How often have you done something for someone hoping they may repay you, but they don’t? I know I have and at first it hurts. After a while it gets easier to deal with. Then, eventually you become used to it. You become desensitized, almost expecting people to fail you in life.
In chapter 40 & verse 23 of Genesis, this happens at the conclusion of the story. Joseph interprets the dreams for the Pharaoh’s chief cup bearer and chief baker who are in prison with him at the time. The baker is told he will be killed, so he cannot make, nor promise anything to Joseph. The cup bearer is not killed. He gets a free gift from Joseph in verse 12-15. Joseph asks the cup bearer to remember him, but he does not. We will deal with the rest of the story in part 6 of this devotion series. For now, let us focus on this part before moving on.
As we pick up the Joseph story in chapter 40:3 of Genesis, we find him still in prison. The writer does not give us an exact time frame, instead telling us, “...it came about after these things,” in verse 1. The Pharaoh is furious with his two officials, the chief cup bearer and the chief baker; so, he sends them to prison in the palace of the captain of the bodyguard. This is where Joseph was and he ended up caring for these two.
Both the cup bearer and baker had dreams on the same night. When Joseph saw that they were upset about their dreams, he interpreted their dreams for them. For me, how he decides to so do is most interesting. In verse 8 Joseph says, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” To me what stands out here is he does not explain that he is of God before saying this, and they do not seem to object to his assertion. At least the writer does not say they object to the assertion that Joseph is making. He is doing in saless what is called an assumptive close. He is assuming the sale to these two men on dreams being for God to interpret.
The thing to keep in mind when reading the ancient narratives of the Old Testament is what God is doing in the story. Do not get too wrapped up in the characters and put them on too much of a pedestal. I am not saying that using good characters as an example for practical application in your life (or others) is a bad thing either. The main point is that God works through each and every person, place, and event. Here, God is with Joseph and people just seem to know it. So, when Joseph goes on to tell them the interpretation of their dreams they accept it without much objection. He tells the cup bearer he will be released in three days back to his place in Pharaoh’s court (Genesis 40:12-13); he tells the baker that he will be killed and hung on a tree, then the birds will eat his flesh off (Genesis 40:18-19). Ouch!
These interpretations of dreams come true, once again proving God to be worthy of all glory. Not because the one guy received a blessing and the other received death; but because he predicted the truth and it came to pass, just as God said. He’s perfect! One thing to note here is at the end of the chapter, we find the cup bearer forgetting all about Joseph (Genesis 40:23). Like I said earlier in the second paragraph, we will address this more in the next chapter. Just to make a quick note about it though, isn’t this typical of human beings? We get and do not immediately have the instinct to give. We take and take, but do not think to replace. It is just another example here of how God is so right about us. We are selfish, sinful creatures by nature. Until next time, to God give the glory.
