Joseph did all right after he was thrown into prison, but he was still a slave. He had no attorneys working to get him out of jail and his prison term was undefined. For all he knew, he was a prisoner for life, especially since he did such a good job running the prison for the captain of the guard.

Genesis 39:1 identified Potiphar, Joseph’s slave master, as Pharaoh’s captain of the guard. In Genesis 40:2 we read that the prison where Joseph was confined was in “the house of the captain of the guard”. Joseph didn’t travel far when he went to prison. He was still a slave in Potiphar’s house and now also his prisoner.

It must have been hard for such a gifted young man to contemplate living in prison for the rest of his life.

Joseph Discovers a Gift

Potiphar’s prison was an elite facility where Pharaoh sent special offenders – like the king’s chief baker and the royal cupbearer. Joseph served them each morning so one day they told him about their distressing dreams. Joseph knew God could interpret dreams, so he asked them to tell him about theirs. He didn’t claim that he could interpret them, but he was confident that God could.

Interpreting dreams was a powerful gift. A prisoner with an ability like that might use it to leverage his way to freedom, or at least to a better job.

Dreams Come True

Joseph was so sure his interpretations would come to pass that he asked the royal cupbearer to remember him when he was restored to his place in the palace. He hoped the cupbearer might get him out of prison and on to a better place in life.

As it turned out later, Joseph was right about that, but it took a while.

After three days, the dreams Joseph interpreted came true. The poor baker was executed and the cupbearer got his job back. But no one remembered Joseph languishing in prison.

From Prisoner to VIP

Two more years passed before the cupbearer had a reason to think of Joseph. This time it was Pharaoh who had distressing dreams. None of his magicians or wise men could tell him what the dreams meant and that’s when the cupbearer remembered Joseph.

Joseph was sent for and he went from prison slave to VIP in a matter of hours. He quickly shaved, changed clothes, and was brought to the palace. It must have been dazzling to walk out of prison and into Pharaoh’s throne room.

Only God Could Do This

All eyes were on Joseph as Pharaoh described his dreams and demanded on-the-spot interpretations. The crowd gasped when Joseph who, it seems, could never lie, said,

“I cannot do it. . .” but then he added . . . “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Genesis 41:16

Which god was Joseph referring to, they wondered? Egypt was a land of many gods.

But Joseph was asking Pharaoh to believe in the God of the Hebrews, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the only true God. Joseph had personal experience with this God who had kept and guided him through life. He knew El Elohim could give Pharaoh the answers he needed.

(By the way, the name Hebrew was given to people like Joseph who came from Hebron.)

Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams predicted a severe famine, but it wouldn’t come for another seven years. Despite the long-range scope of Joseph’s prediction, Pharaoh was convinced Joseph was right and he put him in charge of preparing Egypt for the famine.

Joseph became the ruler of Egypt with only Pharaoh above him in authority. He was suddenly traveling everywhere in Egypt, with people honoring and making way for him. “Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift a hand or foot in all Egypt.’ “ Genesis 41:44

It All Came From God

Pharaoh trusted Joseph’s interpretation because Joseph was so confident about what he heard from God.

“The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.” Genesis 41:32

Famine was coming and God was going to cause it to happen. First he would provide seven years of abundance, but then famine would come, and it would be massive. The Bible says that when it finally did strike, “ . . . all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe everywhere.” Genesis 41:57

Why This Disaster?

Why did God afflict the world in this way? Some of the reasons might be:

• God used famine to get the attention of people who were relying on false gods, gods who couldn’t help them.
• He wanted people to know that he was the omniscient God with power to send dreams and interpret them.
• He wanted to move Jacob’s family out of Canaan and into Egypt.
• He wanted the world to see him provide, as only he could, through Joseph who was his man.
• He wanted to demonstrate the accuracy of his prophecies, proving his sovereignty.

In the end, it doesn’t matter whether we understand all of the reasons God brought famine. Joseph believed God and because he believed, he was prepared.

God Uses Disasters

Sometimes we want to soften the starkness of disaster by saying “God allowed it, but he didn’t cause it,” but Scripture refutes that.

Isaiah 45:7 says “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.”

God cares deeply about the effects of disasters on people, but he also uses disaster to help people.

When people suffer they think about God. Almost everyone prays when they are hurting or afraid and when people reach toward God in prayer, he reaches back. It’s the beginning of a new relationship.

And one of the greatest experiences in life is finding God in the midst of troubles. As David said in Psalm 34:4-7

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”

Everyone loves a first responder in a crisis and God is the number one first responder in the universe. Famine, floods, plagues and earthquakes may come from God from time to time, but they can draw us into a relationship with him that lights up the darkness.