Genesis 41

Pharaoh has two dreamsverses 1-8

And it came to pass at the end of TWO FULL YEARS

that Pharaoh dreamed – and- behold – he stood by the river

And behold

there came up out of the river SEVEN well favored cows

and fat fleshed – and they fed in a meadow

And behold – SEVEN other cows came up after them out of the river

ill favored and lean fleshed

and they stood by the other cows upon the brink of the river

And the ill favored and lean fleshed cows did EAT up the SEVEN

well-favored and fat cows

So Pharaoh awoke

And he slept and dreamed the second time

and – behold – SEVEN ears of grain came up on one stalk

full and good

and – behold – SEVEN thin ears and blighted with the east wind

sprung up after them

and the SEVEN thin ears DEVOURED the SEVEN fat and full ears

and Pharaoh awoke and behold it was a dream

And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled

and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt

and all the wise men thereof

and Pharaoh told them his dream

BUT there was none that could interpret

them to Pharaoh

Butler remembers Joseph two years laterverses 9-13

THEN spoke the chief butler to Pharaoh saying

I do remember my FAULTS this day

Pharaoh was angry with his servants

and put me in ward in the captain of the

guard’s house

BOTH me and the chief baker

And we dreamed a dream in one night – I and he

we dreamed each man according to the

interpretation of his dream

And there was there with us a young man – an Hebrew

servant to the captain of the guard

And we told him – and he interpreted to us our dreams

to each man according to his dream he did interpret

And it came to pass – as he INTERPRETED to us – so it was

me he restored unto mine office – and him he hanged

Pharaoh sends for Josephverses 14-24

THEN Pharaoh sent and called Joseph

and they brought him hastily out of the DUNGEON

and he shaved himself – and changed his raiment

and came in unto Pharaoh

And Pharaoh said to Joseph – I have dreamed a dream

and there is none that can INTERPRET it

and I have heard say of you

that you can UNDERSTAND a dream

to INTERPRET it

And Joseph answered Pharaoh saying – It is not in me

God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace

And Pharaoh said to Joseph

In my dream – BEHOLD – I stood upon the bank of the river

and BEHOLD- there came up out of the river SEVEN cows

fat fleshed and well favored

and they fed in a meadow

and BEHOLD SEVEN other cows came up after them

poor and very ill favored and lean fleshed

such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt

for badness

and the lean and the ill favored cows did EAT up the first

SEVEN fat cows – and when they had EATEN them up

it could not be known that they had EATEN them

but they were still ill favored – as at the beginning

SO I awoke

AND I saw in my dream and BEHOLD

SEVEN ears came up in one stalk – full and good

and – BEHOLD – SEVEN ears

withered – thin – blighted with the east wind

sprung up after them

and the thin ears devoured the SEVEN good ears

and I told this unto the magicians

BUT there was none that could declare it to me

Joseph interprets the dreamsverses 25-36

And Joseph said to Pharaoh

The dream of Pharaoh is one

God has shown Pharaoh what HE is about to do

The SEVEN good cows are SEVEN years

and the SEVEN good ears are SEVEN years – the dream is one

And the seven thin and ill-favored cows that came up after them

are SEVEN years – and the SEVEN empty ears blighted

with the east wind shall be SEVEN years of FAMINE

This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh

What God is about to do HE showed to Pharaoh

BEHOLD there come SEVEN years of great PLENTY throughout all the

land of Egypt – and there shall arise after them

SEVEN years of FAMINE – and all the PLENTY shall be

forgotten in the land of Egypt

and the FAMINE shall consume the land

And the PLENTY shall not be known in the land by reason of that

FAMINE following – for it shall be very GRIEVOUS

And for that the dream was DOUBLED to Pharaoh TWICE

it is because the thing is established by God

and God will SHORTLY bring it to pass

NOW therefore let Pharaoh seek out a man DISCREET and WISE

and set him over the land of Egypt

Let Pharaoh do this – and let him appoint officers over the land

and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the

SEVEN PLENTEOUS years

And let them gather all the food of those GOOD years that come

and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh

and let them keep food in the cities

And that food shall be for storage in the land against the

SEVEN years of FAMINE

which shall be in the land of Egypt

that the land perish not through the FAMINE

Pharaoh tells his leaders that Joseph should be the manverses 37-44

AND the thing was GOOD in the eyes of Pharaoh

and the eyes of all his servants

And Pharaoh said to his servants

Can we find such an one as this is a man in whom the

Spirit of God is?

