Hidden

Genesis 40:20-23

April 18, 2021 • Mount Pleasant UMC

Last Sunday, after worship, I received a text from a friend who had been watching online, and she said, “Poor Barney! He wasn’t able to defend himself!!!” So, I thought I would give him a chance today to respond to what I said last week about him not being very obedient. Barnabas?

VIDEO: Barnabas

Okay, that’s enough of that. Do you see what I mean? This is why I’m so tired these days!

So, yeah, there’s no good or easy way to transition from that into Joseph, so I’m just going to jump right in. This morning, we’re in the midst of a series called “Finding Favor,” and we’re exploring what the Bible has to say about, well, finding God’s favor. Last week I gave you a working definition of the word “favor,” a definition I hope we can keep in the forefront of our minds as we work our way through this series. Here it is again: favor is “God’s…supernatural intervention to bring a blessing into your life” (Jones, Finding Favor, pg. 14). Last week, we talked about how sometimes, often even, we have to go through the difficult times before the blessing comes. Favor is not just about health, wealth and happiness. God does want to bless us, but sometimes (usually) he has to break us first so that we can receive the blessing. It made me think of a song by Laura Story that played a lot on the radio a few years back:

What if your blessings come through raindrops?

What if your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near?

What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise? (“Blessings”)

If we’re honest, we know the truth of that more than we would have cared to. We have known raindrops, tears, sleepless nights and trials, but we have also known blessings. God’s blessings come not when we avoid the hard times, but as we allow him to lead us through the hard times. Because how more blessed could we be than having him walk with us through whatever life throws at us? In fact, the story we read such a small part of this morning reminds us again that God’s favor often comes in ways we don’t expect.

The story of Joseph is a huge Biblical epic; in fact, a few years ago, we spent several weeks looking at the story and only really scratched the surface then. So this morning, in the few minutes we’re going to have together, we’re going to go really quickly through it. If you follow the daily Scripture readings, you’ll get to dive a bit more into the early part of Joseph’s tale, a story that begins with jealous older brothers and a younger son who loved to tell them that he was Dad’s favorite. So they sold him into slavery and told their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast. Joseph ends up being sold to the captain of the guard, a high official in Egypt, and works himself into a pretty prestigious position. In fact, Genesis tells us, “The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered…the Lord gave him success in everything he did” (Genesis 39:2-3). He was so successful that the captain’s wife took note of Joseph; specifically, she noticed that he was “well-built and handsome” (39:6) and she asked him to sleep with her. Did I say Joseph’s story was an epic tale? Sometimes it sounds more like a Biblical soap opera! This is one of those times; it’s a story that would still play well on prime time television—except for the fact that Joseph says no. The invitation wasn’t unusual among the wealthy, elite and important people of those days. Most people turned a blind eye to such indiscretions, and had he agreed, he probably would have gotten away with it. But his honor and, more importantly, his faith wouldn’t allow him to take advantage of his master’s wife, and so he says no. Repeatedly. Eventually, she frames him and the captain has Joseph thrown into prison. Scholars debate why. Was the captain really angry with Joseph, or did he have to put Joseph in prison to “save face”? Either way, in an instant, Joseph went from success to prison. And yet, Genesis says, even in prison, “The Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden” (39:21).

So, just as Joseph was once in charge of his master’s household, now he ends up in charge of things in the prison. There’s another key characteristic of Joseph’s life we need to remember: he was driven constantly by a dream. Early in his life, he had two dreams that seemed to promise greatness for his life, that he would be in some position of leadership. Specifically, he had a dream that indicated his family would bow down to him one day—and, yeah, that’s part of why his brothers sold him into slavery, to get rid of him and his dreams. In fact, when they got rid of him, that’s exactly what they said: “We’ll see what comes of his dreams” (37:20). Now, years later, he still has this dream in his heart and mind as he looks around at the prison walls. Sure, he might be in charge of the prison, but that’s a far cry from the blessing he thought he was going to have. This prison does not look like favor. Maybe you’ve been there, in a virtual prison, or maybe somewhere that felt like a valley. You had dreams, big plans, hopes, and this is not where you thought you would end up. What happened to the dreams?

