Genesis 42:1

Genesis 42:1 says, Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?  Jacob and his family were suffering in the famine, but Jacob had heard there was corn in Egypt.  Evidently Jacob's sons still lived close to him and were just standing around in despair, and Jacob asked them why.  When things go badly, God does not expect those who follow Him to simply stand around and complain or despair, even if we are where He has called us.  Jacob was where God had led him, and even if he had faith that God would provide, it did not mean that Jacob was not to be actively involved in the process of God providing for him.  Verse two states,  And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.  Jacob told his sons that he had heard that there was corn in Egypt, so they needed to quit standing around and go to Egypt and buy corn.  Money was not the problem.  The lack of food was.  All the wealth in the world will not help us if we have nothing to eat.  The lost of the world today are spiritually starving, and the bread of life, Jesus Christ, is freely available to any who will come to Him.  There is no charge for this bread, and no amount of money will buy salvation any other way than through the cross of Christ.  People can either stand around in despair when they hear the gospel, or they can come to Christ.  The gospel will never be forced on anyone, but all must come willing to Christ.  Verse three declares, And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.  Ten of Jacob's sons went to Egypt, but not all.  Verse four adds, But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.  Benjamin was left behind.  Jacob said this was done so that nothing bad would happen to Benjamin.  It seems that Jacob was still playing favorites, since he didn't seem concerned about something bad happening to his other sons.  As discussed before, we cannot play favorites with people, especially our children.  We should have the same love and concern for all of them.  Verse five says, And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.  The brothers went with others from Canaan to buy grain.  We cannot claim some special status when we come to the cross for salvation.  Just like Jacob's sons in Egypt, who were the children of the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who came to Egypt as everyone else did, even if we are from a Christian family, we still come to the cross as anyone else does.  Verse six declares, And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.  Joseph had correctly interpreted the dreams of others by the power of God, and now his personal dream of so many years before was being fulfilled.  We can be certain that God's promise of everlasting life will come true, no matter how bad things may become in this world.  Verse seven adds, And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.  Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.  I believe that this was in part because Joseph had aged and in part because the brothers never expected to see Joseph in a position of power or authority.  They had sold Joseph into slavery, never expecting to see him again.  Verse eight concludes, And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.  As just discussed, Joseph's brothers did not know him.  Until we come to Christ in a personal relationship, He will know us, but we will not recognize Him.  Everyone comes to Christ as a stranger to Him.  Just hearing about salvation without coming to that personal relationship with Christ leaves us standing around in despair like the brothers were until they went to Egypt where the corn was.  Again, God does not force salvation on anyone, but He makes it freely available to all who will come to Jesus in faith.

