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Genesis Chapters 40 & 41
CHAPTER 40
Verses 1-8 – Joseph continues to be blessed by God, even while in prison. He continues what was mentioned in Genesis 39:23, as over all the prisoners. Pharaoh’s butler and baker offend him so he puts them in prison. Joseph is over their care and finds them to be sad. They both had troubling dreams and thought there was no interpreter. Joseph tells them in verse 8, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me please."
Verses 9-23 – The butler tells his dream to Joseph and he interprets it to mean in 3 days the butler's place would be restored by Pharaoh. Joseph also tells the butler how he wants him to remember Joseph as he was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews and has done nothing wrong to be kept in the dungeon. The baker tells his dream to Joseph and he interprets it to mean in 3 days he will be executed by hanging. In verses 20-23 we see it happens just as Joseph had interpreted. The butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
CHAPTER 41
Verses 1-8 – Pharaoh has two dreams that trouble his spirit. No magician or wise man in Egypt could interpret them.
Verses 9-16 – The butler remembers his faults and tells Pharaoh about Joseph interpreting his dream and the baker’s dream. So Pharaoh calls Joseph and tells him he has heard he can understand and interpret dreams. Joseph tells Pharaoh “It is not me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
Verses 17-32 – Pharaoh tells Joseph the two dreams. Joseph gives the interpretation from God that the dreams are one. They both indicate that there will be 7 years of plenty and then 7 years of severe famine. Verse 32 says “The dream was repeated twice to Pharaoh because the thing is established by God and God will shortly bring it to pass.”
Verses 33-45 – Joseph goes beyond interpreting the dreams of the good years and the famine years and provides guidance on what should be done in Egypt to plan for the famine. The guidance is to set a discerning and wise man over the land of Egypt and let him appoint officers over the land. These officers would collect one-fifth (20%) of the produce of the land during the 7 plentiful years. This would be stored up under Pharaoh’s authority in the cities and would serve as a reserve during the 7 years of famine. The advice pleased Pharaoh, he recognized the Spirit of God was with Joseph, and he put Joseph over all of Egypt and gives him an Egyptian name that means “God Speaks and He Lives”. Pharaoh also gives Joseph the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, Asenath, as his wife.
Verses 46-57 – Joseph is 30 years old at this time and has two sons with Asenath. These are Manasseh (meaning Making Forget) and Ephraim (meaning Fruitfulness). Then the 7 years of plenty ended and the people cry out to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh tells the people to go to Joseph and he opens the storehouses to sell grain. People came from all countries because the famine was severe.
CLOSING
We invite all to our assemblies on Wednesday at 7pm and on Sunday at 9am. We also are available for personal Bible studies, internet e-mail studies, and can even send you a Bible correspondence course.
We read in the Acts 7:9-11 of the events we have just studied. The key is “God was with him”. Is God with you tonight? If not, you in danger of losing your soul for eternity. Why not believe in Jesus, confess that He is the Son of God, repent of your sins, and be baptized so your sins can be forgiven and forgotten by God? Then you can be like Joseph and no matter what comes along in this life, God will be with you! Please consider the condition of your soul tonight. Since we have a rerun for Monday, Sept. 2, we hope to see you live next time on Monday, Sept. 16, on “Speaking The Truth In Love” when we hope to discuss "Joseph and The Christ"!
