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Genesis Chapter
Forty-one
Genesis 41
Chapter Contents
Pharaoh's dreams. (1-8) Joseph interprets Pharaoh's
dreams. (9-32) Joseph's counsel
He is highly advanced. (33-45) Joseph's
children
The beginning of the famine. (46-57)
Commentary on Genesis 41:1-8
The means of Joseph's being freed from prison were
Pharaoh's dreams
as here related. Now that God no longer speaks to us in that
way
it is no matter how little we either heed dreams
or tell them. The
telling of foolish dreams can make no better than foolish talk. But these
dreams showed that they were sent of God; when he awoke
Pharaoh's spirit was
troubled.
Commentary on Genesis 41:9-32
God's time for the enlargement of his people is the
fittest time. If the chief butler had got Joseph to be released from prison
it
is probable he would have gone back to the land of the Hebrews. Then he had
neither been so blessed himself
nor such a blessing to his family
as
afterwards he proved. Joseph
when introduced to Pharaoh
gives honour to God.
Pharaoh had dreamed that he stood upon the bank of the river Nile
and saw the
kine
both the fat ones
and the lean ones
come out of the river. Egypt has no
rain
but the plenty of the year depends upon the overflowing of the river
Nile. See how many ways Providence has of dispensing its gifts; yet our
dependence is still the same upon the First Cause
who makes every creature
what it is to us
be it rain or river. See to what changes the comforts of this
life are subject. We cannot be sure that to-morrow shall be as this day
or
next year as this. We must learn how to want
as well as how to abound. Mark
the goodness of God in sending the seven years of plenty before those of
famine
that provision might be made. The produce of the earth is sometimes
more
and sometimes less; yet
take one with another
he that gathers much
has
nothing over; and he that gathers little
has no lack
Exodus 16:18. And see the perishing nature of
our worldly enjoyments. The great harvests of the years of plenty were quite
lost
and swallowed up in the years of famine; and that which seemed very much
yet did but just serve to keep the people alive. There is bread which lasts to
eternal life
which it is worth while to labour for. They that make the things
of this world their good things
will find little pleasure in remembering that
they have received them.
Commentary on Genesis 41:33-45
Joseph gave good advice to Pharaoh. Fair warning should
always be followed by good counsel. God has in his word told us of a day of
trial before us
when we shall need all the grace we can have. Now
therefore
provide accordingly. Pharaoh gave Joseph an honourable testimony. He is a man
in whom the spirit of God is; and such men ought to be valued. Pharaoh puts
upon Joseph marks of honour. He gave him such a name as spoke the value he had
for him
Zaphnath-paaneah
"a revealer of secrets." This preferment
of Joseph encourages all to trust in God. Some translate Joseph's new name
"the saviour of the world." The brightest glories
even of the upper
world
are put upon Christ
the highest trust lodged in his hand
and all power
given him
both in heaven and earth.
Commentary on Genesis 41:46-57
In the names of his two sons
Manasseh and Ephraim
Joseph owned the Divine providence. 1. He was made to forget his misery. 2. He
was made fruitful in the land of his affliction. The seven plenteous years
came
and were ended. We ought to look forward to the end of the days
both of
our prosperity and of our opportunity. We must not be secure in prosperity
nor
slothful in making good use of opportunity. Years of plenty will end; what thy
hand finds to do
do it; and gather in gathering time. The dearth came
and the
famine was not only in Egypt
but in other lands. Joseph was diligent in laying
up
while the plenty lasted. He was prudent and careful in giving out
when the
famine came. Joseph was engaged in useful and important labours. Yet it was in
the midst of this his activity that his father Jacob said
Joseph is not! What
a large portion of our troubles would be done away if we knew the whole truth!
Let these events lead us to Jesus. There is a famine of the bread of life
throughout the whole earth. Go to Jesus
and what he bids you
do. Attend to
His voice
apply to him; he will open his treasures
and satisfy with goodness
the hungry soul of every age and nation
without money and without price. But
those who slight this provision must starve
and his enemies will be destroyed.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Genesis》
Genesis 41
Verse 8
[8] 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 could interpret them unto
Pharaoh.
His spirit was troubled — It cannot but put us into a concern to receive any extraordinary message
from heaven. And his magicians were puzzled; the rules of their art failed
them; these dreams of Pharaoh did not fall within the compass of them. This was
to make Joseph's performance by the Spirit of God the more admirable.
Verse 9
[9] Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh
saying
I do remember my faults
this day:
I remember my faults this day — in forgetting Joseph. Some think he means his faults against Pharaoh
for which he was imprisoned
and then he would insinuate
that through Pharaoh
had forgiven him
he had not forgiven himself. God's time for the enlargement
of his people will appear
at last
to be the fittest time. If the chief butler
had at first used his interest for Joseph's enlargement
and had obtained
it
is probable
he would have gone back to the land of the Hebrews
and then he
had neither been so blessed himself
nor such a blessing to his family. But
staying two years longer
and coming out upon this occasion to interpret the
king's dreams
way was made for his preferment. The king can scarce allow him
time
but that decency required it
to shave himself
and to change his
raiment
Genesis 41:14. It is done with all possible
expedition
and Joseph is brought in perhaps almost as much surprised as Peter
was
Acts 12:9
so suddenly is his captivity brought
back
that he is as one that dreams
Psalms 126:1. Pharaoh immediately
without
enquiring who or whence he was tells him his business
that he expected he
should interpret his dream.
Verse 16
[16] And
Joseph answered Pharaoh
saying
It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an
answer of peace.
(1.) He gives honour to God; It is not in me;
God must give it. Great gifts then appear most graceful and illustrious
when
those that have them use them humbly
and take not the praise of them to
themselves
but give it to God
(2.) He shews respect to Pharaoh
and hearty
good-will to him
supposing that the interpretation would be an answer of
peace. Those that consult God's oracles may expect an answer of peace.
Verse 29
[29]
Behold
there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
See the goodness of God
in sending the seven
years of plenty before those of famine
that provision might be made
accordingly. How wonderful wisely has Providence
that great house-keeper
ordered the affairs of this numerous family from the beginning! Great variety
of seasons there have been and the produce of the earth sometimes more
and
sometimes less; yet take one time with another
what was miraculous concerning
the manna
is ordinarily verified in the common course of Providence; He that
gathers much has nothing over
and he that gathers little has no lack
Exodus 16:18.
Verse 30
[30] 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 land;
See the perishing nature of our worldly
enjoyments. The great increase of the years of plenty was quite lost and
swallowed up in the years of famine; and the overplus of it
which seemed very
much
yet did but just serve to keep men alive.
Verse 44
[44] And
Pharaoh said unto Joseph
I am Pharaoh
and without thee shall no man lift up
his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
Without thee shall no man lift up his hand or
foot — All the affairs of the kingdom must pass
through his hand.
Only in the throne will I be greater than
thou — It is probable there were those about
court that opposed Joseph's preferment
which occasioned Pharaoh so oft to
repeat the grant
and with that solemn sanction
I am Pharaoh. He gave him his
own ring as a ratification of his commission
and in token of peculiar favour;
or it was like delivering him the great seal. He put fine clothes upon him
instead of his prison garments
and adorned him with a chain of gold. He made
him ride in the second chariot next his own
and ordered all to do obeisance to
him
as to Pharaoh himself; he gave him a new name and such a name as spoke the
value he had for him
Zaphnath-paaneah
a Revealer of secrets. He married him
honourably to a prince's daughter. Where God had been liberal in giving wisdom
and other merits
Pharaoh was not sparing in conferring honours. Now this
preferment of Joseph
was
1st
an abundant recompense for his innocent and
patient suffering
a lasting instance of the equity and goodness of providence
and an encouragement to all to trust in a good God. 2dly
It was typical of the
exaltation of Christ
that great revealer of secrets
( John 1:18
) or as some translate Joseph's new
name
the Saviour of the world. The brightest glories of the upper world are
upon him
the highest trusts lodged in his hand
and all power given him both
in heaven and earth. He is gatherer
keeper
and disposer of all the stores of
divine grace
and chief ruler of the kingdom of God among men. The work of
ministers is to cry before him; Bow the knee; kiss the Son.
Verse 50
[50] And
unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came
which Asenath
the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.
Two sons — In
the names he gave them
he owned the divine Providence giving this happy turn
to his affairs. He was made to forget his misery
but could he be so unnatural
as to forget all his father's house? And he was made fruitful in the land of
his affliction. It had been the land of his affliction
and
in some sense
it
was still so
for his distance from his father was still his affliction.
Ephraim signifies fruitfulness
and Manasseh forgetfulness.
Verse 54
[54] And
the seven years of dearth began to come
according as Joseph had said: and the
dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
The seven years of dearth began to come — Not only in Egypt
but in other lands
in all lands
that is
all the
neighbouring countries.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on
Genesis》
JOSEPH’S NAME.
What
Joseph was called. Joseph’s name was changed by Pharaoh to Zepthnath-paaneah.
There are quite a number of meanings given to this name. In the Vulgate it is
Salvator Mundi
which is The Salvation or The Saviour of the World. Gesenius
gives it as The Prince of the Life of the World. Brugsch
The Food of Life or
The Food of the Living. Others view the term as really an Egyptian word in
Hebrew letters
and make it The Governor of the abode of Him who lives.
According to the margin of our Bible
it signifies A Revealer of Secrets
or
The man to whom secrets are revealed. The different meanings may well be summed
up
“ The discoverer of hidden things
” or in the Egyptian tongue
“ The
Saviour of the World.” Let us take up the different meanings given above as
illustrating what Christ is.
Ⅰ.
The Saviour of the Word. That Christ
is the Saviour that God has appointed for the world
is stated again and again
(John 3:16; 4:42).
Ⅱ.
The Prince of the Life of the World. “
The Prince of Life” is one of Christ’s titles. As such He was killed by His
enemies (Acts 3:15)
and is now in resurrection power quickening those who are
dead in trespasses and sins.
Ⅲ.
The Food of Life. “ The Bread of
Life” is another of Christ’s titles (John 6:35). Satisfaction is found in
Christ as well as salvation.
Ⅳ.
The Food of the Living. Those who
are alive from the death of sin find there is food provided for them. “ Give
her something to eat
” were the words of Christ after He had given the young
maiden life; and the Lord having given us life
provides nourishment for that
life in Him who is “ The Word of Life” through His written Word.
Ⅴ.
The Governor of the Abode of Him who
Lives. As Pharaoh appointed Joseph to be governor over all His domain
so
the Father has committed all power into the hands of Christ
as He Himself says
“ All power (authority) is given Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18). “
The Father loveth the Son
and hath given all things into His hand” (John 3:35).
Ⅵ.
The Revealer of Secrets. The Lord Jesus revealed to His disciples
many things which had never been known before (Matt.13:11
17). He still reveals
His secrets through His Spirit and Word to those who are spiritually minded (1.
Cor.2:10)
even as He made known His ways unto Moses (Psalm 103:7).
Ⅶ.
The Man to whom secrets are revealed. It
was because the Father had given the words to Christ that He was able to speak
them out to others (John 14:24).
