JOSEPH – RULER OF EGYPT.  THE SLAVE WHO RISES TO COMMANDER IN CHIEF – AND SAVES A NATION.  HIS ACTION-PACKED LIFE ENCOMPASSES LOVE, HATE, BETRAYAL AND REDEMPTION.  HE RESCUES HIS FAMILY AND FOREVER CHANGES THE WORLD.  JOSEPH: RULER OF EGYPT

INTRODUCTION

Joseph, favoured son, despised brother, betrayed slave, helpless prisoner, ruler of Egypt. Who was this remarkable man who experienced such an eventful life? Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, and brought down to Egypt. Just 17 years old, and the pampered favourite of his father, the trauma of being sold into a life of servitude, should have brought him to his knees. And it did – but just not in the way you might think or expect. 

Egypt was the land of the pyramids, the kingdom of the Pharaohs, one of the most powerful and affluent and culturally advanced kingdoms in the ancient world, teeming with as many gods as superstitions. Egypt was not the friendliest place for a foreigner or a slave. 

How would Joseph survive in this strange new land? Where would he end up? In the home of some rich Egyptian? In the salt mines? What would happen to his faith in God when it was tested by the hard and merciless life of a slave? 

This week, we continue our exploration of the life of Joseph. We will look at some amazing highs and devastating lows. More importantly, we’ll see how through it all, Joseph managed to retain his integrity and determination. Join us for yet another Incredible Journey.

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THE HIGHEST BIDDER

When Joseph was brought into Egypt by the traders who had purchased him from his older brothers for 20 pieces of silver, he was most likely sold in a marketplace. During the 12th dynasty, there were several thriving trading posts along the Nile Delta. Tanis and Avaris being the most popular. 

Now, while we don’t know for sure where he was placed on the auction block, Joseph was ultimately sold to Potiphar, a high ranking royal official. The Bible tells us that Potiphar was an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the King’s Guard. As the head of Pharaoh’s personal security detail, Potiphar would have been a trusted member of the king’s inner circle. As head of security, Potiphar’s position was both influential and indispensable to the king. He was Pharaoh’s protector. 

Potiphar was probably a very rich man. He would have owned several large estates which would have produced wheat, and he probably also grazed livestock. Large estates would have been self-sufficient, producing their own pottery and utensils, clothing, food, and other essential items. All this would have been new and strange to Joseph, who had grown up in rural Canaan in the household of a shepherd. 

While Joseph was in Potiphar’s household, he would have encountered the strange and superstitious rituals of ancient Egyptian religion. Surrounded by a multitude of Gods, Joseph’s faith in an unseen and all-powerful God would have been tested, but Joseph chose to remain faithful to his God, the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Bible says in Genesis chapter 39 verses 2 and 3, 

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.” 

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

God wants us to put our trust in Him, not just so He can bless us, but so that through us, He can reach out and bless those around us as well. Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 11 says, 

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord. “Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 

God’s promise here is for each one of us, His thoughts towards us are of peace and not evil. No matter how bleak our circumstances might be. He wants to give us a future and hope, and He longs for each of us to put our trust in Him. Now, continuing the story of Joseph, the Bible says in Genesis chapter 39 and verse 4,

“So Joseph found favour in his [that’s Potiphar’s] sight and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house and all that he had he put under his authority.” 

Joseph rose from a humble house slave to the chief steward of one of the most powerful and influential men in Egypt. This transition would have not happened overnight. To take on the role of chief steward, Joseph would have had to gain a basic Egyptian education like other Egyptian young men. He would’ve had to pick all this up during his time as a slave, working his way up the ranks by hard work and determination. 

You see, it’s important to work hard in order to achieve any goal in life. God often provides us with opportunities, but success depends on how we make use of those opportunities, not just for our own advantage, but for the benefit of others as well. 

DANGER LURKING

Regardless of his success, Joseph was not insulated from danger, and in his case, that danger came from a totally unexpected source. The Bible explains it like this in Genesis chapter 39 verses 6 and 7. 

