Genesis 40:1–23

Both the chief butler and the chief baker of Pharaoh had offended their lord. Nothing is stated about the nature of their offence. But Pharaoh was of a foreign race, and so likely to fear that someone would try to poison him. It is not surprising that the two men in charge of his drink and his food had both fallen under suspicion. While the matter awaited a decision, they stayed in the same prison as Joseph, and were put in his charge. The first link in the chain of events God ordered was that Joseph should be put in the place where the king's prisoners were held. The second was that in due time these two men should be placed there too.

The hand of God was in all this, however little it looked like it. In the king's prison house were two servants of Pharaoh, his chief baker and chief butler.

In this account of the imprisonment of Joseph and the butler and the baker, God was at work in grace behind the scenes. He worked both to bring Joseph out of prison and to lift him up in a way that would normally have been unthinkable for a Hebrew... Nothing was said about the reason he had been put in prison. As far as the record goes, he was never cleared of the charge falsely brought against him. He evidently left this in the hand of God, who knows how to guard His servant's reputation.

Joseph had served as a slave in Potiphar's house. Now he served as a criminal in the tower-house, falsely accused of what was true of his accuser. But his faith stayed simple, peaceful and bright. We notice its effect on those who had no faith themselves, yet valued faithfulness highly. The captain put Joseph in charge of the king's officers. In his master's house before, and now in the governor's state prison, he became the responsible man: whatever needed doing there, he did it. The Lord was with him in each place of trial; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

Here were two men in the same place of confinement. Both stood condemned, and so far as we know both were equally guilty — or innocent. They looked exactly alike in every outward way. Christ (Joseph) comes among them and pronounces one saved and the other lost.

And we see two others suffering with him — Pharaoh's two officers, his chief butler and his chief baker. But they do not suffer as Joseph does. He suffered though he was innocent. They were most likely receiving the due reward of their deeds, like the two thieves crucified with Christ. Joseph was ruler in the dungeon, and the verdict of his fellow prisoners' conscience must have been, "This man has done nothing wrong."

The righteous Joseph is charged with the sin his accuser was guilty of. The Gentile authority treats him as a criminal. His feet are put in the stocks, and the iron enters his soul. He is handed over to the Gentiles, and by them symbolically put to death. There he is the interpreter of restoring blessing and of fatal judgment. Earlier, the Lord's plan spoke of Messiah's rise to the highest place among His own Jewish people, and of His exaltation in principle. Here rejection and death come in — and with them the Lord's mind in saving and condemning the guilty, according to His true purposes.

Two men are now committed to Joseph's care in the prison, the cupbearer and the baker of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. We are not told what offences they were imprisoned for, but they had incurred Pharaoh's anger, and that was enough.

Both the chief butler and the chief baker of Pharaoh had offended their lord. Nothing is stated about the nature of their offence. But Pharaoh belonged to a foreign race, so he was likely to fear that someone would poison him. It is not surprising, then, that the two men in charge of his drink and his food had both fallen under suspicion.

Until their case was decided, they were held in the same prison as Joseph and put in his charge. God ordered a chain of events. The first link was Joseph being put in the place where the king's prisoners were bound. The second was that in due time these two men should be placed there too.

See how the trial of Joseph turned out. Divine ordering limited it from anything that would hinder it. It was intended to frustrate God's purpose, and seemed completely against it. Yet that trial and his righteous suffering in Egypt only brought about the very thing they seemed to frustrate. It was the Egypt his brothers sold him into, and the prison Potiphar put him in, that led him to the butler and baker — and that made him governor over all the land of Egypt. We cannot put God out of His way. It is better to trust Him.

In Genesis 39 Satan uses Potiphar's wife, and in Genesis 40 he uses Pharaoh's chief butler. The first he used to put Joseph into the dungeon; the second he used to keep him there, through his ungrateful neglect. But it was all in vain. God was behind the scenes. His finger was guiding all the springs of the vast machine of circumstances, and when the right time came, He brought forth the man of His purpose and set his feet in a large room.

Joseph had served as a slave in Potiphar's house. Now he served as a criminal in the tower-house, falsely accused of what was true of his accuser. But his faith stayed simple, peaceful and bright. We notice its effect on people who had no faith themselves, yet valued faithfulness highly. The captain gave him the care of the king's officers. As before in his master's house, so now in the governor's state prison, he became the responsible agent: whatever was to be done there, he did it. The Lord was with him in each place of trial, and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

Here were two men in the same place of imprisonment, both condemned. As far as we know they were equally guilty — or innocent — exactly alike in every outward appearance. Christ (Joseph) comes among them and pronounces one saved and the other lost.

So in Joseph in prison we see the suffering Christ. And we see two others suffering with him — Pharaoh's two officers, his chief butler and his chief baker. But they do not suffer as Joseph does. He suffered though innocent. They, in all likelihood, were receiving the due reward of their deeds, like the two thieves crucified with Christ.

Both the chief butler and the chief baker of Pharaoh had offended their lord. We are not told what their offence was. But Pharaoh was of a foreign race, and so he was likely to fear that someone would poison him. No wonder both the chief keepers of his drink and his food had fallen under suspicion. While the king decided what to do, he confined them in the same prison as Joseph and put them in his charge. In the chain of events God ordered, the first link was Joseph being put in the place where the king's prisoners were bound. The second link was that in due time these two men were placed there too.

Have we not a saying in English, "The iron entered his soul"? Nothing is more depressing than captivity like that — day after day, night after night, summer and winter, year in and year out. The utter weariness, discomfort, sameness and hopelessness of it is a great test. Under it a character either collapses or shows what it is. Trials make or mar a man. They prove what a man is made of.

In Genesis 39 Satan uses Potiphar's wife, and in Genesis 40 he uses Pharaoh's chief butler. The first he used to put Joseph into the dungeon; the second he used to keep him there, through his ungrateful forgetfulness — but all in vain. God was behind the scenes. His finger was guiding all the springs of the vast machine of circumstances. When the right time came, He brought out the man of His purpose and set his feet in a large room.

Joseph had served as a slave in Potiphar's house. Now he served as a criminal in the tower-house, falsely accused of what was true of his accuser. But his faith stayed simple, peaceful and bright. We can see its effect on men who had no faith themselves, yet highly valued faithfulness. The captain put Joseph in charge of the king's officials. In his master's house, and now in the governor's state prison, he became the responsible man. Whatever needed doing there, he did it.

