Genesis Segment 8

Joseph: A Man in Whom the Spirit of God Is 

There is a record in the Old Testament of a man whose stand for God gave rise to the greatest nation in the world at that time. The man was Joseph. The nation was Egypt.   

What was it that Joseph did to bring ancient Egypt to such great prominence? He listened to God, and then he faithfully carried out God’s instructions. These two keys - listening and carrying out - are foundational to the success of any person or any family or any nation. 

Very few people throughout history have learned to listen to God as Joseph did; even fewer have learned to walk in obedience.  For Joseph the Word of God was the will of God. 

Joseph went to Egypt under rather adverse circumstances. His brothers intensely disliked him.  They were jealous of him because their father Jacob, had given him the robe of heirship, the coat of many colors. 

The brothers were further antagonized by Joseph when he told them about his dreams that pictured his ruling over them. Joseph’s brothers considered slaying him, but his oldest brother Reuben ruled out that idea.   

So the brothers compromised by selling Joseph into slavery.  Joseph’s owners took him to Egypt where he was resold and eventually unjustly thrown into prison.  In the midst of all these deplorable events in Joseph’s life, God was making provisions for the salvaging of a whole nation, Israel.   

Obviously Egypt also benefited from God’s plan as Egypt became one of the strongest, most enduring civilizations of all time.  But the ultimate purpose of Egypt’s prosperity was for God to keep His promise to Abraham - to raise up a great nation from Abraham’s offspring, the children of Israel. 

Genesis 37:1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.  

2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.  

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours [colours, not pieces].  

The coat had long sleeves, and was worn only by the chief and his heir. “Colours” signifies it as priestly or royal. Joseph had already been chosen as Jacob’s heir. 

4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.  

5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, [had a significant dream] and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.  

6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:  

7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in [midst of] the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.  

8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.  

9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.  

10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?  

11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.  

12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.  

13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.  

14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.  

18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. [Because as Acts 7 says, they were moved with envy.] 

19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. [Master or lord of dreams] 

20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.  

21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.  

22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.  

23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.  

The pit was probably a cistern because when dry they were sometimes used as dungeons for prisoners. Jeremiah was thrown into one. Jeremiah 38:6  

Cisterns are often hewn out of the solid rock, and, being narrower at the mouth than at the bottom, it was not an easy thing to get out of unaided.  

25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company, caravan, of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.  

26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?  

27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.  

Caravans of Ishmeelites and Midianites looked alike from a distance. No contradiction. 

28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.  

Slaves were in great demand in Egypt. Twenty shekels of silver was the going rate for a slave at that time. 

29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.  

30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?  

31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;  

32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.  

33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.  

Deceived by the blood of a kid, as he had deceived his father with the skin of a kid. 

34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.  

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.  

36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard, or captain of the executioners.  

Potiphar means consecrated to Ra,  the all powerful sun god of lower Egypt.  

He was in charge of police as well as military duties. He was responsible for the safe keeping of state prisoners, and for the execution of sentence upon them. In cases of treason he sometimes executed the sentence himself. He was the official guardian of the person of the king, the chief  body guard. 

Genesis 39:1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, [captain of the executioners] an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was [came to be] a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.  

3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.  

4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.  

Joseph became Potiphar’s personal assistant. Steward over his entire household. 

5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.  

6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.  

Same wording that described his mother Rachel. 

7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.  

8 But he refused... 

When Joseph continued to resist her advances, she lied about him and got him thrown into prison. 

20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison [the maximum security kind], a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.  

21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.  

22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.  

These responsibilities weren’t given to Joseph immediately after he was put in prison.  It took time for Joseph to demonstrate to the warden his fine character and abilities and to gain the warden’s confidence. 

23 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.  

Who made Joseph’s deeds to prosper? The Lord. We need to believe that God is going to cause us to prosper, no matter where we are. In a prison, a person cannot do very much on his own.   

But even there, if a believer just does his part with integrity, then the Lord can make the circumstance profitable. A believer can prosper even in that environment. 

40:5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.  

6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.  

