Joseph is sent for, to interpret Pharaoh's dreams.

1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.

2 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fat fleshed; and they fed in a meadow.

3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4 And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.

5 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6 And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.

7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.

8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh. 9 Then spake the chief butler

unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:

10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker:

11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.

13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.

14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.

16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

LECTURE 82.

That we must give God the glory, for our advantages. How natural, to speak of nature as we find it among ourselves, how natural is that instance of forgetfulness, recorded at the end of the last chapter, "Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph!" How frequently does it occur, that they, who in the hour of adversity have derived the most important benefits from

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another, forget in their prosperity the hand that helped them! Well it is for those who thus forget, if by some further difficulties they are reminded of the help, for which they are indebted; and constrained to own whilst it yet is time, "I do remember my faults this day." Let us examine ourselves, ere we sleep this night, is there any one, to whose help, under God, we owe the share of prosperity we enjoy? any one of whom we have been unmindful, neglectful? any one whom we are now in a situation to assist? And do we remember, as we ought to do, with continual thanks, the benefits which we continually receive from God? Let us examine. Let us remember our faults this day. And with the help of God's grace, let us amend them.

Joseph is at length remembered, when his help again is wanted. How like is this also to what we now call natural! How striking is the confirmation, which such passages as this afford of the truth of the histories, that they are exact accounts of things which really did take place, in the same family of God's creatures, to which we belong! Surely we must every one of us have witnessed conduct like this in the world! Surely, if we examine our own behaviour towards God, we shall be compelled to say, every one of us, I am the man. I have often forgotten Thee, O God, when in prosperity; and again called upon Thee when in want. Henceforth may I never thus fall away from my convictions! Henceforth may I never thus forget all thy mercy!

And now behold the servant of the Lord, brought in haste out of the dungeon, in order that he may relieve the troubled spirit of the king. Here we shall be able to see something more than nature; something which may remind us of what we now call 66 grace. Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.' A gift so singular as this of Joseph's, an opportunity so favourable, a change so sudden and so great, would have been sure to elate the natural heart; but for the power of God preventing it. But here was one released from a dungeon, summoned by his sovereign to interpret two most striking dreams, which none of the wise men of the country could interpret, conscious that he was entrusted with wisdom from on high, to solve the difficulty, and tempted by the king's own words to take to himself the credit of doing so; who nevertheless had the honesty and humility to own, "It is not in me;" and who at the same time had the piety to add, “God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Great gifts are well entrusted to those, who watch to give God the glory. And so much the more signal are humility and piety, where rare and precious gifts have been entrusted. Never may we neglect in the abundance of our privileges, to give God the glory! Never may we forget, under the pressure of our troubles, that it is God who alone gives us "an answer of peace!"

Joseph interpreteth Pharaoh's dream.

17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: 18 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:

19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: 20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:

21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:

23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: 24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to

me.

25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream

is one.

27 And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with

the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;

31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.

34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.

35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

LECTURE 83.

How old age becomes preferable to youth.

The succession of seasons, and the regularity with which the earth multiplies the seed committed to its care, these are amongst

the many remarkable instances of God's power, as the Creator and Preserver of all things. But because summer and winter, seed time and harvest, never fail, men are tempted to argue, that all things continue as they were from the beginning, by means of some power inherent in themselves. The occurrence of years of scarcity may serve to shew us, how little we can depend upon the powers of nature. And when this occurrence is plainly foretold, we become convinced, that He who makes it known beforehand, is the same as He who brings it to pass. Now Joseph plainly testifies, that God did by these dreams shew Pharaoh what He was about to do. The seven fat and well favoured cattle, the seven full and good ears of corn upon one stalk, denoted seven years of abundance. And these were to be followed by seven years of scarcity, such as would lead to famine amongst mankind, denoted by seven lean cattle, and seven withered ears of corn. And to shew how severe the famine would be, it appeared to Pharaoh in his dream, that when the seven lean kine had eaten up the seven fat kine, "it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning." This is indeed a most lively representation of the effects of a scarcity in the fruits of the earth. And may it not well remind us of that leanness of the soul, which is so often seen to follow the abundant enjoyment of that which God has provided in the Gospel? Year after year we listen to his word, we use his ordinances, we are moved by his Holy Spirit in our hearts. How fearful is our case, if we continue ill favoured, in respect to the beauty of holiness! How surely, if any one enjoy knowledge without practice, privileges without thankfulness, grace without improvement, how surely is the last state of that man worse than the first"! Matt. 12. 45. Whilst God, by means of Joseph, gave Pharaoh due notice, both of the good and of the evil which awaited him, He at the same time supplied counsel, as to what measures he ought to take; how he might mitigate the coming evil, by due use of the intervening good. And like to this is the counsel which He elsewhere gives us in his word: "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." Eccles. 12. 1. Youth is not unlike to the seven good ears of corn, the seven well favoured kine. And old age is not unfrequently apprehended, as if it were like the "seven empty ears," and "the seven other kine." But let us follow the counsel of our heavenly Father, and then behold, "the hoary head is a crown of glory;" Prov. 16. 31; then, inasmuch as we are drawing nearer to eternal rest, eternal joy, eternal glory, the last years of our life on earth are the best. We grow infirm in body, but not in soul; weak in sight, but strong in faith. And we come to our grave, as Job has said, "like as a shock of corn cometh in his season." Job 5. 26.

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Joseph is promoted, and provideth abundance of corn.

37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?

39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art : 40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

41 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43 And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.

48 And he gathered up all the

food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.

49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.

50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him.

51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.

52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim; For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

53 And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.

54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

55 And when all the land of

Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.

56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.

57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.