Shaking Us Out of our Dream Complacency

Crazy Is A Compliment: The Power of Zigging When Everyone Else Zags

Linda Rottenberg, Penguin Group, New York, 2014

I bought this book because some well-known business magazine recommended it as must-reading for our current ‘world of work’. They were right. What this book did for me was drive home with vivid examples and more realistically what so many of its predecessors only tried to teach. Bottom line, “Don’t be afraid to zig when everyone else is zagging even if they call you crazy; in fact, if they don’t, you aren’t zigging enough.”

Linda Rottenberg speaks from experience, both her own and also hundreds of her clients, as the Co-Founder and CEO of Endeavor, whose claim to fame is that they are leading the high-impact entrepreneurship movement around the world.  She also speaks (and writes) as a wife and mother of two young daughters whom she loves very much.

The book is divided into three main sections – Get Going, Go Big, and (not or) Go Home. Read between the lines on that one. Throughout it are sprinkled practical tactics and examples of their implementation and impact. There are also gems like the quote from Sam Walton, “If everybody else is doing it one way, there’s a good chance you can find your niche by going in exactly the opposite direction.”

In its pages, you’ll discover the formula for ‘entrepreneur’.  Here’s a little hint: It’s a mathematical combination of heart, mind, and fear.

There were also some big surprises. For example, Rottenberg is not a big fan of ‘market research’ and ‘formal business plans’ if it means you aren’t ‘getting going’ and the data is there to back her up.

You’ll also learn about how some very famous name brands and multi-billion dollar businesses got started – in circumstances really not that different than yours and mine. Spanx, now sold worldwide in over 50 countries, is one such example. There are many others.

And if you’re counting on your friends and family – forget it, for the most part. They’ll only hold you back as they tried in Linda’s case.

And becoming successful does not count in Linda’s eyes if in the process you lose your family. Her advice in that area, near the end of the book, is well worth the purchase price. It’s of the same caliber as her advice throughout on how to be successful in pursuing your ‘entrepreneurial’ dream.  Go for it.

Afterthought: In the last few weeks, I have once again been made aware of friends, relatives, and clients that have lost their ‘job’. My advice remains the same. You can improve your chances against being let go 100% by working for yourself. Don’t wait until you’re forced to.  Don’t wait until you get the golden kick out the door.  Find the right dream, the right opportunity, the right timing, and start to work for yourself.  Rottenberg gives you some great “how-to” action steps in that regard. This is a book I would buy every close relative and friend that is in high school right now. The age when my grandfather, my father after him, and even I, never had a day of unemployment in our lives is over. The very educated, the very energetic, the very smart keeners still get laid off if the economy and the sector they’re working in require it. Just consider the oil industry in Canada recently. Get the book and give the book.

• You can read the book right here now: http://astore.amazon.com/accorconsu-20 

Ken B. Godevenos, Accord Resolution Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario. 16/01/24  

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God Reassures Jacob - Genesis 46:2-4

And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.”  He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.  I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes.”

Can you imagine having God speak to you in “visions” in the middle of the night?  The text clearly indicates the plurality of these events which occurred during the unlit hours.  I believe these visions were initially a series of dreams that Jacob was having.  We all dream from time to time.  Sometimes some believe they too have heard from God.

I wish I could give you a surefire way to determine whether or not that is actually the case.  But we can note some of the conditions of Jacob’s visions from God.  We note that he was called by name.  There is no question that the message in the vision was directed to him.  We also note that he replied.  Was Jacob awake when he replied or was even the replying, in the dream itself?  Is it possible that while he heard God calling him in a dream, he was actually awakened for his response and God’s continuing words?  Note also that Jacob was clearly eager to serve his God and did not consider it strange that God was calling him.  Had he done so, he likely would not have said, “Here I am” but rather “Who’s calling me?”