So in Joseph in prison we see the suffering Christ. And we see two others suffering with him — Pharaoh's two officers, his chief butler and his chief baker. But they do not suffer as Joseph does. He suffered though he was innocent. They, most likely, were receiving the "due reward of their deeds," like the two thieves crucified with Christ. Joseph was ruler in the dungeon. The verdict of his fellow prisoners' conscience must have been, "This man has done nothing wrong."

Here were two men in the same prison, both condemned alike. As far as we know they were equally guilty — or equally innocent. They looked just alike in every outward way. Christ (Joseph) comes among them and pronounces one saved and the other lost.

Two men are now placed in Joseph's care in the prison: the cupbearer and the baker of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. We are not told what offenses put them there. They had made Pharaoh angry, and that was enough. The captain of the bodyguard handed them over to Joseph. We may wonder whether this captain was Potiphar, who holds this position in Genesis 39:1, but there may well have been more than one captain.

While their case waited for a decision, they were held in the same prison as Joseph and put in his charge. The first link in this chain of events, ordered by God, was that Joseph should be in the place where the king's prisoners were held. The second was that at the right time these two men should be placed there too.

Joseph had served as a slave in Potiphar's house. Now he served as a criminal in the prison tower, falsely accused of what was in fact true of his accuser. But his faith stayed simple, peaceful and bright. We can see its effect on men who had no faith themselves, yet set a high value on faithfulness. The captain put the king's officials in Joseph's care. As in his master's house before, so now in the governor's state prison, he became the man in charge: whatever needed doing there, he did it. The LORD was with him in each place of trial, and what he did, the LORD made it prosper.

The man who truly leans on God makes good use of the trial he is in, whether it is short or lasting. No hard circumstances can crush true living energy. They may limit it and shape it. The scene may change, but the spirit of it does not. … Before long Joseph is as useful in prison as he was in the house of the captain of the guard. … In every trial, however dark, there are gleams of light and relief. But full deliverance is often delayed by our own anxiety to get it. God means to be the satisfaction of His servant, not the deliverance.

Each of them had a dream fitted to his own case on the same night, yet they learned so little from it that the next morning both showed the same sadness to their kind and sympathetic attendant. He was in irons himself; but love rose above the evil, and flowed out freely.

With the remarkable good sense that marks his character, he had begged not to be forgotten. But he stayed in irons a little longer. The word of the LORD tested him. God would work in His own way. If the chief cupbearer forgot Joseph once life went well for him, God did not.

So in Joseph in prison we see the suffering Christ. And we see two others suffering with him — Pharaoh's two officers, his chief butler and his chief baker. But they do not suffer as Joseph does. He suffered though he was innocent. They, in all likelihood, were receiving the "due reward of their deeds," like the two thieves crucified with Christ. Joseph was ruler in the dungeon, and the verdict of his fellow prisoners' conscience must have been, "This man has done nothing wrong."

That both should have dreamt characteristic dreams in one night he did not put down to what men call chance. They felt by instinct that the dreams were of the nearest interest to themselves, and no interpreter was there to explain them. If that made them sad, Joseph just as simply reckoned that interpretations belong to God, the giver of every good gift and of every perfect giving.

God visits the family circle of a pagan captain, and the household of a pagan king — yes, and his bedside. He makes the very visions of his head upon his bed serve the working out of His counsels. And it is not only people and their circumstances that God takes up and uses for His ends. He brings Egypt and all the surrounding countries into the scene too. In short, God's hand prepared the whole earth to be a stage on which to display the glory and greatness of the one "who was set apart from his brothers."

Dreams played a remarkably large part in his history. Before the climax, the record gives no less than five, and every one of them contained a prophecy. The finger of God produced each of them, touching the sleeper's unconscious mind. Each marked a divine intervention — indeed a revelation of secret things.

In the ages before Moses there was no written revelation of His will. God often took this way to communicate His mind, or to reveal coming events beforehand… Now we have His written revelation, the completed Bible. Only in very rare and exceptional cases can we recognise a dream as having come from God. "For a dream comes with much business" (Ecclesiastes 5:3) — that is, from purely natural causes, Scripture says.

God ordered a chain of events. The first link was that Joseph should be in the place where the king's prisoners were bound. The second was that in due time these two men should be placed there too. The third was that both men should have dreams in one night, unusual in kind yet marked by certain resemblances. Their effect on the two minds should be such as to make them look sad and attract Joseph's notice.

God had tried His dear child, and would try him longer. Yet this was an honour to Joseph, who was given not only to believe but to suffer for His sake. But God was forming the chain of links that would raise the suffering Israelite out of the dungeon. It would lift him to the highest position in Egypt, next to the throne. The dream of the chief cup-bearer was an important link in that chain.

Joseph's own dreams had disclosed much while he was a young free man in his father's house, and they drew out the envious spite of his brothers. Now grace gave him the opportunity of light from above on the dreams of his fellow-prisoners. Each had a fitting dream the same night, but they learned so little from it. The next morning their faces showed the same sadness to their gracious and sympathetic attendant. His own suffering had cut deep into him; but love rose above evil, and flowed out readily.

In all this Joseph pictured Christ, who shone to the eye of faith in His humiliation with a grace even beyond glory. He was clearly the wisdom of God. Human wisdom, next to Him, proved itself utterly weak, foolish and malicious.

Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and his chief baker had both offended their master. Nothing is said about what they did wrong. But Pharaoh came of a foreign race, so he was likely to fear an attempt on his life by poison. No wonder the two men in charge of his drink and his food fell under suspicion. Until the case was decided, they were held in the same prison as Joseph, and put in his charge. The first link in the chain of events God had ordered was that Joseph should be put where the king's prisoners were held. The second was that in due time these two men should be put there too.

The third was that both men should have dreams on the same night. The dreams were strange, yet alike in certain ways. They affected the men's minds so much that they looked sad, and Joseph noticed it.

The common idea of Joseph seems to be this: everyone would say he was a good young man, but they would mean a "goody" young man, and a bit soft. Read his history with ordinary attention, though, and you trace a character that is nothing of the kind. It is strong, wise, noble, generous, manly and big-hearted… When he is punished for his honourable conduct by being thrown into the dungeon, his words to his fellow-prisoners are, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" He did not complain under that great trouble. He looked around to see what he could do to help others, even his jailers. He could not see his companions in misery losing heart without asking, "Why are your faces downcast today?"

