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Guest (Male): We all at some point will be or feel constrained by prison-like circumstances. Why? There's something that is getting in the way. Here's Pastor Thom Keller to explain.

Pastor Thom Keller: God knows your core giftings, strengths, and abilities. He put them there. He knows them better than you know them yourself. And he also knows the flesh that we put there and how that flesh will get in the way of him ever using us as he wants to.

So, sometimes spending time in prison, whatever that may be, can be a part of God's corrective action in our lives to help take the flesh away.

Guest (Male): In answer to our prayer of wanting to experience and do all that God has for us, we can find ourselves hindered. Well, God has a plan for that, as we'll learn today on Study the Word with Pastor Thom Keller of Calvary Chapel Lebanon.

We're glad you're with us. And if you were with us last time, you'll remember that we left off with Joseph wrongly imprisoned in Egypt. But Pharaoh has a vivid and frightening dream, and God will use Joseph to interpret the dream.

What follows is remarkably encouraging, and its implications are far-reaching. To tell us about it from Genesis Chapter 41, picking up in Verse 7, here's Pastor Thom.

Pastor Thom Keller: Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized that it was a dream. The next morning, as he thought about it, Pharaoh became very concerned as to what the dreams might mean. For some reason to the Pharaoh, he knew this was a keeper.

So he called for the magicians and wise men. What it says there is experts in handling the ritual books of practice of priestcraft and magic. These were the magicians. He called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt and told them about his dreams, but not one of them could suggest what they meant.

Then the king's cupbearer spoke up. "Today I have been reminded of my failure," he said. "Some time ago, when you were angry with the chief baker and me, and you imprisoned us in the palace of the captain-guard, one night the chief baker and I had a dream and each dream had a meaning.

We told the dreams to a young Hebrew man who was a servant of the captain of the guard. He told us what the dreams meant, and everything happened just as he said it would. I was restored to my position as cupbearer, and the chief baker was executed on a pole."

Notice he doesn't go on to say, "And he will tell you, too." Smart guy. You don't want to set your head up in case he doesn't come through. He's just giving a testimony of what happened to him.

Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was brought hastily from the dungeon. After a quick Burma-Shave and a change of clothes, he went in and stood in Pharaoh's presence. What a transition, huh? He's in prison for up to 13 years, probably looking a little scraggly by now. They bring him out, shave him, wash him, make him look presentable, and they bring him in before Pharaoh.

Verse 15. "I had a dream last night," Pharaoh told him, "and none of these men can tell me what it means. But I have heard that you can interpret dreams. That's why I have called for you."

Verse 17. So Pharaoh told him the dream. I'm not going to read it again; it's just a retelling of the dream. The only thing that is different is in Verse 21. He says about the ugly cows that even after they ate the fat ones, it says they were still as ugly and gaunt as before. So in this dream, he adds that when the skinny cows ate the fat cows, after they had eaten the fat cows, they were still as skinny as they were before they ate the fat cows.

The end of Verse 24. He says, "I told these dreams to my magicians, but not one of them could tell me what they mean." Verse 25. "Both dreams mean the same thing," Joseph told Pharaoh. "God was telling you what he is about to do. The seven fat cows and the seven plump heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity.

The seven thin, ugly cows and seven withered heads of grain represent seven years of famine. This will happen just as I have described it, for God has shown you what you are to do." Again, it's interesting here that God uses the Pharaoh, these dreams, to provide for the people of Egypt through a famine, as well as Joseph's family.

The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. Verse 30. "But afterwards, there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten and wiped out. Famine will destroy the land.

This famine will be so terrible that even the memory of the good years will be erased. As for having the dream twice, it means that the latter has been decreed by God and that he will make these events happen soon." Double dreams, double meaning, double impact. It's going to be soon.

Verse 33. He interpreted the dream, but he goes on. Kind of a little risky before a man that has a kind of banquet entertainment that he has. Verse 33. He says, Joseph still speaking, "My suggestion is that you find the wisest man in Egypt and put him in charge of a nationwide program."