There
is a sense
in a limited degree
in which what we have said of Christ applies
to the believer.
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
41 Chapter 41
Verses 1-8
Pharaoh dreamed
Pharaoh’s dream
I.
THAT
APPARENTLY INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS MAY OFTEN GROW INTO AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE
WORLD’S HISTORY.
II. THAT GOD
CHOOSES THE INSTRUMENTS OF REVELATION ACCORDING TO HIS OWN GOOD PLEASURE.
III. THAT GOD CAN
SUDDENLY ARREST THE ATTENTION OF THOSE WHO ARE THE FARTHEST REMOVED FROM EVERY
EARTHLY FEAR. (T. H. Leale)
Pharaoh’s dream and its interpretation
I. THE SUMMONING
OF JOSEPH TO INTERPRET PHARAOH’S DREAM.
1. The long waiting of Joseph before he attained his emancipation.
2. The wisdom of this delay in respect of Joseph’s circumstances.
3. Pharaoh’s prophetic dream.
4. The chief butler’s forgetfulness.
II. THE
INTERPRETATION OF THE DREAM.
1. The graceful way in which Joseph refers all to God.
2. Joseph’s calmness
produced by the consciousness of God’s
presence.
3. Joseph’s plan in the interpretation of the dream. It was simply a
providential foresight for the future. (F. W. Robertson
M. A.)
The dream of Pharaoh
1. The dream was formed of elements with which the dreamer was
somewhat familiar.
2. The dream was a Divine communication to the mind of a heathen.
3. The dream brought trouble into the heart of a monarch.
4. The dream could only be interpreted by a devout Theist.
I. THE
REVOLUTIONS OF PROVIDENCE. Alternations mark the earthly history of the human
world.
1. They tend to promote our spiritual discipline.
2. They remind us of the activity of God.
3. They tend to inspire us with a sense of our dependence upon
Him.
4. This method tends
moreover
to give a meaning to the Bible.
5. This method often prepares the mind to receive the truths of the
Bible.
II. THE ADVANTAGES
OF WISDOM.
1. It invested Joseph with a chastened humility of soul.
2. It enabled Joseph to solve the distressing inquiries of the
monarch.
3. It exalted Joseph to supremacy in the kingdom.
III. THE DUTY OF
RULERS. They should be--
1. Philanthropic.
2. Forecasting.
3. Economical.
Lessons:
1. How great is the Governor of the world.
2. How worthless the world is without religion.
3. How important to be in fellowship with the great God. (Homilist.)
An episode in a nation’s history
Imperfect as human monarchs are
and sometimes corrupt
they are
beneficial to society. A government must be very rotten if it is not better
than anarchy. Hence
for the most part
God designs to act through kings
and
permits them to be His ministers. God has a secret to make known to Egypt
viz.
tidings of approaching scarcity; and since Pharaoh is on the throne
the
communication shall be made to him.
I. A MAN-MADE
KING IS
AT THE BEST
IMPOTENT.
1. A dream is enough to terrify him. Yet is not this cowardly? Why
should the great Pharaoh be alarmed by a night-vision? Has he not an enormous
army at his back? Ah
verily
there is another Power
active
mightier
more
august
hedging him on every side! What if this strange Power should be
unfriendly! No wonder that Pharaoh’s knees tremble. He is like a fly upon the
unseen mechanism of the universe. He is but a waif upon the stormy Atlantic.
What is this all-surrounding Power? Possibly it may be God!
2. Further
he is a very dependent man. He cannot do without
astrologers
magicians
butlers
and bakers. No; it would not do for the king
to be independent. The temptation to play the tyrant would be irresistible. He
is only one part of the social system
though it may be the most prominent.
3. The king is dependent upon the most obscure in his kingdom. On an
imprisoned slave Pharaoh and all Egypt have to depend. Verily nobleness and
worth may be found in the lowliest lot!
II. THE RING IS AN
ALLY OF GOD.
1. Joseph’s first utterance was to acknowledge God. In substance he
says
“I am powerless; God can meet the case.” Hers was a great opportunity for
ostentation
self-display. His bearing is calm
princely
royal. Of himself he
can do nothing; but he has brought the true God into court
and “with God
nothing is impossible.”
2. This was an act of heroic faith. Joseph stood alone in that
awestruck assembly. Magnates
officers
stewards
magicians
all were
worshippers of Egypt’s countless idols. To disparage the ancient idols
powerful for long ages
were perilous to a young man and a foreigner.
III. THE REAL KING
IS TRAINED IN ADVERSITY.
1. It is clear that Joseph was master of the situation.
Etymologically
the word king means “the man that knows.” It was this that made
Elijah great and powerful in the face of idolatrous Israel. This gave Daniel
sovereign influence in the Chaldean court. This made Luther a monarch among
men. “Them that honour Me
I will honour.”
2. For this royal position Joseph had been skilfully trained.
IV. THE REAL KING
IS SUPREME IN EVERY EMERGENCY. Most sailors can steer the ship in fine weather;
it requires a real pilot to steer safely through a storm. Pharaoh might do well
enough at the helm of affairs
so long as harvests were copious
and the nation
was well fed. But in presence of a night-vision
Pharaoh lost his balance; in
presence of a famine
Pharaoh was staggered. (J. Dickerson Davies
M. A.)
Kine and corn
I. THE
VICISSITUDES OF LIFE. Prosperity and adversity succeed each other. Life
generally is as variable as an April day. If a man has seven years of
uninterrupted happiness
he must not expect that it will continue much longer.
The most prosperous men are liable to surprises. Families that have for years been
free from sickness or bereavemant may suddenly be overshadowed by the angel of
death. Hopes may be blighted when they are near fulfilment
and pleasure may be
followed by severe and protracted trial.
II. THE
OVER-RULING PROVIDENCE OF GOD. Whatever may be the opinions held by some
we
say unhesitatingly that God has the affairs of all nations and of all men under
His immediate control; that He gives or withholds
as seemeth good unto Him
but always in a way consistent with human freedom. And He invites our
confidence.
III. THE DUTY OF
USING THE PRESENT WELL. Although we are not to be overanxious about the future
we are not to disregard it altogether. We cannot tell what demands may be made
upon our resources. We must provide
as far as possible
against sickness and
adversity. We must not ignore the claims of others. (F. J. Austin.)
A perplexing dream
This dream will appear to many but a jumble of incoherent ideas
which no wise man would retain in his memory. What other man ever thought
even
in a dream
of kine
or of ears of corn
eating one another? Yet it is certain
that this dream came from God
and that it was an intimation of future events
of exceedingly important consequence
both to the Egyptian nation
and to all
the neighboring nations
and even to the church of God. “God’s ways are not as
our ways
” nor ought we to measure His providential administration by our own
rules. He discovers His mind in the manner best fitted to serve His purpose. It
was not the will of God that Pharaoh should understand his own dream
till it
was explained by a heaven-taught interpreter. If the meaning had been so plain
that it could have been explained by the wise men of Egypt
the design for
which it was sent to Pharaoh would not have been gained. It was for Joseph’s
sake
and for the sake of his father’s house
that Pharaoh dreamed
and that
his dream required such an interpreter as Joseph. There are dreams and visions
recorded in many places of the Bible
that appear to our narrow minds as dark
as this dream of Pharaoh. God hath His reasons for choosing to deliver many
parts of his mind in dark figures
which we would need a Joseph to interpret.
But to allege that any part of Scripture ought to have been plainer than it is
would be daringly presumptuous. Every part of it was dictated to the holy men
of God by that wisdom which cannot err. Every censure of the Divine wisdom must
he folly and blasphemy. The darkest portion of Scripture was not written in
vain. (G. Lawson
D. D.)
Importance attached to dreams
It cannot be surprising that men in all ages and countries should
have attached a great importance to dreams. When the functions of the soul seem
fettered
and the images of the mind appear dissolved in floating phantoms
it
was thought that the direct interference of the Deity alone could give strength
and direction to the relaxed faculties; that if in such a state distinct and
clearly circumscribed forms were perceived
they must have a higher tendency;
and that their meaning is as mysterious as their origin is supernatural.
Eastern nations especially
endowed as they are with a luxurious imagination
and carried away by a love of symbolism
searched the import of dreams with
eager and serious anxiety. The Egyptians and Chaldeans were foremost in the
cultivation of this branch of knowledge; they developed the explanation of
dreams into a complete science; the interpreters of dreams were held in the
most distinguished honour; they were regarded as being favoured with the
highest order of wisdom
and even with divine inspiration; they surrounded the
throne of the king
accompanied the expedition of the general
and often
exercised a decisive influence in the most important deliberations. But the
Greeks and Romans were not less scrupulous in this respect. That dreams come
from Jupiter
is a maxim already pronounced by Homer; but they were considered
significant only if occurring in the last third of the night
when dawn is
near; persons in distress or difficulties slept in temples
in the hope of
obtaining prophetic dreams which might indicate the means of rescue; men
afflicted with illness especially resorted to this expedient
in the belief
that AEsculapius would reveal to them the proper remedies; and Alexander the
Great actually fancied he saw
in a dream
the herb which cured the wound of
Ptolemy
his friend and relation. But how deeply the faith in the reality of
dreams were rooted among the ancient nations is manifest from She views
entertained by the Hebrews on this subject. Dreams grew in importance among the
Hebrews in the course of centuries
and after the Babylonian captivity they
were classified in a complete system; they were regarded either as auspicious
or ominous; harassing or frightful visions were expiated by fasts and prayer;
and Philo wrote an elaborate treatise
in two books
to prove that dreams are
sent by God. It could not fail
that these decided notions
on a subject so
vague and uncertain
caused serious abuses
chiefly from two sides; from
weak-minded dreamers
who were often tortured by visionary misfortunes
and
from cunning interpreters
who knew how to take advantages of such imbecility;
but sometimes
also
from wicked schemers
who made real or pretended dreams
the pretext of base and selfish plans; as Flavius Josephus did
when
by treachery
and cowardice
he saved his life by passing over into the camp of the enemies.
Jesus Sirach
therefore
though acknowledging that some dreams are sent by God
censured severely the folly of attributing weight to all; he impressed upon his
readers that many dreams are idle and empty
like the wind and the shadow
a
delusion to the fool
and a phantom of deceitful hope; just as Artabanus had
long before
said to king Xerxes: “ The visions of dreams are not Divine; they
most commonly hover around men respecting things which engaged their thoughts
during the day”; although the superstition of his time is reflected in the
legend which he narrated
how he yet was forced to acknowledge the awful
sanctity of dreams. Nor has the interest in dreams ceased since that time; they
have occupied the pen of many a modern psychologist; they have given rise to
some of the most beautiful works
replete with profound thought and shrewd
observation; and the peculiar mystery which surrounds those remarkable
phenomena
too aerial to permit of the rigid analysis of the philosopher or the
man of science
will always exercise an excusable charm over the human mind. (M.
M. Kalisch
Ph. D.)
I do remember my faults this day
Pharaoh’s butler; or
The power of memory
association
and
conscience
I.
