At the end of two years Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile, 2 when seven healthy-looking, well-fed cows came up from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside those cows along the bank of the Nile. 4 The sickly, thin cows ate the healthy, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 5 He fell asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and good, came up on one stalk. 6 After them, seven heads of grain, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, full ones. Then Pharaoh woke up, and it was only a dream. 8 When morning came, he was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I remember my faults. 10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guards. 11 He and I had dreams on the same night; each dream had its own meaning. 12 Now a young Hebrew, a slave of the captain of the guards, was with us there. We told him our dreams, he interpreted our dreams for us, and each had its own interpretation. 13 It turned out just the way he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged. —Genesis 41:1-13 CSB

I. Perseverance and Dreams

A. Two Years Forgotten

Genesis 40 closes with the cupbearer being restored but neglecting to remember Joseph.

Chapter 41 propels us two years ahead in Joseph’s story. Although those two years were not recorded in Scripture, we can imagine how slowly that time passed for Joseph.

We know he continued serving in the “house of confinement” and that he had as much freedom and responsibility as could be expected under the circumstances.

4 things we can see in his forgotten 2 years:

1) Suffering

• Even though Joseph was right where God wanted him there was suffering.
• Yes God has a wonderful plan for your life. Yes it will probably have some suffering in it.

I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world. —John 16:33

• Joseph was courageous and lived up to Peter’s words thousands of years before Peter.

So then, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator while doing what is good. —1 Peter 4:19

2) Providence of God

• God provided for him.
• Gave Joseph a job that he could do that kept him alive.

3) Responsibility

• When we are waiting on God it does not mean we have no responsibility.
• In our suffering and waiting we are still responsible.
• That’s why we use the term embrace the responsibility. When you lead others to discover more in Christ that is what you are doing. Embracing the responsibility.

4) Patience

• James was telling us how he has been praying for patience in the Forge. We all groaned.
• God doesn’t see time the way we do and we need patience to wait for Him to get it all together for us.

» After two years, however, Joseph likely gave up any hope that the cupbearer would remember him and petition Pharaoh on his behalf. Fortunately, something was about to jog the cupbearer’s memory.

B. Two Dreams

Like his servants two years prior, Pharaoh was beset by troubling dreams that he could not understand.
The narrative opens with the recounting of these two dreams.

Pharaoh later repeats the details to Joseph. Such repetition seems to serve the literary purpose of ordering the story around pairs or doubles.

• two royal officials and their two dreams, the passage of two years, Pharaoh’s two dreams each told twice, the repetition of the earlier dreams and their outcomes—all culminating in…

Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and he will carry it out soon. —Genesis 41:32

The repetition emphasizes the inevitability of what was about to happen; the matter was established, God had already decided. In other words, Joseph’s interpretation would surely come to pass.

II. Remembrance and Interpretation

A. Joseph Remembered

Pharaoh’s wise men and magicians were at a loss to explain the dreams. When the cupbearer overheard the exchange, he recalled his own experience with Joseph.

The cupbearer’s tale of how Joseph correctly interpreted his dream prompted Pharaoh to action. He immediately brought Joseph out of prison.

Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to Pharaoh. —Genesis 41:14

Notice the narrative uses the Hebrew word bor, that the CSB interprets as dungeon. It is the same word used when Joseph’s brothers put him in a pit or cistern. An intentional link to Gen 37:24—the beginning of Joseph’s ordeal.

The word also echoes Joseph’s own words in Gen 40:15, where he alludes to his past troubles of being kidnapped and unjustly confined in a “pit.”

Joseph’s story pivots on this reversal of fortune. His early dreams of authority over his family tumbled him into the pit—his long ordeal of slavery and imprisonment.

Now, Pharaoh’s dreams pull him out of the pit and initiate the fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams that he had before all this happened.

» With Joseph’s arrival, Pharaoh wasted no words: He explained that Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams had come to his attention and that he was in need of those services. Pharaoh then recounted his dreams, yet he added a new detail: The consumption of the fat cows by the gaunt cows did not change the appearance of the bony, underfed cows.

B. Joseph Interprets

Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God has revealed to 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 mean the same thing. 27 The seven thin, sickly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind are seven years of famine. 28 “It is just as I told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt. 30 After them, seven years of famine will take place, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows it, for the famine will be very severe. 32 Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and he will carry it out soon. —Genesis 41:25-32

Joseph then revealed their meaning, indicating that both dreams pointed to the same future: Seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine.

As Joseph’s words indicated, God chose to reveal the future to Pharaoh—not because he could prevent it, but so he could prepare for it.