“Now, Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph and she said, ‘Lie with me.'” 

When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, the temptation to succumb to her advances was strong, and that’s the way it is with temptation. Temptation is the desire to have or do something we know we shouldn’t because it’s wrong. We all face temptation, and the devil is very good at finding our weakest points and seducing us with them, and that’s what happened to Joseph. 

He was confronted with sexual temptation. It’s every young man’s battle. Joseph was vulnerable. He was no longer among his family. He could easily have entered into an affair with Potiphar’s wife without too much trouble. 

Given Potiphar’s standing at the royal court, his wife would also have been from among the nobility of the kingdom. She would’ve been a beautiful woman who owned her own estates and lands, since ancient Egyptian women were allowed that freedom. There is historical evidence from this time period that slaves sometimes married their wealthy employer’s wives. The wife would petition Pharaoh for a divorce from her husband, free the slave, and then marry him. 

TOUGH CHOICES

Joseph would have been aware of all these precedents and opportunities. The prospect of not just having an affair with Potiphar’s beautiful wife, but potentially marrying an affluent Egyptian woman who owned property in her own right would have been enticing as well – virtually an irresistible temptation!

But Joseph didn’t give into the temptation. He resisted. Genesis chapter 39, verses 8 and 9 describes his response, 

“He refused and said to her, ‘Look, my master has put me in charge of everything he has. I have as much authority in this house as he has, and he has not kept back anything from me except you. How then could I do such an immoral thing and sin against God?'” 

When dealing with temptation, we can learn much from Joseph’s experience. There are things that stand out in his experience in combating temptation. For example, Joseph established a strong and close relationship with God. He committed his life fully to God. God was number one in his life. Joseph valued his relationship with God more than he valued anything else, and it was his desire to preserve this relationship that led him to refuse Potiphar’s wife’s proposition. 

But Potiphar’s wife refused to take no for an answer. Day after day, she badgered Joseph, propositioning him at every turn until one day when they were both alone in the house, she literally threw herself at him. Alarmed by Potiphar’s wife’s actions, Joseph fled from her, but not before she managed to wrench his cloak away from him. 

MARKED FOR DESTRUCTION

When Potiphar’s wife realised that she had been rejected and humiliated by a slave, she decided to destroy Joseph. She accused him of sexual assault, of attempted rape, and when Potiphar came home, he was furious. Joseph was immediately thrown into prison. The Bible describes the situation like this, 

“So it was when his master heard the words, which his wife spoke to him saying, ‘Your servant did to me after this manner,’ that his anger was aroused. Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined and he was there in the prison.” 

It was perhaps the lowest moment of Joseph’s young life, even lower than being sold into slavery for 20 pieces of silver by his own brothers. What made this experience especially miserable was being falsely accused with no way to defend himself. Captivity hadn’t broken Joseph’s spirit and neither did prison, but Joseph’s time in prison wasn’t entirely miserable.

By showing the prison warden that he was a capable and diligent worker, he soon became the warden’s right-hand man, and was busy assisting fellow prisoners. Not long after Joseph became the prison warden’s right-hand man, he met two new prisoners. In a fit of rage, Pharaoh had thrown both his chief butler and baker into prison.

Throughout the history of ancient Egypt, there were assassination plots directed against Pharaohs, and most of these took the form of conspiracies to poison the king. It was the butler’s job to make sure that such conspiracies didn’t succeed. Unfortunately, sometimes butlers were at the centre of such plots. In the case of the butler and baker in Joseph’s story.

THE BUTLER AND THE BAKER

Pharaoh may well have suspected that they were involved in just such a plot. One day, while doing his daily rounds among the prisoners, Joseph found the baker and butler in an unusually gloomy mood. When he asked them why they were so sad, they explained that they’d each had a disturbing dream the night before. 

“And they said to him, ‘We each have had a dream and there is no interpreter of it.’ So Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me please.'” 

