Dreams, Visions, and Prisons - Genesis 40:1-41:36

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Dreams, Visions, and Prisons
Genesis 40:1-41:36
20220213
Submit yourself to God and walk by faith through every trial
Introduc)on
The main focus of the passage we have before us today is this man Joseph who ﬁnds himself in a trial – a
trial that stresses the mind, the body, and even his faith in God. For Joseph is being held in a type of
prison, described as a pit, and he was put there without commiLng any oﬀense that warranted such a
sentence. We will not just gloss over the trial aspect of his life – for truly we all have trials that we go
through -- as well as trials that we walk alongside others as they are going through them. But more
applicable, I believe, is the manner in which Joseph lives. He is a man who is submiSed to God. He is
submiSed to trusTng that God has him in a certain place or has him going through a certain trial. He
conTnues to be a model example of walking by faith. He walks through each trial by faith. When I put
these aspects of what is being modeled together. SubmiSed to God and Walking by Faith – I ﬁnd a
succinct and helpful main idea to carry us through this whole passage. Submit Yourself to God and Walk
by Faith Through Every Trial.
The Faithful in Prison
1. We start now at our look at this passage with acknowledging where Joseph is at.
a. So, physically, where is Joseph?
i. He is in a prison in Egypt (Gen 39:20) A]er Joseph was falsely accused by his
master’s wife, all which we covered last week.
ii. PoTphar, the master of the house, out of his anger put Joseph in prison.
1. So, physically Joseph is in prison. Throughout our passage today it is referred
to as a pit (40:15, 41:14).
b. Where is Joseph in terms of his mental state? How accepTng is he of being in a pit and being
there unjustly?
i. Again, end of last week’s passage we saw that the LORD was with Joseph and
showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the prison keeper.
ii. In fact, Joseph was so trustworthy that much like the descripTon of PoTphar, the
keeper of the prison paid no aSenTon to anything that he entrusted to Joseph’s
care.
iii. Then, in the passage that is before us we see not only that Joseph is capable, he is
also compassionate.
1. This is hard to fathom that a man falsely accused and locked into a prison
was so diligent with what he was entrusted with and was compassionate
towards other prisoners who were thrown in with him.
2. You see that compassion in the way Joseph cares for these two oﬃcials the
chief cupbearer and the chief baker (v2). He aSended to them (v4). In v4 we

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read that these oﬃcials conTnued being aSended to by Joseph for some
Tme.
3. He was able to get to know them it would appear, for down in v7 he is able
to recognize how their faces had changed. They were downcast.
4. He idenTﬁed that they were in need in some way and he inquired.
a. And though we won’t get into the interpretaTon of dreams just yet!
5. We have to noTce where Joseph focus seems to go most naturally in v8 – He
asks them, that is the chief cupbearer and the chief baker – “Do not
interpreta+ons belong to God?”
a. One author I was reading put it this way, “The habit of Joseph’s mind
was an immediate reference to God.” (Kidner)
b. This isn’t isolated either – and it isn’t just a plaTtude he uses to
make himself seem more pious or Holy -- but is consistent
throughout not only our text today but our interacTons with Joseph
really through the rest of the book of Genesis.
i. The habit of Joseph’s mind was an immediate reference to
God.
1. But in the text before us it shows up as I pointed out
here in 40:8 “interpreta+on belong to the LORD”
2. Then in the next chapter 41:16, when asked if he
can do the interpretaTon “It is not of me; God will
give Pharaoh a favorable answer”
3. In verse 25, “God has revealed”
4. In 28, “God has shown”
5. And 32, “the thing is ﬁxed by God.”
ii. This is the immediate habit of Joseph’s mind – to reference
everything in relaTonship to God.
iv. Where is he therefore with his mental state? He is centered upon the Rock! That is
upon God Almighty who he trusts has everything under control as he knows the
hand of the LORD is upon him – even while he is in the pit.
1. Keep in mind, the whole secTon of Genesis that we are looking at today has
him, in essence, a prisoner.
2. Even when he is brought before Pharaoh it is not as a free man – it is as a
prisoner.
a. His status doesn’t change unTl we preach the secTon set aside to be
covered next week.

