Please turn in your bibles to Genesis 40. We began looking at the life of Joseph several weeks ago. As a young man Joseph was given some dreams that obviously showed his position of authority over his family. This led to his brothers hatred, which led to their selling Joseph as a slave.
Last week we saw Joseph rise to the main servant in Potiphar’s house. However, when he refused to sleep with Potiphar’s wife she accused him of attempting to rape her. And we ended on the note that the consequences for Joseph’s obedience to God was that Potiphar threw him into prison.
Next week we will finally see Joseph’s rise to power, but in our passage this morning Joseph is waiting in prison.
Before we read this passage let us look to the Lord in prayer for his help in understanding it.
Genesis 39:21-40:23
21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
40 Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.
5 And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” 8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”
9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10 and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” 12 Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. 13 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”
16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, 17 and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” 18 And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 19 In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”
20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
This is the Word of the LORD.
Why would Moses tell such a lengthy story that ultimately amounts to nothing? Joseph’s actions in this chapter will lead to his opportunity to interpret Pharaoh’s dream in the next chapter, but there is more to it than that. This chapter has every reason to close with Joseph increasing in bitterness and rebellion against God. But instead we see a man who perseveres regardless of his circumstances.
The main point I want us to consider from this text is that God’s provision enables our perseverance.
You might think such a simple statement would be accepted by most Christians today, but many add qualifiers. They might acknowledge that God does most of the work. They might even say that God does almost all of the work. But according to some, God does not provide all things necessary for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).
More specifically, I am speaking of persevering in the face of suffering. The reason Joseph perseveres is because of the way God provides for him. Chapter 39 opens and closes with the phrase: “The Lord was with Joseph” (Gen. 39:2, 21). The implications of the Lord’s presence in Joseph’s life is that He is the one preserving him. The passage breaks down into three sections, each dealing with an aspect of God’s provision in Joseph’s life.
First, we will see that God Provides Favor (39:21-23). Second, we’ll note how God Provides Wisdom (40:1-15). And third, we will consider how God Provides Integrity (40:16-23).
God Provides Favor (39:21-23)
In this first section we find language we have already heard before. The chapter began with Joseph having favor in the house of Potiphar (Gen. 39:2-6). Now, we see Joseph receiving the same kind of favor with the keeper of the prison. This parallel prepares us for the disappointment that concludes this passage (Gen. 40:23).
Remember where Joseph has been up to this point. He has essentially lost everything. Stripped of his robe. Stripped of his family. Now in prison he has been stripped of his reputation by the false accusations of Potiphar’s wife. He’s gone from one pit to another. Joseph’s enslavement and subsequent imprisonment will last for 13 years. He was seventeen when he was sold into slavery (Gen. 37:2) and he will be thirty when he is released (Gen. 41:46).
Psalm 105:16-19 tells us,
“When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.”
Yet, the Lord was with him (Gen. 39:21)! He was blessed because the Lord was with him. God is faithful to Joseph and shows him steadfast love. And he establishes him in a favorable position with the keeper of the prison. Joseph knows, as he will tell his brother later, that God intends all of this for good (Gen. 50:20).
Kids, some of you are learning the Westminster Shorter Catechism. If you know it, recite the answer to Question #11 with me: What are God’s works of providence? God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all His creatures and all their actions.
The life of Joseph is an example of what that answer is saying. Through Joseph’s trials, God was about to preserve the nation of Israel, the nation of Egypt, and indeed all of the surrounding nations who were about to suffer from the coming famine.
God provides favor even in difficult circumstances. Let’s remember where Joseph is! Maybe you find yourself in the midst of a trial and the last thing you feel is the favor of God.
By the end of this chapter Joseph is forgotten! The cupbearer would be the one who would eventually lead to Joseph’s release, but it would not come for another two years (Gen. 41:1)! Now, we know that God intends these circumstances for good. But that is quite easy to say. It’s just hard to rest in it.
We might understand if Joseph were to grow bitter over the course of these two years. His hope of the cupbearer returning the favor would slowly fade into despair and eventual anger. That would be understandable. And maybe that is what you tell yourself all the time.
Many of you are in distressing circumstances right now. You are asking with the psalmist “How long O Lord?” When will we have some relief? When will things turn for the good at my work? When will things begin to turn in my marriage? When will I have victory over a particular sin? When will I have a spouse? When will we have a child?
There are so many questions you might be asking of God right now. Go ahead and ask them. God is not burdened by them. But learn from the example of Joseph that when we submit to God’s will, we also submit to his perfect timing. Rather than growing in bitterness, we should be growing in patience.
Eventually we will be able to “Trace the rainbow through the rain.” We will begin to see the favor God has shown us despite our difficult circumstances.
Not only does God provide favor, but…
God Provides Wisdom (40:1-15)
In this next section we see Joseph interacting with the chief cupbearer. Because of the favor God has given Joseph with his keeper, he is placed in charge of the two officers. These weren’t simply servants, they were nobleman holding positions of great honor. And they were troubled by dreams.
If I were in Joseph’s shoes, I would have a hard time telling these men that their dreams meant anything. I could imagine Joseph saying “I’ve had a couple of dreams, and they never amounted to anything. In fact, I’m here in prison today because I told those dreams to my family.”
