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Joseph’s 4 Steps to Success: Genesis 39:1-6

Posted on May 12, 2012 by kurt bennett

May God Pour Out His Spirit Upon You (Photo Credit: Pursuing Holiness Blogspot)

In our last post on Genesis we saw Judah fall in a disturbing way, when he had sexual relations with his daughter-in-law while she posed as a shrine prostitute. (see previous post: Judah and Tamar) In today’s post, we’ll look at Joseph’s rapid rise to success in Potiphar’s household, and the four steps he took to get there.

Genesis 39:1-6

Here in Genesis 39 we pick up our story with Joseph, just sold into slavery. The Ishmaelites who bought him from his brothers, turn around and sell him to an Egyptian named Potiphar who’s the captain of the guard for Pharoah, the king of Egypt.

Can you even imagine what Joseph went through? Can you imagine having your family turn on you? If my siblings sold me into slavery, and I was taken away to serve a master in a far away foreign country, I don’t know what I’d do. But look what Joseph did.

We see Joseph as a picture of Jesus in that, like Jesus, Joseph takes on the role of a servant. And the Lord is with him so he rocks his new position in Potiphar’s house. When Potiphar sees the Lord is with him in the small things, and how the Lord blesses Joseph with success in everything, Potiphar shows him favor and makes Joseph his attendant. He puts Joseph in charge of his whole household. All Potiphar owns is placed under Joseph’s charge. After Potiphar promotes him to run it all, the Lord blesses his entire estate because of Joseph. Everything thrives: inside, outside, in the house, and in the field. He trusts Joseph so much he leaves every detail in his care. Potiphar doesn’t concern himself with anything except the food he eats.

Joseph’s 4 Steps to Success: Steps You Can Take Too

1) Ask for God’s Spirit

The first five words of verse two say, “The Lord was with Joseph…” It’s a wise man who remains close to God all his days. You never know when you might be separated from every other living soul in your life. Joseph was. He was separated from his family and every single person who was familiar to him.

But he still had his God. And that proved to be his saving grace. The Lord was with Joseph…

And it’s obvious God’s Spirit was upon him. Which brings to mind a favorite saying of one of my favorite fire department Captains, Rick Rohrbough, who would sometimes remark, “You don’t dig with your shovel when the backhoe is comin’.”

That saying comes to mind because living life without God’s Spirit compared to living life with His Spirit is like digging with a shovel compared to digging with a backhoe. Life flows when you’re living in the Spirit. Life’s so much harder when you’re not. It just doesn’t make any sense to live without His Holy Spirit poured out on your life.

And all you have to do is ask for it. Jesus said, If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:11-13)

Ask God to pour His Holy Spirit upon you, to be with you in what you put your hand to.

Ask.

Ask every day.

2) The Day of the Small Things

I think it’s important to keep in mind, as a slave, Joseph had to have started with small responsibilities. It’s a great reminder for you and for me not to despise the day of the small things. (Zechariah 4:10) When I started with the fire department my duties included cleaning the toilets. Having lived it, I recommend, if you’re assigned to clean the toilets, clean them well. I remember another time when we needed to find someone to take on the task of managing the laundry service for the fire department. This is not a glamorous task by any stretch of the imagination. A firefighter, who was already passed over four times for Captain, volunteered for the assignment and handled it extremely well. Today he serves as the Deputy Chief of Administration.

God’s word speaks of minding the day of the small things in Zechariah, and we see Jesus operates in the same way in Matthew 25:21.

So don’t despise the day of the small things. It results in great blessings, in the long run. (see previous post, Pat Summit: The Day of Small Things)

3) Work With All Your Heart

Thomas Edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” (Phrases.org) After reading the story of Joseph, I’m left with the distinct impression, he was industrious. Running the estate of a high government official, and running it well, had to be demanding of his time and energy. The Holy Spirit is God’s part, and the most important part, but Joseph had an important part too, and that was to give it his best. Joseph’s response is remarkable given the circumstances. He had to have been tempted to succumb to depression as a result of his brother’s intense hostility and rejection of him, as well as his current circumstances in Egypt. But he didn’t fall into despondency. Instead he worked with all his heart, as working for the Lord, not for his strange new Egyptian master.

