verse 1, then it came to pass
at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and
behold, he stood by the river. Suddenly there came up out of
the river seven cows, fine-looking and fat, and they fed in the
meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of
the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the
bank of the river. And the ugly and gaunt cows ate
up the seven fine-looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second
time, and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk,
plump and good. Then behold, seven thin heads,
blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. And the seven
thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh
awoke, and indeed it was a dream. Now it came to pass in the morning
that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all
the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told
them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them
for Pharaoh. Then the chief butler spoke to
Pharaoh saying, I remember my faults this day. When Pharaoh
was angry with his servants and put me in custody in the house
of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker,
we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed
according to the interpretation of his own dream. Now there was
a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the
guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us.
To each man he interpreted according to his own dream. And it came
to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored
me to my office, and he hanged him. Then Pharaoh sent and called
Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon. And
he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh
said to Joseph, I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret
it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand
the dream to interpret it. So Joseph answered Pharaoh saying,
it is not in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer
of peace. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,
behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. Suddenly
seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat,
and they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows
came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness
as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. And the gaunt
and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. When they
had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten
them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke. Also I saw in my dream and suddenly
seven heads came up of one stock, full and good. Then behold, seven
heads, withered, thin and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after
them. And the thin heads devoured the
seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians,
but there was no one who could explain it to me. Then Joseph
said to Pharaoh, the dreams of Pharaoh are one. God has shown
Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven
years, and the seven good heads are seven years. The dreams are
one. And the seven thin and ugly cows
which came up after them are seven years. And the seven empty
heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. This
is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh
what he is about to do. Indeed, seven years of great
plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt. But after
them, seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will
be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will deplete the
land. So the plenty will not be known in the land because
of the famine following, for it will be very severe. And the
dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established
by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore,
let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over
the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let
him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of
the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.
And let them gather all the food of those good years that are
coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and
let them keep food in the cities. then that food shall be as a
reserve for the land, for the seven years of famine, which
shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish
during the famine." So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh
and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants,
can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of
God? Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, Inasmuch as God has shown you
all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You
shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according
to your word. Only in regard to the throne
will I be greater than you. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See,
I have set you over all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh took his
signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and
he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain
around his neck. And he had him ride in the second
chariot which he had. And they cried out before him,
Bow the knee. So he set him over all the land
of Egypt. Pharaoh also said to Joseph,
I am Pharaoh, and without your consent, no man may lift his
hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called
Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paneah, and he gave him as a wife Asenath,
the daughter of Potipharah, priest of On. So Joseph went out over
all the land of Egypt. Joseph was thirty years old when
he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out
from the presence of Pharaoh and went throughout all the land
of Egypt. Now in the seven plentiful years
the ground brought forth abundantly. So he gathered up all the food
of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and laid
up the food in the cities. He laid up in every city the
food of the fields which surrounded them. Joseph gathered very much
grain as the sand of the sea until he stopped counting, for
it was immeasurable. And to Joseph were born two sons
before the years of famine came, who Asenath, the daughter of
Potipharah, priest of On, bore to him. Joseph called the name
of the firstborn Manasseh, for God has made me forget all my
toil and all my father's house. And the name of the second he
called Ephraim, for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land
of my affliction. Then the seven years of plenty
which were in the land of Egypt ended, and the seven years of
famine began to come. As Joseph had said, the famine
was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried
to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the
Egyptians, go to Joseph, whatever he says to you, do. The famine
was over all the face of the earth and Joseph opened all the
storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe
in the land of Egypt. So all countries came to Joseph
in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe in all
lands. Amen. So as we've been considering
the story or the history of Jacob, the focus is primarily on his
son, Joseph, and his exaltation. We had two dreams in Genesis
37, dreams that Joseph himself had. We had two dreams in Genesis
40, two dreams that Joseph interpreted. And then here, two dreams in
Genesis 41. Again, Joseph is the interpreter.
