JOSEPH IS PUT IN PRISON

Passage: Genesis 39:13-23

Key verse: 23

NIV

13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants.(A) “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew(B) has been brought to us to make sport of us!(C) He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed.(D) 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”(E)

16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story:(F) “That Hebrew(G) slave(H) you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”

19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger.(I) 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison,(J) the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him;(K) he showed him kindness(L) and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.(M) 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.(N) 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s(O) care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.(P)

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ESV

13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”

19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph's master took him and (A)put him into the (B)prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But (C)the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love (D)and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison (E)put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's charge, because (F)the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

When Potiphar’s wife saw how Joseph rejected her advances, she called the other servants. She showed them the cloak that Joseph had left behind in his haste to flee. She accused him of trying to sleep with her. She repeated this same story to her husband. As a result, Potiphar was enraged, and had Joseph thrown into prison. Joseph had done the right thing, fleeing from sin, but he ended up as a slave in prison.

Where was the Lord in all of this? The following verses tell us that the Lord was with Joseph. Even at his lowest point, the Lord was with Joseph. The Lord showed him kindness and favor. Just as Potiphar had entrusted everything to Joseph, so now did the prison warden. Joseph went from being a favorite son to being a slave and now a slave in prison. His circumstances did not suggest that the Lord was present, but the Lord was with Joseph. Joseph’s dire situation was not evidence of God’s absence—it was the Lord’s active involvement for his own good purpose. We can trust God’s presence in all things.

Prayer: Lord, help me to put my trust in you at all times, believing that you are with me.

One Word: Trust in God’s presence