Read with Me
Genesis 41:14-24 (HCSB)
Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said about you that you can hear a dream and interpret it.”
“I am not able to,” Joseph answered Pharaoh. “It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
So Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when seven well-fed, healthy-looking cows came up from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds. After them, seven other cows—ugly, very sickly, and thin—came up. I’ve never seen such ugly ones as these in all the land of Egypt. Then the thin, ugly cows ate the first seven well-fed cows. When they had devoured them, you could not tell that they had devoured them; their appearance was as bad as it had been before. Then I woke up. In my dream I had also seen seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, coming up on one stalk. After them, seven heads of grain—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind—sprouted up. The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this to the magicians, but no one can tell me what it means.”
Listen with Me
Joseph was now thirty years old. It had been thirteen years since he had been sold by his brothers into Egypt, and a good many of those years had been spent in the jail at Potiphar’s house. It had been two years since the cup bearer had been sent off with the plea to report his plight to the Pharaoh.
But finally, the summons came, and Joseph eagerly prepared to meet the king of Egypt, arguably the most powerful man of the time. He quickly shaved, bathed, and changed into fresh clothing.
Pharaoh looked deeply troubled when Joseph came into the room, but as he explained that he had had two troubling dreams that no one could interpret, Joseph’s mission became clear to him. This was the job God had called on him to do. And, of course, he knew that with God’s help, he could do it. Joseph had an opportunity to take all the credit which, if he was successful, might have seen him elevated to chief seer in Pharaoh’s court. But he pointed Pharaoh beyond himself to God, thus ensuring that God would be able to elevate him to even greater heights.
Pharaoh then shared the details of the dreams a second time. Aside from also sharing a couple of his emotional responses to the content of the dream, the details of the dreams themselves were identical. They had made such a powerful impression on him that the details had been etched into his mind.
Now the stage was set for this phase of God’s plan.
Pray with Me
Father it is impressive but not surprising how You had worked out every single detail in this step of Your plan. Even though Your prep work was hidden from human eyes, it was all moving forward just as You had predicted in the dreams You had given to Joseph thirteen years earlier (Genesis 37:5-11). It is so easy for us to lose heart and even to lose confidence in You when things seem to take longer than we planned. Help me, Lord, to continue to hold tightly to You, just as Joseph did, during the waiting times in my life. Amen.