Dreams, Dreams, and More Dreams

 

In our last episode—The Cat and Mouse in Potiphar’s House—taken from Genesis 39, when the Cat (Potiphar’s Wife) couldn’t ensnare the Mouse (Joseph), she falsely accused him of trying to rape her.  But when her husband heard her accusations—probably suspecting the truth of the situation—rather than condemning Joseph to death on the gallows, he sentenced him to the prison over which he had authority. In spite of being falsely accused and imprisoned, while there Joseph continued to demonstrate his character and work ethic, develop his gifts of leadership and administration, and hone his ability to interpret dreams.

In this episode—a two-parter—we will find Joseph…

• • In Part 1, interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh’s Butler and Baker in Genesis 40; and,
  • In Part 2, interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh himself in Genesis 41.

Episode #4 of Biopic #4
Cast:  Narrator     Joseph     Butler     Baker     Pharaoh

Part 1

Narrator:  It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.  And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.  So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.  And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.

Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation.  And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad.  So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying…

Joseph:  Why do you look so sad today?

Butler and Baker:  We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.

Joseph:  Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.

 

 

Narrator:  Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him…

Butler:  Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.  Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.

Joseph:  This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.  Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.  But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.  For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.

Narrator:  When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph…

Baker:  I also was in my dream, and there were three white baskets on my head.  In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.

Joseph:  This is the interpretation of it: the three baskets are three days.  Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.

Narrator:  Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.  Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.  But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.  Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

 

 

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For Review #1… 

…let’s turn our attention to… 

The Most Important Points of Part 1—

— The Butler and Baker offended their lord—the butler and the baker were actually important officers of the king—the butler was responsible for preparing and tasting the king’s wine and the baker was responsible for preparing and tasting the king’s food.

— He put them in prison/house of the captain of the guard—it’s possible that the king learned of a plot to kill him and thought that the butler and/or the baker might have planned on poisoning either his food or drink.  So, while an investigation was being carried out, he sent them to the prison that was overseen by Potiphar and administered by his servant, Joseph.

— The Butler and Baker had a dream—since the butler and baker were imprisoned there for some time, they had time to become friends with Joseph.  Then, when they both had dreams the same night, Joseph was there, ready to interpret them.

— A vine/three branches—the vine related to the butler’s occupation and the three branches represented a period of time.

— Three baskets/birds—the baskets of bread related to the baker’s occupation and three of them represented a period of time.  Since birds were sacred, they were protected and could become nuisances—in this case, they represented the birds of prey that would soon be feasting on the baker’s dead body.

— On the third day/Pharaoh’s birthday—it was customary for Pharaoh to give a feast for his servants on his birthday—either the day of his actual birth or the day when he ascended to the throne.  At this feast, it would have been fitting for him to grant special favors or offer pardons.

— The Butler did not remember Joseph—in his enthusiasm at being found innocent, the butler forgot all about Joseph.  God didn’t, though—it just wasn’t His time for Joseph to be released.

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Part 2

 

Narrator:  Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.  Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.  Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.  And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.

 

He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good.  Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.  And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream.  Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh. Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying…

Butler:  I remember my faults this day.  When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.  Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.  And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.

Narrator:  Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.  And Pharaoh said to Joseph…

 

 

Pharaoh:  I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.

Joseph:  It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

Pharaoh:  Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river.  Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow.  Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt.  And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows.  When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke.  Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads came up on one stalk, full and good.  Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.  And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.

Joseph:  The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:  The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one.  And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.  This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.  Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.  So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.  And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.  Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.  And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.  Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.

Narrator:  So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.  And Pharaoh said to his servants…

Pharaoh:  Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?

Narrator:  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph…

Pharaoh:  Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.  You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you….See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.

 

 

Narrator:  Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.  And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, ‘Bow the knee!’ So he set him over all the land of Egypt.  Pharaoh also said to Joseph…

Pharaoh:  I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

Narrator:  And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.  Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly.  So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them.  Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable. The years of famine came, and to Joseph were born two sons before whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.  Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh:  ‘For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.’  And the name of the second he called Ephraim:  For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended,  and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.  So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians…

Pharaoh:  Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.

Narrator:  The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.  So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.

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Our Review of Part 2…

…takes us to…

The Most Important Points of Part 2—

— At the end of two full years—according to God’s plan, Joseph had to wait two more years for his freedom from prison.  He must have been discouraged when day after day went by and he didn’t hear anything from the butler.

— Pharaoh had a dream—in this first dream, Pharaoh saw seven healthy cows come up out of the River Nile, which was the source of life for Egypt.  The river flooded every year from June to September, laying down a layer of rich silt that enabled the Egyptians to grow lots of food.  Since the cow was the emblem of Isis, the goddess of fertility, and her husband, Osiris, the god of vegetation and the nether world—when the lean cows devoured the healthy ones, it was a way of saying that the power of Egypt’s gods and the fertility that they had provided were being threatened.

— He slept and dreamed a second time—in the second dream, Pharaoh saw seven good heads of grain being devoured by seven thin ones.  This, too, was an omen that Egypt’s food supply was being threatened.

— His spirit was troubled/he called for the magicians and wise men—dream interpretation was usually carried out by experts who had been trained in available dream literature, compiled in dream books containing sample dreams along with keys or symbols to their interpretations.  Dreams were taken seriously because it was thought that this was the way in which the gods communicated with men.  In Mesopotamia, distinctions were made between black and white magic, with black magic conducted my magicians and white magic conducted by wise men.  In Egypt, guilds of magicians developed for the purpose of interpreting dreams, concocting remedies for medical problems using magic, and providing spells for souls to escape punishment in the underworld.  Since Pharaoh was considered divine, it was assumed that dreams and their meaning would be transparent to him—hence, his troubled spirit.