The second thing we note is that in visions from God, He seems to state Who He is, reminding us of His greatness and past actions.  Those that walk with Him can easily identify with Him.  Thirdly, if we are His, He always wants to allay our fear, not alarm us.  He comes at a time when He knows the anguish we are experiencing.  This is a theme that often runs throughout scripture when God appears to various individuals.  Examples so far in scripture include Abraham (Genesis 15:1), Hagar (Genesis 21:17 where God sent His angel to comfort her), and Isaac (Genesis 28:15).  There are other times when God appears to those that are not His and warns them or instructs of what should be done.  Examples of this up to this passage in scripture are Abimelech (Genesis 20:3), Laban (Genesis 31:34), as well as the dream of the chief baker and of Pharaoh himself later on.

In Jacob’s particular case, God reaffirmed His promise that He would make Israel a great nation.  It is interesting that he does not elaborate on His promise at this point for Jacob was very familiar with it having heard it time and again from his father.  God simply restates it as a fact, as the actual ‘promise’ had already been made to Abraham and then Isaac.  There are times when we just need to accept the promises that God has made in the past.  The Bible contains many such assurances and declarations from God both with respect to how He will bless us and about the return of His Son, Jesus Christ.  One secret ingredient of the victorious Christian life is to have full knowledge of the fact that God will make good on His promises and to live accordingly.

God promised Jacob He would go down with him into Egypt -- a strange land for Jacob and perhaps for him a dark place as well.  This was not going to be an easy phase of his life, certainly not for those that came after Jacob in Egypt.  Egypt was simply the place the increase of the population of the “great nation” that God promised Abraham and Isaac would take place.

Remember God had renamed Jacob and now he was called “Israel” representing the whole nation that God was building up as He had promised.  So when God says, “and I will also surely bring you up again (from Egypt)”, He was referring to the nation Israel.  God may allow us or even take us through some dark valleys in our lives, but He always promises to bring us “up again”.  He often calls us to get out of our ‘Canaan’ and leave what we are used to for a while and go to our ‘Egypt’ so that ultimately His will would be done and His promise fulfilled.

And God promises us that He will “bring us up again” after the visit to the valley.  For Jacob, it was the nation of Israel that God ultimately brought out of Egypt while he himself died in Egypt as we learn further along in Genesis.  For us the “bringing up again” may well be “everlasting life with Him” or it may be a return to the good life that He intended us to enjoy on earth the rest of our days here.  Either way, He delivers on His promises.  I personally can identify with that feeling as my wife and I have now taken two mission trips to Africa, each with some initial trepidation given the political situations and the conditions there.  We went, however, with the assurance that either we would come back to our family and familiar bountiful surroundings or we would go to our eternal award.  When you move forward with that knowledge of either His protection or His taking us to Himself, you do not go in fear.

As I read this verse, Genesis 46:4, my mind wants to consider the parallel of this verse with our experience of baptism.  We descend into the water (dying to self; giving up what we are comfortable with and accustomed to) and we come out (arise to new life with Him, for Him, and because of Him; all so much better), accompanied by a promise of everlasting life.

I do not know how Israel could possibly have survived its 19th and 20th century history, and its 21st present day experiences had they not been prepared by God for it all through their experiences in dark Egypt.

For the nation of Israel, as for us today, God’s master plan continues.  Those that love God will see “the promised land”.

Finally, in this passage, God says to Jacob that his heart’s desire, his son Joseph from his beloved Rachel, will indeed “touch” his eyes.  What does that mean?  God assures Jacob that Joseph will indeed be with him at the time of his death.  It would be he, his beloved son, that would ‘close his eyes’, extending to Jacob the last act of love, tenderness, comfort, and respect one can offer to a loved one, especially a parent.  It is possible this would have been Jacob’s wish all along for when the time of his death finally arrived.  If so, God was assuring him that He would answer his desire positively -- the reward of a godly man.  Elsewhere in Scripture we read that “You (God) open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.” (NASB, Psalms 145:16)

Each of us needs to live our life in a way that says, “I know God is capable of satisfying my wishes if He wants to and if they are for my good.  I know that even my death will be a cause of rejoicing for me and that I will depart this world in His presence and either with no pain or only that which I can bear.”  With this promise to Jacob, God was saying “your days of yearning for your lost son are over and until you die, you will have the blessing of his company, now go forward in peace.”  What a blessing that was to Jacob.

