(I want to listen to this sermon)

Sovereignty brings Joseph to the fore.

Is God at work in our world? Is He really at work? Don't so many things just happen – the good suffer and the bad get away with it? If we're honest with ourselves doesn't our experience make us question as to whether there really is anyone in charge?

Well here in this section our author really doesn't leave us in any doubt – the Sovereign Lord God is at work behind the scenes in ensuring that His suffering servant is elevated to a position from which he can function as the Saviour of the world. His reason for recording the events of this chapter as he does is surely to encourage the people of God to realise that they can trust such a God as this and that they can come with confidence to the Saviour He so elevates.

Let's see all is wonderfully worked out.

Joseph is still languishing in prison – this was not by any stretch of the imagination a pleasant experience for him. In fact is described by our narrator as being in a pit. And time has dragged slowly on – Joseph has been kept in this prison for two more years. Trials and difficulties were not over quickly for Joseph. He is now 30 years old – it is some 13 years since he had been sold by his brothers into slavery and Joseph's experience in Egypt has been humiliating.

Sold into slavery – falsely accused of gross misconduct – we meet him in chs.40+41 as an incarcerated slave in a foreign country - has no rights at all.

But all is about to change. The dreams that he had had all those years ago are about to be fulfilled out of such unlikely, unpromising circumstances. And dreams are once more to play a prominent role! Joseph's remarkable rise to prominence will be down to his God-given ability to interpret dreams!

It is impossible for us to miss the importance of Pharaoh's dreams in this chapter. Three times we are basically told the same details. Firstly the narrator records it for us; secondly, Pharaoh himself explains his dreams to Joseph and, thirdly, Joseph repeats these details as he explains what it all means.

Pharaoh has two dreams the same night - you know, I'm sure, the details:

Dream one has Pharaoh standing by the Nile and he sees seven fat cows come up out of the river to feed along its banks. Nothing unusual about this so far – cows would stand in the waters of the river to find relief from the heat and from the flies, yet when they wanted to graze they would need to come up out of the river. But things become strange when seven further cows, this time thin ugly cows, emerge and swallow up the first seven. We later find that the thin cows remain thin having eaten the fat cows!

Pharaoh wakes up. Maybe he isn't perturbed – after all we all have weird dreams from time to time – and he goes back to sleep.

Dream two is about seven plump and good ears of grain growing on one stalk. But wait a moment – another seven ears sprout only they're horribly blighted but they too swallow up the good ears.

There is an evident similarity beween these two dreams – the repetition of sevens for example and the repetition of the theme of prosperity-poverty albeit in different settings.

Was it this repetition that troubled Pharaoh? After all the Nile was the setting of the first dream and the Nile was the source of Egypt's prosperity.

Whatever it was that caused Pharaoh his anxiety he turned in the morning to the experts for help. It is quite natural for him to turn to his magicians and to his wise men but they utterly fail him.

Pharaoh is troubled and none is found to help him by interpreting his dreams to him and a memory stirs in the mind of his chief cup-bearer. He too had been troubled by a dream a couple of years earlier while in prison – a young Hebrew prisoner had been able to help him – in fact this Hebrew had accurately interpreted no only his dream but that of the chief baker as well.

Perhaps a bit sheepishly the chief cupbearer now speaks up. In doing so he is forced to speak of the time when his previous failings when he had made Pharaoh angry with him. He conveniently ignores his failure to speak up earlier for this young Hebrew!

We don't have to white-wash this man. He would have done better to speak out for Joseph earlier and divine sovereignty is no excuse behind which he can hide. Nevertheless divine sovereignty is well able to coordinate even the weaknesses and failings of men in the accomplishment of divine purposes.

Just imagine what might have happened had he spoken up for Joseph two years earlier. Perhaps Joseph would have been set free from prison and allowed to go home! He then wouldn't have been in the right place to be made the saviour of his people!

During those two years in prison Joseph didn't understand the reasons for it all but he will soon find out!

Pharaoh is anxious and will try whatever route might offer relief and yet protocol must be followed! Joseph can't appear before Pharaoh in prison garb and wearing a beard! How foolish men can be when it comes to respect for mere outward appearances!

There is now a rush of activity and Joseph is brought before Pharaoh – what is it all about? Has any explanation been whispered to Joseph?

Pharaoh's opening gambit sounds intimidating. "I've had a dream. No-one can interpret it. I've heard you can interpret dreams"

What an opportunity presents itself to Joseph! What a moment to put himself forward and to promote his own interests! What a temptation! And what a declaration comes from Joseph's lips.

Joseph bluntly contradicts Pharaoh. I don't have such abilities, he says, but God…!

Thirteen long years where the providences of God seem to have stacked against him and all Joseph wants to do is to honour God. Here is real faith, genuine faith.

