So Joseph basically languishes in jail for two more years.
The Pharaoh had a dream.
Seven sleek and fat cows come out of the Nile and graze among the reeds. Then seven ugly and gaunt cows come out of the Nile, and swallow up the sleek and fat ones.
Then Pharaoh woke up.
Then Pharaoh went back to sleep, and had himself another dream.
Seven healthy and good heads of grain grow on a single stalk. Then seven thin and scorched heads of grain sprout on the same stalk, and swallow up the healthy and good ones.
What a nerd, dreaming about stalks of grain.
Anyway, these dreams were weird enough to trouble him, so he has all his wise men come and try their hand at interpretating said dreams. Couldn't do it. Then Cuppy-Boy from chapter 40 pipes up and says, "I did time with a Hebrew who could interpret dreams. The Fabulous Baker Boy and I had these dreams, and stuff happened exactly the way he said it would."
Pharaoh, who probably was familiar with Joseph, sends for him, and like
Dokken, asks him if he can interpret what happened "In my dreams."
Joseph says, "I can't. God can." Something I need to say more often. Anyway, Joseph tells him the dreams are one and the same. And what have we learned when God says something twice?
What Joseph relays to Pharaoh is that the seven good cows and heads are seven good years of crop yield. The seven lousy cows and heads are seven years of famine. The swallowing up will mean that the famine will be so bad that people will forget the seven good years even happened. That's a darn bad famine. The repetition was because it had firmly been decided by God. It was going to happen.
God had given Pharaoh a great gift. He basically enumerated exactly what His will was for the next 14 years. What would you give to have that kind of knowledge? Can you imagine knowing what to expect 14 years out? I'd feel like Biff Tannen with the Sports Almanac. This wasn't a generic warning, like, "Ehh, it'll be ok for a little while, and then suddenly, life will suck." Wow...what a gift, and, while Pharaoh had no specific ill will toward God Almighty, he still worshipped the sun and dog-headed guys and all that. In spite of this, God chose to use Joseph in an amazing way (saving his nation) to be a blessing to him. Sure, God could have saved Pharaoh's nation by not sending the famine, but at least now Pharaoh was aware of the power of the LORD, where he wouldn't have been before.
So Joseph tells Pharaoh he better get someone wise to be in charge over the land, and oversee the collecting and storing of necessities to wait out the famine, suggesting they stash away one fifth of the harvest.
Pharaoh's like, "Good idea. Do we know anyone like that? You know, wise, and in the Spirit of God?"
At this point, I imagine Joseph wanted to slap him upside the head with his scepter.
Pharaoh eventually decides that Joseph will be this man. Derr... Not only that, Pharaoh decides that his people will submit to Joseph's orders, and only with respect to the throne will Pharaoh be in charge of him, giving Joseph his signet ring, fine linens and bling. He even got to ride up front in Pharaoh's chariot like a big boy! What a deal!
Pharaoh decides that Joseph needed a proper Egyptian name, so he goes with Zaphenath-Paneah, and gives him the priest of
On's daughter, Asenath.
The seven years were amazingly plentiful, to the point that Joseph ... er...Zaphenath-Paneah decides that he doesn't need to keep track anymore. This name change did not have the meaning that Abram > Abraham or Jacob > Isaac had. It had meaning only to Pharaoh, not to Joseph.
The time of plenty in harvest was also a time of plenty from Joseph's loins. Asenath bore him two sons, Manasseh, which meant something along the lines of "forget my troubles," and Ephraim, meaning "fruitful."
The famine, when it finally came, apparently affected the lands surrounding Egypt. When people went to Pharaoh, he told them to go to Joseph. In fact, the Word said the famine was worldwide in verse 57.
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