Reflections from January 24, 2011

The butler for whom Joseph interpreted his dream realized his promise to Joseph when the Pharaoh could not find a man to interpret his two dreams. Pharaoh had dreamed about seven great and fat cows which were eaten by seven ugly and gaunt cows followed by another dream about seven beautiful and full grains of wheat devoured by seven withering and blighted grains of wheat. The butler remembered Joseph's interpretation and how his words were fulfilled, just as Joseph spoke.

So Joseph came to the Pharaoh and told him what the dreams meant. There would be seven years of great plenty and harvest, followed by seven years of great famine. And then he tells Pharaoh in Genesis 41:32,
"The dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."

Not only did Joseph tell the Pharaoh what the dream was, but why he dreamed it twice depicting the importance of the dream.

Because of Joseph's honest and telling interpretation, Pharaoh placed him in a position of utmost authority in the land of Egypt. Only Pharaoh had more authority. Joseph gathered 20 percent of all the land's harvest and stored it, developing and implementing a plan to store the food for up to 14 years. Then, just as he told Pharaoh, came the seven years of famine and it was great. In fact, it was not just in Egypt, but throughout the Middle East. The famine impacted his family in the land of Canaan, his brothers and his father Jacob. So Jacob sent the brothers except for Benjamin to Egypt to obtain some grain and food so they could live.

Joseph was over the releasing of food, selling to others and managing the distribution. The brothers came to Joseph and we read in Genesis 42:6,
"Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth."


What is so intriguing about this verse is how it fulfills God's prophesy of Joseph's dream many years ago, when the brothers would bow down to him. And here they are, bowing down and in essence, serving him!

Although Joseph made them "suffer" a bit for their past deeds, he did send them along, albeit without Simeon, with their sacks full of grain, plus all their money refunded to them for the purchase of the food.

God used Joseph in a powerful way to help all peoples, but he clearly showed compassion to his blood relatives and helped them when they needed it most, even though they had turned against him so long ago.

Blessings to all