Last week we talked about dreams. We mentioned the dreams of Jacob, Abimelech, Joseph, the butler and the baker. All of these dreams involved some object or person.
For example, Jacob dreamed of a ladder that reached from the earth up into heaven. He saw angels descending and ascending the ladder and God was at the top of the ladder. (Genesis 28:12-13)
God appeared to Abimelech in a dream and told him that he was a dead man because he was about to commit the sin of adultery. He had taken Sarah to be one of his women. Up to this point, no sin had been committed.
Then God spoke to Abimelech again in a dream and said, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her” (Genesis 20:6).
Then there was Joseph the young seventeen-year-old son of Jacob. Joseph had 11 brothers who were not real fond of him. They were jealous of Joseph because Jacob showed more preference or favoritism toward Joseph. Another reason they did not like Joseph is they felt more work and responsibility was placed upon them and less placed upon Joseph.
Scripture tells us, “Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpha, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them” (Genesis 37:2). We are not told what the brothers were doing or not doing but whatever wrong they did Joseph reported to his father.
Perhaps Joseph had an ego problem and always wanted to be in the lime-light or he wanted to be first in his father’s eyes. Maybe he felt insecure because of the brothers. On the other hand, Joseph could have felt superior to his brothers. If superiority was an issue, it was reinforced when his father gave him the beautiful “richly ornamented robe” of many colors.
This robe of many colors appears to be like one worn by royalty or one in charge. Nevertheless, the robe was special and it was only for Joseph. Whenever one person is singled out, by parents, employer, friends, pastor, teacher or anyone else, there is a thing called favoritism that surfaces and jealously enters the picture.
Favoritism brings about jealously and jealously is a sin. We should not want or expect to have what others have or to be treated in such a way that it elevates our ego and causes friction with people around us.
In Joseph’s situation, he was already behind the 8 ball with his brothers. They did not like him before he gave his father a bad report: before he had his dreams: and certainly before he received the robe of many colors.
After Joseph had his first dream he just couldn’t wait to share it with his brothers. Scripture says, “He told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more” (Genesis 37:5). Joseph was adding fuel to a situation that was already aflame.
Joseph said to the brothers, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it” (Genesis 37: 6, 7). The brothers immediately said to Joseph, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” (Genesis 37:8).
Joseph was not satisfied with just keeping his thoughts to himself. If Joseph had not said anything, I wonder what would have happened. Obviously the whole story would have changed and the outcome would most likely have been different.
I don’t believe it was God’s intention to have Joseph keep the dream to himself. I say that because God spoke to Joseph in another dream using different objects, but retaining the same ending.
Joseph said to his brothers and his father, “Listen, I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me” (Genesis 37:9).
God had given Joseph this dream or this vision and there was no way Joseph could keep it to himself. God was acting through Joseph. Joseph’s relationship with God and faith in God enabled him to share the good news with his brothers and father.
The dream or vision Joseph had is similar to the Holy Sprit speaking to our hearts. When the voice of the Holy Spirit speaks to us, we are to listen and act on the request. Joseph listened to God through the dreams and then acted on what he heard and saw. Joseph did not know what was going to happen to him down the road, but he was faithful to God and shared the dreams with his father and brothers.
After the dreams were shared with the brothers, the brothers hated Joseph even more. They hated Joseph so much that they wanted to kill him. As you recall, they did not kill Joseph, but instead sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead and heading toward Egypt.
Joseph was treated by the Ishmaelites as if he were a piece of baggage. He was probably chained or tied in some manner so that he would not escape. The trip into Egypt took about 30 days and involved walking. Once the caravan reached Egypt, Joseph was sold like a piece of merchandise to a man named Potiphar.
Scripture says, “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there” (Genesis 39:1).
It is interesting to note that the people in Egypt were either very rich or very poor. There did not seem to be a middle of the road group. Joseph was sold to someone who had money and that person was one of the rich officers of Pharaoh. The rich people were able to have all the earthly possessions like a large beautiful house; expensive furnishings; the best of food, servants, maids and lavish entertainment.
