He Gives the Meaning

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

HE GIVES THE MEANING

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

Before we get into the dreams of the cupbearer and the chief baker, there is a truth we should take note of. We already know that Joseph had been put in charge for the Lord was with him, and the warden saw how successful Joseph was in all he did so both the cupbearer and the chief baker were put under his care or authority. They both had dreams that caused them to be distressed, or dejected because there was no one to interpret them. They had to have been accustomed to having either the magicians or wise men to be able to interpret dreams. However, Once again, Joseph testifies to the power of the God he knows. He tells them interpretations belong to God. Here is the truth of this narrative regarding God. Everything belongs to God, even the meaning of dreams. However, is there still more than just the interpretation of a dream that belongs to God in this story? Was it not God who gave the cupbearer and chief baker their dreams, for the express reason to provide Joseph with the interpretation to continue accomplishing his plan? We have heard God moves in mysterious ways, yet are we to be ignorant of his ways? True, we know our ways are not his ways, and his ways are not our ways, but we know he can give or cause dreams and give their meaning for his purpose in the life of Joseph. We see how deep was the power of God as he works in the life of Joseph and, therefore, we also know the depth of his power working in our lives. We are more than just saved, more than just Christians who go to church every Sunday. We are even more than just being a child of God, not that being his child is nothing, for it accounts for far more than we realize. The truth here is that God is at work in us, for his purpose. Sure, he is blessing Joseph in every situation he gets put in, but he is also in those situations according to the purpose of God. This is why the Apostle Paul said that he learned to be content in every situation he was in, for he understood God had a purpose. Joseph was not dejected because of his dreams, for God was always with him and gave him their meaning. God is always with us and will give us the meaning of our lives as we journey this path in life according to his purpose. Simply put, He gives the meaning.