Bible Study Online Article

In the last article we learnt that in spite of his troubles, Joseph was now promoted within the prison that he was now serving his time in, to a position that was second only to the prison warden.

With this new position, Joseph was now placed in charge of all the prisoners, within the King's Prison.

Now we've come to the point where its been revealed that Pharaoh's cupbearer and chief baker had been sent to the very same prison that Joseph was in charge of.

Because of Joseph's position within the King's Prison the cupbearer and the chief baker were placed under his watch.

Now we fast-forward a bit, and we now find that after the cupbearer and the chief baker had been in prison for some time (we're not told a specific length of time), but the Sacred Record has revealed that the cupbearer and the chief baker each had a dream during the same night. Understand that these weren't some vain or idle dreams, but dreams that held some type of meaning.

Needless-to-say, the cupbearer and the chief baker would become very bothered and sadden by these dreams that they just had. They were bothered so-much-so, that when Joseph had come in to begin his day, he noticed how dejected the two were looking: "Why are your faces so sad today?" Joseph asked them both.

After hearing this from Joseph, they both responded by saying: "We both had dreams, but there is no one to interpret them." But Joseph responded back to them by saying: "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams."

Starting with the chief cupbearer, they would begin to tell Joseph about their dreams: "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup in his hands." After hearing this, Joseph responded:

"This is what it means; the three branches are three days. 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. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 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." -- Genesis40:12-15

Now I want to take a moment and point to something that I find to be very interesting within this reply from Joseph. Not necessary in regards to what Joseph had interpreted the dream to be, but what he said afterwards: "But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison."

This statement is what I find to be very interesting, since Joseph was asking the cupbearer to remember him when he gets out of prison and to put in a good word when he comes before the Pharaoh. Now, I'm not suggesting that Joseph was wrong to want to get out of prison... but he was wrong for not fully trusting God. He displayed this lack of trust by asking the cupbearer to help him to get out of his current ordeal.

Now think about this for a moment, for we all seem to make this same mistake. Apparently Joseph didn't completely recognize how God was moving and providing for him in his life, while he was being forced down a path that he didn't want to venture forth on. Understand that Joseph wasn't able to track God movements in his ordeal, for if he could, Joseph would have recognized that the Lord was constantly making the best provisions for him in spite of his current horrid living conditions.

Notice how, whenever Joseph was moved to a different phase, or place, during this stressful season in his life -- God was there to turn what seemed like a bad situation, into an arrangement that worked in Joseph's favor. But Joseph's perception was limited to his natural surroundings, so therefore he couldn't recognize what the Lord was trying to do for him when it came to his overall life.

Like I stated earlier, these are the same mistakes we also seem to make, being that we tend to focus more on our current situations, instead of what God is trying to do for us overall. Because of this, we fail to cast a broader view when it comes to our current situation, or ordeal that we are concerned with. To put it simply, we have to learn how to look at things that takes us beyond or natural perception of things. If we learn how to do this, then we will be able to see the many different things that God is doing from within the so-called dire situation we sometimes find ourselves in.

We constantly make the mistake of becoming so focused on the problem, that we fail to see how God is allowing us to benefit overall from the situation, in spite of the problem. Being that these benefits aren't coming in the type of blessing package that we've had hoped they would come in, continues to keep us from recognizing them for what they truly are, which is God using our current ordeal to prepare and equip us for bigger things.

But we never make it to this point, being that we tend to give up and turn our backs on God and so therefore, the lesson of enduring and trusting fully in God has to be learned over and over again. Therefore creating a vicious cycle of disappointments and setbacks, within our lives.

If we were to really look at Joseph's situation, one could wonder: "Could the cupbearer do more for Joseph then the Lord can?" I mean really, at best, the cupbearer could have gotten Joseph freed from prison. But then what? Yes I know he would be a free man, but what good is a man being free if he's render to a state of idleness?

Perhaps Joseph would have become a wanderer of some sort, who ends up searching for a path that would eventually lead him to his true purpose? This is possible. But this would have been a lesson relearned on his part, being that he would have failed to realize that the path in which he truly seeks, is the one he just departed from.

This is why we most recognize the tremendous value that we get from the Sacred Record, for we can see how God provides and reacts to our present situations in life. The Word of God reassures us that the Lord is always near and working hard on our behalf.

Now let's move forward... The Scriptures have now placed the focus towards the chief baker. Being that he had just seen Joseph give the cupbearer a very favorable dream interpretation when it came to his dream. Needless-to-say, this encourages him to proceed in asking Joseph to also interpret the dream that he just had as well:

"I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. 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."

After hearing the dream that the chief baker had just told him, Joseph gives his interpretation: "This is what it means: The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh." -- Genesis 40:18,19

Okay...?

Needless-to-say, this wasn't the type of dream interpretation the chief baker was expecting.

Now ironically on the third day after Joseph had interpreted the dreams of the two men, we are now told that this day would be Pharaoh's birthday. Because of this, a great feast was thrown in his honor and at that event, we now find that Pharaoh had the cupbearer and the chief baker presented before all his officials.

The Egyptian Ruler would lift up the heads of the cupbearer and the chief baker and just like Joseph had foretold, the cupbearer was restored to his old position. So once again he would put the cup into Pharaoh's hands. But when it came to the chief baker, we find that he was hanged just like Joseph had interpreted (foretold).

Be that as it may, the cupbearer did not remember Joseph like he had promised and just like that, he was forgotten. This is why we have to learn how to trust in God and not in man. For we must always remember that God will never fail us and man will only use and disappoint us: especially when it comes to helping him complete his own personal agenda.

Pharaoh has a dream that no one can interpret for him... or so it seems - Being that the cupbearer had forgotten Joseph... does this mean that God did as well? Will Pharaoh's magicians and royal officials be able to help him discern his dream?

The Introduction of Abraham

The Birth of Isaac

The Birth of Esau & Jacob

Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty

Jacob - Wrestles with God

**YOUR CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES WOULD BE HERE**

Joseph the Overseer of Egypt

67) The Descendants of Esau

68) Joseph the Favorite Son

69) Joseph the Interpreter of Dreams

70) Joseph & The Murder Plot

71) Joseph & The Pit of Darkness

72) Jacob the Father of Sorrow

73) The Importance of Judah's History

74) Judah's Early Household

75) The Reaping Season of Judah

76) Tamar's Revenge

77) Tamar's Vindication

78) Joseph the Servant of Favor

79) Potiphar's Wife Lies on Joseph

80) Joseph Goes to Prison

81) Joseph the Promoted

82) <-CURRENT PAGE->

83) Pharaoh's Dark Dreams

84) Joseph's Dark Dreams Interpretation

85) Joseph the Overseer of Egypt