1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.
3 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.
4 And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
5 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
6 And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.
7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
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.
9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:
10 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:
11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.
12 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.
13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.
14 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.
15 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.
16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
18 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
19 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:
20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
21 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.
22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:
23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
24 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.
25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
27 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.
28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
30 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;
31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.
32 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.
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 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.
35 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.
36 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.
37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
40 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.
41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
42 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;
43 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.
44 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.
45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.
49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.
51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.
52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
53 And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.
54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.
56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.
57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
1. Pharaoh has two dreams.
2. Joseph interprets the dreams.
3. Joseph is promoted to second in command over Egypt.
Verses 1–16. After Joseph spent two additional years in an Egyptian dungeon, God ordained another sequence of events that catapulted the young man to second in command in the land of Egypt. Truly, the heart of a king is in the hand of God, and He turns it whithersoever He will (Prov. 21:1). It should come as no surprise to us that God’s hand was present here, interfering with the mind of the most powerful person in the world at that time. Such are God’s prerogatives. First He ordained two dreams for the king. Then He jogged the memory of the king’s butler concerning Joseph, the interpreter of dreams who was still in the prison.
Summoned to the court of Pharaoh, Joseph made himself ready for the meeting by changing his clothing and shaving himself in accord with the customs of the land. The Egyptians were known for their fastidious cleanliness and shaving. Thus far, nothing that Joseph did to fit into Egyptian society can be construed as a violation of the laws of God. It is at times important for us to take on the traditions of those around us as long as we are not endorsing sin represented by certain actions or symbols (such as eating food offered to idols).
When Pharaoh asked Joseph if he was capable of interpreting the dreams, the young man humbly pointed to God as his Wisdom. He understood that God was the Source of all wisdom and revelation of truth. As he stood before the most powerful monarch in the world with his life in the balance, his confidence was not in himself. Joseph trusted wholeheartedly in the Creator of heaven and earth. He knew that God was sovereign over all of the dreams and thoughts that occurred to every single man who walked the earth.
Verses 17–33. Pharaoh carefully related his dreams in painstaking detail as Joseph listened. In his interpretation of the dream, Joseph stated in no uncertain terms that God was sovereign over the future of Egypt, and that now God was letting Pharaoh in on what He was about to do (v. 33). Such statements are worthy of some careful reflection. Weather patterns are clearly in the hands of our sovereign God. For the following fourteen years the clouds, the water temperature in the seas, the direction of the wind, and the birth rate of locusts and other pests would all serve the will of God. There would be no mistake and no error in the revelation. God absolutely assured seven years of good crops and seven years of famine. This was a clear testimony to the sovereignty of God.
Verses 34–37. Here Joseph acted as a true prophet of God by declaring the Word of God and telling people what to do about that Word. So Joseph advised the Pharaoh to prepare for this terrible famine that could potentially wipe out the whole country. The tribute program Joseph recommended was very unique, and is by no means the pattern by which God normally expects nations to govern. The biblical limit to governmental taxation is 10 percent (1 Sam. 8:15, 18) and anything more than that is a tyrannical imposition on the people. But Joseph spoke as one specially endowed with prophetic wisdom from God when he temporarily set the taxation rate at 20 percent. Of course, he was assuming that it would be even worse tyranny to impose any taxation whatsoever on the citizenry during the succeeding seven years of famine. This turned out to be extraordinarily wise counsel, and served to salvage the empire from destruction.
Joseph even recommended to Pharaoh that he install a “Federal Emergency Management Administrator” to oversee the major project of preparation for the famine. Whether or not this wisdom came by divine revelation is not clear. Nevertheless, Joseph again proved himself to be the consummate problem-solver and faithful manager. Whether it was his father’s business, Potiphar’s household, a prison operation, or an empire, Joseph was always looking after the well-being of whatever happened to be set under his purview. He was an excellent example for every home-manager (Titus 2:5; Prov. 31:10ff), and for any believer tasked with managing a business or department.
