Journey Through the Bible in a Year
Reading God's Word and learning more about His plan for my life each day!
Tuesday, October 8, 2002
Introduction to Journey Through the Bible
A note about online study
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for always remembering me, even when others don’t. Sometimes, I feel like Joseph—I do my best to honor You and yet I’m forgotten. At other times I know that I am not doing my best for You, in fact, I fail miserably and I think that perhaps maybe even You have forgotten me. But I know that You promise never to leave me or forsake me. May I claim that promise today and by the empowering presence of your Holy Spirit, may I live effectively for You today, knowing that as long as You remember me, all will be well. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
My Journey Verses for Today
Genesis 40:1-23
1 Some time later, Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended him. 2 Pharaoh became very angry with these officials, 3 and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of Potiphar, the captain of the guard. 4 They remained in prison for quite some time, and Potiphar assigned Joseph to take care of them. 5 One night the cup-bearer and the baker each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning. 6 The next morning Joseph noticed the dejected look on their faces. 7 "Why do you look so worried today?" he asked. 8 And they replied, "We both had dreams last night, but there is no one here to tell us what they mean." "Interpreting dreams is God's business," Joseph replied. "Tell me what you saw." 9 The cup-bearer told his dream first. "In my dream," he said, "I saw a vine in front of me. 10 It had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon there were clusters of ripe grapes. 11 I was holding Pharaoh's wine cup in my hand, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into it. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand." 12 "I know what the dream means," Joseph said. "The three branches mean three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will take you out of prison and return you to your position as his chief cup-bearer. 14 And please have some pity on me when you are back in his favor. Mention me to Pharaoh, and ask him to let me out of here. 15 For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I'm here in jail, but I did nothing to deserve it." 16 When the chief baker saw that the first dream had such a good meaning, he told his dream to Joseph, too. "In my dream," he said, "there were three baskets of pastries on my head. 17 In the top basket were all kinds of bakery goods for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them." 18 "I'll tell you what it means," Joseph told him. "The three baskets mean three days. 19 Three days from now Pharaoh will cut off your head 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 gave a banquet for all his officials and household staff. He sent for his chief cup-bearer and chief baker, and they were brought to him from the prison. 21 He then restored the chief cup-bearer to his former position, 22 but he sentenced the chief baker to be impaled on a pole, just as Joseph had predicted. 23 Pharaoh's cup-bearer, however, promptly forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.
Reflecting on God's Word for My Journey
Have you ever felt “forgotten”? What caused that feeling?
How would you feel if you had a dream and someone could actually tell you what it meant?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word for My Journey
What is the Joseph’s situation at the beginning of today’s Scripture? (40:1-4)
What is his situation at the end of today’s Scripture? (40:23)
Understanding God's Will for My Journey
How would you have felt if you were Joseph, and you realized that Pharaoh’s cup-bearer had forgotten you?
What is the significance of Joseph telling the baker and the cup-bearer that interpreting dreams is God’s business?
Applying What God's Word Tells Me to My Journey
What do you learn from reading about Joseph’s situation that will help you when you find yourself in difficult situations in your life?
My Personal Journey Thought for the Day—“He Never Gave Him Another Thought!”
Pharaoh’s cup-bearer was saved a great deal of worry and grief by Joseph’s ability to interpret his dream. Joseph didn’t even have to concern himself with the cup-bearer’s situation, but he did. When the cup-bearer was restored to serving Pharaoh, we’re told that he “promptly forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.” There’s gratitude for you! But that’s the way a disciple’s life is quite often. If we help others, or show kindness, or even tell people about Jesus so that they’ll thank us, our motivation isn’t right—AND we’ll be disappointed quite often. Common courtesy would say that when we show someone the love of Jesus, they ought to be grateful, but that’s not why we show others the love of Jesus. It is purely and simply for His glory, and to show obedience to Him. As our attitude for doing good becomes purely and simply glorifying Jesus, others see the difference. The cup-bearer promptly forgot all about Joseph, once his situation was restored to its former honor, but when Pharaoh has his dream—which we’ll read about tomorrow—the cup-bearer remembers Joseph’s unique gift and Joseph is immediately boosted into the spotlight. This is a by-product of obedience to God. It didn’t happen immediately or directly. Joseph seemed to have been forgotten, but God never forgets His own!
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