- araratchurch
- Jul 7, 2024
- 3 min read
“So the chief cup-bearer told Joseph his dream first. “In my dream,” he said, “I saw a grapevine in front of me. The vine had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon it produced clusters of ripe grapes. I was holding Pharaoh’s wine cup in my hand, so I took a cluster of grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” “This is what the dream means,” Joseph said. “The three branches represent three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you to your position as his chief cup-bearer. And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.””
Genesis 40:9-15 NLT
God is a triune (made of three parts) Being, manifested as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: One God, forever holy. Indeed—created in God’s image—we are triune beings, manifested as body, soul, and spirit. Jesus was raised from the dead after three days. Jesus was also tempted of the devil three days. Jonah was in the whale three days. The Ark of the Covenant had three objects in it: Aaron’s branch that sprouted; the jar of manna; and the tablets of the Law. Yes, the number three appears many times in scripture, always seemingly associated with something having been complete, or completed.
Consider this scripture:
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.”
Hosea 6:1-2 ESV
In the above passage the Lord is promising restoration for His people when the process of their refining is complete. Yes, the Lord’s ways are perfect and He does what He does when the time is right. But only He knows when the time is right.
The concept of God’s timing not necessarily being that of our own is found throughout the Bible. The Lord’s “right time” may feel past due to those who are waiting for justice.
The writer of Hebrews, in addressing those who had been subjected to great injustices because of their alignment with Christ, encourages them to stay the course in order to receive the promise.
“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.”
Hebrews 10:35-39 NLT
In our opening scripture we see that the Egyptian King’s cupbearer and baker had apparently been charged with the same offense; but, the cupbearer was innocent of the charge!
Although they had been in the prison for quite a while, Joseph, in interpreting the cupbearer’s dream, sees that the cupbearer will return to his position, “within three days.” Indeed, those three days represented the fact that the process toward the restoration of justice for the cupbearer was coming to completion.
Now, what must we glean from this? God is never early or late. Justice (seemingly) delayed, is never denied. When the process is complete (again, only God knows when this is), justice will be dispensed.
Justice for the baker would look very different. We’ll look into that later. Meanwhile, all Joseph has asked from the cupbearer is that he make mention of Joseph to the king. I wonder how that will turn out….
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jul 6, 2024
- 3 min read
“Some time later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended their royal master. Pharaoh became angry with these two officials, and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of the captain of the guard. They remained in prison for quite some time, and the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, who looked after them. While they were in prison, Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker each had a dream one night, and each dream had its own meaning. When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. “Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them. And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.””
Genesis 40:1-8 NLT
I was reading an article about Juan Guerrero, a San Antonio man, a veteran of the Marines and Army. As a result of injuries he received in Iraq, he eventually lost both of his legs. The article told of how he is reaching out to other wounded veterans, offering support and advice for those who suffer with mental health issues. He is only one of many wounded soldiers who are actively involved in helping others in their same situation.
And then there’s the phenomenon of victims of natural disasters, actually helping other victims, while they, themselves, have lost everything.
Whereas wounded warriors and victims of natural disasters are not victims of injustice, per se, they are victims, nonetheless. However, the injustice aspect of such victims comes when they can’t get the help they need.
I saw a story about a woman from the United Kingdom who was trafficked as a very young child. In her case, she was the victim of the evil injustice of human sex trafficking. As such, she endured every imaginable physical and emotional trauma, including being sold to a gang of men who videoed the abuse, to having a forced abortion. Making things worse, over the course of all those years of abuse, no one recognized what was going on with her. She finally did get rescued after drugs and alcohol put her in a coma. Now, she has devoted her life to seeing that other victims of human trafficking can receive the help they need.
Granted, not all victims of injustice reach out to others. Some become bitter and isolated, allowing what has happened to them cause them to never want to reach out to help anyone! After all, why should someone needing help or comfort for themselves reach out to others? This scripture offers some insight:
“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT
Some victims of injustice become so demoralized and diminished that they can’t entertain anyone else’s woes, much less offer a helping hand.
As children of God, we must depend on Him, no matter what we are personally going through. We must allow the Lord to give us the strength to endure today’s suffering, all the while, hopeful about our future. Then, we must reach out with the same help we have been given and help others who have fallen on hard times.
Joseph has experienced one smackdown after another; now he finds himself in prison, a victim of injustice. But, apparently he’s doing such a good job in the prison that he is watching over other prisoners.
In our opening scripture we see that Joseph even seems to care whether the other prisoners are happy or not, and is offering to hear their troubling dreams. He needs help himself. What’s in this for poor Joseph? Nothing, that he knows of….
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Jul 5, 2024
- 3 min read
“But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.”
Genesis 39:21-23 NLT
Every night before going to sleep, Pastor Dan quotes several scriptures over us. This is one of my favorites:
“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!”
Psalm 90:17 ESV
Now, I am certainly not against people seeking to get justice for themselves. In fact, let’s take a look at one of Jesus’ parables specifically concerning just such a situation:
“He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'"”
Luke 18:2-5 ESV
Ideally, we should be able to expect to receive justice in the world. But—as we know—our systems of government are not always just. Even in our own country we see the sometimes self-serving “justice” system perverted by political agendas and personal gain.
But make no mistake, the favor of the Lord can supersede what could have been done, should have been done, by our government to correct injustices. In fact, when the Lord intervenes for those who are His, COMPLETE justice is restored.
Let’s look at the rest of the parable we are considering:
“And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"”
Luke 18:6-8 ESV
Notice, Jesus is referencing those “who cry to him [God] day and night.” Truly, the Lord is the One, the only One, Who can and will completely annul the injustices of men. Not only that, He can, and often does, turn things around SUDDENLY.
Please note, I did not say “speedily” because it may seem that the Lord has delayed—or denied—bringing us justice. What we must remember is that in a moment, God can change EVERYTHING for those who have His favor through Jesus Christ.
Our opening scripture shows that Joseph, finding himself in prison as the result of a false accusation, has again risen to the top of the “pit of despair” to which he has been relegated.
Joseph, once enjoying the favor of his earthly father, has also garnered the favor of his Heavenly Father. The Lord is with him, and even in this situation of extreme injustice, the Lord is lifting him up.
“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.”
Psalm 5:11-12 ESV
So, it’s not ultimately about whether we see justice in this life or not, although we do often see those who seek the Lord receiving vindication, exaltation, etc., in this life. It’s about following the Lord, no matter where that may lead, all the while, looking to Him for our vindication.
Additionally, if we are of necessity—and with the approval of the Holy Spirit—seeking out justice through a governmental legal system, we must make sure that nothing we are doing in that venue takes us out of the place of God’s favor.
Remember, man’s unjust system of justice is bested by God’s favor everyday, all day! And, the Lord’s recompense is complete and eternal!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!