This chapter marks the lowest point of Joseph’s journey. He had been disowned by his own brothers who sold him into slavery to a foreign land. He had served his master faithfully, with a passion for personal holiness, only to find himself wrongfully accused and unjustly imprisoned. Yet the Lord showed him steadfast love in his imprisonment, and gave him favor. But still: the wait continued, not unlike the common theme we have seen throughout our study of Genesis this past year: there is a lot of waiting on the Lord to act and to fulfill his promises. And in this final part of Genesis, in the middle of seasons of waiting, we see God’s hands working out beauty from the Joseph story, to bring hope to the nations and fulfilment to the promise.

In today’s passage the way is paved for Joseph to interpret two dreams of 2 new characters in the story, which paves the way for him to interpret Pharaoh’s 2 dreams in the next chapter, which paves the way to the eventual realization of his own 2 dreams in the remainder of the story, and with that, God’s purpose to keep and raise a remnant from his people to be a blessing to the nations.

For today, the chapter before us weaves the threads of Joseph’s unwavering faith and steadfast faithfulness through discouraging circumstances, dreams interpreted, and deferred hope.

FAITHFULNESS AMIDST DISCOURAGING CIRCUMSTANCES

It’s been a while since Joseph’s dreams that he would be in a position of power and his family would give him honor. He had been the favorite son, and his colorful wardrobe was the talk of the town. But his life had turned nightmarish. Rebuked by his father; hated by members of his family; sold by his brothers into slavery; living in a foreign land; stalked and tempted by a powerful woman; wrongfully accused; unjustly imprisoned; going from a pit of slavery to a pit of injustice; and the words describing his imprisonment suggest that he was kept in shackles when he was not working. Psalm 105:18 says this: His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron.[i] He was not living his dreams, but rather an Egyptian nightmare, going from pit to pit, service to service, and servitude to servitude: first Potiphar, then the prison keeper, and soon 2 new masters who had power in their own right.

It had been some time since Joseph was sent to prison, and he had every reason to let go of his faithfulness or his passion for personal holiness. But he was adamant on trusting his God who for his part showed Joseph steadfast love, and gave him favor in the eyes of his new master – the prison keeper. He succeeded in his work; he maintained a desire for personal holiness; he showed integrity; he remained loyal to his God. Yet to onlookers he seemed to have arrived at a very low point in his journey.

I believe we can learn from Joseph’s character here that there is great benefit for the believer to take every opportunity captive to demonstrate faith, regardless of circumstances, and to manifest virtuous living before the face of God even when the world around us does not see it, or when our journey seems lonely and downcast. Faith, hope and joy are attractive even more acutely in the deepest pit; they shine brightest in the darkest valley. The Lord sees and his eyes are on his children. And while today’s passage does not show it yet, the further Joseph’s situation slid into darkness, the closest he was being brought to fulfill God’s purposes in Pharaoh’s royal court, and for the nation of Israel.

Like Joseph, God’s servants throughout history until today, including us, have found themselves in unhappy settings. We may still find ourselves in a place of opposition or even outright danger, which is very true of many of our brothers and sisters around the world. But as Joseph did without knowing the outcome, we too can be encouraged by exercising our faith in God and faithfulness in him as acts of worship, learning to trust the promises of God in our waiting, keeping an unwavering faith in the God whose will is always for our good.

FAITHFULNESS IN DREAMS INTERPRETED

Enter 2 new characters in the narrative. The cupbearer and baker of Pharaoh – king of Egypt – who held all power and authority in the land. We are not told what the offense was, but as you may guess, leaders often feared being poisoned through food or drink. Pharaoh may have gotten wind of a plot against him, and sent these men to prison. We are not told much about these 2 officers here, yet we can surmise a few things: Pharaoh trusted them with his food and drink. Surely they were not mere tasters of food right before pharaoh ate, just in case there was poison. Their positions must have afforded them power over people and processes, authority in a chain of command to hire and fire workers, to know the ins and outs of ingredients coming to the palace, and they had oversight over food preparation. They had responsibility for the life of the king. Maybe they were not the best at their work, since next chapter hints that there was no one in Egypt who had the wits to tackle an upcoming famine (41:37).[ii] But they were a sort of VIP prisoners from the royal court, which hints at Joseph’s inching closer to his future destiny.

