Pharaoh’s Dream Part 2, 7/04/04

In Genesis 41 we looked at this last week and let me just go over a couple of things. There is Pharaoh who dreamed he had a dream of seven kine fatfleshed and then seven leanfleshed kine comes up after them and swallows up the first seven kine then he awoke. Then he had a second dream except it was seven ears of corn on one stalk. They were excellent ears of corn the best ears of corn you ever saw followed by seven ill favoured or lean corn that again swallowed up the first seven pieces of corn and in both cases with the kine and with the ears of corn, you’d never know that they had swallowed them up that is they apparently ate. The lean kine ate the big fat cattle and you would think that that would fill out the lean cattle but they stay leanfleshed and they were still skinny you could still see their bones and so Pharaoh awoke. And that happened twice. Now we saw last week that God is really laying out the whole New Testament era. He’s laying out the whole New Testament period from the Cross to the end of the world with these dreams. And for instance when Joseph went into prison was a picture of Christ being cast into hell. The more I look at that the more certain that is when Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh took Joseph and put him into prison it fits in with Matthew 5:25-26:

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Joseph going into prison as Potiphar in Genesis 39 is a picture of God Himself and Joseph going into prison is pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ under the wrath of God as He is suffering for the sins of His people. But then Pharaoh has the dreams and Joseph is called out of prison he’s called out of prison. Hastily they go in and get him and we saw last week how that’s pointing to the resurrection and it was done hastily because once Jesus made the full payment for sins then hell has no more on Him it can’t hold Him a second longer just as Jonah was in the whale’s belly for three days and three nights and then the whale vomited him out upon dry land he came out as quickly as you can come out because that is a picture of the atonement Jesus said so He said as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. And so Pharaoh brings Joseph quickly hastily out of prison and then he comes before Pharaoh. And one other thing we saw last week in this pattern of the dreams that since coming out of prison and then the interpretation of the dreams must be the resurrection of Christ as He is rising from the dead and therefore the first dream the seven years of plenty has to be the New Testament period because we know that the second vision of the seven ill favoured kine and corn is dealing with the great tribulation and then Pharaoh awoke, Pharaoh wakes up and we saw how that is related to God who following the dreams following the New Testament period in the great tribulation will awaken on the day of judgment and we went to Psalm 78 let’s look at that real quick Psalm 78:65-66:

Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

And we saw how God is likening Himself to someone who awakes and then brings judgment but there’s also another verse. If you turn to Psalm 73:17 I’ll start reading there. It says:

Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

Again God pictures Himself waking to judgment Pharaoh is a representation of God Himself He’s the one who brings Joseph out of prison He’s the one who as the Father lifted up the Lord Jesus Christ He is a picture of God as He awakes from His dream because that’s what happens after the dreams as this life passes you know the Bible does talk about our lives as a dream doesn’t it? It does say I think in the book of Job that our lives are basically well let’s turn there in Job 20 and it’s speaking of the wicked in verse 8:

He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.

You see that’s the life of man it’s like a dream and that’s because you know how quickly passing dreams are they come and when you try to grab a hold of it, it just gets away from you and that’s this life when people live their lives and they want to grab a hold of their life and before they know it they’ve died or before this world knows it the Lord Jesus Christ will come and all will have faded away just evaporated like a dream this whole world will pass and so Pharaoh has dreams it’s a picture of God who is giving us, He’s giving us what’s to come for the New Testament church age the great tribulation and then the end of the world He’ll wake up, He’ll wake up and that’s it the dream is over the dream is gone. And so the seven years of plenty point to the church age because as Joseph comes before Pharaoh these dreams are future both of the dreams are going to take place the interpretation is these things will transpire and so Joseph the picture of Christ has been resurrected it can’t be anything from the Old Testament it must be something that’s pointing ahead from the Cross seven years of plenty from the Cross what relates to that? Well remember on the feast of Pentecost the feast of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out great blessing bountiful blessing a bountiful harvest of firstfruits is being gathered in by the churches through the church age and so this is the seven years of plenty. We can’t get sidetracked into trying to fit the number seven into the New Testament period like seven thousand or seven hundred that won’t work it’s just looking at the perfection of the New Testament age from the Cross followed by seven years of famine immediately on the heels of it comes the great tribulation comes the day we’re living in when God is finished using the churches the testimony of the two witnesses is over and the great tribulation comes and then of course Pharaoh awakes. Following the great tribulation there’s no other there’s no other age there’s no other epoch of time there’s no other dispensation it’s judgment day it’s the end of all things and the terrifying thing is remember as Joseph said in verse 32:

