Angelic Conflict part 125: Human history – Gen 40-50; Exo 14:10-25; 1Co 10:13; Jer 17:5-8; 2Co 12:15; Dan 2:28.

Title: Angelic Conflict part 125: Human history - Gen 40-50; EXO 14:10-25; 1CO 10:13; JER 17:5-8; 2CO 12:15; DAN 2:28.

 

 

The conflict in Jacob’s family; Joseph hated by his brothers, GEN 37:39-46.

 

The gift of dream interpretation was given to both Joseph and Daniel, by God, in foreign lands, so that they would prosper.

 

God gives a spiritual gift to each member of the CA so that they may spiritually prosper in the devil’s world of human achievement.

 

Your spiritual gift, unique to the CA, is given so that you may supernaturally function in a world that praises human achievement. The function of your spiritual gift is inexplicable in a world that magnifies the flesh. However, it is never used to impress people, for even if you did attempt that the gift would not function properly as you would be ruled by the OSN.

 

Each believer’s spiritual gift is given by GHS to only serve the body of Christ and its success is only known therein amongst the invisible heroes.

 

1CO 12:7

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

 

GEN 40:9So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream, behold, there was a vine in front of me;

 

GEN 40:10and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes.

 

GEN 40:11Now Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh's hand."

 

GEN 40:12Then Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days;

 

GEN 40:13within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh's cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer.

 

This is where Joseph should have stopped. But his flesh sees an opportunity for deliverance through man. And it’s not as if God doesn’t use man to deliver believers, it’s just that we shouldn’t orchestrate it.

 

He attempts to use his spiritual gift for deliverance from an unfair circumstance. We use our gifts to be delivered “in” the circumstance and endurance or perseverance [hupomone] means we patiently endure without looking for a way out. God will provide the way out in His perfect time. Do not attempt to decree with God.

 

GEN 40:14Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.

 

God will do exactly this in His timing, and not in Joseph’s. Joe will spend two more years in jail. Joseph sees an opening, but there is no way he knows if it is the opening that God is going to use, so he should not have done this. Due to this scheming by Joseph the cupbearer will forget him and only remember him two years later through God’s shove of his memory.

 

Though Joseph is a fantastic believer, and the first to be so without a visit from God, he will still resort to the energy of the flesh.

 

EXO 14:10 And as Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord.

 

EXO 14:11 Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?

 

Anybody remember the ten plagues?

 

EXO 14:12 "Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."

 

EXO 14:13 But Moses said to the people [the hell with ya], "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.

 

EXO 14:14 The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent."

 

EXO 14:15 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.

 

EXO 14:16 And as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.

 

EXO 14:17 And as for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.

 

EXO 14:18 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord [one of the main reasons for Joseph to be sent down there], when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen."

 

EXO 14:19 And the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.

 

EXO 14:20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.

 

EXO 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.

 

EXO 14:22 And the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

 

The Lord provides the means of escape, the time to escape, and the protection during the escape.

 

1CO 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.

 

EXO 14:23 Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea.

 

EXO 14:24 And it came about at the morning watch, that the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion.

 

EXO 14:25 And He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians."

 

This is why we should never condemn ourselves for mistakes. We all make them [the spiritual Joseph and the reversionistic exodus generation; God didn’t quit on either] and we will all fall for the wrong open door. We should always ask ourselves as to who will get the glory for a certain method of deliverance.

 

We should not fear men of circumstances, but what we should fear is not learning the lesson involved while we keep looking for humanistic solutions. God is with Joseph and God is in you. He will deliver you in His perfect time. Trust Him.

 

JER 17:5 Thus says the Lord ,

"Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind [including yourself]

And makes flesh his strength,

And whose heart turns away from the Lord .

 

JER 17:6"For he will be like a bush in the desert

And will not see when prosperity comes,

But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,

A land of salt without inhabitant.

 

JER 17:7"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord

And whose trust is the Lord .

 

JER 17:8"For he will be like a tree planted by the water,

That extends its roots by a stream

And will not fear when the heat comes;

But its leaves will be green,

And it will not be anxious in a year of drought

Nor cease to yield fruit.

 

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

 

I’ve personally seen the difference between those who have trust and those who don’t; in others as well as myself. Those who don’t, worry, and it tires them and they become weary and self-defeating. As Jeremiah describes, they have fear and anxiety. That is no way to live. Those who trust go through the same circumstances and sometimes worse and they are energized through it all, contented, and productive.

