Chapter 41

1. Chapter 41 Chapter 41

2. Chapter 41 1When two full years had passed, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Not the emphasis on “full”. Every day he waited and hoped seemingly in vain. A passage of time usually does not aid memory . . . Have you ever felt forgotten? Have you ever been waiting forever?

3. Chapter 41 1When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Egyptians believed that the gods would sometimes communicate through dreams. However, one needed a professional to tell you the meaning. (Book of Dreams.) God sometimes uses unique means to communicate. Dreams Plagues Yelling prophets Playing in the dirt prophets Leading of the Spirit Tongues Foreign conquering nations Be careful ~ check with the Word . . .

4. Chapter 41 1When two full years had passed,Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

5. Chapter 41 1When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. 7The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.

6. Chapter 41 1When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. 7The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. 8In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

7. Chapter 41 1When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. 7The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. 8In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. Is this a matter of “could not” or “would not”? It can be hazardous to bring a despot bad news . . .

8. Chapter 41 9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Someone remembers at just the right time. If Joseph had gotten out of prison sooner, he surely would not have been so easily available to interpret the dream. He would have been elsewhere. The famine would have taken out Jacob, Inc., and there would have been no Jesus.

9. Chapter 41 9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timing is vital

10. Chapter 41 9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.” 14So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “quickly” ~ they ran

11. Chapter 41 15Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Note the humility . . . Note the confidence . . . in God, that is.

12. Chapter 41 15Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 18when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.19After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

13. Chapter 41 22“In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none could explain it to me.”

14. Chapter 41 22“In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none could explain it to me.” 25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

15. Chapter 41 28“It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Note on the consistent use of “elohim” in reference to God: Although “elohim” is a plural noun, meaning “gods” or spiritual beings, in the Scriptures, when referencing God, the plural “elohim” is used with singular verb forms. The plural noun gets treated like a singular one. Elohim, when treated as a singular means “God” and when the verb forms regard it as a plural, it means “gods.”

16. Chapter 41 28“It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Note on the consistent use of “elohim” in reference to God: As is the case here, “elohim” (gods) is used with the singular third person singular verbs and therefore refers to “God”. In English, this difference is not seen because our verb structure does not usually differentiate between plural and singular uses of verbs. (he went / they went) (Some folks seek to make a huge critique out of this, so it is included as an apologetic.)

17. Chapter 41 33“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is gutsy: get out of prison and 10 minutes later you are telling Pharaoh how to run his country for the next 14 years? Note the unintended criticism of Pharaoh (a god) . . . Heavy taxes in advance of crisis (you cannot deficit spend food) God seeks to preserve a nation of false-god worshippers? (Actually, he is preserving Jacob, Inc, hence the plan for Messiah.)

18. Chapter 41 33“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Obviously, Joseph is a God-gifted manager!”

19. Chapter 41 37The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.38So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” 39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Verse 38 should probably use the plural sense of “elohim” here and in verse 39. It would be presumptuous to conclude that Pharaoh became a monotheist at this point. Have you ever been forgotten? Would you be forgotten by the one who died for you? Would the Father who watched his son died for you, because he loves you, forget you? Can the Spirit who indwells you forget the one he indwells?

20. Chapter 41 41So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If he had not been “forgotten” for so long, would he be remembered today?

21. Chapter 41 41So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. 44Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” 45Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Probably “a revealer of hidden things and an opener of things to come.” Asenath’s father would have been well connected as a leaderof the worship of Ra, the sun god, a central Egyptian deity.

22. Chapter 41 46Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 13 years of hardship and set back to be involved with events that he would not see on earth. He knew nothing of the eventual outcome other than a confidence that God was weaving all of the adversity/agony into the Good. Romans 8:18-28 Hebrew 11:39 Joseph’s faithfulness brought us Christ. Joseph’s reward for his faithfulness was not his promotion to power in Egypt anymore than Paul’s reward was martyrdom.

23. Chapter 41 46Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ God uses the experience that Joseph learned in his life to save a lot of people (Jacob, Inc; Potiphar, Inc; the Round House), including you and me.

24. Chapter 41 50Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Even now, Joseph does not realize why God has placed him in this position, having brought him through the past 13 dark years. He will not know for at least another 7 years. During the next seven years, there is no effort to contact his family, either for good or retribution.

25. Chapter 41 • Take homes: • 1. God is at work in your life, leading and directing in ways that you might not like (even sins against you) in accomplishing his redemptive plan.

26. Chapter 41 • Take homes: • 1. God is at work in your life • 2. Life is not about you. • It is much better than that. • It is about redemption. (Revelation 22:1-5)

27. Chapter 41 Take homes: 1. God is at work in your life, leading and directing in ways that you might not like (even sins against you) in accomplishing his 2. Life is not about you. It is much better than that. 3. Waiting is hard, but necessary. Wait in hope/expectation. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. ~ Hebrews 11:39

28. Chapter 41 Take homes: 1. God is at work in your life, leading and directing in ways that you might not like (even sins against you) in accomplishing his 2. Life is not about you. It is much better than that. 3. Waiting is hard, but necessary. Wait in hope/expectation. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ~ Hebrews 10:35-36 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. ~ Hebrews 11:39-40

29. Chapter 41 Take homes: 1. God is at work in your life, leading and directing in ways that you might not like (even sins against you) in accomplishing his 2. Life is not about you. It is much better than that. 5) 3. Waiting is hard, but necessary. Wait in hope/expectation. 4. What is our purpose? Your will be done. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment —to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. ~Ephesians 1:9-10

30. Chapter 41 Take homes: 1. God is at work in your life, leading and directing in ways that you might not like (even sins against you) in accomplishing his 2. Life is not about you. It is much better than that. on 22:1-5) 3. Waiting is hard, but necessary. Wait in hope/expectation. 4. What is our purpose? Your will be done. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment —to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. ~Ephesians 1:9-10

31. Chapter 41 Take home: Your will be done.