I.
Joseph as prison overseer (Genesis 40:1-4)
a.
Genesis
40:1 – And it came to pass
after these things, [that] the butler of the king of Egypt Egypt
§
Butler
§
Baker – אפה
'aphah, verb, to bake
§
Offended – חטא
chata', verb, to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt,
forfeit, purify from uncleanness
b.
Genesis
40:2 – And Pharaoh was wroth
against two [of] his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against
the chief of the bakers.
§
It is difficult
to speculate as to the why Pharaoh imprisoned his officers because as Pharaoh,
a de facto dictator, he could basically imprison anyone for anything. Some have surmised that due to the
seriousness of the punishment there was an attempt made on Pharaoh’s life and
they were sent to prison pending an investigation.
o
Ultimately they
were sent to prison to fulfill the purpose that God had determined for them,
unknowingly assisting Joseph.
o
The offense that
sent these two officers to prison is not important to the understanding of the
story and therefore was left out.
§
Luke 23:32 -33 -
And there were also two other,
malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which
is called Calvary , there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one
on the right hand, and the other on the left.
o
This passage of
Joseph in prison with the two prominent prisoners appears to have some
parallels to Jesus’ experience on the cross between the two thieves.
o
Isaiah
53:12 - Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with
the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath
poured out his soul unto death: and he
was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
-
Like Jesus,
Joseph was numbered with the transgressors.
-
We see Joseph
also made intercession later in this chapter by interpreting their dreams
c.
Genesis
40:3 – And he put them in
ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where
Joseph [was] bound.
d.
Genesis
40:4 – And the captain of the
guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season
in ward.
§
Who was the
captain of the guard?
o
Genesis
39:1 – And Joseph was brought
down to Egypt; and Potiphar,
an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the
guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which
had brought him down thither.
o
Unless Potiphar
wasdead, promoted, fired or retired he was the captain of the guard and he,
Potiphar himself placed these two high ranking officials under the care of
Joseph.
-
There is no
indication that the captain of the guard was anyone other than Potiphar.
o
It seems as
though Joseph has been restored to a position of trust with Potiphar
-
Compare Potipphar
to Pontius Pilate?
-
Luke 23:4
- Then said Pilate to the
chief priests and [to] the people, I find no fault in this man.
i. Could it be that like Pontius Pilate who could find no
fault in Jesus, Potiphar found no fault in Joseph, but for the same reason that
Pontius Pilate could not release Jesus (that being political pressure from the
Jews) Potiphar could not release Joseph (releasing Joseph it would acknowledge
that his wife was adulterous and made
advances on Joseph, a tremendous embarrassment for his household)
§
“a season” - יום
yowm, masculine noun, day, time, year
o
Jasher 46:5 –
And the captain of the guard placed Joseph as an attendant on Pharaoh’s
officers, and Pharoah’s officers were in confinement one year.
II.
Joseph hears the dreams of the cupbearer (Genesis
40:5-11)
a.
Genesis
40:5 – And they dreamed a
dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the
interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt,
which [were] bound in the prison.
§
“According to the
interpretation” – each dream had its own meaning
§
Another example
of certain dreams coming from God as a sign, these dreams were given to the cup
bearer and the baker for the purpose of elevating Joseph.
§
Such a trivial
thing as a dream can be used to accomplish amazing miracles, how important it
was for these two to have their dreams and to communicate them to Joseph. God works through both the righteous and
unrighteous.
b.
Genesis
40:6 – And Joseph came in
unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they [were] sad.
§
Remember Joseph
is a prisoner too, yet rather than focusing on his own problems he takes the
time to notice that those under his care are sad.
c.
Genesis
40:7 – And he asked Pharaoh's
officers that [were] with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore
look ye [so] sadly to day?
§
How often do we
look at others, see their sadness and continue without saying a word? Joseph shows his concern for his fellow man
by inquiring of them the reason for their sadness.
o
Matthew 22:37 -40 -
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets.
o
Joseph
demonstrates his obedience to both of these commandments, the first is
demonstrated in chapter 39 and the second here.