Meredith Klein says, the providential series of dreams concludes. The middle pair, those are the
dreams given to the prisoners, prove the means for involving
Joseph in the third pair, the interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams,
and that last pair serve to fulfill the first pair. So in the first
pair of dreams, Joseph dreamed that he would be exalted. And
then after interpreting the dreams of the butler and the baker,
he is now brought into the house of Pharaoh, and at the interpretation
of Pharaoh's dream, he is exalted, and thus is fulfilled what was
spoken by God by a dream in Genesis chapter 37. So as I said, it's
a long chapter, but it's one unit. So we'll look first at
the report concerning Pharaoh's dreams in verses 1 to 13. Secondly,
the explanation of Pharaoh's dreams in verses 14 to 46. And then finally, the fulfillment
of Pharaoh's dreams in verses 47 to 57. But going back to chapter 41
at verse 1, notice the report concerning Pharaoh's dreams.
We have the time frame given us in 41.1. Then it came to pass
at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and
behold, he stood by the river. So Joseph had been in the prison
at least for two years. He was a period of time of 13
years prior to his exaltation here before Pharaoh. We don't
know how much of that time was in prison, and we don't know
how much of that time was in Potiphar's house, but we do know
with certainty, since he had interpreted the butler's dream,
that was two years prior. So there had been a two-year
period where the butler had not reported to Pharaoh, and where
Joseph continued to languish in prison. Calvin says, what
anxiety oppressed the mind of the holy man during this time.
Each of us may conjecture from his own feeling, for we are so
tender and effeminate that we can scarcely bear to be put off
for a short time." Sometimes I quote these sorts of things
because I wonder at times what Calvin would think if he lived
in our generation. If in the 1500s they were too
tender and effeminate to have any patience whatsoever, what
must it be considering the case today? But the time frame is
consistent with what we find in terms of Joseph's life. Now,
notice the dreams. We have the first dream in verses
1b to 4, and then the second dream in verses 5 to 7. Of course,
the first dream involves these cows. And it is intriguing that,
behold, he stood by the river. The river Nile was absolutely
crucial for life. in Egypt, especially since the
river would overflow when the rainy season would come, and
that would be the water that would irrigate the crops. So
if there wasn't rain enough to overflow the Nile River, then
it would certainly introduce this famine. And so the Nile
fares large in Egypt's life. But here specifically we have
these seven other cows, according to verse 3, "...they came up
after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by
the other cows on the bank of the river." Which is intriguing,
because typically cows do what the first set of cows do. They
ate. They ate in the meadow. Robert
Alter says, there is a small ominous note in the fact that
the second set of seven cows do not graze in the rushes as
the first seven do and as one would expect cows to do. In a
moment, they will prove themselves carnivores. So with reference
to the cows, you have the fat cows and then you have the skinny
cows and ultimately the skinny cows eat the fat cows. That's
the dream that Pharaoh has. and we could see why he would
be concerned. Now, Pharaoh wasn't sure what
the dreams meant, but it does seem that he had a thought that
they were a warning of some sort. When he goes to the magicians
and he goes to the interpreters of Egypt, they probably do answer
him, but it wasn't sufficient in terms of his understanding.
He did feel some degree of threat with reference to the dreams
that he's had. So then the second dream is very
similar in nature only it includes seven plump and good heads of
grain and then seven thin heads blighted by the east wind. And
again the end result was the same. The thin basically overtook
the fat or the plump and basically the bad overtook the good. Now,
according to verse 8, it says, "...it came to pass in the morning
that his spirit was troubled." Again, indicative of the fact
that this is probably an omen, some sort of a warning, some
sort of a threat given to Pharaoh, and he certainly was troubled
as a result. And he sent and called for all
the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men, and Pharaoh told
them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them
for Pharaoh." Again, most likely they attempted an interpretation,
but it was not something that resonated with Pharaoh. And so
that then causes some perplexity among him, and that then results
in God's providence again. It's almost like a series of
steps as you move through this section in the book of Genesis.
It's so methodical the way one event is stacked on top of another,
the way that connections are made, the way that persons meet
one another, and then later on, those persons introduce that
person to someone else. You see that fleshed out in God's
providence here. So you've got the failure of
the Egyptian magicians, and then you have the commendation of
Joseph by the butler in verses nine to 13. It says, then the
chief butler spoke to Pharaoh saying, I remember my faults
this day. When Pharaoh was angry with his
servants and put me in custody in the house of the captain of
the guard, both me and the chief baker, we each had a dream in
one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according
to the interpretation of his own dream. Now there was a young
Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard.