Genesis 41:46

Genesis 41:46 says, And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.  Joseph was now thirty years old.  A lot had happened to him during those thirty years, but he was now in a position of authority once more.  He might have been tempted to use the position in a self serving way and have felt justified by doing so, but we know he didn't.  When we become a follower of Christ, we like Joseph, are set free, but it is freedom from slavery to the power of sin.  We are set free to serve God and not for self gratification.  Verse forty-seven states, And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.  The interpretation of Pharaoh's dream was coming true.  There were seven years of much better than normal crops.  Verse forty-eight adds, And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.  Joseph had the crops gathered, but he knew that the seven years of good would come to an end, so he stored up for the coming bad years.  I believe that too often people, even followers of Christ, feel that when things are going well materially that they are always only going to get better, so they spend everything they have and more on themselves.  I do not believe that this is what God wants.  I believe that we are to use what God blesses us with for His glory.  Verse forty-nine continues, And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.  The crops were vast during this time as stated above, just as God had promised in the dream.  A sure way to know if a dream is God speaking to us is if it comes true.  Verse fifty says, And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.  Joseph had two sons during this time.  Life was definitely better for Joseph, and he could have forgotten about God during this time, but he didn't.  Sometimes during times of prosperity, we as followers of Christ may be tempted to forget about God and simply feel that we deserve all that we can get, but I believe that God expects us to remember that He is the reason for our prosperity.  Verse fifty-one adds, And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.  As stated before, names meant something, and the name of Joseph's first son, Manasseh meant that God had caused Joseph to forget all his toil and his father's house.  When we become a follower of Christ, we must forget all that happened before then as far as allowing it to influence our attitude about life and other people, even those who may have done us wrong.  Verse fifty-two continues, And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.  The second son was named Ephraim, meaning God had made Joseph fruitful in his affliction.  As Christians, we are set free from the affliction of sin and are caused to prosper spiritually.  Verse fifty-three declares, And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.  As Joseph had said when interpreting Pharaoh's dream, the seven years of plenty came to an end.  This was not a surprise to Joseph, and if we are following God's will, we should not be surprised if bad things happen to us while we are enjoying the blessings of God.  We have already been warned to expect this, but too often we want to blame God.  I believe that we are often more ready to blame God for bad things than to praise Him for the good things.  Verse fifty-four adds, And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.  The bad years came, and the rest of the world was suffering, but in Egypt there was bread.  I believe that we can say that while the rest of the world is suffering in a spiritual draught, that we as followers of Christ have the Bread of Life to share with them.  Verse fifty-five declares, And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.  The people of Egypt were not immune to the effects of the draught.  They cried out to Pharoah and he told them to go to Joseph and do what he told them to do.  I believe that it is safe to make the analogy that when people are spiritually starving and call out to God that He will tell them to go to Jesus and do what He directs them to do.  If they come to us, the followers of Christ, we must likewise point them to Him.  Verse fifty-six adds, And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.  Joseph sold the grain to the Egyptians.  Verse fifty-seven concludes, And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.  Joseph did not limit the sale of food to the Egyptians, but sold to all in need.  Though we cannot buy salvation, as it is a free gift from God, neither can we attempt to limit it to just certain people.  Salvation is available to all who will come to Christ and accept His gift.

Genesis 41:33

Genesis 41:33 says, Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.  After interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph advised him to appoint a wise and discreet man in charge of all the land of Egypt.  Joseph had no reason to believe that Pharaoh would believe him, and he might have even risked angering Pharaoh by offering him advice.  If we believe that God has given us advice that will help others, we must not allow fear or even indifference to keep us from sharing it with them.  Verse thirty-four states, Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.  Joseph expands on what he thinks Pharaoh should do.  Joseph said Pharaoh should appoint officers over the land and set aside a fifth of the crops in the good years.  Verse thirty-five adds, And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.  Joseph said that Pharaoh could still feed the people well on the rest of the crops.  I believe that God expects us to set aside something in the good years to help us through the bad ones, but we should also acknowledge that He will meet our needs.  I don't believe that God ever expects us to be wasteful though.  Verse thirty-six says, And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.  Joseph said that the food stored during the seven good years would be enough to see Egypt through the seven bad years.  As followers of Christ, we are not to worry about having our needs met daily, because God promises us He will meet them.  Still, God may meet our needs in time of adversity by our using His provisions wisely in times of prosperity.  Verse thirty-seven declares, And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.  The plan sounded good to Pharaoh and his servants.  This really was not Joseph's plan, but God's plan shared with Pharaoh through Joseph.  As followers of Christ, we can only share God's plan with others, starting with His plan of salvation.  We have no plans that will work ultimately except the plans that God reveals to us.  Verse thirty-eight asks, And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?  Pharaoh asked where could they find another man such as Joseph, in whom was the Spirit of God.  Hopefully, when people see us as Christians today they will see the Spirit of God in us by the way we act.  Verse thirty-nine states, And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:  Pharaoh said that since God had shown Joseph this, that Joseph was the best man for the job.  Pharaoh had to believe that God was really speaking to Joseph.  Verse forty adds,  Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.   Pharaoh said that Joseph would be over everyone except for Pharaoh himself.  Joseph was once again saved from suffering and placed in a position of power, because the time was now right in God's plan.  We may have to suffer in this life, but ultimately we will be delivered if we put our faith in Christ, but it will be when God says this time is right.  Verse forty-one states, And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.  Then verse forty-two adds, And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;   Pharaoh telling Joseph that he was in charge might not have been enough to make others believe him, but Pharaoh gave Joseph things that would prove his authority.  Verse forty-three says, And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.  It may not have been his brothers but knees were now indeed bowing down to Joseph, but I don't believe that he took any pride in it.  Verse forty-four adds, And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.  Basically, Pharaoh said that he was putting Joseph in total control.  Fortunately for Pharaoh Joseph was not out to claim power for himself.  If we are given authority to act on behalf of someone else today, we must not abuse our position.  Verse forty states, And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.  Joseph was given an Egyptian name and the daughter of an Egyptian priest as a wife.  Joseph was becoming more and more identified with the Egyptians than with the Israelites.  I personally do not believe that this was God's plan but that God still worked through Joseph's life in spite of the circumstances.

