Providence & Prison

Introduction: “It came to pass after these things...” Because we know that Joseph was 30 years old when he was appointed by pharaoh we also know that Joseph is 28 years old in chapter 40. This means Joseph spent between 12 and 13 years in Potiphar’s house and prison.

The Prosperity of Joseph in Prison (39:21-23)

Key Words

Presence - “but the Lord was with Joseph”

Mercy - “and showed him mercy”

The word translated “mercy” here in the NKJV is the very important Hebrew word “hesed”.

We do not have a single English word that can appropriately encompass all that this word implies.

My favorite way to translate this concept is “loyal lovingkindness”.

Thus God was loyal to Joseph and showed him lovingkindness by giving him favor with the keeper of the prison.

Favor - “He (God) gave him (Joseph) favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”

Authority - this follows the pattern we have seen in Joseph’s life thus far.

Success - “whatever he did the Lord made it to prosper”

Notice how each of these realities build upon each other. God’s presence in Joseph’s life led to God’s mercy God’s mercy led to the favor of the keeper of the prison and that favor led to Joseph being given authority within the prison which led the success that Joseph experienced.

The text makes it clear who was the source of Joseph’s success.

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

As we discussed last week God actively participates in your life. In Joseph’s life that led to God’s loyal lovingkindness, favor, authority and success all while Joseph was in prison.

Your quality of life can often be determined by perspective. Joseph could have focused on the fact that he was in prison or he could focus on what God was doing through him while he was there.

Your quality of life is primarily dictated not by your circumstances but by your perspective of them.

This is why a poor person can be measurably happier than a rich person.

But most importantly when your perspective is dictated by God’s will and providence you like Paul can find contentment and joy in any circumstance.

Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:”

The Butler and the Baker (40:1-4)

Positions

Only their positions are named not their actual names.

The Butler

Called the Butler in the KJV and NKJV

This position most likely refers to what is called in many other places in Scripture as the cupbearer.

A Cupbearer was typically a high ranking court official in charge of serving the king. His primary responsibility was to serve wine and drinks at the kings table. He both served the drinks but also was responsible for the security of making sure the items served were not poisoned.

Pharaoh’s cupbearer here in Genesis 40 is the first one mentioned in Scripture.

Cupbearers are also mentioned in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

Nehemiah served as the King of Persia’s cupbearer before returning to Israel.

The Baker

This one is a little more self explanatory.

This is the chief or head baker.

Offense

What they actually did is not mentioned.

Given their difference in outcome it seems unlikely that they were involved in the same crime or at least had the same level of involvement.

Ultimately we do not know whether these men committed an actual offense or if they became the victims of the pettiness of a man wit too much power.

Captivity

They were imprisoned at the same time as Joseph

They were imprisoned in the same place as Joseph

Providence

Was it coincidence that two men who held positions close to pharaoh came into contact with Joseph?

Was it a coincidence that they were imprisoned at the same time and place as Joseph?

The Dueling Dreams (40:5-19)

Introduction

Pairs of Dreams

Joseph had two dreams in chapter 37

There are two dreams in chapter 40 from the Butler and Baker

Pharaoh has two dreams

What is the meaning? I don’t really believe there is one outside of the evidence it brings to show that there is a design behind the events of Joseph’s life.

Joseph was good at his job.

The Butler and Baker were put under Joseph’s charge while in prison.

So Joseph checks on them in the mornings and one morning they were visibly sad and Joseph notices.

In that moment he has a choice to make.

To move on, after all everyone in prison is sad.

To try and help.

Joseph’s example

He sees a problem

He inquires about the problem

He does what he can to fix the problem

Interpretations belong to God (v. 8)

The Egyptians held a wide spread belief in antiquity that dreams held significant meaning.

In Egypt there were dream experts that could be consulted, however; in prison the Butler and Baker had no such access.

Joseph’s point is certainly correct, that if these dreams have any significant meaning it was God that gave them meaning.

While God did communicate through dreams in the OT not every dream any person had was prophetic.

The Butler’s Dream (v. 9-15)

Content

A vine with three branches

It blossomed

It produced grapes

The Butler then squeezes the grapes into Pharaoh’s cup and gives the cup to Pharaoh.

Don’t all into giving unnecessary meaning to the dream.

The point is not really the content of the dream, but whether Joseph’s God-given interpretation of it is correct.

Three branches = three days

Some of the dream is quite literal in his dream he puts pharaoh’s cup in his hand and that is what He again will do.

In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position.

Joseph makes a request.

Please put in a good word for me when you are back with Pharaoh.

I am genuinely an innocent man.

Not a ridiculous request.

The Baker’s Dream (v. 16-19)

When the Baker heard the favorable outcome of the Butlers dream He decided to get in on dream interpretation thing.

Content

Three baskets on my head - sounds hard to me

Food in the baskets

Birds ate the food

Joseph’s God-given interpretation

Three baskets are three days

In three days Pharaoh will also lift up your head, but in a much more literal way. Your head will be lifted up off your body. - I feel like something is lost in translation here, because it doesn’t seem like the right time for Joseph to crack a joke.

Your body will be hanged for the birds to eat.

The Failure & Fulfillment (v. 20-23)

Pharaoh’s Birthday Bash (v. 20)

A Feast

This may be the day of his physical birth or it may be a celebration of the day he assented to be Pharaoh thus becoming the son of the Egyptian God Horace.

Naturally for such an event Pharaoh would want his best butler and baker.

Notice the tension left in the text in v. 20. He lifted up the heads of both the butler and the baker.

The butler was restored to his position

The backer was hanged.

I don’t know if he made the baker make his birthday cake before he killed him, but it seems like a possibility.

The text doesn’t say if this is the kind of thing Pharaoh enjoyed doing on his birthday.

Their dreams were fulfilled exactly as Joseph said they would be.

What their dreams were and how they were fulfilled is a secondary point.

The main point is that Joseph was right thus proving:

God really was with him

God had complete providential control over both Joseph’s circumstances but also the powers of Egypt.

Betrayed by A Butler (v. 23)

How could the Butler forget?

Intentionally or accidently?

Perhaps he just didn’t have the courage to bring it up to Pharaoh so soon after getting out of prison himself.

I have a hard time believing that he forgot Joseph in such a way that the man who accurately predicted the outcome of not only his life but the death of his co-worker just slipped his mind.

I tend to think that he put Joseph out of his mind.

The key question is then, was that part of God’s plan? Was God in all of His power and sovereignty saying to Himself in that moment, oh no! the butler forgot him!