After being cast into prison, Joseph again made the best of the situation. He became the trusted helper of the warden of the jail. While in prison, Joseph met two men who had served the Pharaoh, each of whom had a dream. He interpreted their dreams to mean that they both would be released, the chief butler to a restored position of trust, but the chief baker to be hanged. Things came about as he said, but the chief butler failed to remember his promise to Joseph that he would mention his plight to Pharaoh.

Everything changed two years later when Pharaoh had two related dreams, about seven fat cattle eaten up by seven skinny ones, and seven full sheaves of gram being replaced with seven thin ones. None of his counselors could offer him an interpretation, but the chief baker at that moment remembered Joseph, and his promise to him. The young Hebrew was brought out of prison, allowed to clean himself up, and taken before the Egyptian ruler. Joseph assured Pharaoh that it was not him, but God who would provide the answer. Both dreams had the same meaning, he said; Egypt would experience seven years of record harvests, followed by seven years of devastating famine. The dream was repeated for emphasis; God wanted to make sure Pharaoh got the message.

When asked what should be done, Joseph said that the surplus of grain should be stored up during the years of plenty, to be distributed during the famine years. Further, a man of wisdom and understanding should be appointed to supervise both the storage and the distribution. Impressed by the young man's own wisdom and understanding, Pharaoh said he could think of no one better for the job than Joseph himself. Joseph became the second most powerful man in the kingdom, and things worked out just as the Lord had said they would over the following years.

The famine came, and grew steadily worse, not only in Egypt, but in Canaan as well. Jacob and his sons felt the effects like everyone else, and, hearing there was grain to be had in Egypt, he sent all of his sons but Benjamin down to buy food. Joseph recognized them immediately, but did not tell them who he was. Over the next weeks, he performed a test to see if they had changed over the years. First he demanded they bring their youngest brother to him, after they told him they had two others, one of them they presumed to be dead. As insurance, he kept Simeon, one of the brothers. On their return, they told Jacob of his demand, but he refused to hear of it. "One of my sons has already been taken from me," he said, "and if I lose the youngest, that would send me to my grave."

When they finally ran out of food once more, Jacob finally relented, and sent them back to Egypt with Benjamin. After giving them a meal, he sent them off with the grain, but left his personal drinking cup in Benjamin's sack. They returned, horrified, and after first threatening to imprison Benjamin, he finally relented, and revealed he was their long-lost brother, Joseph. After that, he sent for his father, and settled his entire family in the land of Goshen, with Pharaoh's blessing. His father died a very old man, with his family around him.

JESUS IS the Bridge Ministries

Spoiled No More

The Story of Joseph, Part 2