Meanwhile, back home, the brothers’ blatant lie that Joseph had probably been killed by a wild beast, had plunged Jacob, the old father whose life was bound up in the life of his son, into inconsolable mourning. Without conscience, Jacob’s sons saw his grief but felt nothing.

Joseph’s first break came when he was sold to Potiphar,

‭Genesis‬ ‭37:36‬ ‭NLT‬
[36] “Meanwhile, the Midianite traders arrived in Egypt, where they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar was captain of the palace guard.”

Potiphar was no racist, it seems. Joseph was a Hebrew but Potiphar recognised the value in this young man. In tandem with God’s plans, Joseph’s resolves, fashioned by his father’s teaching and honed by suffering, soon set him up for promotion.

‭Genesis‬ ‭39:3‭-‬6‬ ‭NLT‬
[3] “Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. [4] This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. [5] From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. [6] So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!”

However, promotion is often accompanied by testing and can be dangerous without proof. The story of King Saul reveals what happens when an untested vessel faces temptation.

Joseph’s youthful physique and looks proved too much for Potiphar’s wife. She thought he would be an easy target but, in the fire of temptation, Joseph’s moral fibre held firm.

‭Genesis‬ ‭39:8‭-‬9‬ ‭NLT‬
[8] “But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. [9] No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

As so often happens, “a woman scorned” hit back with false accusations. Her trump card was Joseph’s cloak!

‭Genesis‬ ‭39:11‭-‬12‬ ‭NLT‬
[11] “One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. [12] She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.”

‭Genesis‬ ‭39:16‭-‬18‬ ‭NLT‬
[16] She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. [17] Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said. [18] “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!”

Unfortunately for Joseph, Potiphar’s loyalty to his wife, her word against Joseph’s (if a slave had the right to defend himself) prevailed, and Joseph found himself summarily demoted to prisoner in the king’s prison despite his excellent track record.

‭Genesis‬ ‭39:19‭-‬20‬ ‭NLT‬
[19] “Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. [20] So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained.”

So, Joseph the pampered, Joseph who prospered became Joseph the prisoner. Could he go any lower?

But…

To be continued…