Genesis 41

In the last chapter we saw the cup bearer had been released from prison and the baker was hanged. Meanwhile, Joseph is still in prison for two full years. Do you think Joseph prayed for his release? Do you think he pleaded with God and wondered why God hadn’t answered his prayer to undo this gross injustice? Did he wonder, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘violence,’ but you do not save?” Have you had similar thoughts? The above quote is from another Biblical character recorded in the first verse of the Book of Habakkuk. Like Joseph must have thought, Habakkuk wondered why God didn’t answer his prayers. What was God’s response to Habakkuk? He told Habakkuk, verse 5, “I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” God goes on to say to Habakkuk that he must live by faith (verse 4). The expression, “the just shall live by faith” is repeated in Rom. 1:27, Gal 3:11 and Heb 10:37-38. Joseph, like Habakkuk and all of us, had to live by faith that God is still on his throne and knows what is happening to him. And, that He has a plan and a timetable. And, He didn’t have to tell Joseph what His plan or timetable were. Nor did he have to reveal these things to Habakkuk nor to us. We have to live by faith. We have to accept the fact that it is all right if God knows things that we don’t.

Verse 1-2 “When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream.” Pharaoh isn’t a personal name, it’s a title, like Czar, King, President or Christ. These are titles. Jesus didn’t have on his birth certificate: First Name: Jesus. Last Name: Christ. More correctly we could say, “Jesus the Christ” or “Jesus the Messiah.” I don’t think scholars know which Pharaoh this one was.

What did the Pharaoh see in his dream? Verse 1-2, He saw seven fat, well fed cows came up out of the Nile to graze along the banks. This reminds me of the hippos we saw in Tanzania where early in the morning they would mosey back from grazing all night to return the Great Ruaha River. It was in the water that they lazily lounged around most of day to protect their delicate skin from sunburn.

Back to the story, then the Pharaoh saw seven scrawny, starving cows coming up and stood beside the others, ugly and gaunt and they ate the seven fat cows. This dream must have been disturbing enough to wake him up. He fell back to sleep and had a second dream, using different symbols to make the same point. But what was the point? What did this mean? If you asked five psychiatrists to interpret your dreams, they would come up with five different interpretations. Dream interpretation is dangerous. Oftentimes the interpretation says more about the therapist than the patient. But these dreams were different. They didn’t originate from a man’s troubled imagination, but from God. And it was from God that Joseph would come to understand their meanings. And Joseph recognized this and didn’t use this opportunity to promote himself.

What’s a Pharaoh to do? Verse 8, he calls for a summit of ALL the magicians and wise men of Egypt. They must have filled a full wing of the Hampton Inn. Observers may have wondered what was going on. Why were all of these magicians and wise men (not wise guys) brought to the capital? And not a single one could tell Pharaoh what his dreams meant. Really? “I’m paying you fools retaining fees to be available whenever I need your advice and you all just sit here like a group of idiots with nothing to say? I ought to fire the lot of you.”

It seems that leaders have always had some difficulties with their wise men. In 1965 President Johnson, convened a group of nine former presidential advisors to ask their opinion on whether the U.S. should escalate our involvement in Vietnam. This group became known as the Wise Men.” They urged him then to take decisive action and so our involvement in Vietnam kicked into high gear. In 1968, when the war appeared to be unwinnable, Johnson again consulted with these Wise Men, they advised against any further troop increases and recommended that the administration seek a negotiated peace. So, it seems that the wise men aren’t always that wise after all, either in ancient times or today.

Finally, the cupbearer who met Joseph in prison remembers something. Verse 9, the cupbearer, you remember, the one with a poor memory for people who helped him in the past, finally spoke up. He tells the Pharaoh that when he was in prison, he met this Hebrew guy who was able to interpret dreams. And unlike many self-professing prophets today, his interpretation was very accurate in every detail. For instance, from 1997 to 2003 there was a popular psychic who advertised her services on television called Miss Cleo. She claimed to be a mystical shaman from Jamaica, though she was born in Los Angeles. She offered a free service, but the callers, without their knowledge, were charged by the minute for the phone call. Their goal was to keep the caller on the line for as long as possible to make more money. Victims were billed $1 billion for her services and the lawsuits led to the network’s bankruptcy. She also died of colon cancer at the age of 53. Now, if she was a real psychic, wouldn’t she be able to see the bankruptcy and cancer in her future and do something to prevent them? Other psychics like to give very vague predictions, then when something happens, they fit it back into their prediction. They also conveniently forget all their false prophecies.