However difficult your circumstances, how do they compare to Joseph’s? Have you been sold into slavery lately?

Wherever you find yourself, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters… (Colossians 3:23)

4) Live According to God’s Word

In the biblical account of Joseph’s life, no sin is ever mentioned (another reason Joseph of the Old Testament is such a powerful picture of Jesus. See previous post: Joseph and Jesus). It’s obvious from our story, Potiphar trusted Joseph completely. Many of the simple truths in God’s scriptures are extremely valuable to those in authority. At the fire department some of us called certain employees who lived with great integrity and purpose, “fire and forget weapons.” When we gave them an assignment, they took responsibility and worked at it with all their heart. These people didn’t require much in the way of supervision. As Potiphar was with Joseph, once we gave them an assignment, we never gave it another thought.

Reading your Bible daily and living out the scriptures will pay off big in the long run. I have found Psalm 1 to be absolutely true.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

Do you want whatever you do to prosper?

Live like Joseph did — regardless of your circumstances.

References:

Judah and Tamar

Posted on May 5, 2012 by kurt bennett

Lion of Judah (Photo credit: Rainbow7.de)

In our last post about Joseph, his brothers plotted to kill him and threw him into a dry cistern. We explored how Jesus said the Old Testament spoke of Him throughout, and how Joseph’s life is an example of this. We saw how both their fathers held them as favorites, how both Joseph and Jesus’ brothers envied them and plotted to kill them, how Joseph went down into the cistern, and how Jesus went down into the grave, how both were raised up, how both saved their people. (For more see previous post: Joseph and Jesus)

Joseph is a powerful picture of Jesus. Just as Jesus said, the Old Testament scriptures “testify about me.” and, Moses “wrote about me.” (John 5:39-40, John 5:45-46)

The plan to kill Joseph was on track until Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” (Genesis 37:26-27) The brothers who were present agreed, and Joseph was sold into slavery, eventually finding himself the property of Potiphar, Pharoah’s captain of the guard.

Chapter 38:

After selling Joseph into slavery, Judah leaves his brothers and heads down to his friend Hirah’s place in Adullam. There he meets a Canaanite woman named Shua. They wind up marrying and having three sons, Er the eldest, Onan the middle son, and Shelah the youngest.

Judah’s association with those outside the family of faith will prove costly. He first finds a friend, then a wife, then, later, we’ll see him participating in the Canaanite practice of soliciting sex with a shrine prostitute. There are only two types of close friends to associate with, those who will influence you for Christ, and those who you will influence for Christ. It’s inevitable, you’ll begin to value yourself based on the opinions of those you hang with. Judah is a classic example. What trouble might have been avoided had he chose his friends more wisely? And what blessings did he miss?

When Er is old enough, Judah finds a wife for him named Tamar. But the Bible tells us Er was wicked in the Lord’s sight, so He put him to death.

Then Judah invokes a custom of that culture for widows who are without an heir. He tells his middle son, Onan, Er’s brother, Go sleep with your brother’s widow, and fulfill your obligation as her brother-in-law, to raise up offspring for your brother.

But Onan knows Tamar’s child won’t be his, so whenever he sleeps with her he spills his sperm on the ground so she won’t conceive. This was wicked in the Lord’s sight, so He put him to death also.

Life was hard in that place at that time, especially for women, and even more so for widows. Without a man around Tamar would receive no inheritance from Judah. And without a son, Er’s family name would not be preserved. The law requiring a brother-in-law to provide seed for the widow is later described in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. According to this passage, if the brother-in-law of the widow refuses his duty, his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.”That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.

I wonder if it was because of situations like Onan’s, the Lord instituted such a law.

So now Judah has lost two sons. He says to Tamar, Go home to your father and live with your family there, as a widow, until my youngest son Shelah grows up.

Judah’s thinking, Wow, I wonder if Tamar has anything to do with the longevity (or lack thereof) of her husbands. I think I’ll keep my only remaining son Shela, at a safe distance.

So Tamar went back home to live in her father’s house.