And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us, to each man
he interpreted according to his own dream. And it came to pass,
just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me
to my office, and he hanged him." Again, I think this all underscores
the trouble of mind that Pharaoh does have. He is going to take
this commendation, and he is going to call for Joseph. He's
at the end of his rope in terms of these two particular dreams.
and the warning or the threat that he has perceived that they
are intended to communicate. So he is going to basically take
a Hebrew slave that has been imprisoned and then call upon
him for the interpretation of his dreams. And that brings us
secondly to the explanation of Pharaoh's dreams in verses 14
to 46. He first of all summons Joseph. Notice in verse 14. Then Pharaoh
sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the
dungeon, and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh."
Now that's an incidental note to be sure, but the obvious thing
is that the Egyptians, for the most part, did not have a lot
of facial hair. And so Joseph in prison was not
well-kempt in the sense that he is, you know, washing, and
bathing, and shaving, wearing good clothes and all that sort
of thing. And so there is this idea that when we are called
to stand before persons of note, it behooves us to shave and to
put on a fresh pair of clothes and then to go and meet Pharaoh,
and that is precisely what he does. He prepares to see Pharaoh. Pharaoh then makes this request
in verse 15. Again, when you see this, or
as we move through this, this isn't just the theology of providence,
but this is the application of God's providence. Every jot and
diddle. every I dotted and every T crossed,
bringing out the fulfillment of God's plan and purpose, not
only for Joseph, but ultimately for Israel, which was his church. He needed to set apart Joseph
in this position of preeminence so that the church or Israel
could be sustained as these famine conditions obtained in the land. It's not just Egypt, but Canaan
is affected as well. And that is why Jacob then sends
his sons over to the land of Egypt so that they might fetch
some food for them. And then notice Joseph's response
in verse 16. So Joseph answered Pharaoh saying,
it is not in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer
of peace. I just happened to see a clip
this afternoon of a pretty famous preacher who was saying that
he was recently in Myanmar. I think it was recent. There
was no timestamp on the video clip. The way this guy spoke
indicates he's become more untethered from a doctrinally sound position
than he was even a short while ago. But he was basically saying
that everybody he touched was healed. There was this supernatural
effect of God through this man's touch wherein everybody that
was at this particular meeting was healed. Now, whether that's
the case or not, and I'm very skeptical that it is, that seems
to go contrary to what we find in the spirit of Joseph. Joseph
is quick to denounce his involvement. Joseph doesn't say, it's my touch. Joseph doesn't say, it's my wisdom. Joseph doesn't say, it's my ability. Joseph doesn't say, well, this
is the gifting even that God has given me and I've dispersed
the goodness to anybody that I want. No, he defers completely. He says, it is not in me. God
will give Pharaoh an answer of peace. And again, this has been
my experience with those who have these claims, for these
supernatural gifts. It typically results in some
exaltation on their part in terms of the ability, you know, to
lay the whammy on somebody and give them a healing. But that's
not what Joseph does. It's not in me. God will give
Pharaoh an answer of peace. And that brings us then to the
rehearsal of his dreams, verses 17 to 24. We won't read this
because we just read this. However, he embellishes, he adds
a couple of details, which shows us that he has reflected upon
these dreams. And then later on, we see that
this is key information. Notice in verse 21, when they
had eaten them up, I'm sorry, verse 20, and the gaunt and ugly
cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. When they had eaten
them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for
they were just as ugly as at the beginning. Now, later on,
we're going to learn that the famine is so bad that people
won't even remember the time of plenty. The famine will be
so severe in the land that seven years of abundance will be, as
it were, a vanished memory. They won't seize on that anymore
because of the severity of the famine, and I think that's the
emphasis that we find here with reference to Pharaoh's rehearsal
of this particular dream. Wenham says that these pharaonic
embellishments, that means the embellishments of Pharaoh, suggests
or suggest that he viewed the dreams as threatening. It is
also noticeable that Pharaoh always talks about, quote, my
dream in the singular, which suggests he regarded both dreams
as being a warning about the future and therefore that he
would be receptive to Joseph's approach to their interpretation. I think that's right. I think
what he is saying is spot on. Pharaoh is nervous. Pharaoh has
been given this warning by the God of Israel and Pharaoh really
wants to come to an appreciation of what this message means. He
then rehearses the second dream and basically tells Joseph that
no one in Egypt could help him. verse 24, and the thinheads devoured
the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians,
but there was no one who could explain it to me. So the bankruptcy
with reference to the magicians and the soothsayers and the wise
men of Egypt is underscored here. And then we have this man, Joseph,
a Hebrew slave, currently serving a term in prison, who defers
and deflects any any thought whatsoever that he has the ability
to interpret dreams. He says it's the God of Israel
that is able to do that and that's what he goes on to give to Pharaoh
now. Notice the explanation of the
dreams in verses 25 to 36. He interprets and then he recommends
appropriate action. Pharaoh didn't ask him for a
recommendation of appropriate action, but Joseph nevertheless
does that. So he interprets in verses 25
to 32, and then he recommends appropriate action in verses
33 to 36. But in terms of his interpretation,
First of all, the two dreams are one and concern the future
in Egypt. That's what he says in verse
25. Remember the two dreams that Joseph had in Genesis 37 were
one as well. The same idea in both dreams
with reference to the exaltation of Joseph. The same thing obtains
here. Verse 25, then Joseph said to
Pharaoh, the dreams of Pharaoh are one. God has shown Pharaoh
what he is about to do. So Pharaoh's on the right track.
