INTRODUCTION

We first meet Joseph after his childhood (Gen.37) as the favoured son of the patriarch Jacob, a young man in a large family with martial rivalries among competing wives and outright hostility among brothers. Jacob seemed to have forgotten his own painful lessons of parental favouritism and his indulgence of making Joseph a beautiful, expensive coat only heightened the enmity from Joseph’s brothers. 

At the point of our text in the Genesis narrative, Joseph’s now established ability to interpret dreams has just catapulted him to the office of prime minister of Egypt. However, it was his own dream some twelve or so years earlier, that triggered a chain of totally unexpected events leading to his promotion to prime minister. He had had two dreams which he told to his father and brothers and which they rightly interpreted to mean that they would one day bow to and serve him. This was the final straw in the simmering hatred of his brothers and so they decided to kill Joseph. The extreme reaction of the brothers to Joseph’s dream (Gen.37:19-20), suggests there was some substance to their fears that Joseph might one day wield such great power and prominence. 

Note that dreams are in the paranormal realm and in scripture are usually presented as supernatural events. They feature prominently in the life of Joseph always in pairs and underline God’s role in the unfolding drama of God creating a nation from Jacob’s children.

Added to this mix Jacob had transferred the ‘birthright’ from his eldest son Rueben to Joseph, because Rueben had slept with his father’s concubine (Gen.35:22; 1Chron.5:1-2). Scripture tell us about this incident in chapter forty-nine. 

Some believe that Jacob allowed Joseph to exercise some authority over the sons of his concubines Bilhah and Zilpah and this would have rankled the brothers who were older. Joseph himself is showed as willing and did not seem to shy away from the role of superintendent. Some of the brothers resentment stemmed from the authority his father had granted him over them, especially when they reasoned that it should have been theirs. 

Jacob’s sons must have known about the ‘promises’ of God to Abraham, Isaac and their father. After Jacob unnecessarily went to such great lengths to secure the promises at a heavy cost to himself, when God had already designated him as the heir, it is unlikely anyone around the household did not have an awareness of these promises.  God would be forming a nation from all the sons of Jacob. We would have expected that Jacob and his wives, his sons and their children would have been well aware that God would be forming a nation from all the sons of Jacob and they would notice and be sensitive to any unusual happenings, the dreams of Joseph being a case in point. 

God’s promises notwithstanding, the hatred of his brothers soon came to fruition when an opportunity arose and they sold Joseph to some passing traders headed for Egypt, after first seriously considering the murder option to get rid of him. With this wicked act the brothers figured they had closed the book on the ‘dreamer’ with his sale into Egypt.  

The narrative records the twists and turns of Joseph’s sojourn in Egypt and starting with the enmity of his brothers, we see God using all the circumstances of Joseph’s life to carry out His plan and fulfill His promises to the Patriarchs. At different points it certainly appeared to be the end of Joseph but as we come to our particular text we see the words of Scripture upheld: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Rom.8:28).  

Note that for Christians the ‘good’ is not easily discerned at times, particularly in times of difficulty and more so when the difficulties comes about from our obedience to God and here Joseph is a shining example. A considered and deliberate decision to do what was right landed him in the dungeon and might have even cost him his life. But we see no sign of bitterness or resentment from him and even in that horrible situation he continued to show concern for others and to honor God (Gen.40:8).

MATTERS TO CONSIDER

It should be of note to Christians that we are told the LORD was with Joseph (39:2) when he prospered in Potiphar’s house and that the LORD was with Joseph (39:21) when he was thrown in the dungeon.  

Clearly the presence of God in our lives is not tied to our external circumstances.   

As in the case of Joseph who suffered unjustly, we should remember that contrary to our desires God uses the dungeon experiences to mature us, to teach us to live by faith in God regardless of our immediate circumstances. 

We must remember that there are as Hebrews 11 tells us, invisible realities, and we must have faith that these exist. 

Christians generally believe that God has determined the outcome of world history.  They believe that God will vindicate those that are righteous when he comes to establish his rule.  He will then wipe away all tears and transform believers. But we should also be honest to ourselves and admit that evil seems to have the upper hand most of the time. We know that we live in a time of spiritual warfare and we should be spiritual warriors, struggling, making difficult choices, making righteous decisions, serving God courageously and with honesty. 

The lot of many believers like that of Joseph is unjust suffering, loneliness, anguish, despair, being used by others, suffering because those they have helped have forgotten them. 

One of Joseph's defences against despair was his knowledge that God was present in his life.  This should be our defence also. His other defence was that he knew that he would not stay in prison for all his life, for God had revealed to him in a dream that his ending would be glorious.  He would be exalted by God. 

