Genesis
Genesis 39:19-40:23
And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. Genesis 39:20
If we drew a graph of Joseph’s life, it would look like a roller coaster. Top of the hill, bottom of the pit, top of the hill, bottom of the pit… there seems to be no middle ground for Joseph! But every time Joseph’s life plummets to the bottom, scripture says the same thing – but the Lord was with him. The Lord was with Joseph in the pit, in slavery, and prison. The Lord was with him when he was rejected by his brothers, when he was falsely accused, and when he was alone and forgotten by everyone else.
But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Genesis 39:21
Scripture makes it very clear that it wasn’t Joseph’s good looks, wisdom, or talent that gave him favor in the eyes of the warden. The Lord granted him favor. The Lord gave him success. The Lord kept putting Joseph in positions of power. Not for his honor or prosperity, but because the Lord had a purpose for his life: to save millions of people from dying in the upcoming famine (Genesis 50:20). Just like God had promised Abraham, God blessed Joseph so that he could be a blessing to the world (Genesis 12:3).
It was also the Lord who orchestrated this very unusual situation, which would eventually get him out of prison and into Pharaoh’s palace, so that he could be in the position to save the world. One day, Pharaoh’s cupbearer and his baker were thrown into the same prison where Joseph was. In ancient Egypt, these weren’t just any old servants, they were very high-ranking positions. They oversaw hundreds of servants who prepared food and drink and were personally responsible for making sure Pharaoh’s share was safe and not poisoned by his enemies. They were the people Pharaoh trusted with his life – some of his greatest confidantes, men of great influence. And now here, they were in this prison, where Joseph was appointed to attend to them.
One night, they each had a significant dream that they knew had to mean something, but they didn’t know what. If they had still been in the palace, they would have consulted the Pharaoh’s dream interpreters, but they only had Joseph here. Lucky for them, Joseph had a history of interpreting dreams. And yet, he didn’t claim that he had any special powers himself; he pointed to God’s power. Joseph said to them, “Do not all interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8).
So, Joseph interpreted their dreams – one was good news, the other bad. In three days, the cupbearer would be restored to his position in the palace, but the baker would be executed. Joseph asked the cupbearer, when he returned to his position in the palace, to ask the Pharaoh to have him released from prison, too. Of course, the dreams came true. So, we’re thinking, “okay, great! He’ll tell the Pharaoh about Joseph and get him out of prison, and all will be well.” But nope. The story ends with “yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph but forgot him” (Genesis 40:23).
This part of the story ends with Joseph still in prison, alone and forgotten, where he’ll be for two more years before anything happens. But we know that he’s not alone and forgotten. The Lord is with him. The Lord has a plan. And His plan is way better than what Joseph is asking for. Joseph is just asking to be let out of prison… he can’t even imagine becoming second in command of all of Egypt.
It would be easy for Joseph to feel some despair at this point. It would be normal to question, “Does God have a plan for me? Can I have hope for the future?” But Joseph continues to wait, trust, and hope in the Lord, and to be faithful to God where he is in the meantime (yes, even stuck in prison).
Living faithfully where you are now, while also looking forward with hope for a better future, isn’t just wishful thinking. It’s trusting in the Sovereign Lord who works all things out for our good (Romans 8:28). Joseph’s story had all kinds of highs and lows, twists, and turns. But when he looked back on it all, he could see how God orchestrated every detail. Whether Joseph was in the pit, in slavery, or in prison, it all worked out for good (Genesis 50:20).
This step of interpreting the cupbearer’s dream would lead to the next step of being called up to the palace to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, but the cupbearer had to forget about Joseph first. If he had remembered Joseph right away, which would have gotten him out of prison, Joseph wouldn’t have been in there two years later when Pharaoh needed him… and Joseph never would have been made second in command. Joseph had to go through the pit, slavery, and prison to save the world from the famine, just like Jesus had to go through the cross to save the world from sin.
No matter where you are in your life right now, whether a peak, a valley, or anywhere in between, you can trust in the truth that God is working all things in your life for good. Even when we can’t see it, He’s working. Even when we’re stuck in a pit, feeling like nothing is moving forward, He’s working.
And He doesn’t leave us in the pit alone and forgotten. He is right there with us in that pit, loving us with His steadfast love. That means we don’t have to wait for our happy ending to be happy. To have contentment. To have joy. To have peace. We can find peace, love, and joy right there in the pit because Jesus is peace, love, and joy. And He is with us. Always.
This is the Bible. Every word on every page whispers the Name of Jesus.