Chapter 41: The second most powerful man in the ancient world.
Joseph has to stay in prison for another two years before God set him free, by sending dreams to trouble Pharaoh. Seven thin and hungry cows swallowed up seven fat healthy cows beside the river Nile. Or seven thin and blighted ears of grain swallowed up seven healthy ears of grain.
Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams. He told them to his magicians but they could not interpret them. There was no one who could. The chief butler remembered Joseph. So Pharaoh summnoned for Joseph. He was dressed up proper and brought before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said, "I was told that you can interpret dreams". Joseph answered, "It is not I, it is God"
Joseph said, "God has revealed to Pharaoh that there will come seven years of great plenty throughout Egypt, followed by seven years of famine which will consume the land." The fact the dream was repeated twice meant that it was planned by God. He advised Pharaoh to appoint a wise person to supervise the hoarding of twenty percent of all the harvest so that there would be sufficient food during the famine. Pharaoh decided to appoint Joseph since he has the Spirit of God with him. Joseph would be second to Pharaoh in authority, at the age of thirty. Pharaoh named him Zaphenath-paneah and married him to Asenath (she belongs to Neith, a goddess of the Egyptians), the daughter of the priest, Potiphera of On (a center for the worship of Ra).
Joseph did a very good job. He stored up grains in every city from the surrounding fields. When the famine came there was sufficient food for the Egyptians. Moreover, all the nearby nations came to Egypt to buy food. Joseph and Asenath have two sons; Manasseh and Ephraim.
Manasseh means "one who causes to forget" for he has caused Joseph to forget all his troubles and his father's household. Ephraim means "fruitful" for God had made him fruitful in the land of his affliction.
Joseph was born a nonperson. To his mother his birth meant, "the Lord has taken away my disgrace", or "Lord give me another son". He arrived at Egypt as a slave, at the age of 17, and was a prisoner for the next 13 years.
Through out these years Joseph acknowledged God in every thing he could do. "It was not him that could interpret dreams, it is God". While he was in prison he talked of God to the prisoners and showed God by being caring. To Pharaoh he talked of God. To most of us it is easy to talk about God to the underclass, but might be embarrassing to talk about God in a formal function of the upper class. Joseph at the age of 30 and a prisoner had no such inhibition.
The next minute he became the second most powerful man in the ancient world. His career planner was God. God set up the dreams and planned for the famine. And Joseph found himself to be at the right place at the right time.
Yes it was God who caused him to forget his troubles and it was God who blessed him.
