Here we find Joseph in prison, as we left him at the end of Genesis 39. Though unjustly imprisoned, it was not without providence. For Joseph, prison is not punishment, but preparation. God is preparing, sanctifying, testing, and teaching Joseph to trust in Him. Whatever “pit” we find ourselves in, let us remember that it is God’s means of sanctifying us. It is a time to learn to trust God and depend upon His promises.
John Calvin states, “Thus, when we might have delivered the holy man directly from prison, he [God] chose to lead him around by circuitous paths, the better to prove his patience, and to manifest, by the mode of his deliverance, that he has wonderful methods of working, hidden from our view.”
Oh how we can learn from the story of Joseph, that though God may seem distant or to have abandoned you, He has not. He is working in ways, many times ways that we cannot see, understand, or imagine. Our ability to see or understand what’s going on in our lives is not an indicator that God also can’t see or understand what is going on.
We often want our trials to end in our time and on our watch. Joseph here is left in prison for two years after this chapter (Gen. 41v1). Joseph, for at least two whole years, probably closer to three total, is seemingly in the dark as to what God is doing in his life. Yet he had the promise of God etched on his brain, giving him light and hope where there otherwise was none to be found.
Thus we learn from Calvin again, “Therefore, we are all taught, in his person, that nothing is more improper, than to prescribe the time in which God shall help us; since he purposely, for a long season, keeps his own people in anxious suspense, that, by this very experiment, they may truly know what it is to trust Him.”
Do you trust Him? Is it not true that we learn to most trust the Lord and draw nearest to Him when we find ourselves in prisons, pits, perils, and persecutions? May we learn to seize our trials and their lengthiness as an opportunity to throw ourselves in trust upon our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. As Matthew Henry says about Joseph, “He learned by his disappointments to trust only in God.”
Verse 3&4: “Captain of the Guard – this is very likely Potiphar, Joseph’s old master himself, still looking out and keeping contact with Joseph. What an impression Joseph must have left on Potiphar. This also works to further the opinion that Potiphar was converted through Joseph’s witness.
Verse 4: Joseph “attended them.” Despite being unjustly imprisoned and shackled, Joseph shows incredible care and concern toward real criminals. Wherever Joseph finds himself, he seems to always be a blessing and a servant to those around him. He could have had every fleshly reason to throw a pity party and look inward, but instead he takes to service and care for his neighbor.
How often do we strive against serving others, particularly when our own circumstances are lacking? Yet, Joseph, without the example of Christ that we now have today, resembled such Christ-likeness as to put us all to shame. John Calvin explains this as another reason God had him in prison, “…men become softened by their own afflictions, so that they do not despise others who are in misery…wherefore is it not wonderful that God should exercise us with various sorrows; since nothing is more becoming than humanity towards our brethren…” Joseph nearly perfectly displays that Philippians 2 attitude that the apostle Paul ” writes of, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Here we learn the lesson that sometimes God puts his people in prison to minister there. Indeed, not only prison, but everywhere. Whatever dim or dreary situation we find ourselves in, rather than seeking to escape, we should seek to minister.
We can do so here with the power of Christ by the example of Christ, as Christ, the righteous one came to earth to “attend” to transgressors by attending to our needs of needing our sin dealt with. As Joseph serves guilty people in prison, so Christ came deep into our pit of sin to serve us. As bad as Joseph was treated, Christ was treated worse. And as well as Joseph responded, Christ responded better still.
In this chapter we find that Joseph is not only a Christlike servant in prison, but he also exhibits a steady faithfulness to God.
Verse 8: Upon hearing that sadness from his fellow inmates that there is no one there to interpret their dreams (so they think), Joseph declarations that interpretations belong to God. Joseph is combating the culture with God’s Word. The Egyptians of that day had interpreters, wise-men, magicians, who were believed to interpret dreams. Dreams were though to predict the future. There were entire false religions and superstitions built around dream interpretation. Joseph, as a “holy man” corrects that false believe and gives proper credit and glory to God by professing that understanding and meaning comes from him.
