Chapters 40 and 41 have dreams and interpretation of dreams
contained in their story lines. This
fact does not make this a proof text for a “theology of dreaming”. It does not lend
legitimacy to make something of every dream we dream. This is not the point of
the narrative. Dreams are incidental and not central to this narrative. The
point of the story of Joseph’s life is the story of God’s leading and
preservation of His covenant people. And today again, we shall move closer to seeing
how God uses ‘all things’ to work out His plan of saving and preserving His
chosen people, now through Joseph, against the background of many setbacks and disappointments.
Outline
41:1-8 Pharaoh’s dreams.
41:9-14 Joseph
remembered
41: 15 -28 Joseph hears
and interprets the dreams
41: 29- 36 Joseph counsels Pharaoh
41:37- 57 From prison
to prime minister
1. 41:1-8 Pharaoh’s dreams.
41:1 “After two whole years…”. One of the great disappointments for Joseph must have been the fact that he was forgotten in prison. The cupbearer to Pharaoh who was spared from death (40:13,21) was asked specifically by Joseph to remember him to Pharaoh, but instead he forgot him (40:23). Imagine that! This act of forgetfulness earns Joseph two more long years in prison before God’s providence brought him out. Again we see and observe that God’s mills grind slowly. This phrase was coined by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow[1] who wrote,
“Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.”
God
is in all the tedious details. What seems
a waste of time to man is the outworking of God’s plan with all
patience, and precise timing, working everything
for His own glory, whilst preserving His people through some hectic situations.
The situation unfolds as Pharaoh has a troublesome dream (41:1-8): “So in the morning, his spirit was troubled” (41:8). His dreams troubled him. The cupbearer and baker were likewise
troubled by their dreams (40:6). He immediately
sent for his magicians and wise men, “but
there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh” (41:8). All the magic of
Egypt could not solve Pharaoh’s anxiety. And it’s time for God to shine again, as He
brings His servant Joseph out of the shadows, out of the most unlikely
place – prison, and into the presence of
the mightiest man in Egypt! We are on
the verge of an amazing development. In a short while we shall see Joseph rise
from prison to prime minister!
2. 41:9-14 Joseph
remembered
As no one is found to help the Pharaoh, the chief cupbearer
suddenly ‘remembers his offenses’ (41:9). He remembers how Joseph helped
him with an accurate interpretation of a disturbing dream. He tells Pharaoh
about this young Hebrew and the accurate interpretation of his dream (41:12). Pharaoh wastes no time. We are
beginning to see that God had appointed Joseph for such a time as this. Joseph
groomed himself before he appeared before Pharaoh, “he shaved himself and changed his clothes” (41:14). The Hebrews tended to wear beards, whilst Egyptians did
not. Joseph made himself presentable.
3. 41: 15 -28 Joseph hears and interprets the
dreams
Pharaoh begins by explaining his dilemma to Joseph: ‘I have
had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it’ (41:15) …. and in 41:24: ‘and I told it to the magicians,
but there was no one who could explain it to me’. Before
we get to the dream we take note of this important caveat. Joseph tells Pharaoh, with utter humility: ‘It is not me that can interpret the dream.
God will give a Pharaoh favourable answer.’ (41:16), Joseph’s faith in God shines. He tells Pharaoh that neither
his magicians, nor Joseph himself, but God is the revealer of dreams (41:25). It is not because he has some innate
power, but because God is at work here. God is using Joseph to reveal to Pharaoh how He is
intending to sustain them through a
very trying time.
In 41:16-24 Pharaoh
tells him the two disturbing
dreams, and before Joseph interprets them, he gives Pharaoh another
important theology lesson. He makes 2
things clear: (i) God is the Revealer of dreams (ii) God ordains the future …’God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about
to do.’ (41:25). God not only
knows what is going to happen, but He knows what is going to happen because
He has ordained what is going to happen. Even Egypt is in the hand of the God. Nothing
and no nation is outside the reach of God.
After hearing the dreams Joseph sees that ‘the dreams are one.’ (41:25,26). Pharaoh needs to understand that it is God that rules Egypt and the world and so we find this
insignificant Hebrew boy, a
prisoner, lecturing the mighty Pharaoh (considered
a god in Egypt) about the doctrine of the One True God! He controls the future of Egypt, and He
will show you in a moment what is coming upon your nation, and He will tell you
what to do in that situation.
4. 41: 29- 36 Joseph counsels Pharaoh
Pharaoh is now being given additional advice by this young Hebrew prisoner – slave, who
becomes to him a prophet from God, and
in the hand of God. Not only does God provide
Joseph with prophetic foresight
concerning the weather patterns for the next 14 years, but He also gives Pharaoh wisdom and insight through
Joseph concerning the course of action
that needs to be taken, and the planning
that needs to be done. All this needs speedy resolve, because God
will bring this about shortly (41:32).
