School Is in Session
Mike Jones
Pit, Prison, Palace: The Journeys of Joseph • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 48:30
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Transcript
Growing up, some of my favorite movies to watch were the Karate Kid movies. Daniel LaRusso was a teen new to the area and new to his school. He suffers from bullying by some of his classmates, and cannot hope to win a fight with them because they are all trained in karate. After finding out that the maintenance man at his apartment complex also knows karate, young Daniel pleads with this man, Mr. Miyagi, to train him.
The first day of "training," Daniel finds himself being tasked with waxing Mr. Miyagi's various cars that he has collected and restored. The second day, Daniel finds himself sanding the wooden floors of Mr. Miyagi's house. The third day of training, Daniel is met with a bucket of paint and a paintbrush and instructed to paint the fence with vertical strokes, and on the fourth day, he's instructed to paint the house with horizontal strokes.
Frustrated that this "training" seems more like "doing the household chores that Mr. Miyagi doesn't want to do himself," Daniel confronts Mr. Miyagi with this and threatens to leave. But unbeknown to young Mr. LaRusso, school has been in session for 4 days already, and Daniel has learned lessons he didn't even realize he was learning.
Mr. Miyagi takes him to the side and as he throws various punches and kicks at his student, he instructs him to "wax on," "wax off," "sand the floor," "paint the fence," and "paint the house." Every move that Daniel LaRusso has been repeatedly using for these various tasks translates to effective blocks from the attacks he is receiving from his mentor. It is as this point that Daniel gets excited, and the training begins in earnest as Mr. Miyagi readies his student for a tournament face-off with his bullies.
Sometimes, God has a way of teaching us things that otherwise we may not learn. When we are in difficult and frustrating situations, we need to understand that school is probably in session, and if we were to just trust the Lord and not quit, we would learn things that would ultimately allow us to be a blessing in others' lives and see blessings in our own lives.
Last week we, as we looked at Joseph's life, we saw that he got out of one actual pit and proceeded to face three deadlier, metaphorical pits.
Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, taken to Egypt by the merchants, and bought by Potiphar, the captain of the royal guard, was blessed in everything he did. Now in his twenties, he has moved up the ranks in the house of Potiphar and become the second in command of Potiphar's house. This success, even as a slave, brought with it tremendous responsibilities, benefits, and also temptations. Last week we focused on three temptations or pitfalls that Joseph faced:
1. The pitfalls that success brings with it (pride, loss of empathy and care for others, etc.)
2. One of the pits that often presents itself when people become successful is the pit of sexual temptation. This came in the form of Potiphar's wife, who at first subtly and then very overty offered herself to Joseph in a sustained manner.
Upon rejection after rejection, even when the inappropriate and sinful overtures became strategic, Potiphar's wife lied about Joseph and it lands him in prison. Remember, this is not just any prison, it is a prison where the Pharaoh's enemies are kept. These are enemies of the state. Enemies whose death is almost certainly death.
3. This presents Joseph with a third pit in which he must not fall: the pit of despondency, the pit of hopelessness. Everything that Joseph has done, he has done well. He has dealt with the betrayal of his brothers and the slavery in a Godly manner. He has been diligent in his work. He has been honest and trustworthy. He has been Godly in his interactions with others. He has sought the Lord, he has resisted temptation, and done what is right and all that it did was land him in prison. The temptation here is to give up hope and stop trusting the Lord, but Joseph knows that even though he may not understand, the God in whom he has placed his trust sees the big picture. So Joseph does not lose hope.
Learning to wait
This is Joseph's time to where he is learning to wait upon God and for God's timing.
As Joseph waited, we saw that he valued the presence of God in his life more than anything else. This was the key to victory over these three pits. And this is the key to this next period in his life. Joseph, now unjustly in prison, becomes a model prisoner. Just like he had grown in favor in Potiphar's house, Joseph does the same in the prison. In his time there, Joseph is still godly and diligent in his duties. God is noticeably with Joseph, and this catches the attention of the jailers. So the jailer puts Joseph in charge of the jail. Joseph is in charge of everything that the prisoners do. The Bible said that just like Potiphar trusted Joseph enough that he no longer knew the inventory of his own house, the warden of the Pharaoh's prison didn't even bother to check on the soldiers that were under Joseph's care because the Lord was with Joseph and everything that he did prospered. The one defining characteristic of Joseph's life is that God was with him.
The presence of of God is something to really hone in on right now. Like we mentioned, the defining characteristic of Joseph's life is that God was with him. We understand that God is everywhere. We are aware that the Bible teaches His omnipresence. There is no where in this universe that we could go where we could escape God's presence. I mean, we just finished an eight week series on Jonah last Wednesday. In the very first session we discussed the verse that says that Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord. What Jonah did was that he ran from God's face. Even in the belly of the fish, Jonah knew that God was there.
