Genesis 40 - Joseph Interprets Dreams in Prison - The Mysteries of God's Word

A captivating exploration of dreams, interpretation, and divine purpose unfolds as we follow Joseph's interactions with the cupbearer and baker. The discussion reveals how God's wisdom shines through adversity, offering profound insights into our own lives.

• Joseph interprets the troubling dreams of Pharaoh's officers 
• The significant roles of the cupbearer and baker in the royal court 
• Insights on faith, truth, and the sovereignty of God in life’s challenges 
• Joseph's request to the cupbearer offers a poignant reflection on human desire for remembrance 

Join our conversation and discover the powerful themes of dreams and destiny!

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Overview
• 10:13 Joseph Interprets the Cupbearer's and Baker's Dreams
• 25:13 The Outcomes of the Interpretations

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:15

Grace and peace to you from God, our Father and our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ. Today we're in Genesis, chapter 40, where Joseph is interpreting two prisoners' dreams, starting in verse 1,. Sometime after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord. 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, 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, and they continued for some time in custody. In verse 1, it begins saying sometime after this. This is signaling the chronological order of events and that the cupbearer and baker were thrown into prison after Joseph. We can somewhat reconstruct the timeline from other references in scripture, because Joseph is 30 years old when the Pharaoh will bring him into his service later in Genesis, chapter 41, verse 46, and there was a two-year gap that occurred between Joseph interpreting these dreams and being called into the Pharaoh's service. Therefore, at this time, joseph would be 28 years old.

Speaker 1: 1:55

Now we're told about two men, the cupbearer and the baker. Now, both of these positions were royal managerial positions. They weren't simply workers. So the cupbearer wasn't just a cupbearer. In verse 7 of this chapter we're told that he's actually an officer of the pharaoh. Another English translation for cupbearer would be butler. This position was the pharaoh's personal attendant, overseeing all of the royal vineyards, the cellars and the wine that would come to pharaoh. He likely had hundreds of people underneath him. The other position was the chief baker, and this too, again, is a royal managerial position, not simply a baker. He would have oversaw everyone and everything in the royal kitchen. It would have been his responsibility for the preparation of food and meats that were set before the pharaoh and were told that they committed an offense against the king of Egypt. The Hebrew phrase for committing an offense is also translated in other areas to sin against, and this stands in direct contrast to how Joseph earlier refused to sin against God. Also, considering the positions of the cupbearer and baker, they were to provide Pharaoh with the best drink and the best food, making sure that he was not poisoned. So their offense, their sin against the Pharaoh, likely had to do with that very thing. Somehow a meal went wrong for the Pharaoh. The other interesting thing we recognize here is that the Pharaoh is mentioned as the King of Egypt. This title, the King of Egypt, helps to identify him as the ruler over all of Egypt, and the use of this title also emphasizes the offense that the cup bearer and baker had against this king. John MacArthur identifies this pharaoh as Senusert II. Also, as we're getting started in this chapter for those of you who love Bible knowledge, the nation of Egypt came from the son of Ham. Egypt was actually the grandson of Noah.

Speaker 1: 4:30

Now we see that these two officers, the cup bearer and the baker, were thrown into custody in the house of the captain of the guard. Now we learned back in Genesis 39.1 that Potiphar was the captain of the guard. Therefore, joseph's master, who had previously bought him for silver and exalted him to a place of ruling over his home, has now again put Joseph in charge underneath him. This time, however, it's not in his home, but in the prison that was attached to his home. Just for clarification, we're told that this prison was in the house of the captain of the guard, where Joseph was confined. Furthermore, in verse 7, the location of the prison is called his master's house, referring to the master of Joseph. And finally, in verse 15, and later in Genesis, chapter 41, verse 14, the prison is referred to as a dungeon. Therefore, we can conclude that the prison is the basement or an underground dungeon area attached to Potiphar's home.

Speaker 1: 5:51

Verse 5,. 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's no one to interpret them. And Joseph said Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me. Beginning in verse 5, we see that both the cupbearer and the baker had troubling dreams that they remembered when they woke up. Both of them had these dreams while they were in prison and they had them the same night. And it says each dream had its own interpretation. This notation is here for a specific reason. There are three sets of dreams in the narrative of Joseph. This notation is here for a specific reason. There are three sets of dreams in the narrative of Joseph, and in the first set and in the last set of dreams in the narrative of Joseph the dreams are different but they carry the same general meaning. However, this second set of dreams here that we see with the cupbearer and the baker, we learn that the cupbearer and the baker had different dreams and they had different interpretations.

Speaker 1: 7:37

An interesting notation on interpreting dreams in ancient Egypt, oniromancy, which is the occultic practice or charlatan science of interpreting dreams, was believed to tell the future and it was very commonplace to have a professional magician, enchanter or sorcerer interpret your dreams, especially in the court of the pharaoh. Interpret your dreams, especially in the court of the pharaoh. Both ancient Egypt and ancient Babylon had advanced the charlatan science of interpreting dreams, along with other occultic ideas, into full-blown professions, and people were paid to perform these occultic sciences such as interpreting dreams. Another reference to this is Daniel 2.2. Now Moses tells us in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 13, verses 1-5, that interpreting dreams is often a part of a false religion and it's a way to take people away from faith in the one true God. However, as the story of Joseph is teaching us today, if we have a true fear of the Lord, god, the creator of heaven and earth, and a desire to follow him. He can and he will use whatever our.

