Session 11
details in Pharaoh’s dream.
17 So Pharaoh said to Joseph,
“In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
18 when seven well-fed, healthy-looking cows came up from the Nile and grazed among the reeds.
19 After them, seven other cows -
weak, very sickly, and thin - came up.
I’ve never seen such sickly ones as these in all the land of Egypt.20 Then the thin, sickly cows ate the first seven well-fed cows.
21 When they had devoured them, you could not tell that they had devoured them;
their appearance was as bad as it had been before.
Then I woke up.”
Believers should pay attention to ways God reveals His plans.
Nile:
This term primarily denotes a river or stream that forms a definite channel
and usually designates the Nile River or its canals.
The Nile River functioned as the “life” of ancient Egypt.
The union of the White Nile flowing out of Tanzania and the Blue Nile coming from Ethiopia
form the Egyptian Nile.
On the eastern edge of this Delta was located the land of Goshen where the Israelites lived after coming to Egypt.
The annual flooding of the Blue Nile accounted for the fertile black silt deposits that,
along with irrigation, allowed the Egyptians to produce crops in large quantities.
If the winter rains failed, disastrous famines resulted (see Gen. 41).
Genesis 41:17-21 on pages 104-105 of the PSG.
identify any words, phrases, or thoughts that stick out to them.
After a few minutes, allow a few volunteers to share what resonated with them.
Recap Genesis 41:22-32
where Pharaoh’s dream is explained.
Joseph recognized that God was giving Pharaoh a look into the future.
Note that this was an act of grace so plans could be made to limit the impact of the famine.
With God’s help, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams.
From there, it was up to Pharaoh to decide what to do.
In truth, though, God was orchestrating everything to fulfill His plans.
He uses even powerful human leaders to achieve His purposes.