Joseph, despite his situation as a "foreign-slave-in prison", is confident that God is desirous of providing Pharaoh with a favourable answer troubled as he is by his dreams! And he effectively invites Pharaoh to recount the dreams. Remember that at this time Joseph has not seen the favourable outcome of his own dreams so long ago!

Pharaoh does tell his dreams all over again and then it's over to Joseph.

God is central to the explanation that Joseph gives of the dreams:

v.25 "God has revealed…" v.28 "God has shown…"

In these two verses Joseph uses two different verbs to make it clear that God has made something known to Pharaoh. Joseph doesn't want Pharaoh to miss this so repeats himself.

v.32 "the thing is fixed by God…" v.32 "God will shortly bring it about…"

Joseph goes on to declare that God has settled on this – it is absolutely certain that what has been revealed will happen and the doubling of the dream is to let Pharaoh know that its accomplishment is imminent!

And what is it that is so serious and so imminent?

There are to be two periods of seven years: the first seven will be years of plenty but the second seven will be of appalling hardship that the first seven will be quickly forgotten as famine takes hold. It was almost unheard of in Egypt to have seven successive years of famine but it is God who speaks with authority and none baulks at what He says!

This fact in further underlined by the use of the words "plenty" and "famine". The word "plenty" to describe the first period of seven years is used four times now in this chapter but the word famine, that which characterises those seven bad years, is used 12 times!

Joseph has shown what the dreams signify but he does not stop there as he stands before Pharaoh. He goes on to urge action because he believes that God in making plain His purposes for the future wants provision to be made for those years of famine!

You see God's sovereign control over this world is not to be understood in some fatalistic, deterministic manner. Men are responsible for how they will act and react to what He reveals. They are not to sit back and idly let come what may!

Joseph proposes the appointing of a man who will oversee the whole country, taking the necessary steps so that provision will be made for the seven years of famine.

We know the story so well don't we? We're not surprised at all by the promotion of Joseph to fill this role. But the rise is remarkable nonetheless. He had woken that day as a lowly slave-prisoner and he finishes as second in the land! This is God's work and it is marvellous in our eyes.

Pharaoh's reason for choosing Joseph relate directly to the presence of God in Joseph's life. Joseph had boldly testified to God and Pharaoh recognises that the Spirit of God indeed dwells in this man. He recognises that God has gifted him in special ways.

And so seven years of prosperity begin. Joseph has work to do but these are prosperous years for him as he is accepted into the higher echelons of Egyptian society – signified by a name-change and a marriage. He too prospers as children are born to him though their choice of names indicates that he hasn't forgotten where he comes from.

The seven years of plenty pass quickly and then a change sets in – just as Joseph had said – and the years of poverty and famine begin to come!

Joseph, who had worked so hard during that time retains his post and when the people cried to Pharaoh for bread it was to Joseph that he sent them.

Do what Joseph says, he tells them.

And we read at the end of the chapter that the whole earth (that is, the whole of the region of the Eastern Mediterranean) came to Egypt and to Joseph for bread!

Joseph has become the Saviour of the World.

Joseph's story is very remarkable. His humiliation was great and his exaltation was great too. God was at work through his life to provide a physical salvation for his people and not just his own people but the people's of the entire region.

The NT tells of another who knew a similar though greater humiliation; a similar though greater elevation; and was made a similar though greater Saviour of the World.

Joseph was the favourite son of his father but he was a flawed man. Jesus was the Only and Beloved Son of His Heavenly Father – and He was absolutely flawless.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and in this rejection ended up unjustly as the lowest of the low in an Egyptian prison. Jesus left the glories of Heaven to take human form and the form of a servant at that but still when He came to His own He was rejected by them. He was not only despised and rejected but also handed over to foreign powers. The imprisonment wasn't long for Him because He had further depths of humiliation reserved for Him. He was hung up on a tree – cursed of God as He became the sin-bearer of His people.

Joseph was elevated to an office of great importance as vizier of Egypt. Jesus was raised from the dead! Joseph was made second in Egypt but all authority in heaven and earth were given to our Lord Jesus.

Joseph was able to provide grain and bread for the peoples to keep them from physically starving to death – in this way he became the Saviour of the World of his day. Jesus came as the very bread of life bringing a full and complete satisfaction as He was made the Saviour of the World – saving His people from a far worse fate than physical, saving them from everlasting destruction and bringing them eternal life.

God works sovereignly sometimes in a quiet way behind the scenes and sometimes in open demonstrations of almighty holy loving omnipotence but He works to raise up His suffering servant to be the Saviour of the World.

Let us rejoice and be glad and trust such a God and such a Saviour as we have in Jesus!

To God be the Glory!

Amen.