†. Gen 41:1a . .Two years later
Poor Joseph. He's now at the very threshold of his fourth decade of life and
still hasn't slept with a girl, nor does he even really have a life of his own.
He was under his dad's thumb for seventeen years as a kid, and now he's
been a slave in a foreign country for thirteen; and has nothing to show for it
whatsoever. Everybody would like their lives to count for something; but it
looks like Joseph's is slipping away like water through a leaky bucket.
The very young often don't think far enough ahead. It's not till they hit their
thirties that the aging process begins to work wonders on their perspective.
I'm 68 as of this writing, and every time I see someone in their seventies, it
only serves to make me sad as I realize that it's my own near-future I'm
looking at. One day I'll look back at 68 and be amazed how young that was
in comparison. But right now; I feel very old.
†. Gen 41:1b-7a . . Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was
standing by the Nile. And lo, from the Nile there came up seven
heifers, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass. Then
behold, seven other heifers came up after them from the Nile,
ragged and bony, and they stood by the other heifers on the bank of
the Nile. And the ragged and bony heifers ate the seven sleek and fat
ones. Then Pharaoh awoke.
. . . And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven
ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. Then
behold, seven ears, shriveled and dehydrated by the east wind,
sprouted up after them. And the shriveled ears devoured the seven
plump and full ears.
Pharaoh's dreams are all the more disturbing because they contain incidents
that are contrary to nature. Cows, as a rule, aren't carnivorous; and ears of
grain derive their nourishment from the stems of their own parent plant, not
dining upon each other. The scenes in both dreams are extremely violent
with the cows and the ears not just sitting down to dinner, but literally
attacking their neighbors with desperate savagery, like ravenous caribes:
eating everything-- flesh, hide, hooves, bones, grains, chaff, and all --raw
and uncooked.
†. Gen 41:7b . .Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
The first dream was disturbing enough to wake Pharaoh from his sleep. But
the second was so vivid and so real that when he awoke, he was actually
surprised it was just a dream. And with that last dream, I'd not be surprised
he was very relieved to discover it wasn't a reality.
†. Gen 41:8a . .The next morning, as he thought about it, Pharaoh
became agitated as to what the dreams might mean. So he called for
all the magicians and wise men of Egypt and told them about his
dreams,
Magicians in those days were not the same as the sleight-of-hand tricksters
in our own day. Those occultists were scary; they used dark arts that
actually worked, and they were really and truly in touch with paranormal
powers. The magicians who opposed Moses (Ex 7:11) were able to duplicate
several of God's miracles; so ancient magicians were legitimately powerful
sorcerers and to be seriously reckoned with.
I think it was mentioned previously that "wise men" were highly educated
men of extraordinary intelligence; sort of like ancient college professors and
wiz kids. Although Moses himself isn't stated to have been a wise man; he is
stated to have been educated in all that Egypt had to offer. (Acts 7:22)
Incidentally, although Genesis never mentions God directly in Joseph's life,
Stephen confirms that it was God's providence that made the young man so
successful, and protected him from mortal harm. (Acts 7:9-10)
†. Gen 41:8b . . but not one of them could suggest what they meant.
No doubt the magicians and wise men would normally have guessed the
meaning of Pharaoh's dreams in an instant via their connections with the
dark world. But this time the dark world wasn't responsible for those two
dreams, and apparently God held the spirits in check and prevented them
from making any contact whatsoever with Pharaoh's counselors. That had to
be a very tense moment for the think tank. Potentates have been known to
execute brain trusts for failure to produce. (Dan 2:1-12)
One might ask how the dark beings can interpret dreams to foretell future
events. Well . . there's a lot of activity going on in the unseen world; and
quite a bit of it is being done by good angels. All that the dark angels have
to do is spy on the good angels and they can pretty much figure out what's
coming up. Whenever you see men digging a huge, deep, square hole in a
city lot, then logic and experience tells you that a new building is going up.
Well . . the dark world has had thousands of years of experience; so factor
that in and it's not too difficult to understand how they come to know so
much about the future. And then too, you have to expect that the dark world
is digging their own holes at the same time; and they'd quite naturally be
experts on the outcomes of those.
†. Gen 41:9-13 . .Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh: Today I
am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his
servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of
the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and
each dream had a meaning of its own.
. . . Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain
of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for
us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And things
turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to
my position, and the other man was hanged.
