Genesis 40
Notes
Transcript
Background
Last week we saw what life was like for Joseph in slavery. He had great success because of God and was blessed, but was pursued by his master’s wife. When he rejected her advances, she accused him of coming after her and Joseph was thrown into prison. In spite of this, God continued to show him favor and he was put in charge by the chief jailer.
1 Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
2 Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker.
3 So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned.
4 The captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he took care of them; and they were in confinement for some time.
5 Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation.
6 When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected.
7 He asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?”
8 Then they said to him, “We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.”
Though Joseph was enslaved and imprisoned in the king’s prison, he was blessed by God and given charge over the other inmates.
“After these things” tells us that the events of ch. 39 (Joseph’s imprisonment) have already happened. Joseph’s status in the prison is relevant to the interactions seen.
Other officials (besides Potiphar) in Pharaoh’s court, his cupbearer and his personal baker, angered him, to the point of him imprisoning them.
A king would have a personal cupbearer, who would provide food and drinks and test them for poison. Like Potiphar (captain of the bodyguard), this was a trusted position.
The baker likewise would need to be trusted to provide safe food for the king.
The imprisonment of these officials was a serious matter, and might be proceeding their execution.
These men had sinned against Pharaoh, in the same meaning of Joseph not wanting to sin against God in the previous chapter.
We’re getting some additional information from last chapter’s description.
20 So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.
Now we see that the jail is connected with the house of the captain of the bodyguard (v. 7).
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there.
Which means that Potiphar, at some point, began to trust Joseph to some degree, possibly because of the influence of the chief jailer mentioned in ch. 39.
As seen, Joseph clearly has some autonomy and freedom even in jail.
From the events of the following chapter, we know that Joseph is around 28 years old at this time.
TIMELINE
TIMELINE
While we don’t know how old he was when he was imprisoned by Potiphar, we do know that Joseph has spent the last 11 years as a slave.
The text states that “some time” (days) had passed. Both of the prisoners had dreams on the same night.
Prophetic dreams are not common, but seem to be common in Scripture due to God’s use of them.
Abimelech in Gen. 20.
Jacob in Gen. 31.
Joseph in Gen. 37.
We will see that God will continue to use them:
Next chapter.
Another well-known dreamer - Daniel.
6 He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream.
17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams;
God may also use them to test His people.
1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,
2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’
3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 “You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.
5 “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.
Joseph rightly states that interpretations of prophetic dreams belong to God.
Pagans (i.e., the Egyptians) would attempt to interpret dreams.
God gave the dreams specifically for Joseph to interpret, and will use it for His purposes.
God can use a variety of people and methods to communicate and accomplish His will.
God can use a variety of people and methods to communicate and accomplish His will.
9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, there was a vine in front of me;
10 and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes.
11 “Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days;
13 within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer.
14 “Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.
15 “For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.”
Pharaoh’s cupbearer shares his dream, and Joseph is able to interpret it.
The imagery is interesting and its meaning might be surmised just based on the description.
Notice the specific interpretation - easily falsifiable.
Joseph’s interpretation is favorable. In recognition of this, Joseph pleads with the cupbearer to remember him and ask for his freedom, and shares his story and innocence with him.
Joseph was a victim of human trafficking.
He takes a risk by insisting on his innocence, implying that his master’s wife is a liar.
The cupbearer would know another official in Pharaoh’s court.
He asks for “kindness.” Hebrew word is most often translated “mercy” (149x).
42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”
This will play out, just not as Joseph imagines.
16 When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, “I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head;
17 and in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
18 Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days;
19 within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.”
One good interpretation deserves another, and the Pharaoh’s baker is emboldened to seek his interpretation.
Unfortunately for him, his interpretation is not favorable. Once again, it is very specific and easily falsifiable.
No reaction is mentioned from the baker; presumably he would not be happy and continue to be dejected.
20 Thus it came about on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants.
21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand;
22 but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
Joseph’s interpretations would quickly be confirmed.
It’s entirely possible that the cupbearer and the baker would know when Pharaoh’s birthday was.
Birthdays for royalty were often grand affairs, sometimes because they were deified when they ascended to their throne.
A feast would require Pharaoh’s trusted officials to be present.
Pharaoh indeed lifted up the heads of both men, but their outcomes were exactly how Joseph predicted them to be.
While there are no details as to why things turned out this way, it’s clear the baker’s execution was perceptibly deserved, at least from Pharaoh’s wrathful view.
Likewise, the sparing of his cupbearer is not explained.
In spite of favorable outcome, the cupbearer forgot Joseph.
Though he was forgotten by the cupbearer, God did not forget about Joseph.
God is faithful and will never forget about us.
God is faithful and will never forget about us.
9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.
Joseph continued in his circumstances, and as will be seen, he does not lose heart or despair.
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body also.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your face to shine upon Your servant; Save me in Your lovingkindness.
Joseph is (still) a great example for us.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
God can use a variety of people and methods to communicate and accomplish His will.
God is faithful and will never forget about us.
Next week, we will have a guest speaker.