Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams in this week’s Parashat. Now here is the question I have for you, does God speak to Joseph and tell him the meaning of the dreams? If you will read through all of the book of Genesis you will see that God never spoke directly to Joseph. The last person God speaks to in Genesis is Jacob when He changes his name to Israel. So the question is how does God speak to Joseph with out speaking directly?

Joseph’s story consists of 6 dreams. Joseph has 2 dreams that the meaning was so obvious that everyone in his family knew the meaning. No interpreter was needed. Joseph dreams he has a bundle of grain and all his brothers bundles bow down before his bundle. The brothers become angry because of this dream. In their minds they are saying why would we ever bow down to the youngest. Joseph has another dream and this time the sun, moon, and 11 stars bow down before Joseph. This time even his father becomes angry with the dream. Jacob says, “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?” Everyone knew the meaning immediately.

Joseph after being thrown into prison interprets the dreams of the baker and cup bearer. Again the 2 dreams are related. In 3 days the cup bearer will be restored. In 3 days the baker will be executed. Everything happened just as Joseph predicted. Joseph asked the cup bearer to remember him and tell Pharaoh about him. The cup bearer forgets and Joseph stays in prison for 2 more years until Pharaoh has 2 dreams no one can interpret. The cup bearer remembers Joseph and tells Pharaoh about him. Joseph is then summoned to Pharaoh.

Pharaoh tells Joseph the dream and Joseph tells Pharaoh God will interpret his dreams. Now God never speaks to Joseph yet Joseph knows the meaning of these dreams. How does Joseph know the meaning of the dreams? There is something happening in the dreams that Joseph notices that no one else does. What is in these dreams that is speaking to Joseph? Now Joseph grows up as a Shepard why does he have a dream about grain? Why does Joseph dream about the sun, moon, and stars? Now the most powerful man in the world is summoning Joseph to interpret his dreams. Pharaoh then tells Joseph his dreams starting with the one with 7 cows that are healthy and then another 7 cows who are scrawny and starving. The starving scrawny cows over take the 7 heathy cows. Joseph sees the story of his family’s life. He sees how his father worked 7 years for a preferred wife and the. Another 7 years after he was given a wife he did not desire. Where it talks about the the favored cow it is the same word used to describe how Rachel was favored by Jacob. Jacob worked for 2 sets of 7 years for his reward. He thought he was getting the fatten favored wife but was given the scrawny starved for affection wife which wiped out the beautiful one. God is speaking to Joseph through pictures he understands. The second dream deals with grain just a Joseph’s first dream. Joseph surmises all the dreams are related and that Pharaoh’s dreams are 1 in the same. There will be 7 years of abundance and then 7 years of famine. Joseph tells all of this to Pharaoh and is put in charge of overseeing the plan to save Egypt.

Now the point I make to you is God never spoke directly to Joseph. Yet Joseph is the major character we read about in Genesis from chapter 37-50 he is in every chapter but 38. Yet even in 38 he is still there in the background. He is the reason Judah experiences what he does in chapter 38. Today God does not speak audibility to many if any. He speaks to us through our experience and His Word. God speaks to us everyday, but are we listening? I challenge you as we enter into 2024 to look for all the ways God is speaking to you. You will be surprised by all the different ways He is speaking.