STUDY THEME: JOSEPH: LEARNING TO LIVE A LIFE OF GRACE.

"ACTING WISELY." GENESIS 41: 1-57. 8-17-03

GENESIS 41:14-16, 25-30, 33-36, 37-43.

PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO GENESIS 41.

It came to pass that Pharaoh was offended by two officers among his servants. The chief butler and the chief baker were placed in custody of "the captain of the guard" in the prison where Joseph was confined. Potiphar charged Joseph with them, so they were in his custody for a while.

These two prisoners from Pharaoh’s household each had a dream. Joseph inquired as to why they looked so sad, so they told him of their dreams. Joseph pointed out in Gen. 40:8 that interpretations of dreams belong to God.

As our lesson opens in Genesis 41 the two years have passed and Pharaoh has a dream. In fact he had two similar dreams that troubled him. The magicians and wise men were of no help to him. There was no one who could interpret the dreams for Pharaoh. It was the, in Gen. 41:9 that the memory of the chief butler was awakened and he remembered his promise to Joseph some two years before. He told Pharaoh of a young Hebrew, a servant of Potiphar, who could interpret dreams.

Joseph had been in prison for years. It must have seemed very strange to be hastily prepared to stand before the king of Egypt. Joseph would have been familiar with the dangers associated with an audience before Pharaoh. No doubt he remembered the execution of Pharaoh’s baker. The Egyptians believed Pharaoh was a god upon the earth.

Pharaoh told Joseph that no one had been able to interpret his dreams. He also said, I have heard say of you, that you can understand a dream to interpret it. Pharaoh didn’t say who told him, but Joseph must have known it was the butler.

Given the opportunity to be puffed up in pride, Joseph acted wisely. In the humility that marks the life of Joseph he quickly set the record straight about his powers to interpret dreams—it is not in me. Only God could do that, and He would use Joseph to explain the dreams. God shall give Pharaoh the answer he desires. The answer would bring peace of mind to Pharaoh and well being to the people.

Joseph demonstrated great boldness in testifying before this "god" about the one true God whom he served and who alone could interpret the Pharaoh’s dreams. All of the knowledge of the sages of Egypt had failed. The magic of the magicians could not reveal the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams. God had given the dreams, and He alone could give the true meaning that Pharaoh sought.

This is not the first time Pharaoh had told his troubling dreams. He had told his dreams to the magicians and wise men of Egypt. The magicians and wise men may have been two groups, but they probably were one group of wise advisors who sought wisdom through every method, including magic, as only the magicians are mentioned in Vs. 24.

Whether they were one group or two, they represented human or worldly wisdom at its best. This group included the brightest and best experts in each area of knowledge.

The failure of these worldly wise men to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams signifies the failure of their wisdom to meet human needs.

As Pharaoh tells his dreams to Joseph, he is very careful to include each detail.

In three verses in this section of study (vv. 16, 25, 28), Joseph repeatedly acknowledged that God is the source of wisdom. The Hebrew name for God (Elohim), occurs nine times in this chapter. Israel knew this name stood for the Creator God who is the absolute Lord over creation and history. Joseph was firmly convinced hat only God could interpret dreams and give any other kind of wisdom. Neither Joseph nor the best of Egyptian magicians and wise men could do what only a wise God can do.

After telling Joseph his dreams, Joseph interpreted them to Pharaoh. He said the dreams were one and the same, that is, the two dreams had the same message. Through the dreams God revealed to the Egyptian king what He was about to do. Two dreams with the same message emphasized that God had firmly decided to do what the dreams revealed. Pharaoh’s dreams are an example of prophecy that foretells what will happen in the future. Though Pharaoh was not a person of faith in God, God’s plans called for Pharaoh and Egypt to have a vital role in them.

n Pharaoh’s dreams the seven good cows and the seven good heads of grain stand for seven years. Vs. 29 says that those seven years would be years of "great abundance." God was about to do something that would involve a seven-year period of time that would precede another seven-year period of time.

The seven cows and the seven heads of grain represent seven years of famine that would follow the first seven-year period. Notice that there were no additional adjectives describing the good cows or the good grain, but the seven cows that were not good were lean and ugly, and the first seven heads of grain that were not good were worthless and scorched by the east wind. The dreams seem to emphasize the famine years more than the good years.

