Verses 1-4 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt 2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. 3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.
The butler was most likely the cup-bearer to the king. He was the person tasked with bringing beverages to the king and making sure that the beverages were safe to drink and not poisoned by the king’s enemies. The chief baker was responsible for providing whatever baked goods the king desired. Scripture does not explain what these two men did to displease the king of Egypt.
The Hebrew word for “season” is “yowm” and it can mean a day, a time, or a year. The thing to notice here is that Joseph served, no matter the circumstances.
Verses 5-8 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. 6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. 7 And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? 8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
What are the odds of two servants of the king each having a dream on the same night that was perfectly suited to their job descriptions so that there could be no doubt that the dreams were with meaning and were important? Add to this the fact that there was a prisoner, Joseph, present that could interpret both dreams and it becomes clear that the LORD was working a miracle. Notice that Joseph wanted to serve these men and he was willing to interpret the dreams with the gift he had received from God, all the while giving God the glory for the interpretations. Joseph never took credit for his gift, but made sure everyone knew he was operating in the power of God.
Verses 9-11 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; 10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: 11 And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.
The butler’s dream was full of positive images of life, indicating, as told in the following verses, that he would not die but be returned to his former position in the king’s court.
Verses 12-15 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: 13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. 14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: 15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.
All Joseph asked in return for his service and his interpretation of the butler’s dream was a little help in getting out of the prison he was in as he had done nothing wrong.
Verses 16-19 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head: 17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. 18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: 19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
Put yourself in the place of the chief baker. He had just heard his coworker’s dream receive a positive interpretation and outcome and he must have been expecting the same thing for the interpretation of his dream. Instead, Joseph pronounces his dream to be a death sentence on him in just three days. He would not even be buried decently, but his body would be left out in the elements for the birds of prey to feast upon. Not too cheerful, indeed.
Application: Notice the number three in these verses. The chief butler was in essence buried in the prison and then he was released in three days after the interpretation of his dream. The chief baker was executed three days after the interpretation of his dream. Like the butler and baker, Joseph was buried from normal life in the prison. However, unlike these men, he was buried without a just cause. He had done nothing wrong. Jesus did nothing wrong, and like Joseph, He was judged unjustly and, like the baker, killed. Jesus was buried in a tomb for three days and then, like the butler, He was released physically from the tomb that was imprisoning Him, only to appear to His followers for many days before ascending into Heaven.
Verses 20-23 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand: 22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
It seems from the recorded history of the Bible that human life was expendable and not valued very highly by the rich and famous, the kings and military leaders, and the common people. Is there any correlation today in how humanity views and treats human life?
Application: Often the believer will assist a person, only to never receive thanks or an acknowledgement from the person assisted. This happened to Joseph and it will happen to you. But remember, all things are to be done to please the LORD Jesus Christ, and He will acknowledge the sacrifice or effort in blessings and in His words as recorded in Matthew 25:23. “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”