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The Sovereign Hand of God in the Exaltation of Joseph (Genesis 41:38-45) · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to reformed thinking. I want to start by asking you to
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just picture something in your mind for a second.
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Picture a forgotten prisoner waking up in a dark, damp
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subterranean dungeon. Yeah, the air is heavy, smelling
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like stagnant water and decay. Right.
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The walls are cold, unyielding stone.
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His ankles are bruised from the constant friction of bronze
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fetters and he opens his eyes to the same miserable reality he
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has faced for years. Just another bleak day in the
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pit. But The thing is, he is entirely
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unaware that by sundown he will hold the absolute command of the
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greatest empire of antiquity. I mean, he receives no warning.
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Right. There is no gradual transition
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here, no transition team, no diplomatic onboarding and
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nothing. Yeah, he literally goes to sleep
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a slave in iron chains, and he wakes up on the very day that
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the entire known world will be placed under his feet.
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It is the absolute definition of a staggering historical
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reversal. You know, we see no political
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maneuvering involved here, no grassroots campaigning, no slow,
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methodical climbing of the corporate ladder.
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Right, it's instant. Yeah, we are looking at an
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immediate, total paradigm shift orchestrated entirely from the
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heavens. The sheer velocity of this
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change defies all human logic. So the mission of our deep dive
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today is to dig into the notes and research you sent us
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regarding Genesis chapter 41 verses 38 through 45.
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It's. A huge text.
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It really is. We are going to extract the raw,
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unvarnished theological truths about divine Providence found in
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this specific text. Our goal is to show you, the
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listener, how the sudden exaltation of Joseph from a
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Hebrew slave to the ruler of Egypt exposes the absolute
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sovereignty of God over human suffering.
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Right over human suffering, over political regimes, and over all
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of redemptive history. Yeah, so setting the table for
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you today, we will look at the historical realities of the
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Egyptian court, the original Hebrew text, and the
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breathtaking foreshadowing of Jesus Christ that the text
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presents. And what stands out immediately
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in the sources is that we are not observing a simple
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historical curiosity here. Or, you know, an ancient fable
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about a local hero. Right.
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It's much bigger than that. Oh, absolutely.
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The research frames this as the meticulous craftsmanship of the
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Creator as He molds A Savior for the ancient world, securing the
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survival of His covenant people. But before we look at the golden
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chariot, before we look at the fine linen and the royal signet
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ring, you must grasp the weight of the 13 years of silence that
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came first. Yeah, that 13 year period is the
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necessary Crucible. If we ignore the darkness of the
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pit, the brilliance of the palace loses its meaning.
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We are talking about a young man who experienced violent betrayal
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by his own brothers. He was sold like a piece of
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livestock to foreign Midianite traders.
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Which is just horrific to even imagine.
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It is he endured the humiliation of the slave market in a strange
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land. He suffered the agonizing
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injustice of false accusations by Potiphar's wife.
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And then you know, he just rotted in a royal dungeon,
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completely forgotten by the cupbearer he had just helped.
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Let's breakdown this sequence of events chronologically, because
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the timeline itself is heavy. He is 17 years old when his
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brothers strip him of his coat and throw him into a dry cistern
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and Dothan. Right, 17, Just a kid, really.
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Yeah, and he is 30 years old when he finally stands before
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Pharaoh. That is 13 years of his prime
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youth gone. Just completely erased in
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darkness. So to a casual observer, or
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perhaps to a secular historian reviewing the data, Joseph's
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life looks like a tragic string of terrible luck.
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Right Salvage at the very end, by a fortunate coincidence, of a
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dream. Yeah, that's the secular read on
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it. But looking at the theological
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framework in your notes, how should we actually read this 13
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year timeline? Well, we must frame these
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thirteen years through a strict lens of divine Providence.
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This aligns with the historical Reformed Confessions, which
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argue that God did not simply react to the brother's sin or to
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the lies of Potiphar's wife as if he were caught off guard.
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Right. God has never caught off guard.
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Never. The Lord unchangeably ordained
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the entire sequence from all eternity by the most wise and
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holy counsel of his own will. God freely and unchangeably
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ordained whatsoever comes to pass in Joseph's life.
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So. The pit was ordained.
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Yes, the false accusation was ordained.
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The Cupbearer's amnesia was ordained.