But Joseph had a great track record with dream interpretation. Verse 14, so Pharaoh sent for Joseph. But first, he needed a good shower, haircut, new clothes and maybe even a manicure. He also got a shave since Egyptian men shaved and did not approve of beards. All cleaned up and ready for his audience with the Pharaoh he heads off to the palace.

If you’re going to visit the Pharaoh, would you be a bit anxious and have some questions for the person escorting you down the halls of the palace? Questions like, “What do I do when I approach him?” “How should I address him? “Do I offer to shake his hand?” “Do I salute him?” “Do I call him, “Sir” or “Your Honor” or “Pharaoh Bob”? I hope Joseph was properly briefed on these matters of protocol by his escort.

On the other hand, how do you think he was greeted by the Pharaoh? Was he still showing the anger and irritation from his disappointing visit with his so-called wisemen? I imagine that he felt a bit desperate for answers, like when we go to the doctor. We want to believe that he has the answers that we need. After all that Joseph has been through, I hope the Pharaoh was gracious and hospitable. “Hello, Joseph, so nice to see you. Please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee? A cold beer or a cigar, perhaps?” And I hope the cupbearer apologized for not remembering him to the Pharaoh.

When asked if he could interpret the dream, Joseph said “NO, . . . . . . but God will give you the answers.” He isn’t there to grandstand or to promote himself.

Pharaoh explains the dreams to Joseph (verses 17-24) and then Joseph explains it to him. Do you think Joseph paused before explaining the dream? Stroked his chin, had a very serious, thoughtful look on his face, getting a bit dramatic for the Pharaoh? Nah, he’s not that kind of guy.

Verse 28, God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. God is going to bring seven years of great abundance to Egypt, followed by seven years of famine. If you don’t manage this properly people will be starving, and a rebellion could take place to topple your regime. There will be people protesting and rioting with bricks being thrown through windows, chariots overturned, statues of the Pharaoh toppled, and government buildings set afire. They will be carrying signs saying EGYPTIAN LIVES MATTER. Mr. Pharaoh, you’ve got to do something to prevent this famine. If you fail, you will be killed and strung up like Mussolini!”  (Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy, was shot dead, hung upside down at a service station and then beaten, shot at, and hit with hammers). Pharaoh wouldn’t understand this last reference.

Pharaoh cries out, “What should I do? What should I do?” Verse 33, “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.” Oh, also, give him an administrative assistant, a pretty-young woman, to handle the paperwork. And, Oh, also, a government chariot, a driver and an expense account. A big expense account along with a new uniform and the latest Apple Phone with unlimited calls and text. Oh, one more thing, a big title, something that will impress the people and of course some rubber stamps. You know how government workers love rubber stamps. And a letter from you that says, in effect, “Introducing so and so, who is visiting you on my behalf. Please cooperate fully with him, as you would with me. He has my full authority and backing. Oh, and the chariot should be the sports model, red convertible. You know how young men like convertibles.”

Great ideas, Joseph. Verse 38, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” A better translation, according to my Jewish sources, would be, “the spirit of the gods,” after all, the Pharaoh was a pagan. “Joseph, you’ve got the job, kid! Here, take this signet ring (sort of a rubber stamp, but rubber stamps hadn’t been invented yet), and a chariot (the sporty model in red), a new name for yourself. Why was Joseph given a new name? This was a wise political move. It would make Joseph more acceptable to the Egyptians. He was now “one of them” and not a Hebrew foreigner who is bossing people around. He was also given a wife. How many promotions are there where you get a wife as one of your perks? As strange as it seems to us, it was customary for the owner of a slave to provide a wife for him. He was his matchmaker as well as his owner. I hope Joseph had some say in this matter. “Joseph, you need a wife. Do you have any young lady in mind, or would you like me to choose one for you?”

