Genesis 40 - 43

The Ascent of Joseph

This portion details the ascent of Joseph from prison to the highest authority in the land of Egypt, besides Pharaoh.  Ironically, dreams were the motivating factor in his brother's despicable act of selling him into slavery, yet it is the interpretation of dreams that pave the way for his release from prison and rise to prominence.  These two sets of dreams complete the dream cycle in Joseph's life.

In the case of the wine steward and the baker, fellow prisoners with Joseph, he interprets their dreams and plants a seed in the mind of the wine steward that would later pay off in gaining his freedom. The dream of the baker is congruent with the first dream of Joseph in that it deals with grain related metaphors.  It is also congruent with the second dream of Pharaoh had which used grain stalks as metaphors for plenty and famine.

The other three dreams are congruent, but in a less apparent way.  Joseph's dream of the Sun, moon, and stars was symbolic of heavenly objects.  The wine stewards dream of a vine and wine deals with "spirit" related metaphors.  The dream of cows coming out of the Nile is symbolic of worshiped objects in Egypt. Thus, there is a common theme of spiritual matters in all three dreams.

These dreams also reveal the characteristics of Joseph that Pharaoh observed and rewarded.  Joseph's dreams as a young lad spoke of his future leadership.  The dreams of the prisoners spoke of his future wisdom.  The dreams of Pharaoh spoke of his future management and planning skills.  All of these coalesce in Joseph is a magnificent way to show the grace and perfection of the Lord and His protection of His chosen people through Jacob.

The first dream of Joseph - where the grain stalks bow down to him - is partially fulfilled when his brothers come to Egypt and have to bargain with Joseph (unknown to them) for food.  In 42:6, the Bible states, "When they arrived, the bowed down before him with their faces to the ground."  A careful reading of the interactions with his brothers reveal that Joseph tests them in ways very similar to the ways they mistreated him.  For example, they threw Joseph in a pit, Joseph placed them in prison for three days.  The brothers thought of Joseph as a spy for their father, Joseph accused them of being spies. Read this section carefully to find the other similarities.

My God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.