Genesis 40-41:36

Still reeling from his brothers’ betrayal and alone in a foreign land, God was blessing Joseph’s endeavors while he served in Potiphar’s house. Then, the whole ordeal with Potiphar’s wife took place. She accused him of sexual assault, so Joseph was sent to prison. Think of it—Joseph was in jail because of his obedience to God!

Maybe you are in a similar situation. Your honesty and integrity were not what the higher-ups wanted. You were passed over for a promotion, or demoted, or fired. You invested in your marriage, and your spouse walked away. It’s hard, isn’t it? And…God is not only writing your story; he is also on the journey with you.

Genesis 39:21-23
But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. ²² And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. ²³ The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

I imagine Joseph was dealing with two emotions. First, “God—thank you for blessing me.” Second, “But why am I here in prison in the first place?” Joseph does not know the rest of the story, yet.  And we don’t see the rest of our story either.

Today’s passage tells of three dreams from a cupbearer, a baker, and the king. Let’s consider Genesis 40 and 41.

Two men in prison with Joseph were the king’s cupbearer and baker. Both men held influential positions, but they had offended the king and reaped the consequences. One night, they both had dreams. The dreams concerned these two officials, and Joseph noticed the stress on their faces (Gen. 40:6-7).

Genesis 40:8
They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

Joseph assured the cupbearer that his dream meant the king was going to restore him to his office “and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer” (Gen. 40:13). When the baker heard Joseph’s positive interpretation, he shared his dream as well. Joseph told him, “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” (Gen. 40:19). I am sure the baker wished he had not asked! The dreams’ explanations turned out just like Joseph said. The cupbearer was restored. The baker was hanged.

Before the cupbearer was released from prison, Joseph requested a favor.

Genesis 40:14-15
“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.”

Joseph waited. We know what it’s like to wait: waiting to hear the results of the scan, waiting for the college acceptance letter, waiting on a job offer, waiting for a positive pregnancy test. Waiting can cause many emotions to consume us. Chapter 40 ends with this statement concerning Joseph’s situation. “Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him” (Gen. 40:23). Two years went by. Any hope that the cupbearer would speak on Joseph’s behalf was gone. But then Pharaoh had a dream.

Genesis 41:1-4
Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, ² and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. ³ And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. ⁴ And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke.

Again, he fell asleep and had a second disturbing dream. He shared both dreams with all the magicians, wise men, and officials, but none knew the meaning. Then the cupbearer said, “Wait a second!” He told Pharaoh about a “young Hebrew . . . a servant of the captain of the guard” who had interpreted dreams for him and the baker when they had been in prison. Finally, the cupbearer remembered! Joseph was quickly summoned from prison.

Genesis 41:15-16
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” ¹⁶ Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”

Joseph ensured Pharaoh knew that God would be the one interpreting the dreams. What a great lesson! Sometimes, there is too much “I” in our conversations. As someone has said, the pronoun “I” is the letter that sits right in the middle of the word “pride.” But Joseph has been humbled. His mission is focused on God.

Pharaoh recounted his dreams about seven thin cows eating up plump cows and seven withered ears of corn swallowing good ears of corn. Joseph said, “It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do” (Gen. 41:28). Joseph explained that there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. The two dreams meant that “the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about” (Gen. 41:32).

Next time we will see that God chose Joseph as the one to lead Egypt in preparing for the famine. For now, let’s stop here…and talk about waiting on God. I know it can be difficult to wait, but remember, God is writing his story in you. It’s an incredible story that is dependent on his timeline. Let’s wrap up today with several passages that will encourage us as we wait on God.

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Psalm 40:1
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word, I hope; my soul waits for the Lord….

Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Isaiah 40:31
[B]ut they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Micah 7:7
But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Waiting on God is hard. And…it’s always worth it.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Genesis 40-41:1-36. Focus today on Joseph and how God blessed him and caused him to wait. Read and reflect on the passages above.

Talking to God
Talk to God about waiting. Let him know how difficult it is at times. Ask him to give you strength and patience as you wait for his will and timing.

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