This is his gift of administration coming through. He's just heard the dream. He's got a plan already. My suggestion is you find the wisest man in Egypt, put him in charge of a nationwide program. Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land and let them collect one-fifth of the crops during the seven years.

That's a 20% excise tax on food. Have them gather all the food and grain of these good years into the royal storehouses and store it away so that there will be food in the cities. That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come. Otherwise, disaster will surely strike the land and the people will die.

Verse 15 again. He says, "It's beyond my power to do this." He could have glorified himself. He could have said, "Look, if I really make a good impression here, it'll help me get out." But he didn't. He deferred; he gave the glory to God.

Had he not done that, there's a good chance he would have been a threat to the king. And the king probably would have used him in some way but would have had a very suspicious eye over a man with that much power, that well-connected to the gods, as they knew. He would have been a threat.

Joseph is now a much wiser man in handling his dreams. Do you remember the dreams he had with his brothers? That's what landed him in Egypt in the first place. And he's much more humble as he interprets the dreams. There was a pride there as a boy, as a 17-year-old or younger, as he interpreted the dreams to his brothers. "Hey, listen to this. Listen to this." He's a different man. 13 years in prison had a refining influence on Joseph.

It's interesting. Joseph spent 13 years in prison. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness. Where are you? Has God placed you at a time in your past or maybe the present where you're kind of in the same setting?

You know why he does this? It's to work off the flesh. It's to work off those character traits that are in us that are going to get in the way of God being able to use us for the ministry and the plan he has for your life.

God knows your core giftings, strengths, and abilities. He put them there. He knows them better than you know them yourself. And he also knows the flesh that we put there and how that flesh will get in the way of him ever using us as he wants to.

So, sometimes spending time in prison, whatever that may be, can be a part of God's corrective action in our lives to help take the flesh away.

Well, let's go on. Verse 37. He says, "I suggest that you put someone in charge of this. Gather the crops for seven years, fill the storehouses. When the famine comes, the people will be prepared." Verse 37. Joseph's suggestions were well-received by Pharaoh and his advisors.

As they discussed who should be appointed for the job, Pharaoh said, "Who could do a better job than Joseph? For he is a man who is obviously filled with the spirit of God." This is the first reference to the spirit of God in the Bible. First time you find it. Genesis 41.

Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said, "Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man in all the land. I hereby appoint you to direct this project. You will manage my household and organize all of my people. Only I will have a rank higher than yours."

Within one short, brief moment, less than a day, he's taken from prison, the basement of Potiphar, the chief executioner, and made second-in-command of all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

There are a number of things that happen here. One is that God obviously gave him great favor before Pharaoh. It's a supernatural thing. Okay, he was a wise man, he interpreted the dream, but still, for Pharaoh to say, "You will be second-in-command, you're to administer in this plan"—he wouldn't have had to make him second-in-command, he could have just administered the plan.

But God did something in Pharaoh to give him favor. And you know, I've said this before, but again, it's worth repeating. A great prayer to learn to pray is when you're going before someone, someone in authority, and you're making an appeal, you're making a request, to pray to God and say, "God, would you please give me favor in the eyes of this person that I'm going before?"

Find it throughout the Old Testament. You'll find it in the New Testament that the people of God pray for favor. "God, let me find favor in their eyes."

Verse 41. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh placed his own signet ring on Joseph's finger as a symbol of his authority. He dressed him in beautiful clothing and placed the royal gold chain about his neck.

Pharaoh also gave Joseph the chariot of his second-in-command. It doesn't say anything about the person who is now riding around in the chariot of the third-in-command who was the chariot of the second command. Just interesting. There were people bumped out of line for this.

In the story of Daniel, we know about those people's feelings. Here we don't. We never find that out. And wherever he went, the command was shouted, "Kneel down!"

So Joseph was put in charge of all of Egypt. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am the king, but no one will move a hand or a foot in the entire land of Egypt without your approval." Again, he gave him favor.