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The dungeon was not an accident. It was a divinely appointed
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Crucible, meant to prepare the vessel for the immense weight of
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the authority he was about to receive.
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Wait, hold on. If I am looking at this from the
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outside, or if a skeptic is listening to this, a massive red
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flag goes up. Oh sure, I know where you're
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going with this. Yeah, because how do we
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reconcile the sheer cruelty of the brothers or the wicked lies
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of Potiphar's wife with the holy decree of God?
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I mean, if God ordained the pit, how is God not the author of
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their sin? That raises A crucial
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theological distinction regarding concurrent ISM, which
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is the idea that God and human beings act concurrently but on
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entirely different. Levels.
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OK, unpack that a bit for us. We have to differentiate between
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the sinful intent of human beings and the holy redemptive
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intent of God. Think of it like a master of
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Aikido, right? The martial art focused on
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redirecting momentum. Oh, I like that analogy.
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Yeah, so the Aikido master does not initiate the malicious
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strike. The attacker initiates the
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strike out of their own aggression and free will, but
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the master takes that uncoerced hostile kinetic energy and
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perfectly redirects it to achieve their own total victory.
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Wow. OK, so applied to Joseph's
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brothers. The brothers acted out of
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genuine malice, envy, and hatred.
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They made real, uncoerced choices rooted in their own
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sinful natures. Potiphar's wife acted out of
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lust and spite. But God, in His infinite wisdom,
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governs those very same actions for the good of his covenant
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people. So the brothers meant it for
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evil, but God meant it for good. The intent is what separates the
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guilt of man from the holiness of God.
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That is precisely it. The same physical action occurs,
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but the motives are worlds apart.
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Man is executing his malice while God is executing his
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salvation. The human agents are entirely
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responsible for their wickedness, yet their wicked
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actions are the precise instruments God uses to maneuver
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Joseph into the exact position required to save the known world
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from starvation. Yes, and the dungeon strips away
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all self-reliance. Joseph is reduced to absolute
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dependence. Because he has nothing.
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Nothing. He has no family name to
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leverage in Egypt, no wealth to bribe his way out of the royal
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prison, no legal representation to appeal his case.
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He is stripped down to nothing but the presence of the Lord.
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And it is only when the preparation in the dark is
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complete that the light breaks in.
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Which brings us right to the specific moment when human
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intellect hits a brick wall in the throne room of Pharaoh.
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Oh, it's such an incredible scene.
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It really is. If the dungeon strips away
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self-reliance, then Pharaoh's court is the ultimate test of
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what replaced it. So who is Pharaoh in this
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specific historical context? Because your notes suggest we
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are likely looking at the Middle Kingdom of Egypt or perhaps the
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Hyxos period. Yeah, the Hyxos period is
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particularly relevant here. The Hyxos were a Semitic people
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who had infiltrated and taken over Lower Egypt.
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Oh, interesting. Yeah.
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So if this Pharaoh is indeed a Hyxos ruler, it explains a great
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deal about why he would be open to elevating a fellow Semite
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like Joseph. That makes perfect sense
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historically. It does, but regardless of the
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specific dynasty, the office of Pharaoh carried immense
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theological weight. The Pharaoh was not a normal
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king. He was viewed as the Incarnate
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sun God, the Son of RA. So he's essentially a deity on
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Earth. Yes, He was the absolute
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pinnacle of earthly authority, the mediator between the divine
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realm and the physical world. His word was law.
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He sustained the cosmic order which they called Mahat.
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And yet this Incarnate deity is terrified by a dream about cows
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and stalks of grain. It's a huge blow to his supposed
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divinity. Let's visualize that dream for a
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second. 2nd, In ancient Egypt, the entire economy, the entire
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civilization, depended entirely on the annual inundation of the
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Nile River. Right.
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No flood means no food. Exactly.
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If the Nile flooded correctly, you had abundant grain.
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If it failed to flood, you had famine.
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So Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows coming up out of the Nile,
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followed by 7 starving, emaciated cows that eat the fat
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ones. It's a nightmare of absolute
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economic collapse. Yeah, so he calls in his
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experts, and this is where the secular wisdom of the day
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completely collapses. It is a stunning display of
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divine irony. Pharaoh has at his disposal the
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collective intellectual, spiritual and a cult elite of
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the Empire. He calls in all the magicians,
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the Khartoumim and the wise men of Egypt.