A long time passes, and Judah’s wife Shua dies. After Judah recovers from his grief he goes up to Timnah with Hirah the Adullamite, to the men who are shearing his sheep.

Well word gets back to Tamar her father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep, so she hatches a plan. She takes off her widow’s clothes, covers herself with a veil, and sits at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.

So what’s this all about? Well the Canaanites had this cult prostitution thing going on to promote fertility. Followers of the fertility goddess Ishtar would dress up in veils, symbolizing they’re the bride of another god named Baal. Then the men who were planting fields, or helping their sheep birth lambs, or shearing sheep would use the prostitutes’ services to promote the fertility of their crops or herds. So Tamar takes off her widow clothes, special clothes women wore in that culture to identify themselves as widows, and she dresses in veils, posing as one of these cult prostitutes.

She does this because she’s realized Shela is past the time when he’s eligible to marry, yet she still hasn’t been given to him as his bride, as Judah had promised.

So Judah, on the road to Timnah, and completely oblivious, like an ox going to the slaughter, sees her and he thinks she’s one of these cult prostitutes. He doesn’t realize she’s his daughter-in-law. He goes over and propositions her, saying, Let me sleep with you. (Proverbs 7:8-27)

What will you give me in return, she asks.

How about one young goat from my flock, he says.

How about you give me something as a pledge until you send it? she asks.

What pledge do you have in mind?

She says, Your seal, and its cord, and your staff.

He agrees, so he gives her his stuff and sleeps with her.

And she becomes pregnant.

After she leaves him she puts on her widow’s clothes again.

Meanwhile Judah asks his friend Hirah the Adullamite to deliver the young goat so Judah can get back the stuff he pledged. But Hirah can’t find her.

He asks around, Where’s the shrine prostitute who hangs out next to the road at Enaim?

And he receives a most interesting answer: What shrine prostitute? We don’t have a shrine prostitute here.

Uh oh.

You see the seal she has is Judah’s one and only unique seal. In those times people used a precious or semi-precious stone, with an inscription on it, to press into wax, or a clay tablet, to provide their signature. The cord was used to hang the seal around Judah’s neck. Judah’s staff was another personal item, used in that day not just to assist walking but also to tend livestock and as a weapon. It may have been polished and adorned in such a way as to uniquely identify Judah even further.

These three items represent Judah’s person, possessions, and position: three things often lost when someone falls into temptation. If you don’t believe that, just read the news.

Judah will have some explaining to do.

So Hirah the Adullamite goes back to Judah and says, Hey, the men around there are telling me there is no prostitute who does business there.

Well then, I better just let her keep my stuff, or there’ll be a scandal and we’ll become a laughingstock. I did try to pay her. I sent her the young goat but you just couldn’t find her.

Three months goes by…

Someone tells Judah, Your daughter-in-law Tamar has been found guilty of prostitution and she’s pregnant.

Burn her to death, Judah says.

That’s interesting because later in Deuteronomy we see prostitution punished by stoning. (Deuteronomy 22:23-24) We see punishment by burning for incest or for the daughter of a priest who prostitutes herself. (Leviticus 20:14, Leviticus 21:9) I’m reminded of David’s response when he learned of the rich man who stole the poor man’s lamb. ( see 2 Samuel 12)

We often find those sins we struggle with ourselves, most offensive in someone else.

But when she is brought out to be burned, she sends Judah’s seal, cord, and staff to him, along with a message: I’m pregnant by the man who owns these, maybe you should have a look to see if you recognize who they belong to.

Of course Judah recognizes them as his own and realizes what happened. He says, She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah as I promised. And he did not sleep with her again.

When it was time for the babies to be born it’s discovered she has twin boys in her womb. As she begins to give birth one of the boys puts his hand out first, so the midwife takes a scarlet cord and ties it to his hand to mark that he came out first. But then that one draws his hand back in and his brother comes out.

She says, So this is how you’ve broken out! And they name him Perez, which means breaking out (or breach).

Then his brother with the scarlet thread on his wrist comes out, and they name him Zerah, which means scarlet (or brightness).