THE
POWER OF MEMORY. “I do remember.” Memory
a faculty of mind
wonderful
varies
in its strength and exercise
accompanied by pains as well as pleasures. The
effect depends upon the state of the soul
and on the character of the things
remembered
whether good or evil
painful or pleasant (see Job 21:6; Psalms 63:6; Psalms 77:3; Psalms 137:1; Ezekiel 16:61
Ephesians 2:11; Luke 16:25; Revelation 14:13.) Beware. Do some evil
deed
commit some wrong against your neighbour or your God; and
try as you
will
you cannot quite forget. Memory may slumber for a while
but will some
day awake.
II. THE POWER OF
ASSOCIATION. “This day.” Why then? For two years all had seemingly been
forgotten. Now chord of association touched: Pharaoh’s dreams. This power is
often appealed to in Scripture. Type
symbol
parable
all recognize
and
receive much of their value from association. In the special case before us
behold the hand of God. The great designs of Providence are ripe for execution.
Hence the butler is roused to action. It needs but a touch of association
and
the long-forgotten promise is recalled. Joseph’s release immediately follows.
III. THE POWER OF
CONSCIENCE. “My faults.” Mark the power conscience:
1. In exciting a sense of personal blameworthiness.
2. In exciting a feeling of painful remorse.
Faults remembered
I. WE ARE ALL
CHARGEABLE WITH FAULTS (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:12; Psalms 19:12; Psalms 143:2; James 3:2; 1 John 1:8; Romans 3:23). Yet “did not the chief
butler remember Joseph
but forgot him.” It was forgetfulness most inexcusable;
it was ingratitude most unkind I But what are our faults? We have offended
not
the king of Egypt
but the King of kings
the King of heaven
the Greatest and
Best of all beings. We have forgotten
not the son of Jacob
but the Son of
God
the Lord of life and glory.
II. WE ARE LIABLE
TO FORGET OUR FAULTS.
1. The evidence of this. Men have convictions of sin
but they
stifle them.
2. The causes of this.
III. Various
circumstances are adapted to REMIND US OF OUR FAULTS.
1. Providential occurrences. Some of these regard ourselves
the
affliction of our persons
or our immediate connections. Other providential
occurrences regard the condition of those about us: they strike our
observation. We witness sometimes She difficulties in which others are
involved; we think of what occasioned such difficulties
and are reminded of
similar causes in ourselves
which might have produced similar effects.
2. The ministry of God’s Word.
IV. When we are
reminded of our faults we should be ready to confess 1 John 1:8-9). What
then
have we
to confess to God? What are the faults which “this day” we remember? We
must go to Him with all our faults
with all our follies
and with all the
iniquity of our sin.
V. Confession of
faults should always be attended with REAL AMENDMENT. (T. Kidd.)
Pharaoh’s butler
There are some truths in this verse which I wish you to understand
and remember. I shall name and illustrate five of these.
I. THE POWER OF
INGRATITUDE. Joseph’s request to the butler
and the butler’s reply. How easily
he might have kept his promise I Have you been ungrateful to any one--parents
teachers
Jesus? If so
repent at once.
II. THE POWER OF
MEMORY. As the bridge spans the river
so the butler’s memory went back over two
years. He saw Joseph in prison and his broken promise. How kind God has been in
giving us such a wonderful faculty! Use it well in connection with pure
objects
good books
and godly persons. You will then have always excellent and
instructive companions.
III. THE POWER OF A
SINGLE EVENT. What caused the butler to remember Joseph? The king’s dream. How
suggestive often are little things! A book
a portrait
a stone
a shoe.
IV. THE POWER OF
CONSCIENCE. The butler began to think about his faults.
V. THE POWER OF
INTERCESSION. The butler interceded with the king for Joseph. This led to
Joseph’s freedom and exaltation. Do not forget this. Act upon it. The good
which you may secure for others in this way. (Homiletic Review.)
Have you forgotten Him?
No single power or faculty of man escaped damage at the Fall:
while the affections were polluted
the will was made perverse
the judgment
was shifted from its proper balance
and the memory lost much of its power and
more of its integrity. Our memories
like ourselves
have done the things which
they ought not to have done
and have left undone the things which they ought
to have done
and there is no health in them. Among other things
it is not
always easy to recollect our faults We have special and particular reasons for
not wishing to be too often reminded of them. If
however
the grace of God has
entered into a man he will pray that he may remember his faults
and he will
ask grace that if he should forget any excellences which he once supposed he
had
he may not forget his defects
his sins
his infirmities
and his
transgressions
but may have them constantly before him
that he may be humbled
by them and led to seek pardon for them and help to overcome them.
I. We shall first
call your attention to the BUTLER’S FAULTS
for his faults are ours
only ours
are on a larger scale: “I do remember my faults this day.” His particular fault
was that he had forgotten Joseph; that
having promised to remember him when it
should be well with him
he had altogether overlooked the circumstances which
occurred in the prison
and had been enjoying himself
and leaving his friend
to pine in obscurity.
1. Here
then
is the first fault--the butler had forgotten a
friend. That is never a thing to be said in a man’s praise. We ought to write
the deeds of friendship as much as possible in marble; and that man is unworthy
of esteem who can readily forget favours received. As I never shall forget
when
at the foot of the Cross
I saw the interpretation of all my inward
griefs; when I looked up and saw the flowing of my Saviour’s precious blood
and had the great riddle all unriddled. My brethren
what a discovery was that
when we learned the secret that we were to be saved not by what we were or were
to be
but saved by what Christ had done for us I Happy day I we see Jesus as
the cluster crushed until the heart’s blood flows
and can by faith go in unto
the King
with Jesus Christ’s own precious blood and offer that
just as the
butler stood before Pharaoh with the wine-cup in his hand
I bear a cup filled
not with my blood
but His blood: not the blood from me as a cluster of the
vine of earth
but the blood of Jesus as a cluster of heaven’s own vintage
pouring out its precious floods to make glad the heart of God and man.
2. Here lies our fault: that we have forgotten all this--not
forgotten the fact
but forgotten to love Him who gave us that soul-comforting
heart-cheering interpretation.
3. We have not
however
quite done with the case of the butler and
Joseph. The request which Joseph made of the butler was a very natural one. He
said
“Think of me when it is well with thee.” He asked no hard
difficult
exacting favour
but simply
“Think of me
and speak to Pharaoh.” What the
Saviour asks of us
His servants
is most natural and most simple
and quite as
much for our good as it is for His glory. Among other things
He has said to
all of you who love Him
“This do in remembrance of Me.”
4. I have stated the butler’s case
but I shall want to pause a
minute or two over this head just to go into the reason of his fault. Why was
it that he did not recollect Joseph? There is always a reason for everything
if we do but try to find out. He must have been swayed by one of the three
reasons.
II. The second
point is this--WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES BROUGHT THE FAULT TO THE BUTLER’S MIND? The
same circumstances which surround us this morning
1. First
he met with a person in the same condition as that in
which he once was. King Pharaoh had dreamed a dream
and wished for an
interpretation. Joseph could interpret; and the butler remembered his fault.
Brothers and sisters in Christ
there are those in the world who are in the
same state of mind as you were once in. They once loved sin and hated God
and
were strangers and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel; but in some of them
there has been the mysterious working of the Holy Spirit
and they have dreamed
a dream. They are awakened
although not yet enlightened. Salvation is a riddle
to them at present
and they want the interpretation. Do you not remember how
the gospel was blessed to you? Do you not desire to send it to others? If you
cannot preach yourself
will you not help me in my life-work of training others
to preach Jesus?
2. The next thing that recalled the butler’s thought was this: he
saw that many means had been used to interpret Pharaoh’s dream
but they had
all failed. We read that Pharaoh sent for his wise men
but they could not
interpret his dream. You are in a like case. Do not you feel a want
if you
cannot go and preach yourselves
to help others to do so?
3. Then
again
if the butler could have known it
he had other
motives for remembering Joseph. It was through Joseph that the whole land of
Egypt was blessed. Joseph comes out of prison
and interprets the dream which
God had given to the head of the state
and that interpretation preserved all
Egypt
yea
and all other nations during seven years of dearth. Only Joseph
could do it. Oh
brethren
you know that it is only Jesus who is the balm of
Gilead
for the wounds of this poor dying world. You know that there is nothing
which can bless our land
and all other lands
like the Cross of Jesus Christ.
4. Once more
surely the butler would have remembered Joseph had he
known to what an exaltation Joseph would be brought. Think of the splendour
which yet wilt surround our Lord Jesus I He shall come
beloved
He shall come
in the chariots of salvation. The day draweth nigh when all things shall be put
under Him. Kings shall yield their crowns to His superior sway
and whole
sheaves of sceptres
plucked from tyrants’ hands
shall be gathered beneath His
arm. You by testifying of Him are promoting the extension of His kingdom
and
doing the best that in you lies to gather together the scattered who are to be
the jewels of His crown.
III. In the “last
place
I have some few things to say by way of COMMENDATION OF THE BUTLER’S
REMEMBRANCE. It is a pity he forgot Joseph
but it is a great blessing that he
did not always forget him. It is a sad thing that you and I should have done so
little; it is a mercy that there is time left for us to do more.
1. I like the butler’s remembrance
first of all
because it was
very humbling to him.
2. I commend his remembrance for another thing
namely
that it was
so personal. “I do remember my faults this day.” What capital memories we have
for treasuring up other people’s faults
for once let us keep to ourselves. Let
the confession begin with the minister. “I do remember my faults this day.”
3. The best part of it
perhaps
was the practical nature of the
confession. The moment he remembered his fault
he redressed it as far as he
could
Now
dear friends
if you recollect your fault to the Lord Jesus
may
you have grace not to fall into it again! If you have not spoken for Him
speak
to-day. If you have not given to His cause
give now I If you have not devoted
yourselves as you ought to have done to the promotion of His kingdom
do it
now. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Confession of sin difficult
Many years ago
a minister put up for the night with a man who was
supposed to possess but little of what people call “common sense.” Just as he
was about to retire for rest
the man said: “ Tell me
sir
what three words in
the English language it is the most difficult to pronounce?” “I don’t know that
I can
” was the reply. “Well
” said the man
“I’ll give you till to-morrow
morning to answer me.” The minister thought no more of the question till it was
proposed to him again in the morning
when he carelessly said he had not
thought of it. “Then
” said the man
“I will tell you. They are--I am wrong.”
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph
Joseph summoned into Pharaoh’s presence
I.
HIS
LONG WAITING FOR NOTICE AND DELIVERANCE. The religious mind will see in this
the wisdom of God.
1. In regard to the education of character.
2. In its adaptation to the circumstances of the individual.
3. In its elevation above all human infirmities.
II. THE MANIFEST
HAND OF GOD IN IT. It was wisely ordered that Joseph should be under no
obligation to Pharaoh for his deliverance. It is for his own sake that Pharaoh
sends for Joseph. The chief butler was suffered to forget his friend
the
prophet of his deliverance
and was forced to remember him only by
circumstances. To neither of them was Joseph indebted. Thus it was God’s design
that the chosen family should be under obligations to none. Their calling was
to impart blessings to mankind
and not to receive.
