24. Pharaoh’s Baker’s Dream

The Dream Setting/Backstory

* * *

Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker were in prison awaiting judgment for offending and their powerful master. One night they both had a dream concerning their respective metrons. Joseph who was serving them has just given an encouraging interpretation to the cupbearer. 

The Dream Scripture

(Genesis 40:16-23)  

* * *

When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favourable interpretation, he said to Joseph, 

“I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread.  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.”

 “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days.  Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”

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:  He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand—but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.  The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

The Problem

* * *

God was advancing His agenda for Joseph forward. He used the baker’s life and death dream to underline this process. Like the rest of Egypt the cupbearer and the baker believed Pharaoh was a god, the reincarnation of the Egyptian god Horus.  To have angered such a god man who wielded absolute power over the life and death of his subjects was a really big problem.    

The Dreamer’s Metron

* * *

The Bakers metron was that of a high-ranking officer making bread and cakes for Pharaoh’s court.  He was well known by Pharaoh. He had to be completely trustworthy because his role was to guard against Pharaoh being poisoned. His offence was so great Pharaoh had him beheaded.  Perhaps the only personally redemptive thing for him concerning this dream interpretation was that he was able to put his house in order. Pharaoh’s cupbearer was no doubt deeply impressed by the contrasting and different fates between him and the baker.  It was a matter of life and death. 

The Message

* * *

Joseph’s interpretation was that Pharaoh would kill the baker within three days and impale his body on a pole. 

God’s Purpose

* * *

God’s purpose was to use this difficult situation to highlight Joseph’s credibility as a dream interpreter in the eyes of the cupbearer and later Pharaoh.  God was advancing His Messianic purpose, still focused on keeping His promises to Abraham.  This is the second in a series of dreams God uses to bring Joseph to a position of national prominence in Egypt in order to fulfil Joseph’s previous two prophetic dreams and to bring about his prophesy in Abraham’s dream which said, 

Know for certain that for four hundred
years your descendants will be strangers
in a country not their own and that they
will be enslaved and mistreated there. 
But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out
with great possessions. [1]   

Satan’s Purpose

* * *

Joseph had always been a target for Satan who wanted him dead.  He’d tried to rob Joseph’s birthright by making Jacob marry Leah first.  He caused Joseph’s brothers to be jealous enough to nearly kill Joseph and ultimately sell him into slavery. 

Satan also filled Potiphar’s wife with the lust and lies that landed Joseph in prison. Satan was also probably trying to kill the cupbearer and baker just because he was a murderer from the beginning. 

God worked all these bad situations for good and used them to further His plans to bring Jacob down to Egypt. 

Dreamer’s Eyes Enlightened

* * *

The baker’s eyes were opened to the awful fact he would soon be dead and his body would impaled on a pole for all to see.  I’m sure he hoped Joseph’s interpretation was wrong. 

Dreamer’s Response and Application

* * *

We are not told.  Hopefully he was able to set his house in order before Pharaoh killed him. 

Know God Better

* * *

God is again seen as a dependable Promise Keeper who can work all things together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. [2]a  He was able to use this incident concerning the baker to further His own plans and purpose and to bless His faithful servant Joseph.  God was able to warn the baker of his impending demise and perhaps allow him time to put his house in order.

The Dream Process

* * *

Joseph has no problem interpreting this complex symbolic dream concerning the baker’s metron.  Again he immediately gave a succinct correct interpretation.  

Using the The Symbol Replacement Method he revealed the three baskets were three days.  He interpreted the birds eating Pharaoh’s goods off the top basket on the baker’s head as the baker suffering loss of life just as there is a loss of bread.  Bread is often called the staff of life. It’s interesting there is no covering or protection over the bread. Perhaps the baker had been careless with his work or words. 

Unlike the cupbearer’s dream that was bustling with life there is a strong sense of loss in the baker’s dream. The cupbearer had fresh new grape juice to serve to Pharaoh while the birds stole the baker’s produce.  

With hindsight the cupbearer’s and baker’s dreams can be seen to contain some symbolic references to the future Messiah. On this level the cupbearer’s dream could represent Christ’s sacrificial offering that freed sinners from Satan’s power and the prison of their transgressions. 

The vine could represent the true vine, Jesus Christ.  The cupbearer squeezed the fruit of the vine into the royal cup, and brought it to his lord for acceptance. This prophetically speaks of the shed blood of Jesus before the God the Father.  

On the other hand, the baker brought the fruit of his own works and found it defiled by birds representing demons and unacceptable to his lord.  We are reminded of Paul who said, 

Now to the one who works, wages are not
credited as a gift but as an obligation.
However, to the one who does not work
but trusts God who justifies the ungodly,
their faith is credited as righteousness. [3] 

The bakers goods ended up as food for the birds symbolising demons and brought no redemption while the cupbearer’s cup of crushed grapes reminds us of Jesus who before the crucifixion fell with his face to the ground and prayed, My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. [4] 

Isaiah said, He was wounded for our transgression; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.  [5]

The three branches could symbolise Jesus lying in the tomb for three days and three nights while his disciples waited for his resurrection.  The grapes pressed into the cup could also speak of the blood of Jesus Christ that flowed from his wounded side and the cup symbolises  the cup of endless blessing Jesus presented to God the Father.

The cursed baker whose body was impaled on a pole could be construed as an echo of Christ who was also impaled on a tree. [6] 

The Usual Suspects

* * *

God gives the interpretation and Satan is seen in the birds of the air who destroy the bread. Jesus is seen in the bread and the three days and the body impaled on the pole. 

Takeaways

* * *

This is the first time in Scripture we see God using dream interpretation as a means of placing his servants into positions of power in a world government.  

God will again use this same strategy with Daniel in Babylon over twelve hundred years later. 

Jesus is the same yesterday; today and forever so no doubt some Christian Master Dream interpreters will find themselves in similar circumstances in future. 

That God can work all things together for good is again apparent.   We are also beginning to see how dreams can impact and save nations. 

1 Genesis 15:13

2 Romans 8:28

3 Romans 4:4-5

4 Matthew 26:39

5 Isaiah 53:5

6 Galatians 3:13a