“JOSEPH: WHEN YOU ARE WAITING”
Genesis 40
Series: “The Tough Stuff: A Study on the Life of Joseph”
Pastor Rusty Russell
New Day Christian Church, SW Florida
August 16-17, 2025
It’s tough to be faithful when you’re in God’s waiting room. In today’s passage, Joseph finally gets the break we’ve been waiting for. Or does he? If you feel like you’re waiting on God right now, this is good timing. May you be inspired by Joseph’s example to keep the faith while you wait for the Lord.
I. THE CUPBEARER & BAKER ARE THROWN INTO PRISON
40:1 Some time later the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.
What might they have done to deserve this?
Cupbearer =
Baker =
Most likely Pharaoh got sick and decided it was the fault of one of these two. He throws both in prison until he can figure it out.
4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.
Joseph is now caring daily for these two political prisoners. It’s a thankless job, but God is positioning Joseph where he needs him. (If you’re currently in a thankless job, remember that!)
II. THE TWO DREAMS AND THEIR INTERPRETATION
A. BOTH MEN HAVE DREAMS AND ARE DEJECTED
Verse 5 tells us that one night both men have strange dreams. They’re sure the dreams are from the gods and have special meaning, but there’s no priest nearby to interpret their dreams.
In Egyptian culture dreams were believed to be messages from the gods…
B. JOSEPH SAYS THE DREAMS COME FROM GOD.
6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”
What does this tell us about Joseph’s attitude?
8 “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
What do we believe about dreams?
C. JOSEPH INTERPRETS THE CUPBEARER’S DREAM
9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”
12 “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”
Notice though he works hard to have a good attitude, he wants out! It’s not wrong to want out of a bad situation.
D. JOSEPH INTERPRETS THE BAKER’S DREAM
16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
18 “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”
When delivering bad news, you want to be clear and compassionate. This is compassionate because…
III. THE FULFILMENT AND THE FORGOTTEN
20 Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand—22 but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
Surely after this Joseph will finally get his big break! The cupbearer will tell the king about him!
23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
This must have tried Joseph’s faith. He was surely tempted to pray, “Lord, why did you get my hopes up only to let them be dashed again?” But Joseph managed to hold onto his faith and maintain a great attitude – even through another season of waiting.
APPLICATION:
Would you have passed the “waiting” test?
Most of us are so bad at waiting! We hate “waiting rooms.”
What do you do when God is making you wait? Three things we learn from Joseph:
A. CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE.
Joseph: “Why are you sad?”
Book Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy.
Example: Admiral James Stockdale
“The optimists… were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.”
— Quoted in Jim Collins, Good to Great
Stockdale would tell the optimists, “We’re not getting out by Christmas; deal with it.” In other words, quit dreaming of the coming day without pain and deal with today.
The next chapter opens:
[Gen 41:1] 1 When two full years had passed…
Joseph would be in that prison for another two years! If your circumstances didn’t change for two years, what would you do?
Learn to say, “This will be difficult, but I will survive.”
B. SERVE OTHERS
Joseph attended (some translations say “served”) the cupbearer and baker.
Get your mind off yourself and onto others.
C. HONOR GOD
Joseph: “Dreams come from God.”
Can you honor God in the waiting room? Can you testify as to what he is doing in and through you even today?
CONCLUSION
A. GOD’S PROVING GROUND
The Bible says the Lord allowed Joseph to be a slave, bruised, shackled, and his neck in irons for a reason:
[Psa 105:19 NLT] 19 Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character.
The Lord put Joseph through these tough experiences to prepare him. We’ll see in the coming weeks what God was preparing him for.
God is preparing you, and he’s using the waiting room to refine you.
King David, another great man who endured long seasons of waiting, would later write this famous song, Psalm 40:
[Psa 40:1-3 NIV] 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.
B. PAIN FREE DAY COMING
Stockdale says that while you realistically confront your current situation, you must never lose faith in the end of the story. Never lose hope. As believers, we know there is a pain free day coming. So we sing:
How I long to breathe the air of heaven,
where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets.
…There will be a day!
…Lord, let it be today.
But if not, we will keep praising him in the waiting room, and we will wait patiently for the Lord.
INVITATION:
The Bible says God waits patiently. The biggest reason we’re waiting for heaven is that God is patiently waiting for one more to be saved.
[2Pe 3:9 NLT] 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
If Jesus is not yet your Lord, then you’re the one more he’s waiting for.
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