But what characterizes Joseph, is that Joseph lived in the presence of the Lord. He did not run from God's face, instead, he faced God. He sought God's face.
I heard a pastor once say during his sermon, speaking of the presence of the Lord, "There are some people here that will simply here a sermon, but there are others here that will here a message from the Lord." God is everywhere, but are we in tune with God?
All throughout this building, there are radio waves passing through of every frequency. Can you hear them?🙂
No!
Why not? You are not tuned to that frequency. However, if we stick a radio here and begin to tune to various frequencies we would soon know what is travelling through the air in this place.
If we tuned into 88.3FM we would here jazz,
89.1 - contemporary Christian
You want some classic hits? AM 1430 is the station for you.
What station would I go to for some country music? 96.5FM
So those songs and messages are flying all around us right now, being transmitted through radio frequencies, but we aren't aware of them really. Not until we tune in to it. In the same manner, God is here, and He is everywhere. But too few times are we aware of His presence because we are not in tune with Him. But Joseph was. Joseph was aware God was present and he lived in the presence of the Lord.
And Joseph has learned he needs to wait on the Lord, and is doing so here in this prison. But in this waiting time, there are more lessons that God has planned for Joseph. Lessons that are so important that if he does not learn them, he will witness the death of his family, and the downfall of every nation in the region in just a decade.
And as he is in prison, he's gained favor with the warden and is now in charge of many of the prisoners and their day to day duties.
Let's move on to chapter 40 this morning. Genesis 40:1-4 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. 3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.
Learning to serve.
Remember, you are witnessing Joseph's life and you are acting as a camera operator. You have free and unfettered access to this prison as you film Joseph and those that are with him. On day as you are filming the administration office of the prison, you see a familiar face walk in. It's Potiphar (remember, he is the captain of the guard). He has with him two men in chains. As they in-process these men, you find out that they are the king's butler (cupbearer) and baker. Somehow, they have offended the king and it has landed them in the Big House. And as they are getting in-processed, you hear Potiphar ask specifically that these two men be placed in the care of Joseph. So they are put there and we see in verse four that during their time in this prison, Joseph serves them.
What is Joseph's position in the prison? He has become an overseer of sorts. He is responsible for the prisoners care. And instead of bossing them around and letting this measure of success go to his head, we find Joseph serving. He is in leadership, and he is learning to serve those beneath his authority. It has been well stated that "No man is fit to rule who has not first learned to serve."
For 13 years whether it was in Potiphar's house or in prison, Joseph will be a servant. God is using this time to teach Joseph some lessons, lessons that if he did not have, he would not be a successful leader and administrator later on.
If you know the story of Joseph, you know that eventually he is promoted to second in command of all the kingdom of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. His primary responsibilities are to collect and store food, and ration it out to the nation of Egypt during their years of extreme famine, something that Joseph does very well.
But where did Joseph learn all this? He learned it by first by being the head steward in the house of Potiphar, and then by rationing food to the prisoners under his care while he was yet a prisoner. This is the school that God is using to train Joseph for success later. The thing is, though we know what the future holds for Joseph, Joseph had no way of knowing God's plans for the future.
I know I have made a point of this every week so far, and I will continue to do so because this is absolutely important for us.
DO NOT MISS THIS!! We cannot know in the moment exactly what God is preparing us for. Complete submission to His will is necessary, especially in the hard times as those times are when school is in session. Do the right things, don't give up. Be where God has you until the moment He moves you. Seek His face and you'll never be in the wrong place. Seek His face and you'll be amazed at the lessons you learn.
So let's continue, because these are not the only lessons that Joseph has to learn. He has learned and is learning how to wait properly, he is learning how to serve, but the next few passages go into his next lesson:
Learning Compassion.
Genesis 40:5-7 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. 6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. 7 And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?
Of these three men, Joseph, the butler, and the baker (and the candlestick maker), who was in the prison unfairly? Joseph.
Of these three people, who had the biggest reason to be sad? Joseph.
But what was Joseph doing? He was serving others, but he was going beyond serving. He is showing actual care and compassion on others.
One day as Joseph is making his rounds, he notices both the baker and the butler are sad. I don't think anyone expects the prisoners just to be jumping for joy in their cells, but these men were sadder than normal, and it caught Joseph's attention. (More on this during life group.) But what is Joseph tuned into? He is tuned into God. He is concerned about living in the presence of God. Since he has a passion for God, Joseph is learning God's character and God's character is having an impact on Joseph. Joseph shows concern and compassion here because the God he serves and is a concerned and compassionate God.