And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

It’s established by God each one of the dreams is established each season the time of plenty the time of famine and the awakening of Pharaoh they’re all established they’re all certain. The word establish is translated as fixed in several places as in the Psalms, Psalm 57:7:

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

It is fixed by God this is going to take place it’s going to happen and so God has wonderfully given us this information in this historical record of Joseph coming before Pharaoh. Now let’s look at Joseph as he is brought out of the dungeon as he does come before Pharaoh and let’s see if it fits let’s see if it fits with the resurrection. Let’s see if the language here will harmonize with what we know the Bible says regarding the rising of Christ and the time of resurrection. Well first of all let’s just think of Joseph in the dungeon Joseph in the prison Joseph who’s a prisoner he’s about the lowest of the low in Egypt he’s not even an Egyptian prisoner, he’s a foreign prisoner a Hebrew he’s about as low as you can get. Now of course he found favor God gave him favor and with the keeper of the prison but as far as the people of Egypt what was Joseph? Who was Joseph to them? Unknown a nobody and if they had known about him they wouldn’t have given him a thought he was a prisoner he was a prisoner who was cast into prison and apparently with no end of sentence we don’t read he was thrown into prison for ten years we don’t read he was thrown into prison for twenty years he was thrown into prison and you know that’s significant God does not give us the prison sentence. How long is eternal damnation how long is it to be in hell? How long will someone spend in the pit of hell? You see there’s no end to that there’s no end and Joseph is a type of Christ he’s thrown into prison with no coming out in view not in twenty years or thirty years or fifty years there was no sentence Potiphar was so furious at the allegation his wife made and thinking it was true he threw Joseph into prison and he was the captain of the guard he had a position of authority and power where Joseph wasn’t going to get out of there any time soon. He was not going to get out of there any time soon and we know that he was in there for at least two full years and probably longer than that more than likely longer than that and that’s a picture in itself but there he is in the prison a low prisoner who is in the dungeon as it says in verse 14:

Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

You see he’s just this pitiful prisoner who needed a shave and they had to change his raiment to bring him in unto the king but in doing this, this is probably one of the most if not the greatest rags to riches story that is known to man. Can you imagine how we think of someone today who maybe has a menial job and they win the lottery well that’s nothing that’s nothing compared to this situation where Joseph he doesn’t have a penny to his name he’s about as low as you can get in Egypt and from one moment to the next moment he is brought from extreme poverty into Pharaoh’s presence into the court of the king of Egypt where he is rushed in and he is brought before this king of Egypt. And Egypt was a mighty empire and in interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams Pharaoh is just awe struck he’s amazed because God has so impressed upon him the importance of these dreams that he was willing to do as many kings have said and even in the Bible I will give you the half of my kingdom and so Joseph is made prime minister of Egypt not over night not over night but from one moment to the next moment. One moment he’s that pauper and the next moment everyone has to bow the knee everyone has to honour him and respect him he is the next in line he is the supreme authority of Egypt under Pharaoh. That’s incredible that’s incredible there has never been anything like that in history it’s not just money he received he received everything that the world has to offer instantaneously and that again is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ isn’t it? He emptied Himself of His glory and how low did Jesus go down how low did He sink how far did He go in paying for the sins of His people? He went down into hell itself well excuse me He did not go into the place of hell but He experienced hell for the sins of His people and that is about as low as you can get. God describes Jesus as a worm in Psalm 22, I am a worm and no man because a worm digs lowly into the ground and so this was the Lord Jesus Christ as He was paying the penalty for sin and then when the payment was made He is resurrected He is resurrected He rises up to be seated at the right hand of God and all now is under His dominion and we can see this as we read this account of Joseph let’s read in verses 37-38 of Genesis 41:

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?