When I was in seminary, we were all convinced we were going to change the world. Or at least we thought we would. I remember graduating from Asbury, and I headed into my first appointment determined to win the world for Jesus. The whole world. Singlehandedly, of course. Everyone in seminary is going to become a famous evangelist or preacher or have the biggest and best church, the next megachurch with worldwide impact. It’s not that seminary students are arrogant; it’s just that professors and teachers are really good at getting students inspired about the mission. So I left seminary ready to become the next Billy Graham or something like that. And then reality settled in. For me, it was within a few months at the first summer camp I took my youth to. I quickly learned that they weren’t all that interested in what I knew, and they honestly weren’t all that interested in being changed. We had a rough week at camp as we got to know each other, and I learned as much or more from them than they learned from me. It’s not that my dream to change the world was destroyed. The word might be “tempered” or “clarified.” I still believe in the mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. But the grandiose (and immediate) ways I thought it would happen have changed because I had to spend some time in the valley, in the darkness.

Joseph spent a long time in the darkness as well. And then came the day when two other prisoners, political prisoners who had once been part of the Pharaoh’s court, had dreams. We don’t know why these guys landed in prison; Genesis simply says they “offended” their master and he was “angry” with them (40:1-2). One scholar says it could have been that the sauce in the fish pie wasn’t saucy enough (cf. Goldingay, Genesis for Everyone—Chapters 17-20, pg. 143)—who knows? For whatever “offense,” these two men ended up in prison and one night, both of them had dreams. Somehow, word had gotten around that Joseph was pretty good at dream interpretation and so they ask him to take a crack at their dreams. He does, and lo and behold, what he says is what happens: the cupbearer is restored to his position and the baker—well, the baker loses his head, literally. Most “dream interpreters” or magicians of the day would have had a fee for their services. Joseph only asks for one thing: “When all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison” (40:14). Show me favor, Joseph says, and remember me.

The rest of the story is what we read this morning. When the cupbearer is restored to his position on Pharaoh’s birthday, he did not remember Joseph. In fact, the text uses two words to emphasize that. The cupbearer “ignored” and he “forgot” all about Joseph (40:23). So let’s review: Joseph shares about his dreams and finds himself sold into slavery. He resists sexual temptation and finds himself thrown into prison. He helps a fellow prisoner and finds himself ignored and forgotten (cf. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis—Chapters 18-50 [NICOT], pg. 483). At this point, he’s got to be wondering what has become of those dreams from long ago. What is God up to? Why hasn’t he shown up? What kind of favor is this?

Have you felt forgotten, ignored? Vincent did. He believed with everything in him that he was called to preach the Gospel. His father and grandfather had been fairly famous and successful preachers and the weight of their expectations was heavy on him as he preached his first sermon on that October day. He rambled a bit, but what preacher doesn’t? Overall, his sermon was fairly well received, and he felt good about it, so much so that he sent a copy to his brother with this note: “From now on, wherever I go, I’ll be preaching the gospel.” He spent the next couple of years serving as a lay pastor. He gave up most of what he owned so that he could be ready to serve wherever he was called, and then he was told he was “unfit for ministry.” It was a hard blow. His dreams seemed to be shattered. Discouraged and having no other viable options for employment, he turned to the other family business: art. He returned home and began drawing, and over the next ten years, he shuffled between discouragement and despair while still producing an immense body of work—over 900 paintings in ten years. His art was not popular; he never sold anything to more than a handful of buyers and he died believing he was a failure. However, history has a much kinder view of him because today his paintings are displayed around the world and Vincent van Gogh is a well-known name. Van Gogh spent his life basically hidden from the public. In his time, virtually no one knew his name or his art. He was ignored then, but not forgotten. In reality, his ministry has far outlasted his lifetime. He did preach the Gospel wherever he went, just not using words (cf. Jones 52-55). Do you, like Vincent, know what it’s like to be ignored, forgotten, overlooked, hidden?