And Pharaoh said to Joseph

Forasmuch as God has shown you all this

there is none so DISCREET and WISE as you are

You shall be over my house

and according to your word shall all my people be RULED

only in the throne will I be GREATER than you

And Pharaoh said to Joseph

See – I have set thee over all the land of Egypt

And Pharaoh took off his RING from his hand

and put it upon Joseph’s hand

and arrayed him in vestures of FINE LINEN

and put a GOLD CHAIN about his neck

and he made him to RIDE in the SECOND chariot which he had

and they cried before him – Bow the knee

and he made him RULER over all the land of Egypt

And Pharaoh said to Joseph

I am Pharaoh – and without you shall no man lift up his hand

or foot in all the land of Egypt

Pharaoh gives Joseph a new name and a wifeverse 45

And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah [revealer of secrets]

and he gave him as his wife Asenath the daughter of Potiphera

priest of On

And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt

Joseph gathers food in years of plentyverses 46-49

And Joseph was THIRTY years old when he stood before Pharaoh

king of Egypt

And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh

and went throughout all the land of Egypt

Joseph collected food in the seven good yearsverses 47-49

And in the SEVEN PLENTEOUS years the earth brought forth by handfuls

and he gathered up all the food of the SEVEN years

which were in the land of Egypt

and laid up the food in the cities

the food of the field – which was round about each city

laid he up in the same

And Joseph gathered grain as the sand of the sea – very much

until he ceased numbering – FOR it was without number

Joseph has two sons: Manasseh & Ephraimverses 50-52

And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of FAMINE came

whom Asenath – the daughter of Poti-pherah

priest of ON – bore to him

And Joseph called the name of the first-born – Manasseh

FOR God said he – hath made me FORGET all my toil

and all my father’s house

And the name of the second called he – Ephraim

FOR God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of

my AFFLICTION

Seven years of famine hits the worldverses 53-57

And the SEVEN years of PLENTEOUS – that was in the land of Egypt

were ended

And the SEVEN years of FAMINE began to come

according as Joseph had said – and the FAMINE was in the lands

BUT in all the land of Egypt there was BREAD

And when all the land of Egypt was FAMISHED

the people cried to Pharaoh for BREAD

and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians – Go to Joseph

What he say to you – DO

And the FAMINE was over all the face of the earth

and Joseph opened all the storehouses

and sold to the Egyptians

and the FAMINE was severe in the land of Egypt

And all the countries came into Egypt to Joseph to BUY grain

BECAUSE the FAMINE was so severe in all lands

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them to Pharaoh. (2748 “magicians” [chartom] means soothsayer-priests, a person who uses or claims to use magical spells to harness evil forces or spirits in order to produce unnatural effects in the world, sacred scribes, or astrologer)

DEVOTION: Today we find that even those who claim to believe the Bible and say that they have repented of their sins going to people who think they can tell the future. Some who say they are believers check the daily horoscope to see what is going to happen to them on any given day. There were people who claim Christ even using witchcraft to find out what is going on in this world. Some claim that there is white magic and black magic and so they think it is OK to use white magic.

Here we find that the ancient Egyptians believed in magicians and wise men to tell them the future. Only God genuinely knows the future. HE has reveals some of it to us in the Bible. We need to be studying it to make sure we understand HIS future for us and the world.

Watch out for those who trust in other means to find out what is in their future. Ask the LORD in prayer to reveal to you what HE wants you to do each step of your life. HE might not speak to you in dreams but HE uses the ministry of the Holy Spirit to give us direction through the Bible. HE uses other believers to help us understand the truths of the Word of God.

Warning that we must always follow is that we have to check out anyone who gives us direction with the Word of God. There are many false religions and false teachers in our world that cause a lot of confusion in the believers’ lives.

