and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
The seven good years end, and the famine starts exactly on time, reaching far beyond Egypt. Only one country has bread, and only one man decides who gets it.
An exact forecast
The famine did not arrive as a surprise. God gave the whole timetable in advance, and it left a foreign king in no doubt about who stood behind it.
W. W. FeredayWhen God sent drought into Egypt He laid His whole plan before Joseph in advance. This Joseph passed on to Pharaoh. There were to be seven years of plenty before the seven years of drought. This made the pagan king feel that the God of heaven was greater than all the gods of Egypt. They could not foretell what was coming, and they could not provide for it when it came (Gen. 41).
Bread in one place only
The shortage was worldwide; the supply was not. Egypt had prepared. One writer draws a line from that store of grain to Christ.
L. M. GrantThe seven years of plenty came to an end, as God had forewarned by Joseph. The famine came, not only to Egypt, but to other countries also. But Egypt alone had prepared for the famine (v. 54)… The Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). Therefore He directs us all to the Lord Jesus as the One appointed to care for our needs. Joseph opened all the storehouses of Egypt (v. 56). In the same way, the Lord Jesus has opened the storehouses of heaven through His great sacrifice at Calvary, for the blessing of those who find themselves in spiritual poverty. There is one great difference: the Lord Jesus gives freely, "without money and without price."
Hunger and the cry for bread
The good years left Joseph forgotten. The famine changed that for two groups at once: the nations around, and his own brothers.
Hamilton SmithDuring the days of plenty the world paid little attention to Joseph. Of his brothers we hear nothing; they were completely indifferent to him. But when the famine set in, need woke up: "the land of Egypt was famished" (v. 55). Jacob and his sons faced starvation and death (Gen. 42:1-2). The need calls out a cry for bread. The Gentiles have to learn it, and the brothers discover it: no one can meet the need except the one they once scorned and rejected.
The same lesson reaches beyond grain. One writer traces both the plenty and the famine to the same hand.
Frederick W. GrantSo when God's judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Face to face with our need, we learn that we are nothing. Then we cry out to Him, and He proves Himself the living God. But God's remedy is Christ alone. He has put all things in His hand, completely and with no going back… In the plentiful times of Christianity the world at large will not turn to God. So drought and famine come from the same hand that gave the blessing, though no one knew it.
A man with power over those who wronged him
Famine put absolute power in the hands of a man who had been badly wronged. The question is what he would do with it.
Hamilton SmithHow will Joseph act in the years of famine? His brothers had put him in the pit, the Gentiles had thrown him into prison. Will Joseph use the world's desperation and his brothers' need as his chance for revenge? Nature might act that way, but grace will take another road. Joseph will use his place of supremacy and power for universal blessing. But while showing grace he will maintain righteousness. So a cry of need will be forced out of the Gentiles, and they must submit to Joseph before they receive the blessing.
A pattern still unfinished
The famine years also point forward. One writer sees in them a trial the world has not yet faced.
Numerical Bible NotesPharaoh's dream foretold seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine that will swallow them up. Even now the world is enjoying its years of plenty, and it hardly believes the future plainly foretold for it. Still, the time of famine is not far off. It will show what He can supply. He will then be seen as the only one able to meet its terrible demands.
Summary
- Warned. God told Joseph the famine in advance; Egypt's wise men could neither predict it nor prepare for it.
- Stored. Egypt had bread in the famine for one reason: Joseph filled the stores in the good years, before anyone felt hungry.
- Ignored. While the plenty lasted, neither the nations nor Joseph's own brothers gave him a thought.
- Starved. Need is what taught them: face to face with our own nothingness we cry out, and God's remedy is Christ alone.
- Supplied. The man with every reason for revenge used his power to bless instead. But blessing came only to those who came and submitted.