Genesis 41.15-16-Joseph's Great Humility Before Pharaoh
Tuesday January 9, 2007
Genesis: Genesis 41:15-16-Joseph’s Great Humility Before Pharaoh
Lesson # 261
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 41:1.
This evening we will continue with our studies of Genesis 41, which records Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams and making a recommendation to him in light of these dreams, which results in Pharaoh promoting him to prime minister, second only to Pharaoh in Egypt.
By way of review, we have noted the following in this chapter:
In Genesis 41:1-7, we read where Pharaoh of Egypt had two dreams and in Genesis 41:8, we read the account of Pharaoh summoning the priests who were skilled in the occult sciences in order to interpret his dreams but there were none that could.
In Genesis 41:9-13, we saw that Pharaoh’s cupbearer whose dream Joseph interpreted two years before making Pharaoh aware of Joseph and his ability to interpret dreams.
Then, in Genesis 41:14, the Lord delivered Joseph from prison by causing Pharaoh to summon Joseph from prison to interpret his dream, which is recorded in Genesis 41:14-24.
This evening we will study Genesis 41:15-16 which records Joseph refusing to exploit for personal advantage his ability to interpret dreams when speaking to Pharaoh but instead ascribes to God his ability to interpret dreams, which demonstrates his great humility.
Genesis 41:1, “Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.”
Genesis 41:2, “And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass.”
Genesis 41:3, “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.”
Genesis 41:4, “The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.”
Genesis 41:5, “He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good.”
Genesis 41:6, “Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.”
Genesis 41:7, “The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.”
Genesis 41:8, “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.”
Genesis 41:9, “Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, ‘I would make mention today of my own offenses.’”
Genesis 41:10, “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.”
Genesis 41:11, “We had a dream on the same night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.”
Genesis 41:12, “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.”
Genesis 41:13, “And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my office, but he hanged him.”
Genesis 41:14, “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.”
Genesis 41:15, “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.’”
“Dream” is the singular form of the noun chalom (<w)lj&) (khal-ome) even though Pharaoh had two dreams since Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and Pharaoh himself viewed the dreams as identical in meaning.
In Genesis 41:8, Pharaoh summoned into his presence each and every one of the Egyptian priests that were masters of the occult sciences but none of them were able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams.
The reason for this is that they were unbelievers and unlike believers, unbelievers have no capacity to understand divine revelation, which Pharaoh’s two dreams were.
1 Corinthians 2:14-15, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
Victor Hamilton, Chairman of Division of Philosophy and Religion, Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky, commenting on dream interpretation, writes, “The technical name for dream interpretation is oneiromancy. An individual who engages in such an activity is called an oneirocritic. It is well known that in the ancient Near East there existed a whole discipline of dream interpretation even to the existence of manuals on the subject. In these cultures dreams were always understood causally. By magic one could induce good dreams. The local deity could be petitioned to turn a dream to good. Or, the ill effect of a bad dream could be cancelled by a counterspell. It is of no little importance that a science of dream interpretation failed to emerge in Israel. Only two Hebrews engage in oneiromancy-Joseph and Daniel-and that while they belong to the court of heathen kings. The biblical Hebrews never need interpreters to explain their dreams although individual Hebrews may interpret dreams for foreigners. And even when they do, the Scripture emphasizes that neither was able to solve the dream through his own wisdom. It was God who revealed the interpretation to them” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, volume 2, pages 744-746).
Pharaoh’s initial statement to Joseph “I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it” in the original Hebrew text reads, “I have heard it said about you, that you hear a dream in order to interpret it,” which means that all Joseph had to do to interpret a dream was to hear it.
Pharaoh’s statement is flattery since he is anxious to know the meaning of the dreams and it is an exaggeration on the part of Pharaoh due to his excitement in hearing that there was someone in his kingdom who had the ability to interpret dreams.
It is also expresses Pharaoh’s belief that Joseph is endowed with magical powers that are superior to those of his occult priests.
Genesis 41:16, “Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.’”
Joseph corrects Pharaoh, rejecting his flattery and directs attention away from himself to God.
