The Children's Chapel Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids. ~ A Ministry of The Missing Link, Inc. ~ Joseph Part 3: The Butler, the Baker, and Two Dreams Text Version by Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards [graphic separator] DREAMS . . . Everyone has dreams. Some dreams are good, some are scary, and some are funny or even adventurous. Most dreams don't really mean anything. They may be caused from watching a scary show, or eating too much of the wrong kind of food. But did you know that some dreams have very special meanings? God sometimes gives people dreams for encouragement, guidance, and even warning. Many people in the Bible had these special dreams and were able to tell what they meant, but not very many people were able to interpret another person's dreams. That was a very special ability given by God to only a few chosen people. One of those people was Joseph. [graphic separator] Poor Joseph! First he was hated by his brothers because of his coat and his dream, then sold as a slave and forced to live far away from home in the land of Egypt. Then while trying to obey God and do what was right, he was falsely accused and thrown into prison. It seemed that things kept going from bad to worse. Certainly, if anyone had cause to complain and be angry, it would be Joseph! But Joseph did not complain and did not become angry or bitter. Joseph chose to love God even in the worst of situations. While he was in prison, he continued to be a righteous young man and God blessed him. The prison official took notice of Joseph and liked him very much. Eventually, he put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners. As long as Joseph was in charge, God caused even the prison official to prosper. Meanwhile at the palace, Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, became upset with two of his servants and had them thrown in jail. The king's butler and baker ended up in the same prison with Joseph. One morning as Joseph was attending to his duties, he noticed that the butler and the baker were unusually sad. "Why are you so sad?" Joseph asked them. "We both had dreams the same night, and we don't know what they mean. There is no one to help us understand these dreams," they explained. Joseph said, "Don't be sad. Don't you know that God gives dreams and He can help us determine the meaning? Please tell me your dreams." The butler was the first to tell his dream. "There was a vine, and in the vine were three branches. The branches budded into clusters of ripe grapes. King Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into Pharaoh's cup. Then I gave the cup to Pharaoh." Joseph knew exactly what the dream meant, and he explained it to the Butler. "The three branches are three days. In three days, you will be released from prison and you will get your job back. You will be serving Pharaoh at his table once again." As you might imagine, the butler was very happy to hear such good news and especially glad at the idea of getting out of prison! Joseph had one request to make of the butler: "When you are released and you stand before the king, please remember me and mention me to Pharaoh. I did nothing wrong and don't deserve to be here." When the baker heard that the interpretation of the butler's dream was good, he decided to tell Joseph his dream. "I dreamed that I had three baskets stacked on the top of my head. The one on top was filled with all sorts of bread and baked goods. Birds flew overhead and ate all the food out of the basket." Joseph also knew the meaning of this dream, and although it wasn't good, he told the baker the truth. "The three baskets are three days. In three days, you will be released from prison, but you will not go back to your job. King Pharaoh will have you killed." Three days later, King Pharaoh had a big feast prepared because it was his birthday. He remembered his butler and his baker and called for them to be released from prison. The butler and baker nervously cleaned themselves up and made themselves presentable to stand before the king. The butler was given his job back and was allowed to serve at the feast that very day. The baker was ordered out of the king's presence and was killed. It all happened just as Joseph had said it would. The butler was so happy and so busy with his job that he forgot about Joseph and the promise he had made to mention him to the king. Unfortunately, Joseph had to spend another two years in jail, but he continued to love God even in prison, and the Lord continued to bless him! [graphic separator] THINK! 1. Do all dreams have special meaning? 2. What did Joseph do to deserve being put in jail? 3. What does "interpret" mean? 4. What did the butler's dream mean? 5. What did the baker's dream mean? 6. Was Joseph's interpretation of the dreams right or wrong? 7. How did Joseph know what the dreams meant? REMEMBER: Joseph continued to love God, even in prison, and God continued to bless him. A VERSE TO LEARN "The Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy" (Genesis 39:21a). PRACTICAL APPLICATION Have you heard of COVID-19? What is it and what happens to people who get it? Did you have to stay at home for a period of time? What was that period called? Did the lockdown sometimes feel like being in prison like Joseph? How did you keep yourself busy? Did you help with chores around the house like Joseph helped the warden? Were you able to do something for the Lord and help someone else, pray for them or tell them about Jesus? Can you think of other good things that happened during lockdown? [After discussion:] The Lord wants us to trust Him in all circumstances so we can become powerful witnesses for Him in both good times and bad times. Let us take a moment in prayer to ask Him to help us be faithful to Him in all situations, to trust Him and to honor Him by helping others where we can and by telling them about Jesus and his love for us. LET'S PRAY [picture of Dog and boy praying] **************************************************** Dear God, thank You for being with us in every situation. Help us to remember that You always love us help us to always love You. In Jesus' Name. Amen. **************************************************** CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE? Genesis 40:1-23 [graphic separator] Pictures Courtesy of Free Bible Images ----------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLE STORY ARCHIVE http://childrenschapel.org/bibstory2.html REPORT A BROKEN LINK The Children's Chapel award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids ----------------------------------------------------------------- Free Bible Stories! To receive a new Bible story each week, enter your e-mail address under "Subscribe..." at tscpulpitseries.cis.to/mailman/listinfo/stories You will be sent a message requesting confirmation of your subscription request. IMPORTANT! YOU MUST REPLY to this confirmation request to activate your subscription to this list. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 2024 - Children's Chapel Northeast Ohio, U.S.A. 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