It would
be horrendous for Pharaoh to remain troubled. The longer his dream stayed un-interpreted
the more difficult it would be for people working with him. We can imagine him
being distressed by it and his impatience with everyone. It would be a
terrifying thing, especially those working in close proximity with him. And the
cupbearer was certainly among this category of people. So he remembered how
Joseph had interpreted both his dream and that of the baker when they were
imprisoned by Pharaoh. He remembered that everything Joseph said to them happened
just as he had interpreted. So the opportune time had arrived. The cupbearer then
narrated his experience with Joseph to Pharaoh.
Notice how he began.
He first talked about his wrongs. The word used in verse 9 for his wrongs was
the word offenses. Note that it is put in the plural because he must have also felt
that he had wronged Joseph. Having acknowledged his faults, he then proceeded
to narrate his experience. He said, “Pharaoh
was furious with his servants, and he put me in confinement in the
house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker. We had a
dream on the same night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to
the interpretation of his own dream. Now a Hebrew youth was with
us there, a servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we related them to him, and he
interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to
his own dream. And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored
me in my office, but he hanged him.” The cupbearer obviously deleted the part
that Joseph told him that his ability to interpret dreams was a gift from his God.
Furthermore, in verse 12, the cupbearer also gave the impression that it was he
who had made the move to get Joseph to interpret his dream. When it was in fact
Joseph who saw how lost and troubled he and the barker were with their dreams
that he initiated to interpret it for them. And he also did not mention that he
failed to keep his promise to Joseph to tell Pharaoh about it immediately.
When Pharaoh
learned of Joseph, he sent and called for him. And they hurriedly
brought him out of the dungeon, had him shaved and changed. Like an Egyptian, cleansed, washed, and shaven,
Joseph appeared before Pharaoh. Two reasons why they cleansed and shaved him.
Firstly, they wanted him to look Egyptian and secondly it’s because most Egyptians
did not wear a beard. So Joseph came to Pharaoh looking every bit like an
Egyptian. Of course Joseph was not alone. Standing there with him before Pharaoh
was Yahweh. For as in all situations he had encountered, The LORD was with him.
This is the assurance we believers have. In every situation we encounter in life,
God will be with us, conscious of it or not. While God was not mentioned in these
verses, He was certainly very present. In fact, He was the one who orchestrated
the whole occurrence, from the forgetfulness of the cupbearer to the timing when
Joseph was mentioned to Pharaoh. Just imagine if he had had made mention of the
incidence to Pharaoh earlier, it would have been lost on him. The need for Joseph
was not as critical then as it was now. Remember,
in God’s reckoning, it’s all about divine timing. Just as we have often sang
the song titled, “In His time.” Precision
is God’s specialty. At the right time God will make all things beautiful. So
let’s act and pray as the song encourages us:
Lord, my life to You I bring
May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing
In Your time.
Lord, please show me every day
As you’re teaching me your way
That You do just what You say
In Your time
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