Why wait till now to talk about Josephs' abilities? Well . . first off, God more
than likely put a mental block in the cupbearers head to forget all about
Joseph; and that mental block could have been something as simple as a
very reasonable decision on the cupbearer's part. Pharaoh already had a
corps of magicians and wise men who were actually very proficient at their
jobs. What need was there to suggest taking on another one; and a Hebrew
slave at that?
No doubt during the performance of his duties over time, the cupbearer had
seen lots of dreams correctly interpreted, so Joseph's dog and pony show
was nothing new to him. The kind of mental block where people talk
themselves out of something, is quite normal and very common. But now,
circumstances are going to twinge the cupbearer's conscience, not just
about Josephs' ability, but the fact that Joseph had practically begged the
man to talk to Pharaoh and get him released as a return for the favor.
†. Gen 41:14a . . So Pharaoh sent for Joseph,
Normally, Egyptians didn't associate with Hebrews (cf. Gen 43:32) and that
cultural barrier no doubt factored in to the cupbearer's mental block. But
Pharaoh was at his wit's end, and was favorably disposed to swallow his
pride for a matter that, to him, seemed of the utmost importance to not only
himself, but also to the welfare of his whole country.
†. Gen 41:14b . . and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.
All this was done so that Joseph could appear in court that very day, not
some other time. Pharaoh was anxious.
†. Gen 41:14c . .When he had shaved and changed his clothes,
Shaving for an Egyptian meant not only trimming and sculpting their beards
(by now, Joseph must have looked like Rumpelstiltskin) but also cutting their
hair; actually shaving their scalps bald like Vin Diesel. According to
Herodotus, the Egyptians had extreme care for cleanliness and would let
their hair and beards grow out only during periods of mourning.
†. Gen 41:14c . . he came before Pharaoh.
Jiminy! Here's this no-account sheep rancher from the outback getting the
full-on attention of one of the most powerful, if not THE most powerful,
monarchs in the world of that day!
You know, there comes a day-- and that day may never come for some
people --when you get that big break. It's at that moment when you better
have your ducks in a row and your peas in their pods because opportunity
knocks only for those who are prepared for it. For all others, it's bye-bye;
and don't call us; we'll call you-- or worse. If Joseph blows his big moment,
he could very well end up not just sent back to prison for life; but gibbeted
just like the baker. This is a tense moment, and somebody's life is about to
change.
Cont.
/
Poor Joseph. He's now at the very threshold of his fourth decade of life and
still hasn't slept with a girl, nor does he even really have a life of his own.
He was under his dad's thumb for seventeen years as a kid, and now he's
been a slave in a foreign country for thirteen; and has nothing to show for it
whatsoever. Everybody would like their lives to count for something; but it
looks like Joseph's is slipping away like water through a leaky bucket.
The very young often don't think far enough ahead. It's not till they hit their
thirties that the aging process begins to work wonders on their perspective.
I'm 68 as of this writing, and every time I see someone in their seventies, it
only serves to make me sad as I realize that it's my own near-future I'm
looking at. One day I'll look back at 68 and be amazed how young that was
in comparison. But right now; I feel very old.
†. Gen 41:1b-7a . . Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was
standing by the Nile. And lo, from the Nile there came up seven
heifers, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass. Then
behold, seven other heifers came up after them from the Nile,
ragged and bony, and they stood by the other heifers on the bank of
the Nile. And the ragged and bony heifers ate the seven sleek and fat
ones. Then Pharaoh awoke.
. . . And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven
ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. Then
behold, seven ears, shriveled and dehydrated by the east wind,
sprouted up after them. And the shriveled ears devoured the seven
plump and full ears.
Pharaoh's dreams are all the more disturbing because they contain incidents
that are contrary to nature. Cows, as a rule, aren't carnivorous; and ears of
grain derive their nourishment from the stems of their own parent plant, not
dining upon each other. The scenes in both dreams are extremely violent
with the cows and the ears not just sitting down to dinner, but literally
attacking their neighbors with desperate savagery, like ravenous caribes:
eating everything-- flesh, hide, hooves, bones, grains, chaff, and all --raw
and uncooked.
†. Gen 41:7b . .Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
The first dream was disturbing enough to wake Pharaoh from his sleep. But
the second was so vivid and so real that when he awoke, he was actually
surprised it was just a dream. And with that last dream, I'd not be surprised
he was very relieved to discover it wasn't a reality.