He's got somebody now that knows the mind of God, or rather the
mind of God will be revealed through this man, Joseph. Secondly,
the seven cows and the seven heads are seven years. We're
dealing with a timeframe. We're dealing with a period.
We're dealing with a situation that concerns the future of Egypt.
Thirdly, the good cows and the bad cows and the good heads and
the bad heads represent seven years of plenty and then seven
years of famine. So that's the interpretation
that he gives. And if you notice, Joseph is
functioning here as a prophet. He is prophesying the future,
of course, by God to be sure. It's not only to Joseph's wisdom
or ability or his sort of foreknowledge of what the future may hold.
In fact, Wenham says, the interpretation now becomes prophetic announcement,
as in language anticipating the prophets. Behold, seven years
are coming. Joseph predicts a famine. He says Abraham is once described
as a prophet in chapter 20, verse 7, and in several other passages
is cast in a prophetic role. Chapters 15, 18, and then 20,
as are Isaac, chapter 27, and Jacob, chapters 48 and 49. So
that it is not surprising that Joseph should be cast in a prophetic
role. And I thought this was a good
understanding also. He says, here he seems to be
more like the late court prophets, such as Nathan, who acted as
advisors to the king in 2 Samuel 7. So that's ultimately how Joseph
will function with reference to Pharaoh. He is going to have
rule over the entirety of Egypt, excepting, of course, Pharaoh.
So he is the viceroy, the vice-regent, he is the right-hand man of Pharaoh,
and you can see now where God is bringing the narrative in
terms of the fulfillment of Genesis chapter 37 with reference to
the exaltation of Joseph. Now in verse 32. And the dream
was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established
by God and God will shortly bring it to pass. So as far as Joseph
is concerned, it's given in a twofold way to highlight the promptness
of it and the certainty of it. There will be a time of abundance
and there will be a time of famine. And no doubt the abundance would
please Pharaoh, but the thought of administering a kingdom for
seven years where there's famine probably terrified him because
that would be one of the most difficult situations that a man
could face in terms of rule or reign. And now Joseph gives him
advice. Joseph gives him a recommendation
to an appropriate course of action to be able to deal with this
situation, this eventuality wherein there will be famine. And in
the first place he says you need to select a man to oversee the
food situation. I don't personally think that
Joseph is trying to put himself into that role. He is simply
reporting on behalf of God the reality that is facing Pharaoh. Now that Pharaoh hires him or
that Pharaoh exalts him is a happy sort of corollary, but I'm not
sure that Joseph is trying to interview for the job. He is
simply saying this is the way it ought to go. So there is a
need to select a man to oversee the food situation. Excuse me,
according to verse 33. And then the need for officers
in verses 34 and 35 to collect that food, to store it in the
time of abundance, and then to have it available to sell and
dole out at the time of famine. I mean, it's just horse sense,
right? This is what everybody should be doing. We should be
planning for those rainy days. Well, this at a corporate level
in terms of the actual nation of Egypt, but that seven years
of abundance is absolutely crucial to garner up or gather up all
of that grain and put it into the storehouses so that persons
don't die when the famine comes. and then the distribution of
the food during the seven years of famine so that the land may
not perish. And again, that's the severity
of it. Verse 36, then that food shall
be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine
which shall be in the land of Egypt. that the land may not
perish during the famine." So this wasn't their first rodeo. They would have these sorts of
events, these sorts of difficulties and trials. A seven-year period
is certainly a hardship, and yet God, in mercy, is sparing
this nation through the ministry of Joseph. And here Joseph is
functioning in a capacity very similar to Abraham. Remember
that God said relative to Abraham as patriarch, and you all the
nations of the earth will be blessed. Well, we're seeing that
realized prior to the coming of Jesus Christ in his first
and second advent here in the life of Joseph. The Egyptians
benefit because of the God of Joseph. The Egyptians benefit
because Joseph is in their land, having been sold by his brothers,
thrown into prison, and ultimately now standing before Pharaoh.
