Genesis 40 finds Joseph in jail with seemingly no hope of getting out. Then Pharaoh puts his cupbearer and baker in jail with Joseph. God gives them dreams and gives Joseph the interpretations to those dreams.
Dreams have guided Joseph his whole life. The dream he had that his brothers and even his parents would bow before him guided his whole life. Though Joseph may have handled arrogantly, he knew that it was from God. Because of his dream his brothers sold him into slavery. Because of his character he is in jail, but God begins to speak through dreams again, but this time by giving dreams to others.
The end of the chapter has the dreams coming true. The baker is killed and the cupbearer is restored back to his position to Pharaoh. The cupbearer forgets for the time being about Joseph. Joseph like Abraham will have to wait for the right time.
It is important to have dreams. The key is to have dreams that are given to us from God. Selfish dreams will lead us no where, but God given dreams will make us free. I wonder if Martin Luther Kind, Jr. had this passage in mind when he gave his powerful and prophetic sermon “I have a Dream.”
If you do not have a dream for your life or your family’s life, then I encourage you to ask God to give you one. My own dream is to become more like Jesus every day. I have a long way to go, but I know it is a God-given dream.
“Lord thank You for giving us dreams. Help us to live out the dreams You have for us. I pray this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.”
About Me
- Robert and Ray Miller
- Robert is the pastor of First Baptist Texas City, Tx. And Ray is the pastor of First Baptist Mertens, Tx. Robert brings over 30 years of biblical study as a pastor. Ray brings a younger perspective to the Bible and also a command of the original languages. Our greatest passion is to see lives changed through the good news of Jesus Christ.
1 comment:
God gave Joseph a gift for interpreting dreams and Joseph uses this gift, but he always gives the full credit to God. In verse 8 Joseph says, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." He does the work God gave him to do, but the glory went all to God.
I have a dream for my family and I share that dream with them often, so that dream can become their dream, too. My dream is that God will use each member of my family for His glory - whatever that entails. By sharing that dream, I hope to plant the seed for them to be open to God's leading and follow Him wherever He takes them.
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