Joseph’s Rise to Power
April 21, 2024
Commentary
Pharaoh and his officials were impressed with Joseph. They saw the touch of God’s Spirit on his life (vv. 37-38). Pharaoh made Joseph governor of all of Egypt (vv. 39-41), placed his ring on his hand (v. 42), gave him royal clothing to wear, let him ride to ride in the second chariot, and had the people bowing down to him (vv. 43-44). They gave him an Egyptian name and let him marry his daughter Asenath (v. 45). Joseph was thirty years old (v.46). For the next seven years the crops grew extremely well, and he stored the extra grain (vv. 47-49). Joseph and his wife had two sons before the famine began (v. 50). Their names were Manasseh and Ephraim (vv. 51-52).
During the seven years of good harvest Joseph worked hard, storing up the grain throughout Egypt. Then, as Joseph had predicted, the seven prosperous (fat) years were followed by seven years of famine (lean) years, causing people from many lands to have no food (53-54). When the famine began the people in Egypt asked the king for food and he said, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you” (v. 55). Joseph opened the storehouses and sold the grain to the Egyptian people (v. 56). The word spread quickly not only in Egypt but also to the surrounding nations that there was food in Egypt (v. 57). Joseph sold grain to these foreigners as well.
Application
If Joseph had not trusted God in the prison, he would not have gotten to the palace. Based on this thought, I wonder how much God can trust me to do?
Genesis 41:37– 57 (NET)
37 This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning as you are! 40 You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. Only I, the king, will be greater than you.
41 “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place you in authority over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s. He clothed him with fine linen clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 Pharaoh had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission no one will move his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.
46 Now Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by Pharaoh and was in charge of all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests. 48 Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities. In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it. 49 Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.
50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “Certainly God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 52 He named the second child Ephraim, saying, “Certainly God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. 54 Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
56 While the famine was over all the earth, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 57 People from every country came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.
Illustration: Christians Lives Spared in Indonesia Because of Christmas
We know that 80% of the town of Meulaboh in Aceh, Indonesia was destroyed by the Tsunami waves and 80% of the people also died. This is one of the towns that was hit the hardest. But there is a fantastic testimony from Meulaboh. In that town are about 400 Christians. They wanted to celebrate Christmas on December 25th but were not allowed to do so by the Muslims of Meulaboh. They were told if they wanted to celebrate Christmas they needed to go outside the city of Meulaboh on a high hill and there celebrate Christmas. Because the Christians desired to celebrate Christmas the 400 believers left the city on December 25th and after they celebrated Christmas they stayed overnight on the hill. As we all know the morning of December 26 there was the earthquake followed by the Tsunami waves destroying most of the city of Meulaboh and thousands were killed. The 400 believers were on the mountain and were all saved from destruction. Now the Muslims of Meulaboh are saying that the God of the Christians punished them for forbidding the Christians from celebrating Christmas in the city. Others are questioning why so many Muslims died while not even one of the Christians died there. Had the Christians insisted on their rights to celebrate Christmas in the city, they would have all died. (Bill Hekman, Pastor Calvary Life Fellowship in Indonesia)