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These are the top guys. Absolute top.
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These men were trained in oneromancy, which is the
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interpretation of dreams. They possessed massive ancient
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dream manuals. They were the smartest, most
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educated, most spiritually attuned men and the greatest
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civilization on earth. And they fail entirely.
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Utterly. Their wisdom is totally bankrupt
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in the face of divine revelation.
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They had an absolute wall and looking at the application drawn
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in your notes, it oints out the sheer folly of relying on the
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world's experts to cure a spiritual famine.
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Right. We see that constantly today.
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We do. Today, our culture looks to
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secular philosophers, sociologists, and economic
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theorists to fix the deep existential dread we face.
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We look to modern magicians to interpret the terrifying signs
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of the times, but they are completely impotent when it
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comes to the things of God. Yeah.
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And after Joseph interprets the dream and lays out a massive
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economic survival plan, Pharaoh turns to his servants and says,
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can we find such a one as this? A man in whom the Spirit of God
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is wow. The Hebrew phrase there is Ruach
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Elohim, the highest authority on earth, is forced by the sheer
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weight of undeniable truth to admit the supremacy of Yahweh.
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Wait, I need clarification here 'cause that's massive.
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Pharaoh acknowledges the Ruach Elohim, but is he actually
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adopting an orthodox view of God here?
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Good question. Like, is this a genuine
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conversion moment where Pharaoh repents, or is he simply
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recognizing a superior utility that his own Pagan priests lack?
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Well, if we connect this to the broader context of ancient Near
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Eastern religion, Pharaoh is speaking from a polytheistic
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framework. OK, so he's not becoming a
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monotheist. No, he does not suddenly become
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a follower of the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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He recognizes that there is a divine spirit at work in Joseph,
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a spirit that possesses a wisdom far superior to the local
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deities of Egypt. What we are witnessing is the
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doctrine of common grace in action.
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God's truth is so brilliant that it forces even Pagan rulers to
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acknowledge its superiority. Pharaoh does not have to be a
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regenerate believer to recognize that Joseph has the only viable
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answer to the impending crisis. That highlights a crucial
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distinction. The truth of God operates with
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such undeniable force that the secular world has to bow to his
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practical superiority, even if they hate the God behind it.
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Yes, it shows that true wisdom requires divine revelation.
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It is vastly superior to all cultural elite consensus.
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Think about the visual of this scene.
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The whole Royal Court, the entire academic and religious
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establishment of Egypt, has to step aside for a 30 year old
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Hebrew who just took a bath and shaved after getting out of a
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subterranean prison. It's wild, but recognition
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without action is useless in a crisis.
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Because Pharaoh recognizes this unmatched divine wisdom, he must
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act. He immediately initiates the
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physical transfer of dominion. So he gives him the ring, he's
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in the fine linen, and he looks the part.
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But looking like a ruler in the palace doesn't feed a starving
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nation. No it doesn't.
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How did Pharaoh enforce this new authority out in the streets?
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Because the author of Genesis gives us very specific details
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about the physical tokens of this new status.
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Pharaoh gives Joseph his signet ring, clothes him in fine linen
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and puts a gold chain around his neck.
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We need to dig into the historical context of these
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items to understand the gravity of the moment.
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In the ancient Near East, the signet ring was not a decorative
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piece of jewelry. Right, it wasn't just for show.
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Not at all. It was the physical embodiment
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of the King's executive legislative authority.
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Kings use these rings, often pressing them into clay, boulet,
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or wax to seal official state documents and laws.
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OK, well, by handing over the ring, Pharaoh is transferring
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the full administrative and executive command of the
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Egyptian Empire to Joseph. Joseph can now draft
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legislation, seal it with the King's authority, and it cannot
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be revoked. So it is the equivalent of
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handing over the nuclear codes and the supreme command of the
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military in one single motion. Spot on.
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That's a great modern equivalent.
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What about the fine linen? The Hebrew word used there is
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shesh. Fine linen, or shesh in Egyptian
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culture was reserved exclusively for royalty and high priests.
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Producing this specific type of flax was incredibly labor
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intensive. So it was a massive luxury item.
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Huge. The resulting fabric was
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dazzlingly white and nearly translucent, symbolizing
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absolute purity and divine favor.