And then that brings us to the appointment of Joseph over Pharaoh's
affairs in verses 37 to 46. So in the first place, Pharaoh
acknowledges that this is good advice. This is wise counsel. The advice was good in the eyes
of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. Probably, that's
where the Egyptian magicians came up short. They didn't rightly
diagnose the situation, they couldn't interpret the dreams,
and as a result, they'd have no way to specify a course of
action. Whereas Joseph understood the
dreams, he knew the plenty, he knew the famine, and therefore
he recommends this course, and it is fitting, it's pleasing
in the sight of Pharaoh. And then secondly, he appoints
Joseph to this particular position. Verse 38, Pharaoh said to his
servants, can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the
spirit of God? Now the capitalization there
reflects probably better theology or better orthodoxy than Pharaoh
himself possessed. He probably said spirit of gods. The particular word that Joseph
uses is not Yahweh. He's not speaking of the Covenant
Lord, he's speaking of Elohim, which is plural. And so the pagans
would use Elohim as well because it fit in their view of a multiplicity
of gods. So I don't think he's got, you
know, developed New Testament sort of Pauline doctrine of the
ministry of the Spirit of God. That's not how we're supposed
to interpret. Pharaoh at this particular point, but he does
realize that Joseph is functioning on behalf of Joseph's God. And
therefore, he says, can we find such a one as this, a man in
whom is the Spirit of God? And then notice the recognition
of Joseph's abilities, verse 39. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,
inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as
discerning and wise as you. He had exhibited that. He had
demonstrated that. It was obvious. You see why the
test of prophecy in the Old Testament is very simple. If a prophet
announces the future and it doesn't come to pass, that prophet is
false and should be executed. It was tantamount to prophecy
that whatever persons predicted had to come true. And so when
Joseph interprets these dreams, it resonates with Pharaoh. Later
on, we see the fulfillment, and Pharaoh recognizes this, so he
appoints Joseph in this particular role. And then the mission given
specifically to Joseph is outlined in verses 40 and 41. You shall
be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according
to your word. Only in regard to the throne
will I be greater than you. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, see,
I have set you over all the land of Egypt. John Gill comments,
not merely as corn master general, just quoting that because I love
that phrase, corn master general. not merely as corn master general
to take care of a provision of corn in time of plenty against
a time of scarcity, but as a viceroy or deputy governor over the whole
land. So he's not just managing the
food supply, but as we see, he says, my people shall be ruled
according to your word, only in regard to the throne will
I be greater than you. See, I have set you over all
the land of Egypt." And now he affirms this or confirms this
by this treatment of royal ornamentation. He gives him this signet ring.
