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Bible History of the Old Testament |
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No. 24 Genesis 40 - 42 Joseph in Prison - Dream of Pharaoh's Two Officers - Dream of Pharaoh - Joseph's Exaltation in Government
Eleven years had passed since Joseph had been sold into Egypt. The Divine Promise that God had made to him must have seemed farther than ever from being fulfilled. The biggest majority of this time was also probably spent in prison. The "keeper of the prison" favored him greatly, but other than that there didn't seem to be much hope of him ever getting his dreams fulfilled in any other way. For just a brief season, however, an event occurred that he must have felt like would bring about a great change for him. Because of some kind of either real or imaginary offense, two of Pharaoh's chief officers were suddenly disgraced and imprisoned. The responsibility of these two men would have naturally fallen on the Captain of the Guard to make sure they were handled properly. The chief butler, or cupbearer, and chief baker had not been in the prison long when they both had a dream the same night that they could not understand. Evidently this dream must have greatly impressed both of them so much so that they desired to have it interpreted. By the same Providence of God, the next morning Joseph was led to notice their anxiety and ask what they were so anxious about. It had to be directly from God that he could give them at once, without hesitating, the true meaning of their dreams. From the very first, he pointed out to them that interpretations of dreams belonged to God. Then he encouraged them to tell their dreams. Whether or not he could understand and interpret them, the heathen men would know that Joseph could accept no responsibility himself for any interpretations. He did not want to appear like the Egyptian magicians, who claimed the power and wisdom for themselves. The dreams seemed to be quite natural along with the interpretations of them, yet both were directly of God. It was three days before Pharaoh's birthday, and it would have been natural for each of them to dream that they were again at their posts for this magnificent occasion. Then again it was Divine guidance that Pharaoh should even give another thought to the imprisoned officers. The two dreams were a lot alike. In each case the number 3, whether it was clusters in the vine from which the chief butler pressed the rich juice into Pharaoh's cup, or of baskets in which the chief baker carried the king's baked goods. It was also 3 days until Pharaoh's birthday. In both cases, their dreams transported them back to their original position before the charges had been brought against them. They were different in the fact that: Pharaoh accepted the actions of the chief butler, while the chief baker dreamed that the birds came and ate all the bread out of his basket. Also, it could have been that the chief butler had a good conscience toward his master and was not hesitant to tell his dream, while the chief baker had bad feelings and only told his dream to Joseph because the butler's dream had turned out so well. We can also see how thoroughly Egyptian the imagery of the dreams was down to even the minute details. Bakery and confectionary were carried to great perfection in Egypt, so that the chief baker had a very prestigious job. The upcoming event proved the correctness of Joseph's interpretation. In three days, the chief butler was restored to his office, but the chief baker was executed. At the time that he interpreted the dream, Joseph had asked the chief butler to please put in a word for him when he was freed. He wanted him to go before the Pharaoh and ask him to rethink the charge that had been made against him. According to the wording that Joseph used, it seems that at most he hoped to obtain freedom and may have intended to return to his father's house. As yet he probably had no clue of God's great plans for his life. After all, in the world's eyes, what was a poor Hebrew slave in prison to a proud Egyptian court official. It would only be like human nature that when the butler was restored, he would have not wanted to 'rock the boat' by going before Pharaoh with such a grand request just after he had been restored to his duties. Jacob now spent two more years in prison that were probably more dreary and hopeless than the eleven years that had preceded it, from a human standpoint. At length, though, deliverance came that was sudden and unexpected. This time it was Pharaoh who dreamed two successive dreams. In the first, seven fat kine (cows) were feeding among the rich "marsh-grass" on the banks of the Nile. Then up from the river came seven lean cows which devoured the fat cows, without getting fat or being filled up by them. The second dream showed one stalk of corn with seven ears that was healthy, when up sprang beside it another stalk that had seven ears. This stalk, though, had seven thin ears and devoured the stalk with the seven healthy ears. It was such a vivid dream to Pharaoh that it seemed like reality until he woke up and realized it was a dream. He couldn't get it out of his mind, though, and sent for the "magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof". Even with what he thought were the wisest men in Egypt, they still could not come close to any interpretation of the dreams that was satisfactory to the mind of Pharaoh. Knowing that the Pharaoh would be very upset because the dreams could not be interpreted, he might have thought of his imprisonment two years ago and got afraid that he might be blamed for something again. At any rate, he suddenly remembered the dreams that he and the chief baker had had two years ago in prison, and how Joseph had interpreted the dreams, and then how they had been fulfilled exactly as he had told them. This event becomes all the more striking if the date is taken literally as "at the end of two full years", because that would have made it on the third anniversary of the birthday of Pharaoh. Before proceeding further, we should notice some of the particulars which gave the dreams their vivid coloring. The "river" was the Nile, which was the sacred stream of Egypt, and the Pharaoh was standing on its banks. Also the term "marsh-grass" was only peculiar to the banks of the Nile. There was no Hebrew equivalent to it. Plus, it has always been known from the Bible that magic formed much of the religion of Egypt, but because of archaeological finds, we now know their ancient magical Ritual itself. Archaeology has found incantations and amulets, with a special reference to the dead; their belief in lucky and unlucky days and events, and even in the so-called "evil eye." Also, the care of the magical books was entrusted to two classes of learned men. Their titles exactly correspond to magicians and wise men. Egypt during this time had developed very powerful