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By clothing Joseph in this linen, Pharaoh is instantly
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elevating his social and religious status to the highest
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possible tier. Wow.
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And the gold chain? Furthermore, the Gold Chain is a
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specific, well documented historical award known as the
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Gold of Honor or the Gold of Valor.
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Historical Egyptian records, like The Autobiography of Amos,
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son of Ebena, describe this exact award being bestowed
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directly by the Pharaoh upon officials of extraordinary
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merit. OK, so God is not just clearing
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Joseph's name. He's not just giving him a legal
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pardon from the false accusation of Potiphar's wife.
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God is decorating Him with the absolute highest honors the
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known world has to offer. Exactly.
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I mean, it's total and. The sources you provided point
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out a literary motif here that we cannot miss.
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Think about the role of clothing in the generations of Jacob.
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Yeah, that is a brilliant detail.
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The Hebrew text structures these family histories using the word
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Toledo, which means generations or accounts, and within the
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paleedoth of Jacob, the clothing motif is incredibly vivid.
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Start from the beginning of Joseph's story.
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Well, his ordeal of suffering began when his father gave him
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the coat of many colors, right? A garment of favor that incited
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his brother's murderous envy. They violently stripped that
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garment off him when they threw him in the pit.
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Later, he leaves his garment in the hands of Potiphar's wife as
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he flees from her seduction, and she uses that specific garment
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as false evidence to condemn him.
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He is then clothed in the in the rough, filthy rags of a dungeon.
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And now, finally, he is closed in the royal dazzling linen of
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Egypt. Right.
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What human beings used for deceit, for violence, and for
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false condemnation, God reverses for public vindication.
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The very thing that marked His humiliation now marks his
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absolute triumph. Your notes compare this to the
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concept of believers baptism found in Romans 6.
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It is like a prisoner having their old, defiled, filthy
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garments stripped away. You know, the garments of their
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past life, their sin, their shame, and being clothed in the
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pure, pristine, dabbling righteousness of Christ.
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You go down into the water dead, and you come up clothed in
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royalty. The physical adornment signifies
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a total transition of state and status.
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But let me ask a critical question here on behalf of the
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listener, because I can see someone taking this the wrong
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way. OK, what is it?
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Does focusing on this physical adornment, you know, the gold
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chain, the royal linen, the ring, the immediate elevation to
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massive wealth and authority, right?
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Does this risk creating a prosperity gospel expectation
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for the modern believer? Oh, I see.
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Like, does this text teach that if we just hold on through the
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tough times, God guarantees we will become wealthy executives
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decorated with gold? The theological analysis in your
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sources aggressively refutes any prosperity teaching drawn from
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this text. Good, because that's a dangerous
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trap. It is the prosperity preacher
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wants the gold chain without the dungeon.
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They want the fine linen without the false accusation.
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They want the signet ring without the 13 years of
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agonizing silence and enslavement.
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Right, they want the crown without the cross.
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Exactly, the gold chain only came after a literal dungeon.
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In the Christian framework, the cross always precedes the crown.
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Joseph was prepared to handle the goal because the iron of the
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fetters had already entered his soul.
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That's a powerful way to phrase it.
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Yeah, if you give the gold of Egypt to a man who has not been
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broken and humbled in the dungeon, the gold will destroy
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him. So the affliction is the
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absolute prerequisite for the authority returning to the
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narrative. The visual adornment in the
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court is only the first step for this massive administrative
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authority to actually function, you know, to organize the grain
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storage and preserve life during the coming famine, it must be
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proclaimed to the streets. The transition of authority has
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to go public. Pharaoh decrees that all people
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must submit to Joseph. The narrative takes Joseph out
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of the private throne room and puts him into the second
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chariot, with royal heralds running ahead of him, crying out
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to the masses in the streets of the Capitol.
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It's a huge public spectacle. It is, and I want to look
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closely at 2 crucial Hebrew words here because the original
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text carries a weight that standard English translations
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sometimes soften. Right, the linguistics here are
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fascinating. First, let's look at verse 40.
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Pharaoh says to Joseph, According unto thy word, shall
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all my people be ruled? But the literal Hebrew root word
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for be ruled or submit is nashak.
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Yes, and the word nashak literally translates to kiss.