We have been told the same thing.  We will never be rejected, treated unjustly, used without recognition, and then thrown away forgotten, lonely and abandoned. 

We are the children of God and we have a special destiny.  Our present situation might be painful  but we always need to remember that God is with us and we are headed with him toward a special place.   

As we mature and learn to live by faith in God, trusting in God regardless of our circumstances, let us keep on looking at the example of Jesus Christ. 

Eventually an opportunity arose where the brothers could murder Joseph and as they plotted the wicked deed they had remarked with some satisfaction: “ We shall see what will become of his dreams!” Gen.37:19). God will show them as our study text sets the stage with Joseph as the central character in God’s unfolding plan to create a nation.

THE TEXT

Joseph had been sold into slavery and went into Potiphar's house when he was about seventeen years old.  He spent several years in the Egyptian prison and the Joseph that we see now had obviously matured in his spiritual walk with God.  He must have been about twenty-eight years old when Pharaoh threw his chief cup bearer and his chief baker into prison. It was there that Joseph had the opportunity of witnessing to them about his God, who stood in opposition to the hundreds of man-made Egyptian gods and interpreting their dreams for them. 

Despite his terrible situation in prison, he was not bogged down in self-pity, but when he noticed that something was wrong with these two important men, he served them, giving God the glory for his gift of interpretation of dreams.

Joseph might have seen this opportunity as the means that God would use to immediately provide an answer to his prayers and so he sought his release by appealing to the servants of Pharaoh to remember him.  But of course we know that the cup bearer forgot him as soon as he was released from prison and restored to his post.  We are not told what happened in Joseph's heart as he waited in vain day after day.  Chapter 40:23 summarizes what happened, reminding us yet again that people will disappoint us, and we should not really trust in people. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him. 

Psalm 105: 17-19 informs us that Joseph's life was not easy in prison.  “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant; Whose feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in iron;

Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him”.  

At seventeen years of age Joseph was not ready to be elevated to the second-highest position in Egypt with the power and glory connected with that position.  He needed correction and maturity.  He needed to learn to trust God in those frightening days in prison.  For there he learned that no matter how talented he was, that was no guarantee that he would be successful, for whatever he had was simply a gift from God.  The glory belonged to God. 

Psalm 66:8-12 interprets the plan of God for us as follows:

“O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. For thou ,O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.”

Verses 1-24.   Two full years had elapsed either since Joseph was first imprisoned or since he had accurately interpreted the dreams of the Pharaoh’s chief baker and chief cup-bearer. Joseph was quickly forgotten by the chief cupbearer despite his favourable interpretation and plea to be remembered after his predictions came through (40:14-15). Eventually that official would conveniently find occasion to remember the Hebrew youngster that had interpreted his dream. By now maybe Joseph was only a distant memory to his brothers and forgotten by everyone else but God was about to intervene and move his plan for a nation forward. 

God gave the Pharaoh of the day a couple of very disturbing dreams (1-7) that were peculiarly Egyptian in scenery and seemingly related to both plant and animal agriculture. He saw seven fat cows come up from the Nile River only to be devoured by seven scrawny cows that emerged from the river shortly after. He awakened and soon after fallen back to sleep the dream was repeated but this time seven lush ears of corn were eaten by seven withered ears of corn and again Pharaoh awakened. The sight of cows grazing in the lush Nile valley was common and so was that of grain withered by a well-known and dreaded east wind. But as familiar as the scenes might have been to the Pharaoh, there was a foreboding element to both dreams, for in each case a scrawny, blighted life form devoured a healthy, robust specie but remained just as meagre and gaunt as before.  

Note that plant and animal life in Egypt was almost totally dependent on the flooding of the Nile as this not only provided water for irrigation and other purposes but deposited rich nutrients all over the valley and flood plain. This enriched the soil on which plant and animal life depended. Consequently the deity that controlled the Nile was very important to the Egyptians.

The ‘wise-men and magicians’ of Egypt were immediately called to the court but none was able to interpret the dreams. These men would have been the intellectuals, the wisest and best educated men of Pharaoh’s kingdom who were schooled in astrology, experts in ritual books of priest-craft and magic and the art of interpreting dreams (Ex. 7:11). For all their abilities and expertise they were as baffled as Pharaoh regarding the meaning of the dreams. Their skill at using divination to say what the future held and their knowledge of magic which sought to control the future had failed. 

In reality this was a serious blow against the entire Egyptian system of astrology, divination and the  fore-telling of events. According to their system, they had been given clues to the interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams and these clues lay in the religious symbols of Egypt.  The dreams themselves attacked the nature and power of the Egyptian gods, as well as the nature and power of Pharaoh who was held to be a God himself.  