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c. You might be thinking how is this possible?
i. It goes back to our main idea: Submit yourself to God and walk by faith through
every trial.
ii. NoTce that in this is a full trust and conﬁdence in God and an acknowledgment that
through submiLng yourself to God and by walking in faith – the circumstances, the
trials, none of them change, nor can they change, your status in relaTonship to the
Rock – that is God Almighty.
2. Now – the real quesTon must be asked because it is what we really want! How do we obtain this
kind of faith? For surely we all want to have this kind of faith in God, to be known as those who are
fully submiSed to His Lordship.
a. Praise God we are in a place of tremendous advantageous to see this modeled throughout
the Scriptures.
i. For example, Paul ﬁnds it to be one of his favorite pasTmes, so it seems, to be
imprisoned. He goes on in a boast as he is wriTng to the Church of Corinth saying
with “far more imprisonments” (2 Cor 11:23).
ii. On numerous accounts he brings it up in leSers he is wriTng, simply staTng he is a
prisoner (Ephesians, Philemon, Colossians).
iii. And much like Joseph he is able to funcTon well from such a place. He exhibits a
similar type of faith because he is fully submiSed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
b. In order to walk by faith – submission must be examined carefully, So, allow me to conTnue
down this path of submission to the One True God some more.
i. Paul, he was actually involved in persecuTng the ChrisTans. He stood by as Stephen
was murdered for proclaiming Christ (Acts 8:1).
ii. He approved of such acTons, he was zealous for this cause, but something changed.
1. What changed was that God chose Paul to use him as his vessel to take the
good news of Jesus Christ to the GenTles (Acts 9:15).
c. So, what is it that changes a man or a woman on the inside, makes them into a new creaTon
if you will? That gives them a desire to submit to God?
i. It is actually a gi] from God himself. A work of God’s carried out by Jesus Christ! He
is the one that chooses whom he chooses to carry out His Kingdom purposes and it
is God who chooses whom he chooses to be in His Kingdom.
ii. He is the Sovereign and so He chooses with divine perfecTon those whom belong to
him.
iii. In both cases – Joseph in the EgypTan prison and Paul in the various prisons he was
thrown into.
1. These men had a focus that was upon the Lord.

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a. Joseph was able to show compassion upon his fellow prisoners and
similarly Paul was able to sing hymns and show compassion on the
Philippian jailer – by sharing with him and his whole household the
truth about Jesus Christ.
iv. This is, therefore, seen as a gi] from God. To be brought into such a relaTonship
with him that you can: Submit yourself to God and walk by faith through every trial.
1. And your trial may not be one that involves prison, it may not involve chains,
but increasingly, even here in the Western world that is happening.
2. Your trial may be facing persecuTon in the workplace. It may be a trial within
you own family even.
a. Your family member is increasingly hosTle towards you for your
profession of Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life and that
no one is able to go to the Father except through him (Jn 14:6).
3. But no maSer where your trial might be the soluTon is the same. Submit
yourself to God and walk by faith through it. He will never leave you nor
forsake you so do not be afraid or be dismayed (Deut 31:8).
Transi)on: The faithful in prison is representaTve of the faithful in any trial really. Joseph had been
through his share of trials – the whole brothers’ incident, then falsely accused, thrown into prison, and
Joseph’s trials will not cease once he is put into a posiTon of authority by Pharaoh. And speaking of
Pharaoh as we conTnue forward, we must realize brothers and sisters that the ChrisTan life is a life given
over to witnessing the good news – that means we witness faithfully even if it is before the powerful
oﬃce holders or power brokers of our Tme.
The Faithful Recognized before a King
1. Now, a]er we saw in the last secTon why Joseph was able to sit in a prison and sTll show
compassion, care, even excel in such a place. We will now see how the Lord equips people as he
chooses as well.
a. Think about it. When Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt, he didn’t end up in just a run-down
liSle place out of the way. He was chosen to be a slave in the house of PoTphar. An oﬃcial of
Pharaoh’s and the captain of the guard.
b. He was blessed in that posiTon and found favor in all that he did as the Lord’s hand was
upon him.
c. He was being equipped, for clearly he knew how to relate to the aristocraTc or ruling class –
the oﬃcial, PoTphar, who was in Pharaoh’s service had Joseph serving him.
d. Now here he is, physically in prison, and two more of Pharaoh’s oﬃcials arrive in the very
prison he is in. The chief cupbearer and the chief baker.
i. Now, I’m not sure what your preconcepTon is of these posiTons but think about
their access to Pharaoh.
1. They handle his food and drink.

