Prophetic dreams.

Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob, his first son through his favored wife, Rachel. Joseph’s story is found in Genesis 37—50. After the announcement of his birth, we see Joseph next as a seventeen-year-old returning from shepherding the flock with his half-brothers to give Jacob a bad report of them.

We are also told that Jacob "loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him" (Genesis 37:3). Joseph’s brothers knew their father loved Joseph more than them, which caused them to hate him (Genesis 37:4).

To make matters worse, Joseph began relating his dreams to the family—prophetic visions showing Joseph one day ruling over his family (Genesis 37:5–11).

The animosity toward Joseph peaked when his brothers plotted to kill him in the wilderness. Reuben, the eldest, objected to outright murder and suggested they throw Joseph into a cistern, as he planned to come back and rescue the boy.

But, in Reuben’s absence, some merchants passed by, and Judah suggested selling Joseph into slavery; the brothers accomplished the task before Reuben could rescue him. The boys took Joseph’s robe and, after dipping the robe in goat’s blood, deceived their father into thinking his favorite son had been slain by wild beasts (Genesis 37:18–35).

Joseph was sold by the merchants to a high-ranking Egyptian named Potiphar and eventually became the supervisor of Potiphar’s household. In Genesis 39 we read of how Joseph excelled at his duties, became one of Potiphar’s most trusted servants, and was put in charge of his household.

Potiphar could see that, whatever Joseph did, God looked favorably on him and he prospered in all that he did. Unfortunately, Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce Joseph. Joseph consistently refused her advances, showing honor for the master who had entrusted him with so much and saying that it would be "a wicked thing and a sin against God" for him to go to bed with Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:9).

One day Potiphar’s wife caught Joseph by the cloak and again made sexual advances. Joseph fled, leaving his cloak in her hand. In anger, she falsely accused Joseph of attempted rape, and Potiphar put him in prison (Genesis 39:7–20).

Pharaoh's dream.

Genesis 41:5 - "And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good."

What did Joseph say in the dream of Pharaoh?

In Pharaoh’s dream, he saw seven fat cows being devoured by seven thin, sickly cows, and seven healthy ears of grain being consumed by seven withered and thin ears.

Joseph interpreted this as a message from God: the seven good cows and ears represent seven years of plenty, while the seven lean cows and blighted ears signify seven years of famine. The interpretation was that Egypt would experience seven years of abundance followed by seven years of scarcity.

Pharaoh’s dreams were a divine warning, and Joseph’s interpretation ultimately led to his rise in power in Egypt.

What happened after Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream?

After Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, Pharaoh recognized his wisdom and appointed him as the overseer of Egypt, responsible for managing the food supply during the seven years of abundance. Joseph implemented a plan to store surplus grain during the plentiful years, which helped sustain Egypt and neighboring regions during the subsequent famine.

His rise to power was a pivotal moment in biblical history, illustrating how divine guidance and human wisdom intersected to save lives.

What is the main point of Pharaoh's dreams?

In the book of Genesis, Pharaoh had two significant dreams that troubled him. These dreams were about seven healthy cows being devoured by seven skinny cows, and seven plump grains being swallowed by seven thin ones .

Despite consulting Egypt’s wise men, Pharaoh couldn’t find an interpretation. However, Joseph, who was known for his dream interpretation skills, stepped in. He explained that the dreams were a divine warning of an impending famine. Joseph advised Pharaoh to prepare during the years of plenty by storing food .

The main point here is that God’s timing is perfect, and Joseph’s interpretation ultimately saved Egypt from disaster.

How did Pharaoh react to Joseph's interpretation?

Pharaoh was impressed by Joseph’s wisdom and insight. Recognizing that Joseph’s interpretation made sense, he appointed him as second-in-command in Egypt, giving him authority to oversee the preparations for the coming famine . This turn of events highlights how God’s providence can elevate an individual from a prison cell to a position of great influence.

Why did God give the dream to Pharaoh?

God gave the dreams to Pharaoh so that he would know what was about to happen. In His grace and mercy, God sent His servant Joseph to warn Pharaoh of a terrible famine that was coming. When God sends a warning, He also provides instructions, and Joseph was the one who could interpret the dreams correctly.

The dreams served as a divine message, revealing the future events that would impact Egypt and its people. Pharaoh needed this insight to prepare for the impending crisis.

Why did God choose Joseph for this task?

God chose Joseph for this task because of his unique qualities and divine favor. Joseph demonstrated wisdom, integrity, and faithfulness throughout his life. His ability to interpret dreams accurately was a gift from God, and it positioned him to serve as Pharaoh’s advisor during the famine. Additionally, Joseph’s experiences—such as being sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned—prepared him for this critical role.