III. HIS PIETY
THROUGHOUT THE INTERVIEW.
1. His simplicity of character. He makes no long speech. He does not
use the opportunity to glorify himself
or to plead for liberty and reward. His
manner was dignified and respectful
yet marked by great openness and simplicity
of character. Joseph is the same in the palace or in the prison.
2. His humility. He indulged in no spirit of boasting
though this
compliment from the king would have tempted weaker men to be vain and proud (Genesis 41:15). Joseph never forgot his
character as a witness for God.
3. His calmness. He was conscious of God’s presence and of his own
integrity
so he could afford to be calm before the rulers of this world.
4. His kindly consideration for others. Pharaoh might have reason
for the worst fears when he heard of the interpretation of the baker’s dream.
Though a king he was not exempt from the common evils of human nature; nor from
death--the chief calamity. But Joseph hastens to remove all fear of an
unfavourable interpretation from his mind
by assuring him that the future had
in it nothing but what would make for the peace of Pharaoh. (T. H.Leale.)
The turning-point in Joseph’s career
It is a very difficult thing to let patience have her perfect
work. Who has not felt again and again the truth of the proverb
Hope deferred
maketh the heart sick?
I. This sickness
would
no doubt
again and again be felt by Joseph
when his patience was so
long and so severely tried.
II. Look now at
the means by which the deliverance of Joseph was brought about.
III. The perplexity
of Pharaoh would only be increased by the inability of his wise men to resolve
his doubts.
IV. Look now at
Joseph’s introduction to Pharaoh.
V. See now what
Joseph did
after interpreting Pharaoh’s dream. He did not stop there. He
suggested the practical use to be made of the Divine revelation which was now
granted. (C. Overton.)
The prime minister
I. OBSERVE
JOSEPH’S SUDDEN ELEVATION.
1. The elevation was unanimous. The imprisoned Hebrew had surprised
king and statesmen with his high and noble qualities. By subtle methods God
moved their hearts
and in a short hour Joseph was raised from prison to the
highest pinnacle of power.
2. His main recommendation was spiritual Pharaoh recognized him at
once as a man in whom dwelt the Spirit of God. The power of the Spirit is
available for any emergency.
3. He was entrusted with supreme authority. Such was the high
estimate of Joseph
created in all minds
that they felt he was worthy of the
largest trust. They could trust him as they trusted the law of gravitation. A
Christian will never abuse his power. Now
Joseph’s early dreams begin to be
realized.
II. MARK HIS
EMINENT CHARACTER.
1. It was transparent with honesty. Looking down into the clear
waters of an Italian lake at night
you may see every star of heaven faithfully
reflected; so
looking into Joseph’s character
every grace and virtue of
heaven seemed there to shine. His mind was the mirror of an honest purpose.
2. It was a character marked by energy. Indolence
so common among
Orientals
found no place in him. Soon as duty was discovered
it was
discharged.
3. He was as religious in prosperity as in adversity. This is solid
worth; this is rare piety. That tree is well-rooted which
can bear the
scorching heat of summer
as well as the cold blast of a winter’s storm; so
that man’s soul is well-rooted in God who is as prayerful in a mansion as he
was in a prison. When children were born in Joseph’s house the God of his
fathers was not forgotten.
III. CONSIDER HIS
SAGACIOUS POLICY.
1. Joseph was a great economist. In His administration God is a
great economist
and Joseph followed God. Our spiritual riches should supply
the lack in others.
2. Joseph was a man of order. Nothing was left at haphazard. In an
enterprise so vast order was essential to success.
3. Joseph’s policy turned disaster into blessings. In Potiphar’s
house
and in the State prison
Joseph had been learning daily the kind of
administration prevalent in Egypt. His vigorous mind detected its weak points.
He saw how easily discontent and sedition might arise; he saw where corruption
and misrule crept in. And now he found an opportunity for applying a remedy. As
the Prime Minister for Pharaoh
he made the sceptre of the king everywhere more
powerful. (J. Dickerson Davies
M. A.)
Great changes in life
There are great changes in life. Some of our lives amount to a
succession of rapid changes; and it takes a man of some moral nerve and stamina
to stand the violent alternations of fortune. Some men cannot bear promotion.
It is dangerous to send little boats far out into the sea. Some men are clever
sharp
natty
precise
wonderfully well informed
newspaper fed and fattened
and yet
if you were to increase their wages just a pound a week
they would
lose their heads. That is a most marvellous thing
and yet nobody ever thought
he would lose his head with such an increase of fortune. But it is a simple
fact
that some men could not bear to step out of a dungeon into a palace: it
would kill them. What helps a man to bear these changes of fortune
whether
they be down or up? God-He can give a man gracefulness of mien when he has to
walk down
and God can give him enhanced princely dignity when he has to walk
up; a right moral condition
a right state of heart
the power of putting a
proper valuation upon prisons and palaces
gold and dross. Nothing but such
moral rectitude can give a man security amidst all the changes of fortune or
position in life. His information will not do it; his genius will not do it.
Nothing will do it but a Divine state of heart. It is beautiful to talk to a
man who has such a state of heart
when great changes and wonderful surprises
come upon him--when Pharaohs send for him in haste. It is always a good and
stimulating thing to talk to a great man
a great nature
a man that has some
completeness about him. It must be always a very ticklish
delicate
and
unpleasant thing to talk to snobs and shams and well-tailored mushrooms; but a
noble thing to talk to a noble man
who knows what prison life is
who knows
what hardness of life is
and that has some notion of how to behave himself
even when the greatest personages require his attendance. Few men could have
borne this change. None of us can bear the great changes of life with calmness
fortitude
dignity
except we be rightly established in things that are Divine
and everlasting. (J. Parker
D. D.)
Behold there come seven years of great plenty
Joseph as a prophet
In interpreting Pharaoh’s dream
Joseph shows himself a true
prophet of the Lord.
He has all the marks of those who are called to reveal the Divine mind to man.
I. BOLDNESS. The
true prophet has no fear of man. He speaks the word which God hath given him
regardless of consequences He is ready to reprove even kings--to utter truths
however unwelcome. It required some courage to enter upon the perilous task of
announcing to this Egyptian despot famine of seven years. But Joseph had all
the boldness of a man who felt that he was inspired by God.
II. DIRECTNESS.
Joseph spoke out at once
without any hesitation. There was no shuffling to
gain time; no muttering--no incantations
after the manner of heathen oracles
and prophets. This simple and clear directness is the special characteristic of
Holy Scriptures; and by which they are distinguished from the literature of the
world
which upon the deepest and most concerning questions never reaches a
stable conclusion.
III. POSITIVENESS.
Joseph’s interpretation was throughout explicit and clear. There are no signs
of doubt or misgiving. This Divine certainty is the common mark of all God’s
prophets. (T. H. Leale.)
Let them gather all the food of those good years that come
and
lay up corn
Joseph as the adviser of Pharaoh
I.
HIS
PRESENCE OF MIND. Equal to the situation.
II. THE KINDNESS
AND OPENNESS OF HIS NATURE.
III. HIS
SELF-COMMAND.
IV. HIS PRACTICAL
GOOD SENSE. (T. H. Leale.)
Providence for the future
1. His wisdom and prudential sagacity in counsel. The interpretation
of Pharaoh’s dreams was from God. Joseph knew it to be so. He had
therefore
the most assured and unshaken confidence of the correspondence of the coming
facts with the Divine pre-intimation; and in this confidence he tenders his
advice to the king
in the prospect of what was before him
without hesitation.
The word of the God of truth is always sure. The counsel of Joseph was
obviously wise and excellent. Like many similar counsels
it commends itself
when suggested
to instant approbation
while yet to many minds it might not at
once occur. How very difficult it is
both in public and in private life
to
get men to judge and to act with single-eyed simplicity
according to the real
merits of measures
when these measures happen not to be their own! If they
chance to originate with political opponents--or
in more private life
with
those who are not in the number of their friends--how difficult it is to get
them treated with fairness! Another important practical lesson is suggested by
the counsel of Joseph: the general lesson of providence for the future. This is
a duty incumbent on all. It is virtuous prudence; the “prudence which forseeth
the evil and hideth itself.” The remark has a special bearing on the labouring
classes of the community. This laying up for the time of scarcity bore a close
resemblance to the principle of friendly societies and provident or savings
banks. There is such perpetual alteration and exchange of conditions
that no
man can say with certainty to-day what his own circumstances
or those of any
other person
may be to-morrow.
1. There may
surely
be providence
without over-anxiety.
2. But surely there may be providence
without covetousness.
3. The duty of providence
then
must not be an excuse for refusing
the claims of benevolence.
There may be scriptural providence
without cold-hearted and
close-handed selfishness. (R. Wardlaw
M. A.)
Providence and forethought
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth
” says our Lord
“where moth and rust do corrupt
and where thieves break through and steal.”
But this rule is not intended to prohibit us from providing in the time of
plenty for a time of scarcity
as far as it can be done without neglecting the
necessary duties of charity and piety
according to our circumstances. The poor
ought not to want what their present necessities demand; but a provident care
in public governors
to guard against the mischiefs of famine
is requisite
chiefly for the sake of the lower ranks in society. If the superfluous produce
of the earth had been given to the poor in the years of plenty
they must have
been starved in the time of famine. No liberality to the poor ever deserved
greater praise than Joseph’s care to secure needful supplies both to the poor
and rich. It was well ordered ‘by the providence of God
for the safety of the
people
that the years of famine were preceded by the years of plenty. If the
seven years of famine had come before the years of plenty
few men would have
been left to enjoy them. But from the years of plenty a sufficiency could be
reserved to maintain life with comfort in the years of famine. (G. Lawson
D. D.)
Lessons
1. Seek from above wisdom and prudence for the discreet guidance of
all your own affairs
and of those of others still more especially
when they
are entrusted to your management. “The Lord giveth wisdom.”
2. Be thankful for the blessings of plenty and of freedom
in the
measure in which providence has
in this favoured land
seen meet to bestow
them.
3. The marvellous and lamentable difference between the manner in
which mankind in general are affected by what relates to the life of the body
and what relates to the life of the soul--to temporal and to eternal interests.
Oh
how much in earnest about “the life that now is”--and about the means of
its sustenance and prolongation
though it can last at the longest but for a
few years
and
even in the midst of the abundance of all that is fitted to
support it
may not last a few days. (R. Wardlaw
D. D
)
Storing harvests against famine years
Mr. Scarlett Campbell has contributed some information concerning
the mastery of famine conditions in Bohemia in the years 1770-71
which may
illustrate the plan which Joseph recommended to the King of Egypt. In those
years the Bohemian harvests totally failed
and over a million human beings
died of hunger. In order to prevent such a catastrophe in the future
a law was
made
obliging every commune to keep a large store of corn
each landowner
being obliged to contribute a certain quantity; in times of scarcity he could
borrow corn from the public granary
but had to pay it back after the ensuing
harvest. This system was kept in force till within a few years ago
but
owing
to the introduction of roads and railways
it is no longer necessary. (Things
not Generally Known.)
Pharaoh said unto his
servants: Can we find such a one as this is
a man in whom the Spirit of God
is?