“The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master” (Genesis 39:2). Potiphar could see Joseph’s good qualities. He was an obedient servant, he kept everything in order within the household, he was pleasant to Potiphar’s guests and Joseph went the second mile to please his master. Joseph was such a great asset to Potiphar’s household that Potiphar put him in charge of everything in the household because he had complete trust in him.
Joseph had absolute faith in God and stayed in contact with him at all times. He knew his brothers had done him wrong but he never questioned God. Joseph never asked God why these things were happening to him, but he asked God to direct him in the next move.
He was tempted by Potiphar’s wife and said to her, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Joseph was concerned about sinning against God because this sin is an act of disobedience.
Joseph turned and ran out of the house, but in his haste, Potiphar’s wife held on to his cloak. He probably knew that this evidence would be used against him by Potiphar’s wife, but that was not his major concern. His major concern was to avoid falling to temptation.
People in this day and age face temptation of this nature. Without a strong faith in God and a personal relationship with the Father, some people will rationalize the situation, make excuses and fall into the trap set up by Satan instead of running from the temptation as did Joseph.
Joseph knew that he was right in running from Potiphar’s wife, but I also believe he knew what would happen once the wife told her husband. He was ready to face this trial because Joseph knew that God was still in control. “Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined” (Genesis 39:20).
While Joseph was in prison, he could have blamed God for the terrible conditions of prison life; he could have sat in a corner and felt sorry for himself; he could have been nasty and inconsiderate to the other prisoners and the prison warden, but he chose not to do any of these things.
Scripture says, “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden” (Genesis 39:21). The LORD had a plan for Joseph’s life. He was working through Joseph to bring about something that would benefit many people as well as teach them that He is still in control. God was expressing his love and concern to Joseph and then in turn it would radiate from Joseph to all those people who had contact with him.
Joseph’s kindness and consideration had an effect upon the other prisoners as well as the prison warden. They could see something in Joseph that they had not seen in anyone else. The same applies toady. People should be able to look at us and know that there is something different about us. They should be able to see the love of God radiating from us and casting a reflection on them.
This is what the prison warden saw in Joseph. “So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison and he was made responsible for all that was done there” (Genesis 39:22). The favor of God was upon Joseph and that favor flowed out upon the prison warden. Joseph placed his faith and trust in God and the prison warden placed his faith and trust in Joseph. Joseph was a big success no matter what situation or circumstance surrounded him.
You and I can be just like Joseph because as Christians we have favor in the sight of God. We don’t have to worry about the trial and tribulations that face us. We don’t have to crawl into a hole and feel sorry for ourselves. We don’t have to ask God “Why me?’ because he knows what we are facing and what is on our mind. All we have to do is to remain steadfast in the Word of God through faith and trust.
Joseph’s dream is what led him through this maze of trials and tribulations. His dream is what gave him the opportunity to shine forth in the eyes of Potiphar. His dream is what brought him face to face with temptation in Potiphar’ house. Living out his dream but being faithful to God is what landed him in jail. Following the will of God is what gave him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
The next step in God’s plan involving Joseph was to help two other people to understand their dreams. As mentioned before, you and I don’t have to have anyone interpret our dreams because the Holy Spirit who has residence in our heart relays God’s messages to us loud and clear. It is up to us to listen and follow the instructions given us.
While Joseph was in jail, Scripture tells us: “Some time later, the cupbearer or butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them” (Genesis 40: 1-4).
We are not told what these two men did, but whatever it was, it was not tolerated by the king of Egypt. These two positions were very important in Pharaoh’s kingdom. The baker had to be very trustworthy because he is the one who prepared food for Pharaoh.
The cupbearer or butler was also very important because he is the one who tasted the food and the drink in the presence of Pharaoh. If the food and/or drink contained poison, Pharaoh was not the one who was going to die.
