Walking in the Light of Christ – Genesis 41-42

“Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So, Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So, Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. Now 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 its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.” Genesis 41:1-8

“People born blind don’t ‘see’ darkness or black. They experience nothingness, an absence of visual sensation, similar to what you might perceive with your elbow, relying instead on rich sensory details like touch, sound, smell, and spatial awareness to understand the world. They describe objects by their tactile properties (shape, texture, weight, temperature) and auditory cues, forming mental ‘pictures’ based on non-visual information.” [1]

Vision is a wonderful gift from God. Pharoah was gifted by God to see while awake and while asleep. While sleeping, the Lord took him to a riverside and showed him 14 cows. While he watched, seven skinny cows ate seven fat cows. Imagine that! That had to be disturbing. He woke up, realized it was a dream, and went back to sleep. The Lord showed him seven sickly stalks of grain eating seven healthy ones. He woke up again. The imagery of sickly things consuming healthy things unsettled him. He asked his magicians and wise men for an interpretation. They had nothing to offer him.

“Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: ‘I remember my faults this day. When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.” Genesis 41:9-13

Pharoah’s previously incarcerated butler was able to give Pharoah a lead. The Lord brought Joseph to his mind. Joseph had accurately interpreted two dreams before.

“Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.’ So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.’” Genesis 41:14-16

The Lord summoned Joseph from his prison to a kingly court via the Pharoah. I’m so glad that one day, the Lord will summon me and all who believe in him from this sinful dark world into His glorious kingdom of light and love. Joseph was cleaned up and had a new garment to put on. When Joseph stood before the most powerful earthly king of that day, he testified for God, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharoah an answer of peace.” By God’s grace, Joseph was saved. Joseph believed that God would give him the interpretation of the dream before he even heard it because he was trusting in God’s power not his own.

“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: ‘Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So, I awoke. Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good. Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So, I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

“Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years. The dreams are one. And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.’” Genesis 41:17-32

“God will shortly bring it to pass.” Jesus spoke a similar word to the world through his servant John. Revelation 1:1 says, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must soon take place.” Revelation 22:6 says, “And He said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.” As sure as Pharoah’s dreams came to pass, so shall the visions revealed by Jesus in the Book of Revelation come to pass.

“’Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect 1/5 of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.’ So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.’ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.’” Genesis 41:33-41

Joseph did not stop speaking after he finished interpreting the dream. The Lord revealed to Joseph the interpretation of the dream and the plan to rescue the world from starvation all in a moment. He got a spiritual download from God. The Pharoah knew it. The Pharoah told his servants that the Spirit of God was in Joseph. He told Joseph, “God has shown you all this.” The Pharoah placed a former overseer of his dungeon in-charge of his palace and of his people.

“Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, ‘Bow the knee!’ So, he set him over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh also said to Joseph, ‘I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.’ And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So, Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 41:42-45

The signet ring was the ring with which Pharoah stamped documents and decrees as approved by him. He clothed Joseph in royal garments and decorated him with gold. His chariot followed Pharoah’s chariot during public processions. The Egyptians bowed their knees to him. Joseph had absolute authority over all activities in Egypt. Pharoah gave Joseph an Egyptian name and wife to indicate to all his citizens that this man was one of them and approved by him.

What a beautiful picture of salvation! At one moment, a soul is in a dark dungeon. Bound by sin! No way out! Then, a great king calls the soul out from the darkness into his marvelous light. He gives the soul a new garment and enriches his supplies. He tells everyone that this soul is now one of His. God gave Joseph the power and opportunity to give the right answer, and then, rewarded him for it. God is good!

1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

“Joseph was 30 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. Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly. So 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. He laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. Joseph gathered very much grain as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.” Genesis 41:46-49

Joseph was 30 years old when his worldwide ministry began. Luke 3:23 says that Jesus was 30 years old when He began His earthly ministry. God anointed Joseph to feed hungry people. Jesus was anointed of the Holy Spirit to feed thousands of people at a time. Jesus provided bread and fish for their stomachs and the bread of life and living water for their souls.

“And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: ‘For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.’ And the name of the second he called Ephraim: ‘For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.’

Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.’ The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.” Genesis 41:50-57

Joseph experienced God’s favor, so much so that he gave his sons names to reflect his gratitude towards God. His own brothers betrayed him and made him suffer greatly. But God turned what was meant for evil into a blessing for Joseph. God’s blessings during the latter days of Joseph’s life far outweighed the pain his brothers afflicted on him earlier in his life.

When people cried to Pharoah for bread, he told them to go to Joseph and to do whatever Joseph told them to do. This is the kind of witnesses we should be for Jesus. When people cry out for help, say to them, “Go to Jesus Christ. Whatever He says to you, do it!”

“When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, ‘Why do you look at one another?’ And he said, ‘Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.’ So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, ‘Lest some calamity befall him.’ And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.” Genesis 42:1-5

Jacob had 10 sons looking at each other for someone to be the first one to do something about their ever diminishing food supplies. Jacob tells them that the food is in Egypt. Go to the store. Get some groceries. He withheld Benjamin from going with them. Benjamin was Rachel’s son.

“Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, ‘Where do you come from?’ And they said, ‘From the land of Canaan to buy food.’ So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.” Genesis 42:6-8

Now, Joseph had the opportunity to destroy his evil brothers. What would Joseph do?

“Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, ‘You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!’ And they said to him, ‘No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.’ But he said to them, ‘No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.’ And they said, ‘Your servants are 12 brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.’ But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!’ So he put them all together in prison three days.” Genesis 42:9-17

The Lord reminded Joseph of his previous prophetic dreams about his brothers bowing to him. Now, he would follow the Lord’s directions to see that prophetic dream through to the end.

Joseph’s brothers were ranchers on the verge of starvation. His dress and living space was that of a king. What’s more, he had the authority of a king to charge them with suspected crimes, imprison and execute them. Their trip to the grocery store turned into a nightmare.

“Then Joseph said to them the third day, ‘Do this and live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. And bring your youngest brother to me; so, your words will be verified, and you shall not die.’ And they did so. Then they said to one another, ‘We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore, this distress has come upon us.’ And Reuben answered them, saying, ‘Did I not speak to you, saying, do not sin against the boy; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.’ But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.” Genesis 42:18-24

There’s an allusion to the three days of Jesus in the tomb and of the resurrection in the fact that Joseph imprisoned his brothers for three days and then, said to them on “the third day, ‘Do this and live.’”

Joseph witnessed to his brothers saying, “I fear God.” His goal was to help them to do the same.

Joseph was led by God’s Spirit to convict his brothers of their sins and to lead them to repentance. This is the work that Jesus (the Word of God) and the Holy Spirit do in the lives of sinners to save them from sin, and from the consequences of sin. Reuben was convicted of sin and confessed that conviction to his brothers. Joseph did not delight in their sorrow, but he did want them to repent of their sins, as he did, and experience God as he did.

“Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus, he did for them. So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. So he said to his brothers, ‘My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!’ Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, ‘What is this that God has done to us?’” Genesis 42:25-28

In 2 Corinthians 12:14, Paul told his readers, “For I do not seek yours, but you.” Joseph was not interested in what his brothers could do for him. He wanted to do something for them. He had their money placed back in their sacks. How does this impact them? Their hearts feel like they are about to stop beating they are so afraid. They asked, “What has God done to us?”

“Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: ‘The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. We are 12 brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’ Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. And bring your youngest brother to me; so, I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. And Jacob their father said to them, ‘You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.’ Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, ‘Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.’ But he said, ‘My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’” Genesis 42:29-38

Reuben offered the lives of his two sons in an exchange for the lives of Joseph and Benjamin, that is, if anything happened to Benjamin during their trip to Egypt. This act relates to one’s debt of sin being paid off by the sacrifice of another who doesn’t deserve to die.

In a sense, Joseph died, resurrected and became lord over his brothers. He is a type of Christ because God chose to anoint him to be such a person. God called Joseph into His marvelous light and in God’s light Joseph’s spiritually blind eyes could see God’s purposes.

1 John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light, as He [God] is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Amen!