mhcc Genesis:39-41 SEEK
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Verse 1-6 -
Our enemies may strip us of outward distinctions and ornaments ;
but wisdom and grace cannot be taken from us .
They may separate us from friends ,
relatives ,
and country ;
but they cannot take from us the presence of the Lord .
They may shut us from outward blessings ,
rob us of liberty ,
and confine us in dungeons ;
but they cannot shut us out from communion with God ,
from the throne of grace ,
or take from us the blessings of salvation .
Joseph was blessed ,
wonderfully blessed ,
even in the house where he was a slave .
God '
s presence with us ,
makes all we do prosperous .
Good men are the blessings of the place where they live ;
good servants may be so ,
though mean and lightly esteemed .
The prosperity of the wicked is ,
one way or other ,
for the sake of the godly .
Here was a wicked family blessed for the sake of one good servant in it .
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Verse 7-12 -
Beauty either in men or women ,
often proves a snare both to themselves and others .
This forbids pride in it ,
and requires constant watchfulness against the temptation that attends it .
We have great need to make a covenant with our eyes ,
lest the eyes infect the heart .
When lust has got power ,
decency ,
and reputation ,
and conscience ,
are all sacrificed .
Potiphar '
s wife showed that her heart was fully set to do evil .
Satan ,
when he found he could not overcome Joseph with the troubles and the frowns of the world ,
for in them he still held fast his principle ,
assaulted him with pleasures ,
which have ruined more than the former .
But Joseph ,
by the grace of God ,
was enabled to resist and overcome this temptation ;
and his escape was as great an instance of the Divine power ,
as the deliverance of the three children out of the fiery furnace .
This sin was one which might most easily beset him .
The tempter was his mistress ,
one whose favour would help him forward ;
and it was at his utmost peril if he slighted her ,
and made her his enemy .
The time and place favoured the temptation .
To all this was added frequent ,
constant urging .
The almighty grace of God enabled Joseph to overcome this assault of the enemy .
He urges what he owed both to God and his master .
We are bound in honour ,
as well as justice and gratitude ,
not in any thing to wrong those who place trust in us ,
how secretly soever it may be done .
He would not offend his God .
Three arguments Joseph urges upon himself .
1 .
He considers who he was that was tempted .
One in covenant with God ,
who professed religion and relation to him .
2 .
What the sin was to which he was tempted .
Others might look upon it as a small matter ;
but Joseph did not so think of it .
Call sin by its own name ,
and never lessen it .
Let sins of this nature always be looked upon as great wickedness ,
as exceedingly sinful .
3 .
Against whom he was tempted to sin ,
against God .
Sin is against God ,
against his nature and his dominion ,
against his love and his design .
Those that love God ,
for this reason hate sin .
The grace of God enabled Joseph to overcome the temptation ,
by avoiding the temper .
He would not stay to parley with the temptation ,
but fled from it ,
as escaping for his life .
If we mean not to do iniquity ,
let us flee as a bird from the snare ,
and as a roe from the hunter .
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Verse 13-18 -
Joseph '
s mistress ,
having tried in vain to make him a guilty man ,
endeavoured to be avenged on him .
Those that have broken the bonds of modesty ,
will never be held by the bonds of truth .
It is no new thing for the best of men to be falsely accused of the worst of crimes ,
by those who themselves are the worst of criminals .
It is well there is a day of discovery coming ,
in which all shall appear in their true characters .
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Verse 19-23 -
Joseph '
s master believed the accusation .
Potiphar ,
it is likely ,
chose that prison ,
because it was the worst ;
but God designed to open the way to Joseph '
s honour .
Joseph was owned and righted by his God .
He was away from all his friends and relations ;
he had none to help or comfort him ;
but the Lord was with Joseph ,
and showed him mercy .
Those that have a good conscience in a prison ,
have a good God there .
God gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison ;
he trusted him to manage the affairs of the prison .
A good man will do good wherever he is ,
and will be a blessing even in bonds and banishment .
Let us not forget ,
through Joseph ,
to look unto Jesus ,
who suffered being tempted ,
yet without sin ;
who was slandered ,
and persecuted ,
and imprisoned ,
but without cause ;
who by the cross ascended to the throne .