— I remember my faults this day—the butler’s memory is suddenly jolted.

— Pharaoh sent and called Joseph/he shaved and changed his clothing—Egyptians were clean-shaven, and only let their hair grow during periods of mourning.  Joseph is once again stripped of his clothing, marking another change in his status.

— It is not in me/God will give Pharaoh an answer—before he was sold into slavery, Joseph was pretty cocky and probably thought that he was ready to rule and have his family members bow down to him.  However, after having gone through God’s training school in humility, he is ready to give God the glory for his gift.

— The dreams of Pharaoh are one/the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice—it takes two witnesses for a thing to be established by God.

— Let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man—I don’t think Joseph was thinking of himself for this position, after all, he was a foreigner and a prisoner.  But he knew it would take a godly man to ensure that everyone was treated fairly and an honest man to see to it that there was no corruption or black market dealing going on.  A single tithe—10%–was often used as a guideline for taxes, a double tithe—20%–was unusual.

— The advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh/you shall be over my house—Pharaoh recognized the godly wisdom of Joseph and his plan and promoted him.

— Pharaoh took his signet ring/clothed him in garments of fine linen/put a gold chain around his neck/had him ride in the second chariot—this represents the investiture ceremony of Joseph as the Grand Vizier or Overseer of the Royal Estates, the second most powerful person in the country.  This person appointed the men who three times a year reported to him on provincial matters such as boundary issues, land allocations, tax collection, and internal security.  He received foreign envoys and dignitaries, appointed inspectors to keep an eye on local governors, and maintained a check on the Nile and its canals.  Following his investiture, Joseph immediately set out on a fact-finding mission.

— Pharaoh called Joseph’s name/he gave him a wife—since Joseph was a foreigner, it really wasn’t “legal” for him to hold office in Egypt, so in giving him a new name, Pharaoh was conferring Egyptian citizenship on him.  Nothing is known about his wife, other than she was the daughter of the priest of On—the Chief Priest serving the sun god Re in the temple city of Heliopolis, and a member of one of the most powerful families in Egypt.

— Joseph was thirty years old—having undergone God’s training program for the previous 12-13 years, Joseph was at last ready to step into the destiny designed for him by God.  In the OT, priests began their training around the age of 20 but didn’t begin to officiate until the age of 30.  Although David was anointed king at 17, he didn’t actually step into that position until he was 30.  And, Christ did not begin his earthly ministry until the age of 30.

— To Joseph were born two sons—the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim would later be given land as an inheritance in the Promised Land—one son would take Joseph’s lot and the other would take the land that would have been given to the tribe of Levi, if he had not been given the priesthood.

— The people cried to Pharaoh for bread/go to Joseph—when hunger started setting in, the people complained to Pharaoh—who sent them to Joseph.

— All countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain—including Canaan.

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In Summary

In trying to summarize the events in this episode, a few questions immediately come to mind—questions about God’s timing, His justice, and His purposes.

From what we have been able to gather from our story so far, Joseph would have been about 17 years old when his brothers sold him into slavery. Given that he was in Potiphar’s house long enough to gain his master’s trust and be promoted, he was probably around 20 when he was sentenced to prison. And, in this episode, we were told that Joseph was 30 when he appeared before Pharaoh—meaning that he could have spent at least 10 years in prison for a crime that he didn’t commit—something which prompts us to ask, where was the justice in that? What possible purpose could have been served by allowing him to suffer unjustly for so long? From our very limited perspective, this just doesn’t make any sense.

But then God—who alone sees the end from the beginning—is the only One in a position to judge…

• • What and how long it will take to work the flesh out of Joseph and fully prepare him for the task of leading Egypt through both the years of plenty and the years of famine;
  • What and how long it will take for Judah to come to the end of himself and be willing to sacrifice himself for his youngest brother—after all, it will be through the line of Judah that the Messiah will one day come to redeem His “brothers” and the world ;
  • What and how long it will take for Joseph’s brothers to be brought to repentance;
  • How long it will take for Benjamin to grow to manhood and what it will take for Jacob to trust God with him and to let him go;
  • What and how long it will take for the right pharaoh to come to the throne, and for conditions in Egypt to be right for Joseph’s family to move there; and,
  • When the conditions in Canaan will become so bad that it will no longer be a safe place for them to live.

In many ways, the story of Joseph foreshadows the experiences of David hundreds of years later. Although David was anointed as king over Israel when he was just 17 years old, because of the insecurity and jealousy of King Saul, he had to flee for his life for many years, hiding in holes and caves, and at times, even in enemy territory. It wasn’t until he was 30 years old that he was actually crowned king over the united tribes of Israel.

And, of course, there was Jesus who, like Joseph, stepped into the limelight at the age of 30, only to be betrayed by His Jewish brothers and suffer unjustly an agonizing death on the Cross–a death that would not only save them but the rest of the world as well.

So, if (or when) we find ourselves in situations where we are suffering in spite of having been obedient to God, like them, we can trust that God has a plan in it all—and that it is a good plan. We can take heart from their experiences and from the words of Peter as well …

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?  Now…​

​​If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?​

Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. (1 Peter 4:12-19)

That being said, be sure to come back for the next exciting installment in Joseph’s story, as his brothers show up in Egypt and the real testing begins!

 

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