Genesis 41
Egypt’s palaces were very grand. Everything was the best. But why did such a mighty king need a prisoner, Joseph? Because God wanted to speak to Pharaoh. Only Joseph knew the true God, so only he in all Egypt could help Pharaoh. In Pharaoh’s dream he stood on the bank of the River Nile. In Egypt there is no rain. Without the Nile all Egypt would be dry like the desert. The Nile has a great flood every year, so that both sides are watered. The Egyptians always plant their crops at the place where the flood water has been and so get good crops. Therefore the Egyptians did not worship the true God in heaven, but they worshipped the River Nile, and crocodiles from it, and such things. Pharaoh saw in his dream seven cows come up out of the river, good looking and fat-fleshed, and they fed on the nice green grass. Then seven other cows came up after them, bad looking and lean-fleshed, Pharaoh had never seen such poor cows. Then what? The thin cows ate up the first seven fat cows and when they had eaten them, they were still just as thin and bad looking. Again Pharaoh slept and dreamed. This time he saw seven ears of grain come up in one stalk, full and good, then seven ears of grain, thin and empty, sprung up after them. Then the thin ears which sprung up last ate up the seven full ears, but they were still as thin as before. What strange dreams! Who could ever think what these dreams meant? Yet God told it to Joseph. So Joseph told Pharaoh that the two dreams are one, and that God had shown Pharaoh what He was going to do. The seven cows are seven years, and the seven ears are seven years, too; the good ones are seven years of good harvest, the bad ones are seven years of famine, when the fields would not give crops. So the whole land would be in great trouble, but because God is kind, He told Pharaoh.
Then Joseph told Pharaoh that it would be best to gather much food in these seven good years, so in the bad years they might not be starved. And he advised Pharaoh to find a wise man to manage this. Let him save up in storehouses one part out of five of the grain of the land in the seven good years. This was very good advice. Pharaoh took Joseph’s advice and said, “Can we find such a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” So he made Joseph the chief man to rule over all Egypt. One day Joseph was in prison, the next he was the greatest ruler in all Egypt, except Pharaoh. He wore beautiful clothes and had the king’s ring. Now Joseph had a fine house and a chariot to ride in. Men ran before him, and cried, “Bow the knee!” and all bowed down before him.
God has given us, not a dream, but the Bible. In it, He tells of coming judgment. Pharaoh knew he had seven years to get ready, but we do not know how long we have to get ready, and then we shall never have another chance. “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished” (Prov. 22:33A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. (Proverbs 22:3)). Let us be wise like Pharaoh! “Behold, now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:22(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2)). Pharaoh got a man who had the Spirit of God in him, he trusted him for everything. We should trust a Person, that is the Lord Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ “gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:66Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6)). If we trust Him Who died for our sins we need not fear judgment, but we will live with Him.