Equipped by the Spirit

Two years have passed since the events we discussed in my previous post, (Joseph part 6 - Dreams, based on Genesis 40) and Joseph is still in prison. But everything is about to change for Joseph.

Two years later…

Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. 2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. 8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and 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 for Pharaoh.
- Genesis 41:1-8 NKJV

The events described in Genesis 41 take place two years after the chief baker and the butler had their dreams interpreted by Joseph. Two years after Joseph had asked the butler to remember him. Two more years of Joseph being forgotten in an Egyptian prison for a crime he did not commit. Two more years wondering when or if he would ever be free.

Meanwhile, we, the readers of the story, are treated to a front-row experience of Pharaoh’s dreams. We are told in great detail about the two dreams that Pharaoh had. These are troubling dreams where the thin eat the fat and remain thin. Pharaoh called his magicians and wise men to interpret his dream. Some point out that the similarity between the word for cow (pārôt) and Pharaoh (parʿōh) could have contributed to Pharaoh’s worry. (B. Green, “The Determination of Pharaoh: His Characterization in the Joseph Story (Genesis 37–50),” in The World of Genesis: Person, Places and Perspectives, JSOTSup 257 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998), 159.) I am not convinced this is a strong argument unless there is also a similarity in the ancient Egyptian language.

Dr. Doukhan shares a great insight regarding the Egyptian culture and the symbolism of the cows.

The figure of the cows was familiar to the pharaoh and was part of his mythological baggage. The motif of the "cows" is a typically Egyptian motif, attested on the tombs of El-Bersheh (between Beni Hassan and Tell-el-Amarna), where the skinny cows represent the country of Retenu (Canaan) and the fat cows represent Egypt. The "seven cows" motif is also present in chapter 148 of the Book of the Dead, where the seven cows provide the deceased with the necessary supplies to survive in the afterlife. The image of the cows coming out of the Nile (41:2), the source of the Egyptian economy, carried a message about the economic condition of Egypt. (See also the Ramesside Dream Book (recto 5. 16), where the dream of a cow is interpreted as a good omen (quoted in Kasia Szpakowska, Behind Closed Eyes: Dreams and Nightmares in Ancient Egypt [Swansea: Classical Press of Wales, 2003], 92).
- Doukhan, Jacques. Genesis. Nampa, Idaho, Pacific Press Publishing Association ; [Hagerstown, Maryland, 2016. p438

Magicians!?

“Magicians” (ḥărṭūmmîm) were common in the courts of foreign kings (e.g., Exod 7:11; Dan 1:2; 2:2). The term is the Egyptian loanword ḥr(y)-tp (“who is upon, chief”), an abbreviation of the Egyptian term “chief lector priest,” who also practiced the magical arts. The training center for the craft was the “House of Life,” where guidebooks for dream interpretation were produced. These “dream books” are known from the twelfth dynasty, which involved the interpretation of dreams by discerning puns and symbolic images. The Egyptian magicians of Moses’ day were able by their “secret arts” to reproduce the miraculous works performed by Moses and Aaron (e.g., Exod 7:11) but not in all respects (e.g., Exod 8:14). Likewise, Joseph’s ability surpassed Egyptian divinatory arts. 
- K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 757.

Surprisingly, none of Pharaoh’s magicians and wise men could interpret Pharaoh’s dreams for him. In Genesis 40 the butler and the baker are sad because there was no interpreter for their dreams. In Genesis 41 Pharaoh has interpreters (magicians wise men) but they are unable to interpret his dream, placing Pharaoh in a similar situation to that of the baker and butler in Genesis 40. God had communicated with him through a dream, but he could not interpret the message. Since we faced this problem in Genesis 40 we know how to solve it.

The Hebrew of Genesis 41:8 contains an interesting grammatical feature that could be a clue to the struggle of the magicians and wise men with the interpretation. The original Hebrew says that Pharaoh told them his dream (singular) but no one could interpret them (plural) for him. In verse 15 Pharaoh also uses the singular with reference to his dream. Perhaps Pharaoh and his magicians and wise men disagreed when Pharaoh believed he had one dream with one interpretation and his wise men insisted he had two dreams with two interpretations.

I remember

9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, 11 we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”
- Genesis 41:9-13 NKJV

I wonder if the butler’s forgetting Joseph had been convenient. He would not want to ask Pharaoh for special favors soon after he was restored to his position of honor and influence. Later on, it would be awkward to bring up the memory that Pharaoh had thrown him in prison. For two years, the butler enjoyed his position of privilege while forgetting Joseph in the dungeon. Now that the butler can gain favor before the eyes of Pharaoh by helping solve an unsolvable problem he conveniently remembers Joseph.

