seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 40:1 Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.
After they had been in custody for some time, 5 each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”
8 “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”
Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”
12 “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread.[a] 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
18 “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”
20 Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— 22 but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
There seems to be a lot of talk about three days in the Bible. This is another one of those "three days" chapters.It's a very cool story.... and I don't see any huge new revelation here. Neither the cupbearer nor the baker did anything to deserve to be set free. It just happened. Well it just happened so that it would get in the Bible.... but they didn't do anything to make themselves good or bad. The drink could be poisoned just as quickly as bread. Both worked for Pharaoh.... and neither was distinguished by their own actions.
God doesn't forgive us based on anything we do. Sure... we have to accept Jesus as our Savior..... but first God has to remember us.
My friend's brother, played with toy soldiers on a dirt hill in the back yard.... When the time was right for him to stop playing and go in.... he picked up his soldiers when he was done playing with them. Those toy soldiers were plastic... they couldn't yell or wave their arms.... except in his imagination.... but they couldn't encourage him to pick them up instead of the plastic toy soldier beside them. How he picked up his toys.... how he chose which to put back in the bag first.... had nothing to do with which soldier was which... they were all going in that bag he kept them in... along with the toy cannons and such. It was his choice....
We are just like those toy soldiers to God. He'll pick us up when He's ready.
The cupbearer "forgot" to mention Joseph.
It wasn't time for Joseph.
God will pick Joseph up later.
