Genesis 41:15

Genesis 41:15 says, 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.  When Pharaoh called Joseph out of prison, he told Joseph why.  Pharaoh told Joseph that he had a dream and had heard Joseph could interpret it.  Verse sixteen declares, And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.  Joseph could have seen this as an opportunity to get out of prison and just put all the emphasis on himself, but he didn't.  Joseph said it wasn't him, but God that could give Pharaoh an answer of peace.  When we are asked to help people today, as followers of Christ we must make sure that people understand that God is the One at work through us and never seek self glorification.  In the next few verses, Pharaoh simply repeats his dream to Joseph.  Verse seventeen states,And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:  Verse eighteen adds, And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:  This was the dream of the cattle.  Verse nineteen continues, 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:  Verse twenty goes on, And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:  Then verse twenty-one concludes, 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.  This was Pharaoh's first dream, and now he would tell Joseph his second dream.  Verse twenty-two says, And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:  This was the dream of the corn, which Pharaoh saw as a continuation of the first dream evidently, though he had been awake in between the two.  Verse twenty-three adds, And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:  Verse twenty-four concludes, 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.  After finishing telling Joseph his dreams, Pharaoh also told him that none of his magicians could tell him what the dreams meant.  People today may look for answers to questions in life, but the Only One Who can give them real answers is God.  As Christians, we must point them to God if they come to us with questions.  Verse twenty-five declares, And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.  Joseph told Pharaoh that God was speaking to him through the dream and was using it to reveal what was to happen.  As followers of Christ, we can share with people the good news of what will be the ultimate outcome of all life, and that is victory over sin and death through our faith in Christ.  Verse twenty-six states, The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. Then verse twenty-seven adds, 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.  Joseph said that the seven cattle and the seven ears both represented years.  The first seven in both cases would be seven years of prosperity and the second seven would be years of famine.  Though we may not have a specific warning from God, we need to realize that there will be times when life goes very well, but there will also be times when we may be in need in this world.  We simply have to keep our faith in God in either case.  Verse twenty-eight declares, This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.  Joseph said that God had shown Pharaoh what was about to happen, and it was up to Pharaoh to believe it or not.  God has shown us today what is ultimately going to happen in the world, the coming judgment, and it is up to each individual whether to believe it or not.  As followers of Christ, we can simply share the gospel with them.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: Then verse thirty adds, 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;  Verse thirty-one continues, And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.  Then verse thirty-one concludes, 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.  Joseph said the dream meant that there would be seven good years in Egypt, followed by seven very bad years, and that God had Pharaoh dream basically the same thing twice to emphasize that this was going to happen.  It was now up to Pharaoh whether he believed it or not.  With the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, God has already revealed to the world what the ultimate outcome of life will be.  We can either accept salvation by faith in Christ, or we can continue to live in spiritual poverty.  Our relationship to God is what will always make the difference, no matter what happens in life.