 

The fearful and anxious distance themselves from others and brood about all that is wrong and feel that it’s humble to be alone because they are just going to let others down.

 

The closer you get to people the more able you are to let them down. You can crawl under a rock or get involved in people’s lives and trust God for the result. Just don’t quit on doctrine.

 

The more you trust God for your life the more you realize that so few have done so and that is why the more you find God’s love, the less you are loved. You’re not loved less just because you love more; it’s just that as you do love more you find that there are fewer and fewer who run with you. Moral people find other moral people, exceptional people according to the flesh find more of the same, but those who love as God does find few. These are amongst the unbeliever and believer. The world has bled into the church and there are a lot of self-loving Christians in the Church.

 

None of us should want to fall into the category of the majority who never drop their self love.

 

2CO 12:15

And I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you the more, am I to be loved the less?

 

C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity, in his chapter, The Great Sin, which is pride, closes with this statement.

 

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be the sort of greasy, smarmy [flattering in an insincere fashion] person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you say to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all. If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed. [end quote]

 

Joseph is on his way to being a great believer, but he reveals his immaturity here. No problem with that as long as he grows, and he does.

 

Joseph will spend two more years in this jail because if he got out now he would have given credit to his pleading to the cupbearer. But by means of God’s perfect timing he will have no other conclusion than God’s faithfulness in deliverance of His people. This is not only true of deliverance but also in blessed things given by God.

 

HEB 10:35-36

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised [reward and deliverance].

 

In line with his request for acquittal he pleads his case to a mere man.

 

GEN 40:15For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon."

 

For the believer, justice in the courts of men is insignificant, while justice done from the Supreme Court of Heaven is everything. God hears every case of His people.

 

And especially in the CA is this so true. Not only does God hear every case we enter (case meaning any trial of life), but uniquely for us:

 

We have an Advocate at the right hand of God who does not cease to intercede for us.

 

1JO 2:1

My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

 

HEB 7:25

Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

 

GEN 40:16When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, "I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head;

 

The baker imagines that he will get the same favorable interpretation. God is not a respecter of persons. Trust Him alone.

 

The baker is going to get hanged anyway, but he sees the favorable, deliverance interpretation and hopes he will get the same. We reap what we sow. And, I would add, how God deals with one believer is not going to be the same as how He deals with another. Do not compete, compare, or even look to others as some template for how God is going to deal with you. You are completely unique and there is no need for fear or pretense. God will deal with you perfectly in His infinite love and grace and truth.

 

GEN 40:17and in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head."

 

GEN 40:18Then Joseph answered and said, "This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days;

 

GEN 40:19within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh off you."

 

The phrase “lift up your head” is used in both interpretations, but one to restoration and one to punishment in the sense of being hanged.

 

GEN 40:20Thus it came about on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.

 

GEN 40:21And he restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh's hand;

 

GEN 40:22but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them.

 

GEN 40:23Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

 

Do not trust in man to deliver. They may or may not. Trust God to deliver, tarry under that timing, and He will, and likely use man as His instruments, but only when you can see that it is God at work and man is His instrument.

 

GEN 41:1 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.

 

GEN 41:2 And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass.

 

GEN 41:3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.

 

GEN 41:4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.

 

GEN 41:5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good.

 

GEN 41:6 Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.

 

GEN 41:7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

 

GEN 41:8 Now it came about in the morning that his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt [these were sacred scribes], and all its wise men [these were expositors of ritual books, experts of the priestly craft and magic]. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

 

The Pharaoh was considered a god and in their polytheistic religion the priesthood became very powerful politically. Their inability would have damaged their reputation and Joseph’s interpretation would bring the idea of one God, or monotheism, and one True God, who is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Through Joseph, not only is Israel about to begin her destiny, but the gospel is being brought into a pagan people. Unfortunately, as happened in many other lands that would be influenced by Israel during her history, the pagan people would just take the Hebrew God and lump him in with their own gods, while never coming to a saving faith in the one true God.

 

Now is the timing of God and God nudges the cupbearer’s memory.

 

GEN 41:9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, "I would make mention today of my own offenses.

 

GEN 41:10 Pharaoh was furious with his servants, and he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker.

 

GEN 41:11 And we had a dream on the same night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.

 

GEN 41:12 Now a Hebrew youth was with us there, a servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we related them to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his own dream.

 

GEN 41:13 And it came about that just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my office, but he hanged him."

 

GEN 41:25 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do.