Chapter 41

Verse 1 – “…at the end of two full years.” Joseph stayed two full years in that dungeon in order to learn the faith-rest technique and in order to resupply his inner resources so that he would be productive for the rest of his life. In these two years Joseph went from a tumbling weed to a tree by the river. Jeremiah 17 gives the story about Joseph in those two years. He went from being an unstable believer to one of the most stable and dynamic believers of all time.

This is preparation for greatness, and preparation for greatness always involves suffering. No one can be great apart from suffering. It takes suffering to become great as a believer. No believer ever reaches maturity without suffering, but the suffering must fall into certain categories. It must result in the use of the faith-rest technique and no believer can mature until he goes through often long periods of suffering and perpetuates the inner happiness and peace and contentment.

1. This suffering (intense) demands faith-rest, leading to occupation with Christ, leading to the highest experience in the life of the believer. 1 Peter 1:7,8.

2. In preparation for greatness there must be power through suffering. 2 Corinthians 12:9,10.

3. Greatness demands maximum obedience to the Word of God. Maximum obedience comes through suffering. Hebrews 5:8.

4. Once this greatness is achieved, humanly speaking you become a crutch for the rest of the human race. This great ness achieved in this way becomes a means of helping others in time of adversity. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4.

Preparation for greatness involves discipline. Even in human life you can’t be great without discipline. Great people are people whose lives are well-ordered.

Take a child who has been properly disciplined. Greatness comes to him sooner or later because he has profited from the discipline and he has built the scale of values around it. Greatness in the sense of mentality comes from academic discipline. Very often there are academic subjects which are boring and difficult and require a tremendous scope of study, concentration and categorising. When one is able to put such a package together he develops his mind in the categorical concepts and out of it often comes greatness. Often such things can be built on discipline with regard to time, discipline with regard to difficult things in life. In every facet of life great people are disciplined people. Hebrews 12:6. We see the results of discipline in Hebrews 12:11-15.

When God gets ready to present a man and use an individual believer everything combined in the human race can’t stop it. Noting can promote an image if it is against God’s will, and yet when God is ready no one can stop it. David with the sheep is a perfect illustration.

“…that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.” The river is the Nile.

Verse 8 – “his spirit” is his inner personality, his mind, was troubled. What Pharaoh has dreamed is that the Egyptian empire is going to undergo a terrible economic crisis. The reason he doesn’t know this is because of 1 Corinthians 2:14. So we have panic in the palace. God’s Word of ten troubles the unbeliever. Pharaoh is the greatest man of his day and yet he has no security in fantastic wealth. The things of this world do not give security.

Verse 9 – “…I do remember my faults this day.” God closed his mind until this time, of course. When Joseph gave him that request of self-pity he was not trusting the Lord, the Lord was the one who would get him out of the dungeon.

Verse 14 – “…they brought him hastily out of the dungeon.” Hastily is the key word here. But Joseph did a very wise thing. He stopped and had a shave and a bath and put on clean clothes. Joseph has lived 10 years in Egypt and he knows all about the Egyptians. The Egyptians were the cleanest people in the ancient world and they were very particular about their clothes. Joseph has been in a dungeon. The Hebrew word for dungeon means an underground dungeon. There were no sanitary facilities and Joseph has not had a bath for at least two years. Principle: A change in circumstances should never snow a believer into stopping his thought process. Joseph can think clearly. It looks as though he is about to get out of the dungeon. He doesn’t know why and has no information at this point. But he would not go into the presence of Pharaoh without a shave, a bath, and some new clothes.

Verse 15 – “…I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.” Notice the emphasis: “that you can interpret it.”

Verse 16 – the greatness of Joseph. He has improved in two years. “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” The words It is are not in the original. His first words were, “Not in me.” The first words Joseph uttered were not how great Joseph was, but “I do not have the ability to interpret a dream.” Joseph has learned some grace! The Hebrew here is very elliptical, which means that he not only spoke right up to Pharaoh but he spoke with confidence.

You can’t help other people if they think you can help them. God can help them! You can be the channel and the instrument but it is God who has the answers.

In verses 17-24, the reiteration of the dreams. In verse 25-32, the interpretation.

Verse 25 – “God hath shown Pharaoh.” The answer depends on who and what God is—grace, not on who and what Joseph is.

Verses 33-36, the application of divine revelation. Promises of the Word are no good to you unless you apply them. The doctrine of the Word is no good to you unless you apply it. The principle of knowledge is application.

Verse 37 -- Joseph only gives the information, he doesn’t ask for anything for himself. The man who stands before Pharaoh is a stable person. He doesn’t complain, though he has been wronged. When Joseph spoke he communicated, and Pharaoh understood that Joseph was the instrument and that God was the originator of grace.

Notice that Joseph didn’t ask for a thing. Verse 41 – “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.” He makes Joseph the Prime Minister, he is to rule the Egyptian empire.

Verse 45 – Zaphnathpaaneah means interpreter of dreams, revealer of secrets, and it even means sustainer of life.

Verse 47 – in the seven years of prosperity Joseph made provision for the crisis. Application: the believer must prepare for the crisis or crises in life. Joseph stored grain. The believer prepares for crisis by storing doctrine.

Verse 50-51 – Joseph as two sons. The name of the first-born is Manasseh, which means Forgotten. Principle: You can never have prosperity or blessing as a believer unless you forget—Philippians 3:13. To he called his first-born Manasseh to demonstrate that all of this great prosperity that he has at this point of time all came on the basis of the grace of God. He didn’t try to avenge himself on anyone or try to hurt anyone, though many people had hurt him. The next son is Ephraim, and Ephraim means productive. Production can only come in the life of the believer by rebound, forgetting those things which are behind.

Verse 52 – “…For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” This is a principle of grace. God made the difference, it wasn’t who and what Joseph was. This is the principle of grace, the principle of stability, tis is the power, the blessing and the inner happiness that came to Joseph and prepared him for the crisis.