In commentaries, he is frequently referred to as ‘Joseph the dreamer’, but equally important was his gift of dream interpretation. And rather than grow bitter over the series of miscarriages of justice he suffered, he used incarceration to gain ascendancy to high office in a foreign land. His first dream was to propel him to high office and to the fulfillment of his creative potential. How did this happen?
At some point, his brothers sold Joseph into slavery yet he clung to his dream. When he became a privileged housekeeper thrown into jail upon the spurious claim of a scheming seductress, he was not in the least deterred. This incident was merely a continuation of a saga of sorrows afflicting a young Joseph’s life; a dreamer who made the unwitting blunder of sharing an incredible vision with an envious family.
In Egypt, Joseph displayed canny knack in unraveling strange dreams. Joseph was to specialize in dream interpretation for fellow inmates in prison. At this point Joseph could have fallen prey of the snare of conceit. He was, after all, a decent dream interpreter with substantial track record. Within the prison yard alone, this predisposition would have already won him status and a following. Joseph could have aspired to become the top consultant in dream interpretation in Egypt. But this dream interpreter never lost his sense of mission.
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. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. Genesis 41:15,16 (NKJV)
The Egyptian king went on to describe the night vision that had unsettled him that none of his powerful magicians could interpret. Joseph listened with close concentration as Pharaoh narrated a disconcerting recollection. Joseph later answered the king by revelation. After Pharaoh heard Joseph’s reply, he knew with certainty that was the precise interpretation.
More importantly, Joseph presented the king with a feasible proposition to overcome the adverse condition predicted in the dream:
Let Pharaoh do this, let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt that the land may not perish during famine. Genesis 41:34-36 (NKJV)
The Egyptian king went on to describe the night vision that had unsettled him that none of his powerful magicians could interpret. Joseph listened with close concentration as Pharaoh narrated a disconcerting recollection. Joseph later answered the king by revelation. After Pharaoh heard Joseph’s reply, he knew with certainty that was the precise interpretation.
More importantly, Joseph presented the king with a feasible proposition to overcome the adverse condition predicted in the dream:
Let Pharaoh do this, let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt that the land may not perish during famine. Genesis 41:34-36 (NKJV)
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In the long run, God ensured that Pharaoh made the choice in order that His man for the hour would be lifted!
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. Genesis 41:37-40(NKJV)
I am particularly taken with Joseph’s leadership and his handling of food cultivation and preservation in Egypt. Under Joseph’s auspices, a foreign nation erected stores of grains so that the inhabitants of the Middle East region were rescued from the jaws of starvation during a precarious food situation. These tasks were the culmination of his purpose and potential. The sequence of events portray Joseph as a prepared man for a pre-ordained season. If the famine was inevitable, divine intervention was just as inevitable. As a pre-emptive strike, the Lord God raised a Joseph, to oversee one of the first recorded relief programmes.
Today, the World Food Programme is rallying to cope with the food security crises and the wasting famine and other natural disasters ravaging humankind. How much we could use the foresights and services of men like Joseph in the vast swatches of drought-prone and arid regions across several countries. Men the Lord would give insights on how to cater to uncultivable lands and their peoples during lean times. Industrialized nations insulate their citizenry from vagaries of food insecurity with sophisticated farming techniques and strategic grains reserve. In every case, they utilize means and methods not available or accessible to less endowed nations. Can you now better appreciate the tasks Joseph accomplished in contributing to the wellbeing of Egypt and the Middle East in an extended time of scarcity by ‘low tech’ means?
Prison did not diminish his vision or his proficiency. He knew he was thrown in jail for a big reason. He did not attribute his afflictions to the cruelty and envy of his brothers. What was before Joseph was BIG, and by the Spirit of God, he SAW it!
…. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Genesis 45:4-8 (NKJV)
Source: https://believersportal.com/biography-billy-graham/
Billy Graham once wrote, “I believe that today we must also begin to train and equip our best brains, young and old, to serve Christ in the world through pest control, agricultural science, engineering, farm and soil management programmes, and weather research. I congratulate the mission boards who are already working to train the new generation of missionary engineers and technicians, scientists and managers who will join in using their vocational skills to save the lives as well as the souls of a world at risk”
Joseph is a shining example of creative leadership. His life challenges today’s leaders with the notion of creative problem solving as they sit at the helm of affairs.
With the penchant for contemptuous cynicism, the world scoffs at men of God who put themselves forward for political leadership, and not a few dismiss them as naïve and ill-suited for the discharge of political office, but Joseph’s distinction puts a lie to those spurious presumptions. Joseph, even in servitude, was God’s extraordinary missionary-designate to Egypt.
He endured a catalogue of nasty encounters, deployed his gift for interpreting dreams, and in the long run, he impacted a heathen land to rescue God’s people!
Dear friend, what is that proficiency at your disposal? Perhaps you need to sow it in order to reap immense returns! It may be big or it may seem insignificant today, but what prize it can fetch tomorrow would by far outstrip its present size. Do not spend time gloating at your dexterity or abuse your proficiency for aggrandizement. The Master requires you to deploy it for wholesome profit. Don’t trade it for less