So, what’s a key lesson we can take away from all of this?  Simply this: When God asks us to do something big and/or risky and/or dangerous, we can always be assured of His presence to encourage us, to protect us, and to see us through it all.

--  Thanks for dropping by.  Sign up to receive free updates.  We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources.  Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar.  And please share this blog with your friends.   Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant,  Accord Consulting.

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Joseph Intrepets Pharaoh’s Dreams - Genesis 41:17-32

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Joseph Hauled Out Of Prison To Interpet More Dreams - Genesis 41:14-16

Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”

As soon as Pharaoh heard that a young Hebrew had interpreted two dreams in prison and they came out to be true, he sent for him. The convicting personal experience of another person is an incredibly strong influencer for others, especially when they are at the end of their options. Our personal story of salvation as well as our experiences of personal rescue by God during our lives can play a big part in the coming to Christ by an individual. Charles W. Colson, now the well-known Christian leader of Prison Fellowship, but once the ‘hatchet man’ of Richard M. Nixon, found that out. When it became known that he had made a decision to turn his life to Christ in the midst of his impinging downfall, he started getting letters from others who did likewise simply because of hearing his story. They figured if someone like Colson had such a need and felt such emptiness in life, they certainly qualified.

But let us return to our hero, Joseph. Can you imagine what was going through his mind as the guards led him out of prison and prepared him to meet Pharaoh? Did they tell him? And if they did let him know the Pharaoh asked for him, what did that mean? What had he done now? And what lay ahead in his future? He knew none of the answers to those questions, but from his life so far, he knew God had been, was now, and would be with him. Have you ever been in a similar situation? You may be heading into a brand new experience and you have no idea of what may happen. Someone may have sued you; a loved one is arrested; there’s a diagnosis of cancer; your spouse or a child of yours wants a divorce; you lose your job that you count on to feed your family; etc. What do you do? Perhaps the best you can do is to take one step at a time, but know that God who loves you so much is still with you and He will see you through this as well.

Joseph was doing just that. He shaved and got a change of clothes, ready to meet the Pharaoh. When he came face to face with the Pharaoh of Egypt, the ruler told Joseph that he knew he was able to interpret dreams. Can you think of what was going through his head? Had the chief cupbearer told him at last? Or did he hear it second hand from someone else? But none of that was his focus for long. Pharaoh was giving him credit for dream interpretation and Joseph wasted no time in correcting him and to speak of his own weakness in this matter. “It is not in me,” he told the Pharaoh. He was saying, “Don’t give me the credit.” And then he properly assigned the power to God. It was God who was going to give the ruler of Egypt a favorable answer.

The last sentence in this scripture portion is a powerful one. First, it clearly gives credit to God where it belongs. Second, it boldly proclaims that God will provide an answer. And third, it identifies the kind of answer that God would give – it would be ‘favorable’. However, it is important to note that the Hebrew word translated here as ‘favorable’ is ‘shalown’ which more accurately means complete, sound, or peaceful. Joseph could clearly state God’s answer would be complete and sound, and in the act of being given the interpretation it would provide peace from the anxiety of not knowing what the dream meant. When people come to you for advice, are you quick to speak of your own personal limited strength? Are you quick to give God the credit for what He alone can do? Are you able to assure others that He will answer them if they call on His help and that no matter what the answer is, it will be complete, make ultimate sense, and bring them peace? I must admit there have been numerous times when I did not do that when many have come to me for advice, be it spiritual, personal, or business-related. Joseph is an excellent role model for us. We need to mimic his approach.