Well, here’s some good news for you, then: “The cup-bearer may have forgotten Joseph, but God did not” (Ross, “Genesis,” Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1, pg. 220). Chapter 41 begins with these words: “When two full years had passed…” Two. Full. Years. 730 days. 17,520 hours. Joseph waited in prison for two full years. I imagine that, after he watched the cupbearer leave the prison, he expected that any day, any moment might be the one where they come to release him. Did he stand by the entrance every day, just waiting for release? How many days passed before that hope began to dim? How long before he gave up entirely? I don’t know, but I imagine that by the end of two years, he has forgotten all about getting out. He has gone back to managing the prison. Maybe he’s even pushed the dreams he once had to the back of his mind. Two full years—long enough for Joseph to know that, when it happens, it’s God’s work releasing him and nothing he has done. The only way Joseph’s dream was going to be fulfilled is if he allowed God to be in charge. And for that to happen, Joseph had to be hidden for a while. Oswald Chambers puts it bluntly: “God gives us the vision, then he takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way. Every vision will be made real if we will have patience” (qtd. in Jones 57).

I think about Saul, who was a dedicated opponent to the Christian faith. In fact, he was openly persecuting those who believed in Jesus, hunting them down to arrest them and even overseeing their executions. Then, one day, Jesus knocks him down, blinds him, and calls him to believe. Saul was a rising star in Jewish society; he was brilliant and had been trained by the best rabbis. He could have been famous as a teacher, especially after his career in persecuting the Christians. But now he has decided to follow Jesus, to switch over to the enemy’s side, you might say. He even changed his name to Paul. What would we do with such a person today? What do we do when a so-called celebrity becomes a Christian? We immediately put them on a pedestal, seek out their advice, treat them as if they have the answers, and then ridicule and revile them when they fall. I’ve seen it happen over and over again just in my lifetime; I’m sure you have, too. Sometimes we even put them in charge of a church or give them authority to immediately begin preaching. So of course that’s what Paul did, right? No, it’s not. For at least three years after coming to know Jesus, Paul went away. He went to Arabia; we’re not sure exactly where, but somewhere in the desert. He went there to be refined and taught, to learn and grow in his faith before doing any teaching or preaching. Then he went to meet with Peter in Jerusalem, to learn from him. Then he went away again into Syria and other places. According to Galatians (1:11-2:5), it was fourteen years before Paul really began to preach and teach. Fourteen years! That’s a long time of waiting. That’s a lot of patience, but it’s what it took for God to turn Saul into Paul and make him into someone who could be used not only for his time, but for all time. Those fourteen years of being hidden were not wasted time. Paul was being prepared, tuned, Oswald Chambers would say “battered” or shaped so that God could use him. God gives the dream and he will fulfill every dream if we allow him to do it on his schedule.

Those two years Joseph spent in prison, waiting for the cupbearer to remember him, hidden away in obscurity, were not wasted years. God was continuing to shape Joseph, to give him a heart of compassion for people and to help him forgive his brothers. God never wastes anything, especially our hidden times. He is always working, always shaping, always making us into someone he can use. Even in the hidden times, our calling is to keep dreaming, keep praying, keep allowing God to work in us and trust that he knows what he is doing. He knows best.

We live in a culture that idolizes the best, the brightest, the most fantastic, the biggest, and that same mindset is a big part of the church today. Just listen in on a gathering of pastors (and I can pick on us because I am one) and you’ll see what I mean. It doesn’t take long for the conversation to turn to numbers. How many were in worship last Sunday? How many members do you have? What is your offering? And, these days, the most common question is: how is your attendance doing compared to “the before times”? We look up to the big and assume bigger is better. We focus on the visible events, including the Sunday morning worship service, and we put a lot of energy into making those things bigger and better. And don’t get me wrong: those things are important. I believe that we should give God our very best, that our grace-giving God deserves excellence in all we do. We should always be improving the things people see. But over the years, I’ve realized that some of the most important things that happen are the things people never see, the things that are hidden. Maybe those are the ways God is preparing you for something in the future.