He then takes the ... clothed him with garments of
fine linen, put a gold chain around his neck. And he had him
right in the second chariot, which he had, and they cried
out before him, bow the knee. So he set him over all the land
of Egypt. Pharaoh also said to Joseph,
I am Pharaoh, and without your consent, no man may lift his
hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. So he's ratifying this
decision to exalt Joseph, and he does so by decking him out
in royal apparel, and then parading him through the city streets,
and the people were bowing before him. So it was the way to distinguish
that Joseph was in fact his man at this particular time. And
then to that, he also gave him a wife, verse 44. A new name
and a wife. Pharaoh also said to Joseph,
I am Pharaoh, I'm sorry, verse 45. And Pharaoh called Joseph's
name Zaphnath-Paneah, and he gave him as a wife Asenath, the
daughter of Potipharah, priest of On. So Joseph went out over
all the land of Egypt. And then verse 46 tells us he
was 30 years old at this particular time. So again, 13 years had
transpired with reference to when his brother sold him and
now when he's exalted in the presence of Pharaoh and basically
over the entirety of the land. And Matthew Poole makes a good
comment concerning his age. Joseph's age is here noted to
teach us, first, that Joseph's short affliction was recompensed
with a much longer prosperity, even for 80 years. So, all things
being equal, his time of prosperity was a lot more than his time
of adversity. According to Genesis 50, verse
22, he lived to the old age of 110. So 80 of those years he
was exalted, 80 of those years he was blessed of God, and so
it's not always the case. Sometimes we may have an 80-20
sort of a ratio in terms of adversity to blessing, but in this instance
we see that. And then secondly, Poole says
that Joseph's excellent wisdom did not proceed from his large
and long experience, but from the singular gift of God. So
it wasn't the case that he had studied or he had learned or
he had gone to sort of prophet school or he had, you know, mastered
these techniques on his own, but rather it was of God that
he was able to engage in this sort of activity. And that brings
us finally to the fulfillment of Pharaoh's dreams in verses
47 to 57. We see the prosperity of the land, verse 47. Now in
the seven plentiful years, the ground brought forth abundantly. So just as God had revealed to
Pharaoh, and as Joseph was able to interpret for Pharaoh, we
see the fulfillment or the fruition of that come to pass. And then
in verse 48, he gathered up all the food of the seven years which
were in the land of Egypt and laid up the food in the cities.
He laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded
them. Joseph gathered very much grain as the sand of the sea
until he stopped counting for it was immeasurable. So we see
the prudence, the wisdom, the righteousness of Joseph in this
particular regard. Now, at this particular time,
Joseph has two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, two names you're
going to hear a lot more of later on in redemptive history. And
he names those sons in a significant way. If you look at verse 50,
and to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came,
who Asenath, the daughter of Potipharah, the priest of Onbordahem. Joseph called the name of the
firstborn Manasseh, and he gives the reason, for God has made
me forget all my toil and all my father's house." Now, I think
any of you are going to necessarily do this, but if you do read John
Calvin on this, he has an intriguing bit where he's basically charging
Joseph with sin in naming him Manasseh. I don't think the forgetfulness
is the fact that Joseph has sort of separated himself from Israel
altogether and forgotten Jacob, but rather his forgetfulness
is relative to the treatment, the ill treatment that he underwent
by his brothers. And I think that this is helpful
for Joseph so that he's not bitter against these brothers. I think
this is a good remedy for him in the naming of his son Manasseh,
which essentially means making forgetful, so that he doesn't
constantly rehearse what terrible people his brothers are. No,
he's able to distinguish that or separate that, and he's not
carrying that about with him, and it provoking constant bitterness
in his own heart. Now, perhaps Calvin is right.
I didn't find it compelling. I think it's better to see it
this way. He's forgetful of the bad that he underwent, not that
he's trying to distance himself from Israel, not that he's trying
to distance himself from Jacob. And then notice, he has a second
son, And in verse 52, the name of the second, he called Ephraim,
for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction. Wenham comments, both names,
Manasseh and Ephraim, express Joseph's thankfulness to God.
In one, God is praised as the one who preserves. In the other,
as the one who blesses. Both confirm the promise, I am
with you, from chapter 39. Thus, through his choice of names,
Joseph is expressing his faith that God has been with him and
blessed him. And that's important because
in chapter 39, the chapter begins and ends with the statement that
the Lord was with Joseph. Certainly in chapter 40, when
he's interpreting the dreams of the butler and the baker,
we surmise that God is with him. And in the same situation here
in chapter 41, just because it's not punctuated with a statement
that says the Lord was with Joseph, the Lord was with Joseph. The
fact that he interpreted these dreams successfully, that it
comes to pass that he's exalted at the right hand of Pharaoh
and that he is the administrator over the goings-on in Egypt is
all evidence and manifest evidence that God is in fact with Joseph
and that whatever he touches ultimately turns to gold because
of the mercy of God with him. And then that brings us finally
to the seven years of famine in verses 53 to 57. Unfortunately,
the abundance ceased. Well, we ought to expect that
because of the prophecy, or rather the dream and the interpretation
by Joseph. Thus, the seven years of plenty,
which were in the land of Egypt, ended. And the seven years of
famine began to come, as Joseph had said. That's very important
to the author, that we understand that Joseph was right. Egyptians
are wrong and Israelites are right. That's a polemic throughout
the Old Testament. It's whatever those pagans say
is wrong. Now, there might be the instance,
in fact, a false prophet, according to Deuteronomy 13, can at times
prophesy something that may come to pass, but a true prophet not
only predicts the future with absolute success, but does it
for the glory of the God of Israel. And so one of the emphases in
the Old Testament is to avoid the pagans around you. Deuteronomy
18 is probably one of the most powerful polemics in all of the
Old Testament. The nation of Israel is governed
by God. And God governs not by soothsayer,
God governs not by fortune teller, but God governs by prophet and
priest. In other words, it's the word
of the living God that's supposed to affect the Israelites. It's
not reading tea leaves. It's not reading crystal balls.
