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Genesis 41:

Reading #147  Feast and famine

Now we come to Jesus’ great plan for Joseph.

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Genesis 41:

1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river [Nile].  2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine [nice looking cattle] and fat fleshed; and they fed in a meadow. 

3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured [ugly] and lean fleshed [skinny]; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.  4 And the ill favoured and lean fleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine.  So Pharaoh awoke.

5 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank [plump, NKJ] and good.  6 And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.  7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears.  And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. 

[There are three kinds of dreams:

1.  From God;   2.  From our own imagination or stomach;  3.  From Satan.]

8 And 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 the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them to Pharaoh.  [Their normal psycho-babble did not fit.]

9 Then spoke the chief butler to Pharaoh, saying, “I do remember my faults this day: 10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker.  11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.  12 And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.  13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he [in his interpretation] restored to my office, and him he hanged”.

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As we saw before, the hope that had been kindled in Joseph’s heart  by the butler’s promise gradually died out, and to all the other trials was added the bitter sting of ingratitude.  But a divine Hand was about to open the prison gates in a time of great need. 

The king of Egypt had in one night two dreams, apparently pointing to the same event and seeming to foreshadow some great calamity.  He could not determine their significance, yet they continued to trouble his mind.  The magicians and wise men of his realm could give no interpretation that made sense.  Under conviction from the Spirit, the king's perplexity and distress increased, and terror spread throughout his palace. 

After a time the general agitation was used by the Spirit to recall to the chief butler's mind the circumstances of his own dream; with it came the memory of Joseph, and a pang of remorse for his forgetfulness and ingratitude.  He at once informed the king how his dream and that of the chief baker had been interpreted by a Hebrew captive, and how the predictions had been fulfilled exactly. 

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Genesis 41:

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in to Pharaoh.  15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of you, that you can understand a dream to interpret it”.

16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace”.  [He wants to help you.  Luke 2:14.]

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It was humiliating to Pharaoh to turn away from the magicians and wise men of his kingdom to consult an alien and a slave, but he was now ready to accept the lowliest service if his troubled mind might find relief.  Joseph was immediately sent for.  He put off his prison clothes, and shaved himself, for his hair and beard had grown long during the period of his disgrace and confinement and this was considered unhygienic by the Egyptians.  He was then conducted into the presence of the king. 

Joseph's reply to the king reveals his humility and his faith in God.  He modestly disclaims the honour of possessing in himself superior wisdom.  “It is not in me”.  God alone can explain these mysteries.  The gifts of God, once given, are not recalled, but they cannot be actioned at the whim of the receiver.  The men and women of inspiration are under the guidance and care of God the Spirit, not the other way round!!  2 Peter 1:21.  However, Joseph knew that his God loves to help humans so he expected an answer. 

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Genesis 41:

17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: 18 and, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow: 19  and, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness.  20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: 21 and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning.  So I awoke”.  [The river supplied the water for crops by flooding.  It was considered as one of the gods and Satan was going to attack it through the weather patterns and then blame the God of heaven for the trouble.]

22 “And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good: 23  and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: 24 and the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this to the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me”.

25 And Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dream of Pharaoh is one: God has showed Pharaoh what He is about to do [in His work of protection].  26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one [it was simply repeated for emphasis].  27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.  28 This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh: What God is about to do He shows to Pharaoh [so that he may be able to choose life]”.

29 “Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 30 and there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land.  31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 

32 And for that the dream was doubled to Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass”.

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There were to be seven years of great plenty.  Field and garden would yield more abundantly than ever before and the people would grow fat, lazy and content.  This period was then to be followed by seven years of absolute and unnatural drought causing the drying up of the river.  Thus God through Joseph was able to warn the unbelieving Egyptians of events that Satan had planned for them.  The prince of evil, (who is also known as the prince of the power of the air or weather, Ephesians 2:2, aka Baal the storm god), wanted to blacken the name of God and turn the mightiest nation on earth at that time from their slight knowledge of Him, because Joseph’s presence worried him.  The Son of God could hold him off for a period but would not be able prevent his scheme for ever because of the attitude of the people which is why He had given the warning.

Joseph explained that the repetition of the dream, the doubling, was evidence both of the certainty and nearness of the fulfilment so something should be done immediately to implement God’s plan.

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Genesis 41:

33 “Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.  34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the [produce of the] land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.  35 And let them gather [buy] all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.  36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine”.

37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.  38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?”

39 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Forasmuch as God has showed you all this, there is none so discreet and wise as you are: 40 you shall be over my house, and according to your word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than you”.  [How deeply and firmly did this rejecter of God’s grace believe His word based on a dream!  Remember Job 33:15 onwards?  The Pharisees also believed that Jesus would rise again while His disciples disregarded His word.  Matthew 27:62-66.  See also James 2:19-20.]   

41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt”.  42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43 and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, “Bow the knee”: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.  44 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without you shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt”.  [Through Joseph Jesus now had absolute control of the safety of the people of Egypt.]

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The interpretation was so reasonable and consistent, and the policy which it recommended was so sound and shrewd, that its correctness could not be doubted.  Pharaoh believed God’s word through Joseph implicitly.  How often unbelievers trust God’s word when those who profess to believe do not!

But who was to be entrusted with the execution of the plan? Upon the wisdom of this choice depended the nation's preservation.  The king was troubled.  For some time the matter of the appointment was under consideration.  Through the chief butler the monarch had learned of the wisdom and prudence displayed by Joseph in the management of the prison; it was evident that he possessed administrative ability in a pre-eminent degree.  The cupbearer, now filled with self-reproach under the influence of the Holy Spirit, endeavoured to atone for his former ingratitude by the warmest praise of his benefactor; and further inquiry by the king proved the correctness of his report.  No doubt Potiphar added his recommendations too.

In all the realm Joseph was the only man gifted with wisdom to point out the danger that threatened the kingdom and the preparation necessary to meet it; and the king was convinced that he was the one best qualified to execute the plans which he had proposed.  It was evident that a divine power was with him, and that there were none among the king's officers of state so well qualified to conduct the affairs of the nation at this crisis. 

The fact that he was a Hebrew and a slave was of little moment when weighed against his evident wisdom and sound judgment.  “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” said the king to his counsellors.  Joseph became the “head” and not the “tail”, a Christian leader.  God promised this to an entire nation later, as Moses told them:-

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Deuteronomy 28:13

And the LORD shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if that you hearken to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do them…

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What a pity they did not accept it in the spirit it was offered!  For it is written:-

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Micah 5:

7 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarries not for man, nor waits for the sons of men [but is God-supplied].

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Jesus warned the Christians of His day:-

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Matthew 23:

10 Neither be you called masters [lords]: for one is your Master [LORD], even Christ.  11 But he that is great among you shall be your servant.  12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.  [See Matthew 11:29 for the meek and lowly One.] 

Matthew 20:

25 But Jesus called them to Him, and said, “You know that the princes [rulers] of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.  26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister [helper]; 27 and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant [slave]: 28 even as the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many”.

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The appointment was decided upon, and to Joseph the astonishing announcement was made.

Interesting times in which to live!

Bye for now,

RonP

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