Have you ever heard the story of the cannibal cows? The story is found in Genesis 41. The ruler of Egypt had one of those puzzling, troubling dream. It was the story of the cannibal cows. The Pharoah tells us the story,
Gen 41:17-21
“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 … 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.” (Genesis 41:17-21).
After the dream, the king turned to his wise men but they could not tell him the meaning of the dream. Only a man of God named Joseph could tell them the meaning of the dream. The seven fat cows were seven good years. The seven scrawny cows were seven years of famine. The famine followed the good times. The lesson for the king was that he needed to use the good times to prepare for the hard times.
Because he got the point, Egypt was spared from ruin. Because he used the good times to prepare for the hard times, they made it through the famine.
As you read this story, learn the lesson of the cannibal cows, the seven fat cows and the seven scrawny cows. Their story is one for all times and all of us. It is one for your family. As night follows day, life is a series of cycles. Good days follow bad days and bad days follow good days. If you will observe the lesson of the seven fat cows and seven scrawny cows, you will be prepared for when seven scrawny cows come to your life. This is a hard lesson to learn, but ignoring it will lead to hard years.
As you read the story in Genesis 41, remember that the lesson of the cannibal cows came from God. It is still true!
Lonnie Davis