Genesis 40

“I Dreamed a Dream” is a song from Les Miserables, but it could have been the subtitle for today’s reading. We find Joseph in prison basically running the place. There are two important servants to Pharaoh there who had offended Pharaoh and had been imprisoned for some offense. These two officials – Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker each had dreams that had bothered their sleep. Joseph, the dreamer, offers to listen to them and see if God would provide an interpretation for these dreams.


The cupbearer went first. Now the cupbearer held an important and dangerous position. Some have thought of him as a butler, but he is more than a domestic servant. His job was to not only to pour Pharaoh’s wine but to test it for poison. “How did he test it?” you might ask. Smelling and tasting it. He was both manservant and bodyguard. In his dream he was crushing grapes and giving them to Pharaoh to drink. Joseph’s interpretation was that everything was going to be okay and the cupbearer would be restored to service.

The baker went next. It sounds as if he may have been hesitant to have his dream interpreted, but hearing the good news for the cupbearer he told his dream of having baskets of bread on his head but birds eating the bread. Joseph’s interpretation was that this man would be executed for his offenses, and the birds would eat his flesh.

Both dreams came true. The baker, obviously, could not tell Pharaoh, “Hey! Joseph said this would happen!” But Joseph had requested that the cupbearer remember him, but the cupbearer forgot (until later).

Do you ever dream dreams? I used to dream very vivid dreams. Sometimes when I woke up it was hard to know where I was and what was real. Sometimes we wonder, like the cupbearer and baker, what our dreams mean . . . if they mean anything at all. (I’m pretty sure that the one about showing up at school in just your skivvies didn’t mean anything . . . but then again . . . .)

In the cases of the cupbearer and baker, and in others, God spoke to people through dreams, revealing his will to them, or giving them a glimpse of the future. Can God still speak to us in dreams? Of course He can. Does he? That’s harder to answer. My inclination is to think that he still does. I’ve heard amazing stories of Muslims who were converted after having dreams of Jesus. However, words like “inclination” and “think” are not very authoritative.

There is only one place that we can turn and know that God is speaking to us, and that is His Word. When we pick up our Bibles and read, the Spirit of God moves and works through those words to create faith in us, strengthen us, and guide us. The Word is the presence of God for us. As much as I’d like to say, “I had a dream from the Lord,” I know that I can turn to the scriptures and know that I have been touched by Jesus, forgiven, and empowered to be His disciple.

Father in Heaven, thank you for giving me Your Word. I have not always held it sacred as I should, help me to love and cherish it. Let me share your Word with others so they too can believe and be saved. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.