Gospel Light Christian Church Thru-The-Bible Series (23.2)

The Book of Genesis

Genesis Chapter 41 - Read this Bible passage once through before referring to the notes below.

Joseph and Pharoah’s Dream – The Rise to Power in Egypt

v.1-7 The occasion for Joseph’s rise to power in Egypt came “at the end of two full years” (v.1), when Pharaoh had two dreams in one night.  There is clear a Egyptian flavour in the two dreams.  The “seven well favoured and fat fleshed” (v.2) cows stood submerged in the Nile in refuge from the heat and the flies, and then came up out of the water for pasture.  The troubling part of the 1st dream came when seven other cows, “ill favoured and lean fleshed” (v.3) came up after them and “did eat up the seven well favoured and fat” cows (v.4).

The 2nd dream has the same troubling theme.  Seven “rank and good” (v.5) ears of corn were devoured by “seven thin ears” (v.6-7) that “sprung up after them” (v.6).  What must have been disturbing to Pharaoh was the Nile in his 1st dream, which has enabled Egypt to weather famines rather well.  The irrigation from the Nile ensured a usual supply of grain, which enabled livestock to flourish, and all life as a result.  The two dreams, in repeating the basic message that poverty will destroy plenty, struck at the heart of Egypt’s source of prosperity.

v.8 The troubled Pharaoh called together “all the magicians of Egypt and all the wise men” to his court in the morning but they were unable to give him a proper interpretation.  In using symbolic revelation, God communicated His message, which revealed His control over the life-and-death cycle of Egypt, to confound all the sages of the land who were skilled in handling the ritual books of magic and priestcraft.  The way is now paved for an unknown Hebrew slave held in prison to be used of God to manifest His power and wisdom in contrast to the all the acquired knowledge and abilities of the learned men of the day.  In one night, through two dreams, God demonstrated the subjection of nations to His sovereign control, no matter how powerful and prosperous they were.

v.9-13 Pharaoh’s dreams caused the cupbearer to recall his faults (v.9) that brought him into Joseph’s care in prison (v.10).  Though he had forgotten Joseph’s help previously (v.11-12), he now recalled that Joseph's interpretation had stood the test of time: “And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was” (v.13).  The wonderful but unseen and mysterious hand of God is evidently at work for even the cup-bearer's forgetfulness worked in Joseph's favor since, just at the right moment, he remembered Joseph and recounted his wisdom before the king, and thus served as the means for Joseph's ultimate rise to power.

v.14-24 Joseph was thus summoned to stand before the Pharaoh but he had to “shaved himself and changed his raiment” (v.14) before he could enter the court because native Egyptians are clean-shaven.  When Joseph was confronted with the evidence about his abilities to “understand a dream to interpret it” (v.15), he immediately declared to Pharaoh with regard to the true Source of wisdom – “God shall give Pharaoh an answer of grace” (v.16). 

Joseph’s act of disclaiming any innate ability to perform any special feat of wisdom and insight is significant for two reasons.  First, it revealed that he had maintained his close walk with God for two years in prison; he had successfully persevered in faith.  Hence, when the opportunity came for him to rise, he made no personal attempt to grab it out of any selfishness, fear, bitterness, or pride.  Instead, he was able at once, in genuine humility, to give all glory to God.  Second, in giving the glory to God, Joseph was giving a remarkable testimony in the courts of Pharaoh, for in Egypt Pharoah was a god himself – what a god in Egypt cannot do; the God of the Hebrews is well able to!

Pharaoh then proceeded to recount to this young Hebrew the troubling dreams he had (v.17-24), which all the learned and aged sages of Egypt could not explain (“but there was none that could declare it to me”).

v.25-32 A man who walks with God seizes every opportunity to tell others of the Person, with whom he has the most intimate and wonderful relationship.  Although Joseph had the opportunity of his lifetime, he had no concern to promote himself before Pharaoh.  His interpretation of the dream, from beginning to end, contains a repetition of the Source of the dreams, the Doer of the events of the dreams, and the Establisher of the certainty of the dreams – the LORD God.  The dreams were a communication to this “god” Pharaoh from the true God “what he is about to do” (v.25) in the earth.  The seven cows and seven ears represented seven years (v.26).  Seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine (v.27-30), and so terrible would the seven years of famine be that the seven years of plenty would be forgotten in the severity of the affliction (v.31).  Joseph ended his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams by pointing out that “the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice” (v.32) because it was established by God and He will bring it about soon.

