Joseph told Pharaoh that the extra corn which could not be eaten during the years of plenty should be laid up in storehouses, ready to use during the years of famine which were to follow. God was working in His own way to bring Joseph’s brothers to confess their guilt and fulfill Joseph’s dreams, as well as to provide the needed food to keep people from starvation.
Pharaoh saw at once that this plan was an excellent one, and he honored Joseph greatly, making him ruler over all Egypt. Joseph was driven through the streets of the city in a chariot, and everyone was forced to “bow the knee” to him. How wonderfully God rewarded him for all he had endured, for we may be sure He never fails to honor those who honor Him (1 Samuel 2:30). This exalted place given to Joseph was a shadow of the place which the Lord Jesus will have in a soon-coming day. He was obedient unto death, and God will give Him the very highest place of honor, and all will be forced to bow the knee to Him owning Him as Lord (Philippians 2:8-11). Those who own Him as their Lord now are saved. Have you confessed Him as your Lord and Saviour, dear reader?
The Body of Christ
Pharaoh called Joseph Zaphnathpaaneah, which means a revealer of secrets, and then he gave him a Gentile woman to be his wife. This reminds us of God’s great secret, hidden down through the ages, which has now been revealed. It was hidden in God (Ephesians 3:9) until Christ, like Joseph, was rejected by His brethren (the Jews). Then the secret came out, and we find it in Ephesians 3:3-6. The Gentiles are now being brought in as part of the one body, and Christ is going to have a bride. Most of our young readers are Gentiles, but perhaps some are Jews, and we might say that although God is particularly working among the Gentiles, still the message is to “whosoever will.” When anyone believes the gospel, he ceases to be either a Jew or a Gentile in the eyes of God, and becomes part of the church of God which is composed of all true believers. When the last one is saved, the body of Christ (the church) will be completed, and the Lord will come and take His own to heaven. The church is the bride of Christ, and the marriage will take place in heaven (Revelation 19:7) between the time He comes for His own (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) and the time (at least seven years later) when He comes back with them to set up His kingdom on earth (Jude 14).
The Bread of Life
At last the time of famine came. “Where can we get bread to eat?” was the question everywhere. They went to Pharaoh, but he said, “Go to Joseph.” Surely everyone who is unsaved is in need of Christ, the bread of life, and we would send out a similar message, “Go to Jesus.” He will meet all your need, just as Joseph was able to meet the need of those starving ones. There was plenty for all who came to him from every land, but they had to pay for their corn, whereas the gospel is free. You can “Buy... without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1). Come now, and find food for your hungry soul. The Lord Jesus is waiting to bless and save you today.
Further Meditation
1. How did Pharaoh honor Joseph for interpreting his dream and coming up with a plan to prepare for the famine to come?
2. What other well-known Jews in the Old Testament had Gentile wives?
3. You might enjoy a wonderful and simple presentation of the church as the bride of Christ in the pamphlet The Church: The Bride of Christ by H. E. Hayhoe.