These officers were treated well, since the “prisoner in charge – Joseph” attended to them. But they did not have access to the royal court’s resources, such as wizards and dream interpreters. So when they had their dreams, they had to sit with them and sense the unease of what must have felt dreadful, leading to Joseph noticing their long faces. Offering to listen to their dreams suggests he still believed his own 2 dreams with their interpretations, and he clearly knew where his hope rested. Do not interpretations belong to God? After all this time, he still believed the God of the promises, considered himself his vessel, and trusted him for insight into interpreting these dreams.

First the cupbearer: a vine with 3 branches; budding, blossoming, and ripening; taking, pressing, and placing; Pharaoh’s name mentioned 3 times. That’s a lot of 3s, soon coupled with Joseph’s interpretation that on the third day Pharaoh will restore the cupbearer to his place. We cannot help but notice the repetition of the number 3 which often has Christological meaning hinting toward the future third day of Christ’s resurrection; Christ being the true and better Joseph, the Savior of the world.

Joseph seems assured in his interpretation that he asks the man to remember him when – not if – he is restored, and to show him hesed, the same word used in the previous chapter for the Lord showing Joseph steadfast love and kindness. Then in a rare instance of advocating for himself, Joseph goes on to speak of his innocence, his plight, his slavery, his wrongful accusation and unjust imprisonment. He used the word pit again, the same word used in 37:24, a synonym of death, a sign of how desperate and discouraging his situation had turned out. Yet he still hoped in the God of righteousness to vindicate him and give him justice.

Then came the baker who was likely guilty of something related to the plot on Pharaoh’s life, and Joseph may well have discerned that. We are told the baker was attracted by the positive interpretation of the first dream, and so came to Joseph with optimism for a good word. Yet each dream had its own interpretation (v.5), and in a brutally honest assessment, Joseph tells the baker that he will be hanged from his head by the king of Egypt and his flesh will be eaten by birds. Talk about an Egyptian dream turning into a nightmare. And notice the hint at Joseph’s confidence here when he does not ask the baker to present his case before Pharaoh.

A Few Words on Dreams

I am going to take here a few moments to talk briefly about dreams before my next point, since there always seems to be a wonder about dreams and visions. There are 21 dreams mentioned in the Bible. Of these, 15 are in the OT, 10 of them in Genesis, 6 of which are in the story of Joseph: 2 for him, the 2 in this chapter, and 2 next chapter for Pharaoh. There are only 6 dreams mentioned in the New Testament, 4 of which are for another Joseph, who was also a son of a Jacob, better known as Mary’s husband and Jesus’ father. The 2 other NT dreams are for the Magi and for Pilate’s wife, which was more likely a nightmare. 10 of the dreams are for God’s people; 11 are for people outside of the household of faith, with no compelling evidence their dreams led to their salvation. The only people able to interpret dreams are 2 Jews: Joseph and Daniel, both of whom recognize and affirm that the interpretation of dreams belongs to God. Neither of these 2 men claimed any personal righteousness or ability to interpret dreams; both leaned on God. We don’t find other people in the Bible given the ability to interpret, but we find many who are given the ability and the command to proclaim Christ to all nations. Just like dream interpretations here and in Daniel signal a prophetic revelation from the people of Israel to the other nations, we have been given the word of God which prophetically proclaims his revelation to all nations.[iii]

Now we all have 4-6 dreams a night but may only remember the ones closest to when we wake up. Dreams are the work of our subconscious mind, often in response to an event or stimulus. Some dream themes can be common: falling; flying; being chased etc… Eat too much sugar before bed, and you may dream about your teeth; watch too much Netflix in the evening and you may dream you are the next fugitive. Some dreams can make us wonder about their meaning. And there’s no lack of self-proclaimed interpreters around. For example, if you dream you are folding clothes while your spouse is trying to push you inside a closet, this means you are supposed to close your business – according to unlockingthemindofchristthroughdreams.tv. I am kidding of course. I came across very interesting things as I was reading what is out there about dreams.

