The Ascent of a Prince

Two years after Joseph interpreted the dream for the royal butler, Pharaoh also had some dreams that seemed to be portents.  Seven fat cows eaten by seven skinny ones; seven healthy ears of grain consumed by seven puny ones… what could it mean?

First, notice a recurring theme that appears in Genesis 41:8 – the inadequacies of worldly wise men.  Pharaoh (like several monarchs after him) demanded answers from all who were known for knowing, but… they didn’t know.  It was then that the forgetful butler suddenly remembered what Joseph had done for him.  What timing!

So, after making himself presentable to the king, Joseph came in to hear the dreams.  And, when Pharaoh spoke of “his” ability, he was quick to deflect that flattering praise to its rightful recipient: God (Genesis 41:15-16).  Then he proceeded to unveil the secrets of God concerning the near future of Egypt and the world.  Seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of sever famine – that’s what they had coming.  

Commendably, Joseph didn’t stop after his Divine prognostications… he added some advice in keeping with his godly wisdom… “Find a diplomatic man who is smart enough to organize a team of bureaucrats who can tax the fruits of the land at a 20% level during the years of plenty so that there will be enough to sustain the population during the famine.”  Now, good leaders can appreciate good leadership skills, and the king saw it standing before him.  Wise men who have responsibilities crave advisors who can spot problems and supply viable solutions to them.  Joseph fit the bill.  He was hired on the spot.  With the momentary wise whim of a Pharaoh, Joe went from prisoner to prince (Genesis 41:38).  It was God at work again.

Pharaoh gave Joseph supreme authority over everything and everybody.  The only thing he lacked was the title of king and a right to the throne.  In every other way he was the ruler of the mightiest nation in the world at that time.  He was immediately given Pharaoh’s ring, the finest clothing, a gold chain for his neck, royal chariot # 2 and a prestige that would command the Egyptian people to bow before this transplanted foreigner.  He was a totalitarian dictator at the age of 30 (Genesis 41:44)… yes, a benevolent one, but, truly licensed with unlimited political power.

So, Joseph was soon married and commenced his government responsibilities by taking a tour of Egypt (Genesis 41:45-46).  You can’t run a nation dutifully if you aren’t even aware of what’s going on in that nation.  Joseph was starting with a strong foundation.  And, he went on to collect so much grain that he ceased reckoning the quantities.

During that time he was also blessed with two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.  They became fathers of two Israelite tribes (along side their 11 uncles).  Life was good.  And then, the famine came…

 

Premonitions

The jail that Joseph was in charge of was the place where royal prisoners were held.  Two of those were the Pharaoh’s butler and baker.  Now, Joseph’s relationship with them was a strange one.  It is said in verse 4 that the captain of the guard (who was probably Potiphar) gave Joseph the specific responsibility for the security of these two dignitaries.  Somewhat strangely, it says that Joseph “served” them. 

Apparently Potiphar had determined that Joseph was indeed as trustworthy as he had originally supposed (still he left him in prison… probably to keep his wife pacified).  But, though still incarcerated, Joseph was becoming acquainted with more influential people and was indeed continually being groomed for leadership.  God was in control.

God gave revelatory dreams to the butler and baker one night, and, they awakened disturbed in their heart by those dreams.  It’s pretty amazing that Joseph was so interested and attuned to the spirit of his fellow inmates that he immediately asked about their sadness.  Doesn’t that seem strange?  I can’t imagine that any warden in any prison anywhere else would be as sensitive to the emotions of his prisoners.  “Good morning!  Why the long faces fellas?”  Fascinating man, this Joseph.

Well, those guys were sad because they didn’t know what their dreams meant.  But, they hadn’t long to wait.  They were in the right place with the right man to get an answer from God.  The butler was going to be relieved; the baker, devastated.

The butler dreamed a dream about three branches with grapes which showed him being restored to his office in three days.  The baker dreamed a dream about three baskets of bread which showed him being hanged in three days.

There is an interesting play on words here.  Verse 20 says, “The third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday… he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.”  Joseph had told both men that “their heads would be lifted up” …one to metaphoric favor and the other, quite literally… the baker was hanged on a tree and left there until the birds had eaten his flesh – whoa!  That’s quite a diversity of head lifting there, eh?

Now, most importantly in this story, Joseph had expressly requested from the butler that a kind word about him be spoken to the king so he might escape from his incarceration.  But, ungratefully (yet providentially), the butler forgot.

Rot!  Right?  Wrong.  God was saving that card for just the right moment; a moment when the Pharaoh would need a dream interpreted for himself… and the world would need a leader with God’s wisdom in his heart.  That man: Joseph!

 

On The Way Up

The opening phrase of verse 2 sums up very well the life of Israel’s choice son: “…the Lord was with Joseph…”  So, what were the effects of God’s presence?  Safety, prosperity, acceptance, wisdom, diligence, responsibility and temptation… yes, temptation.  Anyone who walks with God is shortly going to be a target of Satan.  Joseph was no exception…

Joe became the master of his master’s house.  His master was Potiphar, captain of the Egyptian guard.   In Joseph’s role as chief steward, he was both trusted and trustworthy.  But, it seems that the astute ways of this young man helped to make him an appealing target for a wicked and licentious woman.  The wife of Joseph’s master fell for Joseph… and she wasn’t subtle about it either.  “Lie with me!” she said to him day after day (Genesis 39:7 & 10).  Finally, when she was alone with him in the house, she literally took hold of him and attempted to force him into her bed.  Her insatiable determination to have Joseph was so consuming that he literally had to run out of his robe to get away from her.