First, the use of seven, the sacred number which symbolized fate was highlighted.  Note that the Hebrews did not consider seven to symbolize fate but they considered it to symbolize completion, based on Genesis 1-2 where God created the world in seven days. 

Second, the reeds by the banks of the river Nile symbolized the vegetation which flourished all along the Nile and third, the Nile was the foundation and the symbol of Egypt's power and wealth.

One writer comments: “For the cow was the symbol of Isis, the goddess of the all sustaining earth, and in the hieroglyphics it represents the earth, agriculture, and food; and the Nile, by its overflowing, was the source of fertility of the land.” 

For all their clues the wise men were still baffled. The stage was therefore set for a trial of strength and competence between Joseph's God and the many gods of Egypt. This brings to mind Job's comments in Job 12: 13, 14, 17, 20 and 22.

“With him (God) is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening…

He leadeth counsellors always spoiled, and maketh the judges fools…

He removeth away the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged…

He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.” 

Conveniently, Pharaoh’s opportunistic chief butler choose this time to tell Pharaoh of a remarkable Hebrew slave who had correctly interpreted the dreams of himself and that of the chief baker when they ‘did time’ in the chief of the bodyguard’s prison. Joseph was immediately summoned and after a much needed bath, shave and change of clothes, he was ushered into Pharaoh’s presence. This was not just “cleaning up,” on Joseph’s part, it was a cultural concession. To the Hebrews, a beard was a mark of dignity (2 Samuel 10:4-5; Ezra 9:3), but for the Egyptian it was an offensive thing. Pharaoh related his distressing dreams to Joseph concluding with a slap at his wise men that no one had the interpretation. 

As much as Joseph desired to be out of prison, there is no indication that the thought even crossed his mind to strike a deal to get himself out; his freedom in exchange for the interpretation to Pharaoh’s dreams. There was no mention of his dire circumstances or the injustices he had suffered. Rather he declined the ability to interpret dreams and sought to give God the glory. Joseph, like Daniel, made it clear the ability to interpret dreams was not his but that God would give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

In this statement Joseph asserted to Pharaoh’s face, that his God was superior to and sovereign over Pharaoh who was considered a god and the “gods” of Egypt. Pharaoh and his entire court especially the wise men must have cringed at Joseph’s words, but Pharaoh was desperate for an interpretation. 

Joseph’s attitude was consistent with the Old Testament’s rejection of occult practices and its reliance on prophecy as a means of discovering God’s will (Deut 18:10-22). 

Note that by accepting that Joseph was interpreting the dreams correctly, Pharaoh was admitting that Joseph's God was more powerful than any other gods and that he was prepared to put himself under the guidance of Joseph's God.  This was an exercise in humility. 

Joseph’s behaviour was in sharp contrast to that of the recently studied Jacob his father who sought to scheme and make a deal to his advantage at every opportunity. In all the ups and downs of his life, Joseph’s faith did not falter as he demonstrated a keen awareness of God and the need to avoid sin. 

The immediate events seem to be what set the stage for the political windfall to Joseph that we read about in our study text.  A longer view however shows that his soon to be premiership will be the fulfillment of two dreams he had received and told to his father and brothers, a number of years earlier ( Gen.37).   

Joseph’s interpretation was short, plain, sound and made sense to all.  Confidently he told Pharaoh that the seven fat cows and seven lush ears represented seven years, as did the seven scrawny cows and the seven blighted ears. First the bad news; there will be seven years of famine. At this point Joseph reiterated that God was showing Pharaoh what was about to happen. Pharaoh could not help but be impressed especially after the perplexity of his wise men.  

Note that Joseph was now being placed in the role of a prophet of God, as were the patriarchs before him.  God had a will and a purpose for the dream, and for the timing of the dream. 

Note also the emphasis on “good” and “evil” represented by the elements in the dream.  Joseph is now also presented as the embodiment of true wisdom, given the ability by the only true God to discern between “good” and “evil”. 

One writer comments aptly: The calm and unpretending, yet confident manner of the interpreter, who, speaking of a dispensation extending over fourteen years, displayed the consciousness of a man gifted with higher prophetic foresight than that of mere natural sagacity, formed a most striking contrast to the bewildered and helpless magi…

Verses 29-32.   Part two of the interpretation as Joseph continued; seven years of great abundance in Egypt will be immediately followed by seven years of bitter famine. The severity of the famine would be such that the bounty of the years of plenty would be totally forgotten. 