So as we observe Joseph through our cameras, documenting his every moment in the prison, we follow him as he checks on the prisoners. As we pass by the cell where the baker and butler reside, we notice that they are worried, sad, and troubled. Perhaps they are pacing back and forth, maybe even muttering under their breathe. And we see Joseph walk in and take a seat in front of them. He asks them why they are sad, why they are worried (because the word translated sad also means fretful and troubled). And they answer, "We've both had dreams."
You know what Joseph didn't do? He didn't respond unkindly. He didn't say, "Well let me tell you a little about dreams! I had some dreams once. I was supposed to be great. I was supposed to rule over my whole house. I dreamed that even my father and mother would bow to me, but instead, I was sold into slavery, lied about, and ended up here unfairly with the likes of you, who actually do deserve to be here since you actually did do something to offend the king. Let me give you some advice, 'Dreams don't mean anything.'"
No, that isn't what he said. Let's look at Joseph's response. Genesis 40:8-19
And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you. 9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; 10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: 11 And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. 12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: 13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. 14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: 15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. 16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head: 17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. 18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: 19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
We will call this section, Learning to Deliver God's Message.
Up until this point, he has pondered his own dreams. However, this will be the first time he interprets the dreams of others. The first thing he does is to point these men to God. He shows compassion as he sees their trouble, and he shows humility as he gives God credit for the meaning of dreams. Then, he listens.
The butler goes first. This man would have been the cupbearer of the king. He would have been the individual that the Pharaoh most trusted. In those days, if you wanted to kill a reigning monarch, you poisoned them. It was too difficult to get an assassin past guards, but to pay someone off to slip some poison into the food or drink of the king was something that was more easily done. So what kings did was they started to employ cupbearers. These men would taste the kings food and drink before the king did, so that if it were poisoned, the cupbearer would die and the king would remain safe.
Anyway, the butler or cupbearer goes first in relating his dream. "I dreamed three were three three branches on a vine and they budded and brought forth grapes. In my dream, I took these grapes and made wine and delivered the cup to Pharaoh."
And Joseph answers, "The three branches signify three days. In three days, the king will 'lift your head' [this means "he will hear your case"], and you will be restored to your former position as cupbearer." You can imagine the joy and the relief in the butler's heart. Joseph goes on to make a very human request. "When you are back with the king, please remember me. Tell the king about me. Let him know I am not supposed to be a slave, I was born free, and I am here in prison unjustly."
The baker, upon hearing the good news of his friend, the butler, is a little encouraged now. He tells Joseph his dream. "I dreamed I had three baskets on my head, and in the top basket, there were all these fancy pastries for the Pharaoh. And as I was holding these baskets on my head, birds came and ate the pastries out of the basket."
So Joseph starts out, "The three baskets signify three days." If you are in there filming, you and the baker probably have the same thoughts, So far, so good. Looks like he'll be getting out of here in three days too. But then he continues, "and at the end of these days, the Pharaoh will lift your head [hear your case]," but then Joseph adds something. "From off of you. The Pharaoh is going to behead you and hang you." The ancient Egyptians did not normally hang people from a gallows to execute them, what they did was behead them and impale the bodies on wooden spikes (tree).
This is a lesson for Joseph in that he must deliver messages. Some messages are great, like the one for the butler, but some messages are hard because they are horrible, like the one for the baker.
It is amazing to give good news to someone. There is nothing like it. To tell someone that their dream is going to come true, that their greatest desire is about to be fulfilled is great. To stand here and tell people that there is a God who is good and loving and willing to forgive humanity is great and it is amazing, but to deliver a message that is bad news is hard.
To sit in an office with someone that is living in sin and tell them what the Bible says about it. To tell someone that despises God that they have no hope without him is a difficult thing to do, but it must be done. The message that God gives to Joseph about the butler I am sure is delivered with ease, but Joseph delivers the message for the baker without hesitation, and he does it fully. These are officers of the kings court, important men who had had close access to Pharaoh.
But Joseph needs to learn to give speak uncomfortable truths because one day, he will have to speak an uncomfortable truth to the Pharaoh. Joseph needs to learn compassion because one day, he will have the choice for vengeance or compassion when it comes to his brothers. And Joseph needs to learn to wait on the Lord because he is not getting out any time soon, despite his plea to the butler to take his case before the Pharaoh.
Genesis 40:20-23 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: 22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
Learning to manage mistreatment from others.
