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WATER, MUD, & LIGHT
Arch Street Presbyterian Church
March 6, 2013
Genesis 41:25-45
A Lenten Invitation
Have you ever considered how a position description might apply to your spiritual life –
not just to your career? Is it possible that God has you in mind for a unique role as a
disciple? Could God have a particular “spiritual position” for you to fill? During this
Lenten season we invite you to explore in community if this is true for you. As we study
the stories of our tradition, we encourage you to reflect on your own story, discern your
own gifts, and consider your own “spiritual position.” At the end of Lent, we hope we can
share our discoveries and explore ways of supporting one another as we seek to be
faithful to our callings.
The Text – Genesis 41:25-45
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same; God has
revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years,
and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 The seven lean and
ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, as are the seven empty ears
blighted by the east wind. They are seven years of famine. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God
has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come seven years of great
plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. 30 After them there will arise seven years of
famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; the famine will consume
the land. 31 The plenty will no longer be known in the land because of the famine that
will follow, for it will be very grievous. 32 And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means
that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. 33 Now therefore let
Pharaoh select a man who is discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34
Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land, and take one-fifth of the
produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plenteous years. 35 Let them gather all the
food of these good years that are coming, and lay up grain under the authority of
Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 That food shall be a reserve for
the land against the seven years of famine that are to befall the land of Egypt, so that
the land may not perish through the famine.”
The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 Pharaoh said to his servants,
“Can we find anyone else like this – one in whom is the spirit of God?” 39 So Pharaoh
said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is no one so discerning and wise
as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you
command; only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh
said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Removing his signet
ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph's hand; he arrayed him in garments of fine
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linen, and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in the chariot of his
second-in-command; and they cried out in front of him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set
him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and
without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45
Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath daughter
of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. Thus Joseph gained authority over the land of
Egypt.
The Commentary
The Book of Genesis: Genesis is the first book in a five-book collection known in Jewish
tradition as the Torah, and in Christian tradition as the Pentateuch. The collection, which
also includes Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, contains stories about
early Israel and its ancestors, building inscriptions, regulations for rituals and
ceremonies, and a variety of instructional material known as “law.” Jewish tradition has
tended to emphasize this instructional material as the center of the collection, with the
stories serving to frame and highlight its importance, whereas Christian tradition has
tended to focus on the stories and downplay the legal material. Genesis, the first book
in the collection, tells the story of the world from creation through to the flight of
Israel’s ancestors to Egypt to avoid famine in Canaan. The main structural device in the
narrative of Genesis is the family tree. The stories are arranged into a genealogical
structure so that one family line remains central—that of Israel—while other family lines
branch off as the story goes along.
The Joseph Story: Whereas the stories of Abraham and Jacob read much like
independent episodes stitched together, the Joseph Story (Genesis 37-50) reads much
more like a novella, in which themes and events are tightly woven together into a large
narrative arc. According to the story, Joseph, favored by his father, irritates his brothers
with his superior attitude and is sold by them to merchants who take him to Egypt and
sell him into service there. Despite a series of setbacks, he eventually rises to be
Pharaoh’s deputy and plays an instrumental role in saving his own family, who must flee
to Egypt to escape famine in Canaan. Scholars have observed many Egyptian details in
the narrative, which, although perhaps not historical, lend the story an Egyptian air.
v. 25 We pick up the story mid-scene. Previously, Joseph has proven himself an able
interpreter of dreams to some fellow prisoners in Egypt and, on the recommendation of
one of them who had been restored to Pharaoh’s service, has now been summoned out
of prison to the royal court to interpret a particularly puzzling and disturbing set of
Pharaoh’s dreams. After listening to the dreams, Joseph launches straight into his
interpretation.
v. 25 In the ancient world, signs contained in the arrangement of heavenly bodies or in
the shape of sheep’s liver were believed to relate directly to political or other events in
the world. A large body of ancient scholarly literature on the interpretation of signs was
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accumulated over time. Ancient scribes studied and copied this omen literature as part
of their scholarly training. In addition to omens, gods were believed to communicate
with humans on special occasions through ecstatic day-time visions or night-time
dreams. After listening to Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph takes no time to consult any
scholarly literature on the subject, but offers an interpretation straight away.
