Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Genesis 41:15
The Story
Abraham’s inheritance passed on to Isaac, and Isaac’s inheritance passed on to Jacob. God gave Jacob the name Israel and Israel had 12 sons, but his favorite son was Joseph. [1]
Because Israel loved him so much, he made a special robe for him. Joseph’s brothers became jealous of him, and to make matters worse, Joseph shared dreams he’d had of ruling over them [2]. They soon found an opportunity to get rid of Joseph and took it. They sold him to some passing traders for silver and dipped his coat in goat’s blood to convince their father that he had been killed. [3]
Joseph ended up a slave in Egypt, but even as a slave, he soon prospered in the house that he served. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long as his master’s wife framed him, causing Joseph to end up in prison. [4]
But God was still with Joseph, as he was able to interpret his cellmates’ dreams, and one of them, a cupbearer to Pharaoh, was released. When Pharaoh needed someone to interpret his dream, the cupbearer suggested Joseph. [5]
Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. There would be years of plenty followed by years of famine. Following this interpretation, Joseph was put in charge of managing Egypt’s resources. [6]
When the famine came, Egypt was prepared, and people from other lands came to Egypt to trade for food. [7]
Joseph’s family soon came to Egypt to trade. After testing them, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and invited them to Egypt. [8]
Israel’s family then settled in the land of Egypt. [9]
The Significance
Joseph was favored by his father and by God. His people stripped him of his robe and sold him for silver. He was falsely accused and cast into a dark prison only to rise again to rule and save his people.
In so many ways, the story of Joseph parallels that of Jesus. It foreshadows a much bigger story where Jesus, the son of God, rises from the dead to save the world. [10]
[1] Genesis 25:33, 32:28, 35:22-26, 37:3; [2] Genesis 37:4-5; [3] Genesis 37:17-33; [4] Genesis 39:2-20; [5] Genesis 39:21-23, 40, 41:1-14; [6] Genesis 41:15-40; [7] Genesis 41:53-57; [8] Genesis: 42-45 [9] Genesis 46:1-6; [10] Matthew 27:31, 26:14-16, 26:59, 27:59-60, 28:5-6, John 3:16