One lesson a prophet must learn is to understand the value of God’s Word. There must be an investment. In the Old Testament the priest must first offer a sacrifice in the courtyard before entering into God’s presence.
Leviticus 4:7 The priest will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for fragrant incense that stands in the LORD’s presence inside the Tabernacle. He will pour out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
We see this in Joseph’s life. He was given dreams from God.
Genesis 37:5-6 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. “Listen to this dream,” he said.
His brothers hated him, not only because of the dreams, but Jacob, his father loved him more than the others. To express his love, Jacob gave Joseph a special coat.
What was this gift of dreams, and why did God give it to Joseph? Was it because of his kind and gentle demeanor? Was it Joseph’s trust in God? His reliance upon God?
Joseph was sold into slavery and taken to Egypt. What is it about Egypt? Do people misinterpret what Egypt symbolizes? Many people say, “Egypt symbolizes sin,” and use this to interpret every prophecy Egypt is used in regardless of the context. Why did God use Egypt to feed Israel? Why did God send Israel into Egypt? Why did God send His Son to Egypt?
Of course when Joseph was taken to Egypt as a slave, God blessed him. The LORD was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. (Genesis 39:2) That was until Potiphar‘s wife tried to get her way with Joseph and his answer upset her. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” (Genesis 39:8-9) What seemed to be a respectable life considering the circumstances, quickly turned into another trial. Potiphar had no choice but to throw Joseph in jail.
The conditions must have been deplorable. They did not have running water or bathroom facilities in those days. A number of prisoners shared a cell. Through all that, God still found a way to bless Joseph. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The LORD was with him and caused everything he did to succeed. (Genesis 39:22-23)
One day Joseph received new cell mates. Both these men were Pharaoh’s servants. One night each man had a dream. Once they learned Joseph could interpret dreams, they asked for an interpretation. Here is where we see Joseph’s humility, dedication and thanks to God, even though he had been through so much for so long He never gave up on God, even though it took another two years for Pharaoh’s cup bearer to remember him.
Pharaoh had a dream no one could interpret. The cup bearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. Joseph was brought to Pharaoh to hear the dream. Standing in front of the ruler of Egypt, Joseph took no credit for himself, but gave all the glory to God. Joseph told Pharaoh, “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” (Genesis 41:16)
Where did this get Joseph? Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.” (Genesis 41:39-41)
Joseph is one example of qualifies found in a prophet. He had to pay his dues before he saw his reward. How many trials did Joseph face before his reward came? What was Joseph’s reward? Why did God choose to put Joseph second in command of Egypt? How do these lessons fit into God’s plan of salvation? What do these lessons teach us about a modern day prophet? What do we learn about listening to God? Dreams are only interpreted by God. We have to put this story into proper context to understand its meaning. In Joseph’s day there was no official written word from God. Stories were handed down from one generation to the next, but God had not yet chosen a prophet to begin recording His Words. There was no other way to interpret God’s Word at that time. How does this show us the prophet’s responsibility at that particular time? How does this explain how God’s prophets learned to follow Him and accept the responsibility God expected them to carry?
Samuel's School of the Prophets 