It was common for people to consider certain dreams as a medium of divine revelation. After all, we have at least 21 stories of God using dreams to communicate a message, a warning or an instruction. Fos us today, who have received the final revelation of God in Christ and his word, and are inhabited by the Holy Spirit who instructs and convicts, how should we think about dreams? Could God use dreams today to communicate with us? Yes. Should we make it our goal to dream such dreams, or be interpreters, or even rely on praying for dreams for people’s salvation? I would caution us in this regard. I do not deny that some of our dreams have spiritual meanings. I am from a part of the world where people are generally more attuned to the spiritual realities surrounding us. And God may be using certain features specific to certain cultures as adjunct to the gospel message. I know firsthand people who have had dreams and visions with spiritual meanings, and later encountered believers who through gospel proclamation and using threads from their dreams pointed them to faith in Christ. The dream itself was a small spoke in the wheel, and the gospel message was always proclaimed by a believer to the dreamer. The dreams were incidental not central; they were means, not the end. My own mother had a vision of Christ. Yet these instances are not as common as we may be led to believe.

More commonly, I’ve seen people who thought they had the Jospeh or Daniel gift of interpretation, and caused drama and trouble. I’ll just give you one personal example: a “spiritually-attuned” friend of mine called me on 3 occasions asking me not to go to work because he dreamed I was going to die that day. I admit it’s unsettling, but the more I survived the dreams, the better my days went, since I cannot just skip going to the hospital based on a dream. And I had to ask him to stop warning me, despite thanking him for his concern.

Personal experiences are not solid foundation for doctrine and theology, so let’s take our cues from what Scripture says. The events surrounding dreams in the Bible are descriptive and not prescriptive: they tell us what happened; they don’t command us to do the same. Joel 2:28 does say that in the last days, when God pours his Spirit, there will be prophesies, dreams and visions. Peter in Acts 2:17 seems to confirm this as an explanation for what was happening at Pentecost, which may be the days Joel prophesied about, and could be the fulfilment of his prophesy.

On the other hand, we can find more commonly and clearly commands and promises that the Lord has given us his written word as a special revelation for us to read, study, memorize, and delight in. Psalm 111:2 says: great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Psalm 119 which we are reading and praying through as a church this month in our prayer guide says a lot about what our disposition should be toward Scripture: learn (v.7), keep (v.8) store (v.11), meditate on (v.15), delight in (v.16), long for (v.20), cling to (v.31), observe (v.34), speak of (v.46), remember (v.49), hope in (v.81), love (v.97), be guided by (v.105), and sing (v.172)! We also have many exhortations to hide the word in our hearts; proclaim the word; preach the gospel; defend the faith; disciple nations and much more. God has chosen to reveal himself to us through his word, and he has given it to us for our instruction, for our joy, and for the salvation of the world. We would benefit greatly from reading it, memorizing it, meditating on it, hiding it in our hearts, proclaiming it on our lips, telling it to one another, thinking of it in different circumstances, and making it of primary importance in our lives.

We might be well served in this part of the world to consider the importance of the unseen, neither dismissing nor distorting the spiritual realm. Our enemy the devil is real. But so is our brother the Christ who gave his own word which we would be well served by reading entirely at least once, if not many times, for life, wisdom, godliness, holiness, growth, hope, light, truth and so much more, before we focus too much on matters of freedom or preference, like dreams, visions, and their interpretations. As a side note, we would be well served too by not eating too much sugar before bed, and like Christians for the couple thousand years before us, not spending too much time on Netflix. Maybe our dreams will be better.

FAITHFULNESS WHEN HOPE IS DEFERRED

And so we return to Joseph in prison, in the deep pit. On the third day, his interpretations come true. Pharaoh celebrates his birthday and restores his cupbearer to a place of authority, while he hangs his baker in ignominy. We, like Joseph, find here a thread of hope: Joseph’s interpretations came true, giving him and us certainty about the events and expectation that maybe his own dreams will now come true. We know how the story ends: in the next chapter, which happens to be during the third year, he will be called upon to interpret Pharaoh’s 2 dreams, eventually leading to the realization of his own dreams and more by becoming a man of power, a prince of Egypt.

