Joseph: Pharaoh's Dreams
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Joseph: Pharaoh’s Dreams
Joseph: Pharaoh’s Dreams
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by life’s circumstances? Our passage has something to say for you today.
Culture of busyness - FOMO - Keeping up w/ the Jones
Recap Last week: (Importance of Dreams)
This story started with Joseph Having 2 dreams
Joseph interprets 2 dreams (Baker and cupbearer)
the last thing Joseph says to the cupbearer is remember me
Here in - Joseph is challenged to interperete 2 dreams the pharaoh has had.
Genesis 41:1-Dreams - Importance of dreams to this story
1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,
2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.
3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.
4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.
6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind.
7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today.
10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,
11 we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation.
12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream.
13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.
15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
Dreams - Importance of dreams to this story
Dreams - Importance of dreams to this story
Dreams are seen as the revelation of God
There is no written revelation up to this point.
- TWO Whole years
Joseph has been forgotten
forgotten by the cupbearer? yes
forgotten by God?
5-6 years in potipher’s house
5-6 years in prison + 2 more years
verse 46 - Joseph was 30 years old when he went into the service of Pharaoh.
13-14 years
Have you ever felt forgotten?
1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,
2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.
3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.
4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.
6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind.
7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today.
10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,
11 we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation.
12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream.
13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”
Genesis 41:1-
I want to take a second so that we can think about what Joseph must be thinking. This story started with joseph having two similar dreams, He interperetes 2 similar dreams for 2 different prisoners, and now he’s challenged with the task of interpereting 2 similar dreams for the pharaoh.
have you ever been overwhelmed.
If there were ever pressure on anyone the pressure was on joseph at this very moment.
Pharaoh the most powerful man in he world
All the wise men and magicians have failed him
He’s being called on to do what they could not
I would imagine no one has ever felt more overwhelmed than joseph at this very moment
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.
15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
He’s in a new place with a new haircut in new clothes challenged to do something you’re not even sure you can do.
The wise men probably hate him
The Pharaoh is already not happy
The guy you were counting on to plead your case, but forgot about you is standing in the corner.
Look at how Joseph responds
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
Genesis
I can’t do it!!!
16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
I can’t do it!!!
There’s nothing wrong with admitting you can’t do it
parenting
work
marriage
family
friends
social pressure
Everyday we wake up to situations and circumstances that overwhelm us! Although we may think it, what keeps us from admitting, “I can’t do it”
What are you facing that you feel you can’t do?
Go ahead and admit, I can’t do it...
but don’t stop there.
Joseph keeps talking, but GOD
Joseph tells pharaoh, what you are looking for (someone to interperete this dream… that’s not in me! I’m not the one you’re looking for… But God!!!
Don’t stop at “I can’t” let your overwhelming situation turn your eyes to God
We tend to work harder, grin and bear it, grind it out, push through...
Our culture wears stress and business like a badge of honor to be proud of
Saying I can’t is viewd as a weaknes and something to be ashamed about
But here joseph is, already successfully interpereted 2 dreams, being asked to do more by the most powerful man in the world, and he says I can’t, but God
Illustration: 1st year baseball player playing 9u-10u ball
It would be understood that the God Joseph is talking about here isn’t Ra, Hotep, Horus, or any of the other Egyptian pantheon of Gods. It is Yahweh, Elohim, the God of the Hebrew (who are really just a small tribe of people at this point)
God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.
it would be as ridiculous as this 9 year old kid with a ridiculous swing walking up to the plate and saying, I know I can’t do it, but God will let me get a hit here...
Waiting
Remind people of the vision/dream God gave Joseph, yet nothing like it has come to pass. Even at the height of what Joseph could have perceived to be the means through which Joseph’s dream could come true (Potipher’s House) he gets thrown into prison.
And Joseph is still waiting
Genesis 41:1
1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,
2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass.
3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile.
4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk.
6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind.
7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today.
10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,
11 we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation.
12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream.
13 And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.
15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
vs. 16
This is Joseph’s mindset through his life. This is the mindset of someone who truly believes there is a power in this world much bigger then themselves
16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
NIV
Joseph was being faced with an incredibly difficult situation!!! All the Magicians of Egypt & ALL its wise men
Egypt!!! This is the world Power of the Ancient world. This is the cultural & financial center of the world at the time. The ruler of the world’s greatest power, The most powerful man in the world called all of his wise men, all of his magicians (theological & spiritual advisors) who are well studied, well trained, and well practiced in their respective fields… and Joseph is brought in to do
I cannot do it
EVEN BEFORE HE HAS EVEN HEARD THE DREAMS!!!
What are you facing in your life that you can’t do?
Marriage, Parenting, Money Management, Family Relationships, Job situations, Preferences of friends, demands of society, time management...
Don’t stop at “I cannot do it!” Look at the next two words Joseph gives Pharoah: “But God”
But God what? What do you believe about God? What we believe about God will determine how we react to overwhelming situations.
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
Genesis 41:
God will give Pharaoh a favoroable answer.
Joseph’s response to this overwhelming situation reveals what he Believes about God.
EVEN BEFORE HE HAS EVEN HEARD THE DREAMS!!!
Joseph is confident because he not only knows about the God he serves, he is cofident that what he believes about God is true:
What do we know to be true about God?
Is God aware of our situation?
Is omniscient? Does he know all things, even the situation we’re facing right now? Even the details we’re not even aware of yet?
Does God care?
Does God love his people? Does God love me?
Joseph doesn’t just hope he knows the answers to these questions… He believes he knows the God of his fathers. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God that has given him dreams about what is to come.
Joseph Believes God is aware of his situation
Joseph Believes God is not only aware of his situation, God is aware of every situation: His own situation, Pharaoh’s situation, Egypts situation. God knows it all
Never has there been a more humble, yet ridiculously confident answer: I can’t do it, but God...
Summarize what happens next:
Joseph hears about Pharaoh’s dreams and interprets them.
BUT That’s not ALLL
vs. 33. Joseph interprets the dreams AND tells Pharaoh what he should do
How does Joseph know what Pharaoh should do? He already confessed I can’t. Joseph is being given wisdom from God.
Joseph is trusting the goodness and greatness of God in this situation, and as a result God is moving in him and through him
He’s being carried along by the spirit of God
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
That’s what we want as believers: to be carried along by the Holy Spirit. That’s what we want as a church… to be so confident, not in ourselves, and in our own ability, but in the goodness and greatness of God that we get so caught up in His presence and goodness, in our actions we feel we are being “carried along”
Conclusion: God’s ways are not our ways
All of this is happening with the backdrop of Joseph’s own dreams lingering in the the back of his memories.
He’s had 2 dreams, he interpreted two prisoners dreams, and now he’s interpreted two of pharaoh’s dreams,
He’s led by the Holy spirit to tell pharaoh the doubling of dreams means that the thing is fixed by God...
32 And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.
Genesis
What about Joseph’s double dream? The wheat? The moon and the stars?
Did he just get it completely wrong?
Does Joseph believe what he’s confessed to be true about God and about himself?
Do we believe and live out what we confess to be true about God and about ourselves? or was that just in the past? a distant memory? lip service for the religion of cultural christianity? Or do we really believe what we’ve confessed to be true?
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