1 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
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.
4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.
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.
6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.
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?
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.
9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
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:
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.
12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:
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.
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.
21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand:
22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
1. Pharaoh’s chief butler and baker are placed in prison with Joseph.
2. Both the butler and baker have dreams.
3. Joseph interprets the dreams.
4. The baker is hanged and the butler returns to his service under Pharaoh.
Verses 1–22. Between 1800 and 1600 BC, Egypt’s Middle Kingdom was in full swing, and Egypt was about to reach the zenith of its power and glory. This kingdom constituted the very heart of civilization in the ancient world. After the disintegration of Nimrod’s kingdom, Egypt became an unequalled economic and technological powerhouse in the ancient world. It was a nation populated by millions of people and governed by an autocratic Pharaoh. We read very little about the kingdom of Egypt in this historical survey. Instead, we learn about a small jail cell and one solitary man incarcerated there in the middle of this gigantic empire.
Our God is not the disinterested god of the deists. He never leaves the empires of men entirely alone throughout the annals of world history. Before the Great Flood, human civilization centralized power through mighty men. These Nephilim unleashed unspeakable violence and unmitigated evil on the world, but it wasn’t long before God intervened. After He destroyed the first world, powerful men again assembled a tower on the plains of Babel to make “a name for themselves.” So God showed up on the scene once again and dispersed their little conspiracy. Since that time, He has never permitted another unified worldwide government to operate in competition with the Creator.
Throughout the rest of the biblical historical record, you will find God’s people wandering into the very center of man’s most important empires. Scripture tells of Joseph in Egypt, Jonah in Assyria, Daniel in Babylon, Esther in Persia, and Jesus’ Apostles in Rome. God works His agenda quietly, doing what seems to the masses to be an inauspicious project. Few may be aware of what He is doing as He builds His own kingdom and works His own purposes within the kingdoms of men. But the kingdoms of men always rot and eventually collapse under their own weight. All the while, God’s project continues to prosper from generation to generation, expanding from a narrow slice of territory on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea to every continent across this wide globe.
But as Joseph lay in this ignoble prison deep in the heart of Egypt, we are told that Yahweh God was right there, chained beside him, as it were. As the story unfolds, we find that Joseph was promoted to the second highest position in the land. But how did he make it to that position? If history is God’s story then you know it will be interesting. Each element of the story is nothing less than the providential outworking of His sovereign plan. This story is a living illustration of the sovereignty of God in action. Without question, He fully intended that both Pharaoh’s butler and baker would end up in the same prison cell with Joseph. He planted the prophetic dreams in their minds and then provided Joseph with the right interpretation of the dreams. In order to foretell the future infallibly, one would have to infallibly control all future events. Thus, only the true and living God can issue any authoritative prophetic word, because only this one God is in sovereign control of the future. There is no man, no government, no power, and no other god who can possibly thwart His plans. If His prophecies will infallibly prove themselves true, no act of free will on the part of any one of the millions of people in the land of Egypt could possibly contravene the intention of the Sovereign in any part of the execution of His sovereign plan.
Verse 23. After interpreting the butler’s dream by God’s special revelatory wisdom, Joseph asked the butler to appeal Joseph’s case to the Pharaoh. While such appeals are appropriate for any godly man who seeks justice in earthly courts, there is a Judge over the whole earth who always does what is right. And God’s plans and purposes far exceeded anything Joseph expected at this point. All Joseph wanted was a “Get-Out-of-Jail-Free” card, but the Lord God had other plans for his life. In fact, God’s purposes and plans involved a sequence of events that would stretch out over 400 years. Eventually, He would bring this Egyptian Empire to its knees in a spectacular redemption story. With all of this in mind, God was planning a promotion for His “jailbird.” It would be a promotion to the second most powerful position in the empire. However, it would be another two years before the Lord was ready to work His plan for Joseph’s release in the unfolding saga.
1. Let us always trust that God is working through each and every event of our lives. Even when things appear to be going badly for us, even though we may have to wait in a solitary prison cell for five long years, we must know that God is working His purposes through it. This calls for patience as we wait, and trust in God’s perfect will. Let us also follow Joseph’s example, and serve faithfully wherever He puts us.
2. How many times have men failed us just like the butler failed Joseph in this story? Men will let us down, but God never will. It behooves us, therefore, to put our confidence more in God than in men.
3. In the matter of these visions in the minds of men, we must see God as the source of every thought, every premonition, and every dream. Some dreams may carry more significance for us and may proffer some special insight. But it is dangerous for any of us to claim the same absolute, prophetic authority retained by the prophets of biblical times. Nor should we say that we can infallibly discern the meaning or import of dreams. We may easily misinterpret them, and our own deceitful hearts may misdirect us. This is particularly true if our thoughts are not framed by the truth of God’s Word and directed by His Spirit.
1. What are the themes of Chapters 1 through 40?
2. What men were imprisoned with Joseph?
3. Why do you think God brought these men into the prison?
4. Which of these two men survived?
5. How is it possible that God infallibly foretells the future?
6. What is the sovereignty of God?
1. What is the most severe trial our family has undergone to this point? Looking back at that trial today, can you see how God was working through it?
2. Can you see God’s hand working in the empires of our present day? Do you think there are any Josephs and Daniels operating in the largest empires in the world?