CHALLENGE: Discernment comes from the LORD. Consult the LORD rather than the false prophets of the future found in our culture today.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment and came in to Pharaoh. (7323 “brought him hastily” [ruwts] means run, speedily, to run swiftly, dart, to bring or move quickly, hurry, or run to meet)

DEVOTION: Before Joseph could enter into the presence of the Pharaoh he needed some cleaning up. He was living in a cell with other prisoners. He had been there for years. We know that it was at least two years before the butler remembered him. So he was in jail a long time with no one on the outside to come and give him necessitates of life.

Now the butler remembers him and Pharaoh wants to see him. How do they allow him to enter into the presence of the Pharaoh?

He has to be shaved. He has to be given a change of clothes. He has to have his appearance improved. He has to look good for the Pharaoh. He just can’t come as he wants to in the presence of the leader of the nation.

Today we can go into worship services in church and people dress anyway they feel on any given Sunday. They can come in shorts. They can come in sloppy clothes. They can come without shaving.

It seems that many people feel that God should be happy that they are in church. They think that they are doing God a favor by coming to church in whatever outfit they happen to pick on Sunday.

How would we dress to meet the President of our country? Would our hair be just right or uncombed? Would our shoes look good or just be sneakers? How do we show up for a job interview?

These are questions believers should ask themselves when they come to worship the LORD of LORD’s and KING of Kings each Sunday. Sometimes our attitude toward HIM shows up in our dress code.

If we honor the LORD, HE will honor us. If we place a high priority in our attitude and dress for our meeting with HIM, HE will be pleased with us. The priests had special clothes they had to wear in HIS presence.

When the LORD talks about eternity and our meeting with the LORD there is a dress code. Some came to the marriage supper in heaven with the wrong clothes.

CHALLENGE: Make sure that your appearance is in order to meet the King of kings and LORD of Lords. Do you have the full armor of God on?

: 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh saying – It is not in me God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. ( 7965 “peace” [salom] means well, prosperity, soundness, completeness, welfare, health, contented state of wellbeing, secure, or satisfaction)

DEVOTION: Joseph wants the Pharaoh to understand that he is just a tool of the God of the universe. It is not him that is giving him the interpretation of the dreams that he had that scared him. He wants him to understand that God is trying to give him a look into the future.

The future is scary to all of us but to someone who doesn’t believe what is being told him it is even worse. The Bible tells us the future concerning what is going to happen to us.

This revelation is not given in a dream but in the writings of the New Testament and some of the Old Testament. God knows the future. HE is in control. HE wants us to know that HE is in control.

Joseph was revealing this to Pharaoh. I don’t know if Joseph realizes that the dreams that he had as a youth were being fulfilled now. He has been though a great trial to his faith. He has been in prison because of a false accusation. He has given the butler an interpretation of his dream that came to pass and the butler forgot about Joseph. It had to be discouraging. Yet in spite of it all God was working through all the circumstances that HE put Joseph in. Now we have Joseph out of prison and about to tell the Pharaoh the meaning of the dreams.

Another new circumstance is going to happen to Joseph. How do we handle new circumstances? If you went through all that Joseph has gone through in the last couple of chapters how would you handle it? Would you be happy for all the circumstances the LORD had put you through? Would you be angry at God for allowing all these things to happen to you? It is hard to say because most of the time God puts us through circumstances a lot less trying. At least most of us would have trials less trying.

However, many of God’s servants have gone through these kinds of trials and worse and still showed a love for the LORD. Is our generation of Christians a lot weaker than those of the past? It seems that most believers want an easy life with no requirements.

The Bible gives us enough illustrations of the difficulties believers have faced and come out of in victory. As we face our present circumstances do we see victory around the corner or just more trials?

CHALLENGE: Watching fellow believers go through trials that the LORD might allow in our life can be scary but we need to always keep in mind that we are on the victorious side!!

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. (3559 “established” [kuwn] to be erect, to set up, fix, prepare, certain, faithfulness, fashion, order, or perfect.)

DEVOTION: Do we enjoy waiting on the LORD? Here we find that Joseph waited two years after the butler was put back in Pharaoh’s service. We seem to have the thought that God should work on our time table. HE normally doesn’t because HE knows that we need time to understand what HE is doing in our life.