Jesus and Judah:

After seeing Judah sell his own brother Joseph into slavery, and then impregnate his own daughter-in-law, it’s amazing how, later, in Genesis chapter 49 we’ll see Israel bless Judah by saying, “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.” (Genesis chapter 49 verse 8)

Judah is the line from which Messiah comes. Jesus is from the tribe of Judah. And not only from Judah, but from Tamar as well — she’s only one of four women named in the genealogy of Christ found in Matthew chapter 1. (see Matthew chapter 1, verse 3) His righteousness is His own, and isn’t derived from His ancestors (on His human side). Yet He’s not ashamed to be associated with the likes of Judah, or other sinners, such as you and me. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (see Mark 2:14-17)

We’re reminded again of how God does His work. His choices are made by grace and not by merit. He accomplishes His work organically. (see previous post: Serious Questions About How God Does Things)

He uses real people.

He uses people who make mistakes.

He uses sinners like you and me.

His treatment of Judah and Tamar in His genealogy is an amazing example of how gracious He is. It’s as though He’s saying,

Live for Me and I’ll even take your mistakes, and use them to link you to Christ.

References:

Walton, Matthews, Chavalas, (2000) IVP Bible Background Commentary, Old Testament

Proverbs 7:8-27:

He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. (She is unruly and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.) She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said: “Today I fulfilled my vows, and I have food from my fellowship offering at home. So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you! I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love! My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon.” With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life. Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.

Joseph and Jesus, Sold by His Brothers: Genesis 37:12-36

Posted on April 28, 2012 by kurt bennett

Joseph Sold by His Brothers (Photo credit: DoJewish Blog)

Jesus said to them on the road to Emmaus:

“How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Luke 24:25-27

Genesis 37:12-36

So Joseph’s brothers are overseeing their father’s flocks in an area near Shechem. Israel (Jacob) says to Joseph, You know how your brothers are out with the flocks near Shechem? Well I need you to head out there.

Israel sent Joseph, his most favored son, to his flocks. Joseph would ultimately save his brothers and the nation of Egypt from perishing in the famine. God the Father sent Jesus, His most favored son, to His flocks, the people on earth. Jesus would ultimately provide a means to save his brothers, and the entire world. (Matthew 3:17)

Joseph replies to his father, Sounds good.

Israel says, Head out there and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing then come back and let me know what you found.

Then he sends Joseph out from where they are, in the Valley of Hebron, toward Shechem.

When Joseph gets to Shechem, he wanders around in the fields for awhile looking for his brothers until a man asks him, What are you looking for?

Joseph says, I’m looking for my brothers, they’re grazing their flocks around here somewhere. Can you tell me where they are?

They’ve moved on from here, the man answers. I overheard them say they’re going to Dothan.

So Joseph continues on to Dothan and finds his brothers. They see Joseph off in the distance and while he’s still out of earshot, they plot to kill him.

“Lazarus come out!” Jesus said. And Lazarus, who had been dead, left his resting place in the cave, and came out, witnessed by many. The Sanhedrin never disputed Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, in fact, they never disputed any of Jesus’ miracles. But they were afraid, because He was performing so many miracles, the people would follow Jesus, leaving the Sanhedrin without a power base. Bringing Lazarus back from the dead proved to be the last straw for them.

So they plotted to kill Jesus. (John 11:17-55)

Here comes the dreamer! they say to each other mockingly. We can kill him now and toss his body into one of these cisterns and we’ll just say a wild animal attacked him and ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams.

Problem for the brothers: the dreams aren’t Joseph’s, they’re from God, and God’s dreams always come to pass.

Well Reuben hears all this, and as the oldest, he knows he’ll ultimately be held responsible for Joseph, so he says, Let’s not kill him, let’s not shed any blood. Instead we’ll throw him into this empty cistern out here, but don’t hurt him. Reuben’s thinking he’ll come back later, pull Joseph out of the cistern, and return him to their father.

Reuben is hoping, by throwing Joseph in the cistern, he can satisfy his brothers, even as Pontius Pilate had Jesus scourged, hoping to satisfy Jesus’ brothers the Jews who cried for Jesus’ crucifixion.

So when Joseph shows up, they strip him of his robe, the one of many colors, with oversized sleeves, the one his father gave him, and they toss him into the empty cistern.

