Saturday 2 January, 2016

16 The chief baker saw that Joseph had given a positive meaning to the wine taster’s dream. So he said to Joseph, “I had a dream too. There were three baskets of bread on my head. 17 All kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh were in the top basket. But the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18 “Here’s what your dream means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. 19 In three days Pharaoh will cut your head off. Then he will stick a pole through your body and set the pole up. The birds will eat your flesh.” 20 The third day was Pharaoh’s birthday. He had a feast prepared for all his officials. He brought the chief wine taster and the chief baker out of prison. He did it in front of his officials. 21 He gave the chief wine taster’s job back to him. Once again the wine taster put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But Pharaoh had a pole stuck through the chief baker’s body. Then he had the pole set up. Everything happened just as Joseph had told them when he explained their dreams. 23 But the chief wine taster didn’t remember Joseph. In fact, he forgot all about him.

This dream of the second servant of pharaoh, the baker, does not have the good outcome that the other servant’s did. The bread did not make it to pharaoh’s table, the birds stole it. Joseph tells the man that he will be beheaded in three days. Does the dream tell us that this servant was robbing his lord, or that he was lazy and careless? I don’t know, however Joseph’s interpretations of the dreams were accurate and came to pass. This was to glorify God and to set a platform for the next episode of Joseph’s life. He asked the butler to put in a good word for him with pharaoh so that he would be freed from prison, but the man forgot Joseph.
One thing that stands out to me is that when someone is kind or helps me I should give them recognition for what they have done, and not take all the credit myself. Especially when they need my help in return. Another thing to remember is that when God gives spiritual gifts such as the interpretation of dreams, it is for His purposes. It is exciting to think that God himself could use me. I never want to think that any of my gifts are of my own doing, but only God working out his plans for his kingdom.

Lord help me to be sensitive to your spirit in me so that I don’t miss the opportunities to be your servant.

Written by Dimity Milne