God is in control of this world. HE is in control of our weather. HE is in control of our food. HE has a plan and HE is going to work HIS plan. HE KNOWS the future. Here we have an example of God revealing the future to an unbelieving ruler.

The unbelieving ruler didn’t understand the dreams. His wise men didn’t understand the dream. The LORD had the butler remember Joseph in prison. He admitted that he should have said something to Pharaoh before this occasion.

Joseph was taken out of prison. He shaved and got better clothes and went to meet Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked if he could interpret dreams. Joseph gave all the credit to God regarding the interpretation of the dream. Pharaoh wanted to say that Joseph received the interpretation on his own but Joseph told him that only God knows the future.

When Joseph interpreted the dreams, Pharaoh accepted the interpretation. Even the unbelieving world can understand the TRUTH. Our worldview has to be based on the Word of God alone.

Even the unbelieving world can credit someone as having the Spirit of God in them. When the world sees us, do they think the Spirit of God is in us or some other spirit?

The unbelieving world KNOWS that there is a God but still wants to deny HIS existence. They know that HE has a plan. They just chose to ignore it. Pharaoh didn’t plan to ignore it. He didn’t ignore it. He did something about it. He gave Joseph the authority to save food for the seven lean years to come.

This famine affected all the countries around Egypt. Remember that God was working HIS plan. HE wanted the children of Israel in the land of Egypt to grow and trust HIM. In the future, they would see that HIS plan for their occupation of Canaan had to wait for the sin of the Amorites had to be full.

In our day we find that sin is increasing. We see that most people don’t have a Biblical worldview because they don’t know what the Bible teaches. Many who call themselves Christians have a mix of secular and Christian worldview. This is not what the LORD wants. We have to understand that God is still in control. The Bible is the final authority in our life. Joseph gave all credit to the LORD for understanding our world. We need to give God credit every day.

Are we ignoring God’s plans for the future? HE does send us warning signs regarding the future. HE seems to be sending warning signs to the world today. Are we listening????

Waiting on the LORD is hard. We are not all going to go to jail for our service to the LORD. Sometimes that is in HIS plan for our life to teach us lessons. It was in Joseph’s plan. It worked.

CHALLENGE: Are hard times helping us to trust the LORD?

: 38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” (7307 “Spirit” [ruwach] means 1 wind, breath, mind, spirit. 1a breath. 1b wind. 1b1 of heaven. 1b2 quarter (of wind), side. 1b3 breath of air. 1b4 air, gas. 1b5 vain, empty thing. 1c spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation). 1c1 spirit, animation, vivacity, vigor. 1c2 courage. 1c3 temper, anger. 1c4 impatience, patience. 1c5 spirit, disposition (as troubled, bitter, discontented). 1c6 disposition (of various kinds), unaccountable or uncontrollable impulse. 1c7 prophetic spirit. 1d spirit (of the living, breathing being in man and animals). 1d1 as gift, preserved by God, God’s spirit, departing at death, disembodied being. 1e spirit (as seat of emotion). 1e1 desire. 1e2 sorrow, trouble. 1f spirit. 1f1 as seat or organ of mental acts. 1f2 rarely of the will. 1f3 as seat especially of moral character. 1g spirit of God. 1g1 as inspiring ecstatic state of prophecy. 1g2 as impelling prophet to utter instruction or warning. 1g3 imparting warlike energy and executive and administrative power. 1g4 as endowing men with various gifts. 1g5 as energy of life. 1g6 ancient angel and later Shekinah. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])

DEVOTION: This is the first verse in the Bible where we have a mention of the Spirit inhabiting a man. Up to this point we have been told that the Spirit was active at the time of the creation, and that the Spirit would not continue to strive with the sinfulness of man at the time of Noah. Now Pharaoh (who was probably not a worshipper of the LORD) recognizes that Joseph has a Spirit which comes from God. This is both a recognition of Joseph’s superior wisdom (as manifested by his interpreting Pharaoh’s two dreams) and his character (which had been shaped by the trials which he had endured). Pharaoh looked upon Joseph’s character and recognized it as something entirely different.

