Joseph Interprets Dreams in Prison (Genesis 40: 1-23)
Have you ever helped someone and then felt forgotten afterward? It’s a lonely and disappointing feeling. In Genesis 40, Joseph experienced that too. Even though life was unfair to him, Joseph kept trusting God and using the gifts God gave him. Let’s see what happened.
New Prisoners Arrive
While Joseph was still in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, two important men from Pharaoh’s court were thrown into prison too—the cupbearer and the baker. The cupbearer was the one who served Pharaoh his drinks, and the baker made Pharaoh’s food.
Joseph was assigned to look after these two men. Even though Joseph had his own troubles, he was faithful in caring for others.
The Two Dreams
One night, both the cupbearer and the baker had strange dreams. The next morning, Joseph noticed they looked upset.
Joseph asked them why they were sad. When they explained that they each had a troubling dream but didn’t know what it meant, Joseph said something important: “Interpretations belong to God.” He invited them to share their dreams with him, trusting that God would help him understand.
Joseph Interprets the Dreams
First, the cupbearer shared his dream. In it, he saw a vine with three branches. The branches budded, blossomed, and produced grapes. He took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup.
Joseph explained that this dream meant the cupbearer would be restored to his old job in three days. Joseph asked him, “When you are restored, please remember me and mention me to Pharaoh so I can get out of this prison.”
Then, the baker shared his dream. In his dream, he had three baskets of bread on his head, but birds were eating from the top basket. Sadly, Joseph explained that the baker’s dream meant he would be executed in three days.
It wasn’t easy for Joseph to give such hard news, but he was honest.
The Dreams Come True
Three days later, it was Pharaoh’s birthday. Just as Joseph said, the cupbearer was restored to his position, and the baker was executed.
But after all of that, the cupbearer forgot about Joseph. He didn’t say anything to Pharaoh, and Joseph stayed in prison, waiting.
What We Can Learn
Joseph’s story in prison teaches us a lot:
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God is at work even when we feel forgotten: Joseph’s faithfulness mattered, even when no one seemed to notice.
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Using our gifts matters: Joseph didn’t stop using the gifts God gave him just because he was in a hard place. He trusted God to work through him.
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Patience in waiting: Even when the cupbearer forgot Joseph, God had not. God’s timing is always right, even when we don’t understand the delay.
Final Thoughts
Joseph’s time in prison reminds us that even when people forget about us, God never does. He sees our faithfulness and is always working behind the scenes for our good.
Think about this: How can you stay faithful and hopeful even when you feel forgotten?
No matter how long it takes, God’s promises are always true. Keep trusting, keep using your gifts, and keep believing that God’s plan for you is still moving forward.
Genesis 40: 1-23 (WEB)
40:1 After these things, the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cup bearer and the chief baker. 3 He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days. 5 They both dreamed a dream, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cup bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. 6 Joseph came in to them in the morning, and saw them, and saw that they were sad. 7 He asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”8 They said to him, “We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it.”Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Please tell it to me.”9 The chief cup bearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me, 10 and in the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters produced ripe grapes. 11 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 Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. 13 Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head, and restore you to your office. You will give Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, the way you did when you were his cup bearer. 14 But remember me when it is well with you. Please show kindness to me, and make mention of me to 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 I have done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.”16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head. 17 In the uppermost basket there were all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”18 Joseph answered, “This is its interpretation. The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three more days, Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you, and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from off you.” 20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief cup bearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 He restored the chief cup bearer to his position 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 the chief cup bearer didn’t remember Joseph, but forgot him.