Genesis 41:51-52
There were no passengers aboard as Henry Dempsey and his co-pilot, Paul Boucher, flew the Eastern Express Airlines Beechcraft 99 from Lewiston, Maine, headed for Boston.[i] But as they were flying along at 4,000 feet, the pilot heard an unusual rattle. Turning the controls over to his co-pilot, Dempsey walked to the rear of the 15 passenger aircraft to discover that the cabin door was rattling. There was no “door ajar” light warning, but something was making a noise. Dempsey was horrified when the plane hit some turbulence and the door fell open – and he fell out with it! With his body half in and half out of the aircraft, Dempsey grabbed the two door cables with a death grip, and hung on. Boucher, flying along at the normal cruising speed of 236 mph was shocked to hear the door open. He turned to see the open door, but he could not see Dempsey clinging to the door for dear life. He assumed his pilot would die from the fall.
In recent days, many of us have felt like Henry Dempsey and Paul Boucher. Rising death rates, catastrophic economic damage, devious political manipulation, cries of oppression and fearful citizens have produced shock waves throughout our society. Sometimes we felt like Dempsey, clinging to the door; at other times we felt like Boucher, trying to make sense out of what was happening.
All of us are forced to interpret recent happenings in one way or the other. We long to “make meaning” or make sense out of these horrendous circumstances. In today’s text that is exactly what one man did. His name was Joseph and learning what he did could change the way we live. In short, he taught us how to forget some things in order to live fruitful lives. This is a life-changing focus for every father on this Father’s Day.
Today’s message is entitled “Facing Distress: Finding Success” and is based on Joseph’s actions in Genesis 41. “And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil [hardship], and all my father’s house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:50-52)
Facing Distress
From the moment they saw Joseph approaching their camp in Dothan, his older brothers wanted to kill him (Genesis 37:17-18). Simeon and Levi had already proven themselves capable of murderous violence by killing all the men of Shechem (Genesis 34:25). From the moment that Joseph’s father (Jacob) was deceived by his grandfather (Laban) in Genesis 29:20-25, this family was in deep trouble. Jacob married two wives, and fathered children by four women. The contentions of these four fighting females are detailed in Genesis 29-30. Even though Joseph’s father knew that his father-in-law was a deceiver, he continued to work for him, and was cheated almost continuously.
But according to Genesis 31, Jacob prospered, and his in-laws hated him for it. Finally, under cover of darkness, Jacob and his family fled with all of their possessions, but their in-laws tracked them down. God intervened and delivered them. But in Genesis 32-33, they faced a new threat: Esau, Jacob’s brother, had vowed to kill him. And at that moment, violent Esau was racing to meet Jacob as he journeyed along with his very vulnerable family. The Lord also delivered them from Esau, but when they entered the land, Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, was molested by a powerful leader. In revenge, two of her brothers killed the men of the town of Shechem. So Joseph, their younger brother, grew up in a family full of trouble. Matters went from bad to worse when his violent brothers turned against him.
Instead of killing him, Joseph’s brothers sold him to Midianite slave traders and lied to their father about their dark deeds (Genesis 37:26-36); the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, the captain of the guard in Pharaoh’s army (Genesis 39:1). Joseph’s faithfulness led Potiphar to make him an administrator in his household; but before long Potiphar’s wife slandered him, and he was thrown into prison.
When Joseph reflected on all these things, he expressed his difficulties this way in Genesis 41:51-52, “my toil [my hardships] and my father’s house…” and “the land of my affliction.” Can you identify with his descriptions? Have you endured hardships at the hands of others? Did you grow up in a contentious family? Perhaps you are like Joseph and had to grow up with stepbrothers or stepsisters. Have you known what it is to be around violent people? Have you been astounded by the way that some of your family members treat you and treat each other? Have you watched your family members being deceived – even by their own extended family? Have you experienced slander or violence at the hands of others – causing pain that you don’t feel the liberty to discuss in polite company? Over many months now, I have heard the stories of what hard-hearted people have done to hurting people. And frankly, it’s discouraging. Maybe you are listening to this message, and you can’t think of any real hardships or afflictions that you have had to endure. But you know others who have gone through difficulty, and you wish that you could help them. Whatever your situation, it’s clear that Joseph enjoyed success despite his distressing circumstances. How did this happen?
