May 22 Sermon: More Than a Dream
Consider these questions as you listen to this week’s message from Genesis 41:1-36:
1. How did Joseph's time in prison, including being forgotten by the cupbearer, ultimately prepare him for the role he played in interpreting Pharaoh's dreams and managing the famine?
2. What significance do you see in the repeated mention of dreams in this passage, both Pharaoh's dreams and Joseph's previous interpretation of dreams for the cupbearer and baker?
3. How does Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams demonstrate God's sovereignty and his ability to reveal the future?
Transcript:
I can honestly say that in my many years of doing youth ministry I only ever forgot a student one time. Now, you are probably thinking that doesn’t seem like much of a stat to brag about but let me explain the story. We had been painting our youth room and the kids had been working hard and we were approaching noon and so I decided to buy the students dinner. Now, don’t think too much of my generosity here, it was back when McDonald’s had McChicken’s and Double Cheeseburgers on the actual dollar menu. This was so long ago that it was before there were one dollar, two dollar, and three dollar tiers. I told the they had to get a McChicken or a double cheeseburger and they agreed to the deal. I informed them that I would get the church van and we would go get our meals. So, I went out to the garage and go the van. I pulled up to the door and they were all sitting on the stairs waiting for me when I went into the building and so I told them to jump in and lets go because I wanted to get back and finish the painting project.
We got to McDonald’s and as we were getting the numbers my phone rang in my pocket. It was the mother of a student and she was calling me to let me know I had left her son, Alec, at the church. Now, it my defense, he was on the steps when I walked in. I apologized and as those of you who have been to this church in Sandusky with me, the McDonald’s was less than a mile away and so I quickly went and picked him up. I profusely apologized for leaving him behind and on the quick drive to meet back up with our group I asked him what happened and if I remember correctly, and I’m pretty sure I do, he just didn’t get in the van. Yeah, middle school boys are confusing creatures. From that point forward, the youth group joke on any activity was “Oh no, we forgot Alec, even when he was there.
Anyway, I learned an important lesson. Always double check you have everybody, especially middle school boys.
But chances are we have all been forgotten or left behind at some point and it is a terrible feeling. You not only feel lost and concerned about the circumstance you find yourself in but you also have a feeling of being insignificant and unimportant. Do I really not matter? How could someone forget about me? Do I not matter to them at all?
On the contrary, it feels good to be remembered. Living not to far from where several former youth students live I will run in to them occasionally and you can see how much it means to them that I remember their names, even the ones who just came to the occasional event here and there. And I’m not going to lie, it means a lot to me that the students want to stop and talk to me. It feels terrible to feel forgotten but it might feel just as good to be remembered.
As we come back to the plight of Joseph this week we can’t even begin to imagine how forgotten he must have felt. From the pit he was put into by his brothers, to traveling with the caravan of Ishmaelites to Egypt, being sold into slavery, and then put into prison because of the vindictive wife of Potiphar he had to not only felt forgotten and abandoned by everyone around him but I’m sure he also battled feelings of being forgotten by God but with what we have read today we find that Joseph is not only remembered by man but it is clear that God has never forgotten him.
Before we look into the passage for today let’s break it down into our three points.
The first thing that we are going to see is that Pharaoh has a dream. Arriving here in chapter 41 we find ourselves having been through a lot of Genesis and we have seen God address people in dreams but doesn’t it feel like this has picked up substantially in the last few chapters. Since the dreams of Joseph it almost feels like we should expect the story to include a dream. And here we find that once again it isn’t one of the people of God that is being communicated with via a dream. It is Pharaoh himself. This is more than just a person on the street and even more than just a run of the mill local king. This is Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, and someone who is worshiped as a god himself.
Second, we find that Joseph is remembered and his gift of interpreting dreams is once again found to be useful. When we closed out the fortieth chapter Joseph had interpreted a dream for the cupbearer of Pharaoh and Joseph had asked him to remember him but the text tells us that he did not remember him. But now, on the occasion of another dream that needs interpretation we find that Joseph is remembered and God once again uses Joseph to inform someone of the future.
Lastly, we will see that God is going to use Joseph to help not only the people of God but also other people groups. Joseph not only has an interpretation to give for the dream but he also has a solution to the problem that the dream presents. God is once again at work and Joseph is now at the center of a story that is much bigger than himself. To this point the crises only really affected him but now God is using Joseph for much, much more.
