By Jeffery M. Leonard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biblical & Religious Studies, Samford University
The Pitfall of Hard Times
Genesis 41:28–32, 47–54
As reward for resisting Mrs. Potiphar’s advances, Joseph found himself locked in an Egyptian prison. It could have been worse, of course. Given the charges Mrs. Potiphar lodged against him — attempted rape by a slave of his master’s wife — Joseph could well have been killed. The fact that he was not may suggest that Potiphar maintained at least some doubts about the veracity of Mrs. Potiphar’s accusations. Joseph was fortunate to avoid a death sentence, but unfortunately he still landed in jail.
As had been the case in Potiphar’s house, Joseph’s stay in prison was marked by faithful service and divine blessing. Joseph quickly rose to the position of trustee, and the chief warden entrusted essentially the entire prison to his care. But trusted or not, Joseph remained a prisoner, and there seemed to be little hope for a change in his circumstances.
But then, a glimmer of hope appeared on Joseph’s horizon. Two of Pharaoh’s attendants, the royal baker and cupbearer, managed to get themselves thrown into prison as well. If Joseph could make a connection with one of these men, perhaps they could help him secure his freedom.
Joseph’s chance arrived when both the baker and cupbearer were visited by vivid dreams whose meaning proved beyond their ability to fathom. Joseph was able to interpret what the two dreamers could not. Unfortunately, the news was not all good — while Joseph foretold that the cupbearer would soon be restored to his position, the baker would be executed. Shortly thereafter, the fates of both men played out just as Joseph had said.
Seek God’s wisdom. (28–32)
When he assured the cupbearer that he would soon be back in Pharaoh’s service, Joseph begged the man to remember and mention him to Pharaoh. Once he was released from prison, though, the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph. Joseph seemed to have lost his last chance at freedom. But then Pharaoh himself had a dream, so mysterious that none of his diviners proved able to interpret it. At long last, the cupbearer remembered his encounter with Joseph and mentioned him to Pharaoh.
When Joseph was fetched for a royal audience, God revealed to him the meaning of Pharaoh’s dreams. The seven fat cows and seven plump ears of grain Pharaoh had seen carried the promise of seven years of plenty the land would enjoy. But the seven emaciated cows and seven blighted ears of grain were a harbinger of seven years of famine to follow.
Follow God’s plan. (47–49)
The bad years of famine, Joseph warned, would outstrip even the great bounty of the preceding years. Preparations, he urged, must be made to stave off absolute disaster. So impressed was Pharaoh with Joseph’s skill at interpreting dreams and with his wise plans that the king raised the former slave and prisoner to a position of great honor and responsibility. It would be Joseph’s task to use the years of plenty to prepare for the hard times to come.
Be fruitful even in famine. (50–54)
Joseph’s plan had been to take one-fifth of the land’s produce during each of the seven years of plenty and hold that “double tithe” in reserve for the years of famine. As he executed the plan, so much grain was taken in that they simply stopped measuring it. It was said to be like the sand of the seashore, and it was this ocean of grain that kept Egypt well supplied with food as the entire region was plunged into famine.
Joseph’s newfound comfort in his position was captured in the meanings of the names he gave his sons: Manasseh, “God has made me forget my hardships in my father’s house,” and Ephraim, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
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