#108 Don't Forget Me Genesis 40

Some time after this, the cup-bearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. and Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cup-bearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody. And one night they both dreamed-the cup-bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison-each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody in his master's house, "why are your faces downcast today?" They said to him, "we have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them." And Joseph said to them, "do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me."So the chief cup-bearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, "in my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. Then Joseph said to him, "this is the interpretation: the three branches are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cup-bearer. Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit." When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, "I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating out of the basket on my head." And Joseph answered and said, "this is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head-from you!-and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you." On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cup-bearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cup-bearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cup-bearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. Genesis 40 ESV 

He is the son of Israel. His father wrestled with God and prevailed, and one day God's seed would come and stand accused by Israel. He, Who was without sin, would be tried as a heretic, accused of having a demon and lifted up before all men. Joseph is in prison for a crime he did not commit. Even so, he is a blessing and takes concern in the sadness of his fellow inmates. Two of the men in his care have had dreams, to which they long for the interpretation, yet "there is no one to interpret them." It is apparently a part of their culture, and a position held and practiced, by what I would compare to mediums, for lack of better reference. Joseph states, "do not interpretations belong to God?" He hears the dreams of both men and now, as the messenger, he declares the good news to one, and the ill fate of the other. He ask that the cup-bearer remember him, for Joseph wants out of this prison, and he has not by action earned the sentence. He cannot see clear the reason for his being here, yet remember, he has also had a dream.

"If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'let us go after other gods'-which you have not known- 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. you shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep his commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away evil from your midst." Deuteronomy 13: 1-5 NKJV

The above passage opens a whole new study, but I will utilize it only in reference here and then dig much deeper at a later time.

Men may forget us, but Joseph can only be kept in prison as long as God allows. The Father may forsake the Son, but only for that moment when He takes upon him that which he did not do. The wages of sin is death after all, but God is a just God and so He who knew no sin could not be held by it. Therefore in death, He Who did not earn the sentence of it, must surely be released unto life.

…17And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 18"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."…  Luke 4: 17-19