Well, without further coaxing, the butler and baker explained their dreams to Joseph:

“‘Behold,’ the chief butler said. ‘In my dream, a vine was before me, and in the vine were three branches; It was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.’ ‘Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand,’ he continued. ‘And I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.'” 

When he finished with retelling the dream, the butler looked expectantly at Joseph. God gave Joseph the answer both he and the butler were looking for. The Bible says, 

“And Joseph said to him, ‘This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days. Now, within three days, Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place.'” 

When the baker heard this favourable interpretation, he perked up. If the interpretation of the butler’s dream was filled with such hope, then perhaps his dream would have a happy ending as well? And so gathering up his courage, he shared his dream with Joseph. 

“‘I also was in my dream,’ he said. ‘And there were three white baskets on my head. In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.'” 

With a heavy heart, Joseph said to the baker, 

“‘This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. Within three days, Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh from you.'” 

Well, three days later, Joseph’s predictions were fulfilled. It was Pharaoh’s birthday, and to mark the occasion, he set the butler free and condemned the baker to death. Now, when Joseph interpreted the butler’s dream, he added a heartfelt appeal. 

“‘But remember me,’ he said. ‘When it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.'” 

The butler promised to remember Joseph, but after being restored to the palace and Pharaoh’s service, he promptly forgot the young Canaanite slave who had shown him so much kindness in prison. When Joseph realised that the butler had forgotten him, his grief and disappointment would’ve been crushing. He would’ve been tempted to sink into despair, and yet Joseph chose to cling to hope. 

TRIALS AND CHALLENGES

God often uses trials and challenges as opportunities for growth and refining. The Apostle James especially highlights one particular area of growth in James chapter 1 verses 2 to 4.

“My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” 

All of us have experienced trials, stress, problems, troubles, and difficulties in life. Times when the darkness around us is so thick, it seems impenetrable. We all have our challenges. It is during times like these that God invites us to turn to Him, so that we can find light amidst the darkness. He offers us hope. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 1. 

“To everything, there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” 

Each of us goes through different seasons in our lives. There is a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time for sadness and a time for joy; a time to break down and a time to build up. 

Joseph’s season of mourning and weeping was soon to come to a close. Instead of being broken down by a weight of disappointment and grief, God would build him up through a series of providential victories that would change his life forever. 

Two long years passed after the baker and butler left the prison. Joseph pushed on through his disappointment, and continued to serve his fellow prisoners faithfully, and then overnight, everything changed. 

PHARAOH’S DREAMS

Pharaoh had a dream. In fact, Pharaoh actually had two dreams, but they seemed eerily intertwined. In the first dream, he saw seven cows. They were fat and well fed, and came out of the river to graze in a meadow. While they were grazing, seven gaunt and malnourished cows came up from the river after them. The seven gaunt and skinny cows proceeded to eat the seven plump and well fed cows. The dream was horrific enough to wake Pharaoh up. 

When he finally drifted back to sleep, he had a second similar dream. In the second dream, Pharaoh saw seven heads of grain come up on a single stalk. Like the seven well-fed cows, the seven heads of grain were plump and good. Soon after this, seven thin heads of grain shrivelled by the hot east wind spring up. The seven shrivelled heads proceeded to eat the seven plump heads of grain. 

The dreams were so vivid and troubling enough that Pharaoh called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt in search of an interpretation. Unfortunately, none of them could offer Pharaoh an answer. They couldn’t provide the information he wanted. 

You see, in ancient times, people believed that the will of the gods was revealed to the king through dreams, so a dream that seemed to put forward concepts of plenty and then starvation greatly troubled the Pharaoh. 

The magicians’ inability to give the king an interpretation for his dream caused an uproar at the court. When the butler heard about the commotion, he made his way into Pharaoh’s presence. He remembered his own dream when he was in prison, and he immediately thought of the young Canaanite slave who had accurately interpreted it.

