Mark continued his series on Joseph this morning, looking at Gen 41:55-57 and then also looking at Gen 42:1-6. We left Joseph with a new name (Zaphenath-Paneah), a wife and two sons whose names (Manasseh & Ephraim) reflected the fact that he had not forgotten God, despite spending so many years as a slave or in prison. Now he is elevated to the position of second-in-command to Pharaoh and is in charge of food distribution during the seven years of famine. All who came to Pharaoh for help were directed to Joseph, showing the importance he held in the country. (Gen 41:55)
Joseph was in this position of responsibility because Pharaoh had seen the faithfulness of God in bringing about the fulfilment of the interpretation of his dream through Joseph. At times of crisis, people need to be able to turn to God’s people because they recognise God’s power and faithfulness through our lives. Our lives are fashioned in the furnace of adversity and testing. Joseph was by now at least forty years old. He had been waiting for the fulfilment of his dream for well over twenty years. We do not know if he was still hoping and praying for the dream to be fulfilled, but we know he was working faithfully in the place in which God had placed him and was still loyal to his God. It was a time of great famine, not only in Egypt but all over the world, but Joseph was able to help those in need because of his close walk with God.
At the beginning of Gen 42, the story shifts back to Joseph’s family. They too were affected by the famine, and so came to Egypt to look for grain. God was moving all the pieces of His plan into place. In Gen 42:6 we read one of the most poignant verses in this narrative: ‘So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.’ How Joseph must have remembered the dream (Gen 37:6-11) at this point. Truly nothing had been able to stop God’s plan or separate him from God’s love. (see Rom 8:35-39) We need to hold on to the dreams God has placed in our hearts, for when the time is right, God is able to bring all things to pass. He is Sovereign over all.