Joseph Interprets Two Dreams
Dreams
Having dreams vs. interpreting dreams.
Who did God use to interpret other people’s dreams? (Daniel and Joseph)
Genesis 41:14-16 NLT
14 Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh. 15 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it.”
16 “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”
Daniel 1:17 NLT
17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.
Genesis 40:1-23 (NLT)
Joseph Interprets Two Dreams
1 Some time later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended their royal master. 2 Pharaoh became angry with these two officials, 3 and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of the captain of the guard. 4 They remained in prison for quite some time, and the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, who looked after them.
5 While they were in prison, Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker each had a dream one night, and each dream had its own meaning. 6 When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. 7 “Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them.
8 And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.”
“Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”
9 So the chief cup-bearer told Joseph his dream first. “In my dream,” he said, “I saw a grapevine in front of me. 10 The vine had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon it produced clusters of ripe grapes. 11 I was holding Pharaoh’s wine cup in my hand, so I took a cluster of grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 “This is what the dream means,” Joseph said. “The three branches represent three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you to your position as his chief cup-bearer. 14 And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. 15 For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.”
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given the first dream such a positive interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream, too. In my dream there were three baskets of white pastries stacked on my head. 17 The top basket contained all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them from the basket on my head.”
18 “This is what the dream means,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets also represent three days. 19 Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh.”
20 Pharaoh’s birthday came three days later, and he prepared a banquet for all his officials and staff. He summoned his chief cup-bearer and chief baker to join the other officials. 21 He then restored the chief cup-bearer to his former position, so he could again hand Pharaoh his cup. 22 But Pharaoh impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had predicted when he interpreted his dream. 23 Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.
Examine the Scriptures
Genesis 40:1-23 (NLT)
Joseph Interprets Two Dreams
1 Some time later, Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended their royal master.
It was of upmost importance that Pharaoh had complete and total trust in the individuals in these positions.
The consequences were predictably severe when these men offended their master.
2 Pharaoh became angry with these two officials, 3 and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of the captain of the guard.
Reminder about Joseph
Genesis 39:22-23 NLT
22 Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. 23 The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.
4 They remained in prison for quite some time, and the captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, who looked after them.
Joseph looked after the men assigned to him.
5 While they were in prison, Pharaoh’s cup-bearer and baker each had a dream one night, and each dream had its own meaning.
Each dream had its own meaning.
Dreams
There are many examples in the Bible where God spoke to individuals through dreams.
Joseph had dreams of his family bowing down before him.
Genesis 37:5-7 NLT
5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 6 “Listen to this dream,” he said. 7 “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!” ….
9 Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”
Warnings from God through dreams:
God spoke to King Abimelech in Genesis 20 concerning his relationship with Abraham’s wife Sarah.
Laban
Genesis 31:24
24 But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!”
Magi
Matthew 2:12 NLT
12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them (Magi) in a dream not to return to Herod.
Pilate’s wife during the trial of Jesus.
Matthew 27:19 NLT
19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare (dream) about him last night.”
God speaking to:
Jacob (Genesis)
Solomon
1 Kings 3:5 NLT
5 That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”
Joseph, the husband of Mary
Paul (Visions)
Today: Stories from Leading the Way
- God communicates to individuals through dreams.
False interpretations of dreams:
Daniel 2:1-3 NLT
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
1 One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep. 2 He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, 3 he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.”
- The Egyptians and Babylonians developed a professional class of dream interpreters.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 NLT
A Warning against Idolatry
1“Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, 2 and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before— 3 do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul. 4 Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. 5 The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the Lord your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you.
Jeremiah 27:9 NLT
9 “‘Do not listen to your false prophets, fortune-tellers, interpreters of dreams, mediums, and sorcerers who say, “The king of Babylon will not conquer you.”
- Dreams might be interpreted, left uninterpreted, or misinterpreted.
6 When Joseph saw them the next morning, he noticed that they both looked upset. 7 “Why do you look so worried today?” he asked them.
- Joseph noticed and cared about the men assigned to him.
8 And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.”
“Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied.
- “Interpreting dreams is God’s business”
“Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”
9 So the chief cup-bearer told Joseph his dream first. “In my dream,” he said, “I saw a grapevine in front of me. 10 The vine had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon it produced clusters of ripe grapes. 11 I was holding Pharaoh’s wine cup in my hand, so I took a cluster of grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12 “This is what the dream means,” Joseph said. “The three branches represent three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift you up and restore you to your position as his chief cup-bearer. 14 And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place.
Joseph’s request:
“Please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh.”
15 For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews,
“The land of the Hebrews,”
Joseph understood the promise of the Abrahamic covenant.
and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.”
“I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it.”
Joseph continued to care about others and serve others while he was being treated unfairly.
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given the first dream such a positive interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I had a dream, too. In my dream there were three baskets of white pastries stacked on my head. 17 The top basket contained all kinds of pastries for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them from the basket on my head.”
18 “This is what the dream means,” Joseph told him. “The three baskets also represent three days. 19 Three days from now Pharaoh will lift you up and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh.”
Joseph did not sugar coat his interpretation of the dream.
(Joseph had a track record of telling others exactly what a dream meant.)
20 Pharaoh’s birthday came three days later, and he prepared a banquet for all his officials and staff. He summoned his chief cup-bearer and chief baker to join the other officials. 21 He then restored the chief cup-bearer to his former position, so he could again hand Pharaoh his cup. 22 But Pharaoh impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had predicted when he interpreted his dream.
Joseph’s clearly understood God’s revelation of these dreams. (Joseph was “tuned in” to God.)
- Joseph’s faith was not destroyed by his circumstances.
God had not forgotten Joseph.
- Joseph continued to serve God by serving others while he was in prison.
John 13:14-15 NLT
14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.
Meeting others’ needs self-sacrificially is what we ought to do too.
23 Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.
1 Peter 4:10 NLT
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