See Joseph had the Spirit of God just as the Lord Jesus Christ of course did everything under the Spirit of God He went into the wilderness at the Spirit’s leading everything that Christ did in His ministry was accomplished as He followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. Then verse 39:

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:

Joseph is the wisest of men in other words he is the wisest person Pharaoh is saying there is nobody as wise as Joseph and that relates to the Lord Jesus as He is the personification of wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1:30 it says, He is made unto us wisdom. Christ is wisdom as Joseph was said to be the wisest of men. And then verse 40 of Genesis 41:

Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

Remember Pharaoh who is speaking is a picture of God, thou Joseph shall be over my house. Is that true, is Jesus over the house of God? Turn to Hebrews 3 and I’ll begin reading in verse 2:

Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, …

You see Jesus is set over the house the spiritual house of God that is comprised of the elect of God the body of believers we are the house that Jesus is over and Pharaoh is saying to Joseph:

Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: …

Now we see that we see that right away that the Word of God the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ is what rules the people of God the Bible and so Joseph is set over the house and by his word by Joseph’s word all the Egyptian’s would be ruled and so Christ is set over the spiritual house and by His Word all the people of God are ruled. All the true believers are ruled by the Word of Christ.

… only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

Now we have to be careful. See there’s Pharaoh a picture of God there’s Joseph who is a picture of Christ who is God but Pharaoh is saying to Joseph only in the throne will I be greater than thou and so if we carry that spiritual picture through this is as though God is saying to Christ only in the throne shall I be greater than Thou and is that so is the Father greater than the Son? Does the Bible say anything about that is the Father greater than the Son? Well let’s turn to John 14:28 and we read:

Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

You see this is Jesus who is speaking the Father is greater than I and Pharaoh is saying to Joseph only in the throne will I be greater than thou it’s still that picture is carrying over we can follow that that’s in keeping with Biblical statements yes the Lord Jesus Christ does say that the Father is greater than Him. Now how is the Father greater than Christ? We know that there’s one God and three persons and the Lord Jesus is just as much eternal God as the Father is eternal God so it’s not that He’s a lesser God we can’t say that we never would want to say that in any way He’s not a lesser God but in the fact that He came to be the suffering servant He came to be obedient to the will of the Father then, then the Father can be said to be greater than Him. Well let’s also look at John 10:29-30:

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.

You see the Father is again is said to be greater than all but Jesus then makes the statement, I and the Father are one so He’s showing His equality He’s demonstrating that yes He is on the same ground as God the Father He’s not a lower being of any kind as some think and would distort what the Bible says He is fully God He is eternal God but in that one area as He came to be the one who suffered while the Father is the one pouring out the wrath the Father is greater than the Son and that’s in keeping with what we’re reading in Genesis 41 as Pharaoh is speaking to Joseph only in the throne will I be greater than thou and then in verse 41:

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

He’s set over all the land of Egypt. Remember this is after he’s brought out of prison he’s come before Pharaoh, Pharaoh has exalted him to be his second hand man basically seated at his right hand and he has set all the land of Egypt under Joseph. Well let’s look at Ephesians 1 and beginning in verse 20 it says there:

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, …

Now that ties in that’s what we’re saying the coming out of prison is referring to the rising from the dead.

… and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

See God the heavenly Father the heavenly King places Christ at his right hand.

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

So Jesus is resurrected He rises from the dead and the Father puts all things under His feet. All dominion all principalities everything is placed under Christ’s feet. Joseph comes out of prison and Pharaoh puts the land of Egypt under his feet all of Egypt is subject to you now every word that you speak the people of Egypt are obligated to obey and I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. Well let’s go into verse 42 and we’ll probably stop there but Lord willing we’re going to continue looking into this historical account of Joseph and then Jacob and see we’re getting some basic understanding of the dreams we’re getting some basic understanding what the years of plenty mean and it’s interesting they put away corn during the years of plenty they put it in storehouses that no one was allowed to touch you can’t touch that corn. Now if the seven years of plenty is the New Testament church age what does that corn represent? And why is it in storehouses why is it opened up later during the great tribulation? You see God has really once we understand the basics of what He’s setting up here we can move on I think in a very good some very good insight into our present day. But in verses 41-42 of Genesis 41:

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;