May we be enabled to follow the same path in submitting and in suffering ,
to the same place of glory . ****
Matthew Henry '
s Commentary ****
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Genesis 40 ****** ***
Outline of Genesis 40 ***
The chief butler and baker of Pharaoh in prison ,
Their dreams interpreted by Joseph . (
_1
-19 .)
The ingratitude of the chief butler . (
_20
-23 .) ***
Commentary ***
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Verse 1-19 -
It was not so much the prison that made the butler and baker sad ,
as their dreams .
God has more ways than one to sadden the spirits .
Joseph had compassion towards them .
Let us be concerned for the sadness of our brethren '
s countenances .
It is often a relief to those that are in trouble to be noticed .
Also learn to look into the causes of our own sorrow .
Is there a good reason ?
Is there not comfort sufficient to balance it ,
whatever it is ?
Why art thou cast down ,
O my soul ?
Joseph was careful to ascribe the glory to God .
The chief butler '
s dream foretold his advancement .
The chief baker '
s dream his death .
It was not Joseph '
s fault that he brought the baker no better tidings .
And thus ministers are but interpreters ;
they cannot make the thing otherwise than it is :
if they deal faithfully ,
and their message prove unpleasing ,
it is not their fault .
Joseph does not reflect upon his brethren that sold him ;
nor does he reflect on the wrong done him by his mistress and his master ,
but mildly states his own innocence .
When we are called on to clear ourselves ,
we should carefully avoid ,
as much as may be ,
speaking ill of others .
Let us be content to prove ourselves innocent ,
and not upbraid others with their guilt .
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Verse 20-23 -
Joseph '
s interpretation of the dreams came to pass on the very day fixed .
On Pharaoh '
s birth-day ,
all his servants attended him ,
and then the cases of these two came to be looked into .
We may all profitably take notice of our birth-days ,
with thankfulness for the mercies of our birth ,
sorrow for the sinfulness of our lives ,
and expectation of the day of our death ,
as better than the day of our birth .
But it seems strange that worldly people ,
who are so fond of living here ,
should rejoice at the end of one year after another of their short span of life .
A Christian has cause to rejoice that he was born ,
also that he comes nearer to the end of his sin and sorrow ,
and nearer to his everlasting happiness .
The chief butler remembered not Joseph ,
but forgot him .
Joseph had deserved well at his hands ,
yet he forgot him .
We must not think it strange ,
if in this world we have hatred shown us for our love ,
and slights for our kindness .
See how apt those who are themselves at ease are to forget others in distress .
Joseph learned by his disappointment to trust in God only .
We cannot expect too little from man ,
nor too much from God .
Let us not forget the sufferings ,
promises ,
and love of our Redeemer .
We blame the chief butler '
s ingratitude to Joseph ,
yet we ourselves act much more ungratefully to the Lord Jesus .
Joseph had but foretold the chief butler '
s enlargement ,
but Christ wrought out ours ;
he mediated with the King of Kings for us ;
yet we forget him ,
though often reminded of him ,
and though we have promised never to forget him .
Thus ill do we requite Him ,
like foolish people and unwise . ****
Matthew Henry '
s Commentary ****
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Genesis 41 ****** ***
Outline of Genesis 41 ***
Pharaoh '
s dreams . (
_1
-8 .)
Joseph interprets Pharaoh '
s dreams . (
_9
-32 .)
Joseph '
s counsel ,
He is highly advanced . (
_33
-45 .)
Joseph '
s children ,
The beginning of the famine . (
_46
-57 .) ***
Commentary ***
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Verse 1-8 -
The means of Joseph '
s being freed from prison were Pharaoh '
s dreams ,
as here related .
Now that God no longer speaks to us in that way ,
it is no matter how little we either heed dreams ,
or tell them .
The telling of foolish dreams can make no better than foolish talk .
But these dreams showed that they were sent of God ;
when he awoke ,
Pharaoh '
s spirit was troubled .
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Verse 9-32 -
God '
s time for the enlargement of his people is the fittest time .
If the chief butler had got Joseph to be released from prison ,
it is probable he would have gone back to the land of the Hebrews .
Then he had neither been so blessed himself ,
nor such a blessing to his family ,
as afterwards he proved .
Joseph ,
when introduced to Pharaoh ,
gives honour to God .
