1Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.
After they had been in custody for some time, 5each 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.
6When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. 7So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?"
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."
9So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11Pharaoh'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. 13Within 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. 14But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15For 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."
16When 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. 17In 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. 19Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh."
20Now 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: 21He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand, 22but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
23The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
Time rolls on for Joseph in prison. The monotony of imprisonment is broken only by his duties as the warden's assistant. "Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt... The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them" (vss. 1, 4). Since both the cupbearer and the baker were thrown into prison, one could infer that perhaps someone was poisoned in Pharaoh's household; and apparently, Pharaoh did not know who was guilty of the crime. He was quite possibly carrying on an investigation to determine the guilty party. In the meantime, both the cupbearer and the baker were thrown into prison, with Joseph to attend them. Joseph must have been well-respected to be chosen to attend prisoners who were so high up in Pharaoh's household. Though Joseph had every reason to mope (given that he was imprisoned unjustly), Joseph made the most of his situation, and became a faithful employee to the warden. We should have the same attitude as we go our about our work. We should follow Paul's exhortation: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Col. 3:17). All that we do, including the work we do for our bosses, should be done as if we were doing it for the Lord Jesus Himself. "Genuine loyalty to God will always express itself in absolute faithfulness in everyday duty."[1]
"After they had been in custody for some time, 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. When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master's house, `Why are your faces so sad today?'" (vss. 4-6). Note here that it was Joseph's true display of care for the officials that opened the door (so to speak) to the events that would eventually lead to his release. As a servant of these men in prison, Joseph could have chosen to be indifferent to them as he attended them. But Joseph chose to serve with care. And so, he noticed that "they were dejected." In the same way, we are not to go about in the world indifferent to the needs and feelings of those around us. Rather, we are to "look not only to [our] own interests, but to the interests of others" (Phil. 2:4). We are to feel for others, and "rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn" (Rom. 12:15). Our empathy is a powerful witness for God. Through our empathy, we demonstrate God's love. Thus, through our empathy, we can open doors to share the gospel of Christ.
The officials told Joseph why they were dejected: "We both had dreams... but there is no one to interpret them." Joseph answered: "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." (vs. 8). Joseph does not let an opportunity go by to exalt God. By unequivocally saying that "interpretations belong to God", Joseph is affirming that God is the Lord of our souls. Certainly, Freudians should read and heed this statement: "Do not interpretations belong to God?"
Also, Joseph steps out in faith here. He says first, "Do not interpretations belong to God?, and then, "Tell me your dreams", with the faith that somehow God will give him the interpretation. And indeed (as we shall see), God does give Joseph, there in prison, the gift of interpreting dreams. This gift would eventually be used to exalt Joseph to second-in-command of all Egypt, as we will see next month.
"So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, `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 hand.'" (vss. 9-11). The cupbearer, who knew in his heart that he was innocent of any crimes against Pharaoh, was probably more anxious to hear the interpretation, so he related his dream first.
Joseph immediately, with the help of God (of course), gave the cupbearer the true interpretation of the dream: "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" (vss. 12-13). Note that Joseph's interpretation was not vague, but very explicit. In fact, his interpretation would be tested within a matter of days. Within three days, the officials would know whether Joseph was a true or false prophet of God.
Joseph accompanied his interpretation with a request: "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" (vss. 14-15). Joseph (prophetically for himself) sees this interpretation as an opportunity to somehow be released from prison, so he enlists the cupbearer to help him in this. Make no mistake, despite his godly attitude through his affliction, Joseph must surely have hated being in prison.
Upon hearing the "favorable interpretation" of the cupbearer's dream, the baker was now expecting a favorable interpretation (since their dreams were so similar). And so (despite his knowledge that he himself was guilty), he now does not hesitate to relate his dream: "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" (vss. 16-17).
Joseph, however, does not fulfill his expectation of a favorable interpretation. Instead, he tells the truth, without hesitation: "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" (vss. 18-19). Joseph shows courage in giving this dire prediction to a high official of Pharaoh's court. Yet, he does not hesitate to relate to him God's truth. Many ministers of God's Word shy away from the truths of God's Word that they think will be unpleasant to their hearers. In this, they fail as ministers of God's Word. The Word of God must be taught completely and accurately. No one enjoys speaking of the eternal punishment that is in store for those who do not accept Christ's sacrifice. No one enjoys being the bearer of bad news. However, in order to effectively communicate the good news, one must also communicate the bad news.
Joseph was proved to be a true prophet within three days: "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: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh's hand, but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation" (vss. 20-22). Upon hearing news of this, Joseph undoubtedly expectantly awaited his own release, since he requested that the cupbearer put in a good word for him to Pharaoh. Sadly for Joseph, "the chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him" (vs. 23). We learn in the next chapter that two full years passed before Joseph was remembered. Joseph could very easily have been plunged into despair as he awaited deliverance every hour, not knowing that he was forgotten. And though undoubtedly Joseph experienced moments of desperation, he continued to be faithful to God, and wait on His timing. Surely, despite appearances, God was not inactive during this period of time. God was building Joseph's character, making him strong in the Lord, so that he could withstand the temptations that he would be bombarded with as second-in-command of all Egypt. We see in the Bible that God's best servants--Joseph, Moses, David, Paul, Jesus Himself, et. al.--were forced to endure a period of growth before their ministry commenced in full force. "Some might have thought that the forty years spent by Moses in Midian keepng sheep, were unworthy of the man's position; but the keeping of the sheep was the making of Moses. So also these two years of quiet endurance in prison went far to make Joseph the fine man he afterwards became... Training, whether physical or moral, must necessarily be attended with hardship; and those whom God uses most have to be trained in the hardest schools."[2] As the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews points out: "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (Heb. 12:11).