“[37] This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. [38] And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?” [39] Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. [40] You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” [41] And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” [42] Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. [43] And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. [44] Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” [45] And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
[46] Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. [47] During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, [48] and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. [49] And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.
[50] Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. [51] Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” [52] The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
[53] The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, [54] and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. [55] When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”
[56] So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. [57] Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.“
INTRODUCTION
Life is really hard sometimes. And sometimes we’re unable to see the big picture of what God is doing in and through our lives. And, as we study Joseph’s life, we need to remember that Joseph couldn’t see the end of his story when he was sitting in prison. He couldn’t see what God was preparing him for.
But, God sits far above the clouds we sit under. Life may be cloudy for us, at times. But, for God, things are always clear. We may only be able to see the rain, but God always sees the sun.
We are beginning to see where God has been using Joseph’s suffering for Joseph’s good and Joseph’s neighbor’s good. God is a gracious God who works all things together for our good. Had God saved Joseph from prison, famine would have gotten him years later.
So, what if the very circumstances we desperately wanted God to change were the very circumstances he intended to use to accomplish something far greater than we could ever see?
CAN WE FIND A MAN LIKE THIS?
Man, what a profound moment we find at the start of our passage.
Joseph was brought before the most powerful man in Egypt, Pharaoh. And Pharaoh recognizes something different about him. His wisdom was different than anything he had ever heard. Joseph was a man who had the Spirit of God with him!
May our lives be so shaped by the presence and character of God that even those who don’t know God recognize that God is with us.
May the words we speak and the lives we live lead those we encounter to recognize that God is real, that he is active, and that he is at work in the world around us. May our lives point beyond ourselves to the God who deserves all the glory.
FROM PRISON TO PALACE
Following this acknowledgement, Pharaoh elevates Joseph to be the one who is over his house.
Feel the weight of what’s happening here. Pharaoh has just elevated a prisoner to be over his house. He hasn’t just welcomed a prisoner into his home; he’s placed him over his home.
All of his people are to order themselves according to Joseph’s commands. In other words, they are to respect his authority and obey his instructions.
The man who once had no power, authority, and control now has been elevated to a place of prestige and prominence.
He has been set over all of the land of Egypt— “[40] Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”
PROPOSAL PLEASED PHARAOH
Now, before we move on in the text, notice the first four words of verse 37, “This proposal pleased Pharaoh.” Remember, Joseph had just interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and proposed a plan for preparing Egypt for the coming famine. And Pharaoh did all of this over the proposed interpretation of the dream.
May we be a little more like Pharaoh in this regard. May we be a people who find pleasure and delight in the words God has spoken in his Word. And may we be a people who are willing to reorient our lives around what God has said.
It’s one thing to hear the Word of God. It’s another thing to delight in it, trust in it, and order our lives around it.
Following this declaration spoken over Joseph, Pharaoh validates his promise by giving Joseph his signet ring, clothing him in garments of fine linen, and putting a gold chain about his neck.
He then made him ride in his second chariot. And as Joseph rode through the land, the people called out before him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.
This moment should jar our memory back to Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38.
In Genesis 38, Judah gave Tamar his signet and cord as a validation of the promise he made to her. But, contrary to the act of Judah giving to Tamar in secret, Pharaoh gave his signet and cord in public as a validation of the words he had just spoken.
Feel the weight of this!
The man who was once stripped of his robe by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned is now clothed in fine linen and given authority over an entire kingdom. The man who once couldn’t leave prison is now riding freely through Egypt with people bowing before him.
As we see in verse 44, Pharaoh even goes on to say, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
So, Joseph has been given supreme power over Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.
After receiving this authority, Joseph was then given a new name and a wife.
His new name was a little easier to pronounce, Zaphenath-paneah. And his wife’s name was Asenath, who was the daughter of Potiphera who was the priest of On.
On was an important Egyptian religious center, known to the Greeks as Heliopolis. It was particularly associated with the worship of the sun god Ra.
So, Joseph was given in marriage to the daughter of an Egyptian priest whose religious world was very different from the worship of the one true God. And I find this detail interesting.
Genesis doesn’t explicitly tell us how Joseph navigated this marriage or what Asenath’s personal beliefs were. Maybe she became a believer, maybe she didn’t. We don’t know.
But this detail does remind us that Joseph was living and serving in the middle of a culture that didn’t worship the God of his fathers. And yet, throughout this entire chapter, Joseph continues to worship and serve the Lord.
Then we see in verse 46 that Joseph was 30 years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.
prosperity is going to come. If he says famine is going to come, famine is going to come. If he says, “I will never leave nor forsake you,” he will never leave or forsake you. If he says, “There is No condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,” there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. If he says, “You are saved by grace through faith,” you are saved by grace through faith. If he says that he will build his church, he will build his church. If he says he will return, he will return. If he promises to work all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose, then he is going to work all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.