God gave the dream in two different forms to show the absolute certainty and imminent arrival of what would be an enormous public crisis. 

Pharaoh and his court regarded the Nile as the cause of want or plenty in Egypt but Joseph would have them know that God controlled the vital flooding of the river. The king and his court should realize that the dreams not only warned before hand of the coming periods of plenty and want but they showed that all these circumstances, however fortuitous they may appear, were under the direction of an overruling Providence.  

Pharaoh and his court would immediately see the goodness of Joseph's God Yahweh in sending seven years of plenty before the seven years of famine.  They would see the wisdom of God in action.

A lesson for them and us is that worldly possessions and blessings can and often do perish quite easily.  We often in some parts of our lives have plenty, but when the years of famine come, we often forget the previous years. We tend to think that times of prosperity and plenty would last forever and so we tend to place too much importance in the things of the world.

On the contrary, we should remember that there is a bread that “endures to everlasting life”.  We should keep our eyes on this and not on the things of the world; always remembering that God will make provisions for us.

Verses 33-37.   Here Joseph moved smoothly from the role of interpreter to that of astute advisor.

He was not only able to interpret dreams, but he was also able to quickly analyze the situation and determine the best course of action, in order to mitigate the effects of the coming famine. He proposed a decisive plan of action to Pharaoh along with his interpretation.

He advised; in light of the certainty and enormity of the coming events, Pharaoh should appoint a suitably qualified (wise and discreet) administrator and give him the authority to oversee emergency measures throughout the land of Egypt. Specifically the administrator should appoint managers covering all the land and a fifth of the produce should be gathered under royal and official direction in the seven years of plenty. The produce should be stored in the cities of the surrounding areas for safe-keeping and later distribution.  All the grain gathered would be completely at the disposal of Pharaoh. 

The exaction of a fifth, on top of the heavy taxes despot usually levy on their people was likely an extraordinary measure, but was fully warranted by the coming emergency. The absolute power of Pharaoh would enable him to enforce this for public safety. The ‘gathering up of all the food’ may imply that, in addition to the fifth, large purchases of corn were made by the government out of the surplus of the years of bounty. 

Verses 38-40.   Pharaoh posed a rhetorical question; was there a man like Joseph to be found? The ‘magicians and wise-men’ unashamedly shook their heads. Pharaoh confessed and his court assented that the Spirit of God was with Joseph. That being the case there would be none as “…discreet and wise…” as Joseph to quote Pharaoh. They understood that Joseph’s God was Jehovah.

The Egyptians were not being introduced to the God of the Hebrews for the first time. The knowledge of the true God was in Egypt long before and they acknowledged his influence with respect to Joseph, for it was evident that Joseph acted under an influence far beyond that of their magicians. He interpreted dreams that baffled them. None the less the Egyptians were very corrupt in spiritual matters and gave continued allegiance to their gods.   

Joseph’s interpretation was a matter of relief to Pharaoh and his court. Their greatest comfort however was in the plan of action he proposed and the evidence of his competence to manage the project. Even the magicians had to admit that Joseph was the man for the job. Although the Pharaoh was the supreme ruler it would be customary for him to seek the counsel of his advisors and so they concurred with Pharaoh’s decision.

The best that Joseph could have hoped for was to be released from prison but in the next moment he went from prisoner to prime minister, from the pit to the palace. Pharaoh set him as governor over his house and the entire land of Egypt. All necessary authority for the position was vested in Joseph and confirmed with him receiving the official symbols for such an office (vs.41-44). All the people would pay the profoundest respect and obedience to all his orders and commands. Joseph was second only to Pharaoh in all the land of Egypt.

It is important to note that there is evidence that the pharaohs would appoint individuals to positions of authority in government who did not previously have much social status or political rack.  One writer comments: “At any time the King would – and did – appoint outsiders.  In fact, the noteworthy careers, as preserved for us in tomb inscriptions, broke through all departmental limitations.  Men of humble origin could rise to the top once their gifts were recognized; and we find that they were called to a succession of posts which would seem to us to have required entirely different preparatory training”. (Henri Frankfort, Ancient Egyptian religion, p.35)

Note that later Joseph's became a naturalized Egyptian and was given an Egyptian name and an Egyptian wife from a high level of society.  We are told that Joseph's father-in-law was a high-ranking priest in the celebrated temple of the sun.  So Joseph was married into the Egyptian elite.

“Joseph's marriage to an Egyptian seems to have been Pharaoh's order, and God permitted it.  The patriarchs generally avoided marriage to Canaanites, what marriage to non-Canaanite gentiles was less serious.  Joseph's wife and in-laws did not turn him away from his faith in Yahweh or his high regard for God's promises to his forefathers.”

