Scripture: After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 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. And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 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.
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 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, we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 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. And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”
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. 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.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. 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. And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, 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. I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, 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.”
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 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. It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 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, and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 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. 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. 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.”
Genesis 41:1-36 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, Moses tells us that Pharaoh sends two key servants to prison, where they come under Joseph’s supervision. Distressed by bizarre dreams, the cupbearer and baker share their visions with Joseph, who provides interpretations that prove to be accurate. Then, addressing the cupbearer, whose dream has a favorable outcome, Joseph pleads that when restored to Pharaoh, the cupbearer informs Pharoah of Joseph’s wrongful imprisonment. Three days later, Pharoah restores the cupbearer to his position on his court while the baker faces execution. Still, the cupbearer fails to remember Joseph.
Today’s reading continues Joseph’s imminent rise to second in command of Egypt. As the story progresses, we see just how far Joseph has come in understanding God’s purpose and timing. When he was seventeen, he naively shared two dreams from the Lord with his family without understanding how they would impact his audience. Eleven years later, when Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker land in prison and explain to Joseph that they are troubled by dreams that no one could interpret, Joseph confidently contends, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me” (40:8). And when two more years pass and Pharaoh stresses over two dreams that have one in the same meaning, Joseph again gives credit where credit is due, for Joseph truly understands that he is merely the messenger.
Now fit for his next leadership position, God also grants Joseph the immediate insight and boldness to advise Pharaoh to appoint someone to oversee the storage of surplus grain during this coming season of prosperity and its distribution during the subsequent seven-year drought.
Takeaway: Joseph exhibits confidence in knowing God’s will because Pharoah’s doubly symbolic dreams point to the same conclusion: feast followed by famine. Likely, at this moment, Jospeph incurs a more personal epiphany much closer to home: his two dreams during his youth will also come about soon. Thus, he confidently and boldly presents a plan that he believes is from God. But it’s not just a direct line feed of words from above. Joseph draws on his years of experience under Potiphar and the jailer. Indeed, the delays of testing and equipping now prove essential for this moment: Joseph is God’s man to save the Egyptians and Joseph’s covenant family line.
Additionally, with the cupbearer remembering Joseph’s dream after a delay, there is no doubt Joseph sees this moment as ordained by God. Similarly, thirteen hundred years later, a young woman would catapult to a high rank of influence next to her king to save God’s people again. Queen Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, would provoke Esther to action with the well-known line, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b)
Our takeaway? There are a couple. First, learn from history what it means to be a leader. Joseph drew on his experiences as a shepherd, estate supervisor, and penitentiary assistant manager to rely on God’s direction, strength, and grace to lead himself and others well. This form of humble, servant leadership finds its ultimate expression in Christ, the humble servant of God, who emptied himself of his divine prerogative (Philippians 2:5-7) to take the form of a human, always seeking the will of his Father to lead him to his ultimate destiny: rescuing all God’s covenant people (past, present, and future) from spiritual famine and death (Mark 10:45).
Second, as already noted by Joseph’s example, when given insight from God, whether from dreams, intuition, or words of knowledge, give credit where credit is due: to our supreme Source. Otherwise, if we take credit, it will go poorly. For when we seek the glory, its weight will be too much for us to bear. We see this more poignantly when our insights do not provide the desired outcome, or worse, they forebode trouble (as did Joseph’s interpretation of the baker’s ill fate). And even when we are the bearers of good news (like that directed to the cupbearer), if we take credit, we set ourselves on a path of insatiable self-aggrandizing that will eventually destroy us.
Our part? Following the above two points, it all begins with leading ourselves well as humble servants walking in the footsteps of Jesus. To do so, we must maintain a teachable attitude and think about the welfare of others over our selfish ambitions (Philippians 2:3-4). Secondly, give credit where credit is due. As much as we might think that our successes come from our gifting and effort, we can do nothing without God first creating, gifting, and sustaining us. Moreover, we will accomplish nothing of eternal value unless we abide in the Son (John 15:5). But when we do, as Jesus assures us, we will bear much fruit (John 15:5) that will feed our and others’ hungry souls.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for the gift of your Son, who is our source of strength and fruitfulness, whether in feast or famine. We also thank you for his godly example of humbly following your lead to bring you glory and our salvation. Still, we confess that we are prone to glorifying ourselves. With this in mind, please help us resist taking credit and give you and him the glory so we might lead ourselves and others well under the abundance of your provision and grace. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
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