“He had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him” (Psalm 105:17-19; English Standard Version).
Shock seized Joseph when Potiphar’s guards bound him in iron. The heavy metal rings clamped to his ankles and wrists cut into his flesh and bruised him to the bone. The iron collar they snapped on his neck choked his hope. The full weight of the iron chains strung from his neck to his wrists grabbed hold of his heart and yanked him into gray confusion. At that moment—one tiny sliver of time—Joseph was slammed into a dungeon of despair.
The young slave knew he had done the right thing by rejecting the wiles of Potiphar’s wife. He was steadfastly faithful to God and Potiphar. Joseph never let an impure thought about the woman enter his mind. Now, not only was he accused of grotesque rape, he was being punished for the sleazy crime she desired to commit. Joseph had to pay a high price for godly purity!
Surrounded by armed guards, Joseph shuffled along with short steps. With his feet, neck and wrists locked in chains, he did not have the freedom to move easily. He could only look forward. With each footstep, new blackened bruises swelled up on his ankles. The pain was unbearable. Yet the reality of his situation was far worse.
The clatter of the cast-iron chains linking his shackles together seemed deafening. The heart-sickening noise drove his dreams away—like wind chase clouds over the horizon.
Rule over my brothers? he thought, How is that possible now?” His thoughts raced wildly in every direction. “Why am I going to prison?” Joseph whispered under his breath. The question split his mind in two.
Help me! Joseph cried out to God—silently—with all the earnestness he could muster.
Insidious Revenge
Joseph analyzed his short time in Egypt. Why is this happening? he screamed inside. Potiphar’s purchase of him proved to be a great blessing; he lacked only a family’s love. As the weeks of his slavery passed, he thought Potiphar would eventually set him free. Yet now the man was escorting him to prison (Genesis 39:20). Joseph drifted into discouragement. Things were not working out the way he expected.
After his escape from the clutches of Potiphar’s wife, Joseph had not been totally surprised to hear the knock on his door that evening. It only made sense his master would send a messenger to retrieve him. Potiphar would want him to give an explanation of what happened. Joseph had thought deeply about what he would say to the man he respected so much. He regretted that he did not grab his cloak from Potiphar’s vixen—but getting away quickly was his only protection from enslavement to her lust.
Joseph knew he would have to be honest about her actions. Yet he thought, Surely Potiphar will believe me—I have never once cheated him! Joseph knew Potiphar prospered because of his hard work and diligence—the man had told him so. Even Potiphar’s wealth should stand on my side, Joseph assured himself. But the young man was not prepared for Potiphar’s actions in response to his wife’s lies and insidious revenge.
The King’s Prison
When several guards had rushed into his room and Potiphar stepped in behind them, Joseph immediately had become terrified at his expression. His once-loving master had radically changed. Fierce anger had chiseled his face to hardened granite.
Potiphar yelled out his wife’s charges. Joseph tried to explain what had happened—diplomatically. Joseph knew that it was not wise to point a finger at his master’s wife.
Yet while he spoke the truth and worked hard not to embarrass Potiphar—the captain of the king’s guard would not listen. A nauseating reality came over the Hebrew. No explanation could change the fact that Joseph was just a slave. His master was a proud man and Potiphar’s wife had to win. As Joseph looked into Potiphar’s eyes, he searched for some solid ground to stand on. There was none. Jacob’s son wanted to vomit!
Potiphar’s personal guards took Joseph into custody. They did their duty showing Joseph great respect—they loved him. The guards knew Potiphar’s wife; they avoided her at all cost. They quickly understood that Joseph had been trapped by her wrath. Yet they could do nothing for him; they feared disagreement with Pharaoh’s executioner. Events for Joseph would simply have to play out. The guards suspected that somehow Joseph would come out on top.
En route to jail, Joseph fought hard to hold on to the dreams God gave him. His dreams were promises. He simply could not believe that God’s promises were mere midnight illusions. Joseph clung to his faith that God would not fail him. Joseph waited for a last-minute release, but Potiphar remained unyielding in his decision. Joseph was locked into a dungeon of injustice.
Although numb and shaken, Joseph was not beaten. The accused slave made one final plea as Potiphar turned to leave. The master looked back for an instant. Joseph sensed a bend—a faint beat in a heart of stone. At that precise instant, Joseph thought that perhaps he did not believe his wife. But then Potiphar told him sternly, “You are safe!” Potiphar then stepped out of Joseph’s life and into the darkness. Joseph did not understand his words at that time; however, the chief prison guard did.
The Lesson for Us
When Joseph triumphed over an aggressive temptress and her alluring temptation, which is a common occurrence for many men, he still could not escape the scandal spun by the black heart of Potiphar’s immoral wife. She used her slanderous tongue to commit a huge injustice against an innocent and honorable young man. Because of her lies, he lost his job, his comfortable surroundings and worst of all—his good reputation.
The best way to describe what happened to Joseph is: “evil persecution.” Persecuting the righteous is a common practice in Satan’s world. “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” Paul taught (2 Timothy 3:12). Satan saw to it that Joseph was punished severely for his dedication to God and His laws. Psalm 105 tells us that Joseph did suffer. Throughout history, most of God’s people have undergone persecution—for many, deadly and horrible persecution. We can expect to be persecuted until Jesus Christ’s return. Being persecuted is something we signed up for at baptism (Luke 14:27).
