Jan 20
19
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 40
“Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody. And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, ‘Why are your faces downcast today?’ 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.’ So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, ‘In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.’ Then Joseph said to him, ‘This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 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. 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.’ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, ‘I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.’ And Joseph answered and said, ‘This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 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.’ On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.” (Genesis 40, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Philippians 2:1–11
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 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. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:1–11, ESV)
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[Please excuse any and all typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.]
Introduction
Brothers and sisters, we now return to the story of Joseph. And as we do, we should remember where Joseph has been.
Remember that Jospeh was the favored son in his fathers house. He was thrown into a pit and left for dead by his own brothers, who were envious of him. And after realizing that they could make a profit by selling Joseph into slavery, they did. He was taken by Ishmaelite traders down into Egypt and sold to Potiphar, who was a high ranking official, the captain of the guard.
While a slave to Potiphar Joseph was blessed by the LORD. In due time he rose to a position of power within Potiphar’s house. In 39:4 we read that, “Joseph found favor in [Potiphar’s] sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had” (Genesis 39:4, ESV). Trouble arose when Potiphar’s wife took notice of Jospeh — he was a successful and skilled man, handsome in form and appearance. She desired to lay with him. And when he refused to sin in this way out of his love for God and man, she grew envious and falsely accused him of assault. Potiphar was enraged, and Jospeh was sent to prison, “the place where the king’s prisoners were confined…” (Genesis 39:20, ESV).
In 39:21 we read, “But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 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. 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” (Genesis 39:21–23, ESV).
It is here that our passage for today picks up. Joseph is in prison, but he had been blessed by the LORD there. Much like in the house of Potiphar, Joseph had charge over everything in that place.
Notice, therefore, the trajectory, pattern and quality of Joseph’s life thus far.
Considered from a merely human perspective, the trajectory of Joseph’s life to this point was downward. He had been brought down to a very low point. Not only was he enslaved in Egypt, but also imprisoned.
But notice the pattern — Joseph remained faithful in every circumstance.
And notice the quality of Joseph’s life. Though the circumstances were very trying and difficult, Joseph was blessed of the Lord.
It is no wonder that many students of the Bible have been moved to compared the life of Joseph with the life of Christ. I have said it before: Joseph was a type of Christ. And when I say that Joseph was a type of Christ I mean that, though he was not in fact the Christ, his life functioned as a preview of the life of Christ.
Consider the trajectory, pattern and quality of Jesus’ life and compare it to Jospeh’s.
Considered from a merely human perspective, the trajectory of Jesus’ life was at first downward. He, being the eternal Son of God — the favored one his Father’s house, if you will — took on the weakness of human flesh. He was mistreated and betrayed. He suffered to the point death, even death on a cross. But Christ remained faithful in every circumstance. And the Lord blessed him.
Of course, there will be an upward swing of exultation that will occur in Jospeh’s life, and this also typifies the upward swing of exultation in Christ’s life — he was not left in the grave, but was raised and exulted to the Father’s right hand — but we are not there yet in the story. We are still considering Joseph’s humiliation.
As we consider this narrative today I would like to look at in three ways. One, I wish to consider how Jospeh behaved in his humiliation. Two, I wish to consider how the life of Joseph prefigured the life of Christ. And three, I wish to consider how Joseph might serve as an example to us, especially in times of difficulty.
We will notice three things about Jospeh: One, in his humiliation, he cared for others. Two, in his humiliation, he revealed God’s will. And three, in his humiliation, he was forsaken by men.
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Verses 1-8 — In His Humiliation, Joseph Cared For Others
Consider, first of all that, in his humiliation, Jospeh cared for others. This we see in verses 1 through 8.
In verse 1 we read, “Some time after this…” We do not know how long Jospeh had been in prison before the events that are described to us in this chapter transpired. But it is worth noting that Jospeh was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery by his brothers, and he was 30 years old when he raised to power by Pharaoh. So, for thirteen years Jospeh was either a slave in Potiphar’s house or imprisoned. Jospeh had his prime years stolen from him. Circumstances like this can cause people to grow bitter towards God and man, but not so with Jospeh. Joseph’s faith remained strong, and his heart soft to God and man, as will see.
Now, I think it would be naive to think that Jospeh did not struggle during those 13 years. Im sure that wept. I’m assume that he experienced times of darkness and despair. But as we consider the whole of his life we see that he persevered in the faith and waited upon the Lord to exult him in due time.
This is also what Christ did.
And this is what you and I called to do. We are to “Humble [ourselves]… under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt [us], casting all [our] anxieties on him, because he cares for [us]” (1 Peter 5:6).
“Some time after [Joseph was thrown into prison], the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined” (Genesis 40:1–3, ESV).
It is a mistake to assume that these men merely held a cup and baked for the Pharaoh (though this they did). They were high ranking officials and trusted by Pharaoh.