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2. They are able to be frequently near him in their oﬃcial capacity. This will
come back again when the chief cupbearer is reinstated – but we will get to
that a liSle later.
2. So, as Joseph serves in the prison – a lowly job, he is being equipped by God. He aSends to the
needs of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker (v4) and this conTnued for some Tme.
a. Now, as they are there together and the relaTonship has built up suﬃciently, for the Lord
directs all in his Tming, these two men have dreams.
i. A theme of dreams is inescapable.
ii. And it isn’t new, because before Joseph was sold into slavery, back when he was
seventeen, he was a dreamer – having two dreams in Genesis 37 which he shared
with his brothers and his parents.
1. Both of them indicated that he would be in posiTon of rulership over them,
the dream of the sheaves bowing down (37:5-8) as well as the sun and
moon and eleven stars bowing down to him (37:9-11).
2. Those dreams will not be dealt with fully today – but they shouldn’t be
forgoSen.
iii. In the text before us we recognize that dreams are very important to these EgypTan
oﬃcials but more so perhaps would be an interpretaTon of the dreams.
b. Joseph noTces their faces are downcast and they inform him of their dreams and their
disturbance of not having an interpreter.
i. I just have to pause here for a moment because it is important to point out that we
don’t always know how God will use us. Certain paSerns he establishes in our life
can give us a clue as to how he might be equipping us for ministry but the main
component necessary is a faithful response.
ii. This goes back to the main point of today’s sermon: Submit yourself to God and walk
by faith through every trial.
1. Walking by faith means that you are ready to respond to the Lord’s
prompTng.
iii. Here is Joseph – responding to that which is before him. These men have downcast
faces – he inquires “Why are your faces downcast today?”
1. This is so out of our understanding of a prison yard exchange. If you see a
Hollywood movie with a prison seLng – you think hardened criminals, don’t
even look one another in the eye – let alone comment on their disposiTon.
2. But the EgypTan prison is not Hollywood and Joseph is being faithful to
respond to what is there before him.
3. I would encourage you to be willing to do likewise. Not to forcefully pry into
someone’s life but do the preparatory work of building relaTonship, be

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sensiTve to the leading of the Spirit, and step out in faith and love as it is
appropriate – then be willing to listen.
iv. Joseph does this – he asks, listens to their response, “We have had dreams, and
there is no one to interpret them.”
1. Joseph responds rightly, even as Daniel responds rightly when he is dealing
with the interpretaTon of dreams (Dan 2:28), by saying that interpretaTons
belong to the LORD.
2. But Joseph conTnues with an entreaty. He says, “Please tell them to me.”
v. Now, in Joseph’s situaTon the LORD reveals the interpretaTon and we know it is so
because the interpretaTons are propheTc and they come true.
1. He interprets the cupbearer’s dream ﬁrst – it is a favorable interpretaTon for
him. He will be restored to his previous posiTon.
a. All Joseph asks for is his remembrance, to do him the kindness of
menToning him to Pharaoh in order to get him out of the pit (v14).
2. The chief baker, v16 saw the interpretaTon was favorable – so he proceeds
to tell Joseph his dream.
a. Joseph interprets it as well but the outcome is markedly diﬀerent.
He will be punished by death for his oﬀense against Pharoah.
vi. Think about that for a moment. Both of these oﬃcials oﬀended the EgypTan king.
Oﬀended him enough to be thrown in prison! We are no diﬀerent. Those of us
gathered here, we have all oﬀended Holy God with our sin.
1. For all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Ro 3:23).
a. We were by nature children of wrath.
2. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved
us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ – by grace you have been saved – the was all through faith, a gi] of
God (Eph 2:4-5, 8).
3. It is a mystery that some are set aside to experience this rich mercy but it is
also a mystery that some will never know it.
a. That is a mystery that only God can rightly understand and
administer with perfect jusTce.
b. We are to simply and humbly submit ourselves to God and walk by
faith through every trial.
vii. These two oﬃcials had their dreams interpreted by Joseph. God did this through his
servant. He asked to be remembered but as chapter 40 transiTon to the new
chapter it is clear that the remembrance is not Tmely.

