Two years after interpreting the dreams of the royal
cupbearer and the royal baker, Joseph would get the opportunity to interpret
yet another dream, but this time the one dreaming it would be Pharaoh himself,
the king of Egypt.
The bible narrates the dream that the king had:
(Genesis 41:1-4) After two whole
years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,(2) and behold, there
came up out of the Nile seven cows attractive and plump, and they fed in the
reed grass. (3) And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out
of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. (4)
And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh
awoke.
How many times have we not had crazy dreams? But there are
some dreams that impact our spirit, and it is to those dreams that we should
pay attention because more often than not those dreams have a hidden message.
Pharaoh’s dream made an impact on him, however he seemed to have ignored it
because he fell asleep again… but he dreamt something similar.
(Gen. 41:5-7) And he fell
asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and
good, were growing on one stalk. (6) And behold, after them sprouted seven
ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. (7) And the thin ears swallowed
up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
Just as Joseph had had two dreams, so Pharaoh had a second
dream that confirmed the first one. The dream definitely had a meaning, but he
didn’t know what it was. So he called all of Egypt’s wise men to have them
interpret the dream.
(Gen. 41:8) So in the
morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians
of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none
who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
HE REMEMBERS JOSEPH
Everyone in the royal palace knew that Pharaoh had had
dreams, but no one could interpret them. It was in that moment that the king’s
cupbearer remembered Joseph, the young Hebrew who had interpreted his dream accurately
when he was in prison.
(Gen. 41:9-13) Then the chief
cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. (10) When Pharaoh was
angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house
of the captain of the guard, (11) we dreamed on the same night, he and I,
each having a dream with its own interpretation. (12) A young Hebrew was
there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he
interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to
his dream. (13) And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was
restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”
The cupbearer recognized his fault for forgetting Joseph.
But the right time had come, and the cupbearer told the king about Joseph.
Immediately, Pharaoh called for him to see if he could interpret his dreams.
(Gen. 41:14) Then Pharaoh
sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when
he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.
From that moment on, Joseph’s life changed. He did not go
back to jail, but stayed at the royal palace. It was time for Joseph’s dreams
to come true, that is, the dreams he had had when he was young.
The bible says that they “quickly” took Joseph out of the
pit. After waiting years for his freedom, the moment had finally arrived. Now
he was ready to fulfill his purpose. Sometimes, the Lord makes us wait for the
promises he gives us, but when the time is right, everything happens in a quick
manner. That is how it will also be during the end days… when what is written
in Revelation starts to happen, everything will happen quickly, which is why we
have to be prepared (Rev. 1:1-3).
REVELATION AND
INTERPRETATION
When Joseph was presented before Pharaoh, he asked if he
could interpret his dreams.
(Gen. 41:15-16) And Pharaoh
said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.
I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret
it.” (16) Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh
a favorable answer.”
Joseph is honest, and says that he is only a man. But he
recognizes that the power to interpret dreams comes from God.
After this, Pharaoh tells him about his dreams…
(Gen. 41: 17-24) Then Pharaoh
said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. (18)
Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed
grass. (19) Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and
thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. (20) And the
thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, (21) but when they had
eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were
still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. (22) I also saw in my
dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. (23) Seven ears,
withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, (24) and
the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians,
but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
The text says that the Egyptian magicians were not able to
interpret the dream (41:8). Some commentators say that some of the wise men did
know the interpretation, but that they did not dare tell the truth because of
fear. In Egypt, the cow is Isis’s symbol, the goddess of the land, whom the
Egyptians believed would take care of everything related to the land, the
agriculture, and the food. In the king’s dream, the cows came out of the Nile, which
is the source of fertility for all the land of Egypt.
Joseph not only had the gift of interpretation, he also had
the strength to speak the truth, just as he did when he interpreted the
cupbearer’s and the baker’s dreams.
(Gen. 41:25-32) Then Joseph
said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed 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. (27) The seven lean and
ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears
blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. (28) It is as I
told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. (29) There
will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, (30)
but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will
be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, (31) and
the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will
follow, for it will be very severe. (32) And the doubling of Pharaoh’s
dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it
about.
THE SOLUTION
What is admirable about Joseph is that he did not stop at presenting
“the problem” to the king, but he also proposed a solution. This is a
characteristic of a good leader.
(Gen. 41:33-36) Now therefore
let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of
Egypt. (34) Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and
take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven
plentiful years. (35) And let them gather all the food of these good years
that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in
the cities, and let them keep it. (36) That food shall be a reserve for
the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of
Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
Pharaoh was impressed with Joseph’s initiative and wisdom.
(Gen. 41:37-38) This proposal
pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. (38) And Pharaoh said to his
servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
The most amazing thing is what Pharaoh decided to do next…
(Gen. 41: 39-41) Then Pharaoh
said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning
and wise as you are. (40) You shall be over my house, and all my people
shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards 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.”
Pharaoh recognized Joseph as a man who does not fear men,
but only God. He was someone who would not get stuck in a problem, but would
find a solution. Egypt needed a wise and prudent man in these times, and that
man was Joseph.
In an instant, Joseph’s life changed. He went from being a
slave to being a viceroy in a minute.
(Gen. 41:42-44) Then Pharaoh
took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him
in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. (43) And he
made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the
knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. (44) Moreover,
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall
lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
That is when the dreams Joseph had had in his youth became
true. God’s time had come…
Joseph spent almost 13 years as a slave, dreaming about
being free and going back to Canaan with his family. But God’s dreams for him
were bigger. He had a great purpose for him in Egypt. Most likely, Joseph did
not understand all of this until he got this great position.
In that moment, Joseph let go of his desire to go back to
his parent’s land, and he grasped the plan that God had for him.
(Gen. 41:45-46) And Pharaoh
called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the
daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over 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 the presence of Pharaoh and went through all
the land of Egypt.
Zaphenath-paneah (Egyptian) = treasure of the glorious rest
The marriage with the daughter of the priest was a strategic
alliance, which would allow Joseph to be accepted amongst the Egyptians.
Potiphera was the priest to the sun god, Ra. They constituted one of the most
distinguished lineages in Egypt.
SEVEN YEARS OF
ABUNDANCE
Just as Joseph had said, so it happened. There were seven
years of abundance.
(Gen. 41:47-49) During the
seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, (48) and he gathered
up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and
put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields
around it. (49) And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the
sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.
Along with Egypt being prospered, Joseph’s life prospered.
He was also fruitful and had children.
(Gen. 41:50-52) Before the year
of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of
Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. (51) Joseph called the name of
the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship
and all my father’s house.” (52) The name of the second he called Ephraim,
“For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
Manasseh helped him forget all that he had gone through,
because he saw their purpose. He also forgot his family, whose memory tied him
to his past.
The name Manasseh means: causing to forget. In Hebrew it is Manashe,
which comes from the verb Nashah:
forget, deprive, remove.
Ephraim (heb. Ephrayim) means: I shall
be doubly fruitful. It comes from two words: Ephrath = place of fruitfulness; Parah = to bear fruit, grow, increment.
These were the years of abundance.
In the next post, we will see what happens when the seven years of famine come…
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