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The literal rendering of the Hebrew syntax is at your mouth.
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All my people shall kiss. Which sounds a bit strange to
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our modern ears. It does, but in ancient Near
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Eastern iconography, like the black obelisk of shell Menacer,
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kissing the feet, the hem of the garment, or the ring of a
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monarch was the ultimate physical demonstration of
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absolute, terrifying submission and homage.
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So this is not a casual nod of agreement or a polite salute.
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No, not at all. It is total physical surrender
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to a sovereign. It perfectly mirrors the
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Messianic command in Psalm 2.1. Kiss the son, lest he be angry,
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and you perish in the way. It is a demand for absolute
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allegiance. And then we have the word.
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The herald's cry out as a chariot rolls through the
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streets. Abrec.
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Right Abrec is a rare Egyptian loanword assimilated into the
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Hebrew text. Linguists call this a hapax
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lagomenon. Unpack that term for us real
18:21
quick. For those unfamiliar with the
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term, a hapax lagomenon is a word that occurs only once in
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the entire written record of a language, in this case the
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entire Hebrew Bible. Yeah, because it only appears
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once. Translators have to look at
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cognate languages like ancient Egyptian or Acadian to determine
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its precise meaning. And what's the consensus?
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It is widely understood to mean bow the knee or attention.
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It is a solitary, stark imperative, commanding the
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immediate physical submission of every citizen who saw that
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chariot. When the Herald cried Abrec, you
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dropped your tools, you stopped walking, and you hit the ground.
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Man, our modern culture completely despises the idea of
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absolute submission. We prefer casual autonomy.
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Oh absolutely. We hate being told what to do.
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We like to negotiate our obedience based on our personal
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feelings in the moment. We prefer to give lip service to
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authority, whether that authority is civil, familial or
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divine. But Nashak demands the exact
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opposite it. Really does.
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It demands total physical and spiritual surrender.
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You do not negotiate with the man in the second chariot.
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You hit the pavement. Mm hmm.
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But looking at this level of absolute command, where is the
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boundary? Does Joseph become a Pharaoh
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himself? Well, Pharaoh places a very
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specific limitation on Joseph. He says only in the throne will
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I be greater than you. OK, Joseph exercises absolute
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authority, but it is entirely delegated authority.
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He is acting on behalf of the sovereign.
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He does not usurp the throne. He executes the will of the
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throne. This concept of delegated
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subordinate rule is vital for understanding how God governs
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the world through appointed mediators.
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So he has conquered the public square.
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The whole nation is bowing the knee.
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He is now permanently embedded into the fabric of Egyptian
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society, and Pharaoh solidifies this integration through a new
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name and a new family. Right.
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Pharaoh renames Joseph Zaphanath Panaya.
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Egyptologists debate the precise etymology, but the consensus in
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your research notes translates it to mean the God speaks and he
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lives or revealer of secrets. Which is a massive public
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concession by Pharaoh. He's publicly validating
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Joseph's God, or at least Joseph's divine inspiration in
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his very name. And then Pharaoh gives him a
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scath to be his wife. She is the daughter of Potufra,
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the priest of ON. Now this is a massive detail.
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The city of, on which the Greeks later called Heliopolis, was the
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absolute episode center of Egyptian sun worship.
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So this was the cultural and religious headquarters.
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It was the most wealthy and influential religious cult in
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the nation. The priests of Anne were the
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intellectual and spiritual elites of the empire.
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By giving Joseph the daughter of the High Priest of Anne, Pharaoh
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is integrating him into the absolute highest echelon of the
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Egyptian aristocracy. Wait, if I am looking at this
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from a distance, this looks like complete and total cultural
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assimilation. Yeah, you could definitely read
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it that way initially. Joseph takes an Egyptian name.
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He dresses in Egyptian linen, he shaves his head according to
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Egyptian custom, and now he is marrying into the family of the
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chief Pagan priest of the sun God RA.
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How does Joseph avoid being swallowed whole by the very
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Pagan culture that is giving him a wife, a title, and immense
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wealth? How is he not just selling out?
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It is a valid concern, but it reveals something incredible
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about God's sovereign confidence.
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God is not intimidated by secular empires.
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Oh. I love that.
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Yeah, God places his chosen instrument right in the center
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of the adversary's religious capital to mock the idols of
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Egypt. The covenant identity remains
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entirely secure. So he doesn't compromise his
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faith. Not at all.