Speaker 1: 9:05

Now, in verse 7, we're again reaffirmed that these are Pharaoh's officers, and it confirms once again that these two men were not merely workers but high-ranking officers in the Pharaoh's court, and it again says in the custody of his master's house. This is a reaffirming verse. This is a reaffirming verse which again reaffirms that this was indeed the home of Joseph's master, potiphar, and that Potiphar had again placed people under the care of Joseph. Now, when Joseph comes to them, he finds them troubled and he asks them why are you troubled? Why are your faces downcast? And the reason these men are upset is because they were used to having immediate access to the court magicians who would interpret any troubling dreams.

Speaker 1: 10:17

The distress of these two men shows how they had grown emotionally dependent upon this false religion, the false religion of the Egyptians. But Joseph's reply to them is both pointed and amazing. Joseph says do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me. This is perhaps the greatest statement of faith in this chapter, yet very often overlooked. Joseph asks these two men who've been indoctrinated by occult practices and false religion. Do not interpretations belong to God? Joseph recognizes that truth comes from God alone, the creator of all things, who upholds the entire universe together by the power of his word. And the question that Joseph asks these two men is challenging the false security that they've placed in the magicians and declares to them that God alone holds the answers.

Speaker 1: 11:31

As we consider this truth, I'd like to read three verses from Scripture. Proverbs 1.7 reads the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 2.6 reads For the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. And James 1.5 reads If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all, without reproach.

Speaker 1: 12:08

Picking up in verse 9, vine before me, and on the vine there was 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 I pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and then I placed the cup into Pharaoh's hand and then I placed the cup into 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 cup-bearer. Only remember me when it is well with you and please do me this 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 this pit.

Speaker 1: 13:33

In these verses we see that the dream of the chief cupbearer represented his normal duties to the king and it contained visions of vines, grapes and him placing a cup in Pharaoh's hand. The dream had multiple groups of threes. It had three branches, it had a vine that did three things it budded, blossomed and ripened. And the cup bearer did three things he took the grapes, he pressed them and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. And having heard this, joseph was immediately given insight and wisdom from God to recognize that those three branches symbolized three days. God also revealed to Joseph that in three days the Pharaoh would lift up the cupbearer's head. Now, that phrase for lifting up his head refers to elevating someone from a low position to an honored one. And finally, joseph confirms for the cupbearer that he will be restored to his former position, the cupbearer, that he will be restored to his former position. After doing so, joseph asks that the cupbearer would remember him when he obtains his freedom, and Joseph's request to remember him was that he would be taken out of the house of Potiphar altogether.

Speaker 1: 15:01

Joseph sums up his story to this officer of Pharaoh, who will be free, and he tells him how. He too was free in the land of the Hebrews and he was stolen and he was sold to Potiphar. Furthermore, he did nothing wrong against Potiphar or his household to end up here in this prison, potiphar or his household to end up here in this prison Verse 16. 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 the 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.

Speaker 1: 16:11

In verse 16, after the baker hears the good news and interpretation of the chief cupbearer. He considers that his dream is similar and he now wants his dream interpreted. He tells Joseph I also had a dream. And in revealing his dream, he reveals that his dream also reflects his duties to the king of Egypt. And there's a reference to three cake baskets on his head. However, rather than him giving the food in those cake baskets to Pharaoh, the birds are eating the food out of the uppermost cake basket.

Speaker 1: 16:54

And then Joseph was once again given insight from God to interpret the dream and the interpretation this time was not favorable. And the interpretation this time was not favorable. Joseph said that Pharaoh would lift up his head, but it would be lifted up off his body, and that he would hang from a tree and the birds would eat his flesh Verse 20. And on the third day, which was the Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all of 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. In verse 20, we're told that the third day was Pharaoh's birthday.

Speaker 1: 18:00

Now, in ancient Egypt, there was a custom to release prisoners on Pharaoh's birthday. This is actually documented through an archaeology find called the Rosetta Stone. However, as we see, the release of these two prisoners rendered two very different judgments. It would seem that, whatever investigation was ongoing during their imprisonment the imprisonment of the chief baker and chief cupbearer it was discovered that the offense against the king was laid upon the chief baker, who was found guilty, and the chief cupbearer found innocent. And all of this occurred on the third day, when the judgment of Pharaoh upon the chief cupbearer to restore him and the chief baker to execute him by hanging him on a tree was just as the Lord had spoken through Joseph. Yet, despite the perfection of the interpretations that God gave through Joseph, the cupbearer did not remember him, but rather he became distracted with his own life. However, the Lord will not forget Joseph and in the Lord's sovereign power and providence, he has an even greater plan for Joseph's deliverance. Join me next week as Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams. God bless you this week.