Joseph was stripped of his special garment, even as Jesus was stripped of his seamless garment. And down into the empty cistern Joseph goes, even as Jesus went down into the grave. (Matthew 27:59-60, Mark 15:46, Luke 23:53, John 19:41-42)

Then they sit down to eat.

As they’re eating, they look up and see a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. The caravan’s loaded with goods: spices, balm, and myrrh. They’re on their way to Egypt to do some trading.

After seeing the caravan, Judah comes up with an idea, (or an idea was given to Judah by the Lord) he says, What do we gain if we kill him? Instead let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not hurt him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.

We can avoid having Joseph’s blood on our hands if we turn him over to these Gentiles, Judah and his brothers, the other fathers of the tribes of Israel are thinking. Likewise, their descendants said it was against Roman law for the Jews to execute Jesus themselves. So they turned Jesus over to the Gentiles. It’s interesting to note, though they said, “We have no right to execute anyone” they were perfectly willing to stone the woman caught in adultery, and they were more than enthusiastic about throwing Jesus off the cliff. But it was prophesied Jesus was to die by crucifixion and only the Romans executed criminals in that manner. So this took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. (John 8:1-11, Luke 4:29, John 18:31-32)

Here also, we see the trap of comparing your own actions to an action or intention that’s worse. Let’s be good guys and not kill Joseph, he’s our brother after all. Instead lets sell him into slavery so we never see him again, then lie to our father saying he’s dead. How much better we’re treating him than if we had chosen to kill him!

Of course this makes no sense at all. It never makes sense to compare our own bad deeds to those that are even worse, whether they be your own or someone elses. Your own holiness is your only concern. And there isn’t anyone who is too holy before the Lord.

Finally we see here the result of envy. Matthew Henry states, “Where envy reigns, pity is banished, and humanity itself is forgotten.” And Proverbs 27:4 tells us, Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? In our story we see siblings driven by envy to plot the death of their own brother, even as he desperately pleaded for his life! (Genesis 42:21) Envy: stay clear of it. Don’t allow yourself to be caught by the green eyed monster, or you may find yourself doing things you never dreamed you were capable of.

His brothers buy into the idea so when the Midianite traders come by, they pull Joseph up out of the cistern and sell him into slavery for twenty shekels of silver. The Midianites then continue on their way to Egypt.

Jesus was sold, for 30 pieces of silver, by one of his brothers. (Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-11, Luke 22:3-6, Zechariah 11:12-13)

All this occurs while Reuben was off somewhere. When he returns and sees Joseph isn’t there in the cistern, he tears his clothes. He goes back to his brothers and says, The boy’s not there! What am I going to do?

Reuben thinks he’s undone because of Joseph’s plight, when in reality, had Joseph not been sold into slavery, they all would have been undone, by famine. When the two Mary’s returned and saw Jesus wasn’t there in the tomb, they were distressed also, but in reality, had the tomb not been empty, we’re all undone. (Luke 24:1-8) (Matthew Henry)

So they kill a goat and dip Joseph’s robe in its blood. When they arrive home they show it to their father and say, We found this. You better have a look at it, it might be Joseph’s robe.

Of course Jacob recognizes it right away and says, It is my son’s robe! Some wild animal has devoured him. He’s been torn to pieces for sure.

Then Jacob tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, and mourns for Joseph for many days. All his sons and daughters come to comfort him, but he refuses their consolation. “No,” he says, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.” So his father wept for him.

To Jacob, Joseph is dead. But, there’s good news he doesn’t know about.

Meanwhile, the Midianites sell Joseph to Potiphar, Pharoah’s captain of the guard.

To the disciples and all who knew of His crucifixion, Jesus was dead. But there was good news coming they didn’t know about. It was dark on Friday, but Sunday’s coming. (See previous post: Back From the Dead)

Speaking of Jesus, Luke 25 verse 7 says, Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

I think it’s very likely the story of Joseph was a big part of that explanation.

And I’m reminded of something else Jesus said:

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Luke 8:8)

References:

Walton, Matthews, Chavalas, (2000), IVP Bible Background Commentary, O.T.

