Joseph Rises to Power

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Introduction

As we left last week, Joseph was still in Potiphar’s prison. He had been sold by his brothers as a slave, been accused of attempted rape and thrown in prison, and now he had been forgotten by a man who had the influence to get him out.

• But what has been the emphasis of Joseph’s time in Egypt so far? The text emphasizes God’s faithfulness and steadfast love to Joseph and his favor on Joseph to grant him favor in the eyes of those he was serving under.
  • Write on the board, “How can we know if Joseph really lived in Egypt?”
  We need to see Joseph as a key character, but God is the hero in this account. He is the one who is caring for Joseph and giving him favor among the Egyptians. God is providing the dreams and their interpretations. God is the one who deserves the honor.

  Today, we are going to look at how God was pleased to remove Joseph from his miserable circumstances. These are events that provide us with one of the best examples of God’s control over circumstances and his working all things according to his will.

Two Years Later

When we left Joseph, he had just interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s two court servants. As Joseph—enabled by God—predicted, the baker was hanged, and the cupbearer was restored to his post. Despite Joseph’s appeal, the cupbearer forgot about him until a pivotal event. “Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him” (Genesis 40:23).

Let’s read Genesis 41:1–36 together, looking for God’s presence in this passage. Divide the passage for class members to read aloud (possibly divide at 41:13).

• How long had Joseph been in prison? It had been more than the two years mentioned since Joseph had been there before the baker and cupbearer arrived.
• What leader received the dreams? He is identified only as Pharaoh, but this is likely Sesostris I (though many identify him as the much later Senusert II or others).
• What river was mentioned? The Nile.
• What was the spiritual significance of the Nile for the Egyptians? The Nile was a sacred river that represented the cycle of life with its annual flooding providing the fertility of the valley.
• How did the Egyptians view Pharaoh? He was acknowledged as a god (or at least a son of the gods).
• How many dreams did Pharaoh have? Two.
• Over how many nights did the dreams occur? They both occurred in the same night according to verse 5.
• What were the parallel ideas in the dreams? Both featured seven fat things being consumed by seven thin things.
• What was Pharaoh’s demeanor in the morning? The text says “his spirit was troubled.”
• What did he do in the morning? He called for the magicians and wise men of Egypt to interpret the dreams.
• What was their interpretation? None of them was able to interpret the dreams.
• Who was responsible for bringing Joseph back into the picture? The chief cupbearer.
• What did he remember? He remembered the Hebrew who had interpreted his dream accurately.
• How was he feeling at that moment? The cupbearer called his actions “offenses,” so there seems to have been some regret at forgetting to bring Joseph’s plight to Pharaoh’s attention, as Joseph had asked.
• Why was Pharaoh compelled to call for Joseph? Pharaoh hoped that since the man had accurately interpreted the other dreams, he might be able to interpret his dreams.
• Was Pharaoh’s command urgent? Since he was brought “quickly,” the command was urgent.
• How did Joseph prepare for his appearance? He shaved and changed his clothes.
• How was Joseph’s place of imprisonment described? It was called the pit.
• How did Joseph respond when asked if he could interpret dreams? He deferred and acknowledged that God was able to offer the interpretation.
• How did Joseph refer to God as he spoke to Pharaoh? He called him God. The Hebrew text indicates “Elohim” was used.
• What kind of answer did Joseph anticipate? He said that God would give a favorable answer. Other translations use “an answer of peace.” It seems to indicate that Pharaoh’s mind would be put at ease concerning the dreams, not that the answer would make Pharaoh happy.
• Were the dreams distinct from one another? Joseph says they were one (v. 25).
• What does it mean that the dream was repeated? It was sure to happen and would happen soon (v. 32). God was about to do what he had revealed to Pharaoh (v. 25).
• What did the fat cows and the fat ears of grain represent? They each represented seven years of bountiful crops.
• What did the skinny cows and ears of grain represent? They each represented seven years of famine.
• How was the famine described in verses 30–31? It would be severe and would consume the land and would use up any resources that the years of plenty could provide.
• What did Joseph do after he offered the interpretation? He went on to tell Pharaoh how he should appoint overseers and organize to prepare for the coming famine by reserving grain in the plentiful years.
• What type of man did Joseph propose for the role of overseer? He suggested a “discerning and wise man” to be overseer.

Discover the Truth

Finally! Joseph has been removed from the prison and given the opportunity to stand before Pharaoh. The dreams given to Pharaoh by God had been used to remind the cupbearer of his forgotten obligation.

• How did Joseph respond to Pharaoh’s suggestion that he could interpret dreams? Joseph was quick to point away from his own ability, pointing to God as the source of the interpretations. He was not seeking his own glory, but giving God the honor.
• Is this a standard response we would expect from most people? Many people would seek their own glory in the ability to perform such a task. This is part of our sinful nature, seeking our glory rather than God’s.

  Joseph openly acknowledged that his ability was not of himself, but of the God he served. He did not pretend to have some power within himself, as we can imagine the wise men and magicians of Pharaoh’s court did. He pointed away from himself and to God. Standing in front of the man who claimed to be a god, Joseph pointed to the true God who had not only revealed the future, but was able to bring it to pass.