In the original Hebrew text, Joseph’s statement “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer” literally reads, “apart from me, God will answer the peace of mind of Pharaoh” meaning that God will give an answer that will bring Pharaoh peace of mind.
In the original Hebrew text, the phrase “it is not in me” literally means, “apart from me” since it is composed of the negative particle bal`adhe (yd@u&l+B^) (bil-ad-ay), which means, “apart from me” and the 1st person common singular pronominal suffix, which means, “me.”
Joseph is saying to Pharaoh that the interpretation of dreams is apart from him but rather originates with God who gave him the ability to interpret dreams.
The statement “God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer” reveals that Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams originates with God who gave him the gift.
Notice that Joseph does “not” use the covenant name of God, which is Yahweh, “Lord” when addressing Pharaoh but rather uses Elohim, “God” since he is “not” speaking to a member of God’s covenant people but rather an unbeliever.
The noun Elohim, “God” reveals to Pharaoh the source of his ability to interpret dreams.
“Favorable” is the noun shalom (<WLv^) (shaw-lome), which in context means, “peace of mind” implying that Pharaoh’s dreams caused him distress in his soul.
We know from Egyptian sources that the Egyptians believed that dreams were indicative of future events, thus Pharaoh believed that his dreams were concerning the future of his nation and the realization that none of his occult priests could interpret his dreams brought him distress of soul.
Therefore, Joseph is saying to Pharaoh that God would give him the ability to interpret his dreams, which would give Pharaoh peace of mind.
Just as Joseph was careful to give God the glory for his interpretative gift when speaking to the cupbearer and baker (See Genesis 40:8), so he is careful again to do so when speaking to Pharaoh, thus refuting the Egyptian occult priests who were frauds set up by the kingdom of darkness.
The interpretation of dreams is not a human art but a gift from God.
Joseph’s statement is a refutation of Pharaoh’s occult priests expressing the fact that the interpretation of dreams is not a result of learning and manipulation but rather divine revelation.
Joseph’s response to Pharaoh demonstrates his great respect for God and great humility in that he refuses to exploit his God-given ability to strike a deal with Pharaoh for his release from slavery and prison.
Humility is putting the glory and honor of God first in your set of priorities and the needs of other human beings ahead of your own needs.
Joseph’s response to Pharaoh reveals that he is putting the glory and honor of God and the needs of Pharaoh ahead of his own needs and desires.
Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Humility of mind precedes promotion from God.
1 Peter 5:5-7, “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. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
Joseph will be promoted by God because he first was humble in that the glory of God and the well-being of others came before his needs and desires.
His response to Pharaoh reveals that speaking the truth and giving honor and glory to God was more important to him than personal advantage.
After fourteen years of slavery and over two years in prison, you would think Joseph would first strike a deal with Pharaoh that would result in his release from slavery and prison before he would interpret Pharaoh’s dream but this is not the case.
The fact that Joseph refuses to exploit his situation to his own advantage reveals that he is totally aware that God is sovereign and in complete control of his circumstances, thus he does not take things into his own hands but waits for God to act on his behalf.
Henry M. Morris commenting on Joseph’s response to Pharaoh, writes, “Joseph exhibited by this answer a great growth in spiritual maturity since the time of his own dreams back in Canaan. Then, he had antagonized his family by calling attention to his own superiority. Now, however, he won the confidence and respect of a heathen king and court by denying his own ability and giving full credit to the Lord. His years of slavery and imprisonment had indeed taught him humility and patience. Instead of calling attention to the failures of the other wise men and stressing his own powers, he acted with utmost courtesy and restraint, and directed all praise to God alone” (The Genesis Record, Baker Book House, pages 579-580).
Just as his father Jacob, also known as Israel, endured fourteen years of divine discipline under Laban, which transformed his character so Joseph endured fourteen years of divine discipline in Egypt, which transformed his character.
The fourteen years of slavery and the years of imprisonment have transformed the character of Joseph from a boastful arrogant teenager to a spiritually mature believer who is more concerned about giving God the glory and the well-being of others rather than his own needs and desires.