And so we jump right back into the story of Joseph as we look at verses one through eight of chapter 41.
Genesis 41:1–8
ESV
After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 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. And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 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.
And once again we see Moses driving something important home to us. Notice how we start out again. The passing of time. Two years pass. The text is very deliberate to let us know that this didn’t happen quickly. The situation is taking a while to pan out and you can imagine just how long it must feel for Joseph. It doesn’t matter what year it is or what country you live in doing time is difficult and time passes very slowly. And as the story unfolds it is a humble reminder for us that the plan of God often happens slowly and develops in his timing not when humans desire for it to come to pass.
And we know the story so we aren’t really surprised by it but it should be surprising. Our focus is shifting here a little. It’s still the story of Joseph but his path is now going to cross with one of the most powerful people in the world. A Hebrew man who was thrown in a pit by his brothers and sold into slavery by divine guidance is going to have his story be the same story as the pagan king of Egypt. And as I mentioned while lining out my points, God is going to intervene in the life of this unbelieving, rebellious leader by giving him a dream.
And the first dream is an interesting one to imagine. Plump and attractive cows are consumed by gaunt and unsightly cows. That’s a dream that you would probably wake up from and think that maybe you had eaten a low quality hamburger or something and just move on from it. And, who knows, maybe Pharaoh didn’t think much of this first dream because we see that he just went back to sleep but he dreams again.
And the second dream is very similar because seven plump and good ears of grain sprout up and then are consumed by seven pathetic ears of grain. Now, once again, I’ll give you an insight into how my strange brain works because I really would like to have this dream because I want to know how ears of grain swallow anything. And, I’m also interested in what a cannibal ear of grain looks like exactly.
Anyway, Pharaoh wakes up again and we are told that “behold, it was a dream”. I’m sure this was of great relief to him to realize that cannibal grain wasn’t a real thing. But, seriously, we’ve all woken up from an absurd dream and had to sort out that it wasn’t reality but Pharaoh obviously takes this all very seriously because we find that his spirit is troubled and so he calls for all the magicians and wise men and none of them can interpret it.
This is interesting because these guys have obviously made a living by speaking in vague ways to interpret dreams and visions before. That’s how that profession works, right? You speak with very little specificity so that you can’t really be wrong and you’re never really fully right but the person you are working with can fill in the holes for themselves so that they believe you have the secret power of divination.
So, why is it that they are unable to interpret this dream? What is it about them that has them unwilling to go out on a limb? Is it because God has confounded them? Maybe they feel the gravity of the dreams in some way and so they would rather be seen as unable to do their job than be wrong about it. Regardless, we get that there is a sense of desperation here and this causes us to see our second point as we move on to our next block of text where we find that the cupbearer, after two long years, has remembered Joseph.
Genesis 41:9–13
ESV
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 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, we dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 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. And as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”
While we have seen that Joseph has been forgotten about as he is in prison, we see that these dreams of Pharaoh have triggered the memory of the cupbearer.
And why wouldn’t it? You see Pharaoh upset about a dream and two years ago someone in prison helped you when you were upset about a dream. And you can imagine that he might also see this as an excellent opportunity to improve his status with Pharaoh. I mean, two years is a long time but in his mind I’m sure it felt like he was teetering on the edge with his status before Pharaoh after having been put in prison.
And so we find the cupbearer telling that story about Joseph interpreting his dream and it coming to pass. And remember, the dreams that were interpreted for the baker and cupbearer not only came to pass but they came to pass with specificity. Joseph did not give vague guesses. He was specific and it happened just as he said it would.
And so Joseph is no longer forgotten.
Genesis 41:14–24
ESV
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. 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.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
And notice how we are brought into this story. He is take out of the pit. Remember that the plight of Joseph started in the pit that his brothers threw him into and even though things were good for a while with his time with Potiphar he has once again been returned to the pit. This helps us to understand that Joseph has not been living high on the hog. This isn’t a high end hotel or a resort. The language used here reminds us of his state. He is not only in a bad place he has been humbled and taken down more than just a few rungs on the ladder. He is below the ladder. And we see this in the fact that he needs to be shaved and given a change of clothes and this is obvious. You aren’t going to go before Pharaoh looking like he Joseph must have looked. It is clear for us that the forgotten Joseph has been remembered and you and I need to remember that theme we have seen running through the story. Even though it might seem as though Joseph has even been forgotten by God, he has not. God is not just the God who is with his people when they have success and go before Pharaohs and kings. He is the God who is with his people even in the pit and he does not forsake them. It is important that we remember this truth because it also points us to an important truth in our lives. We can know that God does not forget his people because of the truth that Jesus descended to us. He left the glory of heaven to rescue his people and this is the ultimate proof of the truth of God remembering his people. If he does not forsake us, even in the pit. In fact, if he comes to us in the pit himself by taking on our very own flesh and suffering the ultimate humiliation by going to the cross then we can rest assured that just like Joseph we are remembered.
