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Old Testament History 101
Lesson 8
Joseph as Administrator
Study Genesis Chapter 41 and the lesson notes for this lesson.
Joseph remained in prison for two full years after the restoration of the chief butler to
his office. This delay was due to the forgetfulness of the man to whom he had shown so
much kindness. The overruling providence of God is seen in this delay. What a time to
learn not only patience but to wait patiently. It is good to remember that God has a set
time for the deliverance of His people, and that time is always the best time. Had
Joseph been released from prison any sooner than he was, he very probably would
have been sent out of Egypt. The reason being, Potipher would have finally concluded
that his wife had lied about Joseph. With this in his mind, Potipher would not risk the
status of his authority and reveal the error of his wife controlling the conduct of his
action to imprison Joseph thus having to send Joseph away from Egypt.
The particulars of Pharaoh’s dreams are significant. The plenty of Egypt depended
on the Nile River. The kine (cows) and the corn represent the animal and vegetable
products of the land. The Nile supported the life of the animals. The lean cattle and the
scorched corn predicted a time when the Nile would not irrigate the land. The cattle
feeding in the reed-grass showed that the Nile was fertilizing the land. The swallowing
up of the fat by the lean signified that the seven years of plenty would be consumed in
the seven years of scarcity.
The fact that Joseph shaved himself to come before the king is interesting. The
Egyptian custom was to let the beard and hair grow when in mourning. We have this in
contrast to the Hebrew custom of shaving only when in mourning. Joseph also changed
his raiment from prison clothes to those worn in everyday life. When Joseph came
before Pharaoh, he did not hesitate to let the king know that the source of his wisdom
was from God, whom he worshipped.
The dream was two-fold to emphasize its certainty. There were to be seven years of
abundance, followed by seven years of drought. In the first dream, the seven years of
plenty were symbolized by seven heifers which came up out of the Nile River, the great
fertilizer of Egypt. These were beautiful and fat as they fed on the marsh-grass by the
river’s bank. After them came up seven others, ill-looking and lean, which devoured the
seven fat cattle and yet they remained as lean as before.
The second dream was of a stalk which had seven ears, full and good, representing
the seven years of plenty. Then came a stalk with seven ears, thin and blasted with the
east wind, and they consumed the seven good ears.
When there was famine in Canaan in the days of Abraham and in the days of Isaac,
there was plenty in Egypt. Egypt was often referred to as the granary of the world. Here
Joseph foretells that there would be a grievous famine in Egypt such as they had never
experienced, and that it would last for seven years. The good counsel, whom Joseph
adds to the interpretation of the dream, makes the answer of God an answer of peace,
not of evil. The purpose of God in Pharaoh’s dreams was to give deliverance and honor
to Joseph, to preserve Egypt and the family of Jacob. The advice that Joseph gave to
Pharaoh would secure this result.
Pharaoh and his court accepted the interpretation of the dreams, recognizing Joseph as
having the Spirit of God in him both by the interpretation and by the wisdom of his
words. It is interesting to note the monotheistic language or expressions of Pharaoh.
“Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh
said to Joseph, and again when he speaks to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown
you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.” He does not make a protest
against Joseph’s references to God in verses 16, 25 and 32. Thus, it would seem that
the Pharaoh ruling Egypt at this time was monotheist.
We can figure out the period of Egyptian history at which the Exodus must have taken
place if we count back 430 years. According to ancient authors, it was under the reign of
the Hyksos king, Apophis of Apepi, that Joseph was raised to be the second ruler of
Egypt. The Hyksos were driven out of the country by Aahmes, the founder of the
eighteenth dynasty, who pursued with bitter hatred, both Hyksos and their friends. It
was at this time, the period of time when Moses was born, that there arose up a new
king over Egypt who did not know Joseph.
Pharaoh promoted Joseph to the position of highest honor as Lord over his entire
house. Joseph was next to Pharaoh himself in the affairs of Egypt, Prime Minister in the
affairs and administration of his government, and was honored by all the people of the
land. Genesis 41:41-44 states that Joseph, with the signet ring of the king on his finger
and the chain of nobility around his neck, controlled all of Egypt.
The king also gave Joseph a wife, the daughter of an Egyptian priest. God gave them
two children. The first he named Manasseh, meaning “making to forget,” and the
second son he named Ephraim, meaning “fruitful.” Both of these sons of Joseph were
later adopted by Jacob and included in the future “tribes of Israel”.
Joseph was just thirty years old when he began his public service in Egypt. He traveled
throughout all the territory of Egypt, receiving firsthand information on the problems that
faced him in his newly assigned task. He appointed administrators in all the areas and
built huge granaries to hold the grain during the years of plenty. Exactly as God had
said, there were seven years of plenty followed by seven years of desperate famine
throughout all Egypt and the lands surrounding Egypt. Pharaoh, showing complete
confidence in Joseph, sent the people in need to him for food. The demand for food was
not only from Egypt, but from neighboring countries as well, including Canaan and
probably parts of Syria, Arabia and Africa.
In the years of scarcity, Joseph sold corn to the people, first for their money, then for
their cattle, and when both of these were exhausted, they gave their land in exchange
for food. Having gained possession of the land of Egypt, he returned it to the people by
enacting a tax to be paid to the king annually. One-fifth part of the produce was to be
given in exchange for ground rent. Only the ground of the priests remained free. The
people, who otherwise would have perished, were preserved under this system during
the years of famine.
Joseph Had Affected Two Things:
1. He had saved the people from starvation.
2. He had consolidated the power of the Pharaohs and secured them a tax that they
might improve the agriculture of the country. The people gratefully accepted these
changes, for they understood that it saved them from starvation.
Using your Bible and the lesson notes, please answer the following questions.
1. Do you think it was a good thing or a bad thing that the butler forgot Joseph’s
request to him after reading Genesis 49?
2. What do you think was God’s purpose in giving Pharaoh’s dreams?
3. What did Joseph do in addition to the interpreting of the dreams?
4. What characteristic did Joseph display regarding God in this whole matter?
5. Is there a lesson in this for us?
6.
What verses in Genesis 41 would help us to know that Pharaoh did have
knowledge of the God of Joseph?
7. List four things God helped Joseph do and blessed him with during these years
in Egypt.
8. List the two dreams of the Pharaoh.
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Instructor: Carol Oakes