Joseph was only thirty years old at this time (verse 46). In nine years, he will meet with his brothers and it will be a total of twenty years from the time he last saw his family. Why did it take so long for Joseph to be placed in this position?

When you get a promotion in the military, the ceremony says something like, “Because of your demonstrated potential for increased responsibilities, you are hereby promoted to the rank of ________.” Joseph had to learn to take on increasingly more demanding responsibilities from the household level, to the institution level to the national level. This takes time. It took time for God to teach Joseph to prepare him for these new responsibilities, to save not only Egypt but much of the middle east, and of course, his own family.

Before he headed off to save the nation from famine, do you think he stopped off at Potiphar’s house. “Hi Joseph. Sorry about that prison thing. I’m really glad it worked out so well for you. I knew you weren’t guilty of assaulting my wife.” “That’s OK, Potiphar. I appreciate that you purchased me from the slave market and gave me a chance. How’s your wife doing?” “Oh, she ran off with the pool boy. I knew she was that type of women. So long, Joseph. Be safe.” Joseph rides off in his chariot, driven by his driver and Potiphar is standing in the foreground waving goodbye to Joseph.

So, Joseph traveled throughout Egypt. I imagine that he was leasing grain silos and issuing contracts for the construction of new ones. He appointed people in each district to oversee the collection and storage of grain, provided security to prevent theft and destruction by rodents. Storage facilities were located where no population of Egyptians would be more than so many miles away from a source of grain.

Verse 50, Before the years of famine came two sons were born to Joseph, they were named Manasseh and Ephraim. These are Hebrew names. Why not name them Egyptian names? Perhaps because he never considered himself to be an Egyptian. He never adopted their religion. He was, in his mind, still a Hebrew.

I have to comment on the names of these two sons. There is a discredited theory called British Israelism, which was popular when the British Empire ruled much of the world. The theory says that when the Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom of Israel in 721 A.D. and took many of the people into captivity, these tribes ended up migrating north and west to what is now Europe and the U.S. These are oftentimes referred to as The Lost Tribes of Israel. It teaches that the people of the British Isles are "genetically, racially, and linguistically the direct descendants" of the Ten Lost Tribes of ancient Israel. This means that when the Bible speaks of end-time prophecies about Israel, it really means the U.S. and British Commonwealth since Ephraim was thought to be modern day Britain and Manasseh the United States. I am familiar with this theory because it was taught by Herbert W. Armstrong, of the Worldwide Church of God. Armstrong believed that the teaching was a key to understanding biblical prophecy. The theory is based on wild speculation and wishful thinking, not history or Scripture.

In time, disaster hits Egypt and the entire middle east. FAMINE!  People cried out to Pharaoh for food. Verse 55, “Pharaoh told the Egyptians, (in a nationally televised broadcast from the Pharaoh’s Office in the Palace), ‘go to Joseph and do what he tells you.’” This was a wise political move on his part. The nice thing about this arrangement is, if Joseph fails, Pharaoh doesn’t get blamed. “I did all that I could, but that Hebrew ex-convict misled me and failed us all.”

Verse 57, “And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.”

When Joseph got his new job, with authority second only the Pharaoh, wouldn’t you think he would have contacted his dad with the news, especially on Father’s Day?

“Hello Dad, it me, Joseph. No really, it is me. Guess what? I’ve got a great job in Egypt, I’m number two, just below the Pharaoh.”

“What kind of a cruel hoax is this? My son is dead. If you really are Joseph, you need to start taking your anti-psychotic medication. You’re having delusions again. Don’t call here again or I will call the police.”

Here are two suggestions. Joseph had two dreams. In the first dream, his brothers bowed down to him. In the second, his father does the same thing. Had Joseph sent a message to Jacob, he would have come to Egypt immediately. He may have waited until the first dream was fulfilled before having his father come to fulfill the second. Or Joseph may have been concerned that God would punish his brothers for selling him. Joseph had to know that his brothers had repented. He came to know this when they fought for Benjamin’s release, which we will see in chapter 43.

What can we conclude from this chapter? God has a plan and a timetable to carry it out. Wise men don’t always have the answers and neither do we so the only option is that we must live by faith.