Genesis 41:47 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

Navigator

Genesis 41:47

Comments

Joseph implements the plan he has spoken of, having received all the authority of Pharoah to enable him. Each city becomes a centre of food storage for the future, and from there it will be distributed to the people locally in the time of famine. The effort involved must have been enormous, and complaints from those who did not believe this must have been strong, but Joseph was able to ignore all of this. His trust in the revelation of God through Pharoah’s dream must have made him indifferent to the opinion of those who did not believe.Remarkably, a Hebrew slave is in charge of the whole land of Egypt, and yet Pharoah placed in him a degree of trust which is very rare, and handed over to him all the affairs of state, convinced that Joseph would work for his good. Joseph did not betray this trust but carried out his plan exactly as he had described it to Pharoah. It was his calling to work for the good of a foreign ruler and to seek the good of his land, and he did it with all diligence. Christians must be the best of workers, seeking to be profitable even to unbelieving masters.Another part of Joseph consolation came in the form of two sons born to his wife Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. On was the centre of the Sun god cult, and Potipherah was a priest. We are told nothing about her faith in God, but we can assume that Joseph took her as wife on the assumption that she would forsake her pagan background, and worship the Lord with him. We can assume also that he brought up his children to fear the Lord, and would have forbidden them to worship according to the religion of Egypt. Manasseh and Ephraim were to occupy a special place in Israel, each of them in effect becoming a tribe in their own right. The sons are named to celebrate the goodness of God in blessing Joseph in Egypt after such a long wait and so many trials. Manasseh means forgetfulness, which Joseph interprets as forgetfulness of all his toil as a slave and in the prison, and forgetfulness of his father’s house. Some say Joseph forgot that he belonged to the house of God because he was so taken up with luxury. That is bordering on rubbish. We have every reason to believe there is a great pain in Joseph’s heart regarding his father and his family. Joseph loved his father and of course this does not refer to his father’s house as such but to the persecution which he suffered there from his brothers and the exile that resulted from it. Ephraim means fruitful, and refers to all that God had given him in exalting him after such a long delay.

Application

The seven years of plenty came to an end and the seven years of dearth began, and now all could see that the dreams and their interpretation were true. By the time the famine came however, it was too late to start storing up for the bad times. That had to be done while the plenty was still available. Faith must be exercised while it is still possible to exercise faith. When Christ appears, we will no longer be in a position to exercise faith. God insists that we believe on the basis of his word alone, and trust his revelation. If we wait until the return of Christ it will be too late to repent and believe the gospel. He will come to judge the world, and all those who have not already believed will be condemned. This situation with the seven years of plenty coming first and then the seven years of dearth, is a picture of the need for faith. God’s people are ready to live for him in this world, forsaking sin and ‘laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life’ (1 Timothy 6:19). Thanks be to God that Joseph was in charge of the land and he was given supreme authority to do as he saw fit.

Questions

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Genesis 41:47 Commentary and Bible Study