Genesis 41:9 Commentary and Bible Study

Then the butler remembers Joseph. However much he was indebted to Joseph while he was locked away, as soon as he was restored to his former position he would have thought little about repaying his debt. Why should he trouble much about a mere Hebrew slave? It was unlikely he would ever see him again. Did he accidentally forget Joseph, or did he deliberately put him out of mind? Whichever it was, he is now cornered, and forced by circumstances into admitting that he has done wrong. He has only come across one person in the land who can truly interpret a dream given by God, and he must bring that person to Pharoah’s attention. He is obliged to go into the whole unfortunate incident of his falling out of favour with Pharoah and being imprisoned, something he would rather not remind Pharoah of. The faults he refers to probably do not include the fault of forgetting about Joseph, but only the faults that put him in prison – he is speaking humbly before Pharoah. He relates how he and the chief back both had dreams on the same night, and Joseph had accurately interpreted them. He does not mention that Joseph had pressed the butler to bring up his case before Pharoah and give him justice. Two years have now gone by. But God’s time is always right, and now the situation is very different. Joseph is not going to be released from prison as a favour granted to him by a condescending ruler, but instead Pharoah is almost going to tremble before him, and come with his own desperate need. The butler also is going to have a very different attitude now. And what Pharoah feels will impress itself on his whole court, making it easier to Joseph to appointed to high office in the land. So the butler has to start off with a confession of his sin, for he cannot relate how he came to know Joseph and what Joseph did for him without admitting that he had omitted to repay the debt. The tables are now turned, as God works to take his servant and exalt him over all others in the land and make him second only to Pharoah. How easily God manages events to turn the tables and cause an unbelieving world to acknowledge its debt to the children of God.