It came to me in a dream

Genesis 40

We've skipped ahead a bit.

There is some information about Judah, one of Joseph's older brothers.  Judah married Shua's daughter (we are not told her name), and they had three sons:  Er, Onan, and Shelah.

Judah found a wife for Er. Her name was Tamar.  Er did evil in the sight of the Lord, so God killed him. Judah told Onan to become Tamar's husband in place of Er.  But Onan knew this would be Er's family, not his - so he purposely had no children with Tamar. God didn't like that, so He killed Onan.

Judah told Tamar to go back home until Shelah grew up, then Shelah and Tamar would be married.  After Judah's wife died, Tamar disguised herself and had sex with Judah.  She asked for and kept his seal, his seal ribbon, and his staff.  After three months, the household accused her of dishonoring the family by getting pregnant.  Judah said they would burn her for her offense - but she showed him the seal, string, and staff.

Judah declared she acted more honorably than he, since he had not given Shelah as a husband and instead kept her as a widow within the family.  Tamar had twin sons from Judah: Perez and Zerah.

Since we left Joseph, he has been sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard.  Joseph's blessing from God also prospered Potiphar's household.  And, Potiphar's wife got the hots for Joseph and asked him repeatedly for sex.  Joseph repeatedly refused.  One day, he was in the house - but none of the other servants were inside.  Potiphar's wife made another play for Joseph - unsuccessfully - but was able to frame Joseph by snagging his cloak and lying to her husband about it.

Joseph was sent to prison, but the commander of the prison guard was so impressed that he put Joseph in charge of managing the jail.  This is almost a repeat of Joseph's entry into Egypt.  He started as a slave but was promoted to the head of the household.  Now he's a criminal, placed into jail - but he impresses the warden so much that he places Joseph in charge of jail operations.


Later, two of Pharaoh’s servants did something wrong to Pharaoh. These servants were the baker and the wine steward for Pharaoh. Pharaoh became angry with his baker and wine server, so he put them in the same prison as Joseph.  Potiphar, the commander of Pharaoh’s guards, was in charge of this prison. 

The commander put the two prisoners under Joseph’s care. The two men continued to stay in prison for some time.  One night both of the prisoners had a dream. The baker and the wine server each had his own dream, and each dream had its own meaning. 

Joseph went to them the next morning and saw that the two men were worried. He asked them, “Why do you look so worried today?” The two men answered, “We both had dreams last night, but we don’t understand what we dreamed. There is no one to explain the dreams to us.”

Joseph said to them, “God is the only one who can understand and explain dreams. So I beg you, tell me your dreams.”

Joseph received dreams and interpretations when he was younger.  Is his urgency in this case a desire to hear from God while he's in prison - even though it's through the dreams of others?

So the wine server told Joseph his dream. The server said, “I dreamed I saw a vine. On the vine there were three branches. I watched the branches grow flowers and then become grapes.  I was holding Pharaoh’s cup, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I gave the cup to Pharaoh.”

Then Joseph said, “I will explain the dream to you. The three branches mean three days.  Before the end of three days, Pharaoh will forgive you and allow you to go back to your work. You will do the same work for Pharaoh as you did before.  

But when you are free, remember me. Be good to me and help me. Tell Pharaoh about me so that I can get out of this prison.  I was kidnapped and taken from the land of my people, the Hebrews. I have done nothing wrong! I should not be in prison.”

The baker saw that the other servant’s dream was good, so he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream. I dreamed there were three baskets of bread on my head. In the top basket there were all kinds of baked food for the king, but birds were eating this food.”

Joseph answered, “I will tell you what the dream means. The three baskets mean three days. Before the end of three days, the king will take you out of this prison and cut off your head! He will hang your body on a pole, and the birds will eat it.”

Three days later it was Pharaoh’s birthday. He gave a party for all his servants. At the party Pharaoh allowed the wine server and the baker to leave the prison. He freed the wine server and gave him his job back, and once again the wine server put a cup of wine in Pharaoh’s hand. But Pharaoh hanged the baker, and everything happened the way Joseph said it would. 

The wine server and the baker had dreams about wine and bread - the second mention of bread and wine in the Bible.

If Joseph's early dreams represented the ascent of the Jews as God's chosen people; this set of dreams might represent the messianic age and the coming of Jesus.

In a similar knitting, the baker is the first person in the Bible described as being hung on a tree or pole.  If the bread represents the body, then the baker's death could represent Christ hung on the cross and placed in a tomb for three days.  The wine taster's dream could represent the blood of Jesus's new covenant - and the wine taster's survival could represent how the blood of the new covenant brings life.

But the wine server did not remember to help Joseph. He said nothing about him to Pharaoh. The wine server forgot about Joseph.

The wine steward forgets about Joseph for two years.  This is another part of the Jewish story: they cannot rely on outside help - they make it through life by their own efforts and God's blessing.

This section of Joseph's life illustrates some of the contrasts between Joseph and the Egyptians.  Joseph remains helpful, honorable, and steadfast to God.  The Egyptians in these stories are self-centered, liars, and idolaters. 

The communication with God in this chapter comes from dream's and Joseph's interpretation of the dreams through God's spirit.

Joseph also acts as a foreshadowing of Jesus:  As Joseph had a dream of his brother's sheaves bowing down to his sheaf and another of the sun, moon, and stars (his whole family) paying obeisance, so Jesus had a foreknowledge of his glory to come. As Joseph first must go through an exile in a strange land and there suffer abuse, so Jesus bore the infirmities of all when he came to earth. As Joseph was ultimately exalted to the second in command in all Egypt, so Jesus has been given "all power in heaven and earth" and sits on the right hand of Jehovah. As Joseph saved not only Egypt but peoples of surrounding countries from the seven-year famine, so Jesus brings a full deliverance from the famine-like conditions of six thousand-year days on earth.