Speaking to Pharaoh, he said, 

“I remember my faults this day. When Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in custody… Both me and the chief baker, we each had a dream in one night.” (Gen. 41:9-11)

The butler went on to describe how Joseph had interpreted his dream accurately. 

FROM PRISON TO PALACE

Well, immediately, Pharaoh sent to the prison, and had Joseph brought to the royal court, Thoroughly bewildered, Joseph was rushed down to the royal palace. As soon as Pharaoh caught sight of Joseph, he said, 

“I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I’ve heard it said of you that you can understand a dream to interpret it.” (Gen. 41:15)

But Joseph’s response didn’t draw attention to himself. Quietly, he said, 

“It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” 

Standing there before one of the most powerful monarchs of the ancient world, Joseph chose to give the glory to God. It was a quiet testament to Joseph’s continuous commitment to honour God regardless of the circumstance, whether in a dark prison or Pharaoh’s palace. Joseph proved that he was the same man, steadfast, honest, and completely submitted to his God. 

You know, it’s easy to believe in God when life is good, but it’s an entirely different matter to hold onto your faith when life becomes hard. Joseph’s faith remained constant and consistent despite the highs and lows of his circumstances. 

Pharaoh described his dream to Joseph who listened attentively. When Pharaoh finished, Joseph said, 

“The dreams of Pharaoh are one. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.”

Notice how Joseph gives glory to God, his God, not the gods of Egypt. This is significant because Pharaoh, along with everyone else at his court, believe that all dreams came from their gods or idols. They also believed that it was their gods who preserved the fertility of the land, and ensured the inundation of the Nile. 

Well, Joseph flipped this idea on its head by giving the origin of the dream to the one true God, Jehovah. Joseph was quietly trying to point out to both Pharaoh and his court that there is a God in heaven who is higher than all the gods and idols that they worshipped.

JOSEPH INTERPRETS THE DREAMS

Joseph went on to explain that the seven good cows and the seven good heads of grain represented seven years of plenty where Egypt would produce a bountiful harvest. But after the seven years of plenty came to an end, there would be seven years of drought and famine. In Genesis chapter 41 verses 29 to 31, Joseph says to Pharaoh, 

“Indeed, seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt, but after them, seven years of famine will arise and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.” 

Joseph then suggested that Pharaoh select a wise and discerning man who could be appointed as an administrator over the land of Egypt to gather and store grain during the years of plenty so that Egypt could be well prepared for the famine. Pharaoh and presumably his entire court, listen to Joseph’s interpretation of the dream in disbelief. 

Not only did it make sense, but it was so simple that I’m sure some of the magicians wondered how they could have missed it. And then in a shocking and unprecedented move, Pharaoh appointed Joseph as governor over all the land of Egypt, tasking him with managing the gathering and storing of grain during the seven years of plenty in preparation for the following seven years of drought and famine. 

Joseph was given Pharaoh’s signet ring, clothed in royal linen, and promoted to the role of Grand Tjati [Vizier], or prime minister of Egypt. In a short space of time, Joseph’s circumstances were completely reversed. He went from being a prison-bound slave to the most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. 

When he woke up that morning, he had no hope of getting out of prison, let alone gaining his freedom from slavery. When he went to sleep that night, he was richer and more powerful than he could have ever imagined. God rewarded Joseph’s patience and faithfulness with yet another opportunity. This time, the opportunity involved saving an entire nation from a devastating famine. Not only was he given great power, but he was also given great responsibility. 

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But would Joseph be equal to the task before him? Would wealth and power change him? Would his faith in God cope with success as well as it had coped with adversity? Join us next week as we continue our incredible journey through the life and times of Joseph, Ruler of Egypt. 

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for the story of Joseph and the encouragement it brings us. We thank You for Your love for us and for Your ability to turn our troubles and challenges into opportunities for growth and development. Please continue to lead and guide our lives. Bless us and our families. We ask in Jesus’ name, amen.