On this Father’s Day, we have fathers here who feel like that pilot, Henry Dempsey, or the co-pilot, Paul Boucher. Maybe your situation is like Dempsey’s – you are holding on for dear life, wondering what’s next. Or perhaps you are like Boucher trying to fly the plane, but wondering if some of those near to you are lost for good. How can these verses in Genesis 41 help us?
Finding Success
The keys to this passage are Joseph’s two testimonies: “God has made…” and “God has caused…” This is no Horatio Alger or Edgar Rice Burroughs “rags to riches story.” Joseph wanted everyone to know that God’s powerful work was the key to his success. Yes, we can rightly admire Joseph’s diligence but even as he was promoted, he continually exalted the Lord. Through God’s remarkable providence, Joseph was invited into the royal court of Pharaoh. This king of Egypt had a vision in a mysterious dream and it troubled him greatly. But none of his wise men could tell him the meaning of the dream. When Joseph was asked if he could interpret the dream, he replied, “It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Genesis 41:16). Servant-leaders like Joseph are eager to testify that the Lord is responsible for their success. But how did Joseph overcome the heartaches from the brothers “in his father’s house?” How will you overcome slander, threats of violence, and painful circumstances? How will you help others to do the same?
The psalmist commented on Joseph’s dire circumstances in Psalm 105:17-19. “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters: He was laid in iron: until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.” Scholars tell us that the phrase “laid in iron” refers to Joseph’s deep despair and even depression. His feet were in irons as he trudged from Dothan to Egypt. Joseph experienced deep distress. Until the word came from Pharaoh, “the word of the Lord tried him.” This describes Joseph in the crucible, or we might say, Joseph in the smelting pot. The Word of the Lord – the revelation that he had received from God – tested him. Would God fulfill His dreams (Genesis 37:5-11)? Joseph received the patriarchal dreams that his fathers had received, and his brothers hated him for it. Would the evil of the brothers triumph? Or would God’s grace deliver Joseph from his distress?
Joseph communicated his life message through the way he named his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. He learned to forget his suffering in order to succeed.
- God can cause you to forget your pain. v. 51
“And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil [hardship], and all my father’s house.” The name Joseph means, “He shall add” or “Provider.” Every dad here today longs to know how to teach his children about God. After the service today, we have a special gift for you entitled, “Who Will Teach Your Child to Know God?”[ii] written by Dr. Ken Hay. It’s clear that Joseph wanted to teach his children about God – even by the names that he gave them. “Manasseh” sounds like a Hebrew word for “forget.”[iii] But how is it possible to forget past hardships and hard-hearted people? Consider a later example from God’s message to Ezekiel. Turn to Ezekiel 2:6-8
“And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briars and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.” (Ezekiel 2:6-8)
That’s pretty graphic language isn’t it? Ezekiel preached to those who despised his words. To him they were like thorny briars and stinging scorpions. But notice the warning to the prophet in verse 8: Be not rebellious like that rebellious house: open your mouth and eat what I give you. In other words, the prophet could have become rebellious just like the rebels he was preaching to. But when he was insulted and irritated by their arrogance, how could he keep from responding to them in kind? The answer was God’s revelation: “open your mouth and eat what I give you.” This is how God helps his saints forget the pain of their hardships and problems caused by hard-hearted people. God’s people can use His gracious words to crowd the irritations and indignities out of their minds. Haven’t you found that the personal pain caused by others’ sins have come back to your mind repeatedly? If that is true of you, then it is time to learn how to forget their wickedness using God’s faithful words.
