Perspective: Wk3 - THU
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Genesis 40:8-19
“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”
Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”
“This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”
When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
“This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”
As we near the climax of this week’s story, Joseph notices the stress on the faces of his two charges and asks what is wrong. The cupbearer and the baker are comfortable enough with him to share what has happened. They have each had a dream during the night. They are distinct yet similar enough to seem significant. But the more they discuss them, the less clear they become.
“There is no one to interpret the dreams,” they complain. Joseph gives them hope, but first explains his reasoning. “Yahweh has the power of interpretation. Tell the dreams to me.”
It is always tempting to take credit due to others, especially the credit that belongs to God. It feels good to receive praise and to be seen as indispensable in others' lives. It takes maturity and a clear-eyed perspective to insist that admiration belongs to the source rather than the messenger. Joseph draws attention to God rather than to himself.
The dreams are fairly simple, and, in retrospect, the conclusions make sense. The cupbearer will be set free and returned to his duties in Pharaoh's court in three days. It must have been rewarding to see relief and anticipation wash over his face. Joseph takes a moment to ask for help as his prison mate returns to power.
The baker’s dream is not as easy to talk about. Most of us have faced the challenge of recognizing that a friend is approaching a difficult truth we can see clearly, while they seem not to. What to do? Can I pretend I don’t have the information and just avoid it? Should I soften the truth with hints rather than being direct? We don’t know whether Joseph said more than is recorded in this passage. Did his tone convey care and love? Did he mercifully slow down at the right moments to allow his friend to process thoroughly? Did the look on his face convey sorrow over the story rather than punctuating the resulting pain in a staccato burst of plain facts?
Here we land on something important. Mercy includes the courage to walk with others through difficulty. Sometimes that means being the one to break hard news with compassion. Sparing people’s feelings by hiding the realities they must face usually serves our own comfort rather than theirs. Joseph doesn’t avoid the hard conversation. But having suffered pain and isolation so often himself, surely his intentional presence lifts some of the burden as he helps his friend walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Genesis 40:8-19
“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”
Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”
“This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. For I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”
When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
“This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”
As we near the climax of this week’s story, Joseph notices the stress on the faces of his two charges and asks what is wrong. The cupbearer and the baker are comfortable enough with him to share what has happened. They have each had a dream during the night. They are distinct yet similar enough to seem significant. But the more they discuss them, the less clear they become.
“There is no one to interpret the dreams,” they complain. Joseph gives them hope, but first explains his reasoning. “Yahweh has the power of interpretation. Tell the dreams to me.”
It is always tempting to take credit due to others, especially the credit that belongs to God. It feels good to receive praise and to be seen as indispensable in others' lives. It takes maturity and a clear-eyed perspective to insist that admiration belongs to the source rather than the messenger. Joseph draws attention to God rather than to himself.
The dreams are fairly simple, and, in retrospect, the conclusions make sense. The cupbearer will be set free and returned to his duties in Pharaoh's court in three days. It must have been rewarding to see relief and anticipation wash over his face. Joseph takes a moment to ask for help as his prison mate returns to power.
The baker’s dream is not as easy to talk about. Most of us have faced the challenge of recognizing that a friend is approaching a difficult truth we can see clearly, while they seem not to. What to do? Can I pretend I don’t have the information and just avoid it? Should I soften the truth with hints rather than being direct? We don’t know whether Joseph said more than is recorded in this passage. Did his tone convey care and love? Did he mercifully slow down at the right moments to allow his friend to process thoroughly? Did the look on his face convey sorrow over the story rather than punctuating the resulting pain in a staccato burst of plain facts?
Here we land on something important. Mercy includes the courage to walk with others through difficulty. Sometimes that means being the one to break hard news with compassion. Sparing people’s feelings by hiding the realities they must face usually serves our own comfort rather than theirs. Joseph doesn’t avoid the hard conversation. But having suffered pain and isolation so often himself, surely his intentional presence lifts some of the burden as he helps his friend walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
- How often do you dream and remember it the next day? What is a recent dream you had?
- Have you ever had a dream that “troubled” you? What was the dream, and why did it affect you that way?
- Is there someone in your life who is going through a difficult time that you feel you should help? How would you do so? Is there something you should say to them?
Written by Pastor Dave Ferguson
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