Joseph in Egypt as Ruler
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Are you relatively successful?
Do you get on well with people?
Are you a natural leader?
Do people trust you?
Do others treat you as a responsible person?
Do you notice things?
Are you aware of changes in others?
Are you concerned for others and express it?
When someone is in trouble do you try to help them?
Are you sensitive?
Do you have a mystical spiritual side?
Do you attach importance to dreams?
Even when you think of others do you still look out for yourself?
Are you intelligent?
In your better moments are you wise?
Do you plan ahead? Do you have self-control? Can you hold yourself back if necessary? Do you have compassion on others? Are you motivated by civic responsibility?
Joseph had been falsely accused of attempted rape by the wife of his master who was a senior government official. Joseph was imprisoned in a gaol attached to the Royal Court. In the place of his incarceration Joseph made a good impression and was appointed as supervisor over the other prisoners.
Genesis (NLT) 39:
19 POTIPHAR WAS FURIOUS WHEN HE HEARD HIS WIFE'S STORY ABOUT HOW JOSEPH HAD TREATED HER. 20 SO HE TOOK JOSEPH AND THREW HIM INTO THE PRISON WHERE THE KING'S PRISONERS WERE HELD, AND THERE HE REMAINED. 21 BUT THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH IN THE PRISON AND SHOWED HIM HIS FAITHFUL LOVE. AND THE LORD MADE JOSEPH A FAVORITE WITH THE PRISON WARDEN. 22 BEFORE LONG, THE WARDEN PUT JOSEPH IN CHARGE OF ALL THE OTHER PRISONERS AND OVER EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THE PRISON. 23 THE WARDEN HAD NO MORE WORRIES, BECAUSE JOSEPH TOOK CARE OF EVERYTHING. THE LORD WAS WITH HIM AND CAUSED EVERYTHING HE DID TO SUCCEED.
Genesis (NLT) 40:
1 SOME TIME LATER, PHARAOHS CHIEF CUP-BEARER AND CHIEF BAKER OFFENDED THEIR ROYAL MASTER. 2 PHARAOH BECAME ANGRY WITH THESE TWO OFFICIALS, 3 AND HE PUT THEM IN THE PRISON WHERE JOSEPH WAS, IN THE PALACE OF THE CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD. 4 THEY REMAINED IN PRISON FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND THE CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD ASSIGNED THEM TO JOSEPH, WHO LOOKED AFTER THEM.
5 WHILE THEY WERE IN PRISON, PHARAOHS CUP-BEARER AND BAKER EACH HAD A DREAM ONE NIGHT, AND EACH DREAM HAD ITS OWN MEANING. 6 WHEN JOSEPH SAW THEM THE NEXT MORNING, HE NOTICED THAT THEY BOTH LOOKED UPSET. 7 WHY DO YOU LOOK SO WORRIED TODAY? HE ASKED THEM.
8 AND THEY REPLIED, WE BOTH HAD DREAMS LAST NIGHT, BUT NO ONE CAN TELL US WHAT THEY MEAN.
INTERPRETING DREAMS IS GODS BUSINESS, JOSEPH REPLIED. GO AHEAD AND TELL ME YOUR DREAMS.
My son, Rabbi Yehonatan Davidy, mentioned a Commentary, whose name he had forgotten, where it was noted that because Joseph was concerned for others, expressed interest in them, and listened to them, his own Redemption resulted.
The Cup-Bearer related that he dreamt about a vine with three branches from which he took a cluster of grapnes, squeezed their joice into a cup, and gave the cup to Pharoah.
Genesis (NTL) 40:
12 "THIS IS WHAT THE DREAM MEANS," JOSEPH SAID. "THE THREE BRANCHES REPRESENT THREE DAYS. 13 WITHIN THREE DAYS PHARAOH WILL LIFT YOU UP AND RESTORE YOU TO YOUR POSITION AS HIS CHIEF CUP-BEARER. 14 AND PLEASE REMEMBER ME AND DO ME A FAVOR WHEN THINGS GO WELL FOR YOU. MENTION ME TO PHARAOH, SO HE MIGHT LET ME OUT OF THIS PLACE. 15 FOR I WAS KIDNAPPED FROM MY HOMELAND, THE LAND OF THE HEBREWS, AND NOW I'M HERE IN PRISON, BUT I DID NOTHING TO DESERVE IT."
The Baker then told his dream. He had three baskets of pastries intended for Phjariah on his head but the birds came down and ate them. This meant, explained Joseph, that in three days he would have his head cut off.
The Egyptian officials had told Joseph their dreams and Joseph had interpreted the dreams for them.
