Genesis 41:1-16 - The Dreamer and the Dream

Genesis 41:1-16

Pharaoh’s Dreams

1 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. 2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. 8 Now 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 its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.

9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, 11 we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”

16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ”It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

The dreamer (Lit. master of dreams, Genesis 37:19) was given insight from the LORD to interpret dreams of others.  This is how God had allowed his siblings to sell Joseph into slavery and be falsely accused after faithfully serving Potiphar and thrown in jail.  It was for a time like this that he was placed in the king’s prison to interpret the dreams of the head cupbearer and baker to then be there to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh to deliver his people through the famine while saving the Egyptians along the way.  How intricate and precise are the plans of our sovereign God that defy any attempts of our own to orchestrate and bring to pass!  Pharaoh had this dream about fat and starving cows as well as plump and blighted heads of grain, both thin ones being devoured by the full ones before them.  The dream was so real and persistent after the pharaoh awoke that he could not shake the troubling nature whose meaning escaped him and all the wise men of Egypt that he told in hope of an interpretation to calm his unrest and confusion.  He sought peace from a dream that God had given him and did not understand that only the Living God could provide an answer.  Some of us have experienced some like this in a recurring dream that begs an answer and oftentimes is not seen for the meaning until years later when the events unfurl in our lives.  This supernatural dream of Pharaoh was directly from God for His people in saving Egypt that His own children could be saved from famine and become a great nation after the four hundred years of enslavement prophesied before (Genesis 15:7-8, 13-14) to Abram before he was Abraham and as a promise to inherit the promised land by taking God at His word in true faith such as we have (Galatians 3:9) in God’s work in Christ.  When nobody could be found to interpret the dream of a king, the King of kings jarred the memory of the chief cupbearer to recall how Joseph was able to rightly interpret his dream and that of the baker in prison, and how each came to pass exactly as the Hebrew had said.  They brought him out of bondage to face Pharaoh who told him he heard that Joseph could interpret dreams.  The man of God made it clear that this was no prideful ability of his own, but that God Himself was the only one to give the understanding of the perplexing dream’s revelation of the truth.  The dreamer would now be used by the LORD to unravel the meaning of Pharaoh’s night vision and give all the glory to the revealer and not to the servant of the Most-High who deserves all the credited honor.  Likewise, if we have a dream that we think is from God, only He can reveal the true meaning to us in line with His word.  Too many people pretend to be great and draw great attention to themselves instead of the Lord in their supposed abilities as prophets and seers when the only glory to be given is when the Lord is seen as the source and receiver of all knowledge and understanding of these things.  In Joel 2:28 as quoted in Acts 2:17-18 we see how the Lord at Pentecost revealed the coming of Christ and the gospel of salvation through dreams as His Spirit moved some to speak and unravel the gospel hidden in plain sight in the Old Testament for us (Acts 2:22, 36) to know.  Jeremiah 23:28-29 is a reminder to speak God’s word and not make our own interpretations of dreams.  Remember the dreamer Joseph and the dreams he was given the opportunity to give God’s interpretation of the dreams of others and of his own dreams understood in part by his brothers as to the LORD choosing and using him for His glory, honor, and praise alone.  This passage tells us of The Dreamer and the Dream to direct our thoughts on God’s honor and glory and not that of any man.