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In the last article we learned that God had used Joseph to give Pharaoh the interpretations to the dark dreams that had bothered him so. Next we find that Joseph wouldn't just give an interpretation but he would go farther. This time when Joseph gives the dream interpretation, he follows it with divine wisdom. He reveals to Pharaoh a plan that was geared towards helping and preparing the country of Egypt for the next fourteen years. Joseph reveals that during the next fourteen years the land of Egypt would experience things that it has never experienced before. These events that are about to take place, would be so out of the ordinary that it would change the course of history for that country forever. Now let's take a moment to look at what Joseph had just interpreted for Pharaoh: "It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about 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." -- (Genesis 41:28-30) Now when it comes to the "seven years of abundance", this would not seem to be out of the ordinary for a person of Pharaoh's mindset. Perhaps he would have expected nothing less, needless-to-say, he would have just given credit to the many different deities that Egypt were serving at the time. But when it came to the "famine of seven years" that were to follow, now this would be something that would be out of the ordinary and very unexpected for a land that was designed like Egypt. For we must understand that the land of Egypt had been cultivated with an irrigation system that kept it from having to depend on rainfall. This allowed the land to be able to produce crops regardless of the weather. This irrigation system that I'm referring to, was setup in such a way that the land of Egypt would get its water and much needed sediment for fertilizer from the yearly overflow of the Nile River. So this meant that this "seven year famine" would be so severe and widespread that it will eventually cut Egypt completely off from the Nile River. Even Pharaoh himself would have to consider this type of event, hard to believe, out of the ordinary and very unexpected. So let's move forward, for we are now told that Pharaoh and his officials thought the plan that Joseph had proposed when it came to the preparation and survival of Egypt seemed very good and sound. But now that brings us to the question that was on Pharaoh's mind: "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?" The Egyptian ruler would then turn 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. I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." -- Genesis 41:39,40 After Pharaoh had announced that Joseph would be the new prime-minister of state, he took his signet ring from his finger and placed it on Joseph's finger. Now this action by the Egyptian ruler was very important, since it was an official confirmation of Joseph's new commission from within the land of Egypt. Now lets take a moment and really digest what just happened. We've been learning that Joseph had been through a lot when it came to his life and this was brought about from his unfair treatment at the hands of his brothers. I mean after all, Joseph was a good person overall and for him to have to endure the things that he did, just didn't seem right. If we were to be honest, these are the type of experiences that causes people to fall away from God, instead of seeking a closer relationship with Him. It causes one to bring forth the question and ask: "Why is God allowing these things to happen to such a good person?" And I for one, would have to be honest and admit that the question is valid. But it takes a certain perception that needs to be developed when it comes to the Lord and His plans. For we must learn how to look beyond a natural perception and bring into view the overall purpose of our situation. Often times the scope of the view is so vast, that at times, it becomes difficult to see across the entire range that's presented throughout the situation. For those that aren't able to do this, it causes one to start looking for a different path that seems to be more fair and easier to travel, not realizing that being apart from God would make things far more difficult for any individual. Make no mistake, it's better to be with the Lord than against Him. We have to make sure that we don't let what seems to be a though haul, to deter us from the arms of our Heavenly Father. Always remember that often times it takes hard work, pain and sweat to reach a level of success that one desires. One of the things we can learn from Joseph and his overall ordeal, is that no matter what, he always tried to represent God the best way he knew how. And most importantly, he didn't blame God for his afflictions and hardships, even tough he didn't quite understand why he was having to endure them in the first place. Because of this, he stayed in God's favor and was successful in all that he did, in spite of his current ongoing situations. Understand that God is, what I like to call "a God of great examples" and within this account of Joseph we are shown a great example on how God is able to move on our behalf. We must not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of thinking that this type of favor can only happen to people like Joseph. We must not allow ourselves to be caught in such a snare, when it comes to these types of limited perceptions that we all tend to have. Doing so could cause one to limit God to a certain time period, person or situation. Understand that God is much bigger than a certain span of time, individual or circumstance. It's also crucial that we don't limit our perception only to the natural. When you're tracking God in your life, you have to be able to look beyond the obvious. We must never forget that God is the same yesterday, today and forevermore and these are the types of Sacred Accounts that will help us to see how God can move in the natural when it comes to us, and not just in the spiritual. This is why we need to push ourselves to learn more when it comes to God's Word, for it's filled with priceless experiences that enables us to gain a tremendous amount of value from them, without having to endure the situation ourselves. Learning from these types of experiences helps us to understand better, when we go through the trials and afflictions that often times sneak into our lives. And make no mistake, there's a reason for it - being that God is forever training, preparing and teaching us in some kind of way. It's during these "heavy storms of afflictions" and "dark valleys of suffering" that we need to ask God to help us to understand what's happening to us. This should be done instead of lashing out to Him for what we tend to deem as "untimely dilemmas" and "unfair treatment". Always remember that God did not design and create us for a life of suffering and disappointments. The Lord designed and created us for a life that's stamped with a distinguish quality, value and beauty that no other creature can lay claim too. Now that Joseph has been made overseer over Egypt - now what? Joseph gets a new name with a certain meaning? Also could marriage be in the near future for Joseph as well? Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty **YOUR CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES WOULD BE HERE** 84) Joseph's Dark Dreams Interpretation 85) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 86) Joseph the Revealer of Secrets 88) The Seven Years of Abundance 90) Joseph the Egyptian Prime Minister 91) Joseph's Temptation of Revenge 93) The Confessions of the Ten Tribes  |
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