We are in chapter 41 of Genesis with our word for today used for the first time in the Bible in our chapter. חַרְטֹם engraver, writer, sacred scribes, soothsayer-priest, magicians, sorcerer. It is used 11 times in the Old Testament. Our word is used to describe a special group of people in both Egyptian and Babylonian cultures. Daniel 1:1-6, 20 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility…He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians…In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the הַֽחַרְטֻמִּים֙ magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. Daniel 2:2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the king summoned the לַֽחַרְטֻמִּ֜יםmagicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed.
When Moses confronts Pharaoh with God’s miracles of power we also see this group of people in Egypt. They are identified as using secret arts. Exodus 7:11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י magicians also did the same things by their secret arts. Exodus 7:22 But the Egyptian חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Exodus 8:7 But the הַֽחֲרְטֻמִּ֖ים magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. Now up to this point God allowed the magicians to duplicate his miracles but that changed. Exodus 8:18-19 But when the הַחַרְטֻמִּ֧ים magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, the הַחַרְטֻמִּ֧ים magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.
They recognized that this power was beyond their ability and the only explanation was that God was doing it. This is what we find in our passage today but instead of the magicians eventually admitting that it was God we find Joseph starting out form the beginning acknowledging and giving credit to God. Genesis 41:8 So in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh. Genesis 41:24 And I told it to the הַֽחַרְטֻמִּ֔ים magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me. When no one was available to interpret Pharaoh’s dream Joseph begins by giving credit to God. And he does this three times. Genesis 41:15-16, 25, 28 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”…Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do… It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. Again Joseph is a great example for us. I’ll close with this encouragement the Holy Spirit gives us writing through Jeremiah. Jeremiah 9:23-24 This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.