7 And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?  

8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

Many times we maybe at a loss to fully understand a situation.  Our own sense knowledge can takes us only so far. But revelation from God can give us an awareness and an understanding of the specifics we need to know. 

Just as the unfolding of His Word belongs to God, so does the interpretation of the dreams belong to God. 

9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;  

10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:  

11 And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.  

What was the significance of the vine with the three branches?  By conjecture, it could have meant any number of things.  Joseph could have used his own private interpretation to make the dream mean anything he desired.  But Joseph knew that the interpretations belonged to God.   

12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:  

Joseph could not have known this by his own senses; he needed revelation.  God revealed the dream’s interpretation to him. He could not know it by his own observation or knowledge. 

13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place, or restore thee to favor: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler, his cupbearer. 

This was good news for the butler, the cupbearer. Joseph said that he would be restored to his former position within three days. Knowing this, Joseph made a request of the butler. 

14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:  

15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.  

Joseph also received revelation to tell the butler to mention him to Pharaoh. After speaking to the butler, Joseph next interpreted the baker’s dream. 

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets, wicker baskets on my head:  

The baker was expecting a similar interpretation of encouragement such as Joseph had spoken to the butler. But the revelation was far from what the baker anticipated. His interpretation was that he would lose his life in three days.  

20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.  

21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand:  

22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.  

The next verse is so truly human. So often we forget the people who have blessed our lives. The adversary wants us to forget our benefactors.   

23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.  

41:1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed:  

He dreamed that seven well fed kine were eaten by 7 lean ill fed kines, and the same thing with ears of corn. 

8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.  

9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:  

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily [made him run] out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.  

Before Joseph appeared before Pharaoh, he cleaned up and changed his clothes to meet the king appropriately groomed. In representing God, we should be at our best. 

Clothes don’t make the person, but they surely help the impression one person makes on another.  What people have in their hearts is most important; but, still, as ambassadors for God, we should dress as is fitting for God’s representatives. 

That God would take time in His Word to tell us that Joseph shaved lets us see that people in the Bible were as human as we are.  Why should God’s Word include details like that?  

Simply to teach us about the greatness of God and the real, breathing people who walked in that greatness.  It encourages us to walk with God. 

15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret

it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.  

This is quite a position for Joseph to be in.  He could have put real leverage on Pharaoh, “Sure ole Pharaoh, ole buddy, I can do it, but first I WANT this or that. He could have named his own price. Money. Fame. Death to whom put him in prison wrongfully.  

What is it worth to know what the future holds. Obviously there is still quite a lot of money in it. Fortune tellers, soothsayers, palm readers, psychics are doing a robust business. What’s it worth to know what the stock market is going to do for the next 14 years?  

How much can be made on just knowing  who is going to win the World Series, the Super Bowl, other major sporting events for the next 14 years. [Back to the Future part 2.] 

Joseph walked by the power of God. He trusted God to work in the situation.  God was Joseph’s sufficiency, not Pharaoh. And indeed God did take care of Joseph in a way that Joseph could never have done by his own 5 senses. 

16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.  

The first point Joseph made to Pharaoh was that the interpretation was from God and not from him. Then he immediately proceeded to comfort Pharaoh with the revelation that the interpretation would be an answer of peace. 

17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream... 

24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.  

25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

Without hesitation. Without consulting anything, crystal ball, palms, tea leaves. How did Joseph know this? God revealed it to him. 

26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.  

27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.  

28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.  

29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:  

30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;  

31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.  

32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.  

Joseph ends the interpretation by saying that because the dream was doubled, dreamed twice, the events it foretold were established and would quickly come to pass.  

When revelation is given twice, absolutely nothing can change the course of events, it is established. All the praying in the world wouldn’t change it. Once revelation is doubled, given twice about the identical situation, it will never change and it will come to pass soon. 

After Joseph had told Pharaoh about the events which would occur in Egypt for the next fourteen years, what should Pharaoh do?   

Would he change any of his policies? Should he cut exports?  How would this affect imports?  Should you appoint a new Secretary of Agriculture?  How much of the harvest should you store for the famine? How would you store it? How much loss would you allow for the mice to eat? 

