We may know the outcome of Joseph’s troubled youth, but for him it must have been a long time: for years he seemed to get the worst of life, even if he tried to live as a trustworthy person and a faithful servant. Before his sudden rise to fame almost half of his years were spent as slave and prisoner. Yet, on the other hand, God was with him during all those years. He not only trained Joseph to be a man of character, who would save his family. He also blessed him, so that he somehow prospered wherever he ended up. And his masters noticed how the “gods” seemed to be with this young man. So, when Joseph lands in prison, it does not take long before he gets a certain freedom and responsibility as a junior prison guard. Life in prison can be pretty boring, but one day two high officials ended up in the stocks: the baker and the butler from the imperial palace!
Read: Genesis 40 The Story of the Baker and the Butler
Both officials had positions of great responsibility, and perhaps they were involved in some plot to attack Pharaoh: the emperor of the mighty Egyptian nation. Charged with criminal offense, they ended up in jail, where they came under the charge of Joseph. Perhaps they had to stay in jail until their involvement was examined, awaiting their verdict: death if they were found guilty; life if they were found to be innocent.
After some time both men have a dream. They are just short dreams, but somehow the men feel that they must be significant, especially as both had similar dreams during the same night. It is fascinating to see how these –apparently random- events are orchestrated by God to work out his plans. He has put the servants of Pharaoh under the care of Joseph; he gives them dreams while he gives Joseph the key to understand their meanings. So, Joseph tells them what will await them in the days to come: life to the butler; death to the baker. And, indeed, just as he said: shortly thereafter the butler is restored to his honorable position. The baker, however, instead of feeding the emperor gets to feed the wild birds with his own dead body, hanging from a tree.
Joseph must have thought this was the perfect reference to get him out of jail, but the butler soon forgot his miserable time in jail and the promise to Joseph to recommend him for early parole. So, he has to wait for two full years. Only then the time is ready for the Lord to act. Some major changes are about to take place that affect the whole Middle East. And at the centre of these events, God has reserved a very special role for Joseph...
Read: Genesis 41 From Prisoner to Prime Minister
The story of Joseph has inspired many people. It has been used in musicals and Hollywood movies. No wonder, the story line portrays someone wrongfully blamed of crime. After suffering many years of injustice, he is finally vindicated and restored. The story is nestled in his family’s affairs: through Joseph’s dramatic changes, the family is transformed from a broken group of frustrated men to a family united in their struggle for survival. Yet, God has a far bigger plan. He uses the world’s most powerful man to fulfill his promises to Abraham. He means to build a Kingdom for Himself through the Son of Abraham!
The butler now forms the crucial link between Pharaoh and Joseph; the emperor and the prisoner. God brings these men together by giving Pharaoh an important message and by giving Joseph the key to unlock its meaning. So, finally Joseph can leave prison, and he reveals the plan of God: there will be seven years of bumper crops and economic prosperity followed by seven years of famine and depression. Joseph immediately suggests Pharaoh make use of this knowledge in a clever strategy of financial management.
And so, the young man who had been put in charge of Potiphar’s house and of the imperial prison is now in charge of the whole nation. At the age of thirty he has suddenly become the world’s second most powerful and wealthy man. Just as Joseph had said, the following year Egypt had an excellent harvest, and the blessings continued for seven full years. During those years, Pharaoh bought and stockpiled grain collected from the whole nation. So, when the time of bumper crops was over, it was Pharaoh’s turn to reap the benefits. He could sell the cheaply acquired food at good prices to the starving crowds in Egypt and surrounding nations.
And so the stage is set: Jacob’s sons are in need of food to sustain their families, while the brother they rejected is in charge of the storehouses of Egypt! So, God will use the famine in Canaan to bring Abraham’s seed to Egypt. Just as he had told Abraham (15: 13, 14), he is going to bring his people to a strange land. Egypt will be a place and time for preservation and procreation. Israel will be quarantined from the evil nations and Abraham’s seed will grow into a multitude. Meanwhile, Canaan is allowed to continue for ten more generations in their evil practices until the cup of wrath is full and Abraham’s seed is ready to receive their land as a place to dwell and prosper as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
However, before Abraham’s seed can be brought to Egypt’s land, Jacob’s family must be reconciled.
Food for Thought
-
1 Read Genesis 47: 13-27. God used the events to isolate and bless Israel. Meanwhile, Pharaoh himself was so successful that the whole nation was basically enslaved to him. God is bringing about major political and economic changes, but in the end his purpose is to restore His rule in creation; to build the Kingdom of God.
-
2 Why were the baker and the butcher in jail? Perhaps the Pharaoh got sick and blamed on his food. Kings and emperors always had to be careful about poisoning, especially by close servants, such as baker and butcher. Did you watch the movie “The Last Emperor”? What safeguards were used in The Forbidden City to prevent the poisoning of the emperor?
No comments:
Post a Comment