Genesis 40 vs 16-19 deals with the second dream Joseph interprets. The cupbearer receives a good report which enthuses the baker to share his dream.
How often have we heard other people’s good news and then sought out that good news for ourselves?
From the onset of disobeying God, Adam and Eve come into contact with the inheritance we ALL struggle with- narcissism and god-complex. Notice the wording God’s Enemy (and ours) uses to manipulate Eve. “God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be LIKE God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5)
Ever since that fatal moment, we all struggle with self-importance which becomes a default setting in how we view the world. We chase good things in an attempt to self-satisfy our inner narrative to be LIKE a god-of-our-own-understanding. We see this playing out in the bakers quest to have his dream interpreted, by Joseph, in the hope of being reappointed to his position in Pharaoh’s court, where he evidently derives his ideological status of self-importance- “I am the Pharaoh’s personal baker.”
Don’t we hear, and see it all the time- so and so is the personal shopper/hairstylist/preacher/designer/architect of so and so?
In our frailty, we attach our need to be important to people/objects/things instead of seeking the value bestowed on us by THE ONE who created us. Notice in Genesis, before the tragic fall, God valued Adam and Eve SO MUCH they spent personal time with Him, AND He gave them instructions on how to stay in perfect connection with Him- “do not eat from that tree.”
Still today, we are cherry-picking which parts we like about The Holy Bible and The Only Living God, thereby deludedly trying to make God the servant of our god-complex.
Deductively, we see through the bakers eyes, ourselves. Seeking good news to self-satisfy. BUT, Christianity isn’t just THEE GOOD NEWS story of salvation through Jesus; it is GOOD NEWS, for some.
The horrific reality is, “Thank You God that You love us and sent us Jesus to save us from inevitable judgement, which we so deserve, but help us not to self-pleasure by minimising that judgement and wrath are coming.”
We must, with necessity, understand that God never intended, and still does not intend for His Beloved creation- us- to be judged and sent to the place created for the devil and his ilk.
John Bevere explains this neatly in this clip found on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/L1yBx3LJbmFdmYAK/?mibextid=wFJQ5J
We HAVE to understand that the Good News, albeit GREAT NEWS, is only wonderful news for some. God’s Heart is for ALL OF US to be saved, but that salvation will not be forced upon us, it must be freely chosen using our God-given free will. GOD WILL NOT REMOVE OUR AGENCY TO GET US INTO HEAVEN. God wants us to genuinely choose Him, and learn to follow Him because we LOVE Him. Hence, God sent Jesus.
In this startling account, Genesis 40 vs 16-19, we see Joseph step up and tell the hard truth to the baker- “Judgement is not going to go your way.”
Can you tell the truth in love even if it means being hated by others because their perceived reality is out of alignment with God’s Reality?
James Montgomery Boice (July 7, 1938 – June 15, 2000) was an American Reformed Christian theologian, Bible teacher, author, and speaker known for his writing on the authority of Scripture and the defence of Biblical inerrancy. Pastor Boice rightly calls us out on seeking to tell the Good News separate from the bad news. Joseph, in Genesis 40, like Jesus did, didn’t spare emotional immaturity for the sake of a feel-good lie.
SALVATION IS NECESSARY AND POSSIBLE, but must be responded to and followed. That salvation has a name- MESSIAH KING JESUS.
The harsh, but unavoidable reality is that salvation wouldn’t be necessary if we didn’t side with evil. But we do.
‘Got Questions’ has an interesting point to ponder on this notion of siding with evil.
The bad news is that evil and hell exist. The Good News Is that Jesus made salvation possible. The instruction remains the same as it did for Adam and Eve, “Do not eat from that tree.” The sad news is that many of us are addicted to our god-complex, and like the baker, are blinded by our perceived self-importance that we don’t notice the evil in our hand, mind, and mouths. Hence, there is good news, but only for some. Good news for those willing to stop plucking the wrong tree.
‘The Gospel Coalition’, shares a wonderful piece examining Boice who teaches us how to stay measured in our walk with Jesus, SO THAT we don’t drift into evil by falling prey to being “‘people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions”’ (2 Timothy 4 vs 3).
As we stare into the unavoidable, forewarned, and awe-inspiring Word Of God, the discomfort we feel about the fact that The Good News cannot be separated from the bad news reveals the reality of ego and narcissism. Our job in “going into all the world to preach,” means facing hatred, persecution, and ridicule by the some who want to remain stuck in self-aggrandising perceptions of god-complex, and for that we must be prepared. Prepared and accept. There is good news, but, for some. Our AWESOME FATHER/JESUS/HOLY SPIRIT don’t want that. The Holy Bible makes it abundantly clear.
The question then must be, “If God’s Will is for my best by saving me, why do I reject it?”
C.S. Lewis has an answer.
As the baker sought self-fulfilling happiness upon hearing the report of the cupbearer’s dream, don’t we ALL fall for the same error daily, seeking what makes us happy rather than what God requires so that we can be saved from the coming reality of living in the fullness of evil God set aside for our enemy that we still allow ourselves to manipulated by to eat of the tree we shouldn’t?
One of my new favourite Christian Songs, ‘More Like Jesus’, One Voice INT, opens with lyrics we are so familiar with which points out the ‘the some mentality’ of pop psychology peddled by the deceiver conning us we will be like God.
Despite the bakers sermon and that judgement is coming, THE GOOD NEWS FOR ALL (if they so choose) is that Jesus wants to save, help, and bring us home, fully restored into God’s Garden before the fall really messed things up.
David Leonard, ‘Come As You Are’, reminds us that no matter where we are, how steeped in what God calls evil, Jesus just wants us to come home to Him and He can heal us.
Can I encourage you as clean addict of 7 years, practicing celibacy to walk away from an lgbtq lifestyle for 6 years, 5x attempted suicide, inferiority complex overcomer, and an ordinary person who loves Jesus……. JESUS LOVES YOU. Come home.
#Hayibo 