Finally, I wonder whether this was the first time the Pharaoh of Egypt had heard anything about this God, the God of the Hebrews? As supreme Egyptian ruler, had he ever gotten close enough to Hebrews in other circumstances to have this opportunity? Or did God use his dream, Joseph’s imprisonment, the chief cupbearer’s story, and so much more to work out a means whereby this Pharaoh could have the chance of hearing about the one and only true God? I think so. Who are you meeting today? Who is God bringing into your path today? Is this his or her divine appointment? And just think, it involves you.

Joseph may have been just a dreamer to some, especially his brothers. But God saw him and used him as His mighty and bold ambassador in a situation where only he could play a role. I pray that will be our experience today as we seek His instructions and carryout His will.

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The Chief Cupbearer Remembers A Source of Wisdom - Genesis 41:9-13

Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would make mention today of my own offenses. Pharaoh was furious with his servants, and he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker. And we had a dream on the same night, he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. Now a Hebrew youth was with us there, a servant o the captain of the bodyguard, and we related them to him, and he interpreted our reams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his own dream. And it came about that just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my office, but he hanged him.”

Since no one could comfort the Pharaoh with any reasonable interpretation of his dreams, the cupbearer Pharaoh had restored to his job after throwing him in prison, decided to share his own ‘dream interpretation’ experience with the king. The cupbearer tells Pharaoh how he and the chief baker had had dreams on the same night and how a young Hebrew in jail with them had interpreted them correctly. Three days after the dreams, Pharaoh returned the cupbearer to his role and hung the baker, exactly as young Joseph had interpreted.

Here is the cupbearer taking a risk for several reasons. First, he has the audacity to imply that he knows what the Pharaoh was going through. The idea that a mere servant could possibly understand the mental anguish of a ruler such as the Pharaoh could have been enough to set the monarch off. Secondly, the reminder that Pharaoh had once been angry with his cupbearer could have made him angry again, especially given his current mood. Thirdly, there was the risk of sharing a possible solution that could potentially backfire. What if the king approached Joseph and Joseph’s interpretation was a negative one for the Pharaoh? Then were might the cupbearer end up?

We note that the cupbearer possibly did not even remember Joseph’s name, referring to him only as “a young Hebrew”.

And finally note that the cupbearer did not tell Pharaoh what to do. He did not say, “listen boss, you must get in touch with this young Hebrew lad; he may well be the answer to your needs right now.” No, he simply informed him of his experience.

What can we take from these three simple observations – the risk, the apparent non-remembrance of Joseph personally by name, and the lack of instruction as to what the Pharaoh should do?

Are we prepared to take a risk to share our story with those in need? Are we prepared to tell them what God has done for us? Are we prepared to share what to them may seem so ‘unlikely’? Imagine, a mere Hebrew youth being able to do what all the wise men and magicians of Egypt could not do. What was the chance of Pharaoh accepting that possibility? Yet in man’s deepest needs, the unlikely becomes most probable, as we will see in the text still before us.

Turning our thoughts inwardly, how often do we forget the actual person behind the help we received? Do we remember the ‘person’ that helped us with great advice, or helped us in an emergency, or sacrificed their rights for ours? Often we do well just to remember the deed, never mind the person who performed it. I think we need to stop and reflect more on and about the persons involved in our day-to-day lives. What are their needs, their hurts, their desires and hopes?

Finally, the cupbearer is an excellent example to us of knowing what to say and what not to say in a particular situation. He knew he was sharing something with the Pharaoh. He knew, even though he was the Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and thus close to him in some respects, he had no right to tell him what to do – only to share with him what he himself had experienced. We need to learn from that as we go about our own witnessing. We need to consider both our relationships with others and our positions and then realize that Christ asks us to simply give “testimony” and be a “witness to” what He has done for us. Nothing more, nothing less.

What can a simple cupbearer of an ancient ruler teach us today? I think much. God bless us as we reflect on the need to be courageous and take risks in sharing our experiences, remembering the people behind the deeds that have shaped our lives even in small ways, and knowing what our true Christian obligation to sharing Christ is really about.

