Welcome back! Glad you stuck around for this week’s blog post! Last week I went into the first part of Joseph’s story, and this week we’re going a little deeper! If you missed out last time, check out God’s Character Through the Story of Joseph, then come back here to read part two! Let’s not waste any time; let’s get to it!
The Story of Joseph
Last time, I left off with how Joseph honored God and had a good relationship with Him, where he couldn’t bring himself to sin against Him. So, after Genesis 39:9, where Joseph says, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” he flees from Potiphar’s wife. However, he ran so quickly that he forgot to get his clothing, which was still in the possession of Potiphar’s wife. Potiphar’s wife used this against Joseph and lied to Potiphar, saying that Joseph tried to rape her. Now we all know that it was she who came onto Joseph, but to keep face, Potiphar threw Joseph in jail. I believe that Potiphar knew Joseph wouldn’t attempt such a thing because of how wonderful of a servant he was, but because he didn’t want to embarrass his wife, he took her for her word.
Moving along, Joseph ends up in prison, but Genesis 39:21 states that “the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” This shows that God’s mercy and favor never run out and that it follows you wherever you go. You don’t have to be in an excellent place to experience God’s goodness; Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” We certainly see that with Joseph, so know that God is faithful and won’t allow His favor or mercy to leave you. You can be in the worse situation known to man, and somehow you’ll still experience the goodness of God. That is because God is committed to prospering you, bringing you higher, and causing you to be victorious. God’s favor surrounded Joseph like a shield (Psalm 5:12); He wasn’t going to allow Joseph to experience prison as others did. God will make sure that just because you’re His child that your experience is always different. Your case is different, and things will work for your good just because you love God. God had plans for Joseph’s life, and a little time in prison would not stand in God’s way. And God has plans for your life, too, and if you allow Him, He will bless you.
So stop talking about where you are in life, what’ve you done, and who you are; God doesn’t care about that. Joseph was in prison, and God still prospered and made him great! The next verse, Genesis 39:22, says, “And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.” God took Joseph from a prisoner to the person running the prison. The Bible doesn’t say how long this promotion took from the time Joseph arrived, but I assume it was fast. God is the God of acceleration; He will quickly take you from the valley to the mountain! God will take you from begging to being the provider in no time, from the one in need of a blessing to the one giving the blessings!
God is on the move; it is your job to keep up! Do you think when the prison keeper presented this promotion to Joseph, he refused it or said he didn’t have the time or it was not the right time? No! He received God’s favor and blessing as it came. Stop rejecting what God is trying to give you, and accept it! God’s timing is always right, so don’t delay it with your hesitation. God always has a plan, but His plan also always has a timeline, he needed Joseph in a position to prosper, and this was the first step. So ask yourself, are you in the place to prosper? Genesis 39:23 states, “the keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.” God will prosper you and will never forsake you, so be encouraged!
Now moving along, here is the reason I believe why God made Joseph the head of the prison. A baker and a butler had upset the king of Egypt, and they were confined in Joseph’s prison. Both had dreams that troubled them; in the butler’s dream, there was a vine with three branches. The Pharaoh’s cup was in his hands, and he pressed the grapes from the vine into the cup. In the baker’s dream, there were three white baskets on his head, with all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but birds came and ate them out of the baskets on his head. Joseph tells the butler that Pharaoh will restore him to his former position in three days. For the baker, Pharaoh will cut off his head and kill him in three days. Joseph says to the butler in Genesis 40:14, “But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house,”
Unfortunately, when the butler gets out of prison and Pharaoh restores to his former position, he forgets about Joseph. However, this is not the end! Genesis 41:1-4 says, “Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat, and they fed in the meadow. Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine-looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke.” Pharaoh had two dreams like this, and they troubled him greatly, he asked all the wise men and magicians of Egypt about the dreams, but no one could interpret them. However, finally, the butler remembered Joseph after all of these years. He tells Pharaoh how Joseph interpreted his and the baker’s dream and that those dreams did come to pass. Genesis 41:14 says, “Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out the dungeon.”
Though it was years later, Joseph went from a prisoner to being in the presence of royalty, all because of his gift and God’s favor. Don’t ever believe the lie that God left you hanging; God always has a divine plan. Joseph would not have been able to interpret the butler’s and baker’s dreams if he wasn’t in a high position in the prison. Genesis 40:4 says, “the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them,” If Joseph weren’t running the prison, he wouldn’t be able to serve them and get favor with someone who worked for Pharaoh. Though his situation seemed bleak, God knew what He was doing with Joseph. God gave Pharaoh those visions so that He could use Joseph’s gift to His glory. God is intentional; nothing God does is in vain, which is significant to note about His character. Some people think things just happen without direction, but God has a detailed plan to elevate you the whole time. Joseph didn’t know the entire story but remained faithful and trusted God to bring him out. How do you think Joseph spent those years in prison? Not complaining, worrying, or stressing, but most likely praising God, expecting goodness and elevation. So, take notes when in a bleak situation, and place your faith in your God, who is intentional and determined to bring you higher.
Joseph’s story isn’t just a great example of God’s character and how we should act in desolate situations. He always trusted and believed God to deliver him; remaining stagnant was never his fear. That’s because Joseph knew who God was! He knew he served a powerful and faithful God who could do the impossible! God knows what He is doing with you, you may not like your current situation, but you are coming out! You serve a God who doesn’t allow His covenant or faithfulness to fail! You are in the perfect position for elevation like Joseph was. Joseph was placed in that exact prison to interpret those exact dreams so that he could have a meeting with Pharaoh, who then blessed him. We’ll get into that next week! I hope you’ve enjoyed going through Joseph’s story; I know I have! See you next week!
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