--
Pharaoh and Joseph
In examining this
narrative we find a most remarkable parallel in the relations of Joseph and
Pharaoh to the relations of Christ and the sinner.
I. Following this
line of thought
then
we notice PHARAOH AS REPRESENTING THE MAN OF THE WORLD
DISCOVERING HIS NEED. Not one is there but sees that his resources are sure to
vanish at some future day and leave him poverty-stricken and famine-pinched.
What were the millions of Vanderbilt as he lay in the agonies of an apoplectic
stroke? The day is coming when the man of largest wealth
of greatest
intellect
of supremest power
shall be like a great steamer adrift in
mid-ocean with its shaft broken
rolling in the trough of the sea and
signalling for help.
II. Under such
circumstances EVERY MAN DESIRES TO PUT HIS RELIANCE IN SOME ONE WHOSE QUALITIES
FIT HIM TO GIVE HELP
1. Joseph was a man in whom was the Spirit of God. Joseph was
remarkably free from selfishness: he was not plotting for his own advancement.
He was pure
controlled by the Spirit.
2. Joseph was a man who was discreet and wise.
3. Now
to trace our parallel
the qualities which distinguished
Joseph are pre-eminently those which make Christ the one above all others to
whom men turn for help. His character is beyond reproach. The Spirit of God is
in him. He impresses the world with his purity
his unselfishness
his
sinlessness
his inspiration. He is manifestly the messenger of God to men. He
knows just what to do in the awful emergency in which we are placed. He
inspires confidence in his wisdom as never has another.
III. Following the
parallel
notice THE SUPREME AUTHORITY WHICH PHARAOH GAVE TO JOSEPH. Our
relation to Christ is not one of abject dependence; it is not slavish; it is
more like that of Pharaoh to Joseph: one of dignity
of co-operation. We yield
to Christ because He has a right to be supreme; because He can do for us what
we cannot do for ourselves. We do not lose our individuals. We do not yield the
dignity of the individual choice. Sometimes children travel by express. They
are labelled with a suitable tag; are cared for
fed
and sent along as
merchandize would be; have no care
or responsibility
or duty. Not so do we
pass on through life to heaven. There are those
indeed
who think that
having
been once properly labelled by church membership
they have nothing further to
do
but that the church or the clergy will assume all responsibility and
guarantee them heaven. But such is not the gospel scheme. With our own clear
understanding and deliberate decision
we step on board the gospel train and
trust our Conductor. He knows best. He tells us what to do
and we
intelligently and gladly do it.
IV. Another
parallel is found in THE EXALTATION OF JOSEPH. (A. P. Foster
D. D.)
Joseph
the wise ruler
I. THE QUALITIES
DEMANDED IN A WISE RULER.
1. Natural ability.
2. The ability to bear up under troubles.
3. Inspired wisdom.
II. THE CHARACTER
OF JOSEPH’S ADMINISTRATION.
1. It was characterized by a wise economy.
2. It was characterized by a wise method.
Frugality was to be
enforced by lawful means. The amount received as taxes and purchased at a fair
price
was not to be given away
but must be sold again. The nation must
protect itself against the free expenditures of its citizens. The government
notwithstanding its despotism
was made the servant of the people. And Joseph
and his officers
scattered over all the empire
outgeneraled all the ignorance
of the realm. For this he was as truly inspired as ever was Isaiah. (D. O.
Mears.)
Pharaoh accepts Joseph’s
advice
In which he shows--
I. HIS WISDOM AND
PRUDENCE.
1. In acting upon the best advice he had.
2. In choosing a fit man for the crisis.
3. In removing all social disabilities from this foreigner. New
name. Marriage with daughter of priest of Ori.
II. HIS PIETY. (T.
H. Leale.)
Joseph’s exaltation
I. EXALTED FROM
BONDAGE.
1. A true basis of merit (Genesis 41:38; see Numbers 27:18; Da Acts 6:5; Acts 11:24).
2. A natural fruit of godliness (Genesis 41:39; see John 14:26; Ac 1 John 2:20).
3. A grand field of usefulness (Genesis 41:40; see 2 Samuel 23:3; Psalms 105:21; Matthew 25:21; Acts 7:10).
1. “Can we find such a one as this?”
2. “God hath showed thee all this.”
(1) A Divine Teacher;
(2) A Susceptible pupil;
(3) A blessed result.
3. “Only in the throne will I be greater than thou.”
(1) Extensive jurisdiction allotted.
(2) Supreme jurisdiction reserved.
(a) Joseph’s sway
(b) Pharaoh’s reservation
II. INVESTED WITH
AUTHORITY.
1. The royal ring (Genesis 41:42; see Esther 3:10; Esther 8:2; Luke 4:22).
2. The royal robe (Genesis 41:42; see 1 Chronicles 15:27; Esther 8:15; Ezekiel 16:10; Revelation 19:14.
3. The royal rule (verse 44).
1. “Ring
. . . vestures
. . . chain chariot.”
2. “He set him over all the land of Egypt.”
(a) To gather in its plenty;
(b) To support it in its poverty.
3. “I am Pharaoh.”
3. Sovereignty delegated.
III. RULING WITH
WISDOM.
1. Planning the work (verse 45).
2. Gathering the food (verse 48).
3. Providing for emergency. (American Sunday School Times.)
From prison to palace
I. Joseph’s
elevation is A CONCRETE INSTANCE OF THE GREAT DOCTRINE OF PROVIDENCE WHICH RUNS
THROUGH THE WHOLE OLD TESTAMENT. We may almost take this history as a type of
the ideal history of the good man as set forth there
and as a shadowy
anticipation
therefore
at once of the fortunes of Israel as a nation
and of
his course who is the realized ideal of the Old Testament righteous man
and of
Israel. A late psalm (Psalms 105:1-45) gives the key-note when it says “Until the time that his word
came: the word of the Lord tried him.” No man’s freedom is interfered with
and
yet all is carried out according to the plan in the mind of the great
Architect. Thus God builds in silence
using even sins and follies. “I girded
thee
though thou hast not known Me.” Not less clearly do we learn the uses of
adversity
and see the law working which leads men into the pit
that they may
there learn lessons which shall serve them on the heights
and that their lives
may be manifestly ordered by God. The steel out of which God forges His
polished shafts has to be
“Heated hot with hopes and fears
And plunged in baths of hissing tears
And battered with the shocks of doom
”
before it is ready for His
service. So
in the apparent remoteness and real presence of God’s guiding hand
in the moulding of the separate deeds into a whole
in the leading of His
servant through suffering to authority
and making the sorrow
like
emery-paper
the occasion of bringing out a finer polish
this history embodies
God’s law of dealing with men.
II. This history
points the lesson THAT THE BEST WAY TO BE FIT FOR
AND SO TO GET INTO
A WIDER
SPHERE
IS TO FILL A NARROWER AS WELL AS WE CAN. Joseph served his
apprenticeship to governing a nation in governing Potiphar’s house and the
prison. The capacities tested and strengthened on the lower level are promoted
to the higher. With many exceptions
no doubt
where pretenders are taken to be
adepts
and modest merit is overlooked
still
on the whole
this is the law by
which position and influence are allotted. The tools do
on the average
come
to the hand that can use them.
III. We may learn
too
THAT THE MEANING OF ELEVATION IS SERVICE. Foolish ambition looks up and
covets the outside trappings; a true man thinks of duty
not of show
and finds
that every crown is a crown of thorns
and that place and influence only mean
heavy responsibility and endless work
mostly repaid with thanklessness.
IV. This story
teaches us
too
THE PLACE OF RELIGION IN COMMON LIFE. It is possible to keep
up unbroken communion with God amid the roar of the busy street
as in the
inmost corner of his secret place. The communion which expresses itself in the
continual reference of all common actions to his will
and is fed by constant
realizing of his help; and by lowly dependence on him for strength to do the
prosaic tasks of business or statesmanship
is as real as that which gazes in
absorbed contemplation on his beauty. True
the former will never be realized
unless there is much of the latter. Joseph would not have been able to hold by
God
when he was busy in the storehouses
if he had not held much intercourse
with him in the blessed quiet of the prison. (A. Maclaren
D. D.)
Joseph’s promotion in
Egypt
I. IT WAS
UNEXPECTED
II. A PROMOTION
WHICH DID NOT DESTROY THE MAN.
III. A PROMOTION
FOR WHICH HE HAD BEEN TRAINED.
IV. A PROMOTION
HIGHLY BENEFICIAL TO OTHERS. (Homilist.)
Joseph
the wise ruler
I. JOSEPH’S
UNEXPECTED PROMOTION.
II. JOSEPH’S WISE
ADMINISTRATION.
1. The trust now committed to Joseph was vast in its responsibility.
2. The manner in which he met the responsibility
and performed his
official duty
proves him to have been as well qualified in mental ability as
he was in moral character.
III. JOSEPH’S
RECOGNITION OF GOD IN HIS HOME-LIFE. Seen in names of sons. Lessons:
1. If children of God
we should learn from Joseph’s promotion not
to be discouraged under any circumstances.
2. The personal attention of Joseph to his onerous and important
duty
and his wisdom in organising his work
contain very wholesome and timely
lessons for the young men of to-day.
3. Joseph’s recognition of God in his home
in the very flush of
abundant prosperity and honour
not only reveals the beautiful symmetry of his
character
but proves that neither positions of honour
nor the accumulation of
wealth
need dim the light of piety or interrupt our relations with God. (D.
G. Hughes
M. A.)
Pharaoh’s prime minister
I. PHARAOH’S
DREAMS.
II. JOSEPH’S
ADVICE.
1. He informs Pharaoh that the dreams were
2. He advises the king
III. JOSEPH’S
ELEVATION. Lessons:
1. Patience of hope.
2. Assurance of hope. We may always--we should always--look forward
confidently to the fulfilment of God’s promises which “ exceed all that we can
desire.” (W. S. Smith
B. D.)
Joseph’s exaltation
I. THE FORGOTTEN
PRISONER. Forgotten by man
but remembered by God. While the butler was
forgetting
God was thinking about Joseph
and so ordering events that even the
forgetful butler should be presently of use.
II. THE TROUBLED
MONARCH. Even king’s have their troubles. It is often true that uneasy lies the
head that wears the crown. Joseph in prison
and Daniel in the lion’s den
more
to be envied than Pharaoh and Dairus. Pharaoh’s visions. Both different in
machinery
but evidently the same in meaning. The great magicians
&c.
summoned. Their wisdom is perfect folly. They knew not the mind of God. Could
not explain visions that came from a Deity they did not serve.
III. THE EXALTED
CAPTIVE. Joseph’s advice sounds wise and prudent in the ears of Pharaoh. Learn:
1. To remember those who have benefited us.
2. Jesus the great deliverer of the prisoner.
3. Let us prepare to enter the presence of the great King.
4. There is a palace in heaven for all who love
serve
and trust
God. (J. C. Gray.)