7 Steps to Your Dream — Genesis 37:5-11

Posted on April 26, 2012 by kurt bennett

Joseph's Dream -- Photo credit: poetry-bible.ru

Last post on Genesis 37:1-4 we saw how both Joseph and Jesus’ brothers saw they were their father’s/Father’s favorite and how they envied them. We also saw how both Jesus and Joseph have a heart for their respective fathers.

In this post we’ll learn about Joseph’s dreams. Then after the story of Joseph’s dreams, we’ll discover how to learn what dream God has in mind for you.

Genesis 37:5-11

When his brothers saw he was their father’s favorite, they envied him, to the point where they couldn’t speak a kind word to him.

Around this same time, Joseph had a dream. He shared it with his brothers, with great excitement, I imagine, after which, they hated him all the more. He said, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

His brothers said to him, Do you intend to set yourself up to reign over us? Will you rule over us?

And they hated him even more because of his dream and what he had said.

Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

When he told his father about the second dream, his father rebuked him, What kind of dream is that? Will your mother and I and all your brothers bow down to the ground before you?

His brothers were jealous, but his father, though he rebuked him, kept the matter in mind and secretly wondered if there might not be something to these dreams.

Dreams:

Jesus very plainly states, the Old Testament scriptures “testify about me.” And that, Moses “wrote about me.” (John 5:39-40, John 5:45-46) We see it here in the story of Joseph. Like Joseph, Jesus had a dream given to Him by God. Joseph’s dream was to ultimately rule and reign in government. Jesus’ dream was to sacrifice Himself for all of humanity, then to rise up and ultimately rule and reign over everyone and everything, over all there is, at the right hand of the throne of God.

I’m going to give you 7 steps to help you learn what God’s dream is for you, but, before I do, I want to point out God’s dream for Joseph was only recognized by Joseph. His brothers derided him for it. And God’s dream for Jesus was only recognized by Jesus. In fact, when Jesus shared His dream, the religious establishment rejected Him, His own disciple Peter rebuked Him, and even after His dream was finished, after the resurrection, His disciples didn’t recognize Him at first.

So when God gives you your dream, don’t be surprised if you and God are the only two who recognize it. But don’t let that deter you. It didn’t deter Joseph. It didn’t deter Jesus. And as long as you follow the 7 steps below, don’t let it deter you.

So the question I want you to ask yourself right now is, “What is God’s dream for me? And how can I verify that dream is what God desires for me, in the most successful way possible.”

7 Steps to Learning God’s Dream for You:

1) Give Thanks and Praise

What a secret this is to successful prayer about any matter. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name, Psalm 100:4 tells us. When you’re entering into His presence to ask Him to give you the precise dream He has for you, first give thanks for prayers already answered, and for those dreams, however small, which have already happened for you.

2) God’s Word

Immerse yourself in God’s word. Soak up God’s perspective of you and the world around you. Seeing yourself and the world through God’s eyes is one of the most powerful things you can do. In this life we see as through a glass darkly, at best, but God’s word is a lamp for your feet and a light for your path. (1 Corinthians 13:12, Psalm 119:105) Time in His word correlates with enlightenment regarding His will.

3) Go Pray

When Peter received his vision on the rooftop, he was in a quiet place, in prayer. (Acts 10:9-13) When John received the great revelation, he was in a quiet place on the island of Patmos, and he was “in the Spirit.” (Revelation 1:9-10) When Nebuchadnezzar demanded his dream be interpreted, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah prayed for revelation, and received it. (Daniel 2:17-19)

So turn off the TV, close the cover of your laptop, put your phone in another room, and carve out quiet time for you to pray for God’s revelation concerning what dream He has in mind for you. Over and over again we see in scripture, people in a quiet place, very intentionally seeking to hear from God.

4) God’s People

After Jesus ascended and left the disciples, they were without their leader for the first time in several years. They needed direction. So what did they do? They gathered together. They were all together in one place when God made it obvious for them, what to do next. (Acts 2:1)

So go to church. Hang out with God’s people. Ask questions about the dreams of those who are more godly than yourself. Pray with people about what God wants for your life. Church and hanging with God’s people are key parts to learning what God’s specific dream is for you.

