Thou shalt be over my house

Genesis 41: 38-44: “And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”

This section reminds us of Matthew 25: 21 (“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”) Joseph may have been precocious when he was younger but he still stayed within the bounds that were set by his father. Later he was faithful in Potiphar’s house even when brought under significant temptation. He was put in jail for his faithfulness and then the Lord gave him some responsibilities in the jail. We can say that Joseph was faithful over a few things and he proved himself time and again. When he had proved himself to be faithful then the Lord gave him the opportunity to be the ruler over many things. We cannot predict what God will do in our lives but we can always be faithful wherever we are. That is all that we have been called to do. We are not called to be faithful to impress God but to be faithful because we love God (see John 14: 15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”). However, “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” (1 Cor 6: 3) we have high and honourable tasks set aside for us to do.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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What He is about to do

Genesis 41: 25-37: “And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 

Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine. And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.”

The Lord warned Pharaoh that there was a famine coming. Without this warning most of the people in that part of the world would have perished, including the whole family of Israel. However, the Lord had other plans and they were saved. Joseph was used to having dreams so he was the best one to interpret the dream. Because Joseph was able to interpret the dream, really a nightmare, he was also able to give Pharaoh the advice he needed to survive this period of famine. Joseph was the first person to suggest income tax to be gathered on a regular basis, rather than a tax raised when the king or leader needed the money. This re-established an important principle: God always cares for His people even though things might seem to be impossible.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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In my dream

Gensesis 41: 17-24: “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow: And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke. And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good: And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.”

They say that children will get nightmares if they watch violent or horror movies before they go to bed. In this case Pharaoh had a nightmare that would be sure to cause him many more nightmares. It’s amazing how real dreams seem to be while we are having them. Pharaoh must have been terrified by this nightmare. After all there were good healthy cattle that were eaten by bony and unhealthy cattle. That would have looked real at the time and, no doubt, quite terrifying. Later he saw some good ears of grain that were devoured by ears of grain that were moth eaten and useless. It is not a wonder that he woke up afraid and wanted to know what the dreams meant. The question was, who on earth could make sense of a dream like that? Pharaoh was saved from many more nightmares because Joseph was on hand and Joseph knew the Lord so he was able to interpret the dream and give Pharaoh some comfort. There is a much more terrifying dream that every person on the earth faces today and that is the certainty of the eternal fires of hell. However, the Lord Jesus Christ is on hand to give us comfort and security. He had already suffered for our sins and paid the full price of our redemption. No one ever has to face the nightmare of the fires of hell for ever because they can believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and have everlasting life instead.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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God shall give Pharaoh an answer

Genesis 41: 15, 16: “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

Joseph knew that the credit for understanding the dream and the future belonged to God. He was not willing to take credit for something that he didn’t do. This should be as true today as it was then but the sad thing about some parts of the church is that some people are took quick to take personal credit for something that God has done. If we were willing to humble ourselves before God and give Him the credit then we would be surprised at what He will do.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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I do remember

Genesis 41: 9-14: “Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker: And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.”

At last the butler or cupbearer remembered Joseph. He promised to remember Joseph but he forgot all about him as soon as he was back in his old environment. A cupbearer was a very important man in those days. Rulers were afraid of being poisoned and the cupbearer had to bring every drink to the Pharaoh or king and then taste the drink from the king’s cup in his presence so that the king could be sure that the drink wasn’t poisoned. This meant that the cupbearer spent a lot of time with the king and was a close friend and trusted advisor. After all, he was always around just in case the king got thirsty. This meant that the man who could help Joseph was in position for two years while Joseph had to languish in prison. However, if the cupbearer had told Pharaoh earlier than this he may have had Joseph released but Joseph would not have been there to interpret his dream. He would probably have gone back to his homeland. According to God’s perfect timing, Joseph was waiting, on hand, for Pharaoh to have the dream that Joseph could interpret for him. Everything was perfect and God’s timing meant that the world would be saved.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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He called for all the magicans

Genesis 41: 8: “And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.”

Finally Joseph was where the Lord wanted him to be after many years of preparation. This is a good example of the fact that good people can suffer even though they are obeying God. (Compare this with John 9: 1-3 “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” and Heb 12: 5-7 “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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At the end of two full years

Genesis 41: 1-7: “And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.”

Joseph was ready and waiting even though no one else in the world knew. He was a prophet in every respect. He had a message from the Lord and was told to deliver it to Pharaoh. God used Pharaoh because no one else in the world, at that time, had the power to implement a scheme that would save the world from this great famine, or drought, that was coming soon. At some stage, every Christian will be a prophet in the true sense of the word. In the Bible, a prophet is not someone who tells the future but someone who gives God’s message to one or more people. It is just that the Israeli prophets, of those times, came to remind the people that they weren’t keeping the contract they had made with God. The future aspect always referred to the implementation of the penalty clauses of the contract. However, the Lord was only interested in bringing his people to their knees so that they would obey Him (see Deut 30: 1-3 “And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.”) Every Christian is called upon to obey the Great Commission, that is, to preach the gospel (Mark 16: 15, 16 “And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.”) Anyone can be a prophet today for the future response to the gospel message is sure (John 3: 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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