Genesis 41:15

Genesis 41:15 says, And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.  When Pharaoh called Joseph out of prison, he told Joseph why.  Pharaoh told Joseph that he had a dream and had heard Joseph could interpret it.  Verse sixteen declares, And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.  Joseph could have seen this as an opportunity to get out of prison and just put all the emphasis on himself, but he didn't.  Joseph said it wasn't him, but God that could give Pharaoh an answer of peace.  When we are asked to help people today, as followers of Christ we must make sure that people understand that God is the One at work through us and never seek self glorification.  In the next few verses, Pharaoh simply repeats his dream to Joseph.  Verse seventeen states,And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:  Verse eighteen adds, And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:  This was the dream of the cattle.  Verse nineteen continues, And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:  Verse twenty goes on, And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:  Then verse twenty-one concludes, And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.  This was Pharaoh's first dream, and now he would tell Joseph his second dream.  Verse twenty-two says, And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:  This was the dream of the corn, which Pharaoh saw as a continuation of the first dream evidently, though he had been awake in between the two.  Verse twenty-three adds, And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:  Verse twenty-four concludes, And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.  After finishing telling Joseph his dreams, Pharaoh also told him that none of his magicians could tell him what the dreams meant.  People today may look for answers to questions in life, but the Only One Who can give them real answers is God.  As Christians, we must point them to God if they come to us with questions.  Verse twenty-five declares, And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.  Joseph told Pharaoh that God was speaking to him through the dream and was using it to reveal what was to happen.  As followers of Christ, we can share with people the good news of what will be the ultimate outcome of all life, and that is victory over sin and death through our faith in Christ.  Verse twenty-six states, The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. Then verse twenty-seven adds, And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.  Joseph said that the seven cattle and the seven ears both represented years.  The first seven in both cases would be seven years of prosperity and the second seven would be years of famine.  Though we may not have a specific warning from God, we need to realize that there will be times when life goes very well, but there will also be times when we may be in need in this world.  We simply have to keep our faith in God in either case.  Verse twenty-eight declares, This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.  Joseph said that God had shown Pharaoh what was about to happen, and it was up to Pharaoh to believe it or not.  God has shown us today what is ultimately going to happen in the world, the coming judgment, and it is up to each individual whether to believe it or not.  As followers of Christ, we can simply share the gospel with them.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: Then verse thirty adds, And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;  Verse thirty-one continues, And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.  Then verse thirty-one concludes, And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.  Joseph said the dream meant that there would be seven good years in Egypt, followed by seven very bad years, and that God had Pharaoh dream basically the same thing twice to emphasize that this was going to happen.  It was now up to Pharaoh whether he believed it or not.  With the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, God has already revealed to the world what the ultimate outcome of life will be.  We can either accept salvation by faith in Christ, or we can continue to live in spiritual poverty.  Our relationship to God is what will always make the difference, no matter what happens in life.