He interprets the dream to both parties. He tells the one who is about to die the truth. He does not commisserate, does not give advice, does not suggest reprentance, just the cold reality. To the one who is to live and be restored to his post he suggests he be recompensed for giving the good news with a favor, that his name and the justice of his case be recalled. Joseph sees an opportunity that might help him and he takes it.
IMPLIED CRITICISM OF JOSEPH?
Note: There seem to be some of our audience who are reserved about our implied reservations, or less-than-enthusiastic descriptions, concerning some aspects (as we shall see) of the behavior of Joseph. To their mind, Joseph was the righteous hero. He was favored by the Almighty and has a status similar to that of a Prophet. Ergo he was Divinely Inspired. That is also what Scripture implies. We agree with this in principle but go with the Bible. The Bible describes the Hebrew Prophets as human beings. They can make mistakes and be reproved. Consider the case of Jonah who prophesided against Nineveh. The Almighty had mercy on the city of Nineveh despite Jonah having prediced its destruction. Jonah was irritated, "and he became very angry."
Jonah (NLT) 4:
5 THEN JONAH WENT OUT TO THE EAST SIDE OF THE CITY AND MADE A SHELTER TO SIT UNDER AS HE WAITED TO SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE CITY. 6 AND THE LORD GOD ARRANGED FOR A LEAFY PLANT TO GROW THERE, AND SOON IT SPREAD ITS BROAD LEAVES OVER JONAHS HEAD, SHADING HIM FROM THE SUN. THIS EASED HIS DISCOMFORT, AND JONAH WAS VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE PLANT.
7 BUT GOD ALSO ARRANGED FOR A WORM! THE NEXT MORNING AT DAWN THE WORM ATE THROUGH THE STEM OF THE PLANT SO THAT IT WITHERED AWAY. 8 AND AS THE SUN GREW HOT, GOD ARRANGED FOR A SCORCHING EAST WIND TO BLOW ON JONAH. THE SUN BEAT DOWN ON HIS HEAD UNTIL HE GREW FAINT AND WISHED TO DIE. DEATH IS CERTAINLY BETTER THAN LIVING LIKE THIS! HE EXCLAIMED.
9 THEN GOD SAID TO JONAH, IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU TO BE ANGRY BECAUSE THE PLANT DIED?
YES, JONAH RETORTED, EVEN ANGRY ENOUGH TO DIE!
10 THEN THE LORD SAID, YOU FEEL SORRY ABOUT THE PLANT, THOUGH YOU DID NOTHING TO PUT IT THERE. IT CAME QUICKLY AND DIED QUICKLY. 11 BUT NINEVEH HAS MORE THAN 120,000 PEOPLE LIVING IN SPIRITUAL DARKNESS, NOT TO MENTION ALL THE ANIMALS. SHOULDN’T I FEEL SORRY FOR SUCH A GREAT CITY?
Just as Jonah was human and made a humanly-understandeable mistake, so too with Josph. On the whole Joseph was Divinely Inspired but his manner of expression and execution of plan were his own, at least to a degree.
Two years later, Pharoah had dreams that only Joseph could interpret. They foresaged a coming famine.
Joseph advises Pharoah:
Genesis (NLT) 41:
33 THEREFORE, PHARAOH SHOULD FIND AN INTELLIGENT AND WISE MAN AND PUT HIM IN CHARGE OF THE ENTIRE LAND OF EGYPT. 34 THEN PHARAOH SHOULD APPOINT SUPERVISORS OVER THE LAND AND LET THEM COLLECT ONE-FIFTH OF ALL THE CROPS DURING THE SEVEN GOOD YEARS. 35 HAVE THEM GATHER ALL THE FOOD PRODUCED IN THE GOOD YEARS THAT ARE JUST AHEAD AND BRING IT TO PHARAOHS STOREHOUSES. STORE IT AWAY, AND GUARD IT SO THERE WILL BE FOOD IN THE CITIES. 36 THAT WAY THERE WILL BE ENOUGH TO EAT WHEN THE SEVEN YEARS OF FAMINE COME TO THE LAND OF EGYPT. OTHERWISE THIS FAMINE WILL DESTROY THE LAND.
Joseph was saying what the Almighty had inspired him to say. Nevertheless, the message resonated with what he himself was.
Are you intelligent?
In your better moments are you wise?
Do you plan ahead? Do you have self-control? Can you hold yourself back if necessary? Do you have compassion on others? Are you motivated by civic responsibility? Joseph was concerned that there be food for everyone. His advice was for the good of all the land.
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