25. Pharaoh’s Two Same ‘Famine’ Dreams
The Dream Setting/Backstory
* * *
These couple of dreams occur two years after The Cupbearer’s Dream and The Baker’s Dream. God who perfectly understands times and seasons is patiently working His purpose out. Joseph was still in prison. The Cupbearer forgot to mention him to Pharaoh.
The Psalmist said,
He sent a man before them, even Joseph,
who was sold for a servant: Whose feet
they hurt with fetters: he was laid in
irons: Until the time that his word came
to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.[1]
It’s now time for the next phase of God’s plans and purpose for Israel. So God sends two dreams, one immediately after another and troubles the most powerful man in the world.
The Dream Scripture
Genesis 41:1-46
* * *
When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows.
Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had a second dream:
Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads.
Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.”
So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,
“In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before.
Then I woke up.
“In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads.
I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.” Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
“It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.
“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”
The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way !” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
The Problem
* * *
The most powerful man in the most powerful empire on Earth is troubled by two God given dreams and his magicians and wise men can’t interpret them.
The Dreamer’s Metron
* * *
All-powerful Pharaoh was both the political and religious leader of Egypt. He held the titles of Lord of the Two Lands and High Priest of Every Temple. He was the supreme ruler and was worshipped as a god on earth, the intermediary between the gods and the people.
As the High Priest of Every Temple, it was his duty to build great temples and monuments celebrating his own achievements and paying homage to the gods of the land. He officiated at religious ceremonies and choose the sites of temples.
As Lord of the Two Lands he made laws, owned all the land and collected taxes, and made war or defended Egypt against aggression. The people believed he was the reincarnation of the Egyptian god Horus. His word was law.
The Message
* * *
Joseph’s interpretation and application were clear and simple. Soon, there was coming seven years of great abundance followed by seven years of famine. A fifth of each abundant year’s harvest must be stored up in order for Egypt to survive the famine years.
God’s Purpose
* * *
God is working his purpose out concerning His Messiah and also keeping His covenant dream promises to Abraham. He is setting the stage for the children of Israel to come to the land of their enslavement. Abraham’s Covenant Dream had warned,
Know for certain that for four hundred
years your descendants will be strangers
in a country not their own and that they
will be enslaved and mistreated there.
But I will punish the nation they serve as
slaves, and afterward they will come out
with great possessions. [2]
God interprets Pharaoh’s dreams and by this shows He is greater than all the gods of Egypt. Four hundred years later He will begin to punish and destroy the whole Egyptian Empire. But here God is merciful in sending Pharaoh a dream and enabling Joseph to interpret it. God is also bringing forth Joseph’s children Manasseh and Ephraim who each will receive an inheritance in the Promised Land.
Satan’s Purpose
* * *
Satan’s purpose was to destroy God’s chosen people during the famine.
Dreamer’s Eyes Enlightened
* * *
Pharaoh immediately witnessed to Joseph’s interpretation and application of his dream.
Dreamer’s Response and Application
* * *
This dream’s interpretation caused Pharaoh to exhibit the gift of discerning of spirits. He immediately recognised Joseph had the Spirit of God. He also realised Joseph had a discerning and wise spirit.
Pharaoh wholeheartedly believed and received Joseph’s dream interpretation and application and immediately took whatever steps were necessary in order to apply its truths. He promoted Joseph to being second in command of all Egypt in order to save the nation from famine.
Pharaoh also changed Joseph’s name to Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him a wife; Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
Having your name changed, being promoted from prison to second in command to a god-man in the most powerful nation on earth and being given a high ranking priest’s daughter as your wife is quite a career upgrade merely for interpreting a couple of dreams.
Know God Better
* * *
Once again we see God as a trustworthy, sovereign, all knowing promise keeper. We know from Abraham’s Covenant Dream that the sins of the Amorites had not yet reached the point to where God could justify removing them from the land.
We also realise God can send dreams that instantly trouble the most powerful rulers on earth.
The Dream Process
* * *
Both dreams are simple symbolic God crafted dreams requiring interpretation. The dreams were powerful enough to trouble powerful Pharaoh’s mind yet enigmatic enough to keep their meaning hidden from his magicians and wise men.
