Genesis 40
1Some time later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended him. 2Pharaoh became very angry with these officials, 3and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of Potiphar, the captain of the guard. 4They remained in prison for quite some time, and Potiphar assigned Joseph to take care of them.
5One night the cup-bearer and the baker each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning. 6The next morning Joseph noticed the dejected look on their faces. 7“Why do you look so worried today?” he asked.
8And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but there is no one here to tell us what they mean.”
“Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Tell me what you saw.”
9The cup-bearer told his dream first. “In my dream,” he said, “I saw a vine in front of me. 10It had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon there were clusters of ripe grapes. 11I was holding Pharaoh’s wine cup in my hand, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into it. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12“I know what the dream means,” Joseph said. “The three branches mean three days. 13Within three days Pharaoh will take you out of prison and return you to your position as his chief cup-bearer. 14And please have some pity on me when you are back in his favor. Mention me to Pharaoh, and ask him to let me out of here. 15For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in jail, but I did nothing to deserve it.”
16When the chief baker saw that the first dream had such a good meaning, he told his dream to Joseph, too. “In my dream,” he said, “there were three baskets of pastries on my head. 17In the top basket were all kinds of bakery goods for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them.”
18“I’ll tell you what it means,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets mean three days. 19Three days from now Pharaoh will cut off your head and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh.”
20Pharaoh’s birthday came three days later, and he gave a banquet for all his officials and household staff. He sent for his chief cup-bearer and chief baker, and they were brought to him from the prison. 21He then restored the chief cup-bearer to his former position, 22but he sentenced the chief baker to be impaled on a pole, just as Joseph had predicted. 23Pharaoh’s cup-bearer, however, promptly forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought. (Genesis 40:1-23, NLT)
The Daily DAVEotional
Genesis 40 is a critical chapter in the story of Joseph and shows that God’s hand is on Joseph’s life despite the unfavorable circumstances in which he finds himself.
Whatever situation Joseph encounters, he thrives. Even in prison, he separates himself as highly proficient and trustworthy, putting himself in a position of authority over others.
When the chief baker and chief cupbearer end up in prison, Joseph is assigned to oversee them.
After some time, they both come to Joseph to interpret dreams that they each had. Joseph’s interpretations are spot on – events unfold exactly as Joseph predicts based on his interpretation of the dreams.
After giving the cup-bearer a positive interpretation of his dream, Joseph implores the cup-bearer to “please have some pity on me when you are back in his [Pharaoh’s] favor. Mention me to Pharaoh, and ask him to let me out of here.”
However, after the cup-bearer is restored to his previous position of service to Pharaoh, the text says that he “promptly forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.”
It’s amazing to me that the cup-bearer could so quickly forget about Joseph and his uncanny ability to interpret dreams. I think this passage illustrates a principle of human nature, which is that we are inclined to forget the role others play in the blessings we experience.
Personally, I tend to attribute successes in life to my own hard work, ingenuity and perseverance while often explaining my failures and short-comings as being the result of the incompetence or inadequacies of others.
The truth is that in our human pride and arrogance, we can tend to overemphasize our own abilities and efforts while minimizing the impact and contribution of others.
The cup-bearer illustrates how many people react when things go well – they go on their merry way without giving any thought to how they got where they’re at and who may have contributed to the blessings they are experiencing.
Joseph, by contrast, recognizes that God is the one who has gifted him with the ability to interpret dreams and he’s is quick to credit God instead of lifting himself up.
Reflection
In what ways can you relate to Joseph and in what ways can you relate to the Cup-bearer?
What is generally your response when things are going well? Do you tend to recognize the positive role others played in your circumstances or are you more likely to take the full credit for your good fortune?
Who is someone in your life that you have “promptly forgotten” in terms of recognizing the positive role they have played in your life? What steps can you take to ensure you recognize and acknowledge the roles God and others have played in your life’s circumstances?
Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash
The Lowedown 