Now, we see in verse 50 that during this time, before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore them to him.
That detail about Joseph’s marriage seems particularly interesting to me when we consider the larger story of Genesis. This is a family that has been marked by deception, sexual immorality, and broken relationships. But Joseph’s story has been marked by a commitment to sexual faithfulness, even when faithfulness was difficult.
Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. He said, “For God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” Then he named the second born son Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
What a beautiful moment here where God turns barrenness into fruitfulness, sadness into joy. The man who once sat forgotten in prison is now holding children in his arms.
Following this, the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”
“So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.”
Can we make a simple observation here pertaining to wealth? Notice how those with plenty used their plenty to care for those with nothing. We ought to consider how the resources given to us can be stewarded to care for those around us in need.
But, also notice what Joseph did. He sold to the Egyptians and the rest of the earth. It’s possible to blend Christian generosity with making a profit. Generosity and profit don’t always have to be at odds with each other.
JESUS, THE GREATER JOSEPH
Now, for the rest of our time today, I would like to draw some parallels between Joseph’s life and Jesus’ life. Joseph’s life visibly points ahead to the life of Jesus. He was a foreshadow of a greater descendent of Abraham who was to come!
First, this might seem small and insignificant, but Joseph’s meaningful public ministry began at approximately thirty years old, just as Jesus’ public ministry began at approximately thirty years old. Genesis 41:46 tells us that Joseph was thirty years old when he entered Pharaoh’s service. Luke 3:23 tells us that Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.
Second, Joseph endured suffering before experiencing exaltation, and Jesus endured suffering before being exalted.
Joseph’s life was marked by years of suffering before he was elevated to a position of authority. Likewise, Jesus’ life was also marked by suffering.
Hebrews 12:1-2
“[1] Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus endured the cross. He endured the shame. He endured the suffering. And he did so with his eyes fixed on the joy set before him.
Likewise, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, “[16] So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. [17] For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, [18] as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Church, our suffering is real. The pain we experience in this life is real. But for those who belong to Christ, our suffering is not the end of our story. There is an eternal weight of glory that awaits us. There is a day coming when every tear will be wiped away, every wrong will be made right, and we will experience the fullness of life in the presence of our Savior.
Joseph’s life trajectory gives us a picture of Jesus’ humiliation and exaltation. Joseph’s time in Egypt began as a slave and ended at the right hand of the king. Likewise, Jesus came as a servant and he has now been elevated to the right hand of the Father.
But, unlike Joseph, Jesus’ servanthood was chosen.
Listen to these words in Philippians 2:4-11
“[4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Notice those words penned in verses 10-11, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Does that sound familiar?
Genesis 41:43 says, “And he made him ride in his second chariot. And they called out before him, ‘Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.”
Joseph was given a position of authority in Egypt, and the people were commanded to bow before him. But Jesus has been given the name that is above every name. One day, every knee will bow before him, and every tongue will confess that he is Lord.
Joseph’s authority was limited to an earthly kingdom. Jesus’ authority extends over all creation. Joseph was elevated to a position of prominence after years of suffering. Jesus humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross, and God highly exalted him. He reigns with absolute authority as King of kings and Lord of lords.
And lastly, Joseph became the means through which many people were preserved from physical death, while Jesus became the means through which God's people are rescued from eternal death.
Think about what Joseph’s position accomplished. The famine was severe, and people all over the world were without food. But God had raised Joseph up and entrusted him with the resources necessary to preserve life.
People came to Egypt from all over the world because Joseph had grain to give them. In a very real sense, the lives of many people were preserved through Joseph’s position and provision.
But Joseph’s story points us toward someone greater. There is a great famine present throughout this world that Jesus came to save us from.
In John 6, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
Our greatest hunger can’t be met by bread; it can only be met by being reconciled to God through Jesus’ death on the cross.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Pharaoh recognized something different about Joseph, saying that the Spirit of God was with him. What should it look like for our lives to reflect the presence and character of God, even among people who don't know him?
Pharaoh didn't simply hear Joseph's proposal; he was pleased with it and reorganized his kingdom around it. What's the difference between hearing God's Word and actually delighting in it, trusting it, and ordering our lives around it?
God's promises came to pass exactly as he had revealed through Pharaoh's dreams. How does remembering that God is always faithful to do what he says he will do change the way we approach life?
Joseph used the resources entrusted to him to preserve the lives of others. How should this shape the way we think about the resources, opportunities, and influence God has given us?
How does Joseph’s life point ahead to Jesus?