Genesis 40
The Cupbearer and the Baker
1After these things happened, the cupbearer to the king of Egypt and the royal baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.
The royal cupbearer and the royal baker were imprisoned for offending the Egyptian Pharaoh. Early in history, absolute monarchs had already solidified their power. Absolute monarchs made the law, enforced the law, and interpreted the law. When democracy was established in America, these three powers were divided between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
2Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, the cupbearer and the baker,
These were the two officers of the two groups of wine makers and bakers. The cupbearer and baker were very important positions, because they made sure that the food and drink was not poisoned. Absolute monarchs had many enemies. Many absolute monarchs were assassinated throughout history.
3so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined.
The captain of the guard was Potiphar. Potiphar was the officer who had imprisoned Joseph.
4The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them. They spent some time in custody.
Joseph regained the trust of Potiphar. He was placed in a position of leadership once again. Potiphar may have known that Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife.
5Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream the same night. Each man’s dream had its own meaning.
Both men had a supernatural dream, but they did not know the meaning of the dream. The Egyptians were very pagan and very superstitious. They believed that dreams were messages from their polytheistic gods.
6When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed.
Joseph discerned that there was trouble and depression in his fellow prisoners.
7So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”
Joseph asked the two prisoners for the reason of their depression.
8They told him, “We both had dreams, but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me.”
Egypt and Babylon possessed professional interpreters, but the interpretations were occultic and/or human speculation. The Hebrew word for “God” is אֱלֹהִים (elohim), the Triune-Creator-God. Joseph introduced these two Egyptian pagans to אֱלֹהִים (elohim), the one true Creator God. Joseph's ministry extend to the Egyptian prison system.
9So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream, there was a vine in front of me.
The cupbearer’s royal occupation was squeezing grapes from vines to make wine for Pharaoh.
10On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes.
In this dream, the vine blossomed into grapes in a very rapid fashion.
11Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
The cupbearer squeezed the grapes into the cup.
12“This is its meaning,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches represent three days.
Joseph gave the interpretation of the dream. The three branches represented three days.
13In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before when you were cupbearer.
The cupbearer will not be executed. Instead, he would be restored to his royal position in three days.
14But remember me when it goes well for you, and show me kindness. Make mention of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison,
Joseph may have recognized that God was moving in his behalf. Joseph was the ambassador to Egypt, so God was leading through his sovereignty.
15for I really was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”
Notice that Joseph understood the Abrahamic Covenant. The land of Canaan was not the land of the Canaanites, but the land was promised by God to the Hebrews. The Hebrew race numbered less than eighty people. There were still thousands of Canaanites in the land. However, Joseph believed that God would give all of the land of Canaan to the Hebrews.
The Abrahamic Covenant is still not understood by many modern nations. The United Nations was created to keep Israel from inhabiting all of the land which was divinely given to them by God.
16When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread on my head.
The royal chief baker was hoping for a good report of his dream as well.
17In the top basket there were baked goods of every kind for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket that was on my head.”
Pictorials in Egyptian tombs possess these same types of pictures of baskets being filled with baked goods. Archaeology was created to disprove the Bible, but it has always accomplished the opposite. There has never been an archaeological discovery which has disproved the accuracy of the Bible.
18Joseph replied, “This is its meaning: The three baskets represent three days.
Joseph interpreted the dream. The three baskets represented three days.
19In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
The royal baker would be beheaded in three days. Then, he would be impaled on a pole. The impaling was a warning to the citizens of Egypt that they were not to commit crimes against Pharaoh.
20On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up” the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants.
Pharaoh lifted up their heads, but not in the same way.
21He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position so that he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand,
Joseph’s interpretation was correct. The cupbearer regained his position with Pharaoh.
22but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted.
Joseph was correct a second time. The chief baker was impaled.
23But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph – he forgot him.
The cupbearer did not keep his promise to Joseph. From human viewpoint, this was ingratitude. From divine viewpoint, it was not yet time for Joseph’s release.
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From human viewpoint, modern charismatics will falsely claim that since Joseph could interpret dreams, then modern charismatics can interpret dreams as well. However, Old Testament history is not Bible doctrine. Believers are to learn from the examples of Old Testament history, but they are not Bible doctrine for the New Testament dispensation. Bible doctrine for modern Christians are found in Paul's epistles.
From divine viewpoint, there are no more dreams or prophecies. They disappeared after the Temple destruction of 70 A.D. (see commentary on 1 Corinthians 12-14) The written Word of God is complete. Everything that believers need to know from God comes from the written Scriptures. It is dangerous to trust in modern dreams, modern prophecies, modern words of knowledge, and modern tongues. Demons use these avenues in charismatic churches to mix truth with error. If the modern charismatic is not grounded in Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God, then he will be seduced into this false extra-biblical demonic type of false revelation.