THE BUTLER AND THE BAKER

BOOK OF GENESIS

CHAPTER 40

            A pleasant day to all of you.  We’ve been following the story in the book of Genesis about Joseph, Israel’s son, who has found himself being done wrong by others and yet found Grace in God's sight and God took care of him.  Let's see if God continues to do so. The last time, his master Potiphar’s wife accused him of seducing her, when in fact is was quite the opposite.  Consequently, Joseph has been thrown in prison where the king’s (Pharaoh's) prisoners were held. 

            Joseph has the Lord on his side though, and everywhere he goes, things prosper because he is blessed.  The prison keeper had no worries after putting Joseph in charge of all the prisoners there.

            One day the Pharaoh was offended by his butler and his baker.  He was sorely angry at them and ordered that they be imprisoned where Joseph was being held in jail.  There was a night when both the butler and the baker each had strange dreams.  When Joseph saw them the next morning they both looked sad so he asked them what was wrong.  They told him that they both had dreams, but there was nobody to interpret them.  Joseph said, Don’t interpretations belong to God?  Tell me your dreams.

            The butler began, In my dream there was a vine with three branches.  And it budded and blossomed and grew clusters of ripe grapes.  And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand. 

            God gave Joseph the gift of interpreting dreams and he explained to the butler, The three branches are three days, and within three days Pharaoh will pardon you and give you your job back.  Then you’ll serve him just as you did before. 

            Then Joseph added, Please remember me with kindness when you are freed and mention me to Pharaoh so I can get out of here too.  I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews and I haven’t done anything here either to deserve being put into prison.

            When the baker heard that the interpretation of the butler’s dream turned out so well, he told Joseph his dream, saying, In my dream I had three white baskets on my head and in the top basket there was all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket.

            The news wasn’t so wonderful for the baker.  Joseph said, The three baskets are three days, and within three days Pharaoh will cut off your head and hang you on a tree and the birds will eat your flesh off of you.  The baker must have had the wrong kind of Daily Bread ... ;)

            Three days later, it was Pharaoh’s birthday and he made a feast for all his servants.  He gave the butler his job back, but he hung the baker, just as Joseph had interpreted … However, the butler forgot all about mentioning Joseph to the Pharaoh.

            In the next story, the Pharaoh himself had a dream that needs interpretation.  Who do you think will fit the bill for that job?  Come back and see next time in your Daily Bread.

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