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1. Joseph remains in prison another two years before the cupbearer
remembers the young Hebrew.
2. All in God’s perfect Tming! This is such a hard thing to recognize and
embrace while waiTng – how o]en though when looking back can you see
that God’s Tming is always perfect?
3. God’s Tming is always perfect! The situaTon with Joseph is no diﬀerent.
What if he was sprung from his conﬁnement immediately?
a. Then he wouldn’t have been posiToned to go before the king at the
appropriate Tme. Instead – he was le] in the pit unTl the Tme was
right.
b. That Tme was a]er Pharaoh had dreams, dreams which disturbed
him greatly (41:8). These dreams, as we read together from the
Scripture reading, were from the LORD – something he had set,
being ﬁxed by God (41:32).
3. Pharaoh tries all his standard avenues, the magicians and the wisemen are summoned. None can
give him an interpretaTon.
a. But the poor cupbearer, a man who by proximity to the king has special knowledge of all
that is going on. The cupbearer is now having his conscience pricked.
i. What is he to do as he remembers the Hebrew in prison? The text said he
remembered Joseph – but to remember Joseph and to tell about Joseph to the
Pharoah is also to remind the king that 2 years ago he had oﬀended him so greatly
as to be thrown into prison.
ii. Do you see the fear of man conundrum the chief cupbearer must have been facing?
What is it to him if the dreams never get interpreted? AlternaTvely he could take a
risk - stretch out his neck and talk to the Pharoah about dream interpretaTon? It
could go south in a hurry.
iii. God is ulTmately the one ordaining the events and the Tme is right for Joseph to be
made known to the Pharaoh.
1. The faithful is about to be recognized before the king.
iv. Pharoah, the king of the land, wants this Hebrew brough before him, with a snap of
his ﬁngers it is put into moTon. Get the prisoner!
1. This implies - clean him, shave him, Tdy him up, and bring him to the throne
room post haste.
b. So now that we considered the cupbearer, we must also think about Joseph for a second – in
prison. SiLng there, presumably serving faithfully where God has him – right there in his
trial. Tending to the prisoners while knowing he didn’t do anything to require a prison
sentence.
i. Suddenly, a ﬂurry of acTvity and oﬀ he goes!

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ii. His sentence isn’t removed, he is sTll very much a prisoner, but he is going before
the king.
iii. ChrisTans, we are called to be faithful. Part of being faithful is trusTng God’s word
that says not to worry about what we will say when placed before people who are in
posiTons of power (MaS 10:16-20).
1. It will happen when you will suddenly be placed in situaTon when you will
have to pray for someone, or speak a word of truth, or share your faith –
God will guide you in that Tme.
2. It is not of your doing or your strength that has put you there. Just as Joseph
is thrown before the king of Egypt. That is why his answer is so helpful to
instruct us.
c. READ v15-16 “And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one...””
i. Joseph preempTvely states this is of the LORD. God is the one who is in control
(speaking this to the king of the land mind you) implies that God is in control of you
too Pharaoh! And of course he is! That is why we, of no earthly signiﬁcance or
power, can boldly stand before kings, rulers, governors – for we are all under God.
ii. But now back to the Pharaoh and Joseph -- a reminder of the dreams (cows and
ears). They are the same, or “they are one” the text says (v25).
1. Joseph proclaims - The seven fat and good cows are seven years of good
producTon as are the seven good ears. The seven gaunt and ugly cows are
seven bad years as are the seven blighted ears because a famine will be
upon the land.
iii. Now – I want to stop at this point for this is what Pharaoh wanted – an
interpretaTon.
1. Joseph was brought before the king to be recognized as one to possibly
bring an interpretaTon.
2. Joseph said this will be of the LORD if it is done.
3. It is now done and Joseph says v28 “It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to
Pharaoh what he is about to do.”
4. Then verses 29-31 the full interpretaTon is laid before the king.
Transi)on: As Joseph was submiSed before God he was recognized by the king. As Joseph walked by
faith through his trial he was placed perfectly to be used by God and all in God’s Tming. This is where we
go next. The Faithful is used by God.
The Faithful is Used by God
1. Not to make to abrupt of a shi], but a long Tme ago we studied the book of Esther. It was clear in
that kingdom that one did not just speak freely before the king. This was a fear of Esther’s as her
people were about to face severe aSacks across the land. I bring that up because where we are here

