"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river: and, behold, seven other kind came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: and the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: 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. And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good: and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: 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. And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what He is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. 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. This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do, He sheweth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 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; and the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 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. Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine. And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" (Genesis 41: 17-38)
The significance of the double dream is stated by Joseph in this passage of scripture: it means that a thing has been established by God, it WILL come to pass. So, then if we look back at the dreams Joseph had, we see that his dreams also are established by God, for it was a double dream, and will come to pass as well.
Now in Pharaoh's dreams, a time is given…there will be seven years of plenty and seven years of famine to follow….and Joseph tells him that it is to begin soon. But in Joseph's own dreams, no time line is given. And it has been many, many years now since those dreams occurred. Still, there is no doubt that they will come true. The significance of Joseph's dreams have been established by God.
Joseph's response to the Pharaoh demonstrates several "giftings" from God. He is able to interpret the dreams, although as He says it is not himself that has that ability, but God who is giving him the words to speak. Then there is the gifting of wisdom, as Joseph lays out a plan that God has whispered in his ear. And finally, as has already been displayed by Joseph, both while in Potiphar's home and under Potiphar's guard in prison, is his gifting of administration, in which all that he lays his hand to in the ordering of someone else's affairs is blessed by God.
These giftings are from God for Joseph, but are not limited to the times of Joseph and the patriarchs. We see in the book of Acts that the disciples are given giftings as well, when they are filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) and begin to speak in other tongues that are identifiable by many who heard them speak. Healing was in their hands (Acts 3). They received power to become bold where before they were weak and afraid (Acts 4:29-31). But these giftings are not limited to the disciples either.
Paul talks about the gifts that are in use by the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians chapter 12). So we know that not only the patriarchs received giftings from God, but also the disciples, and also the early church.
Here is something important for us to understand: Our God does not change from one century to the next (Malachi 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I change not..")…and thus, the gifting that He provides to His chosen ones remain the same as well…whether it is thousands of years ago with Joseph, or centuries later with the disciples and the early church, or right now today, with you and I.
The question is whether or not we will use the gifting that we have been given. There is no doubt that we all have them, although we might not all have the same ones at the same time. Still, what we have, will we use it? Will the world around us be caused to acknowledge God as Pharaoh was caused to acknowledge that the giftings Joseph had were due to God, whose Spirit was being displayed through Joseph?
This can only happen if we use the gifts which we have been given by God. He didn't give them to us so that we can consider ourselves to be special and leave it at that. We ARE special in God's eyes. We ARE His chosen ones. BUT, He gave us those gifts so that the unbelieving world around us would come to believe in HIM. He has not sent us out on a task that He has not equipped us for. But neither does He expect us to sit on these gifts and not use them. There is a world full of lost souls whom God will draw near to Himself through you and I and the gifts He has placed within us.
The time is long past to get out of our comfort zone and go to work serving our Lord and Savior, not in our own strength but in HIS.
Joseph was a man just like us. But he was a man who had a relationship with the Lord, who heard from the Lord because of the intimacy of his relationship with God, and who moved and served in the giftings God provided to him. So can we be if we choose to deepen our relationship with the Lord, and get up and serve Him.
Whether you are young or old, will you choose to fill your remaining years in using your giftings for the glory of God and for the benefit of those who are lost? Or are you too consumed with worldly things to serve the Lord with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength?
Choose well, recognize your gifts and choose to use them, and God will do amazing things through you, just as He did through His servant Joseph.
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