magical powers that enabled them to do miracles, such as when God sent the plagues before Israel left there. The Egyptian magicians could perform many of the very same plagues because of their magnificent power. Thus, it was before this assembly of the wisest and most learned men in Egypt, that Pharaoh told his dreams and expected interpretations of them. There was certainly a big contrast between the most wise of the secular world at the time, and the poor Hebrew slave that was fetched from prison to interpret the dreams. The magicians claimed supernatural powers in their own right, and Joseph right from the start said that he had no power and gave God all the glory before he ever interpreted the dreams. Clearly, the two dreams were about the same thing - with one bearing on the pastoral, and the other on the agricultural life of Egypt. The dreams are about the flocks and the crops. In both cases there was sevenfold fatness, and then the same leanness that swallowed up the previous fatness, leaving no trace of it. The second dream illustrates the first, yet the first had its own interpretation also. The cows in Egypt symbolized Isis, their goddess of the earth, and the cow meant earth, agriculture, and nourishment. That they were feeding at the bank of the Nile, showed how much the Egyptians depended upon the river for their very sustenance. Also, this very kind of corn is still grown in Egypt, with the seven stalks. The wise men of Egypt stood speechless before Pharaoh as Joseph was brought out of the dungeon to the challenge that Pharaoh had for him. The Bible notes that Joseph "shaved himself" before going before Pharaoh. This was also a strictly Egyptian custom, as the Hebrews regarded shaving as a mark of disgrace. Again, when Joseph was brought before Pharaoh, he was forthright in saying that the power was not his to interpret dreams, but only God's. The interpretation was modestly but forcefully given by Joseph. He told Pharaoh that the dreams pointed to seven years of unprecedented fruitfulness followed by seven years of famine so great that it would completely eat up all the seven years of fruitfulness. This interpretation immediately satisfied Pharaoh's mind as to what the dreams meant. He further told Pharaoh that he must tell the people that during the years of plenty, a tax of 1/5 of the produce they made would be brought to the city to storehouses that would be built and it would be stored under royal supervision to have enough food to last during the seven years of famine. This would definitely not have been an unfair tax, because God had already said that they would have much surplus during the times of plenty. Furthermore, it would provide a hedge for them so that they wouldn't starve. Individual families could also put back grain to last through the famine, also, from the extra that they grew. Because Joseph was so sure in his interpretations and predictions, it is no wonder that Pharaoh immediately made him "ruler over all the land." Once more, every trait in the description is purely Egyptian. Pharaoh gives him his signet ring, which was of much importance with the ancient Egyptian kings. Their names were enclosed in an oval which represented an elongated signet, which represented the same thing as if the king had said it himself. There was much power that was given to Joseph. Joseph was also arrayed in noble dress with chains of gold put around his neck. This was the mode of dress of high Egyptian officials at the time. He was also given his own chariot to ride in, and the people were ordered to bend the knee to him and be obedient to whatever he told them to do. Finally, Pharaoh also gave him a wife so that he would be fully looked upon as the highest noble in the land next to Pharaoh himself. As Egypt depended entirely upon the Nile for her sustenance, she would have at all times been exposed to terrible famines. The way God used Joseph, though, in an entirely foreign land to bring about his Divine appointment is magnificent. Joseph was 30 years old, the same age as Jesus entered into his ministry, when he was elevated to the second highest man in all the land. During the years of plenty, he "gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering." This completely agrees with the statement in antiquity that "the representations of the monuments, which show that the contents of the granaries were accurately noted by scribes when they were filled." Then during the years of famine, he first sold corn to the people for money. When all that was gone, the people themselves proposed that they would sell their cattle, and lastly their land, to Pharaoh. Thus, he became absolute possessor of all the money, all the cattle, and all the land of Egypt. And all of this was at the people's own request. With all this vast power, Joseph never abused it in any way. It was on the contrary, by a spontaneous act of royal generosity he restored the land to the people on condition that they would every year pay 1/5 of their produce in taxation for getting their land back. It has been found through antiquity that the Egyptians had a system of canals and irrigation that basically insured them that the Nile would meet their needs for living unless there was just a tremendous drought as during this time. There are two things that stand out in the history of Joseph. The Hand of the Lord had kept him from sin, disbelief, and despair during his most humiliating times. This same Hand also preserved him so that he would not exalt himself from pride, and kept him from lapsing into heathenism. He definitely would have had a close connection in the palace with many heathen people. But more than all that, he still considered himself "a stranger and a pilgrim" in Egypt. His heart was in his father's home, with his father's God, and on his father's promises. There is abundant evidence in the Bible that bears out this fact. His Egyptian wife bore him two sons before the years of famine came. He gave to both of them Hebrew names. The first was named Manasseh, or "he that maketh forget", and the second named Ephraim, or "double fruitfulness". He realized that it was his calling from God to be in Egypt and that God had made him to be very fruitful there. If he had learned anything through all the years of toil and struggle, it would have been that all of his past had been of God. Now he would not interfere with trying to do things on his own, because he knew that God would show him the way, and lead him until the very end. Thus God would be glorified, and thus also would Joseph be kept in perfect peace, because he had trust in God. For more information from this book, go to the Archives Page at my site www.cathydeaton.com There are other articles of interest there also. This text is taken from the book Bible History Old Testament written by Alfred Edersheim. This book has been used by permission.
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