Read: Gen. 41-42
It’s been two years since Joseph gave the butler the interpretation and it looks like there is a new Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh has a dream, the butler remembers Joseph. Joseph had a gift of interpreting dreams but he had to wait till his gift was needed before he was exalted. Many of us have gifts that may seem unused and unappreciated but when the time comes those gifts will be sought after so don’t be discouraged. Like Joseph, we are being fine-tuned and prepared for that moment.
Joseph must have spent much time in prison thinking and learning to interpret his own dreams and the dreams of his fellow inmates to be able to so aptly interpret the Pharaoh’s. In one day Joseph went from being a prisoner to being second in command of the whole land of Egypt. It was God’s timing and Joseph had allowed God to shape him into a humble leader. The Pharaoh gave him a new name which meant “treasury of the glorious rest”. His job was to store up the excess food during the good years so that the people could rest in the famine and be taken care of. The names Joseph chose for his sons show the condition of Joseph’s heart. The first one was Manasseh which means “causing to forget” because Joseph had chosen to forget and forgive his past and all the wrongs done to him. His second son, Ephraim means “double fruit” which shows his gratefulness to his blessings.
After seven years of fruitfulness they entered the seven years of famine which affected the land that Jacob lived. When he sent his sons, minus Benjamin, to Egypt, Joseph put them through a series of tests to see if they were repentant. They got a small taste of prison and had to face the consequence of what they had done to Joseph. They did acknowledge their sin which was the first step. That is our first step to coming to God. We have to believe that we are sinners first and that we need a saviour.
Lord, thank you for bringing us all to the place where we have to depend on You and repent.
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