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Joseph does not begin worshipping the sun God.
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Later in the Genesis narrative we see him clearly maintaining
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his faith in Yahweh, attributing his success to the God of his
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Father's, and demanding his bones be carried out of Egypt.
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The Lord owns His people regardless of their geography.
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God can plan a faithful servant in the darkest, most Pagan
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administration on earth, and that servant will accomplish the
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divine will without losing his soul.
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That brings a massive sense of comfort for anyone listening who
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works in a hostile corporate environment or a secular
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academic institution today. You don't have to flee culture
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to remain faithful. No, God is not biting His nails
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hoping you survive the culture. He planted you there to mock the
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idols of that culture by your quiet, faithful competence and
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your allegiance to the true King.
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Exactly. Every single historical and
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cultural detail we've discussed so far, the rejection, the pit,
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the ring, the submission, the Gentile bride, none of this is
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random. It all points to a much larger
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eternal reality. Yes, it points directly to the
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ultimate fulfillment, the greater Joseph.
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Your notes argue that Genesis 41 is a flawless typological
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portrait of Jesus Christ. Let's make sure we define that
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typology is not an allegory, right?
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Right Typology is the study of historical patterns ordained by
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God, where an Old Testament figure or event acts as a
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preview, a shadow of a future reality.
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Joseph's life casts a shadow, and Jesus Christ is the solid
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object casting that shadow. If we read this text and only
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see a story about a smart administrator surviving an
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agricultural famine, we have completely missed the core
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message of the text entirely. Let's trace those redemptive
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historical parallels, because they're staggering when you line
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them up side by side. OK, consider the sequence.
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Both Joseph and Jesus were beloved sons of their fathers.
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Both were sent to their brethren.
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Both were violently betrayed out of envy.
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Yeah, the brothers envy Joseph's dreams and his favored status.
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The Pharisees and religious leaders envied Christ's
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authority and popularity among the people.
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Exactly. Both were stripped of their
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garments. Both were sold for the price of
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a slave and just pieces of silver.
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Both were numbered with transgressors.
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Joseph was imprisoned with the chief cupbearer and the chief
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Baker, while Jesus was crucified between two thieves.
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Both descended into the pit, the grave, and both were elevated
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from the place of death to the right hand of the Supreme Ruler.
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The parallels just keep compounding the closer you look,
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but there was a massive difference in scale.
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While Joseph distributed physical grain to a starving
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ancient world, Christ offers himself.
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He is the actual bread of life. Yes.
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How do the sources you provided ensure the reader approaches the
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Old Testament this way, seeing the Christological typology,
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rather than treating Joseph as just a moral example of a
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resilient guy with a good work ethic?
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Well, the research roots this reading method in the New
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Testament itself. In Luke chapter 24, On the road
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to Emerus, Jesus tells the disciples that all the
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scriptures, Moses and the prophets testify concerning
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himself. So Jesus validates this way of
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reading. Precisely the entire Old
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Testament is pointing toward his redemptive work.
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We also look at Philippians chapter 2, the Great Kenosis
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Hymn, which provides A theological key to unlocking
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Genesis 41. Remind us what Philippians 2
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says. Philippians says that because
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Christ humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross, God
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highly exalted him and bestowed on Him the name that is above
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every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.
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OK, so the cry of Abrec bow the knee in the dusty streets of
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ancient Egypt is actually the prophetic anticipation of the
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day when every human being, every Angel and every demon will
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bow the knee to Jesus Christ. It is a historical dress
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rehearsal for the final judgement and the cosmic
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coronation of the Son of God. Christ fulfills the offices we
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see previewed in Joseph. Christ is the true prophet who
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reveals the hidden mysteries of God perfectly.
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He is the true King who rules over the nations with delegated
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authority from the Father, and he is the true priest who
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preserves the lives of his people.
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Yes, recognizing Christ as the ultimate fulfillment allows us
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to understand the precise timeline of redemptive history
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we're living in right now, because the sequence of events
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in Joseph's life actually maps onto the current age of the
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Church and the future of national Israel.
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Now this is fascinating. The dispensational view outlined
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in your notes lays out a breathtaking sequence.
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Let's walk through it. OK, first Joseph comes to his
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Jewish brethren, and he is violently rejected by them.
