God’s Bigger Plan
Even though Joseph was thrown in prison for doing the right thing, God had a bigger plan. We read in scripture that God’s ways are higher than our ways. Our sight is limited. Humanly speaking, it seemed unfair that Joseph was imprisoned, but it’s all a matter of perspective. God wasn’t punishing Joseph; he was preparing him. We see but a fragment, while God sees the whole picture. Think of the dot below as symbolic of what we are able to see and the line as what God sees. There’s a huge difference.
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Read Genesis 40:1-23
1. What other officials ended up in prison under Joseph’s care, and what unusual thing happened to both of them the same night?
2. How does Joseph offer to help them? To whom does Joseph give credit for interpreting dreams?
3. What was the cupbearer’s dream and what did it mean?
4. What was the baker’s dream and interpretation?
5. Describe how the dreams came true.
6. What did Joseph ask of the cupbearer and what did he do?
Has someone ever forgotten or “given no thought to you?” Perhaps we can identify with Joseph in a small way of how disappointed and de-valued he must have felt. Why would the Lord have allowed the butler to forget Joseph at that time? I think we must remember that the Lord’s timing is never like ours. It seems He likes to wait to the last minute before He answers. What we often don’t perceive is God working behind the scenes to perfect the entire picture and His higher purposes. If we try to push the petals of a rose bud open before ready to blossom, we’ll kill the rose. In the same way, it’s important to realize that while God’s delays are a disappointment, they are usually His appointment to something better. Having a Joseph spirit to gracefully wait for the Lord to perfect the things that concern us is the beginning of victory. Are you facing a disappointing situation in your life. Meditate on the truths of Genesis 40 to help you realize God is working a better plan than you can imagine.
I love each one of these lessons and look forward to receiving them each Monday – I can study and answer the question and then go back and re-study until the next lesson arrives – word to think on and lessons from the Bible – it is so exciting to me – Thanks – Karen – they are wonderful. The other officials who ended up in prison and under Joseph’s care were the Kings Butcher and Baker – they both disappointed the King and on the same night both the butcher and the baker had dreams. They told Joseph no one was there who could interpret their dreams – Joseph asked Pharaoh’s officers why they looked so sad today – The men told Joseph they dreamed a dream and Joseph said that the interpretations came from GOD – Joseph wanted to know the dreams. The cup bearer dream was a grape tree was bearing grapes and Joseph said the three branches on the tree meant there was 3 days and in the 3 days Pharaoh would lift thee up and restore thee unto thy place and thou shall deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand when thou was his butler.
Joseph wanted him to think on him when he would be restored and show Joseph some kindness – also mention me to Pharaoh to bring me out of this house. When the chief baker started telling Joseph his dream – the baker had 3 white baskets which were filled with bake meats for Pharaoh – the birds ate them out of the basket on my head – the 3 baskets were interpreted as 3 days again. This happened just like Joseph said but the butler was saved because he remember Joseph and the baker just like in the dream was hanged just as Joseph had said. The chief butler remembers Joseph and the baker forgot Joseph. Both dreams came true just as Joseph had interpreted them. There are so many good thoughts that come out of this lesson – we are always so quick to want an answer right away about things we have asked GOD to do for us – we need to be more patient and let GOD do this in HIS own time and GOD is always on time with everything HE does in our lives. Such a wonderful lesson and I will dwell on this for the whole week.
I have to say I wish I had the ability (or more accurately, the will power) to parent my own children the way God parents us. How much more appreciative they would be in life if they were made to “wait.” Somehow our culture has adopted an attitude of entitlement & instant gratification. I too am guilty of not wanting my children to have to wait for things they want. :-/
I have to say I wish I had the ability (or more accurately, the will power) to parent my own children the way God parents us. How much more appreciative they would be in life if they were made to “wait.” Somehow our culture has adopted an attitude of entitlement & instant gratification. I too am guilty of not wanting my children to have to wait for things they want. :-/
I love the illustration you used with the dot and the line. I agree with Tara. We have become a society of “want it now”. God does have a perfect plan for each of us, but that doesn’t mean it will be without trials and testing. That’s where we need the patience and perseverance of The Lord. Romans 5:3-5 says “3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,5. and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” This verse has helped us through any times of waiting!
I love each one of these lessons and look forward to receiving them each Monday – I can study and answer the question and then go back and re-study until the next lesson arrives – word to think on and lessons from the Bible – it is so exciting to me – Thanks – Karen – they are wonderful. The other officials who ended up in prison and under Joseph’s care were the Kings Butcher and Baker – they both disappointed the King and on the same night both the butcher and the baker had dreams. They told Joseph no one was there who could interpret their dreams – Joseph asked Pharaoh’s officers why they looked so sad today – The men told Joseph they dreamed a dream and Joseph said that the interpretations came from GOD – Joseph wanted to know the dreams. The cupbearer dream was a grape tree was bearing grapes and Joseph said the three branches on the tree meant there was 3 days and in the 3 days Pharaoh would lift thee up and restore thee unto thy place and thou shall deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand when thou was his butler.
Joseph wanted him to think on him when he would be restored and show Joseph some kindness – also mention me to Pharaoh to bring me out of this house. When the chief baker started telling Joseph his dream – the baker had 3 white baskets which were filled with bake meats for Pharaoh – the birds ate them out of the basket on my head – the 3 baskets were interpreted as 3 days again. This happened just like Joseph said but the butler was saved because he remember Joseph and the baker just like in the dream was hanged just as Joseph had said. The chief butler remembers Joseph and the baker forgot Joseph. Both dreams came true just as Joseph had interpreted them. There are so many good thoughts that come out of this lesson – we are always so quick to want an answer right away about things we have asked GOD to do for us – we need to be more patient and let GOD do this in HIS own time and GOD is always on time with everything HE does in our lives. Such a wonderful lesson and I will dwell on this for the whole week.