To his merit, the butler acknowledged that it was his oversight/shortcomings that landed him in prison. By contrast, Jospeh’s right behavior landed him in prison.

Notice how carefully the butler chooses his words when talking to Pharaoh. I get the feeling he was afraid of reminding Pharaoh of the reason he had thrown him in prison, but he does share an accurate enough account for Pharaoh to understand what happened in prison.

The constructions in the cupbearer’s speech describing his own restitution (“I was restored”) and the hanging of the baker (“… was hanged”) are indefinite, i.e., the subject is not stated. Moreover, the word “baker” does not recur, only “him,” referring back to v. 10. This was probably a delicate way of recalling the sensitive event, omitting the specifics of Pharaoh’s command to execute the culprit. The text’s parallel phrases telling the ending of the two officers heighten the life and death contrast.
- K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 758.

Called

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15 And 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.”
- Genesis 41:14-15 NKJV

Joseph did not become free due to his plan of asking the butler to put in a good word for him with Pharaoh. Joseph was set free because God gave Pharaoh a dream.

Pharaoh called Joseph out of the dungeon, had him shaved and clothed, and brought before him. Not only that, Pharaoh told Joseph that no one could interpret his dream but he heard that Joseph could. This is Joseph’s big chance. There is a great demand from the most powerful man in Egypt and no one is able to meet that demand except Joseph. This is Joseph’s big break. He has a monopoly and he can name his price. He is in a perfect place to negotiate with Pharaoh.

“So, Pharaoh, tell me, how bad do you want to know the meaning of your dream? What are you willing to give to the one who is able to interpret your dream?”

Joseph has the opportunity to leverage this situation for his benefit.

What will Joseph say?

I cannot do it

16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
- Genesis 41:16

What!?

Joseph’s first words to Pharaoh are that he is not able to do this on his own!?

Joseph resists the temptation of claiming to himself the power that belongs to God alone. Joseph understands that the interpretation of dreams is a gift that God has given him and he refuses to claim that he is the one who has that special ability. Joseph takes this great opportunity and points the ruler of Egypt to the one true God. Instead of thinking of self, Joseph places God first. Joseph wants all honor and glory to go towards God and not himself.

Pharaoh’s dream

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. 18 Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 19 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22 Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 24 And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
- Genesis 41:17-23 NKJV

Pharaoh’s description of his dream is more dramatic. He adds that the ugly gaunt cows were the ugliest he had ever seen in Egypt. The heads of grain are not just thin and blighted by the east wind, but they are withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind. From Pharaoh’s description of his dream, you can tell he is disturbed by its content. Also, Pharaoh ends the description of his dream stating that there was no one who could explain it to him.

The interpretation

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. 28 This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; 30 but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. 31 So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. 32 And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
- Genesis 41:25-32 NKJV

“Ha!” Pharaoh said to all his magicians and wise men, “I told you it was one dream.” I don’t really know if that happened or not, but in my imagination it did, and it made Pharaoh happy with Joseph’s interpretation.

All jokes aside, Joseph is able to give Pharaoh an accurate interpretation of the dreams while highlighting God’s sovereignty. Joseph freely interprets the dream. He does not ask for any payment nor does he try to work out a deal before he freely shares with Pharaoh what God had freely given him. Also, Joseph is sensitive to Pharaoh’s ego highlighting that the God of the universe has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do. But this Pharaoh is wise and realizes that though God chose to reveal to him what He was about to do, the dream would be worthless without Joseph to interpret it.

Nevertheless, seven years of famine is a big problem.

The memory of seven years of famine has been preserved in Egyptian tradition. The so-called "Famine Stela," a hieroglyphic inscription (from Ptolemy V, 187 BC) on a rock located at the top of Sehel Island in the Nile south of Aswan, reports that in the year 18 of the reign of Djoser (third dynasty, approximately 2700 BC), the entire country suffered seven years of famine. (see  Ancient Egyptian Literature. M. Lichtheim. 3 vols. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1971-1980 3:94-100) 
- Doukhan, Jacques. Genesis. Nampa, Idaho, Pacific Press Publishing Association ; [Hagerstown, Maryland, 2016, p. 442.

But Joseph goes beyond simply interpreting the dreams and delivers even more value to Pharaoh by coming up with a plan to solve the problem.

The solution

33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.”
- Genesis 41:33-36 NKJV

Did Joseph just invent taxation? I don’t know whether or not Joseph’s idea was revolutionary in ancient Egypt, which was the first society to adopt the system of taxation from the first dynasty (3000-2800 BC). (Doukhan 438 see also The History of Taxation and worldhistory.org) Perhaps Joseph simply expanded and streamlined a practice that was familiar, and instead of simply giving the taxes to nobles he saved it for the years of famine. Joseph was not interested in personal gain, he was interested in saving lives.

