Genesis 41.38-40-Pharaoh Promotes Joseph
Tuesday January 16, 2007
Genesis: Genesis 41:38-40-Pharaoh Promotes Joseph
Lesson # 265
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 recommendations to him in light of this interpretation, 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.
Then we saw that Pharaoh’s cupbearer whose dream Joseph interpreted two years before made Pharaoh aware of Joseph and his ability to interpret dreams and this is recorded in Genesis 41:9-13.
This was followed by the Lord delivering Joseph from prison by causing Pharaoh to summon Joseph from prison to interpret his dream, which is recorded in Genesis 41:14.
In Genesis 41:15-16, we read where in response to Pharaoh’s flattery, Joseph ascribes to God his ability to interpret dreams, which demonstrates his great humility.
Then, we read where Pharaoh recounts his dreams to Joseph, which is recorded in Genesis 41:17-24 and this was followed by Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, which is recorded in Genesis 41:25-32.
On Sunday morning we studied Genesis 41:33-37, which contains Joseph’s recommendations to Pharaoh in light of his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams.
This evening we will read in Genesis 41:38-40 where in response to Joseph’s recommendations, Pharaoh promotes Joseph to prime minister of Egypt to administrate the government of Egypt over the next fourteen years.
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.’”
Genesis 41:16, “Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.’”
Genesis 41:17-18, “So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, ‘In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile and behold, seven cows, fat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass.’”
Genesis 41:19-20, “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 and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows.”
Genesis 41:21, “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.”
Genesis 41:22-24, “I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them 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.”
Genesis 41:25, “Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do.’”
Genesis 41:26, “The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one and the same.”
Genesis 41:27, “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.”
Genesis 41:28, “It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do.”
Genesis 41:29-30, “Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt 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.”
Genesis 41:31, “So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe.”
Genesis 41:32, “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.”
Genesis 41:33, “Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.”
Genesis 41:34, “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.”
Genesis 41:35, “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.”
Genesis 41:36, “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.”
Genesis 41:37, “Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.”
Genesis 41:38, “Then Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?’”
“Servants” is the noun `evedh (db#u#) (eh-ved), which does “not” refer to a slave who is in bondage to another against his will but rather refers to Pharaoh’s advisers and officials in his cabinet who helped him in deciding state affairs.
Pharaoh’s rhetorical question implies an emphatic negation meaning “We cannot find!”
This rhetorical question indicates he knows what he must do, namely, appoint Joseph as chief administrator to execute Joseph’s recommendations during the seven years of prosperity and famine.
“Divine Spirit” is composed of the noun ruach (jWr) (roo-akh), “Spirit” and the noun Elohim (<yh!Oa$) (el-o-heem), “Divine.”
This expression does “not” refer to the Holy Spirit since Pharaoh was an unbeliever who had no understanding or concept of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit but rather this expression refers to the manifestation of supernatural ability from God, which was demonstrated by the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams.
If you recall, Joseph repeatedly confessed having no intrinsic ability of his own to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams but rather he declares that God gave Pharaoh his dreams (See Genesis 41:16) and Pharaoh recognizes God’s power at work in Joseph.
Therefore, Pharaoh’s use of this expression gives testimony to his conviction that God gave Joseph the unique supernatural power to interpret dreams.
Joseph demonstrated to Pharaoh an extraordinary, supernatural ability to interpret dreams and to formulate an effective and practical course of action that made Pharaoh aware of God’s presence in Joseph.
Genesis 41:39, “So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are.’”
“Discerning” is the verb bin (/yB!) (bene), which refers to the power of judgment and perceptive insight and is manifested in the use of knowledge.
Therefore, Pharaoh gives testimony to his conviction that Joseph possessed discernment in the sense that he demonstrated the ability to judge and that he had perceptive insight and applied the knowledge gained from his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams.
Pharaoh’s dreams and Joseph’s interpretation were revelation of God’s will for Egypt during the next fourteen years and so Pharaoh recognizes and gives testimony to his conviction that Joseph possessed spiritual discernment to act in accordance with this revelation.
Discernment refers to the faculty to discern, discriminate, and have acuteness of judgment and understanding in any given situation.
Therefore, Pharaoh gives testimony to his conviction that Joseph possessed the faculty to discern and discriminate and possessed acuteness of judgment and understanding of his dreams and what they meant.
Spiritual discernment refers to the ability to separate, distinguish and choose between what is God’s will and what is evil (See Hebrews 5:14).
Therefore, Pharaoh gives testimony to his conviction that Joseph understood the revelation of God’s will for Egypt during the next fourteen years and would also choose a course of action in preparation for the coming famine as demonstrated by Joseph’s recommendations.