And what we see in the passage here is a full repetition of the dream once again by Pharaoh. We read it already but we hear it again along with Joseph. Clearly this dream is of significance if we are having it repeated to us.
And we find that unlike the charlatan magicians of Egypt, Joseph the man of God, is going to be able to provide Pharaoh with the interpretation and we will find that God has brought Joseph to this place in his life for this purpose of providing not only interpretation but advice on how to weather what is coming.
Genesis 41:25–32
ESV
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about.
And Joseph interprets the dreams to only need one interpretation. And that’s pretty obvious. There are two sets of sevens and the unhealthy set of sevens consume the healthy in both dreams.
Joseph makes it clear that the healthy set of seven is seven years of plenty. Things are going to be good for those seven years but the feeble cows and the empty ears of grain mean that there will also be seven years where things are not going to go well. Seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. The years of famine will be so significant that they will cause the years of plenty to be forgotten.
And Joseph lets Pharaoh know that nothing can be done about this. Because the dream has been doubled the years of plenty and famine are fixed by God and not only is it going to happen but Joseph makes it clear that it is going to be brought about shortly.
This isn’t good news because anything good you can take from the dreams is immediately wiped out, right?
And so there has to be a plan and this is where we find that Joseph is here to do more than just provide an interpretation of the dream. He has a plan.
Genesis 41:33–36
ESV
Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
Joseph suggests that a wise and discerning man should be put in charge of this. He should oversee the years of plenty to make sure that a fifth of the produce is taken in and saved. This is all to be done under the authority of Pharaoh to ensure that it is done and the purpose of this is so that they have enough food during the seven years of famine.
This is the plan that Joseph sets out there for them to follow and it is a sound plan and we will find next week that because Joseph has been able to interpret the dream and show this wisdom he will be appointed to be the overseer of the plan and God will use Joseph to rescue his people from the famine.
When Joseph was put in the pit by his brothers, God had a plan. When Joseph was thrown into prison because of the scheming of Potiphar’s wife God was still with him in the pit and had a greater purpose. When Joseph was forgotten for two years by the cupbearer God was bringing him to this moment. When it didn’t seem like there was a plan, there was a plan. When it didn’t seem as though there was purpose to what was happening in the life of Joseph, God was using it for the ultimate purpose of providing for his covenant people.
And so, as we seek to find an application for this passage as we depart from here and step into God’s world this week we look to the truths that are exhibited in this passage and find hope and peace in a God who does not abandon his people. Instead, he works all things together for good, that he might be glorified and accomplish his purposes.
We have seen a theme throughout the story of Joseph and a theme throughout the entire book of Genesis. In fact, we actually see this theme in the whole of scripture and that is that God does not forget his people. The feeling of being forgotten is a terrible one. And there may be times where you have felt as though God as forgotten you but we see here in the story of Joseph that God is always at work in his people and we have an absolute assurance that he does not forget us. In any and every circumstance we can look to two concrete things that confidently let us know of God’s love for us. First, we can look to the work of Jesus on our behalf to know that God does not forget us. God made a promise to deliver his people from sin and the curse and while from our human perspective it may have been slow in coming God brought it about in his perfect timing. And we can also look to the means by which he did this that we can find confidence and peace. God the Son left the glory of heaven for his people, suffered in our flesh, died, and rose again. We can know that God does not forget us because he accomplished salvation for us and if he did that we can trust the words of Jesus that tell us that he will never leave us or forsake us.
We also can have confidence that God does not forget us because we have the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We have not been left to our own devices but instead have the Spirit that God has promised to be at work in us. In the darkest of circumstances you and I can have assurance that God has not forgotten us because we have the gift of the Holy Spirit that is working in us in those circumstances to mold us, shape us, and conform us to the image of Christ that we might bring glory to his most holy and precious name.
And so, as we step from here today, may we have a confidence in the God who always remembers his people and works all things together for our good and his glory. Amen.