Joseph repeated something he had already told Pharaoh: "It is just as I said." He had already explained to the king that God had shown him what He was about to do. Explaining this fact to the king twice emphasized the importance of the dreams. God was about to do something very important in Egypt. He gave Pharaoh two dreams that had the same message. He also gave Joseph insight and understanding to interpret the dreams so Pharaoh would be prepared. Joseph acknowledged God as the source of wisdom. Nowhere did he ever claim to be wise in himself.

In Vs. 25 and 28 Joseph emphasized that God was showing to Pharaoh what He was about to do. This reveals both the sovereignty of God and goodness of God. God did not explain why He was allowing seven bad years, but He was warning Pharaoh ahead of time so something could be done before the bad years came. Later we learn at least some reasons for the famine---it brought the family of Joseph to Egypt, reconciled Joseph and his brothers, reunited Jacob and Joseph, and enabled that family and many others to survive starvation.

There is no record of Pharaoh responding at that point. This leads to another strange feature of this scene. Pharaoh had asked Joseph to interpret the dreams, but Joseph went a step beyond by explaining the dreams. He proposed a plan to deal with the coming famine. He showed courage in daring to do this, but he no doubt felt the Lord leading him. Even Pharaoh later said in Vs. 38 that the Spirit of God was in Joseph.

Joseph was also motivated by concern for the people who would starve without some plan to reserve grain. Some people may feel that he also was motivated by some self- interest. In other words they believe that Joseph was implying that he was the best man for the job.

By using the word wise, Joseph subtlety may have been reminding Pharaoh that he already had consulted with the best of Egypt, and they had failed him miserably. Pharaoh should not make the same mistake twice. The Bible does not say that Joseph was implying he was the man for the job. If he felt that he was, he was not acting out of pride, for he already had made clear that God, not he, was the source of wisdom.

A lifestyle marked by godly wisdom begins with acknowledging God as the source of wisdom. However, that fact doesn’t diminish a person’s individual responsibility to find God’s wisdom. Human beings must seek God’s wisdom and act in harmony with His plan. After his interpretation, Joseph offered some wise and practical advice to Pharaoh—advice that was in harmony with God’s plan.

The Bible teaches in Prov. 2:6 that the Lord is the giver of wisdom. A wise man is one who is able to harmonize the revealed will of God with the right, practical response to that revelation for living. Wisdom, then, is to be understood not as mere theoretical speculation or impractical philosophy but as the result of wise deliberations being applied to daily life.

God reveals His will and plan to those who are open to receive it. This includes His plan for others and for one-self. Those who are wise will live in harmony with God’s revealed plan for themselves and share with others His plan for them. (Eph. 5: 15-17.)

Joseph proposed a plan to take advantage of the advance warning God had given Pharaoh of seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Most of the plan is easy to understand. An administrator would be assisted by officers over the land: They would gather grain and store enough for the famine years. The food would be stored in the cities. According to Gen. 47:24, the people were required to give a fifth or 20% of their harvest to the government.

The Egyptian authorities would hold this one-fifth of the harvest in reserve for the country. The Egyptian people would then have food available to them during the good years and during the seven famine years that would follow the seven good years. Through such foresight and planning, the country would not be ruined by the famine. Apparently, according to Gen. 47:13-26, taxing the people one fifth of their crops became a permanent practice in Egypt. The people did not buy food from Pharaoh until the famine came. During the famine they had to buy food, trade livestock for food, and sell their land for food. The famine affected both Canaan and Egypt.

Famines were common in that part of the world. The overflow of the Nile made the land rich and productive. When rain was scarce the people would experience famine. Sometimes God used a famine, as an act of judgment, but apparently this famine was not. God used all of these events that involved Joseph to bring Israel to Egypt to save them from the famine. He also provided a place that protected them from the evil influences of Canaan while Jacob’s descendants grew and multiplied and became God’s nation. Joseph led Pharaoh and his nation to work in harmony with God’s plan that ultimately involved providing the way to bring redemption to the world through Jesus Christ, a descendant of Jacob.

The purpose of the plan was that the country would not perish through the famine. Thus the plan was designed to benefit the people. Later in the story we learn the plan saved not only the Egyptians but also people of other lands, including Joseph’s father and his brothers. During the first seven years, the people may have complained about this plan that took some of their grain. Later, they were grateful.