§
If Joseph did not
inquire as to the reason for their sadness, would they ever have confided in
him to tell him of their dreams?
§
How often are we
missing out on a word or an experience that God wants us to hear, simply
because we don’t ask, we don’t talk, we don’t engage people?
o
This is harder
for some than others
d.
Genesis
40:8 – And they said unto
him, We have dreamed a dream, and [there is] no interpreter of it. And Joseph
said unto them, [Do] not interpretations [belong] to God? tell me [them], I
pray you.
§
Not sad because
they are in prison
§
Not sad because
of the dream
§
Sad because they
don’t know the meaning of the dream
o
How many dreams
do we have, strange dreams that we never understand the meaning? Are we sad about that? Should we be sad about that?
§
“Do not
interpretations belong to God?” We have
many examples where God communicates to humans through dreams both in the Old
and New Testements.
o
Genesis
20:3 – But God came to Abimelech in a dream
by night, and said to him, Behold, thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman
which thou hast taken; for she [is] a man's wife.
-
God gave
Abimelech himself the interpretation
o
Genesis
31:11-12 – And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream,
[saying], Jacob: And I said, Here [am] I.
And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap
upon the cattle [are] ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all
that Laban doeth unto thee.
o
Genesis 31:24 – And
God came to Laban the Syrian in a
dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to
Jacob either good or bad.
o
Numbers 12:6 – And
he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, [I] the LORD will
make myself known unto him in a vision, [and] will speak unto him in a dream.
o
Judges
7:13-15 - And when Gideon was
come, behold, [there was] a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said,
Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the
host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned
it, that the tent lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This [is]
nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel
o
1 Kings
3:5 – In Gibeon
the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
o
Jeremiah
23:28-29 – The prophet that
hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he
that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What [is] the
chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. [Is]
not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaketh
the rock in pieces?
o
Daniel 1:17 - As
for these four children, God gave them
knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions
and dreams.
o
Joel 2:28 – And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see
visions:
o
Matthew 1:20 – But
while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son
of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Ghost.
o
Matthew
2:13 – And when they were
departed, behold, the angel of the
Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young
child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee
word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
o
Matthew 2:19 – But
when Herod was dead, behold, an angel
of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
o
Matthew
27:19 - When he was set down
on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do
with that just man: for I have
suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
§
Most dreams are
likely not revelations from God and therefore we must be discerning when
considering dreams.
o
Ecclesiastes
5:3 – For a dream cometh
through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice [is known] by multitude
of words.
-
Dreams usually
(but not always) come because of our business in life and not necessarily from
God.
o
Ecclesiastes
5:7 - For in the multitude of
dreams and many words [there are] also [divers] vanities: but fear thou God.
§
Being officers of
Pharaoh, they would have had access to the soothsayers who provide false
interpretations of dreams. Here they
have access to one who interprets through the power of the Holy Spirit, and
they long for the imposters. There are
also passages that warn us of false prophets who use dreams as a means of
deception:
o
Deuteronomy
13:1-3 – If there arise among
you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And
the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us
go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of
that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth
you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all
your soul.
o
Jeremiah 23:25 -27 -
I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I
have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall [this] be in the heart of the
prophets that prophesy lies? yea,
[they are] prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my
people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his
neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
e.
Genesis
40:9 – And the chief butler
told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine [was]
before me;
f.
Genesis
40:10 – And in the vine
[were] three branches: and it [was] as though it budded, [and] her blossoms
shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
§
Notice how God
used things that were familiar to the cup-bearer in his dream and we will see
the same with the baker. This shows that
God speaks to us in a way that we can understand using things in our lives that
we are accustomed to in order to tell us something important.
§
John 15:5
- I am the vine, ye [are] the
branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
g.
Genesis
40:11 – And Pharaoh's cup
[was] in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup,
and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.
III.
Joseph interprets the dream of the cup-bearer
(Genesis 40:12-15)
a.
Genesis
40:12 – And Joseph said unto
him, This [is] the interpretation of it: The three branches [are] three days:
b.