They are sad because they do not understand their dreams. They seem to have felt that their dreams were somehow connected with their destiny. And because they are not sure what that destiny is to be, they are "sad." And well they might be. And some of you are sad tonight for the same reason — you do not know your destiny. Many more ought to be sad, and are not. You do not know that you are saved, and so you do not know where you will spend eternity. While that question stays unsettled, it is folly to be anything but sad.

Joseph's own dreams had revealed much while he was a young free man in his father's house, and they drew out the envious spite of his brothers. Now grace gave him the opportunity of light from above on the dreams of his fellow-prisoners. Each man had a dream fitted to him on the same night, yet they learned so little from it that their faces showed the same sadness to their gracious and sympathetic attendant the next morning. He himself had felt the iron; but love rose above the evil, and flowed out readily.

The one who really leans on God improves the circumstances of trial he is in, whether they are temporary or permanent. No hostile circumstances can crush true living energy; they may limit and shape it. The scene may change, but not the spirit of it… Joseph too was soon as useful in prison as he had been in the house of the captain of the guard… In every trial, however gloomy, there are gleams of light and relief. But full deliverance is often delayed by our anxiety to get it. God is to be the satisfaction of His servant, and not the deliverance.

Joseph had served as a slave in Potiphar's house. Now he served as a criminal in the prison tower, falsely accused of what was true of his accuser. But his faith remained simple, peaceful, and bright. We note its effect on those who had no faith themselves, yet valued faithfulness highly. The captain put the king's officers in his care. As before in his master's house, so now in the governor's prison, he became the man in charge: whatever needed doing there, he did it. The Lord was with him in each place of trial, and the Lord made what he did prosper.

Read the history with ordinary attention, and we can trace a character far from soft or weak. At heart it is strong, wise, noble, generous, manly and big-hearted… Punished for his honourable conduct with the dungeon, he says to his fellow prisoners, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" He did not complain under that great disaster. Instead he looks around to see what he can do to help others, even his jailers. He cannot see his companions in misery losing heart without asking, "Why are your faces downcast today?"

If we knew more of Christ's sympathies, the children of God might have more for one another. If you are full of sorrow yourself, go and sympathize with another, and your own will be gone.

In His way with His chosen ones, God's sympathy comes first, and then His power. The sympathy goes with them through their sorrow. The power then delivers them out of it. We are inclined to want ease now, and would sweep away every inconvenience and contradiction at once. But this is not His way. At Bethany "Jesus wept," and afterwards, but not until afterwards, He said, "Lazarus, come out."

The third was that both men should have dreams on the same night, of an unusual kind and yet alike in certain ways. The effect on their minds should be such that they looked sad and caught Joseph's notice. They felt there must be a hidden meaning in their dreams, and they wanted an interpreter. Joseph's reply was in effect an offer to interpret, while he acknowledged that all power to do so came from God.

Every trial he passes through is only a stage in the path that leads to glory: the treatment from his brothers, the slavery in the Egyptian's house, the false accusations of Potiphar's wife, the prison of Pharaoh, the neglect of Pharaoh's cupbearer. His work as a shepherd, his mission to his brothers, his service in Potiphar's house and in Pharaoh's prison are all preparing him to use power in the day of his glory. The service in the trials prepares for the right use of glory.

Joseph did not claim to be an expert at interpreting dreams. Instead he told them, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" By saying this he showed them where any answer must come from. They had to depend on God Himself to reveal it. But he asks them to tell him their dreams.

These dreams of the butler and the baker were "according to the interpretation." Those words imply that they came from God. For dreams have two sources: either God sends them, or they come from the press of business. In them God may reveal His mind, or they may be simply various empty things, the fruit of our own passions or needs.

Both men dreamed dreams true to their own case on one night. Joseph did not put that down to what people call chance. They were sad because no interpreter could explain what they felt closely concerned them. Joseph just as simply reckoned that interpretations belong to God. He is the giver of every good gift and of every perfect giving. So He is the One who answers faith's cry to Him, though no other ear hears it.

God gave Joseph the discerning ear... In no way is the credit given to mere natural intelligence. The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him. Joseph's faith was always in use. He knew that God stays the same in the middle of heavy trials — trials that had only changed from one great sorrow into a greater one. At his lowest point he looked up for wisdom to its only source. God's power then called him to solve the riddle, for good or for ill, in the cases that came before him.

Wherever he was found, God was in all his thoughts... They punished him for his honourable conduct and threw him into the dungeon. Even there his words to his fellow prisoners are, "Interpretations belong to God." He did not complain under that great disaster. He looked around to see what he could do to help others, even his jailers. He could not see his companions in misery losing heart and say nothing. He asked them, "Why are your faces downcast today?"

Jesus did not honour Himself. "Do not interpretations belong to God?" said Joseph. "My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me," said Jesus. Jesus was obedient, and therefore God has highly exalted Him.

All through this the Lord was with him. Yet men rejected him and forgot him completely, like a dead man out of mind. It is as one rejected that he becomes the interpreter. There is no true interpretation without the cross. It is there that God's interpretation has its place... All the interpretation is bound up with the low estate of Joseph.

Joseph says to the downcast butler and baker, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" God must reveal everything any of us can know about these things. And He has revealed how anyone may know where he will spend eternity. His Word, the Bible, gives us a perfect picture of our destiny.

In the scripture now before us, all this is seen in a most remarkable manner. God visits the home of a pagan captain, and the household of a pagan king — yes, even his bedside. He makes even the dreams in the king's head on his bed serve the working out of His plans.

They were sad because no one could explain what they felt concerned them most. Joseph, just as simply, reckoned that interpretations belong to God, the giver of every good gift and every perfect gift. So He is the answerer of faith's cry to Him, though unheard by any other ear.

And as in Joseph's dreams much had been divulged, while he was a young freeman in his father's house, which drew out the envious spite of his brothers, grace gave him now the opportunity of light from above on the dreams of his fellow prisoners... His soul entered into the iron; but love rose superior to evil, and flowed out readily.

No one expects a vision like this to keep to real time or real place. A dream can crowd the events of months or years into a single scene. Here the vine buds, blossoms and yields grapes, and the wine is fit for a king's cup. History records nothing so fast in the hands of a cupbearer, with no winepress, no vat, and no storing in jars.

