Genesis 41:14-36
In our prior studies as we’ve moved through Genesis, we see that Joseph, who has been falsely imprisoned, remains in prison. Even though God had been with him and made him successful inside the prison, Joseph is not free. The initial pair of dreams that he was given that he would rule someday has not yet been fulfilled. Joseph had hoped that the cupbearer that he helped would have put in a good word to the Pharaoh, but the cupbearer promptly forgot about Joseph, and Joseph remained imprisoned.
But two years later, the Pharaoh receives an unsettling pair of dreams, and is troubled. He gathers the wisest men in Egypt, but they were clueless as to what the dreams meant. So, the all-powerful king of Egypt was feeling powerless. This is when the cupbearer remembered Joseph, and how Joseph’s God had interpreted the dream the cupbearer had. He tells the Pharaoh about Joseph.
We now come to this morning’s passage. We see that the Pharaoh summons Joseph and tells him that he had two dreams, and no one has been able to tell him what they mean. Joseph declares that God can and will interpret the dreams. Pharaoh describes the two dreams to Joseph.
Joseph tells Pharaoh that both dreams mean the same thing. There will be seven years of plenty and seven years of drought, and the drought will be severe, and no one will remember the times of plenty once it hits. Joseph further explains that this is something that God is going to make happen, and the fact that there were two dreams with the same message means that this is fixed, and that God will shortly bring it about. There is nothing anyone can do to prevent it.
Joseph also adds a recommendation on how Pharaoh and Egypt can survive the approaching famine. He suggests that a wise man be selected to implement a program of putting enough food in storage during the seven years of plenty, to act as a reserve during the seven years of famine.
The fact that the first dream included the Nile must have shaken Pharaoh. The Nile is the life-giver of the whole area. It provides water and nutrients for Egypt to thrive, but now it is being associated with famine and death. Pharaoh believes what Joseph told him and decides to appoint Joseph in charge of the program to save Egypt through the coming seven years of famine.
Back in Genesis 37, Joseph was given a pair of dreams that told him that one day he would be a ruler and that even his brothers and father would bow before him. The brothers tried to destroy the dreams by selling Joseph into slavery, but unwittingly were pushing Joseph towards the dreams’ fulfillment.
It was not apparent to Joseph how the dream was going to come true, especially when he ended up in Egypt and in prison. But now the time of fulfillment had come. In later chapters, we will see how Joseph will reunite with his family.
We see through this narrative that God has His plans and earthly powers cannot stop them. However, this does not mean that we should just stand by and let things unfold. When we are given insights into God’s plans, then we should act with that in mind. That’s what Joseph did. Instead of just letting it be Egypt’s problem and letting them suffer and die, Joseph suggests a way to navigate within God’s plans. We are not to be spectators when we have been privy to God’s plans.
We might think that we have not been privy to God’s plans, but that is not true. We have been given God’s plans through the Bible. We may not know all the details, but we know enough. Sooner or later, this age is going to end, and a new earth and new heavens are going to be provided. This will happen after Jesus Christ returns. At that point, judgement will be rendered and all those who had accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior will go onto eternity with God, while the others will not. Although there is nothing we can do to prevent this from happening, with this knowledge, we know what we need to do. Instead of just letting this happen, we need to tell people what is going to happen and what they can do about it – That if they will believe and accept Jesus, they too can have their sins forgiven and have eternity with God and other believers assured.
With Thanksgiving done, we are headed to the advent season. There will be opportunities to witness to people – Inviting them to church, telling them about the real meaning of Christmas, telling them about what God has done for us.
Through the Bible, we know the reason Jesus was born on Christmas morning, died on the cross, and was resurrected. We know that Jesus is coming back, and when He does, it will be the end of this age, and at that point, each person’s eternal destination will be set. The time that this can still be changed is now, and we have been given a role to play — To be witnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Let us learn from Joseph and act boldly when the time for action comes.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano at our worship service on November 26, 2023.)
Japanese Congregational Church 