We are told what they did to anger Pharaoh, but the text makes it clear that they did commit an offense (or sin) against their lord. So, unlike Jospeh, they deserved to be in prison. “The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody” (Genesis 40:4, ESV).
“And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation” (Genesis 40:5, ESV). Dreams were very important to the Egyptians. Their view was that through dreams they had contact with the spirit world. There was an entire class of men in Egypt who’s job it was to interpret dreams. We hear of them in chapter 41. After the Pharaoh himself had dreamed a dream “he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men” (Genesis 41:8, ESV) for an interpretation. The NET translation calls these men “diviner-priests” and “wise men”, which I think is more helpful.
The Christian view of dreams is quite different. We know that in times past God spoke to his Prophets and Apostles through dreams, but that mode of revelation has now ceased given that the Christ has come. This is what Hebrews 1:1 speaks to, saying, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1–2, ESV). I do not doubt that Lord may use dreams to encourage the people of God today. But he does not reveal himself and his will for man through dreams today as he did in ages past, for the Christ has come. In times past he spoke through the prophets, but now he has spoken supremely through his Son, and we have his word.
In other words, this passage that we are considering today about dreams and the interpretation of dreams should not lead the Christian to seek to know the will of God or the word of God through dreams. To do so is to ignore the progress that has been made in the history of redemption. To view dreams as a current source of revelation is to ignore what that New Testament says — that God spoke through the prophets in ages past, and supremely through his Son, The New Covenant church of God is repeatedly encouraged to look to the Word of God previously revealed and now inscripturated to know God’s will for us.
With that said, it is not difficult to understand why the chief cupbearer and the chief baker were troubled by the dreams that they dreamed. They had both experienced something traumatic when they were thrown into prison by the Pharaoh. They were afraid. They both dreamed dreams on the same night. As we will see, the dreams were similar, indicating to them that they were meaningful. And, finally, they did not have access to the “diviner-priests” and “wise men” of Egypt who, in their minds, could interpret the dreams for them, for they were in prison.
Verse 6: “When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, ‘Why are your faces downcast today? (Genesis 40:6–7, ESV).”
I think you are able to see why I have made the point that “in his humiliation, Jospeh cared for others.” Even in his extreme hardship, Joseph was a true servant. And it seems to me that he did not just go through the motions in his servanthood, but truly cared for others.
He was a wonderful servant to Potiphar. And when he had opportunity to sin against him and to please himself, he would not do it. He refused to sin against his master and God. And as he served within the prison he truly cared for those whom he served, even saying, “Why are your faces downcast today?”
Friends, this was also the way that Christ lived. He came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28, ESV). Though “he was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5–8, ESV).
And this is also to be the way of the Christian. In that same Philippians passage that was just read, Paul commands us, saying, “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” (Philippians 2:3–4, ESV). And then he says, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5, ESV). In other words, the servant hearted attitude that Jesus had is to be ours as well.
Brothers and sisters, this servant hearted attitude is to be in us always. We should have the mindset of Christ the servant day by day. It is to be in us when things are going well. And it is also to be in us when things are difficult.
I’m afraid that many assume that when things get difficult it is time to be served rather than to serve. And it is no wonder that people think this way, for there is some truth to it. There are times for mourning. There are times when, because of sickness or injury, the service of others is needed. I do not intend to undermine this obvious truth. But here I am addressing the tendency that some may have to sulk in their sorrow, and to grow self centered in their grief.
When the circumstances of life are difficult you can choose to respond in one of two ways. You can feel sorry for yourself, complain against God, and assume that everyone around you should be your servant, or you can choose to be thankful to God, to give glory to him even for the hardship, and to serve those around you, remembering that others are hurting too, and that Christ served in his humiliation. This second way is the Christian way. God will be glorified in this, and it will be a blessing to you and to those around you.
Joseph is to be admired for the way he responded to the terrible circumstances that came upon him. He kept the faith, he honored God, and he served others.
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Verses 9-22 — In His Humiliation, He Revealed God’s Will
Secondly, see that Joseph, in his humiliation, revealed God’s will.
After Jospeh inquired concerning the downcast faces of the cupbearer and chief baker “They said to him, [verse 8] ‘We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them’” (Genesis 40:8, ESV). Again, these men knew that there was something significant about their dreams, but they were discouraged because they did not have access to the “diviner-priests” and “wise men” of Egypt, whom they believed had the sole ability to interpret their dreams.
Joseph’s response to them was very bold. He said to them “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” In saying this Jospeh challenged the trust that these men had placed in the “diviner-priests” and “wise men” of Egypt, and also asserted that God alone has the ability to reveal truth to men. The God that Joseph referred to was his God — the God of the Hebrews — and not the gods of the Egyptians.
