Jan 26: Genesis 41-42

 Jan 26, Genesis 41-42

Genesis 41. Two years have passed since Joseph told the dreams of the baker and the cup bearer. Meanwhile, Joseph still is in prison. Then God gives Pharaoh 2 dreams that none of his magicians (guys that interpreted signs) or fortune tellers could figure out. In the ancient culture, having dreams and having them interpreted was very important. The chief cup-bearer had his memory come back to him about Joseph, and he tells Pharaoh about this guy that he was in prison with that interpreted his dream correctly. Pharaoh summoned for Joseph. Joseph was cleaned up - shaved as was the protocol required to enter Pharaoh’s court - and Joseph did not shy away from telling Pharaoh that it was God who interpreted dreams, not Joseph. Pharaoh explains his dreams about some pretty cows and some ugly cows and a second dream with corn, relating that both dreams meant the same thing, through different examples. Through God, Joseph explained what was going to happen in rather good detail. There would be seven years of plenty and seven years of famine for all the land. Joseph told Pharaoh to put someone in charge as an overseer of all of it to manage it and to basically save the people, by storing food in the good years, and selling food to the people in the bad years. Pharaoh believed in Joseph’s interpretation. Truth is, Pharaoh really had to believe that Joseph was interpreting his dream correctly, and trusted in this God that Joseph believed in, which he didn’t. Pharaoh not only believed him, but liked what Joseph had said about putting someone in charge and put Joseph (who was 30 years old at the time) as second in command of all of Egypt. This would be like being made the Vice-President of the United States at 30! Joseph also is given an Egyptian wife, who was also a daughter of the priests of the Egyptian gods, which is interesting. Joseph had storehouses built all over Egypt and planned well, storing up all the grain in the good years for the famine. During this time, we also learned that before the years of famine start, God had blessed Joseph with 2 sons. After the seven years of plenty, just like God said, came seven years of famine and it not only all over Egypt, but over all the earth as well. With news of Egypt having grain for sale, not only did the Egyptians come and buy grain, but so did all those around. Everyone had to come to Joseph to buy grain…

Genesis 42 - Do you remember Jacob? That was Joseph’s dad… Well, he was experiencing the famine as well, back in Canaan. He told his sons that he heard that there was grain for sale in Egypt. The famine was widespread so Jacob sent his sons (except the youngest son, Benjamin) to go and get food in Egypt for all the families of Jacob. Joseph, at 37 years old, was the boss basically of every transaction that had to do with grain selling. Josephs’s brothers came (and Joseph recognized them) and bowed down before him; when he saw his brothers bowing, Joseph remembered his dream and he knew that the Lord had made it come true. If your wondering how the brothers didn’t recognize him, think about a couple things. First thing, is the wealthy Egyptians shaved their heads and wore wigs, as well as attachments for fake facial hair. Also, the men and women of the court, would have wore makeup and extensive jewelry. These things set the Egyptians apart from many other people groups. We also learn that Joseph learned the language of the Egyptians. And since Joseph was the 2nd in command, and also given an Egyptian name (in chapter 41:45), he would have looked, acted, talked, and expected to be Egyptian. The brothers, unaware of Joseph’s non-Egyptian ancestry, swore to their innocence as Joseph started to interrogate them; as they had no idea what was going on. Joseph arrested them under the accusation that they were spies. He released them,after 3 days in prison and under the pretense that they would go home and bring back their little brother, Benjamin, that they had confessed to being alive, to him. Joseph was listening to his brothers talk, and remember Joseph spoke Hebrew back home, and learned Egyptian. Therefore, Joseph could understand what the brothers were talking about, without really needing an interpreter. This allowed him the whole time to understand what his brothers were honestly saying as they bantered back and forth, as they were talking about their guilt and sins about killing Joseph. After 3 days in prison and in exchange for letting them leave, Simeon was taken and bound up as a prisoner as the brothers went home and waited to bring back Benjamin, as proof of their story, of being ‘honest men’. So, when they got home, they told their father what had happened in detail. They had not realized that there was some trickery going on behind the scenes. But their father, Jacob, refused to let Benjamin leave him, to release Simeon, for Jacob feared loosing another favored son, Benjamin. 

To sum it all up:

• Can you start to see how God is orchestrating it all? There are times when you might feel like you are in prison. There are times when you might feel that all hope is lost. But there is the Majestic Creator, who is in control of every one of our stories. They might be hard, messy, frustrating, or unbelievable. But God is working all things to those that love Him, for His Glory.