Once Joseph, by revelation, gave Pharaoh the interpretation of his dream, Pharaoh could either accept what Joseph revealed or he could reject it.  If he accepted it, he had to decide what actions to take.   

It is one thing to have knowledge; it is another thing to have the wisdom to act on that knowledge in the best manner.   

Pharaoh could either rely on his own sense knowledge to determine what he should do in preparing for the next fourteen years, or he could seek God’s counsel in dealing with the situation. 

The Word of God has much to say about government and governmental leaders. It has much to say on how a nation can best function economically, politically, judicially, and in many other categories. If a nation is to prosper and not be driven to depression, chaos, or weakness, it must ultimately come to God’s Word and the principles of that Word.   

In this situation in Egypt, it was Joseph who was receiving the Word of God. And Joseph continued speaking to Pharaoh after the dream was interpreted, telling him God’s plan for the salvation of Egypt during the seven years of great famine, which were yet seven years away. 

33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.  

The person Pharaoh appointed to this position of overseeing Egypt was going to be given tremendous responsibility.  That person would also be given great authority. Responsibility is impossible to carry out unless authority is given to execute the responsibility.   

Now if Pharaoh was going to get the results of the Word of God, he had to believe that Joseph was speaking God’s Word. Yet Joseph had been in prison. Can a prisoner, a jailbird be trusted?  Would you entrust the well being of your country for the next 14 years to a prisoner?  

34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him  appoint officers [overseers] over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.  

Joseph told Pharaoh to appoint a wise man over the land of Egypt.  Then this man should appoint officers, or overseers, to collect a fifth part of Egypt’s harvest for the next seven years.  Just a fifth part, only 20%.  That would be enough. 

No committees to study the problem for three years then to make a calculated guess. Have the senate vote on it. Add amendments to it. Sweetheart deals. NO! 

35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.  

36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.  

37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.  

Pharaoh liked the plan which Joseph, by revelation from God, had given.  Naturally, his servants agreed.  If Pharaoh said, “I like it,” what are his yes men going to say?  They had better agree. 

38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?

That was a great statement for a leader of Pharaoh’s stature to make.  This great Pharaoh of Egypt recognized that Joseph was “a man in whom the Spirit of God is.” He knew of no other man in the nation who had that kind of a connection.  This was quite an observation and a declaration to come from Pharaoh. 

Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph in having the spirit of God and being able to operate the spirit of God that he said, "Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?"  

Pharaoh ran a large country.  He was not unknowledgeable of good management procedures, of government and the various forms of administration that would be involved in running a large country, and yet he was so impressed with Joseph's operating the manifestations of holy spirit that he said, "Could we find anybody else who has got the spirit of God like this?" 

39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:  

40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.  

41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;  

Joseph was elevated to the position of steward over all the land of Egypt.  The authority for this stewardship was the signet ring Pharaoh put upon Joseph’s hand. The ring meant delegated power, a transfer of royal authority. It was the greatest honor Pharaoh could have conferred. 

The signet ring given to Joseph was a ring with Pharaoh’s seal, Pharaoh’s own distinctive markings on it.  Joseph then had the same authority as Pharaoh’s written signature. A signet ring was used by the person in authority to impress into wax or clay, on letters or documents and other objects which were to be sealed. The penalty for breaking a king’s seal was death. 

42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;

The fine linen robes were usually white and were worn by the Egyptian priests. Joseph may have been received into the caste of the priests, which was of the highest rank in Egypt, Pharaoh himself belonged to it.   

The gold chain in Egyptian culture stood for honor. Bracelets and chains were worn by men of noble birth and officials of high rank.

43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.  

The second chariot was given to the second in command of a nation. It would follow immediately after the king’s chariot in the state processions. It may even be used as the king’s back-up chariot.  

44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.  

Joseph had not been thoroughly trained for his job by experience, but he had been trained for it by walking according to God’s instructions and by the spirit of God upon him.  Education is important, but only leaders walking with the spirit of God can lead a nation out of darkness and chaos.   

