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Daily Devotions

Genesis

Genesis 
Day 
Day 313

"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His." Daniel 2:20

Text: Genesis 40:1-23

WHEN LIFE SEEMS LIKE A MAZE

Joseph must have wondered again and again why he had been sold and how he ended up in Egypt. The Lord was there with him, of course, and that was a source of great comfort. When things began looking up for him, he must have felt elated, for God’s Presence brought blessings not only personally, but others were benefited also! What was puzzling was why the good things had to come to an end so swiftly and suddenly. He was thrown in jail – and he wasn’t just put into an ordinary remand center, he was incarcerated at “a place where the king’s prisoners were confined” (Cf. Genesis 39:20). What did all these things mean, if there was a meaning at all?


TWO SPECIAL PRISONERS

Joseph made sure that he did not brood over all the problems he had to face. His position of responsibility as the assistant of the warden kept him very busy. One day, two special prisoners were thrown into jail. Being an assistant to the keeper of the prison meant that he could come into contact with the new prisoners.

“It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker
of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler
and the chief baker. So he put them in custody in the house
of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where
Joseph was confined.”
GENESIS 40:1-4


DREAMS OF THE “ROYAL” PRISONERS

Every one dreams. Few can recall what they dream at night. Not many think that dreams are worth very much. Not the two new prisoners in jail with Joseph.

“Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt… had a
dream…each man’s dream with its own interpretation.
And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them,
and saw that they were sad.”
GENESIS 40:5-6

Out of genuine concern Joseph asked them why they were feeling sad. Their grief was that they had “no interpreter” for their dreams (Genesis 40:8). These two prisoners believed that their dreams had significant meaning for them, but without an interpreter they might as well not have the dreams!


BEARING WITNESS FOR THE LORD

Joseph had been so blessed by the Lord, that he must have determined that he would bear witness for him. He seized the opportunity to speak of his faith in God. Boldly, Joseph urged them to consider God as the One who could help them.

“So Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God?
Tell them to me, please.”
GENESIS 40:8b