Day 33 – Genesis 40:5-8
Wherefore Look Ye So Sadly Today?
Scripture Reading – Genesis 40:5-8
And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.
Genesis 40:5 KJV
And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.
Genesis 40:6 KJV
And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?
Genesis 40:7 KJV
And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
Genesis 40:8 KJV
Scripture Review
The butler and baker each dream in the same night, and in the morning Joseph notices that they are sad. A prisoner carrying his own injustice still has eyes for the faces of other people. He asks what is wrong. That small act of attention opens the conversation in which his God-given ability will be used.
When the men say there is no interpreter, Joseph answers, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” He does not present himself as a mystical expert or make the dream about his own importance. He directs attention to God, then invites them to tell him. This event does not teach that every dream today carries a hidden divine message. It records a specific revelation God used in Joseph’s story, and Joseph was careful to give God the credit.
The prisoners meant to carry their troubled thoughts alone because no recognized interpreter was available inside the prison.
God meant to use Joseph’s compassion and God-given gift together, revealing truth while preparing a witness for the future.
What this asks of me
Pain can narrow my vision until I no longer see anyone else. Joseph challenges me to notice a sad face even when I have reasons to be sad myself. I should also refuse to turn a gift into self-promotion. If God gives understanding, the credit and authority belong to Him.
Consider
- Whose changed countenance have I been too occupied to notice?
- When God uses an ability in my life, do I make His name or my own name larger?