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Pharaoh’s Dreams - Genesis 41:1-8

Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing in the Nile. And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and gaunt, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Now it came about in the morning that his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

So the chief baker is dead, the chief cupbearer gets his job back in Pharaoh’s household, and poor Joseph spends another two years in prison, totally forgotten by everyone. Everyone but God and it is time for Him to get involved more directly.

This time Pharaoh himself has two dreams. In the first one, he is standing on the banks of the Nile River and seven shiny, healthy-looking, fat cows come out of the water and start munching away on the adjacent grass. They are followed by seven scrawny, unsightly cows, which join the first lot, and proceed to eat them up. At that point Pharaoh wakes up.

He shakes any possible effects of the first dream off and he once again falls asleep only to have a second dream. This time seven ears of grain sprouted on a single vibrant and strong stalk appear. Then seven all but dead ears of grain, due to wind and scorching sun conditions sprung up after them and gobbled up the seven healthy ears. This was enough to wake Pharaoh up again.

We can assume he got very little sleep the rest of the night for the text says that in the morning his mind was disturbed and puzzled over the possible meanings of these dreams. He immediately summons his servants and orders them to call all the magicians of Egypt and all of her wise men. Two points to note here. First, he called for “all” of them. I could understand one or two, but ‘all’? These dreams must have been much more disturbing and vivid than the text describes. Either that, or Pharaoh must have been a very insecure person. Second, do not people do much the same today when they run to seers and crystal ball gazers to interpret events in their dreams or in their lives? The world wants to know what all these things mean for them or those they love.

Yet the scripture says, “no one could” tell the Pharaoh what his dreams meant. Not even with a little bit of certainty. You will remember earlier in Genesis 40:8 Joseph had clearly made the point that dream “interpretations belong to God”. And so it is. Only God knows the future. Only God can be counted on to see us through it.

Last night I attended a baptismal service at church for thirty-seven candidates. Each were asked how long they had been a believer in Christ and why it was that they had made the decision to be baptized at this particular time. It was interesting to hear a common theme running through the responses of a significant number. They had tried everything and they were tired of avoiding, or even running away from, God. They had come to the decision that all the answers to our questions, all our best interests, all our strength and wisdom comes from Him. Now it was time to fully obey Him, get baptized, and totally rely on Him. So it is when we experience things beyond our own understanding in our lives – be they in our dreams or during our waking moments. Only God can be the real source of the answers and the assurance we need. I pray it will be so with us today, especially if we’re disturbed or concerned about something specific.

In the verses that follow, we will see how God sometimes uses those He has chosen to provide us with those answers we see to our own life’s dilemmas.

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The Interpreted Dreams Come True - Genesis 40:20-23

Thus it came about on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. And he restored the chief cupbearer to his office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand; but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Can you imagine the scene? It is the Pharaoh’s birthday and of course what better time to display his authority than that to all his servants. So he throws a big feast for them with several possible objectives. He wanted to thank them for their services or he needed substitute friends to celebrate with. We do not know how popular he was outside his own palace. He would use the occasion to demonstrate he had the power to forgive peoples’ wrong against him and also the power to take their lives. To that end, he had the chief cupbearer and the chief baker hauled up from the prisons below and “he lifted up” their heads and held them for all to see. A good “sport” at their expense, for sure. Can you imagine the stillness of the scene? What would the man in charge do with these two heads of former servants and now prisoners? And who would be next? If he could determine life or death for these two, what could he do for those that were serving in much lower positions in his household?

Well, he did exactly as Joseph had said he would when he interpreted the dreams the cupbearer and the baker had respectively. The cupbearer was spared, the baker was hung.

One would think that the cupbearer would have remembered the interpretations Joseph had given to him and his colleague just three days earlier. But we are told he did not. In fact, the text says, he “forgot him”.

