Genesis 41
I HAVE told you of the great king of Egypt. He was the king of the country where Joseph was. His name was Pharaoh. He had a great many servants, as I told you. He sat upon a throne, wore beautiful clothes, a chain of gold round his neck, a ring upon his hand, and a crown of gold upon his head. He lived in a fine house, and rode out in a chariot drawn by many horses; and, as he passed by, people bowed down to the ground. One night, this great king had two very strange dreams. I will tell you what they were.
He thought he was standing by a river, and that seven fat cows came out of the river, and began to eat the grass that grew near. This was a pleasant sight; but, soon afterward, he saw seven very thin cows (more ugly than any cows he had ever seen) come out of the river; and they ate up the seven fat cows; and yet, after they had eaten them, they looked as thin as they did before. Then the king awoke.
But soon he fell asleep, and dreamed that he saw a stalk of corn with seven fine ears growing on it. While he was looking, he saw another stalk with seven very bad ears of corn on it, and these bad ears ate up the seven good ears.
These were Pharaoh's two dreams. He thought them very strange, and longed to know the meaning of them. In the morning he told his servants to find some people who said they could tell the meaning of dreams. A great many men came who pretended to be wise; but they could not tell the king the meaning of his dreams. The king was very unhappy, but what could he do?
At last, the butler thought of Joseph. He had not thought of him for a long while, and now he felt sorry. He said to the king, "I do remember my faults this day. You know, O king, that you were once angry with me and with your baker, and you shut us up in prison, in the house of the captain Potiphar. While we were in prison, the baker and I each had a dream, and a young man, a servant, told us the meaning of our dreams, and said that the baker would be hanged, and that I should be let out of prison; and so it was, the baker was hanged, and you sent for me back to be your butler, just as the young man had said." Then Pharaoh told his servants to fetch this young man out of prison.
So the servants came to the prison, and said to the keeper, "We are come to fetch Joseph; the king wants to speak to him.”
Joseph must have been glad to hear this. He saw that God had heard his prayer. Joseph was dressed in very poor clothes, not fit for a king to see. So the servants gave him neat clothes, and brought him to the king.
It was a long, long while since Joseph had felt the sweet air blow upon his face, and since he had seen the green fields. I think he must have looked pale and sick.
He came into the king's fine house, and stood before him. The king said, "I hear that you can tell the meaning of dreams.”
"It is not I myself," said Joseph, "that can tell the meaning, but my God can, and I know that he will tell the meaning of your dreams." Then Pharaoh told Joseph his two dreams—the dream about the seven cows, and the dream about the seven ears.
When he had done speaking, Joseph answered, "Both your dreams have the same meaning. This is what is going to happen. The next seven years a great deal of corn will grow in the fields; but afterward, hardly any corn will grow in the' fields for seven years. The seven fat cows meant the seven years when much corn would grow; and the seven thin cows meant the seven years when very little corn would grow. God sent you these dreams, that you might know what is going to happen.”
Now what could the king do? First there would be a great deal of corn, then scarcely any. Could you, my little child, advise the king what to do? Joseph gave him some advice. He said, "Save up some of the corn, when there is so much, that you may have some when there is none growing in the fields. You should look for a very wise man, who will save up the corn, and put it in large barns; or the people will die when no corn grows in the fields.”
Pharaoh was much pleased with Joseph for telling him the meaning of his dreams; he believed what Joseph said, and so did all Pharaoh's servants. And the king Pharaoh said to his servants, "Where can I find so wise a man as Joseph? He shall save up the corn.”
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “You are so very wise, that you shall help me to manage all the people in the land. Every one shall mind you as they do me, and you shall be the greatest person next to me.”
Then Pharaoh took the ring off his hand, and put it on Joseph's hand; and he gave him beautiful clothes like his own, and a gold chain to wear round his neck. He gave him a fine chariot to ride in, and desired people to bow down when they saw him.
So Joseph was made a great lord; but he would not be idle. He went about all the country in his chariot to get corn, and he built large barns everywhere, and filled them with corn, and so he did for seven years. He did not spend his time in eating and drinking, but was always doing good to people.
He was very glad he was let out of prison, and he thanked God very much. He was not happy because he wore fine clothes; but he was glad to be able to do good to people, by saving up corn. He married a wife and he had two little boys; yet still he thought of his dear old father, and hoped that he should one day see him again; and he thought of little Benjamin, and hoped his brothers had not killed him, nor put him in a pit, and he hoped that his brothers were sorry for their wickedness. He did not feel angry with his brothers. Joseph knew that it was God who had let them sell him for a slave, and that God had let them do it, that he might save up corn in Egypt.
It is God that makes all things happen; and God has wise reasons for all that He does. If He lets us be sick, it is for some good reason. One day we shall know why God let us be sick, or let wicked people hurt us, or take away our things.
You know why God let wicked people kill the Lord Jesus. It was, that He might die instead of us, and save us from hell.
Hymn 13
Behold him in a chariot riding,
Who lately in a prison lay;
The king, to him all power confiding,
Decked him with gold and white array,
Now hear the Servants loud proclaiming,
"Bow low the knee before his car!"
While every mouth is Joseph naming-
"My lord Zaphnath-paäneah.”
Through all the land he goes exploring,
Gathering the precious fruits of earth;
In spacious barns the harvests storing,
Against the dreadful days of dearth.
How well is Joseph's faith rewarded,
Which made him long in patience wait I
God has at length relief afforded
And raised him to this glorious state.
And God will every Soul deliver,
That puts his trust in Him alone;
And wipe away his tears forever,
And raise him to a heavenly throne!