04/20/2016 WORKING AT REMEMBERING
Genesis: 40:23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph, he forgot him.
[New International Translation]
Psalms 77:11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.
[King James Translation]
Summary
During his prison stay, Joseph met two men—the chief cupbearer and the chief baker of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Both men displeased Pharaoh and had ended up in prison. Both men were distraught. Both men needed help—they were depressed about their predicament and assumed their careers in Pharaoh’s household were over. Then both men had a dream. Neither man knew what to make of his dream, which compounds their misery even more.
Joseph meets each of these men in their distress and interprets each man’s dream. The chief cupbearer receives good news. He is told that in three days Pharaoh will remove the cupbearer from prison, give him back his wine taster job and he will again find favor in Pharaoh’s household. In exchange for this gift of “dream interpretation” and relief from worry and stress, Joseph asks only one thing---remember me. Joseph asks that when the cupbearer is restored to his position that he put in a good word for Joseph—that he ask Pharaoh to have pity of Joseph and let Joseph out of jail, because Joseph is innocent. (See, Genesis 40:12-15)
Three days later, what Joseph predicted came true. The chief cupbearer is restored to his former position, but once restored, the cupbearer “promptly” [See the Living Bible translation.] forgot about Joseph. He never gave Joseph a second thought for two whole years.
Perhaps the writer of Psalms 77:11 had the chief cupbearer in mind when he reminded himself in song to remember the works of the LORD. Perhaps the writer knew that if he sang the verse about what GOD had done for him---all the wonders of old---it would cause him to remember the LORD. Perhaps the song writer knew that humans are notorious for forgetting---they have to work at remembering, and so, he sang a song to remember to remember GOD.