October 1998
Genesis Chapter 40
In our last segment, we learned that after Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers (who told their father Jacob) that their brother had been killed by a wild animal), he was blessed by the Lord, and advanced in rank under the captain of the Pharaoh’s guard. He ran into trouble when he turned down the romantic interest of the wife of his master. He was then thrown into jail based on the lies of the wife.
Chapter 40 of Genesis finds Joseph in prison with two others who had fallen out of favor with the Pharaoh — the chief of the butlers and the chief of the bakers. Joseph was told by the captain of the prison guard to oversee and care for the two men.
After several months in prison, Joseph walked in on the two and found them greatly saddened. The two stated they had dreams overnight, but no one to interpret the dreams.
"Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you" Joseph told them. Gen. 40:8.
The chief butler explained that his dream was that of a grape vine with three branches. The vine budded and bloomed and produced clusters of grapes. The dream was further that the butler took the grapes and squeezed juice into the cup of the Pharaoh. Joseph told him the dream meant that in three days he would be released and restored to his former high place by the Pharaoh and would again be serving wine unto the Pharaoh.
In return for interpreting the dream, Joseph asked the butler to show kindness to Joseph by speaking well of him to the Pharaoh in order Joseph would be released from prison where he was wrongfully being held.
The chief baker then asked for interpretation of his dream. The baker said he dreamed about carrying three white baskets on his head, with the top basket full of baked goods for the Pharaoh. However, he said he dreamed that while the baskets were on his head, birds swooped down and ate everything from the top basket before he could get it to the Pharaoh.
Joseph told him the dream meant that in three days the Pharaoh would take the life of the chief baker.
Three days later it was Pharaoh’s birthday. The Pharaoh prepared a feast for all his servants. Pharaoh released the butler from prison and restored the butler to his former job serving as the chief butler. But as for the baker, the Pharaoh had him hanged. Both dreams were as Joseph had interpreted.
And the butler, to whom Joseph had asked to be remembered favorably to the Pharaoh, forgot Joseph and failed to mention him to the Pharaoh.
Next: Joseph interprets the dream of the Pharaoh; Joseph made a ruler.