Now, lest you and I ever imagine that if we would just “do the right things” then God would automatically solve all of our problems and fix all of our pains… notice that Joseph did the right thing and it cost him his job.  Potiphar’s wife lied about the situation.  She accused Joseph of doing the thing that she was actually guilty of.  So Joe went to jail, but God was with him there too.  Joseph became as influential and prosperous in the prison as he had been in the house of Potiphar.  Only now he was one step closer to where he needed to be… in the palace.

God was busy setting the stage for a grand Act V.

 

Could Things Be Any Worse?

Be careful reading this chapter.  This stuff isn’t light…

First of all, realize that this one chapter covers a long segment in the life of Judah (Israel’s 4^th son and the father of the royal tribe of the Messiah).  In this chapter Judah finds a wife, has three boys, marries two of them off successively to the same woman and then likewise buries them both in succession, watches his youngest son grow up and finally fathers children by his own daughter-in-law.

“Whoa, slow down,” you say?  Well.  I didn’t write the chapter.  And, no, it’s not part of a pornographic novel or an X-rated comedy act… it’s the holy Word of God.

Sometimes I think we actually imagine that we are holier than God or that our standards are higher than His.  Don’t get me wrong, I myself GREATLY appreciate/prefer couth conversation.  In general, I don’t find “bedroom stuff” conversation to be comfortable or appropriate in my milieu.  However, it is a dangerous misnomer to assume that refraining from discussions that include such realities (even in a serious context) is somehow a form of aloof spirituality.  See, the authors of the Bible explored some of the most embarrassing and even shameful issues of life without any apparent restraint or hesitation (Genesis 38:9).  They were respectful, but not shy.  This chapter abounds with such matters.

Tamar is the main player in this drama.  Having been married to Er (Genesis 38:6-7) and to Onan (Genesis 38:8-10), she remained a childless widow.  She waited patiently for Shelah to mature, but Judah still didn’t give him to her (because Judah was afraid that the same end would come to him as had come upon his two older brothers).  When Judah didn’t keep his promise, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and deceived him into sleeping with her so she could have his children and fulfill her role as a mother of his continuing line.

When Judah found out that Tamar was pregnant, he knew she had been promiscuous.  What he didn’t realize was that he was the guilty paramour.  Of course, he knew he was guilty of being a whoremonger, but he thought it was unknown.  And, he was primarily interested in his reputation (Genesis 38:23), not in genuine righteousness.  So, when her misdeed was discovered, he was ready to have her burned alive (Genesis 38:24)… that is, until she exposed him and his guilt, then he was (not surprisingly) quite merciful.

Only God could take another ugly situation in Israel’s family and not only give us a little laugh, but also bring joy and continuity to Judah’s family.  Here is the humor: baby Zarah preceded his twin brother Pharez by sticking his hand out during birth (Genesis 38:28).  That’d make any parent chuckle.  Of course, Pharez ended up winning the struggle in more ways than one by becoming one of Jesus’ ancestors (Matthew 1:3).

 

 

A Tale of a Teenage Dreamer

At 17 years old Joseph was already living a stressful life.  His father loved him, his mother was deceased and his 10 older brothers hated him more and more every day.  And hey, that was before God got involved.  God sent Joseph 2 dreams about his future… wonderful right?  Well, those revelations REALLY got Joseph into some hot water initially.

So, in his own home, Joseph was known as a cocky dreamer?  Sounds like an unpleasant start for a young man in a very rough family (remember Simeon and Levi and what they did to Schechem’s city?) – Um, to say the least, he had a long row to hoe!

Now, one day his dad sent him out to check on his brothers and their work.  Unbeknownst to him, the 10 brothers’ hatred for their little brother had reached a boiling point and so while he was approaching their camp they conspired to kill him.  Had it not been for Reuben and God, Joseph would have died in his teens.  God had other plans. 

Joseph’s coat made it home to his father, Israel, while Joseph himself made his way (involuntarily) into Egypt with a caravan of his Ishmaelite cousins.  Now, while Reuben was clearly not a part of the deal that cost Joseph his family, Reuben did join in when it came time to cover the crime.  So?  Guilty, right?

I can’t help pointing out that God’s mercy was present right in the middle of Joseph’s pain (Genesis 50:20).  God blessed Joseph with dreams of his future prosperity, God spared Joseph’s life when his brothers had it in for him, and God placed him in a prominent household in Egypt so that He could begin preparing him for his grandiose career which was yet to come.

God makes no mistakes.  Even when we don’t understand, when we don’t see His plan, when we can’t trace His hand… we can trust His heart (Babbie Mason).

My friend, God is good, all of the time!  Even if you and I were to find ourselves hated by our own family, exiled from our own country and enslaved by Godless heathen… God would still be good.  When Joseph’s biography is completely told there will be no question that the early hardships were worth bearing in order for him to arrive at his ultimate destination as savior and ruler of the known world.

Read or Listen to Genesis 37 (mobile).