Jan 20
26
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 41
“After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, ‘I remember my offenses today. When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.’ Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.’ Joseph answered Pharaoh, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it 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 revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.’ This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards 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 from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, ‘Bow the knee!’ Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.’ And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured. Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. ‘For,’ he said, ‘God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.’ The name of the second he called Ephraim, ‘For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.’ The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.’ So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.” (Genesis 41, ESV)
*****
[Please excuse any and all typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.]
Introduction
The story that we are considering today is rather straight forward. It is an amazing story, but it is not complicated. In fact, it is simple and easy to understand on the surface. But please know that the implications of this story are deep and profound. My objective in this sermon today is to go beyond a surface reading of the story of Joseph and to draw out some of the important inferences and implications.
I have three observations to make (though more could be stated):
One, The story of Joseph must be considered in light of the promises made to Abraham, for in Jospeh these promises were initially and partially fulfilled.
Two, the story of Joseph demonstrates that the LORD is God Most High and Sovereign over all creation.
Three, The story of Joseph demonstrates that the proper response to the knowledge of God’s sovereign will is responsible and wise action.
*****
The Story Of Joseph Must Be Considered In The Light Of The Promises Made To Abraham
First of all, let us see the story of Joseph must be considered in light of the promises made to Abraham. Stated differently, we cannot forget the promises made to Abraham as we read the story of Joseph, but must recognize that what Joseph experienced in his humiliation and exultation was in fulfillment to those promises previously made.
What were the promises made to Abraham? Essentially the LORD promised him saying, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1–3, ESV).
When we consider the story of Joseph we see the beginning of the fulfillment of these precious promises. Consider 5 things:
Great Nation
One, in the life of Joseph we see the beginning of the “great nation” that was promised to Abraham — that is, the nation of Israel. Of course, the twelve tribes of Israel would descend from Joseph and his brothers. But it is becoming apparent that it was through Joseph that his brothers, and thus the nation of Israel, would be saved.
The names of the sons born to Jospeh in Egypt should sound familiar to you, for they would become two of Israel’s tribes — Manasseh and Ephraim.
Manasseh means “cause to forget”. Joseph named his firstborn this, saying, “For God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” It is not that Jospeh literally forgot about the hardship and his fathers house. The rest of the Jospeh story will make it clear that he did not forget those things. But the joy of bearing a son by Potiphera caused all of that pain and sorrow to be greatly diminished. It seemed like nothing to him after bearing this son whom he named Manasseh.
Ephraim means “fruitful”. Jospeh named him this saying, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” This name had a prophetic quality to it, for Ephraim would become the largest and most fruitful tribe in Israel.
The point is this, in the story of Joseph we see the beginning of the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham. Through Joseph and the salvation accomplished by him, Abraham would become a great nation.
Blessed Of The LORD
Two, remember that the Lord promised to bless Abraham, and do we not clearly see that Jospeh was truly blessed of the LORD?
But take special notice of this: being blessed of the LORD does not always involve external blessings. It is possible to blessed of the LORD in the pit and in the palace, as Jospeh was. Both in his humiliation and exultation, Joseph was blessed, for the LORD was with him in both places to sustain him in every circumstance. He was a blessed child of Abraham in his pain and in his prosperity, for he knew the LORD and was known by him.
Listen to the following passages and learn what it means to be truly blessed:
Pslam 1:1-3 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
Pslam 32:2 says, “Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”
Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
Pslam 40:4 says, “Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!”
Pslam 94:12-14 says, “Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage…”
Psalm 112:1 says, “Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.”
Most assume that blessing — that is to say, true happiness — is found in the things of this world and is always accompanied by pleasent circumstances. But those who are godly know that to be blessed (truly happy) is to know the LORD and to be known by him, to have ones sins forgiven, to walk in the commandments of the Lord, and to take refuge in God and in the Christ he has sent.
Jospeh was a true son of Abraham. He was blessed of the LORD both in the pit and in the palace.
Great Name
Three, remember that the LORD also said to Abraham, “I will… make your name great.” Here we see a fulfillment of that in the story of Jospeh, who was a true son of Abraham. His name was made great.
At first he was only a “young Hebrew… a servant of the captain of the guard” in Egypt — that is what the cupbearer called him when he first mentioned him to Pharaoh in verse 12.
But notice how the LORD exulted Joseph and made his name great. After interpreting the dreams and giving wise counsel to Pharaoh Joseph was exulted in Egypt to second in command. Concerning Jospeh Pharaoh said [verse 38] “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” He made him over all his house and all of Pharaoh’s people were placed under his authority. Verse 41: “And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.’ Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, ‘Bow the knee!’ Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.”
Jospeh’s name was made great. In this we have a partial fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham, that his name would be great.
Friends, it is very important to recognize the way in which Joseph’s name was made great. His name was made great through suffering. His name was made great as he remained humble and faithful in the midst of the trial. His name was made great as he patiently entrusted himself to the LORD to lift him up at the appointed time. His name was made great, not because he made it great on his own, being driven by selfish ambition and conceit, but because the LORD the made it great according to his plan, in his time, and by his power. Nothing could be more obvious than this: Jospeh did not exult himself (for how could he), but God exulted him at the proper time.
In the life of Joseph we have a paradigm (or pattern) for the Christian life. We too should expect to be exulted in due time. But we too should expect suffering in the here and now — we should not be surprised, discouraged, or dismayed by it. We should entrust ourselves to the LORD, knowing that he will sustain us in good times and in bad, and that he will lift us up at the appointed time, even if it is in the life to come. We should not seek to make a name for ourselves, therefore. Instead we should walk faithfully and live for the glory of God. If the LORD will’s to make our name great in this life (as he did with Jospeh) then so be it. May God get the glory. But if the LORD will that remain
This was the way of our Lord Jesus the Christ, and it should be the way of the Christian too.