Joseph not only had the spirit of God upon him, but he was also upright and honest.  These should be the greatest qualifications for anyone desiring public office or authority. 

45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah [means abundance of life or of food for the living]; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.  

Pharaoh did not ask Joseph if he wanted a wife; he simply gave him a wife.  Joseph had gone from being a single man in prison to second in command with a wife! Nice days work.

Joseph showed a lot of wisdom for a relatively young man.  But Joseph’s greatness was not just his acuteness of mind; it was his faithfulness in continuing to walk with God.  Even when sold into slavery by his brothers and even when living in an Egyptian prison, Joseph was steadfast, having confidence in God and listening to Him.  He had the spirit of God upon him. 

46 And 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.  

Joseph did not interpret Pharaoh’s dream, marry the priest’s daughter, and travel through out Egypt all in one day. This all took place over a period of time.  

Joseph traveled to see who would listen to him; who he could work with. Find out who the best and most trusted people were in the kingdom to make them the officers, the overseers.  

Another reason perhaps was to check out the potential trouble makers. Who the opposition was, who could lead an insurrection against Pharaoh. Who the gang leaders were. Who were the unofficial heads of the land?  

There would be many reasons to check out the land before the trouble, the famine started. Hunger drives people to do many things. That is what makes Jesus Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness without food that much more incredible. 

47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.  

48 And 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: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.  

49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.  

50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.  

Joseph had two children during the seven years of plenty. 

51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.

52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.  

Joseph is indeed one of the great men of God of all times, and for it his descendants received a double inheritance in the Promised Land.  Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, each headed a tribe.  This was indeed a great honor, a double-portion blessing because of their father.

53 And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.  

54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.  

55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.  

56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.  

What a tremendous key to Egypt’s eventual deliverance. Joseph did not give away the food to the other countries. He did not even give it to the Egyptians. He sold it to them. A nation is to take care of its own people first and foremost, but this is not to be done through a welfare program or any system in which people are not expected to work to eat and live.   

Joseph, walking by revelation, sold the food to the Egyptians. His walk of wisdom is what enabled them to survive the terrible famine. 

The God that provided for Egypt is the same God living today.  God is always interested in saving people, whether it be as nations or individuals.  God wants people to have life and to have it more abundantly; but in order for people to have abundance, they must operate the principles from His Word.  Only adherence to God’s Word will sustain a nation and cause it to prosper. 

57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

Joseph never ran a giveaway program. Other starving countries were expected to buy the food, just as the Egyptians did.  Was Joseph being cruel? No, he was operating Godly principles.  A giveaway program helps no one. 

From these events recorded in God’s Word emerges the most glorious era in Egypt’s history.  The wealth of all the world poured into Egypt because of one man of God who knew by the spirit of God how to direct that nation. 

Can you imagine what our country could be like if our government operated Godly principles and stopped giving away our resources, our food; if they made nations pay for it.  

Joseph lived in the Old Testament as God’s servant.  He could not be born again of God’s Spirit as we are. Yet he, by revelation from God, delivered a nation from what could have been total annihilation. 

Egypt was saved because the spirit of God was upon one man. Today we have a great many more people all over the world with the spirit of God in them.  What could happen in our country and in our world if believing people just took a stand for the integrity and accuracy of God’s Word and declared it in all its greatness, and then obediently carried it out? 

We have the God-given opportunity and responsibility to shine as lights in our nation.  Let us do as Joseph did here: Listen to God and faithfully carry out His words.   

Whenever “a man in whom the Spirit of God is” speaks God’s Word and allows His power to flow, God and all His blessings become manifested.  Not only is one’s own country delivered from adversity, but it provides the example of obedience and hope for the entire world. 

The next chapters give us the details of Jacob’s coming to Egypt for food and eventually moving to the land of Goshen, the Nile delta, the best of the land. While there, they could grew in peace into a great nation as God had promised Abraham. Then they would be ready to take possession of the Promised Land. 

To be continued! 

Show Joseph segment on Exodus video. Explain Djoser, timetable, Imhotep, granaries.