So Pharaoh is excited he is about as happy as can be he was troubled he was troubled as probably none of us will ever know that kind of trouble in our spirit because we’ve never had a dream from God we’ve never had God give us His Word and remember holy men of old were moved as the Holy Ghost moved them. It moved them where they would walk naked and barefoot for three years. It moved them to wear a girdle and then bury it until it was marred. It moved them to do all manner of things and it troubled Pharaoh no end and then suddenly it’s all explained it all opens up he understands historically what the dreams represent and so he’s exalting Joseph to the second in command of Egypt he’s the prime minister he’s already said that he will rule over his house that he set Egypt over him and he takes off his ring and he takes off his ring and he gives the ring to Joseph and he puts it on Joseph’s hand he puts the ring on Joseph’s hand. And wow that’s something you’d almost see in a marriage ceremony, right? When the bride and groom are there and the bridegroom gives the ring to his bride and you can just see the joy of Pharaoh that this dream was interpreted that he now understood and he was no longer troubled and yet also he realizes that the only one who could have interpreted this was someone in whom the Spirit of God is none of the magicians of Egypt could interpret it and so Pharaoh gives him his ring but what does that ring mean? Well let’s turn over to Esther in Esther 3 and look at verses 8-12:

And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries. And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy. And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. Then were the king’s scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king’s ring.

Sealed with the king’s ring now we see the significance when Ahasuerus gave the ring to Haman what was he basically doing? You can make a law in my name you can pass the law you can then take the ring that would have some type of symbol that would only be connected to king Ahasuerus and his reign it would be the royal seal and he would stamp the document with the king’s ring and this thereby became law it was the law of the land it had the full power and authority of king Ahasuerus. Haman was given that power and authority at least in this one instance with this one law as he paid this price to have the Jews destroyed but also look over in Esther in chapter 8 and in the first couple of verses:

On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her. And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Now look down to verse 8, well we’ll begin in verse 7:

Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.

You see there is another picture we know Mordecai is a type of Christ and Ahasuerus is a picture of God Himself and so historically first he gave the ring to Haman and Haman wrote that evil law that all the Jews must be destroyed and then through God’s grace and mercy Esther comes before the king and the turn of events is completely turned around and Haman is hanged and then the ring is given to Mordecai and Mordecai now writes a law and seals it with the king’s ring but we see the connection. When the king takes his ring and he gives it to Haman or he gives it to Mordecai or Pharaoh gives it to Joseph it is indicating that that person who receives the ring has power and authority to make laws to establish laws to exercise the will of Pharaoh because then he seals it with that ring indicating that that law has all the blessing of Pharaoh all the blessing of Pharaoh. That Pharaoh is fully behind whatever Joseph says whatever and he goes on to say that whatever Joseph says the people of Egypt will do and so Pharaoh in giving that ring to Joseph is really giving him complete authority over the kingdom of Egypt but we know Pharaoh is a picture of God Joseph is a type of Christ and so Christ has the full power and authority of God to exercise dominion over the people of the world over the church over all principalities and so forth and so once again as we are looking at this as we’re looking at Genesis 41 and I’ll close everybody’s been very patient and I know it’s really not that cool in here too but everybody’s been patient and so I won’t go any further but in Genesis 41 we’ve worked down from verse 37 and practically phrase by phrase and we see how everything ties in everything fits. Now try to do that sometime pick any Old Testament figure you know that you don’t really know the spiritual meaning of and try to see well is he a picture of Christ and you find well there’s a lot of difficulty there’s a lot of struggle there’s a lot of things that come up where things don’t always fit and harmonize and many times you have to say well he must not be a type of Christ or a type of God or whoever I thought he was a type of. But this is all fitting together perfectly so we know without doubt Joseph is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ as he comes before Pharaoh he’s been raised from the dead God is giving Him full power and authority and now the dreams are looking forward that’s the important thing because if we understand all that correctly we’re going to understand the dreams correctly and we’re going to understand all the other information. God goes on for about four chapters about four or five chapters describing the seven years of famine. That’s interesting all by itself seven years of plenty gets very little mention very little notice even though we’re seeing it really spans about nineteen hundred and fifty some years or so forth of the New Testament era and it gets very little mention in the interpretation in the historical reading of the book of Genesis the plenty was there the plenty is gone now comes the seven years of famine and that spans several chapters. And God has identified those seven years of famine in Acts 7 as pointing to the great tribulation which by the way is I think giving us some insight that God has a lot of information that we have been discovering in the Bible about this little season in comparison to the whole New Testament church age. You see how God is doing that with these dreams. He gives very little information about the seven years of plenty the time of great blessing. Then comes famine and then we read about the brothers and Jacob coming out of Canaan and into Egypt and the storehouse of grain and so forth so there is a lot that we can learn by continuing to move on here in the book of Genesis.

Let’s close with a word of prayer.