But we should also feel what he must have felt when we read that he was forgotten, and that for no less than 2 years. The pit just got deeper. We can hear the words of Psalm 13:1: how long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? Does God seem distant? Does the Lord feel so high in heaven, so far from us? If you are feeling that way, you are in good company. Many of the saints of old have faced this; many of the saints today are facing this; Christ himself, like Joseph, was wrongfully accused, unjustly imprisoned, inhumanely tortured, barbarically murdered, disrobed, smitten, stricken, afflicted, left alone, cast out, crushed in spirit, disowned by his family, denied by his friends, and to many eyes apparently even forgotten by God. We see in Joseph here a type of Christ, both going through trials and temptations, both suffering despite innocence, both staying faithful in the waiting, both vindicated by God. Just as Joseph is a new and better Adam, Christ will all the more be a new and better Adam, and a better Joseph. And both he and Joseph did not forsake their trust in the Father but remained steadfast and faithful to the end, believing that the Father who is Holy, Almighty, and inhabits the highest heaven is also near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18).

Hear these words from Isaiah 57:15: [For] thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Do you hear the 2 places God dwells in? The high and holy place, and also the down and lowly place where he meets us in our pit, in our death, in our place of failure, of weariness, of sin, of mourning, of feeling hopeless, of feeling worthless. That very place of darkness, of pain, of sorrow, of crushing is the place where the Holy God seeks after his people, finds them, and sits with them – dwells with them – to care, to give rest, comfort, strength, hope, mercy, grace, truth and life by a Savior who like Joseph and like us was tempted in every way, yet without sin; a Savior who cares so much that he lived a perfect sinless life, endured opposition and persecution, persevered through trials and tribulations, received on the cross the wrath of God that was intended for us, and he did that to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite, to give hope, to give life, to remove the shame and guilt of sin, to graciously give us all things, to assure us that no matter what we are going through, no matter how deep the pit is, he is right there with us, and nothing can separate him from us or separate us from his love. He does not forget; he does not grow weary; he does not sleep nor slumber but is ever watchful over those who are his, ever interceding for us, ever praying for us with groans and pleadings, ever ready to give us hope.[iv]

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The cupbearer forgot Joseph, but the Lord did not. The world turned its back on Jesus but the Father did not. We may feel that our heavenly Father has forgotten us, or the wait is too long, or the pit is too deep. And our pain and suffering are real. We can join the psalmist in asking: how long O Lord? Like Joseph, we may cry to him from deep sorrows. Yet like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego we may from the life-threatening heat of a furnace proclaim: even if the Lord does not deliver us, we will worship him. Like Daniel from the lions’ den, we may trust that the Lord will shut the lions’ mouths. Like Jesus in Gethsemane, we can entrust our lives to him who promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us, that no one can snatch us out of his hand, that his eye is on us, and that he chooses to dwell with us in the very pit we may find ourselves in. He is the only God who does not run away from us, but having been wounded himself for our transgressions, he sympathizes with us in our weakness and overflows with grace, mercy, kindness and steadfast love.

Joseph’s story is the story of the whole Bible. It is the story of glory through suffering, exaltation through humiliation. It is the story of the cross and the crown.[v] Joseph’s unwavering faith points to the greater faithfulness of God, his preservation, and his steadfast promises. Look closely and see the fingerprints of God at work in all aspects of this story. Look at Jesus Christ to see that he did not merely conquer despite the cross, he conquered through it with its shame and dread, and is awaiting to bestow on us the crown of life he has prepared for us – a crown he promises for those who remain steadfast under trial and stand the test. Let us then seize opportunities to demonstrate our faith and find encouragement in our faithful actions before the face of God who sees and rewards accordingly.

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[i] Allen P. Ross. Creation and Blessing. Ch.58: Joseph in Prison: An Unwavering Faith. p.632.

[ii] https://www.9marks.org/episode/genesis-40-41-on-josephs-rise-from-gen-pop-to-the-second-in-command/

[iii] Samuel Emadi. From Prisoner to Prince: the Joseph Story in Biblical Theology. P.127.

[iv] Ray Ortlund. Rock Bottom: The Place Where God Meets You. Crossway article. Ma5, 2025. https://www.crossway.org/articles/rock-bottom-the-place-where-god-meets-you/

[v] Samuel Emadi. From Prisoner to Prince: the Joseph Story in Biblical Theology. P.171.