“…the cupbearer and the baker of the king of
Egypt offended their master, …and put them in custody in the house of the
captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain
of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.” (Genesis 40:1-3)
“After they had been in custody for some time,
each of the two men…had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of
its own.” (Genesis
40:5)
The Chief Butler had
memory issues. Joseph did him a huge favor by interpreting the butler's
dream. His words provided hope to the condemned man. Joseph only asked that he
remember this favor when exonerated. But he totally forgot...or did he?
A butler had a place of
importance in the king's court. This one found himself in a fix, we don't know
exactly what happened -- if he was innocent or guilty -- but the king forgave
the accused offense. If the butler were to bring up the circumstances around
the dream he had, and explain how another prisoner helped him, perhaps it would
have reminded the king of the unpleasant situation.
The butler wasn't taking any chances. Would we? How many times have we promised God that if he would get us out of a difficult situation, we would change? How often have our prayers of desperation contained a pledge to do better, to do more, to tell others about God, to invite that friend to church?
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15)
God worked on Joseph's
behalf despite the butler's reneged promise. God's will for Joseph was still on
track and He worked through His servant and saved a nation from starvation and
so much more. So, remember to be faithful to those 'foxhole' pledges, but also
know God will work it all out no matter what you or I do.
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