Title: Joseph in the Prison
Bible Book: Genesis 37 : 36
Author: Donnie L. Martin
Subject: Joseph; God's Mercy; Will of God
Objective:
Introduction
At this point in The Jolting Joyous Journey of Joseph, we see Joseph in prison. Note several important elements of his experience at this juncture of the journey.
I. It Was Here That Joseph Would Prosper
A. Joseph Enjoyed The Lord's Reinforcement
Look at Genesis 39:21a, "But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy..." Four times, since we first read of Joseph's arrival in Egypt, we've been told, "...the Lord was with Joseph," or words to that effect (Gen.39: 2, 3, 21, 23). It's just a guess, but I suspect that the Holy Spirit was intent on convincing us that the Lord is with us in every situation. God's promise is still the same for us today, for He says, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb.13: 5a).
As we think about this situation, it may seem hard for our minds to compute God's presence with being in prison. However, we need only to remind ourselves that the Bible instructs us over and over again that our circumstances or surroundings are not the measure of God's presence, care or concern. Listen to the words of David: Psalm 139:7-10, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."
B. Joseph Engendered The Prison Keeper's Respect
Note Genesis 39:21b, "...and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison."
C. Joseph Experienced Greater Responsibility
Genesis 39:22-23 states, "And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper."
Joseph, though falsely accused and thrown into prison, faithfully submitted himself, and served God to the fullest. One lesson that can be learned here is this: extreme conditions do not justify evil conduct. The apostle Paul put it this way: 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
II. It Was Here That Joseph Was Proved
A. We See The Care That He Provided
Read Genesis 40:2-4, "And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward."
Potiphar's loss was the jail keeper's gain. Joseph had served Potiphar for perhaps two years before he was put in prison. Just as Potiphar's household prospered under Joseph's hand, even so, the jail keeper's job became much easier, due to Joseph's service.
If Joseph was approximately twenty years old at the time of his imprisonment, then he wound up being in prison for about ten years, for he was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh. But rather than sulk and pine away in depression, Joseph developed a prison ministry. He served the prisoners with care and concern, treating them like human beings. Keep in mind that in one sense, Joseph wasn't even supposed to be here. It would require a tremendous closeness to God to have this kind of attitude when you know that you're in prison because you were falsely accused.
B. We See The Concern That He Showed
We read in Genesis 40:5-8, "And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly today? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you."
Can you imagine showing concern for others when you're serving time in prison for something you didn't do? Yet such was the spiritual nature of Joseph. True concern makes a definite impression on others.
Dwight Morrow, the father of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, once held a dinner party to which Calvin Coolidge had been invited. After Coolidge left, Morrow told the remaining guests that Coolidge would make a good president. The others disagreed. They felt Coolidge was too quiet, that he lacked color and personality. No one would like him, they said.
Anne, then age six, spoke up: "I like him," she said. Then she displayed a finger with a small bandage around it. "He was the only one at the party who asked about my sore finger." "And that's why he would make a good president," added Morrow.
C. We See The Counsel That We Have
Note the butler's dream. The dream is recounted.
See Genesis 40:9-11, "And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand."
The dream's interpretation is revealed.
Look at Genesis 40:12-13, "And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place; and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler."
The dream's interpretation is realized:
Read Genesis 40:20a-21, "And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants. And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand..."
We see the confidence in God that Joseph maintained. Joseph had asked of the butler a favor. Note Genesis 40:14-15, "But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon."
Joseph is forgotten.
Read Genesis 40:23, "Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him."
How easy it would have been for Joseph to indulge himself in a "pity-party." After all, the least this butler could have done was show a little bit of gratitude for what Joseph had done for him. But strangely enough, we see no indication that Joseph threw a fit, or angrily accused God of maltreatment. I believe that his attitude was like that of Abraham before him, that, "...what he (God) had promised, he was able also to perform" (Rom.4: 21). Even though he didn't understand why things had happened as they did, Joseph maintained his faith and confidence in God.
"Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand." St. Augustine.
Joseph waited patiently in prison for two more years after the release of the butler. But though the cupbearer forgot Joseph, God hadn't forgotten him. His hope was not in man, but in God, Who is faithful. As King David would say years later, "For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God" (Psalm 38:15). Joseph's attitude was: "My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth" (Psalm 21:2).