We know that we all possess a spirit, and that is what makes us spiritual beings (which means that we as people will live beyond the point we commonly call “death”). Our spirit also refers to our character and personality. In both of these usages of the term, we are told as believers in Jesus Christ to allow ourselves to be continually being filled with God’s Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). That means that God’s Spirit is to continually transform our personality and our character to make it more like Jesus Christ’s. What that also means is that people should look at our lives and tell that we are different.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a New Testament manifestation. In the Old Testament, we see many people having been filled by the Holy Spirit for a time, yet not permanently (Moses, Samson, Saul, and David, for example). However, for the believer in Jesus Christ, this is to be a constant thing based on the promise of the Holy Spirit as Jesus’ Comforter promised to His disciples. This means that if you do not feel as though you are being filled with the Holy Spirit, you need to confess sin, and ask Him to indwell you again.

CHALLENGE: Do non-Christians see you as different? If not, then go back to find out where your life should be changed to make you more like Jesus. (MW)

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

God (Elohim)verses 16, 25, 28, 32, 38, 39, 51, 52

Gave Pharaoh answer to dreamverse 16

God has establishedverse 32

God will bring it to passverse 32

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Spirit of Godverse 38

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Pharaoh dreamsverses 1-55

Seven well favored kine

Seven ill favored kine ate others

Seven good ears of corn

Seven thin ears and blasted corn

His spirit troubled

Sent for magicians of Egypt

None could interpret

Chief butler remembers Joseph

Called Joseph from jail after two full years

Looks for man discreet and wise

Looks for someone to appoint over land

Called Joseph =Zaphnath-paaneah

Gave Joseph wife: Asenath the daughter

of Poti-pherah – priest of On

Seven years of plenty ended

Seven years of dearth

People cried to Pharaoh for bread

Chief butlerverses 9-13

Remembered Joseph

Land of Egyptverses 29-57

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Faultsverse 9

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Interpret dreamsverses 12, 15

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Josephverses 12-57

Young man

Interpreted dream of butler

Hebrew

Pharaoh called

Brought hastily from jail

Interprets dream of Pharaoh

Famine very grievous

Man in whom Spirit of God is in

Discreet and wise man

Second in command in Egypt

Give wife by Pharaoh

Thirty years old

Gathered food in seven years of plenty

Two sons: Manasseh & Ephraim

Joseph sold grain to Egyptians

Manassehverse 51

Ephraimverse 52

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

41:9–27. Joseph was summoned from prison when the cupbearer remembered that Joseph was gifted in interpreting dreams. Yet when Joseph stood before Pharaoh (shaved, as was the Egyptian custom, and in a fresh change of clothes) he declared that the interpretation was with God alone (cf. 40:8). After Pharaoh recounted both dreams (41:17–24; cf. vv. 1–8), Joseph reiterated this conviction as he explained that God was making known to Pharaoh what He was about to do (vv. 25–27). (Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 91). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)

God led Pharaoh to summon Joseph (vv. 14–36). Since the Egyptian people didn’t we

are beards in that day, as did the Hebrews, Joseph had to shave himself, change his clothes, and prepare to meet Pharaoh. For the third time in thirteen years, he gave up his garment, but this time he would gain the garment of a ruler.

We commend Joseph for his humility and desire to honor the true and living God (v. 16; see also 40:8; Dan. 2:27–28). He listened to Pharaoh describe his two dreams and then gave him the interpretation. It was a serious matter, for God had shown the ruler of Egypt what He planned to do for the next fourteen years, and Pharaoh was conscious of this fact. Now that he knew God’s plan, Pharaoh was obligated to do what God wanted him to do.

