Promotion and Preliminary Probe

Chapters 41, 42

- For us it has been one chapter for Joseph it’s been two years, waiting is never easy.

- Pharaoh has his disturbing dreams, and his magicians and wise men are stumped, they do not know how to interpret them.

- The Chief cup bearer has an ‘Aha moment’ and remembers his time in the slammer and the young Hebrew man who could interpret dreams.

- Pharaoh sends for Joseph, and with GOD's help he interprets the dreams and suggests a plan of action. 

- Pharaoh offers Joseph a Job like no other, no one other than the Pharaoh himself would be higher in authority.

- Joseph is given a new job, a wife, eventually blessed with two sons Manasseh and Ephraim.

- The dreams and the predictions all came true, seven years of plenty and seven years of famine, but because of GOD’s plan through Joseph there was still food in Egypt.

Something to take note of just like in life it is not always what you know, it’s who you know that can make all the difference. Joseph was a young man with little education, a slave, framed for something he did not do, thrown in prison, from anyone on the outside looking in, this young man had questionable future. GOD however does the impossible, prisoner one day, prince the next. God is the god of the impossible, keep this in mind when you feel like you’re slaving away, stuck in your prison, feeling like you have little to no prospects for your future, if you choose to invite GOD in your life, then it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

- The famine affected people far and wide including Jacob and his family. Jacob sends his ten sons to Egypt, to buy grain.

- He does not send Benjamin with them, the remembrance of Joseph’s death left Jacob with a fear of losing his youngest son.

- Joseph now unrecognizable as Pharaoh’s second in command immediately recognizes his brothers and decides to put them to the test. They think it is a punishment for what they did to their brother years ago, but not knowing this person was in fact Joseph.

- Joseph tells them the only way they can prove they are not spies and they are indeed who they claim to be is to go back home and bring their youngest brother Benjamin back to Egypt. 

- Joseph keeps one brother Simeon in prison to ensure the others come back. The test could be whether they learned anything from what they had previously done to Joseph. Would they be willing to sacrifice another brother for their freedom and food? 

- They get back to Joseph and tell him the story and not only do they have the grain, but all their money is amazingly returned to them, Joseph’s little secret.

- In verse 28 they blame GOD, notice how quickly we blame GOD for our predicaments, which began from their choice.

- Jacob is a little upset understandably, Joseph (he thinks) is gone, Simeon is gone (in prison) and now they want to take Benjamin back to Egypt.

- Notice what Reuben says to Jacob, you may kill my two sons if Benjamin does not return. Reuben is willing to put his own sons lives on the line, Jacobs Grandsons.

- Jacob is not going to risk it, notice what he says, Benjamin is all I have left.

This is where we see how far they will go to get one brother back and protect the other with their very lives.

How far did GOD go to get us back and what did it cost?

Next – Band of Brothers