{"id":16655,"date":"2021-07-12T22:00:53","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T05:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/genesis_41_1-36-copy\/"},"modified":"2021-07-10T18:34:49","modified_gmt":"2021-07-11T01:34:49","slug":"genesis_41_37-57","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/genesis_41_37-57\/","title":{"rendered":"God Prepares Before He Promotes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Genesis 41:37-57Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Genesis 41:37-57.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Genesis 41:37-44 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n37\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.
\n38\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”
\n39\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
\n40\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
\n41\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”
\n42\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.<\/em>
\n43\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
\n44\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 37-44:\u00a0\u00a0Joseph goes from a prisoner to being put in charge of the whole land of Egypt.\u00a0\u00a0For the first time since he was a child, Joseph is even given a robe that speaks of his favoured status (v42).\u00a0\u00a0What a promotion.\u00a0\u00a0You could make the argument that God was preparing Joseph for a role like this his whole life, whether Joseph knew it or not.\u00a0\u00a0Before God promotes a person, He prepares them.\u00a0\u00a0From being in charge of his father\u2019s flocks, to being in charge of Potiphar\u2019s household, to being in charge of the prisons, to now being in charge of the whole land of Egypt, granted, Joseph\u2019s wasn\u2019t the most conventional way to climb a professional ladder.\u00a0\u00a0Still, again and again Joseph was placed in positions of authority and had proven faithful.\u00a0\u00a0It reminds me of Luke 16:10\u00a0<\/strong>(NLT2):<\/strong>\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0\u201cIf you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won\u2019t be honest with greater responsibilities.\u201d It also reminds me of\u00a0Luke 19:17 (NLT2):\u00a0<\/strong>\u201c\u2018Well done!\u2019 the king exclaimed. \u2018You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

May Joseph\u2019s story encourage you to be faithful and trustworthy with what God has given you, no matter how little you might think it may be.\u00a0\u00a0For faithfulness in little things will lead to faithfulness in bigger things one day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Your promotion is just around the corner!<\/p>\n

Genesis 41:45 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n45\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 45:\u00a0\u00a0Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah, the meaning for which is not entirely certain, although some scholars believe it is an Egyptian name meaning something like \u201cthe god has said, he will live\u201d.<\/p>\n

Genesis 41:46-49 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n46\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt.
\n47\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.
\n48\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
\n49\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 46-49:\u00a0\u00a0In the seven years when the harvest was plentiful, Joseph stored up the food for future purposes.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s a good reminder that we do not simply want to consume all that we earn, but we want to save some to make provision for the future.<\/p>\n

Genesis 41:50-52 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n50\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
\n51\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
\n52\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 50-52:\u00a0\u00a0Take note of the names Joseph gave to his two sons.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cManasseh\u201d means \u201cforget\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0No matter how painful your past may be, God is able to heal you and give you the ability to move forward.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cEphraim\u201d means \u201cfruitful\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0God is able to help us forget the past and be fruitful in the present.<\/p>\n

Genesis 41:53-57 (NIV)<\/em><\/strong>
\n53\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end,
\n54\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.
\n55\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
\n56\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.
\n57\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 53-57:\u00a0\u00a0Whereas other countries were suffering greatly because of the famine, through God-given wisdom and careful planning, Joseph helped Egypt to survive and even prosper during the famine.\u00a0\u00a0Here\u2019s believing that with the Lord you can have special favour and wisdom to do exceptionally well even in difficult seasons.<\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, just as You prepared Joseph before You promoted him, thank You that You are in the process of preparing me for greater things down the road.\u00a0\u00a0May I be faithful with what I have now, knowing that those who are faithful with a little will be faithful with much.\u00a0\u00a0Thank You that even when there is famine all around, You give me everything I need to survive and to thrive.\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Genesis 41:37-57.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Genesis 41:37-44 (NIV)
\n37\u00a0\u00a0The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.
\n38\u00a0\u00a0So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”
\n39\u00a0\u00a0Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
\n40\u00a0\u00a0You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
\n41\u00a0\u00a0So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”
\n42\u00a0\u00a0Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
\n43\u00a0\u00a0He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
\n44\u00a0\u00a0Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”<\/p>\n

On verses 37-44:\u00a0\u00a0Joseph goes from a prisoner to being put in charge of the whole land of Egypt.\u00a0\u00a0For the first time since he was a child, Joseph is even given a robe that speaks of his favoured status (v42).\u00a0\u00a0What a promotion.\u00a0\u00a0You could make the argument that God was preparing Joseph for a role like this his whole life, whether Joseph knew it or not.\u00a0\u00a0Before God promotes a person, He prepares them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16657,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16655"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16656,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16655\/revisions\/16656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}