While these men were in jail, each one of them had a dream. They did not understand the significance or the meaning of their dreams. They needed someone to interpret their dreams for them. The two men were sad, concerned and worried about what their dreams meant.
Joseph noticed the look of sadness on the faces of the two men and inquired as to what was bothering them. Each one told Joseph that they had a dream and they did not know what the dreams meant. The two informed Joseph they needed someone to interpret their dream.
At this moment, Joseph saw a great opportunity to witness for the Lord. He did not want any credit and he was not going to try and make himself look good, but instead, Joseph asked them a question. Joseph asked them, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8).
There is a lesson for us in Joseph’s question concerning interpretations. There are times in our daily walk when we have the opportunity to witness for the Lord, but we hesitate and lose the opportunity. Sometimes we answer questions concerning spiritual matters according to what we think or what we would do.
In other words, instead of being a witness and giving God the credit, we tend to use the word “I”, thus building up our own ego. Joseph did not do this; instead he brought God into the picture so that the glory and honor would be His. Then Joseph asked them to tell him about each dream.
The chief cupbearer or butler said to Joseph, “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” (Genesis 40:9-11).
God spoke through Joseph these words: “The tree 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” (Genesis 40:12-13).
After Joseph gave the cupbearer the interpretation of his dream, Joseph requested one thing of the cupbearer. Joseph said to the 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” (v. 14).
I don’t believe this request was too much for the cupbearer. It was not a request that would burden the cupbearer, but it was a request that would help get Joseph out of prison. As we know, after the cupbearer was released from prison and again found favor in the eyes of Pharaoh, Joseph’s request was forgotten.
I would not hesitate to say that you and I have probably done the same thing as the cupbearer in our day. God presents us with the opportunity to help someone in need and we let the opportunity slide by.
As we look back on the events of our life, we can recall the times other people have done something to promote us, to help us, to encourage us, to loan us money or give us a ride or protect us from danger. We might not have given it much thought then, but these were times God was working through those people for our benefit.
How many times has God been working through us to help someone in need and we have ignored the prompting of the Holy Spirit? How many times have we received help from someone during difficult times and then we forget to do a similar favor for someone we meet who is in need? When we forget to lend a hand, help someone in need or ignore a calling, we are no better than the cupbearer.
The chief baker liked what Joseph told the cupbearer concerning his dream and asked Joseph to interpret his dream. The chief baker 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” (vs. 16-17).
After Joseph listened to the chief baker he said this to him: “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” (vs. 18-19).
Needless to say, I don’t believe these are the words the chief baker wanted to hear, but the words were true.
We don’t have to have our dreams interpreted, although there are numerous books and so-called helps on the market that try to explain dreams according to what is present in the dream.
As Christians we do not have to look for someone to interpret our dreams. All we have to do is listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as he speaks forth from our heart.
As Christians we are to reach out and help those who are in need. We need not be concerned about being paid back by that person because we know that God is in charge and control of our lives. Sometimes people will thank us for helping them and sometimes they will feel they deserve what we have done for them.
We need to stay focused on God Almighty so that our faith will remain strong. We, too, need a strong deep faith as did Joseph. When people are ungrateful to us or overlook us or just ignore us, we need to pray for those people and ask God what He wants us to do next for them.
We need to trust God just as Joseph trusted God. Joseph was in jail two years, but he looked forward to the next opportunity to do something good for someone. If we do the same thing, we will get that opportunity just as Joseph did because we are in God’s favor.
I want to close with a story about a young man who followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the thanks he received for his Christian endeavor.
Story: “Pickup in the Rain”
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a windy rain storm which was accompanied by lightening. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960’s. The man took her into town and helped her get a taxicab so that she could get to her destination.
The lady seemed to be in a big hurry, but before she left his car to board the cab, she wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.
It read:
“Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then God sent you to help me. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away…God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.”
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.
Amen.