Potiphar’s wife’s lack of character made her a tool in Satan’s hands. We should not be surprised when persecution knocks on our door—Satan knows who we are and where we live. He has many agents he can send our way. In fact, we should be concerned if persecution does not meet up with us on our spiritual journey. While Joseph had his job, his home and his reputation stripped away from him—he did not lose his godly character. Potiphar’s wife could never strip his golden character from him. His fidelity to God remained intact. We must remember this: Good jobs, homes and reputations matter little—building and maintaining godly character is all that matters. Let’s make sure we never allow Satan or one of his agents to strip our character from us.
The Eternal’s Prisoner
The chief guard, or warden, over Pharaoh’s prisoners knew Potiphar well. Rarely did he personally escort a prisoner to the dungeon. Potiphar must have held high regard for the slave shivering in chains. The guard questioned Potiphar about Joseph’s crime. “My wife accused him of attempted rape,” he said with sharp abruptness. After a final look at Joseph, Potiphar turned to leave. As he walked close to the warden he said quietly, “Watch over him.”
Yet prison is still prison. Doing time is never a pleasure trip. Joseph lost the freedoms associated with being Jacob’s son when his brothers sold him into slavery. He lost even more when Potiphar put him into prison.
Commentators show Potiphar was actually extremely merciful to Joseph by putting him into prison. “According to Diodorus Siculus, an ancient historian, the laws of the Egyptians were especially severe in their penalties for offenses against women (Pulpit Commentary),” writes John G. Butler in his book Joseph.
“One guilty of the crime which Joseph was accused could expect punishment as severe as death in those days, especially if he was nothing but a slave, as Joseph was. Hence, that Potiphar did not believe his wife ‘has been inferred from the circumstance that Joseph was not forthwith remitted to the executioner’s block’ (Thomas Whitelaw),” continued Butler. “Had Potiphar believed his wife, it is likely that Joseph would have been cruelly tortured and then decapitated. It is very possible that when we read ‘… that his wrath was kindled’ at the end of Genesis 39:19 that Potiphar was greatly enraged at his wife and not Joseph.”
Prison Guard’s Favorite
The guard could not help but notice something special about Joseph. He was immediately drawn to the young Hebrew. He quickly recognized that Potiphar obviously thought very highly of Joseph since Potiphar put Joseph in the king’s prison (Genesis 39:20).
In comparison with the common prison, it was a much better place as prisons go. The young man would be spared contact with extremely dangerous criminals. A number of the men in the king’s prison were there because of some royal impulse, some ill favor—no real crime. The prison keeper wondered if Joseph was not locked up because of some caprice. He knew Joseph had been accused of adultery, but he also knew that if Potiphar had truly believed he was guilty of that deed, he could have had him executed. Yet Joseph was very much alive.
The guard put the young man under his special protection. It was not long before he and the prison keeper were good friends. Eventually Joseph explained his life story to the guard. It was obvious that Joseph’s life was being guided. The keeper sensed that the young Hebrew was destined for greatness. He was confident that the trouble with Potiphar’s wife would pass.
Favor With God and Men
What Joseph and the jailer did not fully understand at that time was the fact that God was testing Joseph’s faith (Psalms 105:19). The test was simple. Would Joseph still believe God when all seemed hopeless? Being falsely accused of a crime and then being cast into prison would seem very hopeless. God intended to use Joseph in a very powerful way in both Egypt and Israel, so He had to be sure about Joseph’s willingness to look to Him and rely upon Him! By afflicting Joseph, God was preparing him for a critical leadership role.
Even though Potiphar put him in prison, the Bible states, “But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Genesis 39:21). Just as God had led Joseph to his hateful brothers at Dothan, God allowed Joseph to be locked away in prison by Potiphar. Although these events caused Joseph some incredible heaviness of spirit, it was all part of God’s plan.
God was with Joseph. God prospered him—even in prison. “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” (verse 22). Though humiliated for a time, the young Hebrew soon rose again to the top. He was given charge of the entire prison.
“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” (verse 23). The keeper of the prison came to trust Joseph implicitly, just as Potiphar did before him. God richly blessed the keeper because of the favor he showed to Joseph. The young Hebrew benefited as well. While in prison, Joseph learned how to direct the lives of other men. And all the while, God was laying the groundwork for his eventual release.
Joseph’s life teaches us that God will test us, sometimes severely, to see if we will maintain our faith in His promises. Yes, even when things look the most hopeless. God has consistently pushed His leaders and people to the outer edge—to near disaster—with the positive result of drawing us ever closer to Himself. God can use a health, financial or personal trial to search out the true intentions of our heart and mind. God’s promises are always sure. Just like Joseph, we must come to know that God will test us; but He will always be with us, especially in the darkest moments!
The Apostle Paul learned this crucial lesson. He wrote, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39). No trial can separate us from the love of Christ.
Never forget, God is working with you in the same manner He worked with Joseph. What a great comfort!