Genesis Chapter 40

¹ 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 and the Baker were both placed under Josephs care in the prison.

⁵ 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.

They were upset because they had these dreams and didn’t know what they meant.

⁹ 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:

The bible signifies growth and fruit with vines and the buds. An example of this is the parable of the fig tree from Luke 21:29-31.

• ²⁹ And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;³⁰ When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.³¹ So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

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.

¹² 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:

God is using this situation to start the process of Joseph being released from prison. When the time is right, the Butler will remember Joseph. When he does, it will set Joseph up to not just be released from prison, but to become the right-hand man to the Pharaoh.

Note: I’ve seen this kind of set up by God in my own life… where God is working on situations in my life before they even happen so that things work in my favor when the situation does occur.

• Romans 8:24-33 ²⁴ For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?²⁵ But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.²⁷ And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.³⁰ Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.³¹ What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?³² He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?³³ Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

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.

¹⁶ 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.

Birds eating flesh is judgment in the Bible. Luke 17:37, Revelation 19:17-19,Deuteronomy 28:26.

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.

²⁰ 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.

When the time is right, God will remind the Butler to remember Joseph.