Day 14: Genesis 40-42

(The previous post began the presentation of the story of Joseph. Within that post was one chapter covering Judah and Tamar because the events continued the lineage of Christ. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and ended up in Pharaoh's prison.)

Genesis 40
¹ And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt.

(We have no time frame for Joseph's time in Potiphar's house and in prison. The story now introduced two new characters: the butler and the baker.)

² And Pharaoh was wroth against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
³ And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
⁴ And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he ministered unto them: and they continued a season in ward.

(The butler and baker were put under Joseph's charge, by the captain of the guard. Potiphar was the captain of the guard! Notice also, Joseph ministered (served) to the men that were put in his care.)

⁵ And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.

(Both the butler and the baker had a dream.)

⁶ And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and saw them, and, behold, they were sad.
⁷ And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in ward in his master's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sad to-day?
⁸ And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray you.

(Interpretations belong to God. Joseph recognized this was a gift of God through him and stated this to others.)

⁹ And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
¹⁰ and in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and its blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
¹¹ and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.
¹² And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days;
¹³ within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and restore thee unto thine office: and thou shalt give Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.
¹⁴ But have me in thy remembrance when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:

(Joseph interpreted the butler's dream. The dream was good news for the butler. Joseph wanted the butler to remember him when things got better.)

¹⁵ for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.

(Joseph was blameless.)

¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head:
¹⁷ and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of baked food for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.
¹⁸ And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: the three baskets are three days;
¹⁹ within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
²⁰ And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and the head of the chief baker among his servants.

(Joseph interpreted the baker's dream. The dream was tragic news for the baker.)

²¹ And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand:
²² but he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
²³ Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.

(Joseph's interpretations were correct. However, the butler forgot Joseph.)




Genesis 41

(This chapter was similar to Daniel's circumstances in Daniel 2.)

¹ And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.

(The ungodly king (Pharaoh) had a dream.)

² And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, well-favored and fat-fleshed; and they fed in the reed-grass.

(Kine meant "cow; heifer.")

³ And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.
⁴ And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.
⁵ And he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of grain came up upon one stalk, rank and good.

(Pharaoh had a second dream.)

⁶ And, behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.
⁷ And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
⁸ And 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 the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

(None of the ungodly king's wise men could help with the dream.)

⁹ Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:
¹⁰ Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker:
¹¹ and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.
¹² And there was with us there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.
¹³ And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

(The butler told the king about a man who had the ability to interpret dreams...)

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

(Joseph made sure his appearance before the king was pleasing to the king and one that truly represented God. Joseph may have also known this was his moment where God would equal out Justice, so him taking the time to improve his appearance could be seen as an act of faith.)

¹⁵ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that when thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it.
¹⁶ And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

(Again Joseph said God would give an answer to the dream. Peace in this verse meant "completeness, soundness." So, Joseph was saying "I am not the one who will give you the answer, God will and the answer will be complete." Joseph also implied God would give the king an answer because he was a king, just like Daniel did in Daniel 2:29)

¹⁷ And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the brink of the river:
¹⁸ and, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fat-fleshed and well-favored: and they fed in the reed-grass:
¹⁹ and, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill-favored and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:
²⁰ and the lean and ill-favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:
²¹ and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
²² And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up upon one stalk, full and good:
²³ and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
²⁴ and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears: and I told it unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.

(Pharaoh accurately retold both dreams and included that his own men could not interpret the dream.)

²⁵ And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: what God is about to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh.

(Both dreams meant the same thing. They were prophetic of what God was about to do.)

²⁶ The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.
²⁷ And the seven lean and ill-favored kine that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they shall be seven years of famine.

(God was telling Pharaoh there would be seven years of famine. However, they would have seven years of plenty in order to prepare for the famine. What would Pharaoh do?)

²⁸ That is the thing which I spake unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do he hath showed unto Pharaoh.

(Joseph established that he had interpreted the dream. Next, Joseph specifically applied the dreams...)

²⁹ Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
³⁰ and there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
³¹ and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine which followeth; for it shall be very grievous.
³² And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

(God showed Pharaoh two dreams so he would know it was important and that it was from God.)

³³ Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
³⁴ Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.
³⁵ And let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.
³⁶ And the food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

(Joseph gave Pharaoh a strategy.)

³⁷ And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
³⁸ And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is?

(The king recognized the interpreter of his dreams had the Spirit of God in him. As with Daniel and all the godly people presented to us in the Bible: Joseph first helped the person (king), then the person (king) was led to recognizing God.)

³⁹ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all of this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou:
⁴⁰ thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

(Pharaoh put Joseph in charge and made him #2 of all Egypt. Joseph's excellent appearance certainly did not hurt Pharaoh's ability to see Joseph as his representative.)

⁴¹ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
⁴² And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
⁴³ and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he set him over all the land of Egypt.

