On the day the cupbearer was released from prison and restored to his job, he promised to mention Joseph to the king. But he forgot. Two more years go by before he remembers him.
"When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up." (Genesis 41:1-4) The Bible doesn't tell us how Joseph passed the two years between Chapter 40 and Chapter 41. I believe he was going about his duties in the prison, day after day, faithfully. Every day was probably pretty much the same. The last exciting thing to have happened in the prison, as far as Joseph was concerned, was when he interpreted dreams for Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker. Since then I think he's been fulfilling his responsibilities and relying on the Lord for strength. I wonder if he ever despaired of being a free man again or whether he believed the Lord would rescue him. It may be he believed both these things at the same time, for don't we all occasionally have confidence and doubt at the same time? On the one hand, we know the Lord loves us and has promised to provide for us; on the other hand, our circumstances make us fearful and we toss and turn at night with worry. I wouldn't be surprised if that's how Joseph spent the two years between Chapter 40 and Chapter 41. I think he had days when he firmly believed the Lord would bring him out of the dungeon. I think he had other days when he thought he'd grow old and die there.
I picture Pharaoh awakening and sitting up in a panic in his gold-plated bed during the night, heart pounding, blood racing. He knows this was no ordinary dream. Something about it was very ominous. It fills him with a feeling of dread. After a time he's able to calm down and go back to sleep, but he has another disturbing dream. "He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted---thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream." (Genesis 41:5-7) This dream was so vivid it felt like it was really happening. Pharaoh didn't even know it was a dream until he awoke.
If the Lord had only sent him one strange dream, Pharaoh might have shrugged it off and gone about the next day as usual. But the Lord sent him two dreams in which the number seven figures prominently. This number has to mean something. In both dreams there are seven good things followed by seven bad things. Pharaoh can't shake off his feelings of apprehension. He knows the dreams mean something---something vitally important. He needs an interpreter. Of all the nations in the world at that time, Egypt had more practitioners of the magic arts than anyplace else. Pharaoh calls for all of them at once. He fully expects to have an answer to his questions within a matter of hours. "In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt." (Genesis 41:8a)
We don't want to be dismissive about the very real occult powers of some of these men. Granted, no doubt many of these co-called magicians were no more than entertainers who performed impressive tricks by sleight of hand. Others were probably just frauds who gave such vague predictions or who wrote such generalized horoscopes that the person seeking their services could read anything into their prophecies that they wanted. But some of these men, due to their affiliation with the powers of darkness, can actually perform supernatural feats. We will see these supernatural feats displayed when we get to the book of Exodus. Because Pharaoh has discerned that his dreams were sent to him by supernatural forces, he expects someone familiar with supernatural forces to interpret the dreams. No doubt some of these men have performed impressive services for him in the past while under demonic influence. But these dreams of Pharaoh's are from the Lord, and the interpretation of these dreams must come from the Lord, and the Lord has given only one man in Egypt the power to understand and provide the interpretation. When Pharaoh tells his magicians and wise men his dreams, none of them has a clue what they mean. They don't even attempt to make up an interpretation, and I don't know whether that's out of fear of Pharaoh (because he will put them to death if they are wrong) or out of a sense of dread the Lord lays upon them. Whatever the reason, they dare not open their mouths to utter falsehoods or even to make suggestions. "Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him." (Genesis 41:8b)
The chief cupbearer is standing nearby while all this takes place. He is a person who would have been in Pharaoh's presence many times a day. He would have served him his drinks at every meal and at every snack and during every official meeting. If Pharaoh wanted a glass of wine at bedtime or a cup of warm milk during the night, this is the man who would bring it to him. The cupbearer is in a position to witness a great deal of the happenings of Pharaoh's daily life, both public and private. He probably knows more about the goings on in the palace than anyone else. When he sees that the magicians and wise men can't interpret Pharaoh's dreams, he suddenly remembers a man who can interpret dreams. "Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, 'Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us; I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.'" (Genesis 41:9-13)
When none of Pharaoh's go-to guys in matters of spiritual divination have the answer, the cupbearer smacks himself in his forehead and says, "Oh, my goodness! What have I been thinking? I know just the guy who can help you and I'm surprised I didn't remember him before now. He did me a big favor while we were serving time in the pen together. I promised to bring his case to your attention but I totally forgot all about him in my joy of being so graciously acquitted of all charges by you, Your Majesty. My gratefulness at being restored to this honorable position by your side wiped all thoughts of my prison days from my mind until just this moment. If you send someone to Potiphar's prison, my lord, for a Hebrew man named Joseph, I am confident he will be able to interpret your dreams."
Pharaoh has nothing to lose by sending for Joseph. His own men have let him down. There's not a magician or a wise man in Egypt he hasn't already consulted and yet he's no closer to an answer. In tomorrow's chapter we find Joseph being brought out of the dungeon into the light. Because of Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph's dream of once again being a free man comes true. The timing is now exactly right for God to bring his plans for Joseph to fruition. Joseph has not traveled an easy road on his way to his destiny, but the difficulties of the road were necessary to make him into the man he needs to be in order to assume the great mantle of responsibility the Lord is about to lay upon his shoulders. Because of his hardships, his shoulders are strong and able to carry the load. Because of his faithfulness and his reliance upon the Lord during the dark days he's endured, he will be a godly influence upon a heathen nation and its pagan king. He will save not only the citizens of Egypt from death, but he will save the lives of his own family whom he has not set eyes on in many years. In doing so, he preserves that which will be known in the future as the mighty nation of Israel.
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