Proverbs 25:2 says, It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. Yet after we are shown the interpretation or a dream or a riddle then it all seems so simple. That’s why we can be lured into thinking Pharaoh’s dreams were not really very difficult dreams to interpret. The same thing can happen when we read of Solomon’s wisdom concerning the two mothers and the live baby. [3]
But the truth is if God conceals something then it is impossible for man or demon to unseal it. We can see this sealed revelation truth in action when Daniel is unable to understand the angel’s explanation of Daniel’s vision. The angel says,
Daniel, go about your business, because
the meaning of this message will remain
secret until the end of time. [4]
But with Pharaoh God made Joseph look good. After the interpretation things seemed to fit together. Using The Symbol Replacement Method we realise the River Nile appearing in the dream represented the issue of food for Egypt was totally dependent on the Nile for good crops. Joseph then interpreted both sets of seven as seven years; seven years of plenty and seven years of famine.
Both dreams are mirror images of one another containing the same message. The seven fat and sleek cows and the seven full and good heads of grain represent seven year of abundant provision from the River Nile.
The seven ugly and gaunt cows and the seven thin and scorched heads of grain represent seven year of famine from the River Nile. The seven famine years will totally consume all provision and produce from the abundant years.
During the first seven years the cows feed from the abundant reeds by the Nile and the grain is nourished from the stalk but afterwards the cows and the heads of grain both only feed from what has gone before. There was now nothing new and growing for them to consume.
The East wind represented severe conditions sent from God. In Egypt the dry East wind hardens the earth and shrivels the grain. In Exodus, Moses summoned the east wind to carry the locusts that plagued Egypt and to part the Red Sea so that the Children of Israel could escape Pharaoh's armies who were being punished by God. [5]
Several other Biblical references connect the east wind with destruction, particularly the destruction of the wicked by God. In this dream God’s hand was behind the East wind that would cause the famine. Joseph said the matter of the famine been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.
In Hosea God had similarly used an east wind to punish Israel represented by Ephraim. God said,
Even though he thrives among his brothers.
An east wind from the Lord will come,
blowing in from the desert;
his spring will fail
and his well dry up.
His storehouse will be plundered
of all its treasures. [6]
Joseph also says a couple of things that are not immediately evident within the dreams. He mentions the reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms was because the matter had been firmly decided by God, and God was about to do it soon. I think this was probably a word of knowledge in operation as opposed to a universal dream truth.
I don’t think every dream that is repeated is about to happen soon. Like Joseph we must always hear from God and not just apply some principles like Pharaoh’s magicians.
Similarly, Josephs plan to appoint commissioners who would take a fifth of the harvest during the seven years of abundance and store it in cities was not evident from anything within the dream. This also was a word of wisdom God gave to Joseph in order to impress and convince Pharaoh of Joseph’s ability to deal with the pending famine.
The Usual Suspects
* * *
The gods and their disciples are powerless to interpret Pharaoh’s two dreams and helpless against the famine. The fat and sleek cows represent God’s blessing and the ugly and lean cows represent God’s cursing. Pharaoh’s revelation concerning Joseph was evidence of the Holy Spirit moving upon him. Jesus is hidden in the seed line of the Chosen People who are about to be saved from famine because of theses dreams from God.
Takeaways
* * *
Dreams got Joseph into trouble and dreams got Joseph out of trouble. Here dream interpretation propels Joseph into a position of prominence in a powerful foreign kingdom.
God will again use this same dream tactic with Daniel before Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon over twelve hundred later. God will similarly prepare the stage for Daniel to calm a troubled ruler and gain credibility before another bunch of magicians and wise men who can’t fathom God’s dreams.
These are the only two situations in scripture where a ruler has a dream that requires an interpretation. In both cases the local dream interpreters are unable to decipher God’s dreams.
God gives dreams according to the dreamer’s metron. Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar and King Abimelek were all given dreams relevant for their metron, their lives and their nations. They also had the authority and clout to implement the application of their dreams.
1 Psalm 105:17-19
2 Genesis 15:13-14
3 1 Kings 3:16-28
4 Daniel 12:9
5 Exodus 10:13
6 Hosea 13:15