Governor of Egypt
The position given to
Joseph in the Egyptian Empire was one seldom attained by foreigners
however
distinguished. Still
an old papyrus relating to the story of Saneha tells of a
similar exception. Joseph
as first officer under the king
was “Tare
” chief
of the entire administration. It is probable that he bore the title so often
found on the Egyptian monuments
where the rank claimed by this dignitary is
“the leader of the Lords of South and North; the second after the king in the
vestibule of the palace.” The position of tare was usually bestowed on a chief
priest
hereditary prince
or even on one of the sons of the reigning monarch
and was eagerly sought after as long as it existed. The duties and powers of
the office varied during different dynasties. In the so-called Old Empire
(beginning about 2800 B.C.)
as well as the Middle Empire (beginning about 2100
B.C.)
and during the New Empire (beginning about 1530 B.C.)
the tare-or
governor
as we may call him--was also at the head of the department of
justice
holding the office of supreme judge. Imitating their sublime pattern
Thor
the god of wisdom
who was believed to be the governor under the sun-god
Ra
as they were under the Pharaoh
these earthly lords ruled “with wisdom and
mild heart.” “They gave laws
promoted subordinates
set up boundary stones
and settled the disputes of their officers They made all people walk in their
light
satisfied the whole land
proved themselves men of probity in both
countries
and witnesses as true as the god Thor.” Indeed
the respect felt for
these governors and supreme judges of the Pharaoh’s was so great that the
blessing
“life
health
and happiness
” usually uttered by the Egyptians in
connection with the royal and princely names
was often added to the name of
the governor. No one was allowed to address the governor directly
but was
permitted to speak or to lay a letter before him. During the middle Empire
the
unity of the state was weakened
and a number of smaller states were organized
under the control of independent monarchs. “The governor under the god Horus”
took this opportunity to extend his authority
and frequently held what
formally had but occasionally been allowed
the office of lord-high treasurer
and sometimes in addition
what became the rule under the New Empire
the
office of commander of the royal chief town. As treasurer
the governor was
often described on the monuments as “principal of the silver magazine
” or
“chief of the corn-houses”--titles which describe two most important positions
From what we can learn from the record in Genesis
we may believe that Joseph
united in himself the three offices of governor
supreme judge
and the
lord-high treasurer. Soon after his investiture
Joseph rode publicly in the
second royal chariot (Genesis 41:43)
that the people might see him and show their respect. He
doubtless wore all the insignia of his high position: rich garments
the golden
chain
ring
and sceptre
and ostrich feather
so frequently represented on the
monuments. How such a pageant appeared as that in which he was now the central
figure
is well illustrated by an old Egyptian picture in the tomb of Mry-Ra at
Tell el Amarna. This picture represents King Chueneten paying a visit to his
god Ra. His majesty reclines in an elegant chariot drawn by richly comparisoned
horses. Two heralds run before him swinging wands
to make a way through the
curious crowds which press on to see the monarch. To the right and left
servants can be seen
scarcely able to keep up with the fiery stallions. The
royal personage himself is attended on each side by his body-guard
with their
standards
behind whom
in carriages
ride high officials
in richly coloured
dresses. Directly behind the king’s chariot rides the queen
and after her the
little princesses
two together in one chariot. The elder governs the horses
which are decked with beautiful tufts of feathers
while the younger clings
lovingly to her sister. Six court chariots filled with ladies
and as many more
on each side occupied by chamberlains
close the procession. On the right and
left of the entire party
servants swing their staffs. (Prof. Hilprecht.)
The secret of Joseph’s
elevation
The way of preferment is
never permanently closed against any man. If one does not--as the phrase
is--get on in life
it is not his circumstances but himself that is to blame.
Occasionally
indeed
there may come reverses of fortune for which he cannot be
held responsible
but the man who is always out at elbows and unfortunate must
have something amiss in himself. Either he has not fitted himself to take
advantage of his opportunities
or there is a leak somewhere in his character
through which his energies and abilities are drained off into useless or
expensive directions. In the England of to-day
and especially in these United
States
no man needs be for ever a hewer of wood era drawer of water; and
though sudden elevations like this of Joseph are not common in these days
yet
there are men continually appearing among us who have come up from obscurity as
great of Joseph’s to a position just as exalted as that which he ultimately
reached. Both of our martyr-presidents may be referred to as cases in point.
Let young men
therefore
be encouraged. Do not sink into despair; do not
imagine that the world is in league against you; but “ learn to labour and to
wait.” Two things especially you ought to bear in mind: first
that the true
way to rise to a higher position is to fill well the lower which you already
occupy. To borrow here from Thomas Binney: “Remember that to do as well as ever
you can what happens to be the only thing within your power to do
is the best
and surest preparation for higher service. Should things go against you
never
give way to debilitating depression
but be hopeful
brave
courageous
careful
not to waste in vain and unavailing regret the power you will need for
endurance and endeavour. Learn well your business
whatever it be; make the
best of every opportunity for acquiring any sort of knowledge that may enlarge
your acquaintance with the business in general
and enable you to take
advantage of any offer or opening that may come.” Then
again
take note that
piety is no hindrance to the right sort of success. Joseph did not hide his
allegiance to God or his faith in God
and these even commended him to Pharaoh.
So there are many heads of great establishments or corporations in the world
who
though they care nothing for religion themselves
would prefer that their
trusted servants should be godly men. Sometimes
no doubt
inflexible adherence
to the right and the true may cost a man his place
even as here resistance to
temptation sent Joseph for awhile to prison; but in the end I do not think that
any man ever lost by his religion
provided his religion was the real thing
and not a make-believe. It may lengthen the road a little; it may add to the
difficulties of the journey; it may take him through some very dark passages
but it will lead him generally at last to honour and influence; for “godliness
is profitable unto all things
having the promise of the life that now is and
of that which is to come.” But there is a success higher and better than that
of outward position and wealth
and even when riches are not gained that is
always attainable. You cannot all become millionaires
or merchant princes
or
political leaders
or governors of states
or presidents of the Republic--that
is an impossibility; but you can all be good and noble men
if you will. (W.
M. Taylor
D. D.)
Joseph’s qualification for
ruling
Joseph was inspired in the
highest and truest sense. Not only was he spiritually gifted to rule the
nation
but he had also that higher gift which enabled him to refer the lower
gift to God. Now there are three things required to fit a man to rule:
intellectual power
a sense of dependence upon God
and unselfishness. All
these were combined in Joseph; we are told that there “ was none so discreet
and wise as he.” In the interpretation that he gave to Pharaoh’s dreams we see
how he referred all to God; his unselfishness we see in his forgiveness of his
brethren. Without these qualities there can be no real rule; for it is these
which make up saintliness
and saintliness alone fits a man to rule perfectly.
But saintliness in the sense we use it must take in intellectual power. For
mere spiritual goodness alone does not make a good ruler. Eli was a good man
he had the two latter qualities which go to make up a ruler; but he was wanting
in the first
he was a weak man
and this it was which caused such troubles to
his country. But it is a mistake still greater to suppose that intellectual
power alone qualifies for rule. There must also be moral goodness and
unselfishness. These are the qualities which clarify the intellect and purify
the character. (F. W. Robertson
M. A.)
High endowments qualify
for respect
Does any man appear
plainly to have the Spirit of Cod enlightening his mind and sanctifying his
heart? He is entitled to our warm regard as a member of that body of which
Christ is the Head. Is a man furnished by the Spirit of God with endowments
that eminently qualify him for service to his fellow-men
whether in the Church
or State? He is entitled to a degree of respect proportioned to the gifts which
he hath received. Office-bearers in the Church are to be chosen out of those
whom the Spirit of God hath qualified for public usefulness. No man is called
to fill any office in the house of God for which he is not fitted by the Divine
Spirit. And none are fit to serve their generation by public offices in the
state
unless the Spirit of God has adorned them with endowments suited to the
stations which they are called to occupy. Although Cyrus was a heathen
he
received from the Spirit of God those extraordinary qualifications by which he
was enabled to accomplish the subversion of Babylon
that he might let go God’s
captives and build His temple. That great prince was the Lord’s anointed at a
time when he did not know the Lord (Isaiah 45:1; Isaiah 45:5). “Can we find such a man as this
aman in whom the Spirit of God
is?” What had Joseph that he had not received? There was none like him in the
land
because the Spirit of God had communicated to him an uncommon measure of
wisdom. (G. Lawson
D. D.)
Ability discovered
In 1831 there was a
musical society in Milan which was preparing to bring out Haydn’s “Creation
”
when all of a sudden the maestro in charge took fright at the difficulty
of his task
and laid down his baton. One Massini
a singing teacher
who was
to direct the choral part
said to the committee
“I know but one man here who
can help us out of our plight.” “Who is he?” said Count Borromeo
the
president. “His name is Verdi
and he reads the most puzzling scores at sight
”
was Massini’s answer. “Well
” said the count
“send for him.” Massini obeyed
and Verdi soon made his appearance. He was handed the score of “The Creation
”
and he undertook to direct the performance. Rehearsals commenced
and the final
rendering of the oratorio was set down as most creditable to all concerned.
From that time Verdi’s reputation was assured. (One Thousand New
lllustrations.)
Leaders of men
The greatest part of men
live by faith in powerful men. A small number of individuals lead the human
race. (Vinet.)
Egyptian-fine linen
It is generally supposed
that the “ fine linen” of Scripture must have been very coarse in comparison
with that now produced from our looms. There is
however
no sufficient ground
for such a supposition. Sir Gardener Wilkinson says: “The fine texture of the
Egyptian linen is fully proved by its transparency
as represented in the
paintings (where the lines of the body are often seen through the drapery)
and
by the statements of ancient writers
sacred as well as profane; and by the
wonderful texture of a piece found near Memphis
part of which is in my
possession. In general quality it is equal to the finest now made; and
for the
evenness of the threads
without knot or break
it is far superior to any
modern manufacture. It has in the inch 540 threads
or 270 double threads in
the warp
and 110 in the woof. Pliny mentions four kinds of linen particularly
noted in Egypt--the Tanitic
the Pelusiac
the Butiric
and the Tentyritic; and
the same fineness of texture was extended to the nets of Egypt
which were so
delicate that they could pass through a man’s ring
and a single person could
carry a sufficient number of them to surround a whole wood. (Things Not
Generally Known.)
Verse 45
Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah
Joseph’s new name
Besides other marks of honour
Joseph received a new name from the
king--analogous to those which Daniel and his friends received
in a later age
from Nebuchadnezzar
and having some special appropriateness to the work which
be was to perform.