Pharaoh had dreamed that he stood upon the bank of the river Nile ,
and saw the kine ,
both the fat ones ,
and the lean ones ,
come out of the river .
Egypt has no rain ,
but the plenty of the year depends upon the overflowing of the river Nile .
See how many ways Providence has of dispensing its gifts ;
yet our dependence is still the same upon the First Cause ,
who makes every creature what it is to us ,
be it rain or river .
See to what changes the comforts of this life are subject .
We cannot be sure that to-morrow shall be as this day ,
or next year as this .
We must learn how to want ,
as well as how to abound .
Mark the goodness of God in sending the seven years of plenty before those of famine ,
that provision might be made .
The produce of the earth is sometimes more ,
and sometimes less ;
yet ,
take one with another ,
he that gathers much ,
has nothing over ;
and he that gathers little ,
has no lack ,
Exodus strkjv @
16:18 .
And see the perishing nature of our worldly enjoyments .
The great harvests of the years of plenty were quite lost ,
and swallowed up in the years of famine ;
and that which seemed very much ,
yet did but just serve to keep the people alive .
There is bread which lasts to eternal life ,
which it is worth while to labour for .
They that make the things of this world their good things ,
will find little pleasure in remembering that they have received them .
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Verse 33-45 -
Joseph gave good advice to Pharaoh .
Fair warning should always be followed by good counsel .
God has in his word told us of a day of trial before us ,
when we shall need all the grace we can have .
Now ,
therefore ,
provide accordingly .
Pharaoh gave Joseph an honourable testimony .
He is a man in whom the spirit of God is ;
and such men ought to be valued .
Pharaoh puts upon Joseph marks of honour .
He gave him such a name as spoke the value he had for him ,
Zaphnath-paaneah , "
a revealer of secrets ."
This preferment of Joseph encourages all to trust in God .
Some translate Joseph '
s new name , "
the saviour of the world ."
The brightest glories ,
even of the upper world ,
are put upon Christ ,
the highest trust lodged in his hand ,
and all power given him ,
both in heaven and earth .
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Verse 46-57 -
In the names of his two sons ,
Manasseh and Ephraim ,
Joseph owned the Divine providence .
1 .
He was made to forget his misery .
2 .
He was made fruitful in the land of his affliction .
The seven plenteous years came ,
and were ended .
We ought to look forward to the end of the days ,
both of our prosperity and of our opportunity .
We must not be secure in prosperity ,
nor slothful in making good use of opportunity .
Years of plenty will end ;
what thy hand finds to do ,
do it ;
and gather in gathering time .
The dearth came ,
and the famine was not only in Egypt ,
but in other lands .
Joseph was diligent in laying up ,
while the plenty lasted .
He was prudent and careful in giving out ,
when the famine came .
Joseph was engaged in useful and important labours .
Yet it was in the midst of this his activity that his father Jacob said ,
Joseph is not !
What a large portion of our troubles would be done away if we knew the whole truth !
Let these events lead us to Jesus .
There is a famine of the bread of life throughout the whole earth .
Go to Jesus ,
and what he bids you ,
do .
Attend to His voice ,
apply to him ;
he will open his treasures ,
and satisfy with goodness the hungry soul of every age and nation ,
without money and without price .
But those who slight this provision must starve ,
and his enemies will be destroyed . ****
Matthew Henry '
s Commentary ****
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Genesis 42 ****** ***
Outline of Genesis 42 ***
Jacob sends ten sons to buy corn . (
_1
-6 .)
Joseph '
s treatment of his brethren . (
_7
-20 .)
Their remorse ,
Simeon detained . (
_21
-24 .)
The rest return with corn . (
_25
-28 .)
Jacob refuses to send Benjamin to Egypt . (
_29
-38 .) ***
Commentary ***
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Verse 1-6 -
Jacob saw the corn his neighbours had bought in Egypt ,
and brought home .
It is a spur to exertion to see others supplied .
Shall others get food for their souls ,
and shall we starve while it is to be had ?
Having discovered where help is to be had ,
we should apply for it without delay ,
without shrinking from labour ,
or grudging expense ,
especially as regards our never-dying souls .
There is provision in Christ ;
but we must come to him ,
and seek it from him .