But that’s not at all what Joseph says. He answers unexpectedly. He still trusts God despite the lack of fulfillment of his own dreams (Gen. 40:8). His faith is not getting any weaker as we might expect.
God grants Joseph the ability to interpret the dreams with ease. Then Joseph seeks the favor of the cupbearer asking him to remember him (Gen. 40:14-15). “Remember” has occurred five times prior to this verse and each time it refers to God’s faithfulness. Some have questioned whether Joseph’s faith is wavering because he is looking to man rather than God to be remembered. Only the hyper-spiritual would question Joseph’s motives.
Joshua is a wiseman who led the original readers into the Promised Land. Compare Gen. 41:38-39 with Deut. 34:9. John Sailhamer comments,
“Joseph stands as a prototype of all the later wisemen in Israel. All future leaders must be measured against him. It is hardly surprising, then, that one sees foreshadowed in the picture of Joseph elements that later resemble David, Solomon, and ultimately the Messiah himself.”
Prison served to strengthen Joseph’s character just like it did for Jeremiah, Samson, John the evangelist, and the apostle Paul.
The Lord provided Joseph the wisdom to interpret dreams. We would like to think we are in control of this. If I simply read certain things, watch certain channels, listen to certain stations, we will be filled wisdom.
I can say that I fall into this temptation in preparing my sermons each week. If I simply read certain commentaries, listen to certain sermons, I will be able to write a good sermon.
But the Bible says, “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God” (Jam. 1:5). Now, I’m not suggesting that you stop reading books any more than I would stop reading commentaries. But I am saying that we need to remember that prayer is a means of grace. It is far too easy to neglect the practice of prayer.
William Plumer said,
“For more than Thirty-five years I have had much intercourse with dying saints and sinners of various ages and conditions. In all that time I have not heard one express regret that he had spent too much time in prayer; I have heard many mourn that they had so seldom visited a throne of grace.”
Spurgeon said, “Anything is a blessing which makes us pray.” “Anything” would include difficult circumstances and difficult problems.
We’ve seen that God provides favor and wisdom. Next we will see that…
God Provides Integrity (40:16-23)
In this final section, we see Joseph dealing with the chief baker. Joseph begins the interpretation of the baker’s dream in the same way, but the ending changes everything. “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree.”
First of all, did you notice how quickly their interpretations came true in comparison to Joseph? They had to wait three days while Joseph has been waiting for over a decade! Even Pharaoh will see the fulfillment of his dreams before Joseph will see the fulfillment of his own dreams. Everyone else’s dreams are being interpreted and answered almost immediately. But through it all Joseph remains consistently faithful. We never see him complaining about it to God and we never see him acting out of frustration for his circumstances.
On the Pharaoh’s birthday or possibly anniversary, there was a custom of granting amnesty to prisoners. The cupbearer was restored to his office while the baker was executed and impaled and left overnight for the birds to peck at. All happened according to what Joseph had said.
God provides Joseph with the integrity to speak the truth to the baker knowing it was the worst possible news he could hear. If Joseph were a modern preacher would he have shared that? He might have avoided the subject of judgment altogether and given him a false sense of hope.
John Calvin says: “The job of the preacher and the prophet is to tell you the truth as God has told it to them, even when it’s unpleasant.”
James Boice adds,
“How many there are who are willing to preach the cupbearer’s sermon but are unwilling to preach the baker’s sermon!… They preach about heaven, but they will not warn about hell. If we are to be faithful to God, we must preach all that God reveals.”
We need more preachers of truth in our day. Listen! If you have not placed your faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, then you are without hope. You will die in your sins and spend eternity in hell. That’s horrible news, but you must hear it.
But, this goes beyond the preacher does it not? All recipients of the great commission should hear the challenge to speak without fear or compromise. Many of us have the tendency to be quiet when we fear a negative response. We are simply unwilling to risk the consequences of offending someone by declaring the judgment of God.
Speaking openly and honestly to others, even when you have nothing to gain, is a sign that God is with you just like he was with Joseph.
God’s provision of favor, wisdom, and integrity enables us to persevere even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.
Conclusion
In this chapter we see that God provides wisdom to Joseph by granting him the ability to interpret dreams. We see the same ability given to Daniel. But those are the only two figures in the Old Testament who do this. Waltke, “God’s greatest revelation, however, has come in his Son (Col. 1:15–23; Heb. 1:1–2), and the Spirit reveals the Son and all truth through the apostles (John 16:13–14).”
John Piper comments on the life of Joseph:
“The point is that the righteous one, even though mistreated for so long, is finally vindicated by God. Even though others have reject this righteous stone, God makes him the cornerstone (Matthew 21:42). His vindication becomes the very means of the salvation of his persecutors.”
If Joseph appears to be righteous in this passage, Jesus Christ is infinitely more so. Through Christ we have favor with God. He is our wisdom! The integrity of Christ stands in our place and declares us to be as righteous as He, not because of anything we have done, but because of his substitutionary atonement.
You only have two responses before you: Either you can receive his sacrifice on your behalf by faith or you can reject it.