Genesis 41:1

Genesis 41:1 says, And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.  Two years after the chief butler was restored to his position, Pharaoh had a dream.  Joseph may have given up on his dream of being heard by this time.  Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by a river.  Then verse two adds, And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow.  So far, this would seem to be a good dream and nothing to be concerned about.  Verse three continues, And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.  The dream now might be considered a little more omnibus, but still nothing really disturbing.  Then verse four concludes, And the ill favoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.  The ill favored and weak cattle ate the well favored and fat cattle, and then Pharaoh awoke.  The dream bothered Pharaoh enough to wake him up.  Pharaoh believed that the dream meant something, and it bothered him.  If our dreams wake us up and disturb us, that does not mean that God is trying to tell us something, nor does it mean that He isn't.  I personally don't believe that God has ever spoken to me through a dream, but that doesn't mean that He hasn't to someone else.  Verse five says, And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.  When Pharaoh was asleep again, he had another dream.  This time, there were seven good ears of corn on one stalk.  Verse six adds,  And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.  As with the cattle, after what started as a good dream now turned a little worse.  Verse seven concludes, And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.  Once more, the bad devoured the good, and the dream awoke Pharaoh.  Verse eight declares, And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.  The dreams disturbed Pharaoh enough that the next morning he called all the magicians and wise men of Egypt and told them his dreams.  They could not tell Pharaoh what these dreams meant.  He was looking in the wrong place for answers.  If God is speaking to us through dreams today, we cannot expect people of the world those who do not know God, to tell us what the dreams mean.  Today, some people who call themselves followers of Christ still look to horoscopes and fortune tellers to tell them the future, but they never will.  If we have concerns about the future, we need to look to God for answers.  Verse nine states, Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day:  The chief butler now remembered Joseph, and at least acknowledged his fault in not speaking to Pharaoh earlier on Joseph's behalf.  Too often if we help others, once they have what they want they will forget us and any promise they may have made to us.  Unfortunately, people are sometimes the same way with God, promising obedience and then forgetting all about God when they get what they want.  Verse ten adds, Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker:  Verse eleven continues, And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.  Verse twelve goes on, And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.  Then verse thirteen concludes, And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.  The chief butler told Pharaoh about the dreams that the chief baker and he had, and that Joseph had interpreted them correctly.  Hopefully, if we have shared the gospel with someone they will eventually realize the truth of the gospel, even if it is at a much later date.  I know it was not the gospel that Joseph had shared, but he had given God the credit for his being able to interpret the dreams, and if we help someone today we must point them to God as the reason that we are willing and able to help them.  Verse fourteen declares, Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.  Joseph was finally brought out of the dungeon by Pharaoh's order, and was allowed to clean up before he went to Pharaoh.  This may have been more for Pharaoh's benefit than for Joseph's.  God is much more powerful than Pharaoh was, and if we go into God's presence, we should clean ourselves up spiritually.  Since the Holy Spirit is with us always, this means that we should always attempt to be clean spiritually.

Genesis 40:16

Genesis 40:16 says,When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:  The chief baker saw that Joseph had given the chief butler a good interpretation of his dream and was quick to share his dream with Joseph.  When someone else gets good news, even if it is yet to be proven, others often want to be able to benefit from it.  The chief baker may have thought since Joseph gave the chief butler good news, then he surely would give him good news also.  The first part of the chief bakers dream was that he had three white baskets on his head.  There was certainly nothing scary about that.  Verse seventeen adds,  And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.  The dream might be getting a little more ominous now, since the birds had eaten the bake goods of the Pharaoh, though this still couldn't be directly blamed on the chief baker.  Still, he would have been guilty of not protecting them better.  We still don't know why the chief baker had ended up in prison, but it is possible that he had been negligent in his work and this was revealed in his dream, though I cannot say that for a certainty.  Verse eighteen declares, And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:  As with the chief butler, Joseph told the chief baker that the dream would be answered within three days.  Since the interpretation started the same way, the chief baker may have been feeling even better now, but that didn't last long.  I believe that we can say that when someone else receives the good news of the gospel today that it does not mean that someone else will also be saved.  Of course, God does not arbitrarily save one person and condemn another, so we cannot carry the analogy to far concerning these two.  Verse nineteen adds, Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.  This was certainly not what the chief baker wanted to hear.  Of course, none of this had happened yet, so he may have thought that Joseph was just trying to scare him.  I do believe that we can say that those who have receive the good news or Christ will be saved, and those who reject it will go away to everlasting punishment.  Many may believe that if the gospel is true that somehow they will be included in salvation without really believing it themselves, but this is not the case.  Verse twenty states, And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.  In three days, the Pharaoh's birthday, he brought the chief butler and the chief baker out of prison.  The three days was in accordance with Joseph's interpretation, so the chief butler had to be hopeful and the chief baker had to be filled with dread.  Verse twenty-one adds, And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand:  The chief butler was restored, just a Joseph had said he would be.  The chief baker had to really be filled with fear now.  Verse twenty-two concludes, But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.  The chief baker was hanged, just as Joseph said he would be.  Of course, we cannot equate the Pharaoh with God, since the Pharaoh's actions seemed to be arbitrary, but we can say that if we are saved, it is because of God's mercy and our acceptance of the gospel.  Verse twenty-three states, Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.  Though Joseph had asked only one thing of the chief butler, and that was that he speak to the Pharaoh for Joseph, the chief butler immediately forgot his promise.  When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we cannot forget the lost people around us.  We need to be in prayer for them, lifting them up to God.