The striking point Joseph was given to grasp is the precision of the three days marked by the three branches. No interpreter among Egypt's priests would have dared to say, as Joseph did at once, "The three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office." A guess would more likely have said three months. But no. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him.

"The three branches are three days," he says (v.12), and within three days Pharaoh would "lift up his head," that is, bring him into public view, and restore him to his office of cupbearer.

In the passage above the grapes were pressed. We might well think of the Lord's death and the awful pressure when He was made sin... God has accepted sinners because of that finished work, which glorified Him. The butler, as we see, was restored to his position again. We who were guilty are justified before God. If we wish to extend the type further, maybe the three branches would remind us of Christ's resurrection. Justification is in a risen Saviour. The dream of the baker tells us that salvation is not by works; he was not restored to his position, but was executed.

The dream sets the butler before a vine with three branches, living and fruitful. Pharaoh's cup — the symbol of God's judgment (Psalm 75:7-8) — is in his hand. He takes the grapes, presses them into the cup, and gives the cup into Pharaoh's hands. That is, the man takes his place before Christ, the true Vine. He accepts God's judgment and offers the blood of Christ, measured by that judgment. God accepts it, and the man is forgiven and exalted.

God often works by simple means, as here by a dream that came very naturally to this official of Pharaoh's court. Yet it was truly prophetic; and only a prophet was able to give its clear meaning. Here the wisdom of God was as evident as in sending the dream. No one expects such a vision to keep to real time or to one place. It may crowd the events of months, or years, into a single scene, as with the vine budding and blossoming and yielding grapes, and wine fit for a king's cup.

People used to object that there were no vines in Egypt, because Herodotus says so. In recent years many carvings of vines have been found on the monuments there.

The remarkable point which Joseph was given to seize is the precision of the three days indicated by the three branches. No Egyptian priest who read dreams would have dared to say at once, as Joseph did, "The three branches are three days." A guess would more likely have made them three months. But no. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him.

The first mention of the vine in Scripture is in Genesis 40. In every step of the life of the Son of God He glorified the Father, and it was also true in His death. In the passage above the grapes were pressed. We might very well think of the Lord's death and the awful pressure when He was made sin. Gethsemane means the "winepress", but there it was suffering in anticipation. What can we say of the cross itself? Sinners have been accepted because of that finished work which glorified God. The cupbearer, as we see, was restored to his position again. We who were guilty are justified before God. If we want to take the picture further, perhaps the three branches would remind us of Christ's resurrection. Justification is in a risen Saviour.

The cupbearer is brought before a vine, triple branched, living and fruitful. Pharaoh's cup (the symbol of God's judgment, Psalm 75:7-8) is in his hand. He takes the grapes, presses them into the cup, and then gives the cup into Pharaoh's hands. That is, the man takes his place in the presence of Christ, the true Vine. Accepting God's judgment, he offers the blood of Christ, according to the measure of that judgment. God accepts it, and the man is forgiven and exalted.

The chief cupbearer sees in his dream what speaks of the blood — the juice of the grape. And he was delivered. The chief baker dreams of what at once reminds us of human righteousness, the white baskets. He saw only what he had laboured to produce, the baked goods. And he is hanged. The chief cupbearer sees something ready to his hand, the grape clusters, and he presents them to Pharaoh as the blood of the grape. Here we have "the only two religions" pictured — the one that makes everything depend on the blood of Jesus, and the one that ignores the blood and trusts human righteousness.

We too may have dreams... But as believers, and especially as Christians, we have far better than hints as vague as those. We have the Scriptures in all their fullness. They reveal God — His counsels, work, will, and ways — from eternity to eternity. We have also the Holy Spirit, sent from the Father and the Son in heaven, never to leave but to stay with us and in us. He guides us into all the truth, and tells us the things to come, glorifying our Lord Jesus in both.

The butler told his dream. Its main points were: (1) that the vine had three branches, which produced the ripe grapes; (2) that Pharaoh's cup was in his hand, so that he could press into it the ripe grapes; and (3) that the cup of grape juice passed into Pharaoh's hand. The interpretation was simple. Within three days Pharaoh would restore the butler to his place.

God often works by simple means, as here by such a dream as fell very naturally to this official of Pharaoh's court. Yet it was truly prophetic; and only a prophet was able to give its clear meaning. Here the wisdom of God was as evident as in sending the dream. No one looks for unity of time and place in such a vision. A vision can crowd the events of months, or years, into a single scene: the vine budding, blossoming and yielding grapes, and wine fit for a king's cup. No one ever heard of so fast a result in the hands of a cupbearer, with no winepress, no vat, and no storing in jars.

The remarkable point which Joseph was given to seize is the precision of the three days indicated by the three branches. No priestly interpreter in Egypt would have ventured to say, as Joseph did at once, "The three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office." If it were a guess, three months might have been more likely; but no. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. Even more was given here: God's work in Joseph's own spirit, and the divine wisdom that sent the vision to the Egyptian official. Interpretation of what God says or does belongs to God. He gives it as He wills, and as a rule to those whom He loves, even in circumstances of the deepest humiliation. In this Joseph pictured what was true of the Lord Himself here on earth.

In every step of the life of the Son of God He glorified the Father, and it was also true in His death. In the passage above the grapes were pressed. We might well think of the Lord's death and the terrible pressure when He was made sin. Gethsemane means the "winepress," but there it was suffering in anticipation. What can we say of the cross itself? Sinners have been accepted because of that finished work which glorified God. The butler, as we see, was restored to his position again. We who were guilty are justified before God. If we wish to extend the type further, perhaps the three branches would remind us of Christ's resurrection. Justification is in a risen Saviour.

The butler is brought before a vine with three branches, living and fruitful. Pharaoh's cup (the symbol of God's judgment, Psalm 75:7-8) is in his hand. He takes the grapes and presses them into the cup, and then gives the cup into Pharaoh's hands. That is, the man takes his place in the presence of Christ, the true Vine. He accepts God's judgment and offers the blood of Christ, according to the measure of that judgment. God accepts it, and the man is forgiven and lifted up.

The chief butler sees something ready to his hand, the grape clusters. He makes use of them and presents them to Pharaoh as the blood of the grape. The birds devour the offering of the baker. Here we have a picture of "the only two religions." One makes everything depend on the blood of Jesus. The other ignores the blood and trusts human righteousness.