(The phrase "Bow the knee" came from the Egyptian word abrech. This word was not referring to a physical bowing down but it symbolized either a "father" or "native prince." The Egyptians saw Joseph as an authority and as an Egyptian. This can be seen as the Egyptians stating to Joseph that he was their "father.")

⁴⁴ And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.
⁴⁵ And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

(Pharaoh gave Joseph a new name according to the king's culture. Zaphenath-paneah meant "treasury of the glorious rest." Abram, Jacob, and Joseph were all renamed. Joseph was not referred to by the king's name during the rest of the story.)

⁴⁶ And 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.

(Joseph was twenty-eight years old when he interpreted the butler's dream. Joseph spent a combined thirteen years in Potiphar's house and prison. Joseph was thirty years old when he was called into Pharaoh's service. Notice, Rabbi's in Israel were also called into service at thirty years old, which made Joseph a "type of Christ.")

⁴⁷ And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.
⁴⁸ And 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: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.
⁴⁹ And Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left off numbering; for it was without number.
⁵⁰ And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bare unto him.
⁵¹ And Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh: For, said he, God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.

(Manasseh meant "he forgot the bad times." This represented death.)

⁵² And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.

(Ephraim meant "he is fruitful in the good times." This represented life/resurrection.)

⁵³ And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to an end.
⁵⁴ And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Joseph had said: and there was famine in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

(Joseph's strategy worked. Egypt had bread during the famine.)

⁵⁵ And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.

(Pharaoh stood by his word and directed his people to Joseph.)

⁵⁶ And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the store-houses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the land of Egypt.
⁵⁷ And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was sore in all the earth.

(Joseph's strategy led to Egypt growing in wealth during the famine.)




Genesis 42
¹ Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
² And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

(Jacob sent his sons to Egypt so "that we may live, and not die." The famine reached the land of Canaan.)

³ And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy grain from Egypt.
⁴ But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest Peradventure harm befall him.

(Benjamin was not sent, just the ten sons who sold Joseph into slavery.)

⁵ And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
⁶ And Joseph was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the earth.
⁷ And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly with them; and he said unto them. Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

(Joseph acted differently so his brothers would not recognize him.)

⁸ And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
⁹ And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
¹⁰ And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
¹¹ We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
¹² And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
¹³ And they said, We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.

(Joseph repeatedly stressed them until they panicked and mentioned the youngest brother was with their father.)

¹⁴ And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:
¹⁵ hereby ye shall be proved: by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

(Joseph wanted to see his brother Benjamin. Was this because Joseph was trying to make his dream from Genesis 37:9 come to pass? Only ten of the "stars" were bowing down to him. In order for that dream to come to pass, he needed all eleven of the "stars" present so they could bow down to him. Or was it just because Joseph missed his brother Benjamin?)

¹⁶ Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be bound, that your words may be proved, whether there be truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.
¹⁷ And he put them all together into ward three days.

(Joseph started this process by negotiating that one of the brothers returned to fetch Benjamin. Then Joseph jailed his ten brothers for three days. Was this Justice for selling him into slavery for fifteen years?)

¹⁸ And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live: for I fear God:
¹⁹ if ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in your prison-house; but go ye, carry grain for the famine of your houses:
²⁰ and bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

(Joseph renegotiated and offered them a deal that involved him keeping only one of the brothers in jail while the other nine went back to Canaan.)

²¹ And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
²² And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is required.

(The brothers felt guilty for how they treated Joseph. All these years later, they weren't able to forget. Reuben essentially said, "I told you so!")

²³ And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.
²⁴ And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and he returned to them, and spake to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.

(Joseph took and bound Simeon right in front of the other nine brothers.)

²⁵ Then Joseph commanded to fill their vessels with grain, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provisions for the way: and thus was it done unto them.
²⁶ And they laded their asses with their grain, and departed thence.
²⁷ And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the lodging-place, he espied his money; and, behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.
²⁸ And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying, What is this that God hath done unto us?

(They were blessed and they were afraid of God.)

²⁹ And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that had befallen them, saying,
³⁰ The man, the lord of the land, spake roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.
³¹ And we said unto him, We are true men; and we are no spies:
³² we are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.
³³ And the man, the lord of the land, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men: leave one of your brethren with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way;
³⁴ and bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land.

(Joseph kept Simeon while they went to bring Benjamin back.)

³⁵ And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.
³⁶ And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

(Jacob was in distress. He was focused on himself. Was he referred to as Jacob instead of Israel because he was not handling this situation well?)

³⁷ And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.
³⁸ And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.

(Apparently, Reuben still felt guilty about selling Joseph and was willing to make up for it.)

(This post covered Joseph's promotion to Pharaoh's #2 man over all of Egypt. We also saw that Jacob sent all of his sons (except for Benjamin) to Egypt to buy food. Joseph, whom the brothers did not recognize, kept Simeon and told the rest of his brothers to bring Benjamin back to him.)

Day 15