Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard . . . that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." "I cannot do it," Joseph replied . . . "but God will give Pharoah the answer." (Gen. 41:15­16)
Genesis provides a fascinating look at a variety of ways in which God gave guidance to his people. Sometimes, as with Abraham, he would appear spectacularly and in person, or send angelic messengers. For other people, like Jacob, the guidance came in more mysterious forms: a late-night wrestling match, a dream of a ladder reaching into heaven. For Joseph, God's guidance was indirect, and probably quite mystifying.
God communicated to Joseph not through angels, but mainly through dreams, weird dreams he would hear about from such dubious sources as jail mates and a despotic Egyptian pharaoh. Yet because God revealed to Joseph the proper meaning of those dreams Joseph eventually rose to prominence. Egyptians of that day were fascinated by dreams (Archaeologists have unearthed lengthy textbooks on dream interpretations.), and Joseph the dream-interpreter soon found himself at the top of Pharaoh's government.
In Joseph's time, God mostly worked behind the scenes. In fact, on the surface it often seemed that Joseph got the exact opposite of what he deserved. He explained a dream to his brothers, and they threw him in a cistern. He resisted a sexual advance and landed in an Egyptian prison. He interpreted another dream to save a cell mate's life, and the cell mate forgot about him.
Yet, and perhaps this is why Genesis devotes so much space to him, Joseph never stopped trusting God. Joseph came to see God's hand in the tragedies of his life. Being sold into slavery, for example, eventually turned out for good. It led him into a powerful new career, and the opportunity to save his own family from starvation. "So then," he told his brothers, "it was not you who sent me here, but God" (45:8). Choking back tears, Joseph tried to explain his faith to the same brothers who had tried to kill him, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good. . ." (50:20).
Life Question: If God has an important message for you, how does he get it across or get your attention so you will understand it?
