When trouble arises in Jacobs life, he is led to despair. As humans, we often find ourselves in similar situations, but God promises that though we face trouble, he has already overcome.

Transcript:

Good morning. So Pharaoh said to Joseph, I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then 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. He had him ride in a chariot as his second in command, and people shouted before him, Make way!

Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, but without your word, no one will lift a hand or foot in all of Egypt.

Sometimes things just go your way. I had a moment like that on Monday. I arrived early at James's school for pick up, and so I figured I'd just go down the street and wait at a park and do some studying until I needed to go get him. After a bit of time, things got interesting. I heard sounds of yelling in the distance, and I just kind of figured it was someone out in their yard, you know, enjoying some horseplay or something.

I thought that until a police officer showed up and dashed into the woods with a man I presume called the police. I had a few minutes before I needed to leave and so I figured I'd just wait. I was a bit curious about what was going on. Before I knew it, another policeman pulled up and, and parked right behind my car.

And other police officers besides showed up on the scene. It suddenly dawned on me that I wasn't going to be pulling out to pick up James anytime soon. I figured I should begin walking the mile to pick him up. So I got out of my car, approached the street. But as soon as I stepped up onto the sidewalk, I heard a friendly holler across the street.

My grandma just so happened to be at the intersection and was offering me a ride. So I was very elated, you know, praising God, because he provides when we least expect it. But sometimes things don't seem to go our way. Last Christmas was very hard on me. I was sick with some sort of cold. You all will probably remember that.

That's why you gave me cough drops. I was sick with this terrible cold, and then my grandfather passed away. I was an emotional wreck, but I was also a physical wreck. I was getting sicker and sicker, as sick as I'd ever been. And I was later diagnosed with some form of bronchitis and had to get antibiotics and an inhaler.

It was a difficult season. It felt like nothing was going my way. It can feel like God is absent in those times. The words of Psalm 22, the words of Christ come to our lips. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me. Has he? Has he forsaken us in those times? Or is it that our eyes cannot see what he sees? As we continue Joseph's story this morning, I want you to put yourself, not in Joseph's shoes, but in the shoes of his father and brothers.

In your imagination, limit yourself to what they see, to what they know at this moment in the story. But before we get to them, we orient ourselves by getting a fuller picture of Joseph's new status as second in command of Egypt. And we're picking up in Genesis 41, verse 41. Nick read those verses for us.

And in these verses, we learn how Joseph has been raised to this position of great authority, second in command of Egypt. And he has all the symbols of authority given to him. He is given Pharaoh's signet ring, so that basically Joseph can sign off. They would make a mark with this ring. He can sign off on whatever needs to be done, and he has the authority of Pharaoh standing behind him.

He is dressed in new clothing, robes of fine linen. He has a gold chain put around his neck, signifying that he is a very important person. He's given a chariot. Not everyone had chariots back in that day. A chariot was basically a limo, the limo of its time. And so, Joseph is now riding in style, and there's men, servants, going before him saying, make way.

He was basically given secret service officers.

Altogether, he is given such authority that Pharaoh says, without your word, no one will lift hand or foot in all of Egypt. Now, in addition to these symbols of authority that Joseph is given, being raised to this position, which is just astounding, from being a slave, being a prisoner, and now he's in second command.

He also receives a new name. And begins a new life. Continuing on in verse 45. It says, Pharaoh 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. Joseph 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. Now, this name that Joseph is given, commentators are not exactly sure what it means. One suggestion is that the name means, the one who knows. Which would make sense since he, he is known for his ability to interpret dreams.

He's known for his wisdom. In any case, he's beginning a new life. And, he gets himself a wife. Who is the daughter of Potiphera, who is a priest of On, so he marries into a very important priestly caste within Egypt. He's married into a very influential family. And, he's still pretty much a young man.

He's 30 years old. But think about everything that he's experienced. Remember, he was sold off into slavery at the age of 17. Imagine all the things that he experienced over those 13 years. Being a slave. Being in prison. And now he's been raised to this position. And so, now that he's got this start in life, he begins to get to work.

Continuing on in verse 47. It says, During the seven years of abundance, the land produced plentifully. Joseph 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. Joseph 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. So, if, you'll recall, the reason why Joseph has been put into this position, the reason why he is collecting this grain is because he interpreted Pharaoh's dream in which Pharaoh was warned by God that there would be seven years of great abundance, followed by seven years of famine.

So during the seven years of abundance, there's this need to store up food so that Egypt would have enough for when those years of famine came. And so that's what Joseph is doing. He has a plan. He goes to each city and from the surrounding areas, they collect the food from the surrounding area into that city.

And it was so much that grain was like sand in Egypt. So, the land of Egypt is experiencing fruit, agricultural fruitfulness. But Joseph is also enjoying fruitfulness in other ways in his life. Continuing on in verse 50, it says, Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, It is because God has made me forget all my trouble in all my father's household. The second son he named Ephraim and said, It is because God has made me fruitful.

It's so interesting, we kind of get a little bit of insight here into, kind of, Joseph's emotions, given everything that has transpired. You'll recall that when he was in prison and he was requesting that the cupbearer would plead his case with Pharaoh, he was telling him about how much injustice he suffered in his life.

And now that he's in this much different place where now he has a family, he's being blessed with children, he's just so grateful. He's giving praise to God. And he's not even anticipating, at this point, any possibility of being reconciled to his family. You know, he says, in naming his son Manasseh, he says, Because God's made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household.

He's like, good enough, I'm glad to just forget them. They sold me into slavery. He's just grateful for how far God has brought him thus far. But there is going to be more to come here. Now, following the seven years of abundance, seven years of famine likewise arrive. Continuing on in verse 53. It says, The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end.

And 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. When 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.

When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere. So this famine that the people are suffering under is very significant.

It's not only striking Egypt. It's striking all the surrounding lands. And we can only imagine how many people would have died had not Pharaoh been warned to save up food during those seven years of abund...