Joseph and Pharaoh

Welcome

Good morning everyone, today we are continuing in our series on the life of Joseph. Today, we get to see Joseph encounter some better experiences than what he has had for the last 13 years of his life. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, accused falsely of a crime that landed him in prison, and then he was forgotten about by the one person who could have helped him get out. Today we will see how the cupbearer eventually remembers Joseph, and the effect that has on the rest of Joseph’s life.

Prayer

Engage / Tension

Who has ever wished that they would catch a really lucky break in life? It could be a lot of different situations, but a lot of people often want to catch one good break in their life, something that sets them up financially or relationally for life. Well in 1999, there was a man named Bill Morgan and he caught about three lucky breaks in life. The first one happened after he was involved in a bad car accident that left him in a coma for over 12 days. The doctors eventually reached the conclusion that he didn’t have a chance of survival, but not long after they thought that, he woke up! Not only did he wake up, he woke up completely fine. After this, Bill felt pretty lucky for having survived when no one thought that he would, so he went to a gas station and bought a lottery ticket. Bill scratched it off and realized that he had just won a car. A local news station heard about this man who was almost killed in a car wreck and then won a car through the lottery and decided to do a news story on him. While they were filming they asked him to go back to the gas station he won the car at and buy another lottery ticket so they could re-enact him winning. He agreed, bought the ticket, went over to the counter and started to scratch it. Mid scratch though, he stopped, looked at the camera, and said, “I just won $250,000. I’m not joking.” This guy miraculously survived a car accident that should have killed him, won a car through the lottery, and then won $250,000 while he acted it out on the news!

As we look at Genesis 41 this morning, I want us to see that the events that happen with Joseph on not merely a lucky break, even though it might look like that. But, Genesis 41 is not the entire story of Joseph. This chapter provides us with an opportunity to look at Joseph’s past and his future, and see that God is the one who is acting here. It is not a “lucky break” that helps Joseph, but God, who has been at work in Joseph’s life for years.

Genesis 41:1–40 NIV

When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.” So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. “In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.” Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine. “It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.” The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

The chapter begins by explaining the events that lead the cupbearer to remember Joseph. Pharaoh has two dreams, both very similar, and like the baker and the cupbearer he knows that there is a deeper meaning behind these dreams. He send out for the wisest people in his kingdom to come and interpret them, but none of them can.

This is what jogs the cupbearer’s memory. He tells Pharaoh about this young Hebrew man in prison who interpreted his dream and how those events came true. Pharaoh then sends for Joseph and asks him if he can interpret the dream. Joseph responds in a very important way. He tells Pharaoh first, that he cannot do it, he cannot interpret the dream on his own. But, Joseph says that God is the one who can interpret the dream through him. Right here, we see how important it is in knowing that we can only accomplish the things of God by admitting that we are not the ones who have the power to do so. Joseph didn’t confidently tell Pharaoh that he was the best interpreter and that he could trust him, no, he simply pointed to God as the one who actually held all of the power.

In the same way, Jesus asks us to do some pretty hard things. He tells us to pick up our cross and follow him, he tells us to love our enemies, he tells us love God with all of our heart mind and soul. All of these things, we truthfully cannot do on our own. We need the Holy Spirit in our lives to give us the strength that we need to live and love like Jesus. And like Joseph, we should not take credit for the work that God is actually doing. Like Joseph we should be pointing it all back to the power of God so that others might realize who God is, just as this Pharaoh comes to learn.

To summarize what happens then, Joseph tells Pharaoh that both dreams mean the same thing. There are going to be seven great years for Egypt, years of abundance. But after these years of plenty, a severe famine will sweep across the land so badly that people will forget about the seven years of plenty that they just had.

Joseph then tells Pharaoh that in order to make it through that famine, Pharaoh should find someone who is wise and place them in charge of preparing for the famine. Someone who can lead the nation in collecting food and storing it so that during the years of famine, the nation might survive.

I don’t think that when Joseph is telling Pharaoh this, that he is really trying to place himself in this position. He isn’t saying this and winking at Pharaoh like, “Well, you know who could do this job really well? Me.” No, Joseph just wants to get out of prison, he doesn’t necessarily want this position. But Pharaoh recognizing, like Potiphar, like the prison warden, that something is different about Joseph because of how God works in and through him. So Pharaoh appoints Joseph to this role and makes Joseph the second most powerful person in all of Egypt.

Genesis 41:41–57 NIV

41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. 44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. 50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” 53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.” 56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.

Everything that Joseph had said would happen comes to pass. Egypt goes through the seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine and Joseph’s plan begins to be put to work. Because of Joseph’s plan the people of Egypt are able to get food, but even other nations are able to survive because of this. That last verse tells us that the famine was so severe that the world comes to Egypt to survive.

I know that this is a lot of scripture that we got through, but this chapter really provides us with this chance to look back on the events of Joseph’s life and see how they have brought him to this point, as well as what God will do with the events that will still happen.

Conclusion

As we look back on Joseph’s life, we have to see that this encounter with Pharaoh was not the result of one lucky break. Joseph didn’t win the lottery by getting to go before Pharaoh. Instead, this happens because of a series of painful events that God used for his glory. If Joseph had not been sold by his brother into slavery, he would not have made it into Potiphar’s house. If Joseph had not said “no” to Potiphar’s wife, he would not have been thrown into prison. If he hadn’t been in prison, he would not have interpreted the dreams of the baker and cupbearer. And if he hadn’t interpreted those dreams, he never would have been taken before Pharaoh and placed in this position where he was able to save thousands upon thousands of lives. Joseph is really this great illustration of Romans 8:28 “28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

As we look ahead at Joseph’s life, we will see that because of everything that happens, Joseph is actually able to save his brothers and his entire family during the famine.

But, we also need to see that the events of Joseph’s life are descriptive, not prescriptive. What I mean by this is that while we go through suffering in life, there is no promise that we will experience glory and prosperity in this life. Now, you may be thinking, “Bummer, not a great application point Noah.” But in reality, we do have the promise that God works all things for the good of those who love him. We can be assured that we will face suffering in life, but we also know that we will ultimately experience joy when we experience our salvation through the power of Jesus.

1 Peter 1:3–12 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

As we look back on different moments of suffering in our life, I think we can begin to see how God has been able to use those things for his good and for his glory. And we can find peace in knowing that even if things don’t work out for us like they did for Joseph, even if we don’t end up before Pharaoh or catching that big lucky break, we have the greatest inheritance waiting for us upon our arrival in heaven. While we will suffer at times in life, we know that a time of great rejoicing is just around the corner when we experience Jesus face to face.