5) Give Love

As we’ll see later, God’s dream for Joseph was to save millions of people from a devastating famine. God’s dream for Jesus was to save all of mankind from their inherent faults and flaws, and to reconcile us to God.

You probably noticed, in both dreams, given to Joseph and Jesus, serving others is central to the dream. I’m not saying you have to be a savior to the world, but how others are blessed by your dream provides great indication of whether or not your dream is simply a self absorbed means of selfish gratification or is truly the dream God has in mind for you.

After all, you have to recognize, “If in my dream I do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2)

6) Great passion

God designed you for your dream, and your desires and passions are central to that design. So if you hate high humidity, bugs, and camping in the jungle, your dream probably doesn’t involve missionary work in Africa. I’ll never forget reading about how one of the big considerations for Chuck Smith choosing to pastor a church in Costa Mesa was the great surfing available in that area. In fact, the first time he decided to teach through the entire Bible was partly because he needed enough material to keep him in Costa Mesa where he could continue to surf.

A big consideration of whether or not your dream is truly from the Lord is, how well it fits with your passions and desires.

7) Give Thanks

“Well we already gave thanks in step 1,” you might be saying.

Give thanks again. Only this time give thanks, in faith, for what the Lord is going to do.

Moving forward with an attitude of hope, expectation, and thanksgiving is key to successfully receiving and living out God’s dream for you. Besides, one thing you know for sure is to give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

I’m not proposing this as some kind of formula for learning God’s dream for you. God can’t be confined to a formula. But look through scripture and see if it isn’t true. Those who received their dreams and revelation from God were 1) thankful, 2) spent time in God’s word (or even wrote some of God’s word) 3) prayerful, 4) hung with God’s people, 5) lovers of God and people, 6) passionate, and 7) faithful.

There is no formula but it’s undeniable these seven steps are modeled in scripture.

Your dream becomes your story:

What a phenomenal story resulted from Joseph receiving and living out God’s dream for him.

And what an amazing story was born from Jesus receiving and living out God’s dream for Him.

You have to ask yourself, “What story will be told about my life? When people tell my story, what will they say?”

“He watched a lot of TV?”

“He was amazing at that RPG, or at that first person shooter game?”

“His Castleville castle was the best I’ve ever seen?”

Or will your story be one of value from God’s perspective:

“He went to work everyday and did his job with integrity and honor, as unto the Lord.”

“He lived out God’s word, as a father and husband.”

“He loved the Lord his God with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his mind.”

or even,

“He dared great adventures, for Christ. He swung for the fence, for Him.”

You see, in the end, finding and choosing to follow God’s dream for you, will determine what story will be told of you.

Try those 7 steps for a couple of months, see what happens to your life.

Live out the dream God has designed uniquely for you.

Swing for the fence, for Him.

In Christ’s name.

References:

Walton, Matthews, Chavalas. (2000). IVP Bible Background Commentary, Old Testament

John Piper

Chuck Smith, (2001) Living Water

Max Lucado Country Music Song: Story of Joseph

Posted on April 23, 2012 by kurt bennett

Has it ever occurred to you the story of Joseph sounds like a country music song?

Apparently it did to Max Lucado…

God the Father over Friends brings Freedom: Genesis 37:1-4

Posted on April 21, 2012 by kurt bennett

God the Father over Friends brings Freedom (Photo credit: AnastaciaPicturePush.com)

After revisiting a summary of chapter 36 of Genesis, we’ll look at why Joseph shared the bad report of his brothers to his father, and how it speaks of Jesus.

Genesis chapter 36 was devoted to Esau’s descendants. Beginning in Genesis chapter 37 and on throughout the Old Testament we’re given an account of Jacob’s descendants. That’s quite a disparity. So why does Jacob get all the ink? Well Esau was a great man of worldly talents, but represents the flesh, that part of you, of me, of every person which desires my own way, that part which wants to live for me, that part which wants to live without interference from God. Jacob represents the Spirit, and while God acknowledges the flesh, He’s primarily interested in the things of the Spirit because those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.(Romans 8:8)

Genesis 37:1-4:

In the first four verses of Genesis 37 we see Jacob is still living in the land of Canaan, in the same area where his father Isaac lived.