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:21–23, ESV). “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” (1 Peter 4:19, ESV).
Those Who Dishonor Cursed
Four, Abraham was also promised that those who dishonor him would be cursed. We see a partial fulfillment of this in the life of Joseph. He was dishonored by his own brothers. The were subjected to famine in their homeland whereas Joseph was raised to position of great power in Egypt, a great salvation being accomplished through him.
Families Of The Earth Blessed Through Abraham
Five, Abraham was promised that all of the families of the earth would be blessed through him. Again, we see a partial fulfillment of this in the life of Joseph. The Egyptians would be saved from famine through Jospeh, the true son of Abraham. The Egyptians were blessed because the had Joseph the Hebrew in the midst of them.
All of this is to say that when we consider the story of Jospeh we must remember the precious promises made to Abraham. Those promises were fulfilled initially and partially (not fully and finally) in the life of Joseph.
*****
The Story Of Joseph Demonstrates That The LORD Is God Most High And Sovereign Over All Creation
Secondly, the story of Joseph demonstrates that the LORD is God Most High and sovereign over all creation.
It is widely understood that the Egyptians believed in many god’s. In their view the sun was a god, the Nile was a god, and so too their kings were regarded as gods. But here in the Joseph story it is made abundantly clear that the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph is God Most High. Pharaoh, the of Egypt and the Nile were subject to him. They could not resist his word nor frustrate his decrees.
Notice that these dreams troubled Pharaoh. Verse 8 says, “So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men… (Genesis 41:8, ESV).
These dreams troubled Pharaoh, not only because they were strange dreams — he saw thin cows swallow up fat cows, but the thin cows remained anemic (the strangeness of the dream would have been enough to trouble a man) — but Pharaoh also knew that these dreams contained an ominous message for Egypt. The cow was a national symbol in Egypt. The fact that they came up out of the Nile was also ominous, the Nile being of great importance to Egypt. Though Pharaoh did not know what exactly the dreams meant, he sensed that the message was not good. The Pharaoh was further frustrated when the diviner-priests and wise men of Egypt were unable to provide an interpretation.
From time to time the LORD does humble us to make us realize how small and powerless we actually are. Perhaps the LORD was doing something like this with Pharaoh. Perhaps he was bringing him low so that he might look, not to himself, nor to his trusted advisors, but to God who alone can save?
I wonder, has the LORD done this for you? Has he humbled you so that you might see how weak and helpless you really are? Has he brought you to that place where you abandon all confidence in yourself and hope in the things in this world and call upon his name?
Whether or not Pharaoh was borough to that place of utter dependence upon God, the text does not say. I tend to think not. But notice that God — the God of Joseph — the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, provided the interpretation.
In verse 15 “Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it” (Genesis 41:15, ESV). Notice that Jospeh directs attention away from himself and to God, saying in verse 16, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer” (Genesis 41:16, ESV).
And in verse 25 when Joseph gave the interpretation he gave glory to God say, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do” (Genesis 41:25, ESV).
God is sovereign over all creation. His plans and purposes will be accomplished. Job came to this realization and said, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2, ESV). Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful King of the Babylonians, also came to understand this. After being humbled by the LORD, he said “blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, [saying] for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:34–35, ESV).
This God, who is the sovereign King of the universe, does sometimes reveal his plans and purposes to man. I say sometimes, for quite often the plans and purposes of God are a mystery to us. Usually we do not know what tomorrow will bring. But there have been times when the LORD has revealed his secret will to man — and here we have one of those times.
Jospeh said, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one”. In other words, the two dreams about the cows and wheat stalks have the same meaning. “God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do” (Genesis 41:25, ESV).
Let us not forget nor take for granted that we worship and serve a God who speaks. He would do no wrong to leave us in the dark, friends. It is an act of kindness, and now that we are fallen into sin, it is an act of grace, for God to speak to us. He graciously reveals his will to us. And when God speaks, we would do well to listen. When he gives us his word, we would be wise to obey it.
*****
The Story Of Joseph Demonstrates That The Proper Response To The Knowledge Of God’s Sovereign Will Is Responsible And Wise Action
This leads my now to the third and final point. The story of Joseph demonstrates that the proper response to the knowledge of God’s sovereign will is responsible and wise action.
When God used Jospeh to reveal to Pharaoh what it was that he was about to do in bringing seven years of famine after seven years of great plenty, Jospeh did not throw his hands up in the air and say, oh well, what will be, will be. Instead, he proposed a plan of action.
This, friends, should always be our responce to the revealed will of God. It should always be followed by action and obedience.
Notice that it was not only the fact that Jospeh could interpret the dreams that prompted Pharaoh to promote him to second in power in Egypt. It was also that Jospeh proposed a wise plan. After giving the interpretation of the dream he said, “Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine” (Genesis 41:33–36, ESV).
When Joseph proposed the plan:
One, he demonstrated that he was sure that LORD would bring this about.
Two, he demonstrated a true care and concern for the Egyptian people.
Three, he demonstrated that he was wise.
And for this reason Pharaoh said, “‘Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you’” (Genesis 41:38–40, ESV).
*****
Conclusion
Stories like this one, though they be simple and straightforward on the surface, do have a profound impact upon the way that we view God.
In this little story we are reminded that we serve a God who is faithful to keep his promises. He blesses his people both in the pit and the palace. He is able to exult his people in due time, according to his will. He is the sovereign Lord of all creation — nothing can thwarts his plans. And he is gracious to reveal himself to us.
May we listen to him when he speaks. May we be found actively obeying his every command, eager to keep his revealed will.