Can you imagine the joy that Joseph feels as three days later, the butler and the baker get called before the Pharaoh? The interpretations from the Lord of those dreams has come true. This means that in a few short days, he should be called before the king too. Perhaps Joseph has started to train someone else to take over his responsibilities; he may have even told the jailers, "Hey, just so you know, any day now, I'm getting out." You sit down with him during an interview time and see Joseph look into the camera as he describes how happy and excited he is about leaving this prison. "I'm going to go home, and I am going to surprise my dad and my brothers. I can't wait to see the look on their faces. They may have not like me, we may have not gotten along, but I sure do miss them. Being with family, even ones that might not like you, certainly beats being a slave and being in prison. Besides, I have matured over these 11 years, and I think that I can conduct myself in a way that will be peaceable with my brothers."
But days become weeks, weeks become months and Joseph realizes, "I have been forgotten." I am reminded of what Proverbs 13 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." Can you imagine seeing Joseph this way? It seems his lesson in waiting is still ongoing. School is still in session for Joseph, and by what happens next, we understand that Joseph is learning and being an excellent student, despite the trials, despite the letdowns. He is now dealing with disappointment.
We see in chapter 41:1 that it was two full years before the butler ever remembers Joseph.
Since coming to Egypt, Joseph has done nothing but the right thing, and all he gets is mud thrown in his face over and over again. He had ministered and been a blessing to someone in a time of great need, and he had been completely forgotten by him.
This story resonates with most, if not all of us. We probably all know what it is to do something kind for someone else and they forget about it. If you are in a ministry position, you will suffer this more times than I care to admit. You will love those kids, you will bend over backwards for them, you will study God's word for them, you'll make a fool out of yourself playing games with them so that they can have an enjoyable time, and the first time you forget to give them their treat or their bucks or the first time you get on to them for not listening, they scream out "I hate you. You don't even care about me. I used to think you were the best teacher, but now Bro. So-and-So is!"
Dusty, Ashley, and soon Paul and Megan, those teens that you love and pour yourself into. Those teens that you pray for and reach out to and sit and listen to; the same teens that you watch their magic tricks over and over again with so much patience. Those teens with whom you have and will sacrifice your personal time and your Sunday afternoons during SMAC and occasional late nights shooting nerf darts at each other all over the church building; some of those same teens will forget all of that. They'll forget your name, they'll forget you ever existed.
Tahsha and I have been on the receiving end of this so many times. It is not fun, it is deeply hurtful, and it cuts to the bone. I have a friend who right now I see Facebook posts and hear about conversations that members or prior members are having about him, and all I can think is "How dare you?!" I have literally seen this man weep for these people, bend over backward, give of his own self for people who are now claiming publicly that he never cared about anyone but himself. And I think, "If you really knew..."
It is the kind of treatment that makes you want to say, "What's the point? I don't deserve this. Forget all this, I am no longer serving; I am no longer caring. I'm looking out for number 1 now! I done something nice for someone, and they didn't say 'thank you' or acknowledge it at all; or worse, they complained about it!"
But we all know of other more serious cases too. We know of husbands and wives who sacrificed while their spouse was climbing that corporate ladder, or pursuing their degrees, and once they got to the top, they dropped that spouse like they never existed.
We know of parents who loved and sacrificed for their children, only to have their child leave in a fit of rage without ever thinking of how the parents provided for them, cared for them, or loved them.
We know of children that were mistreated and abused by the same people that they should have been able to trust.
Sometimes it seems that the very people that should be understanding and helping in our prisons, in our hard times; the people that should be helping with our burdens, and the people that should be encouraging us, are the ones who are hurting us and adding more to our burdens.
And now Joseph is experiencing mistreatment as a man whom he encouraged, cared for and looked out for completely forgets about him, leaving him in prison for two years.
And the stories we've experienced and the stories we know about may not involve an Egyptian prison or the threat of execution, but whatever your story is and whatever mistreatment you have suffered has brought pain. The hurt is just as real, and don't miss this: Joseph was hurt about being forgotten.
So what does Joseph do? He remains focused. See, he did not interpret that dream for personal gain, he interpreted it because God gave him the knowledge of what it meant. Even in his appeal to the butler to remember him, Joseph's hope was not in the butler's memory or good will, His hope was firmly placed in the Lord.
Jeremiah 17:5 Cursed be the man that trusteth in man. Joseph knew that the only one who was completely trustworthy is God. Sure, he was hurt, sure he was disappointed, but did he give up? No. Did Joseph write a strongly worded letter to the butler's manager? Nope. Did Joseph, when he finally gets out, run to the butler and said, "Hey it's about stinkin' time you remember me! Do you not understand the inconvenience you put me through? Do you not understand that 2 years of my life were wasted?! What were you thinking? Only of yourself, evidently."