The remarkable point Joseph was given to grasp is the precision of the three days shown by the three branches. No priestly interpreter in Egypt would have dared to say, as Joseph did at once, "The three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office." If it were a guess, three months would have been more likely; but no. The secret of Jehovah is with those who fear Him. Even more was given here: God's work in Joseph's spirit, and the divine wisdom that sent the dream to the Egyptian official. Interpretation of what God says or does belongs to God. He gives it as He will, and as a rule to those whom He loves, even in circumstances of the deepest humiliation. In this Joseph aptly pictured what was true of the blessed Lord Himself here below.

Joseph, in communion with the mind of God, had no difficulty in interpreting this dream. "The three branches are three days," he says. Within three days Pharaoh would "lift up his head" — that is, bring him into public view — and restore him to his office of cupbearer.

Wherever he was found, God was in all his thoughts: when tempted, he said, "How can I... sin against God?" When brought to Pharaoh, his first words are, "God shall give..."... When he is punished for his honourable conduct and thrown into the dungeon, his words to his fellow prisoners are, "Interpretations belong to God." He did not complain under that great calamity. He looks about to see what he can do to help others, even his jailors. He cannot see his companions in misery losing heart without asking, "Why do you look so sad today?"

The butler is brought before a vine, triple branched, living and fruitful. Pharaoh's cup (the symbol of God's judgment, Psalm 75:7-8) is in his hand; he takes the grapes and presses them into the cup, and then gives the cup into Pharaoh's hands. That is, the man takes his place in the presence of Christ, the true Vine. Accepting God's judgment, he offers the blood of Christ, according to the measure of that judgment. God accepts the offering, and the man is forgiven and exalted.

The chief butler sees in his dream what speaks of the blood — the juice of the grape. And he was delivered. The chief baker dreams of what at once reminds us of human righteousness, the white baskets. He saw only what he had laboured to produce, the baked goods. And he is hanged... The birds of the air devour the baker's offering. Here we have "the only two religions" pictured. One makes everything depend on the blood of Jesus. The other ignores the blood and trusts human righteousness.

Here were two men in the same place of bondage, both condemned. So far as we know, both were equally guilty — or innocent. They were just alike in all outward appearance. Christ (Joseph) comes among them and pronounces one saved and the other lost.

There were "three days" in each case: death and resurrection delivers one and condemns the other.

Joseph, in communion with the mind of God, had no difficulty in interpreting this dream. "The three branches are three days," he says (v. 12). Within three days Pharaoh would "lift up his head" — that is, bring him into public view — and restore him to his office of cupbearer.

The remarkable point God gave Joseph to seize is the precision of the three days marked by the three branches. No priestly interpreter in Egypt would have dared to say at once, as Joseph did, "In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office." A guess would more likely have said three months; but no. The secret of Jehovah is with those who fear Him... Interpretation of what God says or does belongs to God. He gives it as He will, and as a rule to those whom He loves, even in circumstances of the deepest humiliation. For in this Joseph was a fitting picture of what proved true in the Lord Jesus Himself here on earth.

There is striking spiritual significance in this dream. The three days remind us of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The juice of the grapes stands for the shedding of His blood. He endured the suffering pictured by the winepress. His blood was shed as the only means of forgiveness of sins. So the guilty sinner is set free from his guilt and bondage, and it all rests on the value of the blood of Christ. The cupbearer then pictures the sinner saved by the shedding of the blood of Christ.

The dream sets the butler before a vine with three branches, living and fruitful. Pharaoh's cup is in his hand, the symbol of God's judgment (Psalm 75:7-8). He takes the grapes, presses them into the cup, and gives the cup into Pharaoh's hands. That is, the man takes his place in the presence of Christ, the true Vine. Accepting God's judgment, he offers the blood of Christ, in the measure of that judgment. God accepts it, and the man is forgiven and exalted.

Here were two men in the same prison, both condemned, and, so far as we know, both guilty — or both innocent. From the outside they looked just alike. Christ (Joseph) comes among them and pronounces one saved and the other lost.

We see the gospel pictured in these dreams. The chief butler sees in his dream what speaks of the blood (the juice of the grape). And he was delivered. The chief baker, on the other hand, dreams of what at once reminds us of human righteousness, the white baskets. He saw only what he had laboured to produce, the baked goods. And he is hanged... Here we have "the only two religions" pictured. One makes everything depend on the blood of Jesus. The other ignores the blood and trusts human righteousness.

The event proved that God had given Joseph's interpretations. Pharaoh's birthday was on the third day, and he acted as the dreams had indicated. Yet the chief butler in his renewed prosperity forgot about Joseph, and has become a standing monument of human ingratitude. Still, as we believe, the hand of God was over even this. If the butler had remembered, thankful and perhaps respectful human arrangement would have freed Joseph from prison. God intended to take him out, reviving the butler's memory, in a far more striking way.

Yet Joseph must have known the grave fate that would soon fall on the chief baker. So notice that he made no appeal to him to be remembered. He said only to the chief 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." There was nothing random in his words. He had no selfish wish for the royal favours that men look for. He asked only for release from the mockery of justice that fell on a righteous man through lust that was refused and through lies.

So Joseph, in his day, finds the waiting time in prison a testing time for faith. He, too, seeks deliverance by human help. He had befriended the king's butler, so he concludes that the butler will speak to Pharaoh and get him released. "Only remember me," says Joseph, "when it is well with you..." Joseph must not only learn that the help of man is vain, but that God is his only resource. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." But to receive this "help" we must learn to "be still" and know that God is God (Ps. 46:1, 10). God has His time as well as His way to bring His purposes to pass.

This was natural. Joseph had befriended the king's butler, and such a man could befriend him in return. No one can condemn his longing for that man's sympathy on natural, human, or even moral grounds. But we may still ask whether it was quite worthy of Joseph, and whether faith would have chosen this way.

In every trial, however dark, there are gleams of light and relief. But full deliverance is often delayed by our own anxiety to get it. God is to be the satisfaction of His servant, not the deliverance. So the deliverance is often put off until we have no prospect of it and no expectation of it.

Joseph prayed to be remembered when the chief butler was raised up again, and the butler forgot him. For that moment he put his confidence in man, and that confidence failed him. The dying criminal, on the other hand, prayed in his distress, but in faith: "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." He got an immediate answer: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." His confidence was also in a Man. But that Man was the Messiah, David's Son and David's Lord, and so he was not put to shame... it is vain to seek to anticipate, as Joseph was tempted to do, the Lord's deliverance by any human means.