Knowing this, Joseph went beyond giving an interpretation to making suggestions to Pharaoh, and this took a great deal of faith and courage. But the Lord was using Joseph, and Pharaoh accepted his suggestions. First, Pharaoh must appoint an intelligent and wise man to oversee the land and its harvests. Second, he must give this man several commissioners who would be over different parts of the land and take one-fifth of each harvest for Pharaoh for the next seven years. Third, all this food must be put in storage to use when the years of famine arrived. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Be authentic (pp. 101–102). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)

Ver. 25. And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, the dream of Pharaoh is one, &c.] Though there were two distinct dreams expressed under different images and representations, yet the meaning, sense, and signification of them were the same; one interpretation would do for both: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do; that is, by the above dreams, when they should be interpreted to him; for as yet he understood them not, and therefore there could be nothing shewed him, but when interpreted it would be clear and plain to him what events were quickly to be accomplished: God only knows things future, and those to whom he is pleased to reveal them, and which he did in different ways, by dreams, visions, articulate voices, &c. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 260). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

25. Joseph said, … The dream … is one—They both pointed to the same event—a remarkable dispensation of seven years of unexampled abundance, to be followed by a similar period of unparalleled dearth. The repetition of the dream in two different forms was designed to show the absolute certainty and speedy arrival of this public crisis; the interpretation was accompanied by several suggestions of practical wisdom for meeting so great an emergency as was impending. (Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, pp. 41–42). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)

41:25 Led by the Spirit of God, Joseph revealed that the dreams have the same meaning (22:15). God has shown Pharaoh: Again Joseph testified to the living God in a pagan court (39:3). God sent the dreams; God enabled Joseph to understand them; and ultimately God controlled and will control all things. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 72). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.

25–36. Joseph now proceeds to interpret the dream, and offer counsel suitable to the emergency. What the God is about to do. The God, the one true, living, eternal God, in opposition to all false gods. And because the dream was repeated. This is explained to denote the certainty and immediateness of the event. The beautiful elucidation of the dream needs no comment. 33–36. Joseph now naturally passes from the interpreter to the adviser. He is all himself on this critical occasion. His presence of mind never forsakes him. The openness of heart and readiness of speech, for which he was early distinguished, now stand him in good stead. His thorough self-command arises from spontaneously throwing himself, with all his heart, into the great national emergency which is before his mind. And his native simplicity of heart, practical good sense, and force of character break forth into unasked, but not unaccepted counsel. A man discreet,—intelligent, capable of understanding the occasion; wise, prudent, capable of acting accordingly. Let Pharoh proceed,—take the following steps: Take the fifth of the produce of the land. Under the hand of Pharoh. Under his supreme control. The measures here suggested to Pharoh were, we must suppose, in conformity with the civil institutions of the country. The exaction of a fifth, or two tithes, during the period of plenty, may have been an extraordinary measure, which the absolute power of the monarch enabled him to enforce for the public safety. The sovereign was probably dependent for his revenues on the produce of the crown lands, certain taxes on exports or imports, and occasional gifts or forced contributions from his subjects. This extraordinary fifth was, probably, of the last description, and was fully warranted by the coming emergency. The “gathering up of all the food” may imply that, in addition to the fifth, large purchases of corn were made by the government out of the surplus produce of the country. (Murphy, J. G. (1873). Notes on the Old Testament: Genesis (pp. 462–463). Boston: Estes and Lauriate.)

FROM MY READING:

Not I, but Christ
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
The second verse of “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” continues by rightly identifying the focus of a believer’s affections. This song does not direct our affection to objects like the cross or the blood and so imply improper worship, but it clearly specifies the deity and work of Christ as paramount to us. We worship Him for who He is and what He has done and is doing on our behalf. His death makes all the difference to us.Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
We know that “being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). What happened there? “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).
Today we no longer have an obligation to render animal sacrifices to God for our sin, but we do need to offer something better than even our best. Scripture asks us to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Romans 12:1). We do not literally sacrifice ourselves to His blood, but we cherish and recognize that the shedding of His blood on the cross makes it all possible. (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)

Esther 8
Mordecai is honored and promoted
INSIGHT
The law of the Medes and Persians cannot be revoked. Once written, no one, not even the king, can rescind it. The law to annihilate the Jews is carved in stone. Since the original plan cannot be revoked, a clever counter-plan is conceived to neutralize it. Permission is given to the Jews to arm themselves and to assemble and defend themselves. In addition, Mordecai is raised to power, replacing the position previously occupied by Haman. God’s sovereign protection of His people in exile is in its final stages. The integrity of Esther and Mordecai is rewarded. Righteousness triumphs.

