p. 11 | Joseph Exalted

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 10, 1898

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 24, No. 45.

Joseph Exalted

Lesson IX.—Sabbath, November 26, 1898.

Joseph Exalted.

Lesson Scripture, Genesis 41, R.V.

1 “And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that 2 Pharaoh dreamed; and, behold, he stood by the river. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, well 3 favored and fat fleshed; and they fed in the reed grass. And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favored and lean fleshed; and stood by the other kine upon 4 the brink of the river. And the ill-favored and lean-fleshed 5 kine did eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept and dreamed a second time; and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank 6 and good. And, behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the 7 east wind, sprung up after them. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, 8 and, behold, it was a dream. And 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 the wise men thereof; and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that 9 could interpret them unto Pharaoh. Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this 10 day; Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the 11 chief baker; and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his 12 dream. And there was with us there a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according 13 to his dream he did interpret. And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, 14 and him he hanged. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto 15 Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it; and I have heard say of thee, that when thou hearest a dream thou canst 16 interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. And 17 Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood 18 upon the brink of the river; and, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fat fleshed and well favored; and they fed in the reed grass; and, behold, seven other kine came up after 19 them, poor and very ill favored and lean fleshed, such as I 20 never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness; and the lean 21 and ill-favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine; and when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke. And I saw in my dream, and, behold, 22 seven ears came up upon one stalk, full and good; and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east 23 wind, sprung up after them; and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears; and I told it unto the magicians; but 24 there was none that could declare it to me. And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: what God is 25 about to do He hath declared unto Pharaoh. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: 26 the dream is one. And the seven lean and ill-favored kine 27 that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind: they shall be seven 28 years of famine. That is the thing which I spake unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do He hath showed unto 29 Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty 30 throughout all the land of Egypt; and there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the 31 land; and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine which followeth; for it shall be very grievous. 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly 33 bring it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let 34 Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven 35 plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of 36 Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. And the food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land 37 perish not through the famine. And the thing was good in 38 the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as 39 this, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, 40 there is none so discreet and wise as thou; thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people 41 be ruled; only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the 42 land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43 and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee; and he set him over 44 all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his 45 foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On. And Joseph went out 46 over the land of Egypt. And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph 47 went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. And in the seven plenteous years the 48 earth brought forth by handfuls. And 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; the food of the field, which was 49 round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph laid up corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left 50 numbering; for it was without number. And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, which Asenath 51 the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bare unto him. And Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh; For, said he, God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house. 52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim; For God hath 53 made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to an end. 54 And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Joseph had said; and there was famine in all lands; but in all 55 the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; 56 what he saith to you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth; and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the 57 land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because the famine was sore in all the earth.”

Suggestive Outline.

I. Pharaoh’s Dreams:

The sevens of kine. Verses 1–4.
The sevens of ears of corn. Verses 5–7.

II. The Interpretation Sought:

Failure of magicians and wise men of Egypt. Verses 8, 24. See Luke 10:21.
The chief butler’s story. Verses 9–13.
Joseph sent for. Verse 14.
Pharaoh’s dream. Verse 15.
Joseph’s humble reply and assurance. Verse 16.
The dream reiterated. Verses 17–24.

III. The Interpretation Given:

The revelation was to Pharaoh. Verses 25, 28.
The good kine and the full ears. Verses 26, 29.
The lean kine and the empty ears. Verses 27, 30, 31.
Meaning of double dream. Verse 32.

IV. Joseph’s Advice. Verses 33–36.

V. Pharaoh’s Judgment:

As to Joseph’s wisdom and character. Verses 37–39.
As to Joseph’s executive ability. Verses 40, 41.

VI. Joseph Made Ruler at the Age of Thirty. Verses 42–46.

VII. The Years of Plenty:

Gathering food. Verses 46–49.
Names, with their meaning, of Joseph’s wife and children. Verses 50–52.

VIII. Famine Extensive and Grievous. Verses 53–57.

Suggestive Readings.— “Patriarchs and Prophets,” pages 219–223; “Spirit of Prophecy,” vol. 1, pages 135–139.

Note.

Joseph had learned the lesson of submission to the will of God, so that he did not seek to lay plans, or to concoct schemes, for extricating himself from difficulty; but he left his case to be decided in the higher court. He seemed to be going down the ladder, yet when, to outward observation, he had taken the last step in that direction, he had reached the topmost round even of earthly fame. He followed the law of true greatness—that of service, which is the law of true goodness. Slavery in the dungeon was followed by service on the throne. See Matt. 20:26, 27; 1 Peter 5:6–10; 2 Cor. 12:9; 1 Sam. 2:30; Luke 18:14.

Additional Study.

(1) See how Joseph hid self in God (verse 16), and honored Pharaoh (verse 25). (2) Notice that Potiphar, the keeper of the prison, the butler, and Pharaoh, all alike, recognized the hand of God with Joseph. This illustrates the fact that ability is recognized, and we are generally estimated for all that we are worth. (3) Trace the different steps by which Joseph rose to the premiership. (4) When the Lord gives a man a vision or a dream, it causes him to feel that it is full of meaning. (5) How long was Joseph in Egypt before he was made governor? Note the meaning of the name which Pharaoh gave to Joseph. Gen. 41:45. (6) Who was this Pharaoh?