Pharaoh had two dreams that his people could not interpret. This devotional reading looks at who he got to interpret them – Joseph.
Nuggets
- Pharaoh called for Joseph to be brought to him.
- Giving credit where credit is due, Pharaoh should get points for admitting the magicians and wise men were stymied.
- Pharaoh retold the dreams — with commentary this time.
- Joseph interprets the dreams not based on what Pharaoh already understands and adds what Jehovah is telling him.
- Make no mistake – the prophecy of the dreams will come true soon.
Joseph had asked one thing of the cupbearer when he interpreted his dream, “Remember me (Gen. 40: 14). Help me get out of here.”
The day came when the cupbearer remembered. Joseph was called upon to interpret two dreams for Pharaoh.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Joseph the Savior of Israel series
Joseph before Pharaoh
“Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.’ ‘It is beyond my power to do this,’ Joseph replied. ‘But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.’ So Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. ‘In my dream,’ he said, ‘I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. But then I saw seven sick-looking cows, scrawny and thin, come up after them. I’ve never seen such sorry-looking animals in all the land of Egypt. These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows. But afterward you wouldn’t have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up. In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, full and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were blighted, shriveled, and withered by the east wind. And the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they mean’” (Gen. 41: 14-24 NLT)
Pharaoh Sent for Joseph at Once
Pharaoh called for Joseph to be brought to him.
We probably think Joseph was cleaned up to be presented to Pharaoh because he had been in prison for more than two years. We would expect him to be rough and unkempt looking.
True, there was no way Joseph was going to have a royal audience looking like a prisoner!
In reality, Joseph was shaved and clothed due to a cultural requirement. He was being made presentable for an audience with the Pharaoh.The problem was that he looked non-Egyptian — and that had to change.
Hebrew men usually had beards because it was a sign of maturity. Egyptians didn’t — and priests even removed body hair for spiritual purity.
Remember when Joseph got the tunic from Jacob, we said it represented status. The clothes put on Joseph also reflected purity and readiness.
Do you get it? Joseph was being adapted to meet Egyptian expectations.
It didn’t matter that Joseph no longer looked like a Hebrew. He was still obedient to Jehovah.
Jehovah expects us to live righteously regardless of the circumstances we are and how the world tries to change us. He wants us to be true to Him regardless of what the world is telling us.
From the start, Joseph gave Sovereign God the credit for the dream interpretations.
Joseph knew that Jehovah never left him. He knew He would supply the interpretation because He was the one to send the dream.
No One Could Tell Me What They Mean
Giving credit where credit is due, Pharaoh should get points for admitting the magicians and wise men were stymied.
We kind of hammered home in the last devotion the contrast between the Ancient Near East’s dream interpretation system and Joseph’s. Those who interpreted dreams were usually priests, magicians, and trained diviners.
Pharaoh said that he had asked the magicians to interpret the dream. The Hebrew word for magician is ḥarṭummîm (חַרְטֻמִּים). These were the learned priestly class attached to the royal court. This class included elite court scholars, experts in sacred texts, dream interpreters, and practitioners of ritual and divination. In other words, this one group had multiple functions.
Priests, as would be expected, were trained in temple knowledge. This included reading omens, interpreting dreams, performing rituals, and consulting divine will.
Pharaoh also called the wise men – ḥăkāmîm (חֲכָמִים). They were the advisors, scholars, and counselors.
We can’t miss this. Pharaoh asked anyone he thought could interpret the dreams to give it a shot. Their best-trained experts had no answer.
Human wisdom (even at its highest level) could not access what Jehovah revealed. God may reveal broadly, but understanding comes through His people.
Joseph immediately gave the glory to Jehovah. He refused any credit for the interpretations.
We can see this by Joseph not making a huge speech. He didn’t explain how he would know the interpretation was correct.
Instead, Joseph basically said, “Believe what I am going to tell you.”
What stands out here is Joseph’s humility. Here he was standing — physically alone — in front of the royal court of Egypt. He didn’t swing the conversation to himself at all.
Joseph knew the famine, the dreams, and the interpretations were all about Jehovah.
We see Joseph remaining calm in light of Pharaoh’s disturbed mind.
I had a dream last night
Pharaoh retold the dreams — with commentary this time.
When Moses recorded Pharaoh having the dream, he didn’t include anything but the basics of the dreams. Those were included when Pharaoh recounted the dreams for Joseph. He put in his feelings and his reactions.
Pharaoh added more commentary on the version he told Joseph. The sick cows were the thinnest he had ever seen. They ate, and it didn’t change anything. The heads of grain weren’t just shriveled and withered — they were blighted.
Let’s think about this. Sin is a disease. “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed” (I Pet. 2: 24 NLT).
Sin, like disease, takes a toll on the body. It can present itself from tiredness after excessive partying to physical changes caused by alcoholism and drug abuse.
The added part I especially like is that the sick cows and the healthy cows. The sick cows — after they had good by them a while — ate the healthy cows — and didn’t change! We see the bright and shiny aspects of sin, get amine to it, and think it will beautify and change our lives for the better.
In reality, sin doesn’t add beauty — it takes it away. It makes our lives worse because it separates us from You.
The Dreams’ Interpretations
“Joseph responded, ‘Both of Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity. The seven thin, scrawny cows that came up later and the seven thin heads of grain, withered by the east wind, represent seven years of famine. This will happen just as I have described it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land. This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased. As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen” (Gen. 41: 25-32 NLT)
Years of Prosperity and Years of Famine
Joseph interpreted the dreams based on what Pharaoh already understood and added what Jehovah was telling him.
We said in the last devotion that Pharaoh would understand this was about economy and survival. What Joseph added was that Jehovah had decided this was coming.
Pharaoh would immediately understand the seriousness of this.
The sick cows not changing after eating the fat cows meant that the famine wouldn’t be relieved. It would consume everything.
As for Having Two Similar Dreams
Make no mistake – the prophecy of the dreams would come true soon.
This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen two dreams occurring at the same time. Joseph had had two dreams in Genesis 37. There were two dreams on the same night in Genesis 40 – the cupbearer’s dream and the baker’s dream.
This time, Pharaoh had two dreams.
Joseph knew the reason for that. He said that the matter was established by Jehovah.
It was going to happen exactly as Jehovah said it would.
Making the Connections #1
Leale made a great observation. He said that Joseph didn’t owe Pharaoh anything. When he summoned him from prison, it wasn’t to release him.
The summons was only to get the dreams interpreted.
Joseph wasn’t even indebted to the cupbearer. I mean, the man forgot about him for two years! If he hadn’t known about Pharaoh’s dreams, he still wouldn’t have remembered!!!!
This was Jehovah controlling the circumstances from beginning to end.
Resource
It is easy to assume that this was a judgment from Jehovah. It may have been. It may not have been.
Either way, it was Jehovah taking care of His creation.
Making the Connections #2
Leale talked about how Joseph was a true prophet. He was bold, direct, and entrusted with authority.
Resource
Joseph didn’t fear the man who held his existence in his hand. Face it, if Pharaoh hadn’t like what Joseph said, he could have had him executed.
In spite of that, Joseph laid it all out.
How Do We Apply This?
- Give Jehovah the credit.
- Be humble.
- Speak truth without fear.
- Trust Jehovah’s revelation.
- Be ready when Jehovah calls.
Father God. Thank You for reminding us that wisdom does not come from us, but from You. Help us to be like Joseph — humble in every situation and quick to give You the credit for what You do in and through us. Amen.
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