A Lost Hope

Joseph had gone from being the scion of a very rich family to being a slave imprisoned for a rape he didn’t commit, with no court of appeals or any way of proving his innocence.  With no one to fight for his release, he could well be stuck in prison for life.  He had chosen to make the best of it but it there didn’t seem to be much hope.

God had not forgotten him however.  In Genesis 40:1-4, God brought him into contact with two of Pharaoh’s staff.  “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.  And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.  And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.  And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.” 

With no constitution to protect them, Pharaoh could sentence anyone to prison or death anytime he pleased, without even holding a trial.  His chief baker and the man responsible for making sure his food was safe and served properly had done something Pharaoh didn’t like so he had them sent to prison.  Joseph was the trustee responsible for their wellbeing.  They were incarcerated for several weeks. 

Often the things we think about during the day affect our dreams at night.  Prison life began to wear on the baker and the butler, affecting their dreams.  Since the Egyptians considered dreams as significant indicators of future events, their dreams bothered them even more than prison life, as we see in Genesis 40:5-8.  “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.  And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.  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?

And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.”

They were upset because there was no one to tell them what their dreams meant.  Joseph said God what the dreams meant and asked them to tell about them.  The butler did as he asked, in Genesis 40:8b-11.  “And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; 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: 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.”

Joseph explained that the butler’s dream meant he would be restored to his former position within three days.  He saw this as an opportunity to appeal his sentence, and asked the butler to mention him when he got his job back, in Genesis 40:12-15.  “And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: 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.  But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: 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.”

Encouraged by the prophecy about the butler being restored to his position, the baker shared his dream in Genesis 40:16-18.  “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: 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.”  Though his dream was similar, the interpretation was not nearly as satisfactory as the butler’s, as Genesis 40:18 explains.  “And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: 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.”

Three days later, both interpretations were fulfilled, in Genesis 40:20-22.  “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.  And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.  Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.”

The butler got his job back and the baker was hanged.  Excited about getting his job back, the butler forgot about Joseph’s request and as a result, Joseph would not get a hearing for two more years.  It had been his only hope.