Moreover Pharaoh is advised that he
will need an overseer – a wise and discerning man (41:33) to lead this process. We have no reason to believe that Joseph
is thinking of himself in terms of a
future solution here (cf. 41:39).
He is merely acting as God’s spokesman– period! And God is clear in His
counsel through Joseph. This is the plan
of action needed. You must get going immediately. Now, you must remember
that Joseph did have organisational and managerial talent. We already saw that
he left Potiphar’s home his first owner/ employer) in a better shape (39:3). He even left the (39:23) prison in a better shape. So,
wait for it, as we see Joseph moving from prison to prime minister! Oh how the logic
of God amazes us. David was the shepherd boy
who against all odds became the greatest king is Israel’s history. And his
greater son, the Lord Jesus, the Son of David, the eternal Son of God, became
the incarnate Son of a humble peasant mother called Mary. He comes from glory into
this sinful world. After His humiliation He takes up His majestic throne once
more. He moves from this sinful world (having completed the work that the Father
has given Him, back to glory). Truly God specialises in ‘calling into existence the things that are not’[2]
(Rom.4:17). Joseph is called from
prison to high office.
5. 41:37-57 From Prison to Prime minister
41:37 “…This
proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants (advisors)”. How the tables are turned in a moment! Pharaoh knows that this man Joseph is God’s
spokesman, “since God has shown
you all this, there is none so
discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house….”. 41:38,39 shows us that
Pharaoh had understood Joseph's message. Joseph was plain and clear
in letting Pharaoh know that his source of authority was God (41:16 cf. 40:8). Pharaoh instinctively knows that it will be with his
household – the nation of Egypt – because the sovereign God of the Universe is
in charge here. It is a good thing when politicians listen to the one true God
and when they care about their people’s future. And so he makes Joseph second in charge, that
is, prime minister of Egypt (41:4-44).
Again, remember that Joseph is a foreigner, from the tribe of the Hebrews,
a shepherd tribe, who are an abomination to the Egyptians
(46:34). This is a rare political move. Sadly, we see politics often mixed up with nepotism,
close political allies , or bribery. Truly
God rules here. This is an application
of Proverbs 21:1: “ The
king’s heart is a stream of water in the hands of the LORD; he turns it
wherever He will.”[3]
And Pharaoh heaps authority and honours upon Joseph. He makes
him second in charge (41:40), give
him his signet ring and garments of fine linen, a gold chain (41:42)… a second chariot (42:43), … for citizens to bow the knee.
Pharaoh also provides Joseph with a family (41:45). From this marriage will be born two sons, Manasseh (God has made me forget all my
hardship and my father’s house) and Ephraim ( God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction) (41:51,52), raised in the fear of YAHWEH who will be incorporated
into the nation of Israel and who
will become tribes in Israel. All this reinforces the fact that this could only have happened by the providence of
God. And Joseph was only 30 when all
this happened. He was sold into slavery
more or less at the age of 18 or so. It
would take more than 20 years before he
would be reunited with his family.
It is wise to stop and reflect here upon the path that Joseph had to tread to get to this point. For many years, from being sold into slavery by his brothers, he had to patiently endure humiliation. His pain is reflected in the names which he gives to his sons. Through it all he remained faithful, patient and God focussed. And God, in His own time would bring His servant out.
God did the same thing in the life of
Abraham. For a long time Abraham waited for the fulfilment of the promise- a
covenant son. God did the same in the
life of Jacob. It took many years and many difficulties, after being in exile
for him to return to the land of promise. Patience and trusting in God is a
major lesson God is us on our way to our
promised land- heaven!
Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). It is a Christian virtue (Col. 1:11,3:12). It is one of Christ’s characteristics (1 Tim. 1:16). Hebrews 6:12 teaches us to, “through faith and patience inherit the promises”. 2 Pet. 3:15 teaches us to “count the patience of our Lord as salvation”.
In 41:46-57 we find a description of Joseph’s administration – and all done , just as God had said and directed, as we move from the 7 years of plenty to the 7 years of the famine – just as God had said. And all this, though he does not yet know it, sets the stage for a reunification of Joseph and his family – the covenant line of God in the world. We see the beginnings of this in 41:56,57:
“So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.”
And Chapter
42 will begin with these words, “ When Jacob learned that there was grain
for sale in Egypt…”
What a grand view of the sovereignty of God. Here we are shown that God will send a famine
upon the entire known world in order to
advance and bless the family of Jacob- the offspring of
Abraham to whom the promises of the
covenant apply. God rules the world for
the sake of his people! God is shaping world events in order to preserve His chosen family.
So, dear Christian family, do not fear. God rules this world and the Universe for His
glory, and if you are in Christ, then He rules this universe for your benefit
also.
[1] Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet
and educator
[2] The reference here is to Abraham whose wife Sarah was barren and could
not produce an offspring for the
covenantal line. God did the impossible by giving her a son (Isaac) in her old
age.
[3] The same can be applied in reverse.
God may take his hands away from the king and hand him over to his own wicked
designs.
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