Genesis 41:37-39 NKJV
37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
Pharaoh recognized that a higher power was in Joseph. When God does great things for you, people can see it. However, remember that this was PHARAOH. He didn’t believe in the same God that Joseph believed in. He worshiped and believed in idols. He probably meant “in whom is the spirit of god” as in idols who he believed had power. The Word spirit should not be capitalized in such passages since the reference is not to the Holy Spirit. This was a pagan ruler speaking. Even in our natural world, while people may recognize God at work in someone, they may not relate it to the same God we relate it to.
Genesis 41:40-41 NKJV
40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to 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.”
ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD SHALL ALL MY PEOPLE BE RULED: more literally would have said “at your command all my people are to kiss you”—I.e. Kiss your hands or feet in an act of homage and submission. Joseph rose quickly to the top, from prison walls to Pharaoh’s palace. His training for this important position being first a slave, then a prisoner. In each situation he learned the importance of serving God and others. Whatever your situation, no matter how undesirable, consider it part of your training program for serving God. If you never suffer, how can you help those who suffer to have faith?
Genesis 41:42 NKJV
42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
These were three symbols of transfer and or sharing of royal authority.
Genesis 41:43-44 NKJV
43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
MADE HIM RIDE IN THE SECOND CHARIOT: the position was that of Vizier, the highest executive office below that of the king Himself. Quite an elevation of stature for one who had just stepped out of prison.
Genesis 41:45 NKJV
45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
As part of assigning Joseph an official position within his royal administration, Pharaoh presumed to use this marvelously gifted servant of God for his own royal purposes—as a later Pharaoh would attempt to use divinely blessed Israel for the enrichment of Egypt. He did not recognize that Joseph served a Higher power than even he imagined, whose kingdom and redemptive purposes were being advanced through Pharaoh’s promotion of Joseph. Pharaoh may have been trying to acculturate Joseph by giving him an Egyptian name and wife. He probably wanted to 1: play down the fact that Joseph was a nomadic shepherd, an occupation disliked by the Egyptians, and, 2: make Joseph’s name easier for Egyptians to pronounce and remember, and, 3: show how highly he was honored by giving him the daughter of a prominent Egyptian official.
Genesis 41:46 NKJV
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
In just 13 years, Joseph had become second in command in Egypt. He was 17 when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. Thus he spent 13 years as an Egyptian slave and in prison.
Genesis 41:47-52 NKJV
47 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly.
48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them.
49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.
50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.”
52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
God’s blessings had made Joseph forget all about the hardships he had endured. People sometimes want to give up when things get hard, but it’s important to remember that hardships don’t stay forever.
Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)
5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Don’t give up when a ‘night’ season comes into your life. Keep on keeping on and expect God to make things good for you again. I weighed 350# for most of my life and I’m only 5’2” tall. I was in a wheel chair because of arthritis for 8 years and couldn’t drive a car for 10 years. My relationship with my husband had been very difficult for a very long time. That has ALL turned around now. I’m 69 and feel younger than I’ve felt in 45 years! I lost 180#. I had hip and knee replacements and worked and exercised for two years to gain back my strength and now I’m walking normally and have my drivers’ license back again. God finally broke the laziness barrier and helped me to FAITHFULLY get up at 5 EVERY morning and pray for an hour and showed me how to pray to bring the peace I craved to my home. My husband and I have a great relationship again. God did it ALL. I co-operated, sure, but I could never have done it on my own. Don’t give up. Where there is GOD, there is hope.
Genesis 41:53-57 NKJV
53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.”
56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt.
57 So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.
ALL COUNTRIES CAME: These were the countries of the known world from the writer’s perspective, the middle East. Famine was a catastrophe in ancient times, just as it still is in many parts of the world today. Almost perfect conditions were needed to produce good crops, because there were no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Any variances in rainfall or insect activity could cause crop failure and great hunger because there were no grocery stores. Lack of storage, refrigeration, or transportation (no trucks to ship produce across a country), turned a moderate famine into a desperate situation. The famine Joseph prepared for was described as ‘grievous’. Without God’s intervention, the Egyptian nation would have crumbled.
TO BE CONTINUED
sherrycook 