FROM PRISON TO PALACE

GENESIS 41

Joseph was a young man with an old dream. The dream that he had been given was that there would come a day when all would bow down before him. It was that very dream that got him into trouble and now his troubles had gone from bad to worse. He had been sold as a slave to Egypt and then, when the wife of his Egyptian master accused him of attempted rape, he was summarily thrown into prison. A year passed. And then another. We do not know exactly how long he was in prison, but it was at least two years and possibly considerably longer.

Joseph had faced a number of tests and had passed them all.

• He faced the test of rejection from his brothers.
• He faced the test of humiliation when he was sold into Egypt as a slave.
• He faced the test of sexual temptation when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him.
• He faced the test of being falsely accused.
• He faced the test of suffering innocently as he was thrown into prison.
• He faced the test of depression when the man to whom he had brought comfort conveniently forgot him for two years.

Before this chapter is over, I believe we will see Joseph facing another test. It is the test of prosperity. It is a test that attempts to corrupt a person’s character. There is an old saying that says, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." That isn’t quite right. The truth is that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts the corruptible.

The original dream of Joseph had been of an exalted position in which all bowed down before him. Just as a series of dreams had brought about the circumstances that led to Joseph’s initial slavery, now it is again a series of dreams that lead to his eventual release.

Two years had passed since Joseph had interpreted the dreams of the royal cupbearer and the royal baker. One had been restored to his position while the other had been executed. Joseph languished in prison.

These dreams were given in the setting of Egypt. The center and lifeblood of Egypt was the Nile River, so these groups of cows are seen coming up from the Nile.

The second dream has as its focus the grain of Egypt and the east wind. The wind that comes from the east comes across the desert of the Sinai Peninsula. It is a dry wind. It would be this same wind that would bring the plague of locusts (Exodus 10:13) and would be responsible for parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21).

The dream was understandably troubling and unusual because cows do not eat cows and ears of grain do not consume other ears. But what made the dream even more troubling is that those that were thin and scrawny and scorched were not benefited by the consumption of that which was good and fat and healthy.

The incident serves as a reminder to the cupbearer. He recalls that there was a time when he also had a troubling dream and there was someone who had been able to assist him.

The fact that the cupbearer mentions this now shows a certain amount of daring on his behalf, for he is bringing to the Pharaoh a reminder of his own offenses. He is risking a return of the wrath of the Pharaoh.

Joseph is summoned before the Pharaoh, but before he makes his appearance, he must be adequately prepared. A shave is in order. This is notable since the Hebrews did not customarily shave but instead were known by their long beards that were a sign of their manhood.

The Egyptians, by contrast, normally kept all of their hair shaved as a matter of bodily cleanliness. They viewed a beard as something unkempt and unclean.

This suggests something about Joseph. He had learned to adapt to the culture in which he was living. He had learned to speak the language and here is a suggestion that he had learned to groom himself after the fashion of the Egyptians.

This is a lesson that missionaries commonly learn, but I believe that it is also a lesson that we need to learn if we are to reach out to the people of our own culture. We need to learn to speak the language of a changing culture and to translate the message of the gospel into that language.

• We do this by occasionally singing new songs in our worship.
• We do this by carefully explaining any and all theological terms into the language of the unchurched.
• We do this by being incarnational in our interests and in our conversations so as to build bridges to those around us.

Jesus is our pattern in such an incarnational ministry. He took upon flesh and lived in the culture of the world of his day, speaking its language and living amongst its people and even making them His own. He calls us to do the same.

Joseph does not say anything about his desire to be released from prison. Nor does he use the opportunity to tell of what a wise man or what a capable dream interpreter he is. Instead, he gives the glory and the credit to the Lord.

Pharaoh relates the details of the dream to Joseph. In doing so, he adds some details that we did not see in the initial description.

• The first time he said that the second set of cows were ugly and gaunt. This time, he refers to them as poor and very ugly and gaunt and adds that he had never seen such ugliness in all the land of Egypt.
• He tells us that the skinny cows showed no sign of having gotten any fatter, even though they had eaten more than their own body weight. The point is that the lean years will be so bad that it will not be apparent that seven good years have come and gone.

