Giving credit

DEVOTION

GENESIS

GIVING CREDIT

Gen 40:1-8

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. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, 5 each of the two men — the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison — had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 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 are your faces so sad today?" 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."

NIV

We have not reason told to us for why the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master. We have no idea what, if any wrong, they did. All we know is that Pharaoh became angry with them. Sometimes things just go wrong. They might have been doing the same thing they always do every day. There may have been no reason at all for Pharaoh to become angry, other than he was Pharaoh and they were his servants. He has them thrown into prison, the same one Joseph is in. Again, is this the providence of God? With them having dreams that Joseph would interpret, their dreams might well be more of visions sent to them by God for Joseph to give the interpretation. Of course he makes sure his telling of the meaning of their dreams is coming from God. Two lesson are here for us. The first is about what happened to the cupbearer and the baker. There may be times in our lives when those who have authority over us in the world, mistreat us severely. We might get demoted or even fired. We might be accused of actions or behavior, when in fact we have done nothing of the kind. We might experience their anger simply because we are believers and they hate God and everything he stands for. What happens to us in the world may be contributed to simply living in the world, or the providence of God. He may have a higher calling on us then where we are and needs to arrange for our moving on. God has us in the palm of his hand and he is our true master. As the cupbearer and baker were completely at the disposal of Pharaoh, we are totally at the disposal of God. They were dejected because of their treatment by Pharaoh. This could have been because they thought more of themselves than they should, thinking they were special people in the court of the king. They could have been prideful, boastful about their importance to Pharaoh, thinking they were irreplaceable. This would be a lesson for us as well. Whatever our lot in life, we are told to be content. It does not matter if we occupy some important position or some lower one. We can be on the top or the bottom. Our task is the same, to bring honor and glory onto God. When we start being concerned about our position in life, we are focusing on ourselves, and not on God. This may have been the wrong attitude of the cupbearer and baker. The other lesson is interpretations belong to God. Once again Joseph does not take the credit for what he is going to tell them, although he wants them to remember him when they get back into the presence of Pharaoh. Yet he still wants them to know it is God who is giving him the interpretation of their dreams. This really is the same lesson, in the fact that we should always be giving God the credit for all that we do. Pride, even spiritual pride is a sin.

Prov 16:18-19

18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.  

19 Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.

NIV

Whenever we succeed, we better make sure we give credit where credit is due, to God. He is the one who causes our success. Yes, we have certain talents and abilities. They have been given to us by God. True, we learned them, we studied, and we practiced them until we became proficient. Yet it was God who knit us together in our mother’s womb. He was the one who designed us to become who we are now. That is if we have allowed him to continue to teach us and lead us in his ways. It is possible for each of us, although designed by God, to travel our own path, choose our own course, and be filled with a self-centered lifestyle. However, as believers, this should not be an option. We should be living a life under the instructions of God.

Prov 16:20

20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

NIV

The cupbearer and baker may have been trusting in their own abilities, taking the credit for their positions in life. All this came to a halt in a moment because of their king. Our King, has that kind of total control over our lives. May we never be so boastful, so prideful that we see any of our success as a result of our greatness. Let us always give God the glory and honor for all he does for us, in us and through us.