In this, Joseph also displays a conviction and a commitment to speak God’s word. As Calvin puts it, “…he [Joseph] shows how honorably he thinks of the oracles of God, seeing that he pronounces concerning the future effect with as much confidence as if it had already taken place.” Here we learn at least three lessons from Joseph concerning what a believer’s commitment to God’s Word should look like: 1) He doesn’t scratch ears by changing or softening the message to the baker; he simply delivers the message. 2) He is not primarily concerned about whether his interpretation might be accepted or rejected, for it is not his interpretation, but God’s. 3) He understands that he is a messenger, not an editor. Matthew Henry sums it up nicely, “Ministers are but interpreters, they cannot make the thing otherwise than it is; if therefore they deal faithfully, and their message prove unpleasing, it is not their fault. Bad dreams cannot expect a good interpretation.”
Verse 9-19: Upon hearing the dreams and in interpreting them, each to his own, Joseph declares salvation to one, and condemnation for the other. As A.W. Pink puts it, “Joseph was the means of blessing to one, but the pronouncement of judgement on the other.” In this, Joseph is a type of Christ. As 1 Corinthians 1 says, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
The Chief cup bearer was assured of his “salvation” by the revelation of God through Joseph. The baker was warned of his destruction through Joseph. Likewise, this is what the Word of Christ does; it assures guilty sinners of their salvation in Chris, their place in the kingdom. And it warns guilty sinners, or condemns the wicked to condemnation.
But let us look further into the details of the dreams, for A.W. Pink says, “It is not without good reason that the Holy Spirit has seen fit to record the details of these dreams.”
The cup bearer dreamed of crushing grapes into wine into Pharaoh’s cup. The cup into which the grapes were pressed, suggests to us the precious blood of the Lamb, by which all who believe are delivered. He was crushed, blood poured out, we are spared!
The baker dreamed of three baskets of baked good on his head that birds pecked at. The baskets, full of baked goods, suggest human labors, the works of man’s hands; they are powerless to deliver the sinner, to justify him before God; for such there is the “curse” of being hanged on a tree (Gal. 3v13).
Before the interpretation was given to them, both prisoners were burdened with their dream. It caused them such sadness that it showed. Joseph could observe their distress. Likewise, before we are saved, we must be burdened with our sin, burdened by God’s Word, burdened by God’s law, then when we come to know the interpretation of the gospel to our souls by the power of the Holy Spirit, we may rejoice at our salvation.
Verse 20-22: Joseph’s interpretation proves to be true. Restoration for one, destruction for the other. A.W. Pink sums it up, “Just as Joseph had interpreted, so it came to pass. So shall it be with every Word of the Son of God, Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but his words shall not pass away. And O, unsaved reader, just as the solemn announcement of Joseph concerning the baker was actually fulfilled so shall these words of the Lord Jesus be found true, ‘he that believeth not shall be damned.'”
Verse 23: Joseph now finds himself forgotten by the World. But oh, was he remembered by God, for God never left him. This is the Christian’s joy and comfort, though the world will forget them and indeed want nothing to do with them when they become of no benefit to them, Christ does not forget his people, no matter how deep or dark the pit is that they find themselves in.
Sometimes the world uses Christians for their benefit, then they forget them once they get what they wanted from them. But the gospel actually enables us to be used. Christ was walked all over, for our sake. Beaten, spit upon, abused – to save his people from their sin. We can be that kind of used servant because our eternity and union with Christ is secure, and his Spirit within us enables us to do so for the sake of others, that they might come to see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.
Another resemblance between Joseph and Christ meets us here. Christ was hung between two criminals. One who went into paradise, one who did not. Joseph asked to be remembered by the cup bearer, but was forgotten. But the thief on the cross asked Christ to remember him, and He did. Matthew Henry puts it this way, “Joseph had but foretold the chief butler’s enlargement, but Christ wrought out ours, mediated with the King of kings, for us; yet we forget him, though often reminded of him though we have promised never to forget him; thus ill do we requite him, like foolish people and unwise.”
We are either the cup bearer or the baker in this story. We are guilty transgressors who have offended the King – not a corrupted Egyptian king, but the holy and righteous King of kings of all the universe. And so, we deserve death, judgment, and condemnation. Yet there is one who can free us from our shackles of sin and restore us to the Creator of the universe against whom we have rebelled. If the Word of Christ, the gospel of God, be spoken to our hearts, and we drink form the cup of salvation, believing in the slain lamb of God, who is now risen, we will be brought to salvation, and not simply made to serve in the kingdom of God, but to reign with him.
Will you enter into paradise with Christ, were your time of death to come tonight? Or would you enter into condemnation? Are you trusting in the works of your hands? or are you trusting in the spilled blood of the crushed son?
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