Verses 38–57. Pharaoh believed Joseph’s words. It should be noted that the Egyptians were generally a religious people, worshiping many gods. Although they deified man in the state, they also retained a little humility to recognize powers beyond themselves. Even the most powerful Pharaoh felt the need for the approval of some other power beyond himself and the state. In one case, a Pharaoh named Amenhotep IV was a professed monotheist. Evidently, Joseph’s Pharaoh registered a certain respect for Joseph’s God (vs 38, 39), which impelled him to bring this man of God into that place of prestige. Occasionally, you will find a president, king, or Pharaoh who will still listen to some prophet or preacher of God, because he is not entirely confident in man’s scientific, technological, and political power to save himself! He will pause to consider that wisdom for the simple reason that he still fears a higher power.
So Pharaoh promptly promoted Joseph to second in command over the entire land of Egypt. What a story of riches—to rags—to riches! God had been with Joseph through thirteen years of exile, oppression, and humiliation, preparing him for such a time as this. Like the Apostle Paul, Joseph had learned to be abased and to abound (Phil. 4:12). God had formed his character. He had prepared him to receive this promotion without falling prey to the destructive sin of pride. The God of the covenant richly rewarded this man with influence, property, and a family. God is good, and He does “restore the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25). One would have thought that Joseph had wasted the best years of his life in slavery and imprisonment. But no—not a minute of our lives is wasted as we take the experiences that God gives to us and make the most of them.
Finally, we need to remember that God was working His own sovereign will through all of this. He promoted Joseph to this position, because He had a plan to protect the covenant family of Jacob in the day of famine, and to bring His people into Egypt. And after that, He would deliver them by His mighty hand four hundred years later. This was all part of His glorious plan of redemption, sealed in eternity and forged through the centuries of human history.
1. Does this story remind us of another story of One who was humbled to the point where He hung on a cross with a couple of outlaws? His days of humiliation were quickly followed by a resurrection and an ascension to the right hand of the Father. We follow in these footsteps as we suffer for Christ in the short years of our tribulations, to commence in final glorification. This is the Christian story. We read it, we believe it, and then we live it ourselves.
2. The life of every Christian is carefully directed by God Himself. All of the difficulties in our lives prepare us for the wonderful things that God has laid out for us in this life and the life to come. We should never complain against God, as if His plan for our lives is some kind of a mistake. Rather, let us receive our circumstances with joyful and hopeful expectation, knowing that a loving Father directs the paths of our lives.
3. Even the disasters that happen in this world are planned and directed by our sovereign God. When we hear about airplane disasters, floods, tornados, famines, and wars, let us always remember that these things are under God’s control. He planned these things for some purpose which we do not and will not fully understand. Still, we are responsible to obey Him and praise Him for His sovereign power, His justice, and His preserving grace to us in all of the disasters of life.
4. God preserved the land of Egypt during this terrible famine for His own purposes. He is a merciful God. He wants to protect His covenant people.
1. What are the themes of Chapters 1 through 41?
2. How many more years did Joseph spend in prison after the butler left him?
3. How does God know what is going to happen in the future? How can He be certain about it?
4. What are prophets supposed to do?
5. What percentage of the people’s crops did Joseph recommend the Pharaoh take for the first seven years? Why? What is God’s normal limit on civil government’s power to tax (according to 1 Samuel 8)? How much does our governments tax our income (at federal, state, and local levels)?
6. How did God prepare Joseph for this great promotion?
7. Why did God bring the famine to Egypt?
1. What happens when you ask a person running for political office if he fears God? Have you ever asked someone this question? How many of our civil leaders fear God? Do they fear God more or less than the Pharaoh feared God?
2. Are there any customs of the culture around us to which we may conform without breaking God’s laws? What are these customs? Also, provide examples of where it might be sinful to borrow from the customs of the heathen around us