Jacob’s son Joseph is seventeen now. One time, while tending the flocks with his brothers, he brought back a bad report about them to his father.

Israel (Jacob’s new name given to him by God in Genesis chapter 35) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he was born to him in his old age. He made a special coat for Joseph. A coat that may have been distinguished by many colors, length of the hem, and size of the sleeves. When his brothers saw he was their father’s favorite, they envied him, to the point where they couldn’t speak a kind word to him.

At first glance we might think of Joseph as a sort of teacher’s pet and a snitch. But there could be another explanation. Keeping in mind Joseph is a picture of Jesus, I think it’s more likely he simply prioritized his relationship with his father above his brothers.

I think Joseph was about his father’s business, even as Jesus said to His earthly parents, “…I must be about my Father’s business.” (Luke 2:49 KJV)

Joseph simply desired to honor his father even as Jesus stated, in John 8:49, ”…I honor my Father…”

Joseph strove to do what pleased his father. Even as Jesus, speaking of His Father, said, “…I always do what pleases him.” (John 8:29)

Joseph, like Jesus, was fiercely loyal and devoted to his father, and he had the spine and the spirit to back it up with his behavior, even at the expense of his reputation with his older brothers.

Like Joseph, Jesus was his Father’s favorite. When Jesus was transfigured, His Father said to Jesus’ disciples, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” By the way, When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. (Matthew 17:5-6)

And, Joseph’s coat and assignments given him by his father speak of his authority. Jesus too was given authority from His Father, for Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power… (John 13:3)

Finally, Joseph’s brothers envied him and hated him for his strong connection with his father, and the authority given him by his father, and the favor he enjoyed with his father, even as Jesus’ brothers envied Him and hated Him for precisely the same reasons.

What a powerful picture.

As Jesus said, the Old Testament scriptures “testify about me.” (John 5:39-40, John 5:45-46)

Your Life:

So what does this have to do with how you live your life?

Well, let me tell you a story about a different Joseph. His last name is Tson and he’s from Romania.

While under arrest his Romanian interrogator threatened to kill him because he refused to stop teaching people about Jesus Christ. Joseph Tson responded to his interrogator, “Sir… Your supreme weapon is killiing. My supreme weapon is dying. …I will actually rejoice in this supreme victory if you kill me.” (see previous post: Pastor Offers to Die)

I think both Joseph of the Bible, and Joseph Tson, as well as Jesus’ behavior all speak of the type of love they had for their respective Fathers/father. The kind of love where they could care less what others might think of them. The kind of love where they were unafraid and unashamed of the opinions of others.

This type of love obviously pleases the Father.

I don’t know about you, but I can stand to learn from their example. I need to live a life more abandoned to God the Father. And I think I might find an intriguing dynamic will occur as a result.

An interesting thing happened to Joseph Tson after he offered his life to his interrogator. They became afraid they would create a martyr if they killed him. So they didn’t. Tson said, “I remembered how for many years, I had been afraid of dying. I had kept a low profile. Because I wanted badly to live, I had wasted my life in inactivity. But now that I had placed my life on the altar and decided I was ready to die for the gospel, they were telling me they would not kill me! I could go wherever I wanted in the country and preach whatever I wanted, knowing I was safe. As long as I tried to save my life, I was losing it. Now that I was willing to lose it, I found it.”

I think you and I often try to save our lives, our social lives. We often choose to give more weight, usually much more weight, to what our friends and family think, and not nearly enough consideration to what God the Father thinks. We live our lives afraid of dying, socially. We live our lives afraid of dying, of embarrassment.

I believe the Father wants us to live like Joseph lived, like Joseph Tson lived, and like Jesus lived. We need to live for God the Father without regard for the opinions of our friends, and brothers, and sisters, and others.

We need to live for Him.

And when we do, ultimately, we’ll find the same freedom the two Josephs and Jesus found.

There’s freedom to be found in abandoning yourself to God.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…

Fear of man will prove to be a snare…

Proverbs 9:10, Proverbs 29:25

References:

Walton, Matthews, Chavalas, (2000) IVP Bible Background Commentary, Old Testament