Pharaoh’s Dreams

View daily reading plan: Genesis 41.1-13

The two dreams had a single message, but the fact that there were two indicated that their fulfilment was certain and imminent (vv. 25, 32). Two periods of seven years were predicted, the first a time of unprecedented harvests and plump healthy cattle. The second seven-year block would erase the memory of the former prosperity because of unrelenting famine. The God Who predicted the famine in Pharaoh’s dreams was the God Who orchestrated it; “he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread” (Ps 105.16).
 
Pharaoh’s dreams left him uneasy and anxious for an interpretation. His magicians were at a loss to unravel the mystery of his dreams but the crisis jogged the chief butler’s memory. Again, we see the sovereign hand of God in all of this. Had Joseph been released two years previously it would have had no impact on the current situation.
 
The butler’s description of Joseph is instructive (Gen 41.12). “A young man”; he was a young man who was useful to God. “An Hebrew”; although resident in Egypt for a period of years, Joseph’s distinctiveness was still in place and it was noticed!  The butler’s final description of Joseph was that he was “servant to the captain of the guard”. God still needs young people, distinctive in manner and morals to be His humble, willing servants.

Tuesday, 13 February, 2024