Joseph is talking with two fellow prisoners who each had a prophetic dream. They are going to tell him about the dreams and the Lord is going to give him the interpretations.
"So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, 'In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup in his hand.'" (Genesis 40:9-11) A king had to protect himself against murderous plots, including plots to poison him. Part of the job of a cupbearer was to taste the wine before serving it to the king. That way, if the wine was poisoned, the cupbearer would drop dead instead of the king. This man is the "chief" cupbearer which likely means there were several safety checks in place so that more than one person tasted the wine on its way to the king. The chief cupbearer would be the man who made the final safety check and who actually handed the cup to his master. It's logical that this man would dream about going into Pharaoh's throne room and handing him his drink, but he doesn't know the meaning of the grapevine and its three branches.
"'This is what it means,' Joseph said to him. 'The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.'" (Genesis 40:12-15) It won't take long for the cupbearer to find out whether or not Joseph is correct. If he isn't restored to his position within three days, then Joseph is a fraud. But if he is given his old job back within three days, then Joseph's God is real and has blessed him with the gift of dream interpretation. When the cupbearer sees this, he is to put in a good word for Joseph with Pharaoh so that Joseph's case can be reviewed and he can possibly be set free.
A great deal of emphasis was placed on dreams in the ancient pagan world. People thought every little thing they dreamed about had significance, even though I bet their dreams at night were as jumbled and as meaningless as my own. Occasionally, though, the Lord would send a person a dream that actually was prophetic. In those cases the dreamer appears to know that something is very different about this dream. The prophetic dream stands out. In the Bible we find the Lord giving prophetic dream to several people, some of whom are believers and some who aren't, but in each case in their spirit they know that this dream is something different and important. Pharaoh himself will be given a prophetic dream by the Lord and it will be Joseph's ticket out of prison, for the cupbearer will forget all about him until his master has a disturbing dream.
"When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, 'I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.'" (Genesis 40:16-17) When birds are used symbolically in the Bible they are usually a bad omen. That's true in the baker's case. The interpretation of his dream is bad news.
"'This is what it means,' Joseph said. 'The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.'" (Genesis 40:18-19) Wowza! That's a terrible answer! But it's going to come true and the opinion of a lot of scholars is that the cupbearer and baker were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to kill the king. We don't know how long they've been in jail but in verse 4 we were told they had been there "for some time". In three days Pharaoh will celebrate his birthday and I think maybe he had a custom of pardoning a prisoner on his birthday. And maybe he enjoyed holding a nice public execution on his birthday too? The Bible doesn't say why the fate of these men will be decided in three days, but this event seems to coincide with a festive party and I believe the events are related somehow. On Pharaoh's birthday he will set the cupbearer free, either as a gracious pardon or because evidence suddenly comes to light that exonerates the cupbearer. The baker, however, will be sentenced to death. Perhaps Pharaoh reviews the evidence against him and finds him guilty. Or perhaps it's his custom to carry out sentences on his birthday. We don't know, but on that day the baker will be executed publicly with his body left on the pole until it falls apart. This was considered the ultimate shame in ancient times. Only those who had committed the most heinous of crimes were refused burial, so we can only assume that the baker was found guilty of a crime worthy of such a disgrace.
Two dreams were provided by the Lord and the Lord provided Joseph with the interpretation of both of them. If only one of his interpretations had come true, then the cupbearer could have dismissed it as a lucky guess. But Joseph has predicted vastly different outcomes for these two men and both outcomes will take place just as he predicted. Later on, when the cupbearer finally remembers Joseph, he will feel confident in recommending his services to the king.
"Now the third day was Pharaoh's birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials." (Genesis 40:20) What does the Bible mean when it says Pharoah lifted up their heads? I believe it refers to the position a supplicant would assume in the presence of a great king. He would enter the presence of the king and immediately drop to his knees and bow with his forehead to the floor. He could not raise his head, rise to his feet, or look the king in the eye until the king granted permission. If a king was especially displeased with the person, he could force the person to kneel in this position for quite some time before allowing him to lift his head. The cupbearer and the baker are ushered into the presence of the king where they assumed the proper respectful pose before his throne. The king is about to hand down verdicts so he gives them permission to lift their heads, stand up, and look him in the eye. He then acquits the cupbearer of all charges but finds the baker guilty and passes the death penalty on him.
The cupbearer is so overjoyed to have kept his life and his job that he goes back to work without giving Joseph a second thought. He had his moment before the king---a moment in which he had the king's favor and attention---and he could have asked Pharaoh to hear Joseph's case. But he doesn't. Joseph is waiting in the dungeon hoping to be called into the presence of the king, but the day passes and the night falls and he knows the cupbearer has gone on with his life without giving him a thought. "The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him." (Genesis 40:23)
Imagine how low Joseph's spirits must be as he crawls into his cot at bedtime knowing his chance at freedom has been thwarted by the cupbearer's ungratefulness. Two whole years are going to pass before another opportunity arises. I think Joseph feels about as low as he can go on Pharoah's birthday. I picture him lying sleepless in bed while the sounds of music and merriment outside continue into the hours of the early morning. Joseph must have felt hopeless and forgotten. The cupbearer may have forgotten him, but God hasn't. Today looked to Joseph like the perfect timing to be set free, but it's not God's timing. By our own human ways of thinking, many times and many opportunities look perfect. But God knows the best timing. He knows when we are ready for a great blessing He has in store for us. Like any good father, God doesn't give us more responsibility than we can handle. An enormous blessing given to us at the wrong time is not a blessing; it's a curse. Joseph needs two more years before he will be ready to assume the power God is going to place into his hands. He isn't yet strong enough to wear the mantle of greatness, but by the time God brings him out of the dungeon, he will be.
Your circumstances may have been going on for a long time. You may feel like you can't take them one more day. You may feel like there's never going to be any freedom from them. I get that. I've been there too. But God has not forgotten you! God has a plan for you, and in the right time and in the right way He's going to put all the puzzle pieces together. If He's leaving you in your current circumstances for a while longer, it's for a very important and necessary reason. I know it's hard to take. I know it's hard to keep waiting. Joseph knew it too. He's been in prison for many years already and will be in prison two more years for a crime he didn't even commit. But when God moves in Joseph's situation, He's going to move in a big way. It may not be much longer before He moves in a big way in your situation too.
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