†. Gen 41:8a . .The next morning, as he thought about it, Pharaoh
became agitated as to what the dreams might mean. So he called for
all the magicians and wise men of Egypt and told them about his
dreams,
Magicians in those days were not the same as the sleight-of-hand tricksters
in our own day. Those occultists were scary; they used dark arts that
actually worked, and they were really and truly in touch with paranormal
powers. The magicians who opposed Moses (Ex 7:11) were able to duplicate
several of God's miracles; so ancient magicians were legitimately powerful
sorcerers and to be seriously reckoned with.
I think it was mentioned previously that "wise men" were highly educated
men of extraordinary intelligence; sort of like ancient college professors and
wiz kids. Although Moses himself isn't stated to have been a wise man; he is
stated to have been educated in all that Egypt had to offer. (Acts 7:22)
Incidentally, although Genesis never mentions God directly in Joseph's life,
Stephen confirms that it was God's providence that made the young man so
successful, and protected him from mortal harm. (Acts 7:9-10)
†. Gen 41:8b . . but not one of them could suggest what they meant.
No doubt the magicians and wise men would normally have guessed the
meaning of Pharaoh's dreams in an instant via their connections with the
dark world. But this time the dark world wasn't responsible for those two
dreams, and apparently God held the spirits in check and prevented them
from making any contact whatsoever with Pharaoh's counselors. That had to
be a very tense moment for the think tank. Potentates have been known to
execute brain trusts for failure to produce. (Dan 2:1-12)
One might ask how the dark beings can interpret dreams to foretell future
events. Well . . there's a lot of activity going on in the unseen world; and
quite a bit of it is being done by good angels. All that the dark angels have
to do is spy on the good angels and they can pretty much figure out what's
coming up. Whenever you see men digging a huge, deep, square hole in a
city lot, then logic and experience tells you that a new building is going up.
Well . . the dark world has had thousands of years of experience; so factor
that in and it's not too difficult to understand how they come to know so
much about the future. And then too, you have to expect that the dark world
is digging their own holes at the same time; and they'd quite naturally be
experts on the outcomes of those.
†. Gen 41:9-13 . .Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh: Today I
am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his
servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of
the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and
each dream had a meaning of its own.
. . . Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain
of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for
us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And things
turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to
my position, and the other man was hanged.
Why wait till now to talk about Josephs' abilities? Well . . first off, God more
than likely put a mental block in the cupbearers head to forget all about
Joseph; and that mental block could have been something as simple as a
very reasonable decision on the cupbearer's part. Pharaoh already had a
corps of magicians and wise men who were actually very proficient at their
jobs. What need was there to suggest taking on another one; and a Hebrew
slave at that?
No doubt during the performance of his duties over time, the cupbearer had
seen lots of dreams correctly interpreted, so Joseph's dog and pony show
was nothing new to him. The kind of mental block where people talk
themselves out of something, is quite normal and very common. But now,
circumstances are going to twinge the cupbearer's conscience, not just
about Josephs' ability, but the fact that Joseph had practically begged the
man to talk to Pharaoh and get him released as a return for the favor.
†. Gen 41:14a . . So Pharaoh sent for Joseph,
Normally, Egyptians didn't associate with Hebrews (cf. Gen 43:32) and that
cultural barrier no doubt factored in to the cupbearer's mental block. But
Pharaoh was at his wit's end, and was favorably disposed to swallow his
pride for a matter that, to him, seemed of the utmost importance to not only
himself, but also to the welfare of his whole country.
†. Gen 41:14b . . and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.
All this was done so that Joseph could appear in court that very day, not
some other time. Pharaoh was anxious.
†. Gen 41:14c . .When he had shaved and changed his clothes,
Shaving for an Egyptian meant not only trimming and sculpting their beards
(by now, Joseph must have looked like Rumpelstiltskin) but also cutting their
hair; actually shaving their scalps bald like Vin Diesel. According to
Herodotus, the Egyptians had extreme care for cleanliness and would let
their hair and beards grow out only during periods of mourning.
†. Gen 41:14c . . he came before Pharaoh.
Jiminy! Here's this no-account sheep rancher from the outback getting the
full-on attention of one of the most powerful, if not THE most powerful,
monarchs in the world of that day!
You know, there comes a day-- and that day may never come for some
people --when you get that big break. It's at that moment when you better
have your ducks in a row and your peas in their pods because opportunity
knocks only for those who are prepared for it. For all others, it's bye-bye;
and don't call us; we'll call you-- or worse. If Joseph blows his big moment,
he could very well end up not just sent back to prison for life; but gibbeted
just like the baker. This is a tense moment, and somebody's life is about to
change.
Cont.
/
