Year 7, Day 40: Genesis 41

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Genesis 41 only confirms what we already know from the past chapter.  Joseph wasn’t freed from the prison because God was not ready to bring glory to Himself.  God was caring for Joseph the whole time, but God’s plan was not ready.  Joseph patiently awaits God’s timing.  For two whole years Joseph is in prison waiting for God’s timing.

Joseph gets his chance, though.  The Pharaoh has a dream.  In this, I find an incredible thing.  There is a reason that God was not ready in Joseph’s prior moments of faithfulness.  God wasn’t ready because the timing wasn’t ideal.  You see, in the prior moments Joseph was ready for God to act.  But nobody besides Joseph was ready.  In this moment, the Pharaoh of the land is ready to hear from God.  The Pharaoh’s heart is opened.

What can God do with a heart that is open to Him?  God can certainly use the Pharaoh to spare Joseph.  God can use the Pharaoh to spare Egypt.  God will even use Pharaoh to spare the nations around Egypt.  Because God waits for Pharaoh’s heart to be open, God can do all of these things.  Rather than free Joseph when Joseph is ready, God can free Joseph when the world is ready to listen to him and observe his wisdom and obedience to God.

What I find remarkable is that Joseph seems to know all of this.  When he is released and told the dream of Pharaoh, do you see his response?  Joseph says, “God revealed this.”  Joseph isn’t bitter towards God.  Joseph is merely waiting for God to act.  When God is ready, Joseph is likewise ready to step in and make sure that the glory goes to God.  That’s remarkable.  After all that has been done to Joseph, here is a patient man waiting to serve God when God is ready to bring glory onto Himself.

Joseph is one of my favorite patriarchs.  He starts off so bold and arrogant.  However, he humbles quickly and becomes quite the servant of God.  Here he is, barely middle-aged, and he is willing to wait for the hearts of others to be open to God before expecting God to act.  There is a deep and profound wisdom in this man named Joseph.

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