1 - 7 The Dreams of Pharaoh
1 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. 2 And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and they stood by the [other] cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 The ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. 5 He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7 The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, [it was] a dream.
Dreams play an important role in Joseph’s life. Two full years have gone by and Joseph is still in the jail. Did he ever think that God had forgotten him? God determines the duration of everything. He sets a limit to our lives. He also sets a limit to the duration of our suffering (cf. Mt 24:21-22). He does not tempt beyond what we are able, “but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1Cor 10:13). Time is a factor He uses to teach us patience, to teach us to endure. This endurance must have its perfect result (Jam 1:3-4).
When the time of God has come, He begins to work. He determines the duration of the humiliation of Joseph. When that time of suffering is full, he goes to work to bring his servant to glory (Psa 105:19-21). Here we see again a beautiful picture of what God works for the glorification of the Lord Jesus. That is what it is always and only about in everything God does.
God begins His work for Joseph’s benefit by making Pharaoh dream dreams that cause him trouble (verse 8). Pharaoh understands that these are not ordinary dreams, dreams that people have naturally (Ecc 5:3a). They are two dreams with the same meaning. One dream is about seven sleek cows grazing in the marsh grass, and seven ugly and gaunt cows eating up the seven sleek and fat cows. After waking up for a while he falls asleep again and dreams another dream. It is about seven ears of grain on a single stalk, plump and good, and seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind.
8 - 13 The Chief Cupbearer Thinks of Joseph
8 Now in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh. 9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would make mention today of my [own] offenses. 10 Pharaoh was furious with his servants, and he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, [both] me and the chief baker. 11 We had a dream on the same night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his [own] dream. 12 Now a Hebrew youth [was] with us there, a servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we related [them] to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his [own] dream. 13 And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my office, but he hanged him.”
When Pharaoh wakes up, he wants to know what the dreams mean. He tells them to “all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men”, so no one excepted. Not one of them can tell him what the dreams mean. Only when it has become clear that all the wisdom of Egypt, all the wisdom of the world, has no answer to the problem of Pharaoh, Joseph is thought of. To understand the thoughts of God, someone like Joseph is needed.
So it is with the Lord Jesus. Without Him a person doesn’t come a step further with regard to the questions and problems of life. First, the wisdom of the wise must be destroyed before God’s wisdom in Christ is accepted by men (1Cor 1:19-20,30). Only when a person has completely failed on everything and everyone, does he come to ask the Lord Jesus (cf. Lk 8:43-44).
Through the dreams of Pharaoh, the cupbearer is reminded of his sins and of Joseph. We hear from the cupbearer an acknowledgment of his sins. The cupbearer cannot think of Joseph without thinking of his past, where he met Joseph and what Joseph did for him.
He tells about what happened in the jail, how Joseph interpreted the dreams and how it went exactly as Joseph has interpreted. Surely, we can never think of the Lord Jesus, without thinking about what and where we were and what He did for us, so that we now live in freedom, can we?
14 - 16 Joseph Brought out of the Dungeon
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
Verse 14 gives a brief and beautiful picture of what we read in Philippians 2 about the exaltation of the Lord Jesus (Phil 2:9) after His humiliation in the verses before (Phil 2:5-8). They hurry to get Joseph out of prison. What is reminiscent of the prison is disposed of. Here Joseph gets the third garment.
His first garment, the varicolored one, his brothers took from him and dipped it in blood (Gen 37:31-33). His second garment is his slave garment which he left in the hand of Potiphar’s wife when she caught him by his garment to force him to commit adultery (Gen 39:10-18). This garment may be his jail clothes. In any case, his slave garment and his jail clothes speak of his humiliation. His jail clothes are changed for clothes in which he can go to Pharaoh. They are the clothes of his exaltation by and with Pharaoh.
After his appearance has changed so much that it is suitable to be in the presence of Pharaoh, he is brought from the dungeon into the palace. Pharaoh expects Joseph to interpret his dream to him, because it has been said of him. Joseph, however, rejected any expectation directed at him, and gave God the honor. Just like the wise men of Egypt, Joseph himself is not capable of interpreting the dream. He also speaks even before he has heard the dreams about the fact that God, through the dream, makes known to Pharaoh what is favorable to him.
17 - 24 Pharaoh Tells His Dreams
17 So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile; 18 and behold, seven cows, fat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass. 19 Lo, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such as I had never seen for ugliness in all the land of Egypt; 20 and the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21 Yet when they had devoured them, it could not be detected that they had devoured them, for they were just as ugly as before. Then I awoke. 22 I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk; 23 and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, [and] scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them; 24 and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
In the representation of the dream, Pharaoh says something additional to what is not mentioned in the first account (verses 1-7). He noticed, possibly after thinking about it, that the lean cows have not become thicker after they have devoured the fat cows. He also checked whether he has ever seen such ugly and gaunt cows in his country as in his dream. He tells Joseph that he told all this to his magicians, but that they cannot tell him its meaning.