It's not witchcraft or anything that the pagans may practice
around Israel. And there are instances, as I've
said, where those things, at least on the surface, work. Remember
that witch at Endor calls someone up and something actually appears,
whether it was Samuel or not. There's some difference of opinion
on that in 1 Samuel 28. But there was something, something
was evident, something was seen. And so it's not the case that
God says don't go after those people because what they do doesn't
work, but rather don't go after those people because what they
do is an abomination. The people of Israel were to
be governed by the Word of God as it came through prophet and
priest, and that's the emphasis in Deuteronomy chapter 18. That's
the emphasis of the narrator here, to underscore once again,
just as Joseph had said. And then notice, at the end of
verse 54, the famine was in all lands, but in all the land of
Egypt there was bread. So when all the land of Egypt
was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh
said to all the Egyptians, go to Joseph, whatever he says to
you, do. You see that prerogative. You
see that exaltation. When the king is sending men
to you and saying, look, whatever he says, you need to do that,
Joseph is in fact the vice regent. And then verse 56, the famine
was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all
the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, and the famine became
severe in the land of Egypt. And then notice how verse 57
foreshadows the rest of the Joseph narrative. Verse 57, so all countries came
to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe
in all lands. So that is absolutely crucial
information to connect what's happening in Egypt with what's
happening in Canaan. In fact, in chapter 42, verse
1, when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said
to his sons, why do you look at one another? And he said,
indeed, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down to
that place and buy for us there that we may live and not die.
So again, the providence of God is conspicuous, step by step,
very tightly woven together to produce what Joseph ultimately
interprets as these boys or these young men doing evil, but God
meant it for good. He overruled it. so that Israel
could be sustained by the food that had been given in that period
of plenty. Now, in terms of some concluding
thoughts, first of all, the wisdom of Joseph. You see this not only
with Joseph, but we'll see it later on in Redemptive History
with Daniel. The man who the spirit of the
living and true God is on is, in fact, the wise man. It isn't
the wisdom of Egypt, it's not the wisdom of Babylon, but rather
it's the wisdom of the God of Israel that comes through the
men He's ordained. And you see that wisdom manifested
in Joseph. Secondly, the blessing of God
upon Joseph. Now that two years that he was
in jail or in the prison may not seem like a long time in
terms of reading biblical narrative, but none of us, as far as I know,
have spent two years in jail. And so we don't know what it
would be like to languish in that situation, pretty much despairing
and perhaps losing hope, but then getting that summons by
Pharaoh to come and stand before him in the court. And then a
third observation that I think is very important as well is
that the text, it's not polemical in this way specifically, but
it does function as a polemic against hyper-Calvinism. If you notice, this interpretation
is short. That's not going to change. There's
really going to be a time of plenty and a time of famine. In light of that, Joseph doesn't
say, okay, just lay back and ride the wave and hopefully it'll
all be over soon. No, based on what God has purposed
to come, vis-a-vis predestination, you ought to respond this way. You ought to be prudent, you
ought to gather extra, you ought to put it in storehouses, and
you ought to be ready for that eventuality of the famine. Hyper-Calvinism is wrong at every
single point. Any approach to the sovereignty
of God which minimizes man's responsibility is certainly not
biblical. We have this predestination by
God concerning this time of plenty and famine, and Joseph says you
need to be prudent, you need to be responsible, and you need
to deal in a particular way. You see the same thing when it
comes to the 70 years of exile with reference to Babylon. What
does Jeremiah, or what does God call Jeremiah to do in chapter
29 in Jeremiah? Write a letter to the exiles.