Genesis 40:9

Genesis 40:9 says, And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;  The chief butler was the first to tell Joseph his dream.  He had to either believe that God would reveal the interpretation to Joseph or that he had nothing to lose by sharing the dream with Joseph.  Sometimes, people may come to us because they want to believe that as Christians we have a special relationship with God and He can help us, and at times they may come to us simply because they figure they have nothing to lose.  In either case, we need to look to God for the right way to help them and make sure that He receives the honor and glory if He gives us the answer to their problem.  Verse ten states, And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:  The butler said that he dreamed of a vine with three branches that budded, blossomed, and brought forth clusters of ripe grapes.  Though the chief butler might have thought that it was a nice dream, he believed that it had some deeper meaning.  I believe that if God does speak to us, whether through a dream or some other method, that He will make us aware that He is behind the dream or whatever method He uses to speak to us.  Not every dream is a message from God, but if it is, I believe that we will know that it is.  Verse eleven adds, And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.  In his dream, the chief butler was once again serving Pharaoh, this time with the juice from the grapes.  Again, he could have dismissed this dream as simply wishful thinking on his part.  We must never be too quick to dismiss our hopes and dreams as wishful thinking, but should always look to see if God is behind them.  We may sometimes need to look to fellow believers to help us be certain that it is God speaking to us.  Verse twelve declares, And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:  Joseph began to give the interpretation of the dream to the chief butler.  Joseph had already said that the interpretation would come from God.  He said that the three branches represented three days.  Joseph did not say that some day what he was going to say would happen, but set a very specific time table for this to happen.  Verse thirteen adds, Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.  Joseph gave the chief butler good news.  Within three days, he would be restored by the Pharaoh to his former position.  Since the Pharaoh put the chief butler there simply because he was angry with him, the Pharaoh could release the chief butler simply because he chose to.  Fortunately, when we share the gospel with others, if they accept it and are set free from sin, it is not because of an arbitrary action of God.  If we accept Christ in faith, we will be restored to God forever.  Even though the chief butler was to be restored, he was still subject to Pharaoh changing his mind again.  Fortunately, as followers of Christ, once we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, we are forever forgiven.  Verse fourteen states, But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:  Joseph did not say if the butler was restored, but when he was.  We must put our faith in the promises of God, which Joseph believed this to be, no matter if they are fulfilled quickly or at a much later time.  Joseph only asked one thing, and that was for the butler to speak to Pharaoh on his behalf.  Joseph did not demand any material compensation, and neither can we when we share the gospel with others.  Verse fifteen adds, For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.  I don't believe that Joseph said this to gain pity, but that he was simply stating the facts of his situation.  Joseph was falsely condemned, but he still had faith that God would deliver him from the prison.  Even if we were to be falsely imprisoned, we must have faith that God will deliver us, if not in this world, then in the one to come.