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In the last article we took a look at how Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife. Potiphar would be placed in an awkward position, to where he had no choice but to stand with his wife and her false allegations and put Joseph in prison. Understand that there was no way that Potiphar was going to side with a slave, over his wife. Be that as it may, I find it very interesting that when it comes to the path that Joseph had been forced to take. That if we were to look at this path from a natural perception, we could easily think that Joseph had been treated unfairly. Keep in mind that this viewpoint comes into play, being that Joseph was a person that had stayed true to the high standards that had been placed on him by the Lord. And although he was still very young when he was sold into slavery at the age of seventeen, we can see the early signs of how great of a man that Joseph would eventually become. With his gifts, which included: leadership, loyalty and management. We could easily become frustrated right along with Joseph, when it came to the way that his life was turning out to be. I must admit that these are the kind of Sacred Accounts that could have a person definitely scratching their head in total astonishment, when it comes to how the Lord treats his treasures. But on the other hand, these are the type of Sacred Accounts that can teach us how to look at things beyond the limits of our natural perceptions. Let's think about that last statement for a moment, while we do a quick recap on the events that Joseph had endured so far: First he's removed from his household, in which his responsibilities dealt with keeping an eye on his brothers, while he dreamt of being a ruler of some sort. Joseph would share this dream with his family and because of this, out of jealously, he is forcibly removed by his brothers and sold into slavery. This ordeal would provide him with, what I like to call, a short season of mental suffering. I find myself coming to this conclusion, for the mere fact that Joseph doesn't know what fate will befall him. Be that as it may, Joseph survives this season of hardship and soon he will end up being sold into the house of Potiphar, who was the captain of guard in Pharaoh's court. Understand that God is still with Joseph and because of this, after a little time passes, Joseph is promoted to being the overseer of Potiphar's entire household. This means that Joseph is now over everything that belongs to Potiphar, which includes: assets, servants, budget, etc. And although he is far away from home and being held against his will, Joseph now finds himself with more responsibility and authority than he had while he was at home watching over his brothers and daydreaming. Next, Potiphar's wife framed and lied on Joseph, by telling her husband that Joseph was trying to defile and take advantage of her. Although it would seem that Potiphar didn't believe his wife, the fact that Joseph was still a slave in spite of his position that he held within the household, weighed heavily on Potiphar's decision to side with his wife. Understand that Potiphar had no choice but to throw Joseph in prison, for he couldn't allow a slave to ruin the reputation of his wife, while having himself shamed in the process as well. And because of this, once again, Joseph has a moment of mental suffering. Joseph is now being sent to the King's Prison for a crime that he did not commit. But as soon as he enters into the prison, we find that God is still with him and the warden over that prison promotes Joseph to be overseer when it comes to the prisoners. So this means that Joseph is now in charge over all the prisoners, within the King's Prison. Understand that the prison would be much larger than Potiphar's household and because of this fact, in my personal opinion, I believe that this is also a larger promotion than the one Joseph had earned while serving in Potiphar's household. In spite of the fact that he now finds himself in a place that has an environment that promotes distress and affliction. So let's move forward... Some time would go by and the prison would now find itself with two additional prisoners: "Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cup-bearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them." -- (Genesis 40:2-4) Keep in mind that the captain of the guard is Potiphar. So this means that these two royal offenders are now in his custody, in which Potiphar would assign them to the King's Prison and automatically they would be placed under the charge of Joseph. Now some Bible teachers and preachers tend to make more of the last statement in the passage we just read: "The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them." It's popular to suggest that Potiphar was softening his stance towards Joseph? Personally, I disagree with that assessment, being that Potiphar stance was as soft as it was going to be when it came to Joseph, in regards to Joseph's ordeal with Potiphar's wife. For I believe that Potiphar would have had Joseph killed if he did not believe him over his wife. Also keep in mind that the chief cup-bearer and the chief baker would have been automatically charged under Joseph anyway, being that he was the overseer to all the prisoners. And there's one other thing that we must not forget when it comes to God and that thing would be - He always has a plan. Understand this, we must not make the mistake of thinking that God has abandon us because we don't recognize the blessing package or the path that He decided to put us on when it comes to our lives. The chief cup-bearer and the chief baker, each have a dream. What do these dreams entail? Will the chief cup-bearer and the chief baker be affected positively or negatively by these dreams? Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty **YOUR CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES WOULD BE HERE** 69) Joseph the Interpreter of Dreams 71) Joseph & The Pit of Darkness 72) Jacob the Father of Sorrow 73) The Importance of Judah's History 75) The Reaping Season of Judah 76) Tamar's Revenge 78) Joseph the Servant of Favor 79) Potiphar's Wife Lies on Joseph 81) <-CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE PAGE-> 82) The Dreaming Cupbearer & Baker 84) Joseph's Dark Dreams Interpretation 85) Joseph the Overseer of Egypt  |
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