You're gonna be in this bondage for 70 years. While you're in
that bondage, you're supposed to pray for the peace of the
city that you're in, you're supposed to farm, you're supposed to marry,
you're supposed to have children, you're supposed to do all these
things. The sovereignty of God is never given to us in the scripture
to reduce men to the level of inactivity. It is because God
is sovereign that man operates in a way that is responsible. And then we have seen the providence
of God. And behind the obvious, I think
it's important to see the various connections in the Joseph story
are all of God. The fact that his brothers put
him into the pit. The fact that his brothers decide
not to kill him and sell him to those Midianite traders. The
fact that those traders take him to Egypt. The fact that in
Egypt he's serving under Potiphar. The fact that Potiphar's wife,
that, you know, wife of the year, accuses him of attempted rape
and then he ends up in jail. Well, when he ends up in jail,
he's given all that authority by the warden. And then under
that, or in the midst of that, he meets the butler and he meets
the baker. He interprets the dreams. He casts himself upon
the mercy of the butler. The butler obviously forgets
or doesn't act upon it until two years later, but he does.
And now Joseph is brought before this man, Pharaoh, and he is
exalted in this place of preeminence. If anybody that you ever meet
says, I struggle with the sovereignty of God, tell them to read the
book of Genesis. Because it is so evident, it's
so obvious, it's not a didactic piece of theology like Paul in
Romans 9. Not that Paul in Romans 9 is
unimportant. We need didactic pieces of theology
to highlight for us the doctrine. But we also need to appreciate
it in the ebb and flow of the human condition and situation.
And that is precisely what we find. Somebody says, boy, I don't
believe providence is a real thing. Well, just ask them, have
you read the Joseph narratives? Because I think you'll see that
providence is conspicuous all throughout. So the various connections. in the Joseph story are of God,
the various stages in the life of Joseph are of God, and the
various blessings communicated are for the good of Israel as
intended by God. Calvin at this point makes a
great observation. He says, although the Lord took
pity on Egypt, which he did, right? Egypt has the benefit
of Joseph as the second in command, and Joseph is a bright bulb.
Joseph not only is able to interpret Pharaoh's dreams, but he's also
the one to recommend appropriate action. So he says, although
the Lord took pity on Egypt, yet he did it not for the sake
of the king or of the country, but that Joseph might be at length
be brought out of prison. and further, that in the time
of famine, food might be supplied to the church. For although the
produce was stored with no design beyond that of providing for
the kingdom of Egypt, yet God chiefly cared for His church,
which He esteemed more highly than ten worlds." is a money
quote. He may be right or not, I don't
think he is on the naming of Manasseh, but he is spot on there. Yet God chiefly cared for his
church, which he esteemed more highly than ten worlds. That
is beautiful. And then last week, Sylvie made
the observation or asked the question about the typical significance
I had mentioned previously. I did quote from John Gill concerning
that. Well, Gill had this to say, and
I think it's spot on as well. He says, this is certain, with
reference to Joseph, that he was an eminent type of Christ
in all this, both in his state of humiliation and exaltation,
As Joseph was wrongly charged by his mistress, so was Christ
falsely accused by the Jews. As he was cast into prison and
bound there, so Christ was taken and bound as a prisoner. As Joseph
was raised to great honor and glory in Pharaoh's court, so
Christ was exalted by his Father and crowned with glory and honor.
And some of the interpreters suggest that the particular name
that Pharaoh gave to Joseph, the Zaphnath-Paneah, means the
exalted, the redeemer of the world. Now, again, I'm not as
skilled as some of these men, but I like to think that's true,
and Pharaoh did name him that, and that certainly is typical
of the redeemer of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ. Well,
let's close in a word of prayer. Our Father, we thank You for
Your Word, we thank You for this account, this narrative concerning
Joseph, and Your obvious blessing upon this man, and the way that
in Providence You worked everything out for Your glory and for the
good of those who love you, those who are the called according
to your purpose. And we see how this will even
lend itself to what we find in the book of Exodus and how redemptive
history unfolds from this vantage point where you are in absolute
control over all things to bring about the salvation of a great
multitude that no man can number. God, encourage and strengthen
our hearts, help us to see your hand of mercy in our own lives,
and help us to see your goodness and your kindness to us. And
we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