Joseph’s plan is a wise one for all of us. Saving for an uncertain future is always a smart thing to do. There will always be years of famine for which we need to be prepared.

Joseph took a risk in telling Pharaoh what needed to be done. The plan that God gave to Joseph and that Joseph suggested to Pharaoh seemed good to the king and all his officials. God’s hand was evident in Pharaoh’s decision. Normally, never would a Pharaoh consult or listen to a Hebrew slave who made a suggestion about how to run his country. Neither would the king’s cabinet of officials hear, let alone agree, to a foreign slave’s plan. A short time before this moment, Joseph had been a forgotten prisoner. Now he was about to be made Prime Minister over all Egypt.

After wondering where he could find such a central administrator to head this plan, Pharaoh turned to Joseph. He asked his officials if they thought they could find anyone more qualified than Joseph to run this program. Pharaoh described Joseph as one in whom was the spirit of God.

Joseph’s wisdom and discernment were evidences to Pharaoh that the "spirit of God" was in and upon him. The king did not know the Lord God personally, but he could recognize that a deity must be with Joseph, giving him such discernment and ability.

Exactly what Pharaoh understood about the Spirit of God is hard to know. Pharaoh himself was considered a god. This is one of many Bible examples in which a pagan spoke words of truth beyond his own outlook of life. He was correct to associate the Spirit of God with godly wisdom.

Pharaoh declared to Joseph that he believed God had revealed to Joseph everything he had just said about the dreams and the suggested plan. The king believed Joseph was the discerning and wise person that Joseph had just described. He had the requirements an administrator would need to implement plans dealing with the coming famine. So the king appointed Joseph to that position. He put him in charge of his palace. All Egyptians were to submit to Joseph’s orders. In fact, Pharaoh appointed Joseph to a position that was second only to his own position as Pharaoh on the throne of Egypt.

Pharaoh not only gave Joseph the title but he gave him the outward signs of his new authority. He gave him his signet ring, dressed him in fine clothes, caused him to ride in the second chariot, and told the people to bow down. He gave him as a wife the daughter of one of the powerful men in the land.

At age 30, Joseph began his new duties. He diligently gathered up and stored food during the seven good years. When the famine began, the people came to Joseph to buy food. Not only Egyptians came but also people of other lands that were hit by the famine. Thus Joseph faithfully carried out his responsibilities according to the command of Pharaoh and the will of God.

This success of Joseph could be thought of as another of the tests that Joseph had to face. Often success and prosperity prove to be greater tests than privation and need. Some pass through all kinds of troubles faithfully, but they lose their way when they are successful.

So many of Joseph’s experiences reveal that God was with him. When his brothers threw him into a cistern to die of starvation, God did not let Joseph remain there. When Potiphar bought Joseph as his slave, God enabled him to become the steward and manager of all Potiphar had. When put into prison on a false accusation, God enabled Joseph to become the leader of the prison. Then Pharaoh made him second in command in Egypt. God overruled all of Joseph’s unjust experiences; thrown into a cistern; sold as a slave; bought as a slave; falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife; thrown into prison again; and forgotten by the cup-bearer for two years. In His wisdom, God worked everything to His glory and to Joseph and his family’s good.

Joseph acted wisely and carried out his responsibilities so that the house of Pharaoh was ready for the coming years of famine. He also married and had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh’s name is a play on forgetting the past. Joseph’s life was now very good, and he wanted to forget about his betrayal by his brothers. Ephraim’s name is a play on fruitfulness. God had made Joseph fruitful in Egypt. Joseph had two sons and was the number two ruler in the land where his interpretation of seven years of plenty would occur

It may that the two dreams of Joseph’s youth were also forgotten for the moment. The two dreams that he had interpreted in prison had occurred just as Joseph said they would. The two dreams of Pharaoh were fulfilled just as God had revealed the matter to Joseph. But what would become of Joseph’s two dreams? That will be answered in next Sunday’s lesson.

NEXT SUNDAY FROM GENESIS 45-46 WE SEEK TO FIND OUR PLACE IN GOD’S REDEMPTIVE PLAN. BLACKABY SAID, "LIFE’S SUCCESS IS ACHIEVED WHEN ONE FIND’S GOD’S PLAN AND GETS IN ON IT." A.V. DAUGHERTY 8-17-03