Living for God in a Dysfunctional World (Continued)

We continue the study - 'Lessons from the Life of Joseph'

Joseph’s Elevation

The fullness of Joseph’s blessedness was accomplished by him fulfilling the responsibility to which he was called, as second in command to Pharaoh. We can only stand back in amazement when we realise the magnitude of all that God can do through an individual who is given is over to His will. In order to bring about (1) the elevation of Joseph; (2) the security of Jacob and his family; (3) the protection of His purpose, (4) while saving nations from a natural calamity, God gave the Egyptian ruler two dreams. This was done, in the sure understanding that only one man in the kingdom could interpret them; and knowing also that information could be supplied so that Pharaoh would meet God’s servant.

At the suggestion of the chief butler, Joseph was taken from the prison to the palace to interpret the king’s dreams. Joseph was already aware of God’s hand upon him and confident of the will of God when he stood before the ruler of all Egypt. So when Pharaoh said to Joseph: “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.” (Gen. 41:15) Joseph was ready with his answer: “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Gen.41:16). Joseph’s experiences had been training him for that moment. Like David, who was able to say that because God was with him when he fought the lion and the bear, God would be with him when he fought Goliath; Joseph could stand before the ruler of a great civilisation with the same confidence. In the same way that God had protected and blessed him in life, that is, in his family, in Potiphar’s household and in the state prison; he was able to have every confidence that, in the will of God, he would continue to have access to divine wisdom in Pharaoh’s presence.

Pharaoh’s first dream entailed two sets of seven cows that emerged from the Nile. The grassy banks of the Nile provided a habitat for animals and birds. The first set of well-fed cattle was seen feeding on the plant life that flourished there - clearly representing a peaceful and thriving time. The second group that emerged was opposite in appearance, “ugly and gaunt”, in strong contrast to the healthy cows. Unlike the fat specimens, these bony cows were not feeding on the grass, and in the dream the emaciated cattle consumed the fair cattle – surely a bad omen. At this Pharaoh woke up.

The second dream concerned a staple in Egyptian agricultural life, grain production. The narrative describes the dream as vividly present to the mind’s eye. The first set of seven “heads of grain” paralleled the fat cattle in their appealing heartiness. That they were sprouting from a “one stalk” testified to their potency. The second set of grain was scrawny due to the searing heat of the desert’s blasting “east wind”. The scorched heads of grain correspond to the unsightly cows in the first dream. As the ugly cows “ate up” the fat ones so the thin heads of grain “devoured” the plump grain.

The two dreams were another prophecy – this time of a natural calamity – a seven year famine, a famine so severe that it could be called catastrophic – the grain fields of Egypt would be devastated. However, this advance warning also contained intelligence of seven years of good harvests. Joseph was able to advise the Egyptian ruler to store grain during the good years to overcome the lean years. Pharaoh was well pleased with Joseph’s wisdom in interpreting his dreams, and with his counsel, so he elevated him to be Lord over all Egypt (Gen. 41:40 ff). The only one to be excluded from his authority was Pharaoh himself. These events propelled Joseph from the prison cell to the royal court, from a humble prison uniform to the rich dress of rulers, from the lowly position of slave and prisoner to ruler over all Egypt. Thus the first part of Joseph’s personal prophetic dreams had come to fulfilment. But the purposes of God ripen slowly, and it would be several years yet before the sons of Jacob take their first journey into Joseph’s domain.

In the meantime Joseph put into place a programme for harvesting and storing grain during the seven years of abundance. He commissioned purpose-built granaries which he filled to overflowing. These years were followed by seven years of famine “over all the face of the earth” (Gen.41:56) when “all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain” (Gen. 41:57). Thus “Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house” (Gen. 47:14). Afterwards all the cattle and all the land, and at last the Egyptians themselves, became the property of Pharaoh. Joseph was now the highest dignity in the land, apart from Pharaoh, and his increased stature was accompanied by marriage and the birth of two sons, Manasseh, whose name means ‘God has made me forget’ and Ephraim which means ‘double fruitfulness’. These are the sons that will evidence that Joseph, under the hand of God, received the double portion normally reserved for the first-born son. The double portion was normally given to the first born because he had extra responsibilities in the family. Joseph carried those responsibilities and got the double portion. The lists of the twelve tribes of Israel usually include both Ephraim and Manasseh but exclude Joseph. In other words Joseph’s family became two tribes not one, that is, a double portion. But Ephraim means ‘double fruitfulness’ and this truth is captured by Jacob when he blessed his sons. He described Joseph as a fruitful bough whose branches hung over the wall.

Joseph’s Reconciliation

During this period of famine, Joseph’s brothers also came down to Egypt to buy corn. The history of his dealings with them, and of the manner in which he at length made himself known to them, is one of the most interesting narratives that can be read (Gen. 42–45). While space does not allow for a detailed examination of the encounters, the main points can be summarised.

When the famine bit in Canaan, Jacob sent ten of his sons to Egypt to buy grain; only Benjamin, his youngest and the only remaining son (as he thought) of his beloved wife Rachel, was kept back. Benjamin was brother to Joseph as none of the others were, having the same mother. Joseph, fully assimilated into Egyptian life and speaking Egyptian, was present when the sons of Jacob arrived among the many to buy corn. Dressed as Semites they were quickly recognised by Joseph and he was overjoyed to see them. However, with the wisdom that comes from communion with the Lord, he decided to ensure that there was a measure of repentance in these men before he took them into his care. Remaining incognito he devised a plan, in which he first ascertained that his father and Benjamin were alive and well. By a series of actions he subjected the brothers to mental anguish similar to that which he suffered some decades previously. While holding Simeon as hostage, Joseph directed his brethren to return to Canaan and bring Benjamin back to Egypt. When they finally returned with Benjamin, and he was convinced that they had shown enough remorse, he revealed himself to them saying “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen. 45:4-5). He then pleaded with them to bring his father Jacob and the rest of the family to Egypt, saying, “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine’” (Gen. 45:9–11).

So it was that Jacob and his family, totalling seventy souls, together with all that they had, went down to Egypt. They settled in the land of Goshen, where Joseph met his father, and “and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while” (Gen. 46:29). So Jacob, at 130 years of age, lived in Goshen. He was granted an audience with Pharaoh, and while there blessed the Egyptian leader! As Joseph spent his first 17 years in Jacob’s care, so Jacob spent his last 17 years in Joseph’s care.

The great lesson that is visible in the rejection and elevation of Joseph is seen in the providential dealings of God in bringing blessing to a wider public through one young man, even though he was born into a dysfunctional family. While Jacob said, 'all these things are against me”, Joseph understood that “all things were working together for good”. Joseph said, “God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Gen. 45:7). God’s providence is still the same, and for we who live in a dysfunctional world, we must remain confident in the belief that for us too “all things work together for good”.

The historical record of Joseph in Genesis ends with an expression of his faith. He gave instructions regarding his bones, that when they return to Canaan as God promised, they would bury him in the Promised Land (Gen.50:25).

More next time