• If Pharaoh were a god or the son of a god, should he have needed to have an interpreter tell him the meaning of his dreams? If dreams come from the spiritual realm, then a god would not need an interpreter. To acknowledge that a foreigner had the ability to interpret the dream implied that a foreign god was able to have influence over Pharaoh. This was a demonstration of God’s power over all nations, not just the promised land.

  From this section, we can see that there is one true God who is sovereign over all. He gives the dreams. He gives the interpretations. He orchestrates the activities of men to bring about his purposes. He is the only one worthy of worship and honor.

The Dreams Come to Pass

Now we get to look at Pharaoh’s response. How is he going to react to this Hebrew who just got pulled out of a prison? Will he really trust this foreign deity? Let’s read the rest of Genesis 41:37–57 to see how it played out. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• What two things did Pharaoh commend Joseph for? He acknowledged Joseph’s discernment and wisdom.
• Did Pharaoh acknowledge God’s (Elohim’s) hand in the events? Yes.
• What did Pharaoh recognize was “in” Joseph? Pharaoh recognized the Spirit of God was in him.
• Was Pharaoh referring to the third person of the Trinity? While he used the phrasing we would find in the New Testament, he was not identifying the Holy Spirit, but acknowledging that God was with Joseph.

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  How does this compare to the description of Daniel in Daniel 4:8–9 and 5:10–12? Daniel is described by Nebuchadnezzar and the queen as having great wisdom and knowledge since the “spirit of the gods” was with him.
• Did Pharaoh offer Joseph a proposal or give him a command? He did not ask for Joseph’s permission, but simply said, “You shall be over my house.”
• What was Pharaoh’s command to Joseph? He set Joseph as second in command over Egypt.
• How did Pharaoh signify Joseph’s authority? He gave him a signet ring, denoting his authority to speak and act on Pharaoh’s behalf, dressed him in fine clothing, put a gold chain on his neck, and had him ride in his second chariot.
• How were the people expected to respond to Joseph? They were to bow the knee before Joseph to honor him.
• What happened to Joseph’s name? Pharaoh changed it to Zaphenath-paneah.
• What did this name mean? Have students refer to the study notes in their Bibles. It meant something along the lines of “The Nourisher of the two Lands, the Living One,” or “The Savior of the Lands,” though the exact meaning is not clear.
• How else was Joseph rewarded by Pharaoh? He was given a wife from a priest’s family, showing him honor and establishing him in Pharaoh’s court.
• How old was Joseph at this point? He was 30 (v. 46), so he had been in Egypt for 13 years since he was 17 when his brothers sold him (Genesis 37:2).
• Did the seven years of abundance happen as Joseph had prophesied? Yes (v. 47.)
• How much grain was preserved? Every city had so much grain stored that they stopped trying to measure it.
• What simile is used to describe the quantity of grain? Like the sand of the sea.
• What happened in Joseph’s life during the seven years of plenty? He had two sons.
• How did the names of his sons relate to his experiences? Manasseh means “forgetful,” so he connected that name to forgetting his trials in Egypt and his father’s house in Canaan (v. 51). Ephraim means “fruitful,” so his was acknowledging God’s blessing of children in the foreign land.
• Did the seven years of famine happen as Joseph had prophesied? Yes (v. 54).
• How extensive was the famine? It covered all of Egypt, as well as the surrounding nations (v. 57).
• What expression is used in verse 57 to describe the extent of the famine? “All the earth” is used twice to describe those who came to buy grain from Egypt.
• Does that mean that people came from China and Mexico to buy grain? No, the expression “all the earth” is a use of hyperbole to emphasize the extent of the famine. We must take care to identify literary devices in the text. Passages like this are used by skeptics to assert that the Bible contains errors.
• How did Pharaoh respond when the people of Egypt came to him for food? He sent them to Joseph to do what he told them.
• How did Joseph meet the needs of the people? He sold them the grain for food.

Discover the Truth

• In light of all that we have read today, who gets the credit for saving so many people from the famine? We should first point to God as the one who revealed the coming famine to Pharaoh and who gave Joseph the interpretation of the dreams. Additionally, we can point back to God’s favor in Joseph’s life to bring him to the position where the Hebrew shepherd boy would have an audience with Pharaoh. God must also be credited for Joseph’s wisdom in promoting the solution. However, Pharaoh still had to consent to the plan and establish Joseph over the plan he proposed. And Joseph still had to act in obedience to God.

  What is obvious in this passage is that God is guiding all that is happening, but man is still responsible to act. There is often a tension in theological discussions about God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, but both are true at the same time. God was blessing and guiding Joseph, knowing that he would bring the years of plenty and famine. Joseph was walking in obedience even in a foreign land, honoring God with his life and seeking to carry out God’s plans.