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at the end of v32 is all that Joseph was supposedly to provide the king with. An interpretaTon of his
dreams. Done.
a. However, as the faithful Joseph is giving all glory to God for what is being done he is being
carried along by God to conTnue.
i. He conTnues beyond maybe what was expected and goes right along as a prisoner
to start advising the king on what he needs to do in light of the propheTc dreams.
ii. These things are set by God – shown to Pharaoh not as a judgment but as a grace.
iii. That gi] must not be wasted but the precious knowledge that God gave to Pharaoh
must be acted upon.
iv. This can be so challenging at Tmes – to be presented with something of great worth
from God’s word. To receive sound teaching from God’s word with good applicaTon
to life and to then just be lulled into thinking. “Ah maybe later.”
v. Joseph is being used by God to make sure this gi] gets fully unwrapped and
presented to Pharaoh.
2. Boldness is characterisTc of God’s faithful followers. David standing up to speak truth to Saul,
Nehemiah (another cupbearer) being carried along by the LORD to boldly proclaim the need to
return to Jerusalem to begin the building project, Paul standing up to any and all, the believers in
Acts praying for boldness, the Bible is full of such individuals and so is church history. I admire these
faithful saints throughout the ages. Just as I admire disciples today who are willing to be faithful and
subject themselves to kingdom service.
a. v33 is bold.
b. Unsolicited by Pharoah - but prompted by God; Joseph the prisoner by sentence although
standing in clean clothes before Pharaoh launches into telling Pharaoh what he must do.
i. He unpackages this gi] so it can be seen in all its goodness. The wisdom of God is
being poured out through Joseph directly into the ear of Pharaoh.
c. READ vv33-36 “Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man…”
d. ApplicaTon: Select a discerning and wise man. Set him over the land of Egypt. PaSern for
marriage, for the church, for leadership roles wherever they are found.
Transi)on: This is a no holding back! He is the Lord’s faithful and it is for just this Tme that God is using
him! From the pit – into the presence of the king. SubmiSed to God Joseph has walked by faith through
every trial. In doing so the trials, though present, are not the focus of his life. Again, the trials, though
present, are not the focus of his life. The habit of his mind was always a reference to God.
Conclusion:
1. This is where I was led by the Spirit with this passage, friends, I couldn’t get out of my mind Psalm
84:10 “For a day in your courts is beOer than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper
in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

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2. The opulence of being in the very presence of Pharaoh must have been the starkest of contrasts
from the dreary pit Joseph had spent years in. More contrasTng than the seven aSracTve and plump
cows when contrasted with the ugly and thin cows of Pharaoh’s dream.
3. But what is it that is moTvaTng Joseph here and now at the end of our passage? Is he thinking I’ll do
anything; I’ll say anything just to get myself into a diﬀerent situaTon? That doesn’t appear to be
what is moTvaTng him and all! He is being led by God – submiSed to God – leads to a walking by
faith – yes, even through the most trying of trials.
4. We see this most clearly in Jesus himself.
a. He came to the very people he created. Christ, being very God of very God – the same
substance and essence of the Father and of the Holy Spirit yet submiSed to the Father’s will,
humbled himself upon the cross of calvary, subjecTng himself to the pain and humiliaTon of
human death – the death of a criminal.
b. The sins of mankind heaped upon him – no sin of his own! He took my sins, he took the sins
of everyone here, he took the sins of everyone who has ever lived and made atonement for
them with His precious and perfect blood.
c. This was acceptable to the Father, Jesus was submiSed to God the Father and he walked in
perfect faith and obedience through the harshest trial of all Tme and came out the other
side victorious!
i. Conquering our enemy, conquering Satan and his demons, conquering the plague of
death, and the horrors of sin and bestowing upon those who place their faith in Him
and Him alone the glory of new life as adopted into his family. Sons and daughters of
the Most High and Exalted Father.
d. If you have never known the freedom that comes from belonging to the Father through the
Son. A passage like what we just worked through may seem unfathomable to you. You may
think how is it possible for a wrongly accused man like Joseph to sit in prison and serve
others with compassion and kindness? Or for this very man to be put before the one who
could pardon him and not plead for his freedom?
i. You see my friend, Joseph had come to a place where he was submiSed fully to God,
which allowed him to walk by faith, trusTng God, in the middle of every trial he
stood ﬁrm knowing that ulTmately it was beSer for him to stand even for just one
day in the courts of the LORD of hosts than to spend a thousand elsewhere.
5. That is peace beyond understanding, a peace that if you do not have, I urge you to not delay seeking
out someone here today to pray with, to talk more about this peace with, so that you too can submit
yourself to God, being freed by the blood of Christ, to walk the remainder of your days by faith no
maSer what trials may come!


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