Egypt

Key Phrase: “God has made me master over all the land of Egypt.”

Intro

Joseph saves his family and the nation of Egypt through a special ability from God to interpret dreams. Because of this ability Joseph rises to power in Egypt and understands that God worked to save his family through his brothers’ cruelty. Joseph forgives his brothers and brings his entire family into the protection and safety of Egypt during a famine. The families of the sons of Jacob grow into a mighty Hebrew people who become feared by the Pharaohs.

Joseph's story is a parallel of Jesus' story. Both are mistreated, though they did nothing wrong to deserve it and both are sold, Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, Joseph for twenty. Both forgive their brothers. Both serve those around them and reveal the meaning of God’s message. Joseph reigns at the right hand of the ruler of Egypt; Jesus reigns at the right hand of the ruler of everything. Joseph saved the people from physical death; Jesus saves from spiritual death. These parallels to the life, mission and position of Jesus make Joseph an interesting picture of Jesus.

Egypt

 Genesis 41:1 Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.2 In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. 3 Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank. 4 Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.

5 But he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain, plump and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. 6 Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind. 7 And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.

8 The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant.

9 Finally, the king’s chief cup-bearer spoke up. “Today I have been reminded of my failure,” he told Pharaoh. . .

11 One night the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning.12 There was a young Hebrew man with us in the prison who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he told us what each of our dreams meant. 13 And everything happened just as he had predicted. I was restored to my position as cup-bearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole.”

14 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. 15 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.”

16 “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” . . .

25 . . . “Both of Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. . .

29 The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. 30But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land. . .

 33 “Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. 34 Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. . .

36 That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.” . . .

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. 40 You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”

 41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.” . . .

 47 As predicted, for seven years the land produced bumper crops. . .

 53 At last the seven years of bumper crops throughout the land of Egypt came to an end. . .

54 Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. The famine also struck all the surrounding countries, but throughout Egypt there was plenty of food. . .

[…back in Canaan…]

Genesis 42:1 When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another? 2 I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise we’ll die.”  . . .

[…back in Egypt…]

6 Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground. . .

8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him. . .

Genesis 45:4 “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. 5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. . .

8 So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser[1] to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt. . .

9 “Now hurry back to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me master over all the land of Egypt. So come down to me immediately! . . .

Genesis 46:1  So Jacob[2] set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.

Connect

The trail continues as the family grows to be a multitude of people and a different king of Egypt no longer remembers how God used Joseph to save Egypt.

Footnotes

[1] Genesis 45:8 Hebrew a father.

[2] Genesis 46:1 Hebrew Israel; also in 46:29, 30. See note on 35:21.