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1 It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. 3 So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while. ~ Genesis 40:1-4
Today, we transition into our study of Genesis 40 where Joseph is in prison. This whole chapter is a single story and though being long, it must be considered in its context. Today’s passage gives us a glimpse of how Joseph’s release from prison came about, but it won’t be realized in today's study. At this point in his life, Joseph was holding onto the promises that God had given him. The events of this story though came together to ensure that his release would happen in the near future. God works in all places but His best work is most often done in the most woeful of places.
In v.1 of today’s passage we read, “It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.”
The words, “It came to pass” follows after the previous chapter without interruption. The previous chapter always leads to the next. The false accusations of Potiphar’s wife led to Joseph’s imprisonment and that led to what is about to happen. The sovereign hand of God is seen in the guidance and direction of each step. Joseph saw one event after another without knowing why they were happening to him. He had to trust that the Lord allows and causes all things to happen in our lives for His sovereign purposes and for our ultimate good. Joseph had been in prison for some time, in fact, we do not know exactly how long he was there, it was at least a few years. And, while he was there, two very important people joined him.
Into this unfolding tapestry arrived the butler and the baker of the king. The butler was the king’s cupbearer; the baker was his personal chef. These guys were people of very high rank and they were considered extremely important officials. The king’s cupbearer would have been responsible for tasting Pharaoh’s wine to make sure it wasn’t poisoned before giving it to him. The baker would be responsible for the king’s food, making sure it was good before giving it to his boss.
In ancient times, a king was always vulnerable to assassination or to being overthrown. This explains the need for both the cupbearer and the baker who were two of the closest servants to the king. They had to be trusted. Any failure or betrayal would have proven deadly to them. They had direct access to the royal presence and they had been selected from the most respected of all of the nobles of the land. These two guys were placed in prison with Joseph because they “offended their lord, the King of Egypt.” The exact offenses we were not told.
In v.2 of today’s passage we read, “And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.”
These two offended the king and he, in turn, was angry with them. For the king to be angry with such high-ranking people meant that they had done something which was pretty grave. If the king got sick from his meal, that would have been enough for their incarceration. And, in a few verses, we’ll see that his anger will end in a bad way for one of them. These men obviously lacked the wisdom and patience that God was working into Joseph's life.
In v.3 of today’s passage we read, “So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined.”
Nothing is coincidental with God involved. These two high officials were put into the same place with Joseph who was confined, but he could move about a bit. Joseph was not literally bound but he was unknowingly being confined to the patience and to the wisdom of God. In Proverbs 19:11 we read, "A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." In just a few short years this verse would be born out in the life of Joseph.
In v.4 of today’s passage we read, “And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.”
From Potiphar to servants of the king, Joseph always seemed to find himself in the vicinity of power. This was the setting of Joseph’s waiting and if he had not been committed to being defined by God, Joseph would have missed out on a lot of really important things. Everything that happens to us is part of the setting for God to unfold His story in our lives. All of the good and all of the bad is always found in our amazing adventures with Him. God wastes nothing, in fact, He always uses all of the good and all of the bad to bring about His best for us. And, since we are followers of the Lord Jesus, we are wise to be defined by Him no matter what.
While everything in our lives is part of the unfolding of God’s story for us, the pain we suffer is of most use to Him and to us. Pain is a universal language which transcends borders and cultures, reminding us of our shared vulnerability with and capacity for the God of all creation. Like Joseph, when we find ourselves in an undeserved hard spot, due to the inculcation of His patience and wisdom, we can rest assured that God is preparing us for something beyond our imagination. That was certainly true for Joseph. And, if we walk with God long enough, it will certainly be true for us as well.
