Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams

Story: Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

Passage: Genesis 41:1-36

Characters: Joseph, Pharaoh, cupbearer

Summary: Two years later, Pharaoh had two dreams. In the first, seven skinny cows ate seven fat cows. In the second, seven thin ears of corn ate seven plump ears of corn. Pharaoh was troubled but no one could interpret the dream. His cupbearer remembered Joseph. Joseph was brought to Pharaoh. Joseph gave God the credit for the interpretation and then interpreted the dream to mean there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. This was fixed by God. Joseph recommended Pharaoh choose a wise man to save food over the years of plenty to use during the years of famine.

Notes: Joseph spent two more years in prison. It is a testament to Joseph’s character that instead of becoming bitter, he continued to grow and mature in his relationship with God. Pharaoh’s dream is unusual, but not terrifying. Yet, he was disturbed by it. The passage says that his spirit was troubled. God put on his heart that this was a significant dream. Egypt’s magicians could not figure out its meaning. This is significant since Egypt had some good magicians as we will see in Exodus. I’m sure they made up explanations to try to satisfy the king, or at least came up with guesses. But it was obvious they did not have an answer. The cupbearer then remembered his faults and spoke of Joseph. This is the turning point in Joseph’s life. Years of imprisonment and enslavement all came to a close instantly when a forgetful servant remembered him. The passage says Pharaoh brought him to him quickly. He was shaved and given new clothes. Suddenly, Joseph, a mere slave and prisoner who had never caught a break since his brothers attacked him was standing in front of the king of Egypt. Given his history, he could have easily used this event to advance himself. He had been wronged. Why not interpret the dream and take the glory for himself? But Joseph was committed to God and told Pharaoh up front that he could not interpret the dream, but God would. Compare this to Daniel’s response to Nebuchadnezzar. We find out from Pharaoh’s account of the dream that not only did the skinny cows and corn eat the fat cows and corn, but once they had finished eating, they were just as ugly as before. Joseph gave his interpretation. He recognized that the seven cows and ears of corn represented seven years. He also recognized that the repetition was important and meant that this was going to happen and happen soon. His interpretation made God responsible. Joseph knew God was behind the dreams and would be behind both the years of plenty and the years of famine. Joseph understood that God could work through hard times. That understanding must have been what got him through his years in Egypt. Joseph also recognized that God had a reason to give this dream to Pharaoh. I think what he did next was extremely bold. He gave advice to the king of the better part of the world on how to handle this crisis. Joseph knew that God was giving them a warning and that they needed to take action so he gave Pharaoh a plan that would work. We will see tomorrow how Pharaoh reacts to this suggestion. I find it interesting that the famine will be so bad they forget the good years. Isn’t it interesting how quickly we can forget the good when we are faced with the bad? I wonder if Joseph spoke from experience. From here forward, Joseph’s story is changing. God used years of trouble, hardship, and injustice to prepare Joseph for this moment. And when the time came, He basically instantaneously pulled Joseph out of the pit and put him where he was meant to be the whole time. The lessons Joseph has learned are going to be absolutely necessary for what he will be faced with. We already can see much more humility, wisdom, and diligence in this young man.

Questions: How did Pharaoh know his dream was significant? Did his magicians not try to give interpretations of the dream? Had Joseph forgotten what it was like to be the favored son at home? Why did Joseph offer his suggestion to the king of Egypt?

Lessons: Joseph’s humility, boldness, and faithfulness to God gives us a great example for how to live. Even in the hard times, Joseph was all about God’s glory. He could have made himself look really good, but his actions show that he had God’s interests in mind first and then Egypt’s. While we can learn from his humility before Pharaoh, we can also learn from his boldness. His willingness to tell Pharaoh what to do was not based in pride, but rather in obedience to God.