v. 28 In the Abraham and Jacob stories, God had been very much present in the
narratives as an active character—appearing to characters or engaging directly with
them in conversation. Most of the Joseph story is by comparison more secular, with
God’s actions backgrounded. Here, however, God is understood as intervening, if
indirectly, in making known a divine plan to the king of Egypt.
v. 30 “Famine”—the regularity of the annual flooding of the Nile, whose headwaters lay
far away in the mountainous country to the south of Egypt, made Egypt more stable
agriculturally and economically than many of its neighbors. If famine is ahead for Egypt,
one can be sure that the situation in Canaan will be much worse. But in his speech,
Joseph betrays no concern for his homeland to the north. Either he is playing his cards
close to his chest, or, in the wake of betrayal by his brothers, he is not concerned for
their welfare.
v. 33 Pharaoh has not asked for advice beyond the interpretation of the dream itself. In
its strategic use of “wise man,” the narrative may be portraying Joseph here as astutely
seizing the moment to offer himself for the role—he has just shown how much wiser he
is than the wise men of Egypt, who failed to interpret the dream (contrast verses 8, 39).
Joseph himself had previously had two dreams (Genesis 37), which apparently
prognosticated a politically powerful future for him.
v. 35 Although he is advocating the creation of a post that might rival the power of
Pharaoh, Joseph carefully notes that the grain would be piled up “under Pharaoh’s
hand.”
v. 41 “See, I have set you”—apparently this speech act itself confers on Joseph the
political power of Pharaoh’s second in command.
v. 42 “The golden chain”—known from Egyptian reliefs as an elaborate collar covering
the shoulders and part of the chest. All these items are symbols of political power.
v. 42 “Ring”—a ring in the ancient world was primarily a legal rather than a decorative
item. It contained a carved image that could be impressed on clay—either a clay tablet
on which a legal contract had been written, or a lump of clay attached to a legal
document written on another medium. The seal thus produced served as witness to the
participation of the ring’s owner in the legal transaction. In giving Joseph his ring, the
Pharaoh gives him authority to conduct legal transactions with the full authority of
Pharaoh himself.
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v. 43 “Chariot”—Egypt was famous for use of light, quick, horse-drawn chariots in
warfare. As part of Egyptian royal ideology, Pharaohs were often depicted as riding such
chariots, weapons in hand.
v. 45 Conflict between the royal court and powerful priestly families is well attested in
some periods of Egyptian history. In marrying Joseph off to the daughter of a priestly
family, Pharaoh is broadening Joseph’s power base. Previously in Genesis, much has
been made of the need of Abraham’s children to marry within their extended kinship
networks—Abraham makes his servant swear that he will journey back to Abraham’s
clan relatives and find a wife for Isaac there, and Isaac and Rebecca are very displeased
with Essau’s decision to marry Hittite wives. Joseph, receives no censure in the story for
marrying into a family that served as priests to Egyptian deities.
Commentary based on:
Donald B. Redford, A Study of the Biblical Story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) (Leiden, E. J.
Brill, 1970).
Nahum M. Sarna, Genesis (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1989).
Robert Alter, The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary (New York:
W.W. Norton & Co., 2004).
Discussion Questions – Engaging the head …
1. Joseph moves quickly from the dungeon to the leader of Israel. How might
Joseph explain his sudden change in status? How does Pharaoh explain it?
2. Notice how Joseph uses his gift of interpretation; freely and without precondition or transaction. Do you think he’s acting without self-interest?
3. Describe the relationship between God, Joseph, Pharaoh and Egypt in this
passage. How does Joseph’s use of his gifts shape these relationships?
4. What is the possible danger in our reading of this story?
‘Going Deeper’ Discussion Questions – Engaging the heart …
1. What do you think, or what have you been told, your spiritual gifts are?
2. What are the qualities and requirements of Joseph’s spiritual position? What
name might we give his Spiritual Position Description?
3. When have you taken a risk and used your gifts in doing something you believe
God is asking you to do? Did you face criticism?
4. How do your gifts bring you into relationship with God and your faith
community; how can they be used in society at large?
5. How much time do you think you’re being asked to invest into your spiritual
vocation at this time in your life?
6. Once Pharaoh recognizes Joseph’s gifts, Joseph ascends to a position of political
power. What has happened when others have acknowledged and utilized your
gifts? Was it a positive or negative experience? How can this community
embrace your gifts and ensure that they are used well?