Pharaoh’s Dreams

God uses dreams to elevate Joseph into a leadership role in Egypt.

Genesis 41:1-36 (NLT)
Pharaoh’s Dreams
¹ Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. ² In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. ³ Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank. ⁴ Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.
⁵ But he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain, plump and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. ⁶ Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind. ⁷ And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.
⁸ The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant.
⁹ Finally, the king’s chief cup-bearer spoke up. “Today I have been reminded of my failure,” he told Pharaoh. ¹⁰ “Some time ago, you were angry with the chief baker and me, and you imprisoned us in the palace of the captain of the guard. ¹¹ One night the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning. ¹² There was a young Hebrew man with us in the prison who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he told us what each of our dreams meant. ¹³ And everything happened just as he had predicted. I was restored to my position as cup-bearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole.”
¹⁴ Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh. ¹⁵ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.”
¹⁶ “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”
¹⁷ So Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. “In my dream,” he said, “I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, ¹⁸ and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. ¹⁹ But then I saw seven sick-looking cows, scrawny and thin, come up after them. I’ve never seen such sorry-looking animals in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰ These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows. ²¹ But afterward you wouldn’t have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up.
²² “In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, full and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. ²³ Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were blighted, shriveled, and withered by the east wind. ²⁴ And the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they mean.”
²⁵ Joseph responded, “Both of Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. ²⁶ The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity. ²⁷ The seven thin, scrawny cows that came up later and the seven thin heads of grain, withered by the east wind, represent seven years of famine.
²⁸ “This will happen just as I have described it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. ²⁹ The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. ³⁰ But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land. ³¹ This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased. ³² As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen.
³³ “Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. ³⁴ Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. ³⁵ Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities. ³⁶ That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.”

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 41:1-36 (NLT)
Pharaoh’s Dreams

¹ Two full years later,

Two years, forgotten, in prison is a long time.
By this time Joseph may have been in Egypt for 12 or 13 years.
Joseph would have been about 30 years old.

Genesis 41:46 NLT
⁴⁶ He was thirty years old when he began serving in the court of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

This story is taking “years” to develop.

Matthew 25:23 NLT
²³ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. 

 Luke 16:10 NLT
¹⁰ “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. 

• Joseph had proven to be faithful in small matters, now he would be put in charge of larger matters. 

Pharaoh dreamed 

In the ancient Near East, dreams were often viewed as a medium of divine revelation.

A bullet point from our last lesson:

• • • The Egyptians and Babylonians developed a professional class of dream interpreters.

These men were considered to be dream experts.

Another bullet point from our last lesson:

• • • God communicates to individuals through dreams.

Dreams were taken seriously.

Skipping ahead to verse 25, 28 & 32.  

1. 1. 1. 25. … God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.  

1. 1. 1. 28. … God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.  

1. 1. 1. 32. … these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen.

 These dreams are clearly from God.

 God is telling Pharaoh (an unbeliever) in advance what he is about to do.

• Pharaoh’s dreams were from God.
• God communicates with unbelievers.

(Pharaoh dreamed) that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.  

² In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. 

“come up out of the river”

In Egypt, cows liked to stand half-submerged in the Nile among its reeds in refuge from the heat and the flies.  They would come up out of the water for pasture.

There was nothing unusual about this part of Pharaoh’s dream.  This is normal, everyday life in Egypt.

 ³ Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank. 

 ⁴ Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows!

The dream takes a turn to the bizarre.

The weak overtaking the strong. 

At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up. 

⁵ But he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain, plump and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. ⁶ Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind. ⁷ And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads!

The second dream was similar to the first dream.

The weak overtaking the strong.

 Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.

 ⁸ The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams.

Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams.

• Pharaoh took these dreams seriously.

  So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt.

Repeat:
A bullet point from our last lesson:

• • • The Egyptians and Babylonians developed a professional class of dream interpreters.

These men were considered to be dream experts. 

When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant.

The combined expertise of a full council of Pharaoh’s advisors and dream experts failed to provide an interpretation of the two disturbing dreams.

• Pharaoh’s dream experts were unable to interpret his dreams. 

⁹ Finally, the king’s chief cup-bearer spoke up. “Today I have been reminded of my failure,” he told Pharaoh. ¹⁰ “Some time ago, you were angry with the chief baker and me, and you imprisoned us in the palace of the captain of the guard. ¹¹ One night the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning. ¹² There was a young Hebrew man

Recognized as Hebrew, not Egyptian.

 with us in the prison who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he told us what each of our dreams meant. ¹³ And everything happened just as he had predicted. I was restored to my position as cup-bearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole.”

Joseph had accurately interpreted the dreams of the cup-bearer and baker.

• Joseph had established a good reputation for himself. (Reputations matter.)

God was about to use a Hebrew slave

• Over the years, God had been preparing Joseph “for such a time as this”.

¹⁴ Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh. ¹⁵ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.”

 ¹⁶ “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”

Genesis 40:8
⁸ And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied.

• • • “Interpreting dreams is God’s business” 

¹⁷ So Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. “In my dream,” he said, “I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, ¹⁸ and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. ¹⁹ But then I saw seven sick-looking cows, scrawny and thin, come up after them. I’ve never seen such sorry-looking animals in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰ These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows. ²¹ But afterward you wouldn’t have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up.
²² “In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, full and beautiful, growing on a single stalk. ²³ Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were blighted, shriveled, and withered by the east wind. ²⁴ And the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they mean.” 

²⁵ Joseph responded, “Both of Pharaoh’s dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. 

Joseph tells Pharaoh that his dreams come from God.

God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. 

²⁶ The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity. ²⁷ The seven thin, scrawny cows that came up later and the seven thin heads of grain, withered by the east wind, represent seven years of famine. 

²⁸ “This will happen just as I have described it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.  

²⁹ The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. ³⁰ But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land. ³¹ This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased. 

Long famines were rare in Egypt.

³² As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen.

• Repetition of a divine revelation was often used for emphasis.

Remember that Joseph also had two similar dreams.

God is in control.  Believe it!

 ³³ “Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. ³⁴ Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. ³⁵ Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities. ³⁶ That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.” 

• Not only does Pharaoh hear about the upcoming famine, Pharaoh is also told very clearly how to prepare for the upcoming famine.

Matthew 25:23 NLT
²³ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. 

 Luke 16:10 NLT
¹⁰ “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. 

Psalm 105:9-22 NLT
⁹ This is the covenant he made with Abraham
and the oath he swore to Isaac.
¹⁰ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:
¹¹ “I will give you the land of Canaan
as your special possession.”
¹² He said this when they were few in number,
a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
¹³ They wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
¹⁴ Yet he did not let anyone oppress them.
He warned kings on their behalf:
¹⁵ “Do not touch my chosen people,
and do not hurt my prophets.”
¹⁶ He called for a famine on the land of Canaan,
cutting off its food supply.
¹⁷ Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
¹⁸ They bruised his feet with fetters
and placed his neck in an iron collar.
¹⁹ Until the time came to fulfill his dreams,
the Lord tested Joseph’s character.
²⁰ Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free;
the ruler of the nation opened his prison door.
²¹ Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household;
he became ruler over all the king’s possessions.
²² He could instruct the king’s aides as he pleased
and teach the king’s advisers. 

• “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.” Psalm 105:19