The Scriptures are full of situations where God’s people were in trouble. How did they press on for God’s glory? Jeremiah’s lament that we call “Lamentations” is a great example. Jerusalem had been destroyed, just as Jeremiah had warned that it would be. But the shock of seeing his hometown reduced to rubble was almost too much for the prophet. How did he wrestle with his grief? Lamentations is written in groups of 22 verses representing the letters of the Hebrew alphabet (like Psalm 119). Chapters 1,2,4, and 5 contain 22 verses; chapter 3 contains 66 verses (using each letter 3 times). It is as if the prophet sought structure for his grief. Today we might say, “What do I know about the Lord or what is true about this situation using the letter ‘A’?” Then use the letter “B” and so forth. These men of God found that God’s Word was like a safety net to hold them in times of trouble.
David used fervent prayer to hallow God’s name in the midst of his troubles. He wrote, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17). Prayer could help you to forget your hardships and the slander of hard-hearted people. And it’s important to forget in order to be fruitful.
- God can cause you to be productive in the very place where you experienced pain. v. 52
“And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” In the very land where Joseph experienced such difficulty (Egypt), God caused him to succeed. How did this happen? Genesis chapter 39 expresses the truth repeatedly: The Lord was with Joseph (Genesis 39:2, 3, 5, 21, and 23). The name “Ephraim” “is said to mean ‘double fruit”…[iv] God enabled Joseph to live a fruitful life in Egypt. Solomon raised the question, “Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he has made crooked?” (Ecclesiastes 7:13).
When Adam defied God in the Garden of Eden, he learned that the consequences were very real. As 1 Corinthians 15:22 puts it, “For as in Adam all die…” In Genesis 3:17 God explained that the very ground, the soil of the earth, was cursed for Adam’s sake; he would eat of it in sorrow all the days of his life. And that crooked curse is still with us. Who can make straight what God has made crooked? Only God can straighten out what He has made crooked. Paul explained it this way in Galatians 3:13, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree:” Christ became a curse for us to straighten out our crookedness. In his living and dying and rising again, he paid for our ransom from sin. And only by God’s grace can we escape from the memories of others’ sins against us. In the agony of His cross, Jesus expressed an attitude of forgiveness when he prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). And when those same people repented at Pentecost, they found forgiveness full and free.
Joseph understood what Paul would later write in Romans 5:20b, “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” You and I could learn how to arise from the arrogant attacks of others. We could learn how to find God-given success even in the midst of trouble and distress. Joseph was successful, even in the land of his affliction. Today it is common to think of escaping trouble by getting a different city, a different spouse, a different job, a different neighborhood or a different church. But Joseph was productive in the land of his affliction, and you could be to.
Paul Boucher radioed the tower to make an unscheduled landing at Portland, Maine. He asked the Coast Guard to search the ocean thinking that they might find the body of his captain. Imagine his surprise when he parked his plane and found Captain Dempsey straddled on the door, still clutching the cables in a death grip. As they landed at a speed of about 100 mph, the captain’s head was just 6 inches from the tarmac. But he survived, and he praised his co-pilot for the safe landing.
A dear man of God once told me after a message on this text: “God gives you amnesia so that you can enjoy ambrosia.” That’s a great way to say it. God helps you forget your pain in order to be fruitful and productive. Have you learned how to seek the Lord to find these blessed benefits?
Pastor Gordon Dickson, Calvary Baptist Church, Findlay, Ohio 45840
[i] Accessed at https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/09/04/pilot-falls-out-clings-to-door-until-landing/e067c87b-da2f-4fc0-a663-4bb9d4a1cfdf/
[ii] https://wilds.org/store/product/who-will-teach-your-child-to-know-god/
[iii] “…popularly derived as a Piel [stem] from n?šâ (q.v.) and equal to “cause to forget.” G. Lloyd Carr, “1217 ?????????,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 515.
[iv][iv] Ibid, 66.