  If you want to read about how Joseph dealt with the people of Egypt in the years of famine, you will find it in Genesis 47:13–26. It is quite an interesting account that ends with all of the people in Egypt as slaves to Pharaoh with no land or cattle of their own. The grain they gave to the government was sold back to them and then given to them for the price of their own servitude.

Remains of Joseph Activity

We are going to look at some apologetic material regarding Joseph. As we trust the Bible to be an accurate account of history, we should expect what we find in the world around us to correspond to the Bible. When it comes to history, we should expect to find archaeological evidence of peoples and cultures mentioned in the Bible. So what about Joseph? He was a significant person in Egyptian history, so is there any archaeological evidence?

Pass out the Remains of Joseph worksheets. Look at the evidence given on this sheet, and we will discuss it in a few minutes . Have the students work in groups and prepare to show them the image of Joseph’s Canal.

Connect to the Truth

As we look at each of these evidences, we can see their possible relationship to Joseph.

Show the image of Joseph’s Canal to the students. This lake is known as Lake Moeris (or Birket Qarun) and is supplied by a remnant of Joseph’s Canal (Bahr Yussef), which was a long canal constructed in the 12th Dynasty of Egypt, possibly under the direction of Joseph, to relieve the famine. It runs parallel to the Nile River, flowing from a dam at the modern city of Assiut. The canal flows over 200 miles to the Faiyum Oasis and supplies the farmlands along the way with water. We must ask why this canal would bear the name of Joseph today if it had nothing to do with him.

In light of all of this, there is much disagreement about whether these people and descriptions line up with Joseph’s time in Egypt. Most secular historians and archaeologists would reject these based on their own dates, but we must look to the Bible as the true source and not man’s ideas about history. Several historians and archaeologists have worked hard to realign the Egyptian chronologies and have suggested various timelines that seek to align the biblical figures and dynasties with the ones we know from Scripture. The closer we get to the time of Abraham, the more challenging this task becomes. The plundering of artifacts and wearing effects of time have taken their toll on the evidence that once existed.

If time allows, ask the students to look in their Bibles’ study notes to see if any of them identifies the Pharaoh Joseph served under. There will likely be disagreement between various Bibles, and some may even suggest several options.

Despite the uncertainty, we can be sure that Joseph did the things recorded in Genesis because we can trust the God who has revealed these things to us. Maybe one day there will be more agreement or even a significant find that adds clarity. Maybe one of you could be a part of that discovery!

Application

Joseph had been through many trials, but he had finally come out from under the yoke of slavery and imprisonment he had been under for 13 years. But through it all, he had trusted God. Undoubtedly, he had moments of doubt and struggled to understand why all of this was happening, but he would be able to look back and see God’s good plan in all of it.

God had given Joseph the ability to interpret dreams and the wisdom to provide a plan for Pharaoh. And Joseph had acted humbly and faithfully through this time. Next week, we will look more at Joseph’s life and how he fits into the larger storyline of God’s redemptive plan.

Let us make sure that we think of how we can apply these ideas as we leave and go out into the world we live in. We want to make sure that we are not merely hearing the Word, but seeking to be doers of what we read in it.

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  What attributes of God did we see in the passage today, and how was each displayed? Discuss various answers, focusing on God’s sovereignty.
• As you look back over Joseph’s life so far, what themes do you see in the text? Discuss various answers. One clear theme is the injustice he faced and how he trusted God in his trials. Another is God’s blessing that gave him favor in the eyes of those he served.
• As we consider Joseph’s life, can we look at what happened to him and say that everyone who faithfully follows God will receive the same type of exaltation? While we know that God is able to exalt anyone he pleases, and Joseph is an example of this, we cannot expect this of God. If we find ourselves being treated unjustly for the sake of Christ, we can cry out to God for relief, but we must always trust his plans. We have other examples in Scripture and in church history that show things ending badly (consider Hebrews 11 for examples of both “good” and “bad” endings). Knowing that we are in Christ, we have the ultimate hope of vindication in the gospel. Whether we see that vindication in this life or the next, God will repay all injustice in his time and in his way.
• Why is there such scant historical and archaeological evidence for Joseph? Because Joseph was a foreigner in Egypt and considering that 3,700 years have passed, we should not expect much physical evidence. Evidence like writing on papyrus and other items is likely to have been destroyed in that time. But we do still have a record of Joseph’s life in God’s Word, the most trustworthy historical source.
• How does the scarcity of the evidence impact how you might use Joseph as an example? Most people are going to doubt the evidence for Joseph in Egypt, especially having heard from many sources that Joseph was not real or that the exodus never really happened. The scant physical evidence should not deter us from pointing to the Bible as a reliable source of truth. We should not leave our Bibles out of the discussion, but Joseph is certainly not one of the best examples to use if you are relying on archaeological evidence alone.
• In what ways does the evidence for Joseph’s existence in Egypt encourage you to trust the Bible? Discuss various answers, remembering that the Bible is enough, but that the additional records can be reassuring.

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class before you dismiss them.

• Praise God for his power to provide redemption in any circumstance we find ourselves in.
• Ask God for patience in trials.
• Thank God for his Word and the hope that it gives us.