Joseph then went beyond Pharaoh’s request for an interpretation of the dreams. Without hesitating or giving Pharaoh a chance to respond, Joseph advised him on what he must do to deal with the impending crisis. Joseph treated the interpretation as an absolute certainty that demanded immediate action.

C. God Recognized

Joseph refused to take any credit for his interpretations—a response that likely surprised Pharaoh.

Joseph faithfully proclaimed that God alone was responsible for the interpretations, just as he did earlier with the cupbearer and baker.

Joseph recommended that Egypt’s agricultural affairs be placed under the oversight of a “discerning and wise” man who would manage the surplus from the good years to create a reserve food supply for the bad years.

Pharaoh recognized that his “wise” men—who failed to interpret the dreams—were not wise enough for this role and declared that they would find no one more qualified than Joseph himself.

The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants, 38 and he said to them, “Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God’s spirit in him?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you are. —Genesis 41:37-39

Pharaoh attributes Joseph’s wisdom to God. Recognized God’s Spirit in him.

Joseph was remembered and ready. He was positioned for a purpose. He had spent his years running a household and then a prison. He had kept taking steps even when they seemed to take him in the wrong direction. When there is suffering sometimes we lean away from God. He wants us to recognize that he still provides and still expects us to embrace the responsibility of being the person he has created us to be.

III. Promotion and Influence

You will be over my house, and all my people will obey your commands. Only I, as king, will be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, clothed him with fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, and servants called out before him, “Make way!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh and no one will be able to raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt without your permission.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah and gave him a wife, Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest at On. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt. —Genesis 41:40–45

A. Joseph’s Promotion

Pharaoh promoted Joseph on the spot—apparently making him second-in-command over all the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh also invested Joseph with the symbols of his high office: the royal signet ring, a gold chain, and public acclamation of his authority in Pharaoh’s second chariot.

Joseph’s assimilation into Egyptian society became complete when he received an Egyptian name and married into a prominent Egyptian family.

Joseph was given the name Zaphenath-paneah, which probably means “God speaks and he lives.”

Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of an Egyptian priest from the religious center of On (or Heliopolis) where the Egyptian sun gods were worshiped.

Turning Joseph into a Egyptian. Shaved face and head.

While the narrative refrains from passing judgment on Joseph’s acceptance of an Egyptian bride, it never mentions her again except as the mother of Joseph’s two sons. It also never refers to Joseph by his Egyptian name.

There was a book about them written about there marriage and how she came to love God. During Daniels time.

B. Joseph’s Focus

While Joseph’s prominent position in Egyptian society was important for God’s ultimate purpose for Israel, the focus remains on his connection with Israel, not on his new life in Egypt.

The names Joseph chooses for his two sons reflect his attitude about his new life in Egypt. He calls his first son Manasseh—a pun on the Hebrew word meaning “cause to forget”—explaining that God has helped him to forget his horrid separation from his family.

He names his second son Ephraim, which relates to the Hebrew verb meaning “be fruitful,” explaining that “God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortune.”

These names emphasize his acceptance of God’s blessing even in the midst of his personal struggles.

C. Joseph’s Influence

After enduring years of wrongful imprisonment, Joseph found himself at the pinnacle of power in Egypt.

His story not only became an example for later Jews, it served as a narrative form for telling similar stories of God’s providence and faithfulness for Jews in foreign contexts. Daniel is taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar.

King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that troubles him deeply. He summons the wise men, but no one can tell him the meaning of his dream.

Daniel tells Arioch, the servant in charge of carrying out Nebuchadnezzar’s commands, that he can interpret the king’s dream.

After telling the king both his dream and its interpretation, Daniel is elevated to a position of high honor in the court. The king recognizes God’s providential action in Daniel’s life and credits God with the honor He deserves.

True to form, Daniel’s career in the court of a foreign king follows the same pattern as Joseph’s.

God’s sovereignty propels the dramatic development and resolution in both stories. Both Daniel and Joseph stand in awe of God’s character—as do the foreigners in whose courts they serve.

Nebuchadnezzar tells Daniel, “Truly your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings” (Dan 2:47). Pharaoh likewise recognized that Joseph was a man “in whom is the spirit of God” (Gen 41:37).

Conclusion

When we need encouragement to endure difficult times while trusting in God’s plan, we can find inspiration in the story of Joseph. Joseph illustrates how to endure hardship while maintaining trust and demonstrates how faithful perseverance paves the way for God to work His divine plan through our lives.

Joseph’s patient endurance leads to blessing—for himself, his family, Egypt, all those caught by famine, and the future nation of Israel. Had he not been imprisoned—wrongly, for standing true to his faith—Joseph may never have risen to prominence in Pharaoh’s court. God orchestrates our circumstances for His glory and His purpose. But we must be faithful and obedient to see those plans come to fruition.