Perhaps therein lies the lesson for us today. Have we forgotten those that have asked us to remember them and at the time, we likely said, “yes, we will” or “don’t worry, I won’t forget you”? Have we forgotten those that we should not have forgotten, those that have really been instrumental in our lives? Finally, have we forgotten to deliver on the promises that we made? That is, can people really rely on our word?

In my own life, especially as a consultant, I have made several observations in this regard. People are not very good at keeping their promises – to their families, their friends, their colleagues, their clients, or to God. The people of God themselves, and pastors and church leaders in particular, are not always very good at it. We get failing marks in this category.

I believe we can all improve in this area. It’s all about integrity and credibility. Let our yes be yes and our no, no. We need to deliver on the goods we say we will deliver. That is part of maturing in Christ. It is my prayer that you and I are challenged to do just that.

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Joseph Interprets The Chief Baker’s Dream In Prison - Genesis 40:16-19

When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, “I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head; and in the top basket there were some of all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh off you.”

You will remember that the chief baker also had a dream the same night the chief cupbearer did and so when his colleague got a great interpretation from Joseph, he wanted the same. In a very odd way this is a depiction of what most of us are like. We see something that others have received and say, “We want that too.” But it may not be good for us. It may not be in our best interest to get it. In this case, the baker could have spared himself three agonizing days knowing he has going to be hung imminently. He could have just taken his chances with his dream. I suppose, though, there is something to be said about wanting to know what the future holds, be it good or bad. If I were dying of cancer, I’d want to know sooner rather than later.

Clearly the baker’s dream was very different in its content. In it, the baker seemed helpless as to what was happening and took no action on his own. The birds in the dream were in charge. Joseph, as the dream interpreter, could not ignore these differences. Can you imagine being Joseph and having to communicate such an interpretation? I am thankful I do not interpret dreams.

As a career counselor, management consultant, and mentor, I have had the opportunity to work with people who really wanted something which clearly was not within their reach, sometimes because of reasons beyond their control, but more often because of their unwillingness to sacrifice what was required in order to achieve their goal. Sharing reality with them is always very difficult. In doing so, I try to provide some more realistic alternatives. Those not receptive to such guidance sometimes dismiss me out of hand. Others, have come back to thank me for my honesty. In our passage here, the baker unfortunately would not have that opportunity.

What we cannot ignore in these verses is the clear lesson that two things often accompany being used by God in a very special way as Joseph was. First, we are called to do things for which we can only rely on God to do well. In this case, Joseph knew that the interpretation of dreams belonged to God (Genesis 40:8). Secondly, often the things we are called to do are very difficult and involve telling it like it is (he had to tell the baker he was about to die). My prayer is that you and I can both realize exactly how God does use us when He chooses to, as well as be committed to being used in that way.

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Joseph Interprets The Chief Cupbearer’s Dream In Prison -- Genesis 40:9-15

So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, there was a vine in front of me; and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes. Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, an I put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer. Only keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.”

In the chief cupbearer’s dream, he saw a blossoming grapevine with three branches reaching fruition. In his hand, he held Pharaoh’s wine cup, which he proceeded to fill by squeezing the grapes from the vine into it, and gave it to Pharaoh. A very simple dream in some respects but not necessarily easy to interpret.

Joseph, upon hearing it, interprets the dream. The three branches of the maturing vine represent a period of three days at which time the cupbearer would be taken from prison and reinstated in his former position as depicted in the dream by the cupbearer filling Pharaoh’s cup.

You can imagine the joy that the cupbearer must have felt as he heard those words from Joseph. But did he really immediately believe it? We do not know. Or was it only a feeling of “if only it were true” not dissimilar to what we often feel reading our ‘fortune cookie messages’ after a good Chinese meal?

And by the way, what was the real purpose of this dream of the cupbearer’s? Was it really all about him, his release and re-instatement? Or was it more about how God wanted to use it in the life of Joseph? Certainly Joseph was not going to let an opportunity like this go by. Being confident in his interpretation of the dream, Joseph asks the cupbearer simply to “keep me in mind” and mention “me to Pharaoh when you get out” of here. Not ‘if’, but ‘when’.