Does this not show that Jospeh was a faithful witness while in captivity. Remember that the he told Potiphar’s wife that he would not lay with her because to do so would be to sin against God. And here he gives glory to God when he testifies before these men that it is his God — the God of the Hebrews — and not the false gods of the Egyptians, who is able to reveal truth to men and to provide the interpretation.
These men were desperate. They had no one else to turn to. And so they told their dreams to Joseph.
First, the chief cupbearer described his dream to Joseph, saying, “So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, ‘In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand’” (Genesis 40:9–11, ESV).
Jospeh, being illuminated by God, provided the interpretation, saying, “Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer” (Genesis 40:12–13, ESV).
So confident was Jospeh that this would happen that he made a request of the cupbearer, saying, “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. 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” (Genesis 40:14–15, ESV). Again, it should be remembered that the cupbearer was more than a cupholder for the king — he was a trusted advisor. Jospeh knew that one he was restored he would have the ability to vouch for Jospeh before the Pharaoh.
The chief beaker was understandably encouraged by the favorable interpretation given to the cupbearer, and so he shared his dream as well, saying, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head” (Genesis 40:16–17, ESV).
Jospeh, being illuminated by God, again provided an interpretation. This time the news was not encouraging to the recipient. “Joseph answered and said, ‘This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 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” (Genesis 40:18–19, ESV).
Jospeh was proven to be a true prophet, and not a false prophet, when “On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them” (Genesis 40:20–22, ESV).
I have noted that Joseph, in his humiliation, revealed God’s will. In other words, he functioned as a prophet of God.
Here we have yet another way in which Jospeh was a type of Christ. Joseph was a prophet, whereas Jesus was the prophet of God — the eternal Word of God come in human form.
John 1:1, 14 and 18 speaks to this saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:1, 14, 18, ESV).
Jesus the Christ was the pinnacle of God’s revelatory activity. He was (and is) the eternal Word of God come in human form. It was by the Word that God created the world. It was by the Word that God spoke to the prophets of old. And it was this Word — the second subsistence (or person) of the Triune God — that took on humanity in order to redeem humanity, and to reveal God to us. Again, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18, ESV).
As I turn now to make application for us I think you can understand why I cannot say, “you also are to reveal God’s will as Joseph and Christ did!”, for Jospeh was a prophet, and Christ was the eternal Word of God come in the flesh — you are not those things.
But I can I ask you, are you looking to the Christ and to his word to know what its true? Are you looking to Christ and his word to know how it is that you are to live in this world? Are you doing what James exports us to do, saying, “put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21, ESV)?
It is no secret that the non-believer does not submit to God’s word in this way. They look many other places in their search for truth. They have many other things as their source of authority — their unaided human reason, their feelings, their preference, etc.
But it is deeply concerning when one who professes faith in Christ looks to something other than God and his word as their authority for truth? Friends, “The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, and the only certain rule of faith and obedience” (Baptist Catechism, 4).
Look to the scriptures, friends, to know what is true. Ask God to give you wisdom to apply the scriptures to your individual circumstances. Surround yourself with wise and godly counselors to help to know which way you are to go.
Secondly, though I cannot say to you, “reveal the word of God”, I can say, “proclaim it”. Do not neglect to proclaim the truths of God already revealed in both good times and bad. Could it be, Christian, that the Lord has willed for you to reside in some unpleasant circumstance so that you might testify to Christ there?
Be like Jospeh in this regard — testify to Christ in your humiliation.
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Verse 23 — In His Humiliation, He Was Forsaken By Men
Thirdly and lastly, see that in his humiliation, Joseph was forsaken by men.
Remember that Jospeh made a request to the cupbearer that when he was restored to his position that he remember him. He said, “please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house.”
But after the baker was executed and cupbearer restored in fulfillment to the dreams and to the interpretation [verse 23] “the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him” (Genesis 40:23, ESV).
This must have felt terrible to Jospeh. Certainly, Jospeh must have struggled with feelings of betrayal and abandonment through out this season of his life. His own brothers abandoned him. His master, Potiphar, abandoned him. The cupbearer, to whom he showed this kindness, abandoned him. I wonder if it he did not feel as if God had abandoned him in the pit.
It is no secret that Christ Jesus our Lord also knew what it was to be rejected and abandoned by man. He was hated and eventually crucified by his own people. One of his own disciples betrayed him near the end. And in his hour of greatest difficulty, most had fled. Indeed, on that cross, Christ, in his humanity, even felt as if God the Father had forsaken him. He cried out, saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34, ESV).
Of course, God did not abandon Jospeh, but was with him in the pit and would raise him up in due time.
And neither did God abandoned the Christ. He did “not abandon [his] soul to Sheol, or let [his] holy one see corruption”, in fulfillment to Pslam 16:10.
Friends, if you belong to the Father through faith in Christ Jesus, neither will he abandon you, “for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5, ESV).
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Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:6–11, ESV)
