Genesis 39:19-23
So it was, when his [Joseph’s] master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused. 20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 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. 23 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.
This passage recently caught my attention for one fact, but others have since impacted me. Here is that initial grab: Joseph was in prison and God was with him!
Joseph was in prison – Ugh! Joseph was wrongly accused and incarcerated. Ugh, again! This is a reminder of how many of the Bible’s characters spent time in prison – Jeremiah, Paul, James, Peter, John the Baptist, Samson, Micaiah, Hanani, the apostles, and Silas to mention most of those noted as prisoners in Scripture.
BUT God was with Him! In prison, and God was with Him! That sounds like an oxymoron – I mean, God could break him out like He did Peter in Acts 12. But NO! God was in prison too! God was OK with Joseph being in prison!
Joseph looking back on those 13 years behind bars made this declaration: You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20). WOW! Again, God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). Our hopes, wishes and plans most often do not include God’s designs and means and God has the final say (Proverbs 16:1, James 4:15).
Then there is the fact that Joseph was there because he was moral and refused to be immoral - Joseph refused to sin! He refused to go along with the power brokers. He said “NO” to the world. And for that He was sent to languish because of the words of an evil person and because of dirty politics (the Potiphar had the power and used it). Much like John the Baptist (I Peter 4:4).
And then this... “God showed him mercy.” Boy, to park a guy in prison for doing good and at the bequest of evil people and then God to declare that He gave him mercy again seems goofy. Oops, I almost forgot: God’s ways are not our ways! This is such a familiar theme throughout Scripture. You would think that we would sooner – not later – figure this out.
Then the story reports that the Lord gave Joseph favor with the jailer. So, the jailer thinks he is in charge of the jail, but low and behold, not so! God is! God decided who should run the place and moved Joseph into that position. So much for the will and authority of man. God’s rule RULES!
Yet, Joe is still behind bars – well, maybe not in the dungeon and maybe not behind bars, but he was still behind walls and the world was passing him by. He was living in filth, eating yucky food, sleeping on no foam mattress and most likely no “My Pillow” (Mike might have cut them a deal), no HVAC, no books and no electricity, thus no TV. There was no pay phone, no lawyer visits, no visitors, no prisoners of like faith (and he was one of those foreigners and a Jew to boot!), no prisoners with his scruples and no occasional letters from loved ones. At night he listened to filth from foul men, battled rats, spiders and scorpions, and thus was often sleepless. What a rotten existence – if you can even call it an existence.
Even holding a position of authority/favor, how many nights did he cry himself to sleep? How often did he battle depression or anger? And his prayers often seemed to stop at the ceiling. Where was God? Yet, God was not indifferent nor distant. Remember, God was with him! God was with him IN JAIL! What a concept!