Joseph tells the chief butler the good news of his release, and then says, "Only remember me, when it is well with you." And has not our Joseph said to us about the Lord's Supper, "Do this in remembrance of me"? It was one of His last requests. Shame on us, then, if we hear and believe the good news of our salvation and then forget Him, just as the chief butler forgot Joseph... Thank God, "it is well" with the believer — blessedly, gloriously well — for time and all eternity.

Christ has been cast out by the world, and He expects His friends will make mention of Him. I like to make mention of my best Friend.

The root of the word is "to pass over," as when one passes over a river, or from one region to another. Abraham was told to leave his country and his relatives and go into the land of Canaan. The word Hebrew is not used until Abraham had left his country and was in the land of Canaan. When he was there he was a "sojourner," in a strange country, living in tents. Joseph, when in Egypt, said he had been stolen from "the land of the Hebrews."

Genesis 40:15 is most natural on the lips of Joseph, looking back on the land where he and his father were once together. He describes it by "the Hebrews" — a name familiar among the Gentiles.

So in Joseph in prison we see the suffering Christ. And we see two others suffering with him — Pharaoh's two officers, his chief cupbearer and his chief baker. But they do not suffer like Joseph. He suffered though he was innocent. They, in all probability, were receiving the "due reward of their deeds," like the two thieves crucified with Christ. Joseph was ruler in the dungeon, and the conscience of his fellow prisoners must have said, "This man has done nothing wrong."

Thus Joseph, in his day, finds the waiting time in prison a testing time for faith. He, too, seeks deliverance by an arm of flesh. He had befriended the king's cupbearer, so he concludes the cupbearer will step in with Pharaoh to get him out... Joseph must not only learn that the help of man is vain, but that God is his only resource. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." But to receive this "help" we must learn to "be still" and know that God is God.

With the remarkable prudence which marks his character, he had begged not to be forgotten. But he was left in irons a little longer. The word of the LORD tested him. God would work in His own way. If the chief cupbearer forgot Joseph in his prosperity, God did not.

Yet the chief cupbearer forgot about Joseph once he was prosperous again. He has become a standing monument of human ingratitude. Still, as we believe, the hand of God was over even this. If the cupbearer had remembered, Joseph's release would have come through a grateful, and perhaps respectful, human arrangement. God intended to take him out, reviving the cupbearer's memory, in a far more striking way. And not only take him out but also lift him above the chief of cupbearers and bakers.

It was true enough that there was no cause in Joseph for his being treated so, but how much more this is true of the Lord Jesus, who was totally sinless in every way, yet subjected to far worse treatment than Joseph was given.

He says to the cupbearer... When it is well with you, think of me. That is like a very touching word of the Lord's. Just before He went into death, He said, "Do this in remembrance of me." The world has cast Christ out, and He expects His friends will make mention of Him. I like to make mention of my best Friend.

The two men may look no different in position or actions. But there is still a marked difference in how they receive Joseph's approach. The butler opens his heart to him at once. But of the other one we read, "When the chief baker saw…" He held back until an outside circumstance encouraged him. He "saw" — he walked by sight.

Encouraged by this favourable interpretation, the baker told his dream. Its main points were: (1) there were three baskets of baked goods; (2) the baskets sat on his head; and (3) birds ate the food, so it never reached Pharaoh. Again the interpretation was simple. Within three days Pharaoh would lift up his head, hanging him on a tree, so that the birds would eat his flesh. His dream meant exactly the opposite of the butler's.

We see the gospel pictured in these dreams. The chief butler sees in his dream what speaks of the blood — the juice of the grape. And he was delivered. The chief baker dreams of what at once reminds us of human righteousness, the white baskets. He saw only what he had worked to produce, the baked goods. And he is hanged. The chief butler sees something ready to his hand, the grape clusters. He takes them and presents them to Pharaoh as the blood of the grape. The birds of the air eat the baker's offering. Here we have "the only two religions" pictured. One makes everything depend on the blood of Jesus. The other ignores the blood and trusts human righteousness.

The bakery goods were the work of the baker's hands. They were meant for Pharaoh, just as people mean to please God by their good works. They do not realise that these things can never take away the sins they have committed. God certainly cannot accept our works in place of what His own Son did. He bore the agony of terrible judgment at Calvary. People think God will accept their works as payment for their sins. But the baked goods never reached Pharaoh's table: the birds ate them. The birds of the air picture the work of evil spirits. They love to deceive people by flattering their so-called good works (Matthew 13:4 and 19). Satan gains from this, not God.

Baked goods are not enough. People may pile them up, decorated and fragrant, as high as heaven. Still the evil spirits will waste them, and the baskets are full of holes. The baking of human religion is like Cain's sacrifice — his own design and labour, lifeless and bloodless. The top basket was full of them — the very height of spirituality. They were "prepared for Pharaoh" too. But Pharaoh would have none of them.

It is clear how far the chief baker was from seeing anything to discourage him from telling his dream to Joseph. But God gave Joseph the discerning ear. In one dream the cupbearer handed Pharaoh a drink. In the other the birds — not the king — ate out of the basket on the baker's head. Joseph saw the immense difference. Mere natural intelligence gets no credit at all. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. Joseph's faith was in constant use. He knew that God stays the same in the middle of heavy trials, and his own trials had only grown from one great sorrow into a greater one. At his lowest point he looked up for wisdom to its only source.

The two men may look no different in position or in what they did. Yet there is a marked difference in how they receive Joseph's approach. The cupbearer gladly opens his heart to him. But of the other one we read, "When the chief baker saw…" He held back until some outward circumstance encouraged him: he "saw" — he walked by sight.

Let us look at the chief baker now. He saw in his dream, as we have said, what stands for human righteousness — white baskets and baked goods prepared by his own skilful hand. And oh, what baskets of good things, as they suppose, are self-righteous sinners all around preparing for God's acceptance!

Baked goods are not enough. Men may pile them up, ornate and fragrant, as high as heaven. The evil spirits will still waste them, and the baskets are full of holes. The pastry of human religion is like Cain's sacrifice — his own design and work, lifeless and bloodless. There was the uppermost basket full of them — the very height of spirituality — and "prepared for Pharaoh" too. But Pharaoh would have none of them.

These are used as symbols of evil agents: for example, in the dream of Pharaoh's baker, the birds ate the baked food he was carrying on his head, Gen. 40:17; and in the parable of the Sower the birds that devoured the seed by the path are interpreted by Christ to mean "the evil one." Matt. 13:4, 19.