It's also important to note that the famine here was not a judgment of God. This wasn't because the Egyptians, God was angry at them and doing it. It never says that. And God even provides, sends Joseph to prepare them for the famine. It's also clear that the Pharaoh is able to discern Joseph's vision and wisdom. Somehow it stands out as being true to him. Joseph is promoted to a position of great authority.

Let's go on. Verse 45. Pharaoh renamed him Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him a wife, a young woman named Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis. So Joseph took charge of the entire land of Egypt.

He was 30 years old when he entered the service of the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Sold into slavery when he was 17. 13 years in Potiphar's house and now at the age of 30, he's second-in-command.

And when Joseph left Pharaoh's presence, he made a tour of inspection throughout the land. And sure enough, for the next seven years, there were bumper crops everywhere. During those years, Joseph took a portion of all the crops grown in Egypt and stored them for the government in nearby cities.

After seven years, the granaries were full to overflowing. Can I tell what I suspect? I don't know this, I just suspect, and they're everywhere. So in a country of a couple million people, this would have been the case.

I would suspect that there were people that were bumped out of position, who this whole seven-year thing—"This isn't going to happen. This guy's a fraud. It ain't going to happen." But it says there was so much grain like sand on the seashore that the people could not keep track of the amount.

Verse 50. During this time before the arrival of the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis. Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, "God has made me forget all of my troubles and the family of my father."

It's interesting he said, "God has made me to forget the family of my father." You know, it's not that great a distance. You'd think during the seven-year period he could have gotten a little leave time. Again, he is second only to Pharaoh. And said, "I'd like my two weeks vacation, my two weeks paid vacation. I'm going to go back and see."

He didn't do that. And this is kind of telling that he says he's made me forget the family of my father. Just interesting. Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, "God has made me fruitful in this land of my sufferings."

Now, before you think that he forgot everything about his homeland, it's interesting he named his two sons, he gave them Hebrew names. They were not Egyptian names. They were Hebrew names.

Verse 53. At last the seven years of plenty came to an end. Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. There were crop failures in all the surrounding countries too, but in Egypt, there was plenty of grain in the storehouses.

Throughout the land of Egypt, the people began to starve. They pleaded with Pharaoh for food and he told them, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he says." So with severe famine everywhere in the land, Joseph opened up the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. Sold grain to the Egyptians.

And people from surrounding lands also came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world. It's interesting the name that Pharaoh gave Joseph. Zaphenath-Paneah means seer, redeemer, prophet, supporter, interpreter of dreams, clever, discreet, and wise.

You know, we've said this before, but when we read the Old Testament—Dave Dorsey, a professor at the seminary in Myerstown, said this years ago—and anytime we read the Old Testament, when we're done reading the chapter or whatever we've read, the story, we should stop and ask ourselves, "What does this tell me about Jesus?"

Because the whole purpose of the Old Testament is to point to Jesus. What does this chapter tell me about Jesus? Well, you know, it's interesting again. Up until this point in Genesis, we've been talking about the lineage of Christ. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and now we go into Joseph.

This isn't about the lineage of Christ because Christ doesn't come from Joseph. He comes from Judah. This is the first break in the story where we take a diversion, and it's a pretty serious diversion—12 chapters.

But Joseph is a type of Christ. We've been talking about the lineage of Christ, but Joseph is a type of Christ. He represents a type of Christ. Listen to what we have so far, the parallels between Jesus and Joseph just up to this point.

He was a shepherd. He was loved by his father. He was sent unto his brethren. He was hated by his brothers. He prophesied his coming glory. He was rejected by his brothers. He endures unjust punishment from his brothers.

He's sentenced to the pit. He's delivered to the pit, though another leader wanted him to go free. He was sold for pieces of silver. Joseph was sold for 20 pieces; Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver. He was handed over to the Gentiles.

He was regarded as dead but raised up out of the pit. He went to Egypt. Jesus went to Egypt. He was made a servant. He was tempted severely but did not sin. He was falsely accused. He made no defense.

He was cast into prison and numbered with sinners and criminals. He endures unjust punishment from the Gentiles. He's associated with two criminals; one is pardoned, one is condemned. He shows compassion.