No, Joseph has the heart of God, remember? Why, because he has a compassion for God. And in this major inconvenience he understands that somehow, God has a hand in it and will use it for good. He has learned to wait on God.
To close, I would like to remind you that as we are studying Joseph, we are looking at a picture of Jesus. In the whole Bible I do not think that there is a better representation of Jesus than Joseph.
Jesus stood abandoned in prison so that we could be assured of God's presence in the midst of our prison. Look to the cross as Jesus hangs there, He who knew no sin, made sin for us. He is sympathizing with the suffering of others even as He is suffering. Thinking of Mary's suffering as she watches her son die, he leaves her in the care of the disciple John.
Though he is there unfairly, he does not condemn or rebuke the man nailed to a cross right beside him who is rightfully there. Instead, when asked by the thief, "Remember me when you come in your kingdom," Jesus responds, "Today, you will be with me in paradise."
As he suffers the wrath of God being poured out on Him, He is in the deepest dungeon and darkest pit ever known to man, and even there He sympathizes with fellow-sufferers.
Let's talk about mistreatment before we have a time of invitation. The most unfair act ever committed on this earth was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. History's best man treated like the worst. Arrested, beaten, scourged, stripped naked,mocked, crowned with a crown of thorns, his beard ripped out by fistfuls, pierced and hung to die.
And what does Jesus do? He cries out, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." And some scholars have said that the tense in which it was written holds the connotation that it was repeated over and over again.
And that is is not the worst of it.
The worst of it comes as Jesus cries heaven-ward, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Abandoned by the Father, a separation Jesus never had felt before, until the moment He cries out, "It is finished," and then finally, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
A prayer of trust saying, "Father, even after all this, I am still yours."
If Joseph never ended up in that prison, he would have never interpreted that butler's dream. Had the butler remembered Joseph, Joseph would have been long gone, out of Egypt two years later when the Pharaoh dreams a dream that no one else can interpret. Had Joseph not been in that prison that day, the nation of Egypt would not have prospered during the time of famine and Joseph's own family would have died of hunger, for there would have been nowhere else to turn for food.
Had Jesus not suffered the pit and prison of His crucifixion, humanity would not have a chance at being redeemed. Had He not suffered the abandonment of the Father, we would never be able to know the presence of the Father with us. We would never be able to enjoy the salvation of our souls.
And whatever prison you find yourself in, God has some lessons for you to learn while you're there. You may not know what you're learning while you are learning it, but one day it will be clear.
While you are in your prison, Learn to wait on the Lord and live in His presence. Tune in to Him.
Learn to serve.
Learn to be compassionate with others.
Learn to manage the mistreatment of others.
Eventually, you'll be out of that prison, and the Lord will use you to prosper others and be a blessing in a way that right now you may not even be able to fathom.
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Life Group - Genesis 40
What is the hardest part about waiting?
When it comes to waiting on God, what do you think is the most difficult thing to deal with?
How can I practice being in the presence of the Lord? How can I seek His face throughout the day?
When life gets rough, often we turn inward, but Christians are meant to love and serve others. How can focusing solely on our own needs have negative effects in the family/at work/at school/at church?
Why do you think Joseph was able to spot the sadness of the butler and baker?
True love tells hard truths. Have you ever been in a position where someone told you a hard truth?
We all cringe when Joseph was let down by the butler forgetting to mention his name to the Pharaoh. Joseph continued to trust in the Lord, because hundreds of years before it was written, he knew the concept of the teaching of Jeremiah 17:5-8.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
5- Cursed is the man that trusts in man= the curse is that eventually, all men will disappoint. ...And maketh flesh his arm, whose heart departeth from the Lord.= Cursed is the person that depends on a person for strength and stability instead of fully depending on the Lord.
6- He shall be like a heath (poor, naked person) in the dessert= no protection, completely vulnerable to the environment in which he finds himself. ...and shall not see when good cometh.= Won't realize that even the wilderness experience is a learning one in which we can draw closer to God and learn His character.
7- 8- Reminiscent of Psalm 1; shall not see when the heat cometh= will be surrounded and sustained by the Lord despite the environment around them. That person will continue to prosper, just like Joseph did while he was a slave and while he was in prison.
Our focus (or lack of focus) on God determines everything. It will determine how we treat others, it will determine how we react to others, and it will determine how long we remain faithful to the Lord as we go through pits and prisons of our own.
What lessons have you learned in difficult times that you were not aware of until after you went through those times?