A man in whom is the spirit of God

37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
- Genesis 41:37-38 NKJV

Joseph’s boldness in presenting a plan and the wisdom of his plan impressed the king of Egypt. Pharaoh asked those who were present, the wise men and magicians, where they would be able to find someone like Joseph. What made Joseph special was that the Spirit of God was with him. Pharaoh’s question probably offended the magicians while simultaneously revealing the reality that none of them had a real connection with God. This would have been a great time to evaluate the value of all the Egyptian gods. Clearly, the God that Joseph served was superior to all others.

How many of us, like Pharaoh and his wise men, witness the power of God and know beyond a shadow of doubt that there is only one God, the God of Joseph, the God of the Bible, yet we fail to truly devote our lives to Him?

It may feel wrong to claim that all other gods and religions are false, it sounds arrogant. But when we look at prophecy, only one God is able to pull it off and that is the God of the Bible. It may sound nice and inclusive to say that all religions have a little bit of truth, and that can very well be true. There is wisdom in many world religions. You can also claim that we don’t know everything, which is also true, we all have much to learn. But it would be foolish to place the God of Joseph on the same level as all the Egyptian gods, or the God of Israel compared to all the other gods of the ancient world, or to place Jesus on the same level as any other religious teacher or messianic figure.

Prophecy, among other things, sets the God of the Bible apart from all other gods and all other world religions. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, among other things, sets aside the God of the Bible from any other God.

The Bible itself is pretty clear on this topic.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.
-Exodus 20:3 NKJV

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
- Acts 4:12 NKJV

This may be an unpopular position, but given the biblical evidence and my personal experience, I am hard-pressed to see any other god, or world religion that comes even close to what the Bible teaches. That said, I am not closed to dialogue. I am open to discussing this with anyone who is honestly interested in seeking truth.

Because of Joseph’s relationship with God, Pharaoh realized no one would be better at handling that responsibility than Joseph.

Promotion

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
- Genesis 41:39-45 NKJV

The theme repeated itself once again. Joseph was placed as second in command. Because of Joseph’s relationship with God, he was entrusted with power and honor.

During the time that Joseph spent with Potiphar, he learned the language and customs of Egypt. He also learned how to successfully run a household. While in the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined, I imagine Joseph learned all about the government of Egypt. what Pharaoh was like, who were the power brokers, who he needed to watch out for, and what blended people in prison and what kind of things got people killed. By the time Joseph becomes second in command over all of Egypt, he has been trained and equipped by his previous experiences. God had been with him after all, even when it looked like everything was going wrong. God had been preparing Joseph to reign over all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.

I was surprised that Pharaoh was willing to give a position of power to a foreigner but history records cases of foreign and even Hebrew viziers throughout Egyptian history. For example, there is the case of a Semitic vizier, Aper-El (around 1350 BC), who supervised the king's affairs during the reigns of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten (Alain-Pierre Zivie, Découverte d Saqqarah: Le vizir oublié [Paris: Seuil, 1990]; Alain-Pierre Zivie, "Tombes rupestres de la falaise du Bubasteion à Saggara, ASAE 68 [1982): 63-68). See also under Merneptah (1235-1224 BC) the case of Ben-Azen, originally from the east of the lake of Tiberiad. Joseph M. Modrzejewski, The Jews of Egypt: From Rameses II to Emperor Hadrian (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1995), 10, 30.)

How it played out

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly. 48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. 49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.

50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” 52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.” 56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. 57 So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.
- Genesis 41:46-57 NKJV

Joseph was sold as a slave when he was about 17 years old. We don’t know how many years he was in Potiphar’s house and how many years he was in prison but we discover that he became vizier of Egypt when he was 30 years old. Joseph’s journey to power was not quick or easy, but God used him to save countless lives in the ancient world.

Joseph accomplished all this in the power of the Spirit. As Pharaoh noticed, much like Potiphar and the keeper of the prison (Genesis 39:3,21 see my posts But the Lord was with him and Wrongfully Accused). As Joseph himself recognized before Pharaoh, he was not able to do all these things on his own. It was God who was able to do these things.

I believe God wants to use you to bless those around you. Just like Joseph you are unable to do this on your own. You need the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. Just like I need the Spirit of God to be a blessing to those around me. The good news is that Jesus tells us that all we have to do is ask.

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
- Luke 11:11-13NKJV

What keeps you from asking for the Holy Spirit? Jesus said our Heavenly Father wants to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. So ask Him now to fill you with the Holy Spirit, to be with you as He was with Joseph so that you too can be a blessing to those around you.