Ultimately, God’s providence guided Joseph’s journey, ensuring that he was in the right place at the right time to fulfill this important task.

How did Pharaoh respond to Joseph's interpretation?

Pharaoh responded favorably to Joseph’s interpretation. Recognizing Joseph’s wisdom and divine insight, Pharaoh appointed him as the overseer of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.

Joseph’s role involved managing the food supply during the seven years of plenty and distributing it during the subsequent famine. This decision saved countless lives and demonstrated God’s providence in Joseph’s life.

Joseph is pretty epic! His life and achievements have been used in Biblical teachings for 100’s of years. And when it comes to the part of Joseph’s dreams things get really interesting!

The dreams of Joseph can be found in Genesis 37. We will be going through that chapter to see the life lessons we can learn from them. I will be using all my scripture out if the NIV Bible.

Dreams Can Tell the Future and Be Prophetic.

The dreams of Joseph are clearly prophetic in nature. We see that they are telling of what is to come within their family life and beyond.

The meaning of the dream of the grain sheaves is symbolic of the family needing grain (provision) and bowing to Joseph when he is in power in Egypt. He was in a place of power and provides for everyone.

When God sends us a dream it can also express future events that are coming. They can come to us to warn us, prepare us, or encourage us. The key thing we must do is pray and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as we search out the interpretation.

Dreams Can Reveal Your Calling.

If we look a little deeper into Joseph’s dreams you will see it reveals his calling to leadership. God sent these dreams to him at the young age of 17. God was grooming him internally for what was to come.

What Joseph didn’t realize was what it was going to take to be groomed to that level of leadership.

Sometimes when God sends us a dream He can be revealing our calling and His will for our lives. I remember in my teen years having dreams about preaching and then when I was first asked to speak I knew God had opened that door!

It’s always good to write down your dream and pray about them. You never know if a dream from 5 or 10 years ago is about an opportunity that has come up now.

Dream Interpretation Was Common.

If a family member came up to us and said, “Hey listen to THIS…I had a dream that 5 cellphones bowed down to MY iPhone…”

We would be like “Dude, you need to lay off the late-night pizza and do a phone detox.”

That was NOT the case for Joseph’s family. Jacob (Joseph’s dad) was accustomed to God talking to him in dreams (Genesis 28:10-17, Genesis 31:6–12).

Jacob knowing this raised his family to acknowledge the importance of dreams and even to understand them. Nowadays in the church, dream interpretation is rare and even labeled as “bad” or “not of God”.

I believe we need to get back to the roots of our Christian faith and not be afraid of learning about dreams and trying to find understanding when we dream. We must approach it with God’s word, wisdom, prayer, and accountability.

Joseph Boasted About His Dreams.

At the age of 17, you know that Joseph knew he was daddy’s favorite and that his older brothers were jealous. And from what we read he didn’t technically go to his family humbly asking for their help in understanding the dream.

If his family understood the dreams that easily he probably already knew the meaning was as well. He didn’t keep them to himself or privately meet with his father to tell him.

He boasted.

His boasting pushed his brother’s to the edge that led him down a very difficult and humbling road. Yes, it led him to the palace but there was a price to be paid for his pride. (Proverbs 16:18).

No matter our spiritual breakthrough, success, or revelation we should never boast for our own selfish gain.

Not Everyone Will Receive Your Calling.

Joseph’s brothers and parents both got upset by what the dreams meant. How could he have a “bigger” calling than them? Joseph was the youngest of the family.

In Hebrew culture, he basically got the short end of the stick. But God doesn’t look at it that way.

It’s true, not everyone will receive or see what you are called to do and be. You can even tell them what you feel God is leading you to do. It doesn’t mean they will believe it or wish you well.

Sometimes people can’t see who you are. That’s just part of our walk with God. Are we going to believe what God has said about us and our call or what man thinks?

Your Timing Is NOT God’s Timing.

I’m pretty sure Joseph had no clue how long and hard of a road he would have after having his dreams. He probably thought it would take place soon after.

The whole story of his life is such a great lesson that our timing is not always God’s timing. God has a process He wants to take us through to get us where He wants us.

It’s important to be patient and keep the faith as we walk through the process. For Joseph, he had to face slavery and prison. Yet, he was able to see the bigger picture when the famine hit and forgive his, brothers.

God knows what He is doing…trust His timing even when things get rough.

We Only See in Part.

Just because we have a dream, or a vision or prophetic word doesn’t mean we will see the whole picture. Like I mentioned above, Joseph was clueless what the process was going to be.

His dreams only revealed a part of what God was going to do.

You are not going to know everything that’s going to happen in your life. But what you do know is that God will be with you every single step of the way. It’s about trusting in Him.