Prophetic Forecast
Egypt was accustomed to depending on the Nile as a source of water rather than on rain, as other areas of the world did. By virtue of Pharaoh's position and God's master plan, God gave Pharaoh two dreams before any of this occurred. Pharaoh's dreams are recorded in Genesis 41:1-8:
Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
Before this time, Joseph had been chosen by God as a seventeen-year-old boy. Genesis 37:2 calls him a lad. He was favored of his father, who gave him a coat of many colors. One time, Joseph brought to his father an evil report about his brothers. This was at the same time that God had given Joseph a couple of symbolic dreams that one day his family would bow before him. The dreams revealed that one day Joseph would become great among his family and among the nations. Yet it is interesting that at this point Scripture calls him a lad. In Hebrew lad is the word na'ar, meaning
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