Genesis
40:13 – Yet within three days
shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou
shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou
wast his butler.
§
Luke 23:43 - And
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in
paradise.
o
Joseph tells the
cup bearer that in three days he shall be restored to his place, likewise
Christ tells the repentant thief that today he will be in paradise.
c.
Genesis
40:14 – But think on me when
it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make
mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:
§
Luke 23:42 -
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
o
We have a
reversal of roles, here Joseph asks the servant to remember him when he is
restored to the palace. Contrast this to
the repentant thief asking Christ to remember him when He enters His kingdom.
o
The cup-bearer
forgot his promise, but Christ did not forget His promise
d.
Genesis
40:15 – For indeed I was
stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing
that they should put me into the dungeon.
§
Was Joseph right
in asking this of the cup-bearer?
o
Does it show a
lack of faith or resourcefulness?
o
Recall that
Joseph was already given his destiny in the dreams he relayed to his family
§
Once again Joseph
does not blame anyone for his tribulation by name
o
He did not
mention his brothers who sold him
o
He did not
mention Potiphar’s wife who gave false testimony
IV.
Joseph hears and interprets the dream of the
baker (Genesis 40:16-19)
a.
Genesis
40:16 – When the chief baker
saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also [was] in my
dream, and, behold, [I had] three white baskets on my head:
§
The baker was
enthusiastic to tell Joseph his dream, sometimes its better not to know.
b.
Genesis
40:17 – And in the uppermost
basket [there was] of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did
eat them out of the basket upon my head.
c.
Genesis
40:18 – And Joseph answered
and said, This [is] the interpretation thereof: The three baskets [are] three
days:
d.
Genesis
40:19 – Yet within three days
shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree;
and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
§
Luke 23:39 - And
one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be
Christ, save thyself and us.
o
The thief on the
left had no faith and was not rewarded as the thief on the right
§
Joseph is no
respecter of man he tells the bad interpretation the same as the good
interpretation.
o
What kind of
lessons can we learn from Joseph here?
o
Its always
difficult to tell someone bad news, but Joseph delivers the message, just like
a prophet of God.
V.
Joseph’s interpretations come to pass (Genesis
40:20-23)
a.
Genesis
40:20 – And it came to pass
the third day, [which was] Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all
his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief
baker among his servants.
§
The baker
probably did not enjoy those last three days of his life as much as if he did
not know the interpretation of his dream.
b.
Genesis
40:21 – And he restored the
chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's
hand:
c.
Genesis
40:22 – But he hanged the
chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
§
Even though we
know that interpretations come from God, He gave Joseph the gift of
interpretation and here we see that Joseph
had interpreted as the instrument of God.
d.
Genesis
40:23 – Yet did not the chief
butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
§
Psalm 118:9
- [It is] better to trust in
the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
o
We cannot expect
too little from man nor too much from God. Matthew
Henry’s Commentary
§
Amos 6:6 - That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with
the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
o The story of Joseph is alluded to for the purpose
pronouncing judgment on His enemies
In summary, Genesis Chapter
40 seems to be a “type” of the
crucifixion. Picking up from chapter 39,
Joseph is innocent yet is judged by Potiphar and sent to prison. Christ is innocent, judged by Pontius Pilot
and sent to the Cross. Jesus, while on
the Cross, encounters two thieves sentenced to the same punishment as Him. Joseph encounters two prisoners who are
sentenced to the same punishment as himself.
The thief on the right, repents of his wickedness, Jesus tells him that
today he will be with Him in paradise.
The cup-bearer tells Joseph his dream who tells him that he will be
restored to his place in Pharaoh’s palace.
The thief on the left does not repent and and for all we know dies in
his sin. The baker tells Joseph his
dream who tells him that he is condemned to be executed. Joseph asks the cup-bearer to remember him
when he is in the presence of Pharaoh.
In a reversal of roles the thief asks Jesus to remember him when He
comes into His kingdom. The cup-bearer,
representing man, forgets Joseph. Jesus
does not forget those in his care.
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