Do you feel forgotten entirely? Hopeless? Joseph has been in prison for a crime he did not commit. After his experience with the chief butler, which seemed to offer some promise of his possible release, he must have been discouraged. The butler had forgotten him, and although Potiphar knew he was innocent, he could not free him. However, discouraged as he may have been, he continued to believe in God and trust him. His situation was about to change drastically, and once again, dreams would play an essential role in his life. Let’s look at how Joseph goes from being a prisoner to a prince.
Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. 2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. 8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and 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 for Pharaoh.
It seems dreams come in pairs in Joseph’s life. In his childhood, he had two dreams himself; then in prison, butler and the baker and now Pharoah has two dreams. In Egypt, God of dream interpretation was THOT, but he had nothing to say. No one in Egypt was able to interpret the dreams.
9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, 11 we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”
Butler suddenly remembered Joseph. We are all on divine timing. Jesus repeatedly said, ” My hour has not yet come.” Joseph’s time to be freed was here. God had not forgotten him but instead was molding him for this very day.
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
Verse 14 has some profound implication, and those of you who like to think through such thing can dive deeper into it. Pharaoh asked Joseph to interpret the dreams, but Joseph wisely gives credit to God. Jesus, too always glorified God the father whenever he performed a miracle. You will never read in the Bible of anyone giving glory to Jesus after a miracle. Let this be a lesson to all of us if you want to used by God, get people to give glory to God, do not seek self-glory. Joseph could have bargained for his freedom and, perhaps a hefty fee. He was standing in front of the most powerful monarch of the day; Pharaoh needed Joseph’s unique ability, and his talent was in high demand at the moment. However, Joseph quickly confessed that he could not interpret the dream, but it was only God. So many times we are so dependent on our abilities, and we flatter ourselves in thinking it is because of our knowledge we are successful, and we forget it is God who gives us success. You can see the spiritual growth in Joseph since the time of his dreams in childhood. At that time, he had angered his family by focusing on himself. Now he put the focus on God instead of his ability, and this won Pharoah’s confidence. His years of slavery and imprisonment had taught him humility and patience. In verses 17-24, Pharoah repeats the dreams to Joseph.
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good [b]heads are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. 28 This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; 30 but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. 31 So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. 32 And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
Bible does not tell us if Joseph prayed and meditated for the interpretation of dreams or was given divine guidance right away, but in any case, God gave him the meaning of the dreams. I like to mention one more time, Joesph insisted at least four times, that all of this was from God ( verse 16,25,28,32). God gave the dream, God gave the interpretation, and God would bring it all to pass. Pharaoh dreamt twice, and it is pretty much a done and deal. Just a couple of things to keep in mind the years of famine speaks of the seven years of tribulation. Today, we are living in a time of prosperity, around the globe people have more wealth than any other time in the history of the earth, but soon famine is coming.
33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint [c]officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the [d]authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 Then that food shall be as a [e]reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not [f]perish during the famine.”
The mystery was solved. There was great trouble ahead for the land. Egypt, a nation which was used to of plenty and supplied other countries with food, how would it react to famine? Pharaoh was contemplating what steps he should take to deal with the coming crisis. As Pharaoh is worried about his kingdom and the effect the famine might have on his legacy, God was putting his plan in place. Instead of Egypt weakening, it was going to emerge stronger. God gave not only an accurate interpretation of a dream but also an effective plan to deal with the crisis. The people could not be trusted to store for themselves and so Joseph’s first suggestion to find the right man who was intelligent and wise.
37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be [g]over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
Pharaoh was impressed and amazed not only by interpretation but also with wise counsel. There was no doubt in his mind; Joseph’s plan was the correct course of action to deal with impending famine. Joseph, who was in a dungeon only a few hours ago, is now second in command. How many of you feel like Joseph? Forgotten and in a dungeon? Just trust God, hang in there, and in due time, God will do what he has promised. The key is not to seek the riches of this world, but whatever circumstances you are in, know God is in control. Joseph’s goal was not to be second in command and all the riches; he was simply walking in obedience and trusting God. In Gospel of Matthew, it says, ” seek the kingdom of God and all the other riches will be added unto you.” so many of us Christians need to learn this from Joseph, we strive and struggle for earthly blessings when all we have to do is just TRUST & OBEY.
45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name [h]Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth [i]abundantly. 48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. 49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.
Joseph was now in the position of power and was married to Asenath. On was pagan worshipping place and they studied stars. Here we see a few more similarities between Jesus & Joseph, Like Joseph, Jesus was 30 years of age when he started his ministry. Joseph was married to a foreign bride so to is Jesus, who gathers His bride from the pagan world. All of us who are believers are a bride of Christ; We are married to him by grace, not on merit or ethnicity. God had prepared Joseph for the task at hand. He excelled at it.
50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn [j]Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” 52 And the name of the second he called [k]Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
One of the hardest things to do in the Christian walk is forgiveness. If someone has hurt you or there is an injustice committed against you, it is hard to forget and move on. Many of us harbor ill feelings for years for an insult. Many families carry grudges for generations, and children are carrying feuds started my parents and grandparents. Here Joseph names his first son, Manasseh, which means “forget.” After all the wrongs Joseph endured, he chose to forget and move on. It is so essential for us to forget and move on. Many times we ruin our today by not letting go of yesterday. Our past cripples us and satan is very good at reminding us. Paul tells us in Philippians, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have [a]apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Of course, this does not mean we have no memory of our past; however, we let go of the bitterness and watch what Joseph says; God has made me forget my toil. It is not possible to do it on our strength; submit it to Jesus, and he will remove the bitterness. His second son’s name was Ephraim, which means “Doubly fruitful.” How can you be fruitful in your Christian walk? You need to forget and let go of your past, and like Joseph and Paul, you will be very productive for Christ.
53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
As Joseph had said, the years of prosperity ended, and the famine started. Please notice, the famine was not just in Egypt but all the land much like the seven-year tribulation which will affect the whole world. People cried out to Pharoah, much like in the time of tribulation, and they will cry out to Anti-Christ. Pharaoh directed them to Joseph: of course, Antichrist will not send people to Jesus.
55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do
In John Chapter 2, Jesus performs the first miracle when he turns water into wine. These are Mary’s word to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Here Pharaoh uses the same words for Joseph. Please take notice; here they are out of bread and at the wedding, they are out of wine; what does that remind you off? By the way, these are the last words mentioned in the Bible for Mary; it is an excellent point to refer to your Catholic friends as you witness to them. It is about Jesus, not about Mary. We are to do what Jesus says and follow him, pray to him. He is the one who died for us and it only by GRACE we are saved not by penance or any other works.
56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened [l]all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. 57 So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.
From all over the earth, they came to Joseph for food. Likewise, the most significant revival will happen during the seven-year tribulation. All the famished souls will come seeking Jesus. Of course, we will not be around to see that but all the tracts, books, maybe a video you shared about Christ will come rushing back into their memory, and they will run to Jesus
Joseph was in Egypt for 20 years by the time famine came. He had no news from his family. For all, he knew Jacob was dead. After coming to power, he might even have thought about going back to meet them, but perhaps his responsibilities did not allow him to do that. In any case, all of that was about to change, and God would be sending his family to Egypt. Think through the concept introduced in this chapter as you study the next chapter, and you will find more similarities between Joseph and Jesus. May God add a blessing to his words. Amen
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