Different explanations have been given of its meaning. Some
like those who
drew up the marginal readings of our Bible
understand by it “a revealer of
secrets
” but others
viewing the term as really an Egyptian word in Hebrew
letters
have put it back again into its Egyptian form
getting
according to
Brugsch
the meaning
“the governor of the abode of him who lives”; or
according to Canon Cooke
whose dissertation in the “Speaker’s Commentary” on
the Egyptian words in the Pentateuch is of very great value
“the food of
life
” or “the food of the living.” I am
of course
incompetent to judge
between these scholars
but I wish you to note
as a mark of the age of this
history
that we have here imbedded in the Hebrew text Egyptian words in Hebrew
letters
to which
in this ]ate day
our Egyptologists
who have learned the
language from the inscriptions on the monuments
are able to give very definite
and intelligible translations--a fact which scarcely comports with the notion
now so popular with some
that this book is only a production of a very late
date
composed
perhaps
eight hundred years after the events. But similar
conformation of the age of this record may be found in the description of
Joseph’s investiture with office as compared with the representation of such
ceremonies found upon the monuments. (W. M. Taylor
D. D.)
Joseph’s adoption of Egyptian manners
A question may arise in reference to the complete adoption by
Joseph of Egyptian manners. His name is changed. According to the high
authority of Brugsch
his new name means “governor of the district of the
dwelling-place of the living one
” and thus includes as one of its elements the
name of an Egyptian god
Ankh
worshipped at Pithom. Other Egyptian scholars
however
render it “storehouse of the house of life.” But
in any case
the
Egyptian name implies a complete identification with Egypt. His marriage to the
daughter of a priest may not have involved adoption into the sacerdotal caste
nor participation in idolatrous worship
but is another mark
at least
of
naturalization. It is difficult to recognize a son of Abraham in Pharaoh’s
minister; and his action sounds unpleasantly like that of the unworthy
Englishmen whom one hears of in the Turkish service
with “pasha” at their
names. But we may easily exaggerate the extent of Joseph’s assimilation
and
overrate the sharpness of the separation between that generation of the sons of
the promise and the rest of the world. The Pharaoh with whom Joseph had to do
was not a full-blooded Egyptian; and his predecessors
at all events
were not
orthodox worshippers
according to Egyptian standards. He appears in Genesis 41:38 as recognizing one God; and
we know that
in the opinion of competent authorities
the religion of Egypt
had a monotheistic basis beneath all “ the wood
hay
stubble” of legend and
animal worship. Possibly we may see in this Hyksos king another instance
like
those of Abimeleeh of Gerar and Melchizedek of Salem
which widens our
conceptions of the extent of the early faith in one supreme God
and surprises
with twinkling light where we had thought darkness reigned; but
whether this
be so or no
Joseph did not give up his religion because he became an Egyptian
in name
and married an Egyptian wife. The old faith in the Divine promise to
his fathers lived on in his heart
and flamed out at last when he “gave
commandment concerning his bones.” So he teaches us the lesson of willing
co-operation
so far as may be
in the charities and duties of life
with those
who do not share our faith
and shows us that the firmer our hold of the truth
and promise of God
the more safe and obligatory is it to become “ all things
to all men
” that we may by all means help and “save some.” No doubt that
principle is often abused
and made an excuse for unhallowed mingling with the
world; but it is a true principle for all that; and as long as Christian people
seek to assimilate themselves to others
and to establish friendly relations
for unselfish ends
and not from cowardice or a sneaking wish to be of the
world
after all no harm will come of it. “Ye are the salt of the earth.” Salt
must be rubbed into the substance which it is to preserve from putrefaction. So
Christian men are to go among those whom they would save; and remember that a
greater than Joseph was called “a Friend of publicans and sinners.” (A.
Maclaren
D. D.)
And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh
and went
throughout all the land of Egypt
Joseph advanced to power
I.
THE
RIPENESS OF HIS AGE AND EXPERIENCE. Providence
which prepares events
also
prepares men for them.
II. THE PRACTICAL CHARACTER
OF HIS MIND. Not puffed up by pride. At once betakes himself to business.
III. THE CHEERFUL AND HOPEFUL
CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY (Genesis 41:51-52).
1. He desires to forget all that is evil in the past.
2. He is thankful for present mercies. (T. H. Leale.)
Outgoing
1. “Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.”
(a) To survey the field;
(b) To organize the work;
(c) To initiate his gatherings.
2. The earth brought forth by handfuls.”
3. “Laid up the food in the cities.”
Joseph’s stewardship in Egypt
I. THAT HE WAS CONSCIOUS OF
THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY RESTING UPON HIM. This is indicated to us--
1. In his superintending the work personally.
2. In his sparing no trouble in the execution of the work.
3. In the regard he paid to justice.
II. THAT HE MANIFESTED GREAT
WISDOM IN THE EXECUTION OF THE WORK
1. Inasmuch as he commenced it without delay.
2. Inasmuch as he persevered to the end.
3. Inasmuch as his arrangements answered the best purpose.
III. THE SUCCESSFUL ISSUE OF
THE UNDERTAKING.
1. It conferred incalculable benefits on his fellow-creatures.
2. He gained the approbation of the king. (J. Jones.)
The in-gathering
What a busy scene must the valley of the Nile have presented at
the time of harvest! Multitudes would be engaged
in the very first year of
plenty
under Joseph’s direction
in gathering in the abundant crops
and in
storing such of the produce of the country as was not required for immediate
consumption. The process of cutting the corn
and depositing it in granaries
is exhibited on the monuments. “Wheat
” says Wilkinson
“was cut in five
barley in four months. The wheat
as at the present day
was bearded
and the
same varieties
doubtless
existed in ancient as in modern times; among which
may be mentioned the seven-eared quality mentioned in Pharaoh’s dream. It was
cropped a little below the ear with a toothed sickle
and carried to the
threshing floor in wicker baskets upon asses
or in rope nets
the gleaners
following to collect the fallen ears in hand baskets.” It was threshed out by
oxen
the peasants who superintended them relieving their toil by singing
songs
one of which Champollion found in a tomb at Eilethya
written in
hieroglyphics
to the following effect:
“Thresh for
yourselves
Thresh for
yourselves;
O oxen
thresh
for yourselves
O oxen
thresh
for yourselves;
Measure for
yourselves
Measure for
your masters.”
The granaries are likewise frequently represented on the
monuments. They appear to have been public buildings
usually of vast extent
and divided into vaults
some of which had arched roofs. Immediately at the
entrance was a room in which the corn was deposited when brought from the
threshing floor
h flight of Steps led to the vault
whither it was carried
in
baskets
on men’s shoulders. (Thornley Smith.)
Verse 51-52
Manasseh: for God
said he
hath made me forget
Memorial names
I.
GOD’S
KINDNESS TO JOSEPH.
1. A blessed oblivion.
2. A rich fruitfulness (Genesis 41:52).
II. JOSEPH’S
GRATEFUL MEMORIAL OF GOD’S KINDNESS. (J. Willcox.)
The names of Joseph’s children
His attitude towards God and his own family was disclosed in the
names which he gave to his children. In giving names which had a meaning at
all
and not merely a taking sound
he showed that he understood
as well he
might
that every human life has a significance and expresses some principle or
fact. And in giving names which recorded his acknowledgment of God’s goodness
he showed that prosperity had as little influence as adversity to move him from
His allegiance to the God of his fathers. His first son he called Manasseh
“Making to forget
” “for God
” said he
“hath made me forget all my toil and
all my father’s house”--not as if he were now so abundantly satisfied in Egypt
that the thought of his father’s house was blotted from his mind
but only that
in this child the keen longings he had felt for kindred and home were somewhat
alleviated. He again found an object for his strong family affection. The void
in his heart he had so long felt was filled by the little babe. A new home was
begun around him. But this new affection would not weaken
though it would
alter the character of his love for his father and brethren. The birth of this
child would really be a new tie to the land from which he had been stolen. For
however ready men are to spend their own life in foreign service
you see them
wishing that their children should spend their days among the scenes with which
their own childhood was familiar. In the naming of his second son Ephraim he
recognizes that God hag made him fruitful in the most unlikely way. He does not
leave it to us to interpret his life
but records what he himself saw in it. It
has been said: “To get at the truth of any history is good; but a man’s own
history--when he reads that truly
. . . and knows what he is about and has
beenabout
it is a Bible to him.” And now that Joseph
from the height he had
reached
could look back on the way by which he had been led to it
he
cordially approved of all that God had done. There was no resentment
no
murmuring. He would often find himself looking back and thinking
Had I found
my brothers where I thought they were
had the pit not been on the
caravan-road
had the merchants not come up so opportunely
had I not been sold
at all or to some other master
had I not been imprisoned
or had I been put in
another ward--had any one of the many slender links in the chain of my career
been absent
how different might my present state have been. How plainly I now
see that all those sad mishaps that crushed my hopes and tortured my spirit
were steps in the only conceivable path to my present position. Many a man has
added his signature to this acknowledgment of Joseph’s
and confessed a
Providence guiding his life and working out good for him through injuries and
sorrows
as well as through honours
marriages
births. As in the heat of
summer it is difficult to recall the sensation of winter’s bitter cold
so the
fruitless and barren periods of a man’s life are sometimes quite obliterated
from his memory. God has it in His power to raise a man higher above the level
of ordinary happiness than ever he has sunk below it; and as winter and
springtime
when the seed is sown
are stormy and bleak and gusty
so in human
life seed-time is not bright as summer nor cheerful as autumn; and yet it is
then
when all the earth lies bare and will yield us nothing
that the precious
seed is sown; and when we confidently commit our labour or patience of to-day
to God
the land of our affliction
now bare and desolate
will certainly wave
for us
as it has waved for others
with rich produce whitened to the harvest.
There is no doubt
then
that Joseph had learned to recognize the providence of
God as a most important factor in his life. And the man who does so gains for
his character all the strength and resolution that come with a capacity for
waiting. He saw most legibly written oh his own life that God is never in a
hurry. And for the resolute adherence to his seven years’ policy such a belief
was most necessary. (M. Dods
D. D.)
Joseph’s recognition of God in all things
We too commonly look no farther than the instruments employed by
Providence in conferring upon us the benefits which we enjoy
or in inflicting
the evils we suffer. But Joseph saw that all his adversities and all his
prosperity came from God. He was grateful to Pharaoh
but he was grateful
chiefly to God
for the happy change in his condition. “God hath made me to
forget all my toil
and all my father’s house.” It was God that brought him
into Egypt. It was by Divine permission that he was for many years confined
within the walls of a prison. It was God that brought him out of it
and
advanced him to the dignity and power which he now possessed. All things are of
God. If we do not refer the happy changes in our condition to His good
providence
we lose the benefit and pleasure of them
and cannot be sensible to
the duties which our Benefactor requires to testify our gratitude. (G.
Lawson
D. D.)
Misery banished
Joseph called his first-born son Manasseh
because God had made
him to forget all his toil. He did not mean that the remembrance of his toil
was obliterated from his mind. His mention of it when he gave a name to his son
was a proof that in one sense he still remembered it. It was his duty to
remember it. How could he have retained just impressions of the Divine goodness
if he had forgotten the evils from which he was delivered I If we must forget
none of God’s benefits
we must forget none of those evils from which we have
been relieved by His gracious providence. But Joseph
in another sense
forgot
his misery. He remembered it as waters that pass away
and leave no trace
behind. There is a bitter remembrance of our affliction and misery
and of the
wormwood and the gall of our affliction. This is banished by Divine providence
when it saves us from all distresses; but it gives place to pleasant remembrance
of them
in a contrast to that happiness by which they are succeeded. (G.
