In the last study, we saw that Joseph was made regent over Egypt, second in command with only Pharaoh above him. According to Joseph's interpretations of Pharaoh's dreams, there were to be seven good years of plenty and then seven bad years of famine. Let's do some math to determine how old Joseph was during his Egyptian service and when he was reunited with his brothers:
- Joseph was 17 when he had his dreams that his brothers and parents would bow to him as their leader (see Genesis 37:1-2).
- Joseph served Potiphar and the jailer for 13 years, which made him 30 when he became
Egypt's chief administrator (see Genesis 41:46).
- There were seven good years as Joseph had predicted, which means he was 37 when the famine began.
Then we read,
Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.” Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected" (Genesis 42:6-9).
We later find out that his brothers came to him the second time in the second year of the famine: "For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping" (Genesis 45:6). That means Joseph was 39 years old when he revealed himself to his brothers.
Go back to Genesis 42:8: "Then he remembered the dreams about them." Now, consider this question: How could Joseph remember the dreams he had when he was 17 for 22 years when you can't remember your dreams from last night? For 22 years, Joseph had to live in those dreams, hold on to those dreams, wrestle with those dreams, remind God of those dreams, and remind himself of those dreams when it seemed like all was lost.
If you are going to be a person of purpose who experiences success, you probably have some dreams, maybe even some big ones. You can be sure you will be tested to see if you can hold on to them and act faithfully when it seems like those dreams are as far away from you as the sun is from the earth. Joseph changed history and fulfilled God's plan because he held on to his dreams on the way down to Egypt as a slave, in his master's house as the man's wife urged him to enter into an illicit affair, in prison in his darkest nights, during the two years when the cupbearer forgot Joseph's kindness, and during seven years of plenty. Then one day, when he least expected it to happen, his brothers came into his presence and bowed down.
What are your purpose or creative dreams? What do you want to see accomplished in your lifetime? Are you being tested? Far away from their fulfillment? If you are discouraged or just need a reminder that God is watching, then consider Joseph, who held on to his dream for more than two decades, only to see it fulfilled in a matter of minutes. God is still orchestrating your destiny so keep those dreams alive by whatever means possible.
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