Joseph now explains the dreams to Pharaoh. The two dreams both refer to the same future event. They are prophetic of what is going to take place in Egypt.

The repetition of the dream was a sign that it was from God and that it was certain to take place and that it would soon be brought to pass.

This was an important part of the interpretation since some prophecies are by their very nature conditional. Jonah came to Nineveh and announced that the city was to be destroyed within 40 days, but it is understood this was a conditional prophecy. The unspoken condition was that this destruction would take place if there was no change in the hearts of the people.

This prophecy to Egypt is not given with conditions. The good years and the famine years were not going to come because of some certain sin on the part of the Egyptians. Rather it was as a means of bringing glory to God as He moved to bring salvation to the world.

Joseph not only had an interpretation for the dreams; he also had a ready plan to deal with the situation promised by the dreams. It involved the establishment of a 20% tax on all of the produce of the land. This double tithe was to be stored up for the coming years of famine. The harvest during these years would be so prosperous that this tax would be virtually unnoticed.

There is no indication that Joseph had even hinted that he be the proposed administrator. He did not "toss his hat into the ring" of qualified candidates who would be considered for the position. Instead, it was the Pharaoh who proposed him for the job.

The world says, "Toot your own horn because no one else is going to toot it for you." The Lord says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time" (1 Peter 5:6).

By royal decree, Joseph was elevated to the position of prime minister over the land of Egypt. He was second only to the Pharaoh. The signs of this authority are described:

• Pharaoh’s own signet ring.
• Garments of fine linen.
• A gold necklace around his neck.
• Riding in the second chariot.

The garments of a prisoner and a slave were replaced by those of fine linen worthy of a king. The chains that had once bound him were replaced by a gold necklace around his neck. He who once had been brought to Egypt by Midianite slave traders now rode in the place of honor as second in command of all Egypt.

Joseph was also given a new name. Zaphenath-paneah means "the god speaks and he lives." It is striking that God does these things for us, too.

• He takes from us our dirty robes of sin and clothes us in the righteousness of Christ: For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27).
• He gives us all of the riches of heaven: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
• He gives us a new name: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. (Revelation 2:17).

The next seven years saw Joseph undertaking the administrative task of preparing for the coming famine. He had the food supplies placed strategically at each city from which it had been gathered. Thus there would be no sense of one district feeling that he was favoring another district.

Could it be that Joseph had learned an important lesson concerning the harmful effects of favoritism? Jacob had placed Joseph as his favorite and had thereby incurred the jealousy of the older brothers. It would seem that Joseph now resolves not to make the same mistake.

Notice that the bounty of the harvest is likened to the sand of the seashore and that it was beyond measure. This is the same language with which Abraham had been promised when God said that his seed would be like the sands of the seashore. By the same token, we remember that the Spirit is promised to God’s people without measure (John 3:34).

Some have questioned the propriety of Joseph taking an Egyptian wife, but there was not yet a command from the Lord against such a union. We do know that both Manasseh and Ephraim would be considered among the children of Israel rather than numbered with the nation of Egypt. This hints at what shall be confirmed later in the book of Genesis -- that Joseph was careful to teach his sons of the covenant the descendants of Abraham enjoyed with the Lord.

There is some subtle humor in the names. Joseph had originally been sold as a slave to Potiphar and now he becomes the son-in-law of Potiphera. The first name is considered by most scholars to merely be an abbreviated form of the second name. It means, "Whom Ra has given."

When the seven years of prosperity were at an end, a famine came over the land. This famine was not limited to Egypt. It was in all the lands. As food shortages became severe, Joseph opened up the storehouses and began to sell food to the Egyptians.

Why did he not give it out to them? Perhaps it was to prevent them from hoarding and/or wasting it. After all, these supplies would be necessary, not only for the survival of Egypt, but for the feeding of peoples throughout many lands.

The Lord does this same thing for us. He does not give us today all that we will need for the future. He instead supplies our needs as they arise. He teaches us to pray, Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11).

Ultimately, we are called to seek, not merely for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal (John 6:27). Just as Joseph had been given the signet ring of Pharaoh, so God has set His seal on His Son that you come to Him to receive eternal life.