v.33-36 Joseph added a wise counsel to Pharaoh to his interpretation – Pharaoh should find a man who is “discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt” (v.33), who would collect a 5th of the produce during the seven years of plenty (v.34-35) so that “the land perish not through the famine” (v.36).  This revelation through the two dreams was part of God’s way of making Himself known to the world; it was His means by which God would save Egypt and the world in the time of crisis, causing everyone to know that deliverance comes from the LORD.  Because of the dreams and because of their clear interpretation, all in Pharaoh’s court receive the knowledge that it would happen but they still needed to cast their dependence on the Word from God, and thus act upon it to be saved.

v.37-45 Joseph’s rise to power began with Pharaoh’s response – “And this thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and …all his servants” (v.37).  Joseph interpretation and ascription of authority to his God were considered good by the court – as indeed they are.  The Pharaoh’s recognition of Joseph, “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” (v.38), revealed that he understood the nature of Joseph’s abilities – he had no intrinsic abilities that would explain his effective insight and counsel.  It was only because the Spirit of God rests upon Joseph that he had such outstanding wisdom and understanding in the areas of political economy and statesmanship (cf. Dan. 5:14).

Pharaoh thus decreed that Joseph would be over all the affairs of Egypt; only Pharaoh himself would be over him (v.39-41).  Joseph had been faithful over what had been given him to do, whether Potiphar’s house of the house of prison, and so God made him ruler over greater things – the house of Pharaoh.  With the decree, the dreams of Joseph (cf. 37:7, 9) began to be realised; now Egypt was under his control – he had Pharaoh’s signet ring (v.42) of authority, was dressed in royal robes, and received Pharaoh’s second chariot to ride in, before which everyone must “bow the knee” (v.43).  From the prison as an unknown slave, Joseph experienced a meteoric rise to power as ruler in Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh himself (v.44).

To signify his new status, Pharaoh gave him a new name, “Zaphnath-paaneah” (v.45), which has been generally interpreted to mean, “God speaks and lives”.  He was also given to wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-pherah, priest of On.

v.46-52 Joseph was 30 years old when he rose to power in Egypt (v.46).  Since he was sold into slavery at the age of 17 (cf. 37:2), we may conclude that he spent 13 years in servitude.  The land produced abundant crops for seven years (v.47), just as Joseph predicted, and he faithfully organised and administrated the plan proposed to Pharaoh in preparation for the seven years of famine (v.48-49)

It would have been easy for a young man to be taken with his sudden success and status, and forget his spiritual heritage but it was not so with Joseph – the names he gave his sons demonstrated that he was a truly faithful servant of the LORD.  Just before the famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath (v.50).  The first Joseph named “Manasseh” (v.51) with the explanation, “For God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house”.  The name thus forms a description of Divine activity on behalf of Joseph, and presents the brighter outlook of Joseph in view of the change of fortune – the memory of the toil and sorrow were replaced by the birth of this son.  The second son was named “Ephraim” (v.52) and Joseph explained, “For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my afflictions”.  The house of Joseph first represented a change of fortune (Manasseh) and then a new prosperity (Ephraim), a fruitfulness Joseph acknowledged that had come by divine intervention.

v.53-57 Joseph wisdom and faithful labour in the land of Egypt bore fruit after “the seven years of plenteousness…ended” (v.53) and “seven years of dearth began to come” (v.54) for only “in all the land of Egypt…was bread” (v.55).  The Pharaoh directed all who came to him for relief to Joseph, and God, through Joseph, fed and kept alive the entire land of Egypt when “the famine waxed sore” (v.56).  The LORD also used Joseph’s work of faith to deliver the rest of the world as “the famine was over all the face of the earth” and “all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy corn” (v.57).

Joseph’s rise to power in Egypt teaches us that God sovereignly controls the destinies of nations to protect and provide for His covenant people – He controlled the economy of Egypt through Joseph and prepared for the migration of Israel to Egypt.  Because Joseph continued to live by faith in God after he was elevated to his position of responsibility, he continued to be used of the LORD in the outworking of His plan for the nations, and especially for the chosen nation of Israel.  In addition, Joseph now has the opportunity to come into contact with his brothers after 13 years and deal with the unresolved conflict of Israel’s family.