BORN AGAIN

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God….Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3:3,5
When our Lord says, “Ye must be born again,” He throws down the gauntlet. He says in effect, “It is all right; I know what you are going to say, but you need not say it–it is all wrong–you must be born again.” “Verily, verily”–“truly, truly.” Whenever He uses that formula He is always saying something of unusual seriousness and of deep import. He says, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
This is the crucial phrase, the key phrase of Christianity: “born again”! Some people say it should be translated “born from above.” Others say it should be translated “born anew.” I think that they are probably nearest to the truth who say that undoubtedly our Lord was speaking to Nicodemus in Aramaic, that the Greek is a translation from the Aramaic, and that then our English is a translation from the Greek. But the original was probably Aramaic, and there it means “except a man has another birth, he will never see the kingdom of God.” It is the same thing. “Born again,” “another birth,” “born from above,” “born of the Spirit”–take any of the terms you like.
This is the great New Testament doctrine, and what it means, negatively, is that Christianity is not just an addition to something you already have. Christianity, in other words, is not something that you and I, as we are, can take up; all that is contradicted here….we need an entirely new start.
A Thought to Ponder
This is the crucial phrase, the key phrase of Christianity: “born again”!
(From The Kingdom of God, pp. 193-194, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

CASH…Thank you for sharing this Marti. I didn’t realize this. Wow.

We have learned during Covid from the CDC there is not one piece of evidence that anyone has been infected with the virus from a surface. Yet Cashless continues.

Marti Steenwyk…In the words of Dave Ramsey.

HERES WHAT NO CASH ACTUALLY MEANS: Remember that CHINA is a No cash society.

A cashless society means no cash. Zero. It doesn’t mean mostly cashless and you can still use a ‘bit of cash here & there’. Cashless means fully digital, fully traceable, fully controlled. I think those who support a cashless society aren’t fully aware of what they are asking for. A cashless society means:

* If you are struggling with your mortgage on a particular month, you can’t do an odd job to get you through.

* Your child can’t go & help the local farmer to earn a bit of summer cash.

* No more cash slipped into the hands of a child as a good luck charm or from their grandparent when going on holidays.

* No more money in birthday cards.

* No more piggy banks for your child to collect pocket money & to learn about the value of earning.

* No more cash for a rainy day fund or for that something special you have been putting $20 a week away for.

* No more charity collections.

* No more selling bits & pieces from your home that you no longer want/need for a bit of cash in return.

* No more cash gifts from relatives or loved ones.

What a cashless society does guarantee:

* Banks have full control of every single penny you own.

* Every transaction you make is recorded.

* All your movements & actions are traceable.

* Access to your money can be blocked at the click of a button when/if banks need ‘clarification’ from you which will take about 2 weeks, a thousand questions answered & many passwords.

* You will have no choice but to declare & be taxed on every dollar in your possession.

* If your transactions are deemed in any way questionable, by those who create the questions, your money will be frozen, ‘for your own good’.

Forget about cash being dirty. Stop being so easily led. Cash has been around for a very, very, very long time & it gives you control over how you trade with the world. It gives you independence. I heard a story where a man supposedly contracted Covid because of a $20 bill he had handled. There is the same chance of Covid being on a card as being on cash. If you cannot see how utterly ridiculous this assumption is, then there is little hope.

If you are a customer, pay with cash. If you are a shop owner, remove those ridiculous signs that ask people to pay by card. Cash is a legal tender, it is our right to pay with cash. Banks are making it increasingly difficult to lodge cash & that has nothing to do with a virus, nor has this ‘dirty money’ trend.

Please open your eyes. Please stop believing everything you are being told. Almost every single topic in today’s world is tainted with corruption & hidden agendas. Please stop telling me & others like me that we are what’s wrong with the world when you hail the most corrupt members of society as your heroes. Politics & greed is what is wrong with the world; not those who are trying to alert you to the reality in which you are blindly floating along whilst being immobilized by irrational fear. Fear created to keep you doing & believing in exactly what you are complacently doing.

Pay with cash & please say no to a cashless society while you still have the choice

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you…” (Isaiah 41:10)

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