Joseph's promotion

Genesis 41

PHARAOH'S DREAMS REVIEW

Okay, let's go back and do a little quick review. In the first seven verses that I covered last time because I'm not at all wordy, Pharaoh had two dreams: one about cows and one about grain. It was two different types of dreams with the same message. Clearly, God was trying to get a message to Pharaoh because that doesn't just happen.

Wow, despite my joke about being too wordy, that was actually the shortest review of something I think I've ever done. Clap for me. I deserve it. 😅 Moving on.

Pharaoh called for his magicians to interpret the dream, but they could not. As I explained in a reply to my last post, Satan and his demons have power, but they do not have ultimate power. They have authority, which is given to them by humans, but they do not have ultimate authority. These magicians may not have been useless, but they were in over their heads with this one. "This is why only someone who has God's Spirit can understand spiritual blessings. Anyone who doesn't have God's Spirit thinks these blessings are foolish" (1 Corinthians 2:14 CEV). "The light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it" (John 1:5 MOUNCE).

"OH YEAH, I FORGOT..."

Finally, the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph. He told Pharaoh about how, when he was in prison, Joseph interpreted his dream that came true about him being released from prison and restored to his position. This was obviously a good way to get Pharaoh's attention because he was the one who did the restoration.

When Joseph arrived before Pharaoh, Pharaoh told him that he had heard that Joseph was capable of interpreting dreams. Joseph's response says a lot about his attitude, humility, and why God trusted him to go through what he did and eventually elevate him to the position he got to. Joseph said to Pharaoh, "I can't interpret dreams, but God can." When I first started talking about Joseph back in Genesis 37, I made several jokes about his naivete and inability to read the room. However, no one can laugh about or question Joseph's humility. He was standing before what was, at that time, the most powerful person on the planet, and rather than using that opportunity to try to elevate himself, Joseph gave credit to God.

INTERPRET THIS

In Genesis 41:17-24, Pharaoh repeated the dreams to Joseph that he had. Joseph then gave the interpretation. Joseph said to Pharaoh: “Pharaoh’s dreams have the same meaning. God has made known to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven healthy cows are seven years, and the seven healthy ears are seven years—the same in each dream. The seven thin, bad cows that came up after them are seven years, as are the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind; they are seven years of famine. Things are just as I told Pharaoh: God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are now coming throughout the land of Egypt; but seven years of famine will rise up after them, when all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. When the famine has exhausted the land, no trace of the abundance will be found in the land because of the famine that follows it, for it will be very severe. That Pharaoh had the same dream twice means that the matter has been confirmed by God and that God will soon bring it about."

“Therefore, let Pharaoh seek out a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh act and appoint overseers for the land to organize it during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these coming good years, gathering the grain under Pharaoh’s authority, for food in the cities, and they should guard it. This food will serve as a reserve for the country against the seven years of famine that will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish in the famine" (Genesis 41:25-36 NABRE).

JOSEPH'S PROMOTION: DON'T GIVE UP

Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph's ability to interpret the dream and his advice that Pharaoh made him second in command of all of Egypt, only behind Pharaoh himself. Think about that: In one moment, two decades of injustice were entirely erased. In one moment, the evidence of God's Providence was manifested. In one moment, the behind-the-scenes work that God had been doing in the life of Joseph would now be on full display for the world to see.

If you have been waiting for something to happen and you're not sure if it will, if you have received a promise from God but it looks like its fulfillment is nowhere in sight, or if you're talking to God and wondering if he's even really there, take heart from this example in Joseph's life. God is there. He is listening, and he does care. Just because you can't see what he's doing doesn't mean he's not doing anything. "Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9 NABRE).

Most importantly, Pharaoh, an unbeliever, recognized God at work in Joseph's life. "Could we find another like him,” Pharaoh asked his servants, “a man so endowed with the spirit of God" (Genesis 41:38 NABRE)?

And speaking of promotion, check out what Pharaoh does next: "Then the king took off his royal ring and put it on Joseph's finger. He gave him fine clothes to wear and placed a gold chain around his neck. He also let him ride in the chariot next to his own, and people shouted, 'Make way for Joseph!' So Joseph was governor of Egypt. The king told Joseph, 'Although I'm king, no one in Egypt is to do anything without your permission.' He gave Joseph the Egyptian name Zaphenath Paneah. And he let him marry Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest in the city of Heliopolis. Joseph traveled all over Egypt. Joseph was 30 when the king made him governor, and he went everywhere for the king" (Genesis 41:41-46 CEV).

Talk about going from the pit to the palace. There may be no greater example of this in world history than Joseph. And it goes back to what I said before about not giving up, continuing to trust God, continuing to serve him, and leaving the results--and the timing of the results--up to him.

THE PROPHECY IS FULFILLED

Everything happened just as God said it would. Go figure. Seven years of abundance followed. "Joseph collected and stored up the extra grain in the cities of Egypt near the fields where it was harvested. In fact, there was so much grain that they stopped keeping records because it was like counting the grains of sand along the beach" (Genesis 41:48-49 CEV). When the seven years of plenty were over, the seven years of famine began. Because Egypt obeyed God and promoted his anointed leader, Joseph, their prosperity enabled them to survive in desperate times. Throughout the region, the famine stretched into other countries, including where Joseph's people were. But in Egypt, they still had food because people were coming to Joseph to buy it.

"God's prophecies incorporate Gentile nations that rub shoulders with his people, Israel. God gave Pharaoh, leader of the most powerful country of his day, a dream because of the Abrahamic Covenant and Joseph's presence among the Egyptians" (Tim LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible). If you want to know what the future is going to look like for America or for your country if you don't live here, look at how your country treats Israel.

Oh, and before I end this, I should point out that I thought I had a really clever line there earlier when I talked about Joseph going from the pit to the palace. I was looking at my Joyce Meyer Everyday Life Bible just now, and it turns out she has a commentary on this chapter with that very title. So, maybe that is where I got that from. I was not as clever as I thought, at least not at that time. 🤣