He brings a message of deliverance in prison. Jesus went down into the pits of hell and preached to those who had been long dead. He wanted to be remembered. He's shown to have divine wisdom.

He's recognized as having the spirit of God. He's betrayed by his friends. He's glorified after his humility. He's honored among the Gentiles while still despised by his own brethren. He's given a Gentile bride.

He's 30 years old when he begins his life's work. He blesses the world with bread. He was, in fact, the only source of bread. Can you find a closer parallel than that? Do you need more than that to see the type of Christ that he was?

You know, God's plan for Joseph was to refine him, to protect him through this time, to bless him through his time in prison. And how many times are we in a situation where we see it as a curse, and actually God is using it to refine us, to bless us, to prepare us?

I'm going to tell you a quick story about my father. My father served in the Second World War. He was a non-combatant, which meant he served in the war but would not carry a weapon. And in the Second World War, they typically used non-combatants as spies.

They'd send them across the lines, scouts, because if they were found, they wouldn't have a weapon on them. But you didn't want to be found across enemy lines only speaking English during the Second World War.

My father served in a hospital train where he and the man in charge of the train only—there were only two men on the train that had keys to the refrigerator which held morphine. And morphine during the Second World War was a black market commodity. It was worth thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars.

The commander of the train and my father only had keys. One day, all the morphine was gone. They brought my father in and they said, "You stole the morphine." He said, "I didn't." They said, "You stole it. It was either you or me, and I didn't steal it." And they put him in a brig on the train and they held him there.

Eventually, he was let out and allowed to continue on in his service, with that same commander and him on the train that whole time. When the war was over and they came back, they pulled into the port in New York. And before they got off the boat, the commander went to my dad and he said, "I just want you to know, I took that morphine."

And he said, "But we're back. Everything worked out. I just wanted you to know. I knew it wasn't you; it was me." Now, my dad told me that story years ago. The first thing I said to my dad was, "You know what? That saved your life.

Because in all probability, that man felt so guilty for what he did that he never sent you out as a scout. How many of your friends died going behind lines, being killed? But you were never sent out, were you?" Said, "No." He said, "I never thought of that."

Now, my point: God had a plan to protect my dad, to bless my dad. Yet had he fought that, had he tried to make an issue of that and said it was you, you know where my dad would have been? Behind enemy lines. And I wouldn't be here. That maybe, I don't know what that means, but you decide for that.

Here's the point. Some of you are in the same place. And you know what? If you're kicking and fighting and arguing—questioning is okay. God can handle questions. But it's that kicking and fighting and arguing about where you are that, you know what?

You just might have your face turned into the corner of that cell as the chief baker and chief wine taster are having their dream, and you're going to miss the whole thing. How many people miss God's blessings and answers because they've got their head down, complaining and griping and in an attitude about where they are in life?

God writes beautiful last chapters. If there's anything you remember today, remember that. That's a great thing to carry with you. God writes beautiful last chapters. Let him write it. Don't stop him five chapters short. Let him write it.

Guest (Male): Hang in there; your last chapter is going to be a good one, as Joseph's story illustrates. We're studying Genesis right now with Pastor Thom Keller on Study the Word. You can hear this message again by going to CCLEB.com.

Again, we're at CCLEB.com. There are many other messages for your growth and edification there, too. Or call and request a CD copy at 717-507-7862. That's 717-507-7862. Thanks for remembering that Study the Word is a listener-supported ministry.

We look to listeners like you to help us provide these Bible studies on your station every day. Here's where to write: Study the Word, 740 Willow Street, Lebanon, Pennsylvania 17046. Or call 717-507-7862.

Thom Keller is a senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Lebanon. And if you're in the area, we hope you'll come by for a visit. For directions and service times, go to CCLEB.com.

When you get a chance, download our free Android app. Search Calvary Chapel Lebanon in the Google Play Store. Thanks for studying the Word with Pastor Thom Keller. We'll get back into Genesis with Pastor Thom next time. We hope you can join us.