Discernment refers to the faculty to understand the character and motives of people.
Therefore, Pharaoh gives testimony to his conviction that Joseph possessed the faculty to understand the character and motives of people so as to not be taken advantage of during the next fourteen years.
Spiritual discernment refers to the power or ability to grasp and comprehend what is obscure to the soulish man.
Therefore, Pharaoh gives testimony to his conviction that Joseph demonstrated through the interpretation of his dreams, the ability to grasp and comprehend his dreams, which were obscure to the occult priests who were soulish men.
“Wise” is the adjective chakham (<kj) (khaw-kawm), which refers “to professional skill and ability in administrating” the nation of Egypt in preparation for the coming famine.
Therefore, Pharaoh gives testimony to his conviction that Joseph demonstrated through the interpretation of his dreams the professional skill and ability to administrate the nation of Egypt in light of the coming famine.
Not only did Joseph possess the spiritual discernment to understand the revelation from God contained in Pharaoh’s dreams but also he had the ability to administrate the nation of Egypt in that he could select a course of action in preparation for the coming famine based upon his interpretation.
Joseph was prepared to assume the position of prime minister of Egypt since God had prepared him by having him work for Potiphar for fourteen years as his personal servant.
His administrative talents were cultivated and fine tuned while working under Potiphar for fourteen years, administrating Potiphar’s entire household and managing his entire estate.
Of course, Joseph is the only man in Egypt who could fulfill these requirements.
Pharaoh had just discovered that none of his occult priests could fulfill these requirements.
Not only did God give Joseph the ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams but He also gave him the ability to formulate a comprehensive plan to meet the coming severe famine.
Not only did Pharaoh’s dreams originate from God as well as Joseph’s interpretation of these dreams but also Joseph’s plan did as well.
Therefore, Pharaoh has no other option but to appoint Joseph as chief administrator since he alone possessed the wisdom to deal with the coming crisis.
Genesis 41:40, “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.”
Pharaoh’s statement “you shall be over my house” means that Joseph was given control over Pharaoh’s entire household including all of his advisors.
The statement “according to your command all my people shall do homage” in the original Hebrew text reads “they (the Egyptian people) shall kiss you on your mouth” and is used in a figurative sense meaning that Pharaoh decreed that all of the Egyptian people must obey all Joseph’s commands and prohibitions.
Pharaoh’s statement “only in the throne I will be greater than you” means that only Pharaoh would possess more authority in the land of Egypt than Joseph.
So we can see that the Lord rewarded Joseph’s faith, which was demonstrated by his perseverance and endurance in the midst of undeserved suffering for fourteen years.
Perseverance is being steadfast and faithful in applying the Word of God despite the many obstacles and cares of life in the cosmic system of Satan.
Endurance is the power of bearing anything such as hardship or trial.
1 Peter 2:20, “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.”
2 Timothy 2:12, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him.”
The promotion of Joseph by Pharaoh manifests the spiritual principle that God causes all circumstances to work together for good for those who love Him.
Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
God worked out the circumstances so that Pharaoh would promote Joseph as prime minister of Egypt.
For example, God gave the cupbearer his dreams and Joseph the ability to interpret those dreams, which led to the cupbearer eventually informing Pharaoh two years later of Joseph’s supernatural abilities.
God also gave Pharaoh his dreams and Joseph the ability to interpret those dreams and make recommendations in light of his interpretation of those dreams, which resulted in Pharaoh promoting Joseph.
Joseph was rewarded and promoted because he did his work for Potiphar and the prison warden as unto the Lord.
Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Since Joseph was faithful in the little things when serving Potiphar and the prison warden, the Lord rewarded Joseph with greater responsibility.
Matthew 25:21, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’”
The Lord rewarded Joseph with great authority because he was faithful in more menial responsibilities since those who are faithful in a little thing will be faithful in much.
Luke 16:10, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much.”
The Lord also rewarded Joseph for his humility in that he acknowledged before Pharaoh that God gave him the ability to interpret dreams.
Proverbs 22:4, “The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life.”
1 Peter 5:5, “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.”
1 Peter 5:6-7, “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.”
James 4:10, “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
The Lord demonstrated his compassion towards Joseph by causing Pharaoh to deliver him from prison and promote him to prime minister of Egypt.
Psalm 135:14, “For the LORD will judge His people and will have compassion on His servants.”
Psalm 103:13-14, “Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”
James 5:11, “We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”
The Lord demonstrated His sovereignty over the nations by causing Pharaoh to promote Joseph to prime minister of Egypt.
Psalm 113:5-8, “Who is like the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people.”
1 Samuel 2:7-8, “The LORD makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts. He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with nobles, and inherit a seat of honor; For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and He set the world on them.”
