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.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The cupbearer tells Joseph his dream. His dream represented his profession and had a favourable outcome. In three days he would be restored to his job and would serve Pharaoh again. Joseph asks him to remember him when things turn out well for him and to tell Pharaoh that he had done nothing wrong to deserve being in prison.
The baker is excited because this dream telling is going well. Only the interpretation of his dream isn’t as good. His dream was also about his profession, but the outcome wasn’t as good. In three days he would be released from prison but Pharaoh would hang him and the birds would eat his flesh.
Three days later the two men’s dreams came true. The cupbearer was restored to Pharaoh’s service and the baker was executed. But the cupbearer did not remember Joseph.
The fact that both of Joseph’s interpretations came true must have been of great encouragement to Joseph. He could be sure that God had not forgotten him and was still with him. He would have had hope because his boyhood dreams would still come true, even though he might not have known when or how. When times are tough and it’s difficult to see what good God is doing in your situation, look for small answers to prayer to build your faith and help you persevere through the tough times.
It must have been tough for Joseph to give a message of doom to the baker, especially after such a great message to the cupbearer. When we give God’s message to people, we must be bold to tell them the bad news that a holy God cannot and will not tolerate sin, and that the penalty of sin is death (Rom 3:23; 6:23). But we can give everyone good news because no one’s fate is sealed. Everyone may turn to God and believe in Jesus and be restored in their relationship with Him (Rom 5:8; Eph 2:8-9).