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During the time of his rejection, he is hidden from
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them, right? Where is he?
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He is exalted among the Gentiles in Egypt, and while he is
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exalted among the Gentiles, Pharaoh gives him a Gentile
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bride, Asanath. Just as Christ came to his own
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and his own received him not, and currently during this era
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where national Israel has largely rejected the Messiah,
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Christ is exalted among the Gentile nations.
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Yes, He is calling out a people for His name.
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He is taking a Gentile bride, the Church.
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And notice what happens next in the Genesis narrative.
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Only after the Gentile bride is secured does the terrible
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seven-year famine strike the land.
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Wow. And that severe trouble drives
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his Jewish brethren out of their comfort and forces them back to
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the brother they Pierce, the brother they rejected.
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This results in their weeping, their repentance, and their
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ultimate reconciliation. It is an astonishing picture of
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the Tribulation period, the time of Jacob's trouble, which drives
27:13
national Israel to look upon him whom they have pierced,
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resulting in the national salvation of Israel described in
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Romans 11. It is all right there in the
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structure of the narrative. It really is.
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But looking at the pastoral application in your notes, if we
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are living in this Gentile bride era, waiting for the culmination
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of all things, waiting for the famine to end and the king to
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reveal himself fully, what does this text say to the person
27:37
listening right now who feels abandoned in their own 13 year
27:40
dungeon? That is the big question.
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Yeah, what does the text say to the person who feels like the
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cupbearer has forgotten them? The false accusations are
27:47
sticking and the heavens are made of brass.
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The theology presented here brings intense pastoral
27:52
application to that exact pain. The text argues that you must
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trust the hidden Providence of God.
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The deepest comfort of this theological framework is that
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God is not making it up as he goes along.
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Your suffering is not a blind spot in his vision.
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The narrative demands that you discard the fleshly desire to
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manipulate your circumstances. So no scheming your way out.
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No, Joseph didn't try to dig his way out of the dungeon.
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He interpreted the dreams and left the outcome to God.
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The Lord perfectly times a vindication of his people.
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Because if the cupbearer had remembered Joseph immediately,
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Joseph would have simply been a free slave wandering around the
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streets of Egypt looking for work.
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Right. He had to be forgotten for two
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full years so that he would still be locked in the royal
28:35
prison at the exact moment Pharaoh had the dream.
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The delay was the mechanism of his supreme exaltation.
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The delay was the mechanism. That is a heavy, glorious truth.
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It means the waiting is not wasted.
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God is using the friction of the delay to sharpen the instrument
28:52
for the task ahead. We have summarized a massive
28:55
shift here today, moving for the darkness of the subterranean pit
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to the blazing light of the royal chariot.
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Yeah, and the God of Genesis 41, the God who orchestrates the
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rise and fall of empires, the God who commands the herald's to
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cry, bow the knee, is the exact same God executing his
29:11
unchangeable decrees today. Right.
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His arm is not shortened, his mind is not clouded by the
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shifting politics of our modern world.
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Looking at how these theologians read the text, they do not leave
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it in the past. No, the text demands
29:25
application. The source material essentially
29:28
demands a response from the reader asking you to evaluate
29:31
your own life. What ideological magicians are
29:34
you relying on to fix the famine in your own soul?
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Are you looking to politics, To wealth, to self help gurus to
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interpret the terrifying dreams of your life?
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And the text suggests they will fail you.
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They will stand silent when the famine truly hits.
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You need the Ruach Elohim, the narrative urges a posture of
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total surrender. It asks if you're willing to
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kiss the ring of the Greater Joseph Jesus Christ.
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The text calls the reader to submit to the King who holds the
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bread of Life. The storehouses of His Grace are
30:04
infinite, but according to the passage, they are only accessed
30:07
through the posture of submission.
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I have a lingering question for you based on the notes you
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provided. Something to ponder long after
30:13
you finish listening today. Think about the hardest thing in
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your life right now. Think about the darkest corner
30:18
of your current experience. What if the very affliction you
30:22
are desperately praying for God to remove is the exact
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unchangeable instrument He is ordained to position you for
30:29
your greatest eternal usefulness?
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That is the mystery and the majesty of Providence.
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Until next time, keep digging, keep trusting, and keep looking
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to the king.