God cannot accept men's works as a substitute for the work of His own Son, who bore the agony of terrible judgment at Calvary. The baked goods were meant for Pharaoh. In the same way, men think God will accept their works as payment for their sins. But the food never reached Pharaoh's table: the birds ate it. The birds of the air picture the satanic activity of evil spirits. They love to deceive people by flattering their so-called good works (Matt. 13:4 and 19). It is Satan who gains from this, not God.

It is clear that the chief baker saw nothing to discourage him from telling his dream to Joseph. But God gave Joseph the discerning ear to perceive the immense difference between the two. The cupbearer acted so that Pharaoh should drink. The birds — not the king — ate out of the basket on his head. In no way is the credit given to mere natural intelligence.

There were "three days" in each case: death and resurrection delivers one and condemns the other.

God gave Joseph the discerning ear that saw the immense difference between the two dreams. The cup-bearer acted so that Pharaoh should drink. But it was the birds — not the king — who ate out of the basket on the baker's head. In no way is the credit given to mere natural intelligence. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. Joseph's faith was always in exercise. He knew that God remains the same in the middle of heavy trials. In his lowest humiliation he looked up for wisdom to its only source. God's power then called him to solve the riddle, for good or for ill, in the cases brought before him. And if he trusted the Lord, his love also went out in compassion to fellow-sufferers. Their faces, without a word, showed the worry their dreams cost them. Was it not faith working by love?

Encouraged by this favourable interpretation, the baker told his dream. Its main points were these. The baskets of baked goods were three. The baskets were on his head. Birds ate the baked goods, and they never reached Pharaoh. Again the interpretation was simple. Within three days Pharaoh would lift up his head, hanging him on a tree, so that the birds would eat his flesh. His dream had exactly the opposite meaning to that of the butler.

Here were two men in the same place of bondage, equally condemned, and, as far as we know, equally guilty — or innocent — just alike in all outward appearance. Christ, pictured in Joseph, comes among them and pronounces one saved and the other lost.

We see the gospel pictured in these dreams. The chief butler sees in his dream what speaks of the blood — the juice of the grape. And he was delivered. The chief baker, on the other hand, dreams of what reminds us at once of human righteousness, the white baskets. He saw only what he had laboured to produce, the baked goods. And he is hanged... Here we have the only two religions pictured. One makes everything depend on the blood of Jesus. The other ignores the blood and trusts human righteousness.

Baked goods are not enough. Men may pile them up, ornate and fragrant, as high as heaven. The evil spirits will still waste them, and the baskets are full of holes. The baking of human religion is like Cain's sacrifice — his own design and labour, lifeless and bloodless. There was the top basket full of them, the very height of spirituality, and "prepared for Pharaoh" too. But Pharaoh would have none of them.

His own people, Israel, had rejected the Son of the Father and sold Him for a few pieces of silver. He was put to death "in a figure." He had risen from the dead and passed over to the Gentiles, to become the Saviour of the world and the Revealer of secrets... He is found among the captive and afflicted. His presence and words must separate them into two classes, saved and lost. The butler and baker are divided like the repentant and unrepentant thieves at the crucifixion... The millennial time is still future: the prison scene is going on now.

The baker's dream had these key features: the baskets of baked goods were three; the baskets were on his head; and the birds ate the baked goods, which never reached Pharaoh. Again the interpretation was simple. Within three days Pharaoh would lift up his head and hang him on a tree, so that the birds would eat his flesh. His dream had exactly the opposite meaning to the cupbearer's.

On the third day, his birthday, the king lifted up the head of each official. But the chief cupbearer rose to his post beside Pharaoh, and the chief baker rose to the gallows.

Clearly the chief baker saw nothing in his dream to discourage him from telling it to Joseph. But God gave Joseph the discerning ear. In the cupbearer's dream Pharaoh drank. In the baker's, the birds — not the king — ate out of the basket on his head. Joseph saw the huge difference. The credit does not go to mere natural intelligence.

The three days still remind us of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. For the believer this is great blessing. For the unbeliever it is just as surely condemnation. But the bakery goods were the work of the baker's hands. The baker meant them for Pharaoh, just as men mean to please God by their good works, not realising that these things can never take away the sins they have committed. God certainly cannot accept men's works in place of the work of His own Son, who bore the agony of terrible judgment on Calvary. The bakery goods never reached Pharaoh's table: the birds ate them. The birds of the air picture the activity of evil spirits, who love to deceive people by flattering their so-called good works. It is Satan who gains from this, not God.

Baked goods are not enough. Even if men pile them up, decorated and fragrant, as high as heaven, the evil spirits will waste them. The baskets are full of holes. The fancy baking of human religion is like Cain's sacrifice — his own design and his own labour, lifeless and bloodless.

Pharaoh hanged the baker, and the very birds that ate his baked goods ate his flesh. ... Awful end! Fearful doom! And, self-righteous sinner, it is a sure forewarning of your own. "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree," Scripture says.

Here were two men in the same prison, equally condemned, and as far as we know equally guilty — or innocent. They were just alike in every outward way. Christ (Joseph) comes among them and pronounces one saved and the other lost.

Scripture mentions only two kept birthdays. One is Pharaoh's, in Genesis 40:20. The other is Herod Antipas's, when John the Baptist lost his life (Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:21). Some think that Job's sons, who feasted "each on his day," did so on their birthdays, Job 1:4, 13. We do not read that the Israelites had any such custom. And the Preacher says the day of death is better than the day of one's birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1).

In both cases the time was short, as the dream indicated and Joseph interpreted. On the third day, his birthday, the king lifted up the head of each official. But the chief cup-bearer rose to his post beside Pharaoh, and the chief baker rose to the gallows.

The third day arrived, and Joseph's interpretation of the dreams proved true. Being Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for his servants. Both the cupbearer and the baker were brought out into public view, but for opposite reasons (v. 20). The chief cupbearer was restored to his former position, while the baker was hanged (vv. 21-22). What influenced Pharaoh here is not mentioned. But the evidence of God's presence with Joseph was unmistakable.

Here were two men in the same prison, both equally condemned. As far as we know, they were equally guilty — or equally innocent. They looked exactly alike in every outward way. Christ (Joseph) comes among them and pronounces one saved and the other lost.

