MiKetz (At The End Of)
10) Genesis 41:1-44:17
This is one of my favorite portions. God used it to speak a powerful word into my heart at a low point in my life. The name of the portion comes from second Hebrew word in Genesis 41:1, MiKetz, meaning “At the end of.” The literal translation of the first four Hebrew words are:
And it came to pass at the end of two years of days… (vaY’hee miketz sh’natayim yamim)
Two. Years. Of. Days. Think about that. Can you picture Joseph, sitting in jail and feeling abandoned. He had big dreams for himself that God had given him. He had a unique ability to interpret other people’s dreams. And yet, here he was stuck in jail. And unjustly, at that!
Day after day, Joseph must have been struggling with feeling forsaken. Struggling with his temptations of anxiety, despair, and anger. He was forgotten by the Cupbearer, whom he had recently helped. He was forsaken by God who had been “with Joseph” (Gen. 39:2, 21, 23). Joseph had faithfully served God by resisting falling into sin (Gen. 39:9). And here he was rotting in jail with no one to comfort him.
Two years of days.
This is a unique way to describe the lapsing of time. It does not say “two years later.” It is as if the writer wanted to paint a picture for us of the grueling agony and the brutal moments that seem to drag on endlessly. Seemingly endless days filled with the intense pressure of his inner thoughts and feelings. The word picture embedded in this portion’s title suggests Joseph is sitting in a jail cell marking each day with a scratch on the wall to keep time. Two years of days. That’s a lot of days. 730 days to be exact.
But then…God’s promise and timing intersect.
The key to seeing the deep and hidden work of God in Joseph’s life during these excruciating two years is by comparing how the author notes Joseph’s speech before and after this seemingly insignificant phrase noting the passing of two years.
Since my goal here is less to teach-tell you things bun instead to encourage-empower you to go deeper into the word of God to grow in Relational Depth with God — so you can go deeper into loving other people better and be more like Yeshua — I will just give you a rough outline below in hopes that you will do your own Bible work.
Joseph finds himself in virtually identical situations before and after “miketz.” In both cases there are people with uninterpretable dreams and heavy hearts. Compare the circumstances. They are basically the same. Chapter 40 describes Joseph’s interactions with two of Pharoah’s servants, and chapter 41 describes Joseph’s interactions with Pharaoh. While Joseph’s circumstances are similar, what do you notice in his speech? In response to the same questions, his answers are radically different. Compare Joseph’s replies to similar questions in the jailhouse versus the palace. It begs the question — what was God doing during those two years?
JOSEPH’S DIFFERENT RESPONSES IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS
Can Joseph interpret dreams? Genesis 40:8 / 41:16
Who is the revealer of meaning? Genesis 40:12, 18 / 41:16
Who is Joseph focused on serving? 40:14-15 / 41:25, 28-36
WHAT HAS GOD BEEN DOING IN JOSEPH’S HEART DURING THESE TWO YEARS?
Friends — God does His best work under pressure! This is good news. It means that even when we don’t feel God’s loving presence, we can trust He is with us and working all things together for good. Joseph was under intense pressure during those two years but God was stripping him of his self-reliance so he could stand as God’s mouthpiece and serve as one who saves.
God used this word to me years ago when I felt vocationally abandoned. He has done great things in and through me since then but only after doing some important “pruning” work. Like God pruned Joseph during those two years in jail, He promises that His pruning work is for the purpose of enabling us to bear more fruit.
“…every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:2)
Go deeper into God’s word this week and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He delights to answer this prayer. Relational depth…you know the rest ;)
Readings for the Week:
Torah: GENESIS 41:1–44:17
Prophets: 1 KINGS 3:15–4:1
Apostolic Writings: 1 CORINTHIANS 1:18–25
Click HERE for the online Parashah commentary.
Shalom,
Thomas