旧约 - 创世记(Genesis)第41章

When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile,
when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds.
After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank.
And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk.
After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted--thin and scorched by the east wind.
The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.
In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.
Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard.
Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.
And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged."
So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
"I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.
After them, seven other cows came up--scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt.
The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first.
But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
"In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk.
After them, seven other heads sprouted--withered and thin and scorched by the east wind.
The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none could explain it to me."
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream.
The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
"It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,
but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.
The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe.
The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.
"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.
Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.
This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine."
The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.
So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt."
Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.
He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt."
Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout Egypt.
During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.
Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household."
The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."
The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end,
and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.
When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do what he tells you."
When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.
And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.
创世记第四十一章   第 41 章 

  梦 

  创 41:8> 不是能力,不是才华,是神的启示让我知道…… 

  41:8 术士和博士在古代王宫里十分普遍。他们的工作包括研究宗教与科学,观看星象、解梦、预测未来和行法术等等。他们充满能力(参出 7:11-12 ),但他们的能力是来自魔鬼的,并不能解法老之梦;而神已向狱中的约瑟启示其中的奥秘。 

  创 41:14> 仓促被提出监狱,约瑟不惊不慌,原因只一个…… 

  41:14 在没有预料的情况下机会来到,约瑟仓促地从狱中被提出来,带到法老面前。他有时间预备吗?事先并没有任何通知,但是约瑟对一切事皆胸有成竹,因为他与神有密切的交往。这并不是约瑟本身有解梦的本领,能帮别人圆梦,而是由于他认识神,所以得知奥秘之事。我们也要更多地认识神,才能迎接一切机会的来临。 

  创 41:16> 当将荣耀归给神的时候,我会否过分缄默? 

  41:16 约瑟坦诚地将荣耀归于神。我们也应当谨慎,不要将荣耀归于自己,因为这样做等于偷窃神的荣耀。当将荣耀归给神的时候,我们不要缄默。 

  创 41:28-36> 谨慎处事的态度,能成就神的心意与计划。我是否也以这种态度事奉神? 

  41:28-36 约瑟替法老解梦,然后向他提出一个计划,使埃及人在接下来的十四年中可以存活。防止饥荒的惟一方法就是积谷防饥,精心部署。若没有防饥的计划,埃及遍地就会毁于饥荒之中。许多人以为详细的计划既累赘又多余,其实这是人的责任,并不是可有可无的事。约瑟能将神对埃及的计划变为实际的行动,从而拯救了全国。我们也要把神对我们的计划化成实际的行动。 

  创 41:38> 人从约瑟身上能看到神的灵!从我的身上呢? 

  41:38 法老看出有神的灵在约瑟里头。我们虽然未必会为君王解梦,但是认识我们的人应当从我们的言行中,看见神在我们里面。你的亲友、同事、邻居看出有神的灵在你里头吗? 

  创 41:39-40> 每一个际遇,都是神训练自己的机会。在此刻我最需要学习的是什么? 

  41:39-40 约瑟平步青云,从囚犯晋升到王宫大臣。神训练他担任这个重要的职位,包括要他先作奴隶,后又成为囚犯;在每一个环境中,他都学会服事神和服事人。不管我们的处境怎样不济,我们都可以把它看为训练自己服事神的计划之一。 

  创 41:45> 面对异地文化的同化,我会如何持守自己的信仰? 

  41:45 法老给约瑟一个埃及名字,也给他一位埃及妻子,可能想把他融入埃及社会中,使埃及人不去计较约瑟出身于游牧民族──埃及人所不喜欢的行业;又可使埃及人更容易念和容易记得约瑟的名字。将埃及一位重要官员的女儿给约瑟为妻,更表示他受到极高的尊重。 

  创 41:46> 际遇坎坷的约瑟,对我的人生有何激励? 

  41:46 约瑟作埃及宰相的时候年三十岁,他十七岁被卖到埃及为奴,推算起来,他在埃及作了十一年奴隶、两年囚犯。 

  创 41:54> 智慧若用在神的心意中,会带来祝福。我的智慧又用在何处? 

  41:54 饥荒,从古到今都是极大的灾祸。在古时人们要想有好的收成,几乎必须仰赖风调雨顺。古时也没有化学肥料和杀虫剂,雨量不调或有虫害,都可导致五谷欠收而引起饥荒,因为百姓几乎完全倚靠农作物为粮。那时没有货仓、冷藏设备或运输系统,即使一般的饥荒也会十分严重。当时的饥荒是极其严重的,如果没有神差约瑟来帮助,埃及人就会饿殍遍野。──《灵修版圣经注释》