Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, in my dream I stood on the bank of the river. Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke.
Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven heads (of grain) came up on one stalk, full and good. Then behold, seven heads (of grain), withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: the seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads (of grain) are seven years; the dreams are one. And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads (of grain) blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine.
This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.”
Genesis 41:17-36 NKJV
From this passage of Scripture, we understand that God warned Pharaoh that there would be a time of plenty in the land of Egypt, but then straight after that, a severe famine. We also see that the Lord gave Joseph wisdom, so that he could offer this wisdom and counsel to Pharaoh. There is another important hidden message within this passage of Scripture which I would like to share with you, because I believe it could be relevant for us living in the end times.
The hidden spiritual meaning of a famine in Scripture refers to a lack of spiritual food. A good example of this is found in the book of Amos.
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD, “That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.
Amos 8:11 NKJV
The reason why I believe this is important for us to understand, is because Jesus told us that at the end of the age, there would be famines (amongst other things). I believe that this includes both physical as well as spiritual famines. We see this in Matthew chapter 24, when Jesus’ disciples came to Him, asking Him what the sign of His coming and of the end of the age would be.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Matthew 24:7-8 NKJV
If we go back to the passage of Scripture about Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, I would like to show you how important God’s written word is for us in order to sustain life. Bread or grain in Scripture is often a reference to God’s written word. We cannot live without God’s written word, because His words give us life. Continual lack of spiritual food will eventually result in spiritual death.
Let’s take a look at the following Scripture as a good example of this:
When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.”
Genesis 42:1-2 NKJV
What is very interesting and important about this allegory, is that Jacob and his family did have food to eat (see Scripture below: Genesis 43:11), but they did not have grain or bread. Yet, he said that they needed grain to live. I believe that this confirms the message that the Lord is conveying to us through this allegory – that the written Word of God is essential to our spiritual survival. We see that when Jacob instructs his sons to go to Egypt to buy bread, he sends them with the food which they had:
And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man – a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
Genesis 43:11 NKJV
We also see from Scripture that they also had animals, and that they did eat meat:
So they took their livestock (cattle) and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and his descendants with him.
Genesis 46:6 NKJV
And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.
Genesis 46:32 NKJV
When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.”
Genesis 43:16 NKJV
The reason I felt led to share this with you, is because I believe that the Lord is giving us a message through this allegory. We know that the return of the Lord is soon, but no-one knows the day or the hour. Jesus warned us that there would be famines in the last days, so that we could prepare during this time of abundance. I think we can agree that we are living in a time of abundance because we have easy access to bibles, podcasts, interviews, on-line sermons, etc.
Joseph advised Pharaoh to store up enough grain during the plentiful years, which would be a reserve in the years of the famine:
And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.
Genesis 41:35-36 NKJV
I believe that the Lord has helped me understand that just as Joseph stored up grain in the storehouses, we too can store up grain (or the Word of God) in our “storehouses”. We can store spiritual food in our hearts and in our minds now while we are in a season of abundance. We can do this through Scripture memorization, learning, as well as studying and meditating on God’s written Word. My intention is not to cause fear or alarm, but rather to encourage you my brothers and sisters to enjoy this time of abundance.
The Lord will guide you in all things according to His will for you, and according to His foreknowledge of the plan He has for your life. May God abundantly bless the time you spend with Him in His written word, teaching you and guiding you according to the good pleasure of His will. May you fill your hearts and minds with His precious life-giving words.