Genesis 40:1-23 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Genesis 40:1-23. Let’s go!
Genesis 40:1-7 (NIV)
1 Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt.
2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,
3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.
4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time,
5 each of the two men–the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison–had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.
7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?”
On verses 1-7: Pharaoh sends his chief cupbearer and chief baker to prison where they meet Joseph. After some time in the prison together, one day Joseph notices that both the chief cupbearer and chief baker are looking dejected, so Joseph asks why. If Joseph had not moved on from his painful past, he likely would not have asked the other prisoners why they looked so sad, for Joseph would be too consumed by his own world of hurt to think about how others are doing. I believe the fact that Joseph asks how these two officials are doing speaks to Joseph’s own resilience and his ability to look past his own hurts to the needs of others. It was because of his relationship with God, more than anything else, that enabled Joseph to move past his hurts to care for others and help them. What can we learn from this? A healthy relationship with God will enable you to move forward from past hurts and enable you to reach out and care for others.
Genesis 40:8 (NIV)
8 “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
On verse 8: Was Joseph claiming to be God? No. Was Joseph implying he had a special relationship with God and an ability to interpret dreams? Yes. Joseph, as we will see, had a prophetic gift of interpreting dreams and was able to use this gift to help people in need.
Let this be a reminder that God has given you a set of talents and gifts that you can use to help people in need as well. Like Joseph, may you know what those gifts are and have confidence to use them to help others.
Genesis 40:9-19 (NIV)
9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me,
10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes.
11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”
12 “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days.
13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.
14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.
15 For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread.
17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
18 “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days.
19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”
On verses 9-19: Joseph interprets the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker. The interpretation of the cupbearer’s dream brings good news for the cupbearer, but not so for the baker and his dream. What can we learn from this? God has a unique destiny for every person. Just because God works in your neighbour’s life in a certain way does not mean He will necessarily work the same way in your life, unless of course God Himself has already promised to do so.
We don’t know how the baker responded to Joseph’s dream interpretation. If it was me, the discouraging news would lead to me to get on my knees and humble myself. May that be our approach whenever we receive bad or discouraging news. Whenever you receive bad news, let that bad news bring us to the Lord. Let us humble ourselves before the Lord, knowing that He will lift us up in due time (1 Peter 5:6).
Genesis 40:20-23 (NIV)
20 Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials:
21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand,
22 but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
On verses 20-23: Just as Joseph had predicted in his dream interpretations, on the third day the cupbearer is restored to his position of influence while the baker is hanged. Yet despite doing nothing deserving of being in prison, and despite requesting the cupbearer’s help to get him out of prison, the cupbearer forgets about Joseph and thus Joseph ends up staying in prison for longer.
What can we learn from this? We may ask people to help us and they may agree, but sometimes people can disappoint us too. Our ultimate hope needs to be not in the people around us but in the God above us. People may forget their promises and responsibilities, but God never forgets His promises and responsibilities. As Psalm 145:13 says, “God is faithful to His promises and loving toward all He has made”.
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are always faithful to Your promises. Thank You that because of Your love and power in my life I don’t need to be controlled by my past hurts. Instead I can move forward and help others with the gifts You have given me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