25 - 32 Joseph Explains the Dreams
25 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are one [and the same]; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one [and the same]. 27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine. 28 It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; 30 and after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it [will be] very severe. 32 Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, [it means] that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.
Joseph explains – and thus underlines what he said earlier (verses 16,28) – that God has revealed to Pharaoh through dreams what He is about to do. There is no doubt whatsoever with Joseph about the explanation he gives. Doubt is glorified today, but in whom the Spirit of God works (verse 38) and who lives with God appraises all things (1Cor 2:15a).
In this way we too can speak with certainty about what God is about to do in and with the world in which we live. The book of Revelation, for example, makes that clear. To understand and pass it on we must be bond-servants or slaves of Jesus Christ (Rev 1:1). The mind of a bond-servants– which is obeying and serving – is a condition for learning to know God’s thoughts.
First there will come seven years of abundance, and then seven years of famine. The famine will be so great that all abundance will be forgotten. The people of the world also have their vision for the future. On this basis, they determine their policy. However, they do not take God into account, while only God can tell us how things will go. As in Revelation 1, this is a matter that will soon (Rev 1:1) or “quickly” (verse 32) be performed by God.
33 - 36 Advice from Joseph
33 Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth [of the produce] of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. 35 Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them guard [it]. 36 Let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish during the famine.”
Unsolicited, but with dignity, the slave Joseph gives advice to the mighty Pharaoh. There is nothing of revenge on the injustice suffered by him. We see that he offers a helping hand. His advice is to look for one man over Egypt with a view to the things to come. This must be a “discerning and wise” man, who must have overseers who can manage the abundance in the right way in view of the coming famine.
Not through parliaments, cabinets or ministers or other earthly dignitaries will God rule, but through one Man, Who is discerning and wise: Jesus Christ (Isa 11:2).
37 - 44 Joseph Viceroy
37 Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants. 38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. 43 He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “[Though] I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
There is only one man who meets the ‘profile’ outlined and that is Joseph. Pharaoh acknowledges that God has revealed everything to Joseph and that Joseph owes his discernment and wisdom to God. That is why he places Joseph over everything he has. Herein Pharaoh is a picture of God Who puts all things in subjection under the feet of the Lord Jesus (1Cor 15:27) and calls to honor Him.
Joseph receives his fourth garment (verse 42). This garment is connected with the public glory that he has as ruler over all that belongs to Pharaoh. In this he is a picture of the Lord Jesus in the glory He has as the King of kings and Lord of lords. That glory radiates from Him when He accepts His public reign over all things in the heavens and on the earth (Eph 1:10).
45 A Name and a Wife for Joseph
45 Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.
The name given by Pharaoh to Joseph, “Zaphenath-paneah”, means “revealer of mysteries” or “savior of the world”. Pharaoh not only gives him a name, but also a wife. She is a picture of the bride that the Lord Jesus received after His exaltation: the church from the nations.
46 - 49 Joseph at Work
46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth abundantly. 48 So he gathered all the food of [these] seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. 49 Thus Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring [it], for it was beyond measure.
When Joseph was seventeen years old, the way down began. Now that he is thirty years old, he has been made viceroy by Pharaoh. The way to glory always goes through suffering. The Lord Jesus is now in glory. The world is still experiencing a time of abundance, as it were, an abundance of grace. Unfortunately the world doesn’t know about it, they don’t realize it.
We do not read that the Egyptians themselves provide a supply. It is Joseph who takes care of this. It is important that we too gather food for our souls in the years of spiritual abundance. We can do this by visiting meetings where the Word is preached and explained and also by personal Bible study. In this way we can fill the treasuries of our hearts and thoughts. This is especially important when we are young. “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecc 12:1).
50 - 52 The Sons of Joseph
50 Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, “For,” [he said,] “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 He named the second Ephraim, “For,” [he said,] “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
In the time of abundance, the two sons of Joseph are born. The meaning of the names is significant. “Manasseh” means “forgetting”, “Ephraim” means “double fruitfulness”. Rejected by his brothers, Joseph is in a position to “forget” all the suffering that is done to him (Job 11:16), while he takes care for others that they bear “much fruit”.
So it is in a way also with the Lord Jesus. Rejected by His earthly people, His brethren, He is now in glory, and has received the church as a bride, by which He can forget the reproach done to Him. From glory He makes sure that those who know Him, who are in connection with Him, bear fruit.
53 - 57 The Famine Begins
53 When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.” 56 When the famine was [spread] over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 [The people of] all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
The years of abundance are coming to an end. The years of famine begin. In that time Joseph deals with Egypt and with his brothers. It is the time which can be compared with “the hour of testing, that [hour] which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Rev 3:10) and upon Israel in particular (Jer 30:7). During the years of abundance, we hear nothing from the brothers. That will happen now.
When hunger begins and the land calls for bread, Pharaoh says: “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.” This is again a beautiful picture of the gospel. God says to people in need about their sins and call to Him: “Go to Jesus, do whatever He says to you” (cf. Jn 2:5).