All the pieces were now in place for Joseph’s dream to come through. He was in a position where all who came into his presence would have to bow down to him and pay homage. As the years unfolded and Pharaoh’s dream came through as interpreted by Joseph, his brothers and father would have to approach the prime minister of Egypt seeking his favour and observing the proper protocol. The Genesis narrative informs us that God was also concerned for the spiritual condition of the brothers and did bring them to a spiritual condition fitting for those who would be the fathers of the nation. 

While Christians can take comfort in the fact that God can use the evil works of men to advance his cause, they should be diligent to shun sin, so we do not suffer as wrong doers. Much of Joseph’s woes can be attributed to the fact that Jacob was an indulgent father with his children and his behaviour stoked the flames of envy, resentment and jalousies among them. Parents should deal with their children with equity and love and rear them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 

The story of  Joseph is a gripping drama that certainly grabs our attention but we should not fail to see the dominant hand of the sovereign God steering the circumstances to his design and see his faithfulness to his promises to the Fathers. God is faithful to all his promises, to all his people and use all the circumstances of our lives to shape and mature us into the people he has called us to be. 

Joseph’s experiences bear valuable lessons for Christians, not the least of which is the place and purpose of suffering in the lives of believers, the blessings of serving others and a patient focus on God. His life can be characterized as one in which there was a keen awareness of God and that consideration governed his behaviour.  

He spent several years in prison while in the prime of his life. During this time he matured, dealt with his disappointments and moved, not into despair, but into hope in God alone. When he emerged in our text, we don’t see a cynical, angry man as one might expect, but rather a godly, mature man who is able to handle the heavy responsibilities thrust upon him. Psalm 105:19 says of this time that “the word of the Lord tested him.” Those silent years in the dungeon after his disappointment with the cupbearer were a time of learning to hope in God. Clearly there is a lesson here that disappointments are sometimes essential to spiritual growth, because they demand faith and resting all hope upon God.  

One writer notes in part: While Joseph is the principal character of this section, he is not the sole object of God’s attention and activity. While there is a sense in which Joseph was blessed because of his faithfulness, there is the even broader perspective that Joseph’s promotion was not for his own prosperity as much as for his brothers’ preservation. Joseph’s position of power and prosperity enabled him to become the “savior” of his brethren. We must be humbled by the fact that while God cares for us as individuals, He often has a broader purpose for what He gives to us. Spiritual gifts, for example, are not given for our own benefit so much as for the building up of others:

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good

(I Corinthians 12:7). As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (I Peter 4:10).

We should be very careful not to use Joseph as a model in the matter of suffering and glory. His life should not be viewed as a promise that all who are faithful in suffering will be given glory and prosperity in the here and now. God elevates some, giving them power and prosperity, while He humbles others. He does not use one pattern or method for everyone. We should consider the life of Job when we consider the life of Joseph. 

Importantly Joseph’s life upholds the principle that: “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much” (Luke 16:10). His behaviour in Potiphar’s penthouse was nothing different than his behaviour in the prison. In every instance Joseph exercised his God-given ability to administrate and ultimately used that ability to be prime minister of all Egypt.  

Only those who are faithful with present opportunities and duties have any basis for expectation of greater responsibilities and privileges. Our primary duty is not to dream of what the future may hold, but to do what the present provides us. He is a fool whose “eyes are on the ends of the earth” (Proverbs 17:24), The biblical principle which we must practice is rather this: “Commit your works to the Lord, And your plans will be established”

(Proverbs 16:3). 

It is interesting and remarkable to remember that there are many times, that those who are in a position of power in the world turn to believers in God to find answers to their problems. People know in their hearts that God can provide answers to their problems and even though they might smirk at our piety and our “under control” lifestyle, we should prepare ourselves for them calling on us when their world begins to fall apart. 

Looking at the events that precede and follow our study text we may observe several truths. God is always sovereign, regardless of what the present circumstances might indicate. Among other things God had Pharaoh’s officials ‘spend time’ in the same prison as Joseph. He gave them dreams and had Joseph provide the interpretations. This led to his release and appointment as prime minister.    

God is never unfaithful or cruel, even when circumstances might seem otherwise. He uses trials in the lives of His people to spiritually mature and purify them.  

God’s promises are true in His time.  There are necessary qualities that enhance our spiritual lives and glorify God, such as patience and endurance. These we cannot learn except through waiting on God. In God’s time, His plans make sense but we need to remember and appreciate that sometimes we won’t be able to discern God’s timing until eternity. God sometimes uses suffering to prepare us for extraordinary service.