“And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.” Genesis 40:2-4
The arrest and detainment of two high ranking officials sets the stage for Joseph's eventual release, but for Joseph it's just another day at the office. His conduct is consistent and gracious ("he served them"). We discover that Joseph is in the "club-fed”, the prison for prisoners with status. Potiphar, Joseph’s boss, is the captain of the guard. His position likely involved overseeing the security of the palace and managing the state police and the prison system where Joseph is now working. Potiphar could have easily had Joseph executed for his alleged crime of molesting his wife but instead he puts him in the cozy part of the prison and allows (perhaps enables) him to be promoted because he knows Joseph is innocent but wants to avoid further scandal. Potiphar surely knows his wife's character and he knows Joseph’s character, but one of them has to go because the accusation was serious and his wife made it widely known in the household.
So off Joseph goes to Jail. It's completely unfair but it's also part of Joseph's spiritual training. Our human sense of fair play is one of the ways we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and it’s a key part of the Elect's training because God's justice is sure but, as it is tied to His mercy, it is rarely swift (Psalms 103:8). One of the frequent stops along the Highway called Holy is Unfairness University and, sometimes for an advanced degree. We should rejoice because it is a sign of His special favor and future exaltation. "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9) Joseph's time for reaping, literally and figuratively, is drawing nigh, but for now he must not grow wearing of doing good. Joseph passed his test and may the Lord enable us to pass our test(s), as we watch for the "glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ". (Titus 2:13)
The arrest and detainment of two high ranking officials sets the stage for Joseph's eventual release, but for Joseph it's just another day at the office. His conduct is consistent and gracious ("he served them"). We discover that Joseph is in the "club-fed”, the prison for prisoners with status. Potiphar, Joseph’s boss, is the captain of the guard. His position likely involved overseeing the security of the palace and managing the state police and the prison system where Joseph is now working. Potiphar could have easily had Joseph executed for his alleged crime of molesting his wife but instead he puts him in the cozy part of the prison and allows (perhaps enables) him to be promoted because he knows Joseph is innocent but wants to avoid further scandal. Potiphar surely knows his wife's character and he knows Joseph’s character, but one of them has to go because the accusation was serious and his wife made it widely known in the household.
So off Joseph goes to Jail. It's completely unfair but it's also part of Joseph's spiritual training. Our human sense of fair play is one of the ways we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and it’s a key part of the Elect's training because God's justice is sure but, as it is tied to His mercy, it is rarely swift (Psalms 103:8). One of the frequent stops along the Highway called Holy is Unfairness University and, sometimes for an advanced degree. We should rejoice because it is a sign of His special favor and future exaltation. "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9) Joseph's time for reaping, literally and figuratively, is drawing nigh, but for now he must not grow wearing of doing good. Joseph passed his test and may the Lord enable us to pass our test(s), as we watch for the "glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ". (Titus 2:13)