Genesis 41
Notes
Transcript
Background
In the previous chapter we saw Joseph having a divine appointment with Pharaoh’s cupbearer and his chief baker. Both had been imprisoned, and both had dreams which Joseph interpreted. While the baker was condemned to die, the cupbearer was restored, just as Joseph had predicted. Unfortunately, the cupbearer forgot about Joseph.
1 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.
2 And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass.
3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.
4 The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.
5 He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good.
6 Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.
7 The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
8 Now in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would make mention today of my own offenses.
10 “Pharaoh was furious with his servants, and he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker.
11 “We had a dream on the same night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.
12 “Now a Hebrew youth was with us there, a servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we related them to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his own dream.
13 “And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my office, but he hanged him.”
As a reminder, Joseph had been enslaved and wrongfully imprisoned since he was 17 years old. We see a 2-year period had passed, which means based on our earlier understanding that he is now 30 years old. This is confirmed later in this chapter.
TIMELINE
TIMELINE
Nothing is said of Joseph’s mental state, except a hinting of his mindset in the previous chapter, when he requests favor from Pharaoh’s cupbearer.
14 “Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.
15 “For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.”
As has been discussed in the past, God uses dreams to give prophetic pictures to effect His purposes. Pharaoh’s dreams were communicating the same message.
Joseph himself received two dreams back in chapter 37, both communicating the same thing but unknown to him and his family at that time.
These dreams are relayed vividly to the reader.
The Nile River was worshiped as a god by the Egyptians. Thus, its appearance in Pharaoh’s dream would have been taken seriously.
Though Egypt is associated with desert, the ground is ideal for agriculture along the Nile River and in the Valley.
No one in Pharaoh’s court was capable of interpreting his dreams, but this served as a reminder to the cupbearer of his fault.
Now we see that the jail is connected with the house of the captain of the bodyguard (v. 7).
Notice that he identifies who the Hebrew youth belongs to - Pharaoh’s own captain of his bodyguard, Potiphar. He would be present, or available, to Pharaoh to testify regarding Joseph.
Potiphar could have called Joseph’s perceived integrity into question, but instead stayed silent.
He specifically states that the interpretation was accurate and precise.
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
17 So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile;
18 and behold, seven cows, fat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass.
19 “Lo, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such as I had never seen for ugliness in all the land of Egypt;
20 and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
21 “Yet when they had devoured them, it could not be detected that they had devoured them, for they were just as ugly as before. Then I awoke.
22 “I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk;
23 and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them;
24 and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
The quick change that Joseph experiences was a cultural custom, that no one may be unpresentable before Pharaoh. With Joseph entering into his presence, he must be cleaned up and made ready to stand before their god-king.
Notice that while Pharaoh attributes the interpretations to Joseph, Joseph denies the very thing that may win him his freedom. But in doing so, he rightly attributes glory to where it belongs - God.
The prophet Daniel says the same thing:
19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven;
20 Daniel said, “Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him.
21 “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.
22 “It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him.
23 “To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us the king’s matter.”
Anything we are capable of doing is a blessing that comes from God.
Anything we are capable of doing is a blessing that comes from God.
5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
And Pharaoh recounts his dreams to Joseph. Notice that each time, Pharaoh states that he had one dream.
25 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
26 “The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one and the same.
27 “The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine.
28 “It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
29 “Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt;
30 and after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ravage the land.
31 “So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe.
32 “Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.
33 “Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 “Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance.
35 “Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them guard it.
36 “Let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish during the famine.”
Joseph rightly identifies the 2 dreams as communicating the same message.
There will be 7 years of plenty, and then 7 years of drought which would destroy the land.
Joseph identifies the urgency of this prophecy in the fact that the message is repeated. This is common in ancient language.
Joseph’s advice is to prepare for the famine. Since he has experience tending to Potiphar’s household and being given charge over all he owned, Joseph was adept at organization and administration.
37 Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.
38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?”
39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are.
40 “You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.”
41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”
42 Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck.
43 He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45 Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.
46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.
47 During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth abundantly.
48 So he gathered all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields.
49 Thus Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure.
In an ironic twist of fate, Joseph is taken from the status of a slave and put in charge not just of his former master Potiphar, but all of Pharaoh’s court.
This is highly unusual, especially because Joseph wasn’t Egyptian.
Pharaoh rightly gives God credit because of Joseph’s humility.
52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble.
4 The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches, honor and life.
God’s rewards for the humble include eternal life, but can also include earthly success.
God can move the humble into positions of power for His glory.
God can move the humble into positions of power for His glory.
5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
If God is in control of the ways of the kings of the earth, then what do we have to fear?
50 Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.”
52 He named the second Ephraim, “For,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end,
54 and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.”
56 When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
57 The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
Joseph’s sons will come into prominence in the story later on. “Forget” and “fruitful” are fitting names.
Because of God’s revelation, and Joseph’s wisdom and administration, Egypt became the source of food for the known world at that time.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
Anything we are capable of doing is a blessing that comes from God.
God can move the humble into positions of power for His glory.
Next week, we will learn about baptism.