Gen 41:1-52

Timeline:

1916	Birth of Joseph	Gen 30:23
1899	Selling of Joseph (17 yrs old)	Gen 37:2
1886	Joseph (30 yrs old - out of prison) -- 13 years gone	Gen 41:46
1879	Beginning of famine (37 yrs old) -- 20 years gone	Gen 41:54
1878	Brothers’ first visit to Egypt (38 yrs old)	Gen 42:1-2
1877	Brothers’ second visit to Egypt (39 yrs old)	Gen 43:1; 45:6, 11
1876	Jacob's descent to Egypt	Gen 46:6; cf. 47:9
1845	Israel is enslaved
1446	Israel leaves Egypt after 400 years of bondage	Gen 15:13,16;Acts 7:6
1395	Conquest of Caanan complete (essentially)	Acts 13:19,20



Gen 41:1-13 (ESV) After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, 2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 3 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. 4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. 6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 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.

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "I remember my offenses today. 10 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, 11  we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 12 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. 13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.



• Two years have passed, do we know how long Joseph has been a slave or prisoner?
• He is 30 now (see verse 46)
• He has been in prison at least two years and probably much longer
• Interesting that the scriptures identify the time here somewhat precisely, normally two whole years would be called three years because you were in the midst of the third year. Three years is the normal way for the Hebrews to account for time. It might also suggest exactly two years
• Why does God wait so long to answer prayers?
• He knows what is best
• He is trying to accomplish something in our lives
• What does one learn by spending years in a "prison" or particularly bad situation which feels like prison?
• Patience
• Endurance
• Compassion for the down-trodden
• Humility!
• Why would those characteristics be important in his future job?
• Very important for a leader; protects against self-importance
• If you told Joseph that, as a fellow prisoner, how might he have respond?
• Not well (at least most people)
• Does anyone know what the cow symbolized for Egyptians?
• The cow was the symbol of Isis, the god of all-sustaining earth
• Finally, the cupbearer remembers.  But, he is where God needs him to be.
• APPLICATION:  Sometimes, it takes a lot of time to see why God has allowed something to occur in our lives


Gen 41:14-32 (ESV) 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. 15 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." 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer."  17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. 18 Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. 19 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. 20 And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, 21 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. 22 I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, 24 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."

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 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. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 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, 31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.



• What is the first thing that happens to Joseph?
• He gets cleaned up and shaved
• There is a certain amount of respect that is expected of senior leaders (that is never wrong)
• How does Joseph answer Pharaoh?
• Honestly -- "I can't do it"
• Contradicts Pharaoh, which takes courage (and is appreciated by most leadership)
• Gives honor to God --  "but, God …" -- even though there was personal advantage to taking credit
• What character quality is seen in this?
• Humility
• What is unusual about this?
• Joseph's problem may have been arrogance (13 years earlier … see how God has dealt with him)
• Previously, he had misused his gift
• Also can you think of another very similar interaction between a king and a man of God in scriptures
• Daniel -- same words -- maybe Joseph was his example
• Actually, one commentator mentioned / suggested that seven years of famine was not uncommon -- of course, predicting it would be difficult
• APPLICATION: 
• Give credit to God for your abilities
• Don't demand that your gifts have to be used


Gen 41:33-40 (ESV)
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 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. 35 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. 36 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."

37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?"  39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40  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."



• So what does Joseph do when given the opportunity?
• He presents a plan
• Percentages per year during abundance (20% * 7 * 2 = 2.8 yrs)
• Located in cities
• Used during the famine
• Famine doesn't stop grain production only reduces it substantially.  Cuts into seed grain as well
• Joseph had spent a lot of time organizing and planning; he was no longer arrogant but humble; he was ready
• Joseph's testimony has a strong impact on Pharaoh -- "can we find anyone like this man"
• APPLICATION:  God does what he needs to do in His time


Gen 41:41-45 (ESV) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." 42 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. 43 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. 44 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." 45 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.



• What happens to Joseph?
• Given power (ring)
• Given fancy clothes
• Given special status ("make way!")
• Given a wife (not a Canaanite) -- married him into upper class
• Should Joseph had turned these things down?
• Third time (Father's house, Potiphar's house, & Pharaoh's house) in a powerful man's house (most powerful) -- but could lose it in a minute, again
• APPLICATION:  Perks, riches, & status are amoral -- it is how we respond to them that determines their morality


Gen 41:46-52 (ESV) 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. 47 During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, 48 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. 49 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.

50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 51 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."  52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."



• What does Joseph do?
• He has a good job that is high-paying
• He still has to do the work
• The naming of the children gives insight into Joseph's state of mind at the time.  What was God teaching him?
• Forgetting his trouble
• Restored to fruitfulness
• Why doesn't he return to his family?
• One commentator suggested that maybe he thought his father had set him up (although the tears indicate otherwise) -- although from a humanistic point of view, to leave the seat of power always risked someone moving into it
• Another idea, is that he believed God would still fulfill his original dreams (and so he waited)
• Maybe, he also realized, since it was to be a world-wide famine, that his family would be coming to him
• If so, the "game" he plays may be one he had actually thought through with a purpose
• APPLICATION:  It is hard to wait on God at times, but faith means waiting, sometimes many, many years