I think about my grandmother, Esther Irick, who for I don’t know how many years came every Sunday to teach her Sunday School class in the back of the sanctuary at Rossville Church (they didn’t even have a classroom). How many lives did Grandma impact because of her faithful service and her witness? How many generations? I think of Dave and Carol Bushfield, who gathered every Sunday evening in the church basement with a bunch of high energy youth. They fed us, physically and spiritually, and I know we didn’t appreciate it at the time. But I think about that group sometimes, that youth group from my high school days, and I am amazed at how many of those friends are serving Christ in various ways still today, even some I would never have expected! I’m sure there were days when Dave and Carol wanted to give up, but the seeds they planted in quietness and without much attention from anyone else grew into large trees. Their investment in me, for instance, is still paying off here in this church. Still today, a lot of our children’s and youth ministry happens in hiding. There are the big events, but most of you have no idea of the ways Ginger and Jess and their many volunteers invest in the children and youth of this church, the seeds they are planting that will one day grow and blossom. You’ve seen some evidence of that in these Bible Explorers who stood before you just a little while ago. A small class, but I can only imagine the many, many ways these three youth will make a difference for the kingdom, in part because of the seeds Ginger and their adults have planted in them these last several months. I know when I was a youth pastor that there were days when I wondered if anything I did mattered, but now I can look at the lives of many of those youth and know that God can fulfill dreams even when we’re about to give up. I’m so very thankful for all of you who invest in our kids and youth; who knows, one day one or more of them might be preaching and teaching the next generation!

I think of Howard Nichols, a layperson from our church in Kentucky. Every Sunday afternoon, Howard would take the visitors list from that morning’s worship and he would go out to his shed where he had a bakery set up. He would make fresh bread in that bakery, and then on Monday, he would stop by the home of each person who had visited the church on Sunday and give them a loaf of bread. Howard didn’t preach, he wasn’t a man of many words at all, but his gracious act of hospitality helped many people connect to that church and, in time, find a relationship with Jesus. I think of Charles Smith, a retired college professor, who turned his love of teaching into leading small group Bible study at the church. At first, Charles thought he was just doing another teaching gig, and then he found his love for the Bible growing in ways he never could have imagined. I don’t know how many Bible classes Charles taught, but it was a lot. And Charles invested in me; he and his wife Paula took me to Israel for the first time and gave me a love for that land—a love that continues to make a difference every time I take a new group there. I remember standing with Charles in Jerusalem and hearing him say, “I wish I had started learning this so much earlier.” Charles died just a few weeks ago, but the ministry he had, which so few knew about, continues on.

When the history of the church is finally written, it’s very unlikely the names Esther Irick, Dave and Carol Bushfield, Howard Nichols or Charles Smith will appear anywhere in the text. Neither will the name Dennis Ticen. But here’s the thing: all of them were and are recipients of God’s favor, favor that they turned around and shared with others. Even though very few know who they are, they each have made an ongoing impact for the sake of the mission: the transformation of the world. Or, as G. K. Chesterton put it, they were people who allowed good things to run wild, people who allowed the grace and favor of God to flow through them out into this weary world (cf. Ford, Wegner & Hirsch, The Starfish and the Spirit, pg. 13). Remember our working definition of “favor”? Favor is “God’s…supernatural intervention to bring a blessing into your life,” and I hope right now you’re thinking of the people God has brought into your life, people others may never know, but people who have been a true blessing. God often shows us his favor though “hidden” people, the ones the world will never know, the ones who may feel like their dreams haven’t yet come true, maybe even ones who feel “stuck” in life like Joseph was. Even they may not understand why God is doing what he is doing, but one day it will all be clear. Philip Yancey puts it this way: “I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse” (Jones 63).

We have no idea how many lives Joseph touched while he was in hiding there in prison. Of course, he went on to become second in command in Egypt, but even if the cupbearer had never remembered him, he still would have made a difference and could still experience God’s favor right there in prison. No doubt that he did, which makes me remember again that maybe you don’t have to be “the best, the brightest, the most fantastic ever” to experience and share God’s favor. Maybe God is content with you being you, with you being who he has called you to be. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is following Paul’s advice in Ephesians (5:8, 10): “Live as children of light…and find out what pleases the Lord.” Find out what pleases the Lord, then do it, whether anyone ever sees you or not. Will you make mistakes? Will you not always get it right? Will you ever wish that you were more noticed than you are? Of course. We’re human. “Godliness takes a long time to take shape” (Jones 67). But being focused on what God wants rather than on our own success, fame or fortune—well, that is the path to the favor of God. And that’s the path we want to be on. Let’s pray.