We see the gospel pictured in these dreams. The chief butler sees in his dream what speaks of the blood (the juice of the grape). And he was delivered. The chief baker, on the other hand, dreams of the white baskets. They remind us at once of human righteousness. He saw only what he had laboured to produce, the baked goods. And he is hanged... Here we have "the only two religions" pictured. One makes everything depend on the blood of Jesus. The other ignores the blood and trusts human righteousness.

The event proved that Joseph's interpretations were given by God. Pharaoh's birthday was on the third day, and he acted as the dreams had indicated. Yet the chief butler, in his renewed prosperity, forgot about Joseph. He has become a standing monument of human ingratitude. Still, we believe the hand of God was over even this. If the butler had remembered, Joseph's release would have come through grateful, and perhaps respectful, human arrangement. God intended to take him out, by reviving the butler's memory, in a far more striking way.

May the Lord preserve us from being like him. We who are believers have far more reason to remember the Lord Jesus than the cupbearer had to remember Joseph. He has not only foretold our deliverance. He has Himself delivered us from all our sins and our bondage, through the great sacrifice of Himself. Believers may too easily let this become almost forgotten in practice. That is a real reason why the Lord gave us the Lord's supper with the words, "Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19).

Joseph, in communion with the mind of God, had no difficulty in interpreting this dream. "The three branches are three days," he says (v. 12). Within three days Pharaoh would "lift up his head" — that is, bring him into public view and restore him to his office of cupbearer.

Joseph's interpretation of the dreams proved true when the third day arrived. It was Pharaoh's birthday, and he made a feast for his servants. Both the cupbearer and the baker came out into public view, but for opposite reasons (v. 20). Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his former post and hanged the baker (vv. 21-22). Scripture does not say what influenced Pharaoh in these matters, but the evidence of God's presence with Joseph was unmistakable.

No temple interpreter in Egypt would have dared to say, as Joseph did at once, "The three branches are three days. Within yet three days will Pharaoh lift up your head, and restore you to your office." If he had been guessing, three months would have seemed more likely; but no. The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him... Interpretation of what God says or does belongs to God. He gives it as He wills, and as a rule to those He loves, even in the deepest humiliation.

Here were two men in the same place of bondage, equally condemned, and, so far as we know, equally guilty — or innocent — just alike in all outward appearance. Christ (Joseph) comes among them and pronounces one saved and the other lost.

So in Joseph in prison we see the suffering Christ. And we see two others suffering with him — Pharaoh's two officers, his chief butler and his chief baker. But they do not suffer like Joseph. He suffered though innocent. They, in all probability, were receiving the "due reward of their deeds," like the two thieves crucified with Christ.

The butler is brought before a vine, with three branches, living and fruitful. Pharaoh's cup (the symbol of God's judgment, Psalm 75:7-8) is in his hand; he takes the grapes and presses them into the cup, and then gives the cup into Pharaoh's hands. That is, the man takes his place in the presence of Christ, the true Vine. He accepts God's judgment and offers the blood of Christ, in the measure of that judgment. God accepts the offering, and the man is forgiven and exalted... There were "three days" in each case: death and resurrection delivers one and condemns the other.

We see the gospel pictured in these dreams. The chief butler sees that in his dream which speaks of the blood (the juice of the grape). And he was delivered. The chief baker, on the other hand, dreams of that which at once reminds us of human righteousness, the white baskets. He saw only what he had worked to produce, the baked goods. And he is hanged... Here we have "the only two religions" pictured — the one that makes everything depend on the blood of Jesus, and the one that ignores the blood and trusts human righteousness.

Yet the chief butler in his renewed prosperity forgot about Joseph, and has become a standing monument of human ingratitude. Still, as we believe, the hand of God was over even this. Had the butler remembered, Joseph's deliverance from prison would have been the result of thankful and perhaps respectful human arrangement. God intended to take him out, reviving the butler's memory, in a far more striking way. And not only take him out but also exalt him above the chief of butlers and bakers.

Here as ever, man's extremity is God's opportunity. The chief cupbearer forgot Joseph's service. It was rare, well-timed, and unpaid. No money could have bought it, and God alone could have enabled that prisoner — his name blackened, though he was blameless — to give it. Both predictions came surely true: his own restoration to honour, and his companion's fatal fall. Was it not inexcusable that this stirred no quick gratitude in him, let alone any burning sense of justice, for the suffering prophet?

So Joseph, in his day, finds the waiting time in prison a testing time for faith. He too looks for deliverance through human help. He had befriended the king's cupbearer, so he naturally concludes the cupbearer will speak to Pharaoh and get him released... Joseph must learn not only that the help of man is useless, but that God is his only resource.

With the remarkable prudence that marks his character, he had begged not to be forgotten. But he stayed in irons a little longer. The word of the LORD tested him. God would work in His own way. If the chief cupbearer forgot Joseph in his prosperity, God did not.

In his renewed prosperity the chief cupbearer forgot about Joseph. He has become a standing monument of human ingratitude. Still, as we believe, the hand of God was over even this. If the cupbearer had remembered, a thankful and perhaps respectful human arrangement would have freed him from prison. God intended to bring him out by reviving the cupbearer's memory, in a far more striking way. And not only to bring him out, but to lift him above the chief of cupbearers and bakers.

Meanwhile, if man forgets to show Joseph kindness, God will not forget to show him mercy... The devil may tempt us day by day. God may test us by keeping us waiting from day to day. Still He renews His mercy every day...

Joseph prayed to be remembered when the chief cupbearer rose again to honour, but the man forgot him. He put his confidence, for the moment, in man, and he was disappointed. The dying criminal, on the other hand, prayed in his distress, but in faith: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom;" and he received the immediate answer, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." His confidence was also in a Man. But that Man was the Messiah, David's Son and also David's Lord, and so he was not put to shame... First, it is useless to try to get ahead of the Lord's deliverance by human means, as Joseph was tempted to do. Second, it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes; and last, "those who wait for me shall not be put to shame" (Isaiah 49:23).

After telling the chief cupbearer the good news of his deliverance, Joseph says, "Only remember me, when it is well with you." And has not our Joseph said to us about the Lord's Supper, "Do this in remembrance of me"? It was one of His last requests. Shame on us, then, if we hear and believe the good news of our salvation and then forget Him, like the chief cupbearer... And if any have, may you be moved to say, like the ungrateful cupbearer after years of ignoring Joseph's plea, "I remember my offenses today."