The Story Through the Bible Gen 40

Intro - It’s been some time…

Genesis 40:1–2 ESV

Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,

Joseph is 17 when he’s sold into slavery - some time goes by with Potiphar before he’s put in prison, and some more time goes by before this takes place. We know he gets put in power at age 30 by the Pharoah and two years before that is when this story is taking place so He’s 28. I don’t know where the majority of the 11 unknown years was spent but it’s likely that more of that was in Potiphar’s house than this prison but we just can’t know that timeline from what we have.

Genesis 40:3–4 ESV

and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.

Now, going back to something I didn’t make comments about last week because it would have muddied the waters, but the prison Joseph goes to is the prison of “the captain of the guard” which is the title for Potiphar. Talking about the timelines here it seems the prison time before these guys arrive isn’t described as very long but as “some time” which ranges anywhere from a few weeks to many years other places in Biblical stories. It’s possible and some think likely that Potiphar did not believe his wife’s accusations against Joseph. Many note that the punishment for this crime is immediate execution, no questions asked when the accused is a slave, which Joseph was. Instead Potiphar merely puts him in prison. This might also explain a quick rise in trusted status in the prison as well. And possibly that it was Potiphar who makes sure the two officials stayed with Joseph.

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Genesis 40:5–8 ESV

And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

The fact both men had a dream on the same night made it clear and obvious to them that this was some kind of divine revelation. Most of the ancient world viewed dreams as spiritually related. In their old life they would have access to the magicians who could tell them all their dreams. I don’t know if you ever read The Pigman in school, I did and I know heather did because it oddly came up in conversation at camp but the two kids John and Lorrein like Joseph are young, but for them dreams and imagination were the escape from a broken world. For Joseph dreams are prophecy and purpose from God that keeps him grounded in reality. Unlike the world of the Egyptians that had interpretive perspectives from men Joseph makes clear it’s not up to men to interpret the message God has given, God gives the dream and the interpretation. This is contrary to their worldview.

Genesis 40:9–13 ESV

So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer.

The dream has 3 groups of 3 branches then 3 actions of budding blossoming, and ripening. Then Pharoah - cup

time - position/growth - status restored as cup bearer to pharoah

Genesis 40:14–15 ESV

Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

Joseph is so confident in this he’s already made the ask for getting him release from prison.

This word for prison, jail, dungeon, pit, cistern is the same word we have back with Joseph and his brothers where he’s tossed in before being sold into slavery. Just a quick reminder of repeated pattern for our stories and that Joseph is making note of the injustice he’s faced going from dungeon to dungeon for no fault of his own.

Genesis 40:16–19 ESV

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”

Boy it’s a bummer here, the baker is so encouraged about this good dream he has a hope his will be too. We can tell even though we aren’t inspired to interpret this dream it is similar but very different. 3 baskets - like 3 branches is three days but the similarity ends here. Instead of the action relating to his proffesion positively like growing vines it’s a stack of finished products intended for pharoah and instead of a status relating to pharoah it’s birds eating away the product not pharoah consuming it. It seems Joseph is being a litle Punny here using the similar phrase lift up your head like he did with the cup bearer but instead he adds “from you” meaning he’d lose his life. I’m not sure it intends to mean beheading it might have, and hanging on a tree doesn’t always mean hanging by the neck, crucifixion (not yet invented) is also considered to be hanging from a tree, and something that did happen at this time was being impaled which would also be considered hanging from a tree.

What happens Gen 40.20-23

Genesis 40:20–23 ESV

On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Ah, we’ve got a birthday on the third day - Pharoah’s

All is done like Joseph said but… the cupbearer didn’t remember Joseph…

1 Peter 5:6 ESV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,