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.

Joseph Interprets Two Prisoners' Dreams

Story: Joseph Interprets Two Prisoners' Dreams

Passage: Genesis 40

Summary: The cupbearer and baker of the king offended him and were imprisoned. They were put under Joseph. One night, they both had dreams and were troubled. Joseph interpreted them. Three days would pass and the cupbearer would be restored and the baker would be beheaded. This was exactly what happened. But the cupbearer forgot about Joseph.

Notes: Imprisonment was the result of offense but not necessarily a crime. These two men had offended Pharaoh. Joseph was put in charge of the new prisoners. Interestingly, he was in the prison of the captain of the guard. The captain of the guard was Potiphar. It seems to me that Potiphar must have still trusted Joseph since he still gave him authority in prison. Even with this authority though, Joseph served the prisoners. He did use his authority selfishly, but rather he selflessly served those under him. Even though he was in a bad spot himself, he noticed they were bothered and cared enough to find out why and help. The butlers dreams was in figures he understood: grapes and vines. Joseph's interpretation surely came from God because he would have had no way of guessing that the three vines represented three days. His interpretation would be proved right or wrong in three days. We see him ask the cupbearer to remember him when he is restored. Joseph might be focused on God, but he is still in a bad place and wants to be restored. He is focused on God though and is willing to serve Him until he is released. He sees his position as being in a pit. This was not the first pit Joseph has spent time in. The baker saw the good interpretation and wanted one for himself. Unfortunately, Joseph did not have a good interpretation for him. Joseph very bluntly interpreted his dream as predicting his execution. Joseph was obedient and gave the interpretations just as he saw them from God whether they were good or bad. It is important to not ignore the bad in the Bible. God's warnings are there for a reason. Sure enough, Joseph's interpretations came true. However, the cupbearer quickly forgot Joseph. I can't believe this! This man had served him and predicted his restoration to the day! He apparently only cared about his own freedom and comfort. God was apparently not done preparing Joseph for what He had in store for him!

Questions: What did the cupbearer and baker do to deserve imprisonment? Is Potiphar really the one in charge of the prison? How did Joseph know he could interpret the dreams? How did the baker and cupbearer know that these were not just normal dreams? How did the cupbearer forget Joseph so quickly?

Lessons: It is important to continue to obey God even in the bad times. It is okay to acknowledge them as bad times. It is also okay to try to get out of them as Joseph did. But getting to a better situation should never come before serving God and serving others. It is also important to learn from Joseph's bad interpretation. Sometimes we try to sugarcoat the scriptures. We emphasize the promises and blessings and ignore the warnings. We emphasize God's mercy but not His justice. It is important to look at the truth, not just the happy stuff. Most of us can learn quite a lot from Joseph's selflessness even when in prison!

Joseph's Dreams

Story: Joseph’s Dreams

Passage: Genesis 37:1-11

Characters: Jacob, Joseph, Joseph’s brothers

Summary: Joseph brought a bad report of his brothers to Jacob. Jacob loved Joseph and gave him a colorful robe. His brothers hated him. Joseph had a dream where they were binding sheaves and his sheaf stood up and his brothers’ bowed down to his. His brothers hated him more. Then he dreamt that the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. His father rebuked him, but he kept the dreams in mind.

Notes: The passage contrasts the previous chapter in that while Esau settled far away, we read that Jacob lived in his father’s land. Joseph was seventeen during these events. I found it interesting that he brought a bad report to his dad of his brothers. His brothers probably deserved it, but still this was probably a major contributor to the tension between Joseph and his brothers. No one likes a tattle tale. Jacob’s dysfunctional favoritism continues as he favors Joseph, his second youngest more than anyone else. This robe he gave Joseph is significant not because of the colors, but because of the length of the robe and it’s sleeves. This was a long sleeved robe reaching to Joseph’s ankles. This signified that Joseph was not a working man, but that he was privileged and favored. It was Jacob’s way of saying that Joseph had his birthright. His ten older brothers were obviously jealous of this favor their younger brother was receiving. It only gets better though. Joseph seems a bit oblivious to me! His brothers instantly knew the meaning of the first dream. They knew it implied he would rule over them. I don’t think they doubted this at first, they just despised it. They knew Jacob was giving Joseph whatever he wanted and he would become powerful, but the brothers were not happy about this. This dream also involved wheat. This is interesting since Joseph’s later interactions with his brothers would revolve around food. His second dream had the same meaning with an important difference. This dream included his mother and father. Joseph showed even less wisdom and more pride in sharing this dream. He knew how awesome this revelation was for him, but didn’t think about how it would sound to others. What God had told him did come true and it was real, but it would have been wiser and more humble for him to keep it to himself. This is not the first or last time the sons of Israel are represented by stars. Ever since Abraham, his descendants have been compared to stars, and we see the imagery again in revelation. You might have noticed that Rachel should be dead at this point, but she is still present in Joseph’s dream. It is possible that we have backtracked a bit here. It is possible that when the passage said these are the generations of Jacob that Jacob’s own account ended and Joseph’s began. However, Joseph’s dreams also included 11 other sheaves and stars implying that Benjamin was born, which would imply that Rachel was indeed dead. This story begins the long story of Joseph’s struggles. We will find that he never loses his focus even in the midst of incredibly unfair affliction. We can learn a lot from Joseph’s example, just not in this passage.

Questions: Why did Joseph tell his family his dreams? Did Jacob not see the negative effect his favoritism was having? Was Joseph oblivious or prideful? Remember he was only seventeen.

Lessons: If God tells you something, you need to evaluate how important it is for the general public to hear. If it is specifically for you, it might be wise to keep it to yourself and a select few friends or family members. You do not want to create jealousy or discouragement in others. Sometimes, if someone hears how God is doing something awesome for you, they might be disappointed that a similar thing isn’t happening to them. It is important to use wisdom when God does something in your life when you choose who to tell. If pride is your motivation, keep it to yourself. IF the edification of the church is your motivation, go for it.