything he needed or wanted was at his disposal, except for Potiphar’s wife.

        The story continues by saying that Joseph was a handsome and good looking man. Potiphar’s wife noticed this, and had her eyes on him, and asked him to lie with her. What a temptation, she perhaps was a beautiful woman too. What did Joseph have to lose, after all his master was not home most of the time; but his fear of God had a greater impact on him than the temptation of the moment. So he said, “no” to her. “Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not consent to be with her.” (v.10) How could I do this great wickedness ( to my master), and sin against God?

        She was persistent in her desire, “one day, however, when he went into the house to do his work, and while no one else was in the house, she caught hold of his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” But he escaped and left his garment in her hand and fled (naked) outside the house. (v.11-12) As he ran away from her, “she called out to the members of her household and said to them: “See my husband has brought us a Hebrew to insult us! He came into me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice; and when he heard me raise my voice and cry out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.” (v.16) Then she kept his garment, and when her husband, the master of the house came, she told him the same story.

        His master was raged, and believed her over him, putting Joseph in the king’s prison.

        Well, what a defamation, lies that now are costing Joseph to pay for a crime not committed. The false accusations weighed more than an opportunity to defend himself, no time was given for justice. He was only a salve, a servant, a “Hebrew,” that is in itself a racist slur, he was a foreigner in the land of Egypt.

        What can we learn so far from this old story? First, that God is on our side no matter what, if we are faithful to him. That temptation is around us and we need to be strong to fight it. The lies of others can ruin our lives, but cannot destroy our dignity, and when we are faithful to God, God uses the circumstances we are in to restore us and make us whole again.

        If we keep reading we find that God is on Joseph’s side despite being in jail, God gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.

        “Some time after this, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, offended and angered Pharaoh, and they were put them in jail. The chief jailer put them in prison under Joseph’s guard and care.” (Gen.40:1-3)

        “One night the cupbearer and the baker had their own dream, and they both were disturbed by it.” (v.5) In the morning Joseph asked them why they looked so troubled. “They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph replied, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” (v.8) Here God is using Joseph with his gift of Interpretation of dreams, to help these two men understand.

        Let us be careful here, this interpretation has nothing to do with “palm reading.”  Believe me “palm reading” is not from God.

        After first hearing the dream of the cupbearer, “Joseph said to him, “this is its interpretation: the three branches are three days; within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you use to do when you were his cupbearer.” (v.12-13). And Joseph asked him to remember him, as he was there in jail without any fault.

        Three days later the interpretation came true, and the baker said to Joseph I also had a dream. After Joseph heard it, he said to him, “this is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three days Pharaoh will lift your head from you and hang you on a pole…” (v.18-19)

        All this happened the way that Joseph had interpreted. “Yet the cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.” (v.23)

        After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile river, and there out of the Nile came seven sleek and fat cows, and they grazed in the reed grass. Then seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. The ugly and thin cows ate the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke! Then he fell asleep again and dreamed a second time; seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. Then, seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them. The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and it was a dream!

        In the morning his spirit was troubled; so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all the wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them.

        And God was on Joseph’s side… and the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh, how Joseph interpreted his dream and the baker’s dream, when they were put in jail, how the dream came true and he was restored to his position and the baker was hanged.” (Gen. 41:1-9)

        “Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph… and Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph said to Pharaoh, “It is not me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” (v.16)

        So Pharaoh told his dreams to Joseph…”Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are one and the same; God has revealed to you what he is about to do. There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. After them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten…

And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will bring it about shortly… appoint a man to oversee the land, to gather one fifth from all the plentiful food produced for seven years, preserving it and , so that the land will not perish through the famine.” (v.25-36)

        “So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “since God has shown you all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you, and you shall be overseer of my house, all my people will follow your command… he was given a new name, a wife, and gained the authority over all the land of Egypt.” (v.39-45)

        And God was on Joseph’s side and he was blessed.