We note that Joseph then shares with the cupbearer his own situation, how he unwillingly got to Egypt and how he feels undeserving of his current imprisonment. No major complaining, just the reality of the circumstances he was in. We also note that no record of a response by the cupbearer to either the interpretation or to Joseph’s request is provided. Again, to me indicating, the author is more concerned with the Joseph plotline than that of the cupbearer.

What are we to take from this passage of scripture? I’m not sure, but here are a few suggestions. First, realize and be ready and willing to be used by God in any circumstance you find yourself in as Joseph was. Second, from the cupbearer’s perspective, allow individuals who have been clearly blessed by God to minister to you. And third, from Joseph’s perspective again, pursue solutions to your challenges by making your case and leaving the rest to God – a lesson that we all need to keep on learning. My prayer today is that we be willing and ready to be used, yes today; for those of us dealing with challenges, to allow other godly men and women to minister to us from God; and finally, to take the necessary steps to stand up for to the point of stating our case, but allowing God to bring about results.

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Pharaoh’s Prisoned Servants Have Dreams - Genesis 40:5-8

Then the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, they both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the mourning and observed them, behold, they were dejected. And he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” Then they said to him, “We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.”

God has Joseph and the king’s cupbearer and baker all in the same prison at the same time. The text says that both the baker and the cupbearer had separate dreams on the same night. It clearly states these dreams had their own interpretation. This, in my mind, is a significant statement. Clearly some dreams do have interpretations. What we are not told from this passage is that all dreams have interpretations – they may not. Dreams can be explained but they do not necessarily predict the future. The fact that the author of Genesis indicates these two dreams did have an interpretation, further supports the idea that all dreams do not. I do not believe we are to go about seeking an interpretation of each and every dream that we have. It may have just been the overabundance of chili peppers we had for supper the night before.

In the morning Joseph, being in charge of the prisoners, personally goes to check their well-being and finds the baker and the cupbearer very depressed. The text actually says he “observed them”. Here is Joseph in jail himself and he continues to do his assigned work with great care and diligence. These men were fellow-prisoners, confined with him. Why would he bother to treat them so well? Yet he enquires of them as to the cause of their woes and finds out that it is due to having no one who could interpret their dreams. And he does not just say, “oh, I see” and then moves on. I am reminded of a dear lady at a church I attended lately. As I often saw her in the lobby, I would call out, “how are you?” and keep on going. One day she blocked my path just as I had uttered the usual question and put her hands on both my shoulders and said, “Please don’t ask me how I am unless you really care and can stop long enough to have me respond. Instead, just say ‘hello’ and keeping on going.” Wow. That stunned me and I have never since asked anyone “how are you?” on the fly. Joseph was not ‘on the fly’ with the people he was in charge of. The question remains for us, “Would we go that far when we ourselves are imprisoned in the affairs of life?”

Although I have never had this desire or curiosity, I am told most people crave to have their dreams interpreted. That’s why when you ‘google’ “dream interpreters” on the Internet these days you get thousands of hits. But Joseph, indicating his actual awareness of God and his desire to bow to His authority, tells the baker and the cupbearer that “interpretations belong to God”. Now, here is the interesting perspective that Joseph had. I believe he realized he had a special relationship with God and it is for that reason he felt comfortable acknowledging that interpretations do belong to Him and at the same time to ask the prisoners to tell him their dreams so through God’s guidance and direction, Joseph himself could interpret them.

Have you ever been in a situation like that? Have you ever felt close enough to God to honestly believe that you could speak or interpret for Him? Many of course think they are there all the time. I would, however, caution us to be careful in that regard. I would point out Joseph had done nothing special, as far as we know, to acquire that gift. He could not boast that he deserved it or earned it. It was clearly all God’s choosing. He was simply someone God wanted to use. And he himself may not have even known it. In fact, he certainly didn’t have to go around telling people “I have the gift”. I would caution against those that do just that.

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