Joseph and the Butler
Pharoah’s butler forgot; he forgot the quiet request of a godly man who helped him when he needed it. Once his own problems were relieved, the butler forgot all about Joseph’s difficulties.
There is something of ourselves in the butler; some of the details Scripture supplies seem of little importance, but always there is useful instruction if we think carefully enough about the Word that is given.
In the butler, we see a man who, due to a fit of rage on the part of his master, ended up in the dungeon, probably unjustly, for we all tend to display that human sentiment of striking out at the nearest thing while we are enraged. The butler would more than likely know of this Hebrew, Joseph, who had been taken on by the captain of the king’s guard.
Joseph’s Pattern of Praise
As events unfold, the butler and Joseph end up in the same jail. No doubt Joseph spoke regularly of the promises that had been made to his forefathers as he had evidently done while in Potiphar’s household. Notice in Genesis 39:3 that Potiphar recognized that God was with Joseph; how did Potiphar know that? Not because Joseph was successful in managing the household affairs; Potiphar would have given Joseph credit for simply being smart, much the same as people do today. In order for Potiphar to realize the cause of his success, Joseph would have to be constantly glorifying and praising God. Notice also Joseph’s reply to Potiphar’s wife in 39:9. His adulterous sin would be against God, not his master, and he was not slow to make the point clear that he was not about to sin against his God.
So this man who praised and glorified his God would not be able to contain such things simply because he was behind bars. Without hesitation, the butler told Joseph of his dream (Gen. 40:9) and accepted the interpretation after being told the source of the explanation. From this it is evident the butler accepted the fact that Joseph took all things to God and God communed with Joseph. This little encounter in the dungeon was quite a learning opportunity for the butler.
After the interpretation was given by God through His faithful servant, Joseph added a request for himself (40:14-15). Once he is restored to an agreeable situation, surely the butler could give a thought to this man who had solved the interpretation of his dream.
But the butler forgot! While in jail, he had benefited from his encounter with a Hebrew and his God; but once he was back in the comfort of Pharoah’s home and in his former good standing, he forgot the Hebrew and his Divinely granted wisdom.
Are we not similar to the butler? When we are oppressed, down in spirit or under pressure, we turn to God for help. But when things are well with us, we tend to enjoy life and give less than proper praise to the source of all blessings that flow so bountifully toward us.
The Need to Remember
“Remember me when … ;” Jesus heard similar words from the thief on the cross: “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom,” and we can rest assured that Jesus will not forget.
As we are well aware, Christ used similar words in his instructions to his disciples when he said “this do in remembrance of me.” By the way the idea is used in a number of passages, remembering seems to be a key to godly conduct.
“When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me” wrote the Psalmist king (Psa. 42:4). For a large portion of his time, David was a man whose thoughts were directed toward God. Yet when given success and power, he also forgot God for a while and was punished for his actions. It seems that when things are going well, our faith slumps into a low ebb and we tend to forget. This is when we, like David, are most vulnerable to the weight of sin which does so easily beset us and we are led astray by our own lusts and temptations.
Don’t Forget
“Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things” (Deut. 4:9). In this section of Deuteronomy, we see a powerful, emotional plea to the children of Israel to remember God and to teach His righteous laws to their children and grandchildren. Moses’ appeal is as applicable to us as it was to Israel of old. His exhortation on the plains of Moab strikes at the very conduct we see in ourselves: when things are going well “beware lest thou forget the Lord” (Deut. 6:12). But we hope in the same God as Israel did; one who will not forget us when we turn and cry to Him and are obedient to His voice (4:30-31). Yes, God has, through His grace, brought us out of Egyptian darkness, delivering us from the bondage of sin.
There is a little bit of the butler in all of us. We, too, have been delivered from a prison house; we, too, have life easy most of the time. We, too, are forgetful. Therefore, we must meet with those of like precious faith as often as possible to keep these things firmly planted in our hearts so that when things are going well we do not forget our Maker and our Redeemer. We are the ones who create the opportunities to get together; we set the priorities and decide where we should be. It is not a matter of where we would rather be; that is of no significance; Christ would rather not have gone to the cross of pain and humiliation yet he submitted to his Father’s will. Out of love for his Father and for us he became the sin offering on our behalf: “greater love hath no man than this …”
In James 1:23-25 we have another forceful exhortation to remember. In this passage, we are encouraged not only to remember what we learn from the perfect law of liberty but also to do it daily.
Repetition Aids Memory
There seems to be two things that help us to remember: first, repetition. By doing a particular task repeatedly, we can both learn from our previous mistakes and also create in our minds a pattern that is hard to remove. It becomes a part of our subconscious that can guide our actions without our being consciously aware of what we are doing. Take, for instance, the journey to work every weekday morning. By following the same route day after day and observing the same landmarks, we soon become so familiar with the road that many things become automatic. In fact, the automatic reactions take over so effectively that often we find our minds way off someplace else for several miles at a time yet we follow the right route and make the right decisions. We remember.
Highlight Events
The other thing that helps us remember is a highlight occurrence with which we can associate memories. For instance, it’s been 13 years since I was in Clive Sturies dentist’s office on Arkwright Street in Nottingham, but I have a clear picture in my mind of the entrance to the office, the waiting room and so on. Repetition is not the cause of such memories –pain is!
Repetition in reading God’s word helps us to remember the things which we hold dear. If we pay attention enough times while we are reading a passage of Scripture, eventually we memorize it and it becomes part of our inner mind. It is there to help guide us to eternal life in the Kingdom of our Father.
If we can associate a Divine principle with a highlight event in our experience, that also helps us to remember it. The event may be a tragedy that has happened to us or someone close to our family, or it could be a notable occasion such as a fraternal or Bible school. But let us work at remembering for we are all too much like the butler and not enough like Joseph: we all tend to forget in the good times and do not always remember to glorify Him as Joseph did.
The Weekly Remembrance
And so for us he left this simple feast which reminds us of all that was done in order that we, through the spirit of adoption, may approach God as our dear Father. This feast should be a weekly highlight for us where we can assemble with those of like precious faith in the company of our Saviour and rest awhile to reflect on the things which are dear to each of us. So, on this first day of the week, and every day, let us recall the exhortations of Scripture and reflect upon them. Let us seek to become more like Joseph, who remembered in good times, and less like the butler who forgot.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One