Today, in our journey through the Bible together, you should have read a portion of the Joseph narrative.
Pharaoh’s Dream
If you remember, Pharaoh has two crazy dreams. In the first, seven ugly and thin cows eat seven plump and fat cows but their appearance doesn’t change. The second dream involves seven thin and blighted grain eating seven ears of plump and good grain. Although Pharaoh is troubled by the dream, no one in the kingdom is able to interpret it for him, except Joseph.
The dream, Joseph tells Pharaoh, is about a future famine, which will occur after seven years of plenty. God is warning them of the famine so they can prepare during the years of plenty for the years of famine by storing up the excess.
The Future
After hearing Joseph’s interpretation, Pharoah places him in charge. Sure enough, seven years of plenty turns into seven years of famine. Since Egypt saved during the years of plenty, they were able to provide for the whole earth and grow economically during the famine as the entire earth came to buy food from them. Joseph’s long lost family were included in the ones who came. Fast forwarding a bit, after giving his brothers who sold him into slavery a hard time, Joseph reconnects with them. Eventually, his family settles in the land of Goshen where they become fruitful and multiple.
What Struck Me
As I read the story again this morning, I was struck by Joseph, Pharaoh, and his brother’s recognition that God is the one who is in control.
- As Joseph is interpreting the dream for Pharaoh, he pushes Pharaoh to recognize that God is the one who is showing Pharaoh what He is about to do (Ge 41:28).
- Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge because he recognizes God is the one who has shown the future to him (Ge 41:39).
- Joseph names his first son Manasseh saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” His second son he names Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Ge 41:51-52).
- At one point, during their imprisonment, Joseph’s brothers come to the recognition that God is dealing with them concerning their sin against their brother (Ge 42:21-22).
- On their way home, when Joseph’s brothers discover that the money they used to purchase the grain was placed back in their sacks, they say, “What is this that God has done to us?” (Ge 42:28).
- Once Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, he gives God all the credit for what had been done (Ge 45:4-15)
These passages and more show us that Joseph, Pharaoh, and his brothers didn’t view these events as luck or chance. Nor do they pat themselves on the back for their ingenuity or intellect. Instead, these events led them to recognize God is the One who is in control.
We need to come to the same conclusion. Instead of attributing things in our life to luck or a lack thereof, we must recognize that God is the One who is in control and He is working out His plan, of which we are apart. You see, it’s not luck, it’s God.
Question for Reflection
- Do you recognize it’s God, not luck?
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