Read with Me
Genesis 40:1-4 (HCSB)
After this, the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard in the prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to them, and he became their personal attendant. And they were in custody for some time.
Listen with Me
Even though the terms “chief cupbearer” and “chief baker” might seem insignificant, these men were not mere servants of the Pharaoh. Instead, they were important officials in his administration who also acted as counselors and sounding boards to the king. While it is not stated what the specific offense was these two high officials had committed, since they were both in prison together, it is likely that Pharaoh had gotten wind of some plot or conspiracy against himself and believed that these two men were in on it.
Conspiracy against the crown was, of course, a capital offense. But this Pharaoh seems to have been fair-minded, not willing to simply order the men executed before they had a fair hearing on the matter. So, while they awaited trial, Pharaoh sent them to the jail that was located at the house of Potiphar, the Captain of the Guard (Genesis 39:1), the same jail that Joseph was being held in.
Since these men held high posts in Pharaoh’s administration, the warden assigned Joseph to be available to them, to help them find their way around, to see to their needs, and to convey any request they had to the warden. At this point, Joseph had been in Potiphar’s household and in the jail at his house for a total of eleven years, so, he was very knowledgeable of the way things worked.
Even though Moses did not give away any spoilers at this time, the events that unfolded were destined to serve as the next steps in God’s plan to not only release Joseph from the jail, but to get Jacob and his family to Egypt.
Pray with Me
Father, as the old saying goes, You truly do work in mysterious ways. At this juncture, without Your revelation of what You were doing behind the scenes, no one would see this event as anything other than a chance encounter that Joseph had with these two men. But You have revealed that You are always present and always at work behind the scenes to move Your plan forward, even if we’re not able to connect the dots ourselves at the time. Thank You, Lord, for all You have done, and continue to do, in my life. Amen.