Just as the divine discipline his father Jacob/Israel endured with Laban forced his father to claim the promises the Lord had made to him at Bethel so the divine discipline that Joseph endured in Egypt forced him to claim the promises that the Lord gave him in the two prophetic dreams recorded in Genesis 37:5-11.
Just as his father Jacob/Israel saw God prosper him while living with Laban, which caused a change in Jacob in that he grew to love and trust God even more as a result of seeing the Lord fulfill His promises to be with him and protect him and bless him (See Genesis 30:27) so Joseph grew to love and trust God even more as a result of seeing the Lord protect and bless him while in slavery.
Just as his father Jacob/Israel had developed into a great man of God who walked by faith and not by sight when he reentered Canaan after fourteen years of divine discipline with Laban so Joseph had developed into a great man of God after fourteen years of divine discipline in Egypt.
Just as the divine discipline that his father Jacob/Israel endured for fourteen years with Laban was a demonstration of the Lord’s love for Jacob so the divine discipline that Joseph endured for fourteen years in Egypt was a demonstration of the Lord’s love for Joseph.
The Lord Jesus Christ disciplines the believer in the sense that He rebukes, punishes and trains the believer because He personally and affectionately loves the believer.
Revelation 3:19, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”
Revelation 3:20-21 teaches that the Lord disciplines us not only because He loves us and but also because He wants to reward us.
Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”
Revelation 3:21, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
God disciplined Joseph for fourteen years in Egypt in order to reward him by promoting him to the prime minister of Egypt.
God disciplines His disobedient children by permitting adversity, trials, and irritations to come into their lives that are beyond their capacity to handle in order to get their attention and to focus upon their number one priority in life as children of God, which is conformity to the Father’s will.
The divine discipline was successful in getting Joseph to recognize that his number one priority in life was conformity to the will of God.
God disciplines His disobedient children by permitting them to reap the fruits of their bad decisions so that they might learn that conformity to His will is the only way to true joy and happiness and blessing in life (Ezek. 16:43; Gal. 6:7-8).
God permitted Joseph to reap the fruits of his bad decisions with his brothers so that he might learn that conformity to His will is the only way to true joy and happiness and blessing in life.
The Holy Spirit disciplines the disobedient child of God by rebuking them with the Word of God as it is communicated by the pastor-teacher in the local assembly and the purpose of such rebuke is to conform the believer to the will of his heavenly Father, which results in blessing and true happiness (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the pastor-teacher who is the delegated authority in the local assembly, to reprove and rebuke the children of God from the pulpit with the Word of God as an expression of His love (See 2 Timothy 4:1-4).
Just as any good father disciplines his children because he loves them, so God the Father disciplines His children because He loves them.
If God did not train us when we are obedient and punishes us when we are disobedient, then we would be illegitimate children, thus divine discipline in the sense of punishment and training is the mark of a child of God.
Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Hebrews 12:2, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:3, “For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Hebrews 12:4, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.”
Hebrews 12:5, “and you have forgotten the exhortation, which is addressed to you as sons, ‘MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM.’”
Hebrews 12:6, “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”
Hebrews 12:7, “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”
Hebrews 12:8, “But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”
Hebrews 12:9, “Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?”
Hebrews 12:10, “For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”
Hebrews 12:11, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
Hebrews 12:10 teaches us that ultimately, God disciplines us because He wants us to share in His character and integrity, which is meant by the phrase “share His holiness” and to produce “the fruit of righteousness” according to Hebrews 12:11.
Righteousness deals with proper conduct towards both God and man whereas holiness deals with the character that is result of proper conduct towards God and man.
Therefore, we see that the fourteen years of divine discipline that Joseph endured in Egypt produced proper conduct towards both God and man that in turn resulted in godly or Christ-like character.
We are not to get angry or bitter when God disciplines us through the Word, or adversity and underserved suffering but rather we are to listen to what God is trying to say to us and to learn the lesson that He is teaching us so that we might acquire the character of our heavenly Father.
Joseph received discipline without getting bitter and complaining and instead recognized and submitted to God’s authority.
Proverbs 3:11-12, “My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD or loathe His reproof, for whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”
Proverbs 15:32-33, “He who neglects discipline despises himself, but he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility.”