Lawson
D. D.)
Joseph’s faithfulness
He had formerly been like the heath in the desert
but now he was
like a tree planted by the rivers of water
which brings forth abundance of
fruit
and whose leaf does not wither. This happy change he ascribes to the
Divine goodness. When changes and war are against us
we must be dumb
not
opening our mouth
for it is God that does it. When changes are in our favour
our mouths ought to be opened to the praises of Him who turns the shadow of
death into the morning
and makes the desert to rejoice and blossom as the
rose. Joseph was fruitful in comfort
in good works
in children. He had
indeed
at this time only two children
but might expect that a troop was
coming; and although that hope was uncertain
he was thankful for what God had
already given him. Perhaps it was by a Divine suggestion that the name Ephraim
was given to Joseph’s second son
rather than his first. Joseph
as far as we
know
had no more children of his own body: but he was fruitful in his remote
progeny
especially by Ephraim. “Joseph was a fruitful bough
even a fruitful
bough by a well
whose branches run over the wall.” Manasseh was great
but
truly Ephraim was greater than he; for the horns of Joseph were like the horns
of an unicorn
and they were the ten thousands of Ephraim
and they were the
thousands of Manasseh. Where was it that Joseph became fruitful? Not in the
land of his nativity
but in the land of his affliction. And all his
afflictions wrought together under the all-wise providence of God to bring
about his exaltation. (G. Lawson
D. D.)
Significance of the names Joseph gave his children
Two sons were born to Joseph during the seven years of plenty. Manasseh:
God made him forget his toil and his father’s house. Neither absolutely. He
remembered his toils in the very utterance of this sentence. And he tenderly
and intensely remembered his father’s house. But he is grateful to God
who
builds him a home
with all its soothing joys
even in the land of his exile.
His heart again responds to long untasted joys. “Fruitful in the land of my
affliction.” It is still
we perceive
the land of his affliction. By why does
no message go from Joseph to his mourning father? For many reasons. First
he
does not know the state of things at home. Secondly
he may not wish to open up
the dark and bloody treachery of his brothers to his aged parent. But
thirdly
he bears in mind those early dreams of his childhood. All his subsequent
experience has confirmed him in the belief that they will one day be fulfilled.
But that fulfilment implies the submission
not only of his brothers
but of
his father. This is too delicate a matter for him to interfere in. He will
leave it entirely to the all-wise providence of his God to bring about that
strange issue. Joseph
therefore
is true to his life-long character. He leaves
all in the hand of God
and awaits in anxious
but silent hope the days when he
will see his father and his brethren. (Prof. J. G. Murphy.)
Use of troubles
"When in Amsterdam
Holland
last summer
” says a traveller
“I was much interested in a visit we made to a place then famous for polishing
diamonds. We saw the men engaged in the work. When a diamond is found it is
rough and dark like a common pebble. It takes a long time to polish it
and it
is very hard work. It is held by means of a piece of metal close to the surface
of a large wheel
which is kept going round. Fine diamond dust is put on this
wheel
nothing else being hard enough to polish the diamond. And this work is
kept on for months and sometimes several years before it is finished. And if a
diamond is intended for a king
then the greater time and trouble are spent
upon it.” Jesus calls His people His jewels. To fit them for beautifying His
crown
they must be polished like diamonds
and He makes use of the troubles He
sends to polish His jewels. (Old Testament Anecdotes.)
Joseph opened all the storehouses
and sold unto the Egyptians
The seven years of famine
I.
JOSEPH’S
ADMINISTRATION.
1. It showed great prudence and skill.
2. It showed a spirit of dependence upon God.
3. It was the exhibition of a character worthy of the highest
confidence.
II. Lessons:
1. How quickly adversity awaits upon prosperity.
2. What an advantage to have a true and powerful friend in the day
of calamity.
3. God often brings about His purposes of love and mercy by affliction.
(T. H. Leale.)
Joseph opening the storehouses
I. JOSEPH OPENED
THE STOREHOUSES BY ROYAL AUTHORITY.
1. The king was only to be approached through Joseph (Genesis 41:55). So with Jesus (John 14:6).
2. The king commanded that Joseph should be obeyed (Genesis 41:55; see John 5:23).
3. In all the land no other could open a storehouse save Joseph (see
John 3:35).
II. JOSEPH WAS A
FIT PERSON TO BE THUS AUTHORIZED TO OPEN THE STOREHOUSES
1. He planned the storehouses
and was justly appointed to control
them (Genesis 41:33-36; Genesis 41:38).
2. He carried out the storage
and so proved himself practical as
well as inventive (Genesis 41:49).
3. He did it on a noble scale (Genesis 41:49).
4. He had wisdom to distribute well (see Colossians 1:9; John 1:16).
III. JOSEPH
ACTUALLY OPENED THE STOREHOUSES.
1. For this purpose he filled them. Grace is meant to be used.
2. To have kept them closed would have been no gain to him.
3. He opened them at a fit time (Genesis 41:55-56).
4. He kept them open while the famine lasted.
IV. JOSEPH OPENED
THE STOREHOUSE TO ALL COMERS. Yet Joseph did but sell
while Jesus gives
without money.
V. JOSEPH ACQUIRED
POSSESSION OF ALL EGYPT FOR THE KING. Full submission and consecration are the
grand result of infinite love. (C. H.Spurgeon.)
Lessons
1. Providence puts an end to plenty at His will
however sensual men
think not of it.
2. The fruitfulest land becometh barren if God speak the word; even
Egypt.
3. Periods of full conditions are observable by men; God’s Spirit
notes them (Genesis 41:54).
4. In the design of Providence
wants succeed plenty at the heels.
5. Entrance of dearth
though grievous
yet may make but small
impression on souls.
6. Not a word of God falleth to the ground
but as He saith
so it
is.
7. Providence orders lands for scarcity as well as plenty.
8. God can give bread to Egypt when He denieth it to other nations
for His own ends (Genesis 41:54). (G. Hughes
B. D.)
Lessons
1. Providence orders some countries to depend on others for their
sustenance.
2. Wants make nations stoop and seek about for the support of life.
3. Grace can make poor captives become preservers of nations.
4. Sore plagues may be made to make men inquire after and prize
abused mercies.
5. General judgments are sent to manifest God’s special ends of
grace to His (Genesis 41:57). (G. Hughes
B. D.)
Egypt’s indebtedness to Joseph
Egypt’s indebtedness to Joseph was
in fact
twofold. In the first
place he succeeded in doing what many strong governments have failed to do: he
enabled a large population to survive a long and severe famine. Even with all
modern facilities for transport and for making the abundance of remote
countries available for times of scarcity
it has not always been found
possible to save our own fellow-subjects from starvation. In a prolonged famine
which occurred in Egypt during the middle ages
the inhabitants
reduced to the
unnatural habits which are the most painful feature of such times
not only ate
their own dead
but kidnapped the living on the streets of Cairo and consumed
them in secret. One of the most touching memorials of the famine with which
Joseph had to deal is found in a sepulchral inscription in Arabia. A flood of
rain laid bare a tomb in which lay a woman having on her person a profusion of
jewels which represented a very large value. At her head stood a coffer filled
with treasure
and a tablet with this inscription: “In Thy name
O God
the God
of Himyar
I
Tayar
the daughter of Dzu Shefar
sent my steward to Joseph
and
he delaying to return to me
I sent my handmaid with a measure of silver to
bring me back a measure of flour; and not being able to procure it
I sent her
with a measure of gold; and not being able to procure it
I sent her with a
measure of pearls; and not being able to procure it
I commanded them to be
ground; and finding no profit in them
I am shut up here.” If this inscription
is genuine--and there seems no reason to call it in question--it shows that
there is no exaggeration in the statement of our narrator that the famine was
very grievous in other lands as well as Egypt. And
whether genuine or not
one
cannot but admire the grim humour of the starving woman getting herself buried
in the jewels which had suddenly dropped to less than the value of a loaf of
bread. But besides being indebted to Joseph for their preservation
the
Egyptians owed to him an extension of their influence; for
as all the lands
round about became dependent on Egypt for provision
they must have contracted
a respect for the Egyptian administration. They must also have added greatly to
Egypt’s wealth
and during those years of constant traffic many commercial
connections must have been formed which in future years would be of untold
value to Egypt. But
above all
the permanent alterations made by Joseph on
their tenure of land
and on their places of abode
may have convinced the most
sagacious of the Egyptians that it was well for them that their money had failed
and that they had been compelled to yield themselves unconditionally into the
hands of this remarkable ruler. It is the mark of a competent statesman that he
makes temporary distress the occasion for permanent benefit; and from the
confidence Joseph won with the people
there seems every reason to believe that
the permanent alterations he introduced were considered as beneficial as
certainly they were bold. And for our own spiritual uses it is this point which
seems chiefly important. In Joseph is illustrated the principle that
in order
to the attainment of certain blessings
unconditional submission to God’s
delegate is required. (M. Doris
D. D.)
Christ’s storehouse
William Bridge says: There is enough in Jesus Christ to serve us
all. If two
or six
or twenty men be athirst
and they go to drink out of a
bottle
while one is drinking
the other envies
because he thinks there will
not be enough for him too; but if a hundred be athirst
and go to the river
while one is drinking
the other envies not
because there is enough to serve
them all.”
Riches in Christ
Dr. Conyers was for some years a preacher before he had felt the
power of the gospel. As he was reading his Greek Testament he came to Ephesians 3:8 : “Unto me
who am less
than the least of all saints
is this grace given
that I should preach among
the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” “Riches of Christ!” said he to
himself;” ‘Unsearchable riches of Christ!’ What have I preached of these? What
do I know of these?” Under the blessing of the Spirit of God he was thus
awakened to a new life and a new ministry. Are there not some yet living who
might put to their own consciences similar questions? (C. H.Spurgeon.)
Spiritual blessings by Christ
All the spiritual blessings wherewith the Church is enriched are
in and by Christ. The apostle instances some of the choicest (Ephesians 1:3). Our election is by Him (Genesis 41:4). Our adoption is by Him (Genesis 41:5). Our redemption and
remission of sins are both through Him. All the gracious transactions between
God and His people are through Christ. God loves us through Christ; He hears
our prayers through Christ; He forgives us all our sins through Christ. Through
Christ He justifies us; through Christ He sanctifies us; through Christ Pie
upholds us; through Christ He perfects us. All His relations to us are through
Christ; all we have is from Christ; all we expect to have hangs upon Him. He is
the golden hinge upon which all our salvation turns. (Ralph Robinson.)
Christ the only source of supply
If any of the people of Egypt had refused to go to Joseph
they
would have despised not Joseph only
but the king
and would have deserved to
be denied that sustenance which he only could give them. Are not the despisers
of our great Redeemer in like manner despisers of His Father
who has set Him
as His King upon the holy hill of Zion?. . . If Joseph had thrown open his
storehouses before the Egyptians felt the pressure of hunger
they might soon
have wasted the fruits of his prudent care . . . Hunger
though very
unpleasant
is often more useful than fulness of bread. They were very willing
to give the price demanded for their food as long as their money lasted. What
is the reason why so many are unwilling to come and receive wine and milk
without money and without price? They feel no appetite for it. They are not
sensible of their need of it. (George Lawson
D. D.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》